September 6, 2017

06Sep

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TOP POLITICAL STORIES​​​​​​​

Local/Regional:

Two Valley Republican Congressmen Sign Letter Opposing DACA Repeal

Valley Public Radio

Valley congressmen Jeff Denham and David Valadao signed onto a letter asking the president not to repeal DACA.

See also:

·       Valadao pledges to help Dreamers  The Fresno Bee

Fresno officials speak out against Trump’s end of DACA

The Fresno Bee

Fresno advocates and officials met outside the city’s federal courthouse on Tuesday to speak out against President Donald Trump’s end of DACA, which has protected undocumented people who traveled to the U.S. illegally as minors from deportation – including thousands of local beneficiaries of the program. 

DACA dreams dashed for many in Central Valley

Visalia Times Delta

Local elected officials had mixed feelings on the decision. Cong. Nunes, Cong. Valadao and State Sen. Vidak response to President Trump’s DACA decision.

Locals decry DACA rollback, call on Congress to act

The Bakersfield Californian

Ivan Gonzalez won the state championship in the 800 meters his senior year at Ridgeview High School and got a full-ride scholarship to U.C. Berkeley, where he graduated with a degree in social welfare and education. He’s also a Dreamer, given protected residence status under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. On Tuesday the Trump administration announced it is rescinding DACA and phasing out its protections over the next six months.

See also:

·       Assemblymember Salas releases statement on DACA decision  KERO 23ABC News

Another Democrat seeks to unseat Nunes in 2018

The Fresno Bee

Ricardo Franco, 33, of Fresno said he will make his announcement at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Clovis Veterans Memorial District.  Franco holds a degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Joe Arpaio to headline Fresno Republican Party fundraiser

LA Times

Joe Arpaio is coming to Fresno. The recently pardoned former Maricopa County sheriff is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Fresno County Republican Party’s late September fundraiser.  Billed as an annual “2nd Amendment Barbecue,” the Sept. 29 event has a wide range of ticket prices. A single seat costs $70, and $1,500 gets you a table of 10, “VIP Gold” status and a photo with the former sheriff at a more exclusive reception.

Interview: Garry Bredefeld On Fresno Pot Sales Ban, Concealed Weapons

Valley Public Radio

The first eight months of Garry Bredefeld’s return to Fresno City Hall have been eventful. Some of his proposals, like adding a display of the nation’s motto “In God We Trust” to the city council chambers, and a ban on marijuana dispensaries have either become law, or are on their way to doing so. Others, like his plan to allow city employees with concealed weapon permits to carry their guns while on the job, have met with opposition from either his colleagues on the council or Fresno Mayor Lee Brand. Thanks to those issues, some have suggested Bredefeld has become more socially conservative since his last term on the council. This week on Valley Edition we spoke with Bredefeld about pot, guns and a changing Fresno.   

State:

California preparing to sue Trump administration

The Fresno Bee

California Democrats blistered President Donald Trump and vowed swift action in response to his decision Tuesday to phase out legal protections for more than 200,000 young people living in the state who came here illegally.

See also:

·       California Today: Going to the Mat Over DACA  New York Times

·       Legal fight to preserve DACA takes shape  POLITICO

·       California Leaders Mobilized After DACA Protections Rescinded  KQED

·       Democratic California lawmakers vow to help DACA recipients   AP

·       California lawmakers defend DACA with an eye on lawsuit against Trump’s action  LA Times

·       Gov. Jerry Brown and California lawmakers will seek to blunt effort to end DACA The San Diego Union-Tribune

·       Video: CA Leaders Hold News Conference to Address the Trump Administration’s DACA Announcement  The California Channel

·       CalChamber Issues Renewed Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in Wake of Administration’s Rescission of DACA Program California Chamber of Commerce

·       California’s Republican leaders call on Congress to find a solution to accommodate Dreamers LA Times

Secretary of State Alex Padilla Urges Californians to Register to Vote in Recognition of National Voter Registration Month

Sierra Sun Times

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla recognizes September 2017 as National Voter Registration Month and urges all eligible citizens to register to vote or update their registration at www.registertovote.ca.gov.

Walters: California faces its past in cultural struggle over symbols

CALmatters

The cultural firestorm over statues, flags and other symbols of the Confederacy, ignited by a violent clash of white supremacists and their opponents in Charlottesville, Virginia, would seem far removed from California.  Not so.

