POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Ex-Mayor Silva rejected 2018 plea offer, documents show
Stockton Record
District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar offered a plea deal to Anthony Silva nearly one year ago that would have ended prosecution of the former mayor on charges of embezzlement, money-laundering and conflict-of-interest.
Tubbs apologizes after comment to speaker at Feb. 26 meeting
Stockton Record
As she raised her voice while she was escorted out, Tubbs told Kathleen Gapusan to “take her medication” before attending the next meeting. On Tuesday, Gapusan said she never has and currently does not take any kind of medication.
Central SJ Valley:
Election results: Brandau wins Fresno CA supervisor race
Fresno Bee
Steve Brandau defeated Nasreen Johnson and Steve Hosey on Tuesday night to become the next Fresno County supervisor, according to special election results. Brandau replaces Andreas Borgeas as the District 2 supervisor.
Fresno Airport approved for $35M Infrastructure Loan
Business Journal
Finding parking at Fresno Yosemite International Airport should become easier in the next few years, now that the city’s airport authority has received approval for a $35 million loan to build a parking garage.
New Residential Facility To Address Gaps In Fresno’s Mental Health Treatment
Valley Public Radio
Mental health care is a constant need here in the San Joaquin Valley, especially for those who can’t afford to go elsewhere—and for those whose symptoms are tough enough to require some treatment but not hospitalization.
As Schools Face Charges of Intolerance, A Look Back At Racism in Visalia
Valley Public Radio
Two reporters from the Visalia Times Delta decided to look back at the city’s racially charged past starting with a Ku Klux Klan convention in 1931. We spoke with reporters James Ward and Calley Cederlof.
South SJ Valley:
City Council votes to restart selection process for sales tax oversight committee vacancy
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council opted to start from scratch in selecting someone to fill the vacancy on the city’s sales tax oversight committee.
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield City Councilman Andrae Gonzales visits One on One to discuss spending priorities for the revenue from the Measure N sales tax increase, the makeup of the Measure N committee, downtown revitalization, and some new initiatives he has undertaken in east Bakersfield.
See also:
● Andrae Gonzales: Measure N revenue could reach $58 million per year Bakersfield Californian
State:
Video: A Conversation with Chief of Staff Ann O’Leary
Public Policy Institute of California
In a wide-ranging discussion with PPIC president Mark Baldassare last week, O’Leary identified the “cost crisis” in California as one of the main challenges that Governor Newsom plans to address.
California’s failed tech projects come in late and over budget. Can Gavin Newsom fix them?
Sacramento Bee
Newsom declared technology to be a priority his opening budget with a $36 million proposal to create an Office of Digital Innovation that he says would foster a more flexible, creative approach to government technology.
Credit cards, payment plans, shorter lines: California lawmakers move to fix DMV
Fresno Bee
California lawmakers are moving to address some of the biggest problems at the state Department of Motor Vehicles. A number of proposals aimed at reducing wait times and improving service have recently been introduced.
Will daylight savings time bill set the sun on clock changes in California?
Visalia Times-Delta
Assemblymember Kansen Chu, D-San Jose, hopes it’ll be California’s last clock change. Since 2017, he’s pushed to keep California permanently on daylight savings time, which he believes will benefit public health and safety.
Feinstein’s Green New Deal is ‘like shifting to Deck B on the Titanic,’ progressives say
Sacramento Bee
The California senator’s draft legislation to reduce climate change calls for net-zero global warming gas emissions by 2050, which is a slower timeline than the so-called Green New Deal pushed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Meet California’s new environment czar, who walked the state to ‘reset’
CALmatters
The agency he now manages oversees a half-dozen departments that regulate matters including air and water quality, which are among the state’s most contentious issues.
Opinion: California Has Become the Far Left Coast
Wall Street Journal
Bullet trains and single payer don’t work, but Golden State Democrats demand them anyway.
