Political Stories
Top stories
California Supreme Court seems likely to allow parole ballot measure to move ahead — The California Supreme Court appeared inclined Thursday to clear the way for a November ballot measure allowing the early release of some prison inmates. The case carries high stakes for the state’s criminal justice system and Gov. Jerry Brown’s political legacy. It will test Brown’s effort to grant parole to perhaps thousands of inmates serving time for nonviolent felonies. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article; San Francisco Chronicle article
Just say yes: Some California law enforcement leaders support legalizing recreational pot – As the movement to legalize pot for recreational use heads closer to a November ballot initiative, California law enforcement leaders are taking some very different positions on the matter. LA Times article
State budget
Joel Fox: Is Shakespearean tragedy brewing for the state budget? — The state budget cauldron is boiling with forces approaching that could doom California’s bottom line. Fox in Fox & Hounds
California Republican lawmakers want more for dental care program — Republican legislative leaders want Gov. Jerry Brown to include $200 million in additional money for low-income dental services in the revised budget proposal he releases next week, saying the increase would help improve a program criticized as a “vicious circle of dysfunction” in a recent report. Sacramento Bee article
Gov. Brown
Jerry Brown: What makes you think Legislature can fix it? — Who should decide how how to fix schools that need help? In this video taken by CALmatters at the Berggruen Institute’s Five-Year Anniversary in Beverly Hills May 3, Gov. Jerry Brown said he wants more decisions made at the local school level because the teachers and principals are best able to deal with the problem. CALmatters article
Valley politics
Holly Carter loses Ashjian endorsement over ‘Nazi sign’ remarks — Local contractor and Fresno Unified School District trustee Brooke Ashjian has withdrawn his endorsement of Holly Carter in the race for the District 6 seat on the Fresno City Council. Fresno Bee article
Fresno Bee: Gary Bredefeld for Fresno City Council – Fortunately for northeast Fresno residents, there is someone who is ready to hit the ground running as Lee Brand’s replacement. That candidate is Garry Bredefeld, who represented the district from 1997 through 2000. Fresno Bee editorial
High-stakes or headache? Value of candidate forum anyone’s guess – On the surface they seem like high-stakes events, public gatherings where local political candidates assemble en masse to tout their attributes and poke holes in their opponents. But Allen Sawyer, for one, has a more measured view of the public candidate forums that have been regular events in Stockton the past two weeks. Stockton Record article
Political scramble: And then there were six — Bakersfield mayoral candidate Tony Martinez has formed a campaign committee, which makes him the sixth of 25 hopefuls to attempt to raise more than $1,999. After that, you’re subject to more detailed campaign finance reporting. Bakersfield Californian article
Political scramble: Tsk, tsk mayoral hopefuls — When you raise and spend money to run for office, you’re supposed to track and report every dollar. But one mayoral candidate is having trouble doing just that. T.J. Esposito recently reported a $1,000 donation from La Foret Fine Dining & Lounge on March 17. He also reported spending $1,200 there on a fundraiser April 15. Jae Shin, owner of La Foret, called us at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to say he never donated to Esposito — and Esposito’s fundraiser only cost “around $1,000.” Bakersfield Californian article
Assemblywoman Olsen endorses Colangelo for Stockton City Council — Assemblywoman Kristen Olsen, R-Riverbank, has endorsed Steve Colangelo in his race for a seat on the Stockton City Council. Stockton Record article
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
How the absence of Cruz and Kasich could affect other California races — The departure of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich and a competitive Republican primary in California could depress what was expected to be a surge in voter turnout. That could be a problem for Republicans in other state races, but an expert in voter turnout says it likely won’t be. Capitol Weekly article
Loretta Sanchez touts D.C. credentials in a year of the outsider — In the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, only one candidate has any experience in Congress, and that’s Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. But in a recent Senate debate, Sanchez denied she’s the insider. She said she’s not the status quo. Capital Public Radio report
California’s GOP Senate candidates struggle for attention – Del Beccaro, Sundheim and Unz have less than a month to make voters care. The top-two vote getters on June 7 advance to the November runoff, even if they’re from the same party. KQED report
