POLICY & POLITICS
Deadline FAST APPROACHING: Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships
Due Friday, March 15th, 2019.
Valley legislators propose $400 million fix for Friant-Kern Canal
Fresno Bee
A bipartisan group of San Joaquin Valley legislators gathered Friday on a Friant-Kern Canal bank to announce their push for state money to fix one of the region’s major irrigation arteries.
See also:
● State Democrats and Republicans introduce bill to fix portion of Friant-Kern Canal abc30
● Senator proposes $400 million lift to F-K Canal Visalia Times Delta
● State senator makes a splash in the 559 — literally Visalia Times-Delta
● Hurtado introduces legislation to fix Friant-Kern Canal Hanford Sentinel
● State senator makes a splash in the 559 — literally
● California should stop thinking about more dams. The state is brimming with them Los Angeles Times
North SJ Valley:
Turlock faces tough choices as spending exceeds revenue
Modesto Bee
It’s become a familiar story over the past several months, but it has not lost its power to shock — Turlock is spending down its general fund budget reserves and is on pace to exhaust them in a couple of years, if not sooner.
Central SJ Valley:
Candidates for Fresno County supervisor in final flurry before Tuesday’s special election
Fresno Bee
Steve Brandau, Steve Hosey and Nasreen Johnson are candidates running in the March 5 special election for Fresno County, California, Board of Supervisors. Voters will also choose three Clovis City Council members.
David Valadao Dairy Files For Bankruptcy Protection
Business Journal
Citing business debts totaling more than $13 million, former Rep. David Valadao and his wife have filed for bankruptcy protection for their dairy and cattle businesses.
EDITORIAL: Memo to President Trump and Capitol Hill leaders: The Central Valley needs new judges
Fresno Bee
Unlike the president or members of Congress, federal judges do their work largely out of public view. That’s why it is noteworthy that the chief judge for the U.S. District Court’s Eastern District, Lawrence J. O’Neill of Fresno, has publicly called on California’s two U.S. senators and the Central Valley’s House members to get more judges for the region.
South SJ Valley:
Lemoore Council to discuss city improvements
Hanford Sentinel
There are only a few items of new business for the Lemoore City Council to discuss Tuesday when it meets for regular session.
Transfers, not advances: A closer look at Lindsay’s recent financial moves
Porterville Recorder
The community of Lindsay is in a state of uproar after many residents learned that the City Council had approved transfers of money from different funds into others in order to take corrective action in the city’s finances.
State:
Gov. Gavin Newsom uses the power of appointments to shape government in his image
Los Angeles Times
Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted a highly significant but less visible power of his office in his first State of the State speech earlier this month: selecting appointees who can reshape California government in his image and help deliver on his ambitious policy agenda.
Three Things To Know About California’s Data Privacy Fight
Capital Public Radio
California’s landmark data privacy law won’t take effect until 2020. In the meantime, lawmakers are fine-tuning it. Here’s what to watch.
How California’s early primary illustrates the state’s political inferiority complex
Los Angeles Times
California loves to talk about itself in superlatives: But even as it basks in its outsize economic and cultural influence, something has been gnawing at the state’s psyche. When it comes to presidential politics, we’re more backbencher than behemoth.
See also:
● Q&A: Here’s what you need to know about California’s presidential primary Los Angeles Times
Court battles could test constitutionality of California voting rights law
Los Angeles Times
When most people think of landmark voting rights cases, places like Alabama or North Carolina, not Santa Monica, usually come to mind. But last month, a judge ruled that Santa Monica’s system of at-large City Council representation “intentionally discriminated” against its growing Latino population.
California Supreme Court to decide whether government can cut pensions
Los Angeles Times
The California Supreme Court will decide Monday whether the state government may rescind an employee benefit that enlarged pensions even after decades of rulings that have shielded public retirement plans from cuts.
In California, legal gambling’s bets don’t produce big jackpots for state government
Los Angeles Times
Few noticed last week when a proposed ballot measure — the kind that used to spark intense debates over legalized gambling — fizzled out, perhaps a sign that powerful interest groups are no longer willing to place big bets on such campaigns in California.
The Power of the Attorney General
New York Times
Over the weekend, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that the Sacramento police officers who killed Stephon Clark would not face criminal charges.
Federal:
Trump’s interior secretary misusing post to aid Calif water district, complaint says
Sacramento Bee
Complaints are mounting against Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt over allegations he used his position to help the his former lobbying client, California’s Westlands Water District.
Trump at CPAC derides investigations and mocks Democrats and Jeff Sessions
Los Angeles Times
In his remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, which stretched beyond two hours, Trump also mocked the Green New Deal; disparaged his former attorney general, Jeff Sessions; and defended his move to declare a national emergency to secure money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall.
See also:
● 15 Claims From Trump’s Speech to CPAC, Fact-Checked New York Times
President Trump has made 9,014 false or misleading claims over 773 days
Washington Post
Powered by his two-hour stemwinder at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 2 — which featured more than 100 false or misleading claims — President Trump is on pace to exceed his daily quota set during his first two years in office.
