Political Stories
Top stories
Accept Syrian refugees but screen carefully, California Gov. Jerry Brown says — Breaking with other governors who have warned that admitting Syrian refugees would undermine American security, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday advocated preserving “America’s traditional role as a place of asylum” but stressed the need for thorough vetting. Sacramento Bee article; AP article
Treasurer John Chiang eyes run for governor — State Treasurer John Chiang said Monday he is “very interested” in running for governor in 2018 and will decide early next year whether to launch a campaign. Capitol Weekly article
Gov. Brown
Despite attacks, Brown will attend U.N. climate summit in Paris next month – Gov. Jerry Brown is still planning to travel to Paris next month for the highly anticipated United Nations summit on climate change, which French leaders said will go on despite Friday’s terrorist attacks. LA Times article
Gov. Brown takes California climate message to world stage — World leaders have vowed to go forward with a summit in Paris in two weeks, where they’ll be hashing out a much-anticipated agreement to combat climate change. And among the heads of state and dignitaries, you’ll also see California’s Governor Jerry Brown. Brown will be making the case that what California does matters to the rest of world. KQED report
Valley politics
Ronquillo backs out of Fresno County supervisor run — After more than a dozen years away from the political scene, former Fresno City Council Member Dan Ronquillo in September said he would seek the District 3 seat on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Over the past two months, Ronquillo had walked some precincts, where he says the feedback was positive. Now, he’s out. Fresno Bee article
Fuller speaks against Prop 47, high-speed rail – Proposition 47, the state law that redefined some non-violent criminal offenses as misdemeanors instead of felonies, was trouble since the beginning, said Jean Fuller. Visalia Times-Delta article
Fresno teachers union details plans for 2016 school board election push — Fresno Unified’s teachers union held a town hall meeting Monday to remind parents and others about the district’s low student achievement, argue for more teachers and support staff, and begin mapping plans to find candidates it likes for next year’s school board election. Fresno Bee article
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
Dan Walters: Kamala Harris undercuts California’s Prop 209 — Proposition 209, passed by California voters in 1996, bars race, ethnicity or gender preferences in hiring, college admissions and other governmental actions. The measure, which has survived multiple legal challenges, is a section of the state constitution. Attorney General Kamala Harris took an oath to “support and defend … the constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” Yet Harris this month proudly submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court encouraging it to “allow public universities to consider race as one factor among many in admissions decisions.” Walters column in Sacramento Bee
Larry Cohen: California ballot measure will bypass NRA on gun control – The founder and executive director of Prevention Institute writes, “Year after year, Americans are horrified by the relentless gun violence in this country – and feel despair that it can’t be stopped. This resignation is a direct result of the stranglehold that the National Rifle Association has on legislators, who fear the dire political ramifications of supporting common sense gun safety measures. It’s long past time to take the issue directly to the people. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing just that, with his breakthrough proposal of a state ballot measure to advance gun safety.” Cohen op-ed in Sacramento Bee
Immigration
Immigrants end hunger strike at Adelanto detention center – A hunger strike at California’s largest immigrant detention center is over, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Monday. The action began Nov. 4, when 26 asylum seekers being held at Adelanto Detention Facility stopped eating to protest what they described as prolonged imprisonment. LA Times article
Other areas
Joe Mathews: The GOP candidate: Lose and leave the state – California Republicans have a bad habit of making exaggerated claims about people leaving the state. Perhaps that’s because the subject cuts too close to home. Because prominent statewide Republican candidates keep getting out of the Golden State. The latest is Neel Kashkari, the 2014 GOP candidate for governor, who left for a very good job: president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He comes on the heels of the departures of two leading Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in 2010: Carly Fiorina, who moved to Virginia and is now running for president, and Chuck DeVore, who decamped for Texas, where he has been part of a smart Texas think tank. Mathews in Fox & Hounds
