March 21, 2018

21Mar

TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

 

Valley Politics:

 

CSUB president to be named at board meeting in Long Beach Wednesday

Bakersfield Californian

Following a months-long national search, California State University trustees are expected to name a new president for Cal State Bakersfield at a board meeting in Long Beach Wednesday.

 

The Rising Cost of College: Student Fees (Fresno State has the lowest)

Public Policy Institute of California

Students, parents, and lawmakers often express concern about tuition increases at California’s public universities. But tuition is not the only college cost that has been rising. Students also pay fees that cover many non-instructional costs, and between 2013 and 2016, student fees increased an average of 21% at both the UC and CSU systems, even as tuition itself stayed flat.

 

Fresno State to name building after enology education pioneer Petrucci

The Business Journal

The California State University Trustees approved Tuesday the naming of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building at Fresno State, in honor of the late professor emeritus of viticulture. The action item was approved by the Committee on Institutional Advancement.

 

CalFresh Reduces Hunger in Every Congressional District in California, but Could Face Deep Federal Cuts

California Budget & Policy Center

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — known as CalFresh in California — will provide food assistance to an estimated 4 million Californians on average each month during the 2017-18 state fiscal year. The percentage of Californians receiving CalFresh varies across the state’s 53 House districts but is especially high in the San Joaquin Valley.

 

Asm Adam Gray Bill: Californians appointed to state posts could soon be barred from writing checks to lawmakers who vote on their nomination

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.

 

Wes Hensley fired as Tulare police chief

Visalia Times Delta

The lengthy battle between city officials and former Tulare Police Chief Wes Hensley may just be getting started.

 

Fitzgerald: Rare problem for government: too much money

Stockton Record

Usually the folks in government have no problem spending their entire budget. Stockton is an exception. The city is sitting on $62 million in reserves.

 

Four Palo Verde school board members face recall

Visalia Delta Times

Four Palo Verde School Board members were notified they may be recalled from their current seats.

 

Map maker details voting districts in Kingsburg

Hanford Sentinel

Since 43 percent of Kingsburg’s population is Latino, lawyers with a law firm in Malibu say 43 percent of its City Council should reflect that. Shenkman & Hughes’ lawyer Kevin I. Shenkman filed a letter with the city of Kingsburg on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project in November 2017.

 

Modesto woman embezzled from Stanislaus Union School District, including its Christmas party fund

The Modesto Bee

A Modesto woman has been convicted of embezzling nearly $10,000 from the Stanislaus Union School District when she worked there as an administrative assistant.

 

Second wave of the seasonal flu crashes into Stanislaus County

The Modesto Bee

Residents in Stanislaus County should not assume the flu season has passed. In general, the county Health Services Agency has noticed a decrease in flu activity, but another strain of virus is causing outbreaks and it’s more dangerous for young children.

 

Delano Council fills night with honors, announcements

The Bakersfield Californian

The March 5 Delano City Council meeting was a night of honors, proclamations and announcements. Mayor Grace Vallejo read a proclamation declaring Music in our Schools month for the Delano Union Elementary School District.

 

Smelly Tulare, where’s the stench coming from?

Visalia Times Delta

A foul smell has filled Tulare’s air this week and last, causing concern for some residents.

 

State Politics:

 

Californians and the 2020 Census

Public Policy Institute of California

Every 10 years, as required by the Constitution, the US government undertakes a systematic effort to count the population—culminating in a portrait of the nation, states, and communities unrivaled in its scope. With a $12.5 billion budget, the Census Bureau will aim to gather a few key facts about all residents—address, age, race/ethnicity, home ownership, and household members—as of April 1, 2020.

 

If Jerry Brown wants a satellite, these state scientists want a raise

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown gave California scientists a big hug when they needed one a few weeks after President Donald Trump’s election. Back then, many of them worried that the new administration would make their jobs more difficult by restricting government-created climate data. Brown assured state scientists that they had his support when he a spoke to a conference in San Francisco. “And, if Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite,” Brown said. “We’re going to collect that data.

