POLICY & POLITICS
Deadline FAST APPROACHING:
Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships
Due Friday, February 22nd, 2019.
Fresno Bee
Sight of the Sierra Nevada from Tulare County all but disappeared within days at the end of January as the San Joaquin Valley floor became choked with soot and dust, creating air pollution ranking the worst in the nation,
See also:
● Does new air pollution plan make Valley a safer place to live? Don’t hold your breath Fresno Bee
North SJ Valley:
Modesto, area cities do not fare well in new American Lung Association report
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County doesn’t do a very good job of controlling the use of tobacco, the American Lung Association says. In a report issued last week, the Lung Association graded states and communities in the United States in terms of “policies proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use”.
Merced’s mayor will talk homeless, housing and more at annual address
Merced Sun-Star
Merced Mayor Mike Murphy talked to the Merced Sun-Star on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, about the highlights and challenges he expects to address at the State of the City at 11 a.m. on Feb.8 at Merced Theatre.
SJ Sheriff Moore leaves complicated legacy
Recordnet
But Moore’s years in office were vastly more complex than portrayed by his farewell.
When he took office at the start of 2007, it was a moment when the Sheriff’s Office was reeling from scandal.
Central SJ Valley:
Democrats target Devin Nunes, again
Visalia Times Delta
The contentious 2018 midterms may feel like they just happened — but if Tulare’s controversial Congressman Devin Nunes thought he could take a breather after his narrow November election win and relax, he needs to think again.
See Also:
● Devin Nunes says ‘left-winger mania’ to save fish driving his opposition for 2020 election Visalia Times Delta
● Author of controversial Nunes memo joining National Security Council CNN
A Fresno group is taking the city to court. They’ve filed a lawsuit over Measure P
Fresno Bee
Fresno Building Healthy Communities filed a lawsuit Friday morning against the city of Fresno, a day after the City Council did not take action to approve Measure P, a parks sales tax on the November ballot.
See Also:
● Lawsuit filed against city of Fresno over Measure P abc30
South SJ Valley:
Locals dismayed at McCarthy mobile office meetings
Porterville Recorder
After the postponement of January’s McCarthy mobile office meeting, and with the newest developments in Congress and the White House, Porterville locals anticipated an informative and discussion-filled meeting on Friday morning.
Hanford City Council to get update on city leases
Hanford Sentinel
At the Hanford City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Council will get updates on the status of some of the city’s leases, including the Hanford Carnegie Museum and Our Heroes Dreams.
City manager raise on Lemoore agenda
Hanford Sentinel
The Lemoore City Council will meet Tuesday and discuss a raise for the city manager, among several other items of new business.
New state law shaking up Bakersfield College remedial offerings
Bakersfield Californian
The college is eliminating many remedial course sections this year in compliance with AB 705, legislation approved by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017. The law requires that community colleges in the state automatically place students in transfer-level courses.
Fox Theater asks for community’s help in fixing clock tower misspellings
Bakersfield Californian
So they decided to launch a GoFundMe drive to ask for the Bakersfield community’s help in bringing the Fox’s beautiful tower “back to its full glory. And it’s working.
State:
Fact Check: Did Motor Voter tilt midterm elections against California Republicans?
Fresno Bee
California Republicans lost seven House seats in November 2018 elections. They have blamed new voter registration laws for their defeat. New data provides a fact check on their claim.
See Also:
● Gov. Gavin Newsom is right to order an overhaul of California’s DMV Fresno Bee
● GOP, Dem lawmakers, let’s help Newsom fix the DMV Visalia Times Delta
Gov. Newsom assembles team in Sacramento to focus on his ‘cradle to career’ agenda
EdSource
Gov. Gavin Newsom has put together a team of advisers on children’s issues and education that is almost certainly larger than any governor in California’s history. The appointments tilt heavily toward early childhood, reflecting Newsom’s embrace during his campaign and his first few weeks as governor of the importance of a child’s earliest years.
Housing still costs a fortune in California. Will Gavin Newsom’s plan fix that?
Modesto Bee
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed increased spending to build more affordable housing in his 2019 budget plan. He also wants to make it easier for developers to to construct more units.
See Also:
● EDITORIAL: To solve California’s housing crisis, the state and cities must aim for the same goal Fresno Bee
● California’s Liberal Governor Hauls a Conservative City to Court Wall Street Journal
Gavin Newsom raised $50 million running for governor. He still has $15 million left over.
