October 6, 2020

06Oct

POLICY & POLITICS

It’s in the mail: Calif sending ballots to all voters

Fresno Bee

The Nov. 3 election will test Califns’ commitment to voting by mail as the nation’s most populous state offers far fewer in-person polling places, hoping that during a pandemic voters will choose to cast ballots from the safety of their mailboxes.

See also:

●     Voting will look different in Tulare County on Election Day. Here’s how… Visalia Times Delta

●     2020 election: Voting information, drop box locations for Fresno County residents abc30

●     Your Calif mail ballot is coming. 5 things to do to make sure it gets counted Sacramento Bee

●     Check your mailbox: 21 million Calif ballots are on their way to voters LA Times

●     There’s A Lot Of Misinformation About Calif’s General Election. Here Are The Facts. Capital Public Radio

●     Californians and the November 2020 Election Public Policy Institute of Calif

●     Where’s My Ballot? Calif Secretary of State

●     Who’s on your Calif ballot and what do they stand for? Find out in our voter guide Sacramento Bee

●     KQED’s Calif Voter Guide 2020 KQED

North SJ Valley:

Trump gets Harder bill aimed at ‘swamp rats’ threatening Central Valley waterways

Modesto Bee

Congress has given final approval to a bill that would take on nutria, a giant rodent threatening waterways in the Central Valley and beyond.

Merced Union High School District board votes to bring students back to campus in November

abc30

The Merced Union High School District (MUHSD) Board of Trustees has approved a plan that will allow students to return to campus for in-person instruction starting in November.

See also:

●     Estimated active Merced County coronavirus cases dip below 300 for first time since June Merced Sun-Star

Runoff for Stanislaus judge seat between court commissioner, prosecutor

Modesto Bee

Two of Stanislaus County’s newest judges were elected during the March primary election, but the third seat will be decided in a runoff Nov. 3.

Battle for District 10

Turlock Journal

As ballots are mailed out to District 10 voters next week, Incumbent Congressman Josh Harder and Republican challenger Ted Howze will join the Journal editorial staff in downtown Turlock for a livestreamed debate to discuss the issues most important to the Valley.

EDITORIAL: COVID policies require new look at these Bee endorsements for Stanislaus leaders

Modesto Bee

A newspaper changing its endorsements from the March primary to the November election, under normal circumstances, would be quite unusual. But “normal circumstances” does not accurately describe anything about 2020.

See also:

●     Coronavirus update, Oct. 6: Stanislaus adds 2 deaths, awaits word from state on rules Modesto Bee

EDITORIAL: The Bee’s endorsements for Modesto City Council: 3 candidates stand out

Modesto Bee

Three races at the same time for open seats on the seven-member Modesto City Council is extremely rare. While it’s uncommon to have zero incumbents among 11 candidates, it’s also intriguing to envision a council finally working in harmony.

EDITORIAL: The Modesto Bee endorses this candidate for CA Senate District 5

Modesto Bee

Susan Talamantes Eggman is eminently qualified to represent in Sacramento the Fifth Senate District, which includes Riverbank, Salida and most of Modesto as well as San Joaquin County and Galt.

Central SJ Valley:

Robert Costa (PBS Washington Week) Returns to Discuss 2020 Election in Virtual President’s Lecture Series (Free)

Fresno State

Costa will be the featured speaker for a first-ever virtual version of the President’s Lecture Series at Fresno State, less than a month before the 2020 presidential election.  The President’s Lecture with Costa is scheduled Thursday, Oct. 8 from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m.. It’s free to participate, by visiting Zoom at the time of the event.

COVID-19 update: 90 new Fresno County cases; four new deaths across Central Valley

Fresno Bee

The Calif Department of Public Health on Monday reported 90 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Fresno County, bringing the total to 29,065 cases, and 399 deaths since the pandemic began.

See Also:

●     COVID-19 update: Hopes of Tulare County further reopening economy dashed as cases spike Visalia Times Delta

●     COVID-19 update: Number of active cases continues to increase Porterville Recorder

More Fresno-area schools are allowed to reopen. Here’s which ones got the green light

Fresno Bee

More elementary students in the San Joaquin Valley will be able to go back to in-person classes this month, even though school districts haven’t been cleared to reopen for all grades.

2020 Transportation Needs Survey

Fresno Council of Governments

Have a say in how future transportation dollars are spent.  The Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG) is looking for transportation project suggestions that could become part of its 20-year Regional Transportation Plan or RTP.

