POLICY & POLITICS
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.
North SJ Valley:
Racial harassment lawsuit costs Modesto nearly $363,000
Modesto Bee
City pays worker who is half African American $120,000 and spends about twice that amount defending itself in litigation.
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno County court staff agree to tentative contract, end strike
Fresno Bee
The court reporters and other support staff at the Fresno County Superior Court have agreed to a labor contract with the court, ending a strike that began last week. The Service Employees International Union Local 521, which represents about 275 court employees, announced the resolution Tuesday afternoon.
See Also:
● Fresno court workers end strike after winning raises, 40-hour work week abc30
Fresno Bee
Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson warned Trustee Terry Slatic that his conduct “cannot be tolerated” in the wake of Slatic’s physical confrontation with a student on the Bullard High School campus.
Fresno County CA voters may have new elections system for 2020
Fresno Bee
The 2020 presidential election could look drastically different to the average voter in the central San Joaquin Valley.
See also:
● With an eye toward helping its native sons (and daughter), California moves its presidential primary. Weekly Standard
Former congressional candidate Heng victim of break-in at Fresno home
Fresno Bee
Elizabeth Heng, a Republican candidate who last fall ran for Congress against Democratic Congressman Jim Costa in the 16th District, says she was the victim of a break-in at her home near Fashion Fair on Monday night.
Crimes Went Down In 2018 But Still A Fight Over Measure P
VPR
The Fresno Police Department put out its end-of-year data on crimes in the city over the last year, and many instances of crime went down from 2017 to 2018. If the Fresno Police Department has done such an effective job reducing crime, why was there such a big fight over Measure P?
South SJ Valley:
20-year-old Latina on Kingsburg council inspired by Ocasio-Cortez, women leaders
abc30
After 20-year-old Jewel Hurtado got elected to Kingsburg’s City Council, some negative comments on social media – including accusations she had cheated – tried to discredit her victory.
Hearing into former Tulare hospital administrator scheduled for Wednesday
Visalia Times Delta
Testimony in the hearing for a former Tulare hospital administrator is expected to start Wednesday.
County supervisors declare end to moot oil project approved in 2014
Bakersfield Californian
A pair of controversial oil projects killed years ago by poor market conditions was finally declared dead last week by the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
State:
Gavin Newsom made these 10 promises on the campaign trail. Let’s see if he can keep them
Fresno Bee
Democrat Gavin Newsom vowed while running for governor to tackle many of California’s biggest problems, from health care to homelessness to wildfires. We’re watching his efforts to keep his campaign promises.
Former California lawmaker registers as a lobbyist after #MeToo investigation
Sacramento Bee
A month after the state Assembly told him he had likely violated its sexual misconduct policy, former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas moved to return to the Capitol by registering as a lobbyist.
Small party, big ideas: How Republicans can shape California policy
Sacramento Bee
It’s no secret that the 2018 election did not go well for California Republicans. With only 20 seats in the state Assembly, 11 seats in the state Senate, and 7 Republicans in our state’s Congressional delegation, Republicans have our work cut out to regain trust from the California electorate.
Federal:
Senate Sets Votes On 2 Bills That Could End Shutdown — But Both Expected To Fail
Capital Public Radio
Democrats say they won’t accept Trump’s offer of three-year protections for those under DACA and TPS in exchange for full-funding of his border wall. Republicans say Democrats should accept the offer.
See Also:
● McConnell steps into shutdown fight, scheduling dueling votes Modesto Bee
● Local federal workers for deal in Washington to end shutdown abc30
● Senate sets up votes on dueling bills to end the government shutdown Los Angeles Times
● The Border Wall Isn’t The Only Reason Democrats Oppose Plan To End The Shutdown NPR
● A Bipartisan Shutdown Solution Wall Street Journal
● Government Shutdown — Latest Updates and Analysis Wall Street Journal
● The shutdown is exactly what voters asked for Roll Call
● How the government shutdown has affected the FCC’s deregulation agenda Brookings
● Congress agitates to end relentless shutdown POLITICO
Why Kamala Harris chose Baltimore, not Oakland, for her campaign HQ
San Francisco Chronicle
Her decision to set up shop back east, though, offers a number of logistical advantages, not least of which is proximity to Washington, where Harris is still serving as a first-term lawmaker. But although it’s close to Washington, it’s free of the political trappings associated with the nation’s capital.
