23Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

Report: Valley Cities Among Nation’s Least-Educated

KMJ

Bakersfield was the 4^th least educated city in the United States, Fresno was 10^th. Stockton, Modesto, and Salinas are also among the nation’s least-educated. The least educated city in the United States? Visalia.

North SJ Valley:

Modesto has a severe housing shortage. Here’s how and when all the problems started.

Modesto Bee

Modesto became home to more than 12,000 additional residents in the past decade. But finding a home was not so easy for many of them.

As rats overrun California cities, state moves to ban powerful pest-killers

Sacramento Bee

The rats were winning. There were so many earlier this summer outside the CalEPA building in downtown Sacramento officials had to close it.

Central SJ Valley:

Governor signs agricultural theft bill

Visalia Times Delta

A new piece of California legislation will hopefully help law enforcement investigate these crimes. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 224 into law.

Property tax reform a win for taxpayers

Visalia Times Delta

Does it make sense to spend more money to collect a tax than the revenue taken in? Tulare County Assistant Assessor Tim Kochendarfer didn’t think so and the Tulare County Board of Supervisors agreed with him.

HSR Documents Disappear, Patterson Cries Foul

KMJ

Important High Speed Rail documents disappear, now a local assemblyman is asking why, and demanding their return.

Trump met with Nunes to talk intel chief replacements

Politico

The president’s get-together with the top House Intelligence Republican has fueled more chatter that Dan Coats may be on his way out.

South SJ Valley:

CSUB to welcome Downtown Business Association meeting today

KGET

The Downtown Business Association will host two opportunities for community members to get involved in what is happening in downtown Bakersfield. The Block to Block Party will be on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Bakersfield Police Department, CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center and City Code Enforcement will be in attendance.

Bakersfield is fourth-least educated city in America

KERO

A study released Monday shows that Bakersfield is the 4th least educated city in America. According to Wallet Hub , of 150 cities nationwide that were studied and surveyed, Bakersfield was 147th. The study looked at a handful of criteria in determining its rankings.

State:

California’s Struggle To Get Food Stamps To The Hungry

Capital Public Radio

California, a state with the nation’s highest poverty rate, consistently ranks near the bottom when it comes to enrolling low-income people in CalFresh, the state’s name for the federal food stamp program.

Newsom-Meter: Rapidly expand housing

PolitiFact California

On the campaign trail, Gavin Newsom promised to rapidly expand California’s housing supply, saying he would “lead the effort to develop 3.5 million new housing units” by 2025 to address the state’s affordable housing crisis.

Conservative group paid for pro-fur testimony at the Capitol, California activists charge

Sacramento Bee

A bill to outlaw the sale and manufacture of fur products drew few opponents in its early hearings at the California Capitol. That changed on June 25, when animal rights advocates supporting the measure noticed there were more critics in the room.

Sexual harassment training ordered for California government secretaries, leaders

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom is convening state government executives next month.

Federal:

Deal sealed on federal budget, ensuring no shutdown, default

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump and congressional leaders announced Monday a critical debt and budget agreement that’s an against-the-odds victory for Washington pragmatists seeking to avoid political and economic tumult over the possibility of a government shutdown or first-ever federal default.

See also:

● McConnell promises budget vote before recess Fresno Bee

● Trump announces $1.37 trillion budget deal with Democrats abc30

● Trump, Pelosi strike budget deal on debt, agency spending Stockton Record

● Trump announces deal with Democratic and GOP leaders on budget and debt ceiling Los Angeles Times

● Trump and congressional leaders reach sweeping budget agreement Politico

● President Trump’s Budget Deal Spells the End of the Tea Party National Review

Census question may be dead, but Trump’s backup plan could still reshape political map

Roll Call

President Donald Trump surrendered his legal fight earlier this month to ask about citizenship on the upcoming census, but his administration is marching forward on a Republican strategy that could upend the way legislative districts are drawn nationwide to the benefit of the party.

Cuts to Homeland Security make a catastrophic attack more likely, critics say

Los Angeles Times

A senior House member said Monday that he will explore legislation to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from diverting funds from critical research and programs on tracking nuclear material that could be used in a terrorist attack.

