Political Stories – Top stories
Trump’s impact will be huge in California, where he was soundly rejected – Farmers from California’s Central Valley invested big time in Donald Trump, and soon the president-elect could repay the debt. During a Tulare County campaign event in late August that raised an estimated $1.3 million, Trump heard about the farmers’ need for water, among other issues. As president, he’ll appoint the people who can turn the taps, at least a little. McClatchy Newspapers article
Liberal California braces for a Donald Trump presidency: ‘We are on high alert’ — Trump’s stunning election threatens years of Democratic progress here and deprives the state’s ambitious social change agenda of a sure collaborator in Clinton. From local concerns like affordable housing and homelessness, to statewide priorities such as climate change, health care, immigration reform, gun control and the protection of organized labor, nowhere is the nation’s embrace of Trump felt more acutely than in deep-blue California. Sacramento Bee article; San Jose Mercury News article; Dan Walters column in Sacramento Bee: ‘What next for true-blue California?’
Valley politics
Mayor
How did Lee Brand put together a winning formula in Fresno mayor’s race? — It’s too soon to thoroughly analyze the race, but turnout in northeast Fresno’s City Council District 6 – which Brand currently represents on the city council – was 50 percent, while turnout in southeast Fresno’s District 5 – on paper what should be a stronger part of the city for Perea – was 30 percent. Fresno Bee article
Goh still ahead in Bakersfield mayor’s race, but nobody’s declaring anything — In a repeat of the June primary, nonprofit CEO Karen Goh widened her lead over former homebuilder Kyle Carter in the race for Bakersfield mayor on Wednesday. But tens of thousands of votes remained uncounted. Bakersfield Californian article
Tubbs proves you can go home again – The first thing Michael Tubbs says he wants to do is get some sleep. Then, he wants to get to work. Stockton Record article; Michael Fitzgerald column in Stockton Record
Murphy declares victory in Merced– While thousands of ballots remained uncounted Wednesday, several of Merced County’s mayoral races appeared to become clearer. Winning 42.4 percent of the votes counted after Tuesday’s election, Councilman Mike Murphy declared his campaign as a victory over Councilmen Noah Lor and Josh Pedrozo, and small-business owner Necola Adams. Merced Sun-Star article
Council
Four-term Bakersfield councilman Maxwell ousted; Sullivan wins sixth-term — Four-term Bakersfield City Councilman Harold Hanson, who initially said he wouldn’t seek a fifth term, but later changed his mind, may now be wondering whether he should have stuck with his original plan. Bakersfield Californian article
36 votes separate two vying for north Turlock council seat – In still-incomplete returns, only 36 votes separated two incumbents battling for a single City Council seat representing northwest Turlock. Modesto Bee article
Losing mother puts Lenz’s Stockton City Council celebration on hold – Susan Lenz will have to wait to truly celebrate. Tuesday night, as other candidates for elective office were savoring victories or lamenting defeats, Lenz was mourning her mother. Stockton Record article
New faces for Lemoore City Council — Incumbent Eddie Neal and newcomers Holly Blair and Dave Brown are leading in the Lemoore City Council race after Tuesday’s election. Hanford Sentinel article
Taxes
Half-cent transportation tax measures a success, Merced advocates say — Advocates for a half-cent sales tax to pay for road projects are calling preliminary election results on Measure V a victory for Merced County. Merced Sun-Star article
Other
Jeff Jardine: Voters picked anti-tax candidates, then passed road tax, school bonds – ou’ve heard the adage about hating Congress but loving your congressman?
