POLICY & POLITICS
Valley:
California Online Voter Registration
California Secretary of State
The deadline to register or re-register to vote for any election is 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the 15th calendar day before that election.
See also:
Hip-hop artist Common speaks in Fresno about getting young people to vote Fresno Bee
86 Kern County residents were improperly registered to vote by DMV Bakersfield Californian
Politico
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has never been the darling of the right — far from it.
See also:
Responses to McCarthy's border wall funding Bakersfield Californian
McCarthy to introduce bill to fully fund border wall, enforce laws Bakersfield Californian
California Today: Devin Nunes vs. The Fresno Bee
New York Times
Representative Devin Nunes and his hometown newspaper, The Fresno Bee, have been locked in battle for several weeks.
See also:
Devin Nunes is attacking his district's newspaper before the midterm election. It's a page from Trump's playbook Los Angeles Times
Trump says Nunes should get Medal of Freedom for his handling of Russian investigation Fresno Bee
Trump: 'Devin Nunes should get the Medal of Honor' for handling of Russia probe Visalia Times-Delta
Meet the candidates: Hanford City Council District A
Hanford Sentinel
The midterm election is Nov. 6. In preparation for the election, the Sentinel asked candidates in local races to answer questions so voters can get to know them.
4th District candidates spar at CSUB debate
Bakersfield Californian
Candidates for the 4th District Supervisors race sparred in a debate held at Cal State Bakersfield Wednesday evening.
Governor appoints two judges to the Merced County Superior Court
Merced Sun-Star
Gov. Jerry Brown made a slew of appointments on Thursday including two new judges to the Merced County Superior Court.
Newly appointed judge brings more diversity to Stanislaus Superior Court
Modesto Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Sonny Sandhu, the Stanislaus County public defender, to be the newest judge in the Stanislaus Superior Court.
Why claims of racism, grand jury probe made their way into Modesto council meeting
Modesto Bee
A discussion Tuesday night over the Modesto city auditor’s job evaluations led to a series of allegations, including claims of racism and illegal closed-session hearings.
EDITORIAL: Fresno Bee recommends a yes vote on Measure A
Fresno Bee
The majority of Fresno voters approved the recreational use of marijuana when they supported Proposition 64 two years ago. Now voters have a chance to take an important next step when they consider Measure A on the November ballot.
State:
California has 11 ballot measures to consider. These short videos will help you decide
Sacramento Bee
Watch short videos to learn about California’s 11 propositions on the November 2018 ballot. Quickly and easily find what you need to know, including how they affect you, what they do, how much they cost, who is for them and who is against them.
How Newsom, Cox say they’d make California more affordable
San Francisco Chronicle
Both candidates for governor agree that the cost of housing in California is too dang high. But that’s pretty much all they agree on when it comes to how to make California more affordable.
See Also:
Gavin Newsom says he would scale back the bullet train and twin tunnels if elected Los Angeles Times
California’s Next Governor Interview: Democratic Candidate Gavin Newsom Dives Into Childhood Challenges, Defends His Business Career And Campaign Promises Capital Public Radio
California’s Next Governor Interview: Republican Candidate John Cox On His Childhood Struggles, Outsider Politics — But Not Trump Capital Public Radio
Are U.S., Philippines the only two countries with money bail? PolitiFact
Feinstein To Face Off With Opponent For First Time Since 2000
Capital Public Radio
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California will appear on stage with an election opponent for the first time since 2000 when she squares off against state Sen. Kevin de Leon.
See also:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, state Sen. Kevin de León to meet for Senate debate next week Los Angeles Times
Learn about California's U.S. Senate candidates through our questionnaires Los Angeles Times
Don't worry, all is not lost. State and local activists are fixing our elections
Los Angeles Times
Despair appears to be the common mood of the day. U.S. democratic norms have devolved so much that it seems impossible to know how to recover. Yes, the whole system feels rigged — against the majority of Americans. Why not just throw up our hands?
California Nation podcast: DMV saga, McClintock and Morse talk Trump and Kavanaugh
Modesto Bee
U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, an Elk Grove Republican, and Democratic challenger Jessica Morse are battling for California’s 4th congressional district, which stretches from Roseville in Placer County south to Fresno County.
