POLICY & POLITICS
Chronic air pollution exposure may raise risks of COVID death, ICU admission, study says
Fresno Bee
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who face chronic exposure to a specific kind of air pollution had an 11% and 13% higher risk of dying from the disease and being admitted to an intensive care unit, respectively, compared to coronavirus patients without such exposure.
North SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Stanislaus reports zero deaths, sets 11 vaccine clinics Modesto Bee
● Stanislaus County residents are expected to comply with COVID-19 state mask order Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County leaders approve new election boundaries. Not everyone is happy
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County leaders gave final approval Monday to a redistricting map with redrawn boundaries for county supervisor elections. The board vote at a special meeting was unanimous, but not everyone was happy with the new boundary lines.
Stanislaus has one of state’s two biomass incinerators. How residents are impacted.
Modesto Bee
A new report compiled by environmental advocates has them calling for the closure of California’s last two standing waste-to-energy facilities as findings show their harmful impact. The Covanta Stanislaus incinerator and the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility in Long Beach tout themselves as producers of clean power.
Turlock staff wants to request Modesto fire contract proposal. City Council OK needed
Modesto Bee
Turlock city staff on Tuesday are scheduled to ask the City Council for permission to request a contract proposal for fire administration services from Modesto.
Central SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Tracking Central California COVID-19 cases abc 30
Fresno County leaders and residents have clashed over district maps. Final vote coming
Fresno Bee
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors are on pace to adopt a new map for redistricting on Tuesday, a day before the deadline to make the decision.
Downtown Fresno Walking Trail Among Projects Seeking $100m Investment
Business Journal
A local coalition in the running for $100 million in federal dollars aims to create a new agricultural innovation industrial cluster for the Central Valley.
Free meals for kids during winter break
Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
Fresno EOC Food Services will expand its reach, providing lunch for children at various locations during the winter break from school. They already cater to 15 sites in Fresno, and starting December 20, they will deliver to 10 additional locations.
Making spirits brighter for families in West Fresno
Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
Santa’s helpers dropped into a local neighborhood bringing some holiday cheer to the doorsteps of 25 families on December 4. Staff from Fresno EOC Sanctuary and Support Services delivered a Christmas tree, ornaments, lights, a box of food, and gifts to each family!
Visalia Times-Delta
Visalia is months away from the legal deadline to redraw political maps that will set the boundaries for the city’s five council seats, yet no timeline or guidance for submitting proposals has been communicated to the public.
South SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Kern Public Health: 478 new coronavirus cases, 5 deaths reported Monday Bakersfield Californian
Kern County continues to struggle to comply with state housing regulations
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County continues to struggle with its state-mandated plan to identify and allocate sites for future high-density housing. The Department of Housing and Community Development informed Kern officials in Nov. the county was out of compliance with state housing law.
Local housing executives worry about declining affordability
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield real estate professionals lamented declining affordability within the local housing market during an online forum Monday that laid the blame on lack of inventory, state building requirements and rising demand from outside the area during the pandemic.
CityServe seeks to help landlords, tenants with rent
Bakersfield Californian
Staff at CityServe's Eviction Prevention Starting Point program are planning to visit the communities of Lamont and Mojave this week, according to a news release Monday.
KVPR
The ordinance prohibits camping and living in public areas throughout Kern County, including parks, sidewalks, and within 500 feet of schools, churches and libraries. Enforcing it includes removing and storing property, and issuing fines.
City announces holiday trash pickup, tree disposal policies
Bakersfield Californian
During the weeks of the Christmas and New Year’s, the city of Bakersfield plans to conduct its residential trash and recycling collection services as normal. The pickup schedules will not be changed due to the holidays, and all trucks will run normally Mon-Fri without interruption.
State:
COVID Update:
● California brings back mask mandate as virus cases rise Hanford Sentinel
● California issues universal indoor mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise Fresno Bee
● Want a COVID booster in time for Christmas? Time is running out. What to know Fresno Bee
● State reinstates indoor mask mandate for one month amid new COVID-19 increase abc30
● California institutes universal mask requirement in face of rising Covid numbers Business Journal
● California issues universal indoor mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise Sacramento Bee
● California to require indoor masking statewide Politico
Gun groups blast Gavin Newsom’s proposal to model new gun law on Texas’ abortion ban
Sacramento Bee
Pro-gun rights organizations reacted quickly to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for California to pass a gun-control law modeled on Texas’ abortion ban, with one group promising a legal challenge.
