Maddy Institute – August 13, 2021

17Aug

POLICY & POLITICS

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:

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

● Stanislaus adds three deaths. Hospital cases rise again Modesto Bee

● San Joaquin County Jail visits suspended as COVID-19 cases rise Stockton Record

Diverse, growing: Ethnic groups see 10-year surge; white population drop mirrors US trend

Stockton Record

The biggest racial population percentage increases can be seen among those identifying as Pacific Islander (47%), American Indian (80.3%), and multiracial (two or more, 119%).

Modesto city clerk’s long tenure ends with being escorted from building, attorney says

Modesto Bee

City Clerk Stephanie Lopez’s 20 years with Modesto came to an abrupt end Tuesday, according to her attorney, with Lopez being escorted from Tenth Street Place, the city-county administration center in downtown.

Stanislaus State effort will go to Central Valley residents to study social-justice issues

Modesto Bee

Connecting with Central Valley residents on the region’s most pressing issues is Anysia Mayer’s mission as inaugural executive director of Stanislaus State University’s Community Equity Research Center.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● 1,000 times more contagious; seriousness of Delta variant discussed Porterville Recorder

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.

What to know about vaccines, guidelines & COVID as Fresno kids return to school. Watch our Q&A

Fresno Bee

Thousands of Fresno-area kids head back to school this week. But with a renewed surge of local coronavirus cases, many questions remain about school safety. The Fresno Bee held a Live Q&A with local health and school leaders address questions and concerns heading into the new school year.

● Fresno Unified focused on COVID safety, emotional support as kids return to in-person routine abc30

● Clovis parents urge school board to ignore mask mandate as classrooms reopen for fall Fresno Bee

● Clovis Unified Says It Will Not Break State Mandates Clovis Roundup

● Clovis teachers pushing for union file second labor complaint against district abc30

Kashian files lawsuit over Campus Pointe development. CSU chancellor’s office accused

Fresno Bee

One of Fresno’s leading developers is accusing the California State University Office of the Chancellor of being behind the decision to kill his plans for a convenience store at the Campus Pointe shopping center.

Fresno State GOP backpedals on insulting remarks on military. Will group be disciplined?

Fresno Bee

A day after receiving backlash for insulting veterans and U.S. military members on social media, the Fresno State College Republicans sent another message on Twitter that had many questioning its sincerity.

Fresno renters: Have you applied for emergency rental assistance? Did you receive help?

Fresno Bee

The city of Fresno has yet to distribute millions of dollars in rent relief and the Fresnoland Lab at The Fresno Bee wants to hear from tenants who have been affected as a result of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program rollout.

Editorial: Recall supporters will blast Newsom for Fresno killer’s new parole. But that is wrong

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declined to block the parole of convicted killer David Weidert of Fresno. In so doing, the governor just gave his opponents more ammunition in the campaign to recall him.

Local Business Owners Aim to Fight Leftist Policies and Controversial Beyond

Clovis Roundup

Local business owners gathered in a beauty salon to express their disdain toward liberal policies and how those policies have affected workers and small business owners on Tuesday, Aug. 10.

The City of Clovis Discusses Upcoming Shaw Widening Plans

Clovis RoundUp

A community meeting was held discussing the Shaw avenue widening project, where the City of Clovis shared the latest plans for the project.

School staff mandated to be vaccinated or tested

Porterville Recorder

The two largest school districts in the Porterville area say they're ready and willing to implement the new directive that all teachers and staff at public and private K-12 schools in the state be vaccinated or go through weekly COVID-19 testing.

Warszawski: This Fresno company is big in the #Vanlife world — and now they’ve got a new start

Fresno Bee

For the last 30 years, some of the best engineered and most capable camper vans on the market have been produced in south Fresno by a family owned business.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Kern Public Health reports 1 new coronavirus death, 256 new cases Thursday

Bakersfield Californian

UPDATED: CDPH says school staffers must receive COVID vaccination or receive weekly testing

Bakersfield Californian

The California Department of Public Health issued a new order on Wednesday stating that K-12 school staff members must show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly.

Come along for a 'sneak peek' tour of Clinica Sierra Vista's newest and largest heath center

Bakersfield Californian

What if you could build a health care clinic from the ground up? No rules. What would it look like? What would it feel like providing and receiving care in such a place? Clinica Sierra Vista had that very opportunity — and ran with it.

Kings County voters will begin receiving recall election material this week

Hanford Sentinel

California has a gubernatorial recall election coming up in early September, and Kings County is already getting moving on the process.