Trump defies California senators with 9th Circuit judge nominations
Fresno Bee
The White House is moving to fill California’s three vacancies on the influential 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over the strenuous objections of the state’s two Democratic senators.
See Also:
California senators will try to block White House judicial nominees for the 9th Circuit Los Angeles Times
President Trump nominates 3 to Court of Appeals in S.F. San Francisco Chronicle
This Californian lost her legs in Austria. Now she’s part of Trump’s fight with 9th Circuit Sacramento Bee
How Kavanaugh’s addition to the Supreme Court could affect California San Francisco Chronicle
Californians have new privacy protections. Google wants Republicans to weaken them.
Merced Sun-Star
Two weeks ago, the nation’s tech titans came to Washington to urge Congress to pass legislation that would override the data privacy law California’s legislature passed in June. On Wednesday, privacy advocates got their chance to push back.
A top black judge claimed discrimination. California upheld her firing.
Sacramento Bee
The California State Personnel Board on Oct. 9, 2018 upheld the Public Utilities Commission’s dismissal of former Chief Administrative Law Judge Karen Clopton
Does The State Of California Have Your Money? Here’s How To Find Out.
Capital Public Radio
California businesses turn over millions of dollars of unclaimed property — from diamonds to checks to baseball cards — to the state's controller office every summer. The state just got its latest batch of assets totaling $770 million.
In Conservative Orange County, Democrats Hope To Win Back California House Seats
Wbur
Southern California is emerging as a political battleground ahead of the November midterms as Democrats are hoping to flip some of the region's house seats in order to take control of Congress.
Goodbye, Columbus? No. But Goodbye To California Debates
Hoover
The map tells us that California’s lowest point is Death Valley’s Badwater Basin, some 282 feet below sea level. And the state’s political low point?
EDITORIAL: Noncitizens registered to vote? Put California’s bungled 'motor voter' system on hold right away
Los Angeles Times
Either Padilla or Gov. Jerry Brown should suspend the automatic motor voter registrations until after the November election.
Federal:
Trump rules out cutting weapons sales to Saudi Arabia as furor deepens over vanished journalist
Los Angeles Times
President Trump on Thursday flatly opposed halting U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to a diplomatic furor over a journalist who disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, saying a cutoff would only invite China and Russia to sell weapons to the Saudis instead.
See Also:
Trump raises economic concerns over halting Saudi arms sales Los Angeles Times
Tech execs reconsider Saudi ties amid Khashoggi affair San Francisco Chronicle
Saudi journalist disappears — world demands answers San Francisco Chronicle
Los Angeles Times
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes typically steamrolls challengers when reelection time comes. The most any of his past opponents has raised during the 16 years he has represented part of the Central Valley was $400,000; some raised nothing at all.
Majority of Americans say Trump is just venting when he calls the press 'enemies of the people'
Los Angeles Times
A staple of President Trump’s rallies is criticism of the news media, which he has often labeled as “enemies of the people.”
Wall Street Journal
What did the Kavanaugh controversy tell us about our historical moment? It underscored what we already know, that America is politically and culturally divided and that activists and the two parties don’t just disagree with but dislike and distrust each other.
Wall Street Journal
At a time when it’s said that anything is possible in American politics, the impossible just happened. Hillary Clinton has aligned herself with Donald Trump’s view of the Democratic Party.
Adelsons Give at Least $25 Million More to G.O.P. for Midterms
The New York Times
Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, the Las Vegas Republicans who have already spent more money on federal races this year than any other donors in either political party, are piling even more of their casino fortune into Republicans’ campaign efforts, people with knowledge of their plans said Thursday.
Why the Senate Will Probably Stay Red
National Review
With less than a month to go until the 2018 midterm elections, the picture has come into pretty clear focus.
Smack talk: Politicians decry incivility but practice it too
PBS
There’s a lot of talk in Washington these days about whether that quaint politeness known as “civility” is possible — or even desirable — among the nation’s political combatants.
New emails reveal a central political motivation for changing the census
Washington Post
When Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross instructed the Census Bureau earlier this year to include a question on the decennial census about the citizenship of residents, he offered a specific rationale.
Media Trump Hatred Shows In 92% Negative Coverage Of His Presidency: Study
Investors
Anti-Trump Media: To say that the big networks haven't exactly had a love affair with Donald Trump, as they plainly did with President Obama, is an understatement. A new survey shows that not only is coverage of Trump overwhelmingly negative, but the president's biggest accomplishment — the roaring economy — gets almost no attention.
