May 5, 2021

05May

POLICY & POLITICS

 

JUST​​ 2​​ MORE DAYS TO APPLY:

What does leadership look like in your community? 

James Irvine Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Leadership Awards – a $250,000 grant for California leaders. Accepting nominations at IrvineAwards.org through May 7, 2021.

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday. Here's what to watch for

Stockton Record

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday morning to discuss and consider a whole host of issues, such as funding for housing affordability, COVID-19 and a gas pipeline franchise.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Fresno County leaders declare local drought emergency. One says drought is ‘man-made’

Fresno Bee

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed a resolution proclaiming a local drought emergency. The vote on the resolution during Tuesday’s special meeting was unanimous.

 

Deportation-fighting fund asks Fresno to pay $300K. Will city pitch in this time?

Fresno Bee

An initiative that has helped 18 people avoid deportation is asking the city of Fresno for a $300K investment. The Fresno County Legal Defense Fund has helped people like a Mexican father of U.S.-born children who has lived in the Central Valley for more than 30 years.

 

Editorial: Best medicine for aging veterans? To keep VA medical services centered in Fresno

Fresno Bee

The best idea would be to keep all services centralized in Fresno. That is the least disruptive to the service members and keeps sprawl to a minimum. The Clovis land can be used for staff parking.

 

The Fresno Center’s New Mobile Mental Health Unit Hopes To Reach More People In Need

VPR
The Fresno Center unveiled a new mobile health unit Monday, the first of its kind in Fresno County designed to provide remote mental health services.

 

Is 5G in Your Fresno Neighborhood Yet? Depends on Your ZIP Code.

GVWire

If the internet is an information superhighway, 5G users are riding in the fastest lane. Fresno residents with 5G devices can surf the web, download movies, play online games, and even participate in the now-dreaded Zoom meetings without delay or lagging.

 

Warszawski: Litter removal is helpful. But Fresno’s trash problem requires complete culture cleanse

Fresno Bee

Fresno’s curb appeal problem, to borrow Mayor Jerry Dyer’s phrase, won’t be solved with a few trash pickers. Nor a few hundred.But you know what? It’s definitely helping.

 

Was vote to change Fresno High’s Native American mascot illegal? New lawsuit says yes

Fresno Bee

A lawsuit was filed against the Fresno Unified School District this week, alleging the board violated the Brown Act when it voted to remove the Fresno High Schools mascot that depicts a Native American caricature.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Supervisors to allow the public back into meetings after more than a year

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors plans to allow in-person attendance at its next meeting for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

 

Bakersfield City Council to again discuss Department of Justice allegations of BPD civil rights violations

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council will meet in closed session on Wednesday to discuss allegations by the California Department of Justice that the Bakersfield Police Department committed civil rights violations.

 

SBDC webinar will provide updates on pandemic recovery programs

Bakersfield Californian

An hour-long webinar hosted by Cal State Bakersfield's Small Business Development Center at noon Wednesday will provide updates on government pandemic-recovery programs and feature comments by local consultant James Thomsen.

 

Jastro's stage falls into further disrepair as it awaits money for upgrades

Bakersfield Californian

Lamar Brandysky called it. One year ago, the downtown resident started a petition calling on the city to set aside money for repairs needed at the historic stage at Jastro Park in downtown Bakersfield.

 

House GOP leader McCarthy amps up pressure on Cheney over Trump barbs

Bakersfield Californian

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stepped up pressure on No. 3 House Republican Liz Cheney on Tuesday, claiming rank-and-file concerns about “her ability to carry out her job” as she trades insults with former President Donald Trump.

 

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

‘It’s shocking.’ How inaccurate California death records obscure pandemic’s true story

Sacramento Bee

When California looks back on the COVID-19 pandemic — the most significant health crisis in modern history, with tens of thousands of deaths so far — medical researchers will find some of the most basic details remarkably incomplete.

 

California’s tax revenue is surging. Will Gov. Newsom send some back to taxpayers?

Fresno Bee

California taxpayers could be due for their first state budget refunds in decades thanks to a disco-era spending cap that on only one previous occasion resulted in households getting checks from Sacramento.

