POLICY & POLITICS
Qualify for a scholarship of up to $6,000
DEADLINE TOMORROW, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH
The Maddy Scholar Intern Program’s goal is to prepare the next generation of political, governmental, business, non-profit leaders for the San Joaquin Valley through internship opportunities in local, state and federal government offices in Washington, D.C., Sacramento and throughout the region.
North SJ Valley:
Investigation clears Modesto officials but reveals City Hall turmoil
Modesto Bee
An investigation of the Modesto city clerk’s allegations — including that she had been called a liar, excluded from meetings and subjected to crude sexual gestures — substantiated little but revealed political turmoil at the top levels of city government.
Oakdale sales tax extension has big lead. Ceres school board challenger surges
Modesto Bee
Election night returns showed overwhelming support in Oakdale for extending a half-percent sales tax for city services. Meanwhile, challenger Brian De La Porte was well ahead of incumbent Jim Kinard for the Ceres Unified School District board.
Co-founder of local progressives group enters race for Modesto mayor
Modesto Bee
One of the founders of Indivisible Stanislaus — part of a nationwide effort to elect progressives, enact progressive policies and oppose the Trump administration — has entered the Modesto mayoral race.
City Of Madera Employees Picket For Wage Increases
KVPR
Madera City employees say they haven’t seen a cost of living increase in years, and tonight they’ll be picketing outside city hall, before the council’s meeting, in protest.
Central SJ Valley:
California Economic Summit
The 2019 Summit Playbook outlines the topics and action plans that will be supported and sharpened by participants at the 2019 California Economic Summit in Fresno. These plans will launch through the 2020 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity in January.
Lemoore City Council approves permit for the city's third cannabis business
Hanford Sentinel
The Lemoore City Council granted a regulatory permit to Wellsona Partners, LLC to operate a cannabis cultivation facility during its meeting Tuesday.
District seeks members for Environmental Justice Advisory Group
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is dedicated to the integration of environmental justice principles and goals into its public health and air quality programs, policies and activities.
South SJ Valley:
Kevin McCarthy gets tour of Taft's new urgent care clinic
Bakersfield Californian
A new urgent care clinic here is less than a month from completion and Rep. Kevin McCarthy got an inside look at the new 13,000-square-foot medical building Wednesday. The West Side Health Care District is constructing the $9 million clinic to expand its medical offerings for western Kern County.
McCarthy finds no reason to close Taft prison following tour
Bakersfield Californian
Congressman Kevin McCarthy toured the Taft Correctional Institute Wednesday with Taft Mayor Dave Noerr and said afterward he sees no reason the federal government should follow through on plans to shutter it.
State:
California Attorney General Seeks Court Order To Force Facebook To Turn Over Records
KVPR
Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Facebook has resisted and even ignored California's attempts to get information from the company as part of an investigation launched by his office over whether the company misused data. He said Facebook has not responded to the subpoena his office has issued.
See also:
California takes Facebook to court in state’s privacy, Cambridge Analytica investigation Sacramento Bee
California Probing Facebook’s Privacy Practices Wall Street Journal
California Sues Facebook for Documents in Privacy Investigation New York Times
California justices skewer state law aimed at Trump’s taxes: ‘Where does it end?’
Sacramento Bee
A majority of California Supreme Court justices appeared to side with Republicans who challenged a state law that would force President Donald Trump to release the last five years of his tax returns in order to get on the state’s 2020 primary ballot.
See also:
California justices skeptical of law requiring Trump to release tax returns for primary Los Angeles Times
California Supreme Court appears poised to block Trump tax returns mandate Politico
California will appeal decision blocking Trump tax return disclosure law Politico
How PG&E Has Unified A Divided California
Zocal
I felt moved to write this thank-you note because so many of your 16 million California customers have been so ungrateful. No corporation in this state has done more than you to awaken the public to the challenges California faces from climate change, faltering infrastructure, and dysfunctional regulation, and it’s high time we acknowledged the enormity of your civic contribution.