Other:
What’s happening with KMPH and KVPT? Here’s what you need to know to fix it
Fresno Bee
Fair warning if you notice something wonky with your television next week: KVPT and KMPH are changing frequencies.
Made and Distributed in the U.S.A.: Online Disinformation
New York Times
When Christine Blasey Ford testified before Congress last month about Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual assault, a website called Right Wing News sprang into action on Facebook.
Goodbye, Political Spin, Hello Blatant Lies
New York Times
Do you remember political spin? Politicians used to deceive voters by describing their policies in misleading ways.
Facebook purged over 800 U.S. accounts and pages for pushing political spam
The Washington Post
Facebook said on Thursday it purged more than 800 U.S. publishers and accounts for flooding users with politically-oriented spam, reigniting accusations of political censorship and arbitrary decision-making.
Why is the mob angry? Because Trump is ripping us apart with bigotry and hatred.
Washington Post
President Trump and Republicans have adopted a closing electoral strategy that depicts the Democratic Party and “angry” leftist protests against Trumpian rule as the only real reigning threat to our country’s civic fabric and the rule of law.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Central Valley’s second recreational pot dispensary opens Saturday
The Business Journal
The store will be Seattle-based Have a Heart’s first in California, and will create 23 new union jobs, based on a partnership with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
SF judge may order new trial in $289 million Monsanto case
abc30
A judge in San Francisco says she is ready to order a new trial in a $289 million judgment against agri-business giant Monsanto.
See Also:
Judge in Roundup trial may overturn nearly all of $289M jury award San Francisco Chronicle
Forcing Starbucks to put a cancer warning on your coffee cup would violate the 1st Amendment
Los Angeles Times
How can it not be misleading for the sellers of a product that is not accused of causing cancer to be obliged to place a cancer warning on it?
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
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Public Safety:
‘If they hit you once, they’ll hit you again,’ Denise Brown tells Fresno audience
Fresno Bee
Educating people about the cycle of violence, “the power and control of one human being over another,” was the focus of Denise Brown, sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson, during her visit to Fresno on Thursday.
See Also:
Huron Police delayed moving into new building
abc30
Huron Police are beyond eager to move into their new home, but right now, they're stuck in the outdated modular building they've occupied for more than 30 years.
California Chief Justice Wants Review Of Harassment Policies
Capital Public Radio
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye tasked a group of judges, administrators and attorneys with considering new rules to increase awareness of bad behavior and reporting requirements.
Family Justice Center ready to help victims in need
Stockton Record
Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, child and elder abuse now have place to go that will make their process through the justice system simple and easy.
See Also:
San Joaquin County Opens New ‘One-Stop’ Center For Crime Victims Seeking Help Capital Public Radio
Earthquake warning system will come with some false alarms and missed alerts
Los Angeles Times
In a land where the mildest rumble elicits an anxious question — "Did you feel that?" — having even a few seconds of warning before an earthquake has long been a dream.
Fire:
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ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Best of Central Valley Business
The Business Journal
2018 Voting has begun and will conclude Oct. 13
In black neighborhoods, Trump’s economic boasts ring hollow
Stockton Record
The unemployment rate belies the on-the-ground reality for many African-Americans, according to experts.
Local home market shifts to off-peak season
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield's home market shifted dramatically to the off-peak buying season in September, as a big drop in demand outpaced a mild decline in supply.
Dow plunges another 500 points, massive sell-off extends into 2nd day
abc30
U.S. stock futures plunged 500 points Thursday, extending its two-day loss by more than 1300 points.
See Also:
Stocks plunge again on wide selling; Dow drops another 545 Stockton Record
Trump's complaint that the Federal Reserve was 'going loco' on interest rates is just plain crazy, analysts say Los Angeles Times
Wall St. Extends Drop Into Sixth Day, Setting Stage for Another Awful October New York Times
Stocks in Red Led Trump to Blame Fed Wall Street Journal
Fed Officials See Strong Economy Justifying Interest Rate Rises
Wall Street Journal
The Federal Reserve has become the center of attention at the White House and on Wall Street for rising interest rates that helped knock stocks off balance this week.
