TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
Chevron announces it will cut its local workforce by 26 percent
Bakersfield Californian
Reacting to depressed crude oil prices that dropped by half in 2014 and have still not recovered, Chevron will reassign or lay off 26 percent of its Central California workforce — about 300 employees — the company announced Wednesday.
3 years ago, Stockton, California, was bankrupt. Now it’s trying out a basic income
Vox
Next year, a random sample of the 300,000 residents of Stockton, a port city in California’s Central Valley, will get $500 per month ($6,000 a year) with no strings attached.
Why We’re Investing in Mayor Tubbs and Stockton
Economic Security Project – Medium
few months ago I called Mayor Michael Tubbs, the charismatic young mayor of Stockton, CA, to hear his thoughts about the universal basic income, an idea that my colleagues at the Economic Security Project and I were exploring.
Former USA Today top editor to speak at First Amendment forum at Fresno State
Fresno Bee
Ken Paulson, president of the First Amendment Center and former editor in chief of USA Today, will speak at Fresno State for two free events open to the public.
College Republicans leader who wanted to bring in Yiannopoulos arrested for embezzlement
Bakersfield Californian
The past president of the College Republicans organization at Cal State Bakersfield has been accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his employer, KGET-TV reported Wednesday.
State Politics:
Gov. Brown pledges hundreds of millions in incentives for Amazon HQ2 in California
San Jose Mercury News
Tucson tried sending Amazon a 21-foot saguaro cactus (since rejected) to entice the online retailer’s second headquarters to its city. Stonecrest, Ga., offered to rename itself as the city of Amazon. Boston Globe editors published a four-page special section Sunday listing five “wicked cool” Beantown sites for a new HQ2.
See also:
· Sacramento area throws hat in the ring for Amazon’s ‘HQ2’ Sacramento Bee
NYTimes.com
In 2011, Jerry Brown, the newly minted governor, faced 870 bills to sign into law.
See also:
· Revealing rejections: Jerry Brown’s vetoes are a window into his mind CALmatters
· Jerry Brown Vetoes Bill That Would Limit Religious Liberty National Review
California gun laws and the Las Vegas shooting
Capitol Weekly
With the toughest gun laws in the nation, California has a few regulations on the books that potentially could have lessened the carnage in the Las Vegas shooting if those laws had been enacted in Nevada.
See also:
· Walters: New California anti-gun laws include a real puzzler
California Senate leader Kevin de León kicks off US Senate campaign in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times
Democratic state Senate leader Kevin de León held his first official campaign event Wednesday and went right to his core criticism of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein ahead of what promises to be a bitter and expensive battle.
See also:
· Democrats strike back at Feinstein challengers Sacramento Bee
· Mystery name on list of possible Feinstein challengers San Francisco Chronicle
· Skelton: Think Feinstein is a shoo-in for another term? Don’t be shocked if voters shake things up Los Angeles Times
’: California’s Women in Politics Call Out Sexual Harassment | The California Report
KQED News
A bipartisan group of more than 140 of some of California’s most powerful women — including lawmakers, lobbyists and consultants — are calling out pervasive sexual harassment in politics and across all industries, penning a public letter with one simple message: Enough.
See also:
· Harassment claim against California legislator cost taxpayers $100,000 Sacramento Bee
Californians Will Soon Have Nonbinary as a Gender Option on Birth Certificates
New York Times
Californians who don’t identify themselves as male or female will soon be able to get a gender-neutral birth certificate.
California GOP rallies around measure to repeal new gas tax
San Francisco Chronicle
Organizers of a campaign to qualify a ballot measure that would repeal the state’s gas tax and new vehicle fees unveiled their growing coalition Wednesday at the state Republican Party headquarters, where GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox said he will make a “substantial” donation to the effort.
See also:
Did LA’s violent crime drop by nearly half during Villaraigosa’s time as mayor?
PolitiFact California
During his time as mayor of Los Angeles and now in his campaign for California governor, Antonio Villaraigosa has repeatedly highlighted the city’s drop in violent crime.
Chatter at the Chamber: Political Insights at CalChamber’s Public Affairs Conference
Fox and Hounds Daily
Do Republicans have a chance in California? Seems a pointless question given California’s dramatic political turn to those left, all constitutional offices in the hands of the Democrats and a two-thirds supermajority of Democratic legislators.