Sacramento Bee
California Governor Gavin Newsom raised more than $50 million for his 2018 gubernatorial campaign and has $15 million left over for his next statewide run, according to campaign money disclosures filed Thursday night.
Trump ignites California’s paradigm shift
Sacramento Bee
Delaine Eastin, the former California schools chief and legislator whose longshot bid for governor fizzled last year, has been in enough elections to know the difference between a stormy campaign season and a fundamental shift in the political climate.
See Also:
● There’s a chance that Trump has altered California politics for years to come Los Angeles Times
‘Your brand is toxic’: Bay Area’s last GOP lawmaker couldn’t overcome Trump
San Francisco Chronicle
Catharine Baker was the only Republican representing the Bay Area in either the Legislature or Congress, until she lost her re-election bid to the Assembly in November. Now there is none.
Federal:
Analysis: Trump’s State of Union comes amid political peril
Stockton Record
Facing clear political peril, President Donald Trump will deliver his second State of the Union address at a moment when his bully pulpit is uncertain and his negotiating skills in question after a month long government shutdown that exposed fractures in his party and sent his poll numbers tumbling.
See Also:
● CNN Poll: 4 in 10 call this the worst governing of their lifetimes CNN
● ‘Choosing greatness’: Pres. Trump’s State of the Union aims for a unifying tone abc30
● Democrats Tap Leader Of ‘Resistance’ To Trump For Spanish State Of The Union Response Capital Public Radio
● Trump’s State of the Union speech — Do not adjust your TV set Los Angeles Times
● AP fact check: Trump’s untruths on Russia probe, wall, jobs PBS
Democrats ready to deal on border barrier — just not a ‘wall’
Sacramento Bee
Another clue as to what’s to come from Democrats: There’s a recent history of Democrats supporting physical barriers, notably fences, as long as they are part of a comprehensive border security package.
See Also:
● Shutdown or national emergency? Trump plays coy in pre-Super Bowl interview Roll Call
● Trump Signals Decision on Border Emergency Could Come Soon Wall Street Journal
● The era of Democratic compromise is over Washington Post
● The Democrats’ choice: The midterm elections and the road to 2020 Brookings
● Democrats’ tax plans reflect profound shift in public mood Washington Post
● EDITORIAL: The problem with Trump’s ‘national emergency’ plan is much bigger than any wall Los Angeles Times
The Democratic disinformation debacle proves companies and Congress need to take action
Washington Post
Democratic copycats of Russian disinformation techniques, it seems, did not restrict themselves to one state this past election cycle: Late last year, The Post reported on aproject backed by Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman to interfere in Alabama’s 2017 special election for Senate. Now, more information has surfaced on a secret experiment targeting conservative voters in races across the country.
Who’s running for president in 2020? List of Democratic candidates
abc30
The next presidential election isn’t until Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, but there’s already mounting speculation about which candidates will run.
See Also:
● Booker explains why he’s running for president in first TV interview since declaring abc30
● A republic, not a giant H.R. department Sacramento Bee
● A ‘lane for hope’? Democratic primary to test Booker’s message of optimism Sacramento Bee
● Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Compete To Spurn Establishment Cash Capital Public Radio
● Why one of California’s top donors stepped off the sidelines for Kamala Harris Los Angeles Times
● Can Democrats win back working-class voters they lost? Sherrod Brown thinks he’s the ticket Los Angeles Times
● Kamala Harris’ campaign fought to get flags at Oakland kickoff San Francisco Chronicle
● Are paychecks failing to keep up with inflation? Politifact
● Kamala Harris: Criminal justice reformer, or defender of the status quo? The record is mixed Politifact
● Kamala Harris’s file Politifact
● Cory Booker’s file Politifact
● Elizabeth Warren’s file Politifact
● Kirsten Gillibrand’s file Politifact
● John Delaney’s file Politifact
● Virginia Governor Rebuffs Fellow Democrats, Risks Undermining Party in 2020 Wall Street Journal
Cracks in GOP support for Trump emerge, but White House claims ‘we’re all good’
Roll Call
The Senate floor in recent weeks has become ground zero for GOP members jumping out of line. With a series of national security and government spending speeches and vote results, the president’s party has issued a string of stinging blows after nearly two years of mostly sticking with and defending him.
