July 2, 2019

02Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Stanislaus County makes leadership change at troubled Consolidated fire district

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders have appointed two new members to the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District board, replacing the former president and a board member whose furniture sales to the district were exposed in 2017.

See Also:

●     Why new partnership between Modesto fire, Oakdale agencies leave mayors smiling Modesto Bee

Turlock mayor explores options to new water plant, including tapping into Modesto’s

Modesto Bee

Throughout my decade of service as an elected official I have opposed tax increases while supporting initiatives that deliver City services to residents in the most economical manner.

Central SJ Valley:

See some fast facts about Fresno State

Fresno Bee

Check out stats about California State University, Fresno, situated in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno, California.

2019 Clovis Citizens Academy, now accepting applications

City of Clovis

The City of Clovis is currently accepting applications for the 2019 Clovis Citizens Academy. Clovis residents are invited to apply to attend workshops, taking place two evenings in September, which will provide attendees with a more thorough understanding of how their city government operates.

Forbes names Fresno credit union among best in state

The Business Journal

Noble Credit Union has been named as one of the top credit unions in California according to a recent award by one of the countries leading sources in business-related news.

South SJ Valley:

OUR VIEW: City Manager Alan Tandy’s legacy is evident throughout Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield’s longest-serving city manager has announced his intention to retire in December. City Council members now face the huge task of replacing Tandy, who has guided Bakersfield through 27 good and bad years.

Voter fraud charge dismissed for mayor and City Council candidate Gilberto De La Torre

Bakersfield Californian

Gilberto De La Torre, a former candidate for Bakersfield mayor and the Ward 1 City Council seat, has escaped a charge of voter fraud. On Friday, the misdemeanor charge of fraudulent voting, for which De La Torre had earlier pleaded no contest, was dismissed.

Sen Melissa Hurtado: $50 million in state funds secured for South San Joaquin Valley

KGET
As Governor Newsom’s $214.8 billion 2019-2020 budget went into effect Monday, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) announced she has secured millions of dollars from the budget for the South San Joaquin Valley.

State:

California is moving to ban deepfakes. What are they, anyway?

Sacramento Bee

California lawmakers, citing election integrity, are moving to ban the distribution of “deepfake” video or audio clips aimed at damaging political candidates, drawing condemnation from First Amendment supporters.

Citizenship and the 2020 Census

Public Policy Institute of California

After a heated legal battle, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration cannot for now include a question on the 2020 Census asking if residents are US citizens. We spoke with PPIC senior fellow Eric McGhee about what this decision means for California.

See also:

·       How the Citizenship Question Could Reshape State Politics PEW

·       Trump Administration’s Delay In Census Printing Sets Up Count’s ‘Biggest Risk’ NPR

·       Facebook unveils plans to fight misinformation about census Politico

Interview: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Says Census Undercount Could Cost State ‘Billions’

Capital Public Radio

Last week the Supreme Court blocked the question after challenges from California and dozens of other states, cities and organizations. President Donald Trump has suggested the census could be delayed because of the ruling.

Lead Ammunition is Now Banned for Hunting Wildlife in California

KQED
Beginning July 1, lead ammunition is banned for hunting wildlife anywhere in California.

It’s the final phasing in of a law California passed in 2013. Governor Jerry Brown signed it in large part to protect the threatened California condor.

California Senate approves homelessness, housing bill

Associated Press

The California Senate approved on Monday what some lawmakers have called a carrot-and-stick approach to the state’s housing crunch by setting aside $2.4 billion to address housing and homelessness while setting up a process to punish cities that consistently flout the state’s housing policies.


State budget funds study on cutting petroleum supply, demand

Bakersfield Californian

In a clear threat to one of Kern County’s economic pillars, California took a tentative first step toward cutting in-state oil and gas production with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature last week on a budget that includes $1.5 million for finding ways to reduce petroleum supply and demand.