See also:
● Fact-checking Donald Trump’s tweet saying Democrats ‘don’t mind executing’ babies after birth PolitiFact
Senate seems to have votes to reject Trump’s wall move
Fresno Bee
Opponents of President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border appear to have enough Senate votes to reject his move, now that Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he can’t go along with the White House.
See also:
● Rand Paul Says He’ll Vote Against Trump’s Border Emergency, Likely Forcing A Veto Capital Public Radio
● Trump’s emergency declaration hits Senate roadblock; House Democrats signal new probes Los Angeles Times
● Donald Trump is going to have to veto a congressional effort to stop his border security national emergency Roll Call
● Obscure asset seizure fund in limelight as border battle rages Roll Call
U.S., China Close In on Trade Deal
Wall Street Journal
China and the U.S. are in the final stage of completing a trade deal, with Beijing offering to lower tariffs and other restrictions on American farm, chemical, auto and other products and Washington considering removing most, if not all, sanctions levied against Chinese products since last year.
See also:
· EDITORIAL: Trump loves tariffs. Congress needs to rein him in LA Times
Republicans, seeing opportunities in the suburbs, advance paid leave plans
Roll Call
Democrats have dominated discussions surrounding parental leave for decades. But Republicans are now poised to introduce a raft of new proposals in the coming weeks, reflecting the party’s effort to win back the suburban women it lost in the midterms.
Republicans pound abortion ‘infanticide’ message
Politico
The GOP plans to keep at the message through the 2020 election, even if they lose the battle in Congress to pass a “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors” bill, H.R. 962, that abortion-rights advocates warn could add new pain to already wrenching medical decisions. Under criticism, Republicans’ language has only continued to escalate, including President Donald Trump’s charge this week that Democrats “don’t mind executing babies AFTER birth.”
House Democrats ready ethics overhaul for floor vote this week
Roll Call
House Democrats, barely nine weeks into a majority they won in part with promises of an anti-corruption legislative agenda, will turn the spotlight this week to their signature campaign finance, ethics, voting and lobbying overhaul.
House Democrats demand documents from more than 80 people and institutions affiliated with Trump
Washington Post
House Democrats sent more than 80 letters Monday demanding documents from family members, business associates, political confidants and others with connections to President Trump, opening a sprawling investigation of whether he and his administration have engaged in obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.
See also:
● House Judiciary Launches Probe Of Allegations Of Obstruction By President Trump NPR
● With Sweeping Document Request, Democrats Launch Broad Trump Corruption Inquiry New York Times
● Trump’s Job-Approval Rating Ticks Up, Along With Warning Signs Wall Street Journal
● ‘We’re not going to turn on our own’: Republicans rally around Trump as threats mount Washington Post
Washington Post
Socialism in the United States is prominent in a way it hasn’t been in decades. Meanwhile, critics, including President Trump, say socialism leads inexorably totyranny and poverty. But the important debate is clouded by many misconceptions.
See also:
● Opinion: A bigger challenge to Democrats than socialists: Their liberal Republicans Washington Post
● Centrist Democrats push back against party’s liberal surge Washington Post
How does a divided government impact the congressional budget process?
Brookings
As political scientist Frances Lee has written, this kind of fragmented control can lead the president’s party to pursue legislative achievements that make the executive appear effective, while the out-party is more motivated to focus on messaging and to draw contrasts with the president.
Elections 2020:
NBC News/WSJ poll: 2020 race will be uphill for Trump, but he has strong party loyalty
NBCNews
A year and a half before the 2020 presidential election, President Donald Trump faces formidable obstacles in his bid for re-election, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Bernie Sanders kicks off 2020 campaign promising ‘unprecedented grassroots coalition’
abc30
Bernie Sanders kicked off his 2020 campaign on Saturday in Brooklyn, doubling down on his progressive agenda and maintaining his position staunchly to the left of a crowded field of Democratic nominees in his second bid for the U.S. presidency.
See also:
● Poll: US voters don’t want a socialist or a very old president Stockton Record
● Bernie Sanders overplays Canada’s out-of-pocket health care costs PolitiFact
In Kamala Harris, a sequel to Ronald Reagan?
Sacramento Bee
In 1980, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan was elected the nation’s 40th president. Blondie topped the music charts, the sequel to “Star Wars” packed movie theaters, and Kamala Harris was a 16-year-old finishing high school.
See also:
● Harris pitches populism, inspiration during Nevada campaign stop San Francisco Chronicle
● Big-dollar donors, including Donald Trump, fueled Kamala Harris’ political rise in California Sacramento Bee
Democrats, facing a big candidate field, ask: Who can beat Trump?
Los Angeles Times
Fellow Democrats across the country seek very different things in the big and growing presidential candidate field. But they share one top priority: Picking a nominee who will beat President Trump in 2020.
See also:
● Democratic presidential candidates marking Selma anniversary Fresno Bee
● 2020 Democrats Head To Wisconsin Early, Looking To Reverse 2016 Stumble Capital Public Radio
John Hickenlooper, Democratic Ex-Governor of Colorado, Enters 2020 Race
Wall Street Journal
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, becoming the first member of the crowded field to run by trumpeting a record of working with Republicans.
See Also:
● John Hickenlooper, former Colorado governor, joins Democrats’ 2020 slate Washington Post
Blue states band together looking to bypass Electoral College
The Hill
A plan to circumvent the Electoral College is gaining momentum among blue states after Democrats suffered two crushing defeats in presidential elections over the past two decades.
