Maddy Institute – December 11, 2020

11Dec

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Merced County’s estimated active COVID-19 cases reach new high, amid state surge

Merced Sun-Star

Merced County’s estimated number of active novel coronavirus cases on Thursday reached their highest reported count, according to Merced County Department of Public Health data. Cases considered active rose to 2,643. That’s 21 more cases than the previous all-time high on Aug. 17, when active infections tallied 2,622.

Delta Dilemma: Fishing or Freshwater?

San Francisco Chronicle

A half-billion-dollar plan to keep salt water from spoiling California’s most vital water supply could destroy prime bass habitat — and a way of life for fishermen

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno hospital ICUs stressed as seriously ill COVID-19 patients increase 25% in a day

Fresno Bee

Intensive-care units at hospitals across Fresno County saw the number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in their beds leap by more than 25% in a single day. The latest development is adding to concerns among local health officials about coronavirus cases potentiallyoutstripping the resources needed to care for those patients.

● Fresno County hospitalizations reach new highs ahead of death toll update Fresno Bee

Fresno targets backyard gatherings with city order as COVID surge strains hospitals

Fresno Bee

A split Fresno City Council narrowly approved an order Thursday that gives the city leeway to enforce coronavirus-related safety orders on large backyard parties, which leaders say have become a super spreader concern.

● What can – and can’t – you do in Fresno, Valley under COVID-19 stay-at-home orders? Fresno Bee

● UPDATE: Fresno City Council votes to crack down on those violating COVID-19 gathering restrictions abc30

Fresno County tracks COVID-19 outbreaks at businesses. Why do they keep it secret?

Fresno Bee

Nine months into the pandemic, the Fresno County Department of Public Health continues to collect data on COVID-19 cases by workplace. The public, however, remains in the dark about most workplace outbreaks.

Two Fresno Nonprofits Receive $5m Bezos Grant

Business Journal

Poverello House and WestCare of Fresno announced that they’ve been selected for grants worth a total of 5 million from the Day 1 Families Fund. Each organization will receive $2.5 million.

A Veteran Of Oklahoma City’s Police Department To Become Fresno’s First Hispanic Police Chief

VPR

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and Mayor-Elect Jerry Dyer announced Tuesday the police department’s next chief. Juan “Paco” Balderrama will be the first Hispanic police chief in the city’s history.

Is Fresno dragging its feet cleaning up toxins from this neighborhood? Residents are angry

Fresno Bee

It started as a community meeting. It ended as a venting session for southwest Fresno residents to share their frustration and distrust with the city over contamination at the Maxie Parks Community Center.

· Much Of California’s Water Wells Are Contaminated With Chromium-6. Could A Costly Fix Be Coming? Capital Public Radio

Fresno Unified school board votes to retire Fresno High's 'Warriors' mascot imagery

abc30

Fresno High School is officially moving on from the Native American 'warrior' imagery. On Wednesday, the school board voted to retire the current mascot depicting a Native American caricature critics have called offensive.

Buchanan High Athletics Named Among Top 5 California Schools of the Century

Clovis Roundup

Buchanan High School’s athletic prowess landed it on Cal-Hi Sports’ State Schools of the Century list, tying for fifth place with fellow public high school Long Beach Poly.

Fresno council inks deal to keep MLB baseball connection with Grizzlies, despite concerns

Fresno Bee

The move from Triple-A Grizzlies baseball in Fresno to Single-A led to soul searching Thursday as the City Council debated the value of putting more money into the team and its stadium. The council unanimously approved a new deal that requires at least a $700,000 hit to the city’s general fund, which includes new contributions for utility fees and a reduction in rent coming in from the team.

South SJ Valley:

County unveils details regarding first COVID-19 vaccines in Kern, local outreach

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Department of Public Health held a wide-ranging news conference Thursday to discuss the status of coronavirus. County officials discussed the impending arrival of vaccine to health care workers in the county, the county's intensive care unit capacity and outreach to underserved communities.

County officials address dramatic stats about ICU capacity in San Joaquin Valley

Bakersfield Californian

State officials announced that the intensive care unit capacity in the San Joaquin Valley had fallen to 1.9 percent on Thursday, far below the 15 percent mark that would allow a stay-at-home order to eventually be lifted on counties including Kern.