Opinion: The selective socialism of Donald Trump: Farmers, yes. Poor families, no. Washington Post

Trump Admin. has proposed changes in the food stamp program that could eliminate more than 3 million people from those receiving the aid. Net savings? $2.5 billion annually—up to $15 billion over the long term. Farmers, Trump says, are doing great again after seeing their fortunes fall for 15 years. Why? Well, thanks in part to something he calls “replacement money.” Cost? $16 billion.

● California’s Struggle To Get Food Stamps To The Hungry Capital Public Radio

Harris and Nadler team up on bill to decriminalize marijuana

Politico

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is teaming up with a powerful House Democrat on legislation to decriminalize marijuana and wipe away past marijuana-related convictions.

Politicians Tackle Surprise Bills, but Not the Biggest Source of Them: Ambulances

New York Times

A legislative push in Congress and states to end unexpected medical bills has omitted the ambulance industry.

Elections 2020:

Donald Trump raises millions from Californians, but not as much as these Democrats

Sacramento Bee

Thousands of Californians, including hundreds of Central Valley residents, gave to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign this spring, campaign finance records show.

● More than half of Americans approve of Trump on the economy. More than half also say they won’t vote for him. Washington Post

● Majority of independents oppose Trump reelection, undecided on 2020 Democrats: poll TheHill

● Poll: Americans Not Sold On Trump — Or Democrats NPR

Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are on a 2020 collision course

Fresno Bee

As they rise to the top of 2020 Democratic presidential field, Harris and Warren are increasingly in direct competition for many of the same voters and donors, according to polls and fundraising data, with each drawing support from the party’s more affluent, college-educated wing — particularly women.

‘Another white guy in the race’: Dems perplexed by Tom Steyer’s run

Politico

Some Democratic lawmakers wish the billionaire impeachment advocate would drop his presidential bid.

Indian Americans, a rising political force, give $3 million to 2020 presidential campaigns

Los Angeles Times

Indian Americans are a sliver of the nation’s population but a growing political force. They have contributed more than $3 million to 2020 presidential campaigns — more than the coveted donors of Hollywood.

Lawsuit: California should open its presidential primary to independents

CALmatters

California independent voters can’t always vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. Is that merely annoying for nonpartisan voters? Or, as a new lawsuit argues, is it unconstitutional?

Wealth Tax and Free College Get Poll Support. Democrats Worry It Won’t Last.

New York Times

Despite the popularity of liberal policy ideas, voters said in interviews that an incremental approach had a better chance of success.

Moderation in the Trump era? Democrats, it’s futile

Roll Call

The traditional rewards for Democrats to move toward the center to appeal to swing voters have vanished in an era of Trumpian trampling on truth. If merely wanting to roll back part of the 2017 tax cuts is now attacked as socialism, then the careful issue proposals of prior Democratic nominees like Hillary Clinton no longer represent the route to political safety.

Republicans want an election about socialism. They’re unlikely to get one

Roll Call

Presidential contests are part referendum on the occupant of the Oval Office and part choice between the two parties’ nominees. But Trump’s personality and profile enhance the chance that 2020 is more about him than about anyone else.

George Will on American conservatism and Trump’s ‘lasting damage’

PBS NewsHour

Longtime columnist George Will recently left the Republican Party in protest of what he sees as its shifting values. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Will spoke with Judy Woodruff about his new book, “The Conservative Sensibility,” his perspective on how American conservatism feels about change and government and the “lasting damage” he believes President Trump is doing to the country.

Mathews: Two California Presidential Candidates Who Want National Direct Democracy

Fox & Hounds

As direct democracy spreads around the world, it’s stagnant in the United States. Americans can vote on issues at the local level and about half the states. But not at the national level.

Other:

John Paul Stevens’ colleagues pay respects in Supreme Court ceremony

abc30

The Supreme Court says six former colleagues of the late John Paul Stevens are joining in a ceremony at the court.

Darren Parker, California Democrat known as a ‘tireless fighter,’ dies of cancer

Fresno Bee

Darren Parker, a longtime Democratic activist based in Los Angeles and chair of the state party’s African American Caucus, has died following a lengthy battle with stage 3 esophegeal cancer.

Facebook will have to pay a record-breaking fine for violating users’ privacy. But the FTC wanted more.

Washington Post

Facebook’s $5 billion fine from the FTC illustrates the challenges facing a 105-year-old federal agency tasked with watching some of the most powerful digital players in the global economy.

