May 17, 2019

17May

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

What should Modesto’s downtown look like? City hires consultant to create plan

Modesto Bee

Modesto wants to build off the momentum it sees in downtown by working with a consultant to create a master plan that would serve as the city center’s blueprint over a couple of decades.

Central SJ Valley:

Assemblyman Arambula found not guilty in child abuse case. He returns to Capitol Monday

Fresno Bee

California Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, the Fresno Democrat, was found not guilty Thursday in his misdemeanor child abuse trial.

See also:

●     Jury finds Assemblyman Arambula not guilty of child abuse abc30

●     California lawmaker Joaquin Arambula cleared of misdemeanor child cruelty Los Angeles Times

●     EDITORIAL: Assemblyman Arambula is cleared of child abuse charges. Now he must regain our trust Fresno Bee

Democrats called Devin Nunes ‘almost criminal.’ There’s no sign they’ll investigate him

Fresno Bee

Democrats railed against Rep. Devin Nunes during his time as House Intelligence Committee chairman, but now that they hold power, don’t expect them to wield it against him.

Sex workers and drugs in the Valley’s ‘red light district.’ Can this Fresno area be fixed?

Fresno Bee

The proposal, up for a vote by the City Council on Thursday, would create an inspection program for motels. If the motels don’t meet basic health and safety standards, owners would be subject to citations, abatement proceedings, injunctions, receivership and possibly criminal charges.

See also:

●     Fresno’s notorious Motel Drive to be cleaned up abc30

Office space fight between Fresno mayor and council is over. Lesson learned?

Fresno Bee

A Fresno City Council decision about office space that prompted a veto from Mayor Lee Brand earlier this month has been resolved. Council member Miguel Arias announced the deal Thursday, and the council did not vote on Brand’s veto — the first he’d ever used.

Devin Nunes, TJ Cox delay financial reports amid accusations they didn’t disclose businesses

Modesto Bee

California Congressmen Devin Nunes and TJ Cox have filed requests for extensions on their mandatory financial disclosure forms, which were due Wednesday.

South SJ Valley:

Few answers in mysterious disappearance of McFarland city manager

Bakersfield Californian

Details remained scarce on the disappearance of McFarland City Manager John Wooner as the case entered its second full day.

State:

In housing, privacy and more, a Capitol lightning round nixes controversial bills

CALmatters

Some of the most contentious ideas California lawmakers were considering this year—to expand internet privacy protections and require denser housing development—were jettisoned Thursday as the Legislature culled hundreds of bills in a fast-and-furious annual procedural ritual.

’Come back home’: Gavin Newsom cites Alabama abortion ban to recapture the film industry

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom is citing recent abortion bans in conservative states to argue that film companies should take their productions out of the South and back to California.

See also:

●     New far-reaching abortion bans too extreme for some Republican leaders Los Angeles Times

●     EDITORIAL: Some court decisions deserve to be overruled. Roe vs. Wade isn’t one of them Los Angeles Times

Newsom appoints Sacramento State alumnus to Visit California board of directors

Sacramento Bee

Governor Gavin Newsom appointed former San Francisco tourism executive, Sacramento native and Sacramento State alumnus Joe D’Alessandro to Visit California’s board of directors Tuesday.

Walters: A dangerous conflict-of-interest loophole

CALmatters

It is – or should be – obvious that a government official should not have a personal financial stake in his or her decisions. That should make us suspicious of any attempt to punch loopholes in Section 1090, as Assembly Bill 626 would do.

EDITORIAL: Support funding for civil counsel in California

Los Angeles Times

Unlike in criminal cases, in which the Constitution guarantees a right to counsel and government pays for defense counsel from its taxpayer-funded treasury, there is no similar right to civil counsel, so there is resistance to tapping taxpayer funds to pay for it.

Federal:

Local lawmakers, officials say they’re not surprised after govt derails California’s bullet train plan

abc30

The future of California’s bullet train, derailed. The Federal Government is canceling nearly 1 billion dollars in California High-Speed Rail funding, weeks after the authority requested more money for the project.