 

Gavin Newsom is a ‘pretty boy,’ and California needs a ‘beast,’ GOP recall candidate says

Fresno Bee

Hoping to convince voters that he can bring “beastly” solutions to California’s problems, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox kicked off a three day tour in Sacramento on Tuesday, appearing alongside a live, 1,000-pound California brown bear named Tag.

See also:

 

Opinion: In May Revise, focus on making government work effectively

CalMatters

In other words, there is a time for dreaming and a time to be practical. With the governor set to unveil his revised budget proposal, we urge him to remember that now is a time to be practical.

 

California AG warns about ‘misleading claims’ by healthcare sharing ministry plans

Fresno Bee

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert warning state residents about “sham health insurance plans offered by some healthcare sharing ministries,” following complaints received by his office.

 

Three Major Progressive Proposals Just Stalled In California’s Legislature

Capital Public Radio

Assemblymember Lee entered office late last year with a splash. At 25 years old, he’s the youngest state lawmaker elected to office in over 80 years. Shortly after being sworn in, he introduced a slew of ambitious proposals that would test California’s reputation.

 

Commentary: State Must Maintain Election Security Momentum

Little Hoover Commission

In a Techwire Op-Ed, Commission Chair Pedro Nava and Commissioners Bill Emmerson and Janna Sidley highlight the Commission's recommendations on four ways the state can build best-in-class security into election infrastructure.

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Biden’s Capital-Gains Tax Increases Would Hit Few Americans, Study Says

Wall Street Journal

The Biden plan would increase the top capital-gains tax rate to 43.4% from 23.8% for those earning over $1 million. Capital gains refer to profits on the sale of assets like stocks, homes or small businesses.

 

Biden Blocks Trump-Era Gig-Worker Rule

Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration is blocking a Trump-era regulation that would have made it easier to classify gig workers and others as independent contractors, a policy that had been sought by companies such as food-delivery and ride-sharing services.

See also:

 

President Biden’s commitment to diversity in the first 100 days

Brookings

Throughout the 2020 presidential campaign, candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly pledged to appoint a team that looked like America.

 

Opinion: Biden isn’t pursuing socialism. He’s just trying to catch up with other wealthy democracies.

Washington Post

Republicans accuse Biden of pursuing a radical agenda that will turn the U.S. into a failed socialist state. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, for example, tweeted a link to a 1974 article about day care in the Soviet Union and wrote ominously: “You know who else liked universal day care.”

 

Opinion: Joe Biden Comes Down against Stay-at-Home Parenting

National Review

They don’t call ’em the “mommy wars” for nothing. For couples with young kids, work and child care can be incredibly fraught topics. There are no perfect options, just trade-offs that different couples, with different values and different work situations, evaluate differently.

 

Elise Stefanik Gains Momentum to Replace Liz Cheney as GOP No. 3

Wall Street Journal

House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (R., La.) backed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) to replace embattled Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as GOP conference chairwoman, amid frustration by party leaders over Ms. Cheney’s comments criticizing former President Donald Trump.

See also:

 

Constitutional Challenges Loom Over Proposed Voting Bill

Wall Street Journal

If the sweeping voting rights bill that the House passed in March overcomes substantial hurdles in the Senate to become law, it would reshape American elections and represent a triumph for Democrats eager to combat the wave of election restrictions.

 

Uncertainty emerges in the 2021 health agenda

AEI

Democrats are discussing several high-profile reforms for possible inclusion in the infrastructure or family support bills that the president has teed up for congressional consideration, but each faces some opposition.

 

Making COVID-19 aid effective by doubling down on USAID reforms

Brookings

The Senate’s bipartisan confirmation of Ambassador Samantha Power as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has reenergized the agency and the entire development community.

 

Opinion: Weighing the Costs of COVID Versus the Costs of Lockdowns

National Review

Writing for AIER, Professor Don Boudreaux looks at the enormous discrepancy between the costs of COVID and the costs of the politically mandated response to the disease, namely lockdowns.

 

Editorial: The Centers for Politics and Unions

Wall Street Journal

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had a bad pandemic, and it’s getting worse. The outfit that is supposed to offer credible, unbiased scientific guidance has been found again to be politicizing virus policy.