Bill Whalen: California politics in 2016 is a ‘90s greatest hits album — Somewhere between the 10-year siege of Troy and the Thirty Years’ War, there’s California’s two decades and counting of political redundancy. In 1994, Mexican flag-waving protesters flooded downtown Los Angeles in opposition to the anti-immigrant Proposition 187. In 2016, the same green-white-and-red tricolor seems destined to follow the immigrant-bashing Donald Trump wherever he goes in the Golden State. Whalen column in Sacramento Bee
San Bernardino Shootings
San Bernardino County plans to create a memorial to the terror attack victims – A group created by San Bernardino County is planning a memorial to the victims of the Dec. 2 terror attack that left 14 people dead. LA Times article
Other areas
Federal e-cigarette rules differ from new California law – On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill regulating electronic cigarettes as tobacco products. On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled its own long-awaited e-cigarette regulations. How do they differ? In short, the states and the federal government oversee different aspects of how the product is sold, marketed and consumed. The two new sets of regulations will run on parallel tracks. Sacramento Bee article; KQED report; New York Times article; Sacramento Bee editorial
Massachusetts town set example for California by raising smoking age – The roots of California’s new law that raises the smoking age to 21 are in a small town west of Boston. In 2005, Needham became the first municipality in the United States to ban tobacco sales to anyone under drinking age. LA Times article
Assembly buries Aliso Canyon relief bill deemed ‘job killer’ – Following late-blooming resistance from business groups, a bill giving Porter Ranch residents more tools to seek legal redress for a gas leak fell far short in the California Assembly on Thursday. Sacramento Bee article
A better way to die? California’s end-of-life law launches June 9 – Starting June 9, that option will be available for the first time in California. The legislation, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last October after years of contentious battles over end-of-life options, marks a new era for California patients and physicians. Sacramento Bee article
David Lazarus: Will hospitals reject California’s assisted suicide law? – The End of Life Option Act allows doctors, medical groups and hospitals to opt out of the law’s guidelines for assisting the terminally ill achieve a dignified end. Most, if not all, religious hospitals are expected to reject the law. Lazarus in LA Time
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier has cancer and plans to seek re-election – Rep. Mark DeSaulnier has leukemia. But his cancer has responded well to treatment. His prognosis is good. And he has even felt well enough to resume his meditative 8-mile runs on Mount Diablo. As for the lingering political question, the 64-year-old freshman congressman stands ready and determined to continue his campaign for a second term — although last year he wasn’t so sure. East Bay Times article
Dan Schnur: Distancing itself from Trump’s toxicity could be the California GOP’s salvation – r the Republican Party nationally, presumptive nominee Donald Trump is the political version of Chernobyl. His toxic association with its brand over the next several months will make its corner of the political landscape uninhabitable for large portions of the electorate for years to come. But for California Republicans, Trump’s doomed and divisive candidacy could actually represent an opportunity to get back on the path to political relevancy in this deep-blue state. Schnur op-ed in LA Times
Trump and California GOP’s Latinos – For Latino voters in California, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s anti-immigration pronouncements present a dilemma. But for Latino Republicans, the challenge is especially difficult. Capitol Weekly article
Mexico’s top diplomat goes silent on Donald Trump — Two months ago, Mexico’s top diplomat made international headlines for calling Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s policies “ignorant and racist.” “When an apple’s red, it is red. When you say ignorant things, you’re ignorant,” Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu told The Washington Post. In a visit Thursday to Sacramento, she didn’t even speak his name. Sacramento Bee article
Mitt Romney joins list of Republicans who plan to sit out GOP convention — Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, plans to sit out the party’s nominating convention this summer — and he’s not alone. With Donald Trump now the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, a chorus of prominent Republicans — past presidents and nominees alike — are shunning endorsements and offering similar sentiments about the July convention in Cleveland: will not attend. LA Times article
Assembly GOP leader isn’t on the Trump train just yet – Just six days ago, Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes was the opening act to his preferred presidential pick, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, at the California GOP convention. Now, with Kasich exiting the race, Mayes is still coming to grips with the prospect of Donald Trump as his party’s presumptive nominee. LA Times article