 

Brown Curses Those Who Curse the High Speed Rail

Fox and Hounds Daily

Gov. Jerry Brown ripped critics of the high-speed rail offering profanity and calling critics small-minded. Yet, it is an American tradition that goes back to the beginning of the Republic to point out when government goes off the rails, a turn of phrase that is certainly apropos in this instance.

 

Villaraigosa, California governor candidate in Fresno

The Fresno Bee

Antonio Villaraigosa, former California Assembly speaker and mayor of Los Angeles, spoke at a Fresno thrift shop on Tuesday, focusing on his promise to bolster economic growth and education if elected governor.

 

Gavin Newsom policy referred undocumented youth to ICE

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.

 

Analysis: Who paid for ad attacking Gavin Newsom? A most unlikely source

The Mercury News

An independent political action committee paid for an ad slamming Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom partly with money from groups that are backing his run for governor. Welcome to the wild ways of campaign money, circa 2018. The ad comes courtesy of the Asian American Small Business Political Action Committee, one of scores of campaign organizations that by law must be disconnected from candidates who may benefit from their spending.

 

Toni Atkins prepares to be first woman to have held the top job in both the California state Senate and Assembly

Los Angeles Times

The story that Toni Atkins tells feels less like anecdote than allegory, a glimpse of how as a legislator she confronts the problems of California using life lessons imported from her childhood in the mountains of southwestern Virginia.

See also:

●     5 Things to Know About Toni Atkins, California’s Next Senate Leader KQED

 

He wants to save the California GOP with help from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sacramento Bee

Assemblyman Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley, continues his push to move the California Republican Party to the left today with a little help from Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 40-year-old Mayes has been calling for the California GOP to veer away from a staunch pro-business and anti-government message that resonates in conservative parts of the country but leaves the party out of step with voters in the deep-blue state.

See also:

●     In the age of Trump, Schwarzenegger wants centrist GOP Washington Post

 

Joaquin Avila was a ‘lion’ for voting rights. But did his efforts actually fix ballot box discrimination?

Los Angeles Times

Californians usually don’t think of Watsonville as delivering much more than strawberries and great Mexican food. But it was here in 1989 that attorney Joaquin Avila engineered one of the most significant political overhauls in the state’s history: district elections for local government races.

 

Judge holds climate change class in suits against big oil

Sacramento Bee

A federal judge presiding over lawsuits that accuse big oil companies of lying about global warming to protect their profits is turning his courtroom into a classroom in what could be the first hearing to study the science of climate change. U.S. District Judge William Alsup has asked lawyers for two California cities and five of the world’s largest oil and gas companies to come to court Wednesday to present “the best science now available on global warming.”

 

Walters: It’s open season for political tricksters

CALmatters

This is an even-numbered year, which means it’s an election year, which also means it’s open season for political tricksters to ply their shadowy trade.

 

Single-payer health care: what Californians need to know

CALmatters

The concept of universal health care has gained steam in recent years because of skyrocketing medical costs and the idea that health care is a right for all. In California, the debate over one type of universal care, known as a single-payer system, has continued after a failed effort in the Legislature to pass such a plan last year,  largely due to its expense and a lack of specifics about how it would work.

 

Candidates for California’s top school chief post call for more transparency in spending of state funds

EdSource

In a forum in Los Angeles marked by subtle distinctions rather than large differences, three candidates for California’s next state superintendent of public instruction called Monday for more transparency in school spending of state funds, while making guarded endorsements of the state’s five-year-old school funding formula targeting funds at high-needs students.

 

Federal Politics:

 

How California Republicans are responding to Trump’s attacks on Mueller and to McCabe’s firing

Los Angeles Times

President Trump’s new attacks over the weekend against the man leading the Russia probe put renewed pressure on California House Republicans already facing a tough reelection campaign. Trump repeated his characterization of the investigation as a “witch hunt” and for the first time criticized by name Robert S. Mueller III, the former FBI head who is leading the probe into Russia’s election meddling and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

 

Trump rails against sanctuary cities amid immigration talks

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump convened some of the nation’s top law enforcement officials Tuesday to rail against so-called sanctuary cities as he continues his crackdown on jurisdictions that flout federal immigration laws. He accused cities that fail to cooperate with immigration authorities of putting the nation at risk by releasing “thousands of criminal aliens” who should be deported.

