TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
New program donated by Wonderful Company
KernGoldenEmpire.com
The Makerspace combines science, technology, engineering, art and math through student inquiry. Made possible by a $10,000 grant from The Wonderful Company, in the three months it’s been open the Makerspace has had a big impact on students.
Community feedback sparks ideas for new Clovis Library
Clovis Roundup
A new Clovis Regional Library is in the works that will set the standard for future libraries and Fresno County Public Library held a Stakeholders Community Engagement Session – the first of multiple meetings – on Wednesday to receive input from the public on what they would like to see in their new library.
South Fresno industrial complex wins City Council approval
The Fresno Bee
Plans for a new 110-acre industrial park in south Fresno got a green light from the Fresno City Council on Thursday, despite concerns by social justice advocates about the potential effects it could have on traffic and air quality in the area.
The Bakersfield Californian
It was 2010 when Congress authorized replacing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic on Westwind Drive in Bakersfield.
Without a permit, cannabis festival becomes concert
Visalia Times-Delta
What organizers were calling the first licensed cannabis event in the state has gone up in smoke. Tully Huffaker, the event’s promoter said, the festival’s permit was pulled on Thursday morning by city officials. The loss of the permit meant the removal of cannabis from the Burn Out Music, Art and Cannabis festival on Saturday at the Tulare County Fairgrounds.
They wanted to count the homeless in Modesto, but police sweep beat them to it
Modesto Bee
Volunteers fanned out across Stanislaus County on Thursday to count the homeless, but there was a complication in Modesto: The city posted notices in Beard Brook Park on Saturday and again on Monday that it would remove the homeless camps Thursday, and that’s what it did.
Outspoken Salida advocate to challenge Withrow for Stanislaus County board seat
Modesto Bee
Supervisor Terry Withrow won’t have a free ride to a third term on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. Katherine Borges, a county planning commissioner and outspoken Salida advocate, said she is running for the District 3 seat held by Withrow since 2011.
Fitzgerald: Shady trick or unfortunate misunderstanding? You be the judge
Stockton Record
Today: the confusing case of attorney Mark Thiel, who is running for Superior Court judge. In 2014 a reporter at this paper called Thiel to talk about a Linden embezzlement case. The weirdness that ensued remains puzzling to this day.
State Politics:
State of the State
Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. delivered his 16th – and final – State of the State address today asserting that the “bolder path is still our way forward” on climate change, infrastructure investment, health care, education and criminal justice.
See also:· Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State speech, annotated Los Angeles Times· Governor boosts California, warns of threats in address The Fresno Bee· Gov. Jerry Brown lays out vision for California in final State of the State address ABC30
Newsom and Villaraigosa spar over personal wealth in testy governor’s debate
Los Angeles Times
The candidates who hope to be California’s next governor clashed Thursday about immigration, healthcare and how they made their fortunes at a boisterous debate in front of a packed hall with a predominantly Latino audience.
See also:
· Newsom, Villaraigosa trade attacks over business ties at fiery gubernatorial debate The Mercury News
· Gubernatorial candidates talk deportation, sanctuary cities at UCLA debate focused on Latinos OCRegister
· GOP candidate for governor Doug Ose excluded from another debate Los Angeles Times
California paid $25 million to settle 92 sexual harassment claims in the last three years
The Sacramento Bee
Four young men who were locked in a youth correctional facility in Southern California accused a male staff counselor of coercing them into sex acts in exchange for contraband and special treatment. The cost to taxpayers to settle their lawsuit: $10 million.
See also:
· The details behind 10 big sexual harassment payouts by the state of California Sacramento Bee
· Assembly And Senate Panel Examines “Culture Change” On Sexual Harassment capradio.org
· Stay away, Senate tells lawmaker accused of harassment Sacramento Bee
· Democrats threaten to suspend Sen. Tony Mendoza if he returns before harassment investigation ends Los Angeles Times
California bill seeks to legalize banking for cannabis businesses
San Francisco Chronicle
California’s fast-rising cannabis industry, which has been forced by federal law to conduct almost all its business in cash, got a boost Thursday when legislation was introduced to allow banks to open accounts for people involved in the field.