Lots of legislation would deal with future shutdowns, but most of it DOA
Roll Call
While bipartisan momentum might be building among the rank and file of each party to curb future shutdowns, leaders sent mixed signals about the glut of proposals in January.
EDITORIAL: A republic, not a giant H.R. department
Sacramento Bee
Exhibit A this week: Howard Schultz, the former chief executive officer of Starbucks, is reportedly mulling a third-party or independent run for president. Schultz, a longtime Democrat, says both parties are hopelessly dysfunctional. (Which is undeniably true.) Neither political party, for example, is lifting a finger to address the $21.9 trillion national debt.
Opinion: The Left’s Idea of Generosity
Wall Street Journal
Studies consistently show that Republicans give more than Democrats to private charities. But as any liberal will happily tell you, that doesn’t capture the whole picture. The left, they say, is far more generous than the right.
Other:
Poll finds 58% say press more likely now to jump to conclusions
The Hill
Fifty-eight % of registered voters contacted for the survey said that they believed reporters were more likely to jump to conclusions about events than before. Just 14 % said contemporary reporters were less likely to do so while 27 % said things were about the same as previously.
9 facts about state and local policy
Brookings
State and local government total expenditures amount to $2.9 trillion in the United States. While this is less than the federal government’s $4.3 trillion of expenditures, nearly two-thirds of federal total expenditures are transfers (either to individuals or state and local governments). This means that state and local governments have in some respects a more prominent role in decision-making than the federal government.
Covering Politics in a “Post-Truth” America
Brookings
The truth is that coverage of American politics, and the capital that revolves around it, is in many ways much better now than ever before—faster, sharper, and far more sophisticated. There are great new digital news organizations for politics and policy obsessives, political science wonks, and national security geeks.
Facebook’s Timeline: 15 Years In
Wall Street Journal
Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm room in February 2004 as a way for Ivy League buddies to socialize. Fifteen years later, as of Dec. 31, it had 2.32 billion customers who use it at least once a month.
See also:
● Deactivating Facebook leaves people less informed but happier, study finds Washington Post
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Modesto summit will explore how high-tech aids in making wine, cheese and much more
Modesto Bee
A gathering Thursday, Feb. 7, in Modesto will feature some of the latest ways to apply high technology to farming. The title of the summit is “Adapt or Die: Sowing the Seeds of an Innovative Ag Tech Ecosystem.”
People Strongly Against GMOs Had Shakier Understanding Of Food Science, Study Finds
NPR
GMOs are widely considered safe by scientists, but opponents have said they want more science on the potential harm so that subjective arguments aren’t part of the equation. However, previous surveys have shown that providing more scientific facts about GMOs to people doesn’t change their minds.
California’s retail marijuana industry is struggling. Will tax breaks and banks help?
Sacramento Bee
Unfriendly banks, high taxes and black-market competitors are some of the obstacles that licensed cannabis companies say hold them back as they try to cultivate a new industry in California.
California craving more tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales
San Francisco Chronicle
California’s high cash expectations from recreational marijuana are going up in smoke as most people are opting to buy their weed on the cheaper, more available and tax-free black market.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Fresno Catholic bishop speaks on priest sex abuse scandal, promises thorough review
Fresno Bee
Bishop Armando Ochoa announced Friday, February 1, that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, California, will release the names priests accused of sexual misconduct after reviewing records dating back to 1922.
See Also:
● Fresno Catholic Church hiring FBI officials to investigate sexual abuse allegations abc30
● Diocese of Fresno will hire former FBI official to review clergy sex allegations Bakersfield Californian
California prison rehab program fails to keep criminals from reoffending, audit finds
Sacramento Bee
California state prisons are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on rehabilitation, but an audit finds that a key program does not appear to curb recidivism among CDCR inmates.
See also:
● Despite an emphasis on inmate rehab, California recidivism rate is ‘stubbornly high’ Los Angeles Times
● Walters: So far, prison inmate rehab isn’t working CALmatters
The dark web puts a new twist on the age-old practice of counterfeiting
Los Angeles Times
When Secret Service Agent Matthew Britsch began trawling for major counterfeiters in the shadowy marketplaces of the dark web, he acted like any smart consumer on eBay — he studied the reviews.
EDITORIAL: Psychiatric patients need hospital beds, not jail cells
Los Angeles Times
We “house” much of the mentally ill population on the street, until breakdowns or other crises lead to confrontations and criminal charges. Then they go to jail.
