21Jun

POLICY & POLITICS

Valley:

What does Devin Nunes have to say about family separations at the border?

Fresno Bee

Elected officials throughout the central San Joaquin Valley, in California and across the country have weighed in on the increasingly controversial policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, but the highest profile local congressman has remained silent on the issue. Devin Nunes.

See also:

● Enforce the Border—Humanely The Atlantic

● 'Don’t break the law,' McClintock says to families separated at the border Sacramento Bee

For more please go to Immigratio, below

Tulare mayor Jones ousted from his job amid public outcry

ABC30

The Tulare City Council caved under popular pressure Tuesday night, voting unanimously to replace Carlton Jones as mayor. Farmers have been demanding a new mayor since Jones' criticism of the ag industry went viral on Facebook.

Chris Harrell, Alex Gutierrez want to be Tulare City Council members

Visalia Times-Delta

Chris Harrell announced he will run for the Tulare City Council seat currently held by newly-named Mayor David Macedo.

Central Valley Business Journal shuts down

Stockton Record

After 28 years, it appears that the Central Valley Business Journal is no more. The monthly business publication, located on Feather River Drive in northwest Stockton, covered business news in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties in both print and online.

Lemoore's new website aims to be user-friendly

Hanford Sentinel

The past couple of months the city has been adjusting to its new website. At the community roundtable meeting, City Manager Nathan Olson demonstrated to three residents some of the ins and outs of the website, including where the city can improve it.

State:

See what's on your California ballot this year

Sacramento Bee

California's Nov. 6 ballot is long and about to get longer. By the end of June, state and county officials will have determined which initiative measures will come before voters this fall. Here's what's already on there, and what's likely to come.

California candidates aren't so sure Nancy Pelosi should be the next House speaker if Democrats win

Los Angeles Times

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn’t seem to mind much when Rep. Conor Lamb, a Democrat who won a special election in a previously strong GOP Pennsylvania House district, said he wouldn’t support her for speaker if Democrats regain the majority.

New poll confirms Feinstein has big lead in Senate race, but nearly half of voters are undecided

Los Angeles Times

Nearly half of registered California voters are still undecided in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Dianne Feinstein and state Sen. Kevin de León, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.

California net neutrality bill ‘eviscerated’ in Assembly committee meeting

San Francisco Chronicle

In a dramatic, tense state Assembly committee hearing Wednesday that took some unusual turns, a California net neutrality bill that backers hailed as the “gold standard” for internet protections was “eviscerated,” its author said.

● Assembly panel's actions 'eviscerate' net neutrality bill, author charges Los Angeles Times

● California net neutrality bill gutted at tense Assembly hearing Mercury News

● Net neutrality bill is hijacked, gutted CALMatters

● California Net Neutrality Bill Was ‘Hijacked,’ Lawmaker Says Wired

● Net neutrality backers fume as California bill watered down Press Democrat

● EDITORIAL: How to preserve net neutrality in the hotbed of internet innovation Los Angeles Times

Democrats try to flip California’s second largest county

CALmatters

San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents make it California’s second largest county, and by happenstance, a political microcosm of the state.

Prank robo calls plague California lawmakers, top Democratic campaigns

Sacramento Bee

The California Highway Patrol is investigating bizarre crank calls directed at some state lawmakers and Democratic campaign staff members. Assembly sergeants estimate five to 10 legislators and their family members have received hoax phone calls.

What the new plan to deter Capitol sexual harassment really addresses—and avoids

CALmatters

California’s legislature is on the cusp of approving a new plan for responding to—and trying to prevent—sexual harassment in its own ranks.

How California Lawmakers Goosed Jackpots To Create Record-Setting Lottery Sales

LAist

The California Lottery is minting money. This year, revenues will soar to $6.9 billion. That not only breaks a record, it more than doubles the amount from just a few years before.

Opinion: Gavin Newsom Embodies California Liberalism

National Review

The man likely to be the Golden State’s next governor is a poster child for Democrats’ poor leadership of the ‘left coast.’

Opinion: Jerry Brown, ‘California Dreamin,’ faces reality check

The Daily Courier

For eight years, Gov. Jerry Brown has ignored multiple red flags that a responsible leader would recognize as a call for immediate directional change.