Capitol Weekly podcast: Paul Mitchell
Capitol Weekly
Southern California voter registration outweighs signups in the north by big numbers, and some pundits are predicting that a surge of SoCal votes will boost Angelinos running for statewide office in 2018. That would leave Northern California candidates — such as gubernatorial contender Gavin Newsom — at a disadvantage.
Federal Politics:
Debate over immigrant protections may turn up heat on Feinstein’s re-election efforts
Fresno Bee
The state’s top political figures – U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in particular – received a harsh reminder this week that what plays in liberal California may be a liability elsewhere.
See Also:
White House jumps back into Dreamer battle with citizenship offer
POLITICO
President Donald Trump on Monday will propose a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — a key concession to Democrats that he hopes will win their support for a massive border wall with Mexico. In a call with White House surrogates and Hill staffers Thursday afternoon, senior White House adviser Stephen Miller outlined the new framework, which also calls for dramatic restrictions on legal immigration as well as $25 billion for border security.
See also:
· Trump’s immigration plan draws harsh reviews from left and right, and some conservatives label him ‘Amnesty Don’ Los Angeles Times
Tom Steyer: Chuck Schumer ‘Miscalculated’ in Shutdown Fight
US News
Tom Steyer, the billionaire California Democratic activist campaigning for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “miscalculated” in his negotiations to protect young immigrants brought into the country illegally. “I think that Sen. Schumer – he clearly miscalculated at one time or another,” Steyer tells U.S. News. “If you’re going to stand up for the Dreamers, stand up for the Dreamers. If you don’t think you can sustain the fight, don’t make the threat.”
California Sues Trump Administration Over Fracking Rule Repeal
KQED
California’s attorney general is suing the Trump administration for rolling back a fracking rule that he says is designed to protect public health and the environment.
Missing FBI texts have been recovered, inspector general says
Washington Post
The Justice Department inspector general says he has recovered missing text messages from two senior FBI officials who investigated Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and exchanged notes critical of the president.
Justice Dept. sides with conservative groups in free-speech lawsuit against Berkeley
Washington Post
The Justice Department has filed a statement of interest siding with two conservative groups who have sued the University of California at Berkeley, alleging administrators created logistical and other hurdles that forced the cancellation or modification of planned events with right-leaning speakers.
Other:
Hundreds expected to take part in Project Homeless Connect
Visalia Times-Delta
Early Thursday morning, volunteers with Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance put on their raincoats and headed out into the communities.
California awaits uncertain fate for national monuments
Capitol Weekly
When it comes to national monuments, California is hoping it won’t suffer a fate similar to Utah’s. President Trump recently signed orders to reduce the size of two Utah national monuments. But will there be others?
Topics in More Detail…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
California Growers Association sues state, seeks 1-acre marijuana grow cap
The Mercury News
California’s largest cannabis farmer organization has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s decision to not limit marijuana farmers to 1 acre.
One possible delta tunnels deal would give cheap water to farmers — and more expensive water to cities
Los Angeles Times
Months of behind the scenes talks have failed to drum up enough money to pay the full costs of replumbing the center of California’s sprawling waterworks with two giant water tunnels. That has left the state with little choice but to scale down a roughly $17-billion water delivery project to fit a funding pot of less than $10 billion.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
California may up its rehab efforts to keep ex-inmates from returning to prison
CALmatters
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to add millions in new spending on programs to help former inmates stay out of jail—a proposal generating bipartisan praise because of concern they are returning to prison in large numbers. But some say it still isn’t enough. The proposed $50 million would expand job training for prisoners and assist them in finding jobs once they are released, such as training them to become firefighters.
Public Safety:
Why No Gadget Can Prove How Stoned You Are
WIRED
Marijuana is such a confounding drug that scientists and law enforcement are struggling to create an objective standard for marijuana intoxication.
