Maddy Institute – September 4, 2020

04Sep

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Stan State Ranked No. 5 ‘Most Transformative’ by MONEY Magazine

CSU Stan

Stanislaus State continues to amass national recognition for its academic excellence, affordability and preparing scholars for their future careers as MONEY Magazine announced today the University earned the No. 5 ranking on its “Most Transformative Colleges” list.

Stanislaus adds 5 deaths. Some schools may progress

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County reported Wednesday that another five residents have died from the virus, for a total of 267. Details were not available on age, gender or underlying conditions for the five.

Message is clear at vigil to honor Foster Farms workers who died from COVID-19

Modesto Bee

In front of grieving and frustrated community members at the Max Foster Sports Complex, Naindeep Singh echoed a familiar sentiment heard Thursday night about the treatment of workers at the nearby Foster Farms facility.

Candidate Forum: Stanislaus Supervisor candidates Condit, Hallinan weigh in on issues

Modesto Bee

Channce Condit and Tom Hallinan, both running for the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors District 5 seat in the November election, made their cases before The Bee’s Editorial Board on Thursday

EDITORIAL: Tom Berryhill, a Stanislaus leader whose heart we could count on

Modesto Bee

Voters with semi-decent memories will remember how Tom Berryhill in 2006 laughed off his opponent’s desperate and classless attack mailer doubting that Berryhill’s heart was stout enough for the rigors of public office.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID-19 claims ‘way too many lives.’ How July surge led to August deaths in Fresno

Fresno Bee

Each month since the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley in early March, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed a larger number of lives. August was the deadliest month yet for the pandemic locally, with 152 deaths in Fresno County – more than the prior five months combined.

● Fresno County adds more than 200 COVID-19 cases. How many infections does it have now? Fresno Bee

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

International Agri-Center, home of World Ag Expo, now a COVID-19 testing site in Tulare

Visalia Times Delta

Tulare County residents can now get tested for COVID-19 at a new community testing center in Tulare. Public health officials announced on Monday the opening of a new OptumServe testing site located at the International Agri-Center in Tulare.

July’s surge led deaths in August; Pelosi salon video has Fresno tie

Fresno Bee

The number of hospitalizations and patients in intensive care units because of COVID-19 has dropped significantly In Calif since July and the percentage of coronavirus tests that are returning positive has declined gradually in the past few weeks.

How the city failed its Black residents — and the path forward. RSVP to our Fresno Voices forum

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.

VUSD trustee in hot water after saying U.S. ‘has been going downhill for 100 years’ since women’s suffrage

Visalia Times Delta

A longtime Visalia Unified School District trustee “owes women an apology” after making a comment on the dais that drew swift criticism from parents, the community, and at least one other trustee during a recent public meeting.

Fresno had its second hottest August on record. Here’s what we know about September

Fresno Bee

Last month was the second hottest August on record for Fresno, and relief from the heat isn’t expected soon, with triple-digit temperatures forecast into next week. August 2020 in Fresno saw an average temperature of 86.2 degrees, narrowly missing the record for that month’s hottest, an 86.5 average in 2012, said meteorologist Jim Andersen with the National Weather Service at Hanford.

A Calif Republican (David Valadao) said he worked with Obama. Here’s what Pres. Obama says about that

Fresno Bee

Former Pres. Barack Obama doesn’t want a Calif Republican running for Congress to use his name in campaign ads suggesting they worked together on policy during the Democrat’s Admin.

South SJ Valley:

Board approves plans for COVID-19 funds, mobile testing

Hanford Sentinel

The Kings Co Board of Supervisors met Tue and discussed several COVID-19 related issues, including the county’s plan for coronavirus relief funds and plans for a mobile testing site.

BPD Community Collaborative seeks local input as effort kicks off

Bakersfield Califn

Community stakeholders and members of the Bakersfield Police Dept have been hard at work with one another to develop a variety of ways for locals to provide input for the future of the Dept’s practices, policies and community relations.

Judge Hoover, who championed ‘drug court,’ compassionate justice in Bakersfield, has died

Bakersfield Califn

Veteran criminal defense attorney David Torres sometimes marveled that a progressive maverick like Kern County Superior Court Judge Frank Hoover was ever elevated to the bench in a county where staunch law-and-order judges were the norm.

State:

Calif’s expensive COVID-19 predictions were useless for rural areas. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

In mid-July, Calif’s pandemic forecast painted a bleak picture for El Dorado County. The state’s so-called “model of models” predicted 45 people with COVID-19 would die within 30 days in the sparsely populated county.

Gov. Newsom declares emergency over heat wave, threat of Calif blackouts

Sac Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom, trying to avoid another round of rolling blackouts this weekend, on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Labor Day weekend and said the state would ease some air-pollution rules and other restrictions to get free up electricity supplies.

