'Eureka Moment' In Valley Fever Case Paves Way For New Research, Treatment Options
VPR
Hundreds of children and their families cycle in and out of UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital each week, and yet Dr. Manish Butte still remembers the day almost two years ago when he met a young boy who could barely walk or talk and needed a feeding tube to eat.
See also:
POLICY & POLITICS
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North SJ Valley:
Candidates forum 2020 – Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, District 5
Modesto Bee
Welcome to today’s political forum featuring the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors District 5 candidates vying for the seat vacated by Tim DeMartini, who is stepping down.
CalMatters
Oil companies have spent more than $1 million in recent days to help Democrats running for Senate seats in Santa Clara County and the Stockton-Modesto area win one of the top-two spots in the March 3 primary.
Stockton meeting encourages public to work for cleaner air
Stockton Record
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District officials will update the public on the implementation of AB617 that aims to improve air quality in a defined area of southwest Stockton during a meeting.
Staying close: Salinas farmworkers make a home amid California's housing crisis
The Californian
Low wages and a stagnant housing market have pushed Salinas families to the margins. Advocates say the city’s low-income farmworker community bears the heaviest burden.
Central SJ Valley:
Tulare County No. 1 in US unsheltered homeless
Visalia Times Delta
Tulare County falls into the "largely urban continuum of care (CoC)" category because the county’s largest population lives in urban areas — Visalia, Tulare and Porterville.
Tulare motions to dismiss Nunley’s ‘meritless’ $16M suit
Visalia Times Delta
Tulare has fired back against Councilman Greg Nunley, challenging assertions that the sitting city leader has "developed a good reputation for himself and his business" and filing a motion to dismiss Nunley's $16 million lawsuit against the city as "frivolous."
In the Studio: Fresno Mayoral Candidate Andrew Janz
VPR
Fresno mayoral candidate Andrew Janz came to the studio to discuss his campaign strategy and vision for the city ahead of California’s March 3 primary. Janz is facing former Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.
Taking his defense of Trump to the bank: Devin Nunes raising astronomical sums of money
Washington Examiner
The Devin Nunes fundraising juggernaut pressed forward during the final three months of last year, with the California congressman accumulating $2.1 million to finish with $7.2 million on hand to spend on his 2020 reelection bid.
Clovis RoundUp
At first glance, Old Town may seem like a place that hardly ever changes. With its wide, lantern-lit streets, brick sidewalks, saloon-style bars and antique shops, it’s easy to understand how one might think downtown Clovis has remained the same since it was founded in 1912.
South SJ Valley:
Council set to select Wednesday among possible homeless shelter sites
Bakersfield Californian
A decision could be made Wednesday on where the city of Bakersfield will put a new homeless shelter. The Bakersfield City Council is scheduled to choose from among four possible sites, each offering unique benefits and drawbacks. Some are viewed as more controversial than others.
Street racers, law enforcement discuss solutions on illegal street racing at community forum
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield Police Department and local street racers opened a dialogue toward finding a solution to illegal street racing at the first community forum regarding the issue on Tuesday evening at Independence High School.
Why is Bakersfield no longer listed as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Foundation?
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield earned a Tree City USA designation for nearly 20 years straight. For nearly two decades the city met the national Arbor Day Foundation's criteria for the honor. Then the drought hit. Water became scarce. And so did thousands of trees.
McFarland meeting on expanding ICE detention capabilities draws huge protest and counter-protest
Bakersfield Californian
A huge crowd of protesters and counter-protesters showed up to a McFarland Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday in which the city took the first steps in allowing the private prison company GEO Group Inc. to expand immigration detention capabilities.
State:
Newsom’s big move on homelessness may be just in political time, new poll suggests
CalMatters
Homelessness has shot to the top of the list of concerns for California voters. A new poll finds nearly a third name homelessness or housing as what the state should focus on this year.
Governor’s Budget Seeks to Build Water Resilience
PPIC
Earlier this month the Newsom administration laid out its vision for addressing the linked issues of water and climate in two key policy documents: the much-anticipated draft of its Water Resilience Portfolio (WRP) and the governor’s budget proposal.