Fire:
Following devastating wildfires, Gov. Jerry Brown will examine forestry policies
Los Angeles Times
A new task force of scientists and forestry experts will “review thoroughly the way our forests are managed and suggest ways to reduce the threat of devastating fires,” Gov. Jerry Brown announced in his State of the State speech Thursday.
Fire officials targeting homes that pose fire risks
Visalia Times-Delta
Tulare County supervisors will add fees to nine properties’ tax rolls after the owners failed to comply with fire control standards last year.
California firefighters must learn new lessons
Sacramento Bee
From Sonoma to Los Angeles, flames have scorched California’s landscape, taking homes, treasured possessions and lives with them. Both stunning and horrific, the wildfires also showed millions of people the heroism of firefighters and emergency personnel.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
US economy grew at solid 2.6 percent rate in fourth quarter
Marketplace
The U.S. economy grew at a solid rate of 2.6 percent in the final three months of last year, helped by the fastest consumer spending since the spring of 2016 and a big rebound in home construction.
See also:
· GDP Grew at 2.6% Annual Rate in 4th Quarter as Economy’s Path Stays Firm New York Times
Trump’s 1st State of the Union: Will he lay out a real economic agenda—or take a victory lap?
Brookings
In less than a week, President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union (SOTU) address. It’s safe to assume that he will follow his predecessors in casting his first year in office as a series of triumphs. With the government shutdown over for now, Trump will congratulate himself for resolving it. His economic message will highlight the country’s low unemployment and high stock market, without mentioning that both are legacies from his predecessor.
Examining the Federal EITC’s Impact on Poverty
Public Policy Institute of California
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) plays an important role in keeping Californians out of poverty. The credit supplements earnings for low-income workers at tax time, providing $2,400 on average to qualified tax filers. Without the EITC, we estimate an additional 814,000 Californians would live in poverty, according to the latest data from the California Poverty Measure (CPM), an ongoing collaboration between PPIC and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.
Jobs:
Is California No. 1 in solar power and solar jobs?
PolitiFact
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., wasn’t happy about President Donald Trumpauthorizing tariffs on solar energy cells and panels. “No state generates as much solar power as California, or has as many people whose jobs depend on it. This is an attack on California,” Harris tweeted Jan. 24, two days after Trump signed the order. We wondered whether Harris was correct about how California ranks in U.S. solar power generation.
Solar Tariff Is A Direct Hit To Fastest-Growing Job In U.S.
Forbes
On Monday, the Trump administration introduced a tariff on imported solar panels (and washing machines, though they aren’t getting nearly as much attention) that would seem to be a direct hit to the fastest-growing job opportunity in the U.S.: solar PV installer.
Sacramento is poised for a building boom. Now it just needs construction workers
Sacramento Bee
Some young people should forget about packing boxes at an Amazon warehouse or going to college, construction leaders say. Instead, they should join the building trades.
EDUCATION
K-12:
KernGoldenEmpire.com
The Makerspace combines science, technology, engineering, art and math through student inquiry. Made possible by a $10,000 grant from The Wonderful Company, in the three months it’s been open the Makerspace has had a big impact on students.
Early Head Start partners with local child care providers to serve more infants, toddlers in Los Angeles County
EdSource
In Los Angeles County, with a chronic shortage of affordable child care, some families who have struggled most to find nearby low-cost care may soon find some relief.
Higher Ed:
Justice Department backs conservative groups in UC Berkeley free-speech fight
Los Angeles Times
The Justice Department on Thursday filed a statement of interest supporting two conservative groups who sued the school last year. The groups alleged that administrators and campus events policy unfairly hampered their ability to book right-leaning speakers like Ann Coulter and ultimately led to the events being canceled or modified.
Higher Education Bill Expected in Senate Soon
Roll Call
The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee appeared Thursday to agree on a number of provisions they would like to see in a new bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which would streamline student loans.
