Maddy Institute – August 16, 2021

17Aug

POLICY & POLITICS

Census data: 4 of 6 Central CA counties had population increase over last decade, all under 10%

abc30

The U.S. Census Bureau is giving Americans a more up-to-date picture of the size and makeup of their country... and their local community. It comes from the 2020 Census redistricting data, released this week.

Test positivity rates in four of six Central Valley counties top 10%

Fresno Bee

Rates are going up in several Central Valley counties...

Newsom recall basics: How to vote in California’s election

CalMatters

A FAQ on the California election on whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. CalMatters plans to launch its Voter Guide on Aug. 16.

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Stanislaus hospitals get more cases. Vaccine clinics set Modesto Bee

● COVID-19 sends a flood of patients to Modesto hospital, straining staff and resources Modesto Bee

● Editorial: Not vaccinated yet? Neither were these COVID victims. All regret their skepticism Modesto Bee

Increase in delta variant cases forces Stanislaus State to change fall reopening plan

Modesto Bee

All in-person instruction at California State University, Stanislaus, has been delayed until Oct. 1 because of a rise in COVID-19 cases stemming from the delta variant, President Ellen Junn announced Saturday.

UC Merced considering delaying in-person instruction to address student housing shortage

Modesto Bee

The University of California, Merced, is seeking approval to delay the start of in-person instruction after learning that about 1,000 of its students are still looking for local housing.

Water? Housing? Sewers? Debate over which Stanislaus pocket-area projects to fund

Modesto Bee

As Stanislaus creates a framework to spend millions of dollars on improving county islands and urban pockets, there’s disagreement among residents on how and where the money should be invested.

Tuolumne gets $10 million to reduce wildfire fuels. Will this finally move the dial?

Modesto Bee

Two $5 million state grants will help Tuolumne County tackle brush and timber that could stoke yet another megafire.

Turlock Amazon center to open in 2022

Turlock Journal

Online retail giant giant Amazon officially announced on Wednesday that the company’s newest fulfillment center is well underway in Turlock, bringing over 1,000 jobs to the region.

A stadium for concerts, snow sledding — and yes, baseball — in downtown Modesto?

Modesto Bee

Some influential local business people are taking steps to explore a new baseball stadium in downtown Modesto that could host other big events, like snow sledding, ice skating, concerts, and expositions.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Surge in Fresno, Valley cases not matched in six months. See latest data Fresno Bee

● Fresno hospitals’ COVID patient surge at seven times level of just six weeks ago Fresno Bee

● COVID-19 update: Tulare County sees new virus-related deaths Visalia Times Delta

● The majority of Tulare County ICU patients with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, hospital leaders report Visalia Times Delta

Fresno County’s top health officer urges requiring COVID vaccines for employees

Fresno Bee

Fresno County’s top health official said this week that county leaders should consider following hospital chiefs and other leaders who have begun to require vaccinations for many of their employees.

Dozens gather in Fresno to protest California's vaccine mandate

abc30

Dozens of people gathered in Fresno on Sunday afternoon to protest California's new vaccine mandate. The state's Department of Health has issued an order requiring all state workers, health care workers, and school teachers to be vaccinated or get weekly COVID-19 testing.

Here’s why most Fresno-area students seeking a school mask exemption won’t get one

Fresno Bee

In an email blast to area doctors on Friday, the Fresno Madera Medical Society urged local physicians to follow the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which say that almost all school-age children can and should wear a mask in school.

Visalia City Council appoints Liz Wynn

Visalia Times Delta

Former Visalia Planning Commissioner and nonprofit leader Liz Wynn outshined 15 other candidates to become Visalia's District 1 representative, city leaders announced Thursday.

A decade of growth: Fresno County reaches big population milestone in 2020 US Census count

Fresno Bee

Fresno County added more than 78,000 people to its population during the 2010s, bolstering the official count in the 2020 decennial U.S. Census to more than 1 million residents.

● Tulare County’s Hispanic population increased 15% since 2010: What to know about Census results Visalia Times Delta

Beautify Fresno: Volunteers pick up over 16,000 pounds of trash from streets

abc30

More than 1,600 volunteers turned out and they all enjoyed a special celebration to wrap up the day. Non-profits, service groups, and residents spent Saturday morning cleaning up different zones of the city.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● CDC: Certain immunocompromised people should receive third vaccine dose Bakersfield Californian

Schools begin to open in Kern County, but coronavirus concerns loom

Bakersfield Californian

Students in Wasco Union Elementary School District have already been in class for two weeks. Since then a dozen students have tested positive for COVID, and 70 were sent home to quarantine because of a possible exposure under current health guidelines.

