August 16, 2019

16Aug

The Maddy Institute Announces Bold, New Collaboration  with the San Joaquin Valley’s Four Public Universities

The Maddy Institute

Today, Aug. 16, The Maddy Institute marked a ground-breaking agreement with the San Joaquin Valley’s four public universities (California State University campuses – Fresno, Bakersfield and Stanislaus –  and University of California, Merced).

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Valley Senate candidate repeats debunked claim about California LGBTQ bill

Stockton Record

Grewal, a Modesto city councilman, referred to the debunked story this week to criticize one of his Senate opponents, Assemblywoman Susan Eggman of Stockton, for supporting the bill, SB145. In fact, Eggman’s office said she has not officially endorsed the bill but is “supportive of the concept.”

EDITORIAL: Race, sexual orientation, gun rights and educating immigrants — hard calls for Modesto agencies

Modesto Bee

Straight pride. New Colossus Academy. Decisions affecting both controversial headline topics came down on Tuesday.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno City Council doubles down to end policy that gave raises to employees who quit

Fresno Bee

The Fresno City Council used its power to override a mayoral veto for the first time in more than a decade on Thursday when it amended a policy that allows raises for certain employees after they’ve said they are quitting.

See also:

This Fresno community has dealt with plant’s stench for decades. Here’s the latest

Fresno Bee

Fresno residents cheered and applauded inside City Hall on Thursday following a unanimous City Council vote that approved the move of the Darling Ingredients meat-rendering plant from its location near southwest neighborhoods to a rural area.

Fresno students asked congressman to donate pro-gun campaign money. Here’s what he did

Fresno Bee

Fresno Democratic Congressman Jim Costa will give $6,000 to the Gabby Giffords Courage to Fight Gun Violence political action committee after students with March for Our Lives Fresno called him out for receiving money from a pro-gun group with ties to the National Rifle Association.

After ‘fake farmer’ claim, Devin Nunes reports he owns small farm that earns no income

Fresno Bee

For the first time in more than a decade, Rep. Devin Nunes is reporting that he owns a stake in a farm. The new disclosure comes a year after Democratic groups accused Nunes, R-Tulare, of being a “fake farmer” and unsuccessfully challenged his description of himself as a farmer on California ballots.

County Clerk Set To Release Draft Election Administration Plan For 2020

Sierra News

County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Rebecca Martinez released today the draft Election Administration Plan (EAP) calendar for the 2020 Presidential Election Cycle.

South SJ Valley:

‘In God We Trust’ arrives on Bakersfield city vehicles

Bakersfield Californian

In the hundred-degree heat of Thursday afternoon, pastor Angelo Frazier and members of Bakersfield public safety services sealed the deal on one of the most red-hot debates that has passed through local government this year.

State:

********Shape California’s Future – Extended Deadline to Aug. 19********

California State Auditor

The Commission is tasked with redrawing Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts.

See also:

2019 California Economic Summit Registration Opens

CAFWD

Registration has opened for the 2019 California Economic Summit, which will take place in Fresno on November 7-8. The Summit, produced by California Forward, marks the eighth annual gathering of private, public and civic leaders from across California’s diverse regions committed to creating a shared economic agenda to expand prosperity for all.

The California Channel is shutting down. Where will you get ‘gavel to gavel’ Capitol coverage?

Fresno Bee

The California Channel, a broadcast service that provides “gavel to gavel coverage” of the state Legislature, will end operations this October.

See Also:

Could California Efforts To Maintain Obama-era Environmental Rules, Enact Rent Caps Succeed This Year? State Senate Leader Is Optimistic.

Capital Public Radio

California Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins spoke with CapRadio about her proposal to put Obama-era environmental rules into state law, plus the possibility of action at the Capitol on tenant protections and new rules for gig economy workers.

Large crowd rallies in support of locked down Kashmir at California state Capitol

Sacramento Bee

Nine days into the military lockdown of Indian-administered Kashmir, around 300 people rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday in support of those living in India’s only Muslim-majority state.

Frank Fat’s, a California political institution, turns 80. The party was just like old times

Sacramento Bee

Though Frank Fat’s still hosts scores of state employees and Capitol visitors each day, its status as the go-to place for legislators’ backroom deals and napkin-scribbled agreements is mostly a memory. Lobbying reform, an improved dining scene and stricter laws around alcohol changed Capitol culture over the years.

