November 19, 2019

19Nov

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Valley Children's launches new program to transform kids' lives

abc30

Valley Children's Hospital is launching a new program to improve the health and wellness of kids in the Central Valley. The Guilds of Valley Children's Healthcare announced a $5 million endowment dedicated to transforming the health and well-being of children in the Valley.

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North SJ Valley:

 

Expansion of Turlock branch library could get final OK. It’s overdue

Modesto Bee

Expansion of the Turlock branch of the Stanislaus County Library could finally move forward Tuesday night. The county Board of Supervisors will consider an $8.99 million contract with Roebbelen Contracting Inc. for detailed design and construction. The building could be ready for readers in spring 2021.

 

SJ workers block landfill amid labor spat

Stockton Record

Nearly 100 San Joaquin County employees who are members of SEIU Local 1021 set up a blockade of the North County Recycling and Sanitary Landfill on Saturday morning in an effort to disrupt operations and bring attention to their grievances with the Board of Supervisors and county administration.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

Fresno has made national news for mass shootings several times

Fresno Bee

The mass shooting at a peaceful southeast Fresno house party in a predominantly Hmong neighborhood that left four dead, according to police, is just one in a history of acts of mass gun violence in the city’s history. Fresno has made national headlines before.

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Valley agriculture leader Karen Musson honored with Fresno business, public service award

Fresno Bee

Karen Musson, managing partner of GAR Tootelian, Inc. and chief executive officer of the Gar & Esther Tootelian Charitable Foundation, is the 2020 recipient of the Leon S. Peters Award. The Fresno Chamber of Commerce’s top honor recognizing a business and community leader was announced Monday. It’s been presented annually since 1984.

 

Require bike helmets for adults? Fresno one of nation’s deadliest cities for cyclists

Fresno Bee

The fatality rate for bike riders in Fresno was fourth highest in the country, a federal study found.

 

Clovis PD offers safe Exchange Zone for the Holidays

Clovis Roundup

With the holidays around the corner, Clovis PD is encouraging the community to utilize their Exchange Zone (EZ). Created in 2015, the purpose of the zone was to provide a safe area for residents to exchange online and private party transactions.

 

Visalia to consider banning sales of vape products

abc30

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of last week, there were more than 2,100 cases of lung injuries associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products, and 42 deaths.

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South SJ Valley:

 

Swell of pensioners earned six figures in 2018 compared to previous year

Bakersfield Californian

More Californians than ever before are earning $100,000 or more from public pensions, according to an analysis by government watchdog Transparent California. And in 2018, Kern County led the charge in one measure by welcoming the highest proportion of public service employees into the six-figure range of any pension fund statewide.

 

Millions of Gallons Of Oily Water Have Surfaced In A Kern County Oil Field, And More Keeps Coming

KVPR
Juan Flores remembers sitting in a meeting in July when his phone started blowing up. He’s a community organizer with the non-profit advocacy group Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. “A fellow colleague in environmental justice work, he literally called me three times,” he says.

 

Supervisors slated to approve contract for Rexland Acres road improvements project

Bakersfield Californian

A long-awaited sidewalks and street safety project in Rexland Acres is scheduled for approval by the Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The project will install miles of sidewalks, traffic signs and crosswalks in a county pocket in southeast Bakersfield that has experienced high rates of collisions between motorists and pedestrians.

 

Opinion: What our leaders need to do to address homelessness

Bakersfield Californian

As our community has struggled to address the crisis of homelessness, much of the response unfortunately has been prompted by fear, misunderstanding and, in some cases, downright contempt for our fellow man.

 

PUSD school board considering bond for facilities

Porterville Recorder

Porterville Unified School District Superintendent Nate Nelson and School Board President Lillian Durbin, and Board trustees convened a special meeting on Friday to discuss the results of the school district’s Facility Master Plan and survey that was taken of the community households.

 

State:

 

Speaker Rendon: California must compromise on speed to get more commuters in train seats

Modesto Bee

I don’t like to pick fights. I realize that’s an odd thing for a politician to say. It’s especially odd in the context of the back-and-forth now consuming the debates over high-speed rail. Too many people misunderstand high-speed rail funding as a fight between the Central Valley and Los Angeles.

