POLICY & POLITICS
Valley:
Merced election has been 'hijacked,' booted candidate says. She wants back in
Merced Sun-Star
A teacher who wants to be a candidate for the Merced County Office of Education's superintendent seat is doubling down on her claims she qualifies for the race and is calling for the election office to put her back on the ballot.
Porterville Recorder
Visalia mayor Warren Gubler, rancher Jack Lavers, and Tulare City Council Member Jose Sigala are all seeking to unseat incumbent 26th District Assemblyman Devon Mathis in this year’s election, and all were at a candidate forum hosted Thursday night by Comision Honorifica Mexicana-Americana in Porterville to speak their minds and field questions from the community.
EDITORIAL: Vidak, Hurtado in 14th Senate District
Bakersfield Californian
In this "top-two" primary, The Californian recommends both Republican incumbent Andy Vidak and Democratic challenger Melissa Hurtado in the 14th California Senate District.
Bakersfield Californian
Giving back to the community isn't limited to one day a year, but the mother lode of philanthropic events is here: Give Big Kern Day.
State:
California voters won't give Trump a break
Fresno Bee
President Donald Trump isn't growing on California voters. Two-thirds of registered voters in the Golden State are dissatisfied with Trump's overall job performance and feel special counsel Robert Mueller's work to investigate Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election is important, according to a new UC Berkeley IGS Poll.
Undocumented immigrants could serve on California boards under new bill
Sacramento Bee
Immigrants residing in California illegally would be able to serve on all state and local boards and commissions under a proposal introduced in the state Senate on Monday. Senate Bill 174 amends existing state law to allow the appointment of any resident over the age of 18 to a civil office regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
Voter fraud conviction inspires bill loosening oversight of lawmaker residency
Sacramento Bee
Four years ago, Rod Wright resigned from the California Senate and served 71 minutes in jail after being convicted of eight felonies, including perjury and voter fraud, for living outside the district where he ran for office.
Tale of two different Gavin Newsom TV ads
PolitiFact California
PolitiFact California on Friday rated False a claim in the campaign’s "First" ad, which is still airing statewide, according to Newsom’s campaign spokesman.
Also See:
Gavin Newsom ad touts same-sex marriages; attack ad calls out sexual misdeeds San Francisco Chronicle
Federal:
Trump to address NRA for first time since Florida school shootings
Washington Post
This will be the fourth year in a row that Trump has addressed the NRA. Last year, he became the first sitting president to do so.
How Mike Pence is trying to save California Republicans
The most consequential part of Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Southern California wasn't his border wall photo-op in Calexico Monday morning, it's who he rubbed shoulders with behind closed doors later in the day.
See also:
Pence arrives in California to tour border barrier while, just 100 miles west, migrants seek asylum Los Angeles Times
Ryan and McCarthy will jointly raise midterm campaign funds for House Republicans
Washington Post
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are scheduled to join in hosting big-money fundraisers across the country over coming months, an unusual arrangement that could both boost Republican coffers ahead of the November midterm elections and also solidify McCarthy’s bid to succeed Ryan as speaker.
See also:
Conservative Groups Rally Behind Potential Jim Jordan Speaker Bid Roll Call
Comey calls House Intelligence (Nunes) Committee’s Russia investigation ‘a wreck’
Washington Post
Former FBI director James B. Comey on Sunday called the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election “a wreck” and its report a “political document.”
Voters Reward a Do-Something Congress. Wrong, Recent Results Show
Roll Call
Four years ago, the second session of the 113th Congress was widely identified as one of the most profoundly unproductive stretches at the Capitol in the run-up to a midterm election.
Sluggish Supreme Court Poised to Deliver Big Decisions
Roll Call
The Supreme Court started the current term in October with a docket that could have a lasting impact on politics and culture, including major cases on partisan gerrymandering and LGBT rights.
Other:
Facebook developer conference kicks off amid scandal
The Bakersfield Californian
A year ago , Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was dazzling thousands of software developers with the prospect of augmented reality features that could let people spruce up apartments with digital art. This year, things might be different.