Proposition 13 treats all California property taxes the same. Voters could change that in 2020

Los Angeles Times

No brand in California politics has ever had the staying power of Proposition 13, the 1978 tax cut that served as a primal scream from angry voters and became a symbol of their reluctance to pay more money for more government services.

California spending big on census after Trump’s citizenship question fight

San Francisco Chronicle

Even before President Trump abandoned his quest to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, two California governors and the Legislature set aside a record $187 million for the count — more than six times what the state spent in 2000 and 2010 combined.

EDITORIAL: California disaster insurance bill could be more than its worth

San Francisco Chronicle

Disaster insurance can help limit the costs the state incurs when natural … have lined up behind Senate Bill 290, which would allow California to do just that.

Federal:

Israel’s move to bar two Democratic lawmakers draws widespread criticism

Los Angeles Times

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s widely condemned decision Thursday to bow to President Trump’s pressure and bar two U.S. Democratic congresswomen from entering Israel was a calculated but risky move.

See also:

Elizabeth Warren’s file

PolitiFact

Elizabeth Warren is a senator from Massachusetts. Warren was elected to the Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2018. Warren received a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from the University of Houston and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School. In 2019, she announced she is running for the Democratic nomination for president.

Populism can be beaten back by libraries. Really 

The Economist

If politics has become tribal, perhaps that is a result of people being walled off from others—in some cases literally—eroding the sense of commonality and community.

Did counties hosting a Trump rally in 2016 see a 226% spike in hate crimes?

PolitiFact

At a time of increasing tension over President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on undocumented immigrants and people of color, several Democrats have charged that Trump’s language is encouraging hate crimes. To make their case, Democrats cite a startling statistic.

Trump accuses ‘fake news media’ of trying to hurt the economy

The Hill

The president regularly decries coverage he dislikes as “fake news,” using the media as a foil to rile up his base. He has previously blamed the press for causing tensions in the country in the wake of violence, and as recently as Tuesday suggested he would coast to reelection if he benefited from a “fair press.”

OPINION: Senators File an Enemy-of-the-Court Brief

Wall Street Journal

When liberals worry about losing a major Supreme Court case, they usually make appeals to the Court’s “legitimacy.” This is intended to attract Chief Justice John Roberts by suggesting that a conservative outcome would damage the institution’s reputation. The ritual is disingenuous but usually subtle.

Elections 2020:

Trump ties US success to 2nd term: ‘You have to vote for me’

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump on Thursday sought to reassure his supporters about the state of the U.S. economy despite the stock market volatility and told rallygoers in New Hampshire, a state that he hopes to capture in 2020, that their financial security depends on his reelection.

See also:

John Hickenlooper ends 2020 White House bid

abc30

John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor, announced the end to his 2020 presidential campaign in a video Thursday morning.

Kamala Harris’ thread-the-needle message put to test in crucial 2020 state

San Francisco Chronicle

Roughly halfway between campaign kickoff and the first votes being cast, Sen. Kamala Harris is settling into a presidential campaign strategy that seeks to bridge what progressive and moderate voters are looking for.

States and localities are on the front lines of fighting cyber-crimes in elections

Brookings

When it comes to fighting illegal intrusions into American elections, the states and localities are where the rubber meets the road—that is where American elections are administered. 

Voters Care About Biden’s Age — Not About His Gaffes

FiveThirtyEight

After a week’s worth of media focus on a series of gaffes and misstatements by former Vice President Joe Biden, Democratic voters are reacting by … apparently not giving much of a damn.

Elizabeth Warren Sells Populism to Professionals

The New Yorker

Warren does not sound, as Hillary Clinton often did, like someone whose aim is to seem reasonable. She runs hotter than that. In her stump speech, she does not read out inequality statistics, as Bernie Sanders does, but instead turns them into an emotional drama, at first through the by-now-familiar story of her mother donning her lone formal dress to apply for her first job, at the age of fifty, to save the family house.

Georgia’s New Voting Machines Must Be Ready for 2020 Primary, Judge Says

Wall Street Journal

A federal judge ordered Georgia to have new voting machines in place throughout the state by the 2020 primary election in March or have plans to provide voters with paper ballots.

Fox News Poll: Biden still leads Democratic race, Warren climbs into second

Fox News

In the first major shakeup to the lineup, Elizabeth Warren moves ahead of Bernie Sanders to claim second place behind Joe Biden in the Democratic nomination race.  In addition, primary voters sharply divide between embracing former President Obama’s legacy and taking a new path.

