January 1, 2016

01Jan

Political Stories

Top stories 

Dan Walters: Elections will top new year — Since 2016 is a number divisible by 2, this is also an election year, and that biennial fact will dominate – and perhaps distort – California politics in the forthcoming months. Walters column in Sacramento Bee

California politicos to watch in 2016 — As 2016 dawns in California, politics looms large. Dozens of initiatives have been filed for what could become a November ballot of record size. State political parties are calculating their odds in nearly 175 legislative and congressional races. Some candidates for statewide office in 2018 are already campaigning. In front of the cameras and behind the scenes, these seven figures will have big roles in state politics over the next 366 days. Sacramento Bee article

Valley politics

CD22: Visalia’s Andres announces congressional run – There was a time when Teresita Andres wouldn’t have considered running for Congress against U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. But over the weekend, the Visalia businesswoman — known as “Tess” to her friends — announced on her Facebook page that she had decided to the run for the 22nd congressional seat against the incumbent, who has been in Congress since 2003. Visalia Times-Delta article

Statewide politics/Ballot Measures

Gavin Newsom’s gun-control measure hits the streets for signatures, collects cash – Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed gun-control initiative is coming to a shopping center near you. On Thursday, Newsom was cleared to begin gathering the nearly 366,000 signatures needed to place the measure on the November ballot. It would require most people to pass background checks to purchase ammunition, the sales of which would be made through licensed vendors and reported to the Justice Department. Sacramento Bee article 

What happened in California politics in 2015? — No legislators were arrested for corruption, but 2015 was another turbulent year in California politics, full of globetrotting politicians, hours upon hours of emotional testimony at the Capitol, and the state’s first open U.S. Senate race in more than two decades. If you can’t remember it all, we’ve got you covered – from the landmark legislation to the television sitcom appearances. Sacramento Bee article

Antonio Villaraigosa reacts to his own video of Skid Row: ‘My God’ — Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was driving through skid row on Christmas, passing rows of tents in his Chevrolet Volt, when he said he impulsively pulled out his cellphone and began shooting video of the impoverished area. Sacramento Bee article

Other areas

New California laws mandate vaccinations for schoolchildren, boost minimum wage to $10 – As California rings in the new year, new laws take effect that mandate vaccinations for most schoolchildren, force police officers to get a warrant before searching your cellphone and boost the minimum wage a dollar an hour. San Jose Mercury News articleSan Francisco Chronicle article

Obama asks Americans to help stop ‘epidemic’ of gun violence – President Obama issued a New Year’s Day call to Americans to help him fight an “epidemic of gun violence” in the U.S., signaling it is a top priority as he prepares to decide whether to impose new gun control measures under existing federal law. LA Times article

New year, new laws — The new year will bring new laws, ranging from regulating sales of puppies and kittens at swap meets to the banning of earbuds for drivers and bike riders. Visalia Times-Delta article

News Stories

Top Stories

Solar is in, biomass energy is out – and farmers are struggling to dispose of woody waste – A record-setting drought forced growers to bulldoze thousands of acres of trees, and hardly anyone in the Central Valley has permission to light bonfires anymore. But more than trees have withered in California’s sun. The state’s biomass energy plants are folding in rapid succession, unable to compete with heavily subsidized solar farms, many of which have sprouted up amid the fields and orchards of the San Joaquin Valley. LA Times article

Chukchansi casino reopens, excited customers stream through doors — For many of those in line, Chukchansi Gold casino’s reopening Thursday morning represented a mini-vacation, a stop for a meal and the lure of a few slots or a gathering place to meet friends. Fresno Bee article

Jobs and the Economy

Chukchansi makes partial payment to Grizzlies – Following a record-breaking year and national title, the Fresno Grizzlies are ending 2015 with another piece of good news; a partial payment from the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians. The Business Journal article

Albertson’s, Corner Bakery getting ready to open — City officials confirm two former Albertsons stores that became Haggen stores in a deal last year are now slightly closer to being Albertsons. Again. Bakersfield Californian article