Young, not elderly, are the loneliest generation in America, poll finds
Sacramento Bee
Young people, or those ages 18 to 22, are the loneliest generation in the United States, reports a new survey. And social media doesn’t seem to be a factor.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
California pot shops about to be on the hook for steep state fees, background checks
Los Angeles Times
California sought to jump-start its marijuana industry in January by giving businesses temporary, 120-day permits that briefly waived big fees and other costly requirements, but that grace period is ending and many say the expense and red tape of getting a regular license is a headache.
This Is What That 'Salmon-Safe' Label Says About Your Wine Or Eggs
NPR
The salmon-safe label was created in the late 1990s to try to translate consumer interest in salmon into money for farmers who did right by fish. "We started out working with vineyards in the Willamette Valley," Dan Kent, executive director of Salmon-Safe, recalls.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
As California moves to speed up executions, a man is exonerated after 25 years on death row
Washington Post
A Kern County Superior Court judge last week ordered that a 68-year-old former farmworker, Vicente Benavides Figueroa, be released from San Quentin’s death row after the local district attorney declared she would not retry him.
Vehicle burglaries are down, but leaving things in sight can still make you a target
Fresno Bee
Vehicle burglaries and auto theft crimes are down in the city of Fresno, but still an issue, asa recent case serves to show.
Visalia Ransacker put law enforcement against each other in the 70s
Visalia Times-Delta
Four decades ago, Sacramento Sheriff's Department investigators doubted the connection between the East Area Rapist and the Visalia Ransacker. Sacramento law enforcement called Visalia detectives "irresponsible" in the summer of 1978.
Also See:
Visalia Ransacker suspect was a 'black sheep,' described as a loner in Exeter Visalia Times-Delta
Can DNA identify the Zodiac Killer now that it has revealed the East Area Rapist suspect? Sacramento Bee
As a young cop, Golden State Killer suspect was aloof, ambitious, 'always serious' Los Angeles Times
Retired police chief 'embarrassed' to learn he worked with Golden State Killer suspect Los Angeles Times
Earlier search for California serial killer led to wrong man Washington Post
To find alleged Golden State Killer, investigators first found his great-great-great-grandparents Washington Post
San Jose police chief receives NAACP award for community presence
The Mercury News
At a time when national headlines steadily highlight strained relationships between big-city police departments and communities of color, one of San Jose’s most prominent organizations is pointing its spotlight at a different dynamic.
EDITORIAL: Ex-inmates deserve a shot at positive lives after nonviolent crime convictions
San Diego Union-Tribune
CA State Assembly members David Chiu, D-San Francisco, Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, and Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-Grand Terrace, have brought this understanding to the fore in three bills that won Assembly committee passage this week that would remove obstacles to released prisoners getting permits to work in about 1,800 occupations that add up to nearly 30 percent of jobs in the state.
Fire:
San Francisco Chronicle
Legislation making swift progress in Sacramento would require the state’s utilities to take further steps to protect their infrastructure and customers from wildfires and other emergencies. But critics are rightly concerned that the bill would also protect the utilities’ bottom lines.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Trump Postpones Steel Tariff Decision for EU, Other U.S. Allies
Wall Street Journal
President Donald Trump decided to postpone decisions about imposing steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union and other U.S. allies until June 1, a senior administration official said. Additionally, the White House has finalized a deal to exempt South Korea from the tariffs.
The U.S. Just Borrowed $488 Billion, a Record High for the First Quarter
Bloomberg
During the first three months of this year, the department borrowed about $47 billion more than it had previously estimated, according to a statement released Monday in Washington.
T-Mobile and Sprint announce plans to merge
Washington Post
T-Mobile and Sprint, the nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers, respectively, agreed to a nearly $27 billion merger Sunday that could dramatically reshape the U.S. telecom industry while testing the appetites of consumers and regulators alike for further corporate consolidation.