Stanislaus County voters took it to another extreme Tuesday. In most races, they favored conservative candidates who promised to push for lower taxes. When it came to voting for the Measure L transportation tax and the various local school bond measures, though, every one appears to be headed toward passage. Jardine column in Modesto Bee
More San Joaquin County election results announced – There’s a changing of the guard in two key government groups in San Joaquin County. Although there are still votes to be counted (vote by mail ballots postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday are due by 5 p.m. Monday and provisional ballots still need to be tallied), but it appears both the San Joaquin County Supervisors and the Stockton City Council will see change. Stockton Record article
Fresno County: Some measures are too close to call – Close races involving tax and bond measures remain to be decided around Fresno County, with the two tightest involving law enforcement services. In Parlier, Measure Q is 14 votes shy of getting the two-thirds plus one, 66.67 percent, necessary to win. The measure would allow a hike in the parcel tax for home and apartment owners to add more police officers. Fresno Bee article
Thousands of uncounted ballots leave Merced County races in play – Several Merced County races remained too close to call the day after Tuesday’s elections, with the county’s top voting official saying it may be several days before final results are known. Merced Sun-Star article
Officials disappointed by Measure K defeat – Despite a big push from local agencies, Tuesday’s redo of the Measure K public safety tax again failed to garner enough support from Kings County voters. Hanford Sentinel article
Raw Kern County turnout seems to top recent trends – If all those uncounted ballots are good, Kern County’s raw turnout numbers would outstrip the number of voters who participated in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Bakersfield Californian article
Uncounted ballots remain: What’s in play? – More than 76,000 uncounted ballots remained to be checked, approved and tallied in Kern County Wednesday. Whether that could actually throw the outcome of local races, though, was unclear. Bakersfield Californian article
Shortage of ballots on election day in Tulare County blamed on high turnout — The Tulare County elections division ran short of paper ballots on Tuesday due to heavy turnout that caused more demand than expected. Fresno Bee article
Latest Results:
- Fresno County
- Kern County
- Kings County
- Madera County
- Merced County
- San Joaquin County
- Stanislaus County
- Tulare County
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
California scrambles to implement new recreational pot law – Passage of marijuana-legalization initiatives in California and other states this week has given momentum to a national movement to decriminalize pot, but that could change with the election of Republican Donald Trump as president, activists said Wednesday as state officials scrambled to make the new rules work. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee editorial: ‘How California can be a model for legal weed’
Dan Morain: California zigged while the rest of America zagged – California zigged when the rest of the nation zagged, and not just because it approved the commercial sale of recreational marijuana. Democrats can take some solace in California’s election returns. But amid the Election Day rubble, nothing could blunt the reality that the Oval Office occupant will be Donald J. Trump. Morain in Sacramento Bee
Democrats close to regaining two-thirds margin in California Assembly – Assembly Democrats led in races for a pair of Republican-held seats Wednesday morning, putting them on the verge of achieving a two-thirds super-majority, while Senate Democrats are lagging in their effort to reach the super-majority threshold. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article
Cortopassi not about to give up – Stockton native Dino Cortopassi refused to concede on Wednesday, holding onto hope that vote-by-mail and provisional ballots will give his Proposition 53 a comeback win. Stockton Record article
First Latino governor of the Golden State? – Now that the 2016 general election is over, brace yourself for a 2-year sprint for the race to replace Gov. Jerry Brown. You can add the name of former Los Ángeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the list of Democrats who are eyeing the position. Although Villaraigosa has not officially announced, all evidence – from his listening tours to words coming from those associated with him – points to him declaring soon his candidacy for governor. Vida en el Valle article
Pick a Democrat for U.S. Senate? No way, say more than a million Californians – Wednesday morning tallies had 8.9 million California voters casting ballots in the presidential race at the top of the ticket. But only 7.75 million of them weighed in on the Senate contest, which Harris won handily. That’s a drop-off of more than 1.1 million voters, or more than 12 percent. Sacramento Bee article
Loretta Sanchez concedes – and hints of a return — Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez conceded the U.S. Senate race Wednesday morning to Kamala Harris, congratulating the state attorney general for the win and pledging her support. LA Times article
Drug companies win campaign over Prop 61 price cap — Pharmaceutical companies have won California’s most expensive ballot measure battle, beating back Proposition 61’s effort to cap drug prices. Sacramento Bee article
Other areas
Donald Trump and marijuana: Will the two biggest winners of 2016 get along? — President-elect Donald Trump and President Barack Obama don’t agree on much, but they do have one thing in common: Both say that marijuana legalization should be left to the states. McClatchy Newspapers article