Officials break ground on new Kings County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Hanford

abc30

Kings County is getting a new sheriff’s headquarters in Hanford. Officials broke ground Monday. County leaders joined Sheriff Robinson for the ceremonial turning of dirt at the building’s future location near the jailhouse.

See Also:

●     KCSO breaks ground on new headquarters Hanford Sentinel

2020 election: Black Fresno trustee is target of ‘racist’ mailer

Fresno Bee

A political mailer that criticizes a candidate up for re-election on the Fresno-area community college district board has been denounced as racist over objections from the man behind the campaign material.

Cong. Jim Costa: Pres. Trump sending wrong message on COVID-19

Fresno Bee

Congressman Jim Costa, D-Fresno, talks Monday about President Donald Trump’s comments on contracting the coronavirus and his administration’s handling of the pandemic.

See also:

·       EDITORIAL: Here’s the best candidate to represent the Valley’s 16th District in Congress Fresno Bee

Replay: Meet the candidates for Tulare City Council during virtual forum

Visalia Times Delta

The candidates signed on to participate in a Meet the Candidates virtual forum hosted by the Tulare Chamber of Commerce and then Visalia Times-Delta starting at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

South SJ Valley:

31 new COVID-19 cases reported in Kern on Monday

Bakersfield Califn

Some Kern County Farmers Are Worried Trump’s Immigration Policies Affect Their Workforce

VPR

Kern County is known for Big Agriculture and traditionally leans to the right.  Many of the farmers there support Donald Trump. But when it comes to immigration—one of the President’s signature themes—not all the farmers there line up behind him. 

Future use uncertain as former power plant property hits the market

Bakersfield Califn

After years of extensive cleanup and remediation work southwest of Coffee Road and Rosedale Highway, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Thursday put up for sale a nearly 47-acre property that for decades housed part of a petroleum-fueled power plant.

Six challengers face off for an open seat on Rosedale’s school board

Bakersfield Califn

This year the hottest race in the Rosedale Union School District is for a seat that will only last two years. But it’s an open seat with no incumbents during a year when more residents are paying attention to decisions being made at the district level.

KHSD board OK’s bringing back small cohorts of students beginning Oct. 26

Bakersfield Califn

The Kern High School District board voted to grant district officials the authority to reopen schools and bring back students once Kern County’s coronavirus numbers improve and it moves into the next tier, which governs how a county’s economy can reopen.

Latino COVID-19 Taskforce formally kicks off campaign with community partners

Bakersfield Califn

The Latino COVID-19 Taskforce held a press conference at the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield on Friday to formally kick off its campaign to end the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on the local Latino community.

State:

Newsom appoints first openly gay, third Black man for Calif Supreme Court

Fresno Bee

Gov. Newsom announced Monday he nominated Martin J. Jenkins as the first openly gay and third Black man to serve as a justice on the CA Supreme Court. Jenkins has decades of experience working in Calif’s state and federal courts and criminal justice system.

See also:

●     Gov. Newsom announces Calif Supreme Court nominee Martin Jenkins abc30

●     Calif governor nominates 1st gay to state Supreme Court Bakersfield Califn

●     Newsom Makes Historic Appointment Of First Openly Gay Man To Califoria Supreme Court Capital Public Radio

●     Newsom names first openly gay justice to the Calif Supreme Court LA Times

Group sues to block Calif boardroom diversity law

Bakersfield Califn

A conservative legal group announced Monday that it sued to block Calif’s first-in-the-nation law that requires hundreds of corporations based in the state to have directors from racial or sexual minorities on their boards.

See also:

●     How diverse is your government? These two laws changed who holds power in Calif Sacramento Bee

Calif looking at deep cuts if coronavirus package can’t clear Congress

San Francisco Chronicle

The big state budget bet that Calif officials made this summer is on the line in Washington as congressional leaders and the White House scramble to cut a coronavirus stimulus deal before the election.

The final say: Gov. Newsom has decided which of these 2020 bills will be Calif law

CalMatters

In a year when the coronavirus pandemic upended every aspect of normal life, the impact in the Calif Capitol was also dramatic. Then it fell to Newsom to either sign or veto the legislation by a Sept. 30 deadline. Here’s the final tally on the fates of 20 key bills.