Jobs:
Mattress group sleeping on $2M in payments, responsible for warehouse shutdown, says recycler
Fresno Bee
Tchad Robinson, president of Los Angeles-based Blue Marble Materials, said that the company had from seven to 12 people working in Fresno — a mix of employees and workers hired under contract through staffing services. Right now, Blue Marble’s employees are in limbo.
California state worker union accepts contract with 10 percent pay hike
Sacramento Bee
A small California state employee union decided on Thursday that a contract with two more consecutive years of 5 percent raises was too good to pass up in the waning months of Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration.
Job fair's cancellation can't dim applicants' hopes
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield College sociology student Endea Hodges had never attended a job fair and wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived at Valley Plaza mall Thursday. But somehow she assumed there would be tables set up and stores would be hiring people on the spot.
AEI
The video by Reason TV’s managing editor Jim Epstein “The $15 Minimum Wage Is Turning Hard Workers Into Black Market Lawbreakers” is in-depth look at New York’s car wash industry, and the real world consequences of politicians interfering with a complex industry they don’t understand by artificially raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women
Reuters
Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) machine-learning specialists uncovered a big problem: their new recruiting engine did not like women.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Northeast Fresno academy teaching preschool children Spanish
abc30
Spanish class at La Petite Academy in Northeast Fresno always starts with a good morning and a little song. Over the course of 10 weeks small children ages 2 to 6 will learn Spanish.
Ahwahnee man works to make sure local students get lunch
Sierra Star
Many YHS students cannot eat lunch at school due to an outstanding lunch debt of $40, so James Nimmo brought in $245 in cash he raised to help pay off some of those debts.
Lincoln teachers, district at impasse
Stockton Record
Outside Sierra Middle School, more than 150 members of the Lincoln Unified Teachers Association picketed late Wednesday afternoon to come together as one in support of educators and students.
BCSD to break ground on new school
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City School District will break ground on a new school on Friday. Mayor Karen Goh and several district officials will speak at the event.
Higher Ed:
Fresno State receives $50,000 collaborative opportunity grant to advance student success
Hanford Sentinel
California State University, Fresno was one of eight universities nationwide awarded a grant by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and Coalition of Urban Serving Universities to support student success through community partnerships.
Here’s why Governor candidate Newsom was at Merced College this week
Modesto Bee
California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom was at Merced College on Wednesday to tour an aging facility and listen to advocates of community colleges.
Strike threat looms at MJC, Columbia College; district, faculty in contract standoff
Modesto Bee
As two sides are deadlocked in a three-year unresolved labor negotiation, a possible faculty strike is the buzz on campus at Modesto Junior College and Columbia College near Sonora.
Betsy DeVos-backed sexual assault plan for colleges likely to spark heated debate
abc30
The Education Department is finalizing a plan that would make it easier for college students accused of sexual misconduct to push back.
CSUB to celebrate accreditation of new engineering bachelor's programs
Bakersfield Californian
To celebrate the accreditation of engineering bachelor’s degrees at Cal State Bakersfield, the university is hosting a celebration.
The Business Journal
Learn about CSU Fresno Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Standardized Testing and College Eligibility
PPIC
In California and across the nation, there has been a growing focus on increasing college access by improving college readiness for high school students and encouraging more eligible students to attend college. To this end, many states and educational institutions have changed how they use college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT.
Apprenticeships:
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ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Endangered California condors are being shot. The reward to find the killers has tripled.
Fresno Bee
Federal authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of two endangered California condors. Both birds were found shot dead in the Central Valley.
See Also:
Animal activists outraged at Forest Service handling of wild horses
abc30
Animal activists and horse lovers are criticizing the U.S. Forest Service's plan to round up 1,000 wild horses in northern California this month.
Visalia's split trash cans going away, but recyclables are stacking up nationwide
Visalia Times-Delta
Changing conditions in the global recycling market could have deep local impacts. And unless market conditions improve soon, companies handling household recyclables will continue to overfill with unshipped recyclable materials.
A letter to California’s trees: It’s all your fault
Sacramento Bee
Dear California trees, When will you stand up and take responsibility for all the damage you do?
Meet Ken Alex, Gov. Jerry Brown’s climate concierge
CALmatters
The officials gathered at the front of the room, arranging themselves on a dais, last fall at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.