Dan Morain: The Take: Trump becomes the political that he attacked the other day — Having caught our breath from the stunning turn of events in Indiana, we cannot take our eyes off the coming crash of the Republican Party. We focus on Trump and Cruz, and Cruz and Trump, with a side of tobacco legislation. We promise to find other topics in days ahead. But today, we dwell. The Take in Sacramento Bee
Clinton slams Trump’s immigration plans, nudges Sanders to exit race in LA stops — In front of a heavily Latino crowd in East Los Angeles, Democratic front-runnerHillary Clinton on Thursday castigated Donald Trump for reiterating his controversial plans to deport millions of immigrants after he became the presumptive GOP nominee earlier this week. LA Times article
Voting has gotten tougher in 17 states, and it could alter elections — As the nation approaches its first presidential election in 50 years without a core protection of the Voting Rights Act— the requirement that states with a history of discrimination get federal approval before changing electoral practices — large swaths of the electorate face new voting hurdles. LA Times article
California Government Today:
News Stories
Top Stories
Dan Walters: Mandated college prep courses are counterproductive – Everyone knows of college graduates struggling with large student debts and poor employment prospects, and we also need more blue-collar workers to perform society’s work – to build houses, to install or repair wiring, plumbing, to make and fix our cars and computers, and so forth. There are already shortages in those high-paying fields that also are hit by baby boomer retirements. For K-12 students and society as a whole, college-for-everyone policies are counterproductive. Walters column in Sacramento Bee
Valley economic index falls in April – April’s San Joaquin Valley Business Conditions Index fell to its lowest level since November 2012 but continues to point to overall economic growth. The Business Journal article
Jobs and the Economy
Michael Fitzgerald: City Hall’s ‘Critical’ thinking – Today: “Mission Critical” spending. “Mission Critical” is a controversial term coined during Stockton’s fiscal meltdown. It means spending that supposedly is urgently required to keep city government functioning. The concept is controversial because it applies to Measure A, a tax voters approved in 2013 so the city could hire 120 badly needed police officers. Fitzgerald column in Stockton Record
Fresno’s Playland, newly polished after 60 years of wear, to open Friday – Playland, Fresno’s own tiny theme park in the heart of the city, will reopen Friday after a 14-month face-lift. In all, about 10,000 volunteer hours and around $700,000 were donated to resurrect Playland, which – along with sister park Storyland – closed in March 2015 due to a lack of income and mounting maintenance costs. Fresno Bee article
Pacific Ethanol’s net sales leap 66 percent in Q1 – Sacramento-based low-carbon fuel producer Pacific Ethanol on Wednesday reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31. For the first quarter of 2016, the company reported net sales grew 66 percent to $342.4 million. The Business Journal article
San Jose rent freeze abandoned — When a divided City Council two weeks ago mustered the votes to lower maximum rent hikes in 44,000 apartments from 8 percent to 5 percent, there was concern that landlords would jack up rent before the rule goes into effect next fall. But city officials have now abandoned the idea of a rent freeze to prevent last-minute increases, and instead are pushing to have the new law take effect sooner. San Jose Mercury News article
Apple slammed over taxes by mayor of Cupertino, its hometown — Apple has had to defend its tax practices all over the place — from Washington to Europe — throughout the years. Now it’s facing accusations of not paying enough taxes in its own backyard. San Jose Mercury News article; San Francisco Chronicle article
Businesses prepare for extra spending this Mother’s Day – The National Retail Federation expects Americans to spend $121.4 billion this Mother’s Day, with average purchases of $172.22, down slightly from last year’s record-high of $172.63. Kings and Fresno County businesses are hoping the federation’s predictions are accurate as they prepare for the customer rush to spend cash on mom. Hanford Sentinel article
Are Sacramentans stingy? Charitable giving falls short of state and nation – This week marked the Big Day of Giving in the Sacramento area, when the region’s nonprofits appeal for financial help. It’s as good a time as any to ponder an uncomfortable fact: Sacramento residents, on average, have devoted a smaller portion of their income to charities than the rest of the state and nation in recent years. Sacramento Bee article
Why so few take paid parental leave – California is far ahead of the rest of the country in providing paid leave to workers. But even here, employees’ ability to take time off hinges on where they work and how much they make. More than a decade after the state introduced a revolutionary leave policy, the state’s poorest workers remain the least likely to take time off to care for their relatives, state data show. LA Times article
