POLICY & POLITICS
Valley:
Devin Nunes isn’t reading Justice Department records
CNNPolitics
For months, he had been demanding a fully uncensored version of a highly sensitive document from the Justice Department explaining how the Russia investigation began in 2016, but he wasn’t getting it.
See also:
● Secret intelligence source who aided Mueller probe is at center of latest clash between Nunes and Justice Dept.The Washington Post
Crime in Downtown Fresno decreasing
ABC30
“We have great reductions in downtown crime: robberies are down 71%, burglaries 14%, and vehicle burglaries, one of our biggest concerns, down 43%,” said Sgt. Alfonso Castillo of the Fresno Police Department.
Luis Chavez must fend off three challengers to keep his District 5 Fresno council seat
Fresno Bee
City Councilman Luis Chavez, who represents District 5 in southeast Fresno, is facing three challengers for his seat in the June primary.
EDITORIAL: The Bee recommends: ‘No’ on Prop 70; ‘yes’ on Props 71, 72
Fresno Bee
California’s June ballot will have only five propositions. Here’s our take on the final three, with the first potentially having a direct impact on our region.
Skip jury duty in Merced County? You’re not off the hook. Here’s what to expect
Merced Sun Star
More people have been failing to show for jury duty in Merced County, officials said. So Merced Superior Court judges are increasingly taking action.
Modesto council announces its choice for city manager
Modesto Bee
Modesto is close to having a permanent city manager for the first time in more than a year. Mayor Ted Brandvold announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the council has decided to enter into contract negotiations with interim City Manager Joe Lopez for the job.
Could Iran sanctions spur production in Kern oilfields?
Bakersfield Californian
Over in our little corner of the world, another, tangential effect should be prompting discussion: With the U.S. poised to reimpose economic sanctions, likely taking a substantial portion of Iran’s 3.8 million daily barrels of oil off the market, will the Kern County oilfields see some new activity?
All Sacramento (and Madera) County Voters Will Get Mail-In Ballots Under New System
Polling places are now a thing of the past in Sacramento and four other California counties. This week marks the first time every registered voter in Sacramento County will be getting vote-by-mail ballots. It’s a new way of voting called the Vote Center model.
New Amtrak Express train gets to Sacramento in time for business
The Fresno Bee
Amtrak has added a train that gets San Joaquin Valley residents to Sacramento before 8 a.m.
REMINDER: ACE Extension Lathrop to Ceres/Merced DEIR & Open House
Altamont Corridor Express
he San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), acting as lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) Extension Lathrop to Ceres/Merced (ACE Extension) project.
Highway 99 named most dangerous roadway in US
ABC30
In a recent study by a consumer website, Highway 99 was named the most dangerous roadway in the United States. The stretch of highway through Fresno was the deadliest section with 34 fatal accidents.
See also:
● Why is Highway 99 so dangerous? A CHP officer weighs in ABC30
State:
California governor debate focuses on housing, gas tax
ABC30
The six leading candidates for California governor discussed housing, immigration, gas taxes and other issues at a debate Tuesday ahead of next month’s primary.
See also:
● Here’s what the candidates for California governor got wrong in last night’s debate Sacramento Bee
● The Latest: Democrats questioned about affairs during debate The Bakersfield Californian
● No knockout punches as governor candidates spar at San Jose debate San Jose Mercury
● Personality — not policy — divides and other takeaways from the California governor debate Los Angeles Times
● High-stakes California governor’s race debate gets testy as personal and political attacks fly Los Angeles Times
● Guess who talked the most during the California governor’s race debate Los Angeles Times
● Analysis and video: California governor candidates debate Los Angeles Times
● California’s Governor Candidates Debate: Here’s A Look The Six Contenders capradio.org
● CA candidates for governor debate housing, immigration Sacramento Bee
● ‘Meet the Press’ host Chuck Todd steps into California’s ‘weird jungle primary’ San Francisco Chronicle
● California gubernatorial debate: Newsom says any GOP opponent will do San Francisco Chronicle
● Mixing it up: After last debate for California governor, will Gavin Newsom get his wish? Calmatters
● Fox: Will Recall Election be a Harbinger for Gas Tax Repeal? Fox & Hounds
● California Today: A Run-Down of the Final California Governor Debate New York Times
Governor of California – CALmatters 2018 Election Guide
CALmatters
California voters are looking for a highly organized go-getter to serve as our state’s next chief executive.
