Maddy Institute – August 27, 2021

27Aug

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.

● Recall Ballot Tracking

● Californians can all vote by mail in the recall. Here’s how

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Coronavirus update, Aug. 27: Stanislaus hospital cases up after decline; four more deaths Modesto Bee

● Week 2 of classes sees big COVID positivity rate jump in Modesto, Turlock school districts Modesto Bee

● Garth Stapley: Modesto megachurch joins effort exploiting religion to get around COVID-19 vaccines Modesto Bee

● Merced County reports first child death due to COVID-19 since start of pandemic Merced Sun Star

Why Stanislaus school districts struggle to fill positions, lack fully qualified educators

Modesto Bee

Modesto’s Stanislaus Union School District confronts a peculiar situation this year: School leaders have money to hire staff to help accelerate student learning, but no applicants to fill the positions.

Plan for green jobs at a plant originally built for war approved in Riverbank

Modesto Bee

Riverbank officials took their biggest step to date Tuesday night on turning the old Army ammunition plant into a hub for green jobs. The City Council voted 5-0 in support of enterprises that will include making ethanol from woody orchard waste.

Rising rents, pandemic leave Modesto grandma and her 9-year-old grandson homeless

Modesto Bee

Weightman said property managers have told told her this is a hard time to look for rentals because of the state’s eviction ban put in place during the pandemic. The ban is set to expire Sept. 30.

Opinion: Smaller families could help Modesto and California cope with crises

Modesto Bee

All across America, millions of women and couples are deciding to have smaller families. California’s birth rate has also steadily declined over the past decade. This need not be cause for alarm.

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Funds - Take the Survey!

City of Merced

Your feedback will be used to develop a draft spending plan that carefully considers the use of these one-time resources within the designated time frame, as an investment in the community.

ICE arrests of Merced County undocumented immigrants ‘minimal’ in 2020. See the numbers

Merced Sun Star

Arrests of undocumented individuals by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fell to just one individual in Merced County last year, Sheriff Vern Warnke reported on Tuesday.

Unemployment rate falls slightly in Stanislaus County

Turlock Journal

The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County dropped during the month of July and continues to be below the year-ago estimate, according to the latest numbers from the Employment Development Department.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● COVID hospitalizations in Fresno, Valley rise at fastest pace of the pandemic to date Fresno Bee

● COVID cases, hospitalizations rising among Fresno children, teens. What the data says Fresno Bee

● COVID death toll rises this week in Fresno, Valley. How many lives have been lost? Fresno Bee

● COVID-19 update: Tulare County reports 10 new deaths Visalia Times Delta

● Largest increase in COVID cases last week for those 0-19 years old Hanford Sentinel

● 10 new COVID deaths reported in Tulare County Porterville Recorder

● Fresno Teachers Association voices concerns over COVID-19 safety abc30

● Visalia dentist hopes to put dent in Delta variant's spread by offering vaccine abc30

● Riverdale Joint Unified School District seeing rise in COVID-19 cases abc30

Will Fresno Unified board censure Terry Slatic after meeting debacle? He ‘doesn’t care’

Fresno Bee

Fresno Unified Trustee Terry Slatic says he “doesn’t care” if his fellow school board members censure him in connection with his extended outburst during Wednesday’s regular school board meeting.

● Opinion: Not suitable for children: Bad adult behavior at Fresno, Clovis school board meetings Fresno Bee

● FUSD Superintendent accuses trustee of violating Brown Act and board bylaw abc30

Kings to hold third redistricting hearing 10 a.m. Tuesday

Hanford Sentinel

Kings County will hold the last public hearing before the release of draft redistricting during next Tuesday’s board meeting at 10 a.m., allowing residents to make testimony on communities or interest and learn about mapping tools.

Tulare's State of the City on Friday will cover key topics, future of the city

Visalia Times Delta

The city's master plan, business and a look back at how Covid-19 impacted the city will be tackled during the annual event presented by the Tulare Chamber of Commerce at the International Agri-Center.

Can a historic Black town in California’s Central Valley be revitalized? Here’s the plan

Fresno Bee

A new effort formally launched Wednesday to revitalize and restore the Col. Allensworth State Historic Park, site of the once-thriving Black town in Tulare County.

Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino can expand thanks to new compact signed by Newsom

Fresno Bee

The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians after several years of negotiations signed a new state gaming pact that will allow for the expansion of its Coarsegold casino and protect casino patrons and employees, the tribe announced Thursday.