● Flex Alert called for Saturday through Monday, amid sweltering Labor Day weekend heat abc30

● Enjoying holiday weekend amid pandemic, heat wave may be a ‘Labor’ of its own Bakersfield Califn

● ‘Mother Nature Didn’t Get The Memo’ — Smoke-Free Skies Likely To Return As Temperatures Soar Capital Public Radio

● Ferocious heat wave could bring record temperatures to Calif over Labor Day weekend LA Times

● As another heat wave looms, Calif asks people to conserve electricity over Labor Day weekend SF Chronicle

● CA Dangerous Heat Wave, ISO calls Flex Alert for Labor Day Weekend KMJ

Will Gov sign new police laws after George Floyd protests? Here are his options

Fresno Bee

Calif lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a pack of bills intended to rein in police misconduct, but stopped short of passing two high-profile measures that would have restricted law enforcement officers’ use of rubber bullets and make it easier to fire cops.

Lawmakers send historic mental-health bills to Newsom

Capitol Weekly

Landmark legislation to improve Calif’s notoriously fractured mental-health system has been passed and sent to the governor in the waning days of a chaotic legislative session disrupted by the COVID pandemic.

‘Galvanize this moment’: Calif lawmaker hopes newborn speech will propel family leave

Politico

It was a revolution with a baby and a blanket. Calif Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks became an international symbol for working moms this week when she made a state Capitol floor speech just before midnight while holding her swaddled 1-month-old, Elly, and wearing a mask in the midst of the pandemic.

Editorial: A strange and chaotic — and meh — year for Calif lawmaking

LA Times

Anyone watching the final days of the Calif Legislature’s two-year session might have been surprised to see the level of dysfunction, vitriol and chaos on display as lawmakers scrambled to pass bills before the stroke of midnight Monday.

Calif Makes Final Push To Get Everyone In 2020 Census Count

Capital Public Radio

Filling out a census form may seem like a mundane task. But Ditas Katague would argue it has profound consequences. “It’s about power, and it’s about money,” Katague said about being counted in the 2020 census. She directs the Calif Complete Count – Census 2020 Office, the state’s effort to get all residents in this year’s federal tally.

Calif seeks immediate reversal of U.S. Postal Service changes

LA Times

Calif is seeking the immediate reversal of changes at the U.S. Postal Service that have caused widespread delays in mail delivery and have raised concerns that mail-in voting could be hampered ahead of the November election.

Chief Justice Appoints New Judicial Council Members

Calif Courts Newsroom

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye appointed two new voting members and four new advisory (nonvoting) members to the Judicial Council. She also reappointed four voting members and two advisory members.

Federal:

Covid-19 Ventilator Orders Canceled by Trump Admin

WSJ

The Trump Admin said it has accumulated so many ventilators that it is canceling some of the $3 billion in contracts it signed to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a sharp turnaround from April when some states struggled to obtain the lifesaving machines.

Fact Check: “The entire city (of Portland) is ablaze all the time.”

PolitiFact

The whole city of Portland, Ore., is not on fire, despite Pres. Donald Trump’s claim that “the entire city is ablaze all the time.” The remark came during a White House press conference, when Trump criticized Portland’s mayor for his handling of ongoing protests in the city. Later that night, Trump told Fox News, “Portland’s been burning for many years, for decades it’s been burning.”

Fact Check: No, the CDC did not ‘quietly adjust’ US coronavirus deaths

PolitiFact

Over the weekend, Pres. Donald Trump shared two posts that falsely claimed COVID-19 deaths are not as high as previously thought. The posts claimed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 death numbers to show that only 9,210 Americans have died from the virus.

Pres. Trump’s New COVID-19 Adviser Is Making Public Health Experts Nervous

VPR

Dr. Scott Atlas has literally written the book on magnetic resonance imaging. He has also co-authored numerous scientific studies on the economics of medical imaging technology. But Pres. Trump has tapped Atlas for a very different role — as an adviser on the coronavirus pandemic. As such, he is counseling the Pres. on life-and-death decisions about the virus, which has already killed more than 180,000 Americans so far this year.

Commentary: Presidential powers, and why Robert Jackson matters

AEI

In this LegBranch.org podcast, Kevin Kosar of the American Enterprise Institute speaks with Dr. Louis Fisher about his new article on Pres.ial powers: Sources and Limits for Pres.ial Power: Perspectives of Robert H. Jackson, 83 Albany Law Review 0441 (2020).

