POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Merced County COVID-19 deaths hit 125. More aid for small businesses coming
Merced Sun-Star
Two additional Merced County residents died after contracting the novel coronavirus, the Merced County Department of Public Health reported on Wednesday. Total local fatalities now tally 125 since the coronavirus pandemic’s beginning.
Merced County meets step for reopening amid COVID-19. Will there be a Labor Day case surge?
Merced Sun-Star
The Merced County Department of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of three additional residents due to the novel coronavirus since Labor Day weekend. The fatality count is now 123 since the pandemic started locally.
Placer health officer resigns in protest after supervisors lift COVID-19 state of emergency
Sacramento Bee
Placer County’s public health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson resigned Tuesday in protest over the county’s Board of Supervisors’ decision the same day to declare that the county no longer recognizes COVID-19 as an emergency.
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno-area TV stations lost power amid Creek Fire. Here’s how they stayed on air
Fresno Bee
The transmitter that broadcasts Fresno-area channels KSEE24 and CBS47 lost power on Monday as the Creek Fire approached Meadow Lakes, according to KSEE general manager J.R. Jackson, but programming will not be affected.
City Council Returns from Summer Break
Clovis RoundUp
Back from summer break the Clovis City Council held their first meeting in more than a month.
Fresno Voices — How the city failed its Black residents, and the path forward
Fresno Bee
In Fresno, Black residents lag behind other races in all spheres of life — education, employment, economic participation, wealth, housing, health and even life expectancy. This is despite powerful efforts by individuals and community leaders.
See also:
- Opinion: Fresno’s leaders must work as a team to lift the community above racial inequalities Fresno Bee
Fresno County DA Will Not File Charges for Breaking COVID-19 Regulations
KMJ Now
The Fresno County District Attorney declines to file any criminal charges against the Fresno County business recently cited by the state for failing to comply with COVID-19 mandated regulations.
Swearingen and McDonald: What inclusive economic recovery can look like – lessons from Fresno
CalMatters
Inclusive economic development catalyzes a diverse set of leaders to create a shared agenda that expands middle class opportunity.
South SJ Valley:
Kings County homelessness spikes 22%
Hanford Sentinel
A recently published report from the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance reveals homelessness in Kings and Tulare counties spiked 22% in the last year. Annually, the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance conducts a Point in Time count of individuals experiencing homelessness within Kings and Tulare counties.
KHSD board hears about allegations of sexual harassment, assault at Ridgeview
Bakersfield Californian
Kern High School District trustees heard but took no action on an item Tuesday night that asked the board to reconsider the district’s sexual harassment policies. The item was brought to the attention of the board in response to several students from Ridgeview High sharing allegations of harassment and assault on social media.
Bakersfield City Council rejects proposal to house medically vulnerable homeless at Rosedale Inn
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council unanimously rejected a permit approval during a meeting on Wednesday that would have allowed medically vulnerable homeless individuals to be housed at the Rosedale Inn over the next five months as part of Kern Project Roomkey.
State:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed a bill to help struggling small businesses
Fresno Bee
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced the signing of a Senate bill aimed at providing financial relief to struggling small businesses in the state. Senate Bill 1447, now law, allows businesses with fewer than 100 employees to claim a credit against their personal and corporate income taxes each taxable year, beginning this year, of $1,000 for each net increase in qualified employees, up to $100,000.
See also:
- Now hiring: California offers credits to small businesses Bakersfield Californian
- California small businesses will get COVID-19 relief with quickly drafted tax cuts Los Angeles Times
Fires across California could accelerate home insurance crisis in wildfire zones
Fresno Bee
Tens of thousands of homeowners in fire-prone areas are being forced to buy from the California FAIR Plan.
California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever
Associated Press
When it comes to California wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence
Pension cuts coming for some California retirees after court ruling on spiking
Fresno Bee
Thousands of former California retirees are receiving pensions based on banned benefits.
California’s coronavirus stimulus was a bust…what now?
CalMatters
State lawmakers aimed for a $600-a-week unemployment extension and billions in tax vouchers. Federal inaction, economic anxiety and the pandemic derailed those plans.
How the state Supreme Court threw California cities into legal limbo
CALmatters
San Francisco, Oakland, and Fresno are getting sued—all because the California Supreme Court has yet to answer a simple question: How many votes does it take for a new tax to become law?
Capital Public Radio
When Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in early March as COVID-19 spread throughout California, state officials began their hunt for a precious commodity: protective masks.