Other:

Bakersfield businesses blast classical music to chase away panhandlers

Sacramento Bee

Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, it’s not. More like Mozart and Bach. On the streets of Bakersfield, birthplace of the hard-driving music that made Merle and Buck country legends, a new sound has become a hit with local businesses.

Cal Channel to end broadcasting after three decades

Capitol Weekly

The California Channel, a decades-old public broadcaster that has historically provided on-demand video access to the Legislature, the state Supreme Court and the Capitol community, will cease operations in October.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who struggled with dyslexia, is writing a children’s book about it

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom is writing a book for children with dyslexia, a project motivated by his personal struggles with the learning disability and experience helping his own dyslexic child to learn to read.

Deepfake videos may have unwitting ally in US media

The Hill

Deepfake videos are likely to pose a grave threat to the 2020 election, unless the media adopts stringent policies to distinguish real videos from sophisticated forgeries, experts say.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, August 18, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Higher Ed: A Good Investment for Students and Taxpayers?” – Guests: Sarah Bohn, Radhika Mehlotra and Patrick Murphy from PPIC and Dorothy Leland – Former Chancellor – UC Merced. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 18, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “The Valley’s Public Universities: An Update” – Guests: President Joseph I. Castro from California State University, Fresno; President Ellen Junn from California State University, Stanislaus; and President Lynnette Zelezny from California State University, Bakersfield. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 18, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Higher Education and Path in California” – Invitados: PPIC Olga Rodriguez and Marisol Cuellar. Presentado Por: Coordinadora del Programa del Maddy Institute, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

This Fresno community has dealt with plant’s stench for decades. Here’s the latest

Fresno Bee

Fresno residents cheered and applauded inside City Hall on Thursday following a unanimous City Council vote that approved the move of the Darling Ingredients meat-rendering plant from its location near southwest neighborhoods to a rural area.

Here’s a look at Central Valley’s ag land, diverse people

Visalia Times Delta

California’s San Joaquin Valley is often dismissed as small and rural. To the contrary, it’s a massive area of farms, ranches, small towns, and growing cities, emblematic of the American West as a blend of Old West values and New West technology. It’s also historically distinctive as one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the United States.

Olive oil rivals settle lawsuit over similar packaging. One has Modesto connection

Modesto Bee

A Southern California olive oil company has agreed to stop using packaging that a Lodi-based rival found to be too much like its own. The Lodi brand is owned by the Cortopassi family, which also cans tomatoes at Stanislaus Food Products in Modesto.

Community Action Partnership of Kern to host Free Farmers’ Market on Saturday

Bakersfield Californian

Community Action Partnerships of Kern’s Food Bank will host a Free Farmers’ Market on Saturday at the Kern County Fairgrounds. More than 20,000 pounds of greens, carrots, cabbage, watermelon and other fresh produce will be given away, according to a CAPK press release. 

California now has the biggest legal marijuana market in the world. Its black market is even bigger

Los Angeles Times

California is on track to post a record $3.1 billion in licensed cannabis sales this year, solidifying its status as the largest legal marijuana market in the world, according to a study released Thursday by financial analysts who advise the industry.

See also:

Cannabis restaurants are coming to California, with ‘budtenders’ and ‘flower’ service

Washington Post

Like any good chef about to open a restaurant, Andrea Drummer wants to get her pairings just right. But her lamb chops with plantain-mango salsa won’t be matched with wine or beer.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

‘The family still wants justice’: Inmate arrested 15 months after Fresno jail slaying

Fresno Bee

Lorenzo Herrera’s  death was among 11 in the county’s jails last year — the deadliest year in recent history — and it went unsolved and without significant public updates for months.

More than 50 inmates injured in riot at Central California prison

abc30

Dozens of inmates were injured Wednesday in a riot at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. The large-scale riot began when about 200 inmates began fighting on the yard, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

See also:

Public Safety:

Fresno police chief says farewell to his Crime View project after 13 years

Fresno Bee

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer on Wednesday said goodbye to a signature project: His Crime View sessions, where he crunches crimes statistics with his commanders and the news media.

Lawsuit challenges California’s assault weapons ban

Fresno Bee

A gun-rights group sued Thursday to block California from enforcing its assault weapons ban, contending it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Walmart says it sells 20% of ammunition in US, defends gun sales after mass shootings

abc30

Following shootings at Walmart stores in Texas and Mississippi, some are calling on the chain to stop selling guns.

