IN THIS ISSUE:
Top Policy/Political Stories
- Valley
- State
- Federal
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Agriculture/Food
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Criminal Justice/Public Safety
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Economy/ Jobs
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Education
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Environment/Energy
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Health/Human Services
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Immigration
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Land Use/Housing
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Public Finances
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Transportation
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Water
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“Xtra“
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Editorials
TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Valley Politics:
Fresno-based fund gets $55M in tax credits for community development Fresno Bee A Fresno-based community development fund has received $55 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits. The Central Valley NMTC Fund is one of 70 organizations nationwide to receive a total of $3.5 billion in tax credits, which are used to stimulate private investment in low-income communities.
Republicans vulnerable in 2018 band together in DACA effort The Modesto Bee Republicans represent 23 congressional districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Thirteen of those Republicans are banding together to push their own plan to force action on immigration. It’s probably going nowhere, meaning the plan’s purpose is to help protect these vulnerable GOP lawmakers politically as Republicans and Democrats remain stuck over how to tackle immigration issues.
ACLU lawsuit forces changes at Madera County Jail The Fresno Bee After being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union, Madera County officials are vowing to distance their local jail from federal immigration agencies. The county and the ACLU reached a settlement last month. The settlement cost taxpayers $32,500 in attorney fees, according to a Madera County spokeswoman.
Fresno Unified reviewing dress code policy ABC30 8-year-old Layla Sysaknois missed two weeks of school at Columbia Elementary after her mother says she was placed on in-school suspension because of her haircut. “I’ve been told I either have to cut it all off or I have to wait until her hair grows back completely before she can attend school again,” said Tara Sysaknoi.
New charter school proposed, but will Clovis Unified allow it? Fresno Bee When Shivjit Singh first started wearing a patka, or bandanna-style turban common among Sikh youth, a fellow student at Kastner Intermediate tried to snatch it off his head. Singh wouldn’t stand for it, he said at a Clovis Unified School District Board meeting earlier this year. He eventually received an apology from his classmate, who said he thought the headwear was just a fashion statement.
Huerta to KHSD: Redraw district lines with Latino majority, or lawsuit is ‘ready to file’The Bakersfield Californian Kern High School District trustees began the process of redrawing their voting areas Monday, a decision they made this month to deliver more representation to Latino majority communities in the wake of a judge’s ruling that the Kern County Board of Supervisors’ district lines violated federal law.
Los Angeles Times California is raising and educating more and more qualified Cal State applicants — but the system can’t put all of them on the campuses where they want to be. Trustees of the public university system will focus on the problem during their two-day meeting in Long Beach.
March 20: Central Valley Career Fair KWYE-FM It’s time to get a job … or a better job … at the 2018 Central Valley Career Fair Tuesday, March 20th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM at the Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis, CA. City leaders concerned high-speed trains may not stop in Merced ABC30 State leaders have touted the high-speed rail project over and over again, despite the recent jump in cost and building delays. With funding for the extension to Merced still unclear, city officials say they’re now once again fighting for a stop on the line.
Gas tax money goes to work in Tulare County Visalia Times-Delta The price of unleaded may have gone up statewide, but that money is now coming back to Tulare County for road repairs and improvement projects. Supervisorsauthorized using the first local expenditure of gas tax funds for road improvement projects for portions of 10 county roads. See also: Tulare is divided, who will prevail? Visalia Times-Delta State Politics:
Gov. Jerry Brown curses high-speed rail critics in forceful speech to labor leaders Los Angeles Times California Gov. Jerry Brown gave a forceful defense of one of his signature projects Monday night, responding to critics of the escalating costs of the state’s high-speed rail program. See also: Walters: Bullet train is a solution in search of a problem The Mercury News
Toni Atkins To Be Sworn In As First Female California Senate Leader The California Senate will swear in its first ever female leader Wednesday — and its first openly gay leader. San Diego Democrat Toni Atkins takes the oath as Senate President pro Tempore at a unique moment for the state. See also: California to get first female and first LGBT Senate leader The Business Journal Los Angeles Times In his final floor session before stepping aside for a new leader, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León urged his colleagues on Monday to reject the suggestion that lawmakers should be “measured” in their approach to governing.“This moment is fleeting,” De León said of the term limits era of legislating in Sacramento. “Take advantage of this moment and seize it.”