See also:

 

Births fall to 42-year low in U.S., new CDC data shows

CBSNews

The number of births in the U.S. fell 4% in 2020, dropping to the lowest level since 1979 and continuing a multi-year trend of declining birth rates. That's according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

See also:

 

Other:

 

Inside ‘Facebook Jail’: The Secret Rules That Put Users in the Doghouse

Wall Street Journal

The site’s Oversight Board is expected to rule on Donald Trump’s case Wednesday. Breaking Facebook’s rules can mean removed posts and blocked privileges, but a vast number of guidelines aren’t made public.

See also:

 

Opinion: Ranked-choice voting is already changing politics for the better

Washington Post

If you’ve been following New York City’s mayoral race, you might have noticed an unusual trend. Candidates have openly discussed their personal second choices. Activist groups have issued joint endorsements of competing candidates.

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, May 16, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "Eliminating Fraud, Waste & Abuse: Who You Gonna Call?" - Guests: Gabriel Petek - Legislative Analyst's Office; CA State Auditor Elaine Howle; Pedro Nava, Chairman - Little Hoover Commission; John Myers - LA Times; Dan Walters - CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, May 9, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “Congressional Agenda for 2021” - Guests: Congressman Jim Costa; Congressman David Valadao; Professor Greg Soydemir - Stanislaus State; Professor Nate Monroe - UC Merced; Professor Lisa Bryant - Fresno State. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Driver Shortage Worries Agriculture Trucking Firms, California Farm Bureau Federation Reports

Sierra Sun Times

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is driving even more truck drivers out of their cabs, prompting worries among haulers and food processors that there won't be enough people available to transport the harvest as summer wears on.

 

Opinion: How growers had to sidestep county and state programs to vaccinate farmworkers

CalMatters

As harvest season approached, growers begged county officials to vaccinate their workers. But the state and counties didn’t prioritize vaccine doses for farmworkers in February. So the growers and doctors stepped in and set up their own clinics.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Tulare County Superior Court repeals 'zero dollar' bail as COVID-19 cases continue to decline

Visalia Times Delta

More than a year after California courts imposed an emergency bail schedule to reduce the number of people behind bars , Tulare County will resume its pre-pandemic bail schedule.

 

Who should police California’s troubled jails? State wants more inspectors — with power

Fresno Bee

California is moving to strengthen its power over how county sheriffs are running their local jails, amid a national debate over accountability for law enforcement and ending ‘inhumane’ conditions in lockups around the state.

 

Advocates Fear Efforts to Thwart Unemployment Fraud in California Could Hurt the Formerly Incarcerated

KQED

The main thrust of the bills would be to establish a cross-matching system between EDD and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to ensure people currently incarcerated in state prisons don’t receive unemployment benefits.

 

Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked in cities around the U.S., study finds

Los Angeles Times

Denny Kim was walking to dinner in Koreatown when he was attacked in February. Two men approached Kim, a 27-year-old Air Force veteran, and shouted anti-Asian slurs, including “Chinese virus,” before taking a swing at him. He was left with a black eye and injured nose.

 

Opinion: A California showdown over crime and punishment looms

Modesto Bee

Should California continue to reduce punishment for crimes large and small, or has it gone too far and implicitly allowed criminals to prey upon Californians without fear of imprisonment?

 

Supreme Court Considers Leniency Bid for Crack-Cocaine Offense

Wall Street Journal

Reducing penalties for drug offenses has attracted bipartisan agreement, with widespread acknowledgment that punishment for crack cocaine, a drug lawmakers associated with African-Americans, has been disproportionately severe.

 

Public Safety:

 

Pandemic Led To 30% Increase In Deaths For Workers In Certain High-Risk Industries, Study Shows

Capital Public Radio

The pandemic accounted for a 30% increase in the deaths of essential workers in 10 industries in California during the first 10 months, according to a new study by U.C. Merced’s Community and Labor Center.

See also:

 

Entire U.S. West Coast Now Covered By Earthquake Early Warning System

NPR

Residents living on the West Coast don't know when the next earthquake will hit. But a new expansion of the U.S. earthquake early warning system gives 50 million people in California, Oregon, and now Washington, seconds to quickly get to safety whenever the next one hits.

 

Fire:

 

'Like Armageddon': California's 2021 wildfire season could be extreme, state officials warn

abc30

This week's unusually early Red Flag Warning is just a sign of things to come, according to California's top emergency and fire officials, who gathered for an event in the East Bay to kick off Wildfire Preparedness Week.

