October 17, 2018

17Oct

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Valley:

 

How to vote in California? CALmatters answers your questions

CALmatters

Oct. 22 is the deadline to register to vote in California.

See Also:

      Want to vote in the Nov. 6 elections? Here's how to register Los Angeles Times

 

Republican outsiders pour millions into saving Denham

Fresno Bee

Republican fundraising arms are posting millions of dollars worth of ads to prop up Rep. Jeff Denham, who posted lackluster third quarter fundraising compared to Democratic challenger Josh Harder.

See Also:

     Political Insider: Big Bucks in Valley Races abc30

     Democrats are out-raising Republicans by millions in California's most competitive House races Los Angeles Times

     Democrats’ Cash Advantage in Tight Races The New York Times

     Democrats Rake In Cash for House Races The Wall Street Journal

     The midterm elections are drowning in money. How worried should that make us? The Washington Post

     Most new Fresno County voters say no party preference abc30

 

Can an extremely well-funded Democratic upstart end the congressional career of Devin Nunes?

Los Angeles Times

Nunes, whose campaign finance statements are awash in donations from individuals who have given the maximum allowed by law, and from corporate PACs, has raised $10 million so far this cycle. Shockingly, though, Janz has raised more than $7 million.

 

EDITORIAL: TJ Cox has the needs of 21st congressional district in focus, making him best choice

Fresno Bee

TJ Cox is focused on the needs of the 21st congressional district’s residents and can better deliver crucial services to those who need the assistance.

 

Turlock businessman figures prominently in another City Council race

Modesto Bee

Bill DeHart says his knowledge and understanding of Turlock’s issues — which include water and roads — and his ability to be a team player as well as his leadership skills serve him well as he seeks a third term on the City Council.

 

Tulare County election video series: Get to know your candidates

Visalia Times-Delta

Election day is only three weeks away and mail-in ballots are out.  Still trying to decide who to vote for? The Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register candidate video series may be able to help.

 

Former Fresno Mayor shows support for Measure P

abc30

Fresno voters have a chance to decide on Measure P, which would raise the city sales tax by three-eighths of a cent for public parks, trails and cultural arts

 

Central Valley cities want to raise taxes with ballot measures

Fresno Bee

Even as the economy booms in many parts of the Central Valley, cities and counties say they can’t pay for the basic services their growing populations demand and expect. As a result, more than a dozen cities between Roseville and Fresno will ask voters next month to raise sales taxes to pay for more cops, to fill potholes, invest in the arts and develop disadvantaged neighborhoods.

 

Fresno County court workers threatening to strike if agreement on contract not met

abc30

Close to 280 Fresno County court workers could walk off the job if an agreement isn't reached soon with court administrators. Tuesday afternoon clerks, assistants, and court reporters rejected the latest offer.

 

Plaintiffs in pivotal civil rights suit endorse Gonzalez in 4th District race

Bakersfield Californian

Dorothy Velasquez and Gary Rodriguez, plaintiffs in the civil rights lawsuit that forced Kern County to create a second Latino-majority district on the Board of Supervisors, say they will endorse Jose Gonzalez in the three-way race for 4th District supervisor, Gonzalez announced in a press release Tuesday.

 

EDITORIAL: Anna Caballero gets Bee’s recommendation for state Senate District 12

Fresno Bee

Anna Caballero is a moderate Democrat, and as such will be in the majority party in the Legislature and better able to get things accomplished for the five key cities she will represent. Her previous experience in the Legislature could also make her more independent.

 

EDITORIAL: Gray helps give Valley its voice; re-elect him

Merced Sun-Star

No one’s going to accuse Adam Gray of being the quiet, shy guy who has to be coaxed out of the corner to say a few words. Not his style; never has been. Even so, there’s a difference in being willing to speak and being listened to.

 

State:

 

2018 Voter Guide: A look at California gubernatorial candidate John Cox

abc30

In the November election, California voters will decide on a new governor. Here's a look at Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox.

 

Poll: Newsom and Feinstein have strong leads over Cox, De Leon

San Diego Union-Tribune

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is likely to win the 2018’s California governor’s race, as a new poll shows he has a double-digit lead on his challenger, businessman John Cox. The poll is much less rosy for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who got 40 percent of support.