Federal:

Voter interest in the midterm elections stands at a historic high with a singular focus — Trump

Los Angeles Times

With about 4 1/2 months to go until a midterm election that will determine whether Democrats gain power to check President Trump, voter interest in the contest has reached historic highs, with far more intense focus than usual on one subject: the president.

● Poll: Trump is turbo-charging voter enthusiasm Politico

● Will Democrats Catch a November Wave? National Review

● Report: Competitive U.S. House Races Spell Good Fortune for Broadcast Stations Roll Call

● Citizens disillusioned with democracy: poll Politico

RNC enters summer 2018 with double the amount of DNC’s war chest

Washington Post

The Republican National Committee entered the summer with a war chest nearly the twice the size of its Democratic counterpart, though Democratic campaigns are on track to receive a massive infusion of cash through a roughly $80 million commitment by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

U.S. withdrawal from U.N. Human Rights Council is “America alone”

Brookings

There should be little debate that promoting respect for human rights around the world is in the vital national security interests of the United States.

See also:

● U.S. Turns From Uniter to Disrupter on Global Stage Wall Street Journal

White House to Propose Merging Education, Labor Departments

Wall Street Journal

The White House is set to propose merging the Labor and Education departments as part of a broader reorganization of the federal government, said a person with knowledge of the changes.

Yes, family separation is bad. But what about Hillary Clinton’s emails?

Washington Post

Babies are seized from their mothers’ arms. And Republican lawmakers respond as they often have: They hold another hearing about Hillary Clinton’s emails.

● But her emails? You’re dang right her emails. Washington Post

President Trump seems to be saying more and more things that aren’t true

Washington Post

President Trump — a man already known for trafficking in mistruths and even outright lies — has been outdoing even himself with falsehoods in recent days, repeating and amplifying bogus claims on several of the most pressing controversies facing his presidency.

In Midst of Migrant Crisis, Trump Calls Media ‘Almost Treasonous’

The Hill

In the midst of his self-created migrant crisis, President Trump suggested the news media is "almost treasonous," a crime punishable by death

Depoliticize the Nation’s Highest Honor

Wall Street Journal

The Medal of Freedom shouldn’t be an award for right-thinking.

EDITORIAL: The Supreme Court protects even the unruliest of government critics from retaliation

Los Angeles Times

Government officials who call the cops at public meetings to silence their critics can be held accountable — even if an arrest might be justified on other grounds. That was the reassuring conclusion of a ruling by the Supreme Court this week.

Judges: Crisis looming concerning caseload and vacancies

Business Journal

Federal judges from the Eastern District of California penned a letter to the United States Senate and House of Representatives regarding what they call an upcoming crisis in the number of judges on the bench and their caseloads.

Other:

More Than News, Broadcasters Are Part of the Communities They Serve

The Hill

Service to America Week shows how TV and radio stations inform communities – whether by keeping people safe through live, continuous updates during emergencies or by conducting in-depth investigative reports that shine a light on problems that would otherwise stay hidden. But they do more than just inform communities – they are part of the communities they serve

Pew Tackles Opinion Quandary for News Consumers
Courthouse News Services

In a media study where a quarter of participants struggled to separate fact and opinion, researchers found that making the distinction came easier to those who are politically informed, tech-savvy and trusting of national news outlets.

Opinion: Back to the Future With Party ID

Roll Call

When a particular survey suddenly shows a significant shift in one direction or the other, political and media analysts and the public need to approach the data with caution.

Libertarian Bill Weld Can Restore Conservatism

National Review

The former twice-elected Republican governor of Massachusetts has been visiting Libertarian party state conventions and will be in New Orleans at the national convention from June 30 to July 3.

Clovis Veterans Memorial District CEO Lorenzo Rios honored as Veteran of the Year

Clovis Roundup

Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) recognized Clovis Veterans Memorial District CEO Lorenzo Rios as the 23rd Assembly District Veteran of the Year at a ceremony in Sacramento Wednesday.

