Political Stories
Top stories
Ballot proposal would divert high-speed rail money to water — Two well-known Republican state lawmakers submitted language Thursday for a ballot initiative that would ask California voters to redirect about $8 billion in bond money from the state’s high-speed rail project to build water storage. Board of Equalization member George Runner and Sen. Bob Huff of San Dimas, the former Senate minority leader, said they filed language for the initiative with the attorney general’s office. AP article
Dan Walters: Brown has slippery ties to oil — Opponents of “fracking” oil recovery staged a small Capitol demonstration Thursday, demanding that Gov. Jerry Brown ban it before jetting to Paris for a climate change conference. “Gov. Brown has stood by as oil companies continue to employ dangerous drilling methods …” their manifesto declared. It was the latest manifestation of Brown’s complex – slippery, one might say – relationship with oil over his half-century in public life. Walters column in Sacramento Bee
Valley politics
Crowded field already for next year’s Stockton elections – In less than eight months, Stockton residents in three districts will vote in primary elections to choose candidates for the citywide general election next November. Also in June, voters citywide will pick from a slate of candidates to determine the mayoral finalists for Nov. 8. Stockton Record article
Modesto’s Measure I is defeated as final results are tabulated — After the public was left up in the air for almost a week, final election results Thursday showed the Measure I farmland preservation initiative was defeated by 215 votes. The Stamp Out Sprawl initiative in Modesto held a slight lead in the incomplete count after the polls closed Nov. 3, but the tables turned in the last nine days as about 16,000 additional ballots in Stanislaus County were processed and tabulated. Modesto Bee article
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
Lt. Gov. Newsom seeks to keep workers claimed by state Senate president – On Thursday, the lieutenant governor’s office filed papers with state personnel officials to convert the two workers to full-time employees of the lieutenant governor. Rhys Williams, Newsom’s chief of staff, said the two workers will resign their Senate positions Friday to pave the way for the change. LA Times article
Are Gavin Newsom and Kevin de León feuding over gun control? — Now Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is caught up in a public scuffle with Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León over two staff positions that have been on loan from the pro tem’s office for the past several years to bolster his small operations. As first reported in the Los Angeles Times, the employees were suddenly called back to service for the Senate leader this week. Sacramento Bee article
Bill Whalen: Lots of ballot measures, but where are the bond issues? — Every spring, I make failed baseball wagers with my friends (a Nationals-Mariners World Series, what was I thinking?). Every other fall, it’s a shot in the dark at campaign outcomes. Whalen column in Sacramento Bee
Other areas
Prompted by KJ and Filner case, proposed bill would mandate harassment training — Two Assembly members whose local mayors have grappled with sexual misconduct allegations want to mandate sexual harassment training for local elected officials. “It’s common sense to protect women in the workplace as well as to protect local government and taxpayers,” said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, who plans to introduce a bill on the subject along with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. Sacramento Bee article
Joel Fox: Cal Chamber scorecard – the story is NOT who supports business all the time — The California Chamber of Commerce released its tally of legislators’ floor votes on 15 bills that the chamber determined were crucial to the business community. Checking the scorecard, a telltale story from the chamber’s perspective is not who was for or against the chamber all the time, but which Democrats took the business side of the argument much of the time. Fox in Fox & Hounds
LA to start enforcing new limit on ammunition magazine size next week – Los Angeles will be able to start enforcing its new ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition next week, after a Superior Court judge turned down a request from gun rights groups to immediately stop the law from going into effect. LA Times article
Sam Farr, Democratic congressman in Monterey County, retiring — Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel), who announced Thursday he will not seek reelection, says he wants to focus on being a “full-time grandpa.” Farr, 74, made his retirement announcement at a news conference in Salinas, saying it’s time to come home after more than two decades in Congress. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article
News Stories
Top Stories
Appeals court upholds death penalty in California — A federal appeals court on Thursday reversed a federal judge’s ruling that California’s death penalty is unconstitutional because of excessive delays, saying federal courts should not consider “novel constitutional theories” when reviewing such cases. Sacramento Bee article; San Jose Mercury News article; LA Times article; KQED report; New York Times article