McCarthy sells 'moron' campaign T-shirts to protest mask mandates

The Hill

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is fundraising by selling T-shirts emblazoned with the word "moron" to protest mask mandates while swiping at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Gubernatorial candidate Jenny Rae Le Roux to visit Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Jenny Rae Le Roux will visit Bakersfield on Tuesday to meet with donors and community members as part of her campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Medical vocational school geared toward people who 'want to make a difference'

Bakersfield Californian

Kern Valley Medical College offers a 17-week medical assistant program and a five-week EKG program. An applicant must have a high school diploma, GED or pass an entrance exam administered by the college to enroll.

Infrastructure bill could fund carbon hub in Kern

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County could become one of four federally funded technological hubs for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and burying it permanently underground if the House approves President Joe Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

Bakersfield plans millions in park upgrades after years of neglect

Bakersfield Californian

After years of tight budgets and neglect, nearly 20 Bakersfield city parks are scheduled for much-needed upgrades. The Bakersfield City Council recently approved $6.2 million for playground and structure improvements for around 19 parks across the city.

State:

COVID Update:

● California's vaccinated say unvaccinated are adding risk; strong support for mandates — CBS News poll CBS News

● The lambda COVID variant is in California: 5 things to know Orange County Register

● California doing much better with Delta variant than Florida, Texas. Here’s why Los Angeles Times

Full interviews: What Gavin Newsom, 3 recall candidates told our California editorial boards

Fresno Bee

McClatchy California’s editorial boards met with Newsom and the leading recall challengers, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, businessman John Cox and talk radio host Larry Elder. The full-length interviews for each candidate can be found in the following videos.

● Recall ballots to be mailed to registered voters starting Monday Bakersfield Californian

● Tax cuts and no COVID mandates. How Republican recall candidates would govern California Fresno Bee

● California recall campaign hits high gear as Newsom tries to rally Democratic base Los Angeles Times

● The Newsom recall election is underway Los Angeles Times

● Recall candidate Larry Elder appears to have not properly disclosed his finances Los Angeles Times

● Recall gives Netflix’s Reed Hastings a chance to mend fences with Newsom Los Angeles Times

● Newsom hits the trail — Democrats file ethics complaint against Elder Politico

● Skelton: California recall system must be reformed. It’s bad for taxpayers and, some say, democracy Los Angeles Times

● Skelton: Democrats should ignore Newsom’s request to skip the second recall question Los Angeles Times

● Editorial: Wake up, California! Removing Gavin Newsom would be a disaster Los Angeles Times

● Editorial: Vote ‘no’ on the recall, and fill out the entire California ballot. Here’s why that’s important Sacramento Bee

● Editorial: Recalling Gavin Newsom has major consequences for California. Voters must reject it Sacramento Bee

● Opinion: California’s young adults must keep Newsom in office. Our chance at surviving climate change depends on it Sacramento Bee

● Will California Gov. Newsom Stay In Office? Democratic Turnout In Recall Election Will Likely Have Huge Impact, Poll Finds Forbes

Census data: 4 of 6 Central CA counties had population increase over last decade, all under 10%

abc30

● California’s Asian population soars, new census data shows The Business Journal

● LGBTQ advocates target a new way to grow political power: Redistricting Politico

Federal:

COVID Update:

● America’s failure to pay workers time off undermines vaccine campaign, according to surveys and policy experts Washington Post

● ‘Everybody I Know Is Pissed Off’ The Atlantic

The GOP is reviving the old history of blaming outsiders for disease

The Washington Post

In 1862, California physician Arthur B. Stout published a scathing report with a terrifying title: “Chinese Immigration and the Physiological Causes of the Decay of the Nation.”

Infrastructure bill is a win for Biden — and for America

The Hill

Only through a group effort, involving members from both sides of the aisle, can we get the engines of America working again at optimal levels.

Eviction Moratorium Left in Place by Judge Despite Legal Doubts

Wall Street Journal

A federal judge on Friday allowed the Biden administration’s new eviction moratorium to remain in place, saying she didn’t have authority to block it despite her misgivings about the ban’s legality.

See also:

● Editorial: The Supreme Court’s Eviction Docket Wall Street Journal

● District court leaves federal eviction protections in place Roll Call

● Evicting congressional responsibility AEI

Opinion: Biden must make the case for ending the filibuster to protect voting rights

The Washington Post

President Biden’s first Oval Office address to the nation. Such an august setting is usually reserved for moments of national consequence, and safeguarding voting rights is one of those moments.