Chances are, you’re not as open-minded as you think

Washington Post

Do you think of yourself as open-minded? For a 2017 study, scientists asked 2,400 well-educated adults to consider arguments on politically controversial issues — same-sex marriage, gun control, marijuana legalization — that ran counter to their beliefs. Both liberals and conservatives, they found, were similarly adamant about avoiding contrary opinions.

Hate Incidents Spur Holocaust Education Mandates

Pew Charitable Trusts

Oregon just became the latest state to require public schools to teach the Holocaust.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, July 28, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Protecting Students from Active Shooters: Are Schools Making the Grade?” – Guest: California State Auditor, Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 28, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Campus Shootings: Are Local Schools Prepared?” – Guests: Doug Collins with the Merced City School District and Steve France with the Clovis Unified School District. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 28, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Fresno Bridge Academy: A Model to Replicate Statewide” – Guests: Pete Weber, Fundador y Dir. Junta Directiva de Fresno Bridge Academy & Arasely Linares, Directora de Programas de Reading and Beyond. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Kings County crop values spike nearly $300 million

Hanford Sentinel

It was a good year for Kings County agriculture in 2018, with crop values rising nearly $300 million over 2017 values.

Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya: Dairy farmers are suffering

CNN

Growing up in a family of dairy farmers on a mountain range in eastern Turkey, the biggest danger we faced was from wolves. When wolves attacked, they wouldn’t just kill one goat or sheep — they would kill them all. If we weren’t careful, in just a few minutes, we could lose the entire flock we relied on to make the yogurt and cheese we’d sell to market.

On the Cotton Farm: Stockpiling and Fearing Big Losses From Trade Fight

Wall Street Journal

In Arkansas, exports have tanked and prices dropped: ‘It’s going to be a struggle.

Rand Corp. praises Wonderful Co.’s workplace health, wellness program

Bakersfield Californian

A prominent think tank is holding up a local model of workplace-based health services as an effective approach to reducing rates of type-2 diabetes.

Hard work and early hours. Showing livestock at fair isn’t as easy as it might seem

Modesto Bee

Beyond the lights from the Stanislaus County Fair rides, food stands and various booths offering trinkets after a successful game, lies a world of its own: the livestock shows.

Governor signs agricultural theft bill

Visalia Times Delta

A new piece of California legislation will hopefully help law enforcement investigate these crimes. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 224 into law.

Harris and Nadler team up on bill to decriminalize marijuana

Politico

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is teaming up with a powerful House Democrat on legislation to decriminalize marijuana and wipe away past marijuana-related convictions.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Gavin Newsom’s death penalty moratorium isn’t saving California money. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order halting the death penalty in California, he argued the system has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars. But without cooperation from prosecutors, there’s no evidence his action is saving the state any money.

Governor signs agricultural theft bill

Visalia Times Delta

A new piece of California legislation will hopefully help law enforcement investigate these crimes. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 224 into law.

Police investigate if Clovis couple killed by Tesla was in self-driving mode

The Business Journal

A woman was arrested after running a red light in a rented Tesla in San Francisco and causing a crash that killed a tourist and left his wife critically injured, authorities said Monday.

Harvesting more DNA from low-level offenders could result in fewer crimes solved

Los Angeles Times

California, for example, is getting safer, even while a small group of fearmongers continues to insist that the sky is falling. Take the issue of DNA.

California seizes $30 million in black market cannabis from illegal pot shops

Los Angeles Times

California authorities have tripled the number of raids on unlicensed cannabis shops in the last year and seized $30 million in pot products, but legal industry leaders say enforcement is still inadequate to break the dominance of the black market in the state.

Panel of national leaders aims for bipartisan justice reform

A new criminal justice reform group launching Tuesday brings together Democratic and Republican governors, a Black Lives Matter organizer and a Koch Industries vice president in an unlikely collaboration aimed at harnessing momentum following a bipartisan overhaul last year.

EDITORIAL: It’s time to take politics out of sentence enhancements

Los Angeles Times

In the mid-1970s, California took a wrong turn on criminal justice, and the rest of the nation followed. Over the following decades, lawmakers who were keen to appear tough on crime undercut the sentencing reforms by adding dozens of “enhancements.”

