TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Local/Regional:
Fresno Republican Party Faces Backlash For Inviting Sheriff Joe Arpaio to Fundraiser
The Fresno County Republican Party in Fresno is facing backlash after booking Joe Arpaio, the former Sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona to their First Amendment Barbecue.
California Republican Jeff Denham Calls for National Immigration Reform Movement
The California Report – KQED News
California Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said that he supports legislation that would offer a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA recipients. He announced his support following President Trump’s announcement that he was cancelling the Obama-era executive order that gave work permits and deportation protection to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.
Congressman McCarthy to hold service academy forum
Bakersfield Now
Rep. Kevin McCarthy will host a forum for students in the 23rd Congressional District who are interested in attending a U.S. service academy.
Delta tunnels hit with charges over improper taxpayer subsidy
Sacramento Bee
In a potential setback for the controversial Delta tunnels, federal auditors say $50 million in taxpayer funds were used to improperly subsidize San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts as they helped plan the project.
Nunes calls out Gov. Brown over water tunnels
The U.S. Interior Department improperly contributed $85 million in taxpayer funds to help pay for a giant California water project backed by Gov. Jerry Brown, despite pledges from Brown and other state and federal authorities that local water districts would bear all the costs, a federal audit said Friday.
Ramirez recall petition garners sufficient signatures
A recall election for Hanford City Councilman Francisco Ramirez should take place early next year after a recall petition garnered just enough signatures to warrant a recall.
State:
California Politics Podcast: The state’s lawmakers lash out at Trump’s decision on young immigrants
LA Times
Few states have a larger stake than California in the fate of the young immigrants enrolled in a controversial federal program that President Trump moved to cancel last week.
Legislation procrastination: California lawmakers leave some of the biggest bills for the final days
San Jose Mercury News
The California Legislature has left many of its high-stakes proposals — from a “sanctuary state” bill to a long-delayed affordable-housing package — for the final five days before adjourning for the year, setting the stage for a frenzied week in the Capitol.
See also:
· What’s being discussed in the final week of the California legislature? AP
· Housing, immigration await California lawmakers in last week Sacramento Bee
· Borenstein: Here’s the worst bill in Sacramento San Jose Mercury News
· Incumbents would face new restrictions on mass mailers under bill awaiting Brown’s signature 89.3 KPCC
· Will Jerry Brown water down California’s ‘sanctuary state’ bill? Sacramento Bee
· Time is running out for California Internet privacy bill hated by industry Los Angeles Times
· Proposal for 100% clean energy faces new political challenges as it nears the finish line LA Times
Walters: California legislators grant ‘great exceptions’ to laws others must obey
Fresno Bee (blog)
Nearly seven decades ago, historian Carey McWilliams assessed California’s first century of statehood and labeled it “The Great Exception” for its many attributes.
California voters don’t like the idea of new vote centers, UC Davis study finds
Central Valley Business Times
In some California counties, election officials are considering replacing traditional polling places with vote centers, where people can drop off ballots and access additional voter services, but a University of California, Davis, study finds voters may not welcome such changes.
Myers: The political parties would like voters to kill California’s top-two primary system in 2018
Los Angeles Times
Political parties and open primaries are the electoral equivalent of oil and water. They may coexist, but they don’t mix. So it’s hardly surprising that neither California’s dominant Democrats nor its fading Republicans have ever really embraced Proposition 14, the sweeping ballot measure that abolished partisan primaries six years ago.
Los Angeles Times
California’s campaign watchdog agency has launched an investigation into a complaint filed against Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach that alleges he misspent funds in his campaign for governor.
Republicans vying for California governor’s office likely to face skeptical donors
LA Daily News
In a recent speech to Republican donors, John Cox, a candidate for California governor, exuded the kind of optimism that could only come from an underdog.
Alex Padilla: Here’s how California can be more than an ATM for presidential candidates
Sacramento Bee
We Californians must reclaim our position of leadership in the nomination of the president of the United States. For the last three decades, with only one exception, every nominee for president for the Republican and Democratic parties was chosen before the primary election polls closed in California. Why? Because our primaries have historically been in June, at the tail end of the nominating schedule. A June primary virtually guarantees our voters have no meaningful voice in the nomination for president.