Californians could breathe easier if legislators pass this bill

CALmatters

Since 1984, Californians have been pulling their older cars and pickups into smog-check stations and pulling out their wallets to pay for a test to certify that their vehicles meet state emission standards. The average cost for a vehicle-inspection in 2018 was$48.60.

From Gas Taxes to Vaping Rules, New State Laws Take Effect Across U.S.

Wall Street Journal

A number of laws enacted in state legislatures across the U.S. took effect Monday, following the end of legislative sessions for many states. The laws ranged from increased gas taxes to restrictions on distracted driving and new regulations on tobacco, vaping and electric scooters.

Federal:

Donald Trump threatens to upend California’s health care plan for undocumented imigrants

Sacramento Bee

President Donald Trump blasted Democrats who want to fund health care for undocumented immigrants and criticized California for expanding health coverage to some adults living in the state illegally.

See also:

●     Trump, California governor spar over immigrant health care Bakersfield Californian

Freshman House class brings less wealth and different economic perspective to Congress

Los Angeles Times

When wages temporarily stopped for thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown in January, nearly 100 lawmakers signed over or donated their paycheck to show solidarity. But Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), elected just weeks earlier, literally couldn’t afford the gesture.

Democrats Push Left, but Need Moderate Swing States

Wall Street Journal

Most would agree that the four most important states in President Trump’s victory were Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida. In those four states, the share of voters who said in exit polls that they considered themselves liberals were 27%, 27%, 25% and 25%, respectively.

Here’s What Ta-Nehisi Coates Told Congress About Reparations

New York Times

Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose 2014 article “The Case for Reparations” in The Atlantic rekindled the debate over reparations for slavery and its legacy, testified on Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee.

For partisan gerrymandering reform, the federal courts are closed

Brookings

In a 5-4 decision in Rucho v. Common Cause, the Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts. This came as no surprise to close observers of half-century of litigation that proceeded it.

See also:

·       EDITORIAL: The Supreme Court tries to stay above the political fray Los Angeles Times

President Trump & G20 Summit: Americans and Europeans Must Confront China Together

National Review

Shortly before President Trump departed Washington to attend the G20 Summit in Japan, he proclaimed that “Europe treats us worse than China” during a television interview. Yet the existence of the summit itself, and especially the president’s meeting tomorrow with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is a reminder that the United States and Europe still need each other and will continue to in the future.

Fact Check: Trump on NKorea, wages, climate; Dem misfires

AP

Straining for deals on trade and nukes in Asia, President Donald Trump hailed a meeting with North Korea.

OPINION: Trump’s Healthy Tax Break

Wall Street Journal

By the left’s account you’d think the Trump Administration’s only ambition on health care is to rip insurance from the poor and sick. So note that a Health and Human Services rule finalized last month represents a dramatic expansion in health-care choices for those who may have limited insurance options.

OPINION: Conservatives, Put Culture First

Wall Street Journal

Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously observed that conservatives recognize “culture, not politics, determines the success of a society,” while liberals believe “politics can change a culture and save it from itself.” Yet today’s conservatives and liberals both tend to demand cultural results from political and economic systems.

Elections 2020:

New study shows Russian propaganda may really have helped Trump

NBC News

The study does not prove Russian interference swung the election to Trump. But it did find Trump’s poll numbers improved when Russian trolls were active.

See also:

·       The U.S. isn’t prepared to fend off foreign meddling in 2020. We need a national strategy Los Angeles Times

Trump campaign announces $105M raised during 2nd quarter

Modesto Bee

President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign says it raised $105 million during the second fundraising quarter. The campaign said Tuesday it has a whopping $100 million in cash on hand.

Kamala Harris probably won the California primary in the first debate

Los Angeles Times

One of the biggest losers in the Democratic debates was probably the California primary. Sen. Kamala Harris’ breakthrough performance may have made it a non-contest.