See also:

●     Governor Newsom Signs Law Requiring Calif Hospitals to Stockpile PPE Littler

●     If voters raise taxes on corporate landlords, will small biz foot the bill? CalMatters

●     Creating a Homelessness Czar CalMatters

●     Creating a Student Loan Bill of Rights CalMatters

●     Expanding Mental Health Parity CalMatters

●     SB-132 Corrections. Calif Legislative Information

Federal:

Trump lawyer: Census could be done if not for court meddling

Fresno Bee

Trump admin Monday asked appellate judges to immediately suspend a lower court’s order requiring the 2020 census to continue through October, saying decisions by the U.S. Census Bureau over how to conduct the census shouldn’t be subject to “judicial second-guessing.”

See also:

●     Court Fight Over Census Tied to Plan for Excluding Illegal Immigrants Wall Street Journal

Trump, still infectious, back at White House — without mask

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House Monday night after leaving the military hospital where he has been receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19.

See also:

●     Trump released from Walter Reed Medical Center. ‘Don’t be afraid of Covid,’ he tweets Fresno Bee

●     Trump back at White House, doctors say he’s still not ‘out of the woods’ after 3 days of treatment for COVID-19 abc30

●     ‘Don’t be afraid of it.’ Trump returns to White House after three-day hospitalization for COVID-19 Visalia Times Delta

●     Leaving Walter Reed, Trump Urges Americans Not To Let Coronavirus ‘Dominate You’ VPR

●     Trump returns to White House, although doctors say he ‘may not entirely be out of the woods’ LA Times

●     Even sick with COVID-19, Trump refuses to change tune on pandemic LA Times

●     Trump Leaves Hospital Monday Evening, as White House Cases Mount Wall Street Journal

●     U.S. Adds Almost 40,000 Coronavirus Cases as Trump Leaves Hospital Wall Street Journal

●     Trump’s early discharge from Walter Reed hospital has some doctors worried. Here’s why Fresno Bee

Tracing the path of COVID-19 to — and from — President Trump

LA Times

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter he will be ending his hospital stay and return to the White House on Monday, saying he feels better than he did “20 years ago” after receiving experimental COVID-19 treatments.

●     Outside Walter Reed, a Misinformation Epidemic WSJ

●     Trump’s doctor is a D.O. How is that different from an M.D.? LA Times

●     News Analysis: A history of falsehoods comes back to haunt the COVID-stricken president LA Times

●     US adversaries could seize on Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis to spread disinformation Roll Call

●     Opinion: Can Trump push a reset button after COVID-19? Roll Call

●     EDITORIAL: The White House Owes Americans Transparency on Trump’s Illness National Review

White House virus outbreak could complicate Supreme Court confirmation

LA Times

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called the virus the “biggest enemy” standing in the way of confirming Barrett, given the close margin of votes he is working with.

See also:

●     COVID-19 threatens Senate chaos, but no pause in Barrett confirmation process Roll Call

●     Senate out until Oct. 19, but Supreme Court confirmation process not delayed Roll Call

●     After Republican COVID-19 positives, Senate to remain out until Oct. 19 Roll Call

●     Capitol physician expands testing, but remains selective Roll Call

●     Opinion: The Reckless Race to Confirm Amy Coney Barrett Justifies Court Packing The Atlantic

Supreme Court nominee could reshape Calif’s gig economy law and unions. Here’s how

Sacramento Bee

Gig workers already lost once under Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Supreme Court starts new term, with healthcare, religion and gay rights on the docket

LA Times

The Supreme Court opens a new term on Monday and within weeks is set to hear cases on healthcare and religion that may give a preview of how the conservative majority will wield its power.

See also:

●     Supreme Court functions in midst of COVID-19 chaos on first day of new term Roll Call

●     Supreme Court starts quiet term that could turn tumultuous Roll Call

●     Supreme Court Opens Term With Case on Partisanship of Judges in Delaware Wall Street Journal

CEOs of Google, Facebook and Twitter to testify before Senate

The Hill

The CEOs of Google, Facebook and Twitter are set to testify before the Senate later this month. The appearance before the Senate Commerce Committee will be the second time that top tech executives appear before Congress this year.

Congressional Review Act gets its quadrennial time in the spotlight

ABA

Like a comet that appears in the night sky once every four years, the public’s interest in the Congressional Review Act (CRA) seems to wax and wane between presidential election cycles.

Coronavirus Trackers:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calif

Covid19.ca.gov

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.