Sacramento County sheriff launches bid for Congress, slams Obama immigration efforts — One of California’s fiercest local critics of federal immigration policy announced his candidacy for Congress on Monday, setting the stage for what will likely be another closely watched race in one of the state’s most competitive districts. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, who last year criticized President Obama as “singularly responsible” for lax enforcement of immigration laws, said he will run as a Republican candidate against Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) in a district that encompasses much of the suburbs surrounding Sacramento. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article
Momentum builds among states to reject Syrian refugees after Paris attacks – A drumbeat of opposition against allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S. intensified Monday when at least 16 governors, citing security concerns, said they will refuse to accept Syrian refugees into their states following the Paris attacks, even as President Obama said such actions “would be a betrayal of our values.” LA Times article; New York Times article
From 2004-2014, over 2,000 terrorism suspects legally purchased guns in United States — Given France’s strict gun laws, the terrorists who attacked Paris on Friday may have turned to black market sources for the weapons they used. But in the United States, known and suspected terrorists are allowed to purchase firearms under federal law. Washington Post article
News Stories
Top Stories
Governor negotiated in bad faith on Madera-area casino, judge says – Gov. Jerry Brown acted in “bad faith” by not negotiating with North Fork Rancheria officials on a gaming compact for a Madera-area casino that was rejected in a referendum by California voters last year, and he is being ordered to return to the negotiating table by a U.S. District Court judge in Fresno. Fresno Bee article
As huge El Nino brews, California fights to keep drought mentality — As experts continue to predict a wet winter because of El Niño, California officials continue to take a cautious approach when it comes to easing water conservation measures amid the state’s four-year drought. Officials have long feared heavy rains would reduce conservation by residents, even though a major El Niño would not end the drought by a long shot. LA Times article
Jobs and the Economy
Aetna to add 225 jobs to Fresno office – Aetna health insurance company announced Monday it plans to add up to 225 new jobs to its Fresno office by the end of 2017. The positions, which include call agents, customer service and appeals representatives, will support the company’s operations for commercial and Medicare members, the Hartford, Connecticut-based company said. Fresno Bee article
Aetna, other Valley firms to hire 556 thanks to $3.77 million in state tax credits – Central Valley companies plan to create 556 new jobs in the next several years, thanks to $3.77 million in state tax credits awarded last week. It’s the biggest showing yet for local companies participating in the California Competes program administered by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). The Business Journal article
Year’s lackluster economics may linger, top officials say – The lackluster economy that put a damper on 2015 is likely to continue, two of Kern County’s top hired officials agreed at a Great Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce breakfast Monday. Kern County has been buffeted by falling oil prices that have dropped from nearly $100 a barrel two years ago to below $45 last week while Bakersfield, Kern’s largest city, saw its sales tax revenue plummet alarmingly in the year’s first quarter. Bakersfield Californian article
Visalia weighs offer to build downtown hotel – The City of Visalia is weighing an offer to build a new downtown hotel adjacent to the convention center from a Selma businessman Dwight Nelson, a well known developer and contractor who also owns the Selma Auto Mall. Visalia Times-Delta article
Stockton council to discuss removing big-box ban – After being boxed out of Stockton for eight years, big-box retailers soon may find the path cleared for them to open new and gigantic outlets within the city limits. Stockton Record article
San Joaquin General Hospital’s revenues growing, costs declining – San Joaquin General Hospital’s financial outlook for the first quarter of the fiscal year is better than administrators anticipated in June. The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 10 voted 4-0 to approve the hospital’s first-quarter budget report, which noted that San Joaquin General expects to earn $43.2 million through September. Stockton Record article
Legislation cut California’s workers’ compensation medical costs – Three years ago, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature enacted a major overhaul of the system that compensates workers for job-related injuries and illnesses. The medical care portions of the bill appear to be having the desired effect, a new study by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau concludes. Sacramento Bee article