How California’s gun violence restraining orders can help Stanislaus law enforcement

Modesto Bee

In 2016, California became the third state to adopt gun violence restraining orders as a tool for law enforcement, by order of a judge, to bar a person from possessing firearms if they can prove the person poses a threat to themselves or others.

See Also:

Tulare County Probation Department is growing

Visalia Times Delta

Tulare County Probation Department is growing. The department is slated to hire at least 11 new deputy probation officers. The expansion follows a recent California Judicial Council allocation for $75 million to 16 pretrial programs across courts statewide.

See also:

Sheriff Boudreaux recognizes outstanding employees

Porterville Recorder

Five Tulare County Sheriff’s Office employees were recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty on Wednesday by Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux.

City ordered to pay $400,000 to family stemming from police shooting in 2016

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield must pay $400,000 to the family of an elderly man with dementia who was shot and killed by Bakersfield police in December 2016, according to a recently settled lawsuit.

Getting shot by police is a leading cause of death for black men in America

Los Angeles Times

About 1 in 1,000 black men and boys in America can expect to die at the hands of police, according to a new analysis of deaths involving law enforcement officers. That makes them 2.5 times more likely than white men and boys to die during an encounter with cops.

When Cities Try to Limit Guns, State Laws Bar the Way

New York Times

A day after six Philadelphia police officers were wounded in a long, tense standoff with a gunman, the city’s mayor angrily called for tougher restrictions on guns.

The Real Reason Obama Didn’t Pass Gun Control

Politico

After every mass shooting, there’s a new ritual: sharing an old Twitter post from a British columnist that says: “In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.”

Fire: 

Report: PG&E Failed To Deal With Some Trees Near Power Lines

Capital Public Radio

PG&E failed to clear away thousands of trees that posed a threat to power lines, according to a report from a court-appointed monitor that was made public Wednesday.

Critics say PG&E’s rush to stop fires may hurt state forests

San Francisco Chronicle

Some residents across Northern California say PG&E is in many cases needlessly cutting down cherished stands of redwood, fir and oak to make its power lines fire-safe.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

US stock indexes end mostly higher after volatile day

Fresno Bee

Investors rode out another turbulent day on Wall Street Thursday that kept stock indexes flipping between gains and losses until a late-day bounce gave the market a modest gain.

See also:

US recession fears stalk markets as stocks fall again

Fresno Bee

Global stock markets fell sharply again Thursday after Wall Street endured its worst day of the year as recession fears in the U.S. and around the world escalated.

When the US imposes tariffs on Chinese goods, who pays?

abc30

President Trump and the Office of the United States Trade Representative has, in recent months, imposed tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the United States.

See also:

Gig-worker bill: Gavin Newsom keeps his distance from California’s big fight

San Francisco Chronicle

So far, at least publicly, Newsom hasn’t taken the lead on AB5, the state legislation that would turn Uber and Lyft drivers and other gig workers into company employees instead of independent contractors, with access to benefits such as health insurance and workers’ compensation. 

For the sake of the economy, California legislators must fix the flawed California Consumer Privacy Act

CALmatters

The Legislature must fix the California Consumer Privacy Act before it takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020. The law is riddled with unclear definitions, overly broad mandates, and small errors that will lead to unnecessary costs and widespread confusion about compliance.

Why the inverted yield curve makes investors worry about a recession

PBS
The yield curve, a key economic indicator that has been used to predict recessions, is renewing fears in the U.S. bond markets. The difference between the yield on the two-year and 10-year Treasury notes inverted briefly Wednesday for the first time since December 2005.

U.S. Shoppers Splurge in Face of Global Headwinds

Wall Street Journal

American shoppers gave the U.S. economy a boost in July, countering manufacturing-sector weakness, while Wall Street continued to have jitters about faltering growth.

Jobs:

Fresno City Council doubles down to end policy that gave raises to employees who quit

Fresno Bee

The Fresno City Council used its power to override a mayoral veto for the first time in more than a decade on Thursday when it amended a policy that allows raises for certain employees after they’ve said they are quitting.

‘This will be catastrophic’: Maine families face elder boom, worker shortage in preview of nation’s future

Washington Post

With private help now bid up to $50 an hour, Janet and her two sisters have been forced to do what millions of families in a rapidly aging America have done: take up second, unpaid jobs caring full time for their mother.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Central Unified welcomes students back to school 

abc30

It is a new beginning for Tilley Elementary School in west-central Fresno. Central Unified is the third largest school district in the Central Valley. Their vision doesn’t end at Tilley, next up, they are working on a new high school.