See also:

●     Calif Department of Public Health

●     Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

●     Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO

●     John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

●     Tracking coronavirus in Calif Los Angeles Times

●     Coronavirus Tracker San Francisco Chronicle

●      Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count New York Times

●     How many coronavirus cases have been reported in each U.S. state? Politico

●     Coronavirus Daily NPR

●     Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads Fin Times

●     Coronavirus in Calif by the numbers CalMatters

●     Coronavirus updates: Latest on Calif’s COVID-19 activity as US hits 210,000 dead Sac Bee

Elections 2020:

●     Register to vote

●     Check voter registration status

●     Online Voter Guide and Printable Voter Guide

●     List of county elections offices

●     “Where’s My Ballot?” tool

●     Where’s My Ballot? – Calif Secretary of State

It’s in the mail: Calif sending ballots to all voters

Fresno Bee

The Nov. 3 election will test Califns’ commitment to voting by mail as the nation’s most populous state offers far fewer in-person polling places, hoping that during a pandemic voters will choose to cast ballots from the safety of their mailboxes.

See also:

●     Voting will look different in Tulare County on Election Day. Here’s how… Visalia Times Delta

●     2020 election: Voting information, drop box locations for Fresno County residents abc30

●     Your Calif mail ballot is coming. 5 things to do to make sure it gets counted Sacramento Bee

●     Check your mailbox: 21 million Calif ballots are on their way to voters LA Times

●     There’s A Lot Of Misinformation About Calif’s General Election. Here Are The Facts. Capital Public Radio

●     Californians and the November 2020 Election Public Policy Institute of Calif

●     Where’s My Ballot? Calif Secretary of State

●     Who’s on your Calif ballot and what do they stand for? Find out in our voter guide Sacramento Bee

●     KQED’s Calif Voter Guide 2020 KQED

Pence, Harris Gear Up for V.P. Debate After Trump’s Positive Covid-19 Test

Wall Street Journal

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris spent part of the weekend preparing for a debate that has taken on new importance after the hospitalization of President Trump elevated the vice president’s role and caused both sides to re-evaluate their strategy in the final stretch of the campaign.

See also:

●     Candidates to be separated by plexiglass shield at VP debate Bakersfield Califn

●     Pence and Harris to debate through plexiglass because of coronavirus concerns LA Times

Prop. 15 Would Close a Corporate Tax Loophole. Here’s How It Got There in the First Place

KQED

Voters overwhelmingly passed Prop. 13, but now, 42 years later, voters are being asked with Proposition 15 to undo a major loophole in that 1978 ballot measure which has allowed corporations to keep their property taxes artificially low for decades.

See also:

●     Prop. 13 revise: Prop. 15 would be biggest change to Calif property taxes in 4 decades San Francisco Chronicle

Drubbed in 2018, Calif GOP looks to regain House seats

Business Journal

Calif’s tarnished Republican Party is hoping to rebound in a handful of U.S. House races but its candidates must overcome widespread loathing for President Donald Trump and voting trends that have made the nation’s most populous state an exemplar of Democratic strength.

See also:

●     How a Democratic sweep on Nov. 3 could restore Congress’ power Roll Call

Trump Plans to Debate Joe Biden Next Week

Wall Street Journal

President Trump plans to attend next week’s debate against Democrat Joe Biden in Miami, his campaign said Tuesday, a day after the president returned from three days of hospitalization for Covid-19.

Opinion: What a second Trump term would mean for the world

Brookings

If Donald Trump defies the odds and wins a second term, the next four years will likely be more disruptive to U.S. foreign policy and world affairs than the past four have been. Think of his reelection as a pincer movement, an attack on the international order from two sides.

Opinion: Biden’s Tax Plan Would Spur Economic Growth

WSJ

Every four years a Democrat runs for president on a platform that includes higher taxes for the wealthy. And every four years a group of people predicts that the sky will fall if those plans are implemented.

Joe Mathews: Give voters a direct say on the big issues

KCRW

For a nation that prides itself on setting a democratic example, we have a strange way of showing it. Unlike many other countries, the United States does not have a referendum process that gives citizens a chance to weigh in directly on issues on a national level.