California directs Tulare County city to extend water service to neighbors in need

Fresno Bee

The state of California took the first step to order and potentially pay for the city of Exeter in Tulare County to extend water service to hundreds of homes in a nearby town without safe and stable drinking water.

French Fire inches closer to Tulare County, communities

Visalia Times Delta

The fire's growth is now a concern for Tulare County firefighters, who are also battling a remote wildfire in the Sequoia National Forest.

Superintendent: VUSD board "taking risks with your children" after vote to repeal emergency

Visalia Times Delta

Visalia Unified trustees repealed a March 2020 resolution declaring "emergency conditions exist" at the district, despite rising quarantine numbers among staff and students.

‘We exist:’ Census 2020 provides more visibility to Indigenous Mexicans in Central Valley

Fresno Bee

The 2020 Census gave many people an opportunity to choose more than one race or write in how they identified — a move U.S. Census Bureau officials made to better capture the racial and ethnic diversity of the American population.

Toxic algae warning rises to ‘danger’ level at Fresno-area lake. ‘Stay out of the water’

Fresno Bee

A warning about toxic algae at Hensley Lake in Madera County was recently elevated from a “caution” to a “danger” advisory by the California State Water Resources Control Board.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● 1 new coronavirus death, 488 new cases reported Thursday Bakersfield Californian

● Case rates in Kern are highest in Bakersfield Bakersfield Californian

New 'farm-to-fleet' electric vehicle model grows revenue for solar-powered ag producers

Bakersfield Californian

A Bay Area company's purchase of renewable-energy credits from solar power-equipped ag producers in the Central Valley may point to a new business opportunity for Kern County growers seeking alternative revenue streams.

● Cruise looks to Central Valley solar panels to power its self-driving cars San Francisco Chronicle

Supervisors approve Rosamond solar project

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors approved a large-scale solar project on Tuesday, indicating a continued commitment to the industry despite concerns a tax exclusion limits the financial benefit to the county.

State:

COVID Update:

● Fact check: Did Gavin Newsom cast doubt on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine? Fresno Bee

● Some doctors say California should reinstate outdoor mask mandate; here's why abc7

● California lawmakers weigh statewide vaccination requirement for indoor restaurants, venues Sacramento Bee

● California lawmakers grapple with whether to impose a statewide COVID-19 vaccination mandate Los Angeles Times

● California Assembly members not vaccinated against COVID-19 should be suspended, lawmaker says Los Angeles Times

● California could require COVID-19 vaccines at indoor restaurants, bars, gyms and more Mercury News

● California lawmakers weigh sweeping vaccine mandate San Francisco Chronicle

● Editorial: FDA approval finally clears the way for a vaccine mandate. What is California waiting for? San Francisco Chronicle

● Inside California’s confusing COVID numbers CalMatters

‘Stakes are extremely high.’ Results of Gavin Newsom recall could ripple across nation

Sacramento Bee

Top officials from both parties are preparing to parse the results of next month’s unexpectedly competitive recall election for what it means for next year’s midterm election, control of the U.S. Senate, and a Democratic Party that once thought it had a tight grip on the country’s largest state.

● How close is the California recall? Here's what the poll experts say San Francisco Chronicle

● What to Know About California’s Recall Election New York Times

● Krugman: California Could Throw Away What It’s Won New York Times

● Column: ‘The battle just begins.’ Recall backers say toppling Newsom only first step in changing California Los Angeles Times

● How a Republican would govern Democratic California Politico

● Democrats are Scrambling to Stop the GOP from Taking Over California Vanity Fair

With recall looming, Newsom gets some help from friends in Legislature

CalMatters

With Gov. Gavin Newsom facing a Sept. 14 recall election, fellow Democrats in the Legislature appeared to protect him from having to sign or veto some controversial measures as they culled hundreds of bills Thursday in the biannual ritual known as the suspense file.

● ‘Mad moms’ and mask mandates: Will they determine whether Newsom is recalled? Los Angeles Times

● Newsom says abortion is on the line in recall. But rolling back rights wouldn’t be easy Los Angeles Times

● Facing Recall, Gavin Newsom Calls on Hollywood Dems: Help! The Hollywood Reporter

● Biden to Campaign for Gov. Newsom Before California Recall Election New York Times

● Kamala Harris to miss Gavin Newsom’s recall defense rally after deadly Kabul bombings Sacramento Bee

● VP Kamala Harris cancels trip to Bay Area for rally to stop Newsom recall Mercury News

● Kamala Harris cancels appearance at Bay Area rally to support Newsom against recall Los Angeles Times

● Newsom spent $11K on 'one hell of a budget signing' ahead of recall election Politico

● California agency rejects GOP complaint about Gavin Newsom’s home, says he followed law Sacramento Bee

● Opinion: The Recall Is Republicans’ Last Best Hope in Deep Blue California Politico

How Did Larry Elder Become a Front-Runner in California’s Governor Race?