See also:

●      Mayor says Merced stuck in the middle of high-speed rail fight between feds and state Merced Sun Star

●      Trump administration pulls $1 billion from California rail project Associated Press

●     Trump administration cancels $929 million contract for California bullet train Sacramento Bee

●     Government terminates $928 million contract with high-speed rail abc30

●     High-Speed Rail project costs could increase by $1.8 billion abc30

●     Mayor says Merced stuck in the middle of high-speed rail fight between feds and state Merced Sun-Star

●     Trump administration pulls $1 billion from California rail project Bakersfield Californian

●     Trump pulls $1B for California rail project Business Journal

●     California governor blasts revoking of rail cash Business Journal

●     Trump administration cancels $929-million grant for California bullet train Los Angeles Times

●     Trump administration cancels California’s high-speed rail funding San Francisco Chronicle

●     Grove: Pump the Brakes on the Bullet Train California Globe

●      (Video) California high-speed rail loses $929M in federal funds over ‘critical failures’ — Fox Business  

●      Trump Administration Wants California to Pay Back $2.5 Billion for High-Speed Rail New York Times

House set to approve sweeping bill to expand gay rights

Fresno Bee

Democrats in the House are poised to approve sweeping anti-discrimination legislation that would extend civil rights protections to LGBT people by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

See also:

●      House passes bill to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; vote unlikely in GOP-led Senate Washington Post

Treasury expected to ignore Friday subpoena deadline seeking Trump tax returns

abc30

Another deadline to turn over copies of President Trump’s tax returns is expected to pass Friday, the latest in a series of requests the administration has ignored.

Elections 2020:

Pete Buttigieg to campaign in Fresno in bid to unseat Trump from White House

Fresno Bee

Three years after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders each held rallies in Fresno to inspire and score votes, Pete Buttigieg will come to Fresno on June 3 to hold one of his first town hall meetings.

Dem domination: California Legislature is turning many shades of blue

CALmatters

The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats for decades.

Other:

California has the 10th sexiest accent in America — wait, we have an accent?

Fresno Bee

Did you know Californians had an accent? Apparently, we do — and it’s ranked as the tenth-sexiest in the country by travel site Big 7.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, May 19, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Impact of the ACA on ER Visits: Can More Be Less?” – Guest: Shannon McConville – PPIC. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, May 19, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition:  “The Senior Boom: Preparing for the Baby Boom Aftershock” – Guests: Laurel Beck and Shannon McConville with PPIC.  Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, May 19, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy“Public Employee Retiree Healthcare” – Guests: Joe Hayes, Investigator PPIC and Liam Dillon with Los Angeles Times.  Host: Ana Melendez.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Record cherry haul in California now at risk. Will late rains wipe out the season?

Fresno Bee

The mid-May downpour and his windshield wipers told Bruce Blodgett, executive director of the farm bureau in San Joaquin County, everything he needed to know: His county’s record ready-to-pick yield of sweet cherries was in serious danger.

See also:

●     Timing of latest storm could mean trouble for farmers. Here’s what crops are at risk Fresno Bee

●     Rain causes damage to Valley’s cherry crop abc30

●     Cherry growers work to offset effects of rain on crops as Linden prepares for annual festival Stockton Record

California lawmakers reject cannabis tax cut but advance bill requiring more pot shops

Los Angeles Times

California lawmakers balked Thursday at cutting taxes on cannabis to help the foundering legal market, while they moved forward a proposal to require more cities to allow pot shops but reduced the number of new stores required.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Should police be able to recognize your face? California considers plan to ban the technology

Fresno Bee

California lawmakers are considering a plan to prevent police departments from using facial recognition technology on body cameras.

See also:     

●     EDITORIAL: San Francisco’s ban on facial recognition tech goes too far Los Angeles Times

A Census worker’s arrest for child sex assault raises hiring concerns in Congress

Roll Call

Some members of the North Carolina delegation have called for an investigation into the U.S. Census Bureau’s hiring practices following the arrest of a bureau manager in Charlotte on charges of sexually assaulting a child.

Public Safety:

’Every family … here wants justice.’ Widow of fallen Newman cop speaks at DC event

Modesto Bee

A tragedy in the small Stanislaus County community of Newman again was in the national spotlight as President Donald Trump paid tribute to the family of Cpl. Ronil Singh at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Law enforcement gather to honor their fallen

Hanford Sentinel

Six Kings County law enforcement personnel, along with another 13 law enforcement personnel from across the state that was honored Wednesday morning during the Kings County Peace Officers’ Memorial ceremony.