California Senate, Assembly Consider Over 100 Bills 

Capital Public Radio

The California state Legislature considered more than 150 measures, as lawmakers begin the final two weeks of the year in Sacramento. Notable bills that passed Tuesday include one that prevents counties from charging fees to families with children in the juvenile justice system.

Damage Delayed with Legislative Bills

Fox&Hounds

Sometimes, California’s laws are like a guillotine on a timer. By the time the blade drops, everybody who set it up has made a safe getaway.

California troops sue Trump administration over transgender ban 

Sacramento Bee

A pair of transgender California residents who have taken steps to join the armed forces and a group of four military service members are filing a lawsuit on Tuesday against President Donald Trump that aims to block his order banning transgender people from joining the armed forces.

National:

Trump tweets DACA may not be doomed after all

The Fresno Bee

Hours after his administration announced it would phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to force Congress to pass immigration legislation, President Donald Trump tweeted that he would revisit his decision if lawmakers don’t act.

See also:

·       Trump ending DACA immigration program; Opponents slam ‘heartless’ move on Dreamers  San Francisco Chronicle

·       Fact-checking Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the DACA immigration program  PolitiFact

·       AP FACT CHECK: What the Trump administration said about DACA PBS NewsHour

Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she agrees DACA is ‘on shaky legal ground’ as she calls on Congress to act 

Los Angeles Times

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) signaled Tuesday that she believes former President Obama’s executive order to protect young immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as minors was on shaky legal ground, and said that is why Congress must act to save it.

Dianne Feinstein, booed on her home turf, faces calls from Bernie Sanders supporters to step aside in 2018 

Sacramento Bee

In April, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein angered people in her hometown of San Francisco when she said firmly that she doesn’t support a universal “Medicare-for-all” health care system being championed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Trump’s DACA decision could have a sweeping effect on who controls the House in 2018, especially in California

LA Times

To secure the 24 seats they need, Democrats are specifically targeting nine of the Golden State’s 14 Republican members of Congress, several of whom represent districts with large minority populations. Stories of the 200,000 or so Californians affected by this decision will likely be a recurring theme of campaigns for the next year.

DACA Pressure on CA GOP Representatives

Fox and Hounds Daily

“Pressure makes diamonds,” American General George S. Patton said. Pressure brought to bear on the DACA law may finally bring some immigration reform. California’s congressional members will be key to any solution.

Obama says decision to phase out DACA is ‘cruel’ and ‘self-defeating’

PBS NewsHour

Former President Barack Obama calls President Donald Trump’s decision
to phase out the so-called DACA program “cruel” and “self-defeating.”

Bill Clinton condemns ‘cruel’ White House DACA decision

POLITICO

Former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday night denounced the Trump administration’s decision to end an Obama-era program that has provided protections to thousands of young undocumented immigrants, saying it will “crush their dreams and weaken the American dream for the rest of us.”

See also:

·       Bill Clinton’s full statement on DACA  CNN

McCarthy: Republicans will punt wall fight to December

POLITICO

House Republicans plan to pass a three-month continuing resolution to fund the government this month and will push any fight over President Donald Trump’s border wall until later this year, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday.  “We’ve got a lot of busy things happening here,” McCarthy told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “We have to deal with Harvey, we have the debt ceiling, we have a continuing resolution, which will be just about a three month continuing resolution. So you will deal with the wall a little later in the year.”

Other:

A Typical ‘Dreamer’ Lives in Los Angeles, Is From Mexico and Came to the U.S. at 6 Years Old

The New York Times

President Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, an Obama-era policy created to shield young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Here’s who
the roughly 800,000 DACA beneficiaries are.

Salters: Let’s put down our smartphones and look each other in the eye

bakersfield.com

Civil discourse in America appears to be on life support. Americans no longer seem willing to participate in conversations regarding…

Bipartisan swath of lawmakers files Supreme Court briefs against gerrymandering

POLITICO

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s push for nonpartisan redistricting gained significant Republican support on Tuesday, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich signing on to his amicus brief at the Supreme Court and Arizona Sen. John McCain filing a separate friend-of-the-court brief. Then 36 current and former members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, filed yet another amicus brief that includes the chairman of the Freedom Caucus and the former chairman of the Progressive Caucus.