Why a trio of Democratic candidates for governor are dropping by a public union strike in Riverside
LA Times
Just how much political muscle do the public employee unions have in California? Well, three of California’s top Democratic candidates for governor — Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang — ventured to the Inland Empire to show their support for a Service Employees International Union strike against Riverside County. Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, who has been considering a run for higher office, also happened to drop by.
Accountability depends on transparency, which is under siege
CALmatters
If we – the California public – are to hold politicians and other government officials accountable, we must first know what they are doing or not doing. Thus, the first point of conflict is always access to records of official action or inaction.
National:
How California could jolt the 2020 presidential race
Politico
California is pushing forward with a plan to change the state’s primary date from June to March, a move that could scramble the 2020 presidential nominating contest and swing the early weight of the campaign to the West.
Willie Brown: Trump’s new deal – Democrats can help me
San Francisco Chronicle
No one, least of all Republicans, should be surprised by President Trump’s decision to dance with the Democrats.
Congressional funding an issue for the 2020 census
The Sacramento Bee
The U.S. Census Bureau is facing a host of challenges with 2020 on the horizon, including budget shortfalls, cost overruns and a shakeup atop the agency – the sudden resignation of Director John H. Thompson in June. There’s apprehension among some groups that President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance on immigration could depress participation, though questions are not asked about immigration status.
Sen. Kamala Harris heads to a key presidential battleground state to fundraise for a fellow senator
Los Angeles Times
Sen. Kamala Harris headed to Ohio on Friday for a two-day fundraising swing. The fundraisers are not for her — they’ll benefit her Senate colleague Sherrod Brown, who is up for reelection next year. But Harris’ appearance in the presidential battleground state is sure to draw attention given the speculation swirling around her political future.
Retirement watch: The four California members of Congress most likely to bow out by 2018
Los Angeles Times
No one in the country’s largest state delegation to Congress has announced plans to retire by 2018. Yet.
Essential Politics: Becerra to sue Trump administration over DACA
Los Angeles Times
Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra will announce a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the rescinding of DACA. The action is scheduled to be announced at a late morning event in Sacramento. We’ll have more coverage on our Essential Politics news feed.
Essential California: Can smaller quakes warn us of the Big One?
Los Angeles Times
Will there one day be an app on our smartphones that alerts you when the chance of a major earthquake in California rises? Some scientists think so. Forecasting exactly when and where a catastrophic earthquake will strike next is impossible, but what scientists can do is pay close attention when moderate quakes strike in perilously sensitive spots — places right next to major sleeping faults like the San Andreas. Such small earthquakes raise the risk the San Andreas could suddenly awaken after more than 150 years of slumber, and unleash a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake.
Mexico got early warning before deadly earthquake struck. When will California get that system?
Los Angeles Times
President Trump’s budget would have ended development of California’s earthquake warning system. Congress saved it. Mexico’s massive earthquake Thursday night offered another example of how an earthquake early warning system can provide crucial warnings for preparation. Mexico, Japan and other countries have early warning systems. California is developing one, but the effort has been threatened by budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
Other:
Fulton Street getting closer to reopening to the public
Construction crews are working to open up Fulton Street, as the area gets closer to starting a new chapter in its history.
Trump commemorates 9/11 anniversary: ‘America cannot be intimidated’
POLITICO
President Donald Trump marked the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Monday, honoring victims, first responders and the military in remarks at the Pentagon and pledging resolve keep the U.S. safe from future attacks.
See also:
· Another 9/11 Anniversary at Guantánamo, Amid Hurricane Irma The New Yorker
· The Man Who Knew FRONTLINE – PBS
EDITORIALS
Look, kids, bills that might actually help children and families
Fresno Bee
Baby bonding, mature marriage, gender equity, education all would get attention if these bills pass.