See Also:

     Poll: Gas tax repeal favored, Cox not so much San Diego Union-Tribune

      Poll shows Newsom with a commanding lead over Cox in final weeks before Californians select their next governorLos Angeles Times

 

Feinstein, de León hold ‘conversation’ ahead of midterms

Sacramento Bee

Debate? Forum? Conversation? Whatever you want to call it, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and her challenger, fellow Democrat Kevin de León, meet today in what is likely to be their only joint appearance ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

See also:

      It’s a debate? Feinstein and de León to face off over U.S. Senate seat Sacramento Bee

     Dianne Feinstein vs. Kevin de León debate: Here’s what to look for San Francisco Chronicle

 

The U.S. Senate enters the computer age

CALmatters

It was that the Senate surrendered to the digital age, finally. U.S. senators and Senate candidates were required to file their campaign finance reports online for the first time, ending the Senate’s stubborn refusal to make its members disclose their funding electronically, giving the public ready access to their campaign finance filings.

 

More women and people of color are running for office in California

Sacramento Bee

California has seen a significant uptick in women and people of color running for state legislative office in the last two years. That’s the finding of a new report,”A Rising Tide? The Changing Demographics on our Ballots,” published by the Reflective Democracy Campaign.

 

EDITORIAL: CA Election: Sacramento Bee endorsements

Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board’s recommendations for the Nov. 6 election

 

Federal:

 
Trump Complains About Rising Interest Rates, Calling the Fed ‘My Biggest Threat’

The Wall Street Journal

“It’s independent so I don’t speak to him, but I’m not happy with what he’s doing, because it’s going too fast,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with the Fox Business Network, referring to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, whom he nominated last year.

 

Trump tops $100 million in fundraising for his own reelection

Los Angeles Times

President Trump has topped $100 million in fundraising for his 2020 reelection bid - an enormous haul for a president barely two years into his first term, according to new figures reported by his 2020 campaign.

 

How Trump bobs and weaves to avoid the truth

The Washington Post

As he so often does, President Trump falsely declared on “60 Minutes” that North Korea and the United States were going to war before he stepped in to thwart it.

 

OPINION: Trump’s Grim Handbook for Governance

The Wall Street Journal

There’s money, and then everything else. Money and morals are unrelated. Even if a Saudi leader ordered the assassination and dismemberment of a prominent dissident, this is no reason to halt arms sales to the monarchy. If American firms don’t get the contracts, someone else will. Why should we be chumps? If promoting democracy or simple decency costs money, what’s the point?

 

Nate Silver will make one firm prediction about the midterms. Most journalists won’t want to hear it.

The Washington Post

After the roller-coaster ride of 2016’s election night, have journalists and political junkies learned not to let conventional wisdom substitute for hard knowledge? Nate Silver — the closest thing there is to a celebrity in the arcane field of statistical journalism — is not wildly optimistic about that.

See also:

      House Races Tighten as Midterm Elections Near The Wall Street Journal

      Will changing demographics affect the 2018 midterms? Brookings

      Voter Turnout 2018: Midterm Hopefuls, Calm Down National Review

     Will Democrats' Green Wave Turn Blue?  The Wall Street Journal

 

OPINION: The GOP’s ‘angry mob’ rhetoric is a dangerous assault against democratic norms

Washington Post

Republicans have found themselves unable to gain traction on the issues.

 

Chief Justice Roberts Tells Audience Supreme Court Will Work For 'One Nation'

NPR

Chief Justice John Roberts, in his first remarks about the contentious appointment of new Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, sought to convince a law school audience that the court "does not serve one party or one interest, we serve one nation."

 

The Kavanaugh saga reminded Republicans of a big reason to vote in November: Stopping Democrats

The Washington Post

The SurveyMonkey poll finds 41 percent of Republicans mentioned “Democrats” or the Democratic Party when explaining the reason for their congressional vote, more than any other single word and up 15 percentage points from August, when 28 percent said the same.

 

McConnell Blames Entitlements, Not GOP, for Rising Deficits

Bloomberg

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed rising federal deficits and debt on a bipartisan unwillingness to contain spending on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and said he sees little chance of a major deficit reduction deal while Republicans control Congress and the White House.

 

Other:

 

The Note: Poll reveals tale of 2 Americas as midterms draw close

ABC News

If this was a national referendum on President Donald Trump, he’d be set for a thumping, or a shellacking, or whatever word a president not named Trump might select in conceding defeat.

 

Democrats Eye ‘Internet Bill of Rights’ If They Win the House

Bloomberg

Google, Facebook Inc. and other online companies can expect greater scrutiny and possibly legislation from a Democratic-led Congress, a Silicon Valley lawmaker close to the party leadership said.