See also:

●     Why it’s too soon to celebrate Kamala Harris CalBuzz

●     Kamala Harris and Classmates Were Bused Across Berkeley. The Experience Changed Them. The New York Times

Bernie Sanders says he raised $18 million in second quarter

Modesto Bee

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders raised $18 million for his presidential campaign during the second fundraising quarter, his campaign said Tuesday. It said that he transferred another $6 million from other accounts.

Cory Booker unveils immigration plan in which Congress takes a back seat

Los Angeles Times

Sen. Cory Booker has rolled out an immigration agenda composed of changes the Democratic presidential hopeful could make without relying on Congress, including a shift away from criminal prosecution of border crossings and a new mandate for migrant detention facilities to meet minimum standards.

Democrats’ views on charters diverge by race as 2020 elections loom

Bloomberg

Charter schools have been featured prominently in the news lately, with new poll data showing a growing racial divide in Democrats’ support for charters and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ call for a moratorium on public funding for charter school expansion. The news has offered a glimpse of the potential consequences for American students when changes in public opinion toward charters collide with presidential politics.

Other:

On July 4, we celebrate our nation’s founding, and the freedoms that came with it

Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, formalizing our separation from Great Britain and creating a new sovereign nation. The Declaration of Independence was the first of three founding documents called the Charters of Freedom. These documents include the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the three charters laid out the basic rights of the American people.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, July 7, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “The 2018 Turnout: What it Means for 2020?” – Guest: Mindy Romero, USC Price School of Public Policy; John Myers with Los Angeles Times and Secretary of State, Alex  Padilla – LAO. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 7, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition:  “Voters and Legislators: The Midterm’s New Faces” – Guests: State Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) and  State Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R- Fresno). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 7, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy“Cuenta atrás para el Censo del 2020” – Guests: Secretario de Estado Alex Padilla, Gisell Gasca – Mi Familia Vota y Alexei Koseff con San Francisco Chronicle. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

California legalized home cooking sales last year. Why are they still banned locally?

Sacramento Bee

Sauteed in oil, garlic, and parsley, the quarter-sized organs are relatively chewy and have slightly less overwhelmingly earthy flavor than some other offal. Espinosa would like to serve them with cheese pupusas and homemade slaw at pay-to-eat dinner parties in an expansive shared backyard. Doing so, however, would be breaking the law.

Green groups sue EPA for exempting farms from reporting pollution tied to animal waste

TheHill

A coalition of green groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) late Monday over a rule that lifts requirements for major farms to report the pollution they emit through animal waste.

Farmers Welcome Trade Truce, Hope for More

Wall Street Journal

Farmers and agricultural groups welcomed the U.S.-China trade truce but many said they still need a comprehensive agreement to restore large-scale exports of U.S. crops and meat and lift the fragile farm economy.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

California ends its long, costly shift of prisoners to other states

Los Angeles Times

For an issue that received so much publicity at its peak — images of prisoners in triple bunk beds and overflowing into multipurpose rooms — the end of California’s prison crisis came quietly last week, when the state brought home the last of its inmates held in a private lockup northwest of Tucson.

COMMENTARY: Prosecutors should stop the scare tactics. Reforming felony murder rule improves our justice system

CALmatters

In January, California ended a decades-old legal doctrine that put numerous people behind bars for murders they did not commit. Yet six months after the new state law—Senate Bill 1437—took effect, some prosecutors are trying to overturn it, resorting to scare tactics and false distortions.

Public Safety:

‘Delaying the Inevitable’: Many Police Agencies Withhold Records in New Era of Transparency

KQED
Sexual assault in jail. Domestic violence complaints against an officer ignored. Knocked-out teeth followed by a cover-up. Throw in tens of thousands of stolen bullets, an illegal chokeholdfalsified police reports and cavortingwith sex workers, and you’ve got an emerging picture of what California’s new police transparency law has revealed in its first six months

California prison guards can’t sue state for time spent walking to their posts, court rules

Fresno Bee

The California Supreme Court on Monday rejected most of an 11-year-old lawsuit in which tens of thousands of California state prison guards sought additional pay for work-related tasks they performed before and after their shifts.