See also:
● My personal journey through polarized America Brookings
Federal:
North Korea working on rocket launch site, an ominous signal after summit breakdown
Los Angeles Times
In a move that experts said is meant to assert its power and independence, North Korea has reneged on a concession it made last year and begun rebuilding a testing site for long-range rockets.
See also:
● Trump works to maintain illusions of progress, as his main promises go unfulfilled Los Angeles Times
● ‘Not my fault’: Trump struggles to defend his record amid setbacks on immigration, trade, North Korea Washington Post
Cohen Told Lawyer to Seek Trump Pardon
Wall Street Journal
Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Trump, directed his attorney last spring to inquire about the possibility of a presidential pardon, weeks after federal agents raided his properties, Mr. Cohen’s lawyer said Wednesday, apparently contradicting his testimony before a House committee last week.
HR 1 debate gets under way as GOP sharpens attacks
Wall Street Journal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — who has led opposition to House Democrats’ campaign finance, elections and ethics overhaul, HR 1 — said Wednesday he believed lawmakers who support the measure may imperil their re-election chances.
See also:
● With both parties awash with cash, maybe campaign reform isn’t so quixotic Roll Call
Elections 2020:
Is ballot harvesting legal in California? Yes, and that worries some Republicans
Orange County Register
Three years ago, a state law made it easier for Californians to have someone else collect and drop off their absentee ballot. Doing this on a mass scale became known as ballot harvesting.
Kamala Harris has a crowd-pleasing cause. It could cost trillions
San Francisco Chronicle
Even at this early stage in the presidential race, California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris has hit upΩΩon a crowd-pleasing proposal: Give a $500 monthly tax credit to families earning less than $100,000.
Conservatives diving into podcasts to find younger voters, activists
Sacramento Bee
Conservatives learned long ago how to use what were once new media — talk radio and cable television — to mobilize activists. Now they’re diving into podcasting, aiming to lure a younger generation that has largely eluded them.
Trump Revives Old Battle Cry Against 2020 Democrats: Socialism
Bloomberg
Staying true to his brand of nostalgic nationalism, President Donald Trump is reviving a conservative line of attack on Democrats that dates back generations — socialism is on the march.
It’s no longer all about Republican primaries for the Club for Growth
Roll Call
The Club for Growth has long been an arbiter of crowded primaries in safe Republican seats, but its role is evolving in the era of President Donald Trump.
Other:
The Bee wins first-place awards for public service journalism, photography
Modesto Bee
The Modesto Bee’s Garth Stapley received a 2019 George F. Gruner Award for a selection of stories about sexual abuse cover-ups decades ago at First Baptist Church. Bee photographers Joan Barnett Lee and Andy Alfaro also won first-place awards in the competition.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg says he’ll reorient the company toward encryption and privacy
Washington Post
The firm’s focus will shift from a social network in which people broadcast information to large groups of people to one in which people communicate with smaller groups and their content disappears after a short period.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, March 10, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Ready, Fire, Aim: High Speed Rail’s Initial Rollout” – Guest: California State Auditor, Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, March 10, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “High Speed Rail: Leaving the Station?”– Guest: Tim Sheehan with the Fresno Bee. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, March 10, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Los Diez Mas Importantes De California” – Guest: Alexei Koseff, Reportero de San Francisco Chronicle Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Trump Has Been Bad for Farmers
Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration has been bad for American farmers. In 2018 farm incomes declined $9.1 billion and total farm debt rose to $410 billion, the highest in nearly 40 years.
See also:
● Farm income below $70 billion — a new average for U.S. agriculture? Successful Farming
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Is downtown Fresno becoming safer? Crime statistics only tell part of the story
Fresno Bee
Most of the crimes in downtown Fresno are committed by the same people over and over, Castillo said. Police know who these people are. So they track court appearances, release dates and serve friendly reminders.
See also:
● FBI report shows fewer murders in California last year. See the trend in your city Sacramento Bee
Judge orders Fresno sheriff to wait on releasing records on police shooting, misconduct cases
Fresno Bee
A Fresno Superior Court judge has ordered Fresno County not to release any sheriff’s office personnel records related to misconduct or officer-involved shootings that predate Jan. 1, a decision that – at least temporarily – puts local limits upon a new state transparency law.