Delays in verifying mail-in ballots in some battleground states will slow election tally

Los Angeles Times

Voters awaiting results in some of the key presidential battleground states on election night should be prepared to keep waiting, thanks to obstacles that will slow the count for what is expected to be a crush of mailed-in ballots amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other:

PolitiFact’s guide to understanding public opinion polls

PolitiFact

As the 2020 election pushes ahead, voters will be seeing poll results in their news feed — lots of them. But not all polls are created equal, and it can be hard to put the results into the proper context.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, October 11, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Telemedicine: Path to Better and More Affordable Health Care?” – Guests: Dr. Casey Gray, Kaiser; Laurence Du Sault, Mercury News/CalMatters; Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula; Barb Yellowlees, CETF. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, October 11, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Will Telemedicine Cure the Valley’s Doctor Shortage?” – Guests: Dr. John Kinnison, Medical Director of Telemedicine at Valley Children’s Medical Center; Dr. Syed Ali, Family Medicine Physician with Gould Medical Group; Dr. Judi Binderman, Vice President, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Community Medical Centers. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Trump gets Harder bill aimed at ‘swamp rats’ threatening Central Valley waterways

Modesto Bee

Congress has given final approval to a bill that would take on nutria, a giant rodent threatening waterways in the Central Valley and beyond.

Ag pest found for first time in Madera County

Business Journal

A discovery of peach fruit flies in Chowchilla has prompted the Madera County Ag Commissioner to team up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to survey the region to see how pervasive the pest has become within the county, according to a press release.

Opinion: Raise the SNAP maximum benefit to reduce food insecurity

Brookings

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and recession began in the United States, millions of American families have struggled to put food on the table.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

San Joaquin County correctional officer arrested on charges of sexually assaulting inmates

Modesto Bee

A San Joaquin County correctional officer arrested on suspicion of raping a woman in sheriff’s custody and engaging in illegal sex acts with two other jailed women over a five-year span is being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail Monday night.

Public Safety:

Officials break ground on new Kings County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Hanford

abc30

Kings County is getting a new sheriff’s headquarters in Hanford. Officials broke ground Monday. County leaders joined Sheriff Robinson for the ceremonial turning of dirt at the building’s future location near the jailhouse.

See Also:

●     KCSO breaks ground on new headquarters Hanford Sentinel

COVID-19 Curbs Community Policing at a Time of Diminishing Trust

Pew Trusts

Because of restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Jennings said, “regularly scheduled activities where the police and the community would interact … are not occurring.”

Fire:

Creek Fire updates: Containment nears 50%; rain could clear smoke later this week

Fresno Bee

The Creek Fire has overtaken the North Complex fire in terms of total acreage burned and now ranks as the fifth-largest wildfire (and largest single-fire incident) in Calif history.

See Also:

●     Creek Fire: Crews protect resort, ranger station, and homes on eastern flank abc30

●     Creek Fire updates: Fire grows east; no structure loss at Mono Hot Springs so far Fresno Bee

●     Warszawski: Who or what ignited the Creek Fire? Early photos help narrow the possibilities Fresno Bee

SQF Complex now largest fire in Tulare County history: 156,000 acres, 65% contained

Visalia Times Delta

The SQF Complex is the largest and most destructive fire in Tulare County history, fire officials confirmed. The wildland fire has grown to 156,435 acres and 65% containment as of Sunday.

See also:

·       Sequoia Complex still at 65% contained Porterville Recorder

Calif’s largest wildfire ever now 1 million acres, burning in 3 national forests

Fresno Bee

The August Complex, a gigantic lightning-sparked wildfire incident that started nearly two months ago at Mendocino National Forest and has flared in gusty winds since then, reached an incredible 1 million acres in size Monday morning.

See Also:

●     Epic scale of Calif wildfires continues to grow Bakersfield Califn

●     Calif wildfires: Updates on major fires as state hits 4 million acres burned this year Fresno Bee

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Regal theaters in Fresno, Valley to close, as coronavirus impacts national movie releases

Fresno Bee

Several large Regal Cinemas movie theaters across Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley will close temporarily on Thursday due to a lack of blockbuster releases to supply the market.

See also:

●     Fresno, Clovis locations among hundreds of Regal theaters to temporarily close Business Journal

●     Movie theaters ‘at a crisis point’ as Regal shutdown dampens recovery hopes LA Times

Fresno restaurant is temporarily closed again. This time it’s not because of COVID

Fresno Bee

Pismo’s Coastal Grill in northwest Fresno is temporarily closed. Again. And this time it has nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic.