More than $75M in rent and utility assistance available as moratorium on evictions prepares to lift

Bakersfield Californian

More than $75 million in rental assistance remains available in Kern County as the end of the state’s eviction moratorium approaches. The statewide eviction moratorium bars landlords from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent until Sept. 30.

BC developing electric vehicle repair program

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College is developing its first career training and education program to meet the emerging demand for electric vehicle technicians.

State:

COVID Update:

● California requires vaccines, tests for teachers and staff Fresno Bee

● Coronavirus case rate among unvaccinated Californians is six times that of the vaccinated Los Angeles Times

● How to show vaccination proof amid California COVID mandates Los Angeles Times

● COVID patients have doubled in California hospitals CalMatters

● The Lambda COVID variant is in California: 5 things to know CalMatters

New census data to shape 2022 elections as California prepares to lose power in Congress

Fresno Bee

The largest population declines in California were below Los Angeles and near the Oregon border, but the shifts could mean changes in congressional districts in between, according to Census data released Thursday.

● California Latino population grew in last decade while number of whites fell, census shows Fresno Bee

● California Latino population grew in last decade while number of whites fell, census shows Modesto Bee

● Who’s up, who’s down? The Census gives us a new picture of California CalMatters

● Statement On Release Of Census Data California Citizens Redistricting Commission

● Census confirms Hispanic residents are now the biggest ethnic group in California New York Times

‘Screw your freedom.’ Arnold Schwarzenegger calls out people refusing to wear masks

Fresno Bee

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger again lashed out against COVID-19 misinformation and people not following health guidance, referring to people not wearing masks as schmucks.

California ran up a $23 billion tab for unemployment benefits. Who will pay off the debt?

Sacramento Bee

Even with a historic surplus, California lawmakers took their summer break without addressing a looming debt the state owes to the federal government for the unprecedented unemployment benefits it doled out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden urges Californians to keep Gavin Newsom in office, reject recall

Sacramento Bee

President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Californians to vote no in the upcoming election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom in a show of support for the embattled Democratic governor.

● Likely California voters now almost evenly split on Newsom recall, poll finds Los Angeles Times

● Fact check: Are Trump Republicans who contested the 2020 election behind the Newsom recall? Sacramento Bee

● Who’s on the Gavin Newsom recall ballot and what do they stand for? Find out in our voter guide Sacramento Bee

● Column: Biden to the rescue! The president promises aggressive effort to fight Newsom recall Los Angeles Times

● Newsom recall Q&A: Everything you need to know about the election that could cost California’s governor his job Mercury News

● Could Latino voters make the difference in whether Newsom survives California’s recall election? CalMatters

● How did John Cox go from GOP standard-bearer to bears and trash balls? CalMatters

● Meet John Cox CalMatters

● Meet Larry Elder CalMatters

● GOP recall frontrunner Elder gets $1M boost from Republican megadonor Politico

● Opinion: Larry Elder says police aren’t more likely to use violence on Black people. That’s false Fresno Bee

● Opinion: Opinion: California’s recall election is a chance to end the state’s cycle of dysfunction Washington Post

Multiple choice question for California teachers

CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces new COVID vaccine and testing requirements for California teachers, but Republican recall candidates push back.

Dust to dust: Will California lawmakers legalize human composting — transforming bodies into soil?

CalMatters

California lawmakers are considering a bill to add an after-death option beyond burial or cremation. It has received bipartisan support, but there are religious concerns.

Former CA FWD President Earns National Public Service Award

CA FWD

In his LinkedIn profile, former California Forward (CA FWD) president and CEO Jim Mayer describes himself as a farmer, teacher and consultant — which for those who know him is a characteristic understatement.

California Senate employee sues Capitol sexual harassment unit, alleges slow response

Sacramento Bee

Employee alleges the investigative unit did not give her a “timely” response regarding a sexual harassment complaint against a California lawmaker.

Explore the California Dream Index

CA FWD

To help policymakers learn more about the status of Californians' economic mobility and access to education, health, jobs, and opportunities, CA FWD created the CA Dream Index, a data platform measuring 10 indicators across California's regions over time.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● Fauci Says COVID-19 Booster Shots Are Needed For Those Who Are Immunocompromised VPR

● FDA Authorizes 3rd COVID-19 Dose For People With Weakened Immunity VPR

● Conservative pundits say Biden and Democrats want more lockdowns. That’s not accurate Politifact

● No, Gen. David Berger didn’t push back against COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Marines Politifact

Census release shows almost all of nation's growth was in its cities: 5 takeaways

abc30

The Census Bureau on Thursday issued its long-awaited portrait of how the U.S. has changed over the past decade, releasing a trove of demographic data that will be used to redraw political maps across an increasingly diverse country.

