April 27, 2021

27Apr

POLICY & POLITICS

 

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:

 

Modesto councilman offers advice on complying with cops. Resident takes offense.

Modesto Bee

The national debate over the police in response to fatal shootings, brutality and racist behavior by officers reached Modesto’s budget workshops last week after a councilman’s comments sparked an impassioned rebuttal from a social justice advocate.

 

Atwater mayor accused of racist treatment of street vendor in Facebook video

Fresno Bee

Atwater Mayor Paul Creighton faced sharp criticism Monday for his treatment of a street vendor, whom some say was targeted in a racist manner.

 

Warmer days bring another health threat to Stanislaus County. Here’s how to avoid it.

Modesto Bee

People who spent the past 13 months avoiding a case of COVID-19 could also take some precautions against the West Nile virus. Stanislaus County health officials said Monday that warmer spring weather will bring out mosquitoes able to transmit West Nile illness.

 

Support from Stanislaus County community gives life to local journalism, reporting team

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus Community Foundation’s McClatchy Local Media Fund paves way for The Bee’s reporting that will focus on equity, education and economic development.

 

New Highway 132 segment in Modesto could open sooner than expected. Here’s why

Modesto Bee

Construction has gone faster than expected on the new Highway 132 segment in Modesto, which could open by year’s end. That would be three months earlier than the March 2022 target when work started in December 2019.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

COVID magnified Fresno County’s racial health disparities. What lessons will be learned?

Fresno Bee

Health professionals have long recognized a correlation between poverty and health, particularly in rural communities where many residents confront language barriers and a lack of access to medical care, transportation or healthy food.

 

Fresno-area senator taking heat for holding up bill for pregnant Black women. What’s at stake?

Fresno Bee

A state bill to fund healthcare efforts for particularly vulnerable pregnant Black women and others has been held up by a Fresno-area legislator, who is being criticized for nearly putting the proposal in peril.

 

Fresno base leader refutes report that fighter jet on alert to intimidate protesters

Fresno Bee

A California National Guard fighter jet in Fresno was on standby to help restore order had civil unrest broke out last year, according to a Los Angeles Times story that cites multiple unnamed sources.

 

Rain finally falls again in Fresno. How long had it been since last storm?

Fresno Bee

Rain showers in the central San Joaquin Valley and light snowfall in the surrounding Sierra Nevada are expected to continue through Monday, but precipitation totals are likely to do little to help against a looming California drought.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Measure N Committee rejects proposal to spend millions on freeway cleanup as local parks languish

Bakersfield Californian

Millions of dollars in freeway landscaping funded through Measure N dollars drew the ire of the Public Safety and Vital Services Oversight Committee during a meeting Monday.

 

Resolution to name part of Westside Parkway 'Harvey L. Hall Memorial Highway' passes Assembly

Bakersfield Californian

A resolution to rename part of the Westside Parkway as the Harvey L. Hall Memorial Highway has unanimously passed the California Assembly.

 

McCarthy defends Trump response to deadly Jan. 6 riot

The Hill

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday" defended former President Trump’s response to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, saying Trump

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

Gavin Newsom faces a recall election. Here are the next steps

Fresno Bee

The effort to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a major milestone on Monday as Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed the recall petition had more than enough signatures to trigger an election.

See also:

 

Newsom orders ban on new oil fracking by 2024

CalMatters

The move comes after environmentalists lambasted Newsom for failing to tackle California’s oil and gas production. The oil industry called it an “illegal mandate” and vowed to fight it. Fracking accounts for only 17% of California’s oil production.

See also:

 

Problems persist at California’s unemployment call center. Here’s what’s happening

Fresno Bee

California’s unemployment agency call center staff was unable to answer thousands of calls to its embattled call center this month, as many claimants remain confused about a lengthening list of program details and requirements.

 

California Legislature OK's tax break for small businesses

Bakersfield Californian

The California Legislature approved a major tax break for small businesses on Monday, voting to give up as much as $6.8 billion in revenue over the next six years so that struggling business owners can have smaller bills.

See also:

 

Prosecutor behind Golden State Killer case to run for California attorney general

Fresno Bee

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert is running to be the state’s top legal officer, laying plans to challenge newly sworn-in Attorney General Rob Bonta in 2022.