The climate reality requires weaning off fossil fuels at home
Brookings
Given the dire new report released this week from top climate scientists warning of a global warming disaster by 2030, Timmons Roberts outlines steps Americans can take at home to cut their fossil fuel consumption, such as eating less meat, switching to renewable power sources, and cutting back on air travel.
Figuring on Climate Change: Model Outputs Vary, but Worries Are Real
News Deeply
Water available for California farms and cities could decline as much as 44 percent by midcentury due to climate change. Such numbers, while headache-inducing, could make today’s water woes seem trifling.
EDITORIAL: The world is warming faster than we believed. All of us need to find the will to act — now
Los Angeles Times
The world is in a dangerously self-destructive place. The new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change spells out in great detail the dire environmental changes that are already underway as a result of global warming.
Energy:
California regulators boost fees charged when customers leave traditional utilities
Los Angeles Times
The California Public Utilities Commission approved an increase in exit fees charged to customers who buy electricity from government-run community choice programs rather than traditional utilities such as Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.
See Also:
State energy board adds new fee to customers of services like CleanPowerSF San Francisco Chronicle
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Asthma, diabetes, heart disease: Central Valley health care is personal and political
Fresno Bee
Poor air and water quality, pesticides, food deserts and lack of accessible recreational spaces form a toxic cocktail that plagues California’s Central Valley — and that’s made the area’s too-close-to-call House races virtual referenda on health care policy.
Mental health event brings stories of help, hope
Stockton Record
“Curing The Stigma” will be held from 1:30-3 p.m. in the Tillie Lewis Theatre as San Joaquin Delta College concludes its observance of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Medicine Shoppe signs up for county opioids program
Bakersfield Californian
A ninth retailer has signed up to participate in Kern County's efforts to rein in local opioid abuse. Kern Rx Return program, administered by the county's Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, has collected more than 120 pounds of unused medications so far this year.
Dirty Air And Disasters Sending Kids To The ER For Asthma
California Healthline
Children in some California counties visited emergency rooms for asthma at nearly twice the statewide rate, according to the latest data — a phenomenon that experts blame largely on dangerous air pollution.
Study: Tobacco laws cited for 28% lower lung cancer rate in Calif.
UPI
Lung cancer deaths are 28 percent lower in California compared with the rest of the country -- with strong tobacco control in the Golden State cited as the primary reason, according to a study.
Human Services:
Turlock readers squeeze into their county library branch. A fix could be coming
Modesto Bee
A meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, will deal with plans to expand the Turlock branch of the Stanislaus County Library. It was built in 1968 for an anticipated city population of 30,000. Turlock now has about 73,000 people.
Over 15,000 UC health care workers could soon go on strike — here’s what we know
Sacramento Bee
AFSCME Local 3299 announced Thursday morning that the 15,000 patient-care technical workers in its ranks voted to authorize a strike against the University of California after reaching a deadlock in labor contract negotiations.
Los Angeles Times
The administration announced Thursday that the average premium for the “benchmark” Obamacare plan — the second-lowest-cost plan that covers 80% of the customer’s expected medical costs — will drop 1.5% in 2019 in the 27 states where the federal government operates the marketplaces (called exchanges) for Obamacare policies.
Prop. 11 would require EMTs, paramedics to stay on-call during breaks
San Francisco Chronicle
Proposition 11, which will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot and is backed by the state’s largest private ambulance operator, American Medical Response, would require paramedics and EMTs to be on-call for their full shifts as they have for years.
My turn: How the next governor can help aging Californians
CALmatters
California’s next governor will face an issue that has the potential to wreak havoc on the state budget: California is aging. We may not think about it, but every day, 1,000 people turn 65.
Not safe for kids: Fixing our broken child welfare system
AEI
Naomi Schaefer Riley’s recent work confirms that child maltreatment continues to be a serious issue in the US. The long-term decline of stable two-parent families and the current spike in opioid addiction have put many more children at risk of abuse and neglect than there should be. The stakes are high.
Nurse practitioners can save primary care
AEI
Studies show that America will face a shortage of primary care doctors in the coming years, which will hurt the poor, the elderly, and those living outside of cities where most doctors practice. Robert Doar points to new research showing that nurse practitioners present a viable solution to this dilemma.