California Senate leader Kevin de León kicks off U.S. Senate campaign in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times
Democratic state Senate leader Kevin de León held his first official campaign event Wednesday and went right to his core criticism of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein ahead of what promises to be a bitter and expensive battle.
See also:
· Kevin de Leon speaks at LA Senate campaign launch Sacramento Bee
· Why Kevin de León’s challenge to Sen. Feinstein matters — win or lose Daily News
· Dianne Feinstein: No campaign issue in her age Sacramento Bee
· Democrats worried about Feinstein challenges Sacramento Bee
· Skelton: Think Feinstein is a shoo-in for another term? Don’t be shocked if voters shake things up Los Angeles Times
Conservative group sets sights on state’s Voting Rights Act
San Francisco Chronicle
A conservative who led a successful legal challenge to a core provision of the federal Voting Rights Act is training his sights on California’s version of the law, which allows minorities to challenge the practice of local “at-large” elections on the basis of racial discrimination and seek to switch them to voting by district.
Dem divisions in California complicate party hopes for gains
AP
Democrats are at war with themselves in California, where restless activists are challenging party leaders to resist all things President Donald Trump and move further left on health care, the minimum wage and populist issues.
Reuters.com
Trumps impact on multiple fields of subject matter.
White House says Trump opposes bipartisan Senate deal on Obamacare
Reuters
A bipartisan deal from two senators to stabilize Obamacare by restoring subsidies to health insurers suffered major setbacks on Wednesday with the White House saying President Donald Trump now opposes it and senior Republicans speaking out against it.
See also:
· No, CSRs Are Not Insurance ‘Bailouts.’ No, Trump Did Not End Them. The Weekly Standard
· Trump’s stance on insurance “bailouts” is completely incoherent Vox
· Trump’s health subsidy shutdown could lead to free insurance Modesto Bee
US health care system: A patchwork that no one likes
Written by Maddy Institute alum Simon Header… Almost all parties agree that the health care system in the U.S., which is responsible for about 17 percent of our GDP, is badly broken. Soaring costs, low quality, insurance reimbursements and co-payments confusing even to experts, and an ever-growing gap between rich and poor are just some of the problems.
Trump promises ‘once in a lifetime’ tax reform opportunity
The Washington Post
President Trump met with the Senate Finance Committee on Oct. 18 and discussed his tax proposal.
See also:
· McCain endorses budget bill in win for GOP tax-reform effort The Washington Post
· Trump floats bipartisan tax reform group POLITICO
· Once again, Trump overstates U.S. tax ranking PolitiFact
Other:
New report outlines recommendations for transparency in who pays for political ads
CAFWD
Online campaigns have changed rapidly, but rules to let voters know who is paying have not.
New report outlines recommendations for transparency in who pays for political ads
CAFWD
When you see or hear a political ad, you might wonder who the heck is paying for it. The innocuous sounding names of the organizations behind the ads don’t really make it clear. They like it that way.
Young Elected Officials Debunk Millennial Voting Myth
ATTN
Apathy on behalf of students towards the democratic process may be the stereotype—but increasingly, it’s not the reality. The conventional wisdom in American politics is that, compared to older generations, young people on college campuses exhibit a lack of trust in the process and don’t vote. With civil discourse strained and a country divided, “the young are passionate, opinionated, and barely aware,” as a The Economist magazine put it a few years ago.
EDITORIALS
In California’s Capitol, 147 women’s #MeToo statement must not be shrugged off
Sacramento Bee
The solution will be for more women top run for office and win. But the first step to recovery is for the Legislature to acknowledge its problem.
California may be liberal, but it’s still a degrading boys’ club
Los Angeles Times
The sexual harassment and intimidation allegations against Harvey Weinstein are loathsome, but at least some good has emerged from his downfall. Women are coming forward in large and, frankly, humbling numbers to say, “Yeah, it happened to me too.” Among those who added their voices and stories…
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Stockton Record
It is easy to take a stance against sexual harassment. No one in their right mind would advocate making unwanted sexual advances, obscene remarks or other hurtful acts toward a woman or anyone else. But self-perceived absolute power corrupts absolutely. Look no further than Harvey Weinstein. The more information seeps out about Harvey Weinstein, the former…
Updated Oct 18 at 4:00 PM
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Stanislaus County decision bans roosters in rural residential areas
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County residents like Connie Goesch are hoping for peace and quiet from an ordinance amendment approved by county supervisors Tuesday evening.