Los Angeles Times
This was the ideal time — politically and policy-wise — for the Legislature and the governor to authorize loads of extra spending on wildfire prevention and helping victims. But they botched it. Shame on them.
Federal:
President Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
abc30
A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East.
See also:
Trump releases list of 20 new possible U.S. Supreme Court picks
abc30
Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he’s pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to fill.
See also:
Coronavirus Trackers:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.
See also:
- California Department of Public Health
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO
- John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University
- Tracking coronavirus in California 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 Financial Times
- Coronavirus in California by the numbers CalMatters
- California’s rate of virus infections keeps falling Associated Press
- One new COVID-19 death, 169 new cases reported Wednesday Bakersfield Californian
Elections 2020:
Hear the candidates: Ceres Mayor contenders Durossette, Lopez debate the issues
Modesto Bee
The two candidates running for the mayor of Ceres, Bret Durossette and Javier Lopez, squared off in a debate on Tuesday. The two, vying to replace the outgoing Chris Vierra, discussed such topics as the Ceres City Council performance, whether the city should contract with the Modesto Fire Department and the shooting death of a teenage boy at the hands of a Ceres Police Officer.
See also:
California’s shift to vote-by-mail boosted turnout, but not for everyone
Modesto Bee
Vote-by-mail elections tend to increase turnout in California — but not for everyone, according to a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California. Young voters, Latinos and Asian Americans may require special outreach to ensure they have a chance to cast ballots, the study says.
See also:
- Will vote-by-mail option in California boost participation? Sacramento Bee
- How Greater Vote-by-Mail Influences California Voter Turnout Public Policy Institute of California
California Election 2020 Voter Guide
CalMatters
Come rain, shine, pandemic or crippling recession, California voters can always count on one thing: a very long, very complicated ballot.
See also:
- All the ‘Rage’: Where the 2020 presidential race stands Roll Call
- Voters Face a Complicated Election as the Pandemic Remakes Voting WSJ
- Most Americans plan to vote before Election Day, a dramatic shift from previous years, poll finds Washington Post
CA120: Voter registration at highest portion of eligibles in 80 years
Capitol Weekly
California has now reached an historic high of over 21 million registered voters. The current PDI voter file, after a full refresh of county files, puts total voter registration at 21,086,077. As a share of eligible voters, this puts the state at 83%, a higher rate of registration than we have seen since the presidential election of 1940.
See also:
Trump, Republicans Raise $210 Million In August — Far Behind Democrats’ Haul
VPR
President Trump and Republicans could’ve set a one-month fundraising record — had their Democratic counterparts not hauled in some $150 million more. The president’s campaign, the Republican National Committee and their joint fundraising efforts raised a combined $210 million last month, they announced on Wednesday.
Fact Check: Did VP candidate Kamala Harris laugh about violent protests?
Sacramento Bee
Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, did not laugh at protesters. The laughter in the video was taken from a 21-month-old appearance on “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that had nothing to do with protesting.
See also:
- Biden Pushes Higher Taxes on U.S. Companies’ Foreign Profits in Pitch to Midwest Voters WSJ
- How Biden’s Tax Plan Might Affect Five American Households WSJ
Majority of voters don’t see either Trump, Biden as mentally fit to be president: poll
TheHill
A majority of voters in six swing states say neither President Trump nor Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is mentally fit to be president, according to a CNBC-Change Research poll released Thursday.
COVID-19 tests unions’ ability to deliver votes, manpower, money to Democrats
Roll Call
Democrats rely heavily on labor’s political support every November. That’s no different this year, but the coronavirus is. Laid-off workers don’t pay union dues, meaning the pandemic may cut into organized labor’s electoral spending.
Washington Post
Brian Murphy, who until recently was in charge of intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, alleges in a whistleblower complaint that the order to stop assessments on Russia came in May, from the acting homeland security secretary, Chad Wolf.
Trump’s lead over Biden on the economy appears vulnerable, a potential turning point
Washington Post
Trump’s lead over Biden on the economy is suddenly fading, a potential turning point in the campaign.
See also:
- Trump’s overtures struggle to register with religious voters Politico
- Fact Check: Biden wrong about how early he called to invoke the Defense Production Act PolitiFact
- EDITORIAL: A Trump Comeback? Wall Street Journal
- Op-Ed: A new McCarthyism finds a champion in Donald Trump Los Angeles Times
- Opinion: Honey, Trump Shrunk the GOP Wall Street Journal
- Opinion: Trump’s Latest Judicial List Wall Street Journal
- Commentary: Repairing the Rule of Law: An Agenda for Post-Trump Reform Lawfare
Washington Post
Across the country, states have changed their voting rules and procedures to prepare for an election unlike any other. The Post has compiled what you need to know about voting in your state so you can make sure your voice is heard this November.