New York Times

Mr. Elder, a Los Angeles Republican who bills himself as “the sage from South Central,” could end up as the next governor of the nation’s most populous state.

● Larry Elder’s California recall rise has even Republicans uneasy Mercury News

● Skelton: Newsom and Elder’s mutually beneficial relationship in the California recall election Los Angeles Times

● Larry Elder’s ex-fiancee reports alleged 2015 gun incident to LAPD Los Angeles Times

● Kevin Faulconer says Larry Elder’s stance on legalizing drugs makes him ‘unfit’ to be governor Modesto Bee

● Editorial: Before the California recall election, let’s reality-check GOP candidate Kevin Faulconer Fresno Bee

● A Democrat takes the stage to clash with Republicans in California recall debate Los Angeles Times

● Top-polling Democrat in recall calls for COVID filtration systems, water pipeline in debate Sacramento Bee

● Who is Kevin Paffrath? Democrat recall candidate calls for a pipeline to the Mississippi River Sacramento Bee

● Who is Kevin Paffrath and what would he do as governor? CalMatters

● Recall candidate Kevin Faulconer calls for fully paid parental leave for Californians Sacramento Bee

California looking to pay drug addicts to stay sober

Mercury News

Frustrated by out-of-control increases in drug overdose deaths, California’s leaders are trying something radical: They want the state to be the first to pay people to stay sober.

● California governor, lawmakers want state to pay addicts to get sober CBS News

● California looking to pay drug addicts to stay sober Associated Press

● Bill to decriminalize psychedelics shelved in California Legislature San Francisco Chronicle

California police transparency bill survives important hurdle

Mercury News

A bill requiring police agencies in California to turn over records about excessive uses of force, discriminatory behavior and other patterns of official abuse survived a party-line Assembly Appropriations Committee vote Thursday.

Lawmakers winnow bills requiring fixes to California’s troubled unemployment agency

Los Angeles Times

7 months after the state auditor recommended an overhaul of California’s unemployment benefits system, a bill to speed up action on the changes by the state Employment Development Department fizzled when it was sidelined by lawmakers in a partisan dispute.

California housing department mismanaged COVID-19 funds for the homeless, audit says

Los Angeles Times

The California Department of Housing and Community Development did not properly distribute federal relief funds, and the mismanagement was so prolonged that local organizations might lose the money because of missed deadlines, auditors said Tuesday.

California Democrats urge Biden: Send us Afghan evacuees

Los Angeles Times

More than half of the Democrats in California’s 53-member congressional delegation will send a letter to President Biden on Thursday saying that California is ready and eager to house Afghan refugees and special immigrant visa applicants.

Prop. 22 was ruled unconstitutional. What will the final outcome be?

Los Angeles Times

The move by a California judge to invalidate Proposition 22 was a bold rebuff of an aggressive effort by companies such as Uber and Lyft to rewrite the rules of gig work. But it’s unlikely to change how the companies treat their drivers.

● Despite Prop. 22 ruling, Uber and Lyft drivers won't become employees anytime soon San Francisco Chronicle

● California customers face higher rideshare bill on Prop. 22 reversal Mercury News

California Supreme Court Rejects Attempt To Make It Harder To Impose Death Penalty

KPIX 5

California’s top court rejected an attempt to make it harder to impose the death penalty, ruling Thursday in favor of the current system where jurors need not unanimously agree on aggravating factors used to justify the punishment.

