July 11, 2016

11Jul

Political Stories

Top stories

Dan Walters: Late-blooming measure would fast-track bullet train’s ‘bookends’ — Backers of the $2 billion Caltrain electrification project are especially eager to proceed and see its connection to the troubled bullet train as a potential albatross. Therefore, they and Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, are pushing a late-blooming “gut-and-amend” bill to allow the bookends to get bond money and be built without certification by an independent consultant. Walters column in Sacramento Bee 

‘Confusing’ California primary ends on sour note — State officials will write the June 7 primary’s final chapter this week by certifying that more than 8.5 million ballots were cast, though it’s unlikely to assuage voters or local elections officials who complained that overlapping and confusing rules left them with a lingering political hangover. LA Times article

Valley politics 

State Sen. Andy Vidak: Why I voted ‘no’: Deception dodges transparency – The Hanford Republican writes, “From my perspective, the legislators who designed SCA 14 and AB 884, and those who voted for its passage, are being too clever by half; hiding behind a veil of feigned concern for transparency while simultaneously working against the best interest of the public. I am in firm opposition to any attempt at reducing the voters’ right to trustworthy governance, so these bills both earned my ‘No’ vote. Vidak op-ed in Fresno Bee

Other areas 

George Skelton: Dallas tragedy proves a good guy with a gun shouldn’t be the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun — Remember this drivel? “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” Well, that gun lobby rubbish was again disproved in Dallas. Skelton column in LA Times

News Stories

Top Stories

Fresno police-protest leaders may face sanctions, Chief Dyer says — Fresno police plan to take action against the organizers of Saturday’s police-shooting protestthat shut down major avenues in north Fresno, Chief Jerry Dyer said Sunday. Dyer said his department had an agreement with the main organizers of the march that people would not step onto the streets. The demonstration, which drew hundreds who marched through north Fresno and into Clovis, protested recent officer-involved shootings locally and nationwide. Fresno Bee article 

Modesto considers pay increases for labor groups, managers — The City Council will consider approving a deal Tuesday with one of its labor groups that includes pay increases totaling 6 percent over two years as well as more pay for some of its top managers and other employees that eventually will cost the city about $1.8 million annually.Modesto Bee article

Jobs and the Economy

California launches test of per-mile road use fee for drivers – For the next nine months, Schnaidt and up to 5,000 other volunteers will report their driving miles to the state – or have their mileage monitored by the state – and will be “charged” a fee per mile they drive. Sacramento Bee article 

Bakersfield hearings set for PG&E’s proposed rate increases – Two public hearings Monday in Bakersfield will gather public comment on Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s proposal to raise its core revenues almost 17 percent during the next three years, bringing them to nearly double what they were 10 years ago. Bakersfield Californian article 

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County’s debt collection is badly broken – Indeed, it is so dysfunctional and inefficient that uncollected debt at the end of 2015 totaled $658 million, up from $370 million in 2008, according to the grand jury. That’s a lot of money that could help pay for a host of needed county services. Sacramento Bee editorial 

F-35 stealth fighter may finally be climbing above its problems – The buzz of increased test flight activity here in the Mojave Desert also signals that production of the long-delayed F-35 – which was initially supposed to enter full-scale production in 2008 – is finally ramping up. That increased rate of building, toward full production in 2019, is now rippling through more than 100 Southern California subcontractors that supply parts and software for the F-35’s builder, Lockheed Martin Corp. LA Times article 

Elon Musk says he’s working on another secret ‘masterplan’ – Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, under pressure after a fatal crash involving one of his electric cars, went on Twitter Sunday to say he’s working on another “Top Secret Tesla Masterplan.” He said he hoped to publish details this week. AP article 

Chargers stadium may not be settled in November – Two measures related to a new Chargers stadium may be on the November ballot, and no matter how we vote, it’s possible nothing will happen. At least not for a good while, if ever. San Diego Union-Tribune article 

Monday Spotlight: Stanislaus County Fair spokeswoman Adrenna Alkhas – The market rep looks to empower young woman and appreciates working with a supportive board.  Modesto Bee article 

Agriculture/Water/Drought 

California drought update: There’s good news, and bad – When it comes to California’s ongoing drought, there’s good news and bad news. While the level of statewide drought has been decreasing over the past year, La Niña predictions suggest California could be in for more dryness in the near future. KPBS report 

Don Curlee: ‘Unique’ describes California farming — It’s time for your friends and neighbors to understand and express the one-of-a-kind character that is agriculture in California. And they need to appreciate it. Curlee column in Visalia Times-Delta

Fitz’s Stockton: If you can’t beat ‘em, boat ‘em — I see that Delta lawyers, crying “Once more, into the breach!” again temporarily blocked Southern California’s untrustworthy water utility from buying four Delta islands. The 3rd District Court of Appeals issued a ruling that … but wait. Maybe we’re going at this the wrong way. Maybe instead of having our lawyers fight their lawyers in perpetuity we should try a different approach. Maybe what we should do is introduce the bigwigs form the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to the real San Joaquin Delta. Fitz’s Stockton in Stockton Record

Criminal Justice/Prisons 

Stockton town hall: Focus on officer-involved shootings – Following one of the worst weeks in the nation’s long history of troubled relations between police and the black community, Stockton activist and former City Councilman Ralph Lee White issued a call to action Sunday to put the brakes on officer-involved shootings involving unarmed black men.  Stockton Record article 