Is There a Smarter Path to Artificial Intelligence? Some Experts Hope So

New York Times

For the past five years, the hottest thing in artificial intelligence has been a branch known as deep learning. But now some scientists are asking whether deep learning is really so deep after all.

When quantitative data isn’t enough: The promise of ethnographic research

AEI
Ethnographic research is gaining popularity as a means to better understand the motivations, behaviors, and attitudes of households toward the challenges they face.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, June 24, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Immigration: Dreaming in a Sanctuary State” – Guests: Laura Hill with the Public Policy Institute of California, Taryn Luna with the Sacramento Bee, and Dan Walters with CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, June 24, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “Income Inequality and Immigration: Are They Related?” – Guests: Laura Hill with the Public Policy Institute of California, Taryn Luna with the Sacramento Bee, Dan Walters with CALmatters, California Budget Center Policy Analyst Luke Reidenbach, and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) California State Director Tom Scott. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, June 24, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Higher Education and Path in California” – Guests: PPIC Olga Rodriguez and Marisol Cuellar. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Fresno State corn picked at peak maturity, freshness for best taste

Hanford Sentinel

The shopping frenzy on opening weekend of corn sales at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market at California State University, Fresno can be baffling. It’s not uncommon to see hundreds of people stand in line, sometimes for hours.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Meth bust sparks political attack on California laws by US attorney

ABC30

Nearly 50 pounds of methamphetamine along with heroin and other drugs and five weapons were seized and seven people arrested in a major drug operation in Fresno. That prompted U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott to attack California's drug laws.

Those holding the scales of justice must be sure not to tip them

Modesto Bee

In reporting a violent crime (assault) to proper authorities, do our laws take into consideration if it is a misdemeanor or felony? Does the severity of injuries to the victims weigh the scales of justice, deciding what case will be accepted and if an arrest will be made?

Caring for California’s aging prisoners

Reuters

There are about 18,400 inmates over the age of 55 in California prisons, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Public Safety:

Bill to change use of force rules moves forward

ABC30

A bill at the state capital that would change use of force policy in law enforcement is moving forward. A State Senate committee voted to move Assembly Bill 931 forward on Tuesday.

Why California Must Continue Advancing Criminal Justice Reforms

California Budget & Policy Center

California still spends more than $20 billion a year on incarceration and responding to crime, when you include state and county dollars. These are dollars that could be going to any number of other priorities.

EDITORIAL: Juveniles are owed special protection from police coercion. Brendan Dassey should serve as that reminder

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court long has recognized that in enforcing constitutional rights it must pay attention to the fact that juveniles are different from adults and that a criminal suspect’s mental condition can make him susceptible to coercion by police interrogators.

Fire:

California Plans To Spend $2 Billion To Fight Fires This Year

Capital Public Radio

State agencies are preparing for increased fire danger as temperatures warm. California is poised to spend just over $2 billion this year to suppress and prevent wildfires. Last year, the state spent $2.6 billion, according to the Department of Finance.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

GOP, Democratic Senators Decry ‘Serious Flaws’ in Execution of Trump Trade Policy

Wall Street Journal

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday criticized the Trump administration’s attempts to implement its new “America First” trade policy, saying they have been flooded with complaints by small business constituents confused by the system used for implementing new tariffs on imports.

● Tariffs Beget Tariffs National Review

● Podcast: How will the US-China trade war end? AEI

To Ease U.S. Concerns, Chinese Shipper Cosco Offers to Put California Terminal in a Trust

Wall Street Journal

Chinese state-run Cosco Shipping Holdings Co. has offered to put a large container terminal in Long Beach, Calif., in a U.S.-run trust to allay U.S. national-security concerns about Chinese ownership of the facility, according to people familiar with the matter.

What Are the Fed’s Stress Tests?

Wall Street Journal

The Federal Reserve is releasing the results of its annual stress tests of big banks in two parts, on Thursday, June 21, and Thursday, June 28. Here is what you need to know to understand the news.

Starbucks pulling the plug on 150 cafes nationwide

Visalia Times-Delta

For a chain that has so many stores that they're often in sight of each other, Starbucks announced it is finally ready to pull the plug on more of its losers.