Trump: NFL thankful he signed criminal justice bill
Fresno Bee
President Donald Trump said “a lot of people” from the NFL have been calling and thanking him for signing legislation addressing concerns with the criminal justice system.
See also:
| ● President Trump’s Texas-size whoppers on crime and immigrationWashington Post |
Public Safety:
How to tell if your tree could be a hazard in the coming storm
abc30
A certified arborist gives tips on identifying dying/ decaying trees that could topple during the upcoming storm.
Art project gives students, community deeper look into human trafficking
abc30
The ArtVenture project lets students learn about serious issues from an artistic angle. In this case blending painting with creative writing to give trafficking victims complete backgrounds.
SJ Sheriff Moore leaves complicated legacy
Stockton Record
One month before he left office, former San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore held a microphone at a Board of Supervisors meeting and summed up 12 years in 21 words.
My turn: How to ensure equal access to the law when we speak 200 different languages
CALmatters
California’s courts serve a state with nearly 40 million people, whose daily lives trigger disputes about matters ranging from child custody to housing to digital privacy. But ensuring that all people in the state can protect their rights and interests by accessing the courts means we must contend with California’s enormous—indeed, almost unique—linguistic diversity.
Fire:
Kern answers the call for Camp Fire recovery aid
Bakersfield Californian
Recovery for the region hit by the most destructive wildfire in California history is expected to be long and hard, but some in Kern County have not backed down from the call for help.
Will California pay too much for Camp Fire cleanup? Why didn’t it choose lowest bidder?
Sacramento Bee
A behind-the-scenes fight has erupted over California’s handling of debris cleanup contracts for the massive Camp Fire in Paradise. Five of six companies that lost out this week in bids for $1 billion in state contracts have filed notice with state officials that they will protest.
As California wildfires grew, so did PG&E lobbying spending
Sacramento Bee
PG&E spent $1.3 million on lobbying from October through December, bringing its total for the 2017-2018 session to $11.8 million.
See Also:
● PG&E Spent Most For 2018 Lobbying Capital Public Radio
● Newsom asks PG&E bankruptcy judge to include customers, employees San Francisco Chronicle
● EDITORIAL: A power vacuum on safety oversight Los Angeles Times
How badly did the government shutdown harm wildfire prep? Democrats want answers
Sacramento Bee
California Democrats and the House Agriculture Committee are demanding answers on how much wildfire prevention was lost due to the shutdown from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Possible hike in utility rates in Fresno
abc30
The City of Fresno could be inching closer to an increase in utility rates after a recommendation was made Thursday in front of the City Council.
China Fears Loom Over Stocks After January Surge
Wall Street Journal
Investors are looking toward China as a key threat to the rebound in U.S. stocks, a month after warnings of a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy rattled markets across the globe.
The Informal Economy: Immigration and the Demand for Low-Wage Work
KCET
While some argue that immigrants in this country drain public resources or prefer informal work to evade fiscal responsibility, experts say many work untraditional jobs because they lack proper access to the traditional labor market.
Opinion: Let’s Ensure The California Dream Belongs to Everyone: #CADream4All
Economic Mobility Collaborative
Like you, we see an opportunity to forge a new path for all of California unlike any we’ve known before. It’s a path to a future where the California Dream truly is accessible to every Californian. A future where basic economic security is a birthright and every person has a chance to work, to discover their potential, and to share that potential with others.
How artificial intelligence affects financial consumers
Brookings
From AI-driven chatbots to sophisticated wealth robo advisors, AI applications have clear potential to expand opportunities for consumers living at the margin. However, experts have yet to discuss the relevance of AI for consumer financial protection in earnest, including the implications of AI solutions that could better protect consumers.
Jobs:
US added 304K jobs in January, unemployment increases to 4%
abc30
The U.S. economy added 304,000 jobs in January even as overall unemployment ticked higher, driven in part by the weeks-long partial U.S. government shutdown.
Kern Radiology’s acquisition by RadNet could bring about 173 local layoffs
Bakersfield Californian
The notice to Kern County officials, filed Jan. 31 under terms of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, states 54 of the people to be laid off are technicians, 42 are scheduling personnel, 22 are expediters, 12 are front-desk workers, 11 are keepers of medical records, nine are nurses and eight are administrators. The rest work in operations, support and other departments.