See also:

●     Sheriff tells Trump of “spectacular failures every single day” in CaliforniaSacramento Bee

●     Can tiny Los Alamitos take on California’s ‘Sanctuary State’ movement? Los Angeles Times

●     California city aims to opt out of state’s ‘sanctuary’ law San Francisco Chronicle

 

Inside California’s war on Trump

New Yorker

As the state resists the White House on issues from immigration to climate change, Governor Jerry Brown is determined to avoid a pitched battle.

 

Congressional leaders feud over abortion rights and healthcare, putting spending bill at risk

Los Angeles Times

Congressional negotiators laboring to write a trillion-dollar plan to fund the federal government are caught up in last-minute partisan disputes over abortion rights, healthcare costs and the fate of a Northeastern railway tunnel that President Trump has sought to derail. House and Senate leaders must agree on a package before Friday’s deadline to avert another government shutdown, which would be the third this year.

See also:

●     Omnibus Deal Near as House, Senate Leaders Prepare to Meet Roll Call

 

Key Senate committee concludes Russian interference; calls for voting reforms

San Francisco Chronicle

With unanimity, both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and urged their congressional colleagues to help states upgrade their balloting systems to ensure the integrity of November’s midterm elections.

 

Insiders See Democratic House Gains of 30-45 seats

Roll Call

Seven and a half months before the midterm elections, the combination of attitudinal and behavioral evidence leads to a single conclusion: The Democrats are very likely to win control of the House in November. Just as important, Republican and Democratic campaign strategists also agree that an electoral wave has already formed. The attitudinal evidence begins with national polling.

 

Perceived Ban on Federal Research for Gun Violence to Remain

Roll Call

The pending fiscal year 2018 spending bill will not address a perceived ban on the federal government conducting research into gun violence, according to congressional aides. Whether any other gun control measures are added to the spending bill, expected to be released Monday evening, remains an open question.

 

Supreme Court looks set to strike down California disclosure law for pregnancy centers

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court sounded ready Tuesday to strike down a California disclosure law that requires pregnancy centers — including those that are faith-based — to notify women that the state offers subsidies for abortion. The state Legislature adopted the disclosure rule three years ago based on concerns that more than 200 “crisis pregnancy centers” sometimes used “deceptive advertising and counseling practices that often confuse [or] misinform” pregnant women about their options.

See also:

·       Supreme Court Warily Eyes California Law Involving Abortion and Free Speech New Your Times

 

Other:

 

Democratic, Republican voter bases are more different than ever

Los Angeles Times

Drop into a political gathering almost anywhere in America, and you can usually name the party just by looking: Democrats increasingly reflect the racially mixed demographics of the nation’s cities; Republicans remain overwhelmingly white, older and more rural. That hasn’t always been true — a generation ago, the voters supporting the two parties were far more alike.

 

California elected officials dismayed at use of Facebook data

San Francisco Chronicle

The news that the personal data of some 50 million Facebook users may have been used to boost Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign has California politicians roaring that something must be done, but solutions are in short supply.

See also:

●     California Today: Facebook Under Fire, Yet Again New York Times

●     Questions mount for Facebook — and Mark Zuckerberg isn’t answering them

●     Los Angeles Times

●     Facebook needed third-party apps to grow. Now it’s left with a privacy crisisLos Angeles Times

●     FTC opens investigation into Facebook after Cambridge Analytica scrapes millions of users’ personal information The Washington Post

●     Everything you need to know about the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook debacle The Washington Post

●     Cambridge Analytica CEO appears to talk about using bribes and sex workers to sway elections on secretly recorded news video The Washington Post

●     California privacy advocates ask Facebook to stop opposing their proposed ballot measure following Cambridge Analytica debacle Los Angeles Times

●     2017 was an ‘annus horribilis’ for Facebook and Silicon Valley. And 2018 is looking worse. AEI

 

The rise of fake news is producing a record number of journalism majors

MarketWatch

Zoe Ginsberg, an 18-year-old freshman journalism major at USC’s Annenberg School, said she and her classmates have many discussions about the way media is perceived by both the public and politicians in recent years. “We as students are concerned we haven’t been paying attention and holding government officials accountable enough for their actions,” she said. “There’s also a level of excitement and thrill that has been inspiring.”