California Governor joins those wanting to hold school districts more accountable for spending
EdSource
A new website would let the public see how much any district is — or is not — spending on “high-needs” students.
Gov. Newsom, Legislative Analyst disagree on priority for K-12 spending next year
EdSource
A historically low proportion of school districts in California currently are in fiscal distress. But with most districts facing declining enrollments and escalating costs, the Legislative Analyst’s Office is suggesting that the Legislature give districts more financial relief in next year’s state budget.
Commentary: Gov. Newsom needs to stand up to the Trump administration on the Delta
CalMatters
It’s hardly news that California is under environmental attack from Trump administration policies allowing air and water pollution. Now Trump’s team is set to impose new environmentally damaging Bay-Delta water diversion and pumping rules. My organization, the Golden State Salmon Association, and our allies have gone to court to block Trump’s effort.
Gavin Newsom’s budget would make state government bigger. Can California sustain the spending?
Sacramento Bee
Eight years ago, former Gov. Jerry Brown trimmed and reorganized California’s bureaucracy in an effort to help haul the state out of the Great Recession.
CalMatters
Reflecting voter frustration with chronic homelessness, candidates are using campaign ads to tell deeply personal stories about family members who suffer from mental illness and end up on the streets.
California could become America’s sports betting capital as rival groups eye November ballot
Los Angeles Times
Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court removed legal barriers to sports betting, California voters could be asked in November to join 14 other states in allowing legal wagers on athletic contests, creating a lucrative industry worth billions of dollars and intense competition among rival gambling interests in the state.
Walters: State budget depends on the rich
CalMatters
The final pages of the 2020-21 budget that Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed this month contain arguably its most important factor — an utter dependence on taxing a relative handful of high-income Californians.
CalMatters
Eight years ago, major internet service providers convinced the California Legislature to deregulate their industry. It was a bad decision that, mercifully, came to an end Jan. 1 when this ill-conceived law sunsetted. The California Public Utilities Commission’s power to protect consumers has been restored.
Federal:
Dispute over rules erupts on impeachment’s first full day
Fresno Bee
A rancorous dispute over rules marked the first full day of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Here are the highlights of Tuesday's session and what's ahead as senators conduct just the third impeachment trial of a president.
See also:
McConnell backs off, abruptly eases some Trump impeachment trial rules abc30
In first big votes of Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, Republicans kill Democratic efforts to subpoena records and officials Los Angeles Times
Republicans Block Subpoenas for New Evidence as Impeachment Trial Begins New York Times
AP FACT CHECK: Trump defense misrepresents Mueller findings Associated Press
Commentary: Exclusive: What’s in Republicans’ new climate-change push
Axios
Trees, plastics and favorable tax policy are at the core of House Republicans’ new push on climate change — an effort to reassure voters they care about the problem after a decade of dismissing it.
Elections 2020:
High drug costs outweigh ‘Medicare for all’ as top healthcare issue for voters
Los Angeles Times
The debate over creating a single government health plan for all Americans may be dominating the Democratic presidential campaign, but most voters are focused on a more basic pocketbook issue: prescription drug prices.
Calif. voters can start casting ballots same day as Iowa caucus
Visalia Times Delta
The 494 delegates California will send to the Democratic National Convention in July have earned the state's primary election the nickname "the big enchilada" among presidential candidates. But, this year, the enchilada is spicier.
See also:
Impeachment is scrambling 2020 campaigning. Iowans don’t think it will matter much. Fresno Bee
Leaning in: Elizabeth Warren makes a pitch to women in the Iowa home stretch Los Angeles Times
‘I like Bernie.’ 2020 candidates chime in on Sanders after Clinton dig
Fresno Bee
Democratic presidential candidates are showing support for Sen. Bernie Sanders after Hillary Clinton said “nobody likes him.”
See also:
‘Bernie just drove me crazy’: Hillary Clinton slams Sanders in new documentary Los Angeles Times
President Bernie Sanders: Here’s what it would mean for California San Francisco Chronicle
Opinion: Bernie’s ‘Problems’ Wall Street Journal
Q&A: Pete Buttigieg on the monumental task of cleaning up Trump’s mess
Los Angeles Times
On a recent visit to Los Angeles, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg sat down with the Los Angeles Times editorial board to talk about polarized politics, electability and U.S. policy toward Iran, among other topics.