 

Event: Preparing for the Next Wildfire Season

Public Policy Institute of California

Join us for a conversation with insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara and other state leaders about the steps California is taking to prepare for wildfire season—this year and beyond.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

SBDC webinar will provide updates on pandemic recovery programs

Bakersfield Californian

An hour-long webinar hosted by Cal State Bakersfield's Small Business Development Center at noon Wednesday will provide updates on government pandemic-recovery programs and feature comments by local consultant James Thomsen.

 

California urges people to vacation in state, boost tourism

Fresno Bee

California tourism leaders are urging residents to spend their pent-up travel dollars exploring their home state, as coronavirus case numbers stay low and the industry reels from a 55% decline in revenue.

 

States’ 2020 Personal Income Growth Was Highest in 20 Years

PEW

Total personal income increased in every state last year, despite the pandemic and ensuing recession. A major driver: historic gains in government assistance.

 

Jobs:

 

Truck drivers needed in Central Valley with busy season nearing

abc30

The number of people training to drive big rigs has picked up at Advanced Career Institute in Fresno. Four weeks of training are needed to get a new truck driver out on the road.

 

More Than 40% of Nontraditional Workers Had Hours Cut or Lost Jobs Because of COVID-19

PEW

The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it brought record unemployment to American workers, affecting those in traditional as well as nontraditional jobs, such as online and freelance work and operating a small business.

See also:

 

Uber, Lyft have a California playbook to fight proposed U.S. rules on contract workers

Mercury News

Uber, Lyft and other gig-economy companies face a new challenge from the Biden administration, but as they gear up for a fight in Washington they could turn to a lobbying playbook that helped them score a decisive win against California.

See also:

 

Bay Area employers wait and see on mandatory COVID vaccines

Mercury News

Of the many problems confronting Bay Area companies as they move out of pandemic lockdowns and into the workplaces of the future, one issue is proving especially thorny: Do they make their workers get COVID shots?

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Was vote to change Fresno High’s Native American mascot illegal? New lawsuit says yes

Fresno Bee

A lawsuit was filed against the Fresno Unified School District this week, alleging the board violated the Brown Act when it voted to remove the Fresno High Schools mascot that depicts a Native American caricature.

 

Local school districts see drop in enrollment amid distance learning

abc30

Schools across the state, including here in the Valley are seeing a dip in enrollment numbers. The California Department of Education says it's seen a decrease of over 160,000 students in the past year.

 

Hundreds of thousands of California students won’t take statewide standardized tests this spring

EdSource

Hundreds of thousands of California students this spring will not be taking the state’s annual Smarter Balanced standardized tests, an EdSource survey of the state’s largest districts shows.

 

Walters: Eli Broad was a passionate school reformer

CalMatters

When Eli Broad died last week, Los Angeles lost a civic leader and California lost a passionate advocate for charter schools.

 

Opinion: Teachers Unions’ Covid Cop-Outs Are a Winning Issue for GOP

Wall Street Journal

There is no appreciable downside to the GOP taking on the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, which already give nearly all their political support to Democrats.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Opinion: California needs a new Master Plan for Higher Education

CalMatters

California is in the midst of a crisis in higher education. At first glance this may seem paradoxical, as many in California and around the world continue to perceive the UC system in particular as the gold standard for public higher education.

 

How students can find scholarships and grants to help pay for college

CNBC

Many high school seniors have made their college choice, but now it’s time to worry about the cost. CNBC’s Sharon Epperson reports on how students can go about applying for grants, scholarships and other aid.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Millions Of California Salmon Are Making Their Way To The Ocean Via Truck

Capital Public Radio

Millions of young salmon are making their way to the ocean by truck rather than swimming downriver to the ocean. Northern California hatcheries on the Feather River, Nimbus, the Mokelumne and Merced are ferrying their young salmon or smolts 50 to 100 miles.

 

America's new normal: A degree hotter than two decades ago

Bakersfield Californian

America’s new normal temperature is a degree hotter than it was just two decades ago. Scientists have long talked about climate change — hotter temperatures, changes in rain and snowfall and more extreme weather — being the “new normal.”