Commentary: From the Government, “Do As We Say, Not As We Do” File

Fox & Hounds

Government elected officials are proud and often boastful when it comes to making laws that tell the rest of us how to live but legislators many times don’t have to follow the same mandates they require of others. This week, Calif witnessed the latest entries in the “Do as we say, not as we do” file.

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 Dept of Public Health

● Coronavirus (COVID-19) CDC

● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO

● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University

● Tracking coronavirus in Calif LA Times

● Coronavirus Tracker SF 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 Pandemic Looms Over Labor Day Weekend

WSJ

The coronavirus pandemic loomed over Americans’ Labor Day weekend plans as the U.S. recorded more than 36,000 new coronavirus cases. “It’s a time when we could have major spread in the virus. Let’s make sure that it’s not,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday ahead of the holiday weekend. The Kentucky Derby, which had been postponed, is set to run Saturday without fans in attendance.

Elections 2020:

Trump faces pushback for urging people to vote twice as test

LA Times

Pres. Trump said Thursday that people who vote early by mail should show up at polling places and vote again if their ballots haven’t been counted, a slight walk-back from his comments a day earlier when he suggested people vote twice to test the mail-in system.

● Facebook, Twitter crack down on Trump’s double-voting remarks Politico

● Donald Trump weaves Joe Biden into his false claims about the border wall Politico

● Fact check: Trump says he’s done more for veterans than John McCain did — while taking credit for McCain’s veterans bill CNNPolitics

● OPINION: Trump Says Vote Early and Often WSJ

Feehery: The working-class party

The Hill

The great realignment is over. The Republicans are now the working-class party while the Democrats are the party of the political establishment.

‘A political awakening’: how south Asians could tilt key US elections

The Guardian

Around 2016, Aamina Ahmed found herself wondering why, for all the talk about getting out to vote, no one had been canvassing in her neighborhood in Canton, Michigan.

Opinion: What’s the worst that could happen?

Wash Post

We wanted to know: What’s the worst thing that could happen to our country during the Pres.ial election? Pres. Trump has broken countless norms and ignored countless laws during his time in office, and while my colleagues and I at the Transition Integrity Project didn’t want to lie awake at night contemplating the ways the American experiment could fail, we realized that identifying the most serious risks to our democracy might be the best way to avert a November disaster.

Barr claims a man collected 1,700 ballots and filled them out as he pleased. Prosecutors say that’s not what happened.

Wash Post

In his latest warning about the dangers of mass mail-in voting, Attorney General William P. Barr pointed to a case in Texas that he said highlighted the risk of fraud. “Elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion,” Barr told CNN on Wednesday.

Russia is working to undermine confidence in voting by mail, DHS warns

Wash Post

Russia is seeking “to undermine public trust in the electoral process” by spreading false claims that mail-in-ballots are riddled with fraud and susceptible to manipulation, according to a new intelligence bulletin by the Dept of Homeland Security.

Voting Begins and Ad Wars Escalate as 2020 Election Enters Home Stretch

WSJ

Well over $400 million of Pres.ial campaign advertising—and likely significantly more—is expected to wash across American TV screens in the next two months as the race for the White House enters the home stretch and voters start casting their ballots this month.

Opinion: The 2020 Election, a Race in Which Everything Happens and Nothing Matters

The New Yorker

Does anything matter anymore in American politics? In the week since Donald Trump’s Convention ended with a personality-cult party on the White House lawn, the Pres. has completely refocussed his campaign on threats to law and order from “Rioters, Anarchists, Agitators, and Looters.”

Commentary: Will Trump Ride the Markets to Victory?

U.S. News

THROUGHOUT HIS presidency, Donald Trump has consistently relied on one measure to gauge his performance: the health of the economy and, more narrowly, the stock market.

Biden’s Shrinking Lead Is a Jolting Reminder for Democrats – Trump Could Win

U.S. News

With two months to go before Election Day, Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s lead over Pres. Donald Trump has narrowed, both nationally and in critical battleground states. Two new polls out Wednesday, one by Selzer & Co., and one by Suffolk University, show Biden ahead nationally by 8 and 7 percentage points, respectively, while a Monmouth University survey shows a dramatic shrinkage in Biden’s advantage in his birth state of Pennsylvania.

Fact Check: Does Joe Biden want to defund the police?

PolitiFact

It was a common refrain at the RNC. Eric Trump said: “Biden has pledged to defund the police and take away your cherished Second Amendment.” Rep. Steve Scalise said: “Joe Biden has embraced the left’s insane mission to defund them.”

OPINION: Why Biden Won’t Talk About Judges

WSJ

This was supposed to be the year the Democrats finally made the Supreme Court a campaign issue, but there was no talk of Merrick Garland or even Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the party’s convention. The words “Supreme Court” were uttered only once in four nights, mentioned in passing by Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Other:

The QAnon problem facing local journalism this election season

Wash Post

The 16 candidates who sought the Republican nomination in the open race for Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District this year included a former state senator, two former mayors, a pharmacist — and two supporters of the bogus conspiracy theory known as QAnon.