Bloomberg picks up crowd of new California endorsements
Politico
On the heels of his third campaign trip to California, Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg has picked up dozens of new endorsements from elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda of Huntington Beach and state Sen. Richard Roth of Riverside.
See also:
Mike Bloomberg shifts presidential ad campaign to focus on impeachment Washington Post
Commentary: Can Bloomberg Win California? Fox & Hounds
Trump’s GOP foe Bill Weld favors impeachment, would vote for a Democrat
San Francisco Chronicle
Bill Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, thinks President Trump should be impeached. And he’s not saying that just because he’s running against Trump for the Republican nomination.
CA120: A crucial look at voters’ second choices
Capitol Weekly
For the past year, Capitol Weekly has conducted over 10,000 surveys of likely Democratic Primary voters. These surveys were emailed to Democratic and nonpartisan voters each month, asking them to complete a survey. We tracked their responses back to their voter registration to allow us to analyze candidate support by ethnicity, age, partisanship, and other factors.
Tracking Every Presidential Candidate’s TV Ad Buys
Five Thirty Eight
FiveThirtyEight is using data from Kantar/Campaign Media Analysis Group to show what campaign ads are being aired across the country and how much candidates and outside groups are spending on them. Ad airings are grouped by state.
These are the basics of campaign finance in 2020 — in two handy charts
MarketWatch
As President Donald Trump and the 2020 Democrats battle for the White House, their war chests will go a long way toward determining who comes out on top. And their fundraising efforts are subject to some restrictions, as shown in the table below.
Opinion: Voters beware of our populist threat. It comes from the right and left
CalMatters
We stand at the precipice of a significant tectonic shift in our political system. Similar to the profound disruptions the newspaper, music and transportation industries underwent some years ago, our democratic system, which is designed to be a lagging social indicator, is struggling to find a working model for a more complex age.
Opinion: Candidates still not talking about California issues
Enterprise-Record
So…, as Elizabeth Warren would start out, the Democrats held a presidential primary debate in California, in the Westchester district of Los Angeles to be specific. And still California issues get virtually no attention on the national scene.
Opinion: Can a Woman Win in 2020?
Wall Street Journal
Of course a woman can win in 2020. But Americans can and should look past shallow identity politics. Instead, voters should support the candidates whose policies will improve their quality of life. Gender must come second.
Other:
Texas, South Face Political Changes as Movers Arrive
PEW Trust
Texas, Arizona and parts of the South are seeing the nation’s largest population bumps — and the people moving there from more liberal states may be feeding political change in those red-state conservative bastions.
Commentary: Whoever leads in artificial intelligence in 2030 will rule the world until 2100
Brookings
A couple of years ago, Vladimir Putin warned Russians that the country that led in technologies using artificial intelligence will dominate the globe. He was right to be worried. Russia is now a minor player, and the race seems now to be mainly between the United States and China.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, January 26, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: pre-empted
Sunday, January 26, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: California’s Housing Crisis: Are Granny Flats the Answer? - Guests: Monica Davalos, Aureo Mesquita, and Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto from the California Budget and Policy Center; Matt Levin with CALmatters; Dan Dunmoyer with California Building Industry Association; John Myers with LA Times; and Dan Walters with CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, January 26, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: State Auditors Nurses: Workers Comp Fraud - Guest: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor's Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
A hive heist: Nearly 100 beehives stolen from Northern California field
Los Angeles Times
Nearly 100 beehives, each holding more than 50,000 bees, have gone missing in Northern California, officials said.
Property Taxes Sink Farmland Owners
PEW Trust
Doug Schmale’s family farm straddles the Great Plains in two parts: 4,500 acres in western Nebraska and a separate 160-acre plot in eastern Colorado. Schmale pays wildly different property taxes on either side of the border.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Fresno PD: Crime not on the rise in southwest policing district
abc30
Despite a violent Monday night, police say crime is not on the rise in the southwest policing district. "We haven't seen a drastic uptick in crime," says Fresno Police Lt. Carl McKnight. "Yesterday was an anomaly."