Disney Ups Its Bid for 21st Century Fox to $71.3 Billion

New York Times

The Walt Disney Company sharply increased its offer for 21st Century Fox on Wednesday, as it looks to win a bidding war with Comcast for Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment conglomerate.

● Anaheim voters face heated campaign over 'living wage' initiative before November election Los Angeles Times

Jobs:

Fib on your resume? A whopping 84% do

Ozy

HireRight surveyed 6,000 human resource professionals and discovered 84 percent have found a lie on a résumé. That number is up from 66 percent in 2012.

The Union Effect in California: A Voice for Workers in Public Policy

UC Berkeley Labor Center

Research has consistently found that, both in the United States and internationally, levels of income inequality are inversely correlated with rates of unionization.

To maximize economic growth we should encourage job destruction and not job protection and ‘jobism’

AEI

The philosophy of “jobism” is fundamentally flawed, deficient and misguided because it treats jobs as an economic benefit rather than as an economic cost.

EDUCATION

K-12:

KHSD board to consider settlement of teacher complaints

Bakersfield Californian

Two Bakersfield High School teachers who say they were physically attacked or threatened by students could receive a settlement package next week.

State budget deal includes extra funding for students with lowest test scores

EdSource

In one of the largest new appropriations in the state budget, school districts will receive $300 million in 2018-19 to help improve the performance of students with the lowest standardized test scores.

Out with soda, juice and chocolate milk—California could become first state to restrict kids’ meals

CALmatters

Under a bill advancing in the Capitol, restaurants could offer only water or milk with meals marketed for children. Not soda. Not juice. Not chocolate milk.

California Promised 'Preschool For All.' What I Got Was $120,000 in Tuition Fees

Zócalo Public Square

Since the 1990s, California’s leaders have promised to make preschool universal for every child. Maybe they’ll do it by the time I have grandchildren. It’s already too late for my own kids.

Predicting the future of teachers' unions after Janus

AEI

What will happen to teachers' unions in a world without agency fees? One large, internal union poll found that without agency fees, 35% of its members would remain in the union, 15% would leave, and fully 50% were undecided.

Professor: Learning Math Can Cause ‘Collateral Damage’ to Society

National Review

According to a new textbook written by a professor at the University of Exeter, learning mathematics can cause “collateral damage” to society because it “provides a training in ethics-free thought.”

Higher Ed:

Getting free college tuition in California: A quick guide

EdSource

More than 1.3 million low- and middle-income students attend California’s public colleges and universities each year without having to pay tuition, thanks to financial aid programs in each of the state’s higher education systems that cover those bills.

See also:

California is creating one big online community college CNN

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Ruinous rodent threatens state's wetlands and levees. We're not doing enough to stop it

Fresno Bee

Since February, when the CDFW issued a warning that invasive rodents up to 3 feet long (including their rat-like tails) and 25 pounds have taken a foothold in the San Joaquin Valley, the resources and manpower devoted to the eradication effort have been grossly insufficient.

EPA loses a tenth of its criminal investigators since Trump's election

The Washington Post

The number of investigators at the Environmental Protection Agency looking into the most serious potential violators of the nation's anti-pollution laws has fallen by a tenth since President Trump's election.

Trump admin floats changes to environmental review standards

The Hill

The Trump administration is considering major changes to the regulations that govern how federal agencies analyze the potential environmental impacts of their decisions.

Listening to James Hansen on Climate Change, Thirty Years Ago and Now

The New Yorker

On June 23, 1988—a blisteringly hot day in Washington, D.C.—James Hansen told a Senate committee that “the greenhouse effect has been detected and is changing our climate now.” This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of Hansen’s testimony, and it would be hard to think of a more lugubrious milestone.

See also:

 EDITORIAL: Effect of rising seas has a time line and cost San Francisco Chronicle

EDITORIAL: Here's one way to protect endangered species: Don't let their trophy heads and skins into California

Los Angeles Times

A bill in the California Senate would prohibit the possession of trophies — including heads, parts or skin — of some of the most captivating and exotic animals in Africa. The bill, SB 1487, would cover the possession of 11 species considered endangered, threatened or vulnerable.