● Census data sets up redistricting fight over growing suburbs Bakersfield Californian

● 2020 Census shows slow growth and declining white population, as redistricting frenzy begins Los Angeles Times

● Census data shows the number of White people in the U.S. fell for first time since 1790 Washington Post

● Census Data Show America’s White Population Shrank for the First Time Wall Street Journal

● Where the Racial Makeup of the U.S. Shifted in the Last Decade New York Times

● How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990 Washington Post

● Census reveals a more diverse, urbanized America Axios

With the Taliban surging across Afghanistan, Biden sends troops to move U.S. Embassy staff

Los Angeles Times

The Biden administration, struggling to contain the rapid collapse of much of Afghanistan to Taliban forces, announced it was pulling most U.S. Embassy personnel out of Kabul and urged American citizens to leave the country immediately.

Biden shifts pitch for economic plans as GOP escalates attacks over high prices

Washington Post

The White House is shifting its approach to selling President Biden’s $4 trillion domestic spending plans, as the administration responds to polling data suggesting the threat of inflation represents a potent political risk.

Opinion: Covid Anxiety and Fear of the Base

Wall Street Journal

They’re all afraid of their base. That’s the central fact of American political life now, that leaders of all sorts aren’t leading their people but are terrified of getting crosswise with them. They’re afraid of their own fans.

Inspector General Urges Ethics Review at Federal Election Commission Following ProPublica Report

ProPublica

The FEC’s inspector general has called for the agency to review its policies and internal controls after ProPublica revealed a key employee’s undisclosed ties to Trump.

Congress needs to prioritize inclusion in our slumping innovation system

Brookings

In one important area, the push for equity has been taking place under the radar. This area is the innovation budget, where both real progress and serious failure are possible.

Other:

White Evangelical Churches and the Crisis of Vaccine Hesitancy

U.S. News

When vaccines against COVID-19 became broadly available in early 2021, hesitancy was high across a spectrum of demographics: Black Americans and Latinos, conservatives and rural residents all expressed skepticism about receiving the shot.

Addition Without Representation

U.S. News

When the United States was young, the political power was held by white men, and it was very much by design.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, August 15, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “California’s Housing Crisis Hits Home” - Guest: Matt Levine- CalMatters; Dan Dunmoyer - California Building Industry Association. 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: "California's Housing Crisis: Are Granny Flats the Answer?"- Guests: Monica Davalos, Aureo Mesquita, Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto - California Budget and Policy Center. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Valley growers concerned about almond growth amid lack of water supply

abc30

Tree shaking is underway at Hunter Farms in Atwater and in almond orchards around the Valley. Many growers are relieved to get the crop off the trees because many of them have dealt with water cutbacks due to the drought.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

California parent allegedly assaults teacher in COVID mandate dispute on first day of school

Modesto Bee

The superintendent of a Northern California school district wrote that a parent engaged in a “serious physical altercation” with a teacher after arguing with the school’s principal, apparently over one of the school’s COVID-19 mandates— the first day of school.

Public Safety:

California high court: Inmates can’t have cannabis in prison

Fresno Bee

Prison inmates can’t legally possess marijuana under California’s law allowing recreational pot, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in overturning a lower court that found prisoners could have the drug as long as they didn’t consume it.

Minneapolis Is Testing a New Approach to Public Safety

Wall Street Journal

While some Minneapolis City Council members advocate replacing the police entirely, the council late last year shifted about $8 million from the mayor’s $179 million police budget to other services, such as violence prevention and mental health.

Fire:

Fires charring range set up ranchers for hardship in US West

Bakersfield Californian

Wildfires tearing through Montana and elsewhere in the U.S. West are devouring vast rangeland areas that cattle ranchers depend upon, setting the stage for a potential shortage of pasture as the hot, dry summer grinds on.

The Dixie Fire Is Less Than A Third Contained

VPR

The Dixie Fire in Northern California continues to expand: It's now burning 780 square miles, amid high temperatures and dry conditions.