BuzzFeed, Vice and other outlets slash jobs in a challenging market for digital media
Los Angeles Times
Shedding 15% of its staff was a bruising moment for BuzzFeed and the latest sign of distress in the once-booming digital media sector, where many outlets have struggled to capture enough ads and digital subscriptions to cover rising expenses.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Laton Unified superintendent placed on leave. Teachers say he created a hostile work environment
Fresno Bee
Laton Unified superintendent Victor Villar has been placed on paid administrative leave following allegations that Villar had a relationship with an employee creating a hostile work environment for other staff, according to a complaint filed by the California Federation of Teachers.
From smartest of Valley high school minds, here are the Academic Decathlon winners
Fresno Bee
Hundreds of central San Joaquin Valley high school students spent the weekend showing just how smart they are for their age. The 37th annual Academic Decathlon events took place at different Valley high schools Saturday.
See Also:
● Academic Decathlon tests students’ knowledge on the groovy ’60s Bakersfield Californian
Educators, trustees talk contracts
Madera Tribune
Five hundred Madera Unified teachers — one fourth of the membership of MUTA, the teachers’ union — converged on a meeting of school trustees Tuesday evening to express their discontent over contract negotiations with the district.
They feed, comfort and transport Stanislaus schoolkids. They’re up for state awards
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County has announced its nominees for statewide awards for non-teaching school employees. The winners in six categories will be announced during Classified School Employees Week, May 19 to 25.
PBS crew visits Harmony, SHS for upcoming documentary
Porterville Recorder
A news team from PBS out of Sacramento was interviewing students and faculty from Porterville Unified School District and Harmony Magnet Academy over a couple of days this past week, asking them about their experiences with learning and their goals for a documentary.
Bakersfield Californian
This past week has seen no less than three reports of alleged misconduct — legal and otherwise — on the part of either current or former school personnel in Kern County.
Cleaner Classrooms and Rising Scores: One Program Mirrors Head Start’s Quiet Gains
The New York Times
When federal officials inspected this city’s Head Start program five years ago, they found moldy classrooms, exposed wires, leaking sewage, a sagging roof and trash-strewn playgrounds littered with safety hazards. A teacher had jerked a student so hard she dislocated the girl’s shoulder.
Higher Ed:
Deadline FAST APPROACHING: Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
The Maddy Institute
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships Due Friday, February 22nd, 2019. Through the generosity of The Wonderful Company, San Joaquin Valley students will have the opportunity to become the next generation of Valley leaders through The Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship. The Maddy Institute will award two $56,000 Fellowships to Valley students who are accepted into a nationally ranked, qualified graduate program in the fall of 2019.
Huron students get first-hand college experience
Fresno State Campus News
Thanks to a collaboration among several offices throughout campus, more than 160 students from Huron elementary and middle schools, all wearing “Be Bold” T-shirts sponsored by United Way, spent a day visiting the Fresno State campus.
CSUB offering free tax return help
Bakersfield Californian
The program will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, starting Feb. 2 and lasting through through March 30 by appointment only. Student volunteers certified by the Internal Revenue Service will provide free services in Room 218A of the Business Development Center, 9001 Stockdale Hwy.
Is the dip in freshman applications at the University of California the start of a trend?
Sacramento Bee
For the first time in 15 years, the number of would-be freshmen applying to the University of California has dropped, the first sign that a national trend of declining college enrollment could be hitting the West Coast.
New state law shaking up Bakersfield College remedial offerings
Bakersfield Californian
New Bakersfield College students may have a tougher time getting through their first math and English courses this year.
Skelton: Spending on free community college for Californians would pay off big for the state
A little-noticed gem in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget would return California partway back to its glory days of tuition-free college. It’s a relatively tiny, $40-million item in a $209-billion state budget — and a bargain.
Over 60, and Crushed by Student Loan Debt
Wall Street Journal
One generation of Americans owed $86 billion in student loan debt at last count. Its members are all 60 years old or more.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Yosemite employees still taking stock of damage, as possible second shutdown looms
Sierra Star
Yosemite National Park employees scrambled to return to normal this week after a month-long government shutdown. But the full impact of the shutdown remains unclear, however, as the prospect of a second shutdown looms.
Thousands of golf balls found off California Coast
abc30
A potential danger to wildlife is lurking beneath the waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It has been there for a hundred years, and is only now coming to surface because of the curiosity of a teenage girl.