California’s mandatory ammunition background check could impact gun store owners

abc30

The purchase of ammunition just got a little more intrusive for California gun owners. “It’s another background check…more money…more taxes and it ends up being a waste in my opinion,” said Dacri Burdan.

See Also:

●     Glitches Snarl Start Of California’s Ammo Background Checks Capital Public Radi0

●     Gun groups sue over California law banning firearms sales to those under 21  Los Angeles Times

DNA-testing firms are lobbying to limit your right to genetic privacy

Los Angeles Times

Home DNA testing can be fun. I’ve done it for myself and for my dog. One of us unexpectedly turned out to be 3.1% Italian. The other is mostly Saint Bernard. The less-fun side of the DNA-testing industry is the brave new world of genetic privacy.

Fire:

Outlook bleak for California’s 2019 fire season

Capitol Weekly

Everyone with any knowledge of the subject agrees: California is on the brink of a potentially disastrous fire season. And there is concern that the problem is not going to be solved soon

With summer here, expect the fires to follow

Los Angeles Times

Summer finally arrived in Southern California this weekend with temperatures in the 90s and a series of small fires around the region. Firefighters were able to put out the fires — including one near Dodger Stadium and another in the San Gabriel Mountains — fairly quickly. But officials say this is just beginning.

Invasive Grass Increases Wildfire Threat in Western States

PEW Trusts

Land managers are grappling with cheatgrass, a weed that has invaded millions of acres.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Forbes names Fresno credit union among best in state

The Business Journal

Noble Credit Union has been named as one of the top credit unions in California according to a recent award by one of the countries leading sources in business-related news.

Women in Business Summit connects and inspires Clovis and Fresno communities

Clovis RoundUp

Women community and leaders from the Fresno and Clovis area met for an evening of empowerment, inspiration and networking.

Trade truce euphoria eases, and markets tread water

Fresno Bee

Stock markets around the world teeter-tottered on Tuesday, as investors mull what exactly will come of the latest truce in the U.S.-China trade war.

California grocery workers gain support from other labor groups

Los Angeles Times

Leaders from unions affiliated with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which represents 800,000 workers and their families, voted to endorse a strike by grocery workers while contract negotiations continue. The unions include those representing teachers, law enforcement and healthcare workers.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs Invigorate California’s Economy

KPBS

Immigrants take big risks coming to California. When they get here, many decide to take another risk: launching their own company. Immigrants are actually more likely to start a business than people born here. California consistently ranks as one of the states most reliant on immigrants for new business creation.

Is the U.S. economy working for everyone? What the data shows

PolitiFact

During the recent Democratic presidential debates, most of the candidates at one point or another rejected the notion that the economy is going gangbusters, taking issue with one of President Donald Trump’s most frequent talking points.

Jobs:

New Madera business brings jobs to the community

abc30

There was a lot of excitement as local leaders and business owners started moving dirt for the start of a new business, TranPak, in Madera.

Unemployment rate dips for second month in a row, now at 6.7%

Hanford Sentinel

The unemployment rate in Kings County dipped nearly 2% between April and May, according to new figures released by the California Employment Development Department.

Women in Business Summit connects and inspires Clovis and Fresno communities

Clovis Roundup

Women community and leaders from the Fresno and Clovis area met for an evening of empowerment, inspiration and networking at the 2nd Annual Chamber Women in Business Summit on June 27.

New Evidence Says Raising the Minimum Wage Does Not Cost Jobs

New York Magazine

The idea that the federal minimum wage should be raised to $15 has now become so mainstream that most Democratic candidates for president have endorsed it. But as the movement gains steam, so does conservative resistance.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Astronauts test Valley students’ hypothesis in space, group present findings in Washington D.C.

abc30

Over the next year, Angelica Medina, Montserrat Maldonado, Laisha Fernandez, and Lupita Nunez of Corcoran carefully crafted their research and experiment. They tried to get broccoli seeds to grow and germinate in test tubes here on Earth and prepared the work for those in space to try too.