See Also:
● Walters: Kamala Harris grabs for the brass ring CALmatters
● Kamala Harris Enters The Race For President Capital Public Radio
● Who Is Kamala Harris? Meet The California Democrat Running For President Capital Public Radio
● How Kamala Harris became a presidential candidate San Francisco Chronicle
● Walters: Kamala Harris grabs for the brass ring CALmatters
● Politifact CA: Who is Kamala Harris? Meet the California Democrat running for president Politifact CA
● The Making of Kamala Harris Wall Street Journal
● Senate Leaders Push Votes on Dueling Bills to End Shutdown Wall Street Journal
● EDITORIAL: Harris must answer tough questions about her past and prove she can live up to her words Fresno Bee
Pete Buttigieg joins the Democratic race for the 2020 presidential nomination
Washington Post
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has signaled for months that he would try to leap from local to presidential politics, announced Wednesday that he will join the burgeoning cast of Democratic candidates in the 2020 race.
See also:
● Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Long-Shot Bid to Be First Openly Gay President Wall Street Journal
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to quickly take up census citizenship question
Washington Post
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to bypass its normal procedures and decide quickly whether a question about citizenship can be placed on the 2020 Census.
Supreme Court allows enforcement of Trump military transgender ban during appeals
abc30
The Supreme Court on Tuesday — by a 5-4 vote — has granted the Trump administration’s request to begin enforcing a ban, with some exceptions, on transgender military service members while legal appeals continue.
See Also:
● Under Roberts, Supreme Court wades into transgender debate, avoids other tough issues Los Angeles Times
● Court lets military implement Trump’s transgender restrictions San Francisco Chronicle
● EDITORIAL: Trump wins for now on banning transgender troops San Francisco Chronicle
Trump Administration To Ask Supreme Court To Decide Citizenship Question’s Fate Capital Public Radio
In a court filing, the Justice Department says it plans to ask for a speedy review by the Supreme Court of a lower court’s ruling blocking plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
See Also:
● Commerce secretary to testify on census dispute before House abc30
● In this age of contention, even a simple census question prompts outrage Sacramento Bee
The Supreme Court’s ‘peyote decision’ limited freedom of religion. Is it in trouble?
Los Angeles Times
A landmark Supreme Court decision cutting back on religious freedom under the 1st Amendment may be in trouble.
Trump plans State of the Union address next week, despite Pelosi request to delay
Los Angeles Times
President Trump is planning to deliver his annual State of the Union address next Tuesday as scheduled, aides say, despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s request that he delay because of security concerns until a partial government shutdown is resolved.
See also:
● Pelosi has edge over Trump on budget negotiations, CBS News poll shows CBS News
The Downside of Anti-Trump Rage
Wall Street Journal
Older Democrats are so busy ‘resisting,’ they’ve let fiery young progressives shape the party’s future.
Mitch McConnell Got Everything He Wanted. But at What Cost?
New York Times
The president whom the Senate Republican leader helped elect has turned out to be the one thing he can’t control.
EDITORIAL: Karen Pence is going back to school to teach, and mainstream media has a field day
Sierra Star
Days ago the news came out that Karen Pence, wife of the vice president, had decided to return to her role as an art teacher at a Catholic school. The press derided her career decision with the headline that the second lady of the United States had gone to work for an anti-gay organization.