Fresno Bee
Sight of the Sierra Nevada from Tulare County all but disappeared within days at the end of January as the San Joaquin Valley floor became choked with soot and dust, creating air pollution ranking the worst in the nation,
See also:
● Does new air pollution plan make Valley a safer place to live? Don’t hold your breath Fresno Bee
Talks to avoid a messy legal fight over California’s emissions rules appear stalled
Los Angeles Times
Talks between the Trump administration and California over rules requiring automakers to steadily decrease car emissions are no closer to reaching a deal than when they began months ago, setting the stage for a protracted legal battle.
A climate problem even California can’t fix: tailpipe pollution
Reuters
For three decades, California has led the fight to control tailpipe pollution, with countless policies promoting cleaner gasoline, carpooling, public transportation and its signature strategy – the electric vehicle.
Climate change should tamp down California’s wildfire-fanning Santa Ana winds, study finds
Los Angeles Times
Scientists have warned that California should brace for more wildfire as global warming drives longer bouts of hot and dry weather.
It’s time for a Green ‘True’ Deal
Roll Call
But reinvigorated progressives have forced climate change to the top of the House agenda. Unfortunately, the proposals featured in the various expressions of the Green New Deal are likely to drive deeper partisan divisions and diminish the chances for real action.
As EPA Eases Wetlands Rule, California Makes a Countermove
Wall Street Journal
Home builders cheered a Trump administration move in December to ease environmental regulations on development in wetlands. But in California, the celebration didn’t last long.
More snow, winds prompt warnings in California mountains
AP
A forecast of more intense snowfall and powerful winds in the Sierra Nevada has prompted authorities to issue blizzard and avalanche warnings on Sunday and say that conditions in the mountains could become “life-threatening.”
EDITORIAL: Monarchs are disappearing, yet California has not listed them as endangered. Why not?
Fresno Bee
California’s population of Western monarch butterflies has plummeted, yet the species is not protected under the state’s Endangered Species Act. It’s time for the act to clearly include insects.
Energy:
Cyber-terror, wildfire, rodents – how can California protect its vulnerable power supply?
Sacramento Bee
California power and electricity grid faces a list of threats, including cyber-terrorism, wildfires, earthquakes and floods.
PG&E renewable energy contracts tied up in bankruptcy battle
San Francisco Chronicle
As it begins the long process of reorganizing under bankruptcy protection, PG&E is locked in a related legal fight over renewable power contracts.
CALmatters
Experts say energy grids are the new front in cyber-terrorism. Although the wildfires that periodically dominate the news are a serious threat to California’s power supply, cyber-invaders are an around-the clock danger, trying to penetrate grid security every minute of every day.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Modesto, area cities do not fare well in new American Lung Association report
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County doesn’t do a very good job of controlling the use of tobacco, the American Lung Association says. In a report issued last week, the Lung Association graded states and communities in the United States in terms of “policies proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use”.
Among the hidden victims of valley fever: domesticated dogs
Bakersfield Californian
Shubitz and the Tucson university conducted one of the only studies ever done on valley fever in animals. The university found that from 6 % to 10 % of dogs in the three most populous counties of Arizona become sick with valley fever each year
Spread of measles from other states puts California at risk, doctors warned
Sacramento Bee
California’s public health officials are alerting doctors and other medical providers to be on the lookout for measles after first New York state and now nearby Washington state wrestle with a wily virus that health experts say can cause deafness and autism in its survivors.
See also:
● Medical exemptions from vaccines endanger us all San Francisco Chronicle
EDITORIAL: Soda warning ruling sugar-coats disease
San Francisco Chronicle
The soda industry has won two rounds in the battle to discourage consumption of sugary drinks linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.
Human Services:
Need health insurance? Lawmakers get a ‘buffet’ of options for covering more people
Fresno Bee
State lawmakers are expected to receive a first look Friday at the costs tied to an ambitious plan to provide health insurance for more California residents.
See Also:
● California Could Insure Many More People — But It Will Come At A Price Capital Public Radio
● Opinion: Howard Schultz Is Right About Medicare for All Wall Street Journal
Outdoor recreation saves states money by lowering healthcare costs
Porterville Recorder
Upcoming projects planned for our Tule River Parkway and the overall efforts to improve our community’s health. The parkway currently features a 2.2 mile walking and bike riding trail and Park & Ride Lot at Jaye Street. This year, we plan to extend the trail.
