February 10, 2020

10Feb

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Central Valley schools aim to reduce poverty through job training

CalMatters

On a recent school day in Fresno, Fernando Valero repaired a 32,000-pound diesel truck with failed sensors. Then he crawled under another truck before lifting it with a floor jack. The morning school work left his hands black from grease. And his day was just getting started.

See also:

 

$56,000 Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowships

Deadline Fast Approaching!  (Feb. 28)

The Maddy Institute

Through the generosity of The Wonderful Company, San Joaquin Valley students will have the opportunity to become the next generation of Valley leaders through The Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship. This program helps students obtain an advanced degree from a top graduate program, return home, and apply what they have learned to help make the Valley a better place. 

 

North SJ Valley:

 

Merced mayor highlights new development, businesses like Ulta, on city’s horizon

Merced Sun-Star

In his final State of the City address on Friday at the Merced Theatre, Merced Mayor Mike Murphy highlighted many of the positive changes coming Merced’s way – including new businesses like the national cosmetics chain Ulta Beauty and Fresno-based Tioga-Sequioa Brewing Company.

 

Oil industry spending and a conspiracy theory shakes up 5th district senate race

Modesto Bee

Committees that support candidates with independent expenditures got into act in the 5th State Senate District primary this month. And some have suggested backroom shenanigans have tainted the election process of choosing a successor for Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, who is terming out this year.

 

State Agencies Present Framework for Voluntary Agreements to Improve Habitat and Flow in the Delta

California Water News Daily

The California Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency released a framework for potential voluntary agreements to improve river flows and habitats in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta last week.

 

West Hills Community College District starts building new campus in Firebaugh

abc30

The city of Firebaugh is breaking ground on better education. On Friday, West Hills Community College District took the first steps in building its new $40-million Firebaugh campus.

 

EDITORIAL: Stanislaus sheriff navigates tricky California sanctuary law in meetings with residents

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse is caught between two sides of a heated national debate on deportation.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

Fresno’s young people plan to speak their minds at forum featuring mayoral candidates

Fresno Bee

After months of surveying more than 400 of our peers to identify the six most pressing challenges that young people in Fresno face, we are hosting a forum so that the candidates can hear directly from young people about the civic issues that must be addressed for every young person in the city to have a chance to thrive.

See​​ also:

 

EDITORIAL: Tyler Maxwell grew up in east central Fresno, and is the best choice to be its council member

Fresno Bee

The voters in the east central part of the city have the good fortune this year of having two strong candidates to replace outgoing Council member Paul Caprioglio. Running in the March primary are Nathan Alonzo and Tyler Maxwell.

 

Finally, you can pay to park in downtown Fresno with a credit card. Here’s where

Fresno Bee

There's a new way to pay to park in downtown Fresno using credit and debit cards. Eight solar-powered stands allow downtown visitors to pay for a stall by entering their license plate number and the length of time they plan to stay, according to a news release from the city Thursday.

 

Terry Slatic files damage claim against Fresno Unified — another demand to lift his censure

Fresno Bee

Trustee Terry Slatic has filed a formal claim for damages against the Fresno Unified School District, a move he described as a last-ditch effort to avoid a lawsuit and force the district to eliminate terms of his censure.

 

Supervisors Expected to OK Poll to Gauge Support for TOT Hike

Sierra News

Madera County supervisors continue to explore the possibility of asking voters in November to OK hiking Madera County’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) rate by about 2 percent.

 

Supervisor candidate faces past mistakes

Visalia Times Delta

Brad Maaske is running for Tulare County supervisor.  In order to make it to the dais though, he must first overcome two criminal convictions and questions surrounding his real estate license restrictions from the California Department of Real Estate.

 

Future of Visalia's fifth high school uncertain; Trustees to weigh options Thursday

Visalia Times Delta

The future of Visalia's planned fifth high school is uncertain, with trustees set to weigh the district's options at a special board meeting Thursday. Visalia Unified School District is expected to begin construction of a fifth high school in northwest Visalia after securing a $105 million bond from Measure A in 2018.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

Bakersfield’s positive national press continues

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield has been the subject of several positive articles in the national press over the past few months. While these articles bode well for visitors wanting to learn more about California’s ninth-largest city, they tend to fly under the radar of local news media, which means many local residents may not have seen them.

 

Salas and Cotta to face off in March primary, but is it just a dress rehearsal for November?

Bakersfield Californian

The March 3 primary election between 32nd District Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, and Republican challenger Todd Cotta of Hanford might be accurately characterized as a dress rehearsal.