Other:
Artificial Intelligence Applications to Support Teachers and Teaching
RAND
A Review of Promising Applications, Challenges, and Risks.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, January 27, at 5 p.m. on ABC 30 –Maddy Report:“Retrospective with LAO Mac Taylor” – Guests: Former California’s Legislative Analyst, Mac Taylor.Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, January 27, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: Valley Views Edition: “New State Budget: Will Past Be Prologue?” – Guests: Scott Graves, Director of Research for the Calif Budget & Policy Center and former California’s Legislative Analyst, Mac Taylor. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, January 27, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Nuevas Leyes y Legislacion futura” – Guests: Alexei Koseff, Reportero de Sacramento Bee. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
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AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Recent storm brings greener pastures for cattle ranchers in Reedley
abc30
It hasn’t taken long for the lush greenery to take over the scenic Flying Cows Ranch in Reedley. The seed Nathan Pauls planted in December has sprouted and will provide feed for his Black Angus cattle the rest of the year.
All Farm Service Agency offices to reopen despite shutdown
abc30
The Department of Agriculture has announced it will reopen Farm Service Agency offices nationwide to process loans, tax documents and trade aid payments to farmers and ranchers.
Merced Co. Food Bank launch fundraiser to help those impacted by shutdown
abc30
Dozens of furloughed Federal employees are turning to food banks for a meal. It’s day 32 of the government shutdown, and Merced County food bank officials say they’re getting several calls from worried federal employees.
Fresno’s elected leaders need to ensure equity in cannabis tax spending
Fresno Bee
Fresno’s 20-year delay in licensing medical cannabis outlets is nearly over. While much of the the state is moving onto recreational sales without us, at least now our city’s patients and clients are free from fear of arrest when securing prescriptions central to their well-being.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Gov. Gavin Newsom Seeks To Transform California’s Youth Prisons
Capital Public Radio
Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Tuesday to change the way California’s juvenile prisons are overseen, eventually closing facilities to cut what he called the “ludicrous” cost.
See Also:
● Newsom plans to move California Juvenile Justice Division out of corrections department Los Angeles Times
EDITORIAL: A ‘justice’ system that frees the monied and locks up the poor isn’t worthy of the name
Los Angeles Times
A “justice” system that frees people who can afford to pay while locking up those without means is not worthy of the name. Yet the American system of justice — touted by the privileged as the world’s shining example of equality and fair play — is shaped by wealth and poverty.
Public Safety:
Fired Atwater police chief bullied others, ignored bad evidence locker, termination letter says
Merced Sun-Star
The termination letter for former Atwater Police Chief Samuel Joseph alleges he did not properly secure the department’s evidence locker, routinely bullied or threatened subordinates, hired a felon as an officer and supplied a gun to a code enforcement officer who failed a psychological exam.
FBI Agents Group Warns Shutdown Imperils Investigations
Wall Street Journal
Report says law enforcement is hamstrung without ability to pay witnesses, certain personnel.
Shutdown Sidelines Safety Inspections of Imported Products
Wall Street Journal
Unchecked toys, household appliances, exercise equipment could pose safety hazard.
Gun Rights Return to the Supreme Court
Wall Street Journal
The Justices agree to hear a challenge to New York City’s limits.
EDITORIAL: The new Congress should expand gun-sale background checks and ban assault-style rifles
Los Angeles Times
The shift of the House of Representatives from Republican to Democratic control offers a glimmer of hope that Congress might actually find a way to pass some common-sense gun bills. Two serious efforts have already begun.
Fire:
Capital Public Radio
California’s grappling with how to manage its forest after the past years’ devastating wildfires. One possible solution is taking leftover wood waste and creating energy for homes and businesses.
A suggestion to confront wildfire costs
CALmatters
California has an Earthquake Authority to help property owners pay for the recovery from temblors that surely will hit. Now, Republican Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley is urging that the state create the California Wildfire Catastrophe Fund Authority.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
PG&E bankruptcy could put squeeze on millions of dollars for Valley counties
Fresno Bee
Pacific Gas & Electric’s planned Chapter 11 bankruptcy is intended to help the embattled utility company reorganize debts and possibly reduce its financial exposure to lawsuits for damages from devastating wildfires in northern California.