Federal:
Judge strikes down new Trump rule on religious objections
Fresno Bee
A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a new Trump administration rule that could open the way for more health care workers to refuse to participate in abortions or other procedures on moral or religious grounds.
See also:
Elections 2020:
Democrats pull presidential primary debate from UCLA over union boycott
Los Angeles Times
The Democratic National Committee has yanked its Dec. 19 presidential primary debate from UCLA in solidarity with labor unions that are engaged in disputes with the university.
See also:
DNC Pulls Democratic Debate From UCLA Because Of Union Boycott HuffPost
‘We’re not stupid’: Why Biden is dodging the California Dem convention Politico
OPINION: Why Black Democrats Favor Joe Biden Wall Street Journa
Candidate for California governor employs fake ads to protest Facebook policy
Capital Public Radio
San Francisco progressive activist Adriel Hampton wanted to tell the truth about a controversial Facebook policy — one that allows political candidates to lie in advertisements without a penalty.
In Iowa, Pete Buttigieg's youth is attracting older voters
abc30
Mixed in among the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of Iowans who attend a single Pete Buttigieg rally is an important voting bloc in the state that could help the South Bend, Indiana, mayor keep his momentum and produce a solid finish next year: older voters.
Democrats expand edge in California as 2020 looms
Stockton Record
With the 2020 elections approaching, California voter registration figures released Wednesday tell a familiar story: Democrats are expanding their ranks, Republicans are struggling, and the fastest-growing group remains those voters aligned with no party at all.
Breaking From 'The Squad,' Ayanna Pressley Endorses Elizabeth Warren For President
KVPR
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley is endorsing her home-state senator Elizabeth Warren for president, breaking with her other high-profile freshmen female colleagues who have come to be known as "the squad."
See also:
Opinion: Elizabeth Warren’s Health-Care Hara-Kiri Wall Street Journal
Opinion: Has Elizabeth Warren Wrecked the Left? Wall Street Journal
Republicans see warning signs after losses in several states
Los Angeles Times
Off-year election results in three key states — Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky — serve as a flashing red warning light for Republicans worried that President Trump’s deep unpopularity outside rural areas may threaten their grip on the White House, the Senate and numerous state legislatures.
For better or worse, school construction bond on March 2020 ballot will be Prop. 13
EdSource
You don’t have be superstitious to fear the number 13. Both supporters and opponents of a proposed $15 billion school and college construction bond headed for the March 2020 state ballot are somewhat apprehensive now that the Secretary of State has designated it Proposition 13.
Democrats Growing in State. Fresno and Clovis Too.
GV Wire
Just released voter registration numbers show an increase in voter registration statewide, with gains for Democrats and a marked increase in no party preference registrants.
Other:
Wonderful Community Grants Deadline Extended To December 13
The Wonderful Company
Over The Last Four Years, The Wonderful Company And Its Owners, Philanthropists And Entrepreneurs Lynda And Stewart Resnick, Have Awarded Over $1.5 Million To Nonprofits Throughout The Central Valley Through The Wonderful Community Grants Program. These Grants Reflect The Resnicks’ Commitment To Giving Back In The Communities Where Their Employees Live And Work.
Think you can spot a fake news story? A new study says you’re probably wrong
Sacramento Bee
Here’s a thing Democrats and Republicans have in common: Neither is very good at spotting fake news in their social media feeds. That’s the finding of a new study published in “Management Information Systems Quarterly.”
Google rewards reputable reporting, not left-wing politics
The Economist
“Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives”, tweeted Donald Trump in 2018. “They are controlling what we can & cannot see.” The president’s charges of bias are often dubious. But many people worry about algorithms absorbing human prejudices.
See also:
Google Weighs Changes to Political Ad Policy Wall Street Journal
Should We Give California or Texas Back?
National Review
On October 20, 1842, Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones, commander of the U.S. Pacific Squadron, ordered 150 U.S. troops ashore at Mexican-held Monterey, Calif. They seized a fort without resistance, and the Stars and Stripes went up over the Monterey customhouse.