Hanford Big Lots to move soon – A bigger Big Lots location is slated to open May 19 in Hanford. The store will move from its existing location in the Cost Less shopping center on 11th Avenue to the former Longs Drugs building in the same shopping center. Hanford Sentinel article
SpaceX launches Japanese satellite, successfully lands rocket booster on drone ship — One month after landing its first-stage rocket booster on a drone ship,SpaceX repeated the feat and launched a commercial communications satellite late Thursday night. LA Times article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
Hope survives in East Porterville, even as wells continue to run dry – Two long summers ago, after Adela Ramos Arellano’s pump first began to sputter and wheeze, the 37-year-old field worker would return from a day spent laboring beneath the blazing sun to a home with no water. Since then, “the cavalry,” as one onlooker called it, has descended on East Porterville, an unincorporated area in Tulare County that claims about 12% of the state’s failed wells. LA Times article
Long-term drought persists in California — The U.S. Drought Monitor released May 5 shows some minor improvement in California drought conditions. But looking ahead to the dry season shows drought persisting for a fifth consecutive year in the Golden State. Capital Public Radio report
Why La Nina does not ensure more drought – By now we’ve all heard the news that La Niña is the next weather phenomenon poised to toy with California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on April 14 issued a “La Niña watch” indicating a 70 percent chance the weather phenomenon would likely take hold by the end of this calendar year. Which was quickly followed by headlines saying La Niña is likely to worsen the drought in California. Not so fast. KQED report
Lake Kaweah tower flooded, water rising – Lake Kaweah is broken. But don’t worry, yet. A busted two-foot section of pipe caused the main tower at Terminus Dam to flood on April 24 and the dam gates have been closed ever since. A fix could take several months and water continues to flow freely from the ruptured pipe. The tower remains full of water, and divers are preparing to go inside Friday to explore the damage to electrical components, motors and the multi-million dollar hydraulic system that lifts the main gates. Visalia Times-Delta article
Borrego Springs water crisis begins and ends with farming — The water crisis in Borrego Springs is as simple to understand as it will be difficult to solve. At the crux is farming. Citrus and palm ranches in northern Borrego Springs are sucking huge amounts of water from the underground lake beneath their land — far more than the state is likely to allow in the future. LA Times article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Family, attorneys lash out at law enforcement during press conference in David Sal Silva case — Family members of David Sal Silva and the civil attorneys who represented them in a wrongful death lawsuit against Kern County that settled for $3.4 million shared harsh criticism of local law enforcement Thursday morning as they discussed Silva’s death following a confrontation with deputies and California Highway Patrol officers. Bakersfield Californian article; LA Times article
Mike Murphy: City of Merced winning battle against gangs, murder – The member of Merced City Council and candidate for mayor writes, “At a time when being a police officer is often a thankless job, the men and women in law enforcement across Merced County do it with professionalism and skill. The job of elected officials is to give them the resources to be effective. Within the city limits we are committed to doing that.” Murphy op-ed in Merced Sun-Star
Louis Medina: Concerned about police-community relations? Sign up for a ride-along – The secretary of the Kern County Human Relations Commission writes, “Indeed, there is so much talk about police-community relations out there, it’s downright noisy. And I, as Secretary of the Kern County Human Relations Commission, can’t ignore the noise. What’s more, I have to add to it. But I will do so concerning a little-talked-about vehicle for police-community relations I hope will get much needed attention: the ride-along.” Medina op-ed in Bakersfield Californian
San Francisco mayor speaks to hunger striker for first time – by phone — Mayor Ed Lee spoke on the phone Thursday afternoon with one of the five hunger strikers demanding that Police Chief Greg Suhr be fired. San Francisco Chronicle article
Should prostitution be a crime? — A growing movement of sex workers and activists is making the decriminalization of sex work a feminist issue. New York Times Magazine article
Education
Drinking water at hundreds of California schools likely unsafe, new report finds – A report released Thursday highlights how widespread unsafe drinking water is in California—particularly in schools. KVPR report