Thumbs up, thumbs down: Fresno has a heart for Houston
Fresno Bee
Clinica Sierra Vista sends mobile truck to Texas; toy library lends playthings to kids free; beware third-party ticket sellers
We can’t afford to make these all union jobs
Merced Sun-Star
AB 1250 would deprives thousands of workers of jobs and crush many non-profits; we must stay off this disastrous road toward bankruptcy
Porterville Recorder
Assembly Bill 339 authored by Assemblyman Devon Mathis (R-Visalia) is headed for the desk of Governor Jerry Brown Jr. We expect he will do the right thing and sign this bill that removes the June 30, 2018 sunset on emergency drinking water funds established by AB92 in March of 2015. AB92 funded 24 drought-related projects with $9.9 million and 34 contamination projects with $3.9 million.
Boosting morale for Sacramento police officers comes at a price
Sacramento Bee
While the City Council should approve the new contract with the police union on Tuesday, council members should also clearly say that they expect officers to be more open and responsive to the public.
Two sides of labor, two paths for Republicans
Sacramento Bee
Good Sunday morning, and welcome to Take Two, our sampler of California opinion, drawn from The Sacramento Bee editorial board’s opinion-politics newsletter, The Take. Please go to sacbee.com/site-services/
Dreamers, cops, workers – in Trump era, all but hard criminals deserve ‘sanctuary’ state
Sacramento Bee
As President Trump plays politics with the children of immigrants who came here illegally, California lawmakers must approve Senate Bill 54, legislation that would create what has come to be known as a sanctuary state.
Delta tunnel ‘WaterFix’ vote now? Santa Clara Valley should say no way
San Jose Mercury News
If the California WaterFix were a bond proposal being presented on Wall Street, it would get laughed out of the room
Stockton Record
Time passes on. And sometimes as we get further from an event, the less it resonates with us. Oh, we learn how to compartmentalize it. To give it context and understanding. But even with time, some things still never quite make much sense. Sept. 11, 2001 is one of those things. Sixteen years…
Los Angeles Times
One of the great failures in U.S. energy policy was that we’ve never figured out what to do with the lethally radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants. That’s why the owners of the decommissioned San Onofre nuclear plant have had little choice but to keep their spent fuel rods on site,…
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
‘This is about the Constitution.’ Rooster owners threaten to fight proposed ban
Modesto Bee
When does the American tradition of protecting property rights infringe on others’ peace and quiet? When roosters are involved.
Record heat hit California wine regions around harvest time
The Mercury News
The record head that baked Northern California over the Labor Day weekend left wine grapes shriveling on the vines, reducing many of them to raisins before the normal harvest and turning what was looking to be a promising vintage into a year that looks more uncertain.
Torrid temperatures shrivel California wine grapes to raisins
San Francisco Chronicle
Humans weren’t the only ones caught off guard and uncomfortable by the Bay Area’s Labor Day weekend heat spike. Wine grapes, unaccustomed to those temperatures at this time of year, were left shriveling on the vines, in many cases dehydrated by excessive daytime temperatures that weren’t cooling down enough at night. The heat episode has turned what was looking, just last week, to be a promising and average-yielding vintage into a year that looks more uncertain, in both quality and quantity.
Pot use down in kids age 12-17, federal survey finds
Fresno Bee
A government survey released this week offered one of the first sweeping looks at marijuana use among various age groups on the heels of several states’ legalization of recreational pot, finding 14-year highs in consumption by adults and a 14-year low in use by children ages 12-17.
San Diego council weighs whether to allow marijuana grows
Bakersfield Californian
The city council in San Diego is considering whether to OK marijuana cultivation locally once new state laws allowing recreational use take effect next year. The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/2eXgbjc ) that the nine-member council is expected to weigh the issue Monday.
Legal Marijuana Is Almost Here. If Only Pot Farmers Were on Board.
New York Times
From the sky they look like citrus groves, neat rows of lush emerald-colored plants set amid the hills of Northern California. But as a police reconnaissance helicopter banked for a closer look on a recent afternoon, the pungent smell of marijuana plants filled the cabin, wafting up from 800 feet below.
Hmong pot growers in Siskiyou County seeking identity, profit – or both
Los Angeles Times
The narcotics officer stood on a windswept ridge near the Oregon border and surveyed the fields cut into the hills below, a landscape resembling a lost piece of wine country. The terraces of Siskiyou County, however, were planted in cannabis. More than 1,500 Hmong farmers in the last two years have poured into this remote county, so vast it encompasses two western mountain ranges.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Charles Manson isn’t the only high-profile criminal in this California prison
Fresno Bee
In the middle of tranquil cotton fields in a corner of Kings County sits a state prison that’s home to some of the most notorious criminals in California.