See also:
Fact-checking President Trump’s USA Today op-ed on ‘Medicare-for-All’
Washington Post
President Trump wrote an opinion article for USA Today on Oct. 10 regarding proposals to expand Medicare to all Americans — known as Medicare-for-All — in which almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or a falsehood.
Wall Street Journal
Chuck Schumer declared this week that health care is the issue that will define the November elections, and the Senate Minority Leader may be right for the wrong reason. Democrats could end up paying a big political price for signing up en masse for Bernie Sanders’s government-run health-care agenda.
First, Do No Harm (to ObamaCare)
Wall Street Journal
By the narrowest of margins, the U.S. Senate rejected legislation Wednesday that would have subjected patients with expensive illnesses to soaring premiums, canceled coverage and medical bankruptcy.
IMMIGRATION
McCarthy to introduce bill to fully fund border wall, enforce laws
Bakersfield Californian
Rep. Kevin McCarthy has announced that he'll introduce a bill later this week to fully fund a border wall.
Border fence replacement hailed by Trump is completed in Calexico
Los Angeles Times
Construction workers last week put up the final panel of a new border barrier in Calexico, Calif., a project touted by President Trump as the first part of his promised wall between Mexico and the U.S.
Army expelled 500 immigrant recruits in just one year, study shows
Los Angeles Times
Over the course of 12 months, the U.S. Army discharged more than 500 immigrant enlistees who were recruited across the globe for their language or medical skills and promised a fast track to citizenship in exchange for their service.
Donald Trump's false claim about 'thousands' of immigration judges
PolitiFact
President Donald Trump has denounced the way the United States processes immigration cases, calling for thousands more judges to address a backlog on top of the current ranks
See also:
Donald Trump blames Democrats for own immigration policy separating families PolitiFact
The invisible children of California Capitol Weekly
The latest on reunification of families separated at the border, Trump immigration policy PolitiFact
Pick them from a bin? Donald Trump mischaracterizes diversity visa lottery PolitiFact
Statements about Immigration PolitiFact
Immigration in 5 charts: a 2018 midterm report
PolitiFact
Immigration is one of the biggest issues of the midterm elections in the wake of President Donald Trump’s actions restricting immigration over the past two years.
See also:
12 facts about immigration Brookings
The Supreme Court could decide if a citizenship question on the US census is legal
Brookings
“If far fewer noncitizen households respond to the census because of the new question, the places in which they live will be undermined. And that will have far-reaching consequences.” Alan Berube discusses the battle shaping up in the courts over the Trump administration’s effort to add a question about citizenship status to the 2020 census—something that hasn’t been done since 1950.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Like a Good Neighbor? Resistance to Animal Shelter in NW Fresno.
GV Wire
Supervisor Brian Pacheco may have been the happiest man in a room of hundreds of unhappy constituents. Residents in a northwest Fresno neighborhood expressed concern, doubt and plenty of NIMBYism during a community meeting with developers of proposed new animal shelter.
Housing:
If it works, this tiny homes plan for homeless vets will likely be duplicated
Bakersfield Californian
By this time next year, the vacant lot on Covey Avenue in Oildale could be well on its way to becoming home sweet home to more than two dozen homeless veterans.
Grappling with RVs — next phase of homeless crisis
San Francisco Chronicle
Camper vans are a source of frustration and a vexing symbol of the city’s inability to solve its homeless crisis. To the people who live in those vans, they are a last line of defense.
Mortgage rates rise to a seven-year high
Los Angeles Times
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is nearing 5%, following a surge this week that put borrowing costs at their highest level since 2011, according to Freddie Mac.
Fact-checking claims about California’s rent control measure Prop 10
PolitiFact
Listen to the No on Prop 10 ads — about California’s much-debated rent control measure — and you’d think it’s a deeply flawed initiative that will drive the state’s housing crisis ever-deeper. Click over to the Yes on 10 spots and you’d get the impression renters in California desperately need this measure to pass.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Fresno sells parking lot to baseball team and debates how to spend the money
abc30
The city is selling the 5-acre lot for $1.9 million to the Fresno Sports and Events Partners, owners of the Fresno Grizzlies Baseball team. The city council was eager to sell but divided on what to do with the money.
Postal Service proposes hike in first-class stamp to 55 cents
abc30
The U.S. Postal Service is seeking to increase the price of its first-class stamp by 5 cents to 55 cents to help stem its mounting red ink.