Fresno council eliminates future bonuses for top city officials — n the week since news broke that Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and her administration had given $300,000 in bonuses and deferred compensation packages to top lieutenants, it seemed a foregone conclusion that an angry City Council would beef up disclosure rules about the practice. Indeed, the council took that step, voting unanimously Thursday to add teeth to the city’s 5-year-old Transparency Act. But the council also took one giant step further, banning all bonus pay to top Fresno officials, who account for about 1 percent of all city employees. Fresno Bee article
Jobs and the Economy
California’s economy is booming, so why is it No. 1 in poverty? – That swift economic growth hasn’t improved the fortunes of California’s poorest. The state’s official poverty rate (based on a federal threshold of $24,230 for a family of four) is at 16.4%, according to the most recent census data from 2014, up from 12.4% in 2007. LA Times article
Kern County and union trade barbs in contract battle – The County of Kern and its largest union have been working toward a contract deal for much of the past year. Talks are heating up. Bakersfield Californian article
Second Lemoore business hit with ADA lawsuit – The Lemoore Chamber of Commerce is planning its next steps after another business was served with an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit this week. Hanford Sentinel article
Bakersfield budget hearing will be separate from council meetings in 2016 – In 2016, the City Council is going to change the way you think about hearing about the city budget. That’s because next year, in an effort to give the process more time, the City Council will hold two hearings on the 2016-2017 city budget separately from council meetings. Bakersfield Californian article
CalPERS sells $3 billion in real estate — CalPERS announced Thursday that it has sold $3 billion worth of real estate as it tries to reduce risk in its investment portfolio. Sacramento Bee article
How Bob Duncan countered the question: ‘Where the hell is Fresno?’ — In a 2000 interview, former Duncan Enterprises president Bob Duncan explains why he became of the top benefactors and supporters of Fresno State athletics. Duncan died Nov. 11. He was 94. The interview is part of Fresno State’s oral history of Leon S. Peters Award winners (Duncan won in 1985). Fresno Bee video
Mike Rhodes: Look at homeless in a new and helpful way – Rhodes, who has written extensively about homeless in Fresno, writes, “We should begin to treat the homeless with dignity and respect. They are our sons, daughters, fathers and mothers. We should treat them as we would like to be treated if we were in their situation.” Rhodes op-ed in Fresno Bee
Despite pledge, LA has yet to declare state of emergency on homeless crisis — Seven weeks after city leaders announced they would seek a formal declaration to jump on the homeless crisis, there is no state of emergency in Los Angeles. The city’s pledge to declare one remains bottled up by legal questions, and problems with federal funding could blunt the measure’s impact. LA Times article
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf toots new tune: a publicly funded stadium — Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who has been adamant that she does not support spending taxpayer dollars on a new stadium for the Raiders, had a different message for National Football League officials Wednesday. The city, she told them in a presentation in New York, is analyzing the use of public bonds — or tax money — to finance a stadium. San Francisco Chronicle article
Kaiser-Fresno mental health workers set to strike Monday – About 50 Kaiser Permanente-Fresno mental health workers could go on strike Monday, joining about 1,400 Northern California Kaiser workers who are alleging the health system is understaffed, among other issues. Fresno Bee article
No Downtown Fresno ice rink this holiday season – The Downtown Fresno Ice Rink that has operated on the Fulton Mall every winter since 2012 will not return this season, according to the Downtown Fresno Partnership. A decision was made in June not to bring the ice rink back because there was a chance the Fulton Mall construction project could be underway, said Aaron Blair, the partnership’s president and chief executive officer. It will be on hold until after the mall project is completed, he said. Fresno Bee article
Blighted downtown Fresno gas station finally sold – A blighted former gas station at the corner of Van Ness and Stanislaus avenues in Downtown Fresno has finally been sold and will soon be demolished. Mark Astone, owner of Catalyst Marketing, purchased the property in October, in part because he said he was “tired of looking at” the dilapidated property, which is located directly across Stanislaus from Astone’s Catalyst Marketing office building. The Business Journal article
McCaulou’s department store opens in Lincoln Center – McCaulou’s, an independent department store chain based in the East Bay Area, quietly opened its newest store Thursday afternoon, filling a long-vacant space in Stockton’s Lincoln Center. Stockton Record article
Art of philanthropy helps fractured, fragile, flawed – When philanthropist Christian Thomas Lee took center stage at Crete Hall in Lodi’s Hutchins Street Square as the keynote speaker at the fifth annual Community Philanthropy Summit, his first words were that he had nothing profound to say. Instead, he told the dozens of representatives from San Joaquin Valley nonprofits a good story — one that he said would be very personal and close to home, because it was the story of those listening. Stockton Record article
Proximity to Bay Area yields big tech-support company for Sacramento area – Sacramento is still grappling with how to grow its high-tech industry, but the region’s location is helping bring in back-office businesses connected to the Bay Area. Sacramento Bee article
