Maddy Institute – November 15, 2019

15Nov

POLICY & POLITICS

Amtrak's presence in the Valley may be in jeopardy

abc30

Amtrak has provided rail service in the San Joaquin Valley since 1974. However, Amtrak's presence in the Valley could be in jeopardy, based on testimony Action News heard in Washington DC before the US House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

North SJ Valley:

Merced mayor meets at White House to talk about affordable housing barriers

Merced Sun-Star

Merced Mayor Mike Murphy on Wednesday met with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson as part of a group of elected officials from across the county who gathered at the White House in Washington D.C. to discuss the housing crisis.

More cops needed in Atwater, city leaders say. But will voters support a higher tax?

Merced Sun-Star

Atwater votes will be asked to replace 2013’s Measure H public safety tax with a new - and more expensive - tax that city leaders say could put as many as five new police officers on city streets.

Central SJ Valley:

Should Fresno weed shops hire those convicted of drug crimes? New law says yes

Fresno Bee

Fresno City Council adopted new equity rules related to cannabis businesses Thursday, but not before Councilmember Garry Bredefeld called on Mayor Lee Brand to use his veto powers to strike down the ordinance altogether.

Fresno city council approve cannabis business ordinance, opening door to more marijuana business

abc30

The Fresno city council has approved a new cannabis business ordinance, allowing up to 14 retail cannabis businesses in the city. The measure was narrowly approved in a four to three vote. Fresno mayor Lee Brand could still veto the ordinance before it goes into effect.

Changes coming to this Fresno County animal shelter. Could more dogs be killed?

Fresno Bee

Changes are coming to an animal shelter in Fresno County, and some fear it could result in more dogs being euthanized. City officials in Orange Cove, a rural city southeast of Fresno, terminated their contract with Friends of Orange Cove Animal Shelter (FOCAS).

National Philanthropy Day recognizes Valley’s big givers

Business Journal

Sponsored by Fresno State and put on by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ California Valley Chapter, National Philanthropy Day was held Wednesday and recognized some of the Valley’s most prolific charitable organizations, companies and individuals.

South SJ Valley:

Coroner determines McFarland city manager died of accidental drowning

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office says former McFarland City Manager John Wooner, who went missing in May, died from an accidental drowning. The Kern County Coroner said an autopsy revealed blunt injuries led to the drowning.

Affordable housing development for students in need coming to BC

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College is moving toward getting its first affordable housing development for low-income or homeless students. At Thursday's Kern Community College District board meeting, trustees approved entering into an agreement to sell or lease property located on 4021 Mt. Vernon Ave. to the Housing Authority of the County of Kern.

State:

‘Explain how things got this bad’: California congressman wants PG&E oversight hearing

Modesto Bee

A California lawmaker wants to pull PG&E before Congress for an oversight hearing over how the bankrupt company plans to prevent future problems with wildfires. The request from Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, is the latest in a long stream of blowback toward PG&E from politicians, businesses and the public since the company’s equipment triggered deadly California wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

● New scams target PG&E customers’ financial and personal info, authorities say Sacramento Bee

● EDITORIALS:‘PG&E no longer exists. It will be completely transformed.’ Six quotes from Gov. Newsom Fresno Bee

Anti-fascist protesters take deals in California Capitol clash with white nationalists

Modesto Bee

Three years after white nationalists and anti-fascists spilled blood in a violent brawl on the grounds of the state Capitol, the case ended in Sacramento on Thursday with misdemeanor plea deals for the three protesters arrested in the clash.

Local governments need to join the fight against Trump’s cruel ‘public charge’ rule

Sacramento Bee

One hundred fifty years ago, America’s first transcontinental railroad was completed as Leland Stanford ceremoniously tapped the gold last spike and the railroad opened for through traffic between Sacramento and Omaha. The railway connected the west to the rest of the United States and spurred economic growth across the country.

Federal:

After Trump Attacks, Less Than Quarter Of Republicans Now Believe The News, Says Poll

Newsweek

A new Hill-HarrisX survey shows that 24 percent of Republicans believe mass media news stories, while 49 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of Independents believe news in the mass media. Meanwhile, trust in the mainstream media remains low across the board.