See Also:

●     Pismo’s restaurant temporarily closed after 2 small kitchen fires abc30

Jobs:

More than 3M Californians to receive lost wages assistance payments after weeks-long EDD reset ends

abc30

More than 3 million Califns are expected to receive lost wages assistance payments by the end of this week, after the state’s employment development department took two weeks to tackle “fraud” and “reduce” their backlog.

Backlog of Calif jobless claims swelled while state furloughs hit unemployment agency

Sac Bee

As desperate Califns sought help with unemployment insurance claims over the summer, hundreds of employees who could fix their problems were missing work under a state-imposed leave program, according to payroll data.

See also:

●      Opinion: September unemployment rate falls to half of recent projections AEI

The COVID-19 recession hit Latino workers hard. Here’s what we need to do.

Brookings

The nature of the COVID-19 recession is a double whammy for Latino workers. First, Latino workers are disproportionately concentrated in industries more deeply impacted by the recession. Second, they are underrepresented in the industries least impacted.

See also:

●     ‘Overlooked’: Asian American Jobless Rate Surges But Few Take Notice NPR

●     The Covid Economy Carves Deep Divide Between Haves and Have-Nots Wall Street Journal

Mothers Are 3 Times More Likely Than Fathers to Have Lost Jobs in Pandemic

Pew Trusts

Mothers of small children have lost work at three times the rate of fathers in the pandemic, a situation that threatens not only progress toward gender equity but middle-class income gains that have become increasingly dependent on working women.

See also:

●     Enough Already: Multiple Demands Causing Women To Abandon Workforce NPR

●     Sheryl Sandberg: Companies Need To ‘Lean In’ As Pandemic Threatens Women’s Progress NPR

EDUCATION

K-12:

More Fresno-area schools are allowed to reopen. Here’s which ones got the green light

Fresno Bee

More elementary students in the San Joaquin Valley will be able to go back to in-person classes this month, even though school districts haven’t been cleared to reopen for all grades.

Merced Union High School District board votes to bring students back to campus in November

abc30

The Merced Union High School District (MUHSD) Board of Trustees has approved a plan that will allow students to return to campus for in-person instruction starting in November.

Six challengers face off for an open seat on Rosedale’s school board

Bakersfield Califn

This year the hottest race in the Rosedale Union School District is for a seat that will only last two years. But it’s an open seat with no incumbents during a year when more residents are paying attention to decisions being made at the district level.

KHSD board OK’s bringing back small cohorts of students beginning Oct. 26

Bakersfield Califn

The Kern High School District board voted to grant district officials the authority to reopen schools and bring back students once Kern County’s coronavirus numbers improve and it moves into the next tier, which governs how a county’s economy can reopen.

The Digital Divide and COVID-19: Teachers’ Perceptions of Inequities in Students’ Internet Access and Participation in Remote Learning

RAND

When teachers deliver remote instruction, their capacity to communicate with students and their families is shaped by home internet access.

Higher Ed:

As Fresno’s COVID-19 cases improve, will local colleges reopen more in-person classes?

Fresno Bee

As Fresno-area college students head into the middle of the semester, some feel unmotivated, isolated, and unsure whether they are learning anything without face-to-face interaction.

CSUB gradually opening its doors to student-athletes

Bakersfield Califn

Student-athletes have begun trickling onto the CSUB campus with more frequency. The school and athletic department have recently put into work a plan that has allowed 16 percent of athletes to return to school to take part in individual strength and conditioning drills.

Here are the most lucrative Calif college degrees. 2nd place might surprise you

Fresno Bee

Calif adults with a bachelor’s degree earn about twice as much as those with a high school diploma, census figures show. But some fields of study are more lucrative than others.

Fresno college student says professor told her not to breastfeed during online lecture

Fresno Bee

As Fresno City College student Marcella Mares heads into mid-semester, she hopes not to clash with instructors again over needing to breastfeed her daughter during class time.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Modesto weather forecast this week: Smoky to sunny to cloudy to even a chance of rain

Modesto Bee

The National Weather Service indicates big changes for the Modesto area over the next several days, including improved air quality, a temperature drop and even the possibility of rain.

The climate science behind this year’s wildfires and powerful storms

CBS

Well, if we don’t change anything, then we’re going to continue to see more and more of these extreme regional events because the physics is quite simple.

The challenge of decarbonizing heavy transport

Brookings

Many jurisdictions are focused on achieving very low or net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by mid-century, bringing a spotlight to the biggest challenges in decarbonization.