Brown budgets sinks pension payment to CSU — CSU employees pay less for their pensions and health care than other state workers, including members of a faculty union scheduled to demonstrate for higher pay at a CSU trustees meeting in Long Beach today. Calpensions article
Experts defend CalPERS’ private equity investments – The nation’s largest public pension fund would have endured lower returns and higher volatility over the years had it not invested in private equity, even with its high fees and added risks, experts testified Monday. LA Times article
California Economic Summit sets bold goals — Summit participants developed actionable plans on how California can address its infrastructure, housing, and workforce needs over the next 10 years, in order to meet the “Million Challenges” of one million more skilled workers, one million more homes and one million more acre-feet of water each year. The 2015 Summit developed a number of goals to train more workers, build more homes and save more water. California Economic Summit website; ‘Summit-generated ideas to better manage California’s long-term water issues’ on California Economic Summit website; ‘Summit sharpens strategies to take on California’s affordable housing crisis’; ‘Summit Day 2 results in actions to create 1 million more skilled California workers’
Albertsons may be moving back into former Bakersfield stores – Haggen, the supermarket chain that attempted an expansion this year that proved catastrophic, plans to sell two Bakersfield stores back to Albertsons. Haggen announced Friday that it has accepted bids worth $47 miliion from a variety of other grocers for 55 stores — including two of the three former Albertsons stores it took over in Bakersfield early this year. Bakersfield Californian article
McCarthy applauds passage of Space Act – A bill by Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy to bolster the commercial space industry passed the House unanimously Monday and is headed to the president’s desk for signature. “Today the House voted to ensure the men and women in Mojave and east Kern County can continue to lead our journey into the final frontier,” McCarthy said in a statement after passage of the Space Act. Bakersfield Californian article
ULA bows out of Pentagon bid, paving way for SpaceX – Faced with competition for the first time, the United Launch Alliance said on Monday that it would not bid on the next contract to send Pentagon satellites into space, a stunning announcement for a company that held a monopoly on national security launches for a decade. The decision to bow out of the competition means that SpaceX, the only other firm certified for the launches, could walk away with its first lucrative Pentagon contract without a single rival in its way. Washington Post article
Chip credit cards give retailers another grievance against banks – A battle between retailers and the banking industry over credit card technology adds fuel to a feud over what merchants pay for the processing of credit and debit transactions. New York Times article
Sacramento seeks to ease the way for fans when downtown arena opens – When the Golden 1 Center arena opens downtown next year, the city plans a car-finding service. Using license-plate recognition cameras in garages and on downtown streets, the city can note car locations. People who don’t remember where they left their vehicle can call the city, as long as they remember their license number. Sacramento Bee article
Garcetti’s overhaul of LA Fire Department hasn’t met aim of diversifying – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti‘s overhaul of how the city hires new firefighters – launched 16 months ago amid allegations of nepotism and bias – has so far failed to meet his aim of diversifying the LAFD and may require further reforms to succeed, according to interviews with city officials and a Times analysis of government data. LA Times article
Linda P.B. Katehi and Ann Huff Stevens: There’s still a glass ceiling in corporate world – UC Davis Chancellor Katehi and Stevens, professor of economics and dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, write, “Women hold only 12.3 percent of board seats and the highest-paid executive positions at the 400 largest public companies headquartered in California, according to the annual UC Davis Graduate School of Management study being released Tuesday. That’s a tiny improvement of 0.7 percentage points over last year, even in a state that is one of the most progressive.” Katehi/Stevens op-ed in Sacramento Bee
For women, income inequality continues into retirement – Poverty does not treat men and women equally, especially in old age. Women 65 years old and older who are living in poverty outnumber men in that age range by more than 2 to 1. And these women are likely to face the greatest deprivation as they become older and more frail. NPR report