Only 4 states make all sex offenders register for life. California may no longer be one.
Sacramento Bee
California’s sex offender registry is broken, according to law enforcement officials. As one of only four states that requires lifetime registration for all offenders, California has amassed more than 100,000 names on its list. The registry has become so large, police and prosecutors say, that it often produces too many potential suspects to be useful in solving sex crime cases.
Police Oversight Legislation Stalls in Sacramento
KQED
With all the talk about police shootings, alleged misconduct and body cameras in recent years, it seems natural that California lawmakers would wade into the debate.
NRA files another lawsuit challenging California’s assault rifle restrictions
Los Angeles Times
The National Rifle Assn. has filed a second lawsuit challenging California’s assault weapons restrictions, this time alleging that regulations developed by the state Department of Justice are too burdensome and go beyond the agency’s powers.
Fire:
Fighting country’s fires could cost $2B
Fire suppression spending now exceeds 55 percent of the U.S. Forest Service budget and may reach $2 billion this year, Perdue said before swearing in the nation’s 18th chief forester, Tony Tooke, at an Agriculture Department headquarters ceremony.
2017 proving to be a bad fire year in Sierra
Fresno Bee
No, it’s not your imagination. California’s long, hot summer is on a pace to produce a wildfire season with more fires scorching more acres this year than 2016 – more acres falling victim to flames, in fact, than all but three of the past 10 years.
Six burning questions about Central California’s 2017 fire season
Fresno Bee
No, it’s not your imagination. California’s long, hot summer is on a pace to produce a wildfire season with more fires scorching more acres this year than 2016 – more acres falling victim to flames, in fact, than all but three of the past 10 years.
Fresno Bee
Nearly 270 people were allowed to return to 135 homes in Cedar Valley Sunday afternoon, after the Railroad Fire forced a Sept. 3 mandatory evacuation of the subdivision.
Sierra fires: Oakhurst school close for second straight day
Sierra Star
At one point, particulate matter reached 601 micrograms per cubic meter for small particulates.
Sierra Star
Good news – Cedar Valley residents return home today as firefighters continue their heroic work.
Fire crews increase containment of nearby fires
The Fresno Bee
The latest updates from fire agencies report that containment for several fires burning in the Sierra Nevada mountains had increased by Saturday morning.
These area highways are among California’s worst for collisions with wildlife
Sacramento Bee
If you are a commuter, Southern California freeways are your nightmare. If you happen to be a deer, coyote or raccoon, the highways of Northern California are a lot worse.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Valley economic index falls, but sits in healthy range
The Business Journal
The San Joaquin Valley Business Conditions Index has moved down, but still points to strong growth in the next three to six months.
‘Sanctuary businesses’? Tough-talking states give businesses a pass on illegal immigration
Los Angeles Times
As part of its tough stance against illegal immigration, Texas has been one of the few states requiring state agencies to use a federal system known as E-Verify to check job applicants.
The system checks Social Security numbers to make sure a prospective employee can legally work in the U.S.
Can compassion have economic benefits?
Marketplace
Being nice can pay off — literally.
Jobs:
No One is Disposable: Growing California’s working population critical to future economy
CAFWD
To advance the triple bottom line in California – boosting prosperity, equity and sustainability – state policies need to be grounded in the demographic trends that are hobbling traditional policy solutions. As the population in California (and the nation) grows slower and older, consumption slows, and in turn so does overall economic activity, personal income and public tax revenues.
What Autonomous Vehicles Could Mean for American Workers
RAND
Autonomous vehicles—vehicles that drive themselves some or all of the time—are projected to hit American roads within the next few years. They promise safer transportation, greater mobility for millions of Americans, improvement in how space is used, and a host of other benefits. But they will also have enormous impacts on the workforce, some negative and positive, some subtle and surprising.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Fresno Unified teachers another step closer to a strike
Fresno Bee
The Fresno Teachers Association’s representative council voted last month to authorize its executive board to call for a strike vote of the general membership, and the board did that unanimously in a meeting Thursday night. On Oct. 3, the near 4,000 members of the union will vote if they want to move forward, after more than a year offailed negotiations with the district about issues including class size and student discipline.