A hopeful future — While a nation mourns the loss of those killed in recent shootings, a small crowd of people in Tulare County gathered this weekend to pay tribute to both sides of the issue. The group, led by 15-year-old Brianna Smith, expressed their grief and offered support to one another during a candlelight vigil at Plaza Park in Visalia. They prayed for law enforcement and two Black men, one killed in Baton Rouge, La. and another in Minnesota. Visalia Times-Delta article 

Dozens protest CHP’s fatal shooting of a teen during an undercover street-racing probe — Dozens of demonstrators gathered Sunday outside the California Highway Patrol office in Santa Ana to protest last week’s fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man by undercover officers involved in a street-racing investigation. LA Times article 

Man dies after confrontation with Anaheim police —  An Anaheim man who had been in a coma since a confrontation with police officers a week ago died Sunday, his family’s lawyer said. LA Times article

Education

Olivia Garcia: Local college district to consider bond measure in fall — On July 14, the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees will consider placing a proposed bond measure on the Nov. 8 ballot to make improvements on campuses of Bakersfield College, Porterville College and Cerro Coso Community College. Garcia in Bakersfield Californian 

Girls stream into summer coding camps in Bay Area and beyond – Forget about swimming, boating and archery: Summer in Silicon Valley means it’s time for coding camp, and more and more of those campers are girls. As hundreds of programs like the one at San Jose-based Adobe attract record numbers of students around the Bay Area and beyond, a nationwide campaign to teach programming skills to girls is witnessing explosive growth. San Jose Mercury News article

Children write letters to veterans for Atwater project — The Merced City School District’s Summer Academy for Academic Achievement ended Friday with a display of appreciation for the nation’s active-duty service men and women, and veterans, according to a news release. Merced Sun-Star article

Energy/Environment 

Merced will replant native trees after drought killed redwoods — Even though the state watering restrictions have been lifted, city water leaders are trying to strike a balance between continuing to conserve water and giving the city landscapes the care they need, Conway said. The city is working on a plan to replant the trees, Conway said. But, not all of the 100 lost can be replanted right away. It will take time. And, the city likely won’t replant redwoods. Merced Sun-Star article

Health/Human Services 

Flood fears complicate VA construction — The same federal agency that will oversee construction of the new veterans clinic here also is declining to improve the levee that will protect that clinic along with 45,000 residents from Weston Ranch to Lathrop. Stockton Record article 

Advocates hope shaming drugmakers discourages price spikes – Frustrated by the rising cost of prescription drugs, California health advocates hope sunlight and a dose of shame will discourage drugmakers from raising their prices too quickly or introducing new medications at prices that break the bank. AP article 

Black children die at an alarming rate in Sacramento County, and here’s why — Between 2010 and 2015, African American children died at well above the rates of any other racial or ethnic group in Sacramento County: Nearly one-quarter of the 873 children under age 18 who died in the county during that six-year time frame were black, even as black youths made up just 11 percent of the population in that age group. Sacramento Bee article

Transportation 

Caltrans turning Interstate 80 into a ‘smart highway’ – In hopes of easing the Bay Area’s most jammed freeway, Caltrans will begin unveiling its Interstate 80 “smart highway” project within a few days, phasing in 20 miles’ worth of electronic improvements from the Carquinez Bridge to the Bay Bridge. East Bay Times article 

A new era for local bicycling? — Is Hanford about to become a more bicycle-friendly place? Kings County Velo Club president Lisa Munoz hopes so. Hanford Sentinel article

Other areas 

Bakersfield Californian: Bad decisions, bad timing and a bad outcome — Friday, readers of The Bakersfield Californian discovered the most glaring example of bad timing perhaps imaginable. We published an editorial cartoon in our Opinion pages that depicted police in a most unflattering light — in the same edition that brought news of the reprehensible murders in Dallas of five law enforcement officers. Timing is everything. A highly controversial cartoon became highly inappropriate and highly regrettable. Bakersfield Californian editorial 

Arena artwork will be homage to former Sacramento mayor — Long before Chris Hansen, Anaheim or Kevin Johnson got involved, the late Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna Jr. presided over a City Hall that fought a close battle to keep the Kings in town. Sacramento Bee article

Valley Editorial Roundup

Bakersfield Californian – Friday, readers of The Bakersfield Californian discovered the most glaring example of bad timing perhaps imaginable. We published an editorial cartoon in our Opinion pages that depicted police in a most unflattering light — in the same edition that brought news of the reprehensible murders in Dallas of five law enforcement officers. Timing is everything. A highly controversial cartoon became highly inappropriate and highly regrettable.

Merced Sun-Star – Gov. Jerry Brown and key lawmakers who understand the Rube Goldberg contraption that is California recycling need to find a way to simplify and improve the program for the modern era. Recycling has needed an update for decades. Time to stop kicking that recyclable can down the road.

Modesto Bee – Gov. Jerry Brown and key lawmakers who understand the Rube Goldberg contraption that is California recycling need to find a way to simplify and improve the program for the modern era. Recycling has needed an update for decades. Time to stop kicking that recyclable can down the road.

Sacramento Bee – Sacramento County’s debt collection is badly brokenIndeed, it is so dysfunctional and inefficient that uncollected debt at the end of 2015 totaled $658 million, up from $370 million in 2008, according to the grand jury. That’s a lot of money that could help pay for a host of needed county services.