See Also:
● Antonio Villaraigosa’s file – PolitiFact California
● John Cox’s file – PolitiFact California
● Gavin Newsom’s file –PolitiFact California
● John Chiang’s file – PolitiFact California
The California Report – KQED News
The six top candidates running to be California’s next governor clashed along predictable party lines Tuesday night, at what is likely to be the most consequential debate ahead of the state’s June 5 primary election.
See also:
● Gavin Newsom catches it from all sides in California gubernatorial debate San Francisco Chronicle
● Mixing it up: AFter last debate for California governor, will Gavin Newsom get his wish? CALmatters
● Newsom under attack in California governor debate POLITICO
John Cox says he led the effort to oust former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. Here’s what happened
Los Angeles Times
Cox was a donor to the effort to oust Filner, but he was not one of the primary driving forces behind Filner’s exit. A former San Diego city councilwoman as well as two local attorneys first called on Filner to resign and were the most prominent opponents of Filner as the controversy raged.
Delaine Eastin on education, economic inequality and other key campaign issues
Merced Sun Star
Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin talks about higher education, climate change and other key issues in the 2018 governor’s race.
Brown’s lament as he honors fallen officers
CALmatters
The annual California Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony never fails to be a moving event. So it was on Monday.
Jerry Brown’s California Dream: The Rolling Stone Interview
Rolling Stone
Jerry Brown’s California now stands like a parallel universe to Donald Trump’s America: a land of tolerance, high immigration, tight gun control and world-beating innovation – combining a soaring economy with plummeting greenhouse-gas emissions.
Former Gov. George Deukmejian dies at 89
Fresno Bee
Former California Gov. George Deukmejian, known as the “Iron Duke” for his tough-on-crime approach to governing, died Tuesday. He was 89.
See also:
● Former California Governor Deukmejian has died ABC30
● George Deukmejian, ex-governor of California, dies Hanford Sentinel
● George Deukmejian dead at 89, public safety and law-and-order dominated two-term governor’s agenda Los Angeles Times
● George Deukmejian, governor who steered California to the right, dies at 89 San Francisco Chronicle
● Former California Gov. George Deukmejian dies The Sacramento Bee
● George Deukmejian, 2-Term California Governor in the ’80s, Dies at 89 New York Times
● CBRT Statement on Passing of Former Governor George Deukmejian California Business Roundtable
● George Deukmejian dead at 89, public safety and law-and-order dominated two-term governor’s agenda Los Angeles Times
● George Deukmejian, governor who steered California to the right, dies at 89 San Francisco Chronicle
EDITORIAL: Feinstein’s clout is too critical in Trump era. De León is our second in top two
Sacramento Bee
As U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein fends off a serious primary challenge this year from progressive state Sen. Kevin de León, Californians confront two questions: Who can deliver? And who will best defend this blue state against President Donald Trump?
Pelosi’s message to Dems who criticize her while campaigning: ‘Just win, baby’
Politico
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday she is unbothered by Democrats campaigning in swing districts by pledging not to support her for speaker.
See also:
● Pelosi Urges Democrats to Run on Economic Issues – Not Simply on Trump – in Midterms Wall Street Journal
Federal:
Trump Plans to Fight California Car Rules With Twice-Failed Strategy
Bloomberg
The Trump administration is preparing to battle California’s tough car pollution regulations using an approach that federal courts have already rejected. Twice.