 

New pledges by U.S., others put Paris climate accord goals in closer reach, scientists say

Los Angeles Times

Recent pledges by the United States and other nations could help cap global warming at 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, but only if efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by 2050 succeed, scientists said Tuesday.

 

Energy:

 

The city's first solar farm is coming to West Fresno

abc30

A year from now, 85 acres in West Fresno along Cornelia Ave. will be home to 30,000 solar panels, the largest 10-megawatt solar farm in Fresno to date.

See also:

 

State optimistic about avoiding power outages this summer

Bakersfield Californian

Senior state energy officials voiced optimism Tuesday that a series of steps taken since last summer will prevent a repeat of August's rotating power outages, though they did not rule out the possibility it could happen again this year.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

How do you ask someone if they got their COVID vaccine? Experts offer some tips

Fresno Bee

So, how do you talk to others about whether they’ve been vaccinated? Here are some tips for asking questions and having discussions with people who are hesitant about getting vaccines.

See also:

 

Biden’s infrastructure plan targets lead pipes that threaten public health across the U.S.

PBS

President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes a proposal to upgrade the U.S. drinking water distribution system by removing and replacing dangerous lead pipes.

 

Opinion: A blueprint for Californians’ behavioral health

CalMatters

Californians are looking forward to when immunity from COVID-19 is widespread. It is a goal that is closer thanks to the multiple vaccines and expanded statewide distribution.

 

Human Services:

 

Editorial: Best medicine for aging veterans? To keep VA medical services centered in Fresno

Fresno Bee

The best idea would be to keep all services centralized in Fresno. That is the least disruptive to the service members and keeps sprawl to a minimum. The Clovis land can be used for staff parking.

 

The Fresno Center’s New Mobile Mental Health Unit Hopes To Reach More People In Need

VPR
The Fresno Center unveiled a new mobile health unit Monday, the first of its kind in Fresno County designed to provide remote mental health services.

 

Why Lagging COVID Vaccine Rate At Rural Hospitals 'Needs To Be Fixed Now'

VPR

President Biden on Tuesday is set to announce new steps to reach rural Americans in the push to get as many people as possible vaccinated for the coronavirus, a White House official tells NPR.

See also:

 

‘It’s shocking.’ How inaccurate California death records obscure pandemic’s true story

Sacramento Bee

When California looks back on the COVID-19 pandemic — the most significant health crisis in modern history, with tens of thousands of deaths so far — medical researchers will find some of the most basic details remarkably incomplete.

 

Yes, it’s legal for businesses and schools to require you to get a coronavirus vaccine

Washington Post

As businesses, universities and other organizations ponder a return to something like normal operations, the ethics and legality of coronavirus-vaccine mandates have become the subject of intense debate.

 

Proposed Office of Health Care Affordability: An important step towards addressing the health care cost problem for California workers

UC Berkeley Labor Center

Job-based coverage premiums have grown rapidly while wages remained flat, a problem that is particularly difficult for low-income workers.

See also:

 

Uncertainty emerges in the 2021 health agenda

AEI

Democrats are discussing several high-profile reforms for possible inclusion in the infrastructure or family support bills that the president has teed up for congressional consideration, but each faces some opposition.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Deportation-fighting fund asks Fresno to pay $300K. Will city pitch in this time?

Fresno Bee

An initiative that has helped 18 people avoid deportation is asking the city of Fresno for a $300K investment. The Fresno County Legal Defense Fund has helped people like a Mexican father of U.S.-born children who has lived in the Central Valley for more than 30 years.

See also:

 

Biden Raises Refugee Cap To 62,500 After Earlier Criticism

VPR
President Biden announced on Monday that his administration is raising the cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 for this fiscal year, far above the 15,000 limit set by the Trump administration, but below an earlier campaign promise.

 

DHS to Suspend New Fingerprint Requirement for Spouses of H-1B Visa Holders

Wall Street Journal

The Department of Homeland Security will suspend a requirement that some spouses of immigrants legally employed in the U.S. submit new fingerprints to renew their visas.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Project Roomkey Sheltered Thousands Of California’s Homeless Residents. Will The Model Live On Post-Pandemic?

Capital Public Radio

Lana Howard has been homeless for two decades. Still, the 75-year-old Texas native says she’d rather live on the streets of Sacramento than in a traditional, dorm-style homeless shelter, where she describes the conditions as like “hell.”