Trump Admin rushes sale of California oil leases despite certain legal battle

Los Angeles Times

The Trump administration on Thursday plans to hold the first oil lease sale in California in eight years, part of a last-minute rush to auction off as much federal land as possible before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Column: Kevin McCarthy lauds the first Black member of the House. Here's why that's annoying

Los Angeles Times

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) recently gathered reporters together to say a few words about Joseph Rainey of South Carolina, the first African American member of the House of Representatives, who was sworn into office 150 years ago this Saturday.

State:

Broadband For All Gains California Senate And Assembly Commitment

CA Forward

The pandemic has highlighted the dire need to move quickly on providing access, especially to underserved and underinvested communities, and to act upon the Broadband for All Initiative Gov. Newsom first announced at the 2019 California Economic Summit in Fresno.

Who is Jim DeBoo and why is he joining Gavin Newsom’s administration?

Fresno Bee

Jim DeBoo will join Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration as a “senior member” in a yet-unannounced role at the start of next year, Newsom’s chief of staff Ann O’Leary announced in a staff email Tuesday night.

Dee Dee Myers will become top Newsom economic adviser

Politico

Dee Dee Myers, the first female White House press secretary in history and recently a top executive for Warner Bros., will become the chief economic and business adviser for California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he grapples with a pandemic-stricken economy.

Midway through plagued first term, Newsom’s career hits make-or-break point

CalMatters

How California’s governor manages a critical COVID surge and its economic blows will likely define his political future. Will he recover from recent stumbles?

As Newsom mulls over a U.S. Senate pick, Latino lawmakers and activists say it’s their time

Los Angeles Times

Now, Latino lawmakers and activists want Gov. Gavin Newsom to change that when he appoints a replacement for Sen. Kamala Harris, who will resign before being sworn in as vice president in January.

A whistleblower said high-level prison officials were wasting money. Was the inquiry biased?

Sacramento Bee

Two high-ranking officials in California’s prison system might have broken state rules so that one of them could work from home, make a 250-mile commute on state time and use a state vehicle for the drive.

Federal:

Daily U.S. death toll will exceed 9/11′s for months, CDC director says

Washington Post

The coronavirus will kill more people in the United States every day for the next two to three months than died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, or Pearl Harbor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said Thursday.

Stimulus update: McConnell signals no Republican support for COVID-19 deal from bipartisan group

abc30

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is hitting the brakes on the emerging COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers, saying Republican senators won't support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

● McConnell Signals no GOP Support for Emerging Covid-19 Deal Business Journal

● Bipartisan coronavirus relief package not winning GOP converts Roll Call

● GOP Leaders See Bipartisan Group’s Covid-Aid Effort Falling Short Wall Street Journal

States urge Supreme Court to toss out ‘seditious’ Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn Biden’s win

Los Angeles Times

Pennsylvania Atty. Gen. Josh Shapiro told the Supreme Court Thursday it should not tolerate “this seditious abuse of the judicial process” and should “send a clear and unmistakable signal” so that it does not happen again.

See Also:

● Trump Bets on Long-Shot Texas Election Lawsuit Wall Street Journal

● With time running out, Trump and GOP allies turn up pressure on Supreme Court in election assault Washington Post

● Donald Trump has lost dozens of election lawsuits. Here’s why Politico

● Opinion: John Bolton: Four ways Republicans can move on from the election results Washington Post

● Secession? Rush Limbaugh floats a startling notion — then quickly backs off. Washington Post

Republicans have ‘concerns’ about Trump — but won’t let reporters quote them by name about it

Washington Post

During his decades on the congressional beat, John Bresnahan has spent countless hours listening to the private concerns of his congressional sources.

Trump has the power to issue preemptive pardons. Here’s how past presidents used it.

Washington Post

There was little debate about the pardon power at the Constitutional Convention. Near the end of it, on Sept. 15, 1787, Virginia delegate Edmund Randolph proposed an exception be added, barring the president from pardoning cases of treason.