Los Angeles Times
President Trump on Tuesday finally did what wiser heads in his administration have been trying to keep him from doing almost from the time he was sworn in: He announced that he would withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement.
See also:
● Trump pulls U.S. out of Iran nuclear deal and announces sweeping new economic sanctions Los Angeles Times
● Fact-checking President Trump’s reasons for leaving the Iran nuclear deal Washington Post
● Why Trump torpedoed Obama’s Iran Deal Washington Post
● Brookings experts discuss the implications of Trump’s Iran nuclear deal announcement Brookings
Trump makes it explicit: Negative coverage of him is fake coverage Washington Post
On Twitter, the president derided the “corrupt” media, suggesting he might take action against some news organizations
See also:
· Trump Spins Rise in Job Openings FactCheck.org
Congress Leery of Trump’s Cuts to Children’s Health Program
Wall Street Journal
President Donald Trump’s proposal to roll back $7 billion from the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program drew immediate bipartisan concern Tuesday, an indication of the hurdles the effort to cut federal spending will face in the Senate.
Republicans Warming to $15 Billion Cuts Package
Roll Call
Republicans appear ready to advance the White House’s $15.4 billion rescissions request through both chambers of Congress, after the administration dropped the idea — for now — of canceling funds provided in the fiscal 2018 omnibus spending bill enacted in March.
Other:
The fight over net neutrality returns as supporters launch long-shot bid to resurrect the rules
Los Angeles Times
The fight over net neutrality is back. This time, Democrats and other supporters of the controversial internet traffic regulations are seeking to turn the tables on Republican opponents by using a legislative tactic, popularized recently by the GOP, to resurrect the rules the Federal Communications Commission struck down last year.
See also:
● Election season is great time to debate net neutrality in America AEI
Congress Overturns Obama-Era Auto-Loan Rule
Wall Street Journal
The House voted largely along party lines Tuesday to kill an Obama-era regulation designed to curb racial discrimination in auto financing, using a newly expanded legislative tool that could allow lawmakers to roll back government rules in place for years.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, May 13, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Candidate for Governor John Cox” – Guest: John Cox. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, May 13, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Gubernatorial Candidate John Cox & Prop. 13” – Guests: John Cox, Laura Hill with the Public Policy Institute of California, & Dan Walters with CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, May 13, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “2018: The Political Forecast” – Guests: Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee and Jazmine Ulloa, Los Angeles Times. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
Support the Maddy Daily HERE.
Thank you!
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Experts help local growers navigate the waters
The Turlock Journal
Water use in the Central Valley has been at the forefront of conversation for years and continues to be both a prominent and complex issue which affects farmers throughout the region.
Report: America is losing its best farmland
San Francisco Chronicle
The United States is losing its best farmland to development, even as the country’s population booms, according to a new report from the nonprofit conservation organization American Farmland Trust.
Frozen, Canned Fruit Could Become Norm for Fresh Produce Program
Roll Call
Measure to ease restrictions on processed goods included in House farm bill
Pot dispensaries will come to Atwater after council vote
ABC30
The city of Atwater is changing its tune about marijuana sales after city officials took a step toward opening two dispensaries. In a 3-2 vote, the city council voted to adopt an ordinance to allow the dispensaries.
Report sheds light on concerns regarding cannabis industry in California City
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Grand Jury has produced another report on California City, this time looking at the cannabis industry there.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Crime in Downtown Fresno decreasing
ABC30
“We have great reductions in downtown crime: robberies are down 71%, burglaries 14%, and vehicle burglaries, one of our biggest concerns, down 43%,” said Sgt. Alfonso Castillo of the Fresno Police Department.
Arrests made in false school shooting claim in Lemoore that tied up West Hills College
Fresno Bee
Three teens were arrested Tuesday for calling 911 earlier in the day and falsely claiming there was an active shooter at West Hills College in Lemoore.