California must provide prompt treatment for mentally incompetent defendants, court rules

San Francisco Chronicle

The California Supreme Court rejected the state’s appeal Wednesday of an order requiring prompt mental treatment for more than 1,000 criminal defendants who are being held in jail for months after being found mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● Virus surge breaks hospital records amid rising toll on kids Fresno Bee

● 100,000 more COVID deaths seen unless US changes its ways Fresno Bee

● What is a COVID-19 vaccine passport, and do I need one? Fresno Bee

● Biden Administration Likely to Approve Covid-19 Boosters at Six Months Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: The confusion surrounding booster shots could paralyze vaccination efforts. The government must step up. Washington Post

● ‘I’m still not planning to get it’: FDA approval not swaying some vaccine holdouts Washington Post

● Coronavirus hospitalizations spike to 100k for first time since January outbreak The Hill

● Should the Government Impose a National Vaccination Mandate? New Yorker

● Opinion: Let Lawyers Hunt for Covid’s Origin Wall Street Journal

Fed Up With Inaction Over Voting Rights, Thousands Are Planning A March On Washington

VPR

More than 50 years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and reminded America of the "fierce urgency of now," activists are hoping to recreate the power of that day.

Supreme Court strikes down eviction moratorium during pandemic; evictions can resume

abc30

The Supreme Court's conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

See also:

● SCOTUS blocks Biden's COVID-19 eviction moratorium Visalia Times Delta

● The Supreme Court Will Allow Evictions To Resume. It Could Affect Millions Of Tenants VPR

● Supreme Court allows evictions to resume during pandemic Mercury News

● Supreme Court strikes down CDC eviction moratorium despite delta’s rise Washington Post

● Supreme Court Blocks Biden Administration’s New Eviction Moratorium Wall Street Journal

● Supreme Court blocks Biden’s extension of eviction ban Los Angeles Times

● The national eviction moratorium is officially dead. In some parts of the country, it has been for a while. Washington Post

The Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket: How It Works

Wall Street Journal

Welcome to what court watchers have deemed the “shadow docket” of the Supreme Court, where the justices throughout the year entertain emergency applications seeking their intervention. Here’s how this process works.

$3.5T or bust? Sanders goes all-out to protect Dems’ social spending plans

Politico

Bernie Sanders is shifting into a new phase of his legacy-defining work on Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan: Protecting it from members of his own party and selling it to the public.

See also:

● Opinion: Pelosi’s Cannon Fodder Wall Street Journal

Opinion: Biden's infrastructure bill doubles down on bad housing policy

The Hill

What it terms, for example, “historic investments” in affordable housing, development and revitalization are instead vast expansions of failed and suspect programs — initiatives that should be reformed, not expanded.

See also:

● Op-Ed: Joe Biden’s Build Back Better debt disaster American Enterprise Institute

Biden shedding support from independent voters as Delta variant spreads - Reuters poll

Reuters

President Joe Biden is shedding support from independents, a crucial voting bloc that helped Democrats win the White House and Congress last year, as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases slows the country's return to normal from the pandemic, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows.

Other:

The challenge of detecting misinformation in podcasting

Brookings

Even as tech companies have come under pressure to crack down on misinformation, one key avenue of information distribution in the digital economy—podcasting—has escaped significant scrutiny, despite the massive scale of the podcast ecosystem.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, August 29, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “PPIC: K-12 Test Scores - What do they tell us?” - Guest: Julien Lafortune, Public Policy Institute of California. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, August 29, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "The Valley’s Public Universities: An Update"- Guests: Fresno State President Joseph Castro; Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn; CSU Bakersfield President Lynnette Zelezny. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

County ag department releases annual report

Madera Tribune

Madera County Agricultural Commissioner Rusty Lantsberger released the county’s annual crop report last week and it indicated a drop in production. The gross value of all production was $1,949,532,000, a decrease of $52 million or 3.6 percent as compared to 2019.

California’s ‘Cantaloupe Capital’ struggles to reign supreme as drought pummels agriculture across the West

Washington Post

Climate change and a brutal heat wave are stressing fields and the communities based on them as farmers triage their crops and limited sources of water.

Opinion: Proposed new tax would harm San Joaquin Valley’s family owned farms, small businesses

Fresno Bee

In his first 100 days in office, President Biden wasted no time in laying out his administration’s vision for how to “build back better” following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food & Ag Secretary Karen Ross talks water, sustainable workforce

Visalia Times Delta

Water is the No. 1 topic for California growers, but top officials recognize that technology could help put more food on tables. Both issues were hot topics during an AgTech Summit held in Reedley.

See also:

● Bill would help lost farmland be used for other purposes Porterville Recorder

Farmworker Wildfire Smoke Protection Act coming to Newsom's desk. What you need to know

Visalia Times Delta

It seeks to build on the Occupational Safety and Health program’s standard for protecting farm workers and address issues like unhealthy air conditions. The bill would also provide education on hazardous conditions for farm and agricultural workers throughout the state.