EDITORIALS

Trump ends DACA with cowardice, not compassion

The Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump tried to pretend that he is giving Congress six months to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects nearly 800,000 young people, including as many as 242,000 in California and about 18,000 people qualify for DACA in Fresno, Tulare and Madera counties, according to a report from 2015. More than 1,000 Fresno State students are DACA recipients

 

McCarthy must help pass a compassionate legislative replacement for DACA

bakersfield.com

Now is the time for Bakersfield’s Kevin McCarthy to justify the “leader” portion of his “House majority leader” title. Congress has six months to pass legislation that would correct President Trump’s tragic, ill-advised decision to end the DACA program, a decree opposed not only by Democrats but by many Republicans in Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Republicans must resist Trump’s attack

Modesto Bee

Jeff Denham is willing to buck his party to protect “Dreamers,” but he’s not willing to call out by name the man who is attacking them

Ending DACA was an act of pure cruelty by Trump

Los Angeles Times

On the campaign trail, as part of his cynical campaign to exploit fear of immigrants, Donald Trump repeatedly attacked an Obama administration policy that offered protection to people who had been living illegally in the United States since they were children. “A horrible order,” he called it, promising it would be “ended immediately.” Then, after the election — perhaps worrying that such a mean-spirited move might backfire politically — Trump softened, saying he was “gonna deal with” those receiving deferrals “with heart.” For some months, it was unclear what he would do.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Immigrant farmworkers in danger of being deported, California lawmaker says

Sacramento Bee

A day after the Trump administration announced it would end an Obama-era program shielding “Dreamers” from deportation, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, is pressuring state lawmakers to help immigrant laborers he says also face “increasing danger.”

California’s Winegrape Harvest in Full Swing

Sierra Sun Times

Harvest crews up and down the state are converging on winegrape vineyards as this year’s less-than-bountiful crop reaches maturity.  Clarksburg winegrape grower Mike Heringer uses a refractometer to check the brix (sugar) level of some petite syrah winegrapes. Growers use brix to determine the optimum time to harvest their grapes.

Madera farmer makes almond butter

Madera Tribune

The grocery aisles in California are filled wall-to-wall with a seemingly endless variety of spreads, almond butter included. Since California is the primary location of almond orchards, most people have no difficulty buying locally. However, there is a catch. 

How legalization caused the price of marijuana to collapse

The Washington Post

All the diverse effects of legalizing recreational marijuana may not be clear for a number of years, but one consequence has become evident almost immediately: Pot has never been so cheap. Steven Davenport of the Pardee Rand Graduate School has analyzed marijuana retail prices in Washington state since legal recreational markets opened in July 2014. Remarkably, prices have fallen every single quarter since.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:                                                

Fresno County, police unveil new approach to mentally ill 
The Fresno Bee

Fresno police and Fresno County Behavioral Health will partner to form a Crisis Intervention Team to decrease the number of mental health calls handled by police officers, and divert as many possible individuals away from the criminal justice system into treatment, officials announced Tuesday.

See also:

·       Fresno Police creating Crisis Response Team to provide resources for those with mental health problems  abc30

Bill to prohibit employers from seeking applicants’ criminal records heads to Senate floor

Sacramento Business Journal

California Assembly Bill 1008, which would prohibit employers from asking applicants to disclose their criminal histories on job applications, passed the state Senate Appropriations Committee and will head to a vote on the Senate floor.

California police body camera transparency bill is shelved for the year

Los Angeles Times

A bill that would have opened public access to police body camera videos across California has been shelved.

Fire:

Large spot fire threatens to complicate Railroad Fire control
Sierra Star

A 430-acre spot fire threatened to complicate control efforts on the
Railroad Fire near Fish Camp Tuesday, but fire crews were able to keep
the blaze from getting out of hand and hoped to have it contained by
Wednesday.

FEMA assistance granted for Mission Fire east of North Fork
The Fresno Bee

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Tuesday that federal funds have been authorized to help combat the Mission Fire burning east of North Fork, near the Cascadel Heights area.

Usona reopened to residents, as Peak Fire 50% contained

Sierra Star

Peak Fire located on Usona Road near Indian Peak in Mariposa, was
reported at 680 acres and 50% contained.

Western Wildfires Endanger Beloved Sites At National Parks

NPR

Wildfires burning in the Western U.S. are threatening some of America’s most treasured national parks – and in some areas, the damage has already been done. Last week in Montana, a 20-square-mile blaze burned the historic Sperry Chalet, a hotel and dining room built in 1914 and only reachable by trail.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Employers concerned about diminished labor pool with DACA phaseout 

San Diego Union-Tribune

Some local employers are raising concerns that a pool of increasingly well educated workers could be diminished with the decision Tuesday by President Donald Trump to phase out a program that shields young unauthorized immigrants from deportation.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Understanding DACA and education in California: a quick guide 

EdSource

What is DACA and does it have any effect on a student being allowed to enroll in a California high school or college?