Knowing the Data: How to Build Better Outcomes for Inmates with Mental Health Needs
BB&K
“Our focus was to help Riverside ensure that there was ample jail space for serious offenders by reducing the use of jail altogether for less serious offenders” said Scott MacDonald of CA Fwd’s JSCI team and the panel moderator.
Public Safety:
Worth Noting: City holding Safe Streets Workshop on Thursday
Bakersfield Californian
The City of Bakersfield is holding a Safe Streets Workshop on Thursday about how to making biking and walking safer for residents.
Commentary: Criminal Justice Reforms Make Us All Safer
BB&K
Thomas G. Hoffman: The state of California has made great progress in curbing an incarceration rate that has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
Fire:
Firefighters confront increased cancer risk on the job
Sacramento Bee
According to the International Association of Firefighters, cancer is the No. 1 line-of-duty cause of death for men and women who fight structure fires.
Worried about wildfires, PG&E unveils new fire forecasting center
San Francisco Chronicle
In a room where Pacific Gas and Electric Co. personnel used to monitor the electricity grid, analysts now watch day and night for fire.
New Federal Policies Will Help Manage Wildfire Risk
Public Policy Institute of California
New federal reforms prioritize forest management and will help reduce the risk of wildfires.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
California’s economy now globe’s 5th largest
CALmatters
California was in a bragging mode last week because the state’s economy has climbed in global rankings to 5th place behind only the United States as whole, China, Japan and Germany.
California’s Governor Race Has Bond Investors Worried
Bloomberg
Saying goodbye to Jerry Brown is tough for the bond market. A progressive with a frugal bent, the Democratic governor won fans on Wall Street. As analyst Ben Woo put it, “He is the one who saved California.” So far, his potential successors aren’t making the farewell any easier.
Why is Trump asking Congress to pull back billions in government spending?
Brookings
Molly Reynolds explains why President Trump’s request to Congress to rescind $15 billion in government spending using an obscure legislative procedure is attractive to some Republican lawmakers while politically risky for others.
A dozen ways to be middle-class
Brookings
In order to assess challenges facing America’s middle class, we must first define who they are. A new paper and set of interactive charts explore economists’ varying definitions, which can range from incomes of $13,000 to $230,000, encompassing almost 90 percent of households.
Jobs:
Amazon begins hiring for hundreds of jobs at its massive new Fresno warehouse
Fresno Bee
Online retail giant Amazon has posted on its job-application website amazondelivers.jobs on Saturday that it’s hiring for full-time warehouse associates at its new Fresno fulfillment center.
EDUCATION
K-12:
SUSD confirms controversial pick as superintendent
Stockton Record
John Deasy, an educator with 35 years of experience who has been a superintendent in several school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, was officially named as Stockton Unified School District’s next superintendent. Deasy will now oversee the 41,000-student, 54-school district and will begin his role on June 1.
Political veteran vs. political outsiders in race for California schools superintendent
San Francisco Chronicle
The race for the state’s top schools job has long followed a familiar pattern: A state legislator, anointed by the Democratic establishment and the teachers unions, faces off against political outsiders who want to bust up the Sacramento status quo.
School’s still in. Here’s how to help kids get through to the end.
Washington Post
The only thing as potent as the first-day excitement that bubbles through schools in the fall is the malaise and distraction and general goofiness that can set in during the warm days of spring, typically attributed to students and teachers weary from a busy year together and a span of brain-numbing spring testing and prep.
Teachers Matter: Understanding Teachers’ Impact on Student Achievement
RAND
Many people emphasize the importance of good teachers, and many local, state, and federal policies are designed to promote teacher quality. Research using student scores on standardized tests confirms the common perception that some teachers are more effective than others and also reveals that being taught by an effective teacher has important consequences for student achievement.