Police agencies are slowly coming to grips with a new transparency law.

montereycountyweekly.com

SB 1421, authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, became law on Jan. 1 and allows the public to access previously unobtainable records about police behavior.

Senate confirms Trump’s pick for 9th Circuit Court over objections of Feinstein and Harris

Los Angeles Times

The Senate confirmed Los Angeles litigator Kenneth Kiyul Lee to a California seat on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday over the objections of Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

See also:

●      Mitch McConnell on Judges and the ‘Graveyard’ Wall Street Journal

EDITORIAL: Gun storage laws save lives, so why don’t we have more of them?

Los Angeles Times

A study published this week in JAMA Pediatrics reinforces a sobering reality: that far too many minors are gaining access to firearms and either committing suicide or accidentally killing themselves — or others.

See also:

●      John Paul Stevens: The Court Failed on Gun Control The Atlantic

Fire:

Official Cause Of The ‘Camp Fire’ Released By Cal Fire

Sierra Star

The Camp Fire, which burned over 153,000 acres in Butte County last year and destroyed 18,804 structures, was caused by PG&E electrical transmission lines, said Cal Fire in a statement released today.

See also:

●     PG&E caused Camp Fire, according to Cal Fire Visalia Times-Delta

●     EDITORIAL: No surprise: PG&E’s to blame for the Paradise fire, but will it face any penalty? San Francisco Chronicle

Train Now To Be A Volunteer Fire Lookout This Fire Season

Sierra Star

From atop the mountain perch overlooking a vast expanse of green, eyes are carefully trained to spot the early tell-tale signs of forest fire. A wisp of smoke triggers a series of actions that can mean the difference between safety and catastrophe.

To Control Forest Fires, Western States Light More of Their Own

Pew Research

The Forest Service and its partners hope over the next decade to carry out a series of such prescribed burns in Northern Colorado to protect communities and the river, which supplies water to about 300,000 people.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Stockton’s future is bright, with investment

Visalia Times-Delta

While we aspire to build a #CaliforniaForAll, our state faces serious divides between regions of enormous wealth and regions of deep poverty. Communities like my hometown of Stockton did not fall behind by accident.

Stocks climb for third straight day as trade-war worries ease

Los Angeles Times

Stocks on Wall Street closed broadly higher Thursday for the third straight day, led by solid gains in technology companies and banks.

See also:

●      U.S. Farmers, Wanting a Trade Deal, Brace for Aid Package Some Fear Will Fall Short WSJ

The Bureau of Gambling Control and California Gambling Control Commission Report 2018-132

Auditor of the State of California

The Gambling Control Act (Gambling Act) and state regulations give the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control (bureau) and the California Gambling Control Commission (commission) distinct responsibilities for a range of licensing and enforcement activities related to gaming businesses—primarily card rooms—in California.

U.S. reaches deal with Canada, Mexico to lift steel, aluminum tariffs, clearing key obstacle to passage of Trump’s new trade deal

Washington Post

In a significant step toward congressional approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the U.S. agreed to lift the tariffs in 48 hours in return for tough new measures to prevent Chinese steel from entering the U.S. via Canada or Mexico. The deal avoids quotas on steel from the two countries, which Canada and Mexico had opposed.

Forbes: Capitalism Will Save Us — If Only We Let It

Forbes

Capitalism, free enterprise, free markets–whatever you label our system–is moral because one succeeds by meeting the needs and wants of other people.

The economy isn’t getting better for most Americans, but there’s a fix

Brookings

Gross domestic product, a long trusted indicator of U.S. economic growth, fails to show just how unevenly that growth is distributed in America. Heather Boushey argues that in order to address widening income inequality, we must rethink the way we measure economic progress and find new ways to restore power to workers.

See also:

●      Don’t Give Trump Too Much Credit for the Soaring Economy Wall Street Journal

Jobs:

Labor union protests UPS distribution hub construction

Visalia Times-Delta

A labor union is accusing Tom Corea Construction Inc. — tasked with building Visalia’s planned 425,000 square-foot UPS distribution hub — of paying its workers unfair wages and operating outside of “area standards.”