Hundreds of children return to a new and improved Ivanhoe Elementary 

abc30

In the South Valley, more than 30,000 students returned to school for Visalia Unified on Thursday. That includes hundreds of students at Ivanhoe Elementary.

See also:

Lemoore elementary schools celebrate first day

Hanford Sentinel

The Lemoore Union Elementary School District celebrated the first day of the school year at eight locations, with about 3,392 students in attendance, Superintendent Cheryl Hunt said.

See also:

Butterfield Charter School wins award for exceptional career-focused education program

Porterville Recorder

Butterfield Charter School is being recognized with a Career Choices Bronze Medal for its outstanding education program promoting college and career readiness.

California bill updates transgender students’ school records

Bakersfield Californian

California school districts would be required to update their records to reflect the names and genders of graduates who have changed them since getting their diplomas under a bill approved by state lawmakers on Thursday.

Push for Ethnic Studies in Schools Faces a Dilemma: Whose Stories to Tell

The New York Times

Discuss a recent instance of police brutality in your community. Read op-eds arguing for and against legal status for unauthorized immigrants. Compare and contrast border conditions in the Palestinian territories and Mexico.

‘Stop making excuses’: An open letter from teachers to parents

abc News

In an era of decreasing education budgets and demonization of public schools, teachers, and unions, we are taking lots of the heat for a lack of results from students. We know, however, that our influence as educators is relatively limited compared to yours.

Higher Ed:

Behind bars, resilience blossomed

Fresno State

For the past two years, Arnold has been a volunteer at the state prison. He works with the inmates on the Insight Garden Program. Through the program, inmates learn about ecology, landscaping, water irrigation and their connections to nature.

Fresno State Ranks 35th In Money Magazine’s ‘best Public Colleges’ List

Fresno State

Going to college wasn’t a realistic goal for Jordan Cordova whose parents weren’t around when he was growing up. But in high school, the Clovis resident learned about Fresno State and the quality education he could get at a university close to home.

State Budget Expands Access To Fresno State For Spring 2020 Admissions

Fresno State

Additional students will be able to begin courses at Fresno State in the spring admissions period, which is open to upper-division transfer applicants.  The spring admissions application period opens on Aug. 1 and closes Aug. 31.

2020 Project: UC Merced celebrates opening of two new campus research buildings

Merced Sun Star

UC Merced celebrated the completion of the second phase of the university’s $1.33 billion 2020 project on Wednesday night.

BC receives $20,000 grant to help alleviate food insecurity among students

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College’s Renegade Pantry received a $20,000 grant from the Kern Partnership for Children and Families to help alleviate food insecurity among college students.

‘He did not perform any work’: former CSU professor loses 10 years of CalPERS service credit

Sacramento Bee

A former California State University Chico professor who arranged to accrue credit toward his public pension while only occasionally working won’t be able to collect benefits from that time, an appellate court judge has ruled.

UC Davis launching new center to research cannabis

Sacramento Business Journal

The university announced the partnership with Biopharmaceutical Research Co. earlier this week. BRC, which is based in Castroville, is registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and has federal approval to conduct this kind of research.

The Associate Degree for Transfer May Help CSU Meet 2025 Goals

PPIC
Students enrolling at the California State University (CSU) as a part of the Associate Degree for Transfer program (ADT) make up a growing share of all CSU transfers—and they are graduating more quickly than other transfer students.

Apprenticeships:

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Want to make a dent in Fresno’s unhealthy air? Stop driving your kids to school

Fresno Bee

Every year, starting in mid-August and continuing into September, officials at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District see an uptick in ozone, an invisible pollutant that triggers asthma and can cause a litany of breathing ailments.

July was hottest month on Earth since records began: NOAA

abc30

July was the hottest month measured on Earth since records began in 1880, the latest in a long line of peaks that scientists say backs up predictions for man-made climate change.

A law just for Trump’s presidency? California measure aims to protect state’s environment

Sacramento Bee

California is considering a far-reaching law that would lock current environmental protections into place and would only be in effect until the end of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Scientists confirm July set new global heat record

Associated Press

July was the hottest month measured on Earth since records began in 1880, the latest in a long line of peaks that scientists say backs up predictions for man-made climate change.