Higher Ed:
West Hills College in Lemoore went on lockdown, but it was a hoax call, police say
Fresno Bee
West Hills College in Lemoore went on lockdown Tuesday, but police said the call that got it started appears to be a hoax. The original caller reported a shooter on campus, and all schools at the campus were placed on lockdown for student and faculty safety, Lemoore police said.
Picket line grows to 1,400 at UC Davis hospital as two unions add support
Sacramento Bee
Roughly 1,400 workers picketed for a second day at the UC Davis hospital and campus on Tuesday, as two unions representing nurses and physical therapists, social workers and dietitians went on strike in sympathy with members of AFSCME 3299.
See also:
● California Hospitals, Officials Take Careful Steps To Minimize Patient Impact During UC Labor Strikes Capital Public Radio News
● Thousands of University of California Service Workers Set to Strike KQED
● ‘We are humans too:’ Voices of UCLA’s striking custodians, hospital aides and imaging technicians Los Angeles Times
● University of California nurses, medical workers join strike Washington Post
EDITORIAL: UC Berkeley: We’re for free speech. But …
San Diego Union-Tribune
Last year, the University of California’s flagship Berkeley campus — famously the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement in 1964 that helped inspire years of impassioned, far-reaching protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War — realized it had a huge problem that both threatened its image and campus security.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
6 charts from new report show how much California’s climate has already changed
Fresno Bee
Warmer days — and nights. Rising sea levels. Less water available in summer. A report released Wednesday by state officials says climate change is affecting California’s ecosystem already in ways great and small.
See also:
● Climate change ruining California’s environment, report warns San Francisco Chronicle
California’s air quality chief: If Trump’s EPA gets its way, we’ll be ‘fumigated’ again by pollution
Los Angeles Times
California is beautiful, and it’s big, and it’s going economic gangbusters — the fifth largest economy in the world now, hardly the “out of control” failing state that President Trump has called it. But part of the reason it’s beautiful is that, with the long-ago blessing of the federal government, the state took serious measures to clear away the gross, choking smog that messed up that beauty, not to mention our lungs.
Magnitude 4.5 earthquake is latest warning of San Andreas’ power
Los Angeles Times
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook a large portion of Southern California on Tuesday, and was felt from San Diego to Santa Clarita, authorities said.
It’s a ‘killer whale bonanza’ in Monterey Bay — and sightings are breaking records
Sacramento Bee
Orcas, popularly known as killer whales, are invading Monterey Bay off the California coast in search of food.
Energy:
Proposed California solar mandate could add $10,500 to cost of a house
San Francisco Chronicle
The California Energy Commission on Wednesday is expected to mandate solar arrays on almost all new single-family houses built after Jan. 1, 2020, as part of the state’s fight against global warming. The rule also would apply to new multifamily buildings up to three stories tall.
Broken pipes and limited gas storage: Why it’s a risky summer for the power supply
89.3 KPCC
The Los Angeles area relies on electricity from gas-fired plants, and that gas could be in short supply this summer, state energy experts announced Tuesday. It means potential power outages in the coming months, with even more of a risk come winter.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
‘Who has the keys to the condoms?’ Some grocery and drugstores are locking up latex
Fresno Bee
Surveys of stores by teenage “secret shoppers” in Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties have found condoms locked in glass display cases and kept out-of-sight behind pharmacy counters.
Tulare hospital ends settlement talks with HCCA after lawmakers promise money
Visalia Times-Delta
On Tuesday, Tulare Local Healthcare District’s board members announced that offers to settle lawsuits with Healthcare Conglomerate and Associates, the hospital’s former financial administrator, would be pulled from the table.
Thousands have died of opioid overdoses. Merced joins lawsuit against drug makers
Merced Sun-Star
Merced County is one of 30 California counties suing opioid makers and distributors in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, according to the law firm handling the case.