Trump administration moves on religious freedom for medical workers prove divisive

Roll Call

Growing tensions over the Trump administration’s policies that aim to strengthen religious freedom protections for health care workers have led to a partisan tug-of-war playing out in the House.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Teachers: ‘I am worth more than zero’

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia Unified isn’t the only Tulare County school district battling controversy. Earlimart educators spent Teacher Appreciation Week picketing years without a meaningful salary increase across Earlimart School District.

Steam Lab dedicated in memory of Isaac Nunes

Porterville Recorder

Over 300 people attended a heartfelt ceremony on Tuesday, May 14, dedicating the new STEAM Lab at Olive Street School to the memory of former principal Isaac T. Nunes, who passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the school year.

Betsy DeVos wants to resurrect an old — and failed — model of public education

Washington Post

Government-funded and -run schools evolved from a broader system of public education that could not provide what students needed.

Higher Ed:

Meet the new face of UC Merced. Board names interim chancellor as Leland retires

Fresno Bee

University of California officials named an interim to head up UC Merced on Thursday, days after longtime Chancellor Dorothy Leland announced her intention to retire.

See also:

●     EDITORIAL: Dorothy Leland, UC Merced’s strong leader, set a high standard for the next chancellor  Merced Sun-Star

Central Valley man who was incarcerated for 25 years set to graduate from Fresno State with master’s degree

abc30

From ex-con to Dean’s Medalist – that’s how Arnold Treviño describes his journey in life. At Fresno State, he helped launch “Project Rebound”, a student support service that works with people formerly incarcerated and interested in higher education.

SAT ‘adversity score’ to give broader view of student circumstances

abc30

The Environmental Context Dashboard identifies students “who have demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness to overcome challenges and achieve more with less.”

See also:

●     College SAT results to include another score: Hardship in students’ lives Los Angeles Times

●     SAT To Score Students’ ‘Disadvantages’ To Try To Even The Playing Field NPR

Grant to help Pacific prepare STEM teachers

Stockton Record

A $1.45 million grant will play a key role in helping University of the Pacific recruit and prepare aspiring teachers majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to address the shortage of STEM teachers in San Joaquin County.

San Jose State allegedly mishandled $6.3 million per documents

sjsunews.com

Less than 5% of Spartan Foundation money intended for athletic scholarships was distributed to San Jose State athletes from 2013-2016, according to sources and confirmed by documents reviewed by the Spartan Daily.

Coping with High Housing Costs in College

PPIC

With higher housing costs in California making it increasingly expensive to attend college, more college students are living with their parents.

EDITORIAL: The New and Unimproved SAT

Wall Street Journal

The college test’s ‘adversity score’ may foment more cynicism.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

EPA watchdog suggests agency recover $124,000 in Pruitt’s ‘excessive’ travel expenses

Washington Post

The Environmental Protection Agency should consider recovering nearly $124,000 in improper travel expenses by former EPA chief Scott Pruitt, the agency’s inspector general recommended Thursday.

Energy:

Gov. Newsom pushes PG&E to move faster in bankruptcy case

San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially waded into Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s bankruptcy case on Wednesday, pushing the utility to craft a reorganization plan faster than it wants to and accusing it of failing to act with enough urgency about its wildfire problems.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Teen suicide prevention treatment can be hard to find across the USA

Visalia Times-Delta

Teens across America are increasingly anxious and depressed. Social media is amplifying bullying and other bad behaviors, leaving kids feeling isolated and tormented.

Climate change could bring the bubonic plague back to Los Angeles

Los Angeles Times

The steamship caused the last global outbreak of bubonic plague. Climate change could cause the next one.

Highly Potent Weed Has Swept The Market, Raising Concerns About Health Risks

KQED

As more states legalize cannabis, the number of people buying and using the drug has spiked — and the strains they have access to have become increasingly more potent. That concerns scientists who study marijuana and its effects on the body.

Human Services:

Adventist pledges $20 million in Tulare hospital

Visalia Times-Delta

Adventist has pledged to spend $10 million over a two-year span to upgrade and improve the hospital. This is in addition to the $10 million it took to get the hospital up and running after nearly a yearlong closure.

California psychiatrist ‘depressed’ by Trump 2016 win stumbled to work drunk, board says

Sacramento Bee

California’s medical board put a Napa psychiatrist on probation for seven years after he admitted to stumbling to work drunk the day after President Donald Trump’s election because he was “depressed” by the outcome, board records say.