See also:

 

California losing congressional seat for first time

Fresno Bee

California, for decades a symbol of boundless growth and opportunity that attracted people from across the country and abroad, has seen its population growth stall and is losing a U.S. House seat for the first time in its 170-year history.

See also:

 

California’s Stalled Population Growth

Public Policy Institute of California

The Census Bureau released total population numbers for California today, and they do suggest a significant slowdown in the state’s population growth. But these numbers do not include the last half of 2020, and they do not tell us why population growth has slowed.

See also:

 

California Legislature OK's tax break for small businesses

Bakersfield Californian

The California Legislature approved a major tax break for small businesses on Monday, voting to give up as much as $6.8 billion in revenue over the next six years so that struggling business owners can have smaller bills.

 

A new California law tells companies to diversify their boards. It isn’t working for Latinos

Sacramento Bee

The number of Latinos serving on California corporate boards of directors trails far behind other groups despite a recent law mandating that publicly traded companies diversify their leadership, according to a new report.

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Biden Calls Slaughter Of Armenians A Genocide, Posing Test For U.S. Ties With Turkey

VPR
Biden on Saturday declared the mass slaughter of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks more than a century ago a "genocide," bucking pressure from Turkey's government as well as decades of precedent to describe the atrocity as one that was ethnically motivated.

told him he would "put something out to make sure to stop this."

 

Biden to Sign Order Requiring $15 Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

Wall Street Journal

President Biden will sign an executive order Tuesday requiring that federal contractors pay a $15-an-hour minimum wage, the White House said.

 

100 Days: How Biden Has Fared So Far On His Promises

VPR

Before being elected president, Joe Biden promised he could accomplish a lot of things in his first 100 days in office. We gathered a number of those priorities here, two days after he was declared the winner of the 2020 election.

See also:

 

Here's How The 1st 2020 Census Results Changed Electoral College, House Seats

VPR

The long-awaited announcement has reset the balance of power for the next decade in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College, where each state's share of votes is tied to its census numbers.

See also:

 

US population declines to slowest rate since Depression

Fresno Bee

U.S. population growth has slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said Monday, as Americans continued their march to the South and West and one-time engines of growth, New York and California, lost political influence.

See also:

 

Supreme Court to hear gun-control case next term on carrying weapons outside home

Washington Post

The legal battle over gun control opened a new front Monday at the Supreme Court, as the justices announced they will consider an important National Rifle Association-backed lawsuit asserting the constitutional right to carry a weapon outside the home.

See also:

 

Harris tells UN body it’s time to prepare for next pandemic

Sacramento Bee

Vice President Kamala Harris told United Nations members on Monday that now is the time for global leaders to begin putting the serious work into how they will respond to the next global pandemic.

 

Other:

 

Editorial: How to Save the Post Office, Maybe

Wall Street Journal

Democrats are again calling for Louis DeJoy’s head, so give the man some credit for sticking his neck out. If you’ve heard of Mr. DeJoy, the 75th Postmaster General, it’s probably because Democrats alleged last year that he was sabotaging the U.S. Postal Service to aid Trump.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, May 2, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "Redistricting 2.0: New and Improved?" - Guests: Alvaro Hernandez, Executive Director - Citizens Redistricting Commission; Pedro Toledo, Commissioner - Citizens Redistricting Commission; Eric McGhee, Senior Fellow - PPIC; Dan Walters - CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, May 2, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Will Redistricting Change the Political Landscape?"  - Guests: Tom Holyoke, Professor of Political Science - Fresno State; Jessica Trounstine, Professor of Political Science - UC Merced; Ivy Cargile, Asst. Professor of Political Science - CSU Bakersfield. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Wells dry up, crops imperiled, farm workers in limbo as California drought grips San Joaquin Valley

Los Angeles Times

As yet another season of drought returns to California, the mood has grown increasingly grim across the vast and fertile San Joaquin Valley.

 

How a Central California winery uses worms in wine production

abc30

Worms are helping a Valley winery on its path to becoming more green. Olympic-sized swimming pools at O'Neill Winery are actually beds filled with worms helping the company become greener.

 

Despite COVID challenges, researchers believe HLB cure is possible

Business Journal

As the world dealt with a pandemic, the citrus industry was fighting its own disease. In the struggle against Huanglongbing (HLB), growers, researchers, advocates and testers alike had to adapt their defensive measures to meet social distancing guidelines.