See also:
● After Stinging Presidential Loss, Popular Vote Movement Gains Momentum In States NPR
Other:
Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues
Pew Research Center
Among Republicans, Gen Z stands out in views on race, climate and the role of government.
Fox News reportedly killed the Stormy Daniels story in 2016. It has played it down ever since.
Washington Post
It’s an interesting thought experiment to imagine what would have happened if Fox News Channel had access to some of the biggest stories about President Trump before other outlets. See also:
● The Making of the Fox News White House The New Yorker
Valley Focus: Fresno Woman Earns Prestigious Recognition from James Irvine Foundation
abc30
A Fresno community leader is getting statewide recognition for her work with local youth.
Yammilette Rodriguez is the Senior Director of the Central Valley Youth Leadership Institute. Yami as she is known, believes in the power of youth voice.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Irrigation districts take advantage of excess water, start deliveries to farmers
abc30
On Friday, the Fresno Irrigation District started moving water to farms in the cities of Fresno, Clovis, and their surrounding ag land.
Report: A bright future for organic
Madera Tribune
Surging consumer demand for organic foods has created an opportunity for California to expand organic food production. That is the finding of a comprehensive report released Wednesday by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) at its annual conference in Fresno.
Forget the past, carbon-rich soil may be the ticket to sustainable agriculture
San Jose Mercury
Poncia’s Stemple Creek Ranch might be a model for future farmers with its sustainable agricultural practices to keep carbon in the soil and out of the atmosphere. Along with less greenhouse gas emissions, carbon-rich soil means healthier and more productive plants, according to rangeland ecologist Jeff Creque.
Local butcher puts Tulare on the map
Visalia Times Delta
Danny Mendes, owner of Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co., recently took home several awards at the annual California Association of Meat Processors’ Cured Meat Competition held at California State University, Chico.
Cannabis permits, dispensaries on Council agenda
Hanford Sentinel
The Hanford City Council is set to meet Tuesday to discuss cannabis dispensaries and possible changes to the city’s cannabis application process.
What’s lurking in your marijuana?
San Diego Union-Tribune
Zamarripa spends his days hunched over a stainless steel lab bench, scraping syrupy cannabis concentrate from cartridges, blending cannabis-infused gummy bears to candy-colored mush and pulverizing fragrant cannabis flower to a powder.
Encouraging Economic Development in High-Poverty Rural Communities
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
At “Rural Places, Rural Spaces: Closing Financial Services Gaps in Persistent Poverty America,” a policy forum sponsored by Hope Enterprise Corporation, Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, Mississippi
See also:
● 2019 Federal Reserve System Community Development Research Conference Agenda Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Does the U.S. have record bankruptcies in farm country?
PunditFact
President Donald Trump’s re-election prospects for 2020 may depend on how well the economy is performing a year from now. A former Democratic senator from North Dakota says warning signs from farm country don’t bode well for him.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
California could adopt strictest drunken driving limit in nation, taking a cue from Utah
Sacramento Bee
A California lawmaker has proposed lowering the legal limit for drinking alcohol and driving. The bill would strengthen the state DUI law by lowering the current BAC limit of .08 .
EDITORIAL: Why do Californians keep electing prosecutors who try to undermine our laws?
Los Angeles Times
District attorneys once won election to office in California by promising to treat young offenders like subhuman super-predators, to be locked away forever. In ballot measures and legislative elections, voters have signaled that they want something different. Maybe it’s time prosecutors start listening.
Public Safety:
Fresno says it wants to be transparent, but denies records requests on police shootings
Fresno Bee
Despite a new California law to increase transparency in law enforcement, the Fresno Police Department is continuing its practice of denying public records requests to media agencies and the general public.
Now, private security guards will patrol Fresno parks overnight
abc30
Officials say the need for stepped-up patrols at our local parks was putting too much stress on Fresno PD so the city is dedicating tens of thousands of dollars a year to make sure parks are safe and secure overnight.
Grand jury recommends Bakersfield install more red-light cameras
Bakersfield Californian
The report, released Friday, said red-light cameras have reduced the number of primary traffic accidents that occur on city streets. It said increasing the amount of cameras beyond the 10 intersections already equipped with them could further reduce accidents.
Following newborn’s death, a reminder about the Safely Surrendered Baby Law
Bakersfield Californian
Following the reports of a newborn’s slaying in southwest Bakersfield, one question continually popped up on social media.
Gavin Newsom calls for ‘systemic reforms’ after no charges in Stephon Clark’s death
Merced Sun-Star
Gavin Newsom called for ‘systemic’ reform after Sacramento County declined to prosecute police who killed unarmed Stephon Clark in March 2018. AB 329 would change California’s use of force standard in 2019.
See also:
● No charges for Sacramento police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark Los Angeles Times
● Sacramento mayor: DA’s Stephon Clark decision highlights need for better police training Sacramento Bee
● Sacramento mayor apologized for Stephon Clark’s death. But City Hall denies wrongdoing Sacramento Bee
● EDITORIAL: Stephon Clark’s life mattered. His death must change rules for police deadly force Sacramento Bee
SJ’s bail system a leader in US
Recordnet
Late last August, then-Governor Jerry Brown signed into law groundbreaking Senate Bill 10, which aims to eliminate cash bail in California.