California governor asked to pardon late gay rights leader
Bakersfield Californian
The California Legislature’s LGBTQ and black caucuses on Tuesday asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to posthumously pardon a civil rights leader who was jailed for having gay sex nearly 70 years ago.
Street racers, law enforcement discuss solutions on illegal street racing at community forum
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield Police Department and local street racers opened a dialogue toward finding a solution to illegal street racing at the first community forum regarding the issue on Tuesday evening at Independence High School.
Public Safety:
Sex offenders can’t live near Fresno schools. This lawsuit says that’s unconstitutional
Fresno Bee
Fresno County’s policy that keeps sex offenders from living within 3,000 feet of places like parks and schools is unconstitutional, according to an attorney suing the county who has been successful at getting repeals in dozens of similar cases.
San Francisco Chronicle
In a growing list of criminal cases, attorneys for Facebook, Twitter and other social networks are citing the Stored Communications Act — a three-decade-old privacy law — to withhold information that might prove the innocence of defendants.
Body Cameras May Not Be the Easy Answer Everyone Was Looking For
PEW Trust
When a Maine state senator introduced a bill last year to require all police officers to wear body cameras, she expected some discussion. But the response that Democratic state Sen. Susan Deschambault got was stronger than she anticipated.
Fire:
Fire experts reveal ‘major shift in U.S. wildfire norms’ — and people are to blame
Fresno Bee
New research reveals “a major shift in U.S. wildfire norms,” according to experts — a shift that can be blamed on people.
How global companies drive the home insurance crisis in California wildfire zones
Sierra Star
The insurance crisis in California wildfire country is showing few signs of abating. Rural residents are losing coverage, rates are shooting up and experts say the problem defies easy remedies.
Meet the California firefighters helping Australia battle epic bush fires
Los Angeles Times
Beneath a green eucalyptus canopy in the country’s Australian Alps, some of America’s most versatile firefighters, mostly from Southern California, are laboring to help the Australians gain the upper hand against their worst fire season ever.
See also:
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Californian’s credit scores take nation’s second-largest jump
Mercury News
The average Californian’s credit score may be middle-of-the-pack nationally, but only one state had a bigger improvement as the economy rebounded during the last seven years.
High-Income Households and Corporations Benefit the Most From California’s Tax Breaks
California Budget & Policy Center
California loses a large amount of state revenues through tax breaks, also called “tax expenditures,” with much of the benefits going to high-income households and corporations. Personal income and corporate income tax expenditures combined are projected to amount to more than $63 billion in forgone state revenues in 2019-20 (the fiscal year that started on July 1, 2019), or an amount equivalent to more than 40% of the 2019-20 General Fund budget.
Proposal Could Impose Higher Taxes on Companies With Large CEO-Worker Pay Gaps
Route Fifty
Large companies with big gaps between what they pay executives and workers would face higher state taxes under a proposal that a California lawmaker is pushing. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Bay Area Democrat, says the goal of her legislation is to help shrink growing income inequality by providing companies with an incentive to “pay a fair share to their employees.” Critics say her plan would contribute to a regulatory climate in California that is increasingly unwelcoming towards businesses.
Commentary: Five questions for Peter Klenow on America’s capacity for economic growth
AEI
How the America’s economy perform in the 2010s? And how might population growth, trade, and technological innovations all affect America’s capacity for economic growth in the 2020s and beyond? Peter Klenow joins me to discuss.
Commentary: Economic effects of wealth taxation
AEI
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have introduced plans to enact an annual wealth tax. Under these proposals, the net worth of wealthy households would be taxed at rates between 1 and 8 percent per year. The tax base would be as broad as possible to minimize tax avoidance.
Jobs:
Injuries at Fresno’s Amazon warehouse double California’s industry average
Fresno Bee
Amanda Caballero wishes she could go back to work at Amazon. She made $15 an hour at the Fresno fulfillment center — several dollars more than the state’s minimum wage — and received more than three months of paid maternity leave. Her generous health insurance package covered her husband and five children, and she liked her managers.
Lawmaker promises to refine AB 5 amid lawsuits, confusion
Visalia Times Delta
California’s controversial new "gig economy" labor law that went into effect Jan. 1 is already facing fierce opposition from industries that depend on contracted labor, sparking widespread concerns over how it will be implemented.