With 2022 campaign on the horizon, Gov. Gavin Newsom has the public stage to himself
Los Angeles Times
After a Republican-led effort to recall him plummeted to defeat in September, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s prospects of gliding into a second term in 2022 appear as golden as the $23 million he has socked away for his reelection campaign.
California paid out $20 billion in fake unemployment claims. How much will it recover?
Sacramento Bee
McGregor Scott was brought on by the state’s embattled unemployment agency in July with the mammoth challenge of coordinating investigations into fraud schemes targeting pandemic relief.
What about rebate checks? Democrats want to spend California’s surplus on infrastructure
Sacramento Bee
State lawmakers want to use a projected $31 billion surplus to fuel an infrastructure boom, a tactic that could reduce the amount Californians might see in any rebate checks this year – if they happen at all.
SB 1383: reaching compliance, managing costs
Public CEO
Cities, counties and special districts will soon be subject to new regulatory requirements under SB 1383 aimed at reducing organics waste disposal. These requirements represent ambitious waste reduction targets, but they do not have to place heavy burdens on agency resources.
How States Are Using Pandemic Relief Funds to Boost Broadband Access
Pew Trusts
The California Legislature allotted $3.25 billion for the Department of Technology to oversee construction and subsequent maintenance of a statewide open-access middle-mile network and $500 million for the Public Utilities Commission to oversee last-mile projects.
Federal:
COVID Update:
● Biden official warns: COVID explosion imminent Axios
● Northeast states deploy soldiers and home tests in COVID battle Fresno Bee
● Pfizer Says Its Covid-19 Pill Likely Works Against Omicron Wall Street Journal
● Poll: Omicron raises COVID worry but not precautions Fresno Bee
● Supreme Court again leaves state vaccine mandate in place for healthcare workers VPR
Biden Administration Loses Another Ruling on Ending ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy
Wall Street Journal
The Biden administration has suffered another legal setback in its bid to end a Trump-era immigration policy requiring U.S. asylum seekers at the southern border to remain in Mexico while their claims are considered.
Manchin keeps Dems guessing on their megabill
Politico
The Democratic senator still isn't committing to back President Joe Biden's social safety net legislation, citing fears about inflation and debt. Joe Manchin remains at the negotiating table, despite deep concerns about President Joe Biden’s climate and social spending bill.
See also:
● As Dems sprint against the clock, child tax credit might slip away Politico
‘Who is he?’ The X-factor relationship that could soon rule the House
Politico
Kevin McCarthy and Hakeem Jeffries have almost nothing in common — except a shared ambition to run the House. Not that they will admit they think about each other at all.
Contenders vie for top Ways and Means GOP slot after Nunes exit
Roll Call
California Rep. Devin Nunes’ decision to leave Congress has shaken up the race to take over the top Republican spot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Federal Policy, Funding Heavily Impact State and Local Gov
GovTech
From the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure bill to cybersecurity and ransomware policy, state and local governments felt the full effects of support from the Biden administration during the president's first year.
Other:
Shareholders Press Facebook for Governance Changes
Wall Street Journal
Facebook is facing more calls from shareholders to address harm on its platforms and overall governance as the company, now known as Meta Platforms Inc. responds to pressure from lawmakers and others.
Documents link Huawei to China’s surveillance programs
Washington Post
A review by The Washington Post of more than 100 Huawei PowerPoint presentations, many marked “confidential,” suggests that the company has had a broader role in tracking China’s populace than it has acknowledged.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, December 19, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "LAO Report on Safe Drinking Water" - Guest: Rachel Ehlers, Principal Fiscal and Policy Analyst - Legislative Analyst's Office. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, December 19, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Valley Water: Where & Why is it Unsafe to Drink?"- Guests:Ellen Hanak, Director - PPIC Water Center; Sarge Green, Research Scientist - Fresno State's CA Water Institute. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Downtown Fresno Walking Trail Among Projects Seeking $100m Investment
Business Journal
A local coalition in the running for $100 million in federal dollars aims to create a new agricultural innovation industrial cluster for the Central Valley.
Farmers ease workers' path to citizenship
Bakersfield Californian
California farmers frustrated with congressional inaction on farmworker immigration and guest-worker reform have settled on another way to nudge their workforce toward U.S. citizenship.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
California Retailers Association pushes for an organized retail crime task force in Sacramento
KCRA
As shoppers fill the stores, the California Retailers Association is looking to increase their organized retail crime task forces in Northern California, which are instrumental in going after organized crime rings.