Bera took familiar path to lead in 7th District race – The Elk Grove Democrat ran up large margins in the district’s western precincts. In an area south of Elk Grove Boulevard, for example, Bera topped Jones by hundreds of votes. Sacramento Bee article
Success of homelessness and transit measures give LA Mayor Eric Garcetti a boost — For the 45-year-old mayor, Tuesday’s election marked a high point since he took office in 2013, elected on a “back-to-basics” campaign focused on potholes and tree trimmings. The two taxes meant to address the urgent issues of homelessness and traffic had cleared the high two-thirds bar for approval — legacy-making initiatives for the leader of the nation’s second-largest city. LA Times article
Presidential Politics
Protests across the country against President-elect Donald Trump – In cities and on college campuses across the U.S., protesters took to the streets, chanting, carrying signs and flags and angrily voicing their displeasure with the election of Republican Donald Trump to the presidency. McClatchy Newspapers article; LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article
Robin Abcarian: The kids in Berkeley are not feeling all right: rage, grief and excellent homemade signs – The day after Donald Trump became our president-elect, UC Berkeley junior Kalila Kirk showed up on campus wearing a homemade sandwich board. The back said: “White America — We Did This. We should be ashamed. We need to change.” Abcarian op-ed in LA Times
George Skelton: California and Trump supporters have one thing in common; Shaking up the status quo – The lesson from Donald Trump? The most important factor in a big election is a candidate’s ability to whip up voters’ emotions. Skelton column in LA Times
Trump will change the Supreme Court, with ‘pro-life’ and Second Amendment priorities – President-elect Donald Trump now has a chance to recast the Supreme Court, steering it to the more youthful right for years to come. McClatchy Newspapers article
Can Trump fulflll his campaign promises on immigration and trade? Mexico hopes not – Besides his vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and step up deportation of illegal immigrants, Trump has threatened to nix U.S.-Mexico trade deals, impose tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and cut or tax the billions of dollars in cash remittances sent home annually by Mexican immigrants. What remains unclear is which of Trump’s threats are campaign bluster, which he plans to follow through on, and which could prove impossible. LA Times article
Trump will soon have names, addresses for immigrants here illegally. Will he use them? – It was around midnight Wednesday just as it was becoming clear that Donald Trump would be the next president of the United States that long-time immigration advocate Maudia Melendez reached out to family and friends online. LA Times article
California’s legislative leaders on Trump’s win: ‘We woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land’ — California’s two legislative leaders vowed Wednesday to fight any attempt by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the state’s achievements, but also said they were shocked by the results on election night. LA Times article
Cathleen Decker: For reeling Democrats, now what? – As they struggled through the wreckage of one of their worst election nights in memory, Democrats faced a brutal reckoning over how the party, soon to be out of power on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, can regain relevance. Decker in LA Times
Is it time to Calexit yet? California movement gains steam after Trump election – California voters made one thing crystal clear on Election Night: Donald Trump isn’t the leader we want in the White House. Now a group of secessionists is taking advantage of postelection discontent and reintroducing a proposal to make California its own country. And it’s gaining momentum. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article
What President Trump might mean for Delta – The joke on social media after Donald Trump’s victory early Wednesday was that the tears of liberal Californians would refill the state’s reservoirs and end the drought. Since that doesn’t seem to have worked, it’s now a matter of waiting to see what policies the president-elect might push after Inauguration Day. Stockton Record article
For many Latinos, a historic election that turned into a nightmare – As Tuesday drew to a close, it became apparent that there remained a much greater numerical force than the increasingly vaunted Latino electorate — the fully activated, angry white voter. An unprecedented uprising of non-college-educated working-class white voters — mostly male — turned out in mass to deliver the White House for Trump, sending his mostly white supporters into euphoric celebration. LA Times article
Will Paris climate accord and other environmental pacts survive a Trump presidency? – When Donald Trump takes the oath of office in January, he appears poised to become the only world leader who questions whether climate change is real. LA Times article
‘This country … invalidated my existence’ – As the reality of a Donald Trump presidency set in for Nicholas Hatten, he had one thought: “This country, by voting for Trump, invalidated my existence as a gay, African-American Latino.” Stockton Record article
The man behind the USC/LA Times poll that predicted Trump winning: ‘To be honest, I was surprised’ — Arie Kapteyn prides himself on maintaining a certain detachment from the daily hubbub of political debate, so much so that when he had scheduled a speech in Washington months ago, he hadn’t focused on the fact that he would be giving it the day after the election. LA Times article