Apprenticeships:
Rebuilding futures: Young offenders graduate from Chaderjian’s new construction program
Stockton Record
As Jonathan Hernandez-Sanchez walked into his graduation ceremony Thursday, he scanned the room for his mother. He knew his mom, Yvette Sanchez, was somewhere among the dozens of businessmen, dignitaries and correctional officers gathered to watch him and his peers receive their certificates. It’s an important day, the 20-year-old Hernandez-Sanchez said. Thursday’s graduation means he’s getting a second chance at life.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Gov. Jerry Brown warns of dangers from climate change during final state of the state address
KQED
Gov. Jerry Brown warned of the dangers of climate change and extreme weather and heralded California’s economic turnaround in his final State of the State address on Thursday, previewing his 16th and last year as governor.
Free emissions tests, repair vouchers available on Saturday
The Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Fairgrounds will host a Tune In and Tune Up car cleanup event on Saturday. The event will be held between 8 a.m. and noon at the fairgrounds, 1142 S. P St. Local drivers who have owned their vehicles for at least six months will be eligible for a free emissions test. Vehicles that do not pass — up to 525 — will be given a $500 voucher for repairs at a smog shop. No gate entry before 6:30 a.m.
Enviros ignore science to attack Roundup
Sacramento Bee
A recent opinion article on glyphosate is a classic example of the environmental community’s awkward relationship with science and facts (“Don’t let EPA and Monsanto hide the truth on Roundup,” Viewpoints, Jan. 17). When it comes to climate change, the enviros are all in. But for everything else, science apparently doesn’t matter. When science lines up against their world view, they scurry toward emotional arguments and conspiracy theories.
Energy:
Is California No. 1 in solar power and solar jobs?
PolitiFact
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., wasn’t happy about President Donald Trumpauthorizing tariffs on solar energy cells and panels. “No state generates as much solar power as California, or has as many people whose jobs depend on it. This is an attack on California,” Harris tweeted Jan. 24, two days after Trump signed the order. We wondered whether Harris was correct about how California ranks in U.S. solar power generation.
Trump hasn’t killed the renewable energy movement
CNN Money
President Trump has imposed tariffs on imported solar panels, ripped up environmental rules, pushed through oil pipelines and attempted a daring rescue of the coal industry. Not to mention his vow to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord. Yet the renewable energy movement is still standing — and poised for continued growth thanks to powerful momentum pushing America toward a cleaner energy future.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
‘Get’r done:’ Local advocates say it’s time the VA moved on new veterans clinic
Bakersfield Californian
It was 2010 when Congress authorized replacing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic on Westwind Drive in Bakersfield. It’s now 2018, and the aging clinic is eight years older. Yet little has changed. Sure, the wheels of government move slowly. But some veteran advocates are wondering just how glacial it can get.
These mushrooms are awfully pretty – and awfully deadly
Fresno Bee
Recent rains may have given rise to a new crop of wild mushrooms that can be poisonous and potentially deadly, if eaten.
Human Services:
Do work requirements lead to self-sufficiency?
PunditFact
The Trump administration has opened the door for states to require that able-bodied Medicaid recipients work to keep their coverage. The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, thinks that’s a good idea. “Work requirements are an essential tool all states should utilize,” the institute’s Justin Haskins wrote in a Jan. 22 op-ed. “They have been proven to help impoverished families move from dependency to self-sufficiency.”
IMMIGRATION
Immigration Crackdown Raises Fears of Seeking Health Care
Roll Call
Many people get nervous any time they need to go to the doctor. But in the past year, some U.S. residents became more concerned than usual.
If we’re going to deport immigrants, we should also throw out the employers who hired them
Los Angeles Times
David L. Ulin’s Jan. 23 op-ed article on the recent 7-Eleven raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents brought to mind the fact that until 2015, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was officially against mandatory employer verification of legal status of employees (E-Verify). Federal immigration authorities quit routinely checking restaurant employees in California for green cards decades ago. By 1985, most restaurants and other service industry businesses in California were populated with illegal workers, hired with a wink and a nod at their obviously fake identification documents. They were practically invited to be here and also work in Midwest slaughterhouses and Arkansas poultry farms.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
South Fresno industrial complex wins City Council approval
The Fresno Bee
Plans for a new 110-acre industrial park in south Fresno got a green light from the Fresno City Council on Thursday, despite concerns by social justice advocates about the potential effects it could have on traffic and air quality in the area.