Facebook’s ad shakeup could alter campaigns’ endgame plans

Politico

Facebook threw yet another new curveball at campaign offices Thursday when it announced a ban on new political ads in the week before Election Day, curtailing a highly effective conduit for raising last-minute money and pinpointing messages to voters.

● Facebook bans new political ads in the week before Election Day Politico

● Commentary: How hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweet Brookings

Commentary: Why we should register voters when they file their taxes

Brookings

In recent weeks, we have witnessed a mad scramble as states prepare to conduct a national election under pandemic conditions. Once it became clear that the government would not successfully contain the virus, this flurry of activity was to some extent unavoidable. But even under normal circumstances, our election Admin puts a terrible burden on American voters.

OPINION: A First Step Toward Loving Our Enemies

WSJ

When Pope Francis appeared before Congress in 2015, he spoke about the divisiveness that had overcome American politics. The pope called for an end to “the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners.” Few heeded his warning.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, September 6, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Calif Migration: The Story of Us” – Guests: Judy Lin, CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, September 6, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Calif Migration & Immigration: Who Is Coming and Who is Going?” – Guests: SOS Padilla, Sarah Bohn- PPIC, John Myers, LA Times and Judy Lin with CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Pistachio harvest could set new U.S. record

Bakersfield Califn

Only time will tell but it’s looking like the pistachio harvest just now coming into full swing in Kern County will set a new record this year — without a substantial drop in prices. Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions during the all-important winter months, industry observers say U.S. production this year could top 1 billion pounds, possibly surpassing 2018’s record of 994 million pounds.

Grocery delivery by robot? There are plans to bring it to Modesto

Modesto Bee

Self-driving robots shaped like coolers on six wheels and moving at a top speed of 4 mph may soon be delivering groceries to Save Mart customers in Modesto. The grocery chain is working with SF-based Starship Technologies to have the robots deliver food, groceries and packages, according to a city report and a draft agreement between Starship Technologies and the city.

Foster Farms shut down Calif facility over COVID-19. So why doesn’t it look closed?

CalMatters

Foster Farms shut down its main chicken processing facility in Livingston on Tuesday evening amid a coronavirus outbreak that health officials say has claimed the lives of at least eight workers.

New federal rules will allow local schools to serve meals to all children 2-18 again

Bakersfield Califn

The US Dept of Agriculture extended federal rules allowing children 2 to 18 to receive free grab-and-go meals at schools during the week. The extension is now set to expire at the end of 2020 or when available funding runs out. Local districts have been sending out notices letting parents know about the changes, which vary by district.

State Of Calif Officially Promotes Marijuana Industry With New Campaign

Marijuana Moment

The state of Calif is launching an educational outreach campaign meant to promote the marijuana industry and provide resources to help farmers secure and maintain cannabis cultivation licenses.

Tech Startup, Trying to Be Amazon for Farms, Runs Into Ag Giants

WSJ

Inside a packed arena last December, 2,700 farmers sipped coffee from paper cups and listened to remarks on the Midwestern economy: incomes down, costs up and bankruptcies rising. The speaker wasn’t a politician or an academic. He was Charles Baron, co-founder of Farmers Business Network, or FBN, a Silicon Valley startup that is trying to build an Amazon-like online marketplace for agricultural supplies.

Marion Moses, Cesar Chavez confidant and expert on farmworkers’ health, dies

LA Times

When Marion Moses first met Cesar Chavez in Delano in Calif’s Central Valley, he asked her: “What do you know about pesticides?” She answered: “Practically nothing.” In time, Moses went on to become the foremost expert on the health of the nation’s 2.5 million agricultural workers beginning in the 1980s.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

No indictments against officers in officer-related shootings

Porterville Recorder

Porterville Police investigation into law officer-related shootings in the Delano area, including a fatal shooting involving one of the officers, has led to no indictments against the officers. The Tulare County Grand Jury decided on Wednesday there would be no indictments against either of the officers after hearing the evidence in the case.

Public Safety:

Federal judge rules on Tulare County jail COVID-19 conditions. Who did he side with?

Fresno Bee

A federal judge is forcing Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux to begin providing protective masks at the jail, test for COVID-19 and reduce contact between inmates. Inmates Charles Criswell, Levi Johnson, Samuel Camposeco and Adam Ibarra filed a class-action lawsuit against Boudreaux on July 29, accusing the sheriff of not doing enough to protect against the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus in the jail.