See Also:
● Erin Brockovich says PG&E is ‘runaway monopoly,’ calls for oversight after wildfires Fresno Bee
● Activist Erin Brockovich Urges California Leaders To Halt PG&E Bankruptcy Capital Public Radio
● PG&E lines up $5.5 billion to fund a two-year bankruptcy process Los Angeles Times
● Does PG&E need to file for bankruptcy? Erin Brockovich doubts it San Francisco Chronicle
● PG&E Says Bankruptcy Could Take 3 Years as Shareholders Fight Filing KQED
● Concern spreads beyond PG&E CALmatters
Another shutdown, another grim test for Groveland
Modesto Bee
First Rim Fire, then first shutdown, then flooding, now this Trump’s shutdown – how many more hits can businesses in Yosemite Gateway community take? Since 2013, the historic town of Groveland, a Yosemite gateway community, has seen more than its share of economic challenges.
What to know about the merger of two California credit unions: Schools Financial and SchoolsFirst
Modesto Bee
A merger between Schools Financial Credit Union of Sacramento and SchoolsFirst of Santa Ana will be completed this year, pending approval.
California payday lender refunds $800,000 to settle predatory lending allegations
Sacramento Bee
A California payday lender is refunding about $800,000 to consumers to settle allegations that it steered borrowers into high-interest loans and engaged in other illegal practices, state officials said Monday.
Stocks sink on global-economy fears and possible snag in U.S.-China trade talks
Los Angeles Times
Stocks fell sharply Tuesday after new signs that the global economy is weakening and reports of difficulties in U.S.-China trade talks. That decline broke a four-day winning streak for U.S. indexes.
My turn: We must shelter the people the ‘free market’ leaves behind
CALmatters
Where the free market has failed, California voters and their top elected official have taken the lead on the state’s housing and homelessness crisis.
Jobs:
Racial harassment lawsuit costs Modesto nearly $363,000
Modesto Bee
It cost Modesto nearly $363,000 to settle a lawsuit in which a waste-water treatment plant operator who is half African American alleges he was subject to racial harassment and discrimination as well as retaliation when he complained.
Campaign workers demand minimum wage, progressive culture from 2020 Dems
Modesto Bee
Democratic strategists push presidential candidates to implement progressive working conditions on their campaigns, from unionizing and paying interns $15 an hour to ensuring time off and salary transparency.
Californians among worst in nation at using paid vacation time, report says
Sacramento Bee
Californians really need a vacation. Workers in California left 97 million paid days off unused in 2017, more than any other state, according to Visit California. About 58% of California workers left at least some of their hours unused.
EDUCATION
K-12:
See how the 2018 teacher salaries compare across California
Fresno Bee
See how 2018 teacher salaries compare by county in California.
Special education enrollment in California is up. No one can say exactly why
Fresno Bee
Special education enrollment has surged in the last decade, with more than 96,000 students pouring into school districts across the state, according to data from the California Department of Education.
Fresno Bee
Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson warned Trustee Terry Slatic that his conduct “cannot be tolerated” in the wake of Slatic’s physical confrontation with a student on the Bullard High School campus.
Merced high school board wanted to add student rep. Here’s why the initiative was halted
Merced Sun-Star
For more than a year Merced Union High School District board member John Medearis has been talking about adding a student member to the five-person school board.
Stanislaus Union gets new schools superintendent: Gratton district’s Shannon Sanford
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County’s longest-serving current school district superintendent, Shannon Sanford, has a new job. Sanford, who has led Gratton School District in Denair for 13 years and last year ran for Stanislaus County superintendent of schools, will move to the Stanislaus Union School District.