Teacher asks for KHSD Trustee Mike Williams’ resignation, alleging he made ‘culturally insensitive’ Facebook comments

bakersfield.com

A Kern High School District teacher and a community advocate called on Trustee Mike Williams to resign his position Tuesday. 

California’s education chief calls DACA decision ‘mean-spirited’

LA Times

“Our country made an honest deal with these students — study hard, earn your degree and you will get a fair chance to compete for college,” state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a statement. “We should keep deals, not break them.”

Proposal for state-run STEM school shifts in face of opposition

EdSource

The drive to set up a state-run school with a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum has made it past another legislative hurdle, though the proposed school continues to face significant resistance.

Column: Why we shouldn’t push students to specialize in STEM too early

PBS NewsHour

Today’s high school students are expected to decide on a life path early, and dedicate everything to pursuing that track. This is especially true for teens considering a STEM field, such as engineering or science, as they often use their high school experience to take all the STEM courses that will prepare them for college. While it can produce students with high technical capabilities, this hyper focus can have serious drawbacks.

                                                                                                   

Giving up on high school: How income inequality affects drop-out rates for America’s poorest students Brookings Institution

The conventional thinking among economists has been that income inequality would provide incentives for individuals to invest in their potential human capital to climb up the income ladder. But important new research from Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine challenges that thinking, finding that low-income youth who view middle-class life as out of reach could be deciding to invest less in their own economic future.

Parents cite student privacy concerns with popular online education platform

Washington Post

Summit Basecamp, built with the help of Facebook engineers, was billed as a powerful tool that could reshape how students learn. Dozens of schools nationwide have signed up to use the program, which tailors lessons to individual students using software that tracks their progress. But it also captures a stream of data, and Bilicki had to sign a consent form for her children to participate, allowing their personal data to be shared with companies such as Facebook and Google.

Higher Ed:

California colleges, K-12 systems increase legal and counseling supports in wake of DACA end

89.3 KPCC

California colleges and K-12 school districts are stepping up their legal and counseling teams in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to phase out the Obama-era protections for immigrants who arrived in the United States without documentation as children.

Cal State, California Community Colleges leaders denounce Trump DACA decision

Los Angeles Times

Leaders of California State University and California Community Colleges, the largest public university systems in the nation, joined in denouncing the Trump administration’s decision Tuesday to end protections for thousands of young immigrants.

UC’s top expert on immigration law urges DACA students to stay calm

Los Angeles Times

The University of California’s chief immigration legal expert urged students who have received government reprieves from deportation to stay calm in the face of President Trump’s announcement Tuesday that he plans to phase out DACA protections.

UC President Napolitano calls DACA decision ‘backward-thinking’

LA Times

University of California President Janet Napolitano blasted President Trump’s decision to end a program that deferred deportation for 800,000 young immigrants and urged Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to protect them.  “This backward-thinking, far-reaching move threatens to separate families and derail the futures of some of this country’s brightest young minds, thousands of whom currently attend or have graduated from the University of California,” she said in a statement.      

Program awarding credit for experience helps fast forward college for working Californians

CAFWD

Starting next year, students in the Central Valley will have a chance to earn college credit using knowledge they’ve gained through life experiences including work and military service. This will help students obtain their degrees or certificates in a more timely and cost-effective manner.

Vocational Ed:

Some basics on President Trump and apprenticeships

AEI

Nine in 10 Americans who complete apprentice training land a job, and their salaries start at $60K a year.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

California lawmakers move to preserve climate change data

LA Times

The measure, Senate Bill 51, was approved 51 to 12. It must return to the state Senate for another vote before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.  Authored by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), the bill would ask the California Environmental Protection Agency to preserve any scientific information “at risk of censorship or destruction by the federal government.” 

Key senator vows to block California climate deal that would aid polluters

LA Daily News

An irritated chairman of a state Senate Budget subcommittee says he intends to thwart a recent move by the state Air Resources Board that could give California’s biggest polluters a cushion of more than $300 million.

They come hat in hand for California’s ‘green’ money

CALmatters

It should come as no surprise that when the California Legislature recently began the process of 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.