 

Fracking, oil wells to get more scrutiny under new rules from Gavin Newsom

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced a crackdown on fracking projects.

 

Why Is California Approving So Many New Oil Wells?

City Lab

As Donald Trump’s administration pushes to expand oil extraction in California, the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has signed bill after bill limiting the practice. In October, new laws banned federal oil extraction on state lands, removed the terms “oil” and “gas” from the name of the state’s department of energy, and expanded its mandate to include public health and safety. 

 

California sues e-cigarette maker Juul over ads and sales

abc30

California is suing the nation's biggest e-cigarette maker, alleging Juul Labs deliberately targeted teenagers with its early marketing campaigns. The lawsuit filed Monday by California's attorney general is the latest legal action against Juul. The company faces multiple state and federal investigations into whether its early marketing efforts helped spark the current vaping craze among underage users.

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PG&E CEO Tells California Lawmakers The Utility Failed During October Power Shut Offs

Capital Public Radio

Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Bill Johnson admitted to California lawmakers Monday the utility failed its first major test of a power shut off in early October, even as it announced it could cut power to 660,000 people this week.

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California’s changing demographics will further doom Republicans

Los Angeles Times

Democrats dominate politics in California and Republicans are doomed for one simple, overriding reason: shifting demographics. In short, the GOP’s core constituency is white people and they’re a declining slice of the California population pie. Conversely, Democrat-backing Latinos and Asian Americans have been expanding their slices.

 

Impeaching Trump is popular with Californians, poll indicates

San Francisco Chronicle

Californians overwhelmingly want to see President Trump impeached and removed from office, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California.

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Opinion: Gov. Newsom needs to give more than lip service to at-risk California native tribes

Modesto Bee

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring October 14, 2019 “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in California. In this proclamation, he acknowledged that native people were stewards of the land before the conquest of California.

 

Federal:

 

Devin Nunes’ lawyer files another defamation lawsuit, this time for White House official

Fresno Bee

A former top staffer for Rep. Devin Nunes is suing a media company for defamation, using the same lawyer Nunes used to file five lawsuits alleging defamation this year.

 

White House Denies Trump Health Emergency

New York Times

The White House sought on Monday night to quell a torrent of speculation about President Trump’s health two days after a mysterious, unannounced visit to the hospital, denying that he was treated for an emergency and insisting that it was just “regular, preventive care.”

 

Justice Dept. to Abolish Movie Distribution Rules Dating to 1949

New York Times

The Justice Department said on Monday that it planned to overturn antitrust-related movie distribution rules from the early days of Hollywood, citing an entertainment landscape that has been radically reshaped by technology.

 

Elections 2020:

 

Who can beat Donald Trump? That’s the central question for California Democrats, poll finds

Sacramento Bee

California Democrats are largely sticking with Joe Biden despite the fact that many identify more closely with the health care views of other candidates, according to a poll released Monday night by the Public Policy Institute of California.

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What 2020 Democrats have to say about California’s biggest issues ahead of the primary

Sacramento Bee

Bernie Sanders said former President Barack Obama was wrong to deport 3 million people. Andrew Yang said he wants to let 16-year-olds vote. Julián Castro said he’d end homelessness in America by 2028.

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Which of these 2020 Democrats agrees with you most?

Washington Post

Wednesday’s Democratic debate will feature 10 candidates, each attempting to persuade the public that theirs is the best vision for the country. During the 2020 primary, The Washington Post has asked each Democratic candidate where they stand on more than 70 policy questions.

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Free public college tuition will expand opportunity to more Americans

Sacramento Bee

Cost should never be a barrier to a brighter future - and we can't build a 21st century economy without including all Americans. So I'm releasing an ambitious plan to make educational opportunity available whether you go to college or not.

 

What Issues Matter This Election? We Spoke To California Democratic Party Delegates In Long Beach — And Residents Outside The State Convention Bubble.

Capital Public Radio

Democratic conventions in California bring out a certain crowd — the diehards, the activists, the politically engaged. That was on full display at the Democratic Convention in Long Beach last weekend, where party presidential candidates stumped for support.