 

Why is California losing military veterans faster than most states?

Sacramento Bee

California is quickly losing its veterans. Barely one in 20 adults living in California during 2016 served in the military. The number of military veterans per capita in California fell 48 percent between 2000 and 2016, much faster than the nationwide decline, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING  

 

Sunday, March 25, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: Reducing Recidivism: Do Prisoner Rehabilitation Programs Actually Work? – Guest: Jonathan Peterson, California Legislative Office. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, March 25, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report  – Valley Views Edition “Project Rebound: Breaking the Cycle of Crime” – Guests: CSU Fresno Profesor Emma Hughes, Project Rebound Director Jennifer Leahy, and Project Rebound Rebound Arnold Trevino. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler. 

 

Sunday, March 25, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – Informe Maddy:Fresno Bridge Academy: a model to replicate Statewide  Guest: 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.

 

Support the Maddy Daily

HERE.

Thank you!

 

Topics in More Detail…

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

First day of spring brings challenge for Valley farmers

ABC30

These green beans pushing through the soil were planted 10 days ago. It’s the biggest vegetable crop grown by David Sarabian. Another set of the pink seeds just went into the ground, so Sarabian worries steady rain could cause flooding in his field.

 

Fresno company selling restaurant quality meat online

ABC30

A juicy steak is just one of the dozens of items you won’t find at the grocery store, but instead on the internet. Corey Patendis, the owner of Meats2U, said, “We bring restaurant quality high-end dining, it’s five-star quality delivered to your door.”

 

Fresno State study examines economic impact of strawberries

The Business Journal

Fresno State researchers have concluded that non-farm workers and businesses that contribute to strawberry production, packing and distribution in five Southern California counties generate more than $2.7 billion in revenues annually. The study, commissioned by the California Strawberry Commission, was conducted by economists who determined that a wide range of businesses in the counties support the state’s fourth largest crop.

 

Farm Day in the City teaches kids importance of agriculture and hopes to inspire

Bakersfield Californian

Hundreds of elementary school students from Kern County schools romped around the Kern County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, climbing into tractors, lassoing dummy horses and learning about farm machinery. For two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, 3,650 students are learning about the ins and outs of the agricultural business at Farm Day in the City, an event hosted by the Kern County Farm Bureau.

 

‘This is an industry in crisis.’ High taxes, black market threaten pot businesses

Sacramento Bee

Three months into the start of California’s recreational marijuana market, industry leaders are voicing concerns that sales are not meeting projections, and that high taxes, complicated regulations and a thriving black market are having deleterious effects.

 

To stay Farm-to-Fork capital, Sacramento must grow agriculture leaders

Sacramento Bee

As we celebrate California’s agricultural community on California Ag Day on Tuesday, we must consider what it really means for Sacramento to be America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Hensley fired as Tulare police chief

Visalia Times Delta

The lengthy battle between city officials and former Tulare Police Chief Wes Hensley may just be getting started.

 

Schultz: Reform needed on unjust money bail system

Bakersfield Californian

On a Friday morning in June, I am driving too fast on a freeway south. My daughter has been in jail since last night. The bail bondsman I call from my car answers on the first ring. I give him an arrest number. He puts me on hold. “Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away,” sings Frank Sinatra, a seemingly inappropriate sentiment for this business.

 

Public Safety:

 

Eyes on burn-scarred mountainsides as storm approaches

ABC30

With rain is expected to pour down on Mariposa County this week, crews spent most of the day Tuesday working to make sure trees and mud don’t come down with it. Many are concerned this could be the wettest storm the area has seen since the Detwiler Fire.

 

Airports preparing for a busy spring break with new security procedures

ABC30

Just in time for spring break, the Transportation Security Administration is unveiling stronger security screening procedures at airports, including at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. The removal of footwear is still necessary at the security checkpoint, and now the TSA also wants to also get a look at all your carry-on electronic devices larger than a cell phone.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Fresno State study examines economic impact of strawberries

The Business Journal

Fresno State researchers have concluded that non-farm workers and businesses that contribute to strawberry production, packing and distribution in five Southern California counties generate more than $2.7 billion in revenues annually. The study, commissioned by the California Strawberry Commission, was conducted by economists who determined that a wide range of businesses in the counties support the state’s fourth largest crop.

