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Political Briefs
Top stories
Dan Walters: Politics, self-interest infest construction of California schools — One might think that school construction would be about as simple and straightforward as anything government does. However, like any governmental activity involving lots of money, school construction is fraught with self-serving interests and politics. Walters column in Sacramento Bee
Sen. Boxer, nearing retirement, ‘focusing on the big ideas’ — The stockbroker turned anti-Vietnam War activist turned Capitol Hill veteran is still scribbling away, making plans and developing strategies to finish some of the things she’s started. Like many in Congress, she’s become expert at juggling priorities. McClatchy Newspapers article
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
Will Gavin Newsom’s post-Pride glow get him the governorship? – Newsom, who hasn’t exactly been on center stage the past few years as lieutenant governor, in recent days reclaimed the spotlight that shone on him in 2004, when as San Francisco mayor he shocked the political establishment — and the nation — by marrying thousands of gay and lesbian couples at City Hall. San Francisco Chronicle article
Other areas
George Skelton: Aid-in-dying bill will be revived — Sponsors have already delayed the committee hearing once. And they say that unless enough votes surface by Tuesday, they’ll put the bill on life support until at least late August, but probably until next year. Skelton column in LA Times
Sacramento Bee: Legislators focus on potholes, none too soon – At Gov. Jerry Brown’s urging, California lawmakers have embarked on a mission to develop long-lasting solutions to improve freeways, rebuild bridges, repave rutted roads, fill potholes and expand public transit. None too soon. Sacramento Bee editorial
George Runner: A pothole strategy to raise taxes? – The member of the State Board of Equalization writes, “Call me a conspiracy theorist, but something is rotten with road funding in California. Sacramento is flush with billions in unanticipated revenue. Yet a record $115 billion budget spending plan signed by Gov. Jerry Brown shortchanges the state’s transportation and infrastructure needs. The only real funding boost goes to high-speed rail.” Runner op-ed in Fresno Bee
Latino news media’s advocacy role could help shape 2016 presidential race – With a record 28 million Latinos eligible to vote, Spanish-language media companies are set to have their greatest impact yet in shaping a presidential race. Their advocacy stance has been on display as the campaign heats up, with reporters grilling candidates on issues of special importance to the Latino community, especially immigration. LA Times article
IRS expected to stand aside as nonprofits increase role in 2016 race – As presidential candidates find new ways to exploit secret donations from tax-exempt groups, hobbled regulators at the Internal Revenue Service appear certain to delay trying to curb widespread abuses at nonprofits until after the 2016 election. New York Times article
Wesson agenda looks a lot like a mayor’s — Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson spent the last 10 days sounding a lot like a mayor. LA Times article
John Cavelli and Kyle Burks: Legislators can curb illegal ivory trade, killing of elephants – Cavelli, executive vice president for public affairs at the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Burks, director and CEO of the Sacramento Zoo, write, “With AB 96, Californians have the chance to take real action to save elephants from extinction and continue to be leaders in our country in supporting wildlife and wild places.” Cavelli/Burks op-ed in Sacramento Bee
California Government Today:
News Briefs
Top Stories
Modesto’s plan to draw more tourists attracts criticism — Modesto wants to reinvent how it lures tourists and visitors to the area, but it already has attracted questions and criticism over its decision not to renew its contract with the Modesto Convention & Visitors Bureau. Modesto Bee article
Water agencies baffle conservationists with water use surge — While residential water consumers and suppliers throughout California won praise for slashing water consumption 29% recently, a handful of small water agencies caused bewilderment when they reported a surge in water use in May. In Kern County, California City reported a puzzling 28% increase in consumption, while the Casitas Municipal Water District, in Ventura County, appeared to have boosted water use 26%. Likewise, the San Gabriel Valley city of El Monte reported a 10% increase in water use, while the San Joaquin Valley city of Reedley reported a 9% jump. LA Times article
Jobs and the Economy
California advocates still pushing to unionize child care providers — People like Sharp are the reason the group Raising California Together is working with the Service Employees International Union to unionize providers who use their homes to care for children in state-subsidized programs. Sacramento Bee article