Uber tests letting some drivers in California set their own fares
Los Angeles Times
Uber Technologies Inc. is allowing some drivers in California to set their own rates, an effort to bolster the company’s argument that they’re independent workers and not employees.
See also:
Uber tests letting California drivers set own rates San Francisco Chronicle
Uber Tests Feature Allowing Some California Drivers to Set Fares Wall Street Journal
Commentary Uber Test Lets Some California Drivers Set Their Own Fares Bloomberg
EDUCATION
K-12:
PUSD to implement new security program today
Porterville Recorder
Porterville Unified School District will implement the Raptor Technologies security system for all school sites, beginning today. Parents and visitors will provide a driver’s license to the front desk but will need to register just once at any school site.
Garces students get hands-on business experience running student store, T-shirt company
Bakersfield Californian
What do playing professional soccer and directing films have in common with running a student store or making T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats? It all comes down to business.
Diversifying the teaching profession requires confronting history
San Francisco Chronicle
Funding is just one factor in the need to diversify the teaching profession. The reasons for the lack of diversity in the nation’s public schools are historical and complex.
California Governor joins those wanting to hold school districts more accountable for spending
EdSource
A new website would let the public see how much any district is — or is not — spending on “high-needs” students.
Gov. Newsom, Legislative Analyst disagree on priority for K-12 spending next year
EdSource
A historically low proportion of school districts in California currently are in fiscal distress. But with most districts facing declining enrollments and escalating costs, the Legislative Analyst’s Office is suggesting that the Legislature give districts more financial relief in next year’s state budget.
Bloomberg Law
A new California law allows parents and guardians to administer medicinal cannabis products to public K-12 school students. Manatt attorneys say it’s notable because it comes from the state with the largest K–12 student population, but it’s also significant for what it does not do—force school districts to adopt policies around medicinal cannabis and require administration by school personnel.
Higher Ed:
FCC staff works to make it easier for students to obtain textbooks
abc30
Students are starting a new semester at Fresno City College, and thanks to some changes, it has been much smoother sailing getting their hands on the books they need.
UC delays vote on contentious tuition hike
Stockton Record
The University of California has delayed a contentious vote originally planned for Wednesday on whether to raise tuition at UC’s 10 campuses.
See also:
University of California delays vote on raising tuition Sacramento Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes UC tuition increase as ‘unwarranted’ and ‘bad for students’ Los Angeles Times
UC regents won’t vote on undergraduate tuition hikes Wednesday as planned San Francisco Chronicle
UC scraps tuition hike, for now CalMatters
Gov. Newsom, students protest University of California tuition hikes — vote delayed EdSource
UC enrolls record number of California students in the fall
Los Angeles Times
The University of California enrolled a record number of in-state undergraduates in the fall, marking the fourth consecutive annual increase, according to data released Tuesday.
Cal State eyes postponing vote to raise math requirement
Los Angeles Times
In the wake of intense controversy, Chancellor Timothy White has delayed a vote on his proposal to require a fourth year of high school math for admission to the Cal State universities, and will instead ask trustees this month to approve a year-long study of the initiative.
See also:
Opinion: New federal rules on campus sexual misconduct will only make things worse
Los Angeles Times
The proposed federal regulations will almost certainly ignite years of litigation and political battles, without making anything fairer for anyone.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
Why is Bakersfield no longer listed as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Foundation?
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield earned a Tree City USA designation for nearly 20 years straight. For nearly two decades the city met the national Arbor Day Foundation's criteria for the honor. Then the drought hit. Water became scarce. And so did thousands of trees.
Stockton meeting encourages public to work for cleaner air
Stockton Record
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District officials will update the public on the implementation of AB617 that aims to improve air quality in a defined area of southwest Stockton during a meeting.
At Davos, Trump rejects climate crisis, lauds U.S. economy and fossil fuels
Los Angeles Times
President Trump bragged about the U.S. economy but rejected warnings of environmental crisis in his speech at the World Economic Forum.