As UC’s scandals spread, Janet Napolitano plays tough cop – Some applaud those decisions. Others, particularly at UC Davis, accuse her of skirting the channels of “shared decision-making” that give professors a voice in running the university. But popular or not, Napolitano’s decisions have surprised professors and students who aren’t used to such interference in campus matters from the UC president’s office. San Francisco Chronicle article
Former federal prosecutors to lead probe of UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi — A former U.S. attorney from San Francisco was named Thursday to head up the investigation of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, who was suspended last week amid a series of allegations involving misuse of student funds, nepotism and misstatements about her role in cleaning up her image and the school’s in online postings. Sacramento Bee article
Money may be left on the table in training program for transitional kindergarten teachers – A $15 million state program to reimburse transitional kindergarten teachers for required professional development classes is struggling because too few teachers have signed up, and nearly a third of California’s 58 counties face the unwelcome prospect of having to return unused funds by the end of the coming school year. EdSource article
Government reports drop in overall crime in nation’s schools – The latest government snapshot of school crime paints a picture of safer schools with declines in violent crime, bullying and harassment because of sexual orientation. AP article
Lawsuit: Fresno High turned ‘blind eye’ to teacher-student affair — A lawyer has accused Fresno High staff of knowing about English teacher Darren Klassen’s illicit sexual affair with an under-aged student, but doing nothing to stop it, according to a lawsuit filed in Fresno County Superior Court against the Fresno Unified School District. Fresno Bee article
Math anxiety plagues girls more than boys across the world — Math anxiety – the urge to avoid numbers – plagues girls more than boys across the world, but the gender-difference is largest in economically developed nations that promote equality between the sexes, according to the study, led by researchers from the University of Missouri, the University of California at Irvine and the University of Glasgow. Washington Post article
Energy/Environment
El Nino rains add fuel to California’s upcoming fire season, experts say — Thanks to El Niño rains and a fifth year of drought, experts say, California’s landscapehas provided enough water to spring up new vegetation to ignite while swaths of forest continued to dry out, priming them to burn and creating a dangerous mix that state and federal firefighters will have to contend with this year. LA Times article
Months after the Rough fire millions of giant sequoia seedlings take root – The lightning sparked Rough Fire burned last year for more than five months consuming over 150,000 acres of forest in the Sierra Nevada. Now after a wet winter the charred forest is slowly coming back to life. And the first signs of growth are the tiniest of seedlings that’ll become the world’s largest trees. KVPR report
Grant will restore tiny part of Rim burn — An $842,000 grant will pay for meadow restoration and other work on a tiny part of the area scorched by the Rim fire. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state agency, awarded the money to Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions, a coalition of the timber industry, environmental groups and other partners. Modesto Bee article
Robin Abcarian: Don’t blame the smelt: The salmon too reflects the dire state of the California Delta – “We’ve got more of the salmon species that are in trouble than the smelt,” said Ted Sommer, a lead scientist with the California Department of Water Resources. Winter-run Chinook and spring-run Chinook, named for the time of year the adults swim under the Golden Gate Bridge, plus steelhead trout, he said, “are all in terrible condition.” Abcarian in LA Times
Storms bring lightning and torrential rain to west side of Valley – Thunderstorms on Thursday evening brought frequent lightning and torrential rainfall along Interstate 5 on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Doppler radar indicated rain was falling at rates ranging from 0.25 inches hourly to as much as 4.5 inches in heavier spots, as the storms traveled from Taft in Kern County to Los Banos in Merced County, said Cindy Bean, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford. Fresno Bee article
CDFA plans to spray Visalia neighborhood – Within the next week or two, residents in three Visalia neighborhoods will get knocks on their doors by people asking to spray their citrus trees. These people represent the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and they’ll be coming by because Asian citrus psyllids have been found in the Visalia neighborhoods. Visalia Times-Delta article
Highway 99 gets charging stations – Electric car charging stations are in the works along both Highway 99 and Interstate 5, including the south Valley by the end of next year. Visalia Times-Delta article