Former UCLA chancellor becomes chief of tiny school district
Merced Sun-Star
Charles Young, who was the chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles for 29 years, is stepping out of retirement to become superintendent of a small Northern California school district.
California’s education plan affirms commitment to local control
EdSource
California is fast approaching the September 18 deadline to submit its draft Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan to the federal government. This plan – essentially a grant application – allows California to makes its case for utilizing federal funds to assist low-income students across the state.
Bilingual education advocates celebrate first new policy for English language learners in 20 years
EdSource
Martha Hernandez, who began her career as a bilingual educator in California in 1976, remembers a time when knowing a language other than English was not considered an asset. It was difficult to advocate for students learning to speak English and often programs did not provide enough math and reading intervention for those students.
The Atlantic
The current debate over public education underestimates its value—and forgets its purpose.
Higher Ed:
California Senator Kamala D. Harris Joins Senate Democrats Introducing Students Before Profits Act
Sierra Sun Times
After President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos last week named a former official of the fraudulent DeVry University to direct the Department of Education unit in charge of combatting fraud, U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris joined Senate Democrats in reintroducing the Students Before Profits Act, a bill to protect students from deceptive practices and bad actors in the for-profit college sector. The bill ensures students have access to important and accurate information, strengthens oversight and regulation, and holds for-profit schools and their executives accountable for violations and poor performance. In 2013, as Attorney General of California, Harris sued Corinthian Colleges for false and predatory advertising, securities fraud and intentional misrepresentations to students, winning a $1.1 billion judgment.
Dreamers at UC should feel very lucky
Sacramento Bee
Now, if President-elect Donald Trump takes his own campaign promises literally and deports many more undocumented immigrants, Blanco will be on the front lines trying to shield University of California students.
Los Angeles Times
Tennesseans voted in landslide numbers — roughly 61% of them — for President Trump. They’re also about to provide a tuition-free community college education for any Tennessean who wants one. That’s truly progressive’.
Sacramento State parking is as bad as ever. Here’s what the school is doing about it.
Sacramento Bee
The start of the school year can be hectic. At Sacramento State though, a predominantly commuter school, the problem starts long before students get to class. Parking spots on campus are fewer this fall because of construction on what used to be parking lots. At the same time, the student population has hit an all-time high of 30,850.
Elevate CA: The California State University is vital to state’s socioeconomic success
CAFWD
Of course, we in higher education, business and public policy have anecdotal evidence of the generational shifts in the economy that will fundamentally change how we teach, work and live in the years and decades to come. Employers are increasingly searching for candidates who are specialized, highly trained and well educated and capable of ongoing learning to adapt quickly and nimbly to change throughout life. Data supports this, too. College graduates make more than high school graduates at every point in their career. According to the nonpartisan Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than one percent of the 6 million jobs created in this country since 2009 have gone to those with a high school diploma or less.
Higher Education in California
Public Policy Institute of California
Higher education enhances Californians’ lives and contributes to the state’s economic growth. But population and education trends suggest that California is facing a large shortfall of college graduates. Addressing this shortfall will require strong gains for groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education. Substantial improvement in educational outcomes will create a more productive economy, generate higher incomes and tax revenues, and put less pressure on the social safety net.
How U.S. News college rankings promote economic inequality on campus
Politico
A Politico review shows that the criteria used in the U.S. News rankings – a measure so closely followed in the academic world that some colleges have built them into strategic plans – create incentives for schools to favor wealthier students.
Vocational Ed:
In the Future, Warehouse Robots Will Learn on Their Own
New York Times
The robot was perched over a bin filled with random objects, from a box of instant oatmeal to a small toy shark. This two-armed automaton did not recognize any of this stuff, but that did not matter. It reached into the pile and started picking things up, one after another after another.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Sierra fires: Oakhurst school close for second straight day
Sierra Star
At one point, particulate matter reached 601 micrograms per cubic meter for small particulates.