Boosting local climate resilience and economic opportunity in the COVID-19 era

Brookings

If last summer was any indication, states and localities remain unprepared to plan and pay for the damage, let alone the effects of daily rainfall.

See also:

●     Climate change merits a fiscal response like COVID-19’s Brookings

●     Opinion: A roadmap to a sustainable economy through responsible investment in Calif CalMatters

Energy:

Calif needs to accelerate efforts to achieve clean energy goals

CalMatters

As our state has suffered through a summer of record-breaking heat waves, blackouts and wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom has rightly pegged what’s principally behind these challenges: “If you are in denial about climate change,” he said recently, “come to Calif.”

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

COVID-19 update: 90 new Fresno County cases; four new deaths across Central Valley

Fresno Bee

The Calif Department of Public Health on Monday reported 90 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Fresno County, bringing the total to 29,065 cases, and 399 deaths since the pandemic began.

See Also:

●     COVID-19 update: Number of active cases continues to increase Porterville Recorder

●     COVID-19 update: Hopes of Tulare County further reopening economy dashed as cases spike Visalia Times Delta

●     Coronavirus update, Oct. 6: Stanislaus adds 2 deaths, awaits word from state on rules Modesto Bee

●     31 new COVID-19 cases reported in Kern on Monday Bakersfield Califn

●     Estimated active Merced County coronavirus cases dip below 300 for first time since June Merced Sun-Star

●     Coronavirus updates: Latest on Calif’s COVID-19 activity as US hits 210,000 dead Sac Bee

CDC Acknowledges Covid-19 Can Spread Via Tiny Air Particles

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said tiny particles that linger in the air can spread the coronavirus, revising its guidelines on the matter just a few weeks after the health agency had acknowledged a role for the particles and then abruptly removed it.

See also:

●     The CDC says the coronavirus can spread through tiny airborne particles after all LA Times

●     CDC says airborne transmission plays a role in coronavirus spread in a long-awaited update after a website error last month Washington Post

Health: A New Contract with the Middle Class

Brookings

It has served as a sharp reminder that our health cannot be separated from the rest of our lives.

Human Services:

Free testing site in Tulare County moves to fairgrounds

Business Journal

Community testing offered by OptumServe will move to the Tulare County Fairgrounds from the International Agri-Center on Oct. 5, according to a press release from Tulare County Health and Human Services. Tulare County partnered with the company OptumServe.

Emanuel offering screening options as part of breast cancer awareness month

Turlock Journal

The Emanuel Cancer Center is urging women to not neglect their health and to take advantage of the programs being offered through the month of October as part of the breast cancer awareness campaign.

White House Outbreak Highlights Dangers Of Test-Only Strategy To Prevent Infections

VPR

The spread of COVID-19 inside the White House is a reminder of the danger of relying on testing to prevent outbreaks. “Testing alone is not a sufficient strategy to prevent,” says Daniel Green, an assistant professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University.

See also:

●     EDITORIAL: The Covid Testing Bait-and-Switch WSJ

Viral Article Distorts Military’s Role in Vaccine Distribution

Fact Check

The U.S. military may assist in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, but it will not forcibly administer vaccines, as a viral article shared on social media falsely suggests.

See also:

●     Azar says science will guide vaccine decisions Roll Call

●     Listen: With 1 Million Dead Worldwide, The Latest On A Coronavirus Vaccine NPR

Caregivers, advocates push for indoor visits to resume at nursing homes

San Diego Union-Tribune

Family caregivers visiting loved ones in skilled nursing facilities offer much more than companionship. The time they spend together also ensures that their relative’s needs are being met.

Opinion: Here are four ways Calif can improve our health data challenges

CalMatters

Calif has had strong leadership in the COVID-19 pandemic. But, like other states, we are struggling to get COVID-19 data right.

IMMIGRATION

Some Kern County Farmers Are Worried Trump’s Immigration Policies Affect Their Workforce

VPR

Kern County is known for Big Agriculture and traditionally leans to the right.  Many of the farmers there support Donald Trump. But when it comes to immigration—one of the President’s signature themes—not all the farmers there line up behind him. 