The Man Who Popularized The 'Deep State' Doesn't Like The Way It's Used
KVPR
The essay is not partisan. Lofgren criticizes both parties, along with the national security community, Wall Street and Silicon Valley. And he takes pains to point out that he's not a conspiracy theorist.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, November 10, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: California’s Concealed Carry Permits: The Wild West of Permitting? - Guests: California State Auditor Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, November 10, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: Concealed Carry Permits: Are Valley Standards the De Facto State Standards? - Guests: Fresno Co. Sheriff Margaret Mims, Tulare Co Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, Stanislaus Co. Sheriff Adam Christianson. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, November 10, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Participacion en 2018: lo que puede significar para 2020” – Invitado: Secretario de Estado Alex Padilla, Gisell Gasca - Mi Familia Vota y Alexei Koseff con San Francisco Chronicle. Presentado Por: Coordinadora del Programa del Maddy Institute, Maria Jeans.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Fresno-based Wawona Frozen Foods recalling packages of certain frozen fruits
Fresno Bee
If you bought frozen fruits from Aldi Grocery Stores or Raley’s Family of Fine Stores, be aware of the latest recall. Fresno-based Wawona Frozen Foods is recalling packages of frozen raspberries and frozen berry mixes containing raspberries that were sold at Aldi Grocery Stores, as well as frozen raspberries sold at Raley’s Family of Fine Stores.
Making a 'positive difference' for The Valley. Mark Borba named Agriculturalist of the Year
Fresno Bee
Mark Borba of Borba Farms in Riverdale was awarded the Agriculturalist of the year and The Bowles Farming Company of Los Banos was named Ag Business of the Year at the annual Fresno Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Awards Luncheon in Fresno.
Scammers target EBT cardholders in Fresno County, luring them with a popular device
Fresno Bee
The scammers are using OfferUp, an app similar to Craigslist, to request users send their Social Security number, date of birth and photos of their ID card and EBT card. Scammers promise the victims that they are signing up to receive a government-issued iPhone.
Foster Farms Thanksgiving gift will help feed thousands in SJ
Stockton Record
The family-owned Foster Farms has kicked off its annual West Coast Thanksgiving turkey donation program with a gift of 800 turkeys — enough for some 16,000 servings — to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Manteca.
College students, seniors and immigrants miss out on food stamps. Here’s why.
CalMatters
All told, roughly 1.6 million Californians are not getting help from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as CalFresh here, even though they are eligible. That means 28% of people with poverty-level budgets didn’t receive the food assistance they needed, according to 2017 state data.
Lemoore City Council approves permit for the city's third cannabis business
Hanford Sentinel
The Lemoore City Council granted a regulatory permit to Wellsona Partners, LLC to operate a cannabis cultivation facility during its meeting Tuesday.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
City employee says co-worker harassed him. She says he used the N-word, suits say
Fresno Bee
A supervisor in the city’s code enforcement division is suing the city, claiming he was the target of false accusations of racism. In contrast, two other employees are suing because they allege those accusations of racism are true.
DOJ Says Gun Violence Down Following Program Targeting Repeat Offenders
Capital Public Radio
Federal indictments are up. Gun-related crimes are down. That’s the result of a review of a two-year effort by the Department of Justice and local law enforcement.
See also:
California ‘awash in guns,’ feds say as they target illegal firearms and violent crime Sacramento Bee
Stanislaus County agrees to pay $7 million to family of woman fatally shot by deputy
Sacramento Bee
Stanislaus County has agreed to pay $7 million to the husband and young son of the woman who was fatally shot in her vehicle by one of its sheriff’s deputies in Ripon.
Sacramento’s latest reckless law will give lighter sentences to 10,000 repeat felons
Sacramento Bee
Jerry Dewayne Williams, if popular folklore is to be believed, should be coming up for parole soon. This spring marks the silver anniversary since Williams, better known as the “pizza thief,” received 25-years-to-life for shoplifting a slice of pizza at the Redondo Beach pier. Ever since, he’s been “the patron saint of unfair sentencing.” His story is featured in ongoing efforts by the ACLUto erode tough-on-crime laws.