Does racial bias influence disciplinary action at Modesto schools? An expert looks into it
Modesto Bee
A community forum Thursday will spotlight disciplinary practices in Modesto City Schools and how it affects educational opportunities for Latino and African-American students.
Bakersfield Californian
A hearing is set for next week regarding the case of a Kern High School District police officer suing the district over allegations he was racially and sexually harassed while on the job.
Capital Public Radio
The investigation found that the district used school police often unnecessarily to settle problems in the classroom. Black and Latino students and students with disabilities were most often discriminated against.
See also:
· Settlement over SUSD’s police practices announced Recordnet.com
In teachers’ strike settlement, public support for education was the best news
Los Angeles Times
Ring the bell, load the backpacks and start the buses. School is back in session in L.A. Unified, with teachers returning to work on Wednesday after a six-day strike, the first one in 30 years. That’s good news in just about every way. For teachers, staff, students and parents.
See also:
● Teachers Unions Don’t Really Strike for ‘the Kids’ Wall Street Journal
● America’s Teachers Are Furious The Atlantic
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.
Fresno State’s business school opens store run by its students
abc30
Signs are now up for a new student store located in Fresno State’s Craig School of Business. A group of students are working hard for a one-of-a-kind experience in the business world.
CSUB kicks off spring semester
Bakersfield Californian
The winter break is officially over for Cal State Bakersfield students.
Cal State, buoyed by Newsom’s generous budget proposal, to boost enrollment
Los Angeles Times
California State University is poised to enroll thousands more Californians and step up support to help them graduate sooner, thanks to a hefty increase in state funding proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Cal State chancellor vows a tuition increase is ‘off the table’
EdSource
In his annual State of the CSU address, White declared that 2018 was, in many ways, the best year ever for the nation’s largest and most diverse public university system — with 487,000 students on 23 campuses.
National University in Fresno offering new Doctoral Nurse Anesthesia Program
abc30
At National University in Fresno, medical healthcare professionals of the future are being molded. Some are even being taught what they won’t learn anywhere else in the Central Valley.
Immigrants and Educational Attainment
Public Policy Institute of California
Recent immigrants are more likely than US-born Californians to be college graduates.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Take a good look at the mountains – before they disappear behind a curtain of smog
Fresno Bee
For a week or two every year, Fresno transforms into a city tucked up against one of the world’s great mountain ranges. Gawk while you can. Because it won’t be long before they all disappear behind a curtain of smog and many of us forget about their very existence.
National Park visitor centers now open on weekends thanks to partner donation
Porterville Recorder
Park officials announced Saturday that visitor centers in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will be open for weekend operations during the government shutdown with some funding assistance from the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
How close are we to Doomsday? Jerry Brown will soon tell us
Modesto Bee
The Doomsday Clock currently reads 2 minutes to midnight. Former California Governor Jerry Brown and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists will announce whether climate change and the threat of nuclear war justify moving the minute hand.
See Also:
● Disasters influence thinking on climate change Stockton Record
Compostables, Meant to Cut Plastic Waste, Are Stumbling
Wall Street Journal
Cups, plates and utensils are clogging up landfills due to poor labeling and a lack of commercial facilities.
Energy:
County supervisors declare end to moot oil project approved in 2014
Bakersfield Californian
A pair of controversial oil projects killed years ago by poor market conditions was finally declared dead last week by the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
Transition watch: Energy appointments
CALmatters
An advocate of municipally-run electric utilities is Gov. Gavin Newsom’s choice for the five-member California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates privately owned utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
What Utilities Can Do to Strengthen the Grid
Wall Street Journal
Bolstering power networks against extreme events can require billions of dollars but some utilities are taking smaller measures.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Bayer asks California judge to limit evidence in another Roundup cancer trial
Reuters
Bayer AG unit Monsanto has asked a California judge in the litigation over its glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup allegedly causing cancer to limit evidence by splitting an upcoming trial into two phases, a request previously successful with another judge.