What did the Trump-Erdogan meeting accomplish?

Brookings

Following President Trump and President Erdoğan’s meeting at the White House, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow Amanda Sloat breaks down the points of tension between the U.S., Turkey, and European Union, Congress’ role in the U.S.-Turkey relationship, and what, if anything, was achieved during the visit.

Elections 2020:

In California's 2020 primary, Latino voters could help Democrats defeat Trump

Visalia Times Delta

With California's earlier primary date giving the state newfound clout in choosing who takes on President Donald Trump, political experts say presidential hopefuls would do well to step up their courtship of the Golden State’s increasingly powerful Latino voters.

How a Bloomberg presidential bid could upend California’s primary

Sacramento Bee

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has already dipped a toe into the 2020 Democratic contest. If the multi-billionaire decides to jump all the way in the race, he could make a big splash in California’s primary.

No-Shows, Endorsement Spats And Drag Queens: What’s On Tap At This Weekend’s Democratic Convention

CalMatters

Like Comic-Con for progressive political nerds and consultants, the California Democratic Party’s biannual convention — one of the year’s largest gathering of like-minded partisans — will kick off in Long Beach this weekend with an estimated 5,000 attendees.

Labor Waits and Watches as 2020 Democratic Primary Heats Up

KQED
As the 2020 presidential primary heats up and California Democrats head to Long Beach for another state party convention this weekend, organized labor is in no hurry to throw its considerable weight behind any of the candidates running for president.

10 Democrats qualify for November presidential debate

Los Angeles Times

Ten Democratic presidential candidates have qualified for next Wednesday’s debate in Georgia, giving voters a smaller lineup onstage to consider even as the party’s overall field expands. The Democratic National Committee confirmed the lineup Thursday after reviewing polling and grass-roots fundraising thresholds.

Biden Releases 10-Year, $1.3 B Plan During Los Angeles Tour

Patch

The Biden campaign on Thursday released what it dubbed a plan "to invest in middle class competitiveness." The 10-year, $1.3 billion plan would repair highways, roads and bridges, speed the transition to electric vehicles, and more.

See also:

● Joe Biden Proposes $1.3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Wall Street Journal

● Joe Biden rages over school shootings as he holds his first 2020 rally in California Los Angeles Times

Andrew Yang proposes tax on digital ads in swipe at Google, Facebook

Los Angeles Times

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang proposed a tax on digital ads that takes aim at the revenue models of companies such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google.

Elizabeth Warren’s savior: Modern Monetary Theory

AEI

The plan simply is too specific, and a change in one parameter would require changes in several others to make the numbers add up, whether in reality or only notionally.

Eazy Peelz-y: Fowler Packing gets back in the mandarin game

Business Journal

If you enjoy a little citrus snack, chances are you’ve heard of Halos or Cuties. Now Fowler Packing Co. is hoping that parents and others who enjoy easy-peel mandarin oranges will take notice of their new product, Peelz.

How Much Cannabis Do Californians Use? Researchers Want To Ask In Order To Set Safe Pesticide Limits

KVPR
California scientists want to know how much cannabis people are consuming on a daily basis. The information could help them set safer standards for the amount pesticide pot farmers should be using on crops.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

We revealed California jails are in crisis. Gavin Newsom is calling for more oversight

Fresno Bee

Faced with a surge of homicides in some of California’s largest jails, inmates held in inhumane suicide-watch conditions and elected sheriffs who rebuff state inspectors, Gov. Gavin Newsom is crafting plans that would give the state more power to oversee local sheriffs and the lockups they run.

‘Jaws of life’ among items stolen in $30,000 theft from Stanislaus County fire district

Modesto Bee

Tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, including a tool used to free people trapped in vehicles, was stolen from a volunteer fire department south of Modesto on Wednesday night. The burglary at the Mountain View Fire Protection District on Crows Landing Road was discovered Thursday morning.