Number of criminals who improperly own guns increases in California
Los Angeles Times
The number of criminals and mentally ill people who improperly own firearms in California has increased in the last year to more than 23,200, as a record number of people have been added to the list by the courts amid a surge of gun buying, state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said Friday.
See also:
● 9,400 CA residents with criminal charges, records own guns Merced Sun-Star
● Unique California Program Sets Update On Guns Seized In 2018 Capital Public Radio
● California backlog of prohibited gun owners still tops 9,000 San Francisco Chronicle
● California Department of Justice Releases 2018 Armed and Prohibited Persons Program Annual Report State of California Department of Justice
● Gun safety group hits Democrats and Republicans on background check vote Roll Call
Marjaree Mason Center Celebrates 40th Anniversary
abc30
Domestic violence impacts women, children and men. Since 1979, Marjaree Mason Center has provided services to victims of abuse.
Fire:
California Blooms Again After Last Year’s Fires—But It’s Not All Good
Capital Public Radio
When fire wipes out native chaparral and scrub, they can be replaced by the non-native plants that accelerate fires and may serve no useful purpose, providing neither sustenance or habitat to wildlife. The shallow-rooted plants don’t hold soils well, adding to the threat of erosion in burned areas.
Firefighter suicides reflect toll of longer fire seasons and increased stress
Los Angeles Times
At least 115 firefighters and emergency medical service workers in the U.S. died by suicide in 2017, according to data compiled by the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, which tracks such figures nationwide.
Attorneys: PG&E has long failed to handle wildfire risk
San Francisco Chronicle
The risk of catastrophic wildfires in Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s service territory existed long before the disasters in Northern California in the past few years, and the company did not do enough to prevent them, lawyers representing fire victims told a federal judge Friday.
See also:
● EDITORIAL: It’s time for new thinking on wildfire costs in Sacramento San Francisco Chronicle
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
J.C. Penney is closing several stores. What does it mean for Fresno and the Valley?
Fresno Bee
With sales dropping, J.C. Penney announced that 18 of its department stores and nine furnishing stores will close this year. The company said the closures are part of “an ongoing review of our store portfolio.”
After 119 Years In San Francisco, Mattresses Now Made In Fresno
Business Journal
The McRoskey line, which is now built by a team of six specially trained craftsmen in a stand-alone 25,000-square-foot factory on Pleasant’s Fresno campus, has a 119-year history in San Francisco.
Wells Fargo Donates $1.8m In Local Counties In 2018
Business Journal
Wells Fargo announced it donated $1.8 million to schools, community organizations and nonprofits in Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties in 2018.
Victoria’s Secret closing 53 more stores
Visalia Times Delta
Victoria’s Secret is closing 53 more stores, its parent company L Brands announced this week. The announcement comes after 30 Victoria’s Secret stores closed in 2018 — more than double the annual average, company officials said Thursday.
In California, legal gambling’s bets don’t produce big jackpots for state government
Los Angeles Times
The proposal would have allowed sports betting in gaming establishments large and small, including tribal casinos and local card rooms. That it wasn’t written to offer some of the winnings to local or state governments was notable — after decades of debate, it now seems a settled issue that expanding legal gambling won’t pay off for public services.
SF Fed Blog
“Empowerment economics” is a multigenerational and culturally responsive approach to financial capability developed by and for low-income Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and other communities of color. This report offers a preliminary evaluation framework that is intended to make visible the innovative approaches and potential outcomes associated with empowerment economics.
The Impact Of The 2018 Trade War On U.S. Prices And Welfare
Centre for Economic Policy Research
This paper explores the impacts of the Trump administration’s trade policy on prices and welfare. Over the course of 2018, the U.S. experienced substantial increases in the prices of intermediates and final goods, dramatic changes to its supply-chain network, reductions in availability of imported varieties, and complete passthrough of the tariffs into domestic prices of imported goods.
See also:
● Why Trump’s Effort to Narrow the Trade Gap Has Flopped So Far Wall Street Journal
6 Rules for Better, More Inclusive Economic Development in Cities
CityLab
Until recently, there was a growing understanding among city-builders and economic developers that handing over taxpayer-funded incentives to large corporations is wasteful and ineffective. That is, until Amazon’s HQ2 search threw a wrench in that, bringing real pressure from business and political leaders to compete for the big prize.
Shale Companies, Adding Ever More Wells, Threaten Future of U.S. Oil Boom
Wall Street Journal
Newer wells drilled close to older wells are generally pumping less oil and gas and could hurt output, leading frackers to cut back on the number of sites planned and trim overall production forecasts.
Trump promised economic growth better than Obama’s. It didn’t happen
CNBC
President Donald Trump’s central claim about his economic policies officially crashed into reality on Thursday.
Jobs:
Plastics manufacturing plant bringing 150 jobs to Modesto, relocating from Bay Area
Modesto Bee
It turns out there really is in great future in plastics. At least there is now in Modesto. The plastic injection molding company JATCO Incorporated is relocating from the Bay Area to the Central Valley and will bring some 150 jobs with it to the new headquarters.