Public Safety:
BPD officers equipped with body cameras
Bakersfield Californian
Some Bakersfield police officers began wearing body cameras Wednesday. The city has agreed to spend $3 million to outfit all officers with cameras, using funds from the 1 percent sales tax increase passed by voters in November.
A Jail Increased Extreme Isolation to Stop Suicides. More People Killed Themselves.
ProPublica
The Kern County, CA Sheriff’s Office places hundreds of people into suicide watch each year. They’re held for days or weeks in rooms without mattresses and sometimes toilets. The state can’t stop it.
Fire:
As California Fire Seasons Worsen, First Responders And Their Loved Ones Navigate Difficult Terrain
Capital Public Radio
As California fire seasons worsen, organizations serving first responders are trying to spread the word about the need for mental health services. And they’re encouraging family members and loved ones of firefighters to seek help, too.
How PG&E's Power Shutoffs Sparked an East Bay Disability Rights Campaign
KQED
For her and other members of the disability community — many of whom depend on electrical devices like ventilators, CPAP machines and wheelchairs — losing power signifies much more than just an inconvenience: It can be life-threatening.
Climate Change is Driving California’s Wildfires. The Kincade Fire? Not So Much
KQED
Let’s get something out of the way. California’s wildfire activity has increased for five decades, and a strong body of research implicates climate change as a key driver.
We mapped every wine country fire. They’re larger and more destructive than ever
Los Angeles Times
Recent wildfires in California’s wine country are among the largest and most destructive in state history. October’s massive Kincade fire is the latest in a wave of fires that are dramatically reshaping life in the region.
No rain in sight for L.A. area for next few weeks; critical fire weather warnings extended
Los Angeles Times
The unusually long Santa Ana wind event is expected to ease Thursday evening. And with it, the fire risk will be reduced as well. But there is not much good news on the horizon, with forecasters seeing little chance of rain in the next few weeks.
As fire ravages California, our infrastructure is still not equipped to handle climate change
Brookings
Wildfires have been ravaging California for weeks. The latest round of them—from the Kincade fire near Sonoma to the Maria fire near Ventura—has blazed across more than 100,000 acres. Power outages, forced evacuations, and a trail of destroyed homes and businesses are just the initial signs of destruction, with economic and environmental costs continuing to soar.
EDITORIAL: President Trump, Gov. Newsom, please hold your fire as California burns
Desert Sun
California is burning, with wildfires raging now adding to a year that already has seen nearly 200,000 acres burned in incidents that have left at least three dead. Yet this is the time that President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom decide to flame each other.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
California Economic Summit
The 2019 Summit Playbook outlines the topics and action plans that will be supported and sharpened by participants at the 2019 California Economic Summit in Fresno. These plans will launch through the 2020 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity in January.
Wonderful Community Grants Deadline Extended To December 13
The Wonderful Company
Over The Last Four Years, The Wonderful Company And Its Owners, Philanthropists And Entrepreneurs Lynda And Stewart Resnick, Have Awarded Over $1.5 Million To Nonprofits Throughout The Central Valley Through The Wonderful Community Grants Program. These Grants Reflect The Resnicks’ Commitment To Giving Back In The Communities Where Their Employees Live And Work.
Jobs:
Fresno is losing its Sears. Here’s what we know about the closure
Fresno Bee
The Sears at Fresno’s Manchester Center is closing, marking the end of an era for a store that’s more than 50 years old. The store, which opened in the early 1960s — not long after the Manchester Center itself made its debut — is the latest casualty in several rounds of closures over the past few years.
See also:
Sears to leave Visalia after 80 years. Here's what we know Visalia Times Delta
Yard House is now hiring in Bakersfield
Bakersfield Californian
Yard House, which is expected to open in southwest Bakersfield in the next couple of months, is now hiring.
How the Google walkout transformed tech workers into activists
Los Angeles Times
At the end of October 2018, Claire Stapleton, then a YouTube employee, sent an email to an internal listserv where women discussed their experiences at Google. Employees had just learned that the company’s board of directors had approved a $90-million payout to Andy Rubin, a former Google executive, despite finding that a subordinate’s sexual misconduct claims against him were credible.