Pelosi takes step to quell moderates’ budget rebellion

Fresno Bee

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proposed a procedural vote this month that would set up future passage of two economic measures crucial to President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, a move Democratic leaders hope will win must-have votes from unhappy party moderates.

● Nancy Pelosi Looks at Advancing Infrastructure and Budget Framework Simultaneously Wall Street Journal

● Pelosi offers to ‘advance’ budget and infrastructure measures together Roll Call

● Nine centrist House Democrats threaten to oppose budget without infrastructure Roll Call

Democrats call to include ‘documented Dreamers’ in reconciliation

Roll Call

Nearly two dozen House Democrats are calling on congressional leaders to include a pathway to citizenship not only for undocumented immigrants in their budget reconciliation measure.

Congress is off to a slow start in 2021, much as it has been in previous years

PEW Research

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that, as of this writing, the 117th Congress’ total legislative output stands at 36 laws – only 30 of which count, by our deliberately generous criteria, as substantive legislation.

Why ‘no corporate PAC money’ pledges are important

Roll Call

Gun manufacturers contributing millions to candidates vowing to stop any enactment of gun control measures.

Other:

New 2020 census results show increased diversity countering decade-long declines in America’s white and youth populations

Brookings

The first release of race-ethnic statistics from the 2020 census makes plain that America’s “diversity explosion” is continuing, albeit in the context of slower national growth, especially among the youth.

● More than 400 U.S. counties are now minority white Axios

● The United States of American colours Ticker

Deep Divisions in Americans’ Views of Nation’s Racial History – and How To Address It

Pew Research Center

A little more than a year after nationwide protests erupted after George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police, the public is deeply divided over how far the nation has progressed in addressing racial inequality – and how much further it needs to go.

Opinion: Big Tech Acts Like Big Brother

Wall Street Journal

Big Tech seems focused on acting as an extension of big government, quashing content from those who oppose their liberal ideology. President Biden has criticized social-media platforms, notably Facebook, for allowing the spread of “misinformation.”

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, August 15, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “A Comprehensive Look at the Valley's Water Issues” - Guest: Ellen Hanak, Director of the Water Policy Center - Public Policy Institute of California. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 15, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "A Comprehensive Look at the Valley's Water Challenges"- Guests: Ellen Hanak, Director of the Water Policy Center - Public Policy Institute of California. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Rural population losses add to farm and ranch labor shortage

Fresno Bee

Rural America lost more population in the latest census, highlighting an already severe worker shortage in the nation's farming and ranching regions and drawing calls from those industries for immigration reform to help ease the problem.

Biden administration approves largest increase to food assistance benefits in SNAP program history

Washington Post

Average monthly benefits will rise by 25 percent, or an additional $36, under the new permanent rules, intended to target a surge of food insecurity during the pandemic.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

New Evidence Confirms Widespread Support for the Death Penalty

Real Clear Policy

On July 1, the Biden administration halted the use of the federal death penalty, reversing the Trump administration’s 2020 resumption of executions.

Fire:

Wildfire triggers mandatory evacuation in rural Fresno County. Here are areas affected

Fresno Bee

A wildfire in Squaw Valley caused an evacuation order to be issued Sunday afternoon, with the blaze continuing to burn and growing into the early-evening hours. An unknown number of structures were threatened.

Tuolumne gets $10 million to reduce wildfire fuels. Will this finally move the dial?

Modesto Bee

Two $5 million state grants will help Tuolumne County tackle brush and timber that could stoke yet another megafire.

Dixie fire forces new evacuations and strains resources as it burns for more than a month

Los Angeles

More than a month after it ignited near a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power station in Feather River Canyon, the relentless Dixie fire shows no signs of slowing down as it continues to threaten homes and strain firefighting resources.

● Thunderstorms, heat fuel wildfires burning across West Modesto Bee

● Scenes From the Dixie Fire Capital and Main

● More than 550 homes destroyed by Dixie fire, now at over half a million acres Los Angeles Times

Fire-ravaged California at ‘pivotal moment’ in its history

Capitol Weekly

State officials say the wildfire season in California, once largely relegated to the deep summer, has gradually expanded by more than two months across the Sierra Nevada and now goes well into the fall, compared with earlier years.