Sacramento area retailers saw a merry holiday shopping season — Sacramento-area residents apparently were ready to celebrate the holidays this year, opening their pocketbooks to spend on gifts and dining out. While receipts are still being counted and consumers are expected to shop through the New Year’s Day holiday weekend, local retailers said they were pleased with the Christmastime consumer rush. Sacramento Bee article

Criminal Justice/Prisons 

Law enforcement must report details of shootings and uses of force under new California law –  As of New Year’s Day, California law enforcement agencies must collect and report information on all police shootings and other serious uses of force. A new law launches the first statewide collection of such data, providing the state Department of Justice information on all cases in which people are killed or seriously injured by law enforcement officers. LA Times article

2015 in Review: Fresno police work 3 high-profile murders — Two Fresno murders in 2015 – the shooting of popular former Edison High School athlete Deondre “Day Day” Howard and the stabbing of “Casey” or “Kenton Craig” Haggard – remain high on police detectives’ radar screens as 2015 comes to a close. They join a holdover from late in 2014: the slaying of George “Georgio” Sheklian, 85, at a Fresno gun shop. Fresno Bee article

ACLU slams Fresno police for testing social media surveillance software – The American Civil Liberties Union recently slammed Fresno Police Department for testing social media screening programs, suggesting police could use them to monitor protest groups and accusing the department of keeping the public in the dark about the testing. Fresno Bee article

Stealth juror poisoned Scott Peterson’s trial, death sentence appeal says — A woman assaulted when she was 4 1/2 months pregnant wanted so badly to sit in judgment of Modesto’s Scott Peterson a little more than three years later that she lied before being picked as a juror, then helped send him to death row in 2004, Peterson’s latest appeal says. Modesto Bee article

Education

Planning for the future – The field of education has seen some big developments this year, both locally and statewide. Hanford Sentinel article

At urban Sacramento schools, an abundance of students at unhealthy weighs — In Sacramento County, about one-fifth of students were classified last year as needing improvement and another one-sixth were classified as health risk. “Needing improvement” roughly correlates to overweight while “health risk” roughly correlates to obesity. Sacramento Bee article

Energy/Environment

Barbecue eateries in Merced could face air quality regulations – The wafting smoke from barbecued meat may be enticing to diners, but regulators are looking at whether there’s a better way to cook it while keeping the air clean. Merced Sun-Star article

Condor that helped save species returns to Kern County — A California condor whose captive breeding helped save the species is gliding in the skies over Central California again. AP article 

Southern Californian crab fishermen given all clear in toxic scare — In another sign that fresh crab meat soon may end up on Sacramento dinner plates, state officials announced Thursday that crabs caught along the Southern California coast are no longer so infused with toxins that they’re unsafe to eat. Sacramento Bee article

Health/Human Services  

Drinking: It’s what’s filling up Fresno emergency rooms on New Year’s Eve — In the hospital emergency room, you never know what you’re going to get. Except, you can bet alcohol will be at the core of many of the trips to hospital emergency departments on New Year’s Eve. Fresno Bee article

Transportation

2015 in Review: Time for new beginnings in transportation — The Golden State’s ongoing effort to build a $68 billion, 800-mile bullet train system between Los Angeles and San Francisco continued to be the dominant transportation story in 2015. The Business Journal article

Other areas

Zapien appointed San Joaquin County supervisor – After four months of a vacant District 3 seat on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, a replacement has been announced. Gov. Jerry Brown announced Thursday that Stockton City Councilman Moses Zapien has been appointed to fill the seat vacated by Steve Bestolarides last summer. Stockton Record article

Counting down the final top 5 stories of 2015 – Finishing off our look back at the top news stories of 2015 in Merced County, we look at the debilitating drought that continues to plague our community and the rest of the state, a doctor who disappeared after posting bail in a child molestation case, a scrappy football team that united a community, and the day campus violence became a brutal reality in Merced. Merced Sun-Star article

Mike Klocke: Looking ahead to 2016: A crystal-ball gazing session into the next 12 months – We put behind us a year filled with hope, some of it realized. The year 2015 was replete with challenges — some of them met, some of them remaining. As Stockton and San Joaquin County embark on a new year, here are some issues at the forefront.  Klocke in Stockton Record