See also:
● Family of man shot by Fresno police awarded $4.75 million by federal civil jury Fresno Bee
As Stephon Clark protests mount, lawsuit claims Sacramento police shot another unarmed black man
Sacramento Bee
As Sacramento officials grapple with protests over the Stephon Clark case, the family of another young black man shot to death by Sacramento police have sued the city alleging that officers shot him while he was in the midst of a mental health crisis and holding his hands in the air.
See also:
● Was police response to East Sacramento Stephon Clark protest an attempt to protect the rich? Sacramento Bee
● In their own words: Sacramento officers who shot Stephon Clark give their side of the story Sacramento Bee
● Stephon Clark’s death didn’t produce criminal charges. But it could change California law. Sacramento Bee
● ‘Something Went Wrong’: Sacramento Mayor ‘Concerned And Troubled’ About Police Action, 84 Arrests At East Sacramento Protest Capital Public Radio
● The Latest: Shooting Of Stephon Clark Capital Public Radio
● Insight Web Special: Professor Robert Weisberg Explains California’s Police Use Of Force Bills Capital Public Radio
● Know Your Rights: Free Speech And Free Assembly For Protesters Capital Public Radio
● Sacramentans Speak Out At City Council Meeting After DA, AG Decline To File Charges Against Officers Capital Public Radio
● What’s up, chief? How don’t you know why Sac PD made a mess on our streets? Sacramento Bee
Porterville Recorder
“Using a male DNA profile deduced from a crime scene sample, the suspect’s physical description and ancestral background are now known thanks to DNA phenotyping, which provides physical characteristics based on DNA analysis,” Sheriff Boudreaux said.
Public Safety:
State Law Could Shutter Mesa Verde: Some Say There Are Benefits To Keeping It Open
Bakersfield Californian
Although most immigration advocates want the facility shut down, Fresno immigration attorney Jeremy Clason says there is a benefit to having a detention center in the San Joaquin Valley.
See also:
● ICE facility in Bakersfield holding 400 detainees will remain open San Francisco Chronicle
The tide is turning against the NRA
CNN
As recently as the past decade, politicians desperately sought the NRA’s seal of approval. Today, in some parts of the country that seal of approval has become closer to a scarlet letter and a weight on the political fortunes of those who wear it.
Archaeologists find hidden tunnels below Alcatraz prison
abc30
Archaeologists confirmed a long-time suspicion of historians and say that famed Alcatraz prison was built over a Civil War-era military fortification. They found fully buried structures, ammunition magazines and tunnels.
Walters: 1872 law gives police a license to kill
CALmatters
Penal Code Section 196, enacted in 1872 when California was the nation’s sparsely populated westernmost frontier, declares that a police officer may lawfully kill someone while “arresting persons charged with felony, and who are fleeing from justice or resisting such arrest.”
Fire:
Judge might order ‘dismal’ PG&E to halt shareholder dividends to focus on wildfires
Sacramento Bee
A federal judge, calling PG&E’s management “dismal,” said late Tuesday he might order the utility to halt shareholder dividends and spend the money instead on wildfire prevention.
See also:
● California Officials Focus On Forest Management After Fires Capital Public Radio
● US Judge Eases Wildfire Safety Plan For California Utility Capital Public Radio
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Coming To A City Near You, 5G. Fastest Wireless Yet Will Bring New Services
Capital Public Radio
One of the lures Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg using to draw businesses is newly installed Verizon fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless. Each generation of faster wireless speeds has helped spark innovation.
California Trade Report for December 2018
California Center for Jobs and the Economy
Total US goods trade (exports and imports) through California ports edged up to 18.16% (12 month moving average; compared to 18.14% in Nov 2018 and 18.48% in Dec 2017).