 

How far can passion carry Bernie Sanders?

Los Angeles Times

Sheila Campbell was not a natural door-to-door campaigner. The Democrat from Urbandale, Iowa, canvassed for one day in 2008 for Barack Obama and hated it so much that she didn’t do it again. Until this year.

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Opinion: ‘Halfway’ With Warren Is Too Far

Wall Street Journal

She’ll only get halfway. That’s the consensus on Elizabeth Warren: If the senator becomes president, Congress will wear down her ideological edge and stymie much of her radical agenda. The result won’t be something free-marketeers can love, but it will be something they can live with and then undo at a later date.

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Other:

 

Newspaper Publisher McClatchy Teeters Near Bankruptcy

Bloomberg

The McClatchy Co., the storied news publisher weighed down by pension obligations and debt, could file for bankruptcy within the next year, according to analysts. The company faces a mandatory $124 million contribution to its pension plan in 2020.

 

The ABC Test: California State and Localities Support Plaintiffs’ Appeal, Signal Aggressive Enforcement

Littler

The fight over the scope of the “ABC test” for determining the status of workers under California state law continues unabated.  A series of court filings last week suggests that state and local officials may be gearing up to aggressively enforce AB 5, the law that codified and expanded the application of the ABC test in the Golden State.

 

Chick-fil-A no longer donating to charities criticized by LGBTQ allies

Stockton Record

Chick-fil-A says it is no longer making contributions to a pair of Christian charities that critics said were anti-LGBTQ. The fast-food chain confirmed Monday that it has stopped giving money to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Both organizations have opposed same-sex marriage, CNBC reports.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, November 24, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: Poverty and Income Inequality in California - Guests: Sarah Bohn, Public Policy Institute of California. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, November 24, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: Poverty and the Economic Situation of California Latinos? - Guests: Sarah Bohn, Public Policy Institute of California and Mindy Romero, Director of USC Price School of Public Policy. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, November 24, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy:  2019 CalFacts: Todo lo que necesita saber sobre California – Invitado: Lourdes Morales, Jacqueline Barocio y Edgar Cabral, analistas de la Oficina de Analisis Legislativo (LAO). Presentado Por: Coordinadora del Programa del Maddy Institute, Maria Jeans.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Valley agriculture leader Karen Musson honored with Fresno business, public service award

Fresno Bee

Karen Musson, managing partner of GAR Tootelian, Inc. and chief executive officer of the Gar & Esther Tootelian Charitable Foundation, is the 2020 recipient of the Leon S. Peters Award. The Fresno Chamber of Commerce’s top honor recognizing a business and community leader was announced Monday. It’s been presented annually since 1984.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Fresno has made national news for mass shootings several times

Fresno Bee

The mass shooting at a peaceful southeast Fresno house party in a predominantly Hmong neighborhood that left four dead, according to police, is just one in a history of acts of mass gun violence in the city’s history. Fresno has made national headlines before.

See also:

 

Opinion: Bloomberg’s ‘Stop and Frisk’ Apology

Wall Street Journal

As New York’s Mayor from 2002-13, Michael Bloomberg loved to brag that Gotham had become America’s “safest big city.” Part of its success, he said, was the New York Police Department’s “stop and frisk” policy, which took weapons off the street based on “reasonable suspicion.”

 

Public Safety:

 

 

Fire:

 

PG&E May Cut Power Again This Week To Northern California Customers

Capital Public Radio

Pacific Gas and Electric may shut off power again to customers in the Sierra Foothills, North Valley and North Bay this week because of possible fire weather.

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PG&E working to get more funding to pay fire victims in bankruptcy case

San Francisco Chronicle

PG&E Corp. is trying to match the $13.5 billion a rival group promised to pay wildfire victims in order to resolve its bankruptcy case, but the company’s funding commitments have dropped by about half.

 

Court rules corporations can be on hook for costs of fighting California fires

San Francisco Chronicle

Corporations can be held legally responsible for the state’s costs in investigating and fighting fires that are carelessly started or spread by corporate employees, a state appeals court ruled Monday.