Other:
The State Library celebrates California’s 170th anniversary of statehood
With 170 stories and essays about California and Californians.
An agenda for reforming the rule of law
Brookings
President Trump’s disregard for legal norms has revealed critical weaknesses in America’s constitutional systems. From reforming the presidential appointments process to requiring disclosure of presidential candidate tax returns, Paul Rosenzweig and Vishnu Kannan identify practical steps that the country can take to reinvigorate the rule of law and its system of checks and balances.
President Trump may have knowingly downplayed coronavirus risks, according to new Bob Woodward book
abc30
President Donald Trump seemed to understand the severity of the coronavirus threat even as he was telling the nation that the virus was no worse than the seasonal flu and insisting that the U.S. government had it totally under control, according to a new book by journalist Bob Woodward.
See also:
- Furor erupts over Trump deliberately downplaying the coronavirus Los Angeles Times
- Trump played down the pandemic, but voters may have figured that out already San Francisco Chronicle
- Trump Tapes Show He Knew How Deadly Virus Was Associated Press
- Should Bob Woodward have reported Trump’s virus revelations sooner? Here’s how he defends his decision. Washington Post
- Behind Woodward’s September surprise: White House aides saw a train wreck coming, then jumped aboard Politico
- Trump played down the pandemic, but voters may have figured that out already San Francisco Chronicle
- 5 Takeaways From ‘Rage,’ Bob Woodward’s New Book About Trump NYT
- Trump, in Bob Woodward Interview, Said He Played Down Coronavirus’s Severity Wall Street Journal
- Fact Check: McEnany says Trump never downplayed the virus. He did, and Woodward’s tape explains why PolitiFact
- Bombshell new book plunges Trump into more controversy USA Today
- Behind Woodward’s September surprise: White House aides saw a train wreck coming, then jumped aboard POLITICO
Fact Check: What is the risk of getting coronavirus on a plane?
PolitiFact Daily
There are a lot of variables to consider when making the calculated risk of flying during the pandemic.
Opinion: This Republican Party Is Not Worth Saving
The Atlantic
No one should ever get a second chance to destroy the Constitution.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, September 13, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: pre-empted
Sunday, September 13, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Poverty and the Economic Situation of California Latinos?” – Guests: Sarah Bohn, Public Policy Institute of California and Mindy Romero, Director of USC Price School of Public School. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Can AI Address Real World Issues, such as Agriculture?
yahoo!finance
Ordinary people who are not familiar with AI and ML may consider them as fictional, but their applications are stepping out of the science community to address real life issues. According to UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the worldwide population will increase to 10 billion by 2050.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Justice Department’s push into Trump case could prompt dismissal
Los Angeles Times
Atty. Gen. William Barr on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s move to intervene in a defamation lawsuit against President Trump, even as experts were skeptical of the federal government’s effort to protect the president in a seemingly private dispute.
Public Safety:
Gavin Newsom directs CHP to change permit rules in aftermath of Capitol Christian concert
Fresno Bee
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said that he is directing the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Public Health to develop new protocols for public safety in the aftermath of Christian concert at the Capitol that drew thousands of mostly unmasked participants.
See also:
- Thousands Should Quarantine After Attending Large Religious Gathering At Capitol, California’s Top Health Official Says Capital Public Radio
Walters: Legislature fails on police reform promises
CALmatters
When the California Legislature folded up its tent 10 days ago, it left an extraordinary number of high-profile bills still awaiting final votes, and the finger-pointing has been underway ever since.
Fire:
What we know about the Creek Fire: Where it started, latest evacuations in California
Fresno Bee
The Creek Fire has been burning since sparking Friday evening in Fresno County, and on Saturday crossed the San Joaquin River to the east and made a run into the Mammoth Pool area in Madera County. The Creek Fire as of Wednesday morning had burned more than 163,138 acres and remained at 0% containment, according to Cal Fire.