● ’Exposed to toxic smoke and ash’: Proposed law would increase workplace protections amid wildfires Sacramento Bee

U.S. Crops Wither Under Scorching Heat

Wall Street Journal

Farm incomes have been hit hard over the past two years, first when Covid-19 shutdowns hammered prices and afterward when hot, dry weather reduced output, limiting farmers’ capacity to cash in on rising demand and higher prices.

Republicans to USDA: Expand Farm Aid, Not Food Stamps

Wall Street Journal

The USDA has beefed up its assistance for commodity producers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The department’s announced increase to food stamp benefits this month, however, has been met with resistance from farm state conservatives.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Videos show Clovis officers punching man during arrest. Police say there’s more to it

Fresno Bee

An arrest in Clovis made the rounds on social media on Tuesday, after several videos emerged showing a police officer repeatedly punching a suspect in the head while another officer fights to hold the suspect to the ground so he can be taken into custody.

California homicide rise becomes recall rallying cry, but experts question Newsom’s role

Los Angeles Times

An image of crime tape flashes across the screen. A woman says, “we don’t feel safe anymore,” adding that “crime is surging” in California. The solution, the ad paid for by a Republican group argues, is to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Public Safety:

Toxic algae warning rises to ‘danger’ level at Fresno-area lake. ‘Stay out of the water’

Fresno Bee

A warning about toxic algae at Hensley Lake in Madera County was recently elevated from a “caution” to a “danger” advisory by the California State Water Resources Control Board.

Mariposa sheriff shares update in mysterious family death case in Sierra near Yosemite

Fresno Bee

Weapons or “chemical hazards” along a trail have been “ruled out” as a possible cause of death in a mysterious case of a Mariposa family found dead while hiking in Sierra National Forest over a week ago.

Fire:

Downtown Sonora evacuated, including hotels, in Washington Fire

Fresno Bee

The Washington Fire has reached 81 acres, but it is being kept within containment lines, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said. People evacuating are instructed to go to the Westside Pavilion in Tuolumne.

Evacuations ordered for 1,000-acre fire near New Melones Lake in Calaveras County

Modesto Bee

The blaze has been named the Airola fire. According to the Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit in a 7:30 a.m. update on its Facebook page, the fire is about 700 acres. Crews will construct fire line throughout the night, and there is currently 0% containment, Cal Fire reported.

● New fires spark in Sierra Foothills as Dixie and Caldor fires grow Mercury News

Evacuation orders expand west as containment for French Fire remains low

Bakersfield Californian

The French Fire has burned 22,030 acres and was 19 percent contained as of Thursday night, with new evacuation warnings issued, according to the Kern County Fire Department.

See also:

● Residents impacted by French Fire give back to firefighters Bakersfield Californian

Winds push Walkers Fire farther north

Porterville Recorder

Winds from the south pushed the Walkers Fire northeast into the Camelback Ridge area in the Golden Trout Wilderness in the Sequoia National Forest on Wednesday. As of Thursday morning the fire remained at 4,448 acres and 40 percent contained.

Opinion: Dixie Fire isn’t just destroying towns. California’s water and power supply is under threat

Sacramento Bee

The Dixie Fire has consumed over 730,000 acres and is now the second largest fire in California’s history. High winds coupled with low humidity, high temperatures and drought-parched vegetation make extinguishing it a devilish challenge in such difficult terrain.

Opinion: California is up in smoke but still won't stop playing with fire

San Francisco Chronicle

California’s wildfire problem is the worst it’s ever been. Just like it was last year. And the years before that. And the decades before that. The insatiable beast devouring the state has become a terror of our own making.

● California towns choked by hazardous air from wildfire smoke Axios

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Increasing Homeownership To Equalize Economic Opportunity

Cal Forward

Building on the foundation that has been created, Briones offers specific recommendations to close the racial wealth gap and equalize economic opportunity in the state.

U.S. Household Income Jumped in July as Spending Slowed

Wall Street Journal

U.S. household income rose rapidly last month as the government handed out enhanced tax breaks for parents, priming the economy for stronger growth once the Delta variant subsides.

Fed chief signals supports for the economy could begin to be pulled back this year, if recovery stays strongly on track

Washington Post

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell offered his clearest signal yet that the Fed could soon start scaling back its support for the markets if economic recovery remains strongly on track, despite ongoing uncertainty from the delta variant of the coronavirus.