Global carbon emissions hit another record

The Economist

Overall emissions of greenhouse gases increased by 2% in 2018. In the power industry, emissions rose by 2.7%, the biggest increase in seven years. This was driven by a high number of days that were either unusually hot or cold, which boosted energy demand.

July was the hottest month on Earth, with the planet missing 1 million square miles of sea ice

Washington Post

Data from thousands of surface monitoring stations worldwide, including ocean buoys in the Pacific and land-based thermometers dotting the continents, show that July 2019 was the warmest month on Earth since at least 1850.

Extreme climate change has arrived in America

Washington Post

New Jersey may seem an unlikely place to measure climate change, but it is one of the fastest-warming states in the nation. Its average temperature has climbed by close to 2 degrees Celsius since 1895 — double the average for the Lower 48 states.

Energy:

State Utilities Regulator Wants Customer Input About PG&E’s Proposed Rate Increase

VPR

The California Public Utilities Commission is holding forums around the state to get feedback from Pacific Gas & Electric customers about the company’s proposed rate hike. It’s a process most utilities undergo every three years.  

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

New changes for school immunization requirements

Fresno Bee

A Fresno Unified School District video describes changes to California’s immunization requirements for children entering school that took effect July 1, 2019.

State of the art procedure helping those with cataracts in the Valley

abc30

A revolution in eye surgery is now available and it’s changing the lives of patients across Central California. A Visalia medical center is the first in the Valley to offer the state-of-the-art technique that combines a laser with a camera to deliver a 3-D view of the procedure.

How To Keep Your Family Safe During Rattlesnake Season

Sierra News

Summer is rattlesnake season, so try to be aware and extra careful when enjoying the great outdoors. Most of us hike trials, cut firewood, work, and live in the mountains and will eventually run into a snake, and sometimes it will be a rattlesnake.

Vaping blamed for spike in ‘wet lung’ syndrome

Visalia Times Delta

South Valley public health officials are warning people who vape they may be exposing themselves to a potentially dangerous respiratory illness. 

New Look For Cigarettes? FDA Proposes Graphic Warnings On Packages And Ads

NPR

For years, American smokers have been spared the unpleasant images of gangrene infected feet, swollen tongues overtaken by cancerous tumors and blackened lungs that are often plastered onto packs of cigarettes sold around the world. But that momentary reprieve before lighting up may only last a few more years.

Human Services:

Bedbugs spread from workplace to home for employees of Kern County Human Services

Bakersfield Record

Bedbugs have apparently spread from a call center operated by the Kern County Department of Human Services to the homes of the department’s employees. Two of those employees have filed claims against the county, asking for assistance in paying for treatments, which can cost thousands of dollars.

Pregnant Or Trying? Here’s How To Get The Most Out Of California’s New Paid Family Leave Law

Capital Public Radio

California recently approved a longer paid family leave, allowing workers whose blessed events fall on the right side of the new law to take up to eight weeks off with partial pay to bond with a new baby. How’s that going to work? We asked the experts and read the fine print to help you figure it out now, before you’re too sleep deprived to think straight.

Too Many Medications? It Might Be Time To Ask Your Doctor About Deprescribing

NPR

It’s a common problem for many older adults. You may have more than one doctor and each prescribes a different drug for a different illness. Before you know it, you’re taking multiple medications and start feeling tired, dizzy or nauseous. Your doctor interprets that as a new symptom for a new disease and prescribes yet another drug.

Republicans are struggling to fix America’s dysfunctional health-care system

The Economist

Republican reluctance to embrace health care, despite the president’s best efforts, is understandable. On the one hand, America’s health-care system is woefully dysfunctional: the country spends about twice as much on health care as other rich countries but has the highest infant-mortality rate and the lowest life expectancy.

Health reform: How to improve U.S. health care in 2020 and beyond

AMA
Health care remains a major theme in our national conversation. And as we approach the November 2020 election, we will hear a lot of debate about the right path forward to fix what ails our current system. 

OPINION: Still Heading for the ObamaCare Exits

Wall Street Journal

Republicans think they can win on health care in 2020 by running against Medicare for All, and the facts about single payer are a target-rich environment. But the latest data on ObamaCare shows why the GOP needs to come up with its own ideas to sell to the public.

IMMIGRATION

US official: ‘Much better’ conditions at border for migrants

Fresno Bee

A senior Trump administration official says that with fewer immigrants and more detention space, people apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border won’t be subject to the squalid, overcrowded conditions criticized earlier this year.