Opinion: We can criticize U.S. Forest Service policy. But when the smoke clears, they’re still heroes

Sacramento Bee

Firefighters are in constant danger. What they do is frankly thankless, and dozens die on-duty each year. Some have lost their homes to fire during fires they battled. Society asks them to do dreadful things, and they should be highly paid and treated respectfully.

Wildfire smoke linked to higher COVID-19 death rates

National Geographic

Smoke from last year’s wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington, contributed to a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in those states, according to a new study.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Turlock Amazon center to open in 2022

Turlock Journal

Online retail giant giant Amazon officially announced on Wednesday that the company’s newest fulfillment center is well underway in Turlock, bringing over 1,000 jobs to the region.

Companies Are Hoarding Record Cash Amid Delta Fears

Wall Street Journal

Companies are sitting on a record amount of cash amid lingering uncertainty about disruptions from Covid-19, defying expectations earlier this year that a waning pandemic would unleash a spending spree.

Jobs:

Fresno County’s top health officer urges requiring COVID vaccines for employees

Fresno Bee

COVID outbreaks doubled in California workplaces in July. Why masks rules won’t change, for now

Sacramento Bee

The data, which was shared with a panel exploring how to revise the state’s COVID-19 workplace safety standard, showed that the number of worksite outbreaks in July was the highest since April.

July’s promising jobs report hides the challenges of left-behind communities

Brookings

Last week’s Bureau of Labor Statistics July jobs report showed a robust, 943,000-job increase from the month prior and a decrease in the unemployment rate, to 5.4%.

Nearly one-third of U.S. workers under 40 considered changing careers during the pandemic

Washington Post

About 1 in 5 workers overall has considered a professional shift, a signal that the pandemic has been a turning point for many, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

Analysis: U.S. SEC prepares to take on corporate America over workforce disclosures

Reuters

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is headed for a scuffle with corporate America over how much information public companies must disclose about their most important asset: employees.

EDUCATION

K-12:

A Wave Of Excitement As Valley Schools Reopen But COVID Concerns Still Loom

NPR

The school bell is ringing, signaling the end of the first day back at school at Lowell Elementary near downtown Fresno.

Medical experts weigh in on the safety of sending kids back to school

abc30

Dr. Erica Gastelum of UCSF Fresno said, "A lot of the community may be giving data that this does not affect children. That was last year's COVID. This is a new pandemic, so to say, that we are dealing with."

● Shifting COVID Policies Sow Confusion Among California Schools Capital and Main

● School Is Starting. Can Children Stay Safe From Covid-19? New York Times

● Reopening Plans for the 100 Biggest School Districts Are Changing Fast New York Times

● California students are going back to school. We answer parents’ most pressing questions Los Angeles Times

● Some kids don’t want to return to in-person schooling CNN

Editorial: California’s teachers will have to get vaccinated. It’s about time

Los Angeles Times

We can’t run schools safely on the basis of doing whatever individual teachers want. If, as unions claimed early on, vaccination is necessary to keep teachers and students safe, that doesn’t somehow change when a minority of teachers avoid baring their arms for a needle jab.

Parents are time squeezed, these policies can help

Brookings

The pandemic brought these issues to the surface as working parents, and especially mothers, were left to navigate work and care for their children with schools and child care centers closed.

Higher Ed:

Increase in delta variant cases forces Stanislaus State to change fall reopening plan

Modesto Bee

UC Merced considering delaying in-person instruction to address student housing shortage

Modesto Bee

The University of California, Merced, is seeking approval to delay the start of in-person instruction after learning that about 1,000 of its students are still looking for local housing.

UC Davis opens huge new student housing complex. Here’s how it will be energy friendly

Sacramento Bee

UC Davis will be housing up to 3,290 students in a new 1.3-million-square-foot living community for fall 2021.

How does virtual learning impact students in higher education?

Brookings

Public attention has largely focused on the learning losses of K-12 students who shifted online during the pandemic.

Stepping forward and stepping up: How and why Walmart is footing the education bill for its workers

AEI

Since starting the project in 2018, Walmart’s “Live Better U” program has enrolled 52,000 students and boasts roughly 8,000 graduates.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

July 2021 was hottest month ever recorded, NOAA says

Los Angeles Daily News

As extreme heat waves struck parts of the United States and Europe, the globe averaged 62.07 degrees (16.73 degrees Celsius) last month, beating out the previous record set in July 2016 and tied again in 2019 and 2020.

● Extreme weather defined Earth's hottest month Axios

The U.N.’s Terrifying Climate Report

The New Yorker

Scientists predict hotter heat waves and worse flooding in the decades ahead, but the catastrophe is evident everywhere this summer.