 

Designed in California, made in China: how the iPhone skews US trade deficit

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump often tweets from his iPhone about pressuring China to address its $375 billion trade surplus with the United States. But a closer look at the Apple smartphone reveals how the headline figure is distorted. The big trade imbalance – at the heart of a potential trade war, with Trump expected to impose tariffs on Chinese imports this week – exists in large part because of electrical goods and tech, the biggest U.S. import item from China.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Investigation into fire at Mt. Whitney High School

ABC30

The investigation continues into a fire Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, that caused millions of dollars in damage. The fire started at about 6:45 pm Monday evening. The Visalia Fire Department Says they are working to find out what caused this fire. Meanwhile, school was still in session today.

 

Can money attract more minorities into the teaching profession?

Brookings

Many education policymakers and practitioners across the country recognize the need to recruit and retain more racial and ethnic minorities into the teaching profession. As we’ve previously discussed in our ongoing teacher diversity series, there is credible evidence that minority teachers can boost a range of minority student outcomes, yet minorities are underrepresented among the population of public school teachers.

 

How Trump repeal of Obama-era school discipline guidelines could affect California

EdSource

If U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos decides to repeal Obama-era school discipline reform guidance — which she’s often hinted at, most recently during a 60 Minutes interview — the action could hamper discipline reform efforts in districts throughout California, especially in those where the pace of reform has been slow, say civil rights and youth advocates.

 

Higher Ed:

 

CSUB president to be named at board meeting in Long Beach Wednesday

Bakersfield Californian

Following a months-long national search, California State University trustees are expected to name a new president for Cal State Bakersfield at a board meeting in Long Beach Wednesday.

 

The Rising Cost of College: Student Fees (Fresno State has the lowest)

Public Policy Institute of California

Students, parents, and lawmakers often express concern about tuition increases at California’s public universities. But tuition is not the only college cost that has been rising. Students also pay fees that cover many non-instructional costs, and between 2013 and 2016, student fees increased an average of 21% at both the UC and CSU systems, even as tuition itself stayed flat.

 

Proposed California State University tuition hikes anger students

The Mercury News

California State University students may see their second consecutive tuition increase next year, but any decision on the $288 tuition increase question won’t come for another two months.

 

Proposals to boost Cal State enrollment pass key trustees committee

Los Angeles Times

The trustees are expected to vote Wednesday on the plan to chip away at a problem so serious that about 32,000 eligible applicants were turned away from the nation’s largest public university system last fall because of oversubscribed programs and campuses.

 

Testimony: Transfer Is Key to Closing the Workforce Skills Gap

Public Policy Institute of California

California faces a shortage of highly educated workers. Specifically, economic projections to 2030 show that about two in five jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree, while demographic projections suggest that only about one in three Californians will attain this level of education.

 

Fresno State to name building after enology education pioneer Petrucci

The Business Journal

The California State University Trustees approved Tuesday the naming of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building at Fresno State, in honor of the late professor emeritus of viticulture. The action item was approved by the Committee on Institutional Advancement.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Judge holds climate change class in suits against big oil

Sacramento Bee

A federal judge presiding over lawsuits that accuse big oil companies of lying about global warming to protect their profits is turning his courtroom into a classroom in what could be the first hearing to study the science of climate change. U.S. District Judge William Alsup has asked lawyers for two California cities and five of the world’s largest oil and gas companies to come to court Wednesday to present “the best science now available on global warming.”

 

Move Over, California, China is Becoming the World’s Environmental Leader

PublicCEO

California is in the process of passing the baton of environmental leadership to China. But can it transfer the spirit of Californians as well? The two of us have been participants and observers for decades as California extended its environmental leadership.

 

Energy:

 

Efficient homes + renewable energy = a better Bakersfield

The Bakersfield Californian

I love Bakersfield. In a lot of ways, life in Bakersfield just keeps getting better.