Sandy Banks: The homeless are everywhere and there are no easy solutions – The number of homeless people in Los Angeles County has grown by 12% in the last two years. But the number of tents, makeshift communities and vehicles occupied by homeless people has jumped by 85%. Banks column in LA Times
LA could fund sidewalk repairs in front of businesses – Los Angeles lawmakers tentatively backed the idea Monday of ponying up money to fix broken sidewalks in both residential and commercial areas, in a first step toward setting out a road map for smoothing out city walkways for years to come. LA Times article
Constellation Brands to buy San Diego craft brewer Ballast Point for $1 billion —In another home brew to riches story, Constellation Brands Inc. announced Monday an agreement to buy San Diego-based Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits for $1 billion. LA Times article
Universal Studios Hollywood raises costs of annual pass — The cost of an annual pass at Universal Studios Hollywood is going up, a likely disappointment for Harry Potter fans anticipating the opening of the theme park’s new land based on the popular character. A 2015 annual pass with no blackout dates had cost $139 online, or $159 when purchased at the park. A value pass with blackout dates ran $119. LA Times article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
Merced County hit record $4 billion crop value in 2014 – Merced County crops in 2014 reached a record value of more than $4 billion, with milk and almonds holding steady as the top crops, the Merced County Department of Agriculture said in a report provided Monday. Merced Sun-Star article
El Nino temperatures in Pacific Ocean break 25-year record – Temperatures in a key location of the Pacific Ocean are now far hotter than normal than ever were in the record 1997 El Niño. Some scientists say the readings show that this year’s El Niño could be among the most powerful on record — and even topple the 1997 El Niño from its pedestal. LA Times article
Farmers need to help set groundwater rules – Within the next five years, unprecedented rules for use of groundwater will take effect in California, affecting not only farmers and ranchers, but also cities and other communities that get their water from wells. Visalia Times-Delta article
Newly elected Oakdale Irrigation District officials cut out of significant decisions — Irrigation leaders will take up important business Tuesday – 2016 water prices, starting a lawsuit, evaluating General Manager Steve Knell, and deciding how board members should behave – rather than waiting a couple weeks for newly elected board members to be sworn in. Modesto Bee article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Sacramento DA releases information on offenders released early – Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced Monday that her office would start posting on its website the names and criminal histories of second-strike offenders released early from prison, felons who the county’s top prosecutor says still pose a threat to residents. Sacramento Bee article
San Francisco beating by deputies prompts call for a criminal probe — Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods is urging prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against two sheriff’s deputies caught on video last week battering a man with batons in San Francisco’s Mission District, saying the footage reminded him of the Rodney King beating. San Francisco Chronicle article; LA Times article
Modesto pays $165,000 to settle excessive-force claim — The city of Modesto has paid $165,000 to settle a lawsuit filed against it that alleged two police officers beat and kicked a suspect while he was on the ground and handcuffed, breaking his jaw and causing other injuries. Modesto Bee article
‘Guardians of the community’ – Twenty-four men agreed Monday to put their lives on the line on a daily basis to protect the lives of the citizens of Stockton and San Joaquin County. Stockton Record article
No reliable way to track LA police on tax-free full salary injury leave, audit finds — The Los Angeles Police Department has no reliable way to track employees on extended injury leave, a program that pays officers 100% of salary, tax-free, for up to a year and costs the city tens of millions of dollars annually. LA Times article
Erika D. Smith: The preventive side of criminal justice reform — For all of the talk about criminal justice reform in California, the prisoners who’ve been bumped to county jails, the others who have been let out altogether, and the fears about rising crime rates because of it, there are some stories that never get told. Smith column in Sacramento Bee
Education
UC Merced officer-involved shooting under review by DA’s office – Merced County prosecutors this week will begin reviewing the Nov. 4 officer-involved shooting that ended a freshman student’s stabbing spree at UC Merced. Merced Sun-Star article