Trump can repeal Obama care with or without help from Congress — President-elect Donald Trump has promised over and over in recent months that he will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, when he reaches the White House. KQED report
Victor Davis Hanson: A blow to the non-elite elite — There were a lot of losers in this election, well beyond Hillary Clinton and the smug, incompetent pollsters and know-it-all, groupthink pundits who embarrassed themselves. Hanson column in Fresno Bee
News Stories – Top Stories
What’s pot worth to your town? California communities look to cash in locally on cannabis — The potential impact of Proposition 64 and legalized recreational marijuana in California was driven home by more than 50 city and county measures that set rules for taxing, regulating and governing the pot trade at a community level. Sacramento Bee article
UC president moves quickly to reassure undocumented students after Trump’s election – University of California President Janet Napolitano will soon meet with undocumented students to address their concerns about Tuesday’s presidential election of Republican Donald Trump, who pledged to rescind an executive action protecting them from deportation. Sacramento Bee article
Bakersfield water conservation on target but Isabella storage lags — Water users are continuing to do their part saving water as the drought enters its sixth year but storage at Isabella Lake is far below average, Bakersfield’s City Water Board learned on Wednesday. Bakersfield Californian article
Jobs and the Economy
Economists say Trump trade policies could hurt California business – California ships its almonds to China, its wine to Europe and its electronics components to Mexico. It leans heavily on immigrant labor to harvest its berries and code its software. Sacramento Bee article
Trump’s shocking victory could squeeze Silicon Valley on immigration, trade – Even with a positive attitude, the technology industry must now grapple with what Trump’s presidency will mean for the sector, which relies heavily on global trade, offshore labor and foreign skilled workers — all issues Trump has campaigned against. LA Times article
LA County supervisors place the welcome mat out for George Lucas’ museum – The day after a presidential election that left the country sharply divided, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors gathered to vote on whether to officially support bringing George Lucas’ proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Artto Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. The symbolic vote, however, was unanimous: Yes. LA Times article
Kings County: Taking the business pulse — Latest almond nursery sales report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows no slowdown in plantings with 108,000 acres of almond trees planted in the Valley from June 2015 through May 2016. Of that 71 percent were new orchards with the rest replaced existing almond orchards. Hanford Sentinel article
LA City Council bans sleeping in vehicles near homes, schools – A day after voters handed Los Angeles $1.2 billion to build supportive housing, the City Council on Wednesday adopted a nighttime ban on living in vehicles near homes, parks and schools, over objections from advocates who contend the measure will criminalize thousands of homeless people. LA Times article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
Gourmet mushrooms grow at farm near Oakdale — The mushrooms grow over about 25 days on 6-foot-tall plastic sacks filled with straw from organic rice fields in the Sacramento Valley. This takes place inside rooms kept at about 70 degrees and high humidity to mimic wild mushroom habitat. Modesto Bee article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
California has upheld the death penalty. Now what? – California has once again reaffirmed its commitment to the death penalty. On Tuesday, voters defeated Proposition 62, a measure to abolish capital punishment. It garnered only 46 percent of the vote, the second time in four years that the state has rejected an effort by critics to repeal the death penalty. Sacramento Bee article
Fresno County Sheriff’s Sgt. Rod Lucas remembered as ‘tough’ but caring law man — Hundreds of law enforcement officers from throughout the state joined family, friends and members of the public to celebrate the life of Fresno County sheriff’s deputy Sgt. Rod Lucas. Lucas was killed in an accidental shooting on Oct. 31 involving a fellow deputy at a department building near Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Fresno Bee article
After Prop 57, Tulare County DA says we can’t forget about victims — The Democratic governor says Proposition 57 will encourage more rehabilitation and help reverse a mistake he made when he was first governor in the 1970s by giving corrections professionals more say in when inmates are released, restoring balance to the legal code that he says has become overburdened with get-tough policies. But opponents worry the initiative could cause a spike in crime and create uncertainty about the timing of inmates’ releases. Visalia Times-Delta article
San Joaquin County DA: Ceviche prosecution not frivolous — It’s about keeping the food supply safe and maintaining “an even playing field for businesses in the county,” as far as the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is concerned in the case it has filed against a Stockton single mother of six over selling ceviche online without a permit. Stockton Record article
Are LA police chases worth the risk to bystanders? Last year saw record injuries — Los Angeles police chases injured more bystanders in 2015 than in any other year in at least a decade, a surge that has renewed calls for the LAPD to reform a pursuit policy considered one of the most permissive in California. LA Times article
Education