See also:
● California Counties Jump Into Opioid Litigation Wall Street Journal
● Opioid Shipments to Small Towns Come Under Spotlight at Hearing Wall Street Journal
● Access to maintenance medications for opioid addiction is expanding AEI
● Needle by Needle, a Heroin Crisis Grips California’s Rural North New York Times
Hoping To See Your Doctor Via Telemedicine? Here’s A Quick Guide.
Washington Post
Tucked into the federal budget law Congress passed in February was a provision that significantly expands the use of telemedicine — long a hyped health care reform, and now poised to go mainstream within five to 10 years.
Human Services:
County seeking solutions for foster youth
Stockton Record
As part of the fight against homelessness, officials are seeking better outcomes and more support for San Joaquin County’s foster youth, a population prone disproportionately to landing on the streets once its members age out of services.
New analysis highlights the benefits of home visiting programs
California Budget & Policy Center
Given the tremendous importance that the first years of childhood play in shaping one’s development, early interventions can have a major effect in improving educational, health, and other outcomes for children living in poverty.
IMMIGRATION
Republicans are trying to force a vote on DACA despite leadership stonewalling
Modesto Bee
Republican members of the House in vulnerable districts began a vigorous effort Wednesday to defy GOP leaders to force a vote that could help keep Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in the country.
Opposition to ‘sanctuary state’ law gains ground, but is it a pointless political ploy?
Los Angeles Times
The anti-sanctuary movement continues to burn through Southern California, as one city after another bucks Sacramento and sides with the Trump administration on the topic of illegal immigration.
See also:
● Santa Clarita may join other cities in opposing California’s ‘sanctuary’ law Los Angeles Times
● Report: Trump deporting more; CA and other states resisting harder OCRegister
● ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Are Working in the Trump Era, But at a Surprising Cost The Pew Charitable Trusts
Los Angeles Times
All immigrants who cross the border illegally will be charged with a crime under a new “zero tolerance” border enforcement policy, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Monday, launching a crackdown that could overwhelm already-clogged detention facilities and immigration courts with hundreds of thousands of new cases.
See also:
● New Policy of Separating Immigrant Families Draws Criticism Wall Street Journal
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Visalai votes to allow ARCO gas station
ABC30
The controversial plan to build an ARCO gas station in a South Visalia neighborhood will move forward. Visalia City Councilmembers granted the developer a conditional use permit Monday night.
Hey, what’s that going up over there? A look at retail construction around Modesto
Modesto Bee
Spring has sprung around Modesto and that means new retail construction projects are popping up all over. Take a drive up McHenry Avenue these days and you’ll notice a handful of new buildings going up — and about to go up.
See also:
● Should downtown Modesto’s J Street be remade to attract walkers, discourage cars? Modesto Bee
New construction aims to offer new dining options
Bakersfield Californian
New construction in a Bakersfield retail center used to mean neighbors would soon get a new place to shop. While that’s still true sometimes, lately it has come to mean something else entirely: a new approach to dining out.
Housing:
Solar panels could be required on all new California homes. Here’s what it would cost
Sacramento Bee
If you buy a new home in 2020, you may get solar panels – whether you want them or not. The California Energy Commission will vote Wednesday on whether to require all new homes in the state to have solar panels starting in less than two years.
See also:
● California heads toward requiring solar panels on all new houses Los Angeles Times
● California may require solar panels on new homes in 2020 Washington Post
● Why is California Mandating Solar Panels When Housing Costs Are Sky High? Weekly Standard
Bay Area gears up for ‘Affordable Housing Week’ festivities
The Mercury News
In a creative move that says housing issues are a priority, civic leaders around the Bay Area are declaring next week “Affordable Housing Week.”
PUBLIC FINANCES
California’s marijuana tax collections lag below expectations
Fresno Bee
California probably won’t get a windfall in tax revenue from its newly legal marijuana market this year.