Human Services:
Uninsured rate under Trump surges to highest level since Obamacare began
Los Angeles Times
The percentage of American adults without health insurance surged upward in 2018, reaching levels not recorded since before President Trump took office, according to a new national survey that revealed widespread coverage losses over the last two years.
Shutdown Poses Risk to Health Care
Wall Street Journal
Some consumers may face higher ACA premiums and insurers delay plans for 2020 because of staff shortages.
Hearing set for former TRMC administrator
Visalia Times Record
in the hearing for a former Tulare hospital administrator is expected to start Wednesday, following a one-day delay.
Raising the bar in diabetes care
Hanford Sentinel
Many community members with diabetes will spend less time in the hospital, thanks to improvements that Adventist Health Hanford has made over the last year.
State medical board files accusation against Delano doctor in patient’s death
Bakersfield Californian
The Medical Board of California has filed documentation accusing a Delano doctor of overprescribing medications to a patient who died.
Why are glasses so expensive? The eyewear industry prefers to keep that blurry
Los Angeles Times
It’s a question I get asked frequently, most recently by a colleague who was shocked to find that his new pair of prescription eyeglasses cost about $800. Why are these things so damn expensive?
IMMIGRATION
Valley Immigration Cases In Limbo Due To Government Shutdown
VPR
The government has been partially shut down since December 22. Immigration courts have been closed and thousands of cases have been cancelled.
Los Angeles Times
Senate Republicans proposed Tuesday to effectively bar Central American minors from claiming asylum in the United States unless they apply at home, a reversal of U.S. law that Democrats swiftly denounced as unacceptable.
Amid push for wall, many Latinos distressed by Trump’s tone
San Francisco Chronicle
Immigrants and advocates say the heightened rhetoric has translated into hostility and violence directed at immigrants — whether or not they entered the country illegally — and Latinos in particular.
Supreme Court leaves in place rulings that temporarily protect ‘Dreamers’
Los Angeles Times
The Supreme Court took no action Tuesday in a case about whether President Trump properly ended an Obama-era program that offered special protections for more than 700,000 immigrants brought to this country illegally as children.
See Also:
● What you need to know about the status of the Dreamers San Francisco Chronicle
● EDITORIAL: Supreme Court leaves DACA in legal limbo San Francisco Chronicle
Examining the ‘human toll’ of crimes at the US-Mexico border
Politifact
Shortly after President Donald Trump used a prime-time television slot to plead for public support of the border wall, Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., jumped into the mix with atweet backing the president.
Weber: A California solution to immigration policy
CALMatters
When our elected federal leaders find themselves incapable of fixing a decades-old problem, California not only has the right but the obligation to act in its own interests. Virtually all Americans agree that our immigration system is broken. If Washington won’t fix it, California must act.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Dollar General opening new location in Bakersfield
Bakersfield Californian
Dollar General is opening a new store in Bakersfield at 2728 S. Chester Ave. A grand opening will be held at 8 a.m., Saturday, with free prizes and special deals. The first 100 adult shoppers will receive a $10 gift card. The first 200 shoppers will receive a goodie bag.
Bakersfield ranks seventh in nation for most deadly metropolitan areas for pedestrians
Bakersfield Californian
If you’re planning a leisurely walk in Bakersfield this evening, you might want to wear a beanie topped with a blinking red light.
City to purchase Casa Tequila and shut it down in the next few weeks at owners’ request
Bakersfield Californian
The city of Bakersfield is set to purchase Casa Tequila Bar & Grill for $2.5 million and shut it down in the next few weeks.
How placemaking can empower urban communities, not tear them apart
Brookings
Late last month, The Guardian published a piece with the somewhat incendiary title “How placemaking is tearing apart social housing communities.”
As Boise booms, a city faces the curse of ‘Californication’
In the fast-growing Idaho city, residents grapple with challenges of growth and new arrivals.