● Storms threaten to grow monstrous Dixie fire: ‘Everything is ready to burn’ Los Angeles Times

Wildfires delay beginning of school year for some rural Northern California schools, some for the second year

Mercury News

Wildfires raging across Northern California are once again endangering communities and putting school reopening plans on hold as school officials focus on locating evacuated families and connecting them with food, shelter and other needed services.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Restaurant prices rose at steepest pace in 40 years last month. Why it may not stop

Fresno Bee

Restaurant prices rose in July at their steepest pace in more than 40 years, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

See also:

● Opinion: Inflation Punishes the Unprotected Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Could inflation cost Joe Biden the mid-term elections? AEI

Weak Oversight Plagues Audits of Billions in Private Assets

Wall Street Journal

Six months before Los Angeles-based Shepherd University collapsed into bankruptcy in 2017, accounting firm BW CPA Group Inc. gave the school’s finances a clean bill of health.

Millennials’ High-Earning Years Are Here, but It Doesn’t Feel That Way

Wall Street Journal

After two recessions and a world-changing pandemic, the arrival of the high-earning years for millennials born in the 1980s are around the corner. Yet data suggest this phase of life might not provide the financial security other generations found at the same age.

Opinion: Hispanics and the COVID-19 recession

AEI

In looking through the data of AEI’s recent poll on employment attitudes and opportunities, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that when it came to illness-driven job and financial impacts there were actually two pandemics: one for Hispanics and one for just about everybody else.

Jobs:

US jobless claims near pandemic low as economy strengthens

Fresno Bee

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell for a third straight time last week, the latest sign that employers are laying off fewer people as they struggle to fill a record number of open jobs and meet a surge in consumer demand.

See also:

● U.S. Jobless Claims Fell Last Week Wall Street Journal

Biden wants to create clean energy jobs. Here’s what they might look like

Los Angeles Times

The steel beams cut across the brown dirt like scaffolding baking under the Central Valley sun when the workers pulled up.

Will the work-from-home revolution shrink your office?

Los Angeles Times

The pandemic-imposed disruption of the nation’s vast office rental market is in early stages, and coronavirus mutations such as the highly infectious Delta variant add to the uncertainty.

California unemployment claims soar to highest total in three months

Mercury News

Unemployment claims in California rose last week and have now soared to their highest level in nearly three months, an unsettling hint that the statewide job market has yet to bounce back from the economic side effects of the coronavirus.

Yoga classes, therapy and 401(k)s: California businesses beefing up benefits to attract workers

CalMatters

California businesses are responding to a labor shortage with social media pleas, hiring incentives, bonuses and new benefits. So far, workers, particularly in the service industry, are seeing wages rise.

Southern California congressman Mark Takano proposes 32-hour work week

The Press-Enterprise

The average American’s work week would be eight hours shorter under a bill from Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside. Takano recently introduced legislation that would create a 32-hour work week for most Americans.

Job Postings Requiring Covid-19 Vaccination Jump in Past Month

Wall Street Journal

Vaccination is increasingly a requirement to be hired, as employers ranging from accounting and software firms to schools and restaurants are asking applicants to be inoculated against Covid-19.

EDUCATION

K-12:

What to know about vaccines, guidelines & COVID as Fresno kids return to school. Watch our Q&A

Fresno Bee

Visalia Unified hoping for sense of normalcy as students return for in-person learning

abc30

Approximately 30,000 students are waking up bright and early for the first day of school in the South Valley.

Clovis parents urge school board to ignore mask mandate as classrooms reopen for fall

Fresno Bee

More than a dozen parents spoke out at CUSD’s board meeting, threatening to take their children out of school, shouting out of turn at trustees, and begging the board to turn against a state mandate that says K-12 students and staff must wear masks while indoors at schools.

● Clovis teachers pushing for union file second labor complaint against district abc30

UPDATED: CDPH says school staffers must receive COVID vaccination or receive weekly testing

Bakersfield Californian

The California Department of Public Health issued a new order on Wednesday stating that K-12 school staff members must show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly.

See also:

● School staff mandated to be vaccinated or tested Porterville Recorder

Wildfires delay beginning of school year for some rural California schools, some for the second year

EdSource

My Kids’ School Won’t Reinstate Masks Despite a Recent Surge in COVID Cases. Here’s What I Chose to Do.

ProPublica

Georgia’s Cobb County School District had parents choose between virtual and in-person learning, then lifted its mask mandate. Many families are frantically figuring out how to navigate this reality. ProPublica reporter Nicole Carr is one of them.