See also:
- Despite threat of growing toll, Sierra forest official sees signs of hope in Creek Fire Fresno Bee
- Creek Fire live updates: Dad seeks daughter; China Peak munitions a concern; 163,000 acres burned Fresno Bee
- Creek Fire in California partially burns China Peak, destroys several Huntington Lake cabins Fresno Bee
- Fleeing the Creek Fire: Owners bring beloved pets — over 300 of them — to Clovis for safety Fresno Bee
- ‘Ground zero’ for dead trees. How California mega-drought turned Creek Fire into inferno Fresno Bee
- Fire at China Peak employee housing, sledding hill a charred landscape Fresno Bee
- Cressman’s owner to rebuild historic store near Shaver Lake. He saw Creek Fire destroy it Fresno Bee
- Creek Fire: 163,138 acres now burned with 0% containment, latest evacuations issued for Fresno, Madera, Mariposa counties abc30
- Creek Fire: Wildfire burning at historic pace through Sierra Nevada abc30.com
- The human toll of Creek Fire: ‘Our entire community is gone’ Visalia Times Delta
- The Creek Fire continues to burn east of North Fork Sierra Star
- Creek Fire nears 170,000 acres, but growth continues to slow Modesto Bee
- ‘High Fives All Around’ – Pilot Describes Rescue Of 17 Hikers And Campers VPR
- As Creek Fire Grows, Evacuees Connect With Hotels, Animal Shelters VPR
Wildfires have burned record acreage in California. Here’s where the biggest fires are
Fresno Bee
Wildfires raged unchecked in California and other western states on Wednesday, with gusty winds forecast to drive flames into new ferocity. Diablo winds in Northern California and Santa Ana winds in the south state were stoking unprecedented numbers of fires that have already grown explosively.
See also:
- In California: Apocalyptic orange skies and dramatic rescues as fires rage USA Today
- National forests closed, hundreds rescued as blazes burn statewide USA Today
- California Statewide Fire Summary September 9, 2020 CalFire
- California’s worsening wildfires, explained CalMatters
- California’s on fire, unplugged and out of easy answers. So why don’t we…? CalMatters
- California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever Associated Press
Lower temperatures could equal more success for Creek, Sequoia firefighters
Visalia Times Delta
Poor weather conditions, strong winds, and an abundance of dead trees fueled the fast-growing Creek Fire. However, there are signs that the blaze may be inching toward containment. On Tuesday, crews saw a 50% reduction in fire growth and smoke compared to days prior.
Where is the ash in Stanislaus County coming from, and how long will it be here?
Modesto Bee
A giant plume of smoke detached from the Bear Fire in Orville overnight, creating what is known as a pyrocumulus cloud, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Eric Kurth.
Three dead, 12 missing after Bear Fire burns through Butte County foothills
Sacramento Bee
Three people are reported dead in the Bear Fire that swept through Butte County late Tuesday, and at least 12 other people are unaccounted for, officials said late Wednesday. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said three people have been found dead – two in one location, a third in another – but said their identities have not been determined and gave no further details.
See also:
- The Bear Fire ‘smoldered for weeks,’ then destroyed a town. Was Forest Service slow to fight it? Sacramento Bee
- Bear Fire updates: ‘Berry Creek is gone’ as fire explodes to 250K acres, Oroville still under threat Sacramento Bee
- ‘I never want to see California again.‘ Heartbreak and loss in Bear Fire’s destruction Sacramento Bee
- 3 dead as Northern California fires spread rapidly, burning through small town Los Angeles Times
Is this year worse than other wildfire seasons? Why?
New York Times
In a word, yes. More than 2.5 million acres have burned this year, far outstripping any previous record in the state’s history.
Opinion: I Need You to Care That Our Country Is on Fire
New York Times
Would you feel more urgency about climate change if all you could see was smoke?
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
What inclusive economic recovery can look like – lessons from Fresno
Hanford Sentinel
How much is a gallon of milk? And where is it cheapest at the four closest stores? Charlotte Arellano knows. “It’s $4 for milk, and I’m surrounded by dairy farms,” she says. “I can’t put milk in the fridge for my kids, but we live in the fruit basket of the world. It makes no sense.”
See also:
Valley Strong plans to reopen branch lobbies
Bakersfield Californian
Valley Strong Credit Union announced Wednesday it will resume regular business operations at all of its locations, including reopening branch lobbies closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective Monday.
Hundreds of Stanislaus businesses have had COVID-19 complaints filed. What were they for?
Modesto Bee
In frustrated emails and even tearful phone calls, Stanislaus County residents have reported hundreds of businesses for allegedly violating coronavirus health orders. Community members submitted more than 1,300 complaints against at least 680 businesses from late March through mid-August, according to public records from Stanislaus County.