Bonds defy odds, pour millions into school construction – Despite sagging polls and predictions ballot fatigue would doom school bonds, those measures overwhelmingly passed Tuesday, shattering local records as almost $1.4 billion in construction funding was approved countywide. Bakersfield Californian article
Several Merced County school board races may depend on votes not yet counted – With nearly 20 school board seats up across Merced County, only a handful of votes separated opponents in multiple races after results for all precincts were recorded late Tuesday night. Merced Sun-Star article
Longtime Yosemite Community College District trustee behind in race to keep his seat – Longtime Yosemite Community College District trustee Tom Hallinan has fallen behind in the election to keep his board seat. Modesto Bee article
Despite concerns, Fresno Unified renews charter for highly ranked University High – After a week of speculation, Fresno Unified’s renewed University High School’s charter Wednesday night at its weekly board of trustees meeting, which was packed with students and parents from the school. Fresno Bee article
One vote the difference in two Kings County school board races – Two races for school board seats in Kings County are proving that every vote counts. Incumbent Tawny Robinson and challenger Greg Strickland are tied in the race for the Hanford Elementary School District’s Area 3 seat and a single vote separates Lilia Rizo and incumbent Ricardo Verdugo in the race for Reef-Sunset Unified School District’s Area 2 seat. Hanford Sentinel article
Remedial courses are ‘barriers’ for many community college students, report says – A large number of California’s community college students face roadblocks in their education and drop out because they are required to take remedial — or what college officials call developmental — courses in math or English that many never pass, according to a new report by the Public Policy Institute of California. EdSource article
Universities offer counseling and ‘healing spaces’ to students distraught over Trump win – UC Davis and Sacramento State are offering counseling services to students distraught over Republican Donald Trump’s surprise presidential win Tuesday. Sacramento Bee article
Fresno Unified offers support to students upset over Trump election — Fresno Unified is reaching out to teachers to help them deal with student concerns in the wake of Donald Trump being elected president. Fresno Bee article
UC regent’s breast comments prompt proposal for tighter rules on sexual harassment — University of California regents will consider tighter rules against fellow board members who commit sexual harassment, even if the conduct occurs outside official university business. LA Times article
Energy/Environment
Fresno County solar developer signs deal to sell power to Bay Area communities — The owners of a 630-acre solar photovoltaic project under development in western Fresno County have entered into a deal to sell electricity from the project to communities throughout the Bay Area through MCE, a community choice aggregator. Fresno Bee article
Science symposium focuses on climate change in Sequoia and Kings Canyon — Scientists and researchers from across California are gathering in Three Rivers this week to discuss the effects of climate change in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. FM89’s Ezra David Romero reports. KVPR report
New book details our history, fascination with giant Sequoia trees — Let’s face it. America loves giant sequoia trees. Native Americans believe they hold spiritual value, early settlers tried to exploit the trees and today the trees adorn the National Park Service’s badge. KVPR report
Health/Human Services
Kevin Valine: Modesto meeting focuses on treatment for mentally ill homeless — There is an effort underway to get help for some of these mentally ill homeless people who refuse treatment through what is called Laura’s Law. It would let local judges, at the request of an adult family member, law enforcement, mental health care providers and certain others, to order severely mentally ill people who meet certain criteria to receive outpatient treatment. Valine in Modesto Bee
Land Use/Housing
Self-Help offers its first affordable rental community in north Visalia — Self-Help Enterprises is getting ready to officially open its first affordable rental community in north Visalia. Highland Gardens, 2423 N. Highland St., has 36 two- and three-bedroom apartments with a half-court basketball court, playground, community center and community garden. Fresno Bee article
Other areas
Dick Hagerty: Those helping veterans are getting their act together, sort of – Veterans Day, Nov. 11, brings a bit of hope this year that vets will finally receive some formal recognition and proof of military service to our country. This glimmer of formally recognizing service time comes in the form of a long-awaited and much requested Veterans Identification Card, which will be issued (eventually) by Veterans Affairs. Hagerty in Modesto Bee
Fresno State to name Jeff Tedford as football coach — Jeff Tedford is headed back to the Bulldogs. Fresno State is arranging a news conference for Friday to introduce the alum as its next football coach, sources told The Bee on Wednesday. Fresno Bee article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – California was a bulwark against Trumpism. Trump offered no message for the Golden State and all but ignored it during his campaign.
Modesto Bee – We’re left with a divided nation; a nation at odds with itself; an angry nation willing to discard cherished principles to express its rage.
Sacramento Bee –- The president-elect needs to take some immediate steps to show he truly wants to represent all Americans and to ease fears at home and abroad; How California can be a role model for legal weed.