 

Sirens, texts, even church bells. California wildfire alerts and evacuations still ad hoc

Public CEO
California has no statewide standard for emergency wildfire alerts and evacuations, leaving families, businesses and local authorities to learn through hard experience how to protect themselves during fires.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Amazon will pay $0 in taxes on $11,200,000,000 in profit for 2018

Yahoo! Finance

While some people have received some surprise tax bills when filing their returns, corporations continue to avoid paying tax — thanks to a cocktail of tax credits, loopholes, and exemptions. According to a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), Amazon will pay nothing in federal income taxes for the second year in a row.

 

Jobs:

 

SJ workers block landfill amid labor spat

Stockton Record

Nearly 100 San Joaquin County employees who are members of SEIU Local 1021 set up a blockade of the North County Recycling and Sanitary Landfill on Saturday morning in an effort to disrupt operations and bring attention to their grievances with the Board of Supervisors and county administration.

 

Survey shows Asian ‘two Californias,’ with one in four low-income workers struggling

Modesto Bee

A new study reveals that, contrary to the ethnic stereotype, almost one in four low-income Asian and Pacific Islanders is struggling with poverty even though they have jobs. The results of the survey were released Monday and were conducted jointly by AAPI Data.

 

California unemployment falls to its lowest rate in more than four decades

Los Angeles Times

California’s job market powered ahead in October as the unemployment rate dropped to a new low and payrolls continued to grow in the state’s longest expansion on record. At 3.9%, the jobless rate was the lowest since 1976, when the state changed its statistical methodology, adding new data to its calculations, state officials reported Friday.

 

Paid Family Leave: Helping Workers Balance Career and Caregiving Commitments

California Budget and Policy Center

It’s been 15 years since workers in California became eligible for payments through the state’s paid family leave program – the first of its kind in the nation to help people take time off from work to welcome a new child to the family or care for a sick family member.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

PUSD school board considering bond for facilities

Porterville Recorder

Porterville Unified School District Superintendent Nate Nelson and School Board President Lillian Durbin, and Board trustees convened a special meeting on Friday to discuss the results of the school district’s Facility Master Plan and survey that was taken of the community households.

 

School bond backers have some selling to do, poll shows

CalMatters

A new PPIC survey finds fewer than half of likely voters support a proposed state bond for school and college construction set to appear on the March 2020 ballot. Backers say it's too early for the initiative to register with voters.

 

Students talk through math in this California school. Now test scores are rising.

EdSource

California school districts have long struggled with a persistent gap in math test scores between racial and ethnic groups. But at one small rural school district, the gap between Latino and white students has narrowed more than it has at most districts in the state.

 

Walters: A model of mismanagement

CalMatters

Sacramento is by no means the only California school district in financial and political meltdown and if it can’t resolve its issues internally, at some point the state Department of Education will take control, as it has in other troubled urban districts.

 

How high school seniors would divide their future work-family life might surprise you

AEI

Though the percentages supporting each changed over time, it remains true today as it did in 1976 that “The conventional arrangement—consisting of a husband-breadwinner and wife-homemaker—remained the most desired arrangement.”

 

Higher Ed:

 

CSU Bakersfield honors 2020 Alumni Hall of Fame honorees

KGET
CSU Bakersfield’s Alumni Association announced the names of the honorees for the 2020 Alumni Hall of Fame class during a news conference held at the Walter Stiern library on Monday.

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Kaiser Permanente’s new medical school to be named after late CEO Bernard Tyson

Modesto Bee

Kaiser Permanente announced Monday that it will be naming its new medical school after late CEO Bernard J. Tyson. The announcement was made by Dr. Holly J. Humphrey, the chair of the school’s board of directors, at Tyson’s memorial service in Oakland. Tyson was 60 when he unexpectedly died Nov 10.

 

Strengthening Career Pathways in California’s Community Colleges

Public Policy Institute of California
As the primary provider of career training in the state, California’s community college system was the recipient of much investment in this area, and their creation of the Strong Workforce program has established an ongoing source of funding to continue this work.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

New Trump vehicle emission rules prompt fear in Sacramento of federal road-fund loss

Modesto Bee

Fearing loss of millions of dollars in federal funds for key road projects, Sacramento leaders on Monday sped passage of a new regional 20-year transportation spending plan in hopes of getting federal approval ahead of an unfavorable federal regulation change.