Parent knowingly sent child with COVID to school, exposing 80, Nevada officials say

Fresno Bee

The child attended the first day of class at Marce Herz Middle School in Reno despite testing positive for COVID-19 two days earlier, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

Higher Ed:

Kashian files lawsuit over Campus Pointe development. CSU chancellor’s office accused

Fresno Bee

Fresno State GOP backpedals on insulting remarks on military. Will group be disciplined?

Fresno Bee

Historically Black colleges grapple with COVID-19 prevention and vaccine mandates

Fresno Bee

Historically Black colleges and universities are grappling with whether to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations this academic year, with the coronavirus continuing to spread at higher rates in communities of color.

Stanislaus State effort will go to Central Valley residents to study social-justice issues

Modesto Bee

Kern Community College District votes in favor of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement

Bakersfield Californian

The board of the Kern Community College District voted at its Thursday meeting in favor of implementing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students and employees for the fall semester.

Cal State deadline could lead to unvaccinated students on campus and missed classes

CalMatters

The California State University system decided in late July to require students to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately for students, the deadline to get vaccinated and the start of classes conflict in potentially problematic ways.

What extending the student loan payment freeze really means for borrowers

AEI

It’s a shame we needed the pause in the first place. Higher education experts and policymakers have long known that the income-driven repayment program (IDR) was in need of reform and would fall short in a moment of systemic crisis.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

The new report on climate change is dire. What can I do about it?

Los Angeles Times

We knew the latest United Nations report on climate change wasn’t going to be good news, but it’s still tough to hear: We haven’t come close to getting a handle on global warming — and that failure is triggering disastrous environmental consequences.

See also:

● Opinion: Same Climate Report, Different Day Wall Street Journal

Bill Gates Pledges $1.5 Billion For Climate Change—But Only If Biden Signs $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

Forbes

Billionaire Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates on Thursday pledged $1.5 billion for joint projects with the federal government to help fight climate change as part of proposed initiatives in the Senate’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

Why curbing methane emissions will help fight climate change

The Economist

The headline of the latest pronouncement from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc) on the physical science of climate change is the finding that, even if the world cuts emissions by more than governments are promising.

Biden's climate communications challenge

Axios

The United Nations IPCC's alarming sixth assessment report, released Monday, was splashed across newspaper front pages, at the top of most mainstream news websites, and received significant TV coverage on cable and network broadcasts.

Energy:

Energy commission encourages but doesn't require new homes have only electric appliances

Bakersfield Californian

New standards adopted Wednesday by the California Energy Commission will likely require that all new commercial buildings, including high-rise apartments, be outfitted with photovoltaic solar panels and large batteries.

California panel backs solar mandate for new buildings

New York Times

power and battery storage in many new commercial structures as well as high-rise residential projects.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

COVID increases risk of premature birth in pregnant women, study shows

abc30

The CDC is now urging pregnant women to get vaccinated. The strengthened guidance comes from new data that shows no increased risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy and no safety concerns late in pregnancy, with an mRNA vaccine.

How COVID pandemic changed methadone treatment for addiction

Los Angeles Times

Here’s one more lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic: It appears safe to relax restrictions on methadone, the oldest and most stigmatized treatment drug for opioid addiction.

Has the delta variant raised outdoor transmission risk? Here's what the experts say

San Francisco Chronicle

Throughout the pandemic, health experts have generally agreed that outside is safer than inside when it comes to coronavirus transmission.

The Lambda COVID variant is in California: 5 things to know

CalMatters

The emerging lambda variant has been popping up in the news as it spreads rapidly throughout South America. In California, at least 152 cases have been reported, the first as early as September 2020, according to state public health officials.

FDA Authorizes Covid-19 Boosters for Certain Immunocompromised

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots for certain people with weakened immune systems, likely the launch of broader efforts to better protect against evasive variants like Delta.

● Editorial: Bring on the Covid Vaccine Boosters Wall Street Journal

Human Services:

Come along for a 'sneak peek' tour of Clinica Sierra Vista's newest and largest heath center

Bakersfield Californian

Receive $100 each time you talk someone into getting a full vaccine dose against COVID

Mercury News

That’s what Contra Costa Health Services is offering to pay people under a new program launched Wednesday in an effort to boost vaccination rates to ward off the delta variant that has caused a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases.

Despite obstacles, Native Americans have the nation’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rate

Los Angeles Times

It’s not just the Fort Belknap reservation that has managed to protect itself. Experts say Native Americans have a higher vaccination rate than any other major racial or ethnic group.