Why Cutting Car and Truck Emissions Is So Hard
PEW Trust
State lawmakers and regulators are turning their eyes to the road in the fight against climate change, recognizing that the transportation sector now produces more greenhouse gas emissions than any other portion of the economy. They are finding few simple solutions.
Rolling Stone
In 2014, a muscular, middle-aged Ohio man named Peter took a job trucking waste for the oil-and-gas industry. The hours were long — he was out the door by 3 a.m. every morning and not home until well after dark — but the steady $16-an-hour pay was appealing, says Peter, who asked to use a pseudonym.
Commentary: Why Cows, Steel and Cement Pollute So Much (and How to Fix It)
Bloomberg
The scope of decarbonization isn’t just limited to power generation and transportation. The approach extends to industries including steel, cattle and cement manufacturing. All will require major change in order to slow global warming.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
1st US case of new coronavirus confirmed: Here are the risks, and how to protect yourself
Fresno Bee
A virus that has raised concerns worldwide since it broke out in China last month has now been confirmed in the United States.
See also:
Deadly virus from China spreads to US, CDC says. Five things to know about coronavirus Fresno Bee
CDC: Chinese coronavirus outbreak has reached the U.S. Los Angeles Times
Scientists race to learn if coronavirus from China is new SARS San Francisco Chronicle
First U.S. case of potentially deadly Chinese coronavirus confirmed in Washington state Washington Post
First Patient With Wuhan Coronavirus Is Identified in the U.S. New York Times
Only a few drugmakers even try to fight superbugs — a growing threat
Los Angeles Times
A dependence on only a few pharmaceutical companies to sustain the fight against superbugs is putting the world in a precarious position, a new report shows.
California considers declaring common pain killer carcinogen
abc30
A fight is coming to California over whether to list one of the world's most common over-the-counter drugs as a carcinogen, echoing recent high-profile battles over things like alcohol and coffee.
See also:
Does acetaminophen cause cancer? California considers declaring common pain killer a carcinogen Stockton Record
California considers declaring Tylenol’s key ingredient a carcinogen Los Angeles Times
California considers declaring common pain killer carcinogen Associated Press
Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America
Rand Corporation
Drug overdoses kill more Americans than car crashes, gunshots, or AIDS at its peak. But it's no longer just a crisis of prescription pills or heroin. It's a crisis of fentanyl. Deaths involving it and other synthetic opioids have surged from around 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018.
CalMatters
Reflecting voter frustration with chronic homelessness, candidates are using campaign ads to tell deeply personal stories about family members who suffer from mental illness and end up on the streets.
Human Services:
'Eureka Moment' In Valley Fever Case Paves Way For New Research, Treatment Options
VPR
Hundreds of children and their families cycle in and out of UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital each week, and yet Dr. Manish Butte still remembers the day almost two years ago when he met a young boy who could barely walk or talk and needed a feeding tube to eat.
See also:
High drug costs outweigh ‘Medicare for all’ as top healthcare issue for voters
Los Angeles Times
The debate over creating a single government health plan for all Americans may be dominating the Democratic presidential campaign, but most voters are focused on a more basic pocketbook issue: prescription drug prices.
Supreme Court puts off an election-year decision on Obamacare
Los Angeles Times
The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to take up another challenge to the Affordable Care Act, leaving the healthcare law known as Obamacare intact but still under legal challenge.
IMMIGRATION
McFarland meeting on expanding ICE detention capabilities draws huge protest and counter-protest
Bakersfield Californian
A huge crowd of protesters and counter-protesters showed up to a McFarland Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday in which the city took the first steps in allowing the private prison company GEO Group Inc. to expand immigration detention capabilities.
ICE, judges deny protections for disabled immigrants in custody, attorneys say
San Francisco Chronicle
Lawyers representing undocumented immigrants detained by ICE allege that courts and government authorities under the Trump administration are not complying with a federal court order that protects mentally disabled immigrants in California, Arizona and Washington.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Ceres takes a step toward a new 99 interchange. The design might baffle you at first
Modesto Bee
Ceres is moving into detailed design for a new Highway 99 interchange near the south end of town. The $133.5 million project would include a full interchange at Service Road, which now has a bridge across the highway but does not directly connect with it. The work also would involve upgrades to the current Mitchell Road interchange, about half a mile to the south.