San Francisco startup Cobalt launches sleek private planes — Tech startups usually launch devices in the figurative sense, but one San Francisco company’s product is designed for a literal launch. Cobalt on Thursday unveiled the Valkyrie, a five-seat, propeller-driven private plane that looks as sleek as a small jet. San Francisco Chronicle article
Citing big pay, lawmaker calls for state audit of LA County Fair Association – A Pomona assemblyman called Thursday on the state Legislature to conduct a far-reaching audit of the Los Angeles County Fair Assn., saying he was shocked to learn of the large pay packages awarded to its top managers in years when the organization lost money. LA Times article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
El Nino still on track to deliver deluges, new report says – Bone-dry California remains on track to get a drenching this winter from the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, federal scientists said in new projections released Thursday. The experts still believe “that this El Niño could rank among the top three strongest episodes” on record, bringing average or above-average rains to the entire state. San Jose Mercury News article
Michael Fitzgerald: What are Met’s intentions as new Delta dweller – The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is negotiating to buy four Delta islands. In the minds of locals, this is like the fox pricing the henhouse. Fitzgerald column in Stockton Record
Many California lakes are shockingly low — In 35 years, nobody’s seen numbers like these. In a personal survey this week of 125 recreation lakes, 33 are under 25 percent full, and that includes 19 that are less than 10 percent full and four that are empty. San Francisco Chronicle article
Cal Water accuses Visalia of plotting ‘hostile takeover’ – The city is taking the first step toward buying the local water system from California Water Service following complaints by council members about too-high water bills and too-little water cutbacks in the drought. California Water Service issued a statement that the city is seeking a “hostile takeover” and the system is not for sale. Fresno Bee article; Visalia Times-Delta article
Valley drought on the silver screen – Even people in cities as nearby as San Francisco and Los Angeles are unaware how devastating the drought’s effects have been in the Valley or how politics and legal decisions have worsened those effects, said Ray McNally. But the Sacramento documentary filmmaker hopes to change that with his 35-minute film, “Dead Harvest,” which he premiered Thursday evening at the Visalia Fox Theater to an audience of about 700 people. Visalia Times-Delta article
Citrus industry will ‘buy time’ until researchers can halt devastating, insect-borne disease — The fate of Kern County’s $900 million-a-year citrus industry may come down to whether costly and potentially controversial efforts will stave off a tiny, winged pest long enough for researchers to find a cure for the devastating disease it has already carried from Florida to Southern California. Bakersfield Californian article
Heavy use of water is necessary, grocer says – A supermarket chain that was identified as one of the Bay Area’s biggest offenders of local drought regulations defended its heavy water use, saying the nearly 1,000 gallons per hour it slurped up at a Pleasanton store — four times as much as a nearby Safeway — was critical to running a massive seafood department. San Francisco Chronicle article
New California law gives farmworkers right to back pay – A new state law means some California farmworkers are now entitled to back pay. FM89’s Diana Aguilera reports a local union is working to spread the word among workers. KVPR report
Winemakers in Idaho and California hope for federal recognition — Winemakers from northwestern Idaho to the foothills of California’s Fresno County produce distinct vintages but share a common dream of seeing benefits flow from federal recognition. In what’s become a rite of passage, the different groups of winemakers have sought designation of their respective regions as viticultural areas. It can be a years-long ordeal that proponents hope will result in marketing fizz. McClatchy Newspapers article
Public Policy Institute of California: Video: Farming solutions to weather drought — How is California’s drought affecting farming, rural communities, and the environment? How much water do farms use, and how do they benefit the state’s economy? What are farmers doing to improve how water is managed? These were some of the big questions discussed by a panel of experts at the October 20 event “Weathering Drought: Farming Solutions for a Thriving California,” organized by the nonprofit group Sustainable Conservation and held at PPIC’s Bechtel Conference Center. PPIC video
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Perez named to critical state committee — Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez has been named co-chair of a committee that will help the Board of State and Community Corrections determine the criteria for who will receive millions in Proposition 47 grant money. The money — savings from state incarceration programs — is intended to help reduce recidivism and keep convicts from returning to custody once they’re released. Bakersfield Californian article
State makes it official: No jail funding for San Joaquin County – California awarded $500 million on Thursday to 15 counties to pay for new classrooms, mental health facilities and other projects intended to help rehabilitate prisoners, but San Joaquin County was left out of the funding mix. AP article