Housing:
They wanted to count the homeless in Modesto, but police sweep beat them to it
Modesto Bee
Volunteers fanned out across Stanislaus County on Thursday to count the homeless, but there was a complication in Modesto: The city posted notices in Beard Brook Park on Saturday and again on Monday that it would remove the homeless camps Thursday, and that’s what it did.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Here’s what this year’s tax changes mean for 4 California households
89.3 KPCC
It’s that time of year. Though April 15 may seem far in the future, a W2 arriving in the mail signals it’s time to start thinking about taxes.
Treasury Skeptical About States Allowing Charitable Giving to Work Around New Cap
WSJ
Treasury Department tax experts are skeptical about states allowing taxpayers to make charitable contributions to circumvent a new cap on deductions for state and local taxes, a department official said Thursday. The comments from Thomas West, the tax legislative counsel, serve as a warning to lawmakers in New York, New Jersey and California who are considering encouraging such donations with new state tax breaks.
Why the Pessimists Are Wrong About the New U.S. Tax Law
Harvard Business Review
The new U.S. tax law is surprisingly unpopular. According to a New York Times survey, only one-third of Americans think their taxes will go down in 2018 as a result of the new tax law. These pessimists are wrong. Almost every household will pay less in tax. And over time the corporate tax reforms will lead to more capital accumulation, higher productivity, and higher real wages, raising pre-tax incomes as well as lowering the share of incomes taken in taxes.
US SEC probing muni bond market practices -California treasurer
Reuters
The U.S. securities regulator is investigating practices by some participants in the $3.8 trillion municipal securities market, the California treasurer’s office said on Thursday.
Fox: Fill the Rainy Day Fund
Fox & Hounds
At his recent press conference introducing his last budget, Governor Jerry Brown pointed to a chart indicating a future his successor in office might face as “darkness, uncertainty, decline and recession.” Brown was echoing the theme he brought to every budget introduction press conference that a recession is inevitable and would hit the state coffers hard. Therefore, he argued, there is a need to max out the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
TRANSPORTATION
High-Speed Rail Moves Toward Choosing Palmdale to Burbank Route
Scvnews.com
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has released a project section update for the Palmdale to Burbank line of the $10.6 billion project. The Authority is continuing its environmental review of the Palmdale to Burbank project section. In 2018, the Authority will continue working with our stakeholders in the region to advance planning in the area and work toward identifying the preferred alternative among the three proposed routes, one of which goes through the Santa Clarita Valley.
I sit on the Air Resources Board. California’s foot-dragging on electric buses is beyond egregious
Los Angeles Times
For nearly two years, the California Air Resources Board has been refining a rule that would require public transit agencies across the state to shift to zero-pollution buses. These buses produce no tailpipe pollution, and riders don’t risk their lung health as they wait to pay their fare. I sit on the Air Resources Board, and I have seen egregious foot-dragging that’s putting the whole rule-making process at risk.
Stuck in traffic? Trucks are major cause of bottlenecks on California freeways, report finds
Los Angeles Times
A report released Thursday found that Los Angeles County is home to two of the country’s top 15 truck bottlenecks. According to the study by the American Transportation Research Institute, seven of the nation’s 65 worst truck bottlenecks are in California.
WATER
Even with Thursday’s showers, Valley rainfall far below average
Visalia Times-Delta
Valley residents woke up to some much-needed rain Wednesday morning as scattered showers drenched some areas. Still, much more is needed to bring the area closer to its annual rainfall average, said Scott Borgioli, WeatherAg chief meteorologist.