Green groups line up for state’s cap-and-trade cash
San Francisco Chronicle
It should come as no surprise that when the state Legislature recently began divvying up proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade auctions, a cavalcade of local officials, community activists and lobbyists rushed to Sacramento with hands out.
No, 30,000 scientists have not said climate change is a hoax
PunditFact
Climate change doubters have no patience for claims that the overwhelming number of climate researchers believe that humans are the driving factor. Facebook users flagged a recent article on the website News Punch that asserted much more disagreement in the scientific community than is commonly thought. “30,000 scientists have come forward confirming that man-made climate change is a hoax perpetuated by the elite in order to make money,” was the subheadline in the Sept. 2 story.
Energy:
Proposal for 100% clean energy faces new political challenges as it nears the finish line
Los Angeles Times
The legislation, SB 100, would phase out fossil fuels for generating electricity by 2045, strengthening California’s already formidable reputation as a leader in the fight against climate change.
See also:
· The path to carbon-free electricity Capitol Weekly
· Union negotiations pave way for Gov. Jerry Brown to advance ambitious plan for regional electricity grid Los Angeles Times
What’s in Gov. Jerry Brown’s regional electric grid proposal? Here are the details
LA Times
The effort involves a sweeping transformation at the California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state’s electricity grid. Right now the organization, known as Cal-ISO, is run by a board chosen by the governor and confirmed by state senators. Under the new proposal, Cal-ISO would launch a discussion with regulators and utilities in the region to create a new governance structure where oversight is shared among multiple states. The process would be completed by Oct. 31, 2018.
Los Angeles Times
Some of California’s big shareholder-owned utilities are working to thwart the expansion of government-owned electricity programs, including Los Angeles County’s proposed end run on traditional power providers.
Should Utilities Build Charging Stations for Electric Cars?
Pew Charitable Trust | Stateline
Opponents say utility-built charging stations make all consumers pay for a service only a few relatively affluent people will use. Proponents say utilities can direct service to low-income areas that would not be served by private industry
China’s Electric Car Push Lures Global Auto Giants, Despite Risks
NYTimes.com
Volkswagen, the German auto giant, is preparing for a swift expansion in its output of electric cars next year — and the biggest jump in production will be in China. General Motors is making China the hub of its electric car research and development. Renault-Nissan, the French and Japanese carmaker, and Ford Motor have hustled to set up joint electric-car ventures in China.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Would a medical school at UC Merced fix the county’s doctor shortage?
Modesto Bee
More than 30,000 Merced County residents gained some form of health insurance when Medi-Cal was expanded in 2014. However, there was no corresponding increase in doctors to accept those patients who suddenly could afford to pay, according to Kathleen Grassi, director of the Merced County Department of Public Health.
Fate of controversial California drug price bill up in air
Daily News
Closely watched California bill could soon become the nation’s most comprehensive law aimed at shining a light on prescription drug prices. Senate Bill 17’s goal of moving toward ‘transparency’ in drug prices would enable health insurers to negotiate lower prices for drugs or, in many cases, replace those drugs with cheaper alternatives, its supporters say. They argue that the measure could make a huge difference because when California has required cost transparency in other areas of the health care industry, prices have stabilized or even decreased.
More opioid prescriptions than people in some California counties
Sacramento Bee
Trinity County is the state’s fourth-smallest, and ended last year with an estimated population of 13,628 people.
Its residents also filled prescriptions for oxycodone, hydrocodone and other opioids 18,439 times, the highest per capita rate in California.
Union-backed dialysis clinic bill shelved by California lawmaker
Sacramento Bee
A California bill to require more oversight of dialysis centers has been sidelined for the year in the state Legislature. Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, introduced Senate Bill 349 earlier this year at the behest of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. The bill faced heavy opposition from corporations that operate for-profit dialysis centers in California and other parts of the country.
IMMIGRATION
California Republican (Denham) Calls for National Immigration Reform Movement
KQED
California Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said that he supports legislation that would offer a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA recipients. He announced his support following President Trump’s announcement that he was cancelling the Obama-era executive order that gave work permits and deportation protection to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.
California Wades Deeper Into the DACA Debate Today
KQED
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra this morning will announce a lawsuit against the federal government over the Trump Administration’s decision to “wind down” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, the Obama-era action that allows immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to study and work in the country without fear of deportation.