Public Safety:
An independent review is needed for how Tulare County Jail treats pregnant inmates
Fresno Bee
A pregnant female inmate should not have to bleed for three straight days to force jail officials to get her proper medical care. Yet that is what may have happened in Tulare County. The situation was similar to two other cases cited by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California
Turlock staff wants to request Modesto fire contract proposal. City Council OK needed
Modesto Bee
Turlock city staff on Tuesday are scheduled to ask the City Council for permission to request a contract proposal for fire administration services from Modesto.
Opinion: Prison Reform Should Be a Bipartisan Issue
Wall Street Journal
America’s correctional institutions are filthy, violent, overcrowded and lack all privacy.
Fire:
California would hire more than 1,000 more firefighters under state senator’s proposal
Sacramento Bee
Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said Friday that the legislation would set new per-engine minimums at Cal Fire and would launch a staffing study to help prepare the department for fire conditions that are projected to keep getting worse in the years ahead.
Fires, Landslides, Lack of Snow: The Ski Industry Girds for Battle
New York Times
From firestorms in California’s Tahoe region to melting glaciers in the Alps, ski areas face a daunting array of environmental threats. Here’s what some resorts are doing.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Price Jumps Prompt Pocketbook Policies in States
Pew Trusts
The highest inflation spike in three decades has many state and local policymakers digging for ways to ease the strain on families’ pocketbooks, as they consider measures as varied as imposing rent controls and suspending taxes on gasoline.
See also:
● Inflation Is Painfully High, But Some Relief May Be Coming Business Journal
UPS, Postal Service Step Up On-Time Holiday Deliveries, Data Show
Wall Street Journal
Delivery networks have mostly held up during the first major test of the peak shipping season, industry data show, as earlier shopping and increased in-store purchases have eased the usual late-year congestion.
Global Central Banks Diverge as Omicron Clouds Growth, Inflation Outlook
Wall Street Journal
The policy paths of the world’s major central banks are diverging sharply, creating crosswinds for investors, as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 clouds an already uneven global recovery and risks aggravating red-hot inflation.
Opinion: The Biden Stagflation Is Coming
Wall Street Journal
The White House continues to insist that inflation will soon fade away and the country will return to its pre-pandemic prosperity. But the Biden administration’s regulatory agenda virtually ensures that the post-pandemic economy will be nothing like it was before
See also:
● Opinion: Biden Seems Set on Making ‘Transitory’ Inflation Last Wall Street Journal
● Opinion: Biden Will Pay a High Price for Bread and Circuses Wall Street Journal
AEI
The Biden administration’s Build Back Better (BBB) plan is at a critical stage. A bill has passed in the House and now Senate Democrats must decide what they support and what they don’t.
Opinion: Drug price controls make industry critics feel better, but won’t make people feel healthier
AEI
Today, US drug prices are negotiated between drug companies and private insurers, except for Medicaid and certain federal programs. Build Back Better would upend this. If enacted as written, the government is initially directed to set the price of 10 drugs.
Jobs:
Companies Upend Plans on Covid-19 Vaccines and Office Returns, Again
Wall Street Journal
More employers say workers can now stay home for months longer, while some pause vaccine requirements as the Biden administration’s directive is blocked
See also:
● Uber, Google, Ford Delay Office Return as Omicron’s Spread Threatens Business Districts Wall Street Journal
EDUCATION
K-12:
Walters: Enrollment declines squeeze local school finances
CalMatters
History may be repeating itself as California’s public school enrollment declines, putting the squeeze on the finances of local school systems.
PolitiFact
The figures cite a solid source for government spending on childcare. But other figures from the same source show a smaller discrepancy among the countries listed.
Higher Ed:
UC Merced to hold in-person commencement for fall 2021 graduates
abc30
UC Merced will honor the fall class of 2021 with an in-person commencement ceremony this weekend. It's the first in-person commencement ceremony the university will hold since the pandemic broke out nearly two years ago.
Popular Fresno City College dean of counseling dies at age 54
Fresno Bee
Mónica Cuevas, the popular dean of Guidance and Counseling at Fresno City College, died Monday night the day after suffering a heart attack.
Back to campus under COVID: Students reflect on an unusual semester
CalMatters
The CalMatters College Journalism Network spoke with students across the state about going back to campus — the highs, the lows, the weird.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
California rain: Storm brings widespread rain to Central CA, snow to Sierra. What you need to know
abc30
Another bout of soggy weather has moved into Central CA. It's the second in a series of storms to hit the area over the week. Sunday evening, it was already snowing in the Sierra Nevada, while the North Valley and parts of Fresno some showers overnight and into Monday morning.