California small businesses will get COVID-19 relief with quickly drafted tax cuts
Los Angeles Times
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a trio of laws on Wednesday intended to bolster struggling small businesses in California and encourage their owners to hire more workers, each of which received bipartisan support but only light scrutiny by the Legislature before its adjournment last week.
Coronavirus Shutdowns Are Hitting Vietnamese-Owned Nail Salons Hard
Capital Public Radio
Tracy Tran’s years of savings are gone. Most went into the nearly $13,500 monthly rent she says she’s been paying for her shuttered business since March, when coronavirus public health orders forced her to close. La Orquidea Salon and Spa has been sitting empty ever since on busy North Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos. So have most of the state’s roughly 11,000 other nail salons.
S&P 500 gains 2% as big tech bounces back
Los Angeles Times
Wall Street snapped back to life Wednesday, recovering from its worst stretch of losses in months, as the bloodletting for big technology stocks came to at least a temporary halt.
Pandemic Financially Imperils Nearly Half Of American Households, Poll Finds
VPR
Cynthia Maclin cannot get out of bed most days. Chronic lung disease leaves her short of breath and ended her 45-year career as a medical administrator. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in her hometown of Chicago, and Maclin’s already lost eight friends and family members to the virus, including the father of her two daughters. For the first time this month, she’s also unable to pay rent.
A Surprisingly Durable Recovery Faces Tougher Tests
WSJ
With the easy gains from reopenings behind us, recovery going forward may be slower.
Opinion: US productivity is soaring. Hold the applause.
AEI
Average wages aren’t growing because individual workers are getting raises. Instead, they are growing because so many low-wage workers have been laid off.
The GOP Is No Longer the Pro-Business Party
NY Magazine
The right’s contempt for climate science and Keynesianism makes it incapable of governing in capital’s long-term interests.
Jobs:
Amazon seeks to hire 33,000 people, holding online ‘Career Day’ Sept. 16
abc30
Amazon is on a hiring spree. In the latest sign of how it’s prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon said Wednesday it is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months.
California State Personnel Board members taking pay cuts along with public employees
Sacramento Bee
Four of the five members of the California State Personnel Board have requested pay cuts, according to the State Controller’s Office. The State Personnel Board oversees the state’s civil service laws such as its restrictions on nepotism and favoritism.
Biden Says Trump Broke Promise to Bring Jobs Back to U.S.
Bloomberg
Joe Biden accused Donald Trump on Wednesday of breaking his promise to bring jobs back to the U.S. as the Democratic presidential nominee laid out his plan to improve U.S. manufacturing with new taxes on companies that move operations offshore.
Public sector job loss is coming. Women will be hit hardest.
USA Today
Women have already lost more than 800,000 public sector jobs. That number could grow as state and local governments face budget shortfalls.
U.S. Job Openings Leveled Off Late in the Summer
WSJ
The number of available jobs in the U.S. leveled off late this summer, the latest sign momentum in the labor market is easing six months after the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S.
See also:
- U.S. jobless claims rise to 1.1 million amid COVID-19 PBS NewsHour
- U.S. layoffs remain high as 884,000 seek jobless aid Los Angeles Times
The labor market doesn’t have a ‘skills gap’—it has an opportunity gap
Brookings
The country had 11.5 million fewer jobs this August than in February, but, paradoxically, many business leaders continue to center the problem with labor markets on “unqualified” individuals without the right skills.
Commentary: Young Africans need more and better jobs, not more training
Brookings
Even before the global pandemic, many young Africans struggled to find productive employment. Though the focus of policymakers has been on Africa’s “youth unemployment” crisis, Louise Fox and her co-authors argue that the real crisis is actually that of “missing jobs.” In their new research, they call for policies and programs that focus on the structural conditions of African economies and aim for comprehensive transformation.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Parents, Teachers, and Children Rally for Reopening Schools
Clovis Roundup
On September 9, between Fifth and Fourth in Old Town Clovis; parents, teachers, and kids rallied together for schools to open again. They were chanting with signs, and cars that drove past honked to give their support.
Ruthie Quinto Out as FUSD Second-in-Command at End of Month
GV Wire
Fresno Unified deputy superintendent/chief financial officer Ruthie Quinto is resigning her position effective at the end of the month, superintendent Bob Nelson announced near the start of Wednesday’s board meeting.