State offers San Francisco $80 million for new jail but support is squishy — The state said Thursday that it will give San Francisco $80 million to help finance a new jail, setting the stage for a contentious fight over whether the city should accept the money. San Francisco Chronicle article
Santa Clara and Alameda counties get state funding for new jails — Santa Clara County won $80 million and Alameda County received $54 million in state funds to help build and improve jail facilities at a Thursday meeting that was marked with a protest by activists who want to see money spent on programs that would keep people out of the clink in the first place. San Jose Mercury News article
Prowling social media, going undercover pay off in bust of Caruthers-area chop shop — A man whose vehicle was stolen two weeks ago helped Fresno police catch the suspected thief and take down a chop shop in the Caruthers area Wednesday, police say. Sgt. Tim Tietjen of the CCATT auto theft team said the victim began monitoring social media after his car was taken from the Fresno City College area. This week, he saw the vehicle’s rims, valued at $2,000 when new, offered for sale on a website. Fresno Bee article
Inmate found dead inside cell at Kern Valley prison — A convicted robber has died after being found unconscious at aKern Valley State Prison and his cellmate is suspected of killing him. AP article; Bakersfield California article
Turlock police warn of recent assaults on women – Two women were assaulted in Turlock during the past week, and police are investigating whether the assaults were connected to as many as three others reported over the past few months. Modesto Bee article
Modesto police, Postal Service see rise in mail theft — Modesto police and the U.S. Postal Service say there’s been an increase in mail theft recently. “I would say we’ve seen a rise in the last three months,” Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Heather Graves said Thursday. There were 66 reports from Aug. 1 through Oct. 31, she said, compared with 38 in the three-month period before that. Modesto Bee article
Education
4 myths about California’s new Common Core academic standards – So far, two of the biggest questions involve new kindergarten reading standards and the rollout of the Common Core curriculum. KQED report
Mark Evans: Strange? Hardly: Good things happening at CSU Bakersfield – The department chair and professor of economics at CSU Bakersfield writes, “Good things are happening here. It feels pretty cool to those of us “in the trenches” when a publication with the international stature of The Economist empirically discovers it and tells the world.” Evans op-ed in Bakersfield Californian
Board officials defend charter schools following leak of expansion plan — Charter schools have been wrongly accused of not serving all students and a proposal to greatly expand the number of them in Los Angeles would not result in financial catastrophe for the nation’s second-largest school system, according to a top official with the group spearheading the plan. LA Times article
Claremont McKenna dean resigns after students protest campus racial bias — Claremont McKenna College’s dean of students resigned Thursday amid protests over racial tensions on the campus, the same day student demonstrations roiled more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide. LA Times article; AP article
Energy/Environment
Ray Scott: More schools could make a difference in recycling – The president of Keep California Beautiful writes, “With more than 9,890 public schools serving more than 6.3 million students, and another 600,000 students in private schools across California, K-12 schools consume large amounts of resources and generate large amounts of solid waste. When you also include the teachers, staff and administration employed by these schools, it is safe to say that it is time all California schools begin recognizing the impact they could have by enacting smart recycling programs.” Scott op-ed in Bakersfield Californian
Shannon Eddy: Large solar projects can be done responsibly – The executive director of Large-scale Solar Association writes, “Like all renewable energy, large solar projects will still require careful land-use considerations. Fortunately, responsible siting and tough regulations have already demonstrated that the benefits of large-scale solar cannot only co-exist with environmental values, but help preserve natural ecosystems as we head into an uncertain climate future.” Eddy op-ed in Sacramento Bee
Gordon Nipp: Focus on the message, not the messenger, in anti-oil activities – The leader of a local chapter of the Sierra Club writes, “None of the folks who advocate for transitioning away from fossil fuels call for an unrealistic, abrupt cutoff from oil. For that matter, because of resistance to change from the powerful oil industry, there is not much choice at this point to using fossil fuel-powered vehicles. But science is clear – a transition should start now. With some thought, it can be a reasoned and considerate transition. A civilized discussion would avoid name-calling.” Nipp op-ed in Bakersfield Californian
Boats sit idle as algae threatens Dungeness crab season — San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf typically bustles this time of year as workers prepare to haul millions of pounds of Dungeness crab that are a tradition at Thanksgiving and other holiday meals. But crab pots are sitting empty on docks, boats are idled and fishermen are anxiously waiting for California authorities to open the lucrative Dungeness crab season. San Francisco Chronicle article