State psychiatric nurses are working back-to-back shifts. New proposal would give them a choice
Sacramento Bee
The proposal, Assembly Bill 529, aims to address well-documented fatigue among the 3,600 or so psychiatric technicians who care for inmates and patients in state hospitals and prisons. It would eliminate the common practice of forcing psychiatric technicians and technician assistants to work back-to-back eight-hour shifts.
Why nonworking men are unhappiest in America
Brookings
In new research, Carol Graham and Sergio Pinto assesses the troublesome levels of ill-being among men who are out of the labor force (as distinct from unemployed men), and the challenges this poses to the future of work and the future of the middle class more generally.
Automation and AI will disrupt the American labor force. Here’s how we can protect workers
Brookings
Indeed, even the Trump Administration acknowledged as much in its recent executive order on artificial intelligence (AI). While the executive order is light on details, it does direct the intergovernmental Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence to provide recommendations “regarding AI-related educational and workforce development considerations.”
EDUCATION
K-12:
Is Longer Day for Kindergarteners in Fresno Unified’s Future?
GV Wire
Fresno Unified parents are exasperated by having to take time off from work in the middle of the day to pick up their kindergarteners at school. And a majority of trustees want to see the district fix the problem.
Work expected to start soon on $25 million Panama Elementary upgrade
Bakersfield Californian
Panama Elementary School is getting its first significant facelift since the school opened in the shadow of World War II.
BCSD teachers union says stalled raise negotiations could lead to strike
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield City School District teachers going on strike for higher pay raises is a real possibility for the first time in decades.
Students to match wits in this year’s pentathlon
Madera Tribune
Madera County’s middle school students are putting their minds to the test during the 2019 Academic Pentathlon on Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 16. This year’s topic is The 1960s: A Transformational Decade.
Hundreds of high school students face off at the Science Olympiad
abc30
The cream of the competitive crop is bubbling to the surface this weekend at Clovis North. These high schoolers have burned the midnight oil for months to prepare for the Science Olympiad, dueling in a series of team events from different scientific disciplines.
See also:
● Hundreds of SJ students showcase skills at 33rd annual Science Olympiad Stockton Record
Newsom fast-tracks legislation to hold charter schools to same standards as public schools
Los Angeles Times
A proposal championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to require new transparency standards for charter schools across California was passed by state legislators Thursday, an effort that would align the campuses with guidelines followed by traditional public schools.
Higher Ed:
Deadline FAST APPROACHING: Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
The Maddy Institute
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships Due Friday, March 15th, 2019. Through the generosity of The Wonderful Company, San Joaquin Valley students will have the opportunity to become the next generation of Valley leaders through The Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship. The Maddy Institute will award two $56,000 Fellowships to Valley students who are accepted into a nationally ranked, qualified graduate program in the fall of 2019.
New forensic behavioral sciences degree program coming to FSU this fall
Porterville Recorder
Forensic behavioral sciences, a program that prepares students interested in traditional criminal justice careers with the application of behavioral sciences, will be offered as a major at Fresno State beginning in fall 2019.
Bakersfield College hosts Women in Leadership panel
KGET
Bakersfield College kicked off Women’s History Month with a lineup of local
women in leadership roles Friday morning.
Kern County’s aerospace industry on the radar at CSUB
Bakersfield Californian
On Friday, more than 75 students gathered in a classroom at Cal State Bakersfield to hear from four speakers who work in this booming technology center situated east of the Tehachapi Mountains.
Trump says he’ll issue order protecting campus free speech
Sacramento Bee
Trump says he will soon sign an executive order requiring colleges and universities to support free speech if they want to get federal resources.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Using technology to catalog flora along the Tule River Parkway
Porterville Recorder
Using the website of CalFlora and the associated application on their smart devices, volunteer observers can take notes on plants and then type them directly into the computer or their phones or tablets.
PolitiFact: No, the Green New Deal doesn’t aim to end air travel
Tampa Bay Times
After U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., unveiled the Green New Deal, Republican critics said it would eventually ground air travel.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., outlined his opposition to the Democrats’ Green New Deal in a Feb. 25 Orlando Sentinel op-ed:
Want a Green New Deal? Here’s a better one.
Washington Post
The Green New Deal proposed by congressional Democrats does not meet that test. Its proponents, led by Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), are right to call for ambition and bold action. They are right that the entire energy sector must be reshaped.
Opinion: California’s Weather Cycles
Wall Street Journal
The Golden State can’t seem to catch a weather break. Drought and horrific wildfires have again given way to catastrophic storms and flooding. Progressives often exploit natural disasters to campaign against fossil fuels, but Californians would be better off if their politicians spent more money preparing for bad weather than fighting climate change that they can’t do anything about.
Energy:
New PG&E leadership? Sacramento developer, politico Phil Angelides jumps into the fray
Sacramento Bee
Sacramento, California, developer and former State Treasurer Phil Angelides is on a slate of candidates nominated Friday by a PG&E shareholder trying to seize control of the bankrupt utility following wildfires.
For The Few Who Heat Homes With Coal, It’s Still King
Capital Public Radio
Nearly 130,000 homes in the U.S. still burn coal for heat. Despite decades of decline and concerns about climate change, companies in the coal home-heating business are optimistic about the future.