 

Can the long-lost abalone make a comeback in California?

Sacramento Bee

Hunched over a tank inside the Bodega Marine Laboratory, alongside bubbling vats of seaweed and greenhouses filled with algae, Kristin Aquilino coaxed a baby white abalone onto her hand. She held out the endangered sea snail – no larger than a bottle cap – like a delicate jewel. After years of fretting over their health, cleaning tanks and filtering the saltwater just right, one tiny oops could undo it all.

 

What it takes to be carbon neutral — for a family, a city, a country

Washington Post

Amid mounting global concern about climate change, Denmark has turned into a buzzing hive of green experimentation, with efforts underway inside homes, across cities and on a national scale.

 

Evidence of Many Varieties of Economic Benefits Linked to Trails

American Trails

Trails and greenways impact our economy through tourism, events, urban redevelopment, community improvement, property values, health care costs, jobs and investment, and general consumer spending.

 

Energy:

 

Fracking, oil wells to get more scrutiny under new rules from Gavin Newsom

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced a crackdown on fracking projects .

 

Why Is California Approving So Many New Oil Wells?

City Lab

As Donald Trump’s administration pushes to expand oil extraction in California, the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has signed bill after bill limiting the practice. In October, new laws banned federal oil extraction on state lands, removed the terms “oil” and “gas” from the name of the state’s department of energy, and expanded its mandate to include public health and safety. 

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Visalia to consider banning sales of vape products

abc30

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of last week, there were more than 2,100 cases of lung injuries associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products, and 42 deaths.

See also:

 

Dollar Tree customers warned discount chain may be selling potentially unsafe drugs, cosmetics

abc30

The FDA issued a letter to Greenbrier International Inc. on Nov. 6 outlining several federal law violations involving the ways in which Dollar Tree received and sold potentially dangerous OTC drugs and other drug products.

 

California’s Steps to Expand Health Coverage and Improve Affordability: Who Gains and Who Remains Uninsured

UC Berkeley Labor Center

Our latest report, California’s Steps to Expand Health Coverage and Improve Affordability, projects that California’s recently passed health care policies will prevent 770,000 Californians from becoming uninsured and reduce premiums for 1.55 million Californians, benefitting a net total of 2.2 million Californians. The report uses the California Simulation of Insurance Markets (CalSIM) model developed by the UC Berkeley Labor Center and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

 

Human Services:

 

Valley Children's launches new program to transform kids' lives

abc30

Valley Children's Hospital is launching a new program to improve the health and wellness of kids in the Central Valley. The Guilds of Valley Children's Healthcare announced a $5 million endowment dedicated to transforming the health and well-being of children in the Valley.

See also:

 

Column: Here’s why Californians with health coverage are being hit with surprise fees

Los Angeles Times

While the total number of people affected isn’t being made public, numerous Californians with both healthcare and long-term care coverage are being hit with similar charges.

 

Blog Post: US spending on child poverty rises, targeting three key supports over time (1960–2018)

AEI
Federal expenditures on low-income children have increased dramatically in recent decades, challenging the misguided view that the US has a weak social safety net for children. These spending increases have especially targeted three key areas of support — health, refundable tax credits, and nutrition support — through means-tested programs.

 

Opinion: Why Obama Stopped Auditing Medicaid

Wall Street Journal

Medicaid expansion was a key component of ObamaCare. In 2014 when the expansion started, the feds stopped doing audits of states’ Medicaid eligibility determinations. The Obama administration’s goal was to build public support for the new law by signing up as many people as possible.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Support Systems; AAUW hears about Vets, immigration

Porterville Recorder

The Porterville Chamber of Commerce was host to a group of women on Saturday morning for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Porterville Branch Program. Two speakers were featured for the morning’s program.

