TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional Politics:
U.S. Supreme Court nixes Fresno’s appeal in police shooting
The Fresno Bee
The U.S Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the city of Fresno’s petition to overturn the more than $1 million it has been ordered to pay in the federal civil rights case of Stephen Willis, who was killed by police eight years ago – a shooting his parents called an execution.
Sierra Sun Times
On Monday night a bill championed by U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) to increase physician residency slots and expand teaching health center graduate programs was introduced in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, with support from House Leadership, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5).The Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation (CHAMPION) Act of 2017 includes several provisions offered by Rep. Denham, which will more than double funding for residencies to $126.5 million and expand the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program.
Teen with replica gun prompts lockdown at Turlock High
The Modesto Bee
Turlock High School was on lockdown Tuesday afternoon for a report of a group of teens, one of who had a gun. The gun turned out to be a BB gun but the orange tip had been removed to make it appear real.
Clovis student who exposed “slave” messages receives threats
The Fresno Bee
The 16-year-old Clovis Unified student who tweeted out images of racially-demeaning messages from Clovis students fears for her safety after her family received threats.
State Politics:
Gubernatorial Candidates Chiang, Newsom Spar Over Vegas Shooting Comments
The shooting in Las Vegas immediately led to calls from Democratic officials in California for their federal counterparts to tighten the nation’s gun laws, using the state’s laws as a model – and some sparring between two candidates for governor.
3 Democrats stand out in special Assembly election
89.3 KPCC
Three Democrats stood out from a crowd of 13 candidates as they seek spots in a run-off for an open seat in the California Assembly.
See also:
- California Democrats seek supermajority in Tuesday’s Assembly special election OCRegister
- Wendy Carrillo and Luis López advance in Assembly special election in Los Angeles Los Angeles Times
California Game Changers: Nine Big Ideas to Fix a Golden State — And a Nation
Capital & Main
Baristas, Uber drivers and Amazon warehouse associates all work hard for their wages, but can only dream of the health care, sick pay and retirement benefits enjoyed by “traditional” employees. Meanwhile, students at some state universities pay stratospheric tuitions that top those at Harvard and Yale. And in immigration courts children as young as 3, without the benefit of counsel, face seasoned government prosecutors bent on deporting them. These dystopian scenes are not pulled from some hard-scrabble red state but from the richest and most liberal state in the world’s wealthiest country — California.
California is the Golden State because it gets work done
TheHill
An old quote has it that “living well is the best revenge.” In California, we’re putting a twist on that. Governing well is the best resistance.
White supremacists deserve free speech, California lawmakers told
Sacramento Bee
California is home to the largest skinhead population and the most developed white supremacist gangs in the country, the Anti-Defamation League told state senators during a hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday.
In California, the Possibility of an Historic Election Could Spike Turnout Among Latino and Asian-American Voters
Pacific Standard
2018 might be the year the state’s voters—and political leadership—reflect just how much its population has changed.
Voter registration in OC high schools: nowhere to go but up
Capitol Weekly
Orange County set a participation record in the last presidential election, with more than 80% of registered voters casting ballots, the highest percentage in 40 years. High schools in the OC, however, are not setting any records on a key test of engaging young adults in the political process.
Federal Politics:
Donald Trump could still hurt California health care market
The Sacramento Bee
President Trump has said that Obamacare would prove to be a disaster in 2017 and that Democrats would eventually work with him to draft a replacement. He made these comments in March.
GOP Leaders Consider Changing State and Local Tax Deduction Instead of Ending It
Bloomberg
Republican leaders are considering putting limits on the $1.3 trillion state and local tax deduction — instead of eliminating it — in order to secure votes from members in the hardest-hit states.