Calif’s federal prisons to lift COVID-19 visitor restriction — and workers are worried

Fresno Bee

The Bureau of Prisons directed all federal prisons to reopen visitation for inmates by Oct. 3 in a memo sent to wardens on Monday, a move a representatives for correctional officers called “dangerous” and compared it to “opening Pandora’s box.”

Police ‘Pretext’ Traffic Stops Need to End, Some Lawmakers Say

PEW

On a family vacation in Virginia in 2017, Democratic Maryland state Del. Charles E. Sydnor III was driving in the left lane on a nearly empty, unfamiliar highway when a state trooper pulled him over. Sydnor’s wife and three daughters — ages 9, 10 and 13 — were in the car.

Fire:

SQF Complex Fire scorches 46,328 acres, virtual meeting to be held tonight

abc30

Firefighters and bulldozer operators are working to build a containment line around the SQF Complex Fire burning in Tulare County. The combination of the Castle and Shotgun fires has charred 46,328 acres since the flames were sparked by lightning last week, and is 1% contained.

See Also:

● Sequoia Complex fires up to more than 46,000 acres Porterville Recorder

Calif wildfire season on track to break records, National Guard says

Modesto Bee

Calif is on track to exceed its worst fire season on record and there’s little relief in sight, the new chief of the National Guard Bureau said Wednesday. About 1,300 National Guard members from five states including Calif are currently assisting Cal Fire fight the fires, which have already consumed more than 1.6 million acres, or an area roughly the size of Delaware, said Army Gen.

Wildfires In Calif Will ‘Continue To Get Worse,’ Climate Change Experts Explore Why

Capital Public Radio

More than a million acres are charred black in Calif as the result of historic wildfires this summer. For residents like Nick Pike, whose home was destroyed by the LNU Lightning Complex fires in the hills west of Vacaville, the blazes are simply devastating.

With retirements on the horizon, Kern County Fire Dept seeks locals to fill the force

Bakersfield Califn

Anticipating a surge in retirements in the near future, the Kern County Fire Dept has begun the first of what it believes will be a multiyear hiring spree. Already short by over 40 safety-section positions — or those who are employed within fire stations — the Dept hopes this new employment effort will bolster the ranks with new energy.

The Former Prisoners Fighting Calif’s Wildfires

The Marshall Project

Calif firefighters have been battling unprecedented blazes and staffing shortages this wildfire season. Before the pandemic, thousands of the state’s wildfire crews came from state prisons—incarcerated people can make around $1 an hour containing fires, clearing brush, and doing other dangerous

‘Adrenaline kicks in.’ Californians fight blazes themselves with firetrucks bought online

Fresno Bee

Kellie Neilsen walked out onto her front porch and saw “the whole hillside on fire,” according to KCRA. That night, Neilsen’s fiance, Nick Bonovich, got a call from Cal Fire saying they needed to evacuate, the station reported.

Regulator urges Calif insurers to provide additional coverage to wildfire evacuees

SF Chronicle

Calif Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a notice Thursday urging insurance companies to pay for more than two weeks of additional living expenses — such as temporary housing and food — for policyholders who remain under mandatory wildfire evacuation.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Valley Republic takes on $20M loan as ‘cushion’ against uncertain times ahead

Bakersfield Califn

In a preemptive move against uncertain conditions ahead, the parent company of Bakersfield’s Valley Republic Bank recently borrowed $20 million as a way of making sure it has enough capital to weather what it worries could be a developing economic downturn.

Calif Trade Report for July 2020

Calif Center for Jobs & the Economy

The share of total US goods trade (exports and imports) through Calif ports edged up to 17.58% (12 month moving average; compared to 17.48% in June 2020 and 17.9% in July 2019).

Fresno restaurant has closed and owner is so unhappy about it he’s holding a rally

Fresno Bee

High Sierra Grill & Bar has closed and the owner is so frustrated he’s hosting a rally for small businesses. The restaurant on the corner of Bullard and West avenues has been closed for five months. The restaurant doesn’t have a patio, and with sun beating down on it all day, it wasn’t feasible or affordable to put tents and tables in the parking lot, said owner Manny Perales.

Jobs:

Calif lawmakers to conduct emergency audit of EDD

abc30

The Calif Legislature has approved an emergency audit of the Employment Development Dept (EDD) amid concerns over its backlog of unemployment claims and reports of fraud and abuse.

A new $300 federal jobless benefit? Not likely for some

Bakersfield Califn

Down to a weekly unemployment check of $96, Fakisha Fenderson brushed aside her doctor’s advice last month and began looking for a job. In mid-May, Fenderson’s employer, a door manufacturer, sent her home after a co-worker tested positive for the coronavirus.