California retirement board won’t divest from retailers of assault rifles Los Angeles Times Despite pleas from relatives of those killed in the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, the state retirement board on Monday rejected a proposal by California Treasurer John Chiang to consider divesting from retailers who sell assault weapons. See also: Suicidal Californians could join do-not-sell gun list under Democrat’s bill Sacramento Bee Almost 1,600 people in California used guns to take their own lives in 2016. That statistic, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, represented more than half of the total gun deaths in California that year. Assemblyman Rob Bonta wants to lower that number by allowing people who fear they may be suicidal to voluntarily join a California Do Not Sell List for firearms. See also: Victims’ families urge California to end gun investments The Sacramento Bee
In San Francisco, Newsom policy reported undocumented youth to ICE The Mercury News During his run for governor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he’s proud to represent a “sanctuary state,” sparred publicly with Attorney General Jeff Sessions over immigration, and vowed he’d go to jail to protect undocumented immigrants. But a fight over sanctuary policy a decade ago when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco suggests that he wasn’t always as strident a defender of immigrant rights.
California city seeks exemption from so-called sanctuary law The Bakersfield Californian Leaders of a small California city have given preliminary approval to an ordinance that seeks to exempt the city from a state law that limits cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration agents. The Los Alamitos City Council voted 4-1 for the ordinance Monday night. A required second vote expected on April 16. See also
Voting rights advocate reshaped California politics The Mercury News California’s Latino community has lost its greatest voting rights gladiator. Today, many of us in politics or those sitting as judges owe a tremendous debt to Joaquin Avila’s lifetime of trailblazing advocacy. No one was more accomplished than Avila when it came to fighting for Latino political empowerment and representation.
Los Angeles Times A few months before the state Senate confirmed Lucy Dunn’s reappointment to the California Transportation Commission in 2013, she made a political contribution to the president pro tem of the state Senate, whose support was crucial to her staying on the panel.
A state senator’s take on federal judge’s weekend homeless hearing Los Angeles Times Saturday morning I decided to sit in on Judge David Carter’s homeless hearing for a brief period. I have been working with Judge Carter as a liaison with the state and its efforts to find funding for the homeless. I have recently met with Elaine Howle, the state auditor, to review her most recent audit report on the status of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) created by Proposition 63 in 2004.
Michael Flynn came to California to campaign for Maxine Waters’ far-right challenger Los Angeles Times Disgraced former national security advisor Michael Flynn campaigned Friday in California for a Republican congressional candidate, in his first public appearance since pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.
California’s chief justice calls out Trump during annual speech SFGate California’s chief justice devoted much of her State of the Judiciary speech Monday to the state of the judiciary, its finances and the shortcomings of its bail system. But Tani Cantil-Sakauye also took a few swipes at fellow Republican, President Trump.
Chief Justice: Influx Of Wildfire Claims Expected California courts are preparing for an influx of lawsuits tied to last year’s historically destructive wildfires and mudslides, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told lawmakers Monday in her annual “state of the judiciary” address. See also: Assembly Floor Session and Joint Convention of the California Legislature, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye’s State of the Judiciary Address – Mar 20th, 2018 Cal Channel
Advocates offer new remedy for health care woes as a bridge to single payer CALmatters California won’t be adopting single-payer health care with its $400 billion price tag any time soon. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon made sure of that by opposing it. But the health care system is ailing, and organized labor, health care advocates and several Democratic lawmakers are offering a new prescription in the form of several bills. The measures could provide a bridge to a single-payer system in the future.
Federal Politics:
Los Angeles Times The Supreme Court will hear a free-speech challenge Tuesday to a California disclosure law that requires faith-based “crisis pregnancy centers” to post a notice to tell clients that the state offers subsidized medical care for eligible women, including for abortions. See also: For Democrats and public workers, there’s a lot at stake in the U.. Supreme Court’s Janus decision Brookings Last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Janus v. AFSCME. The decision, expected in early summer, could severely damage the last stronghold of unionism in the United States: the public sector.
Trump opioid plan includes death penalty for traffickers Fresno Bee Embracing the tough penalties favored by some global strongmen, President Donald Trump on Monday brandished the death penalty as a fitting punishment for drug traffickers fueling the opioid epidemic.