Jobs:

Unemployment rate falls slightly in Stanislaus County

Turlock Journal

Cal/OSHA recommends that all workers wear masks indoors, even if vaccinated

abc30

Officials with California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) are urging employers and workers within the state to begin wearing face coverings indoors regardless of their vaccination status.

● Music industry weighs vaccine mandates, but politics collide Fresno Bee

● Column: Delta Air Lines’ raising insurance rates for unvaccinated makes sense — and it’s a scary idea Los Angeles Times

● More than half of Americans favor vaccine mandates at work, poll finds CBS News

● More Companies Weigh Penalizing Employees Without Covid-19 Vaccinations Wall Street Journal

● GM Requiring All U.S. Salaried Workers to Report Their Vaccination Status Wall Street Journal

More Retail Workers Are Quitting Than Ever, But More Stores Are Opening Than Expected

VPR

When the pandemic struck last year, retail spiraled into upheaval. Since then, it has become a world of seemingly contradictory trends. The industry is hitting many milestones: record numbers of workers quitting and getting hired, wages and prices on the rise.

California unemployment claims climb, $300 extra benefits expiration looms

Mercury News

Unemployment claims in California rose last week and remain far above normal levels, the government reported Thursday, fresh evidence the statewide jobs recovery from coronavirus-linked ailments remains elusive.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Why Stanislaus school districts struggle to fill positions, lack fully qualified educators

Modesto Bee

● Fresno Teachers Association voices concerns over COVID-19 safety abc30

Will Fresno Unified board censure Terry Slatic after meeting debacle? He ‘doesn’t care’

Fresno Bee

● FUSD Superintendent accuses trustee of violating Brown Act and board bylaw abc30

● Not suitable for children: Bad adult behavior at Fresno, Clovis school board meetings Fresno Bee

The science of catching up: How Fresno schools are helping students make up lost time

Fresno Bee

Tens of millions of students — including thousands in Fresno County — may now be months or, in some cases, even a full year behind because they couldn’t attend school in person during the pandemic.

Fresno Unified looking to hire teachers, substitutes, bus drivers and more

abc30

You have a chance to help students in the Central Valley. Now that most students are back in the classroom, Fresno Unified administrators say the need is greater than ever for more staff.

Superintendent: VUSD board "taking risks with your children" after vote to repeal emergency

Visalia Times Delta

Visalia Unified trustees repealed a March 2020 resolution declaring "emergency conditions exist" at the district, despite rising quarantine numbers among staff and students.

Riverdale Joint Unified School District seeing rise in COVID-19 cases

abc30

Cases of COVID are quickly rising at one Fresno County school district, forcing modified class schedules to start Thursday. Riverdale Joint Unified School District is reporting 24 new cases of the coronavirus in just the month of August, including 20 students.

Quarantined: A new law is disrupting California school reopenings

CalMatters

As classes resume, a new state law governing independent study is worsening staff shortages, threatening school budgets and forcing quarantined students to relive last year’s school shutdowns.

How schools can protect our children and their future when reopening

Brookings

The devastation of the pandemic and its unequal impacts have not only been felt by adults in our country. It has also been felt by our children—particularly low-income children and children of color.

See also:

● What happens when schoolchildren get coronavirus? Los Angeles Times

● New data finds 3 in 4 teens are worried about getting COVID at school abc30

● Many Kids Have Missed Routine Vaccines, Worrying Doctors As School Starts VPR

● FDA Approval Empowers School Systems to Tell Teachers, Staff: ‘Get Vaccinated – No Exceptions’ US News

Higher Ed:

Reports Of Cheating At Colleges Soar During The Pandemic

VPR

As college moved online in the COVID-19 crisis, many universities are reporting increases, sometimes dramatic ones, in academic misconduct. At Virginia Commonwealth University, reports of academic misconduct soared during the 2020-21 school year, to 1,077.

For college students in California, the only common ground is uncertainty

Los Angeles Times

Do students in California even want to be back on campus? It depends on the school, the policies and the student.

Could this plan ease transfer woes for California Community College students?

CalMatters

California community college students often aim to transfer into a UC or a Cal State, but few actually make the jump — in part because of how complicated it is to do so. A proposed bill aims to make transfers easier — but faces fierce resistance.

Op-Ed: Can college-going be less risky without being ‘free’?