Democrats’ rule change could spark Senate Appropriations shakeup

Roll Call

The new rule says that the top Democrats on "A" committees can't also be subcommittee chairpersons or ranking members until more junior members of that panel get a chance to claim a subcommittee, in order of their seniority within the broader Democratic Caucus.

After A Smooth Start, Biden Faces Frustration Over Cabinet Picks

Huffington Post

But the process seems to have gone off the rails since then, with the transition team battling leaks targeting women of color rumored to be under consideration, unease from some key allies, questions of whether people are being chosen for patronage or political reasons, and general confusion on some of the choices.

● Joe Biden Names Susan Rice to Lead White House Domestic Policy Council Wall Street Journal

● Biden builds a team of longtime allies, with few fresh faces at the top Washington Post

Barr Worked to Keep Hunter Biden Probes From Public View During Election

Wall Street Journal

AG William Barr has known about a disparate set of investigations involving Hunter Biden’s business and financial dealings since at least this spring, a person familiar with the matter said, and worked to avoid their public disclosure during the heated election campaign.

Commentary: How to get rid of the Electoral College

Brookings

Next week five hundred and thirty-eight American citizens will travel to their state capitals and elect the president of the United States. These Americans, chosen for loyalty to their political party, will vote for the presidential candidate who won their state’s popular vote.

Other:

Regulators want to break up Facebook. That’s a technical nightmare, insiders say.

Washington Post

Facebook has spent years integrating Instagram and WhatsApp: weaving their ad systems, user profiles, databases and other technology with Facebook. What to the public appear as distinct products are one giant social network on the back end.

America’s Bipartisan COVID-19 Illiteracy

The Atlantic

The United States has been overwhelmed by vectors of misinformation throughout the pandemic. But it’s not just Donald Trump, many Republican state leaders, and several thousand COVID-19 deniers who have waged a war against scientific comprehension. America’s virus illiteracy spans the partisan divide.

Commentary: National service can connect America’s young people to opportunity and community - and promote work of real social value

Brookings

The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic downturn are having staggering effects on young adults. Young people are typically among the hardest-hit groups during recessions, and getting off to a bad start in the labor market can have long-term negative effects.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

‘We have failed’: How COVID-19 affects California’s 800,000 farmworkers

Fresno Bee

Against the backdrop of a global health crisis and a summer of unprecedented wildfires, California’s 800,000 farmworkers continue to sustain the state’s annual $50-billion agricultural industry in order to make a living and provide for their loved ones.

Truck to Trunk food giveaway scheduled Friday at Canyon Hills church

Bakersfield Californian

A Truck to Trunk food giveaway is taking place Friday at Canyon Hills church, 7001 Auburn St. The event is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. and is being put on in partnership with CityServe. According to a CityServe news release, the giveaway will feature 1,200 30-pound boxes of fresh food mixed with produce and protein.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Public Safety:

A Veteran Of Oklahoma City’s Police Department To Become Fresno’s First Hispanic Police Chief

VPR

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and Mayor-Elect Jerry Dyer announced Tuesday the police department’s next chief. Juan “Paco” Balderrama will be the first Hispanic police chief in the city’s history.

CA bill would require new police officers to be 25 or have college degree before hiring

abc30

A California assemblyman wants to tighten the requirements to become a police officer in an effort to reduce excessive force incidents. The legislation from Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, would require new peace officers to either have a bachelors degree or be at least 25 years old.

Fire:

Fire demonstration illustrates dangers, encourages caution and safety this holiday season

Bakersfield Californian

Decorated with colorful lights and garland, the Christmas tree looked innocent enough sitting in the corner of the room. There were even a few packages underneath, neatly wrapped in green and red paper, with a bow on top.

Alarmed by Scope of Wildfires, Officials Turn to Native Americans for Help

New York Times

Indigenous groups have a long history of intentionally setting fires to keep ecosystems healthy. Policymakers are now more interested in the practice.

Opinion: Wildfire prevention deserves long-term, dedicated, continuous funding

CalMatters

Here’s an idea of a wiser investment for California that will have a greater impact on reducing wildfires and creating healthier forests.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Dozens of Fresno-area businesses have closed since March. Who shut down because of COVID?