Stockton Record: Broken record of hyacinth – Hyacinth continues to fight off all efforts. Apparently, it can be easy being green. Stockton Record editorial
San Francisco proposes $8 million to find a fix for quake-vulnerable sea wall — San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has proposed spending $8 million to find a solution to the earthquake-vulnerable sea wall that holds up the city’s famed Embarcadero waterfront. LA Times article
Health/Human Services
Fresno County settles Seth Ireland case for $1.35 million — Fresno County has agreed to pay $1.35 million to settle a civil lawsuit involving the 2009 death of 10-year-old Seth Ireland. The settlement was announced Thursday by Fresno attorney Warren Paboojian, who represents Seth’s father, Joseph Hudson. Fresno Bee article
Health care supporters say undocumented residents lack needed services – Last year, Arlette Flores went to her doctor’s Merced office because of an intense abdominal pain she believed was caused by gallstones. She was sent to an emergency room and told she needed surgery and that, after, she’d feel better in a couple of days. But the surgery didn’t help and Flores said her pain was so intense, even strong medications such as morphine couldn’t relieve it. A week later, she was rushed to the University of California, San Francisco, where doctors finally were able to give her relief. Flores believes the reason she couldn’t find care in Merced is because she is undocumented and lacks health insurance. Merced Sun-Star article
Valley Children’s ranks high in national cancer care program — Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera County has ranked among the top hospitals in the country for enrolling pediatric cancer patients into a therapeutic program through the Children’s Oncology Group. Fresno Bee article
Doctors Medical Center gets another A on safety report card – Doctors Medical Center of Modesto received a fourth consecutive A from The Leapfrog Group, a watchdog service that regularly tracks the medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections that harm patients in more than 2,500 hospitals in the country. Modesto Bee article
‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem — On the strength of that promise, OxyContin became America’s bestselling painkiller, and Purdue reaped $31 billion in revenue. But OxyContin’s stunning success masked a fundamental problem: The drug wears off hours early in many people, a Los Angeles Times investigation found. OxyContin is a chemical cousin of heroin, and when it doesn’t last, patients can experience excruciating symptoms of withdrawal, including an intense craving for the drug. LA Times article
Another lawsuit filed against Wagner Heights care facility – Wagner Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is facing its third major lawsuit in recent months, this one claiming wrongful death, elder abuse and negligence following the 2014 death of a patient who died allegedly as the result of poor care. Stockton Record article
Saint Agnes Medical Center victim of data breach — Saint Agnes Medical Center said it was the victim of an email phishing attack on May 2 that affected 2,800 employees. Fresno Bee article
Family HealthCare Network awarded $1 million — Forty health care facilities across California are receiving millions of dollars, and Family HealthCare Network is on the list. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that more than $36 million is being distributed to California health facilities for renovation, expansion and construction. Visalia Times-Delta article
Land Use/Housing
Hanford will demolish problem house – City officials are preparing to demolish a boarded-up central Hanford residence that has long been a source of criminal complaints. City Manager Darrel Pyle said the two-story four-plex in the 400 block of Ford Street has a history of being broken into by drug addicts and vagrants. Pyle said efforts to have the building demolished have been particularly difficult due to the property being in foreclosure. Hanford Sentinel article
Transportation
Oakland retains consultant to study impact of coal shipments — Oakland is paying a consultant $120,000 to study the potential health risks of shipping coal through a new bulk cargo terminal at the port. KQED report
Other areas
Fresno Mayor Swearengin: ‘Hope is the most powerful weapon we have’ – Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin said those who have hope get a bad reputation. But it shouldn’t be that way. “Hope is the most powerful weapon we have,” she said. “Hope is not wishful thinking. I want to restore your hope in hope.” Visalia Times-Delta article
Bye Fresno, hello Cuba: Mexican consul gets new duty — Consul of Mexico Vicente Sánchez Ventura is trading the dry heat of Fresno for the Caribbean breezes of Havana, Cuba. Sánchez Ventura recently accepted a three-year position as head of consular affairs at the embassy in Cuba. He leaves Fresno in June. Fresno’s new consul will be David Preciado Juárez, who currently serves in Little Rock, Arkansas. Fresno Bee article