Public Safety:

Fewer children drowning in California as communities tighten their building codes

Sacramento Bee

Some welcome news at the height of summer swimming season: Children are far less likely to drown in California than they were in the 1980s — and child drowning rates have continued to fall even in the past decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

California’s use-of-force bill misses the mark

San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign a dangerous bill into law. The state legislature recently passed AB392, a highly controversial measure that will radically change the state’s laws relating to police officers’ use of deadly force.

Fire:

Valley Fire: 155 acres burning, 50% contained in Mariposa County

abc30

CAL FIRE firefighters are battling a vegetation fire that has burned 155 acres in Mariposa County. The blaze broke out around noon on Old Highway road near Catheys Valley.

See also:

● Crews Nearing Total Containment On Valley Fire Sierra News

● Vegetation Fire Closes Old Highway In Catheys Valley Area Sierra News

500 towns have greater fire hazard than Paradise

Visalia Times Delta

Of small communities across 11 states, more than 500 have a higher wildfire hazard potential than Paradise, Calif.

Millions raised for Carr Fire, here’s how much has been spent

Visalia Times Delta

A year after the Carr Fire entered Redding, about a third of the money raised to help those most affected by the fire has been spent on rebuilding projects and emergency relief.

The State of Wildfire Risk Reduction in California

PPIC

The state is trying to reduce future wildfire risks with new programs, policies, and increased funding. We talked to Van Butsic of UC Berkeley about these efforts.

· California, Wary of More Wildfires, Is Paying for Them Already New York Times

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

CSUB to welcome Downtown Business Association meeting today

KGET

In the Dynamex fight, California lawmakers can be pro-worker and pro-innovation

CALmatters

California and the Bay Area have thrived creatively, economically and culturally because we attract top talent, encourage risk-taking and give people the flexibility and freedom to pursue their dreams on their own terms.

Dollar Stores Everywhere – Now Some Cities Are Limiting Their Growth

CNN

As dollar stores sweep across America, they are facing growing scrutiny from opponents who argue that discount chains stifle local competition and limit poor communities’ access to healthy food.

Yield Curve: You Asked, We Answer

Planet Money : NPR

Our co-host Cardiff Garcia really loves analyzing the yield curve as an economic indicator. The yield curve recently inverted, and we have gotten many questions from our listeners.

$700 billion: The cost to consumers if the government regulates Google

AEI

How would the tech industry look if it were more regulated? It would become something billions of people around the world are saying they do not like.

Gen X, Xennials will struggle with retirement, study finds

Fresno Bee

Social Security’s financing problems could pose a serious threat to retirement plans of Generation X (1966 to 1975) and Xennial (1976 to 1985) Americans, according to a new report from the Urban Institute.

Jobs:

Opinion: Trump has turned the Department of Labor into the Department of Employer Rights

Los Angeles Times

No advocates for workers’ rights or labor were especially surprised last week when President Trump nominated Eugene Scalia for secretary of Labor, succeeding the utterly discredited Alex Acosta.

America is the only rich country without a law on paid leave for new parents

The Economist

Support for changing this is growing in both parties.

Lt. Gov: California harmed by tariffs

chinanews

Lieutenant governor says millions of jobs are dependent on international trade.

· On the Cotton Farm: Stockpiling and Fearing Big Losses From Trade Fight Wall Street Journal

Opinion: Gig workers deserve a better deal than we have given them

Fox & Hounds

The gig economy faces challenges today that technology alone cannot fix.

EDUCATION

K-12:

With Early Childhood Education on CA’s Agenda, Preschool Teachers Ask Why ‘Cashiers At McDonalds’ Get Better Pay

Capital Public Radio

Gov. Gavin Newsom has ambitious plans to improve California’s early childhood education, but experts say he’s forgetting a key: preschool teacher salaries.

Packing Them In

Porterville Recorder

Burton School District’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, a community outreach group for grandparents, foster parents or family members who take care of family siblings, grandchildren or foster children, hosted it’s fourth backpack giveaway Friday at Jim Maples Academy in the morning.

After-school programs still waiting on cannabis tax money

OC Register

Prop. 64 money funneled to child care vouchers as programs that help needy kids struggle to stay afloat.

Investing in Principals Helps Students Succeed

RAND

It takes more than good teachers and textbooks to give students the education they deserve. A new RAND study shows just how important principals are, too.