In my opinion, we enjoy a very high quality of life in Bakersfield. We enjoy great parks, short commute times, a vibrant downtown and easy access to all of the amenities in the rest of California. We live in a growing city with, according to a recent study, some of the most affordable housing in the state.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Second wave of the seasonal flu crashes into Stanislaus County

The Modesto Bee

Residents in Stanislaus County should not assume the flu season has passed. In general, the county Health Services Agency has noticed a decrease in flu activity, but another strain of virus is causing outbreaks and it’s more dangerous for young children.

 

New Fresno office opens for Medicare-Advantage health plan

The Business Journal

Brand New Day, a Medicare Advantage health plan, has opened a new office in Fresno to accommodate the growing number of members. The program launched late last year and now ranks as the company’s fastest-growing region in California. According to Jay B. Davis, executive vice president, Brand New Day allows Medicare-eligible beneficiaries to gain access to programs and services beyond original Medicare.

 

Single-payer health care: what Californians need to know

CALmatters

The concept of universal health care has gained steam in recent years because of skyrocketing medical costs and the idea that health care is a right for all. In California, the debate over one type of universal care, known as a single-payer system, has continued after a failed effort in the Legislature to pass such a plan last year,  largely due to its expense and a lack of specifics about how it would work.

 

Doctors endorse counseling of some kids, young adults to prevent skin cancer

Reuters

Fair-skinned children and young adults should get counseling on how to avoid sunburns that can lead to skin cancer, according to new guidelines from U.S. physicians. Counseling should include advice on sunscreen use, protective clothing, hats and sunglasses to protect against harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and also encourage people to avoid sun exposure during the brightest part of the day as well as indoor tanning, according to recommendations issued today by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

 

Human Services:

 

CalFresh Reduces Hunger in Every Congressional District in California, but Could Face Deep Federal Cuts

California Budget & Policy Center

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — known as CalFresh in California — will provide food assistance to an estimated 4 million Californians on average each month during the 2017-18 state fiscal year. The percentage of Californians receiving CalFresh varies across the state’s 53 House districts but is especially high in the San Joaquin Valley.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

For stories on Sanctuary State” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above

 

Gavin Newsom policy referred undocumented youth to ICE

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.

 

Why downplay costs of illegal immigration if California is so sure of the benefits?

Sacramento Bee

California enjoys priding itself on its open-mindedness with regard to illegal immigration. In 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown attended an event with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. There, according to The Los Angeles Times, Brown “nodded to the immigrants in the room, saying it didn’t matter if they had permission to be in the United States.” Brown added, “You’re all welcome in California today.”

 

These immigrants broke the rules, but their tragedy breaks our hearts

Sacramento Bee

Picking fruit and vegetables is a crummy job that Americans aren’t exactly eager to do. Not at any wage. Yet recently, in a tragedy set against the backdrop of the lush farmland of Central California, a husband and wife were on their way to do a couple of those crummy jobs – when instead they wound up at the morgue.

 

Immigration agency to suspend fast processing for some H-1B visas

San Francisco Chronicle

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Tuesday that it will temporarily suspend fast processing for H-1B visa applications from for-profit companies until Sept. 10.

 

For American children of Mexican immigrants, a battle to get documented in Mexico

Marketplace

Daniel Silva Soto and his wife had recently moved from their hometown of Puebla, Mexico, to Mesa, Arizona. It was 1996, and Silva Soto was working for a tire disposal business, driving a truck regularly to pick up old tires as far south as Tucson and as north as Flagstaff.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Groundbreaking ceremony held for Tesoro Viejo fire station and sheriff substation

Sierra Star

The Madera County Board of Supervisors, Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney and Madera County Fire Chief Nancy Koerperich joined more than 100 community and business leaders to celebrate the official March 15 groundbreaking of the Tesoro Viejo Town Center that will feature a new Madera County fire station and Madera County sheriff substation.

 

What Uber’s autonomous vehicle fatality tells us about the future of place

Brookings

Sometimes when a news story hits, you just know it will reverberate. The fatal collision involving an Uber autonomous vehicle (AV) hitting a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix fits that profile perfectly. While all details are not yet public, early reporting suggests the Uber AV hit someone crossing a street outside a designated crosswalk. As an initial response, Uber pulled all of its AV services from each city where it’s testing.