Energy:

California policies pose challenge for Wyoming wind farm

Star Tribune

The proposed Chokecherry Sierra Madre wind energy project could face challenges selling power in the desert southwest, officials told lawmakers in Casper last week … It will be the largest wind project in Wyoming and significantly increase the amount of wind energy capacity in the Cowboy State. But it was never designed to provide power to Wyoming … The energy generated from the proposed 1,000-turbine site will be carried along a high power transmission line to California and the desert southwest … California, however, is being difficult. California’s policies are prompting a spike in solar development that will likely exceed the amount needed to meet California’s renewable power standards, said Roxane Perruso, vice president and general counsel for the Power Company of Wyoming, the wind farm’s developer

Donald Trump wrongly says U.S. is a net energy exporter

PolitiFact

“American energy will power this future. We have become an energy exporter for the first time ever just recently.”

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Congressman Kevin McCarthy announces new VA clinic in 2021
turnto23.com Bakersfield

Congressman Kevin McCarthy praised a major step toward replacement of the Bakersfield Veterans Affairs (VA) Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. The VA announced Thursday Solicitation for Offers on local properties to build a replacement clinic.

See also:

·       Video: VA seeks properties for new Bakersfield clinic  KBAK                         

Billions of dollars at stake for CA as CHIP deadline looms

89.3 KPCC

Congress has until the end of the month to renew funding for a program that provides health insurance for millions of lower-income children. If Washington doesn’t continue federal support, California would have to come up with as much as $2.7 billion a year in additional funds to keep the program going. The Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, is for kids whose parents are lower-income but make too much to qualify for Medi-Cal — up to 266 percent of the federal poverty level. Last year, two million California children were in the program. Federal funding covers about 90 percent of the nearly $3 billion annual price tag.

California, other states to extend Obamacare sign-up beyond federal limit

OCRegister

California and several other states will exempt themselves this year from a new Trump administration rule that cuts in half the amount of time consumers have to buy individual health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

California Legislation Threatens to Increase Prescription Drug Prices

Fox and Hounds Daily

In the current debate over health care, employers, unions and government programs all agree on the need to provide prescription drug coverage at lower costs while increasing the quality and clinical value of pharmacy benefits.

After California got rid of personal exemptions for vaccines, medical exemptions went way up

Los Angeles Times

The rate of medical exemptions for immunizations for incoming kindergartners rose sharply the year after California eliminated the personal-belief exemption, a new study finds.

IMMIGRATION

Immigrant farmworkers in danger of being deported, California lawmaker says

Sacramento Bee

A day after the Trump administration announced it would end an Obama-era program shielding “Dreamers” from deportation, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, is pressuring state lawmakers to help immigrant laborers he says also face “increasing danger.” 

LAND USE/HOUSING 

Affordable housing crisis: Can Sacramento get it under control?

The Mercury News

As home prices and rents soar to unthinkable levels, California lawmakers are working furiously to drum up the votes for a package of bills they hope will help contain the spiraling affordable housing crisis.

Legislators missing mark on solving housing crisis

Modesto Bee

California’s housing crisis has reached a point where the Legislature might pass several of the more than 100 bills on the topic.  But most likely, none of the bills will have a significant impact on the crisis because they do not deal with the central problem – our housing production has been below our need by about a million units over the last decade.

End-of-Session Housing Push Won’t Make Dent in State’s Housing Problem

Fox and Hounds Daily

Lawmakers haven’t yet voted on legislation they say addresses the state’s housing crisis, but it’s just as well. The proposals they were trying to pass off as solutions aren’t solutions at all.
California Property Tax Postponement Applications Now Available

Sierra Sun Times

State Controller Betty T. Yee today announced that applications for property tax deferment for the current tax year are now available. California’s Property Tax Postponement (PTP) Program, administered by Controller Yee, allows homeowners who are seniors, are blind, or have a disability and who meet income, equity, and other requirements to postpone payment of property taxes on their residence.

PUBLIC FINANCES 

Stockton: What Becomes of an Abandoned City Hall?

PublicCEO

As officials in Stockton, California, prepare to move out of their current City Hall, they want residents’ help in deciding the fate of the historic, but crumbling, building. 

The Door Opens for Tax Increases

Fox&Hounds

The California Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that tax limitations imposed by Proposition 218 in 1996 don’t cover taxes enacted by ballot initiatives. Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar wrote in the majority opinion that unlike Ulysses, who in Homer’s “Odyssey” tied himself to the mast to avoid the Sirens’ tempting song, voters did not tie themselves down when it comes to raising taxes.  The more appropriate image from the “Odyssey” would be the one-eyed Cyclops. The court’s decision represents a ridiculously narrow vision of what was intended by Proposition 218.