See also:
● U.S. Posts Record Annual Trade Deficit Wall Street Journal
● Fed’s Beige Book: Shutdown Slowed Economic Activity in Some Areas Wall Street Journal
● Early Economic Indicators Paint a Complicated Picture for Trump Wall Street Journal
● ‘The Third Pillar’ Review: Why Washington Is the Problem Wall Street Journal
● The Trump trade deficit AEI
● EDITORIAL: Trade Deficit Freak Out Wall Street Journal
Regulators Move to Ease Crisis-Era Levers Over Financial Firms
Wall Street Journal
Regulators dialed back a practice of publicly shaming the nation’s biggest banks through “stress test” exams, taking one of the biggest steps yet to ease scrutiny put in place after the 2008 crisis.
Jobs:
Family Dollar is closing up to 390 stores. What about Fresno, Valley stores?
Fresno Bee
Family Dollar could close up to 390 stores around the U.S. this year. On the other hand, it’s also planning to renovate 1,000 other stores, begin selling alcohol at 1,000 stores and switch 200 stores to Dollar Tree stores.
Fresno company invests in employee financial literacy
Business Journal
A popular financial savings plan has found its way into Fresno and according to its users, their team members have already been seeing positive results.
See also:
● White House Presses Businesses to Reshape Training Efforts Wall Street Journal
EDUCATION
K-12:
Is Visalia’s discipline policy working?
Visalia Times-Delta
The special board meeting will focus on the district’s implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports.
Teachers Balk At Summer School Cancellation In Bakersfield
Valley Public Radio
A large group of mostly teachers stands outside the door of the Bakersfield City School District’s board meeting. They’re angry because there’s not enough space in the boardroom for all the teachers who want to voice their concerns.
Garces Memorial gets Apple Distinguished School designation
Bakersfield Californian
Garces Memorial High School has been named an Apple Distinguished School for 2018 through 2020. The school was recognized by the tech giant for how students use iPads in their robotics and virtual business programs, as well as to design real construction projects, such as their student store.
Google Summit – The 20time Project
Porterville Recorder
On Saturday, February 23, approximately 60 educators from K-12 grades attended a Google Summit at Porterville Military Academy. Jose Vasquez, director of STEM for PUSD introduced the Google certified educators who presented.
New curriculum aims to teach history of Clovis
Clovis Roundup
During a joint meeting between the Clovis City Council and Clovis Veterans Memorial District board, councilmember Vong Mouanoutoua brought up the idea of providing a curriculum which would teach the history of Clovis.
California will audit school districts to find out how many homeless students there are
Orange County Register
In California, schools are legally required to identify homeless students, provide services to those students and report the data back to the state, yet a quarter of all schools in the state say that none of their students are experiencing homelessness.
CALmatters
With new fast-tracked transparency rules for charter schools in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has fulfilled a January pledge to bring “long overdue” accountability measures to this growing sector of public schools.
See also:
● SB 126 Requires Charter Schools to Comply with Transparency and Conflict of Interest Laws AALRR
States Propose Increased Teacher Pay After Months Filled With Protests
Wall Street Journal
Governors and legislators in at least 25 states are proposing increasing teacher pay following strikes that crippled school operations and left hundreds of thousands of students missing school in recent months.
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.
Student parents ‘end up feeling like college isn’t for them.’ Here’s the plan to change that
Fresno Bee
At Tuesday’s Student Parent Resource Fair, child care, emotional support and basic needs like food and diapers were all topics of interest for student parents, who were also asked to write messages to university president Joseph Castro.
Will a $10,000 tax deduction inspire Californians to save for college?
Sacramento Bee
The proposal, Assembly Bill 211, would give families a deduction of up to $10,000 if they contribute money to a state-managed college savings plan known as ScholarShare.
University of California undergrads won’t face a tuition hike in the fall, UC announces
San Francisco Chronicle
It will be the seventh time in the last 8 years that UC officials have kept tuition the flat for California residents amid rising costs and enrollment numbers across the UC system, university officials said Wednesday.