Trump administration underestimating impact of new immigration rule, advocates say

abc30

The Trump administration is expected to save less than a half percent on public aid spending with its latest immigration plan, according to the government’s own analysis

California sues over Trump move to block green cards for poor immigrants

Sacramento Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Friday sued to block the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule, which would deny immigrants green cards if they are likely to rely on public benefits.

Children detained at border must have adequate food, bedding, soap and toothbrushes, court rules

Los Angeles Times

In a case that dramatized the plight of children detained at the border, a federal appeals court Thursday upheld an order requiring immigration authorities to provide minors with adequate food, water, bedding, toothbrushes and soap.

Appeals court rules Trump administration must provide hygiene products at migrant facilities

The Hill

The ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Fransisco hands a loss to the Trump administration, which had challenged a lower court decision two years ago ordering U.S. officials to provide basic personal hygiene items as well as adequate sleeping conditions, temperatures and food and water to children in detention at facilities in the Rio Grande Valley.

Unequal Outcomes: Most ICE Detainees Held In Rural Areas Where Deportation Risks Soar

NPR
Yoel Alonso sat in a cell for 10 months before he ever met with a lawyer. His wife had to travel 1,000 miles to visit him at the remote Louisiana facility where he was detained.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

West Fresno residents to finally be rid of smelly meat processing plant

abc30

West Fresno residents have had to deal with a foul smell coming from a meat processing plant for many years. But on Thursday they learned relief is in sight as the Darling rendering plant will be relocating its facility.

Two new restaurants sign leases to occupy space at former home of Mexicali West

Bakersfield Californian

Mind your appetite, Bakersfield, because two new restaurants are coming to the corner of California Avenue and Stockdale Highway, where Mexicali West used to be.

On Urban Parks and Civic Life: Insights from Leaders at PA Horticultural Society, Trust for Public Land, High Line, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

The Center-funded project, Pop Up Garden: An Exploration of the Philadelphia Rail Park, presented by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), introduced a series of imaginative public installations and creative community programs in 2016. 

Housing:

California housing prices reach new high — for the third straight month

Fresno Bee

This June, the median home price in California hit a new high — for the third straight month. Even as housing prices hit new highs, sales are growing cool, with the state recently declaring that the housing market is “weak.”

Where are the lowest rents in California? See how Fresno, Valley apartment costs rank

Fresno Bee

Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley continue to have some of the lowest apartment rent prices in California, with the average rental rate estimated at under $1,200 a month for most cities in the region.

Apartment List Data – Super Commuting Patterns at the County Level

Apartment List Data

Commutes by county across U.S.

Why so few places to live in Modesto? A clue. It has to do with raging economy.

Modesto Bee

Job growth is a leading indicator of economic recovery. But are you living the dream if a large percentage of your paycheck goes to housing costs, or a shabby apartment in Modesto or Turlock is all you can afford.

Officials tour facility touted as possible haven for homeless

Stockton Record

Standing in the gymnasium of a long-shuttered school five miles west of Stockton where the roads are narrow and the population is sparse, Supervisor Tom Patti said Thursday morning he might have stumbled upon a way to house and help San Joaquin County’s surging population of homeless residents.

As home construction sputters, Gavin Newsom calls for rent caps and less red tape

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called for California lawmakers to send him bills to limit rent spikes and cut building regulations before their 2019 legislative session ends next month.

Why can’t California pass more housing legislation?

San Francisco Curbed

In the first half of 2019, members of the California Legislature introduced roughly 200 bills that addressed the state’s worsening housing crisis. By the end of May, most of them had been nixed by the Byzantine nature of California politics.

Residential Impact Fees in California

Terner Center

Local governments levy fees and exactions to help fund the expansion of infrastructure needed to support new housing. These charges support important local services, such as school, parks, and transportation infrastructure, which many California jurisdictions are struggling to fund. 

PUBLIC FINANCES

California started off the new fiscal year $533 million above the month’s forecast.

California Department of Finance

U.S. real GDP increased 3.1 percent and 2.0 percent in the first quarter and second quarter of 2019 respectively, following 2.9-percent annual growth in 2018. California’s real GDP grew at an annualized 2.7 percent in the first quarter of 2019, following 3.5-percent annual growth in 2018. Second quarter state GDP will be released in November.