How a bunch of forest-dwelling socialists got steamrolled by industry
Timeline

Life at California’s Kaweah colony circa the 19th century was pretty idyllic — until the railroad came along.

Energy:

California and Eight Other States Push Plan to Boost Zero-Emission Vehicles

Wall Street Journal

California and eight other states rolled out a plan pressuring car companies and others to meet ambitious goals for sales of electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly automobiles—part of an effort to maintain tough local regulations while the Trump administration moves to relax nationwide standards for tailpipe emissions.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Tulare's hospital closed last year. Now Visalia's hospital is offering to run it

Fresno Bee

Kaweah Delta Health Care District in Visalia has sent a letter to the board of directors of the health care district that owns Tulare Regional Medical Center offering to manage the now-closed hospital and help get it open again.

Medicaid strategy favored by Trump may make care less affordable, new studies indicate

Los Angeles Times

Even as the Trump administration pushes to make Medicaid enrollees pay a greater share of their healthcare costs, new research suggests this strategy may prevent many poor patients from getting needed care.

Toughest Midterm Test for Stalwart Republicans? Health Care

Ozy

Democrats know they’ll need more than President Donald Trump to defeat an incumbent like 50-year-old Jeff Denham. To understand the party’s real plan of attack in this Central Valley, California, district, go back to April 2017, to a town hall meeting teeming with a thousand angry activists.

Human Services:

Statistics show a clear need for building a medical school at UC Merced

Merced Sun-Star

In a time when people across the state are discussing the need for universal healthcare coverage, we cannot overlook the fact that in parts of the state having a health insurance card does not mean that you get to see a doctor.

States brace for dramatic overhaul to federal foster care funding

TheHill

State and local governments are poised to undergo a major shift in the way they think about at-risk children, thanks to bipartisan federal legislation aimed at encouraging families to stay together and out of the foster care system.

America’s white population shrinks for the first time as nation ages

The Hill

The data show the nation’s white population is aging rapidly, as Americans delay their decision to have a family and as the flow of foreign immigrants from European countries ebbs. At the same time, minority populations are growing much faster, hastening a demographic shift that has been decades in the making.

IMMIGRATION

Round 1: California and Trump clash in court over 'sanctuary state' law

Fresno Bee

Amid protests outside the courtroom and a nationwide outcry over federal border policies, state lawyers and the Trump administration faced off in a Sacramento court Wednesday in the first legal test of California's "sanctuary state" law that restricts cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

● Federal judge is skeptical of Trump administration arguments against California's 'sanctuary' law Los Angeles Times

● After we are done with the current immigration fight, let’s start letting more immigrants in AEI

● Do immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $300 billion annually? PolitiFact

Trump’s shift: For California congressional Republicans, it’s still a crisis

San Francisco Chronicle

The dispute over what to do with the children of immigrants arrested at the border isn’t going away for California’s congressional Republicans, despite President Trump’s surprise decision Wednesday to confine children with their parents in federal detention centers rather than splitting families apart.

● On immigration, Trump keeps making life absolutely miserable for Republicans in Congress Washington Post

● Immigration courts packed with cases of kids crossing border AP News

● Trump changes course, stops family separation at the border PolitiFact

With Family Separation as Backdrop, House Sets in Motion Immigration Votes

Roll Call

As the focus on family separations at the Southern border intensifies, Speaker Paul D. Ryan declined Wednesday to say whether House Republicans would take up standalone legislation to prevent such separations at the border if their broader immigration bill addressing the issue fails.

● GOP Nears Moment of Truth on Immigration Wall Street Journal

● Reasonable politicians need to take immigration more seriously AEI

● Analysis: The Wrong Fight at the Wrong Time for the GOP Roll Call

● Vulnerable Republicans ready to work with Democrats if immigration votes fail Modesto Bee

● Vulnerable Republicans Feel Heat From Uproar Over Migrant Families Issue Wall Street Journal

● The Frustration of the Anti-Trump Republicans National Review

● Reasonable Politicians Need to Take Immigration More Seriously National Review

● EDITORIAL: A Spending Embarrassment Wall Street Journal

Yes, Obama separated families at the border, too

Sacramento Bee

President Barack Obama separated parents from their children at the border. Obama prosecuted mothers for coming to the United States illegally. He fast tracked deportations. And yes, he housedunaccompanied children in tent cities.