Options To Improve Affordability In California’s Individual Health Insurance Market
Covered California
This report was prepared pursuant to AB 1810 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 34, Statutes of 2018), which required Covered California to develop options to improve affordability for low- and middle-income consumers.
All too often, California’s default mental institutions are now jails and prisons
CALmatters
These days, the main path to treatment at a state psychiatric hospital is through jail. However controversial those state hospitals may be, many families conclude they are the best option for their loved ones.
Why It’s Hard to Control Drug Prices at the Ballot Box
PEW
In both states, the principal opposition to the
measures came from the pharmaceutical industry, which argued that rather than
reducing state costs, the proposed changes would lead to higher prescription
drug prices for many people. Drugmakers outspent supporters more than 3-to-1 in
Ohio.
See Also:
● To Control Drug Prices, States May Have to Face Off Against Feds PEW
● Trump Wants Medicaid to Push for Lower Drug Prices – But Will Patients Be Hurt? PEW
● Don’t Blame Drug Prices on ‘Big Pharma’ Wall Street Journal
IMMIGRATION
After detainee visit, congresswoman calls ICE force-feeding ‘unacceptable’
abc30
Eleven detainees at an ICE detention facility have been refusing food, some for more than 30 days, and six of the detainees are being force-fed per orders by a federal judge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Thursday.
Thank migrants for California’s healthy ways
Visalia Times Delta
What makes California the very picture of health? It’s neither sunshine nor silicone. Our health secret is immigration. While the president blames immigrants for being sources of disease, Californians have long known that immigrants make us healthier.
Trump administration sees limitations on reuniting migrant families
Los Angeles Times
The Trump administration says it would require extraordinary effort to reunite what may be thousands of migrant children who have been separated from their parents and, even if it could, the children would likely be emotionally harmed.
Immigrant rights attorneys and journalists denied entry into Mexico
Los Angeles Times
Two U.S. immigrant rights attorneys and two journalists who have worked closely with members of a migrant caravan in Tijuana said they had been denied entry into Mexico in recent days after their passports were flagged with alerts by an unknown government.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
More parking coming in Fresno airport expansion. Will new airlines be coming, too?
Fresno Bee
It’s going to be a couple of years before work commences, but Fresno Yosemite International Airport is going to spend about $115 million to upgrade two passenger gates, expand the international area of the terminal and add parking to keep up with a growing number of passengers on both domestic and international flights.
See Also:
● More parking coming in Fresno airport expansion. Will new airlines be coming, too? Fresno Bee
‘Complete Streets’ spreading in California
San Jose Mercury News
The phrase means hundreds of planned street improvements will factor in all people using our streets and not just drivers, which has been the case since the Korean War. Roads may be reduced and lanes narrowed, parking spaces eliminated, bike lanes added and the walk from curb to curb shortened.
Housing:
Fresno makes ‘good first step’ to address homeless crisis. Here’s what it includes
Fresno Bee
Over the next three years, the city of Fresno will use roughly over $3 million in state funding for a low-barrier homeless shelter dedicated to individuals and families, the City Council decided this week.
City airs details of residential proposal
Madera Tribune
Madera citizens, public officials and a development firm gathered Tuesday at Washington Elementary School to look over plans for a proposed downtown housing development to serve veterans and the elderly, as well as low-income families.
Bankrupt, abandoned Budgetel still a home for the poor
Modesto Bee
A week after the operators of the Budgetel Inn & Suites filed for bankruptcy and abruptly closed the business, several dozen people continued to live at the McHenry Avenue motel that has had problems with vagrancy, drugs and prostitution but also has provided housing for the poor.
Housing still costs a fortune in California. Will Gavin Newsom’s plan fix that?
Modesto Bee
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed increased spending to build more affordable housing in his 2019 budget plan. He also wants to make it easier for developers to to construct more units.
See Also:
● EDITORIAL: To solve California’s housing crisis, the state and cities must aim for the same goal Fresno Bee
Los Angeles Times
In 1950, Californians voted to put a provision in the state Constitution that makes it harder for poor people to find a place to live. Article 34, which remains in effect, requires voter approval before public housing is built in a community.
A new solution to the student housing crisis: retiree roommates?