See also:
T-Mobile, Sprint finalizing merger terms Reuters
What the T-Mobile and Sprint merger means for you Washington Post
Rare trifecta of soaring stocks, cheap loans and low inflation coming to an end
Washington Post
The good fortune is melting away, imperiling the props that have supported American economic confidence and incomes.
The Federal Reserve has fallen behind the interest rate curve
AEI
The last thing the Fed can afford is to have long-term interest rates spike higher. It would likely burst today’s equity and housing market bubbles and cause a disruptive repricing of credit market risk.
Brookings
The annual update of the Brookings Export Monitor presents trends on export growth in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas and provides a look at the cities most exposed in a U.S.-China trade war.
Jobs:
Los Angeles Times
In a ruling that could change the workplace status of people across the state, the California Supreme Court made it harder Monday for employers to classify their workers as independent contractors.
Also See:
Gig Economy Business Model Dealt a Blow in California Ruling New York Times
How a Common Interview Question Fuels the Gender Pay Gap (and How to Stop It)
New York Times
Aileen Rizo was training math teachers in the public schools in Fresno, Calif., when she discovered that her male colleagues with comparable jobs were being paid significantly more. She was told there was a justifiable reason: Employees’ pay was based on their salaries at previous jobs, and she had been paid less than they had earlier in their careers.
EDUCATION
K-12:
CHSU set to break ground on new Clovis campus
Clovis Round-up
The new permanent campus will include labs, classrooms, a student center, a library, an auditorium, along with support buildings.
Finalist picked in search for new SUSD superintendent
Stockton Record
A finalist has been chosen by Stockton Unified School District Board of Trustees to become its next leader. Over the weekend, trustees held interviews with an undetermined number of candidates who were interested in taking the job of superintendent.
How A Major Tech Company Could Help Educate California High School Students
Capital Public Radio News
IBM wants to create 20 new California schools offering career training in science and technology, with the support of state lawmakers. The schools would be a combination high school, community college and career training program, part of a concept called P-TECH.
California schools getting a little greener as environmental education standards roll out
EdSource
As Californians celebrate Earth Day and the ecology movement over the past month, the state’s public schools are making steady progress in implementing some of the most comprehensive environmental education standards in the country, educators and environmentalists say.
Race for California state schools chief begins to attract major contributions
EdSource
The race for state superintendent for public instruction between the two major candidates, Marshall Tuck and Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, has begun to attract some of the massive contributions from wealthy individuals that characterized the last contest, when Tuck ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Tom Torlakson four years ago.
Higher Ed:
Fresno State to hold community forum over embattled professor's tweets
Fresno Bee
While Fresno State President Joseph Castro announced last week that professor Randa Jarrar would not be fired for her controversial tweets, the aftermath is still being felt around campus. To address those feelings, the university is hosting a community forum at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Save Mart Center.
Creativity comes to Fresno State during 36-hour hackathon
The Collegian
HackFresno celebrated its second annual 36-hourlong Hackathon, which aims to develop programs that can solve real-world problems.
UC Merced police probe social media post. College Republican says it's 'harassment'
Merced Sun-Star
UC Merced officials Monday released a brief statement on Twitter saying campus police are investigating "concerns about specific social media posts by a certain individual," adding that classes have not been canceled "despite rumors to the contrary."
Major university allowed conservative donors say in hiring and firing of faculty: documents
TheHill
Newly released documents reveal that Virginia’s George Mason University allowed conservative donors to influence hiring decisions in exchange for financial donations.
Why top US universities have law schools but not police schools
San Francisco Chronicle
In response to protests calling for police reform and accountability, some U.S. police departments are partnering with colleges and universities to develop anti-bias training for their employees.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Replace your old wood or pellet burning device with a new cleaner option! The Burn Cleaner program helps reduce particulate matter that comes from older devices in the Valley which contribute significantly to air pollution during the Fall and Winter months.