See also:

● New Trump policy blasted as inhumane Mercury News

● Fresno State professor calls Trump immigration order 'empty shell' ABC30

● Trump moves to end family separation, but California activists condemn new policy indefinitely detaining families Mercury News

● Trump signs executive order to end immigrant family separations: What we know Visalia Times-Delta

● Trump's executive order does not reunite families. Here's what it does change Hanford Sentinel

● Trump's immigration order replaces one crisis with another Sacramento Bee

● Poor medical care led to deaths at immigration detention facilities, advocates' report alleges Los Angeles Times

● Painful scenes of child separations force a rare retreat from the White House Los Angeles Times

● Nearly 100 children separated from parents at the border are in L.A. area, most of them detained, advocates say Los Angeles Times

● Trump orders end to his family separation policy at the border, but relief could be temporary Los Angeles Times

● The long-lasting health effects of separating children from their parents at the U.S. border Los Angeles Times

● Trump Retreats After Fury Over Border Separations Wall Street Journal

● Trump Retreats on Separating Families, but Thousands May Remain Apart Wall Street Journal

● The Political Malpractice of Family Separation National Review

● Trump changes course, stops family separation at the border PolitiFact

● Trump Signs Executive Action Ending Family Separation Roll Call

● Trump's Executive Order On Family Separation: What It Does And Doesn't Do NPR

● Analysis: Why Trump’s attempt to lengthen detentions for immigrant minors will likely fail San Francisco Chronicle

● The real key to solving the family separation crisis at the border AEI

● Skelton: Trump's order to end his family separation policy was purely political — not a change of heart Los Angeles Times

● Analysis: Migrants, ‘Rocket Man’ and Trump’s Ever-Changing Mind Roll Call

● Why does "zero tolerance" look like this? Market Place

● US judge challenges federal government's claim California sought to stymie immigration enforcement CNBC

● EDITORIAL: Trump tacitly admits lie about splitting families Mercury News

● EDITORIAL: Caging immigrant children alongside their parents isn’t much of a solution Los Angeles Times

● EDITORIAL: Trump’s Immigration Choice Wall Street Journal

Governors Refuse to Send National Guard to Border, Citing Child Separation Practice

New York Times

Governors from at least eight states have announced that they would withhold or recall National Guard troops from efforts to secure the United States’ border with Mexico, as the debate over the Trump administration’s practice of separating children from their parents at the southern border seeped into state political battles in an election year.

Asylum seekers sue administration over ‘zero tolerance’ policy

Politico

Three Central American asylum seekers detained in Texas are suing the Trump administration over its “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which forcibly split them apart from their children.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

With a Little Help, Muir Woods Reclaims Its Land

New York Times

The Muir Woods National Monument, the grove of centuries-old coastal redwoods in Marin County, is undergoing a multimillion-dollar transformation.

How Tech Companies Conquered America’s Cities

New York Times

I’m not saying America’s cities are turning into dystopian technocapitalist hellscapes in which corporations operate every essential service and pull every civic string. But let’s take a tour of recent news from the metropolises.

Housing:

Mayor announces homeless initiative at 2018 State of the City

Fresno Bee

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced a new collaborative initiative to combat homelessness, highlighting his address Wednesday at the Fresno Chamber of Commerce 2018 State of the City event.

State Supreme Court agrees that SF ordinance restricting landlords went too far

San Francisco Chronicle

The state Supreme Court refused Wednesday to reinstate a San Francisco ordinance requiring landlords who evict their tenants to go out of the rental business to wait 10 years before rebuilding or renovating any of the formerly rented units.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Bakersfield City Council votes to allow sales tax increase on November ballot

Bakersfield Californian

Barring any surprises, voters will be asked if they want to raise the city sales tax by 1 percent on their ballots this November. At a Wednesday meeting, the Bakersfield City Council approved a resolution that would allow such a question to appear on the ballot.