See also:
- Key lobby drops demand for U.S. mortgage interest tax deduction Reuters
- Taxpayers might face choice of property tax, home deductions AP
- Fox: State & Local Tax Deduction Debate: An Old Story; a New Political twist Fox & Hounds
- Today’s Tax Cuts Are Tomorrow’s Tax Increases Bloomberg
- Two Wall Street giants criticize Trump tax plan Reuters
- Republicans need tax principles. Like these. AEI
- The Political Land Mine in the Republican Tax Plan The Atlantic
- Trump tax reform plan: Wall Street repatriation buyback fear overblown businessinsider.com
- Back without popular demand: Tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations Brookings Institution
- Tax reform in the age of inequality Brookings Institution
A “view” from the courtroom: A big windup on partisan gerrymandering
SCOTUSblog
There is some extra wattage here this morning for arguments in one of the marquee cases of the new term, Gill v. Whitford, about the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering.
See also:
- Partisan Gerrymandering: How Much Is Too Much? capradio.org
- For the first time, the Supreme Court seems receptive to putting limits on partisan gerrymanders LA Times
- How gerrymandering keeps Congress from passing gun control CNN
Exclusive: Russian-linked Facebook ads targeted Michigan and Wisconsin
A number of Russian-linked Facebook ads specifically targeted Michigan and Wisconsin, two states crucial to Donald Trump’s victory last November, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
Russian-linked Facebook ads aimed at Wisconsin, Michigan: report
TheHill
A series of Russian-linked Facebook ads were specifically aimed at Michigan and Wisconsin during the lead-up to last year’s presidential election, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Mayor Eric Garcetti to host reelection fundraiser for Sen. Dianne Feinstein
LA Times
Mayor Eric Garcetti is hosting a fundraiser for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and says the senior senator’s stature is needed in Washington more than ever before.
Other:
Update on Las Vegas Mass Shooting
Associated Press News
The Latest on the mass shooting in Las Vegas
See also:
- Las Vegas mass shooting – Valley ties to dead, injured Fresno Bee
- Fresno State to honor memory of alumna in Las Vegas tragedy Fresno State News
- Local death toll rises from mass shooting in Las Vegas bakersfield.com
- Bakersfield man killed in Las Vegas protecting wife on anniversary bakersfield.com
- Grandfather with ties to the South Valley is among those murdered in the Las Vegas shooting massacre abc30.com
- Woman recounts the fear and panic as she fled Route 91 Harvest venue Sunday bakersfield.com
- Fitzgerald: Five years, $94 million later, gun violence still high Stockton Record
- California adopted some of the toughest gun control laws in country after multiple mass shootings LA Times
- Another Set Of Gun Bills Awaits Gov. Brown’s Pen capradio.org
- An arsenal assembled by Stephen Paddock in his Las Vegas hotel room included at least one device called a bump stock LA Times
- Nevada was warming to gun restrictions before this week’s mass killing. What now? LA Times
- Dianne Feinstein pushes for tighter gun control laws The Sacramento Bee
- Newsom, Harris call for increased gun control in response to Las Vegas shooting LA Times
- Republicans are unwilling to consider new gun safety laws as Democrats plead with Trump to intervene LA Times
- Trump says gun-control debate ‘not for now’ in wake of Las Vegas shooting Reuters
- Scalise: Gun control the ‘wrong’ approach after Las Vegas shooting
- TheHill
- Paul Ryan says mental health reform is “critical ingredient” in stopping mass shootings CBS News
- McConnell swats away talk of gun control POLITICO
- GOP leaders say no action on gun legislation AP
- Are Republican senators justified in being worried about the NRA? Washington Post
- How gerrymandering keeps Congress from passing gun control CNN
- Bannon: Trump pivot to left on gun control ‘impossible’ TheHill
- Second Amendment Is the Argument National Review
- Las Vegas Shooting — Gun Control Advocates Are Passionate But Misguided National Review
- Chicago toughest on gun control? A claim shot full of holes PolitiFact Illinois
- How America has silently accepted the rage of white men (Opinion) CNN
- Divided nation picks up one of its most divisive debates: gun control The Mercury News
Why American Democracy Has Descended Into Collective Hysteria
The Nation
We are a great power in decline—but neither party has a clue what to do about it.