 

This Mother-Daughter Team Brings Visibility To Unincorporated Communities

KVPR
It wasn’t until Medellin joined The Immigrant Photography Project at a local school a decade later that she started really interacting with her community.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Expansion of Turlock branch library could get final OK. It’s overdue

Modesto Bee

Expansion of the Turlock branch of the Stanislaus County Library could finally move forward Tuesday night. The county Board of Supervisors will consider an $8.99 million contract with Roebbelen Contracting Inc. for detailed design and construction. The building could be ready for readers in spring 2021.

 

Housing:

 

Tulare, Kings Counties Have High Rates Of Unsheltered Homeless. One Non-Profit Thinks It Can Help.

KVPR
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that Tulare and​​ Kings counties have the highest rate of unsheltered, chronically homeless individuals for counties of their kind in the nation.

 

Volunteers needed to help turn Modesto motel into housing for homeless people

Modesto Bee

The Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority needs volunteers to help it convert the 103-room American Budget Inn & Suites at Kansas Avenue and Highway 99 into studio apartments with services for homeless people. The work includes removing the furniture, pictures and mirrors and tearing up the carpets from the rooms before contractors start the renovation.

 

Valley Voices: Solving the Rubik’s cube of affordable housing is possible

Fresno Bee

Access to safe and decent housing is a basic human need. Everyone deserves a secure place to live and raise their family. Yet owning, or even renting, a place to call home is increasingly out of reach for the average Californian.

 

Opinion: What our leaders need to do to address homelessness

Bakersfield Californian

As our community has struggled to address the crisis of homelessness, much of the response unfortunately has been prompted by fear, misunderstanding and, in some cases, downright contempt for our fellow man.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Swell of pensioners earned six figures in 2018 compared to previous year

Bakersfield Californian

More Californians than ever before are earning $100,000 or more from public pensions, according to an analysis by government watchdog Transparent California. And in 2018, Kern County led the charge in one measure by welcoming the highest proportion of public service employees into the six-figure range of any pension fund statewide.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Require bike helmets for adults? Fresno one of nation’s deadliest cities for cyclists

Fresno Bee

The fatality rate for bike riders in Fresno was fourth highest in the country, a federal study found.

 

Supervisors slated to approve contract for Rexland Acres road improvements project

Bakersfield Californian

A long-awaited sidewalks and street safety project in Rexland Acres is scheduled for approval by the Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The project will install miles of sidewalks, traffic signs and crosswalks in a county pocket in southeast Bakersfield that has experienced high rates of collisions between motorists and pedestrians.

 

Riding an e-scooter on the sidewalk in Sacramento could now cost you $207

Sacramento Bee

Starting Tuesday, people who ride motorized scooters on the sidewalk in the city of Sacramento could receive citations for $207. In addition, scooter and Jump bike users who park the shared devices in a way that blocks sidewalks or curb ramps could also be ticketed $27.50.

 

Price: That high-speed fiction looks a lot more like fact now

Bakersfield Californian

In the two decades since Californians first started debating a high-speed rail system along the state's long spine, one stubborn but ever-growing camp of voters has always considered the undertaking too pie-in-the-sky, too remotely distant and, especially, too expensive to be anything more than fiction. Well, the pie has landed.

 

Speaker Rendon: California must compromise on speed to get more commuters in train seats

Modesto Bee

I don’t like to pick fights. I realize that’s an odd thing for a politician to say. It’s especially odd in the context of the back-and-forth now consuming the debates over high-speed rail. Too many people misunderstand high-speed rail funding as a fight between the Central Valley and Los Angeles.

 

WATER

 

Millions of Gallons Of Oily Water Have Surfaced In A Kern County Oil Field, And More Keeps Coming

KVPR
Juan Flores remembers sitting in a meeting in July when his phone started blowing up. He’s a community organizer with the non-profit advocacy group Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. “A fellow colleague in environmental justice work, he literally called me three times,” he says.

 

“Xtra”

 

Sequoia National Forest tree permits available soon

Porterville Recorder

It’s that time of year, with family and friends gathering to share memories and celebrate the holiday season. What a great time to start a tradition by choosing and felling a Christmas tree in the Sequoia National Forest.

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

                                                     

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.

 

 

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