 

EDITORIAL: Democrats for Big Money

The Wall Street Journal

Then there are billionaires like Mike Bloomberg, who is spending $80 million to turn the House and another $20 million to make Chuck Schumer Senate Majority Leader. And don’t forget Tom Steyer, the West Coast impeachment campaigner who plans to spend more than $100 million through various proxies.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, October 21, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “November Election: The Races” – Guests: Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters and John Myers, Los Angeles Times Sacramento Bureau. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, October 21, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views EditionNovember Elections”  – Guests: Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters and John Myers, Los Angeles Times Sacramento Bureau LAO; Jon Coupal, Howard Jarvis Tax Payers Association; and Allan Zaremberg, California Chamber of Commerce. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, October 21, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy“Voters Rights” – Guests: Sec. of State Alex Padilla and Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee reporter. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

McCarthy applauds appointments of Kern County farmers to USDA advisory committee

Bakersfield Californian

Brian Kirschenmann, a fifth-generation farmer and CEO of Kirschenmann Farms Inc., and Jeff Huckaby, a fourth-generation grower and president of Grimmway Enterprises Inc., are each expected to play a key role in advising Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on important fruit and vegetable issues in the agricultural industry, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, said in a news release announcing the appointments.

 

What's Cooking Fresno helps entrepreneurs develop their food business

abc30

What's Cooking Fresno is a training program launched by Metro Ministries as a part of the Better Blackstone Initiative for people who want to launch a food business.

 

Organic fertilizer causing quite a stink in Northeast Fresno and Clovis

abc30

If you're in Northeast Fresno, Clovis or the part of Fresno County that borders the two cities, chances are you've asked that. It's coming from a farming operation near Shepherd & Minnewawa.

 

No, LaCroix Isn't Poisoning You Like You're A Giant Cockroach

abc30

Food chemists use their tools to create products that taste good when they reach your table -- that includes your favorite fizzy beverage.

 

Kings County Farm Bureau celebrates 100 years of advocacy

Hanford Sentinel

This weekend, the Kings County Farm Bureau celebrates a century of advocating for the county’s agricultural interests.

 

From the Vine: Lodi ‘an awesome place to be during harvest’

Stockton Record

Lodi transforms during harvest. The area takes on a different look and feel. Earthy aromas waft as workers tend the vineyards, and pickups line roads in clusters here and there where the action is taking place.

 

Monsanto case: Jurors urge judge not to overturn $289M award

San Francisco Chronicle

Jurors who awarded $289 million to an ex-groundskeeper with cancer are imploring a judge to reconsider her decision to overturn most of the damages against Monsanto.

 

Canada Makes Marijuana Legal, and a National Experiment Begins

The New York Times

Canada on Wednesday became the first major world economy to legalize recreational marijuana, beginning a national experiment that will alter the country’s social, cultural and economic fabric, and present the nation with its biggest public policy challenge in decades.

See Also:

     Marijuana Legalization in Canada Has Companies Chasing a Green Rush The New York Times

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Gov. Brown’s lawyers try to block testimony of prison psychologist alleging state wrongdoing

Fresno Bee

Lawyers for California are asking two courts to stop the chief prison psychiatrist from testifying in federal court. Dr. Michael Golding has been summoned to discuss a whistleblower report he compiled alleging that officials have provided misleading and inaccurate data on how much psychiatric care inmates are receiving.

 

New state law could mean freedom this week for accused Fresno County killer

abc30

Nine years after facing murder charges, a Fresno man could be free because of a change to California law. Neko Wilson was charged under the felony murder rule allowing prosecutors to charge people with murder if they take part in a dangerous felony and someone gets killed in the process.

 

California can lead the way to end sexual harassment and assault

Modesto Bee

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris both voted against the nomination and are on record as being fierce supporters of federal legislation to work toward ending sexual harassment and assault.

 

We Said Enough On Their Movement Against Sexual Harassment One Year Later

Capital Public Radio

It’s been one year since the women behind We Said Enough released a detailed letter about harassment in California’s state government. We check in with the founders to hear what's changed.

 

Public Safety:

 

Study says drones could pose threat to aircraft safety

abc30

A study from the University of Dayton Research Institute says drones could pose a threat to aircraft safety.

 

Law enforcement officers endorse Justin Mendes

Hanford Sentinel

Justin Mendes, candidate for State Assembly District 32, has received the endorsements of Kings County District Attorney Keith Fagundes and Kern County District Attorney-Elect Cynthia Zimmer.