Yahoo: 3 billion accounts breached in 2013. Yes, 3 billion
The Fresno Bee
Yahoo has tripled down on what was already the largest data breach in history, saying it affected all 3 billion accounts on its service, not the 1 billion it revealed late last year.
EDITORIALS
Amid fake-news revelations, tech titans deserve far more than public shaming
Fresno Bee
Not only did fake news influence voters, but the proliferation of it was a highly coordinated affair, with Russian operatives buying targeted political ads.
Gun control the answer? My research told me otherwise
Bakersfield Californian
Before I started researching gun deaths, gun-control policy used to frustrate me. I wished the National Rifle Association would stop blocking common-sense gun-control reforms such as banning assault weapons, restricting silencers, shrinking magazine sizes and all the other measures that could make guns less deadly.
California Democrats are all for free speech – just not conservative Ben Shapiro’s
Sacramento Bee
By not listening politely for 10 minutes, Senate Democrats gave conservative writer and speaker Ben Shapiro far more than 120 seconds of fame.
Sacramento has done plenty for CalPERS. So when will CalPERS start being a good neighbor to us?
Sacramento Bee
CalPERS promised to build hundreds of housing units in Sacramento, but five years past the due date, they’re yet to be built.
Voters deserve to know who’s bankrolling shadowy political campaigns
LA Times
A typical political ad for a ballot measure in California might include something like this: “Paid for by Yes on Proposition 99 — Good Jobs and Safe Streets, with major funding by People for Good Jobs and Safe Streets.”
Getting affordable housing in L.A. shouldn’t be like winning the lottery
LA Times
For the poorest residents of Los Angeles, many of whom are teetering on the edge of homelessness, the chance of getting a government-subsidized, affordable apartment is almost as slim as winning the lottery.
While Trump targets immigrants and refugees, Americans keep killing Americans
LA Times
Violent crime in the U.S. has been in steady decline for the last quarter-century, but it’s only by a perverse comparison with an even bloodier past that nearly 16,000 annual homicides — 11,000 of them committed with firearms — can be considered an improvement. Matched against other developed nations, we are by far the most violent and have by far the most firearms
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
United Farm Workers union settles an employee lawsuit
LA Times
The United Farm Workers union has settled a long-running lawsuit with its former field organizers, agreeing to pay $1.3 million in back wages, penalties and attorney fees.
“No One-Size Fits All” as State Leaders Discuss Cannabis in California
PublicCEO
Banking, taxes and marijuana were the topics of discussion as municipal and industry leaders gathered September 15 to talk about local impacts of the cannabis industry during the League of California Cities’ Annual Conference in Sacramento.
California marijuana grow houses account for 75 percent of US indoor plants seized
Sacramento Bee
California’s illegally grown marijuana, once largely produced in national forests and other outdoor locations, is increasingly found indoors, federal statistics show.
Tribes urged to consider boosting revenue via cannabis industry
The Cannifornian
Tribal leaders from California and Washington state last week discussed the potential opening of legal marijuana businesses on tribal lands.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
For stories on Las Vegas mass shooting, See: “Top Stories – Other,” above
U.S. Supreme Court nixes Fresno’s appeal in police shooting
The Fresno Bee
The U.S Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the city of Fresno’s petition to overturn the more than $1 million it has been ordered to pay in the federal civil rights case of Stephen Willis, who was killed by police eight years ago – a shooting his parents called an execution.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
EITC: $2 Billion for the Taking
NYTimes.com
Every year, low-income Californians leave an estimated $2 billion on the table. The pot of unclaimed money is known as the earned income tax credit.
Dreams on tap: Two couples roll the dice on craft beer craze
The Business Journal
Landon and Janie Wilcox of Exeter don’t know Dustin and Traci Franklin of Friant, but the two couples happen to have similar dreams.