White House, Congress seek budget deal Fresno Bee Capitol Hill Democrats have rejected a White House bid to extend protections for so-called Dreamer immigrants in exchange for $25 billion in funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall as Washington talks on a $1.3 trillion catchall spending bill hit a critical stage on Monday.
Federal Tax Reform Means More Business Taxes for California Fox&Hounds California’s corporate tax base may increase by up to 12 percent as a result of federal tax reform legislation, according to a study recently released by the State Tax Research Center. This means that revenues from California’s corporate income tax could increase by as much as $1.3 billion – without any action by state lawmakers to increase corporate tax rates or income definitions.
Other:
Students expect 1 million at gun control marches Fresno Bee Students from the Florida high school where 17 people were fatally shot last month expect more than 1 million participants in upcoming marches in Washington and elsewhere calling for gun regulations, they said Monday. More than 800 March for Our Lives demonstrations are planned around the world Saturday, sparked by the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Fla. See also: Democratic Campaigns Start Unionizing in #MeToo Era Roll Call When Randy Bryce’s campaign for Wisconsin’s 1st District was only two staffers deep, one of them told him he was thinking of forming a union.
Alex Stamos, Facebook Data Security Chief, To Leave Amid Outcry The New York Times As Facebook grapples with a backlash over its role in spreading disinformation, an internal dispute over how to handle the threat and the public outcry is resulting in the departure of a senior executive. The impending exit of that executive — Alex Stamos, Facebook’s chief information security officer — reflects heightened leadership tension at the top of the social network. See also:
Biggest personal injury verdict awarded in Fresno County history ABC30 Silvino Perez went into Community Regional Medical Center in Downtown Fresno needing heart surgery in 2012 and he never really came out. Six years later, he hasn’t woken up. Investigators say the surgeon, Dr. Pervaiz Chaudhry, left before finishing the operation by closing the 70-year-old’s chest.
Topics in More Detail…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Deluge of rain not great for dairies; milk cows don’t like being wet Fresno Bee A major storm is bearing down on California and dairy industry experts are urging operators to keep cows out of harms way. Heavy rains and localized flooding could contribute to a potential increase in disease, a decline in milk production and storm water runoff.
California’s ‘outlaw’ marijuana culture faces a harsh reckoning: Legal weed The Washington Post The quaint town plaza here is lined with locally owned stores, their names and products recalling the post-Flower Power migration from San Francisco decades ago: Moonrise Herbs, Heart Bead, Hemp Recycled Solutions. CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
For stories on”gun control,” See: “Top Stories – State and Other Politics,” above
Crime:
Trump opioid plan includes death penalty for traffickers Fresno Bee Embracing the tough penalties favored by some global strongmen, President Donald Trump on Monday brandished the death penalty as a fitting punishment for drug traffickers fueling the opioid epidemic.
Small law enforcement agencies using drones to tackle crime ABC30 It’s a helpful tool to combat crime at your fingertips, and more North Valley police departments are using drone technology to keep you safe. The Los Banos police department started its drone program earlier this year. Commander Jason Hedden is the first FAA licensed officer on the force.
Bail reform is overdue in California. Here’s a better, fairer, safer way Sacramento Bee California should join other states that are abandoning the traditional bail system for those awaiting trial and replace it with an assessment of a person’s danger to society or flight risk. Senate Bill 10, now pending in the legislature, would be a huge step forward for the state and make an enormous difference in people’s lives.
Fate of Harvey Weinstein sexual assault cases now in hands of two cautious prosecutors Los Angeles Times After months of investigating, a handful of criminal cases involving Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein are now in the hands of two veteran but cautious prosecutors: Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus R. Vance Jr. California’s death penalty avoids legal challenge at Supreme Court San Francisco Chronicle California’s death penalty law sidestepped a legal challenge Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of a similarly wide-ranging law in Arizona.
Fire:
Chief Justice: Influx Of Wildfire Claims Expected California courts are preparing for an influx of lawsuits tied to last year’s historically destructive wildfires and mudslides, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told lawmakers Monday in her annual “state of the judiciary” address.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Implementation of metals tariffs remains muddled days before they take effect Los Angeles Times As the Trump administration barrels ahead with its plan to apply stiff tariffs on imported metals starting Friday, governments and businesses across the globe are in a fog as to what is happening and are bracing for at least a short-term hit because of what many criticize as the administration’s slapdash process.