Fresno Bee

At least 30 stores and restaurants have closed in Fresno since the coronavirus pandemic started. Months of shutdowns, drops in spending by people who have lost jobs, and more people staying home to avoid catching COVID-19 have all put a dent in the local economy.

California Struggles With Economic Inequity

U.S. News

In all efforts, the summit emphasized centering equity as a key component of progress. Despite the events of the last year that have shed light on the state's inequities – including a devastating wildfire season and increasingly alarming numbers of COVID-19 cases – Newsom is hopeful for the state's future.

Californians and Their Economic Well-Being

Public Policy Institute of California

Key findings from the current survey: Six in ten Californians think that when today’s children grow up, they will be worse off financially than their parents.

Federal Action—or Inaction—Will Shape California’s Recovery

Public Policy Institute of California

The pandemic upended Calif’s economy and threatens to worsen racial, gender, and regional disparities in income. Our new report examines the state policy levers that could promote an equitable recovery and address the needs of the most affected workers and regions.

Joe Biden's economic challenge

The Hill

On January 20, Joe Biden will assume the presidency at a highly inauspicious time for the U.S. economy. The U.S. will have yet to recover fully from its worst economic recession in the past 90 years, economic policymaking will most likely be complicated by a Republican-controlled Senate.

U.S. Recovery Will Cool Further Before Getting Vaccine Boost, WSJ Survey Shows

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. economic recovery is likely to slow further before the impact of expected approvals of Covid-19 vaccines makes itself felt in the second quarter of 2021, a new Wall Street Journal survey shows.

Across US and Europe, pandemic’s grip on economies tightens

Fresno Bee

The worsening of the viral pandemic across the United States and Europe is threatening their economies and intensifying pressure on governments and central banks on both continents to intervene aggressively.

Jobs:

Lawmakers: California jobless claims still a ‘black hole’

Fresno Bee

A beleaguered California agency's attempt to stem an unemployment benefits scam potentially exceeding $2 billion while reducing a frustrating backlog is failing, two state lawmakers from opposing political parties said Thursday, though others reported fewer problems.

Unemployment Claims Jump Just Before Critical Aid Programs Are Set To Expire

VPR

Unemployment claims jumped sharply last week as a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths put new pressure on the U.S. economy just before critical coronavirus aid programs are set to expire.

Why California says it overpaid some workers’ unemployment aid and wants the money back

Sacramento Bee

Absent actions from the state or Congress, thousands like Travis in Calif may be on the hook to pay back parts of their unemployment aid because of how they reported their income to the state. At least 920,000 people got a letter from the EDD asking to verify their income.

U.S. Unemployment Claims Rise to Highest Level Since September

Wall Street Journal

The economic recovery has downshifted, with job growth slowing and layoffs persisting at a high level amid rising coronavirus cases and related restrictions. The number of workers seeking unemployment benefits climbed sharply by 137,000 to 853,000 last week.

Some States Train Jobless for Post-Pandemic Workforce

PEW Trusts

Amid high unemployment, governors and legislatures are spending some federal coronavirus relief dollars on short-term training programs, such as the 10-week program Queiroz completed last week, that they hope can help workers find new jobs quickly.

Web Event: The future of remote work: Balancing the trade-offs

AEI

COVID-19 has provided a unique opportunity to experiment with remote work at scale and across multiple sectors, industries, and businesses. This event brings together industry experts, academics, and practitioners to discuss how the future of remote work is evolving.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno Unified school board votes to retire Fresno High's 'Warriors' mascot imagery

abc30

Buchanan High Athletics Named Among Top 5 California Schools of the Century

Clovis Roundup

Buchanan High School’s athletic prowess landed it on Cal-Hi Sports’ State Schools of the Century list, tying for fifth place with fellow public high school Long Beach Poly.

Clovis Unified schools pilot simultaneous teaching

abc30

Clovis Unified is working to slowly and safely bring more students back to campus. For computer science teacher Vincent Oraze, teaching in 2020 means not one but four monitors.

VUSD delays the return of students in grades 3-6 for in-person instruction

Visalia Times Delta

The Visalia Unified School District is delaying the return of students in grades 3-6. The students were expected to return on Dec. 14. It is not known yet when these students will receive in-person instruction.