CalPERS will reveal private equity share of profits — Private equity firms have produced big profits for CalPERS, not to mention a pay-to-play scandal, while keeping a big share for themselves as an incentive — traditionally 20 percent of profits plus annual management fees of up to 2 percent. Calpensions article
3 big ways crisis in Greece could affect Americans personally — Here are the three big ways the Greek debt crisis — which is likely to intensify in coming days, after Greece rejected a European bailout package Sunday — could affect you personally, from your stock market and summer travel plans to how much it costs to buy a house. Washington Post article
Chowchilla adopts budget — Chowchilla City Council unanimously adopted a $23.8 million city budget last month, which shrinks the city’s spending by about $4 million from last year. Merced Sun-Star article
Philomathean Clubhouse needs repairs — With its hardwood staircase, broad front porch and solarium, the historic Philomathean Clubhouse north of downtown has been a thread in the fabric of Stockton’s history for more than a century. But in the past 15 years, for reasons wholly unrelated to the 122-year-old women’s club’s longstanding cultural mission, the clubhouse has served as a more dubious historical symbol as Stockton’s financial rollercoaster careened to a crash landing. Stockton Record article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
California’s rural poor hardest hit as groundwater vanishes in long drought — For many Californians, the state’s long drought has meant small inconveniences such as shorter showers and restrictions on watering lawns. But in two rural valleys, the Coachella southeast of Los Angeles and the San Joaquin to the north, farmworkers and other poor residents are feeling its impact in a far more serious and personal way. Washington Post article
Yosemite Lakes Park residents fight water woes on their own — Cracked pipes and burst water mains cost the residents of Yosemite Lakes Park in Madera County over 40 million gallons of water each year. With no help coming from the county or state, the private community is finding ways to make repairs on a budget. Fresno Bee article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Bank of the West robbery: Call to seek death penalty controversial — Jaime Ramos is charged with the murder of wife and mother Misty Holt-Singh, the death of two other assailants, and the attempted murder of dozens of police officers tailing him after a bank robbery on July 16. The 20-year-old is facing a potential death sentence. Stockton Record article
Education
Academies at Sacramento State give high schoolers taste of careers – In its fourth year, the program introduces students to potential careers in a variety of fields, including science, fashion design, emergency response and public service. Sacramento Bee article
UC San Diego sues USC and scientist, alleging conspiracy to take funding, data — UC San Diego has sued USC and a nationally recognized Alzheimer’s disease researcher, alleging that they illegally conspired to take federal funding, data and employees from a UC San Diego study center on the illness. LA Times article
California institute takes the lead in promoting project-based learning — After overcoming a childhood of poverty and proximity to gang violence, Victor Arellano graduated from high school in Hayward last month and is now headed to the University of Pennsylvania on a scholarship. He credits his mother, Veronica, a Mexican immigrant and single parent, for teaching him to value education. But he says something else made him fall in love with learning: a classroom method called project-based learning, or PBL. EdSource article
Energy/Environment
Fears grow about mercury in Shasta Lake fish — Shasta Lake provides water to Sacramento and the crop-rich San Joaquin Valley more than 300 miles to the south. It’s California’s largest reservoir and considered a jewel by anglers — many unaware of the mercury in the lake and in the fish they catch. AP article
John Lindt: Will we need to rescue the sequoias? — OK, we put live salmon in trucks and bring them upriver because of the drought. What are we willing to do to save another iconic species — the ancient giant sequoia trees in our own backyard? Lindt in Visalia Times-Delta
Health/Human Services
San Francisco officials worry about how Obamacare could affect vulnerable residents – Nearly 10 years ago, this county by the bay known for its progressive political leaps became one of the first in the nation to offer residents universal access to healthcare. Now the federal Affordable Care Act has been rolled out nationwide with the same goal in mind. But in an ironic twist, officials in this city are worried the new law could adversely affect some of the most vulnerable San Franciscans. LA Times article
West Nile alert goes up in Merced — News that mosquitoes near Merced College have tested positive for West Nile virus last week put many on alert. Merced Sun-Star article
Land Use/Housing
Merced council to look at apartment, park plans — Discussion on a large apartment complex and the plans for a local park’s clubhouse are on the agenda for Merced City Council on Monday. Merced Sun-Star article
Other areas