California Supreme Court rules against Immanuel Schools bid to allow in-person classes
Fresno Bee
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied an attempt by Immanuel Schools of Reedley to allow in-person teaching on their campus, despite a Fresno County health order against it.
See also:
Who’s running: Elementary school district boards
Hanford Sentinel
Here’s a list of who’s running for local elementary school district governing boards in the November general election.
Here’s where Modesto City Schools stands on reopening amid coronavirus pandemic
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County’s largest school district is grappling with questions about reopening schools for young students in a county where coronavirus infections have slowed down but are still considered “widespread.”
Sierra Unified Suspending Distance Learning Amidst Creek Fire
VPR
Sierra Unified School District in the Fresno County foothills is suspending online instruction for the week due to the Creek Fire burning in the Sierra National Forest. Superintendent Alan Harris estimates up to 75 percent of district staff and students are being evacuated or have already been displaced by the fire.
The next big hurdle: California schools grapple with how, when or if to reopen campuses
EdSource
Safety protocols, potential lawsuits, input from parents and teachers are among the factors affecting reopening plans.
California superintendents navigate how to reopen campuses while keeping students, teachers safe
EdSource
Complicated, ever-shifting set of unique factors will affect school reopening plans.
Commentary: Beyond reopening schools: How education can emerge stronger than before COVID-19
Brookings
“The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in at least one positive thing: a much greater appreciation for the importance of public schools.” Emiliana Vegas and Rebecca Winthrop say now is the time to capitalize on this newfound support. In a new report, they chart a vision for the future of education systems and propose five actions to guide the transformation.
Fresno Bee
Angie Barfield worked hard and earned good grades as a top student in the late 1970s at Gibson Elementary School in Fresno. The racism she faced made her school years the worst experiences of her life.
Higher Ed:
BC awarded $1.3 million to address a rural teacher shortage
Bakersfield Californian
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Bakersfield College $1.3 million to support students preparing to be teachers as California continues facing a rising teacher shortage — a shortage that is especially dire in Kern County.
College coronavirus testing varies by system, campus
CalMatters
With sometimes competing public health guidelines coming from the CDC and state and local sources, colleges and universities have made different decisions about how much coronavirus testing should be done, and when. Resources are a factor, according to experts.
Debate over California’s affirmative action ban rages anew at UC as voters weigh repeal
Los Angeles Times
Two months before California voters decide whether to again allow affirmative action, debate is heating up over how the 24-year state ban on it has affected Black and Latino students at the University of California.
How forcing colleges to go online could change higher education for the better
Vox
The Covid-19 pandemic has plunged American higher education into crisis as more and more colleges move to remote learning strategies to prevent the spread of the virus. But hidden within this crisis is an opportunity.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
California’s air quality is the worst in the nation right now. How to protect yourself
Fresno Bee
Californians continue to experience unhealthy levels air pollution from wildfires. Conditions have slightly improved in major cities including Sacramento and Fresno, still air quality officials continue to recommend residents stay indoors.
See also:
- Creek Fire: Experts urging community to stay inside due to poor air quality abc30.com
- Health Advisory Valley Air
- Rarely have so many Californians been exposed to such gloomy, unhealthy air Los Angeles Times
Think 2020’s disasters are wild? Experts see worse in future
Bakersfield Californian
A record amount of California is burning, spurred by a nearly 20-year mega-drought. To the north, parts of Oregon that don’t usually catch fire are in flames.
Where is the ash in Stanislaus County coming from, and how long will it be here?
Modesto Bee
A giant plume of smoke detached from the Bear Fire in Orville overnight, creating what is known as a pyrocumulus cloud, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Eric Kurth. The smoke cloud blew south where it hovered over parts of Stanislaus County for several hours Wednesday morning, causing ash to fall from the sky.
Sacramento skies turn orange, but here’s why the air quality readings aren’t always accurate
Sacramento Bee
In downtown Davis, normally busy with pedestrians and socially distanced coffee drinkers, streets were nearly empty on Wednesday morning as orange, smoky skies and large chunks of ash falling from the sky discouraged residents from venturing outside.
To Tame Huge Wildfires, California Needs To Battle Climate Change, Newsom Says
Capital Public Radio
With an historic 2.3 million acres burned so far in California’s 2020 fire season, Gov. Gavin Newsom says there is no question that climate change is real,and that what seemed like “radical” predictions of its effects a few years ago weren’t really radical at all.