See also:
● UC says higher tuition for out-of-staters will help Californians EdSource
Demanding open access, UC breaks with world’s largest scholarly research publisher
Mercury News
The University of California has broken up with the world’s largest scholarly research journal publisher, ending its subscriptions with behemoth Reed Elsevier. By ending its contract, UC is the first major university system in the U.S. to insist on open access publishing.
Compare Any Two Colleges From the WSJ/THE College Rankings
Wall Street Journal
Select two schools from the full list of nearly 1,000 U.S. colleges and universities and compare how they stack up side-by-side. You can explore what each school does best and worst, as well as drill into the nuances that make one school a better fit than another.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Feinstein’s Green New Deal is ‘like shifting to Deck B on the Titanic,’ progressives say
Sacramento Bee
The California senator’s draft legislation to reduce climate change calls for net-zero global warming gas emissions by 2050, which is a slower timeline than the so-called Green New Deal pushed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Meet California’s new environment czar, who walked the state to ‘reset’
CALmatters
The agency he now manages oversees a half-dozen departments that regulate matters including air and water quality, which are among the state’s most contentious issues.
Congress launches probe on why Texas and EPA stopped NASA from tracking Harvey pollution
Los Angeles Times
Congressional Democrats are launching an investigation into the fate of NASA’s offer to fly a pollution-analyzing jet over the Houston region in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
US plans end to wolf protections; critics say it’s premature
Sacramento Bee
U.S. wildlife officials plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, re-igniting the legal battle over a predator that’s running into conflicts with farmers and ranchers as its numbers rebound in some regions.
See also:
● Gray wolf may be stripped of endangered species protections Los Angeles Times
Energy:
CalChoice Delivers Feasibility Studies
Public CEO
The California Choice Energy Authority, CalChoice, has conducted technical studies to determine feasibility for Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs in the cities of Baldwin Park, Commerce, Hanford, Palmdale, Pomona and Santa Paula.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Congressman Kevin McCarthy holds valley fever roundtable
Bakersfield Californian
Congressman Kevin McCarthy held a valley fever roundtable in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. McCarthy, co-chair of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, led the meeting along with Arizona Rep. David Schweikert, his co-chairman on the task force.
Health Watch: Juuling and teens controversy
abc30
The U.S. Surgeon General is calling vaping an epidemic among adolescents. More than 3.6 million U.S. teens, including one in five high school students and one in 20 middle school students used e-cigarettes last year.
Three Californians contract measles on flight into SFO
San Francisco Chronicle
Three California residents, including one from San Francisco, have contracted measles, health officials said Wednesday, though they don’t believe the highly contagious disease will spread further.
Brookings
A 2017 study out of the Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT showed that an artificial intelligence (AI) system was equal or better than radiologists at reading mammograms for high risk cancer lesions needing surgery.
Human Services:
New Residential Facility To Address Gaps In Fresno’s Mental Health Treatment
Valley Public Radio
Mental health care is a constant need here in the San Joaquin Valley, especially for those who can’t afford to go elsewhere—and for those whose symptoms are tough enough to require some treatment but not hospitalization.
Benzeevi denied access to $1.3 million bank account
Visalia Times-Delta
Tulare hospital’s former administrator was denied access to a $1.3 million bank account. Hospital revenue was funneled into that account. HCCA was allowed to use it to repay itself any debt owed by the district, according to Benzeevi’s lawyers.
Trump Administration Looks to Jump Start Interstate Health-Insurance Sales
Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration is weighing new ways to spur the sale of health insurance across state lines, a long-held goal of President Trump and congressional Republicans that has so far failed to gain much traction.