Most California Farmers Say They Don’t Have Enough Workers To Pick Crops
Capital Public Radio
Most California farmers say they don’t have enough workers to pick the crops. Higher wages and mechanization haven’t been able to close the gap. The California Farm Bureau conducted the survey which showed 70 percent of farmers experienced labor shortages. Yet many farmers in the survey say they have increased wages, benefits, and more year-round jobs.
Streamline U.S. food aid programs in 2018 farm bill, say researchers
FERN’s Ag Insider
FERN’s Ag Insider gives you the reporting you need every day to navigate the difficult terrain of food and agriculture policy. Editor Chuck Abbott has been covering this beat for nearly three decades — few journalists have the connections in the halls of power and the understanding of the issues that Chuck does
Cannabis businesses face struggles in rebuilding after fires
San Jose Mercury News
As wildfires have raged across Northern California, claiming lives and scorching more than 200,000 acres, they are also taking a toll on cannabis farmers who have lost both homes and valuable crops — and have little hope of getting help from insurance or banks in an industry that remains legally hazy.
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Blazes light up California pot farms ahead of legalization
Washington Post
Desperate to see if wildfires had damaged his farm, Marcos Morales gunned his four-wheel-drive station wagon along the hidden dirt roads that crisscross Sonoma County vineyards.After evading police roadblocks and passing vintners’ well-tended pools and houses, he finally arrived to a disheartening sight: Scores of his marijuana plants had been destroyed, and a barn that held 1,600 pounds of ready-for-market pot was a smoldering ruin.
The obscure Supreme Court case that decided tomatoes are vegetables
Washington Post
It’s a question used to trick schoolkids the nation over: Is the tomato actually a fruit or a vegetable? Botanically, it’s a fruit. But legally, it’s not. And the origins of that discrepancy lie in a 19th-century Supreme Court case so obscure, many tomato experts aren’t even aware of it.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
New bill requires bartenders to receive training to help reduce drunk driving accidents
abc30
Walk into any bar at any hour, and you are bound to see someone drinking. But a new California bill could stop how much alcohol that person consumes.
Bakersfield concert raises money for local Las Vegas shooting victims
Bakersfield Californian
Members of the community came out to show their support Wednesday for local victims of the Las Vegas shooting on Oct. 1, as well as their families.
See also:
· Memorial service lesson: ‘Take the time to be like the Schweitzers’ Bakersfield Californian
Study finds Californians most vulnerable to identity theft, fraud
Sacramento Bee
Californians are hurt more by identity theft and fraud than residents of any other state, according to a newly released WalletHub study.
Triumvirate of local top cops to headline ACLU forum in Albany
East Bay Times
The police chiefs of three East Bay cities will discuss racial profiling, sanctuary policies, surveillance technology, the handling of protests, and protecting public safety, at a forum of the American Civil Liberties Union next month.
Public Safety:
Gov. Brown passes bill prompted by San Bernardino terrorist attack –
Riverside Press
The legislation, introduced by Reyes, D-San Bernardino, when she took office about a year after the attack, requires employers in both the public and private sectors to immediately provide employees injured in an act of terrorism a nurse case manager and information of the treatment options available to them.
Fire:
Clovis shopping center fire | Renovation work investigated
Fresno Bee
Fire investigators will focus on renovation work taking place at a small shopping center that was all but destroyed by a three-alarm blaze Tuesday evening, Clovis Fire Department’s chief said Wednesday.
California wildfires roundup: Latest details, map
Sacramento Bee
Cal Fire reports Wednesday morning that the deadly Tubbs Fire that has ravaged Napa and Sonoma counties is 91 percent contained, as 10,000 firefighters continue making progress on 13 large wildfires burning in the state that have charred more than 210,000 acres.