American Enterprise Institute

While calls for “free” college and student debt cancellation currently dominate conversations about higher education financing, I’m less interested in solutions that make lucrative degrees a freebie than in those that make them less risky.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Images show 'unusual' lack of snow on Mount Shasta - here's what meteorologists say is going on

San Francisco Chronicle

The peaks of famously snowy Mount Shasta are looking very bare these days — and while meteorologists say the low snowpack is not unprecedented, it’s rare for this time of year.

Greenhouse Gas Levels Are The Highest Ever Seen — And That's Going Back 800,000 Years

VPR

Scientists at the NOAA reported that the concentration of carbon dioxide, one of the primary greenhouse gases, hit 412.5 parts per million in 2020. That's 2.5 parts per million higher than what in 2019, and it's now the highest ever observed, the scientists say.

The Unbearable Summer

The Atlantic

The broiling temperature that the Northwest reached—108 degrees Fahrenheit at one point in Seattle, 121 degrees in British Columbia—was so far beyond the observed experience that it exceeded even statistical models’ outmost potential extremes for the area.

● Slow-Walking the Climate Crisis New Yorker

Schumer: Infrastructure bills would curb emissions 45%

Politico

The emissions curbs would fall short of President Joe Biden's goal of 50 percent reductions taken alone, but Schumer said administrative actions and state action would reach it.

Energy:

Supervisors approve Rosamond solar project

Bakersfield Californian

Gas prices finally dip — but not by much

Bakersfield Californian

But wait — there's more! It's not just that the price had fallen; it's that this was the first time so far this calendar year it has happened that the price wasn't either the same or higher as compared with seven days earlier.

The dark side of California's emergency grid rescue plan: More dirty emissions from backup generators

Canary Media

To address a potential grid supply shortfall of up to 3.5 gigawatts, Newsom’s emergency proclamation waives air pollution restrictions on natural gas plants and diesel backup generators when they’re used during grid emergencies.

Chevron Expanding Push into Dairy-to-Gas Fuel to Cut Emissions

Bloomberg

Chevron Corp. is accelerating its push to convert cow manure into renewable natural gas as part of its effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Here’s the latest on COVID-19 vaccines

National Geographic

The country’s top health officials announced last week that they recommend getting a booster shot eight months after the second dose Booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to be available on September 20, for nursing home residents, health care workers, and emergency workers.

● Why the COVID Vaccines Aren’t Dangerous New Yorker

● Vaccine conspiracy theorists become even more desperate after full FDA authorization Washington Post

● Calls Grow to Discipline Doctors Spreading Virus Misinformation New York Times

● Covid-19 Vaccine Efficacy: What Do the Numbers Really Mean? Wall Street Journal

COVID: Kids 5-12 could get one third of vaccine dose used for adults

Mercury News

The US Food and Drug Administration has given full approval to Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for people age 16 and older. Approval for youths ages 12-15 is expected to follow soon.

CDC warns against using animal de-wormer to treat COVID

Mercury News

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a health advisory Thursday warning doctors and the public about the “rapid increase” in prescriptions for the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin.

When are you most likely to spread COVID? Study says initial days are crucial

Fresno Bee

If you test positive for the coronavirus, try to avoid close contact with others two days before and three days after your symptoms appear, a new study says — that’s when you’re most contagious, although complete isolation is ideal until you test negative.

Why COVID Takes A Harsher Toll On Children With Cancer

VPR

Early in the pandemic, one bit of encouraging news was that children weren't as vulnerable to COVID-19 as adults. But doctors who treat children with cancer had special concerns.

West Nile cases in trapped mosquito almost triples during one week in August

Hanford Sentinel

There have been 27 cases of West Nile virus detected in Kings County this year, with a jump of 17 positive cases in one week in August, though there have not been any human cases reported.

The Connection Between Housing and Health: Measuring Community Impact

US News

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

A science in the shadows

Washington Post

Controls on ‘gain of function’ experiments with supercharged pathogens have been undercut despite concerns about lab leaks.

Human Services:

Nurse shortages in California reaching crisis point

CalMatters

In the past month, four emergency room nurses — exhausted by the onslaught of patients and emotional turmoil wrought by COVID-19 — have quit at the Eureka hospital where Matt Miele works.

Opinion: Pandemic brings extra need for mental health care resources

CalMatters

AB 638 increases funding for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. It will help counties reach people in the early stages of illness and prevent mental health problems from worsening, and could ease the burden on family members and caretakers.