The Teachers Union Secession Crisis

Wall Street Journal

An exodus of NEA locals prompts new, restrictive bylaws.

Higher Ed:

UC System Accepts Record Number Of California Applicants

Capital Public Radio

The University of California accepted a record number of freshmen and transfer students that includes the most ever from California for the 2019-20 academic year, officials announced Monday.

● Who Got Into the University of California? New York Times

University of California Battles With Global Publisher Elsevier Over Access To Research

Capital Public Radio

This struggle could end up reinventing how academics publish their studies and how others access that research.

Study: Cutting federal graduate loans would harm black students, HBCUs

Diverse Education

Cuts to federal student loans for graduate and professional students could be devastating to African-Americans and, in a ripple effect, historically Black colleges and universities, according to a study by the AccessLex Institute.As Congress wrestles with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, some lawmakers have proposed limiting federal loans to graduate students as a way to reduce over-borrowing and high loan debt levels for students – even though professional and grad students have some of the best repayment rates.

Free college for all Americans? Yes, but not too much.

Brookings

Though free college proposals have obvious political attraction, Dick Startz explains why providing a four-year free ride may go too far.

Hey, college graduates: Don’t dismiss rural America

AEI

Rural America is not “flyover” country; it is a dynamic part of our nation, even — and perhaps especially — for the highly educated.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Longest stretch of triple digits for the Central Valley this year

abc30

Get ready for our longest stretch of triple-digit weather this year. Forecasters say so far we have had 13 days at 100 degrees or higher. Out of the 13 days, we’ve only had a four-day streak.

● Current heatwave to be replaced by another hotter heatwave Bakersfield Californian

● New Heat Wave Threatens Public Health Pew Charitable Trusts

As Chevron gets prepares to appeal state order, Kern County spill continues to grow KQED

One of the largest oil spills in California in decades is still growing. Chevron told state regulators on Monday that large quantities of crude oil and water continue to flow from a well site in Kern County.

Local landscaping company is cutting lawns without a drop of gas

abc30

Those gas-powered leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, and mowers are about to pass cars as the worst air polluters in California, spewing out formaldehyde, benzene and particulate matter.

As rats overrun California cities, state moves to ban powerful pest-killers

Sacramento Bee

The rats were winning. There were so many earlier this summer outside the CalEPA building in downtown Sacramento officials had to close it.

Morro Bay lost 90% of its eelgrass. Here’s how scientists are trying to save the key plant

San Luis Obispo

Near Coleman Park, Rachel Pass of the Morro Bay National Estuarine Program points out patches of eelgrass, whose unassuming blades sway with the waters of the bay.

Mathews: What would we be California, without our earthquakes?

Desert Sun

Here is one big lie Californians tell ourselves: we hate earthquakes. The unspoken truth is that we love earthquakes, as well we should.

Opinion: The unintended consequence of the green movement is the creation of more homeless

Fox & Hounds

The green movement has done a great job of stymying the growth of nuclear power generation. That in itself creates an oxymoron. Nuclear is the only known technology to generate zero emission electricity on a continuous uninterruptable basis.

· The Case for Declaring a National Climate Emergency The New Yorker

The largest bird in North America was nearly wiped out. Here’s how it fought its way back

Washington Post

There aren’t many happy conservation stories these days.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Health effects to watch for during triple-digit heat wave

abc30

Whether it’s cooling off in a neighborhood splash pad or keeping the AC on at home a little longer than usual, anyone who lives in the Valley will need some relief from the heat this week.

See also:

● New Heat Wave Threatens Public Health Pew Charitable Trusts

Amid teen vaping ‘epidemic,’ Juul taps UC addiction expert as medical director

Sacramento Bee

Juul Labs, the nation’s leading manufacturer of e-cigarettes, has hired as its medical director a prominent University of California researcher known for his work on the dangers nicotine poses for the adolescent brain.

Death Rates Rising for Young, Middle-Aged U.S. Adults

Wall Street Journal

Opioid epidemic and stalled progress against heart disease have dragged down life expectancy.

Human Services:

Adventist Health welcomes four new resident physicians in Hanford

Hanford Sentinel

The new residents received a warm welcome from Adventist Health faculty and leadership during a White Coat Ceremony, where they received their Adventist Health white coats.