CA vaccine laws have worked, study finds. More kindergarten students start school up to date

Sacramento Bee

After a measles outbreak in 2013, California lawmakers passed a series of new laws that put restrictions on the number of children who could be exempted from vaccinations. They also launched an education campaign among staff at kindergartens.

Those efforts appear to have worked – in part.

See also:

●     90 Sacramento-area schools don’t meet vaccine guidelines. Are they ‘tinder of a disease wildfire?’Sacramento Bee

When your school is a health center. How clinics offer lifeline for uninsured kids

Sacramento Bee

Dental hygienist Bruce Fang sat waiting in blue scrubs for the day’s patients before a few students ambled into the room, one at a time, ready for their appointments. Some were chatty once in the chair, others squirmed. But 7-year-old Stephanie Rojas sat still.

Lead Detected in Drinking Water of Almost 1 in 5 California Schools

EWG

The State Water Resources Control Board confirmed in an email to EWG that 1,166 out of 6,595 schools that submitted test results found at least one fountain that served water with more than 5 parts per billion, or ppb, of lead. Many schools that tested their drinking water did not test all of the drinking water fountains or faucets of potable water.

Democrats’ views on charters diverge by race as 2020 elections loom

Bloomberg

Charter schools have been featured prominently in the news lately, with new poll data showing a growing racial divide in Democrats’ support for charters and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ call for a moratorium on public funding for charter school expansion. The news has offered a glimpse of the potential consequences for American students when changes in public opinion toward charters collide with presidential politics.

As California seeks to add more computer science courses, teachers are answering the call

EdSource

As California pushes to increase access to computer science education for K-12 students, schools across the state this summer are preparing to ramp up course offerings and equip teachers to lead computer science courses.

Higher Ed:

See some fast facts about Fresno State

Fresno Bee

Check out stats about California State University, Fresno, situated in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno, California.

UC Davis professor faces trial in Turkey as prosecution of vocal scholars reaches U.S.

Fresno Bee

With an arrest warrant hanging over his head from the Turkish government, Baki Tezcan, a professor at UC Davis, arrived in Istanbul last week with his wife and two sons.

California budget spends $280 million to make college more affordable, from savings to grants

Sacramento Bee

California’s new state budget has almost $280 million earmarked for programs that would help people pay from college, from opening savings accounts for infants to offering new grants to parents pursuing degrees.

Video: Career Pathways and Economic Mobility at California’s Community Colleges

PPIC
About a third of future jobs in California will require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. By training workers for these jobs, career education—also known as career technical education or vocational training—plays an integral role in meeting California’s workforce needs and improving students’ economic well-being.

Who owes the most student debt

Brookings

The best data available to the public for this purpose is the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), because it provides a large sample of American households and captures information on their demographic, income, educational attainment, assets, and debts. 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

To meet Paris climate targets, some power plants may need to take an early retirement

Los Angeles Times

The power plants, factories, vehicles and appliances in use today could make it all but impossible to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord unless some are retired ahead of schedule, according to an exhaustive new analysis of the world’s energy infrastructure.

Green groups sue EPA for exempting farms from reporting pollution tied to animal waste

TheHill

A coalition of green groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) late Monday over a rule that lifts requirements for major farms to report the pollution they emit through animal waste.

California Mandates Zero-Emission Vehicles at Airports

Scientific American

The policy, the first such in the nation, is aimed at reducing the state’s emissions from transportation

Energy:

New statewide program to incentivize solar on multifamily housing

SOMAH

The Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program provides financial incentives for installing photovoltaic (PV) energy systems on multifamily affordable housing in California. The program will deliver clean power and credits on energy bills to hundreds of thousands of the state’s affordable housing residents.