How Trump’s pumping plan is dividing California over water – again
Sacramento Bee
They gathered this week at Sacramento’s federal building on Capitol Mall, carrying protest signs and vowing to resist the Trump administration’s plan to pump more of Northern California’s water through the Delta to the southern half of the state.
One possible delta tunnels deal would give cheap water to farmers — and more expensive water to cities
Los Angeles Times
Months of behind the scenes talks have failed to drum up enough money to pay the full costs of replumbing the center of California’s sprawling waterworks with two giant water tunnels. That has left the state with little choice but to scale down a roughly $17-billion water delivery project to fit a funding pot of less than $10 billion.
Idea of ‘maximizing’ water deliveries takes a beating
Chico Enterprise-Record
The Bureau of Reclamation came to Chico Thursday to take input on a proposal to maximize water deliveries from the Central Valley Project, and for two hours a succession of speakers told them it was a bad idea.
“Xtra”
Free emissions tests, repair vouchers available on Saturday
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Fairgrounds will host a Tune In and Tune Up car cleanup event on Saturday. The event will be held between 8 a.m. and noon at the fairgrounds, 1142 S. P St. Local drivers who have owned their vehicles for at least six months will be eligible for a free emissions test. Vehicles that do not pass — up to 525 — will be given a $500 voucher for repairs at a smog shop. No gate entry before 6:30 a.m.
38th Annual Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast sends a message of compassion for all despite differences
The Bakersfield Californian
More than 1,000 people woke up early Thursday morning to attend the 38th Annual Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast at the Rabobank Convention Center.
Valley Cultural Calendar Thursday, January 25, 2018
Valley Cultural Coalition
Things to do…
EDITORIALS
Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown can be forgiven for dwelling in his 16th and final State of the State address on legacy projects and urging their completion, though he despises the concept of legacy.
Brown shows no sign of retiring in his final year address
San Francisco Chronicle
Maybe it wasn’t drenched in oratory or personal reflection, but Gov. Jerry Brown’s 16th and final formal statehouse address was a fair picture of California’s longest-serving governor. He is proud, wry and in no mood to play the lame-duck leader in his last year in office.
Four reasons Gov. Brown’s State of State speech was disappointing
The San Diego Tribune
Gov. Jerry Brown gave his 16th and final State of the State speech Thursday at the state Capitol after receiving effusive praise from other California leaders inintroductory comments and on social media. Brown was typically blunt, thoughtful and funny as he reflected on a generally — but not entirely — successful second turn as governor of the largest state.
Fresno Bee
What, pray tell, does Rep. Devin Nunes think he’s doing by waving around a secret memo attacking the FBI, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency?
Sacramento Bee
Listening to Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones expound on his succession plan for that office, we wonder whether the lawman-turned-politician remembers that he was elected, not crowned.
Los Angeles Times
Nasty viruses that deliver gruesome death (Ebola) or cause horrific birth defects (Zika) understandably get the big headlines when they flare up. The outbreaks are followed by calls for action and furious scrambling by scientists to come up with a cure. And while that’s reasonable, it contrasts sharply with the oddly ho-hum attitude humans seem to have developed toward a deadlier viral killer — influenza — that shows up every year without fail to inflict widespread sickness and death. In a typical year, influenza-related illnesses claim the lives of 290,000 to 650,000humans, most of them old or infirm.
Los Angeles Times
The founder of a neo-Nazi website who encouraged his followers to “troll storm” a Montana woman — who was then subjected to hundreds of abusive and anti-Semitic messages, including death threats — has asked a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him because his actions were protected by the 1st Amendment. It’s the latest, but certainly not the last, case to question whether the the balance the courts have struck between free speech and the protection of privacy and personal safety applies to the internet.
Los Angeles Times
President Trump has finally pinned himself down on what he wants from Congress on immigration reform, and it’s as bad as one might expect from someone who, despite his own immigrant roots (mother, grandfather), expresses antagonism toward immigrants — African, Mexican and Central American especially. But the biggest problem with the proposal Trump sent to Congress on Monday is that it is not the comprehensive reform it needs to be.
|