IMMIGRATION
California scores win against Trump’s citizenship census question
Sacramento Bee
The U.S. District Court of Northern California has ruled that the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. Census violates federal law, handing California a victory in one of its 47 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
See also:
● Second Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Census Citizenship Question Plans Capital Public Radio
● Judge says citizenship question on census ‘threatens’ democracy PBS NewsHour
● Why a Census? United States Census
● Ahead of court ruling, Census Bureau seeks citizenship data Fresno Bee
AP News Report: Government kept tabs on journalists, ‘instigators’
Porterville Recorder
The U.S. government ran an operation to screen journalists, activists and others while investigating last year’s migrant caravan from Mexico, a San Diego TV station reported Wednesday, citing leaked documents.
See also:
● Documents show attorneys, journalists and advocates among those monitored by U.S. border officials Los Angeles Times
US asylum shift targets Spanish speakers, Latin Americans
Modesto Bee
Border agents have been told to explicitly target Spanish speakers and migrants from Latin America in carrying out a Trump administration program requiring asylum seekers wait in Mexico.
Homeland Security chief defends Trump’s misstatement on border apprehensions
Los Angeles Times
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen sparred with newly empowered House Democrats over President Trump’s immigration policies Wednesday, defending his recent misstatement that border apprehensions were at an all-time high.
See also:
● EDITORIAL: Trump’s harsh immigration tactics aren’t working. Migrant crossings are soaring Los Angeles Times
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Sneak peek: A cocktail bar plans to transform this empty rooftop with views of downtown Fresno
Fresno Bee
Quail State is renting space at the Pacific Southwest Building on Fulton and Mariposa streets. The rooftop where the bar will locate is a second-floor rooftop, not the landing that wraps around the top of the 16-floor building.
Lot that was once the Stone Hotel in Kingsburg to become new mixed-use space
abc30
The corner of California and Draper street in Kingsburg is one of the main entrances into downtown. Soon the 12,000 square feet lot will become Stone Plaza. A new two-story, mixed-use space.
Fresno Airport approved for $35M Infrastructure Loan
Business Journal
Finding parking at Fresno Yosemite International Airport should become easier in the next few years, now that the city’s airport authority has received approval for a $35 million loan to build a parking garage.
Wood Colony residents tell Modesto: Don’t include us in your future plans
Modesto Bee
Many residents of Wood Colony — the close-knit unincorporated farming community west of Highway 99 — don’t want to be part of the city’s growth plans.
Housing:
L.A. settles homeless rights case, likely limiting ability to clear skid row streets
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday agreed to settle a pivotal and contentious case on the property rights of homeless people — a decision that is likely to limit the seizure and destruction of encampments on skid row.
See also:
● Inglewood votes to limit rent hikes and halt evictions spurred by development Los Angeles Times
New Bill Would Create a Regional Housing Government for the Bay Area
KQED
State lawmakers are proposing to create a housing agency for the San Francisco Bay Area, with the ability to impose regional taxes to fund development, local planning and tenant assistance.
PUBLIC FINANCES
State workers’ hoarding of vacation days builds up a $3.5-billion debt for taxpayers
Los Angeles Times
In a trend that stems from lax enforcement of the state’s cap on vacation accrual, more and more state workers are able to retire with massive payouts for unused vacation and other leave.
See also:
● Everyone is saying they just won a big court case on pensions. What does that mean for you? CALmatters
Sacramento Bee
Ted Toppin, chairman of Californians for Retirement Security, reacts to a California Supreme Court ruling allowing cuts to retirement perks for state employees on Monday, March 4, 2019.
The Trouble With Taxing Wealth
Wall Street Journal
Elizabeth Warren’s proposed tax on net worth seems like a nearly surgical strike at inequality, but it may not be efficient.
See also:
● The 2017 Tax Cut Still Won’t Pay for Itself Real Clear Policy
TRANSPORTATION
Traffic to be one way for 2 weeks on SR 41
Madera Tribune
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in cooperation with Agee Construction has announced one-way traffic control on State Route 41 near Oakhurst for two weeks as part of a culvert repair project.