Mexican workers send home huge amounts of money amid virus

Business Journal

The coronavirus pandemic stopped work for nearly a month at the Calif farm where Luis earns $80 a day picking tomatoes, but that didn’t stop him from sending $800 to family in Mexico.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Future use uncertain as former power plant property hits the market

Bakersfield Califn

After years of extensive cleanup and remediation work southwest of Coffee Road and Rosedale Highway, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Thursday put up for sale a nearly 47-acre property that for decades housed part of a petroleum-fueled power plant.

Housing:

The pandemic is giving Modesto an opportunity to attract new residents. Here’s how.

Modesto Bee

To succeed in a post-pandemic world, Stanislaus County needs to focus on the quality of life it can offer to current and prospective residents as movement out of more expensive regions accelerates, local experts said last week.

Californians rejected rent control two years ago. Will a pandemic change their minds?

Modesto Bee

For the second time in two years, Calif voters next month will decide whether more cities should be allowed to restrict rent hikes. The 2018 campaign to establish a state rent control law combusted after 59% of voters rejected Proposition 10.

An eviction moratorium without rental assistance hurts smaller landlords, too

Brookings

Because the moratoriums do not forgive or reduce rent payments, a moratorium policy merely delays the threat of eviction as renters continue to accumulate debt.

Opinion: Calif Will Keep Burning. But Housing Policy Is Making It Worse.

ProPublica

Which leaves us with the one thing we could be doing to keep wildfire from destroying homes and lives: get a whole lot smarter about where and how we build.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Still haven’t gotten your stimulus payment? Here’s why you may not get it until 2021 — or at all.

Washington Post

The IRS is still sending out stimulus payments. But some people may not get their money until next year. And others may have the bad luck of getting no money.

See also:

●     PPP Money Abounded—but Some Got It Faster Than Others WSJ

Remote Work Boom Complicates State Income Taxes

Pew Trusts

A few areas — the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, notably — have reciprocity agreements that simplify things for taxpayers. Those deals mean taxpayers owe only the income tax of the state in which they live, not the state where they work. 

Opinion: Trump’s tax returns show simply that he’s a lousy businessman

AEI

As for the tax issue, all Trump’s behavior proves is that in a needlessly complex system, the people with the most resources will be better positioned to navigate it. Perhaps that’s unfair, but it’s also a universal truth. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

TRANSPORTATION

2020 Transportation Needs Survey

Fresno Council of Governments

Have a say in how future transportation dollars are spent.  The Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG) is looking for transportation project suggestions that could become part of its 20-year Regional Transportation Plan or RTP.

You can once again wait for an Amtrak train inside the Modesto station and 3 others

Modesto Bee

Amtrak is reopening station interiors in Modesto and three other cities as of Monday, Oct. 5. The buildings had closed because of COVID-19 in late March, but trains still stopped at the platforms.

High-Speed Rail Training Program in Selma works to train more skilled workers for local jobs

abc30

There’s a shortage of skilled workers to build the high-speed rail project, but a new program in Selma is working to change that by training residents for trades that provide good-paying wages. With the snap of a ribbon — the training center is up and running.

Caltrain adopts budget through end of 2020, faces shortfall of millions

San Francisco Chronicle

Caltrain’s board adopted a $35 million budget Thursday to get through the end of 2020 as the train system fights for survival amid vanishing ridership.

The end of the car as we know it: What COVID-19 means to mobility in Europe

Brookings

The conventional car is in the situation where the typewriter was in the 1980s. It will soon be replaced, and the coronavirus crisis will accelerate this process.

WATER

Trump gets Harder bill aimed at ‘swamp rats’ threatening Central Valley waterways

Modesto Bee

Congress has given final approval to a bill that would take on nutria, a giant rodent threatening waterways in the Central Valley and beyond.

Unsafe To drink: Wildfires Threaten Rural Towns With Tainted Water

Capital Public Radio

For more than a month after a wildfire raced through his lakeside community and destroyed his Napa County home, Kody Petrini couldn’t drink the water from the taps. He wasn’t even supposed to boil it.

The contours of water law in the 21st century: Limitations on the private diversion of public water

ABA

On the eve of the third decade of the 21st century, the global water crisis has become existential—a crisis that has and will test the law of water, private landowners, citizens, communities, states, and countries who seek to compete for control of water for their needs and the existence of life itself.

“Xtra”

Bakersfield Christmas Parade moves to virtual format in 2020

Bakersfield Califn

Following in the footsteps that many public events have taken in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Bakersfield Christmas Parade has announced it will move all digital this year.

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