Amid Extreme Weather, a Shift Among Republicans on Climate Change

New York Times

Many Republicans in Congress no longer deny that Earth is heating because of fossil fuel emissions. But they say abandoning oil, gas and coal will harm the economy.

See also:

● Opinion: Democrats Will Ruin the Climate Wall Street Journal

Energy:

Infrastructure bill could fund carbon hub in Kern

Bakersfield Californian

PG&E warns of safety blackouts in Northern California as hot, dry weather persists

Sacramento Bee

With more critical wildfire weather looming, PG&E Corp. has warned it might shut off power to thousands of Northern Californians late Tuesday.

Despite dire warning about climate change and fossil fuels, energy investors aren’t swayed

Los Angeles Times

The sobering United Nations-backed report on global warming last week prompted a lot of hand-wringing from governments and the general public about fossil fuels.

For Many, Hydrogen Is the Fuel of the Future. New Research Raises Doubts.

New York Times

Industry has been promoting hydrogen as a reliable, next-generation fuel to power cars, heat homes and generate electricity. It may, in fact, be worse for the climate than previously thought.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Immunocompromised people can now get a 3rd COVID vaccine shot. Here’s what to know

Fresno Bee

Some people with weakened immune systems can now receive a third dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines to boost their protection against COVID-19.

● Q & A: Could a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccines protect everyone? Mercury News

● US mulls over COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall Mercury News

Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Mandatory vaccines, risky travel, asthma & more

Fresno Bee

More than 36.6 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday, Aug. 14,, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 621,000 people who have died nationwide.

● What ‘breakthrough’ COVID infections feel like Mercury News

Mental health is the next big workplace issue

Axios

Employees' mental health is quickly becoming a top concern for companies as they try to hold on to workers through the pandemic. The firms that confront mental health are poised to win the war for talent.

‘I feel defeated’: Mask and vaccine mandates cause new divides as officials try to head off virus surge

Washington Post

At big corporations such as United Airlines and Google, workers are being told to roll up their sleeves. Even unions that once balked at vaccine mandates are signaling support.

● Opinion: Get Stuck, Dummy National Review

Science shows mask-wearing is largely safe for children

PolitiFact

Scientists have found little evidence that the kind of masks worn by students negatively affect oxygen or carbon dioxide levels, and they say that contamination levels on masks are no worse than on other common objects.

‘This Is Really Scary’: Kids Struggle With Long Covid

New York Times

Lingering physical, mental and neurological symptoms are affecting children as well as adults, including many who had mild reactions to the initial coronavirus infection.

How To Deal With Renewed COVID Anxiety

NPR

Masks mandates are back, and instead of experiencing nerves over relearning how to socialize with people in person, many are dealing with feelings of anxiety, frustration and grief, knowing that this pandemic is far from over.

Wildfire smoke linked to higher COVID-19 death rates

National Geographic

Smoke from last year’s wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington, contributed to a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in those states, according to a new study.

● ‘This is a very dangerous combination’: New study says wildfire smoke linked to increased covid cases, deaths Washington Post

Human Services:

Medical vocational school geared toward people who 'want to make a difference'

Bakersfield Californian

UC Davis emergency room is seeing ‘astonishing’ numbers of young people with COVID-19

Sacramento Bee

Vaccines for COVID-19 are widely available and effective at staving off the respiratory disease, yet the UC Davis Medical Center reported Friday that its emergency room nearly set a new record in the first week of August for the number of COVID-19 patients.

Critics say a childhood asthma study unethically withheld care—and see a troubling trend

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Juan Celedón, a respected pulmonary researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, wanted to address an urgent national problem. Severe asthma attacks send hundreds of thousands of U.S. children to the hospital every year.

IMMIGRATION

Despite Biden’s Promises, Immigrant Detention and Surveillance Grow

Capital and Man

Biden’s administration and his Democrat-led Congress are spending millions more taxpayer dollars to expand detention and surveillance of immigrants.

Biden Administration Ordered to Reinstate Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy

Wall Street Journal

A Trump-era immigration policy that required migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexican border cities for the duration of their immigration cases.

ICE Violated Its Own Medical Standards, USC Study Shows; Mesa Verde Detainees Aren’t Surprised

VPR

On August 6th, 2020, after several protests including hunger strikes occured, a judge issued a second temporary restraining against ICE, stating that the agency had “avoided widespread testing of staff and detainees at the facility.”