See also:
● Storm washes out roads in Tuolumne County; drivers warned to stay away Modesto Bee
● Hwy. 1 in Big Sur will remain closed due to ‘significant’ slide activity, Caltrans says Sacramento Bee
Someone has been throwing rocks at drivers along Pacheco Pass. CHP launches investigation
Merced Sun-Star
CHP has been investing eight to 10 incidents of cars being damaged between Casa de Fruta and Dinosaur Point, the Santa Clara County side of Pacheco Pass, since February 2018.
Residents can now rent Clovis Transit’s Trolleybus
Clovis Roundup
Clovis Transit’s rental trolleybus can accommodate 26-30 passengers on trips and routes that remain within a 50-mile radius of the City Corporation Yard –– 155 N. Sunnyside Ave.
EDITORIAL: All those scooters everywhere? That’s a good thing
Los Angeles Times
The city is about to engage in an experiment to see if regulations can curtail the negatives of scooters (tipped over vehicles, blocked sidewalks, careless riders) and allow the positives (environmentally friendly, fun, car-free travel) to flourish.
WATER
Timeline for Success Dam widening project released
Madera Tribune
On Tuesday morning the timeline was published, and it reveals that construction on the Success Dam Enlargement Project will begin in mid 2020. Until then, plenty of work is scheduled to happen before construction starts.
Weather Service: Half a million people in Fresno area to see ‘severe weather’ activity
Fresno Bee
Rain pummeled downtown Fresno on Wednesday afternoon just as the National Weather Service station in Hanford issued a severe weather advisory minutes before.
See also:
● Rain forces closure of major highway leading to Yosemite Fresno Bee
● Crews monitor high flow rates on Kaweah River abc30
● Valley water agencies say they’re prepared to handle this year’s high rainfall abc30
● Flood threat prompts evacuation recommendation for Kelso Creek communities Bakersfield Californian
● Weather update: Dime-sized hail possible as strong burst of showers sweeps across region Sacramento Bee
● The United States just had its wettest winter on record Washington Post
Trump Pressure on California Water Plan Excludes Public, Rushes Science, Emails Show
KQED
The Trump Administration has ordered federal biologists to speed up critical decisions about whether to send more water from Northern California to farmers in the Central Valley, a move that critics say threatens the integrity of the science and cuts the public out of the process.
“Xtra”
Can Anyone Sing Opera? Fresno State’s ‘Madama Butterfly’ Gives Students And Faculty The Chance
Valley Public Radio
This weekend, Fresno State’s Music Department will be performing the opera, “Madama Butterfly.” The hundred-year-old show is about the convoluted marriage of an American naval officer and a Japanese geisha known as Madama Butterfly.
These Fresno-area restaurants won Best of the Valley awards. Is your favorite among them?
Fresno Bee
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but Fresno-area restaurateurs got dressed up for the 28th annual Best of the Valley awards ceremony Monday. Hosted by the California Restaurant Association’s Fresno chapter, places to eat and other food companies were honored in more than 30 categories.
Old Town restaurant unveils new look
Clovis Roundup
Old Town restaurant The Gastro Grill has undergone a re-brand. From now on, the establishment will officially be known as The Craft House.
Sensory friendly showings of ‘Captain Marvel,’ ‘Wonder Park’ to be featured at Fresno theater
abc30
Regal Cinemas is introducing the “My Way Matinee” program, a sensory-friendly movie-going experience that will feature lower sounds and brighter lights in the theaters.
Try your luck with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations next weekend
Bakersfield Californian
There’s plenty going on in town next weekend, with fun for both adults out on the town looking to party and families wanting to observe the holiday without all the green beer and Guinness.
Ante up for a good cause at Action for Austin poker tournament
Bakersfield Californian
To help its mission, Action for Austin is holding its third annual poker tournament on Saturday at Temblor Brewing Co., with dinner, dessert and raffle items also on tap.
Rogue On! Fresno’s Long-Running, Sometimes Outlandish Fringe Festival
Valley Public Radio
Fresno’s 10 day Rogue Fest is one of the longest running fringe festivals in the world and it’s happening this week in the Tower District. There’s music, theater, dance, spoken word and magic.
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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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