 

Biden administration expanding program to feed 34M schoolchildren during the summer months

abc30

The Biden administration is expanding a program to feed as many as 34 million schoolchildren during the summer months, using funds from the coronavirus relief package approved in March.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

California has opened hundreds of investigations into unemployment fraud involving prisoners

Los Angeles Times

A California task force formed five months ago to investigate fraudulent unemployment claims involving incarcerated people said Monday that there have so far been 68 arrests and it has opened 1,641 other inquiries.

 

Public Safety:

 

California correctional officer placed on leave amid investigation related to guard’s death

Fresno Bee

A California correctional officer has been banned from the grounds of a state prison in Folsom amid a misconduct investigation related to another officer’s death.

See also:

 

Fresno base leader refutes report that fighter jet on alert to intimidate protesters

Fresno Bee

A California National Guard fighter jet in Fresno was on standby to help restore order had civil unrest broke out last year, according to a Los Angeles Times story that cites multiple unnamed sources.

 

1st-Time Gun Buyers Help Push Record U.S. Gun Sales Amid String Of Mass Shootings

VPR
First-time gun owners, young and old from across the country, are helping to push record levels of gun sales for what looks like the second year in a row.

See also:

 

When communities try to hold police accountable, law enforcement fights back

Washington Post

Police nationwide have frequently defied efforts to impose civilian oversight and, in turn, undermined the ability of communities to hold law enforcement accountable, according to a Washington Post review of audits, misconduct complaints, emails, and more.

 

Fire:

 

State contractors continue to remove debris caused by Castle Fire

Visalia Times Delta

It's been almost a year since a wildfire tore through the Tulare County foothills and destroyed hundreds of homes and structures. Around the same time, the Creek Fire devastated parts of Madera County.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

As COVID canceled quinceañeras, Fresno’s Latino businesses learned how to survive

Fresno Bee

The aroma of sweet burnt sugar and baking bread emanates from Callejas Cakes, a family-owned bakery in a quiet neighborhood in central Fresno.

 

California Legislature OK's tax break for small businesses

Bakersfield Californian

The California Legislature approved a major tax break for small businesses on Monday, voting to give up as much as $6.8 billion in revenue over the next six years so that struggling business owners can have smaller bills.

See also:

 

A quarter of women say they are financially worse off a year into pandemic, Post-ABC poll finds

Washington Post

A Washington Post-ABC News poll underscores the ongoing struggles that women and people of color face as they deal with job loss, caring for children, and rising food and rent costs.

 

Opinion: The stock market is not the US economy

AEI

Last year’s strong stock market performance provides the clearest of indications as to how disconnected the stock market is from the economy. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. economy suffered its worst economic recession in the post-war period.

 

Jobs:

 

McDonald’s workers want more say over California labor conditions. This plan would help them

Fresno Bee

Lizzet Aguilar knew to speak up when she couldn’t hug her son. As the pandemic raged, she said she had worked for weeks at McDonald’s in Los Angeles without getting masks. She saw her co-workers being sent to clean other stores where people were getting ill.

 

More people are ready to dine out — but restaurants are struggling to find workers

Sacramento Bee

As more Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19, restaurants that are preparing for more dine-in customers are running into a problem — they can’t find seem to find enough workers.

 

Problems persist at California’s unemployment call center. Here’s what’s happening

Fresno Bee

California’s unemployment agency call center staff was unable to answer thousands of calls to its embattled call center this month, as many claimants remain confused about a lengthening list of program details and requirements.

 

How California’s new COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave law applies to public sector employers

Public CEO

The law applies to employees who are otherwise subject to collective bargaining agreements and has specific terms relating to firefighters. The text of the bill is here. A summary of the law’s key terms is below.

 

Biden to Sign Order Requiring $15 Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

Wall Street Journal

President Biden will sign an executive order Tuesday requiring that federal contractors pay a $15-an-hour minimum wage, the White House said.

 

Nearly 1.5 Million Mothers Are Still Missing From the Workforce

Wall Street Journal

In March 2021, almost 1.5 million fewer moms of school-aged children were actively working than in February 2020, according to Misty Heggeness, principal economist and senior adviser at the Census Bureau.

 

Want That Job Offer? A Covid-19 Vaccine Is Now Required.