Lemoore remains silent in director absence – City officials are remaining silent and speculation continues as Lemoore’s longtime parks and recreation director remains on administrative leave. Hanford Sentinel article

People to watch: Artists, activists and athletes make our annual list — One is out to make Bakersfield’s public bus system the fairest it can be to all who need it. Another never intended to move back to her hometown but did, and is now out to land Kern County a high-speed rail facility that would create high-paying jobs. Bakersfield Californian article

Sacramento Bee’s best in 2015: Investigations with impact – Sacramento Bee editors have selected here some of the key investigative stories from 2015 that resonated with readers, exposed behavior of public officials and, in some cases, resulted in affecting change. Sacramento Bee article

In the studio with Juan Felipe Herrera: So much to say – He’s the second U.S. poet laureate to come out of Fresno and the second to walk into KQED’s Central Valley Bureau to record an interview with the San Francisco office. KQED report

Covenant ministries of Turlock catch flak for deed of for-profit nursing home owner — Covenant Care California LLC, the for-profit owner of Vintage Faire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Modesto, has a disclaimer on its Web page saying it is not related to the nonprofit Covenant Retirement Communities, the owner of Covenant Village and other health services in Turlock. Modesto Bee article

Valley Editorial Roundup

Fresno Bee – Welcoming a new year, tempered with clarity of age.

Merced Sun-Star – The age of the all-electric Valley is upon us.

Modesto Bee – The age of the all-electric Valley is upon us; Setting an itinerary for “Realworldville” in 2016.

Sacramento Bee – Welcoming a new year, tempered with clarity of age; Nature provides a salve for the soul.

Maddy Events

Sunday, Jan. 3, at 10 a.m. on Fresno ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Political Influence in California Politics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Guest: Former KQED and current Los Angeles Times Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers and Marisa Lagos, editor for California politics and government for KQED Radio. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.

Sunday, Jan. 3, at 10 a.m. on KMJ (580AM and 105.9FM Radio/podcast) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Is the Valley’s Political Influence Growing?” – Guests: Bill McEwen, opinion page editor of the Fresno Bee, and Fresno State political science professor Tom Holyoke. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.

Sunday, Jan. 3, at 7 a.m. on Univision 21 (KFTV) and UniMas 61 (KTFF) – El Informe Maddy: “State Watchdogs” — Guests:  Edgar Cabral from the Legislative Analyst’s Office and Margarita Fernandez from the State Auditor’s Office.  Host: Maddy Institute Deputy Director Ana Melendez. 

The Maddy Report airs throughout California on The Cal Channel.  Check http://www.calchannel.com to find the Cal Channel and schedule in your area.  You also can view previous Maddy Report programs in their entirety at http://www.maddyinstitute.org/policy-analysis/the-maddy-report-tv.

Interactive

Next 10: UPDATED California budget challenge – For the first time in a decade, California’s budget is largely in balance.  However, the state has outstanding debts of $28 million, not counting long-term pension and retiree health care costs.  Budget choices affect us all.  Take the Challenge and decide how much should be spent on programs and where the money should come from.  Next 10 California Budget Challenge

Next 10: Federal budget challenge — The Federal Budget Challenge is based on The Concord Coalition’s Principles and Priorities budget exercise, which has been used in numerous town hall meetings across the country by members of Congress from both parties, as well as in hundreds of high school and college classrooms.  Next 10 Federal Budget challenge at www.federalbudgetchallenge.org.

Next 10: California Water Challenge – As our state faces some of the most severe drought conditions in its history, Next 10 wants to issue a new challenge to Californians: can you create a plan to make sure there’s enough water for everyone?  Next 10 California Water Challenge

LEGISLATORS’ VOTING RECORDS: How often has a California legislator broken party ranks, abstained or switched sides? The Sacramento Bee has a database of the voting records of every member of the state Senate and Assembly. Enter a lawmaker’s last and first names to see how he or she voted, or enter a bill number to see how every legislator voted on it. Check it out at this link.  http://www.sacbee.com/votingrecord/

More Information

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Maddy Institute Updates List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials – The Maddy Institute has updated its list of San Joaquin Valley elected officials.  The list is available here.

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The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

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