Housing:
Tulare County No. 1 in US unsheltered homeless
Visalia Times Delta
Tulare County falls into the "largely urban continuum of care (CoC)" category because the county’s largest population lives in urban areas — Visalia, Tulare and Porterville.
Council set to select Wednesday among possible homeless shelter sites
Bakersfield Californian
A decision could be made Wednesday on where the city of Bakersfield will put a new homeless shelter. The Bakersfield City Council is scheduled to choose from among four possible sites, each offering unique benefits and drawbacks. Some are viewed as more controversial than others.
Mountain Area Home Sales, Median Prices Hold Steady in 2019
Sierra News
2019 proved to be a solid year for home sales in eastern Madera County, according Realtor Ed Bailey of Ed Bailey Realty.
Project Homeless Connect Friday
Porterville Recorder
Project Homeless Connect is a one-day, one-stop event designed to provide housing, services, and hospitality in a convenient forum directly to people experiencing homelessness.
Capital Public Radio
When one of the most contested California housing bills in years resurfaced at the state Capitol this month, so did the heated, often exaggerated claims about how it would ease the state’s affordable housing crisis — or possibly make it worse.
Lawmakers call for audit of California's homeless spending
abc10 News
A group of California lawmakers is raising new questions about what the state is getting in return for the billions of dollars it has spent combating its homeless crisis. The seven lawmakers, all Republicans, are calling for an audit that will need bipartisan support to get going.
Newsom’s big move on homelessness may be just in political time, new poll suggests
CalMatters
Homelessness has shot to the top of the list of concerns for California voters. A new poll finds nearly a third name homelessness or housing as what the state should focus on this year.
Staying close: Salinas farmworkers make a home amid California's housing crisis
The Californian
Low wages and a stagnant housing market have pushed Salinas families to the margins. Advocates say the city’s low-income farmworker community bears the heaviest burden.
EDITORIAL: Should California force cities to house homeless people?
Los Angeles Times
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide task force on homelessness has come up with a proposal that it believes will compel local jurisdictions to house most of those people. And if the jurisdictions fail, the proposal would empower state courts to step in and do it for them.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Seniors’ Sweet Tax Breaks Have Become a Target
PEW Trust
As Americans begin the challenge of filling out their tax returns this year, one taxpayer demographic generally pays less than others: senior citizens. Tax breaks for seniors cost states approximately $27 billion a year and will more than double in the next decade, according to a recent study from the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. That money could pay for schools, roads and other needs, critics argue.
Opinion: Here’s some good news for parents struggling to save enough for retirement
MarketWatch
Every parent knows that kids cost a lot of money, for everything from food, clothing and shelter to child care, education and health care. They’re right: studies show that a two-parent family with two kids devotes between 31% and 47% of total household spending to its children. And at the same time that parents are raising their children, they’re supposed to be saving for their own retirements.
TRANSPORTATION
Asm Gray: LA’s bullet train plan lets them steal the Valley’s money and pollute our air
Modesto Bee
Assemblymember Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) recently wrote a joint op-ed with Speaker of the State Assembly Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) endorsing LA’s plan to cut millions of dollars from high-speed rail and instead give the money to the MetroLink commuter rail line.
California is among the worst states for driving, report says. Here’s how others rank
Fresno Bee
California traffic may be notorious but as it turns out, the state is not the worst in the country for driving, according to a new report.
Valley gas prices still dropping to start 2020. How much are you paying at the pump?
Fresno Bee
Gasoline prices in Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley on Monday reflected a continuing retreat from last fall’s peak prices, dropping by a few pennies on average since the beginning of last week.
New San Joaquin RTD chief sees opportunity to enhance services
Stockton Record
Gloria Salazar, with 28 years of experience in the transit industry, has been appointed chief executive officer of the San Joaquin Regional Transit District by unanimous vote of the countywide agency’s board of directors.
Amtrak may soon sell bus-only tickets from Bakersfield to Santa Barbara, Victorville
Bakersfield Californian
A vote coming Friday could give Amtrak permission to begin offering bus-only service from Bakersfield to Santa Barbara and Victorville.