Wall Street Journal

Companies largely have been reluctant to require shots, at first because vaccines were scarce, and more recently because bosses feared blowback from their employees, employment attorneys and human-resources executives say.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Central Unified installs new wireless access points for students across district

abc30

Central Unified School District is boosting students' access to technology. The district installed over 900 new wireless access points. The goal is to increase students and teachers access to technology in the classroom.

 

Modesto schools’ summer offerings address ‘skyrocketing’ failure, enrichment, special ed

Modesto Bee

The end approaches for a school year that has been a struggle for many students, a failure for some. A Modesto City Schools administrator told the Board of Education that the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting school closures have meant “higher than usual D and F rates.”

 

California is offering no-cost rapid COVID testing and staff training to schools EdSource

Encouraged by the results of an 11-district pilot program, the state of California is now expanding access to cover any school district’s or charter school’s cost of rapid diagnostic Covid testing of students and staff through the summer and likely into the fall.

 

Higher Ed:

 

UC Merced to hold virtual commencement ceremony again

abc30

UC Merced is preparing for its virtual commencement ceremony next month. The Class of 2021 will be honored next month on Saturday, May 15.

 

Expanding Cal Grant Would Help A Quarter Million Older Students — And Cost Hundreds Of Millions More Dollars

Capital Public Radio

At age 30, Stephen Kodur is on his fourth stab at college in 12 years. He’s been attending class until his savings run out, pausing to work and build up cash, and repeating.

 

3 ways the Biden administration can help families and student loan borrowers affected by the pandemic

Brookings

As of September 2020, approximately 43 million Americans held federal student debt. Even before the pandemic, struggling borrowers reported that financial insecurity was a major barrier to repayment.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

California Has A Recycling Problem

Capital Public Radio

It’s like magic: Every week, plastics, mixed paper and cans go in a big blue bin, are hauled out to the curb and then — poof! — recycled into something new in some distant facility.

 

Energy:

 

Newsom orders ban on new oil fracking by 2024

CalMatters

The move comes after environmentalists lambasted Newsom for failing to tackle California’s oil and gas production. The oil industry called it an “illegal mandate” and vowed to fight it. Fracking accounts for only 17% of California’s oil production.

See also:

 

Biden plan for cleaner power system faces daunting obstacles

Business Journal

If the nation is to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of cutting America’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade, it will have to undertake a vast transformation toward renewable energy.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Vaccinated? Great. You should still wear a mask when gathering in public, experts say.

Washington Post

The country is not yet so protected it can forgo face coverings. Case counts have spiked in some hot spots. Meanwhile, it’s clearer than ever that masks protect wearers as well as those nearby.

See also:

 

COVID magnified Fresno County’s racial health disparities. What lessons will be learned?

Fresno Bee

Health professionals have long recognized a correlation between poverty and health, particularly in rural communities where many residents confront language barriers and a lack of access to medical care, transportation or healthy food.

 

Warmer days bring another health threat to Stanislaus County. Here’s how to avoid it.

Modesto Bee

People who spent the past 13 months avoiding a case of COVID-19 could also take some precautions against the West Nile virus. Stanislaus County health officials said Monday that warmer spring weather will bring out mosquitoes able to transmit West Nile illness.

 

Human Services:

 

Cal State Bakersfield hub to close May 14 as vaccine effort moves to pop-up clinics

Bakersfield Californian

Cal State Bakersfield vaccination hub will wind down operations in the coming weeks as the health care partners behind it take a different approach in trying to reach the nearly 60 percent of residents eligible for vaccination who have not yet sought it out on their own.

 

Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno expands visiting policies

abc30

Visitors are being allowed back into Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno on a limited basis. Hospital officials say they feel safe to begin easing restrictions since COVID-19 cases remain low and steady.

 

Concerning drop in people wanting COVID vaccines has experts asking: What can be done?

Modesto Bee

When COVID-19 vaccines first became available in the United States, demand for them far outpaced their supply.

See also:

 

US to share AstraZeneca shots with world after safety check

Sacramento Bee

The U.S. will begin sharing its entire stock of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world once it clears federal safety reviews, the White House said Monday, with as many as 60 million doses expected to be available for export in the coming months.