Opinion: Electric grid is not frayed
CALmatters
CALmatters’ series, Frayed Wires, identifies some valid problems, but leaves readers with a misleading impression the entire electric grid is coming apart at the seams. Some portions of the state’s grid may have “frayed wires.”
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Living in Fresno is stressful — worse than most cities in California, study shows
Fresno Bee
Fresno residents are more stressed on average than people from Los Angeles, Chicago, Manhattan, Phoenix and more than 60 other cities, one recent social media-based study says.
Opinion: Is gulping soda as bad as smoking? California seems to think so
Los Angeles Times
Adopting some of the same methods that have been employed to reduce smoking, California legislators have put together an ambitious package of bills aimed at curbing consumption of sodas, energy drinks and other beverages that have added sugar.
Capital Public Radio
A soon-to-be-published Trump administration policy gives clinics a choice: keep abortion services out of reproductive health care, or forfeit federal funds.
When It Comes To Race, Eating Disorders Don’t Discriminate
Capital Public Radio
People with eating disorders are too often portrayed as white, skinny young women. One group is trying to spread the word that eating disorders affect people of every race, gender and body size.
The new health threat? Burnout, and suicides, by physicians
Fresno Bee
Dr. Lori Weichenthal of UCSF Fresno writes that doctors are increasingly susceptible to long hours, more time spent with electronic records than patient care, and growing sense of lack of respect and autonomy.
Experts advise reducing smartphone usage for better health
abc30
With people spending hours on their phones every day, experts say reducing screen time can help improve your health.
Measles outbreak in Bay Area in 2018 tied to unvaccinated children
San Francisco Chronicle
A small measles outbreak in the Bay Area last year spread almost entirely among families who had chosen not to vaccinate their children — including two young boys whose mother lied to public health investigators about their immunization status — underscoring the gaps that remain in vaccination coverage in California, according to a report published Friday.
These Are the Worlds Healthiest Nations (U.S. 35th – behind Cuba)
Bloomberg
That’s according to the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which ranks 169 economies according to factors that contribute to overall health. Spain placed sixth in the previous gauge, published in 2017.
Bigger, Saltier, Heavier: Fast Food Since 1986 in 3 Simple Charts
New York Times
The researchers studied 1,787 entrees, sides and desserts at 10 chains — Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s and Wendy’s — from 1986 to 2016. In that time, the number of items in those three categories rose 226 percent.
See also:
· EDITORIAL: Soda taxes work. That’s why the soda industry fights so hard to defeat them San Francisco Chronicle
Three Obamacare tweaks that both parties can love
Politico
The Republican loss of the House last November brought an official end (at least through 2020) to the party’s long campaign to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Democrats, despite their new majority, won’t be able to pass their health care agenda either, because the Republican president and Senate will block it.
Human Services:
Valley Children’s network is expanding across the region. What does that means for your family?
Fresno Bee
A $2 million Medi-Cal grant is giving babies and their families at Valley Children’s Hospital the answers they desperately need.
TRMC saga an example of Tulare’s strengths
Visalia Times Delta
Despite all the recent conflict in the Tulare Local Healthcare District and the uncertain, yet hopeful path the district faces, I believe that we need, every now and then, to take a step back and remember how far we’ve come.
Two Adventist Health providers receive Patriot Award
Hanford Sentinel
Dozens gathered outside Adventist Health in the rain Friday afternoon to celebrate the achievements of two local clinicians.
Following newborn’s death, a reminder about the Safely Surrendered Baby Law
Bakersfield Californian
While there is a massive difference between abandoning a child and intentionally killing it, and much about the newborn’s Nov. 12 death remains unknown, it appears the county’s safe-surrender program popped into the minds of many who heard the unsettling news.
Navigating the health care maze can be daunting
Stockton Record
Dealing with the health care system has never been easy. For those with a basic education, solid grasp of English, a job offering access to health insurance, and some savings or regular income, you’ve already cleared some of the hurdles.
Few Californians pay the health insurance penalty. Often, those that do are poor
Sacramento Bee
Internal Revenue Service data paints an unsettling picture of the uninsured in California, revealing that three out of four people who paid the tax penalty earned less than $50,000.
Racial Equity Drives Health and Climate Outcomes
SF Fed Blog
When the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) launched in March 2017, we set out to promote equitable regional development through a new perspective—one that comprehensively considers the interrelated issues of racial equity, health, and climate. SPARCC sought to apply these lenses to regional development efforts, with the assumption that the integration of these issues would lead to better outcomes in all three areas.
Why Big Tobacco’s investment in e-cigarette maker Juul ought to alarm you
CALmatters
There’s an unprecedented epidemic of vaping among teenagers, as recognized by U.S. Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams. The federal government is moving to limit the sale of flavored vaping liquids in convenience stores nationally.
Opinion: Want universal child care? You can’t just clone Head Start
Roll Call
A new proposal by Sen. Elizabeth Warrenof Massachusetts to fund universal child care takes its inspiration from the success of the Head Start and military child care programs. While appealing in theory, replicating either of these systems is fraught with challenges.