See also:
· California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra to announce a lawsuit against Trump’s DACA decision LA Times
Trump wants to restrict trade and immigration. Here’s why he can’t do both.
Washington Post
Recently, trade negotiators from the United States, Canada and Mexico concluded the first round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. President Trump has made clear that he wants a deal that cuts the U.S. trade deficit — and brings manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Trump also threatened to withdraw from the South Korea-U.S. free-trade agreement (KORUS), citing unfair trade practices and a desire to bring home U.S. jobs.
See also:
· Krugman: Dreamers, liars and bad economics Sacramento Bee
Mexico diplomat meets with California officials, immigrants
AP
Mexico’s top diplomat will make a two-day visit to immigrant-friendly California amid strained relations between his country and the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s border wall and immigration and trade proposals.
In great American tradition, let California take undocumented
SFGate
You are rapidly deporting undocumented Californians, many of whom are crucial members of our communities, workplaces and families. In removing parents, you routinely orphan children who are U.S. citizens, and in the next breath say you are for “America First.” Your next targets for removal are the 800,000 young people known as “Dreamers,” people who were brought to the United States as children by their undocumented immigrant parents.
Pope tells Trump to keep DACA in place if he’s a true ‘pro-lifer’
LA Times
Speaking to reporters as he flew back to Rome after several days in Colombia, Francis said late Sunday that Trump’s decision to end legal protections for people brought to the country illegally as children would split families, “the cradle of life.”
See also:
· American Immigration & Catholic Bishops: Tradition of Welcome, Generosity National Review
‘Sanctuary businesses’? Tough-talking states give businesses a pass on illegal immigration
Los Angeles Times
As part of its tough stance against illegal immigration, Texas has been one of the few states requiring state agencies to use a federal system known as E-Verify to check job applicants.
How California’s Trust Act shaped the debate on the new ‘sanctuary state’ proposal
Los Angeles Times
Over the past few months, immigrant advocates have rallied at sheriff’s departments, marched to the state Capitol and occupied the governor’s office in a push for a California Senate bill that would limit law enforcement from questioning or holding people on immigration violations.
‘Dreamers’ could lose more than their jobs if immigration program dies
San Francisco Chronicle
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program gave unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the United States before age 16 temporary work authorization and relief from deportation. It indirectly made them eligible for certain benefits they couldn’t get before, though not as many as citizens and permanent residents get.
Has DACA been ruled unconstitutional?
PolitiFact
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is leading a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to rescind a deferred deportation program, claiming the move is discriminatory and that the program itself has not been ruled unconstitutional.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Fresno State offers new city and regional planning degree
Fresno State News
Fresno State students can now earn a degree in city and regional planning. The Bachelor of Science degree program, effective in the fall 2017 semester, is the only such planning program in the Central Valley.
Bill Would Revive California’s Redevelopment Agencies
PublicCEO
California’s redevelopment agencies were a fixture on the local political landscape for six decades, as they guided development policies and grabbed “tax increment financing” that localities used to pay for infrastructure improvements, downtown renovations and affordable-housing projects. They had some notable successes but generated enormous controversy before Gov. Jerry Brown shuttered them in 2011
Hustler Hollywood sets opening date; Larry Flynt to attend
The Business Journal
Fresno’s Hustler Hollywood store has set a grand opening date of Sept. 30, with a planned special appearance by controversial founder Larry Flynt. Located at the former Silver Dollar Hobrau location at 333 E. Shaw Avenue just off Highway 41, the 6 p.m. event is free and open to the public, according to a news release.
Which cities are well positioned to land Amazon’s HQ2?
Brookings Institution
From transit systems to land capacity, a look at the deciding factors in Amazon’s search for a second HQ.
Housing:
Meet YIMBY: Pro-development groups join the battle in California housing wars
Orange County Register
It’s an ageless fight waged in board rooms, council chambers and auditoriums across the state. Governing bodies take their seats on raised platforms as a parade of angry citizens lambast the latest homebuilding proposal, worried about traffic, schools, crime and property values. The developers, they say, are greedy bloodsuckers.