As delta variant surges, COVID hospitalizations rise 30% over previous week

abcNews

Driven by the more transmissible delta variant, COVID-19 cases and deaths are up nationwide by more than 20% compared to last week’s seven-day average and hospitalizations are up over 30% over the previous week.

Vaccine mandates exacerbate class divide

Axios

Corporate America's patchwork approach to vaccine requirements is deepening the pandemic's class divides.

IMMIGRATION

July was busiest month for illegal border crossings in 21 years, CBP data shows

Washington Post

The number of migrants detained along the Mexico border crossed a new threshold last month, exceeding 200,000 for the first time in 21 years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement data released Thursday.

Politics Rage at the Intersection of Immigration and Coronavirus Policy

U.S. News

As the COVID-19 delta variant raged across the state of Florida, pushing new virus cases to an all-time high and obliterating the capacity of overwhelmed hospitals, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference last week in Panama City.

COVID Cases Are Rising In ICE Facilities, Putting Detainees And The Public At Risk

VPR

Shortly after COVID-19 first hit the U.S., the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, emptied its detention facilities to help slow the outbreak. But in the last year, ICE has detained tens of thousands of migrants.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

The City of Clovis Discusses Upcoming Shaw Widening Plans

Clovis RoundUp

A community meeting was held discussing the Shaw avenue widening project, where the City of Clovis shared the latest plans for the project.

Housing:

Home prices in the US soar 23%, the fastest rate on record

Fresno Bee

U.S. home prices rose the most on record in the second quarter as buyers battled for a scarcity of listings.

● Home Prices Jumped Across the U.S. in Second Quarter Wall Street Journal

Fresno renters: Have you applied for emergency rental assistance? Did you receive help?

Fresno Bee

Property Managers Tighten Up Renter Scrutiny in Blazing Market

Business Journal

Apartment owners and property managers are tightening criteria for renters in hopes the strongest tenants rise to the top. They’re also being more thorough amidst the eviction moratorium to ensure steady income.

More than $75M in rent and utility assistance available as moratorium on evictions prepares to lift

Bakersfield Californian

● Eviction Moratorium Left in Place by Judge Despite Legal Doubts Wall Street Journal

Webinar: The Connection Between Housing and Health: Measuring Community Impact

U.S. News

Where one lives can have enormous and often underappreciated effects on the well-being of individuals and communities.

PUBLIC FINANCES

California ran up a $23 billion tab for unemployment benefits. Who will pay off the debt?

Sacramento Bee

Wealth tax on billionaires' pandemic profits would vaccinate every adult on Earth

The Hill

A one-time tax on the billionaires' collective wealth earned during the pandemic could finance vaccines for all adults across the globe, according to a new report.

Opinion: Will Biden Bring an End to Reagan’s Era of Prosperity?

Wall Street Journal

Alas, the U.S. needs to relearn the lessons of the Reagan tax cuts. President Biden has proposed a sweeping tax-policy reversal that would raise many tax rates—such as the capital-gains and death-tax rates—to levels even higher than in the Jimmy Carter years.

The New Child Tax Credit Brings A Drop In Households Reporting Hunger

VPR

After the child tax credit was implemented, fewer households with children reported that they don't have enough to eat, according to a new federal survey.

Opinion: You’re Already Paying for That $4.5 Trillion

Wall Street Journal

It’s a $4.5 trillion week in Washington. Between the infrastructure and reconciliation bills in various stages of debate, it’s worth discussing in some depth how all this will be paid for.

Democrats’ tax plan won’t end phenomenon of corporations paying $0 in tax

AEI

This week, Senate Democrats introduced their FY 2022 budget resolution. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asserted that the budget would “end the days of billionaires and large, profitable corporations not paying a nickel in federal income taxes.”

● Opinion: Elizabeth Warren: How to fix our rigged tax system Washington Post

TRANSPORTATION

BC developing electric vehicle repair program

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College is developing its first career training and education program to meet the emerging demand for electric vehicle technicians.

WATER

Drought cripples a California coastal paradise: ‘We need water. We don’t have it’

Los Angeles Times

The Santa Claus of water rolls through this foggy coastal hamlet in a silver and white truck, bringing joy and relief.

“Xtra”

Bethany Clough: What’s ‘orange wine?’ A new wine bar opening in downtown Fresno sells it and other wines

Fresno Bee

A new little wine bar has opened in downtown Fresno. It’s a bit different than your average wine bar, mostly because it specializes in natural wines.

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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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