IMMIGRATION
‘Sanctuary’ cities are getting their grants despite threats
Sacramento Bee
The U.S. Justice Department has been quietly releasing law enforcement grants to jurisdictions across the country that officials didn’t feel were doing enough to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Los Angeles Times
On Tuesday, Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra released findings from the first state inspection of California’s immigrant detention centers, designed to provide a deeper look into the conditions inside the system as the Trump administration takes a more aggressive approach to confining people who are in the country illegally. California is one of the first states to examine everyday operations at the facilities.
Los Angeles Times
Twenty-nine parents from across Central America who were separated from their children by U.S. immigration agents last year returned to the U.S. border on Saturday, demanding asylum hearings that might allow them to reunite with their children.
Kamala Harris tries to ‘rewrite history’ with False claim on San Francisco ICE policy
PolitiFact
But on the campaign trail in Iowa this past weekend, Harris made some questionable statements about a 2008 San Francisco policy that reported undocumented youth to federal immigration officials upon their arrest by local police. Harris, San Francisco’s District Attorney at the time, supported the policy, which didn’t take into account whether the youth were actually found guilty of a crime.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
What’s coming to Dale Road in north Modesto? Restaurants, retail, housing and more
Modesto Bee
Developments on Dale Road are heating up as another hotel, new restaurants, housing, retail and other projects are planned for the northwest Modesto site across from the Kaiser hospital.
Why is federal infrastructure policy so difficult?
Brookings
In an era of partisan strife, Americans of all political parties overwhelmingly agree on one issue: we need better infrastructure. Crumbling bridges, unsafe water, and communities without broadband threaten our nation’s health, safety, and economic future. Yet the federal government’s role has remained largely unchanged for generations. Why is it so hard to find consensus on such an obvious problem?
Housing:
Rent control? A tent city? Residents call on Merced leaders to solve its homeless problem
Merced Sun-Star
In a series of community meetings this week, the residents of Merced made it clear that solving the town’s homeless problem ranks at the top of their list. Officials say they’ll even consider a tent city.
The ‘heartbreaking’ decrease in black homeownership
Stockton Record
Homeownership among blacks has been on the decline in the US since 2004. Despite a strengthening economy, including record low unemployment and higher wages for black workers, homeownership levels for that group have dropped incrementally almost every year since 2004.
Old Stockdale, proud of its island independence, contemplates the mainland
Bakersfield Californian
For decades, residents of Old Stockdale have resisted municipal government’s open invitation to be annexed into the city, despite having been overtaken long ago by Bakersfield’s relentless westward expansion.
California’s housing supply law fails to spur enough construction, study says
Los Angeles Times
California’s housing supply law has failed in its goal of spurring enough new home building to meet demand, especially for low-income residents, according to a new report from public policy think tank Next 10.
See also:
· Walters: Newsom housing plan may have fatal flaw CALmatters
· EDITORIAL: Oregon is charting a new path on rent control. Will California and other states follow? Los Angeles Times
· Opinion: Oregon, the Rent Control State Wall Street Journal
· Opinion: When You Buy or Sell a Home, Realty Bites Wall Street Journal
· Opinion | The New ‘Dream Home’ Should Be a Condo The New York Times
To help people off the streets and into shelters, welcome their pets?
CALmatters
Most shelters for people experiencing homelessness still don’t accept pets. But a bill under consideration in the California Legislature aims to make such shelter partnerships more common. Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys, it would create $5 million in state general fund grants for homeless shelters to offer shelter, care and veterinary services to the pets of people staying there.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Turlock faces tough choices as spending exceeds revenue
Modesto Bee
It’s become a familiar story over the past several months, but it has not lost its power to shock — Turlock is spending down its general fund budget reserves and is on pace to exhaust them in a couple of years, if not sooner.
Transfers, not advances: A closer look at Lindsay’s recent financial moves
Porterville Recorder
The community of Lindsay is in a state of uproar after many residents learned that the City Council had approved transfers of money from different funds into others in order to take corrective action in the city’s finances.
County hopes to sell Lost Hills Airport for $4.3 million
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County could be $4.3 million richer if it manages to sell 343 acres of land that encompass the Lost Hills Airport.
Will another tax hike drive up fuel prices in California?
Los Angeles Times
The bill from state Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) would set an extraction tax at 10% of the average price per barrel of California oil or 10% of the price per unit of natural gas. Wieckowski estimates the tax would generate about $900 million annually, bringing California in line with other oil-producing states including Texas and Alaska.
Walters: A crackdown on misusing public funds for campaigns?
CALmatters
Hundreds of California’s local governments, cities and counties primarily were promising voters that the new revenues would be used to enhance popular services, such as parks, police and fire protection.
CalPERS can’t get enough of its top-earning asset
CAlpensions
CalPERS is considering a step toward buying companies on its own, rather than through partnerships with private equity firms that charge high annual fees and then take a chunk of the profits.
Wall Street Journal
Find out what to expect as you file your taxes for the first time under the 2017 overhaul.
See also:
● Anxiety grows in first tax season under Trump law The Hill
● SALT Limit Is Hitting 11 Million Tax Returns, Audit Finds New York Times
Opinion: Adding to Social Insecurity
Wall Street Journal
Memo to young workers: The Democrats you recently elected want to raise Social Security benefits for retirees while taxing you more to pay for it. Too bad they didn’t tell you about this last year when they were running against Donald Trump.