Los Angeles Times
Out of curiosity, I looked up the value of a two-story tract house I bought in a middle-class San Jose neighborhood back in 1983, for about $130,000. The home — which I sold for about $140,000 in 1985 — would now haul in an estimated $1 million or more, based on recent sales in the same neighborhood.
LA Times
A proposed 2018 statewide initiative to extend Proposition 13’s property tax breaks from older to younger homeowners ultimately will cost local governments and the state billions of dollars a year, according to a financial analysis of the measure released Friday.
California’s Housing Crisis in Two Charts
PublicCEO
Of you’re lucky, you got to hear CA Fwd’s president and CEO, Jim Mayer, speaking with insight into the crisis in a “big picture” presentation at the San Joaquin Valley Affordable Housing Summit on Thursday.
PUBLIC FINANCES
State will demolish boarded-up Modesto buildings
The Modesto Bee
The state will demolish the boarded-up buildings on the city block it purchased in December 2014 for a new downtown Modesto courthouse, over concerns about public safety and to reduce its liability. Demolition could start in two to four weeks and take 21/2 to 3 months. But the state has not yet solved a funding shortfall to build this and other courthouse projects across California.
Taxpayer money was wrongly used to plan California water tunnel project, federal audit says
Los Angeles Times
A federal agency left U.S. taxpayers on the hook for $50 million in water project costs that should have been paid by Central Valley irrigation districts, according to an inspector general’s report released Friday.
Nepotism audit at CA tax agency BOE finds family ties
The Sacramento Bee
About 1 in 5 employees at a California tax department works with a relative, and several families there have nepotism conflicts within their chains of supervision, according to sources who are familiar with an ongoing personnel audit at the Board of Equalization.
Fewer charter schools choosing CalSTRS pensions
Calpensions
Compared to the national average, California charter schools operating outside of usual regulations are a larger part of the total K-12 schools (12.2 percent compared to 7.2 percent) and are growing at a faster rate, said a June report to the CalSTRS board.
Measuring CalWORKs Performance
Legislative Analyst’s Office
Outlines the rationales for measuring program performance and outlines why it should focus on outcomes; raises several issues to be considered as the CalWORKs Outcomes and Accountability Review (Cal-OAR) system is further developed and implemented in the coming years.
TRANSPORTATION
California bullet train is proving skeptics wrong
The Sacramento Bee
All one needs to do is drive State Route 99 through the Central Valley to know that Shawn Steel’s editorial indicating that California’s high-speed rail project has “broken more promises than ground” is wrong. The nation’s first high-speed rail program has more than 119 miles under construction, and more than $3 billion invested in California’s economy.
These area highways are among California’s worst for collisions with wildlife
Sacramento Bee
If you are a commuter, Southern California freeways are your nightmare. If you happen to be a deer, coyote or raccoon, the highways of Northern California are a lot worse.
Painful Prices at the Pump Are Finally Heading Down, Experts Say
L.A. Weekly
Gas has been cheap enough in the last few years to give the auto industry a boost, depress electric vehicle sales and boost the number of miles we drive. Lower gas prices also mean folks have more cash to spend on other things, like housing.
WATER
Delta tunnels hit with charges over improper taxpayer subsidy
Sacramento Bee
In a potential setback for the controversial Delta tunnels, federal auditors say $50 million in taxpayer funds were used to improperly subsidize San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts as they helped plan the project.
See also:
· Taxpayer money was wrongly used to plan California water tunnel project, federal audit says Los Angeles Times
· Nunes calls out Gov. Brown over water tunnels visaliatimesdelta.com
· Frustration, friction flashed behind the scenes as Oroville Dam emergency grew Sacramento Bee
Capitol Weekly
Talked about for decades, but now that project officials — and backed by 70 major allies — have formally submitted an application for state bond money, the question arises: Will this $5 billion project actually come to pass?
“Xtra”
Valley Red Cross volunteers ready to mobilize with Hurricane Irma looming off Florida coast
ABC30
Red Cross volunteers are making their way to Florida where they’ll shelter in place during the storm before heading out to help.
THE DISH: What’s really hot in September? Restaurant openings and events
The weather may start to cool in September, but this month is heating up with exciting food events. Here’s a quick look at what’s been going on.