Illegal fireworks likely to blame for dozens of Independence Day fires in Fresno – In eight hours on the night of Fourth of July, Fresno Fire Department responded to about as many calls as it normally does in a whole day. Fresno Bee article
Agencies field fewer holiday calls – Twenty-five children were stranded in midair Saturday night when a kiddie ride at a Fourth of July carnival in Tracy lost power. In Stockton, a police officer was battered as he attempted to detain a male for fighting. Except for those incidents — during which no one was reported injured — public safety officials from Lodi to Ripon generally reported their Fourth of July was atypically quiet. Stockton Record article
Officials struggle to regulate legitimate and unsavory massage parlors – The question of what’s going on in such establishments, and what, if anything, local authorities can or should do about it, has taken on new focus as California cities decide how to use new regulatory tools given to them by an amendment to the state’s massage law that went into effect this year. LA Times article
County fairs lure guests with old and new contests — Things are getting serious at the Family Fun Stage. It’s hot at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton — 96 degrees in the shade. Some competitors gathered under the tent at the Family Fun Stage are showing signs of stress, others are getting downright cranky. KQED report
Progress, one paw at a time – The shelter’s data comparing the first half of 2014 to the first half of 2015 document the improvements that have been made and the mountainous challenge remaining ahead. Stockton Record article
Why do communities need so many of our dogs? — The animals primarily are sent to shelters in Washington state and Idaho, but there also was a flight to New York. We talked to the operators of three Northwest nonprofit shelters, who indeed are in the enviable position of needing animals to adopt out to families. Bakersfield Californian article
Shhhh – Turlock librarian shares secrets to free reads, classes, book clubs and more — Libraries, once just the repository of dusty tomes, have joined the digital age, and the stereotype of the shushing librarian needs an update, too. Modesto Bee article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – Thumbs up, thumbs down.
Sacramento Bee – At Gov. Jerry Brown’s urging, California lawmakers have embarked on a mission to develop long-lasting solutions to improve freeways, rebuild bridges, repave rutted roads, fill potholes and expand public transit. None too soon.
Upcoming Events
- West Hills Community College District will hold an event, “Shifting Ground — Adapting the San Joaquin Valley Economy to a Changing Climate,” on Oct. 8 at Harris Ranch in Coalinga. Senior leaders from business, agriculture, government agencies and nonprofits will gather to launch immediate actions and provide near-term guidance to create next generation jobs in a region battered by drought and struggling with multiple challenges. Visitwww.essentialelementsseries.com for details of this no-fee policy series.
Interactive
Next 10: UPDATED California budget challenge – For the first time in a decade, California’s budget is largely in balance. However, the state has outstanding debts of $28 million, not counting long-term pension and retiree health care costs. Budget choices affect us all. Take the Challenge and decide how much should be spent on programs and where the money should come from. Next 10 California Budget Challenge
Next 10: Federal budget challenge — The Federal Budget Challenge is based on The Concord Coalition’s Principles and Priorities budget exercise, which has been used in numerous town hall meetings across the country by members of Congress from both parties, as well as in hundreds of high school and college classrooms. Next 10 Federal Budget challenge atwww.federalbudgetchallenge.org.
Next 10: California Water Challenge – As our state faces some of the most severe drought conditions in its history, Next 10 wants to issue a new challenge to Californians: can you create a plan to make sure there’s enough water for everyone? Next 10 California Water Challenge
LEGISLATORS’ VOTING RECORDS: How often has a California legislator broken party ranks, abstained or switched sides? The Sacramento Bee has a database of the voting records of every member of the state Senate and Assembly. Enter a lawmaker’s last and first names to see how he or she voted, or enter a bill number to see how every legislator voted on it. Check it out at this link. http://www.sacbee.com/votingrecord/
Maddy Institute Updates List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials – The Maddy Institute has updated its list of San Joaquin Valley elected officials. The list is available here.
Maddy Institute on Facebook and Twitter – To learn about Maddy Institute activities (e.g. The Maddy Report tv show, The Maddy Associates’ Luncheons, the Maddy Legislative Intern Program), become a fan of the Maddy Institute on Facebook or log on to http://twitter.com/MaddyInstitute. And if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, please add us and follow us!
The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.
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