 

Fire:

 

About 1,600 PG&E customers in Sierra foothills still without power

Fresno Bee

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says it has restored electricity to all but 1,602 households in the Sierra foothills Tuesday evening after nearly 60,000 had their power turned off Sunday due to high winds as a wildfire precaution.

See Also:

     Power fully restored in Sierra foothills to customers affected by PG&E fire risk shutdown Modesto Bee

     PG&E Restoring Power As Wildfire Risks Ease Capital Public Radio

     PG&E power shutdown: electricity restored to all who were cut off San Francisco Chronicle

 

Officials reveal some new details on what may have sparked the Ferguson Fire

Sierra Star

U.S. Forest Service officials investigating the cause of this summer’s Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County said evidence now points to some type of truck or large vehicle.

 

Local Sierra Club speaker to address wildland fires

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern-Kaweah Chapter Sierra Club welcomes Dr. Chad Hanson, a research ecologist with the John Muir Project of the Earth Island Institute in Big Bear City, as the guest speaker at its fall dinner Saturday at Rice Bowl.

 

Getting Back What You Lost — Rebuilding In A Wildfire Zone

Capital Public Radio

In Sonoma County, homes are being rebuilt in the same area that burned to the ground in last year's Tubbs Fire. Despite the risk, a severe housing shortage in the area is forcing tough choices.

 

Insurers See Smoldering Risk after California's Worst Wildfire

Scientific American

Home insurance is one of the first places that average people feel the pinch of climate change. Wildfires in urban areas are causing new levels of destruction. In the past year, six burns entered the list of California’s 20 most damaging fires.

 

ECONOMY / JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Dow surges 547 points on stocks' best day in six months

Los Angeles Times

U.S. stocks leaped to their biggest gain in six months Tuesday following strong earnings from major financial and healthcare companies as well as encouraging reports on the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 547 points.

 

What will the U.S. be left with when this bull market goes to slaughter?

Los Angeles Times

“If something cannot go on forever,” the economist Herbert Stein famously wrote, “it will stop.”

 

World Economic Forum study: U.S. ranks closest to ‘ideal state’

Politico

The United States leads the annual World Economic Forum’s study of global rankings for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis.

 

U.S. Government Deficit Grew 17% in Fiscal 2018

The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. government ran its largest budget deficit in six years during the fiscal year that ended last month, an unusual development in a fast-growing economy and a sign that—so far at least—tax cuts have restrained government revenue gains.

See also:

      The numbers are in, and Trump's tax cut didn't reduce the deficit – despite his many promises  CNBC

 

What’s a Service Business? That’s Now a Multibillion-Dollar Tax Question

The Wall Street Journal

For Extraco Banks of central Texas, the 2017 tax law that promised a 20% deduction is turning into something of a headache.

 

The middle class needs a tax cut, but Trump didn't give it to them.

Brookings

Research shows that the most recent Republican tax law will make the American middle class—which has seen slower income growth than both the rich and the poor in recent decades—worse off in the long run. Isabel Sawhill and Christopher Pulliam call for replacing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with a policy that raises wages and encourages investment in this group of Americans. 

 

Trump Plans to Withdraw From Postal Treaty, Squeezing China

Bloomberg

President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the U.S. from a 192-nation treaty that gives Chinese companies discounted shipping rates for small packages sent to American consumers, another escalation of his economic confrontation of Beijing.

See also:

      Trump’s bid to reshape China policy is dangerous — and vital Modesto Bee

 

Jobs:

 

America has a record 7.1 million job openings. It might be time to ask for a raise

Los Angeles Times

The United States has a record number of job openings, another sign workers have greater opportunity to find better jobs, according to data the Labor Department released Tuesday.

See Also:

     U.S. Job Openings Topped 7 Million for the First Time The Wall Street Journal

Sears closing several Valley stores as company files for bankruptcy

Fresno Bee

A number of “underperforming” Sears and Kmart stores in the Valley, including Merced, are expected to close as part of Sears Holding’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to court records.

See Also:

     Sears in Modesto, Kmart in Ceres will close as parent company files for bankruptcy Modesto Bee

 

Sears Outlet offers a lasting alternative to declining namesake Bakersfield Californian

 

Judge issues temporary injunction in case of pregnant guard who lost baby

Bakersfield Californian

A Kern County Superior Court judge ruled in favor Tuesday of a Tehachapi prison guard who is suing the state prison system for not providing adequate accommodations while she was pregnant, which led to the loss of her unborn child.