Norris School District to suspend in-person learning next week, citing staffing problems under COVID-19

Bakersfield Californian

Norris School District announced Wednesday that the district will suspend in-person learning on Monday, Dec. 14. "This is due to an uptick in positive COVID-19 cases in the community and potential exposures within the district, which has created a multitude of staffing limitations," superintendent Kelly Miller wrote in a letter to parents.

Can You Handle The Truth?: PolitiFact California Examines School Safety Research Amid COVID-19

Capital Public Radio

California’s new regional stay-at-home order allows for schools that had already opened their campuses to keep them open — but how safe is in-person learning? CapRadio PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols joins CapRadio’s Mike Hagerty to discuss school safety during the pandemic.

Despite calls for help, school districts fend for themselves on campus coronavirus tests

Los Angeles Times

Many experts view regular, universal testing at schools as a crucial component to helping campuses reopen and remain open, while also contributing toward curbing the raging pandemic. Yet Calif. does not require school-based testing and no one has offered to pay for it.

No Vaccine, No School?

U.S. News

The caveats of "right now," "yet" and "at this moment" do a lot of heavy lifting in conversations about immunization requirements, and that's because the answer is complicated and not as straightforward as parents would probably like.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State slow to respond to threat of Title IX lawsuit, attorney says. He forges ahead

Fresno Bee

In a letter sent last week to Fresno State president Dr. Joseph I. Castro outlining potential Title IX violations associated with the elimination of women’s lacrosse and threatening legal action if the program is not restored, attorney Arthur H. Bryant requested a meeting or some response no later than Monday.

Big West officially cancels fall sports for 2020-21 academic year

Bakersfield Californian

Hopes to pick fall sports back up in 2021 have officially been dashed at Cal State Bakersfield. The Big West Board of Directors on Thursday announced that fall sports will not be played during the 2020-21 school year.

Fewer high school graduates enrolled in college this fall amid COVID-19 pandemic, study shows

Los Angeles Times

The number of students enrolling in college immediately after high school plunged nearly 22% this fall over last year, hitting high-poverty, urban schools hardest — a likely reflection of the coronavirus-related toll on higher education plans, according to a national survey released Thursday.

To spring break or not? California colleges weigh options as pandemic worsens

CalMatters

University administrators who’ve scrapped the breaks say the spread of COVID-19 among students living on and around campus shows that encouraging travel — as a longer break would do — is just too risky.

Biden’s Pledge to Repeal DeVos’s Title IX Fix Is Misguided and Hypocritical

National Review

If due process and the presumption of innocence are good enough for the president-elect, surely they’re good enough for America’s colleges and universities.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

After Drought And Wildfires, California’s Giant Sequoias Face A New Enemy: Bark Beetles

Capital Public Radio

When ash began landing in Nate Stephenson’s yard 30 miles west of a fire burning in Sequoia National Park this summer, he knew the trees he’s studied for four decades were in trouble.

Global carbon emissions dropped a record 7% due to COVID-19. Don’t count on it to last

Los Angeles Times

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced global greenhouse gas emissions by a record 7% this year, according to new estimates released Thursday by an international group of scientists.

Energy:

California environmentalists blast federal oil lease sale

Fresno Bee

Oil and gas leases on federal public lands in California were put up for auction for the first time in eight years on Thursday, drawing protests from environmental organizations on grounds including threats to climate, human health and wildlife.

Trump Admin rushes sale of California oil leases despite certain legal battle

Los Angeles Times

The Dicey Economics of Investing in Oil During Covid-19

Wall Street Journal

Even before a pandemic sapped the world’s thirst for crude, fossil-fuel producers faced threats from renewable energy, electric vehicles and worries about climate change. Is now the time to strike, or slip away?