Ceres takes a step toward a new 99 interchange. The design might baffle you at first
Modesto Bee
Ceres is moving into detailed design for a new Highway 99 interchange near the south end of town. The $133.5 million project would include a full interchange at Service Road, which now has a bridge across the highway but does not directly connect with it. The work also would involve upgrades to the current Mitchell Road interchange, about half a mile to the south.
Boeing 737 Max May Stay Grounded Into Summer
Capital Public Radio
Boeing suggests it could fly about mid-2020. Industry sources note that the FAA and other regulators around the world could take months longer to find the planes safe to fly passengers.
WATER
Governor’s Budget Seeks to Build Water Resilience
PPIC
Earlier this month the Newsom administration laid out its vision for addressing the linked issues of water and climate in two key policy documents: the much-anticipated draft of its Water Resilience Portfolio (WRP) and the governor’s budget proposal.
Commentary: Gov. Newsom needs to stand up to the Trump administration on the Delta
CalMatters
It’s hardly news that California is under environmental attack from Trump administration policies allowing air and water pollution. Now Trump’s team is set to impose new environmentally damaging Bay-Delta water diversion and pumping rules. My organization, the Golden State Salmon Association, and our allies have gone to court to block Trump’s effort.
DCA Delta Stakeholder Engagement Committee Meeting Reminder
California Department of Water Resources
The Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA) Delta Stakeholder Engagement Committee is holding its next meeting at 3:00pm on Wednesday, January 22 in Rio Vista.
U.S. drinking water widely contaminated with 'forever chemicals': environment watchdog
Reuters
The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog group.
“Xtra”
Fresno State band member’s viral performance brings more joy on national TV
Fresno Bee
The joy of Fresno State cymbals player Travis Morris has been making its way around the world. A viral video of one of his enthusiastic performances with the Bulldog Marching Band most recently resulted in the 20-year-old being invited on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” His nationally-televised meeting with DeGeneres airs in the Fresno area at 4 p.m. Monday on Channel 47.
North Fork native, champion opens axe throwing business
abc30
A world champion ax thrower is opening up his world to the public. At Yosemite Axe Throwing, visitors come for an adventure and to try something new.
Clovis Senior Activity Center Sets the Standard for New Decade
Clovis RoundUp
If you stop by the Clovis Senior Center, located on 4th Street, in front of San Joaquin College of Law, there’s a good chance you’ll run across Paul Smith and his buddies playing pool. The 72-year-old, retired database administrator has lived in Clovis for nearly three decades. He enjoys passing time with some friendly competition.
Lisa Lee Herrick On Evolution of Fresno's Hmong New Year And Hmong Identity
VPR
Lisa Lee Herrick reads from her recent essay Eating Thirty In Fresno: Finding Home At Hmong New Year in the online publication Boom California and talks with FM89’s news director Alice Daniel about why so many Hmong refugees came to Fresno after the CIA’s secret war in Laos under the guidance of their leader General Vang Pao and why decades later, the city’s Hmong New Year is still a global draw.
Few weeks left to submit 2020 Beautiful Bakersfield nominations
Bakersfield Californian
There is only a few weeks left to submit your nominations for the 2020 Beautiful Bakersfield Awards. Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 7, according to a news release.
Sweating for their suds: Beer yoga offered at Ceres, Turlock breweries
Modesto Bee
There’s so much to think about when deciding to take a yoga class: the size, the teacher, the style, the intensity. And in the case of two sessions held in Turlock and Ceres on Sunday morning, there was one more crucial consideration: whether the beer is consumed during or afterward.
Cultural performance, films and more to keep you entertained in Modesto region
Modesto Bee
Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México de Silvia Lozano comes to the Gallo Center. The group has preserved and promoted the culture of Mexico for more than 56 years, reflecting the work of Mexico’s leading researchers and practitioners of folklore, dance, music and costumes.
Visit the last remaining Woolworth’s Luncheonette
NBCToday
From the original tile to iconic red vinyl stools, it’s easy to feel like you’re back in the 1950s while dining at the last remaining Woolworth’s Luncheonette in Bakersfield, California. NBC’s Joe Fryer has this week’s Sunday Closer.
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