See also:

 

Long-Haul COVID Renews Push to Expand Palliative Care

PEW
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has left an estimated tens of thousands of Americans with long-term debilitating symptoms, has prompted a renewed push to provide full palliative care services to seriously ill patients in their homes.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Supreme Court won't let Texas immediately defend Trump-era 'public charge' immigration rule

CNN
The Supreme Court on Monday denied, for now, a bid by Texas and 13 other states to defend a controversial Trump-era rule that makes it more difficult for immigrants to obtain legal status if they use certain benefits, such as Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers.

 

Opinion: U.S. Policies Ensure More Migrants

Wall Street Journal

The Darién Gap, straddling the border of Colombia and Panama, is 62 miles of dense jungle stretching from the Caribbean to the Pacific. It is the only point where the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego is interrupted, due to the difficulty of the terrain.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Tiny homes provide huge relief to Creek Fire victims

Business Journal

According to Fresno County Supervisor, over $250 million in homes were lost in the wild fire. A Central Valley company is working to rebuild in Sierra Nevada area to get families back onto their property and into homes—tiny homes.

 

How Much Is Rent Relief Helping Californians?

Capital Public Radio

When Blanca Esthela Trejo, 46, lies down to sleep, what feels like shards of glass stab her back and cut into her lungs — a lingering effect of COVID-19. “I’d like to be crouched down, hunched over all the time, because the pain is too much,” she said.

 

Opinion: Student housing crisis almost ruined my life

CalMatters

I am a student at UC Davis, and even though I worked as hard as I could to pay for housing, I was at risk of homelessness.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Even as economy heats up, Fed to stick with near-zero rates

Business Journal

At a news conference Wednesday after the Fed’s latest policy meeting ends, Chair Jerome Powell will likely underscore his view that the economy is far from fully recovered and needs the central bank’s continued support in the form of low borrowing costs.

See also:

 

Restaurants still waiting on relief money from Feds. Will it be enough?

Business Journal

The SBA announced it will soon be getting relief funds out to the industry many considered the most impacted by Covid — restaurants. But as restaurant owners wait for the application process to open up, some fear the money will run out before restaurants get their relief.

 

IRS is holding millions of tax returns, delaying refunds

CBSNews

The IRS is holding 29 million tax returns for manual processing, delaying tax refunds for many Americans, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent arm of the tax agency that looks out for consumers' interest.

 

Video: President Biden’s corporate tax plan needs work

AEI

President Biden has proposed raising the corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28%. A higher corporate tax rate will raise about $700 billion in additional federal revenue, but it will have downsides. AEI’s Kyle Pomerleau explains.

See also:

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

EPA to restore California’s power over car pollution rules, reversing Trump

Merced Sun-Star

California’s ambition to retake the lead on climate change policy in the United States received a major boost on Monday, as the Biden administration moved toward allowing the state to once more set its own car pollution standards, a right revoked under former President Trump.

See also:

 

Fresno customers pleaded for Southwest Airlines for years. What are its first passengers saying?

Fresno Bee

Southwest Airlines’ inaugural flight from Fresno to Las Vegas on Sunday morning took off into an overcast sky at 11:34 a.m., with more than 75% of its seats filled with passengers excited about being aboard the first trip.

 

New Highway 132 segment in Modesto could open sooner than expected. Here’s why

Modesto Bee

Construction has gone faster than expected on the new Highway 132 segment in Modesto, which could open by year’s end. That would be three months earlier than the March 2022 target when work started in December 2019.

 

Vaccinated U.S. Travelers Will Be Allowed To Visit Europe Again Starting This Summer

VPR

American tourists who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to visit the European Union this summer, according to officials in Brussels.

 

WATER

 

Fire season already? 85% of CA is in severe, extreme, or exceptional drought, latest numbers show

abc30

The rain system that came through California this past weekend has moved through -- and didn't leave much on the ground. Experts say a majority of California is dealing with drought conditions, and they continue to worsen.

 

“Xtra”

 

Roger Rocka's in Fresno's Tower District has reopened

abc30

The local performing arts community is buzzing with excitement after getting the green light from the state to resume live performances again. Doors at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater in Fresno's Tower District open April 23.

 

See springtime in Yosemite. Soon you’ll need a reservation to enjoy the main attractions

Fresno Bee

Waterfalls are roaring and dogwoods are blooming in Yosemite National Park – beloved springtime sights in the popular park in California that will only be accessible to all for a few more weeks.

 

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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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