California’s controversial college accreditor voted out – In a major shift for California community colleges, the system’s Board of Governors voted Monday to oust the controversial commission that oversees campus quality and that has threatened to shut down City College of San Francisco. San Francisco Chronicle article; LA Times article
Dos Palos school superintendent resigns with $280,000 buyout – The Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified School District will pay nearly $280,000 to Superintendent Brian Walker as part of a settlement approved Monday to end his tenure. Meeting in a special closed-door session, the district’s governing board accepted a settlement that allows Walker to resign as of Nov. 13. Board members agreed unanimously to approve the deal. Merced Sun-Star article
Brown urged to ‘reaffirm the vision’ of funding law – A team of researchers found that, two years into the state’s new school financing law, “nagging concerns” are tempering the enthusiasm that school districts and county offices of education have for the Local Control Funding Formula. In their final report, due out in several weeks, they will urge Gov. Jerry Brown and the State Board of Education to “reaffirm the vision” of the new funding law – shifting decisions to the local level, closer to the classroom – or risk losing the opportunity “if we don’t get it right.” EdSource article
USC has second most foreign students in nation, again – For the second time in as many years, USC ranked second nationwide in recruiting foreign students, according to a new report. Previously, USC had been the most popular destination for non-U.S. citizen scholars for 13 years. LA Times article
USC pledges new steps to increase diversity, multicultural understanding – Amid national student protests over racial bias, USC announced Monday that it would direct new funds, launch discussion forums and appoint several key staff members to spearhead efforts to increase campus understanding of multiculturalism. LA Times article
For-profit college operator EDMC will forgive student loans – The for-profit college operator Education Management Corporation will forgive loans to about 80,000 former students nationwide as part of an agreement with state attorneys general resulting from a multiyear investigation of the company’s aggressive recruitment practices. New York Times article
Students demand Stanford divest from fossil fuel industry – Nearly 400 Stanford students sang, chanted and joined hands outside the administration building, calling on university President John Hennessy and the board of trustees to fully divest from all fossil fuel companies, more than a year after the school stopped investing in coal. San Francisco Chronicle article; San Jose Mercury News article
Carmen George: Children make the world a kinder place at Fresno’s Starr Elementary — The morning before the terrorist attacks in Paris, I was at a Fresno elementary school for World Kindness Day. And the children – like children so often do – were showing me how much kinder, and wiser, the world could be. George in Fresno Bee
After days of protest, students occupy building at Occidental College — After several days of protesting Occidental College’s handling of diversity issues, students occupied an administrative building Monday, demanding that the school president step down if officials don’t take such steps as creating a black studies major and hiring more minority faculty. LA Times article
How LA’s teachers are talking about Paris — Teachers are often the first people to shape how children and teens understand a world event. They’re the people to whom students come with questions — that was the caseduring 9/11 and after the Boston Marathon bombing. So at least some teachers were expecting those questions on Monday. LA Times article
Energy/Environment
Denair tornado had winds of more than 86 miles per hour — The tornado that ripped through town Sunday afternoon had winds of between 86 and 111 mph, authorities said Monday. Modesto Bee article
Jeff Jardine: The spin on Sunday’s tornado in Denair — The fact is, we’ve always had tornadoes, but they’re usually more like hissy fits than what struck Denair over the weekend. And as scary as it might have been for residents who endured it, it would pale in comparison to the catastrophic events that devastate entire towns throughout “Tornado Alley,” which stretches from South Dakota all the way south to Texas. That means nothing to the people in Denair. Jardine column in Modesto Bee
Thousands of tons of almond hulls burning near Chowchilla — More than 5,000 tons of almond hulls burned Monday near Chowchilla, and the flames are expected to continue for at least two more days, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Merced County. Merced Sun-Star article
Health/Human Services
San Francisco looks at raising minimum age for buying tobacco to 21 — San Francisco would become the second major city in the country, after New York, to raise the age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 under legislation to be introduced Tuesday by Supervisor Scott Wiener. San Francisco Chronicle article