 

UC is Ground Zero for income inequality debate

CALmatters

Some “contract” workers have been at UC for as long as 20 years. A state audit found that UC outsourcing to replace its lower wage career workforce. The university tried to quell public outrage by instituting a system-wide minimum wage, but its own internal audits have revealed that the policy is not being enforced.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

For these residents, Fresno’s north-south divide was learned in school

Fresno Bee

Fresno residents participating in a dialogue process to learn about Fresno’s divide pointed to education as a factor in what shaped their views and attitudes of other parts of town.

 

Did Fresno Unified overpay for fruits and vegetables by hundreds of thousands of dollars?

Fresno Bee

Fresno Unified vendor Fresno Produce CEO says the district may have overpaid for its produce by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The district says the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program allows them to be flexible.

See also:

     Inside Fresno Unified’s massive Nutrition Center Fresno Bee

 

Lowell Elementary School hosts Junior Fire Marshal Day

abc30

An oven fire breaks out in the kitchen. What do you do? Tuesday morning Lowell Elementary school students learned the key to survival in what could be a deadly situation.

 

Measure A makes $220M promise, but will it make a difference for Visalia?

Visalia Times-Delta

At Visalia’s newest middle school, students experience 21st century learning the second they walk onto campus.

 

Hanford High School one of nation's best

Hanford Sentinel

For the first time ever, Hanford High School made the US News & World Report ranking of the nation’s best high schools.

 

How California Youth Reduced School Suspensions Video

Building Healthy Communities

Youth in California have played a pivotal role in changing how school officials handle suspensions and expulsions. Creating positive changes so young people have safe and supportive places to learn not only keeps kids in school, but helps them thrive.

 

Be wary of reformers peddling ‘model’ school districts

AEI

Time and again, sensible people embrace new reforms, hot new superintendents, and “miracle” school systems, only to realize that the packaging was better than the product. It’s easy for snake-oil peddlers to trumpet a few numbers and insist that a given school, district, or superintendant has “cracked the code.”

 

Higher Ed:

 

CSUB ranked among top master's programs in curriculum and instruction

Bakersfield Californian

The university came in at No. 39 in the rankings, which were determined based on tuition value, student-to-faculty ratio and national recognition, with bonus points awarded if there is a special tuition discount for online students. The rankings were created using the National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator database.

 

Fresno City College student body president arrested after alleged sex with teen on campus

Fresno Bee

Christopher Washington, president of Fresno City College Associated Student Government, is facing molestation charges after allegedly having sex with a minor in a campus bathroom.

See Also:

     Fresno City College student arrested for sexual misconduct abc30

 

Bakersfield College breaks ground on building for HVAC degree program

KGET

Bakersfield College broke ground on a new building in Delano as it pushes to create more technical degrees.

 

Judge clears way for debt-relief rule to help defrauded students

Los Angeles Times

Students defrauded by for-profit colleges scored an important victory Tuesday, when a court cleared the way for an Obama-era policy that will make it easier for them to get their student loans forgiven.

 

To Boost Southwest Fresno: An Incoming College Campus, But Some Residents Want More

VPR

The state gave some money to communities most affected by pollution, including Fresno. Some of it was slated for Southwest Fresno --the plan is to build a college campus with a portion of these funds, and some believe that education is part of the answer to turning Southwest Fresno's misfortune around.

 

Researcher Sarah Wald To Speak on "Race, Citizenship, and the American Farmworker" In Bakersfield

VPR

This year, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Bakersfield College has been focusing on how labor and energy have historically intersected with art and literature.

 

ACT Scores Show Drop in College Readiness, Especially in Math

Wall Street Journal

Asian students show better scores, while other ethnic groups all see drops.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Brain pollution

Science | AAAS

Evidence builds that dirty air causes Alzheimer’s, dementia

 

SLO County sea lions hit with potentially deadly infection

Fresno Bee

Since January 1, 2018, 16 SLO County sea lions have tested positive for leptospirosis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection. Across California, 220 sea lions have been infected, The Marine Mammal Center said.

See Also:

     Bacterial Disease Outbreak Affecting Hundreds Of California Sea Lions Capital Public Radio

     Sea lions off Northern California battling deadly disease San Francisco Chronicle

 

It could take Earth 'millions of years' to recover from the extinctions we're causing. That's ... not good

Los Angeles Times

Last year, a peer-reviewed study published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences described human impact on global flora and fauna as “biological annihilation.”