How a Pacific storm fueled lightning that sparked California’s biggest-ever fire season
Los Angeles Times
An outbreak of thunderstorms generated lightning that touched off dozens of fires in Northern California from Aug. 15-18. The driving force was a moisture surge from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fausto in the Pacific, southwest of Baja California.
Earth’s warming is closing in on a crucial limit, U.N. report says
Los Angeles Times
The warming world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report.
Climate Change Poses Major Risk to Financial Stability, Report Finds
WSJ
Study commissioned by commodity futures regulator calls for better pricing of carbon emissions.
Energy:
PG&E plans to restore power this afternoon to all customers in Kern
Bakersfield Californian
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. expects to restore power by 3:30 p.m. today to all of its Kern County customers whose electricity was recently shut off as a wildfire precaution. Spokeswoman Katie Allen said the utility had a helicopter in the air at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday inspecting lines.
See also:
- County residents experience first public safety power shutoffs of 2020 Bakersfield Californian
Why does California’s power grid keep flirting with disaster? We’ve got answers
Public CEO
Less than a month after the state experienced its first rolling blackouts in two decades, officials again urged residents to use less electricity.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
One new COVID-19 death, 169 new cases reported Wednesday
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Public Health Services Department reported one new death and 169 new cases of coronavirus Wednesday. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the county to 30,381 since reporting began in mid-March. Total deaths stand at 297.
See also:
- Over 250 new recoveries: Total cases near 15,000 Porterville Recorder
- California reports lowest one-day case total in almost 4 months Sacramento Bee
- State continues to see a decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, but will it last? Los Angeles Times
- Credit SoCal, Central Valley for flattening coronavirus curve: A region-by-region breakdown Mercury News
Drug price spikes still unchecked, five years after controversy
Roll Call
When the price of a cheap, lifesaving drug was jacked by more than 5,000 percent in 2015, Congress, and later the president, used the ensuing public shock to push to lower drug prices more broadly.
The Pandemic Has Researchers Worried About Teen Suicide
VPR
At the end of June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed almost 10,000 Americans on their mental health. They found symptoms of anxiety and depression were up sharply across the board between March and June, compared with the same time the previous year. And young people seemed to be the hardest-hit of any group.
Opinion: Joe Biden: Trump is worst possible leader to deal with coronavirus outbreak
USA Today
Trump’s demonstrated failures of judgment and his repeated rejection of science make him the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health challenge.
See also:
- Trump played down the pandemic, but voters may have figured that out already San Francisco Chronicle
- In Trump interviews for ‘Rage,’ president says he downplayed coronavirus threat Washington Post
- ‘Deadly stuff’: Trump admits in recording that he downplayed COVID-19 as it spread McClatchy
- Fact-check: Did Joe Biden issue warning about the coronavirus in January? Statesman
Human Services:
Fresno won’t have elite trauma services if CRMC hospital fails to meet new deadline
Fresno Bee
Community Regional Medical Center has until 5 p.m. Friday to restore neurosurgical trauma services, or it risks losing the hospital’s designation as a Level I Trauma Center, the hospital’s chief of trauma and surgery told The Bee.
Delano Hospital now officially Adventist Health Delano
Bakersfield Californian
Delano Hospital is now officially Adventist Health Delano. According to a news release, the facility received approval from federal agencies on Wednesday, hospital President David Butler said. As a result, signs and other materials will begin changing at the hospital, which has been serving the Delano community since 1974.
Providing Meals for School Children as COVID-19 Persists
Public Policy Institute of California
The US Department of Agriculture recently announced that it would continue to waive certain restrictions on school meals for the rest of 2020. This extends a key support for many California children, regardless of whether they are in school or learning remotely.
Some Hospitals Fail To Set COVID-19 Patients Apart, Putting Others At Risk
VPR
Nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, Calif., were on edge as early as March, when patients with COVID-19 began to show up in areas of the hospital that were not set aside to care for them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had advised hospitals to isolate COVID-19 patients to limit staff’s exposure and help conserve high-level personal protective equipment that’s been in short supply.
Survey: Number of uninsured Americans increased in 2019
Roll Call
Roughly 33.2 million Americans, or 10.3 percent, lacked health insurance in 2019, according to new data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
$2,933 for ‘Girl’s Night’: Medicaid chief’s consulting expenses revealed
Politico
Seema Verma, a member of the coronavirus task force, spent more than $3.5 million taxpayer dollars on GOP-aligned consultants, a congressional report found.