New data show that failing to expand Medicaid has led to 16,000 unnecessary deaths

Los Angeles Times

Adversaries of Medicaid expansion have always pointed to the lack of evidence that enrollment in Medicaid improves health and saves lives, and therefore the expansion is a waste.

Rand Corp. praises Wonderful Co.’s workplace health, wellness program

Bakersfield Californian

A prominent think tank is holding up a local model of workplace-based health services as an effective approach to reducing rates of type-2 diabetes.

States Diverge on Transgender Health Care

Pew Charitable Trusts

Many states (in blue above) explicity cover health care for transgender people under Medicaid.

This is why US health care is so expensive

CNN Video

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at why health care in the United States is so expensive making it harder for families to make ends meet.

EDITORIAL: Stop ambulances from gouging patients

San Francisco Chronicle

It says much about America’s dysfunctional health care system that one might endure the sort of illness or injury that necessitates emergency transport and then receive a steep bill for the privilege of the ambulance ride.

IMMIGRATION

Trump expands fast-track deportation authority across US

Fresno Bee

The Trump administration announced Monday that it will vastly extend the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without allowing them to appear before judges, its second major policy shift on immigration in eight days.

● Trump administration to expand quick deportations anywhere in U.S. Los Angeles Times

● Trump administration expands scope of rapid deportations Politico

● Trump administration to expand its power to deport undocumented immigrants Washington Post

● Trump Administration to Expand Fast-Tracked Deportations Across the U.S. New York Times

More Than 2,000 Migrants Were Targeted in Raids. 35 Were Arrested

New York Times

More than 2,000 migrants who were in the United States illegally were targeted in widely publicized raids that unfolded across the country last week. But figures the government provided to The New York Times on Monday show that just 35 people were detained in the operation.

EDITORIAL: Police have plenty to do without Trump coercing them into immigration enforcement

Los Angeles Times

After a series of victories in their fight against the Trump administration’s draconian war on immigration, Los Angeles and other so-called sanctuary cities lost a battle last week.

LAND USE/HOUSING/HOMELESS

California housing market officially now ‘weak.’ Is it an early warning of recession?

Fresno Bee

The once red-hot California housing sales market is officially now “weak,” state analysts say, but the year-long flattening does not necessarily suggest the state is headed toward an economic downturn.

● No one-size-fits-all solution will fix California’s affordability crisis. Here’s what we can do Fresno Bee

● California housing crisis podcast: When a big earthquake hits Los Angeles or San Francisco Los Angeles Times

Modesto has a severe housing shortage. Here’s how and when all the problems started.

Modesto Bee

Modesto became home to more than 12,000 additional residents in the past decade. But finding a home was not so easy for many of them.

Is rent control making a comeback?

Brookings

As cities attempt to cope with rising housing costs, a handful of states are showing renewed interest in rent control policies. Jenny Schuetz takes a closer look at some of the common arguments for and effectiveness of rent regulation in the United States.

Homeless:

Oakland homelessness surges 47% — per-capita number now higher than SF and Berkeley

San Francisco Chronicle

Oakland’s homeless population rose 47% between 2017 and 2019, one of the biggest two-year increases of any California city, according to a one-night street count released Monday by county officials.

Nearly entire Bay Area sees homelessness surge

Curbed San Francisco

San Francisco recently released the results of its 2019 point-in-time homeless census conducted in January, and the news appeared nothing less than disastrous, as SF’s homeless headcount increased by the hundreds despite the city’s seemingly ceaseless efforts to provide relief. However, the San Francisco count alone does not provide the whole story. The 2019 homelessness spike in SF came amid a tide of similar baleful results across the Bay Area.

PUBLIC FINANCES

California’s tax laws need to benefit the middle class. Here’s what should change

Fresno Bee

Note to readers: Each week through November 2019, a selection of our 101 California Influencers answers a question that is critical.

Property tax reform a win for taxpayers

Visalia Times Delta

When the Safety Net Pays for Itself

Wall Street Journal

A new study finds government programs for adults often lead to more government spending, but programs for low-income children return taxpayer dollars over time

Budget Decider: Making choices that impact millions

CALmatters

California lawmakers have passed a $215 billion budget filled with progressive eye-catchers. But what if you had the awesome power to tax and spend, charting a new course for California?