EDITORIAL: Nurse practitioners can improve Californians’ access to healthcare

Los Angeles Times

Thanks to the state’s embrace of Obamacare, California has expanded health insurance to millions of uninsured residents over the last five years. But as the number of people covered has grown, so has the strain on the doctors, clinics and hospitals that must respond to the increasing demand for care.

IMMIGRATION

Here’s how many Fresno kids would be displaced under HUD’s undocumented proposal

Fresno Bee

Some 1,300 children in Fresno could be displaced under a new proposal that would force undocumented family members to move out of public housing, according to preliminary numbers from a local review.

See also:

●     Letters From Washington: Your Employees Could Be Undocumented New York Times

Trump immigration plan revamps asylum, requires work skills and learning English

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump’s new plan to overhaul the immigration system would require immigrants to learn English, create a new visa for highly skilled workers and revamp asylum laws in a push for more merit-based decisions on who is allowed to stay in the country.

See also:

●     Trump unveils immigration plan at White House abc30

●     Trump tries another immigration reset ahead of 2020 Los Angeles Times

●     What’s in Trump’s immigration proposal PBS

●     Trump prepares to unveil broad immigration plan but shows no signs of tempering hard-line rhetoric Washington Post

●     Trump‘s latest immigration plan came with no Democratic outreach Roll Call

●     Trump border plan targets those who overstay visas | McClatchy Washington Bureau

●      Trump lobbies for Dem support of immigration plan even while using hardline rhetoric Roll Call

●      Trump’s latest immigration plan came with no Democratic outreach Roll Call

●     EDITORIAL: Trump’s weak immigration proposal should be a prompt for actual comprehensive reform Los Angeles Times

Courts weigh Trump’s plan to tap Pentagon for border wall

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump is moving fast to spend billions of dollars to build a wall on the Mexican border with money secured under his declaration of a national emergency, but he first must get past the courts.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Camp Fresno upkeep bill in dispute despite city’s negligence

Fresno Bee

When the trees at Camp Fresno started dying by the hundreds and this city-owned “jewel” in the Sierra Nevada was threatened with closure by the U.S. Forest Service due to the hazardous conditions, Jarrod Deaver sought an answer.

Taco Bell is opening a hotel and resort — it’s in California, of course

Fresno Bee

Get ready for “The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel and Resort.” You read that right. The same brand that gave us Baja Blasts and taco shells made from Doritos is making a foray into the hospitality business.

Dam failure could flood Disneyland and dozens of Orange County cities, engineers warn

Los Angeles Times

Federal engineers are raising alarms that a “significant flood event” could breach the spillway of Southern California’s aging Prado Dam and potentially inundate dozens of Orange County communities from Disneyland to Newport Beach.

Housing:

High-profile California housing bill dies without a vote: ‘I’m deeply disappointed’

Fresno Bee

The highest-profile bill moving through the California Legislature aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis has effectively been killed for the rest of the year.

See also:

●     High-profile California housing bill dies without a vote: ‘I’m deeply disappointed’ Sacramento Bee

●     California bill to add housing in single-family home neighborhoods blocked by lawmakers Los Angeles Times

●     Major California housing bill put on hold until 2020 San Francisco Chronicle

●     California’s hottest housing bill was just unexpectedly shelved. What you need to know CALmatters

●     Debate over solutions to California’s housing crisis must broaden Public CEO

US home construction climbed 5.7% in April

Fresno Bee

U.S. home construction rose in April, led by an uptick in single-family homes. The Commerce Department said Thursday that homebuilding rose 5.7% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.24 million.

See also:

●     Lawmakers Shelve a Potential Remedy to the Housing Crisis New York Times

PUBLIC FINANCES

California once paid its bills with IOUs. It’s still writing checks to settle recession debts 

Sacramento Bee

A group of business owners who received IOUs instead of checks from the state of California during the recession could be paid $2.7 million a decade later.

Guns, gas and soda – most California tax proposals died at the Capitol, but a few remain

Sacramento Bee

California lawmakers this year put forward new tax proposals that would have hit soda drinkers, bankers and gun owners — not to mention anyone with a car. Most of those proposals died this week in a major culling of bills, leaving only a handful of tax measures.

TRANSPORTATION

Driving with an old dealer license plate? Here’s why cops are on the lookout for you

Fresno Bee

If you’re still driving with that old paper license plate — the one advertising a dealership in bright, bold letters — you’re flashing a loud signal to the police car behind you: Stop Me!