 

Why isn’t the media covering climate change all day, every day?

The Washington Post

At a time when the president shouting “fake news” is old news and daily scandals are the new normal, it is both difficult and important for the media to strike a balance between the serious and the sensational.

 

We're almost out of time: The alarming IPCC climate report and what to do next

Brookings

“The momentum of our global economic system is hurtling us toward warming the planet by 3 to 4 degrees—in other words, a climate shift not that different between the last ice age and today.” Nathan Hultman elaborates on the findings of last week’s alarming U.N. climate change report and outlines a few pathways for changing the world’s current trajectory.

 

Recycling comes at a cost

CALmatters

The cost of carpet will rise by a dime in 2019 to 35 cents a square yard to help fund California’s still struggling carpet recycling program.

 

EDITORIAL: Paint companies rightly held liable for lead exposure

San Francisco Chronicle

The message to the companies that coated the country with a toxic product couldn’t be clearer if it were written in bright white lead paint: Pay up.

 

EDITORIAL: Harness the Market to Manage the Climate

The Wall Street Journal

Climate change is an urgent problem, but that’s not the right approach. The world instead should harness the marketplace—the most powerful force available. Here are three policies that would help.

 

Energy:

 

California hits PG&E with $5 million in citations for gas leaks

San Francisco Chronicle

State officials issued $5 million in citations against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Monday for violations resulting in two natural gas leaks in Northern California in 2016 and 2017.

 

Utilities Cut Power to Prevent Wildfires. But Who Wins When the Lights Go Out?

The New York Times

Some consumer advocates contended that by resorting to blackouts, the utilities were going to extremes to protect themselves. Blackouts or even the fear of them, the advocates argue, gives the utilities leverage in further efforts to get the state to indemnify them.

 

EDITORIAL: A carbon tax is a good idea — so long as it doesn't come with industry handouts
Los Angeles Times

carbon tax is aimed at making the burning of fossil fuels — which releases carbon — more expensive, and thus directing consumer behavior away from carbon-spewing energy and driving investment toward carbon-free alternatives. It’s a sound approach.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Brain pollution

Science | AAAS

Evidence builds that dirty air causes Alzheimer’s, dementia

 

62 cases of AFM, the polio-like illness, confirmed across 22 states: CDC

abc30

There are now 62 confirmed reports of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, an illness similar to polio, across 22 states in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

See Also:

     Paralyzing polio-like illness affecting mainly children is confirmed in 22 states, CDC says Los Angeles Times

     News Alert: Spike in paralyzing, polio-like illness mainly affecting children confirmed in 22 states, CDC says The Washington Post

 

Need a dentist but can’t afford it? How you can get free care in Modesto this month

Modesto Bee

Free dental care is coming back to Modesto Centre Plaza this month for people who can’t afford to see a dentist.

 

Why do California babies have syphilis in numbers rivaling those of poor nations?

CALmatters

Jeffrey Klausner has seen the damage congenital syphilis can do to newborns, and it makes him a little sick.

 

Lung Cancer Deaths are 28 Percent Lower in California

UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center say California’s approach has been particularly effective in discouraging young people from starting to smoke.

 

Human Services:

 

Tulare hospital reopens to public

The Business Journal

The reopening of TRMC, says TLHCD Board President Kevin Northcraft, represents a herculean effort on the part of the TLHCD and its new management partner, Adventist Health.

See also:

      Tulare hospital opens under 'glorious partnership' with Adventist Health Visalia Times-Delta

     Officials say Measure H needed to keep Tulare Regional Medical Center open abc30

 

Valley Children’s looks to add pediatric care in Merced. Here’s what you need to know

Fresno Bee

The city of Merced and Valley Children’s Hospital are in negotiations over a north Merced property that would become an outpatient facility for the celebrated hospital.

See Also:

     Valley's Children's, City of Merced working on opening specialty care facility abc30

 

Kaweah Delta Expands Cardiology Care With New Clinic

The Business Journal

Patients in Tulare County can expect shorter waiting times for heart care with the opening of a new cardiology clinic in Visalia.

 

Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley secures license for public occupancy, sets date for guided tours of new hospital

Bakersfield Californian

With its license for public occupancy from the state newly in hand, Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley is moving closer to opening its new hospital — so much so that it's ready to allow the community in for much-anticipated guided tours. The community event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28.

 

2.7 million Californians still don’t have health insurance. Can that number go lower?

Sacramento Bee

After a streak of steady declines, California’s uninsured rate bottomed out last year with some 2.7 million people still without health coverage.