Fox: More and More Tax Revenue, Bigger Surpluses…And Still Not Satisfied

Fox & Hounds

Tax revenue and government surpluses are up all over California, but that fact doesn’t satisfy advocates for more and more taxes. Tax raising activists could step on each other in the charge for more money.

TRANSPORTATION

Clovis Transit offering free rides entire month of August

Clovis RoundUp

For the first time in its 40 year history, Clovis Transit will offer free rides for the entire month of August for customers using both.

CA DMV to close Wednesday, July 24 2019 for Real ID training

Merced Sun-Star

If you’re planning to visit the California Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday, think again.

SUSD, RTD partner to offer free fares for students

Stockton Record

Some Stockton students will have an easier time getting to school thanks to a two-year pilot program launched by the Stockton Unified School District and the San Joaquin Regional Transit District.

Innovative ride-sharing service to debut in Arvin and Wasco this week

Bakersfield Californian

A transportation revolution could be underway in Wasco and Arvin. Both cities will be part of Miocar, a new service that will allow residents to quickly rent electric cars for short periods of time through a smartphone app.

Construction barrier could take Hwy 99 drivers on a long diversion

Bakersfield Californian

Be careful: The ongoing construction along Highway 99 could take you on a longer ride than you intend. Commuters taking the freeway northbound from Stockdale Highway or points south to any of the city’s northernmost off-ramps will want to stay out of the No. 1, “fast” lane.

Roundabout construction expected to cause traffic delays

Bakersfield Californian

Construction this week for a new roundabout at Enos Lane and Stockdale Highway could cause delays of up to 15 minutes in the immediate area, according to an email from Thomas Roads Improvement Program outreach manager Janet Wheeler.

How dangerous is stoned driving?

San Francisco Guardian

The way THC operates in the body makes it hard to gauge its impacts, and plenty of drivers think it doesn’t affect them

Congress Moves Toward Ban on Buying Chinese Buses, Railcars Over Spy Fears

Wall Street Journal

Advocates of ban say it would protect U.S. industry from subsidized Chinese rivals and claim cameras and other gear could provide surveillance.

HSR Documents Disappear, Patterson Cries Foul

KMJ

Important High Speed Rail documents disappear, now a local assemblyman is asking why, and demanding their return.

WATER

—

“Xtra”

A local brewery has opened a lakeside restaurant in this mountain town near Fresno

Fresno Bee

A prominent empty restaurant overlooking Shaver Lake now has new life. 559 Beer, a Clovis-based brewery that also has a restaurant in Old Town Clovis, has opened 559 Beer Shaver Point.

Sierra Vista Scenic Byway – Season’s Final First Friday Fresno Flats Lecture

Sierra Star

The Sierra Vista Scenic Byway winds its way through the Sierra National Forest for almost 83 miles. Brenda Negley will discuss the route during her First Friday Fresno Flats lecture at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2 at the Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park in Oakhurst.

More than 900 local veterans are Breaking The Barriers

Clovis Round Up

One non-profit organization in Fresno is working to change the narrative of rehabilitation and inclusion for veterans in the Fresno and Clovis area.

Walk through downtown Modesto highlights its successes, potential

Modesto Bee

Modesto and its consultant kicked off the city’s effort to create a downtown master plan Monday morning with a walking tour of that very downtown.

SJ Pride Center hosting open house Friday

Stockton Record

The San Joaquin Pride Center is hosting an open house on Friday to give community members an opportunity to meet staff and learn about the organization.

Supporting youth strengthens our communities. Basketball can play a big role

Sacramento Bee

After the tragic death of Stephon Clark last year, the Sacramento Kings and the Build.Black. Coalition came together to create safe spaces that support the aspirations of young people living in under-resourced communities across our city.

Every Week I Photograph Cats At The Largest No-kill Cat Sanctuary In California (700+ Cats)

Bored Panda

The Cat House on the Kings is the largest no-kill, no-cage cat sanctuary in California, housing over 700+ cats on a 12 acre property right alongside the Kings River in Parlier, CA. Each week, as a regular volunteer, I get the chance to help photograph cats, kittens, and even some puppies to help bring awareness to the sanctuary and aid in the adoption of the animals.

40 places every California kid must visit before growing up

SFGate

As families start planning time off for summer vacations, it’s the perfect time for SFGATE to bring out its list of 40 spots around California that every kid should visit before growing up.