Truckers protest California gig-work law that could make them employees
San Francisco Chronicle
With the blare of truck horns punctuating their chants, dozens of truck owner-operators gathered outside government office buildings in Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont, Salinas and other cities this week to protest California’s new gig-work law, which could make them employees rather than independent contractors.
California Legislature Targets Arbitration Agreements
AALRR
In October 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation which purports to make it illegal for an employer to require arbitration of certain types of statutory claims. The law, AB 51, specifically prohibits requiring any applicant for employment or any employee to sign an arbitration agreement waiving the right to a jury trial as a “condition of employment, continued employment, or the receipt of any employment related benefit.”
EDUCATION
K-12:
How California schools’ HVAC systems are ‘silently undermining’ your child’s chance at success
Fresno Bee
Even when California schools install new heating and ventilation systems, the contractors aren’t properly adjusting or programming the units to provide enough ventilation to protect the health and welfare of students or their teachers.
Visalia Times Delta
Over the summer, Gonzales discovered that the district had been spraying glyphosate products at her 6-year-old daughter's school, Washington Elementary. She joined the Coalition Advocating for Pesticide Safety, a grassroots Tulare County organization, to protest the usage of toxic chemicals where children play.
Overview of Special Education in California
Legislative Analyst’s Office
Report Provides Overview of Special Education Services for Students With Disabilities. Since the 1970s, federal law has required public elementary and secondary schools to provide special education services to students with disabilities. Parents or teachers typically are the first ones to identify if a student might benefit from special education services.
Walters: Audit backs school finance critics
CALmatters
A half-decade ago, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature overhauled California’s school finance system with the avowed goal of closing the “achievement gap” separating poor and English learner students from their more privileged classmates.
English Is the International Language of Success — Except in California
National Review
It’s been two decades, but I still remember the excitement of helping to pass California’s Proposition 227, which I thought would rescue Spanish-speaking kids from an education ghetto of frustration and failure. It was an uphill battle.
AEI
The U.S. Department of Education recently proposed changes to the 2019-20 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a biannual survey of all public schools and districts that the department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) uses to monitor civil rights issues. The CRDC has been at the heart of controversies over student discipline and chronic absenteeism and has been used by OCR for good and ill to push for changes in schools.
Higher Ed:
Rescue Mission celebrates program members' next step: college
Fresno Bee
In partnership with Fresno City College, the Fresno Rescue Mission hosted its first College Signing Day to enable men in the mission’s 18-month recovery program to enroll as Fresno City students, to prepare for life in the workforce.
Driving Equitable Access in Higher Education
EdNote
Every fall in New England brings falling leaves, and for the foreseeable future, it will also bring falling enrollments at many colleges and universities. Such demographic turbulence is cause for significant concern among college presidents. While I sympathize, I also see a moment of opportunity.
Most Of Nation's Top Public Universities Aren't Affordable For Low-Income Students
NPR
America's top public universities, known as flagships, are generally the most well-resourced public universities in their respective states — think the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor or the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. They're rigorous schools, and many were built on federal land grants meant to serve the "industrial classes."
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
30,000 pounds of seafood and meat litters Interstate 5 after spill
Modesto Bee
It took all night, but crews have cleared a nasty frozen food spill along Interstate 5 near Newman after a big rig driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed, the California Highway Patrol said. The driver suffered major injuries.
Earthquake: 3.5 quake strikes near Ridgecrest
Los Angeles Times
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was reported Thursday morning at 4:38 a.m. Pacific time four miles from Ridgecrest, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred 32 miles from California City, 62 miles from Tehachapi, 64 miles from Barstow and 65 miles from Rosamond.
Can the long-lost abalone make a comeback in California?
Los Angeles Times
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.
Divided, car makers clash over California rules
Capitol Weekly
Toyota, Chrysler, GM, Nissan, Subaru and Hyundai sided with the Trump administration in its efforts to ease mileage efficiency on rules imposed by the Obama administration. But earlier, California signed an agreement with Ford, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen that assures more stringent rules – a move that the Trump administration denounced as illegal.