 

AEI housing market indicators, May 2021

AEI

The American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center released its monthly update to the AEI Housing Market Indicators on May 3, 2021.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California’s tax revenue is surging. Will Gov. Newsom send some back to taxpayers?

Fresno Bee

California taxpayers could be due for their first state budget refunds in decades thanks to a disco-era spending cap that on only one previous occasion resulted in households getting checks from Sacramento.

 

Biden’s Capital-Gains Tax Increases Would Hit Few Americans, Study Says

Wall Street Journal

The Biden plan would increase the top capital-gains tax rate to 43.4% from 23.8% for those earning over $1 million. Capital gains refer to profits on the sale of assets like stocks, homes or small businesses.

 

U.S. Treasury Evaluating Various Scenarios for Debt Limit Reinstatement

Wall Street Journal

The Treasury Department said Wednesday it may have to take extraordinary measures to fund the government if the federal borrowing limit is reinstated this summer, but warned it could run out of cash much sooner than in previous debt limit episodes.

 

Restaurants and bars can apply now for federal COVID relief funds. Here’s what to know

Fresno Bee

Starting Monday, eligible businesses can apply for federal COVID-19 relief through the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund, or RRF, established by the $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package signed into law in March.

 

‘It’s inhumane’: Undocumented immigrants ineligible for COVID funeral reimbursement

Fresno Bee

FEMA guidelines largely prevent undocumented immigrants from applying to receive disaster relief funds. Instead, the agency encourages undocumented families to seek other sources of financial support, through non-profit and community-based organizations.

 

BLOG: More threats to Prop. 13 on the horizon

Business Journal

While also protecting against property tax hikes, Prop. 13 also required the approval of two-thirds of voters for any special tax. But a measure called Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 has once again been introduced to change that.

 

Survey confirms that many Americans misunderstand income tax brackets

AEI

The federal individual income tax has always featured a progressive rate schedule, with higher brackets for higher-income taxpayers. Although brackets work in a straightforward manner, a recent survey confirms that many Americans misunderstand the process.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

It’s the best time ever to sell a used car — as long as you don’t need to buy one

Los Angeles Times

Clarissa Iliff logged about 78,000 miles on her trusty 2015 Ford Focus before a looming new-car purchase rendered it expendable earlier this year.

 

U.S. Push for Carbon-Neutral Ships Expected to Reveal Industry Divisions

Wall Street Journal

A new U.S. push to cut ship emissions will kick into high gear a multibillion-dollar quest for nonfossil fuels to power oceangoing vessels, but likely will face a backlash from Asian and South American nations that fear rising export costs.

 

WATER

 

Anticipating and Addressing the Impacts of the Drought

Public Policy Institute of California

California’s current drought is already off to a strong start, with some major challenges already looming. Compared to the drought of 2012‒16, the normally wetter Sacramento and North Coast regions have been hit much harder than the rest of the state.

See also:

 

 

“Xtra”

 

Which Sierra Nevada roadways are open? Updates for Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Kaiser Pass

Fresno Bee

A number of Sierra Nevada locations that are inaccessible in winter due to snow can now be reached or will be accessible soon. Snowpack is at low levels across the mountain range, and drought has returned to California.

 

Downtown farmers market returns to ‘new normal’

Turlock Journal

With a full season of operating during a pandemic already under its belt, the Turlock Certified Farmers Market was well-prepared for crowds of shoppers who made their way downtown Saturday for the annual event’s Opening Day.

 

City pool to open May 28 with free swim night

Porterville Recorder

Murry Park's city pool will open on Memorial Day weekend with a free swim night on opening day. The city pool will open on May 28 with a free swim night sponsored by Step Up.

 

Shortage of chlorine tablets forces tough decisions in pool maintenance options

Bakersfield Californian

A nationwide shortage of chlorine tablets is making waves in the pool-cleaning industry as local service companies trying to cover rising costs face blowback from customers unwilling to make up the difference.

 

Bethany Clough: Mother’s Day 2021 in Fresno: Where to eat and why some restaurants won’t do takeout

Fresno Bee

Mother’s Day is Sunday and celebrating mom with a meal – and maybe a few mimosas – may be just the thing after this past year.

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

                                                     

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.

 

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