IMMIGRATION
Newsom Weighs Aid For Undocumented Californians Weathering Pandemic With No Safety Net
Capital Public Radio
Out of work for months in the spring, Mariana, who cleans houses, and her husband Gerardo, who is a door-to-door salesman, paid their landlord just $300 of their $1,200 rent for a one-bedroom apartment they crowd into with their 2-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, in National City.
Trump and Biden take sharply different paths on immigration
Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on illegal immigration and reshape legal immigration was at the heart of the Republican’s winning 2016 campaign and has remained at the forefront of his White House agenda.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
‘Sunset on Mars.’ Smoke from California fires gives national parks ‘apocalyptic’ glow
Fresno Bee
Yosemite National Park — the nation’s fifth “most visited” national park — has taken on the qualities of an alien world as a 163,000-acre Creek Fire burns out of control 60 miles to the south. The blaze has been growing out of control since Sept. 4, generating a blanket of smoke and ash that has displaced colors and transformed day into dusk at nearby state and national parks.
All 18 California national forests close due to ‘historic fire conditions’
Visalia Times Delta
As wildfires rip through California’s wildlands, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announced the temporary closure of 10 more National Forests in California.
See also:
- As fires rage, U.S. Forest Service closes California’s woods to public use for first time Sacramento Bee
Housing:
Ground broken on $24.6M Chinatown project in Fresno
Business Journal
On Wednesday the City of Fresno celebrated the “virtual” groundbreaking for the Monarch, a $24.6-million housing project in Chinatown under the supervision of the Fresno Housing Authority.
Bakersfield City Council rejects proposal to house medically vulnerable homeless at Rosedale Inn
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council unanimously rejected a permit approval during a meeting on Wednesday that would have allowed medically vulnerable homeless individuals to be housed at the Rosedale Inn over the next five months as part of Kern Project Roomkey.
Calif. Supreme Court lets 2018’s Prop. C stand, frees up $300 million in homeless funds for SF
SFChronicle.com
The state Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for San Francisco to fund programs for the homeless with hundreds of millions of dollars in business taxes approved by a majority of city voters in 2018 — it’s an important case for tax measures on local ballots throughout California.
Zoom Towns And The New Housing Market For The 2 Americas
Capital Public Radio
Truckee, Calif., is a mountain town just northwest of Lake Tahoe. It is sort of an outdoorsy paradise. It has great skiing, mountain biking and hiking opportunities, as well as a river and lakes. It also has some great restaurants and a budding art scene. And if you’re a Bay Area resident in the market for a house, it has another thing going for it: It has a median home price that’s roughly half that of San Francisco, about three hours away.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Virtual Event September 17 – Fiscal Realities for Local Government
Public Policy Institute of California
Local governments have been hit especially hard during the pandemic shutdown and resulting economic instability. How will they set priorities among competing needs? How can they partner with state and federal governments to chart a path forward? Join us for a conversation with local leaders from around the state.
Washington Post
President Trump brags about his payroll tax cut. But money-smart employees see it for what it is: a loan. With Congress deadlocked on another stimulus package, Trump decided that what workers need most is a break from paying the payroll tax that funds Social Security.
U.S. Stocks Bounce Back After Tech Selloff
WSJ
Oil prices edge up, a day after their biggest fall in months.
TRANSPORTATION
California bill intended to aid transportation projects
Landline
The California Legislature has approved a bill to benefit transportation work intended to get people off of the state’s roadways. Sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, the bill would speed up projects considered to be “sustainable.” Specifically, SB288 would exempt transit projects from stricter review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
WATER
Valley Water District Relocates Threatened Steelhead
California Water News Daily
Last month Valley Water biologists rescued federally threatened Central California Coast Steelhead from Coyote Creek and relocated them to a more suitable environment in the Coyote watershed ahead of the drawdown of Anderson Reservoir on Oct. 1.
“Xtra”
Classic Ceres Drive-In to reopen as COVID-19 keeps other movie theaters closed
Modesto Bee
Pack the family into the car, grab your lawn chairs and get ready for a night of big-screen entertainment served with a big bucket of buttered nostalgia. The Ceres Drive-In is coming back. The once iconic drive-in cinema has been closed for more than a decade, sitting idle while being used instead as a flea market and industrial yard since 2008.
As virus lurks in Kern, Halloween festivities are in question
Bakersfield Californian
Will trick-or-treating go the way of Fourth of July fireworks and Easter egg hunts this year?
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The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.
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