Jobs:
March 20: Central Valley Career Fair KWYE-FM It’s time to get a job … or a better job … at the 2018 Central Valley Career Fair Tuesday, March 20th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM at the Sierra Vista Mall in Clovis, CA.
This Is What Record-Low Unemployment Looks Like in America Bloomberg What will happen when the U.S. unemployment rate falls below 4 percent, which is expected to occur by this summer? One way to tell is to look at cities where joblessness is already lower than that.
After 40 Years, the Black-White Labor Force Participation Gap Has All But Closed WSJ For weeks in 2014, Christopher Simms often walked to one of Baltimore’s malls and picked up job applications from stores he passed on the promenade. The 31-year-old submitted applications online and asked store managers for work. The attempts failed and he stopped looking. Then in the middle of 2016, things changed. The job market improved… See also: African-American unemployment is nearly twice as high as white unemployment Marketplace
EDUCATION
K-12:
$2.5 million blaze destroys auto shop at Mt. Whitney High School Fresno Bee A fire that started at Mt. Whitney High School on Monday evening destroyed the auto body shop on campus, according to principal Rick Hamilton. The fire began in the auto shop portion of the ag building just before 7 p.m., and fire crews managed to contain it to the auto and welding shops on campus, Hamilton said, but the auto shop will not be salvageable. See also: UPDATE: $2.5 million in fire damage to Mt. Whitney Visalia Times-Delta
Fresno Unified reviewing dress code policy ABC30 8-year-old Layla Sysaknois missed two weeks of school at Columbia Elementary after her mother says she was placed on in-school suspension because of her haircut. “I’ve been told I either have to cut it all off or I have to wait until her hair grows back completely before she can attend school again,” said Tara Sysaknoi.
New charter school proposed, but will Clovis Unified allow it? Fresno Bee When Shivjit Singh first started wearing a patka, or bandanna-style turban common among Sikh youth, a fellow student at Kastner Intermediate tried to snatch it off his head. Singh wouldn’t stand for it, he said at a Clovis Unified School District Board meeting earlier this year. He eventually received an apology from his classmate, who said he thought the headwear was just a fashion statement.
‘We just want to survive in this country.’ Refugees fight to attend school in Modesto Modesto Bee Two refugee girls from Afghanistan got their chance at an education when Taliban rulers were driven from their home country. Their mother brought them to the United States in 2016 for the dream of an education and success. Now, their education is on hold after they were denied enrollment last month at the Language Institute at Davis High School.
Does California law require students to learn Arabic numbers? The Mercury News There is no law in California requiring students to use Arabic numbers in schools — because they already do. A post by the Last Line of Defense claimed Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a requirement that students learn Arabic numerals. But California students, like others around the world, already use the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.
Huerta to KHSD: Redraw district lines with Latino majority, or lawsuit is ‘ready to file’The Bakersfield Californian Kern High School District trustees began the process of redrawing their voting areas Monday, a decision they made this month to deliver more representation to Latino majority communities in the wake of a judge’s ruling that the Kern County Board of Supervisors’ district lines violated federal law.
California school shooting a potent argument for keeping guns out of hands of teachers EdSource If anyone needs evidence why arming teachers is not the brightest idea — even under the best of circumstances — look no further than the incident that occurred in a California school last week that could have ended in tragedy.
Latest report on California arts education shows progress, if slow 89.3 KPCC There’s been a push to expand arts education in California in recent years. New numbers out today from Create CA, one of the groups behind that effort, paint a mixed picture: while some headway has been made, it’s been slow.
The Fight Over Teacher Salaries: A Look At The Numbers NPR The teachers strike in West Virginia may have ended last week when Gov. Jim Justice signed a law giving educators a 5 percent pay increase, but the fight in other states is just warming up. “You can make anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 more by driving 15 minutes across the state line,” said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association. “We’re having trouble keeping and attracting young teachers.”
Higher Ed:
Los Angeles Times California is raising and educating more and more qualified Cal State applicants — but the system can’t put all of them on the campuses where they want to be. Trustees of the public university system will focus on the problem during their two-day meeting in Long Beach.
UC President Napolitano calls for guaranteed admission of all qualified community college students Los Angeles Times University of California President Janet Napolitano said Monday that the public university system should open its doors more widely by guaranteeing admission to all qualified state community college students.