FBI: Hate crimes rose 58% in San Francisco as nationwide numbers leveled off

San Francisco Chronicle

Hate crimes jumped 58% in San Francisco last year even as they appeared to level off across California and the nation, new FBI figures show. The city’s surge in hate crimes, which local leaders called troubling, was driven by an increase in incidents in which people were accused of targeting victims due to their race or ethnicity.

Public Safety:

Saugus High shooter opened fire on crowded quad in 16-second attack that left 2 dead and 3 wounded, sheriff says

Los Angeles Times

Authorities said the shooting at Saugus High School that left two students dead and three wounded occurred over a 16-second period in which a classmate pulled out a gun in the quad area and opened fire.

● Saugus students barricaded themselves in classrooms, fearing gunman would target them Los Angeles Times

● Officials: 5 California students shot in seconds AP News

● 'Don't stay silent': Democrats lash out as GOP blocks gun measure amid school shooting abc

● ‘How do we recover?’: Experts weigh in on how to talk to your kids about shootings Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: There is no single profile of a mass shooter. Our data show there are five types Los Angeles Times

● EDITORIAL: Santa Clarita shooting: It’s the guns. It’s always the guns Los Angeles Times

Fire:

Sen. Kamala Harris introduces bill to boost towns’ wildfire preparedness

Los Angeles Times

California Sen. Kamala Harris introduced a bill Thursday that would set aside $1 billion each year to pay for better infrastructure, land-use and evacuation route planning in fire-prone communities.

Burned-out California town ignores stricter building codes, even with wildfire threat

Sacramento Bee

The code, known as Chapter 7A, requires builders to use fire-resilient materials on roofs, siding and windows on new construction built in 2008 or later. But it’s only mandatory in the largely rural areas where Cal Fire has identified the potential for big wildfires.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Small businesses dealing with credit card fee increase

abc30

Using your credit card at small businesses could cost you more. People at C-Care enjoy coffee from the Kuppa Joy kiosk. Many pay by credit card.

Sutter Health to pay $30 million to settle secret kickback lawsuit; whistleblower to get slice

Sacramento Bee

Sutter Health has agreed to pay more than $30 million to the federal government after an executive at the Sacramento-based health care giant accused Sutter of paying out millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors in exchange for patient referrals.

Jobs:

Black Facebook staff describe workplace racism in anonymous letter

The Guardian

One year after a former Facebook manager accused the company of having “a black people problem” – failing its black employees by allowing the proliferation of a hostile workplace culture — an anonymous group of tech workers at the social media giant have penned a letter in which they argue that the problem has only metastasized.

EDUCATION

K-12:

A Different Dose of Drug Education

US News

A New High School Drug Education Curriculum Aims To Overhaul The Reagan-era "Just Say No" Mindset By Teaching Students How To Critically Think About And Use Drugs Safely – If And When They Choose To Use.

Opinion: Teachers Unions Have the Cure for What Ails America’s Schools

Wall Street Journal

Yet there is little public discussion about the education system’s central problem: Teachers don’t have enough time to do our jobs properly. Teachers unions understand this and fight to protect our ability to do our jobs.

Opinion: Switching Schools Shouldn’t Be the Hard Part for Military Families

Wall Street Journal

Children bear an additional burden: Frequent changes of duty stations require them constantly to adopt new schools, new teachers and, most difficult of all, new friends—having barely gotten to know their old ones.

Higher Ed:

Two community colleges show how students can succeed without remedial math courses

EdSource

A San Diego area community college that moved early to eliminate remedial math courses is drawing lots of attention across the state for success in teaching math. Latino students are bucking a national trend by outperforming their white counterparts.

Affordable housing development for students in need coming to BC

Bakersfield Californian

Community College Partnership Fills Education, Mental Health Gaps In Amador County

Capital Public Radio

For many residents of rural California, attaining higher education can seem out of reach. That’s the case in Amador County, a region southeast of Sacramento where there’s no community college or public university.

CSUB discusses the ethics of homelessness

Bakersfield Californian

Cal State Bakersfield’s Kegley Institute of Ethics hosted a “community conversation” on homelessness on Thursday as part of its ongoing series of talks. The message that came through loud and clear was that homelessness can be reduced by making more homes available, a process officials in Kern County are attempting to see through.