See also:
● Windy storm causes scattered outages in Modesto area. What’s ahead for this week? Modesto Bee
● 'Multi-day winter storm will likely be remembered for years,' heads toward Sierra, Valley Visalia Times-Delta
● How much rain has fallen in the Modesto area, and what’s ahead? Modesto Bee
● Heavy Rain and Snow Are Expected Over Much of California New York Times
● Is this Fresno storm a drought buster for Valley, mountains? Here’s what experts say Fresno Bee
California isn’t cutting its greenhouse gas emissions fast enough, report says
Sacramento Bee
Between 2017 and 2019, the state averaged a greenhouse gas emission decrease of 1.3% per year, far below what is needed to meet California’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for 2030 and 2050.
See also:
● Opinion: Put the power to solve the climate crisis in the peoples’ hands CalMatters
California moves to cut homeowner subsidies for rooftop solar. Here’s who will lose out
Sacramento Bee
Wading into an emotional debate about equity, climate change and grid reliability, California utility regulators Monday proposed slashing the credit given to hundreds of thousands of homeowners for the excess power they generate from their rooftop solar panels.
See also:
● California Proposes Reducing Incentives For Rooftop Solar Business Journal
What caused tornado outbreak? Warm weather a key factor, relationship to climate change unclear
abc30
The calendar said December but the warm moist air screamed of springtime. Add an eastbound storm front guided by a La Nina weather pattern into that mismatch and it spawned tornadoes that killed dozens over five U.S. states.
See also:
● The exact link between tornadoes and climate change is hard to draw. Here's why VPR
Crucial Antarctic ice shelf could fail within five years, scientists say
Washington Post
Scientists have discovered a series of worrying weaknesses in the ice shelf holding back one of Antarctica’s most dangerous glaciers, suggesting that this important buttress against sea level rise could shatter within the next three to five years.
Energy:
Stanislaus has one of state’s two biomass incinerators. How residents are impacted.
Modesto Bee
A new report compiled by environmental advocates has them calling for the closure of California’s last two standing waste-to-energy facilities as findings show their harmful impact. The Covanta Stanislaus incinerator and the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility in Long Beach tout themselves as producers of clean power.
Opinion: Decision on solar metering rules: Utilities vs. rooftop solar customers
CalMatters
The Public Utilities Commission should reject punitive customer fees and changes to net metering rules for rooftop solar power.
California moves to cut homeowner subsidies for rooftop solar. Here’s who will lose out
Sacramento Bee
Wading into an emotional debate about equity, climate change and grid reliability, California utility regulators Monday proposed slashing the credit given to hundreds of thousands of homeowners for the excess power they generate from their rooftop solar panels.
See also:
● California proposes big changes to rooftop solar incentives Los Angeles Times
● California regulators propose raising fees on owners of rooftop solar systems. New York Times
● California proposes reducing incentives for rooftop solar abc News
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Chronic air pollution exposure may raise risks of COVID death, ICU admission, study says
Fresno Bee
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who face chronic exposure to a specific kind of air pollution had an 11% and 13% higher risk of dying from the disease and being admitted to an intensive care unit, respectively, compared to coronavirus patients without such exposure.
Mattresses and mold removal: Medi-Cal to offer unconventional treatments to asthma patients
Los Angeles TImes
Medi-Cal patients accounted for half the state’s asthma-related emergency and urgent care visits in 2016, even though they represented about one-third of the population, according to data cited by state health officials.
Washington Post
Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than earlier variants of the coronavirus but is more resistant to the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine widely used in South Africa, according to the first major private study since omicron was first detected last month.
Axios poll: The danger of vaccine mandates
Axios
Half of Americans say it should be illegal for companies to deny service or employment to the unvaccinated. This carries real political risk for Democrats as President Biden's mandates on federal workers and large employers meet legal challenges across the country and Republicans try to use the implementation of mandates as a wedge issue.
One year of vaccines: Many lives saved, many needlessly lost
Los Angeles Times
One year ago, the biggest vaccination drive in American history began with a flush of excitement in an otherwise gloomy December. Trucks loaded with freezer-packed vials of a COVID-19 vaccine that had proved wildly successful in clinical trials fanned out across the land, bringing shots that many hoped would spell the end of the crisis.
Human Services:
Some Hospitals Drop Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates to Ease Labor Shortages
Wall Street Journal
Some of the largest U.S. hospital systems have dropped Covid-19 vaccine mandates for staff after a federal judge temporarily halted a Biden administration mandate that healthcare workers get the shots.