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Fresno hospital ICUs stressed as seriously ill COVID-19 patients increase 25% in a day

Fresno Bee

● Fresno County hospitalizations reach new highs ahead of death toll update Fresno Bee

● ICU index nears zero as cases mount in Stanislaus Modesto Bee

● Daily U.S. death toll will exceed 9/11′s for months, CDC director says Washington Post

Military-grade camera shows risks of airborne coronavirus spread

Washington Post

As winter approaches, the United States is grappling with a jaw-dropping surge in the number of novel coronavirus infections. More than 288,000 Americans have been killed by a virus that public health officials now say can be spread through airborne transmission.

Human Services:

COVID vaccine is coming to California. Who will get it? Is it safe? Answers to questions

Fresno Bee

Amid a tremendous surge in COVID-19 cases that’s forced much of the state into stay-at-home orders, Gov. Gavin Newsom this week gave Californians reason to feel hopeful: The vaccine is on its way. “We have successfully submitted from our partners our first orders,” Newsom said during a Monday press conference.

● How Pfizer plans to distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccines to all 50 states in 2 days abc30

● After health care workers, which essential employees in California will get the COVID-19 vaccine? Sacramento Bee

● California Doctors Brace For Wary Patients As COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Draws Near Capital Public Radio

● There are lots of essential workers out there. Which ones get the vaccine first? Los Angeles Times

● FedEx, UPS say they’re equipped to handle US vaccine delivery Roll Call

● Whose Workers Are Most Essential? Meatpackers, Airlines Lobby for Covid-19 Vaccine Priority Wall Street Journal

● Now that there’s a coronavirus vaccine, how do you persuade people to take it? Washington Post

● Farmworkers, firefighters and flight attendants jockey for vaccine priority NBCNews

County officials address dramatic stats about ICU capacity in San Joaquin Valley

Bakersfield Californian

The San Joaquin Valley is one of three regions to be under a stay-at-home order under recent state guidelines, and the state also reports its ICU capacity is the lowest of the five regions. Southern California's capacity is reported to be 7.7 percent.

As COVID-19 Cases Soar, Health Leaders Warn Of Dwindling Care—Even Before Getting To The Hospital

VPR

As COVID-19 caseloads climb throughout the state and country, many counties in our region, including Tulare and Fresno, are now reporting record-high numbers of patients with COVID-19 in area hospitals.

California county urges hospitals to halt elective surgeries

Fresno Bee

A top health official in California's third-largest county is urging hospitals to cancel elective surgeries and implement plans to prepare for an onslaught of COVID-19 patients, as intensive care units fill up statewide amid spiking virus cases Thursday.

Advisory panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in US

abc30

The FDA has informed Pfizer it intends "to proceed towards an authorization" of the manufacturer's COVID-19 vaccine, the US Health and Human Services Secretary told ABC on Friday, as the country is deep into a worsening health crisis.

● U.S. Government May Find It Hard To Get More Doses Of Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine VPR

● 'The Perfect Storm': How Vaccine Misinformation Spread To The Mainstream VPR

● FDA Adviser: Vaccine To Be OK'd In Days, But 'Normal' May Not Return Until Next Fall VPR

● U.S. panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Los Angeles Times

● Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine gets nod from scientists, paving way for FDA authorization Los Angeles Times

● FDA Panel Endorses Covid-19 Vaccine Wall Street Journal

● FDA says it ‘will rapidly work toward’ authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine Washington Post

COVID tests lagging: Slower turnaround times creeping back for Californians

CalMatters

The average turnaround time for COVID-19 test results rose 30% in November as people flocked to test sites before Thanksgiving. Pressure on labs is expected to intensify.

California's health order falling on many deaf ears

SF Gate

While state and county health officials are pleading with residents to stay home and only mingle with those in their household, the order allows all retailers to remain open with 20% capacity and encourages people to get outside to exercise.

IMMIGRATION

Contractors Dynamite Mountains, Bulldoze Desert In Race To Build Trump's Border Wall

VPR

In the Coronado National Memorial — where conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado entered what is now Arizona — contractors are pulverizing the wilderness in a rush to put up as many miles of border wall as possible before the Trump administration vacates Washington.