 

Housing:

 

Is California housing overvalued or facing minimal risk of declines?

Mercury News

California housing looks overvalued with overall price appreciation exceeding the market’s economic foundation, according to one new analysis. But the chance that housing losses will occur in the state is minimal, says another industry report.

 

California housing: 5%-plus overvalued or minimal risk of declines?

OCRegister

California housing looks overvalued with overall price appreciation exceeding the market’s economic foundation, according to one new analysis. But the chance that housing losses will occur in the state is minimal, says another industry report.

 

The Next Housing Crisis: A Historic Shortage of New Homes

WSJ

America is facing a new housing crisis. A decade after an epic construction binge, fewer homes are being built per household than at almost any time in U.S. history. Home construction per household a decade after the bust remains near the lowest level in 60 years of record-keeping, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

 

California Housing Problems Are Spilling Across Its Borders

The 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. Just ask the citizens of this city, where growing numbers of Californians and companies like Tesla have migrated to take advantage of cheap land and comparatively low home prices.

 

Republican tax bill derails plans of home ownership for some Bay Area residents

The Mercury News

Months after the GOP tax plan slashed certain breaks for property owners, some wannabe homeowners already report the changes have thrown their home-buying plans for a loop.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

CalPERS bites new watchdog at her second public meeting

Sacramento Bee

A school district administrator who pledged to be a watchdog on the board that manages the nation’s largest public pension fund was censured before her second public meeting for allegedly allowing a friend to misuse government resources.

  

TRANSPORTATION

 

Roads of the Future Today

PublicCEO

Across the nation, companies from Waymo and Uber to General Motors, Ford and Audi are putting self-driving vehicles to real-world road tests – with more than 40 companies testing on California roads alone. Are today’s roads ready for tomorrow’s technology? The answer is “no,” and it will take a collaborative, multi-discipline approach to get there.

 

Securing the future of driverless cars

Brookings

Uber recently announced that it is offering automated car service to Pittsburgh, another sign of the coming transformation of U.S. transportation. Between now and 2021, according to the World Economic Forum, driverless vehicles are expected to generate $67 billion in economic value and $3.1 trillion in societal benefits.[1] By 2040, autonomous vehicles are expected to comprise around 25 percent of the global market.

 

What Uber’s autonomous vehicle fatality tells us about the future of place

Brookings

Sometimes when a news story hits, you just know it will reverberate. The fatal collision involving an Uber autonomous vehicle (AV) hitting a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix fits that profile perfectly. While all details are not yet public, early reporting suggests the Uber AV hit someone crossing a street outside a designated crosswalk. As an initial response, Uber pulled all of its AV services from each city where it’s testing.

 

WATER

 

Is it a ‘March Miracle’? Atmospheric river heads for Sacramento area

Sacramento Bee

Three weeks ago, California was staring at a disastrously dry winter that had conjured up fears of another drought. Now, with yet another major round of rain and snow starting Tuesday, the state’s rain gauges are starting to look a bit closer to normal.

See also:

●     Powerful storm threatens to swamp hard-hit California towns Sacramento Bee

●     Storm system could bring up to two inches of rain to Bakersfield Bakersfield Californian

 

Valley Groups Divided On Support For Major Drinking Water Bill

Valley Public Radio

More than 300 California communities lack access to clean drinking water. A disproportionately high number of those communities lie in the San Joaquin Valley, as we reported in our 2017 series Contaminated.

 

Treatment plan in the works for Hanford water

Hanford Sentinel

In light of current issues with Hanford’s water, the city is moving forward with a plan to treat water from three wells.

 

“Xtra”

 

Hundreds flock to Downtown Fresno for annual prayer breakfast

ABC30

Nearly 1,500 people filled Valdez Hall in Downtown to demonstrate the power of prayer through the Fresno – Clovis Prayer Breakfast.

 

Groups sponsoring Walk for Justice to protest police brutality

Bakersfield Californian

Several community organizations are coming together to hold a Walk for Justice on Saturday. The march, which protests police brutality, starts at 10 a.m. at 1700 Flower St. and ends at Heritage Park, 8636 Bernard St. Following the walk, there will be guest speakers, music, information booths and more.