Money rolls in for California Lottery despite scrutiny, conflict
Merced Sun-Star
California State Lottery expects to earn $7.1 billion in revenue in the 2018-19 budget year, even as the Lottery faces lawsuits. It also expects to pay $4.6 billion in prizes, sending $1.7 billion to schools.
TRANSPORTATION
Gas prices jump 20 cents last month. Here’s where to buy cheap gas
Fresno Bee
Gas prices in California have climbed almost 20 cents in the past month, reaching a three-year high with a statewide average of $3.81 per gallon, according to AAA data.
See also:
Forget the gas tax. Let's get to the bottom of California's 22-cents-a-gallon mystery surcharge Los Angeles Times
$700 a year? Less than $10 a month? We analyze how much California’s gas tax increase really costs you Sacramento Bee
Hurricane Michael unlikely to have massive impact on US gasoline prices
abc30
Hurricane Michael may be a monster of a storm, but it's unlikely to cause dramatic gasoline price spikes, energy experts said.
DMV fines almost 500 drivers caught misusing disabled parking placards
Los Angeles Times
The California Department of Motor Vehicles caught 491 people misusing disabled person parking placards last month, authorities said.
Are used-car prices plunging? Depends on whom you ask
Los Angeles Times
America’s secondhand-vehicle market is throwing some economists and auto-industry analysts for a loop. Prices for used cars and trucks fell 3% in September from the prior month, matching September 2003 as the biggest drop since the 1960.
Gavin Newsom says he would scale back the bullet train and twin tunnels if elected
Los Angeles Times
If Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is elected governor as expected, he’ll keep building the state’s two contentious public works projects: the bullet train and twin water tunnels. But he’ll scale back both.
WATER
Higher water, sewer, wastewater rates? Fresno City Council says now’s not a good time
Fresno Bee
A split Fresno City Council on Thursday rejected a proposal to start the process for utility rate increases, citing bad timing and concern about public outreach.
Fresno’s Southeast Surface Water Treatment Facility is nearing completion
Fresno Bee
The signature project in the city's “Recharge Fresno” program will use surface water from the mountains and help replenishing groundwater supplies.
California might see construction on water storage
abc30
For the first time in decades California may see construction of new water storage. The legislation would pay for new water storage projects as part of America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.
State water board must act now to save our salmon
San Francisco Chronicle
A primary goal of the changes proposed by the State Water Resources Control Board is restoration of river flows to protect salmon. Today, all our Central Valley salmon runs are threatened as never before.
Why You Shouldn’t Get Your Hopes up About an El Niño This Winter
News Deeply
It’s become almost common currency that El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean mean wet winters in the West. But history shows that’s not necessarily so, partly because many other weather phenomena also play a role in precipitation.
“Xtra”
Family-friendly events and deals worth seeking out in Fresno this week
abc30
Looking for family-friendly activities and learning experiences to keep the kids busy this week? From an outdoor fall crafts fair to a steal of a deal on music lessons, there's plenty to do when it comes to opportunities for learning and fun.
Chinese Americans recognized in Yosemite National Park history. Finally, say advocates
Sierra Star
The six-year-long drive to recognize Chinese-Americans for their contributions to the history of Yosemite National Park culminated at the Yosemite Gateway Partners Fall meeting on Thursday.
Take me home! Dogs available for adoption
Bakersfield Californian
These four dogs at Kern County Animal Services are looking for their forever homes. Can you help?
This ambitious College of the Sequoias play transports 'Macbeth' to Mexican border
Visalia Times-Delta
Don’t worry though if you have a sensitive nose when you see the College of the Sequoia’s production of “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” which opens Friday, Oct. 12 and plays through Oct. 21 at the COS Theatre.
Take me home! Dogs available for adoption
Bakersfield Californian
These four dogs at Kern County Animal Services are looking for their forever homes. Can you help?
Different Dreamers: What It Means To Be a Californian Today
KCET
The dream states of California were the subject of Kevin Starr’s majestic series of histories (seven books, collectively called “Americans and the California Dream”). What was dreamed, he wrote, is myth, promise, and possibly redemption. Starr thought that he “could find in, with, and through California some measure of meaning,” but even he wondered if the dreaming would lead to a dead-end.
Valley Cultural Coalition
Great things are happening in the Valley.