Slowdown in emissions reductions could explain stalled progress on smog, study finds
Los Angeles Times
After decades of improvement, reductions in smog-forming emissions have slowed dramatically, according to new nationwide study based on satellite measurements. The findings could explain why progress cleaning air pollution in California and other parts of the country is faltering at a time when official estimates show pollution should be steadily declining.
News Analysis: Here's what's important for land, sea and air in California's fight with Trump
CALmatters
The punch-counterpunch sparring between the Trump administration and the state of California over rollbacks of federal environmental regulations is often described as a war of words, with neither the president nor Gov. Jerry Brown giving an inch.
California Is Gearing Up For a Big Fight Over Tailpipe Emissions. Here's Why.
New York Times
The Environmental Protection Agency’s draft proposal to relax federal auto emissions standards, described to The New York Times last week, sets up a legal clash with California. The state has pledged to stick with stricter Obama-era targets.
Energy:
EDITORIAL: Proposition 70 is little more than ballot clutter. Vote no
Los Angeles Times
To reach the grand bargain with the Legislature that ensured the survival of California's signature cap-and-trade program last summer, Gov. Jerry Brown had to agree to a compromise. He needed a two-thirds majority in the Assembly and Senate to protect cap-and-trade, which is the centerpiece of the state's ambitious climate change agenda.
Here's how to sound off on latest version of San Onofre cost settlement
OCRegister
How many billions of dollars should ratepayers fork over for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s premature shutdown? A subject of passionate debate since a remodel of San Onofre’s steam generators led to the plant’s retirement in 2013.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Fresno doctors don't want to feed the opioid crisis. But is Tylenol enough for pain?
Fresno Bee
Tylenol is taking away the pain of surgery instead of morphine for an increasing number of patients at Fresno hospitals, as doctors move to reduce prescriptions of opioid painkillers.
Nonprofit gets second crack at suit to amend FDA drug-trial consent forms
Reuters
A California-based nonprofit suffered a setback on Friday in its lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the warnings given to people who participate in clinical drug trials.
IMMIGRATION
Trump's pick to lead immigration agency announces retirement
Sacramento Bee
President Donald Trump's pick to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has taken himself out of the running less than six months after he was nominated, saying Monday that he will retire this summer to focus more on family.
Also See:
Acting Director of ICE Plans to Retire From Agency Wall Street Journal
California sanctuary law draws fire
Capitol Weekly
Tehama, Shasta, Siskiyou and Kern counties have passed anti-sanctuary law resolutions. Cities that have done something similar include Orange County communities Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Yorba Linda and San Joaquin County town Ripon. In a Twitter post last week, President Trump said the actions amount to a “revolution.”
EDITORIAL: Why migrant caravan on U.S.-Mexico border merits asylum consideration
San Diego Union-Tribune
President Donald Trump’s outraged reaction to some 200 Central American residents who have arrived in Tijuana to seek U.S. asylum after a five-week “caravan” across Mexico clearly plays to his base, whose opposition to both illegal and legal immigration may be their most defining characteristic.
Also See:
Young Migrants: Victims of Gangs or Members of Them?
New York Times
Over the past month, the Trump administration has taken aim at a set of child protection laws created to protect young people who cross into the United States without a parent or guardian, perhaps aided by smugglers. The administration now sees some of these same youths as a threat, and is portraying the laws as “loopholes” that are preventing the quick deportation of teenagers involved in gangs.
E-Verify Immigrant Job Screening Is a Game of Chicken, Politics and State Laws
Pew Charitable Trusts
E-Verify, which is run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and matches job applicants and federal immigration data, has been touted as a solution to helping employers determine whether a potential hire is legally entitled to work in the United States.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
River Park getting new restaurants, stores selling clothing, pizza and chocolate
Fresno Bee
River Park is gearing up to welcome a slew of new stores and restaurants, with some other changes on the way, too.
Should Sacramento or NIMBYs control land use in California?
OCRegister
The death of far-reaching — even revolutionary — legislation to facilitate housing development crystallized a conflict that’s been simmering in California for decades: Who controls land use?