Budget Decider: Making choices that impact millions

CALmatters

California lawmakers have passed a $215 billion budget filled with progressive eye-catchers. But what if you had the awesome power to tax and spend, charting a new course for California?

TRANSPORTATION

City of Fresno 2019 Bicycle Friendly Community Application Public Survey

The League of American Bicyclists

This survey is open to anyone familiar with bicycling in your community,including those involved in submitting your BFC application. (Everyone receiving this email is encouraged to complete the survey and to share it broadly!) 

Kings County getting $10 million to settle 2014 lawsuit over high-speed rail route

Fresno Bee

The last lawsuit challenging the selection of a high-speed rail route between Fresno and Bakersfield has been settled between Kings County and the California High-Speed Rail Authority. But it’s not the last legal challenge facing the controversial bullet-train effort.

State Route 99 widening under way

Madera Tribune

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the contractor, Security Paving Company, will work on the highway at night, between Avenue 12 and Avenue 17 for the widening project, that will increase the lanes on that stretch of road from four to six.

Drivers need to put the brakes on ‘autopilot’

Visalia Times Delta

The scene of the fatal collision is home to a new four-way stop — installed in June.  But is it working? The protected four-way stop is meant to increase safety in the area, California Highway Patrol officers said. Since the installation, there have been two collisions — one deadly.

New bridge will replace historic Delta ferry

Stockton Record

Work is underway on a 675-foot-long bridge being built over the Middle River to Woodward Island from West Bacon Island Road on Jones Tract in the Delta west of Stockton.

Can California put cars in the rear-view mirror?

CALmatters

With transportation — mostly passenger vehicles — responsible for about 40% of the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions, policymakers are ramping up efforts to uncouple Californians from their cars. 

California High Speed Rail Meeting On Track For Gilroy

Patch

Whether maligned or revered, the California High-Speed Rail project is in need of input from Gilroy area residents to stay on track with the state’s ambitious plans for the 220mph bullet train.

News Release: High-speed Rail Authority And Kings County Reach Important Agreements

High Speed Rail Authority

Today, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and Kings County Board of Supervisors announced that they have signed three major agreements that will clear the way for substantial progress on California’s high-speed rail program in Kings County in the Central Valley.

Tesla Paces Electric Car Market-Share Gains in California

Bloomberg

Electric vehicles are poised to top 100,000 registrations in California this year as their share of the state’s car market rose to 5.6% through June compared with 4.7% for all of 2018. That’s counter to a downward trend in sales overall, with annual deliveries expected to fall 4.6%, according to a report from the California New Car Dealers Association. 

OPINION: A New Rule of the Trucking Road

Wall Street Journal

The current regime is a relic of the 1930s when unions wanted limits on trucker hours so employers hired more drivers. Those rules have grown onerous in a new world of owner-operators, many of whom long evaded the sillier restrictions by creatively editing their paper log books.

WATER

Report highlights city’s water

Hanford Sentinel

The city of Hanford recently sent out its 2018 Consumer Confidence Report, which showed no major violations in the city’s water contaminant testing.

Climate change still threatens key US river after wet winter

Bakersfield Californian

Snow piled up in the mountains across the U.S. West last winter, leaving enough to thrill skiers into the summer, swelling rivers and streams when it melted, and largely making wildfire restrictions unnecessary. But the wet weather can be misleading.

“Xtra”

Bakersfield Animal Care Center to waive adoption fees during Clear the Shelters Day

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield Animal Care Center will waive adoption fees on Saturday at their  annual Clear the Shelters Adoption event. The adoption event will take place at 201 S. Mount Vernon Ave. from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the Bakersfield Police Department.

As one beer event leaves downtown, another arrives. It will cap Central Valley Beer week

Fresno Bee

The Central Valley Brewers Guild has teamed up with the Downtown Fresno Partnership for the Central Valley Beer Week Guild Mixer. That’s a long name that fairly represents the event’s focus.

Has Oakdale Library gone to the dogs? No, but these canines help kids with reading anxiety

Modesto Bee

Reading aloud can cause anxiety for kids who aren’t fluent readers such as those with dyslexia, ADHD or speech impediments, but practicing reading to non-judgmental,loving therapy dogs eases their discomfort.

Six road trips you need to take to rediscover California

San Francisco Chronicle

California is made for road trips – a quilt of coastline, Sierra, desert and valley stitched together with asphalt. Forget about fighting the crowds on Highway 1, and make for the road less traveled.