See also:
· Wildfires create worst crisis for PG&E since San Bruno gas disaster The Sacramento Bee
· State investigation launched into fire evacuation at Oakmont Senior Living complex in Santa Rosa The Press Democrat
· U.S. EPA to oversee toxics cleanup after fires in Sonoma and Napa counties The Press Democrat
· How Santa Rosa is planning to rebuild Los Angeles Times
· After staggering losses in California firestorm, officials expect state’s largest debris-removal effort ever Los Angeles Times
· Wildfires stressed wine country’s healthcare system, creating a crisis and a warning for future LA Times
· Lack of emergency alerts during firestorms prompts calls for improvements LA Times
· California Burning CALmatters
· Trump has no immediate plans to visit Calif. wildfire damage AP
· A Third Of California’s Fire Evacuees Still Waiting To Go Home : The Two-Way NPR
· No, An Undocumented Immigrant Is Not Behind The Deadly California Wildfires buzzfeed.com
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
3 years ago, Stockton, California, was bankrupt. Now it’s trying out a basic income
Vox
Next year, a random sample of the 300,000 residents of Stockton, a port city in California’s Central Valley, will get $500 per month ($6,000 a year) with no strings attached.
Amazon wants to be near a downtown university
Brookings Institution
No shortage of ink has been spilled over what exactly Amazon is looking for in HQ2. Urban planners think the company wants an amenity-rich downtown location; for environmentalists it’s an eco-nirvana campus; and traditional economic developers believe Amazon wants what every company demands: tax incentives and talent.
GAO report says American retirement system not providing adequate security
The three pillars of the American retirement system — Social Security, workplace retirement plans and individual savings — will not provide adequate retirement security for a growing number of people, according to a report issued Wednesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Jobs:
Chevron announces it will cut its local workforce by 26 percent
Bakersfield Californian
Reacting to depressed crude oil prices that dropped by half in 2014 and have still not recovered, Chevron will reassign or lay off 26 percent of its Central California workforce — about 300 employees — the company announced Wednesday.
Gov. Brown pledges hundreds of millions in incentives for Amazon HQ2 in California
San Jose Mercury News
Tucson tried sending Amazon a 21-foot saguaro cactus (since rejected) to entice the online retailer’s second headquarters to its city. Stonecrest, Ga., offered to rename itself as the city of Amazon. Boston Globe editors published a four-page special section Sunday listing five “wicked cool” Beantown sites for a new HQ2.
California state worker union raising dues to fight Trump agenda
Sacramento Bee
A small California union has big plans to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a year during the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term to help it support political candidates opposed to labor policies coming out of the White House.
The trade deficit is not destroying jobs, but tearing up NAFTA will
Brookings Institution
The fourth round of NAFTA renegotiations have just ended, and the tone of the representatives of the three countries involved—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—summarizing the progress so far in a press conference was, to say the least, not particularly optimistic.
EDUCATION
K-12:
VUSD moves forward with $150M NW Visalia high school
Visalia Times-Delta
Visalia Unified School District is moving forward with plans to build Visalia its fifth comprehensive high school.
Children whose parents speak a language other than English less likely to enroll in preschool
EdSource
Young children with at least one parent who speaks a language other than English at home are less likely to be enrolled in quality early childhood programs, although it is most critical for those students, according to a national report that includes a 30-state analysis on how different policies affect dual language learners.
Poll: Public schools must do more to prepare non-college going students for the workforce
EdSource
California’s public schools should be doing much more to prepare students who don’t go to college to enter the workforce, according to registered voters who responded to a Berkeley IGS/EdSource poll. But they are divided in their assessment of how well schools are doing in providing that preparation.
Higher Ed:
College Republicans leader who wanted to bring in Yiannopoulos arrested for embezzlement
Bakersfield Californian
The past president of the College Republicans organization at Cal State Bakersfield has been accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his employer, KGET-TV reported Wednesday.
The Pell Grant proxy: A ubiquitous but flawed measure of low-income student enrollment
AEI
Policymakers and the media use the Pell Grant program to measure the share of low-income students enrolled at specific colleges and universities, but the reliability of this measure is rarely scrutinized. This paper discusses several key limitations of the “Pell proxy” that could affect its reliability, especially when used to draw conclusions about admissions and recruiting practices at particular universities or categories of schools.
Amazon wants to be near a downtown university
Brookings Institution
No shortage of ink has been spilled over what exactly Amazon is looking for in HQ2. Urban planners think the company wants an amenity-rich downtown location; for environmentalists it’s an eco-nirvana campus; and traditional economic developers believe Amazon wants what every company demands: tax incentives and talent.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Sacramento called one of most ‘green’ cities in US, according to survey
Sacramento Bee
October has been known as National Energy Awareness Month ever since President George H.W. Bush declared it so in 1991.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
For stories on “health care reform” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above
DA sends investigators into Inyo hospital after HCCA complaint
Visalia Times-Delta
Trump’s health subsidy shutdown could lead to free insurance
Modesto Bee
If President Donald Trump prevails in shutting down a major “Obamacare” health insurance subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making free basic coverage available to more people, and making upper-tier plans more affordable.