UCSF gets $177 million grant to address dementia — A billionaire philanthropist committed to giving away all his money before he dies has donated $177 million to UCSF to create a program involving people in a variety of fields from all over the world — physicians, social workers, economists, lawyers, musicians — to address the growing burden of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. San Francisco Chronicle article; Contra Costa Times article
Land Use/Housing
In San Francisco, few African Americans win affordable units — Less than 1 percent of subsidized units built by private developers and sold to low-income residents between 2008 and 2014 went to African Americans. When rental units are added in, the figure rises to 4.7 percent, less than any group except “other.” Everyone agrees that’s a problem. They don’t agree on how to address it. San Francisco Chronicle article
Transportation
High-speed rail board meets Tuesday in Fresno — Plans for a Y-shaped junction for bullet-train tracks near Chowchilla and for an alternative route and tracks in Bakersfield will be up for discussion when the California High-Speed Rail Authority board meets Tuesday in Fresno. Fresno Bee article
Visalia takes second place in traffic safety — For the eighth year in a row, the Visalia Police Department is one of the best departments of its size in California at promoting traffic safety. Visalia Times-Delta article
Other areas
Hundreds pay respects to Robert ‘Bob’ Duncan, businessman and Fresno State booster — Hundreds of people paid their respects at a memorial service Monday for Robert E. “Bob” Duncan, best known in the Fresno community as one of the most prominent supporters of Fresno State athletics. But family and friends also remembered Duncan, affectionately known as “Mr. Bulldog,” as a gentle, loving grandfather and as humble, caring philanthropist. Fresno Bee article
Bakersfield council to consider paying attorney’s fees in 24th Street widening lawsuit – At a special closed session meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Bakersfield City Council will discuss the possibility of paying the opposition’s attorney’s fees from an ongoing lawsuit to halt the 24th Street widening. Bakersfield Californian article
Stockton mayor leads 12-hour prayer rally – Mayor Anthony Silva hosted a 12-hour prayer rally in downtown Stockton on Monday, beginning early in the morning at City Hall before shifting to nearby Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza. At mid-morning, Silva said he planned at noon to present the key to the city to God. Silva said he organized the event to raise awareness of homelessness and gang violence violence in Stockton. Stockton Record article
Ride to Recovery helping female veterans overcome abuse ‘one pedal’ at a time – “One pedal in front of the other,” the hurt is falling away. Sharika Blockett is feeling stronger and more self-confident as she rides with fellow female veterans up the side of a steep hill southeast of Pine Flat Reservoir. Fresno Bee article
Former Fresno State football player charged with making criminal threat — Prosecutors have charged former Fresno State football player Christian Malik Pryor with a felony charge of making a criminal threat in connection with a social media post that said the sender planned to “release my frustrations” with gunfire on campus. Pryor, 18 and free on $20,000 bail, will be arraigned Tuesday in Fresno County Superior Court. Fresno Bee article
French expatriates in Fresno show support to Paris victims — In a show of solidarity, a group of French expatriates and their supporters gathered Monday in Fresno to partake in a minute of silence for the victims of the terrorists attacks in Paris. Fresno Bee article
Explosion victims in fair condition; man killed still unidentified — Two women injured in a gas line explosion in southwest Bakersfield Friday were listed in fair condition Monday, and a community fundraising campaign for them and their family had raised $19,230 by early evening. Bakersfield Californian article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – President Obama’s timid fight against Islamic State won’t work.
Merced Sun-Star – President Obama is right to resist the fear mongers.
Sacramento Bee – Sacramento City Council should reject 16-pump station in Curtis Park Village; President Obama is right to resist the warmongers.
Maddy Events
Sunday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. on Fresno ABC30 – Maddy Report: “California’s Right to Die Law: Facing an Age Old Question” — Guests: UC Davis Professor Ben Rich, The Arc of California Executive Director Tony Anderson, and Disability Rights California Legislative Advocate Deborah Doctor. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director Mark Keppler.
Sunday, Nov. 22, 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.
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/
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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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