Trump issues sweeping new curbs on asylum eligibility

Politico

The Trump administration is moving to broadly raise the standards for individuals to receive asylum status in the U.S., a step that critics are calling the biggest crackdown of this presidency on those seeking a haven in this country.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

COVID-19 shutdown hits Tahoe. Northern California’s winter resort braces for a hard winter

Fresno Bee

It’s shaping up as a gloomy holiday season in Northern California’s biggest winter playland: Lake Tahoe is facing the same COVID-19 shutdown restrictions as much of the rest of the state.

Is Fresno dragging its feet cleaning up toxins from this neighborhood? Residents are angry

Fresno Bee

Playgrounds Stay Open: State Backtracks On Outdoor Play Area Ban

Capital Public Radio

California has backpedaled on closing playgrounds as part of its stay-at-home order after parents and legislators argued that children need outdoor play for their health.

Housing:

Clovis breaks ground on new Habitat for Humanity homes intended for veterans

Fresno Bee

The City of Clovis has again partnered with Habitat for Humanity Greater Fresno Area to build the city's 25th and 26th Habitat for Humanity homes. These affordable family homes will be intended for local military veteran families.

California Struggles To House Thousands Of Homeless Placed In Hotels During Pandemic

VPR

After three years of bouncing between shelters, relatives' couches and a tent she pitched in downtown San Francisco, Gillette Christa, 63, and her 17-month-old dog, Shepherd, finally got into stable housing.

Up to 40 million Americans could lose their homes if Congress doesn't act: "It's life or death for me"

CBSNews

Ten months into the pandemic, renters owe an estimated $70 billion in back rent — and if the hold is not extended, 30 to 40 million Americans could lose their homes, CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Taxpayer group questions local, state fiscal policies

Bakersfield Californian

A pair of presentations this week by Kern's main taxpayer advocacy group called into question aspects of California's push for clean energy and the city of Bakersfield's work on two expensive parks projects.

Black Americans donate a higher share of their wealth than Whites

Washington Post

In my tweens, I had to be home-schooled, because juvenile rheumatoid arthritis made it difficult for me to walk without crutches. Isolated from my peers, I struggled with loneliness and depression. I wondered what was so wrong with me that my parents abandoned me into the care of my loving but super-strict grandmother, Big Mama.

TRANSPORTATION

California DMV suspends behind-the-wheel driving tests for second time this year

abc30

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is putting a hold on behind-the-wheel driving tests as the state grapples with another spike in COVID-19 cases. The temporary suspension of the tests will last at least two weeks and begins on December 14, according to the department.

Fears and Tension Mount for Commuters Still Heading to Work

Business Journal

One by one, the fears creep in as Aura Morales rides the bus to her job at CVS in Los Angeles. A passenger boards without a mask but she doesn’t dare confront him. More riders board and it’s impossible to stay six feet apart. Driving to work isn’t an option; Morales can’t afford a car, especially after her work hours were cut.

Warning of drastic cuts, transit agencies revive push for $32B in federal aid

Politico

Top transit officials from New York to San Francisco are making a final push for at least $32 billion in federal aid as Congress hammers out a potential Covid-19 relief bill in the waning days of the Trump administration.

How the federal government disfavors urban transit

AEI

The coronavirus pandemic has further revealed an uncomfortable truth. Federal transit subsidies to rural and small towns have long been cost inefficient, and the current crisis urban transit faces requires a rethinking of this balance at the federal level.

WATER

Special report: Toxic tap water in the Central Valley

Fresno Bee

Residents in the San Joaquin Valley, California, are struggling with contaminated tap water with toxins like nitrate. Many of those are affected are immigrant, low-income families. This special report was produced by Univision 21 and Fresnoland.

Much Of California’s Water Wells Are Contaminated With Chromium-6. Could A Costly Fix Be Coming?

Capital Public Radio

Krishna Feldman has more to worry about than students returning books on time. She is the librarian at Ohlone Elementary School in Santa Cruz County, where testing found toxic levels of a contaminant called chromium-6 in water coming out of drinking fountains.

Delta Dilemma: Fishing or Freshwater?

San Francisco Chronicle

A half-billion-dollar plan to keep salt water from spoiling California’s most vital water supply could destroy prime bass habitat — and a way of life for fishermen

“Xtra”

Fresno council inks deal to keep MLB baseball connection with Grizzlies, despite concerns

Fresno Bee