Health/Human Services
15 percent of Merced County adults continue without health insurance, data show – More California residents than ever are covered by health insurance, according to recent reports. And while Merced County has seen its percentage of uninsured fall to a new low, that rate has hit a plateau that experts say will be hard to move past. Merced Sun-Star article
Covered California makes new push to lure the still-uninsured — More than 2 million eligible Californians are still without medical coverage, and in its third year, the state-run marketplace for health insurance will put the emphasis on capturing a fraction of them. San Francisco Chronicle article
Covered California exchange offers dental coverage for adults in 2016 – The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will brighten smiles among adults in California in 2016. For the first time, the Covered California health exchange will offer dental coverage for adults through optional family dental plans available in 2016. While dental benefits for children have been included in the cost of Covered California health plans, the adult dental benefits come at an additional expense. Modesto Bee article
Kings County’s premature birth rate one of state’s lowest – In 2013, Kings County had a premature birth rate — defined as births less than 37 weeks — of 8 percent, according to www.kidsdata.org. That put Kings in a tie with Lassen, San Luis Obispo and Sutter counties for the 15th- lowest pre-term birth rate among the 58 counties in California. Hanford Sentinel article
Kern County selected for national health survey — Kern County has been selected to participate in a national health study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bakersfield Californian article
Riverbank adopts fines for e-cigarette violations — The City Council also agreed to regulate e-tobacco sales, including fines ranging from $100 to $500 for violations such as selling to children. E-cigarette retailers did not object, Mayor Richard O’Brien said, while some audience members urged the council to ban smoking in all public places. Modesto Bee article
Children with autism may have been undercounted — As many as 1 in 45 American children may have autism spectrum disorder, says a new government study that suggests the prevalence of the condition that impairs communication and social skills has been dramatically undercounted. LA Times article
Transportation
Caltrans aims for early Saturday on old Bay Bridge pier blast — The once-delayed demolition of the largest remaining pier of the old Bay Bridge eastern span is now set for early Saturday, as officials look to avoid a monster traffic jam when the new bridge is shut down for up to a half hour, Caltrans said Thursday. San Francisco Chronicle article
Other areas
Family files wrongful death lawsuit in case involving misrouted 911 call – Nine months after a 13-year-old boy collapsed and died last January in a P.E. class at Cecil Avenue Middle School in Delano — and the 911 call was inexplicably routed to Canada — attorneys for the boy’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday in Kern County Superior Court. Named as defendants in the suit are the Delano Union School District and five of its employees, as well of the City of Delano, County of Kern and State of California. Bakersfield Californian article
Former prosecutor sues Stanislaus district attorney, claiming political retaliation – Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager forced out a senior prosecutor who had backed Fladager’s political opponent when she was first elected, according to the former employee’s civil rights lawsuit. Modesto Bee article
As gambling in California surges, treatment for compulsive players lags — The gambling surge poses new challenges for efforts to reduce compulsive gambling in California, which a 2006 study pegged as a $1 billion problem. Once nearly nonexistent, the budget for state compulsive gambling efforts has doubled from a decade ago and now includes millions of dollars for research, training, prevention and treatment. Some local governments, casinos, and others also offer prevention programs. Yet experts say the full scope of the problem is much larger, with those receiving help representing about a fifth, or less, of California’s population of out-of-control gamblers. Sacramento Bee article
Uvaldo Calderon: Merced will overcome latest tragedy – The former Merced resident writes, “I know my hometown will not be defined by the tough times and tragedies it has faced. Merced will be defined by the way it has faced all its challenges, overcome them and thrived. Merced isn’t the town that can be knocked down; it’s a town that always gets up, perseveres and succeeds.” Calderon op-ed in Merced Sun-Star
No cops needed: San Francisco pushes bid for automated speed cameras — San Francisco officials who aim to eliminate fatal traffic collisions are pressing what would be a fundamental change on some streets — a network of automated cameras that would identify speeding drivers, snap their photos and mail them tickets. San Francisco Chronicle article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – Dungeness crabs are the latest casualty of climate change; It’s looking more certain that President Barack Obama won’t keep his campaign promise to close the terrorist prison at Guantánamo Bay. But this failure isn’t on him. It’s on Congress, which adamantly refuses to let the president do the right thing.