Gov. Brown’s plan to change community college funding to promote student success faces scrutiny EdSource Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to link over $3 billion in funding for California’s community colleges to the number of low-income students they enroll and to student outcomes in general is coming under increasing scrutiny — and is likely to face more in the coming months.
This is how we educate California’s workers Sacramento Bee There are 8.5 million reasons why the state of California should have a fully online community college. They are our neighbors and our co-workers, they are ethnically diverse and they make up one-third of California’s adult population. They are cut off from opportunities to gain skills and grow their wages due to long-standing barriers to public higher education.
Apprenticeships:
Women at Work: ‘Pre-Apprenticeships’ Boost Female Construction Workers Pew Charitable Trusts | Stateline She likes to say that she slept through the last 13 years of her life, and indeed, much of it is a blur: Abusive relationship. His-and-her arrests for domestic violence. Meth habit. A period of quasi-homelessness. A 37-day stint in jail for petty theft. Now, at 38, Sandra Alvarez says she is awake — and duly awoken, she is aiming for a massive do-over: She’s newly sober. She’s off cash assistance. She’s got a job temping and a place to call her own. And most importantly, she’s got career aspirations: She wants to work in construction.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
California must target trucks to clean up the air Modesto Bee For decades, Central Valley communities have been promised first-in-line status when it comes to emission reduction strategies. So why, then, with $423 million in unexpected funding coming to the state from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust settlement, does the California Air Resources Board ignore proven, available and cost-effective technologies that could maximize clean air benefits for the Central Valley?
California board debates lawsuit, seeks scrutiny of contaminated flows from Mexico The San Diego Union-Tribune Members of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board gathered in a closed session on Monday afternoon, debating whether to file a lawsuit against the federal government to stem the cross-border flow of sewage, sediment and other contaminants from Tijuana to San Diego.
Decline In Hunters Threatens How US Pays For Conservation NPR Tom Wrasse is at his hunting shack alone. Light pours into the small room from a window framed by antlers, harvested from the surrounding central Wisconsin woods. On the opposite wall is a collage of fading photos, showing how big the hunting parties out here used to be.
Energy:
How travelers to California’s most popular landmarks could create electricity while they walk Los Angeles Times When you read about clean energy, visions of wind turbines and solar panels may dance in your head. But what about your feet and using pedestrian power? British-based company Pavegen has been creating harvesting tiles that can turn footsteps into power — and bring newfound purpose to step-counting fitness buffs.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
California’s new marijuana regimen leaves out neediest patients, advocates say San Francisco Chronicle Ed Gallagher, a former Army intelligence officer, reached into an armoire in the living room of his Twin Peaks home and pulled out his last bag of a medicinal herb he considers his salvation. The blind, 67-year-old veteran smokes marijuana every night to ease pain, nausea and various HIV-related problems. But his routine, he said, has become an unintended victim of Proposition 64, the California initiative that legalized and regulated adult cannabis use.
Advocates offer new remedy for health care woes as a bridge to single payer CALmatters California won’t be adopting single-payer health care with its $400 billion price tag any time soon. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon made sure of that by opposing it. But the health care system is ailing, and organized labor, health care advocates and several Democratic lawmakers are offering a new prescription in the form of several bills. The measures could provide a bridge to a single-payer system in the future.
‘Medicare for All’ has broad support — but pollsters worry that it hasn’t been tested Washington Post The concept of “Medicare for All” has majority support in 42 states, according to the small liberal policy shop Data for Progress. Using numbers from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks public opinion about health-care policy, a handful of researchers found that the concept of universal Medicare was popular in all but two states (Montana and West Virginia) where Democratic senators are seeking reelection this year.
Nine tips for paying less for doctor visits, drugs and medical treatments Washington Post Big deductibles. Higher co-pays. Skyrocketing premiums. We’re all paying more for medical care these days. Faced with steeper costs, some people are skipping treatments or postponing doctor visits. Don’t let the high cost of medical care hurt your health. Here are nine ways to save money and stay healthy.
Human Services:
State lawmakers weigh pros and cons of mandatory screening for postpartum depression NPR Lawmakers in California will begin debate next month on a bill that would require doctors to screen new moms for mental health problems — once while they’re pregnant and again, after they give birth.