● Support for Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders Must Ramp Up California Budget and Policy Center

As hospitals fill, more ambulances forced to wait

Axios

This is a “trend playing out across the country, threatening to erode our nation’s EMS system," Shawn Baird, president of the American Ambulance Association, tells Axios.

IMMIGRATION

ICE detainees in California say they face retaliation, threats after making complaints

Sacramento Bee

Marquez is among eight people alleging that ICE and several of the contractors operating immigration detention centers in California retaliated against them and other non-citizens for attempting to denounce conditions in the facilities amid the pandemic.

Supreme Court orders ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy reinstated

Modesto Bee

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.

● Texas Republicans' Supreme Court win raises more doubt about Biden's immigration policy Houston Chronicle

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino can expand thanks to new compact signed by Newsom

Fresno Bee

Regional Transportation And Land Use - Planning For The Future

Plan Fresno

The Fresno Council of Governments is hosting several community meetings. At these workshops will be asking community members to comment on three draft future plans. The plans join land use and regional transportation planning strategies.

See also:

● Regional Transportation and Land Use and Measure C Fresno Council of Governments

Housing:

‘An impossible situation.’ Elderly Clovis renters priced out as affordability contract expires

Fresno Bee

Tenants living in rent-restricted affordable housing units at Sierra Ridge apartment complex owned by Golden State Financial (GSF) Sierra Ridge Clovis Investors were told in late April that their units would soon become market rate — doubling the price in some instances.

Bubble watch: California homebuying ‘affordability’ near pre-crash lows

Mercury News

The “affordability” index from the California Association of Realtors is a yardstick that mixes price trends, mortgage rates and income patterns for existing single-family houses.

California housing dept mismanaged COVID-19 funds for the homeless, audit says

Los Angeles Times

After Years of Failure, California Lawmakers Pave the Way for More Housing

New York Times

To ease an affordability crisis, the Legislature voted to open suburbs to development, allowing two-units on lots long reserved for single-family homes.

Opinion: Biden's infrastructure bill doubles down on bad housing policy

The Hill

PUBLIC FINANCES

Most Californians to receive another stimulus check - here's how much and when to expect it

abc30

California's latest round of Golden State Stimulus checks will soon bring a little more green for people who qualify. Andrew LePage of the California Franchise Tax Board says people eligible will receive checks between $500 and $1,100 in most cases.

● Millions of Californians to get another round of stimulus checks soon. When to expect the money Sacramento Bee

Some California unemployed workers will still receive payments after federal benefits are cut off

Sacramento Bee

Payments on the four federal unemployment benefit programs that expire on September 4 can still be issued for weeks of unemployment prior to that date, even if that processing comes after the deadline and if conditional payments have not already been issued.

Opinion: Guaranteed income is the next great US social experiment. California should lead the way

Sacramento Bee

The pandemic caused a sea change on universal basic income as people across the ideological spectrum realized the power of direct cash payments under federal and state COVID relief bills.

Opinion: The Swamp’s Favorite Tax Break

Wall Street Journal

The planned increase in the federal tax deduction will make it easier for politicians in places like D.C., Vermont, California, New York and New Jersey to maintain high taxes and spending by forcing all U.S. taxpayers to subsidize such policies.

TRANSPORTATION

New 'farm-to-fleet' electric vehicle model grows revenue for solar-powered ag producers

Bakersfield Californian

● Cruise looks to Central Valley solar panels to power its self-driving cars San Francisco Chronicle

Is It Safe to Travel as Delta Variant Surges?

Wall Street Journal

Just when we thought it was safe to travel again (post-vaccine, that is), the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus reared its head. Should this latest threat put the brakes on your wanderlust?

WATER

California directs Tulare County city to extend water service to neighbors in need

Fresno Bee

Column: Can California make do with the water it has?

San Diego Union Tribune

Droughts always bring anxiety and this one perhaps even more so. But experts see long-range opportunity with more water efficiency through modern management and technology — not just seeking new sources

“Xtra”

Warszawski: Valley Children’s Stadium? Fresno State fortunate to be hospital’s charity case

Fresno Bee

Fresno State was lucky to get $1 for the naming rights to its old, dilapidated football stadium, let alone $1 million per year. Exaggeration? Only slightly.

Bethany Clough: A new deli and bodega is open in Fresno’s Tower District. Here’s what to expect

Fresno Bee

Carlos Moran hopes to one day drive his mint green Vespa scooter from his home in the neighborhood to his newly opened business MOTO Delicatessen & Bodega.

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