Housing:
Why making connections is essential to the homeless community’s healing process
Sacramento Bee
For many going about their day, the perspective on homelessness is likely limited to the visual of someone asking for money at a stoplight or camped out along the streets. It’s hard to ignore and, yet, frustratingly intractable.
No Pay Stub? No Problem. Unconventional Mortgages Make a Comeback
Wall sTreet Journal
Lenders are turning to borrowers with harder-to-document finances, helping drive growth in the kind of home loans panned for its role in housing meltdown
My turn: We must shelter the people the ‘free market’ leaves behind
CALmatters
Where the free market has failed, California voters and their top elected official have taken the lead on the state’s housing and homelessness crisis.
EDITORIAL: California is about to embark on Newsom’s housing vision. It must be done smartly
Merced Sun-Star
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants 2019 to go down in history as the year the middle class started to return to California. How might that happen? By addressing the housing crisis.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Hundreds of IRS employees are skipping work. That could delay tax refunds
Washington Post
Hundreds of Internal Revenue Service employees have received permission to skip work during the partial government shutdown due to financial hardship, and union leaders said Tuesday that they expected absences to surge as part of a coordinated protest that could hamper the government’s ability to process taxpayer refunds on time.
TRANSPORTATION
Dense fog advisory set for Wednesday morning by National Weather Service
Bakersfield Californian
A dense fog advisory is in effect for the San Joaquin Valley from 1 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said in a release. Visibility will be reduced to 800 feet or less, with projected slow or stopped traffic, the weather service said in the release.
Bakersfield Californian
The city of Bakersfield is set to expand its parking enforcement operations after a trial period that began last year. At Wednesday’s meeting, the Bakersfield City Council is scheduled to vote on approving three new full-time positions for parking enforcement technicians for the Bakersfield Police Department.
Caltrans Partners With Scholars To Research A Stronger, Cheaper Bridge
Capital Public Radio
University researchers and Caltrans have been using heavy machinery to bore holes in a parcel of land at the place where highways 99 and 70 meet, testing a theory that says a bridge support column might not need as much steel.
WATER
Weekend storm leaves Valley with toppled trees, damaged power lines
abc30
Clean-up crews and residents were busy after Sunday night’s storm. At least a dozen trees were felled by high winds and heavy rain. Falling trees and branches knocked down power lines at Bethel and Nebraska and at Orchard and Belmont.
Atmospheric river boosted California snowpack well above average by mid-January
Sacramento Bee
Snowpack across California is about 110 percent of normal for this time of year, thanks in no small part to an atmospheric river that brought heavy snowstorms to the Sierra range, the state Department of Water Resources’ most recent data show.
UOP Experts Dive Into International Water Law In The Age Of Climate Change
Capital Public Radio
The University of the Pacific will host the George and Rosemary Tchobanoglous Water Lecture on Thursday with professor Stephen McCaffrey.
“Xtra”
‘It’s not going to end.’ Marchers honor Martin Luther King Jr. in Fresno
Fresno Bee
Hundreds participated in the annual Martin Luther King Jr march and commemoration in downtown Fresno where bigotry and racism was denounced nearly 50 years after the civil rights leader’s death.
See Also:
● Wawona Middle School students honor MLK by volunteering on holiday abc30
● Visalia MLK march celebrates civil rights icon Visalia Times Record
● Dozens march down Wilson Road in south Bakersfield in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Bakersfield Californian
● Community Honors MLK With Marches Through Sacramento Capital Public Radio
Pro tips on how to plan your next trip – no guarantees, but at least better odds!
Fresno Bee
Roger George is The Fresno Bee’s fishing expert. In this week’s weekly Roger’s Remarks, he talks about how he plans his fishing trips weighing factors such as weather and advice from other anglers.
The largest home and garden show in California returns to Sacramento this month
Sacramento Bee
The largest home and garden expo in California is returning to Cal Expo this month, with vendors and exhibits available for virtually any service or product a homeowner could need.
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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.
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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