District seeks members for Environmental Justice Advisory Group
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is dedicated to the integration of environmental justice principles and goals into its public health and air quality programs, policies and activities.
Energy:
Lithium-Ion Batteries Help Power Civilizations, But How Can They Be Recycled?
KVPR
Researchers are worried that the lithium ion batteries powering our phones, and soon our cars, will turn into a big waste problem. They're trying to figure out how to recycle them.
Some Wonder if Electric Microgrids Could Light the Way in California
Pew Trusts
The town was recently threatened by the Kincade Fire and has endured several blackouts since the largest utility in the state, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), last year began a policy of shutting down power lines to prevent its equipment from sparking blazes.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
What to know about hepatitis A outbreaks in the US
abc30
Fears of hepatitis A swirled in Somerville, New Jersey, this week, after the health department there reported that a food handler in a local grocery store could have exposed shoppers to the infectious disease.
Tulare City Council balks at drafting vape sales ban
Visalia Times Delta
Tulare City Council looked to iron out the last few wrinkles of an ordinance to allow recreational cannabis sales Tuesday before it discussed possibly restricting the sale of vaping products.
See also:
California’s vaccine laws aren’t likely to have a dramatic effect, study says
Sacramento Bee
California’s legal efforts to increase vaccination rates among school children could have a weaker impact than lawmakers hoped for, according to a new study that analyzed the state’s two laws that restrict when families can skip vaccines.
In California, the teen birth rate has hit a record low. How?
CALmatters
Explanations include the state's comprehensive sex education, access to birth control, better contraception methods and even reality TV. Even so, the rates in some California counties remain very high.
Trump’s ‘conscience rule’ for health providers blocked by federal judge
Washington Post
A federal judge on Wednesday voided the Trump administration’s “conscience rule” that would have allowed health-care providers to refuse to participate in abortions, sterilizations or other types of care they disagree with on religious or moral grounds.
Scrubbing Your House Of Bacteria Could Clear The Way For Fungus
KVPR
In a new study in Nature Microbiology, McCall and her co-authors found that the fungal diversity was actually higher in urban homes, and it might be because of peoples' cleaning products and urban lifestyles.
Human Services:
Many enrolled in California healthcare plan lack interpretation services, surveys show
Modesto Bee
Half of the non-English speaking people enrolled in a California healthcare plan reported they could never get a medical interpreter when they needed one, according to a survey conducted by San Francisco State University.
New health care perk for 102,000 California state workers, explained
Sacramento Bee
About 102,000 California state workers are eligible for a unique new health insurance benefit worth about $3,100 per year. While most of those eligible will receive the money automatically, about 20,000 won’t.
More Californians Will Get Help Paying For Health Insurance Through Obamacare
KPBS
This year as many as 50,000 more San Diego County residents could get help paying for health insurance through Covered California, the state's insurance marketplace.
At height of crisis, Walgreens handled nearly one in five of the most addictive opioids
Washington Post
At the height of the opioid epidemic, Walgreens handled nearly one out of every five oxycodone and hydrocodone pills shipped to pharmacies across America. Walgreens dominated the nation’s retail opioid market from 2006 through 2012, buying about 13 billion pills — 3 billion more than CVS, its closest competitor, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration database of opioid shipments.
IMMIGRATION
An endless fight: as border infrastructure on land improves, smugglers take to the water
San Diego Union-Tribune
Human and drug smugglers are increasingly turning to the Pacific Ocean to get into the United States while the Trump administration tightens border infrastructure on land with the president’s signature border wall.
Proposition 187 and a Changing California
PPIC
Twenty-five years ago, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, 59% of Californians voted to pass Proposition 187. The landmark ballot measure sought to set up a state-run immigration system and deny most public benefits—including K–12 education—to undocumented immigrants.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Pastor defends his comments critical of proposed homeless center
Bakersfield Californian
The lead pastor of one of Bakersfield's largest congregations, shaken by backlash to his online comments critical of the city's proposal for a 450-person homeless shelter near the church, explained Wednesday his objections related mainly to the project's size.