TRANSPORTATION
Livingston rolls out red carpet for tourism – by painting curbs green
abc30
There are always tour buses on the 99 whether they’re headed to San Francisco, LA, or even Yosemite. Wherever the destination, Livingston wants to be part of the journey. City officials say these parking zones and signs will make it easier for buses to stop by, while bringing some tourism dollars.
Newsom’s California bullet train plan is likely to run out of money before completion
Sacramento Bee
The California bullet train project will probably run out of money before it can fulfill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s modest plan to build a high-speed operating segment between Bakersfield and Merced, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of the state rail authority’s financial records.
See also:
● You can’t ride a train directly from Modesto to San Francisco. That could change someday Modesto Bee
● Some High-Speed Rail questions answered Hanford Sentinel
● Newsom’s shorter California bullet train plan likely to run out of money before completion Los Angeles Times
● In Central Valley towns, California’s bullet train isn’t an idea: ‘It’s people’s lives’ Los Angeles Times
● COMMUNITY VOICES: Premature predictions of high-speed rail’s death Bakersfield Californian
● Editorial: Clear up the confusion about high-speed rail, Gov. Newsom San Francisco Chronicle
County hopes to sell Lost Hills Airport for $4.3 million
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County could be $4.3 million richer if it manages to sell 343 acres of land that encompass the Lost Hills Airport.
WATER
The Valley has seen flooding, a tornado and snow in the foothills. And it’s not over yet.
Fresno Bee
The wet start to the year isn’t slowing down soon. The National Weather Service is asking residents to stay prepared as another storm this week could bring up to two inches of rain to the Central San Joaquin Valley, and up to four inches for the foothills.
See also:
● Video captures funnel cloud near Mendota. ‘It was literally spinning’ Fresno Bee
● Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency after flooding San Francisco Chronicle
● EDITORIAL: Saving for a (non) rainy day Stockton Record
Valley legislators propose $400 million fix for Friant-Kern Canal
Fresno Bee
A bipartisan group of San Joaquin Valley legislators gathered Friday on a Friant-Kern Canal bank to announce their push for state money to fix one of the region’s major irrigation arteries.
See also:
● State Democrats and Republicans introduce bill to fix portion of Friant-Kern Canal abc30
● Senator proposes $400 million lift to F-K Canal Visalia Times Delta
● Hurtado introduces legislation to fix Friant-Kern Canal Hanford Sentinel
● California should stop thinking about more dams. The state is brimming with them Los Angeles Times
Tired of waiting for San Joaquin River access from Fresno? Don’t wait. Just go
Fresno Bee
Just go. That’s my counsel to anyone with a desire to stroll along, bike near, fish in, float upon or linger beside the San Joaquin River.
Recent snowfall in the southern Sierra Nevada brings big expectations for Kern River recreation
Bakersfield Californian
Rafting companies in the Lake Isabella area are gearing up for a surge in business this spring and summer after recent storms raised expectations for rousing times ahead on the Kern River.
A massive aquifer lies beneath the Mojave Desert. Could it help solve California’s water problem?
Washington Post
Whether to tap it on a commercial scale or leave it alone is a decades-old question the Trump administration has revived and the California legislature is visiting anew. The debate will help resolve whether private enterprise can effectively manage a public necessity in a state where who gets water and where it originates endures as the most volatile political issue.
“Xtra”
Annual Kids Day fundraiser set for Tuesday around the Valley. Here’s how you can help
Fresno Bee
Get ready to see packed intersections on Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2019, around the San Joaquin Valley for the 32nd Kids Day fundraiser that benefits Valley Children’s Hospital patients.
New things to do in Fresno area in 2019: From ax throwing and trampolines to ice cream and beer
Fresno Bee
From Bad Axe Throwing to Ampersand ice cream and Zack’s Brewing Company, get a list of the best fun activities and restaurants, bars and places to eat in the Fresno and Clovis California area in 2019.
Check out the lion dancers at the Fresno Chinese New Year Parade
Fresno Bee
Lion dancers, food, merchants, activities for kids and entertaining parade entrants provide a festive start to the Year of the Boar at the 19th Annual Fresno Chinese New Year in Fresno’s Chinatown.
Fresno State’s Student Cupboard kicks off “March Match Up” campaign
abc30
Feeding hungry college students is a challenge especially when food insecurity is a big problem. That caught the attention Fresno State’s First Lady Mary Castro when she arrived on campus in 2013.
New unique indoor playground opens in Northeast Fresno
abc30
Kids Play Cafe in Northeast Fresno is not just a place your kids can go to play but it’s also a place that parents can enjoy.
Quilting show to be held at Hatfield Hall
Madera Tribune
The Heart of California Quilt Guild will stage its Bi-Annual Quilt Show Saturday and Sunday at Hatfield Hall. There are two featured quilters who have a long history of sewing.
Hiking From Sky Harbor Along Millerton Lake With The Cows
Sierra News
If you need a good workout hike, the trail out of Sky Harbor is a perfect spring hike. If you get lucky, you just might see some early blooming wildflowers and just maybe the first poppy of the spring.