CALmatters
Staff at Berkeley’s Retirement Center started strategizing last year about how to bring the two groups together. They won a grant from the chancellor’s office for a pilot program that will match six students with senior hosts for the spring semester.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Dozens of Calif. Highway Patrol officers, supervisors suspected of faking overtime
Fresno Bee
Dozens of California Highway Patrol officers are being temporarily relieved of duty amid an investigation into whether they fraudulently received hundreds of hours of overtime pay while working out of the East Los Angeles station, officials said Friday.
2020 census could cost Central Valley $2B
Visalia Times Delta
Supreme court justices will soon decide on the legality of the president’s controversial move to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Their ruling stands to cost the Central Valley as much as $2 billion in federal and state funding.
Could California pension system be underwater?
Sacramento Bee
Rolling up big paper profits on stocks and other capital investments during 2017 and most of 2018 was very easy, and the California Public Employees Retirement System, the nation’s largest pension trust fund, took full advantage of the opportunity.
What delaying a big rate increase cost CalSTRS
CAlpensions
CalSTRS has been the great exception among California public pension systems, different from the others in two important ways. The state helps pay some of its pension costs, and the board lacked the power to set employer rates, needing legislation instead.
Deficit reduction remains a pipe dream
Roll Call
Despite deficits hurtling toward $1 trillion and more for the foreseeable future, Congress is unlikely to make any real effort to pull the red ink back to Earth anytime soon. In fact, it seems that the excess of spending over revenue will probably be even greater than official forecasts.
It remains unclear if Trump fully understands how the federal debt works
Washington Post
Twice on Thursday, President Trump made comments that conveyed a remarkable lack of familiarity with basic aspects of the American economy.
Opinion: A Wealth Tax Is Better Than Some of the Alternatives
Bloomberg
Close on the heels of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal to tax top income at 70 %, Senator Elizabeth Warren has released her own big idea — a tax of 2 % a year on all wealth above $50 million, rising to 3 % for those fortunes of more than $1 billion.
Opinion: Elizabeth Warren Doesn’t Understand Wealth Taxes
Wall Street Journal
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has proposed a federal wealth tax—2% annually on assets above $50 million and 3% on assets above $1 billion. The response has been predictable. Progressives praise the proposal as necessary to curb the political power of the wealthy; conservatives see it as an attack on success and business stewardship.
TRANSPORTATION
More parking coming in Fresno airport expansion. Will new airlines be coming, too?
Fresno Bee
It’s going to be a couple of years before work commences, but Fresno Yosemite International Airport is going to spend about $115 million to upgrade two passenger gates, expand the international area of the terminal and add parking to keep up with a growing number of passengers on both domestic and international flights.
See Also:
● $115 million expansion project announced for Fresno airport abc30
Here’s how much California is spending to put electric cars on the road
San Diego Union-Tribune
California policymakers are committed to making sure that electric vehicles — and the charging stations and other infrastructure needs associated with them — transform the state’s transportation sector. But it won’t come cheaply.
WATER
Hanford Sentinel
The Department of Water Resources conducted the second snow survey of 2019 on Thursday and the snowpack is looking good.
See Also:
● Sierra Storm Warning Continues Through Tuesday Sierra News
● Winter storm will continue deluge, making Sierra travel especially difficult Merced Sun-Star
● More wet weather, flood warning in Modesto region, snow in the Sierra Modesto Bee
● Heavy rains, howling winds to slam NorCal this weekend Stockton Record
● More snow, winds prompt warnings in California mountains Porterville Recorder
“Xtra”
Groundhog Day 2019: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts An Early Spring
Capital Public Radio
Phil, the famous groundhog, did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring is upon us.
Chinese celebration welcomes Year of the Pig. First of two events planned in Modesto
Modesto Bee
Celebrants welcomed the Year of the Pig on Saturday in Modesto. The Stanislaus Chinese Culture Society’s annual celebration of the Chinese New Year returned Saturday afternoon to the Senior Center.
See also:
● Lunar New Year in the Golden State New York Times
Heritage Quilters show off talents at show in Clovis
abc30
The Heritage Quilters just wrapped up its bi-annual show in Clovis Saturday. The theme of this year’s event was “A quilt is a reflection of the creator.” Some members created a special quilt honoring first responders while others made them to represent someone special in their life.
WATCH: Free yoga at Centennial Plaza
Bakersfield Californian
More classes are scheduled to be held on March 15, April 12 and May 10 from 12 to 1 p.m. The free classes are just one way the foundation is aiming to make the practice more accessible in Kern County.