Also See:
● California has slow start to marijuana tax collections Sacramento Bee
● Marijuana tax cut could be in jeopardy as revenue lags behind budget projections Los Angeles Times
The open secret about California taxes
CALmatters
California is now enjoying one of the longest economic expansions in state history, but the good times can’t last forever. With an “inevitable recession lurking in our future,” Gov. Jerry Brown has warned, state and local governments are more vulnerable than ever.
CalPERS and CalSTRS must stop investing in weapons that slaughter our children
Sacramento Bee
The pop-pop-pop of an automatic assault rifle is a bone-chilling sound that does not belong in our schools or workplaces. Yet it happens every few days in America. We call upon CalPERS and CalSTRS, the nation’s two largest pension funds, to divest from wholesale and retail sellers of assault weapons.
TRANSPORTATION
New Amtrak Express train gets to Sacramento in time for business
The Fresno Bee
Amtrak has added a train that gets San Joaquin Valley residents to Sacramento before 8 a.m.
REMINDER: ACE Extension Lathrop to Ceres/Merced DEIR & Open House
Altamont Corridor Express
he San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), acting as lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) Extension Lathrop to Ceres/Merced (ACE Extension) project.
Highway 99 named most dangerous roadway in US
ABC30
In a recent study by a consumer website, Highway 99 was named the most dangerous roadway in the United States. The stretch of highway through Fresno was the deadliest section with 34 fatal accidents.
See also:
● Why is Highway 99 so dangerous? A CHP officer weighs in ABC30
Downtown street closures spark effort to change permit process
Bakersfield Californian
Some downtown business owners are upset after several streets were closed for the majority of the day on Thursday. In response to the situation, Nick Hansa, owner of Chef’s Choice on 19th Street, has drafted a set of changes he would like to see the city consider when it comes to permits and road closures.
Worth Noting: City holding Safe Streets Workshop on Thursday
Bakersfield Californian
The City of Bakersfield is holding a Safe Streets Workshop on Thursday about how to making biking and walking safer for residents.
New system ranks America’s “bicycle-friendly” cities
Smithsonian.com
More Americans are biking to work than ever before. According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2017, nearly 900,000 people in the United States commuted to work on a bicycle in 2015, almost 300,000 more than 2006.
WATER
California water district approves up to $650M for tunnels
Fresno Bee
A Northern California water agency voted Tuesday to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build two massive tunnels to remake the state’s water system.
See also:
● Brown’s Delta tunnels get $650 million boost from Bay Area water agency Sacramento Bee
● San Jose water agency approves up to $650 million for Jerry Brown’s Delta tunnels project The Mercury News
The drought isn’t over for homes where wells are still dry
The Fresno Bee
Residents who are still getting water from temporary tanks fear they will be cut off.
Oroville Dam: FEMA still deciding whether to reimburse DWR for major repairs
The Mercury News
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently told north state congressmen Doug LaMalfa and John Garamendi that the agency is still reviewing whether the state Department of Water Resources is eligible for further reimbursement to fix the Oroville Dam spillway.
California Lawmakers Want Expedited Action On Salton Sea Restoration
Capital Public Radio
California leaders who represent the shrinking Salton Sea want the same kind of expedited action taken on restoring it as the Oroville spillway crisis had in 2017. After the spillway eroded millions of dollars were quickly allotted to fix the dam. A 10-year plan to restore California’s largest lake was adopted last year.
EPA’s move to fast-track Orange County groundwater cleanup questioned
Los Angeles Times
When a contaminated aquifer in Orange County made U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s list of top-priority sites for “immediate, intense action,” the local water district was quick to highlight the announcement.
“Xtra”
Grizzly Fest will soon rock Fresno’s Woodward Park
ABC30
It’s just about that time of year again. In less than two weeks, Grizzly Fest is expected to bring music fans from around the globe to Northeast Fresno.
Expect traffic delays during Yosemite Half Marathon and watch out for 3,000 runners
Sierra Star
Traffic delays and road closures are expected around Bass Lake on Saturday due to the fourth annual Yosemite Half Marathon.
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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.
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