Bakersfield City Council postpones purchase of East Brundage homeless shelter site
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council voted to postpone a plan to purchase an office complex at 1900 East Brundage Lane to turn it into an emergency homeless shelter. In a 6-0 vote, with Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan absent, the council chose to delay any potential purchase until late January.
Housing:
Get an inside look at the new low-barrier homeless shelter in Modesto
Modesto Bee
More than 100 people gathered Tuesday in Modesto, California, to celebrate a big step in helping homeless people — a 182-bed low-barrier shelter that will help people find housing, treatment and other services.
‘Homeless courts’ are meant to get people off the street. But is it working in Sacramento?
Sacramento Bee
Before the lawyers assembled in the modest conference room at the Tommy Clinkenbeard Legal Clinic, nearly two dozen women and men were already lined up against the lobby walls waiting for a fleeting chance at relief.
How California Became America’s Housing Market Nightmare
Bloomberg
California, the land of golden dreams, has become America’s worst housing nightmare. Recent wildfires have only heightened the stakes for a state that can’t seem to build enough new homes.
Why $4.5 Billion From Big Tech Won’t End California Housing Crisis
New York Times
A mile from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino lies the sun-faded carcass of the Vallco Shopping Mall. At the moment it consists of empty, buff-colored buildings, acres of black asphalt and a pile of rubble where the parking garage used to be.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California sticks Pennsylvania man with $1.6 million tax bill over Amazon sales
Fresno Bee
The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration says it miscalculated when it sent a $1.6 million tax bill to a Pennsylvania man who works as a third-party seller on Amazon.com.
How to Use the HSA, for Medical or Retirement Savings
Wall Street Journal
The health savings account, or HSA, can be a powerful savings tool—if you approach it the right way. These accounts, which Congress authorized in 2003, are more than just a simple savings tool for medical emergencies. Retirement planners laud the HSA’s triple tax advantage and its use as a complementary savings vehicle to 401(k) plans.
Private giving like GoFundMe shows America at its best. Why criticize generosity?
USAToday
Over the past decade, America has been the most generous country in the world. That is the conclusion of a new report of the Charities Aid Foundation, which ranks 128 countries according to how many citizens volunteer, help a stranger in need and donate money to a philanthropic cause.
TRANSPORTATION
Long-planned Fresno road project gets last of its needed money. When will it open?
Fresno Bee
The final $10.5 million needed to pay for the $138 million Veterans Boulevard project was awarded through the federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant, according to an announcement from Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare.
Lime scooters not welcome in Clovis, as Fresno rolls out pilot program
Fresno Bee
Lime scooters will be allowed tentatively next week in Fresno for a six-month trial period, but a number of restrictions would keep the electric scooters away from college campuses and popular shopping centers.
A truck stop in Salida? Here’s why planners should tap the brakes on this proposal
Sacramento Bee
A company wanting to build a truck stop in Salida might want to tap the brakes. As of Tuesday afternoon, 512 people had signed an online petition against a “travel plaza” just east of Highway 99 and south of the Stanislaus River, at Hammett Road. Opponents are worried about noise and light pollution from a 24-7 operation, and the potential for vagrancy and crime.
WATER
Supreme Court leans toward expanding Clean Water Act to protect oceans from wastewater
Los Angeles Times
Supreme Court justices, both conservative and liberal, appeared skeptical Wednesday of a Trump administration argument that the federal Clean Water Act should not apply to sewage plant wastewater that flows into the ground and eventually seeps into federally protected waters, such as rivers or oceans.
“Xtra”
2019 Veterans Day events in the central San Joaquin Valley
Fresno Bee
The Veterans Day Parade wound its way for hours, entertaining thousands in downtown Fresno on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Organizers say it's acknowledged as the largest in the country.
It's pumpkin-picking season and the Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm has all the fall essentials
abc30
The Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm has been bringing the fall entertainment to local families for decades. This six-acre farm is a pumpkin play land with a trackless train and hay mazes with a large variety of pumpkins.
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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.
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