Visalia to host second crowd funding dinner, SOUP
The Business Journal
Following the success of its introduction in March, the Visalia Chamber of Commerce will host the second SOUP crowd-funding event on October 20th.
Jobs:
State science union leader wins CalPERS seat
Sacramento Bee
David Miller’s fourth bid for a seat on the board that manages California’s largest public pension fund paid off. The state scientist and public employee union leader defeated former private equity fund manager Michael Flaherman in an election for a seat on the CalPERS Board of Administration, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System announced Tuesday on Twitter.
United Farm Workers union settles an employee lawsuit
Los Angeles Times
The United Farm Workers union has settled a long-running lawsuit with its former field organizers, agreeing to pay $1.3 million in back wages, penalties and attorney fees.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Fresno Unified teachers overwhelmingly authorize a strike against their district
Fresno Bee
At least 2,000 teachers with the Fresno Unified School District voted overwhelmingly Tuesday evening to authorize their union to call a strike if protracted contract negotiations don’t yield an agreement that meets their satisfaction.
See also:
The grades are in, and Wasuma Elementary takes the lead in Eastern Madera County
Sierra Star
Results from the latest annual state tests on English and mathematics have been released, and out of the 11 schools in Eastern Madera County that were tested, Wasuma Elementary was the sole school to exceed the state average in both subjects.
Lodi Unified school board discusses staffing concerns, test scores
Lodi News-Sentinel
Cathy Nichols-Washer, superintendent of Lodi Unified School District, began Tuesday night’s meeting by announcing that Giving Opportunities to Kids, also known as GOT Kids, has officially released its first batch of T-shirts, available at gotkids.lodiusd.org. With the $10 purchase of every shirt, another shirt will be donated to a child in need, she said.
RAND
Amid questions about the future of state standards and assessments, this report provides a critical perspective for district and state policymakers to consider: U.S. teachers’ perceptions of and support for current standards and assessment. Our nationally representative data suggest that nearly all U.S. mathematics and English language arts teachers support use of state standards in instruction. However, the majority of teachers do not support use of current state tests to measure mastery of standards. This report explores key factors that may be related to teachers’ support — or lack of support — for their current standards and assessments. Among the concerns voiced by majorities of teachers are the difficulty of current state standards and tests and their appropriateness for students with special learning needs. These findings are drawn from a February 2016 survey of the American Teacher Panel, a nationally representative sample of K–12 teachers across the United States. The findings presented in this report have implications for how states and districts can support implementation of state standards and assessments to ensure that U.S. students have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.
Let Teachers Go Where They’re Needed
Bloomberg
Market-based reforms can help solve the U.S.’s teacher shortages.
Higher Ed:
Remedial education gets big changes at California colleges
Sacramento Bee
This fall, nearly 40 percent of incoming freshmen at California State University were placed in developmental math or English courses. In the state’s sprawling community college system, three-quarters of any given incoming group is deemed unprepared for college-level work when they arrive.
California Game Changers: Making College Free Again
Capital and Main
When Bernie Sanders, and then Hillary Clinton, made debt-free higher education a byword of the 2016 presidential race, University of California graduates like retired Los Angeles anesthesiologist Steve Auer unexpectedly found themselves the poster children for a time when free college tuition was the norm in California, rather than the radical proposition it seems today.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
What Recent Hurricanes Mean for Flood Insurance in California
Public Policy Institute of California
Three exceptional hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria— caused staggering damages from floods, winds, and storm surge in recent weeks. It’s likely they will make the record books as the most costly natural disasters in US history.
California Game Changers: Can We Ban Fracking?