IMMIGRATION
For stories on “Sanctuary State” and immigration laws, See: “Top Stories – State Politics,” above
‘We just want to survive in this country.’ Refugees fight to attend school in Modesto Modesto Bee Two refugee girls from Afghanistan got their chance at an education when Taliban rulers were driven from their home country. Their mother brought them to the United States in 2016 for the dream of an education and success. Now, their education is on hold after they were denied enrollment last month at the Language Institute at Davis High School.
Republicans vulnerable in 2018 band together in DACA effort The Modesto Bee Republicans represent 23 congressional districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Thirteen of those Republicans are banding together to push their own plan to force action on immigration. It’s probably going nowhere, meaning the plan’s purpose is to help protect these vulnerable GOP lawmakers politically as Republicans and Democrats remain stuck over how to tackle immigration issues.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Award-winning ag worker community in Woodland to be expanded Sacramento Bee Sacramento-based Mutual Housing California, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing communities, will break ground Tuesday on the second phase of a Woodland project that won a prestigious international award last year.
Congress must reject Westlands settlement as unjust to Hoopa tribe San Francisco Chronicle The Trinity River water that had sustained the Hupa people’s fishery and 10,000 year-old economy, culture and religion now supplies industrial agriculture with irrigation and hydropower. Westlands Water District uses the lion’s share of that water. Its demand for Trinity water is insatiable.
Housing: Home builders trying to keep up with demand for new homes in the Valley ABC30 The sounds of construction are a positive sign for home developers in the Valley. Building Industry Association President and CEO Mike Prandini said, “Madera and Fresno are seeing an increase in buildings. Fresno and Clovis are running about the same.”
California Housing Problems Are Spilling Across Its Borders New York Times A growing homelessness crisis. Complaints about traffic congestion. Worries that the economy is becoming dominated by a wealthy elite. Those sound like California’s problems in a nutshell. But now they are also among California’s leading exports.
Want a cure for housing shortage? Bring back savings and loans OCRegister Maybe California’s housing shortage needs a dose of good ol’ savings and loans. In all the debate about what might fix the imbalance between the state’s housing supply and demand, little has been said about the availability of real estate lenders who know a thing or two about California. In today’s world of practically standardized, automated loan approvals made by lenders with national brands, quirks of California’s consumers or builders can get lost in the rush to mass-produce real estate borrowing.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California pension fund urged to divest from gun sellers AP Families of mass shooting victims are joining California State Treasurer John Chiang in calling on the nation’s largest public pension fund to stop investing in companies that sell assault weapons and devices that allow guns to fire more rapidly.
California’s pension problems are far from over OCRegister As much as politicians from across the state want to deny it, California’s pension problems are far from over. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System paid out nearly $21 billion in pension benefits last year, according to Transparent California, a watchdog group that tracks and publishes data on public sector pay and pensions. That’s up 43 percent from 2012. See also:
When California cities blur the line between tax education and tax advocacy OCRegister After Stanton residents voted to increase their own sales tax in 2016, the city’s finance director crowed to his fellow municipal finance directors about his city’s successful campaign. According to his article, the only thing that “went wrong” was that Stanton “didn’t suppress the opposition with one-on-one meetings early.” Cities throughout our state have been using Orwellian tactics to “suppress” opposition to tax increases through coordinated and premeditated “education campaigns.”
TRANSPORTATION
Gas tax money goes to work in Tulare County Visalia Times-Delta The price of unleaded may have gone up statewide, but that money is now coming back to Tulare County for road repairs and improvement projects. Supervisorsauthorized using the first local expenditure of gas tax funds for road improvement projects for portions of 10 county roads.
Gov. Jerry Brown curses high-speed rail critics in forceful speech to labor leaders Los Angeles Times California Gov. Jerry Brown gave a forceful defense of one of his signature projects Monday night, responding to critics of the escalating costs of the state’s high-speed rail program.