Rectal exams for Calif correctional officers unnecessary & invasive, lawsuit says

Sac Bee

The young men and women who had been selected to become correctional officers at Calif’s state prisons were ready to do whatever it took to get the coveted jobs. So they put aside their objections when medical workers at a group of Sac clinics told them they needed rectal exams before they could start training, several told The Sac Bee.

Nail-biter For Family Leave Bill Reveals Tough Realities For Working Moms

Capital Public Radio

Progressive Democrats were fighting an uphill battle as they pushed for a new law allowing more Califns to take time off from work to care for a baby or sick family member. With business groups lobbying hard against it, the proposal had split Democrats and, as Monday’s conclusion of the legislative year drew closer, appeared at risk of failure.

U.S. Unemployment Rate Fell to 8.4% in August as Hiring Continued

WSJ

U.S. employers added 1.4 million jobs in August and the unemployment rate fell to 8.4%, the Labor Dept reported Friday, as the economy continued to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

● Economy added 1.4 million jobs in August, and the unemployment rate fell below 10 percent Wash Post

● U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent in August Politico

● The U.S. Added 1.4 Million Jobs In August, But The Recovery Is Slowing Down Forbes

● Layoffs continue: 881,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week SF Chronicle

At 65%, Approval of Labor Unions in U.S. Remains High

Gallup

As Labor Day approaches and economic conditions in the U.S. remain tenuous, Americans’ 65% approval of labor unions is once again the highest it has been since 2003. Public support for labor unions has been generally rising since hitting its lowest point of 48% in 2009, during the Great Recession.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Clovis teachers accused of racism, discrimination against Black student, ACLU says

Fresno Bee

A complaint lodged this week accuses Clovis High School teachers and staff of creating “racially hostile environments” by repeatedly traumatizing a Black student over several years, including suspending him — while not suspending a white student involved in the same incident.

Two San Joaquin Valley schools can reopen despite COVID-19. Can other schools follow?

Fresno Bee

Two private schools in Kings County got the approval last week to reopen campuses despite the state requiring schools in the central San Joaquin Valley remain closed. Hanford Christian School and St. Rose-McCarthy Catholic School will open their doors for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade students after the Dept of public health granted their waivers Friday.

· Behind the ‘Wild West’ of school reopenings CalMatters

VUSD trustee in hot water after saying U.S. ‘has been going downhill for 100 years’ since women’s suffrage

Visalia Times Delta

Salinas school sends family a hotspot after students went to Taco Bell to use free WiFi

abc7

As millions of students are heading back to school virtually from the comfort of their own homes, two young girls in Calif relied on a Taco Bell’s free WiFi to access their coursework from the restaurant’s parking lot, according to a county official.

Where Stanislaus districts stand on seeking waivers to reopen TK-6 in-person learning

Modesto Bee

With Stanislaus County health officials now reviewing waiver applications submitted by schools seeking to reopen in-person learning for transitional-kindergarten through sixth-grade students, several of the county’s 25 districts are getting their plans in order.

WATCH: Learning Curve: Navigating Education Access in a Pandemic

Fresno Bee

Parents, students and teachers are looking for guidance on whether it’s safe to reopen schools this fall. With the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changing the way that many institutions are operating, school districts have been forced to quickly develop creative alternatives to traditional approaches to educating our children.

Four Ways State Leaders Can Help Teachers Implement High-Quality Curriculum

EdNote

States have a lot on their plates as they prepare for the 2020-21 school year, and the list is only continuing to grow. State leaders are navigating changing budgets and helping their communities address systemic inequities while seeing COVID-19 rates bouncing up and down as schools reopen and adjust.

Higher Ed:

Stan State Ranked No. 5 ‘Most Transformative’ by MONEY Magazine

CSU Stan

Charitable Giving Increases 19% In 2019-20 to Second-highest Amount In Fresno State History

Fresno State News

Marina Morningstar spent the summer at home in Vancouver, Wash splitting her days between being a Fresno State Dog Days orientation leader virtually and working at a local restaurant to pay for school. As the oldest of three children, finding a way to help her parents pay for her college is always top of mind — especially this year.

BC begins to offer courses for students aiming to get a white-collar warehouse job

Bakersfield Califn

Kern County’s third largest industry, behind agriculture and oil, is distribution, and Bakersfield College has just begun offering courses to prepare students for management positions in the field.

Community college serving as foundation for social transformation

CAFwd

Gabriel Kelvin epitomizes one of Muhammed Ali’s most famous quotes “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” He recently earned an associate’s degree from Victor Valley College where he served as the student body Pres. in addition to a host of other roles.