Capital and Main
If you were to parachute into Kern County about 40 miles west of Bakersfield, you might doubt California’s status as a national leader on climate. Pumpjacks spread out in every direction across a hellscape scraped bare of anything green. Scattered at irregular intervals, spires of latticed steel reach up more than a hundred feet, secured with guy-wires: evidence of hydraulic fracturing, a practice sufficiently infamous that its household nickname, fracking, invokes images of tap water so toxic you can light it on fire.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Tulare hospital board seeks applicants for two vacancies
The search for two Tulare Regional Medical Center board of directors will continue on Wednesday with candidate interviews for the District 5 seat.
Experts to gather for town hall on opioid epidemic
The Business Journal
Local experts on the prescription drug abuse problem will be holding a town hall forum organized by Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno).
Donald Trump could still hurt California health care market
The Sacramento Bee
President Trump has said that Obamacare would prove to be a disaster in 2017 and that Democrats would eventually work with him to draft a replacement. He made these comments in March.
The Health Reform That Hasn’t Been Tried
WSJ
ObamaCare subsidizes bloated insurance policies. Republicans should try a whole new approach.
San Diego Hepatitis A Outbreak Continues To Grow
KPBS
Twenty new cases are being reported this week, bringing the number of people infected to 481, according to San Diego County Health and Human Services. Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten said there are 47 other cases awaiting confirmation. Matt Hoffman KPBS — 10/4/17
See also:
- San Diego officials alerted city employees, vendors, early in hepatitis crisis, not so much the public San Diego Union-Tribune
- Possible Hepatitis A Case Originated At Haggin Oaks Golf Course Capital Public Radio
IMMIGRATION
Congress struggles to come up with a fix for ‘Dreamers’
LA Times
It has been four weeks since President Trump gave Congress a six-month deadline to figure out a solution for immigrants in the U.S. illegally who had been protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. An estimated one-fourth of the program’s 800,000 recipients live in California. A hearing Tuesday illustrated just how far lawmakers are from a deal, with members of the president’s own party asking for guidance on a fix.
Lawyer’s weapon against farm worker complaints: deportation
Capitol Weekly
As an attorney representing California Central Valley farmers and labor contractors who rely heavily on undocumented workers, Anthony Raimondo has become widely known for performing a sort of magic trick. He can sometimes make legal complaints against his clients – and the people who file them – disappear.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Walters: Why California’s housing legislation won’t solve the housing crisis
Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown last week signed a package of bills aimed at relieving an acute shortage of housing that has sent costs into the stratosphere and given California the nation’s highest level of functional poverty.
California Lawmakers Consider Next Year’s Housing Priorities
Capital Public Radio
Days after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a package of bills to address California’s high housing costs, lawmakers are already discussing more changes to bring down home prices—particularly for the middle-class.
California Lawmakers Take Steps Forward on Housing
PublicCEO
On Friday, September 15, the California legislative session ended with the passage of 17 individual pieces of legislation aimed at alleviating the state’s ongoing housing crisis. While three particular bills have received the most attention—SB2, SB3, and SB35—several other bills headed for the Governor’s desk are also likely to have an important impact on the landscape of the state’s housing policy.
PUBLIC FINANCES
For stories on “tax reform,” See: “Top Stories – Federal Politics,” above
CalPERS pension costs may double for CA governments
Sacramento Bee
California governments likely will make do with fewer teachers, parks employees and other public workers while they struggle to absorb fast-rising pension costs in the next few years, a former state lawmaker argues in a study released this week through Stanford University.
David Miller wins CalPERS seat with union help
The Sacramento Bee
California’s two major public pension systems are underfunded and are asking local governments to pay more. Critics want to reduce benefits, while others say policymakers should allow time for recent changes to take hold.
CalPERS Candidates Say Votes No Longer Secret
PublicCEO
Instead of signing the envelope that contains the mail-in ballot, CalPERS is requiring voters in an election for two board seats to sign the ballot — a change prohibited by state election law protecting voter secrecy, two candidates say.
Republican leaders are backing away from a proposal to fully repeal an expensive tax break used by more than 40 million tax filers to deduct state and local taxes amid pushback from fellow lawmakers whose residents rely on the popular provision.