The soul-crushing cost of college in California, explained

CalMatters

A young Californian of the Baby Boomer generation, bolstered by the post-war economic boom and the state’s investment in public higher education, could often emerge from college with little to no debt and a clear path to a living wage and homeownership.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

EDITORIAL: Trump’s EPA is trying to limit science in crafting new regulations

Los Angeles Times

Among other things, the Trump administration has brushed off as unimportant the effect of burning fossil fuels on global warming, and has ignored the effect of emissions of mercury and other toxins from power plants on the environment and human health.

Energy:

Massive solar project 8 years in the making debuts in eastern Kern

Bakersfield Californian

Eastern Kern County's vast renewable-energy potential will shine brightly Friday as corporate and government leaders celebrate the completion of an eight-year, roughly 1,400-acre photovoltaic project designed to generate enough electricity to power more than 150,000 homes in the Los Angeles area.

EDITORIAL: California, don’t back down from your own rules requiring solar panels on new homes

Los Angeles Times

So much for California’s groundbreaking policy of requiring solar panels on newly constructed homes. The mandate hasn’t even taken effect yet and utilities are already concocting loopholes that would let developers skip the rooftop solar panels in favor of green power from far-off solar farms.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Trump Administration Releases Transparency Rule in Hospital Pricing

Wall Street Journal

Administration officials said the final rule will compel hospitals in 2021 to publicize the rates they negotiate with individual insurers for all services, including drugs, supplies, facility fees and care by doctors who work for the facility.

Human Services:

New approach to treat those in mental health crisis comes to Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Paramedic Dennis Flannery is one of eight medics in a Stanislaus County pilot program that is ensuring people in a mental health crisis are taken promptly to the care they need.

Medi-Cal Expansion and Children’s Well-Being

PPIC

Under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), California expanded eligibility for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, to most non-elderly, non-disabled low-income adults. Although this change focused directly on improving the health and well-being of adults, it is likely that Medi-Cal expansion has had a dramatic effect on households with children.

Risks and remedies for artificial intelligence in health care

Brookings

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly entering health care and serving major roles, from automating drudgery and routine tasks in medical practice to managing patients and medical resources.

Opinion: Medicare for All Preview

Wall Street Journal

Americans who want a preview of coming attractions under Medicare for All should take a look at the annual “winter crisis” at Britain’s National Health Service. Data released Thursday showed the worst waiting times in 15 years in English emergency rooms.

IMMIGRATION

Asylum officers rebel against Trump policies they say are immoral and illegal

Los Angeles Times

Across the country, asylum officers are calling in sick, requesting transfers, retiring earlier than planned and quitting, all to resist this and other Trump administration immigration policies that they view as illegal.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

The Not-So-Secret Gardens of Saginaw

US News

The transformation is the result of an innovative project led by the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy – possibly the first land conservancy in the country to focus on directly renovating urban land rather than preserving more remote, rural spaces.

Housing:

Fresno’s poorest neighborhood changed the city. How residents took their community back

Fresno Bee

In a city that is no stranger to change, perhaps no place has changed more in recent years than the Lowell Neighborhood. In the 1960s, the historic neighborhood’s Victorian-style mansions housed wealthy residents beside multi-family properties where less wealthy residents lived. About a decade later, Highway 180 cut the neighborhood off from the newer parts of the city to the north.

95% of voters say homelessness is L.A.’s biggest problem, Times poll finds. ‘You can’t escape it’

Los Angeles Times

As people living in tents, RVs and makeshift shelters become a fact of life in neighborhoods far and wide, homelessness is now an all-consuming issue in Los Angeles County, with 95% of voters calling it a serious or very serious problem.

California’s new renters’ protection act reflects tenants’ power

CalMatters

In a historic victory for renters and tenants, California will soon become the third state in the country to implement statewide rent cap. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation capping rent increases at 5% after inflation, for the next 10 years.

PUBLIC FINANCES

To reduce inequality, tax inheritances

Brookings

If you play by the rules, working to earn a living and saving to provide for the future, taxes take a piece of your earnings. If you win a state lottery, you owe tax. But if you get lucky in the lottery of life and land an inheritance, you owe no federal tax. That isn’t fair, is it?