 

How profiteering by the same dialysis firms trying to kill Prop 8 almost destroyed Obamacare

Los Angeles Times

Private dialysis firms have been accused of gaming the system to fatten their own profits. They did so with an alleged scheme that came under attack by federal healthcare regulators under President Obama, but has been allowed to continue under Trump.

 

The Trump administration is helping to drive down Obamacare costs

The Washington Post

The Trump administration has been getting slammed for trying to sabotage Obamacare. But there’s a key way it has been working behind the scenes to lower health insurance premiums.

 

Care4All Campaign Seeks to Address Health Care Costs And Accountability

VPR

Before we look ahead to the midterm elections, we’re taking a quick look back at some health care legislation passed at the end of the legislative session in September: Specifically, a campaign known as Care4All, aimed at universal health coverage that’s more affordable and accountable.

 

1 in 4 Child Care Workers in California Lives in Poverty

PPIC
California’s child care workers earn significantly less than their school-based counterparts. Given that about 95% of child care workers not based in schools are women, and 53% are African American or Latina (compared with 43% of the overall workforce), women—particularly women of color—are most affected by low pay in the child care workforce.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Trump is considering a new family separation policy. Here’s what we know about migrant children still under U.S. custody

PBS NewsHour

More than 60 migrant children remain in U.S. custody after being separated from their parents under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, according to the latest update from the government.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Visalia Civic Center, pool or police station...what should be built first?

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia city officials are moving forward with plans to build on undeveloped land in east downtown. The discussion of how and when each segment will be completed still remains up in the air — for now. 

 

A Tale of Two Cities

Clovis Roundup

When I tell people I just moved to Clovis from San Jose they ask, “How are you liking it so far?” My go-to response is: for $300 more than what I was paying in downtown San Jose for a single room upstairs in an old unmaintained Victorian, I now have my own house!

 

RecFest organizers say party at the river will go on, next to homeless camp at park

Modesto Bee

Organizers are inviting families to Saturday’s Modesto RecFest at Gateway Park, a free event that provides participants a chance to do some trail running, bicycle rides and fishing along the Tuolumne River.

 

Stockton’s Stonecreek Village, Robinhood Plaza sold

Stockton Record

Stonecreek Village and Robinhood Plaza, two popular north Stockton shopping centers, have been sold. Stockton-based Stone Bros. Management has sold the centers to Highpoint Capital Group.

 

Housing:

 

Irate residents vent about homeless at City Council meeting

Stockton Record

Residents are fed up with the homeless problem around the city, and on Tuesday night they took Stockton City Council members to task, urging them to find a solution to reduce the number of homeless on the streets.

 

Locals seek new levies despite $4B property tax surge

CALmatters

Local government officials throughout the state got some very good financial news when county tax assessors toted up changes in taxable property values for their 2018-19 budgets.

See also:

      Prop 13 has strictly limited property tax increases since 1978. Voters could get a chance to change that Los Angeles Times

      Did we learn anything from Prop 13? Proposition 5 says no Los Angeles Times

      Prop. 5 offers tax breaks for older home buyers, but could shortchange schools and cities Los Angeles Times

 

Prop 1: Should California Sell Bonds to Develop Affordable Housing and Help Veterans and Lower-Income Residents Buy Homes?

California Budget Center

Proposition 1, which will appear on the November 6, 2018 statewide ballot, would allow California to sell $4 billion in bonds in order to fund development of affordable housing and assistance to help veterans and low- and moderate-income Californians purchase homes.

 

Is rent control the answer to sky-high prices?

San Francisco Chronicle

Why is a ballot measure that would allow cities to expand rent control not just losing in the Bay Area, but trailing by a wider margin than it is statewide?

 

California Today: John Cox on How He Would Solve the Housing Crisis

New York Times

John Cox became a multimillionaire building apartments in the Midwest but not in California, where he is campaigning for governor, because it is too expensive.

See Also:

     John Cox tours L.A.'s skid row, likening it to a 'third-world country' Los Angeles Times

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

U.S. Government Deficit Grew 17% in Fiscal 2018

The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. government ran its largest budget deficit in six years during the fiscal year that ended last month, an unusual development in a fast-growing economy and a sign that—so far at least—tax cuts have restrained government revenue gains.

See also:

       The numbers are in, and Trump's tax cut didn't reduce the deficit – despite his many promises  CNBC

 

The middle class needs a tax cut, but Trump didn't give it to them.