See also:

Goh faces four challengers in her bid to remain mayor Bakersfield Californian

 

City: Little improvement needed at Calcot homeless site, preparations begin for fall opening

Bakersfield Californian

Less than a month after the Bakersfield City Council voted to purchase the headquarters of local cotton cooperative Calcot Ltd. for the city’s newest homeless shelter, plans are solidifying for opening the facility this fall. While the city hopes the shelter will be a one-stop-shop for homeless individuals seeking a pathway to permanent housing, corporate neighbors plan to increase security and change company policy to mitigate potential impacts of the shelter.

 

Kern supervisors to consider placing second sales tax measure before voters

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors will soon consider placing a sales tax increase before voters.

 

Measure D proponents misused detention deputy photo on billboard, union says

Bakersfield Californian

A billboard at the intersection of Pacheco and Stine roads has caught the eye of the Kern County Detention Officers Association. The photo contains the smiling faces of about two dozen detention deputies, along with a message in support of the local medical marijuana initiative, Measure D.

 

State:

 

California Republicans struggle to find path to legislative relevance

Politico

California Republicans arrived in Sacramento at their lowest point in history after a disastrous 2018 election. It’s only gotten worse. Two Republican state lawmakers have since defected from the party, while a third is fighting a challenge from party activists. And it’s been nearly a decade since California had a statewide elected Republican — then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger famously warned in 2007 that the party was “dying at the box office."

 

California voting bill allowing last-minute party switches heads to Newsom

San Francisco Chronicle

California lawmakers are rushing to streamline the process for voters to change their party registration on election day, ahead of the March primary.

 

Opinion: Connecting California: You know what's real about Real ID? It's really bad for freedom

Desert Sun

Do you love your freedoms? Then defy your state and national governments — and refuse to get a “Real ID.” “Real ID” is an idea so bad it should be boycotted by patriots of all stripes. “Real ID” refers to state driver’s licenses that meet newly enforced federal guidelines. As of Oct. 1, 2020, you will not be allowed to use a driver’s license to board a domestic flight — or to enter federal facilities — unless that driver’s license a Real ID.

 

Single Payer Health Care Is Back On The Table In California

Capital Public Radio

A newly formed commission held its first meeting last week to consider having one government plan provide health care for everyone.

 

Democrat proposes ban on Trump hotels for California state workers, lawmakers

Fresno Bee

A proposed law from Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, would prohibit state agencies from spending money at any hotels owned by a president of the United States, present or past.

 

State of the States 2020

PEW

The 2020 presidential election is just months away and state legislators, courts and election officials are making final changes to policies governing access to the ballot. States remain divided along partisan lines on expanding and tightening voting laws.

 

Stateline 2020 Calendar

PEW
The Stateline 2020 calendar includes each state’s legislative schedule as well as maps of the political landscape. Keep it handy to help you track legislative action in all 50 states.

 

Federal:

 

What do Medicare, Muppets and Bob Dylan have in common? Trump budget cuts, reports say

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump’s federal budget proposal is expected to be released Monday, and it includes steep cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and foreign aid programs, according to multiple reports.

See​​ also:

 

Amazon seeks Trump deposition after losing military contract

Los Angeles Times

Amazon wants to depose President Trump over the tech company’s losing bid for a $10-billion military contract.

 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Senate exemplifies trend of sticking with 'one's own home crowd'

CNN
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pointed on Friday to the US Senate, fresh off a near party-line acquittal vote to conclude the impeachment trial this week, as an example of the dangers of partisan polarization.

See​​ also:

 

Elections 2020:

 

California's primary looms large — just like state officials had hoped

Politico

California’s Democratic primary suddenly matters. Between the muddle of Iowa’s botched caucus, a weakened Joe Biden and Mike Bloomberg’s aggressive play for the 494 delegates at stake in the nation’s most populous state, California’s March 3 primary is taking on increased importance — just as California officials hoped it would more than a year ago, when they decided to move it up from June to March’s Super Tuesday.

 

Ballots are in the mail. 5 million Californians still have to do one more thing to vote

Sacramento Bee

California voters are beginning to get their ballots in the mail, and more than 5 million of them might have restricted choices in the presidential primary because they registered as having no party preference.

 

Q&A: Voting in California is different this year — and here’s how it may impact your ballot

San Jose Mercury

After months of campaigning, dramatic ups-and-downs in the polls, and a barrage of TV ads blanketing our airwaves, California’s 2020 presidential primary is finally here. Most of the Golden State’s 20 million registered voters are expected to vote this month by mail, making California’s election day more like an election month.

 

Buttigieg wins most Iowa delegates after party reviews caucus

Bakersfield Californian

Pete Buttigieg appears to have sealed his victory in Iowa after the state’s Democratic Party released on Sunday corrected results from its disputed caucuses. Buttigieg now has 14 delegates from Iowa to Bernie Sanders’ 12. Elizabeth Warren got eight, Joe Biden, six, and Amy Klobuchar, one.