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Warszawski: Interior of Fresno’s oldest theater was gutted under the very noses of city staff

Fresno Bee

City officials remain tight-lipped over why the owners of Fresno’s oldest surviving theater were permitted to undertake extensive interior renovations — without anyone notifying the Historic Preservation Commission.

Beautify Fresno: Volunteers pick up over 16,000 pounds of trash from streets

abc30

Bethany Clough: Why does Fresno tear things down? Behind the demolition of River Park-area restaurants

Fresno Bee

Two big Fresno restaurants were demolished recently, leaving eye-catching blank spaces on the same busy intersection in the River Park area.

A stadium for concerts, snow sledding — and yes, baseball — in downtown Modesto?

Modesto Bee

Bakersfield plans millions in park upgrades after years of neglect

Bakersfield Californian

Housing:

California’s High Housing Costs Increase Poverty

PPIC

California has one of the highest poverty rates in the US when balancing family resources against housing costs and other basic needs like food and clothing. While state and federal measures have assisted families in the short run, the high cost of housing increases the challenge of alleviating poverty in the longer term.

‘Where else will I go?’: California’s ‘climate migrants’ search for home a year after Santa Cruz Mountains lightning fires

Mercury News

A year after the most destructive wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains in recorded history, scores of survivors are living in limbo. Reynolds is sleeping in a camper here, fending off thieves and fixing up an old jail bus into a permanent home.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Water? Housing? Sewers? Debate over which Stanislaus pocket-area projects to fund

Modesto Bee

As Stanislaus creates a framework to spend millions of dollars on improving county islands and urban pockets, there’s disagreement among residents on how and where the money should be invested.

Fed Officials Weigh Ending Asset Purchases by Mid-2022

Wall Street Journal

Federal Reserve officials are nearing agreement to begin scaling back their easy money policies in about three months if the economic recovery continues.

TRANSPORTATION

Pedestrian bridge to be built over Highway 41 in Kettleman City

abc30

Residents of Kettleman City will soon have a safer way to cross a busy stretch of Highway 41. A new pedestrian bridge will be built above the highway near General Petroleum Avenue.

Biden’s pro-car, pro-gasoline moves leave green allies fuming

Politico

President Joe Biden is pushing ambitious plans for tackling climate change by weaning the U.S. off fossil fuels — but he’s also taking short-term actions that would make it cheaper and more convenient for Americans to keep driving their gasoline-powered cars.

‘Amtrak Joe’ Wants Electric Bullet Trains for California

Cal Streets Blog

It’s yet another indication that the 2020 election and the resulting infrastructure funds made available promise to be a major boon for California’s high-speed rail project.

High-speed LA to Vegas train project looks to 2022 as hunt for investors continues

8 News Now

The $5 billion high-speed train project that bought property near Allegiant Stadium last month for a Las Vegas terminal has missed another opportunity for funding.

Opinion: US history shows spending on infrastructure doesn’t always end well

The Conversation

Over the past two centuries, federal, state and municipal governments across the U.S. have launched wave after wave of infrastructure projects.

WATER

Small Towns Grow Desperate for Water in California

New York Times

Water towers in Mendocino, Calif. Water is so scarce in the town that restaurants have closed their restrooms to guests, pointing them instead to portable toilets on the sidewalk.

California, Oregon braced for another extremist water rebellion. Why it’s calm, so far

Sacramento Bee

The federal Bureau of Reclamation had shut off water for most of the region’s 1,400 farms, denying access to the same irrigation canal in Klamath Falls, Ore., where during a drought two decades earlier, activists tried to pry open its headgates and clashed with U.S. marshals.

“Xtra”

New Casino, Hotel Complex Nears Completion in Fresno Foothills. When Will It Open?

GVWire

Work appears nearly complete on a new and larger Indian gaming casino complex less than 1,000 feet from the current Table Mountain site in the Fresno County foothills near Millerton Lake.

Riley's Brewing expanding to Riverstone development in Madera County

abc30

This dirt lot at the Riverstone development off Riverwalk Boulevard and Root Creek Parkway in Madera County will be home to a future Riley's Brewing.

Postponed summer ritual returns. Here’s a rundown of Modesto’s Graffiti Summer events

Modesto Bee

Canceled in 2020 and postponed this year, Modesto’s annual Graffiti Summer celebration is about to return.

Restaurants Become the New Covid-19 Vaccine Enforcers—for Better or Worse

Wall Street Journal

Restaurant managers and hosts are being assigned a new job—vaccination police—and it’s dividing businesses and customers.

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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.

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