Wealth in America: Inequality Persists in Household Wealth

US News

Some Democratic candidates are proposing wealth taxes. The taxes are an effort to close the growing wealth gap in the United States. Here’s what wealth in the U.S. looks like.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program: Time for improvements

AEI

The impacts of welfare reform have been disputed, with many on the Left charging that states have used welfare funds inappropriately and many on the Right arguing that welfare reform played a major role in the improvements in work, wages, and poverty.

TRANSPORTATION

Amtrak's presence in the Valley may be in jeopardy

abc30

Chat with CHP: When are school zone speed limits in effect?

abc30

School zone speed limit signs usually say "when children are present." So does this only apply when school is in session? "The rule of thumb is to always assume that there's children present, regardless of the time of day, regardless of the time of year.”

Caltrans paid $640,000 to print 30 million pages. Then it destroyed most of the documents

Sacramento Bee

A midlevel Caltrans manager gave an order in June to destroy 19 million pieces of paper the department had paid to print eight months earlier. The order concluded a lengthy bureaucratic saga outlined in email exchanges.

WATER

Gar Tootelian, Bennett Water announce merger

Business Journal

Two family-owned Valley agricultural businesses, Reedley’s Gar Tootelian, Inc. and Bennett Water Systems in Lemoore, are merging. Employees of the two companies were notified Wednesday, while a public announcement of the merger was made this morning.

More drought coming? Most of California once again ‘abnormally dry,’ monitor shows

Fresno Bee

Newly released data might have Californians once again praying for rain. Almost all of the state has fallen into “abnormally dry” conditions, except for the furthest northern reaches of California, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor map released Nov. 12.

● And we wait. 81% of California abnormally dry as seasonal rains fail to materialize San Francisco Chronicle

● US Drought Monitor: Much of California now ‘abnormally dry’ Associated Press

Public-funded Oroville Dam advertising called ‘propaganda.’ Here’s how much it cost

Sacramento Bee

The latest public relations effort cost California water ratepayers $29,000 to produce an eight-page color advertising insert that ran in recent days in six Sacramento Valley newspapers including The Sacramento Bee.

“Xtra”

Fresno’s booze boom: New bars and breweries, plus update on downtown’s rooftop bar

Fresno Bee

How does a Meyer lemon and turmeric beer sound? Or maybe a coffee Manhattan cocktail? Fresno’s bar and beer scene is a seeing a little flurry of new businesses, and they’re bringing some diverse new drink options.

Missed Willie Nelson at the fair? You can see him in Bakersfield, Stockton in 2020

Fresno Bee

Willie Nelson on Wednesday announced a new set of tour dates starting in January. While Nelson and his family band won’t be stopping in Fresno, they will come within a couple hours’ drive.

Grizzly Fest teams up with a dozen nonprofits for Fresno Cares event. There’s music, too

Fresno Bee

While we’ve yet to to get official dates for Grizzly Fest 2020, organizers of the annual music festival are keeping in the public eye by teaming up with a dozen local nonprofits for an awareness event they’re calling Fresno Cares Day.

Remains of long-missing Marine greeted with gratitude and respect in his hometown

Bakersfield Californian

Seventy-six years after he was killed in action on a little-known island in the Pacific during World War II, the remains of U.S. Marine Pfc. Joseph Robert Livermore arrived in Bakersfield by motorcade Thursday as hundreds of residents lined the streets and gathered on freeway bridges to welcome him home.

Plenty of comedy, tributes, music and more make up Modesto region entertainment

Modesto Bee

Comedian, impressionist and ventriloquist Terry Fator is taking a break from his Las Vegas show to revisit the Gallo Center. Fator sold out the season opening show of the Modesto venue’s 10th season.

Get Down To The Bakersfield Sound: The Legacy Of 'Nashville West'

KVPR

Bakersfield has its own music hall of fame, and its musical history is even reflected in the motto on the town’s website: “The Sound of Something Better.” The city’s musical legacy is now being documented in a box set called, “The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital Of The West 1940-1975.”