Supreme Court rules states can force online shoppers to pay sales tax

San Diego Union-Tribune

The Supreme Court says states can force online shoppers to pay sales tax. The 5-4 ruling Thursday is a win for states, who said they were losing out on billions of dollars annually under two decades-old Supreme Court decisions that impacted online sales tax collection.

See the 100 highest pensions in the CalPERS and CalSTRS systems

Fresno Bee

CalPERS is the retirement system for most state employees. CalSTRS is the retirement system for most certificated school district employees. Both systems have faced scrutiny for years due to large unfunded liabilities — they don't have enough money at the moment to pay all the benefits they have promised.

Pay for CalPERS' next chief investment officer can reach $1.77 million

Sacramento Bee

The next chief investment officer at the nation’s largest public pension fund will have a shot to earn $1.77 million in a single year, about 50 percent more than the executive in that post today can collect in wages and bonuses.

See also:

● Calpers Votes to Pay Next Investment Chief Up to $1.77 Million Bloomberg

Companies Race to Top Off Pension Plans to Capitalize on Tax Break

Wall Street Journal

Employers have until mid-September to deduct retirement contributions before cut in corporate rate to 21% shrinks advantage.

Growth in Retiring Baby Boomers Strains U.S. Entitlement Programs Wall Street Journal

The surge of retiring baby boomers is reshaping the U.S. into a country with fewer workers to support the elderly—a shift that will add to strains on retirement programs such as Social Security and sharpen the national debate on the role of immigration in the workforce.

It’s great disability rolls are finally shrinking, but the system still needs pro-work reform

AEI

Have Americans gotten way healthier over the past several years? Seems dubious. But the US economy sure has strengthened.

TRANSPORTATION

Cross Valley Corridor train would connect South Valley to High-Speed Rail

ABC30

As Kings County continues to put up a fight against High-Speed Rail, construction work is moving forward. The multi-billion dollar project will eventually connect the San Francisco Bay Area with Los Angeles.

Amtrak and BNSF partnership enables 'first activation of PTC on host-owned territory'.

Smartrail World

Ahead of the end-of-year deadline for the US safety system that will bypass remove human-error to improve rail network safety, positive train control (PTC), the country’s largest passenger operator has teamed up the largest freight operator, to begin its implementation.

How the Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around the Country

New York Times

The Koch brothers are fueling a fight against public transit, an offshoot of their longstanding national crusade for lower taxes and smaller government.

The last section of California Highway 1 will reopen in July, sooner than expected

Washington Post

After the worst landslide in California history, officials closed several points along Highway 1 for repairs. In July, however, motorists can once again drive on through to the other side.

SMUD Teams Up With Uber To Expand Use Of Electric Vehicles

Capital Public Radio
Using an electric vehicle to shuttle people around the Sacramento area could make being an Uber driver a lot more profitable as part of a new partnership with SMUD.

WATER

PG&E looks to sell Kern Canyon, Tule River Hydroelectric facilities

Bakersfield Californian

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has announced its interest in selling two currently non-active hydroelectric projects at Kern Canyon and the Tule River.

Construction contract to raise height of Shasta Dam expected next year

Record Searchlight

After years of environmental studies, feasibility reports and stalled plans, federal officials are once again moving forward with plans to raise the height of Shasta Dam and intend to award the first construction contract next year.

California Limits Daily Personal Water Use to 55 Gallons – Kind Of

KQED

The rule is apparently the first of its kind in the nation. But lost in the excitement is the fact that water agencies have no way to measure how much water their customers use indoors. Homes have only one water meter, and it provides no information about where water is used or for what purpose.

A Balancing Act for the Colorado River

Public Policy Institute of California

The Colorado River―a critically important water supply for seven western states, including California―has been in drought for nearly two decades.

“Xtra”

Northeast Bakersfield gets a bit more Urbane

Bakersfield Californian

The shopping center just south of the highway on Mount Vernon is adding to its ranks with Urbane Cafe this weekend and dining neighbors Ono Hawaiian BBQ and Burgerim later this summer. Urbane Cafe will open officially on Monday but is hosting three pre-grand opening events to benefit local organizations starting Friday.

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

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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