Affirmative Action and Higher Education in Calif

PPIC

Earlier this summer, the state legislature voted to place Proposition 16 on the November ballot. If passed, Proposition 16 would repeal a nearly 25-year-old ban on affirmative action (Proposition 209). Since 1996, Proposition 209 has prohibited Calif’s public higher education institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in admissions.

Bloomberg gives $100M to historically Black medical schools

Fresno Bee

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving about $100 million to four historically Black medical schools over the next four years, with students getting up to $100,000 apiece. Bloomberg, a billionaire who made his fortune with the news and financial media organization that he owns, said he wants to increase the number of African American doctors by reducing the debt burden of students.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Fresno had its second hottest August on record. Here’s what we know about September

Fresno Bee

● Enjoying holiday weekend amid pandemic, heat wave may be a ‘Labor’ of its own Bakersfield Califn

● ‘Mother Nature Didn’t Get The Memo’ — Smoke-Free Skies Likely To Return As Temperatures Soar Capital Public Radio

● Ferocious heat wave could bring record temperatures to Calif over Labor Day weekend LA Times

● As another heat wave looms, Calif asks people to conserve electricity over Labor Day weekend SF Chronicle

● CA Dangerous Heat Wave, ISO calls Flex Alert for Labor Day Weekend KMJ

Calif has a new clean air rule: What you need to know about its cost and how it works

Sac Bee

The Calif Air Resources Board last week voted to enact a sweeping, complicated series of rules aimed at reducing the pollution output of heavy-duty diesel trucks. It’s air board’s second rule this year aimed at such vehicles, after the board voted in June to require manufacturers of diesel trucks and vans to transition to all-electric sales by 2045.

Energy:

‘We’ll need help.’ Calif’s power grid urges conservation to avoid more blackouts

Fresno Bee

Bracing for another major heat wave, the manager of Calif’s electricity grid Thursday issued a call for conservation for most of Labor Day weekend to avoid a repeat of last month’s rolling blackouts. “We’ll need help,” said Eric Schmitt, vice Pres. of operations at the Calif Independent System Operator.

● Its Electric Grid Under Strain, Calif Turns to Batteries New York TImes

● Commentary: To prevent blackouts, Calif needs more clean energy – and a bigger, better run grid CalMatters

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

COVID-19 claims ‘way too many lives.’ How July surge led to August deaths in Fresno

Fresno Bee

● Fresno County adds more than 200 COVID-19 cases. How many infections does it have now? Fresno Bee

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

● Kern County confirms two new COVID-19 deaths, 161 cases on Thursday Bakersfield Califn

● Coronavirus update: Stanislaus County surpasses 15,000 cases; deaths up by 6 Modesto Bee

Central San Joaquin Valley man dies from Saint Louis Encephalitis virus, officials say

Fresno Bee

A Madera County man in his 90s died in August from the Saint Louis Encephalitis virus, the county health Dept reported Thursday. The county said it is the first confirmed case of SLEV in Calif this year and the first in Madera County since 1976.

Fresno hospital isn’t treating major head injuries today. Where are patients going?

Fresno Bee

Community Regional Medical Center on Thursday was not providing neurosurgical trauma services, the hospital’s top administrator confirmed. Patients in need of neurosurgical trauma services were being transferred to facilities that provide that specialty.

Black mothers and babies are dying every year. What’s being done to save them in Fresno?

Fresno Bee

When Joan Smith discovered she was pregnant in May 1994, it was an answer to her most ardent prayers. She was 34 and already a mother to a 7-year-old daughter. She knew she wanted more children and started trying to get pregnant when her daughter turned two.

CDC tells officials to be ready for vaccine by Nov.; steroids can help severely ill patients

Visalia Times Delta

Clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine can be legitimately cut short and could allow a vaccine to become available more quickly than previously expected if results are overwhelming, Dr. Anthony Fauci says.

● Officials tout convalescent plasma’s effectiveness during Wed drive at Kern Co Fairgrounds Bakersfield Califn

A collision of crises: Central Valley suffers searing heat, smoke and virus hot spots

CalMatters

As ash drifted down from the fires burning through Solano County, a woman sweating under the smoke-reddened sun dug through her car, searching for an adapter for her husband’s oxygen machine.

Flu Season Looms And Scientists Wonder How Flu And COVID-19 Might Mix

VPR

With the annual flu season about to start, it’s still unclear exactly how influenza virus will interact with the coronavirus if a person has both viruses. Doctors around the world have seen some patients who tested positive for both influenza virus and the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Covid-19 Positivity Rate Might Not Mean What You Think It Does

WSJ

The decision to impose school and business closures, travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders to contain Covid-19 is often based on the percentage of tests for the coronavirus that come back positive.