Gov. Jerry Brown curses high-speed rail critics in forceful speech to labor leaders Los Angeles Times California Gov. Jerry Brown gave a forceful defense of one of his signature projects Monday night, responding to critics of the escalating costs of the state’s high-speed rail program. See also: Walters: Bullet train is a solution in search of a problem The Mercury News
Fatal crash of Uber robot car prompts California to ask for answers Sacramento Bee California officials say they plan to review the cause of an Arizona pedestrian fatality Sunday night involving an autonomous Uber vehicle, but indicated they have no plans as of now to delay next month’s planned testing of robot cars in the state. See also: Self-Driving Uber Car Kills Pedestrian in Arizona, Where Robots Roam The New York Times
WATER
‘Pineapple Express,’ carrying heavy rainfall, chugging to the Valley Fresno Bee A “Pineapple Express” laden with moisture from the South Pacific is bearing down on the central San Joaquin Valley, carrying the promise of heavy rainfall. The storm, which may help fill the region’s parched reservoirs, is expected to reach Fresno and surrounding regions by Wednesday night. The National Weather Service in Hanford forecasts a 90 percent chance of heavy rain by midweek. See also: Clean drinking water isn’t a partisan issue The Bakersfield Californian California faces a statewide drinking water crisis that affects a million Californians each year, but most of us have no idea what’s going on. In 2017, the California State Water Board identified more than 300 public water systems that were out of compliance with federal drinking water standards. Many of the communities served by these systems – often in rural, disadvantaged areas of the state – have gone without safe drinking water for years. See also: Jerry Brown wants fees to pay for clean drinking water The Sacramento Bee
Democrats block GOP bid to speed Shasta Dam enlargement Sacramento Bee Democrats in Congress have stalled an attempt to jump start an expansion of Shasta Dam, California’s largest reservoir and a major water source for the Central Valley. Their objections blocked a Republican gambit to allow the $1.3 billion project to move forward without full up-front funding and despite objections from Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration.
“Xtra”
Need a reliable tax preparer? United Way will help you – free Fresno Bee Have you put off getting your taxes done? If so, you’re not alone. With just a few weeks left before the tax filing deadline, the temptation is strong to stop at the first place you see offering tax services. However, if there was ever a year to be careful when picking a tax preparer, this is it.
Fresno State The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Fresno State offers learning opportunities to those age 50 or better. No entrance requirements, tests, grades or papers – just learning for enjoyment, personal growth and intellectual stimulation with like-minded people. Come learn for the love of learning!
Need a good tax preparer? United Way has free help Fresno Bee Have you put off getting your taxes done? If so, you’re not alone. With just a few weeks left before the tax filing deadline, the temptation is strong to stop at the first place you see offering tax services. However, if there was ever a year to be careful when picking a tax preparer, this is it.
EDITORIALS How many Facebook-fueled abuses need to happen before the government takes online privacy seriously?Los Angeles Times Reports surfaced this weekend about yet another Facebook-fueled abuse of privacy, this time by an outside company trying to manipulate voters on behalf of political causes and candidates — including Donald J. Trump in 2016. The revelations were both sadly familiar and newly outrageous. California’s pension problems are far from overOCRegister As much as politicians from across the state want to deny it, California’s pension problems are far from over. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System paid out nearly $21 billion in pension benefits last year, according to Transparent California, a watchdog group that tracks and publishes data on public sector pay and pensions. That’s up 43 percent from 2012.
Everybody poops. Sacramento must make sure homeless people can do it in a toiletSacramento Bee Given the smears of human feces staining downtown sidewalks and the smell of urine stinking up alleys all over midtown, a serious discussion about ways to put more public restrooms in Sacramento should have happened years ago. But it didn’t, and homeowners and apartment dwellers who’ve had to deal with the unsanitary side effects of the city’s burgeoning homeless population have paid the price. Residents deserve more, and so do homeless people. Keep gang injunctions in L.A.’s crime-fighting toolboxLos Angeles Times Just as Los Angeles officials were finally acknowledging, and correcting, their blunt misuse of gang injunctions, a federal court said in essence that the fixes were “too little, too late.” Chief U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips last week enjoined the city from enforcing its injunctions — court orders that restrict the activity of particular people in designated neighborhoods in the name of curbing gang violence.
Trump opioid plan: After 14 months, where are the specifics?San Diego Union-Tribune President Donald Trump’s focus on America’s opioid epidemic is welcome. The awful scourge has doubled U.S. drug overdose fatalities over the past decade, leading to more than 64,000 deaths in 2016.
Readers, tell us: Is Trump right to ‘get tough’ on opioids?OCRegister While visiting New Hampshire, one of the states hardest hit by opioid abuse, President Trump laid out his plan to combat the painkiller-addiction epidemic. The plan “looks to balance increasing punitive measures to stop drug traffickers and broadening the federal government’s involvement in combating the epidemic with a sweeping ad campaign about addiction and more funding for drug treatment programs,” CNN reported, citing Trump administration officials. |