EDITORIAL: How Modesto electricity customers will foot the cost of doomed hydropower bill

Modesto Bee

Senate Bill 386 provided a perfect opportunity to acknowledge what any rational analysis would conclude — that carbon-free, river-driven electricity from the powerhouse at Don Pedro Dam, 40 miles east of Modesto, emits no greenhouse gases and is as clean as clean energy can be.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

CA vaccine laws have worked, study finds. More kindergarten students start school up to date

Sacramento Bee

After a measles outbreak in 2013, California lawmakers passed a series of new laws that put restrictions on the number of children who could be exempted from vaccinations. They also launched an education campaign among staff at kindergartens.

Those efforts appear to have worked – in part.

See also:

●     90 Sacramento-area schools don’t meet vaccine guidelines. Are they ‘tinder of a disease wildfire?’Sacramento Bee

●     California vaccination rate drops as doctors grant more exemptions. Is there a link? Los Angeles Times

State broadens investigation of California doctors over their vaccination exemptions

Sacramento Bee

The California agency that regulates doctors is investigating at least four physicians for issuing questionable medical exemptions to children whose parents did not want them immunized.

Human Services:

CA first Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris Warns Of Dangers Of Toxic Stress among children

NPR

Burke Harris has dedicated much of her career to spreading the word to fellow doctors and the public about ACEs and the dangers of this toxic stress to children. She champions a multidisciplinary approach to helping these kids and teens.

California School-Based Health Centers Bridge Gap To Uninsured Children

Capital Public Radio

For the past two years, improvised clinics like this one have served students of Northwood Elementary and other schools in the Twin Rivers School District of Sacramento, part of the steady growth in school-based health centers that provide access to routine and preventive care for underserved populations.

IMMIGRATION

Interview: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Says Census Undercount Could Cost State ‘Billions’

Capital Public Radio

Last week the Supreme Court blocked the question after challenges from California and dozens of other states, cities and organizations. President Donald Trump has suggested the census could be delayed because of the ruling.

See also:

·       Trump wants census to find out who is ‘an illegal’ Politico

Report: California Immigration Facilities Failing Kids With Disabilities

KQED

A report from the largest disability rights group in the country says that immigration facilities across the state are failing to provide enough care or education to children with disabilities in their custody.

CBP probes Facebook group mocking lawmakers as they blast immigrant treatment

abc30

Congressional Democrats touring border detention centers along the Texas-Mexico border on Monday recounted finding cells without running water, continued family separation and sick children in quarantine.

See Also:

●     Border Patrol head condemns agents’ offensive Facebook posts Bakersfield Californian

●     Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes ProPublica

New rules will give AG William Barr more say over immigration courts

San Francisco Chronicle

Attorney General William Barr has moved forward with a regulation changing the way immigration courts handle appeals, expanding the ability of those courts and the attorney general himself to issue decisions that bind the way all immigration judges must decide cases.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs Invigorate California’s Economy

KPBS

Immigrants take big risks coming to California. When they get here, many decide to take another risk: launching their own company. Immigrants are actually more likely to start a business than people born here. California consistently ranks as one of the states most reliant on immigrants for new business creation.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Things That Can Go Wrong with Mixed-Use Development Projects

IMPLAN

Many fail and few succeed when it comes to breaking ground on development projects as complicated as those in the mixed-use category.

Housing:

California Senate approves homelessness, housing bill

Associated Press

The California Senate approved on Monday what some lawmakers have called a carrot-and-stick approach to the state’s housing crunch by setting aside $2.4 billion to address housing and homelessness while setting up a process to punish cities that consistently flout the state’s housing policies.

A two-for-one tenant bill now includes rent cap and eviction protections

Sacramento Bee

One of the few remaining tenant protection measures still alive in the California Capitol became a two-for-one bill this weekend, after lawmakers amended rent cap legislation to include eviction restrictions.