California still lets debt collectors empty the bank accounts of poor people. Why?

Sacramento Bee

California should join 16 other states in protecting low income individuals from having all of their savings wiped out by debt collectors. Senate Bill 298, sponsored by Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, and passed by the Senate in May, would prevent debt collectors from taking all of the money in a person’s bank account. 

CA Senate passes bill to penalize state audit obstruction

Daily Californian

The California State Senate passed a bill on Thursday to penalize obstruction of future audits made by the California State Auditor. AB-562 was introduced by state assembly members Al Muratsuchi, Kevin McCarty and Philip Ting in February but amended in June after the California State Auditor, or CSA, found in April that the UCOP had interfered with the audit process.

‘Fintech’ Loans: A Sometimes Costly Lifeline for Small Business 

KQED

Che Al-Barri remembers feeling like he was drowning in debt last year. He had taken out a $70,000 loan for his small cleaning company, but was struggling to repay it. The lender, a financial technology — or fintech — company, automatically collected $331 from his bank account daily, Monday through Friday. The frequent hits depleted his income and took a toll on his business, he said.

FACT CHECK: For the third time, Donald Trump, U.S. is not ‘highest taxed nation in the world’

PolitiFact

Donald Trump released a tax plan in September that would give huge tax cuts to the top 0.1 percent and bloat the deficit by at least $10 trillion over the next decade. But after he became the GOP’s last man standing and presumptive nominee, Trump said this week he’s considering raising taxes on the rich.

FACT CHECK: Does The U.S. Have The Highest Corporate Tax Rate In The World?

NPR

That is generally true, though many businesses end up paying far less than the statutory rate.

TRANSPORTATION

Manteca DMV office closing for a month

Manteca Bulletin

Manteca DMV is alerting customers that the Manteca field office at 955 Davis Street is closing for renovations at noon today. 

Stockton locomotive upgrades picking up steam

Stockton Record

The long haul toward cleaner transportation in the notoriously polluted San Joaquin Valley continues with the recent announcement of nearly $5 million in funding for two new locomotives in the Stockton area.

Self-driving cars now roam across former California military facilities 

Sf Chronicle

The empty runway stretching before Mark Hendrickson extends so far that its edges vanish in the heat shimmer of a broiling Central Valley afternoon. Presidents have landed here, back when it was the center of a bustling Air Force base.   

WATER

Oroville Dam: Forensic team blames flawed inspections for spillway …

Sacramento Bee

There was no shortage of red flags at Oroville Dam. It was a matter of knowing where to look. A team of independent experts charged Tuesday that the state and federal officials who inspected Oroville Dam relied too heavily on visual inspections, ignoring blueprints, construction records and other documented clues that could have warned them about the dam’s troubled flood-control spillway long before it fractured in February. The fracture led to near-catastrophe and the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Poor design, construction blamed in damage to Oroville dam

AP

Bad design and construction of the tallest U.S. dam a half-century ago and inadequate state and federal oversight since then led to a disastrous spillway collapse in February, an independent national team of dam safety experts said Tuesdayas they urged tougher safety reviews nationwide.

 “Xtra”

CSUB faculty concert honors art of the song 

bakersfield.com

The art of the song is as old as music itself — as a form of storytelling; expression of love; even preserving the historical record

California State Assembly Committee Kills 12-Month Fishing License Bill

Sierra Sun Times

On Friday, September 1st, two bills that aimed to address California’s significant decline in fishing participation rates and license sales, were killed by the State Assembly Appropriations Committee, chaired by Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D) of San Diego.

L.A.’s 2028 Olympic bid could get a big boost under new California legislation

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic bid could get a huge boost under new state legislation unveiled Friday. Under the bill, any bus, train or other mass transit project connected to the Olympic bid wouldn’t have to follow the state’s primary law governing development, saving lots of time, money and eliminating some litigation risk.

Where Are They Now? Assemblyman Willard Huyck

Capitol Weekly

Former Assemblyman Willard Huyck is probably one of the more notable state legislators that you’ve never heard of. He was elected to the State Assembly at age 29 and served two terms before leaving to run a medical supply company. Now, more than 70 years after first arriving at the Capitol, Huyck is California’s oldest former legislator ever.