Former USC medical school dean saw patients after using meth, investigators allege
Los Angeles Times
For more than a year while he was dean of USC’s medical school, Dr. Carmen Puliafito abused drugs on days he worked as an eye doctor in university facilities and “would return to his medical office to see patients within hours of using methamphetamine,” a state investigation alleges.
California Needs Congress to Renew Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program
California Budget & Policy Center
In recent years, Californians have enjoyed expanded access to health care coverage, including sizeable gains among our state’s young people. From 2013 to 2016 alone, the share of California children without health coverage dropped sharply, declining by more than 60 percent.
Why this Social Security boost is no boon for lower earners
PBS NewsHour
It’s heartburn time for the hold-harmless crowd, thanks to the seemingly routine announcement by Social Security last week that its annual cost of living adjustment for 2018 will boost benefits by 2 percent.
US health care system: A patchwork that no one likes
Written by Maddy Institute alum Simon Header… Almost all parties agree that the health care system in the U.S., which is responsible for about 17 percent of our GDP, is badly broken. Soaring costs, low quality, insurance reimbursements and co-payments confusing even to experts, and an ever-growing gap between rich and poor are just some of the problems.
IMMIGRATION
No, An Undocumented Immigrant Is Not Behind The Deadly California Wildfires
In the aftermath of the catastrophic wildfires that killed at least 42 people dead and left thousands of Northern California homes and businesses in rubble and ruins, right-wing media outlets reported that an undocumented immigrant was arrested in connection to the fires.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Thousands displaced by Northern California’s wildfires now face the region’s housing shortage
Los Angeles Times
PUBLIC FINANCES
For stories on “tax reform” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above
The 2017-18 Budget: California Spending Plan
LAO
Each year, our office publishes the California Spending Plan to summarize the annual state budget. This publication discusses the 2017‑18 Budget Act and other major budget actions approved in 2017.
TRANSPORTATION
California GOP rallies around measure to repeal new gas tax
San Francisco Chronicle
Organizers of a campaign to qualify a ballot measure that would repeal the state’s gas tax and new vehicle fees unveiled their growing coalition Wednesday at the state Republican Party headquarters, where GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox said he will make a “substantial” donation to the effort.
See also:
To have a shot at Amazon, Sacramento must be more pro-bicycle
Sacramento Bee
Thursday is the deadline for proposals to host Amazon’s second North American headquarters. The Sacramento region and more than 100 other communities are set to bid.
Why Dockless Bikes May Spell the End of the Old Bike-Share Model
Pew Trust
As bike-share’s growing popularity in the United States spurs private investment, cities that have considered starting their own municipal programs are beginning to ask: Why bother trying to round up millions of dollars when a private company will come in and do it for free?
WATER
All Hanford water accounts will soon be metered
Hanford Sentinel
At the Hanford City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Council discussed the final steps in the process of installing automated water meters on the city’s remaining flat rate accounts.
Brown administration says it will consider one-tunnel Delta project
The Sacramento Bee
Silicon Valley’s water district Wednesday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta but said it would support a smaller, less expensive project. A top state official said the Brown administration is willing to consider such an approach.
See also:
· Compromise for Delta tunnels outlined Sacramento Bee
· Santa Clara Valley Water District rejects Jerry Brown’s twin Delta tunnels plan San Jose Mercury News
Will O.C. drink ocean water? Decisions on desalination project could answer that
OCRegister
A regulatory showdown that could set a precedent for large scale desalination plants throughout the state is expected to take place Thursday in Huntington Beach where a three-member commission will decide whether the hotly contested Poseidon ocean purification plant can move forward.
New Bills Ease Funding and Improve Accounting for Water
Public Policy Institute of California
This was a busy year for water policy in the California Legislature. Governor Jerry Brown signed more than a dozen bills affecting the way we manage water. The bills cover a wide range of issues, from funding water infrastructure to reporting on new groundwater wells in overdrafted basins.
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