After early defeat, California lawmakers try again on eviction protections

Los Angeles Daily News

A month after a push to protect California tenants from no-fault evictions fizzled in the state Assembly, lawmakers revived the effort Monday. But the new strategy — making eviction protections part of a statewide rent cap bill — already is facing push back from landlord interest groups. Now both measures face an uphill battle on their way to the governor’s desk.

Aging California: Still 9th youngest state, but youthfulness is crowding our housing

Riverside Press Enterprise

Here’s another reason California housing is so crowded — we’re a young state. New census data shows the state’s median age in 2018 was 36.8 years. Only eight states were younger.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Gas prices go up, but city says the money is going to the right place

abc30

Gas prices are on the rise again, but Fresno city officials say the money is necessary to chip away at hundreds of millions of dollars needed for road repairs.

See also:

·       EDITORIAL: Summer’s here and California’s gas tax is rising. And that’s a good thing  Sacramento Bee

There’s a new way to save for retirement in California. Here’s how it works.

Sacramento Bee

On Monday, the state unveiled a government-run retirement savings program, CalSavers, aimed at helping the 7.5 million Californians who are on their own when it comes to retirement.

See Also:

●     Worried about retiring? California will help you save money Los Angeles Times

This time CalPERS plans for stock market drop

PublicCEO

When its investment fund had a huge loss during a stock market crash a decade ago, plunging from about $260 billion to $160 billion, CalPERS was caught by surprise and had to sell assets at a market bottom to pay bills.

You Filed Returns. The IRS Compiled the Data. Here’s How the New Tax Law Is Working.

Wall Street Journal

The first tax-filing season under the new law jostled the upper-middle class, as people making between $100,000 and $250,000 became less likely to receive refunds and more likely to owe money with their returns.

Mathews: Anti-Tax? Or is it Really Anti-Immigrant?

Fox&Hounds

Beware of self-styled taxpayer advocates who exploit anti-immigrant animus instead of protecting  taxpayers.

TRANSPORTATION

Gas prices go up, but city says the money is going to the right place

abc30

Gas prices are on the rise again, but Fresno city officials say the money is necessary to chip away at hundreds of millions of dollars needed for road repairs.

See also:

·       EDITORIAL: Summer’s here and California’s gas tax is rising. And that’s a good thing  Sacramento Bee

Dozens of DMV offices in California are opening an hour earlier to battle wait times

Los Angeles Times

Offices throughout the state — including 17 in Southern California — will open at 7 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Metro’s Plan For Bus-Only Lanes Is LA’s Latest Existential Battleground

LAist

The number of people who take Metro has been dropping since 2014 and total ridership is down about 17% over the past decade. While the agency’s rail lines have lost passengers in recent years, it’s Metro’s bus fleet that’s been hardest hit, shedding more than 25% of its ridership since 2009.

Trump administration to ease truckers’ drive-time rules

PBS NewsHour

The Transportation Department is moving to relax the federal regulations that required Francois to pull over, a long sought goal of the trucking industry and a move that would highlight its influence with the Trump administration. Interest groups that represent motor carriers and truck drivers have lobbied for revisions they say would make the rigid “hours of service” rules more flexible.

WATER

Turlock mayor explores options to new water plant, including tapping into Modesto’s

Modesto Bee

Throughout my decade of service as an elected official I have opposed tax increases while supporting initiatives that deliver City services to residents in the most economical manner.

Trump’s Pending Rules on California Water Marked by Missing Documents and Hurried Reviews, Say Scientists

KQED
Independent scientists have raised serious concerns about a Trump administration plan to divert more water to California farmers, according to documents obtained by KQED.

“Xtra”

Independence Day celebrations and 4th of July fireworks shows in the Valley

abc30

Freedom Run date and time.

Tips for your dog and other pets on the Fourth of July

Modesto Bee

Don’t forget to make sure your pet enjoys the Fourth of July, too. Fireworks, barbecues and outdoor fun is great for humans on Independence Day, but loud noises and a change in routine can upset their four-legged friends. In a news release, the American Kennel Club offered tips to help pets on the holiday this Thursday.