Sacramento Bee – Europe’s refugee catastrophe is only getting worse; Whether or not you agreed with her politics, many of Peggy Bengs’ words were worth taking to heart.
Stockton Record – Sportsmanship and respect are more important than what the scoreboard reads.
Maddy Events
Sunday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. on Fresno ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Highway Funding: Still Stuck in Political Gridlock” — Guests: Caltrans CFO Norma Ortega, Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable); Chris McKenzie, executive director of the California League of Cities; and Matt Cate, executive director of the California Association of Counties; and Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.
Sunday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. on KMJ (580AM and 105.9FM Radio/podcast) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Farm to Market: Maintaining the Valley’s Highways” – Guests: Tony Boren, executive director of the Fresno County of Governments; Ted Smalley, director of the Tulare Council of Governments; and and Caltrans District 6 Director Sharri Bender Ehlert. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.
Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7 a.m. on Univision 21 (KFTV) and UniMas 61 (KTFF) – El Informe Maddy: “Environmental and Water Issues in California” – Guest: Miryam Barajas of the State Water Resources Control Board. Host: Maddy Institute Deputy Director Ana Melendez.
The Maddy Report airs throughout California on The Cal Channel. Check http://www.calchannel.com to find the Cal Channel and schedule in your area. You also can view previous Maddy Report programs in their entirety at http://www.maddyinstitute.org/policy-analysis/the-maddy-report-tv.
Community Events
- The 2015 California Economic Summit will be held in Ontario on Nov. 12-13. Since its inception in 2012, the Summit has brought together hundreds of private, public and civic leaders from the state’s diverse regions in an effort to advance the triple bottom line: promoting a prosperous economy that respects environment and equity concerns. More information and registration is available here.
Interactive
Next 10: UPDATED California budget challenge – For the first time in a decade, California’s budget is largely in balance. However, the state has outstanding debts of $28 million, not counting long-term pension and retiree health care costs. Budget choices affect us all. Take the Challenge and decide how much should be spent on programs and where the money should come from. Next 10 California Budget Challenge
Next 10: Federal budget challenge — The Federal Budget Challenge is based on The Concord Coalition’s Principles and Priorities budget exercise, which has been used in numerous town hall meetings across the country by members of Congress from both parties, as well as in hundreds of high school and college classrooms. Next 10 Federal Budget challenge at www.federalbudgetchallenge.org.
Next 10: California Water Challenge – As our state faces some of the most severe drought conditions in its history, Next 10 wants to issue a new challenge to Californians: can you create a plan to make sure there’s enough water for everyone? Next 10 California Water Challenge
LEGISLATORS’ VOTING RECORDS: How often has a California legislator broken party ranks, abstained or switched sides? The Sacramento Bee has a database of the voting records of every member of the state Senate and Assembly. Enter a lawmaker’s last and first names to see how he or she voted, or enter a bill number to see how every legislator voted on it. Check it out at this link. http://www.sacbee.com/votingrecord/
More Information
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Maddy Institute Updates List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials – The Maddy Institute has updated its list of San Joaquin Valley elected officials. The list is available here.
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