Brookings

Research shows that the most recent Republican tax law will make the American middle class—which has seen slower income growth than both the rich and the poor in recent decades—worse off in the long run. Isabel Sawhill and Christopher Pulliam call for replacing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with a policy that raises wages and encourages investment in this group of Americans.

 

California's tax revenues beat expectations by $1 billion over the summer months
Los Angeles Times

Californians paid some $1 billion in taxes above official projections during the first three months of the state’s fiscal year, in what could be a major boost to the government’s bottom line once Gov. Jerry Brown leaves office in January.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

What is New at FAX - October 2018

Fresno Area Express

Mayor Lee Brand and Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan-Schecter recently announced that Jim Schaad was named the City of Fresno’s new Assistant City Manager.  Jim was previously the City’s Director of Transportation overseeing FAX.

 

High-speed Rail Could Transform Fresno’s Poorest Neighborhood. Will Trump Get On The Train?

The Center for Public Integrity

Some residents fear the imperiled project is just another false promise.

 

New high-speed rail Bakersfield route costs $200M less, impacts fewer homes, board said

Fresno Bee

Four years ago, Bakersfield sued the California High-Speed Rail Authority over the choice of a route from Fresno to Bakersfield. As part of a legal settlement, now there’s a new route and station site.

See Also:

     High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors Approves Alignment within Fresno to Bakersfield Project Section CA.gov

     High-Speed Rail Authority approves local plan for connecting Bakersfield and Fresno Bakersfield Californian

     High-speed rail could transform Fresno’s poorest neighborhood. Will Trump get on the train? VPR

 

Avoid Tulare road construction with these tips around the chaos

Visalia Times-Delta

A west Tulare road construction project is speeding ahead, meaning motorists will need to be on the lookout for alternate routes.

 

How many problems will it take for a real review of California’s DMV?

Modesto Bee

By now, most California drivers know there’s a serious problem with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Many know what it feels like to spend hours in the grips of a failing state bureaucracy.

 

State Officials, Valley Air Advocates Warn Against Proposed EPA Rule

VPR

President Trump’s so-called SAFE Vehicles Rule freezes fuel economy in 2021. So, by 2026, cars would achieve an average of 37 miles per gallon—nearly a third lower than Obama’s goal of 54.5 miles per gallon.

See also:

       My turn: California must fight Trump on auto emissionCALmatters

 

California agency, gas tax backers worked closely together

Sacramento Bee

As the political battle to overturn California's gas tax increase intensified, the state transportation agency coordinated frequently with the public affairs firm working to block the repeal on behalf of unions, construction companies and local government groups.

 

Electric Vehicles And The Necessity Of Cultural Change

Forbes

The US is not alone in the climb towards green transportation with more than 166,000 electric cars registered in the UK currently the National Grid predicting that as many as 36 million cars will be in circulation by 2050.

 

WATER

 

Public meetings set to discuss planned blasting at Isabella Dam

Bakersfield Californian

More than a dozen years have passed since the U.S Army Corps of Engineers became concerned about water seeping through the auxiliary dam at Isabella Lake — not to mention the possibility of a massive earthquake leveling the earthen structure.

 

Water Bond Facing Unexpectedly Strong Opposition

Public CEO

At a time when many Democrats and Republicans alike believe often-drought-stricken California needs more water storage projects and infrastructure, an $8.9 billion bond measure that earlier this year seemed to be a sure thing now faces a somewhat less certain fate.

 

“Xtra”

 

American Legion post seeks Ripon service members, veterans to honor with street banners

Modesto Bee

The American Legion post in Ripon plans to honor the city’s active military service members and veterans with personalized banners on Fulton Avenue light poles.

 

And the winners are ... Modesto honors its favorite performers, venues, events

Modesto Bee

MAMA sent her love across Modesto’s music and entertainment scene on Tuesday night.

 

Los Panchos has renovated its cantina in hopes of nightlife returning to downtown Fresno

Fresno Bee

The restaurant, which has been in downtown since 1991, chose to stay where it is and make a difference. The completely updated bar now has room for over 300 bottles of tequila.

 

Sumptuous illustrations of Los Angeles architecture.

California Sun

When a young Briton came to California on a study abroad program, it changed his whole sense of style. A self-taught artist, he channeled his fascination with the state into gorgeous illustrations of architectural landmarks in Los Angeles.

 

Road Trip: Ghost Town Tour

Visit California

Discover abandoned towns on this trip through the Old West of California