Clovis bus driver to compete in ‘roadeo’ for national title

abc30

In an industry where you’re judged by whether or not you’re on time, the roadeo tests a bus driver’s skill level.

Board of Supervisors approves roundabout in North Fork, but some remain skeptical.

Merced Sun-Star

Despite some public backlash, the Madera County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the construction of North Fork’s first roundabout.

Sequoia Shuttle kicks off 2019 season

Visalia Times-Delta

Sequoia Shuttle’s summer season begins on Thursday, May 23 helping Central Valley residents and tourists from around the world visit Sequoia National Park.

Amtrak San Joaquins Improves On-Time Performance and Southern California Connectivity with New Schedule

Hanford Sentinel

Amtrak San Joaquins SM will be changing schedules on May 20, 2019 to improve on-time performance, enhance statewide connectivity, and make rail travel convenient for the greatest number of travelers.

The loneliness problem in L.A. starts with traffic. Could it end with a walk?

Los Angeles Times

If you earn a living in a place with regular staff and schedules, it’s tempting to envy more free-form existences. But don’t underestimate the value of spending time daily in the company of others who know your name, and speak to you, and would worry if you suddenly disappeared.

Regulator says California might make dramatic moves if Trump relaxes emissions standards

Los Angeles Times

A top California environmental regulator is threatening to enact tough new pollution rules — including an unprecedented ban on cars burning petroleum-based fuels — in response to a Trump administration plan to relax vehicle emission standards.

See also:

●     California Regulator Threatens Trump With `Extreme’ Auto Rules Bloomberg

WATER

Scattered rain and thunderstorms hit the Central Valley, breaking rain daily record

Fresno Bee

Scattered rains and small thunderstorms moved through the central San Joaquin Valley on Thursday afternoon, breaking the daily rain record for May 16.

See also:

●     More Valley showers and thunderstorms on the way. Snow in Sierra Fresno Bee

●     Yosemite prepares for storm with road closure. Here’s where snow is expected in Sierra Fresno Bee

●     Outdoor activities postponed because of weather abc30

●     Declaration of Local Emergency – Closure of Kings River to Recreational Uses Hanford Sentinel

●     The ‘atmospheric river’ isn’t over: What fell and what’s coming today, this weekend  Sacramento Bee

●     Rare May storm brings record-setting rain to Southern California Los Angeles Times

Simple steps to be safe around pools and prevent accidents this summer

Fresno Bee

Be safe. Here are some of the simple steps that save lives around pools.

The Not-So-Crystal Clean History of San Francisco’s Drinking Water

KQED

To the west of Interstate 280 along the Peninsula south of San Francisco, there’s a long stretch of beautiful greenery. Nestled in the middle sit two crystal clear lakes. But it’s entirely man made.

“Xtra”

Head to the Comic Crawl or hang out at the Chowchilla Fair this weekend

abc30

It might be a little wet and cool this weekend but don’t let that dampen your plans. You can still take the kids to a Grizzlies game to look at police cars, fire engines and more. Or you can head to Kearney park for a pirate festival.

See also:

●     Chowchilla to celebrate its 73rd Spring Festival Madera Tribune

Vietnam veterans get an overdue “thank you” on Honor Flight trip

abc30

Every single Honor Flight trip is a special one, but the nineteenth to depart from Fresno brought heartache, healing and a long overdue “thank you” to Valley veterans.

126 cheeses, 13 judges and 2 winners: the California State Fair names the best cheeses in CA

Sacramento Bee

If you ever need to taste 126 cheeses over the course of one day, you might want to grab a Diet Coke to cleanse the palate, according to Mary Dedrick, owner of Dedrick’s Cheese in Placerville.

This new Fresno bakery specializes in something different – and it takes 16 hours to make

Fresno Bee

The Brioche Lady Bakery has opened in Fresno, California, specializing in flavored buttery bread from France. The business sold loaves at farmers markets and has items like French toast, sandwiches, & dessert.

Get in on the (one-)act at Bakersfield Community Theatre

Bakersfield Californian

Romance, drama, hexes, heartbreak and the afterlife — Bakersfield Community Theatre has a little bit of everything this weekend with the return of its 32nd annual One-Act Festival.

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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.

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.

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