Housing:
Failed California housing bill was 'not a bad idea,' Gov. Jerry Brown says
Los Angeles Times
Earlier this month, high-profile housing legislation that would have allowed for four- to five-story apartments and condominiums near transit stops failed to advance in the state Legislature.
Housing: What would the candidates for governor do?
CALmatters
The cost of housing has been on the most talked about issues on the campaign trail this year. Where do the gubernatorial candidates stand on the issue? CALmatters asked the top six what they would do to make living in California more affordable.
Also See:
PUBLIC FINANCES
How California is jeopardizing your unemployment benefits
Modesto Bee
Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its annual report on the condition of state unemployment insurance programs and declared that California was the only state with a zero “solvency level.” In fact, it’s the only one to still owe the federal government for loans it took out to prop up its Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) during the Great Recession.
TRANSPORTATION
$500M grant will help improve Central Valley rail travel
Stockton Record
The state awarded the startling sum of $500.5 million late last week to a project proponents say will transform Central Valley rail travel from Merced north to Sacramento, with Stockton and San Joaquin County right in the middle of the improvements.
Gas tax critics turn in signatures for California initiative
The Bakersfield Californian
An effort by California conservatives to repeal a recent increase in gas taxes and vehicle registration fees ramped up Monday as the supporters turned in more than 940,000 signatures to put the question before voters in November.
Also See:
Gas tax repeal heading for the November ballot, campaign says The Mercury News
John Cox begins California barnstorm with the delivery of gas tax repeal signatures Los Angeles Times
Self-driving cars' shortcomings revealed in DMV reports
The Mercury News
A demand from the California DMV of eight companies testing self-driving cars has highlighted a number of areas where the technology falls short of being safe to operate with no human backup.
Pain at the pump: Summer driving season will be most expensive in years
OCRegister
Get ready for a little bit more pain at the pump this summer. Crude oil prices are at the highest level in more than three years and expected to climb higher, pushing up gasoline prices along the way.
High-Speed-Rail Projects Face Mounting Skepticism, Roadblocks
National Review
In January, the California High Speed Rail Authority released its new business plan. Assemblyman Jim Patterson, a train critic who represents Fresno, promptly labeled it a “going-out-of-business plan.”
California Is Gearing Up For a Big Fight Over Tailpipe Emissions. Here's Why.
New York Times
The Environmental Protection Agency’s draft proposal to relax federal auto emissions standards, described to The New York Times last week, sets up a legal clash with California. The state has pledged to stick with stricter Obama-era targets.
WATER
Did Gov. Brown promise the Bay Area a new reservoir in exchange for Delta tunnels support?
Sacramento Bee
Just six months ago, a major Bay Area water district only would commit about a third of the $650 million Gov. Jerry Brown's office had hoped it would pay for his controversial Delta tunnels project. In a sudden reversal, the Santa Clara Valley Water District board now may pay the full amount. The board is scheduled to vote on the issue Wednesday.
EDITORIAL: California is dammed enough already
Los Angeles Times
The value of new, giant dams is extremely limited and costly without new giant rivers to fill them, and California has no such new rivers. That's the gist of the situation that faces the California Water Commission.
Vidak: Brown Disrespects Valley Again With Dam Funding
Many of my Central Valley legislative colleagues are furious that the staff at Gov. Jerry Brown’s Water Commission have rigged the system so the recently announced proposed funding for Temperance Flat Reservoir is just that — flat.
Are California’s Cities Ready for the Next Drought?
PublicCEO
California’s urban areas—where more than 90% of residents live—managed the last drought quite well. How well prepared are cities and suburbs to weather the next long dry spell? Here are two things to know about urban drought preparedness.
Wetlands at Risk from Federal Rule Change
Public Policy Institute of California
The federal government’s Clean Water Act includes dozens of regulations to reduce water pollution. But it doesn’t include a clear definition of what types of water systems it covers.