Human Services:

Will Fresno hospital lose doctors, top trauma status? Dispute fuels uncertainty

Fresno Bee

An expired contract — and stalled negotiations — could cost Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center its Level I trauma center status and more than two dozen doctors. That would be bad news for a region already short on doctors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

International Agri-Center, home of World Ag Expo, now a COVID-19 testing site in Tulare

Visalia Times Delta

Adventist Health discourages large gatherings during holiday weekend

Bakersfield Califn

Health care leaders from Adventist Health Bakersfield, Delano, Tehachapi Valley and the Northern San Joaquin Valley are encouraging people to avoid large gatherings during the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

How To Care For Older People In The Pandemic (And A Printable Guide!)

VPR

During this pandemic, I’ve been worried about my grandma — Nanay, to me. That’s Tagalog for mother. Her name is Felisa Mercene. She’s a Filipino American immigrant. She’s 92. Since March, she’s been living in isolation from most of our family in Southern Calif. It got me thinking. How do we make sure the older people in our lives — parents, grandparents, neighbors, relatives, friends — are doing OK in the pandemic?

Contact tracing foiled by conspiracy theories, lack of federal messaging

Politico

Large numbers of Covid-19 patients are refusing to tell public health workers who they’ve had contact with, thwarting state efforts to slow disease spread at a fragile turnaround in the pandemic.

OPINION: The Case Against Covid Tests for the Young and Healthy

WSJ

Should people who aren’t sick be tested for Covid-19? In August the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention revised its guidance to suggest focusing on the elderly and patients with symptoms. One may be excused for thinking that more testing is always better, but that isn’t true.

IMMIGRATION

Trump lawyers double down on excluding undocumented immigrants from 2020 census

SF Chronicle

Defending Pres. Trump’s unprecedented decision to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 census, his lawyers have told a federal judge the Pres.’s action was constitutionally authorized and cannot be challenged in court.

U.S. Pulls Back on Quickly Returning Migrant Children to Home Countries

WSJ

U.S. immigration agents are transferring more migrant minors caught illegally crossing the border alone to federal welfare authorities, according to government officials with knowledge of the matter, in a shift from a practice begun in the pandemic under which nearly all such children were sent back to their home countries without a chance to apply for asylum.

Opinion: Immigration Debate: Focus on Lowering Numbers

National Review

Immigration was not a major theme of the recent Republican convention, but there was one sentence that caught my attention. In his speech on the first day of the event, Donald Trump Jr. said, “If Democrats really wanted to help minorities and underserved communities . . . they’d limit immigration to protect American workers.”

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Calif Supreme Court gives nod to North Fork Rancheria casino

Madera Tribune

The Calif Supreme Court has ruled that former Governor Jerry Brown acted within his authority when he concurred in a pair of federal decisions in 2011 that led to the approval of two so-called “off-reservation” tribal gaming projects in Madera and Yuba counties

Housing:

Eviction court is back. Financially struggling tenants remain protected, for now

LA Times

Calif’s courts are resuming eviction hearings this week, but a flurry of new protections could ensure that financially struggling tenants will not lose their homes, at least through the rest of the year.

Editorial: Trump’s eviction ban will keep the deluge of misery at bay. For now

LA Times

The Trump Admin gave struggling renters a major reprieve this week by declaring a national moratorium on evictions, ensuring that many tenants who’ve lost income and can’t pay the rent won’t be ousted from their homes this year.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Why Calif state workers won’t get this tax break offered by Pres. Trump

Fresno Bee

Calif state workers will not get the payroll tax deferral being offered by Pres. Donald Trump, the state’s Human Resources Dept said Thursday. Trump announced last month employers could stop taking the 6.2% tax out of paychecks of people earning $4,000 or less per bi-weekly pay period starting September 1 through the end of the year.

● Trump Admin Begins Payroll Tax Deferral Plan WSJ

Today’s older workers may see the first cuts to Social Security benefits

MarketWatch

Many young Americans say they don’t expect to get Social Security when they retire, but it’s the older workers of today who may see the first cuts to their benefits. The Congressional Budget Office released an updated budget outlook on Wednesday, originally published in July, to reflect the impact the pandemic has had on the economy. In the report, the agency said the budget deficit will reach a record $3.3 trillion this year — and $13 trillion over the next decade.

Calif retirees group calls for pension fund Pres. to resign

Sac Bee

The head of a group of a Calif retired public employees organization says that it’s time for CalPERS Board of Admin Pres. Henry Jones to go, after the abrupt departure of the agency’s chief investment officer last month.

Want another stimulus check? US deficit hitting World War II levels may complicate it

Sac Bee

The United States deficit is set to hit a record this year — a prediction that could further complicate already-stalled negotiations on a COVID-19 relief package expected to include a second round of stimulus checks.