Medicare Urged To Flex Its Power And Slash Back Premium Hike
Business Journal
The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should use its legal authority to cut back a hefty premium increase soon hitting millions of enrollees, as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers call for action amid worries over rising inflation.
IMMIGRATION
Farmers ease workers' path to citizenship
Bakersfield Californian
California farmers frustrated with congressional inaction on farmworker immigration and guest-worker reform have settled on another way to nudge their workforce toward U.S. citizenship.
With this immigration fix, employers can hire the workers they need
The Hill
Congress needs to pass a bill that would ease the path for high-skilled workers. This means allocating more funds to help the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services relieve processing delays and recapturing more than 157,000 unused employment-based green cards to help clear the backlog.
Biden Administration Loses Another Ruling on Ending ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy
Wall Street Journal
The Biden administration has suffered another legal setback in its bid to end a Trump-era immigration policy requiring U.S. asylum seekers at the southern border to remain in Mexico while their claims are considered.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Sierra winter travel info: Snow closes two Yosemite National Park roads for the season
Fresno Bee
Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road beyond Badger Pass Ski Area in Yosemite National Park are closed for the season due to snow. Yosemite officials said the season closures went into effect after receiving significant snowfall on Thursday, with more in the forecast.
Housing:
Kern County continues to struggle to comply with state housing regulations
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County continues to struggle with its state-mandated plan to identify and allocate sites for future high-density housing. The Department of Housing and Community Development informed Kern officials in Nov. the county was out of compliance with state housing law.
Local housing executives worry about declining affordability
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield real estate professionals lamented declining affordability within the local housing market during an online forum Monday that laid the blame on lack of inventory, state building requirements and rising demand from outside the area during the pandemic.
CityServe seeks to help landlords, tenants with rent
Bakersfield Californian
Staff at CityServe's Eviction Prevention Starting Point program are planning to visit the communities of Lamont and Mojave this week, according to a news release Monday.
KVPR
The ordinance prohibits camping and living in public areas throughout Kern County, including parks, sidewalks, and within 500 feet of schools, churches and libraries. Enforcing it includes removing and storing property, and issuing fines.
PUBLIC FINANCES
California paid out $20 billion in fake unemployment claims. How much will it recover?
Sacramento Bee
McGregor Scott was brought on by the state’s embattled unemployment agency in July with the mammoth challenge of coordinating investigations into fraud schemes targeting pandemic relief.
See also:
● Easy Money: Fraud, Fortune and Failures KCRA
What about rebate checks? Democrats want to spend California’s surplus on infrastructure
Sacramento Bee
State lawmakers want to use a projected $31 billion surplus to fuel an infrastructure boom, a tactic that could reduce the amount Californians might see in any rebate checks this year – if they happen at all.
Frustrated that you can't schedule an IRS callback? Biden signed an order to do that
VPR
President Biden has moved to trim the governmental red tape that makes dealing with federal agencies and applying for benefits an often complex and frustrating experience.
The Ongoing State And Local Tax Deduction Soap Opera
Forbes
The drama over the attempts to raise the state and local tax deduction above the $10,000 limit included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has become more of a soap opera recently.
Opinion: The Internal Revenue Leak Service
Wall Street Journal
Democrats want to give $80 billion to the Internal Revenue Service to audit millions of Americans each year. Yet six months after the progressive website ProPublica first published the secret tax information of rich Americans, the tax agency still can’t explain what happened.
TRANSPORTATION
Harris touts administration’s electric vehicle plans
Roll Call
The Biden administration provided details of its strategy to expand the country’s fleet of electric vehicles Monday, pledging to create an EV-specific office and to issue standards and guidance to states and cities.
Why a Car Deal Will Be Hard to Find This Holiday Season
Wall Street Journal
The cost of a new vehicle continues to soar with the global auto industry now a year into a computer-chip shortage that has shown few signs of abating in 2022. In November, nearly 87% of all new vehicles bought by individual customers sold at or above the sticker price.
WATER
Are California’s Cities Conserving Enough Water?
Public Policy Institute of California
As Californians eye the possibility of a third year of drought, there’s been some concern that urban residents are backsliding around water conservation, especially compared with the last major drought. We examine what cities are doing well—and where they could improve.
“Xtra”
The Best Books We Read in 2021
New Yorker
The fiction and nonfiction, old and new, that saw us through the year.
New Yorker
“Ted Lasso,” Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse, and more of the year’s comic relief.
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