TRANSPORTATION
Sequoia Field Airport project delayed
The project to bring safety upgrades to Sequoia Field Airport in north Tulare County hit a snag after an application error.
High-Speed Rail Delay More than Triples Planned Cost to San Jose
San Jose Inside
A bullet train linking California’s Central Valley to Silicon Valley was supposed to be running by 2022. But the deadline for the multi-billion dollar high-speed rail has now been pushed to 2025, which puts San Jose and other cities in the train’s path on the hook for more planning and up-front spending.
Without billions more, California will never have any complete and operating High Speed rail
NextBigFuture.com
Governor Brown Signs Bill: No More Tickets for Crossing on Countdown
Streetsblog California
Now that the legislation session is over, Governor Brown has a huge pile of bills he must either sign or veto. Among the many bills he signed yesterday is the crosswalk countdown bill from Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles). A.B. 390 makes it clear that pedestrians are allowed to enter a crosswalk while a countdown signal is flashing.
A Guide for Drivers and Bicyclists to Properly Share the Road
Bike Law
In a well-meaning effort to reduce such collisions, a number of states have adopted a “Share the Road” campaign. Since 1997, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (the ‘MUTCD”) has approved the use of the Share the Road sign in conjunction with the bicycle symbol. The MUTCD is the road signage “bible” used by road authorities across the country. The intention is all good but I hate that slogan.
Sacramento will add ‘parking-protected bike lanes’ on downtown streets
The Sacramento Bee
The city of Sacramento this week will try out an unconventional way to make downtown streets safer for cyclists. It’s called “parking-protected bike lanes,” and basically it separates two transportation styles that frankly often don’t play well together.
America’s commuting choices: 5 major takeaways from 2016 census data /
Brookings Institution
WATER
A New Water Year Brings Uncertainty to California
Sierra Sun Times
After five years of drought, the 2017 water year brought unexpectedly heavy precipitation, ranking second only to 1983 as California’s wettest year for statewide runoff. The dramatic swing in water conditions highlights the need to develop better long-range weather forecasting to cope with the state’s highly variable annual precipitation.
California’s reservoirs are full, but will this winter be wet or dry?
The Mercury News
Like every autumn, October is bringing cooler weather, changing leaves and pumpkins to fields across California. But unlike the past five years, when a historic drought gripped the state, there’s something new across the landscape: full reservoirs.
Rebuilding The Lake Oroville Spillways
Capital Public Radio News
In February, a huge hole opened in the Lake Oroville main spillway. The cause of the hole is still undetermined. The ensuing closure of the main gates and use of the emergency spillway for the first time ever caused damage to the hillside, erosion toward the spillway structure and thousands of people to evacuate.
Wildlife protectors on Butte Creek have a new battle cry: Save the dam
Sacramento Bee
In the annals of wild fish tales, hydroelectric projects are always cast as villains. They create dams that block fish from reaching spawning grounds.
The dams form reservoirs, warming the water to fish-killing temperatures. And hydro managers release water into streams when it profits their bottom line, not when it benefits fish and other wildlife.
“Xtra”
Want to win the lottery? Some places pay out more than others
Sacramento Bee
When it comes to California Lottery numbers, “1021295” could be in a winning league of its own. It isn’t a combination of lucky Powerball, Mega Millions or Fantasy 5 digits. That’s the ID for the business that’s sold the most big-dollar winning lottery tickets since 2009, according to several years of prize data provided to The Sacramento Bee.
New policies and security measures at the Big Fresno Fair
Final preparations are in place as the Big Fresno Fair appears ready for Wednesday’s opening day and in light of the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas organizers want everyone to know security will once again be a top priority.
One Man’s Quest To Feed A Hungry, Isolated California County
NPR
Across the United States, more than one out of every 10 people is “food insecure,” which means they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. In Trinity County, a sparsely populated area in northwestern California, that number is closer to one in five.