 

Fresyes Fest: Seven Things I’ll Do

The Fresnan

Fresyes Fest! Saturday! I’m totally probably going! Gotta go, right? It’s North America’s best, real estate company festival! Gotta be top eight, at least. The only problem with the event in the past is that it’s too awesome and successful. Fresno loves things to be free and bumping.

 

Farm Day in the City teaches kids importance of agriculture and hopes to inspire

The Bakersfield Californian

Hundreds of elementary school students from Kern County schools romped around the Kern County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, climbing into tractors, lassoing dummy horses and learning about farm machinery.

 

Community Hospice wants to know: What tops your ‘Before I die’ list?

The Modesto Bee

Some goals written on panels inside the Community Hospice building on Spyres Way are relatively modest: take a class at Modesto Junior College, attend a symphony concert. Some are grand: end homelessness. Some are in between: visit all 50 states, ski in Japan.

 

EDITORIALS

 

Texting while driving kills more teens than guns

Sierra Star

The vitriol continues to spew forth regarding the horror that occurred February 14th at Stoneman High School in Florida. The President and the NRA are to blame by many. Gun owners are being attacked from all sides. Seventeen lives were ended and countless family members and friends find themselves devastated by this event.

 

Atmospheric river or not, California must be ready for the next drought

Sacramento Bee

How much are Californians willing to pay and sacrifice for a more sustainable state? It takes a lot of commitment and persistence – and that’s something of a question mark with the latest developments on water conservation and recycling. Local water districts are rebelling against permanent statewide rules to ban wasteful practices such as hosing down driveways and watering lawns soon after rainfall, The Sacramento Bee’s Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow report.

 

When California needs to flush its stormwater out to sea — and when it doesn’t

Los Angeles Times

As the March rains loosen more Southern California mud and fill more Northern California reservoirs, the state still flirts with drought and we still run short of water. Los Angeles is engineered to hustle filthy storm water to sea as quickly as possible, as if it were the evil fluid of the primordial abyss, yet we spend millions to import precious snowmelt from the Sierras. It’s all just water.

 

Trump wants a new war on drugs

Los Angeles Times

President Trump’s opioid response plan might have multiple prongs, but when he unveiled it Monday, he clearly was most interested in the prong that gets “very tough” on drug dealers. We know this because he said so approximately 5,000 times during a speech announcing the new plan in New Hampshire, a state chosen as the backdrop because it is one of those hardest hit by opioid addiction and overdose deaths.

 

America is waging a drug war with little to show for it

OCRegister

On Monday, the White House released the outline of Trump’s plans to tackle the opioid overdose problem and make America a “drug-free society.” If there is anything we should have learned in the 47 years since President Nixon first declared a “War on Drugs,” it’s that making America a “drug-free society” is completely impractical goal.

 

Bullet train’s moving target

San Francisco Chronicle

A week after boasting about the state’s nascent high-speed rail in an open letter to President Trump, Gov. Jerry Brown lashed out at those who refuse to share his enthusiasm for the enterprise. In a speech to labor leaders Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times, Brown referred to criticisms of the project as “nonsense” and “bull—.”

 

California teacher pensions are not sustainable

OCRegister

The California State Teachers Retirement System’s $100k pension club has nearly doubled since 2012, according to watchdog group Transparent California. Last year, 13,527 CalSTRS retirees received pensions in excess of $100,000, up 87 percent since 2012. This includes seven retirees who have received pensions of $300,000 or more, all of whom are from Orange County or Los Angeles County.

 

Toni Atkins, California’s first woman and openly gay Senate leader, signals a culture shift

The San Diego Union-Tribune

When San Diego Democrat Toni Atkins takes over as California Senate president pro tempore on Wednesday, she will become the first woman and first openly gay Senate leader in state history, and only the third person to lead both the Assembly and the Senate. These accomplishments deserve their due, and Atkins — a former San Diego city councilwoman and interim mayor who is just 55, with more chapters in her life to come— is about to enter the pantheon of the city’s most storied political leaders.

 

 

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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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