See​​ also:

 

Biden retreats from Buttigieg attack, vows to fight past Tuesday

Bakersfield Californian

Joe Biden retreated from his attacks on Pete Buttigieg on Sunday after questioning the surging candidate’s qualifications to take the White House.

See​​ also:

 

Amy Klobuchar’s complicated political inheritance

Washington Post

On a recent April morning, Amy Klobuchar stood in her dining room flipping through a scrapbook of her father’s newspaper articles. She was on a brief break from the campaign trail, trading hard-hat tours of ethanol plants in Iowa and a uniform of nondescript blazers from New Hampshire town halls for a quiet morning at home in a comfy pastel fleece.

See also:

 

Bernie Sanders And The Art Of The New Deal

Capital & Main

Sanders proposes to raise the national hourly minimum wage, make joining unions easier and to close gender pay gaps. He also promises to fix "a broken and racist criminal justice system."

 

See Where Democratic Candidates Unite And Differ On Gun Policy

NPR
Thus far in 2019, there has been more than one mass shooting per day in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. And while gun control is usually a topic in a Democratic presidential primary, this year's mass shootings have repeatedly brought gun control to the forefront of the primary policy debate.

 

AP FACT CHECK: Examining claims from the Democratic debate

PBS NewsHour

Seven Democratic presidential candidates sparred Friday night in a wide-ranging debate held in the pivotal days before the New Hampshire primary. A look at how some of their claims from Manchester, New Hampshire, compare with the facts.

 

Commentary: The 2020 presidential candidates need to stop using Black Americans as symbols, and deliver substance

Brookings

At Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Donald Trump used parts of his speech to make inroads into the Black electorate, a demographic where he faces his worst approval numbers—as low as 9%, according to some polls.

 

Other:

 

Q & A with Mindy Romero: Director of California Civic Engagement Project

News Review

The Asian-American and Latino communities have historically been underrepresented voices in California politics, despite each community’s significant population statewide.

 

Democrats on Twitter more liberal, less focused on compromise than those not on the platform

PEW
The political views and primary candidate preferences of Democrats on Twitter differ from those who are not on the platform, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January.

 

A sore subject: Almost half of Americans have stopped talking politics with someone

PEW
At a time when the country’s polarizing politics and public discourse are dividing many Americans, close to half of all U.S. adults acknowledge that they have stopped discussing political and election news with someone, according to a new analysis of data from Pew Research Center’s Election News Pathways project.

 

Commentary: Our political parties are in decline, and that’s a problem

AEI

One of my favorite running jokes on the internet is, “You had one job.” It’s a staple of Twitter and YouTube, with images of signs reading, “Turn Left” with an arrow pointing right, or supermarket shelves demarcating where you can buy “Poop Tarts.”

 

Commentary: Partisanship: The True Constitutional Crisis

RealClear Politics

Despite his acquittal in the U.S. Senate on a near party-line vote, President Trump’s actions to put his personal political interest over our national interest should be unacceptable to any leader who takes an oath of public trust, regardless of party.

 

California Has Some Of The Best And Worst Places In U.S. For Raising Children, Report Finds

Capital Public Radio

San Jose area scores near the top for giving children the best chance of achieving economic success and good health. Valley cities are at the bottom.

 

State Broadband Policy Explorer

PEW
The Pew Charitable Trusts’ state broadband policy explorer lets you learn how states are expanding access to broadband through laws. Categories in the tool include: broadband programs, competition and regulation, definitions, funding and financing, and infrastructure access.

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, February 16, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: Policing the Police - Guests: Laurel Rosenhall with CALmatters, Ron Lawrence with California Police Chiefs Association, and Alice Hoffman with California Chapter, NCAAP. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, February 16, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: Police Use of Deadly Force: Valley Perspectives - Guests: Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming and Sandra Celedon, President & CEO of Fresno Building Healthy Communities. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, February 16, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: Fighting Fire with Fire: Rethinking Forest Management - Guests: Little Hoover Commission Representative, Julissa Delgado. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Final preparations underway for World Ag Expo

abc30

Hundreds of thousands of people are getting ready to head out to the Tulare for the World Ag Expo. This year, the three day event is expected to draw out a massive crowd. World Ag Expo marketing manager Jennifer Fawkes says they anticipate at least 105,000 attendees from around the world.

 

Phoenix calls out dairy industry, drawing Valley growers’ ire

Visalia Times Delta

The four-time nominee’s sprawling acceptance speech contained sentiments that many growers have agreed with. But what followed has rankled many Central Valley agriculturists. The Valley's Tulare County is the No. 1 dairy county in the United States.

 

State Recruits Local Ag Advisors, Fresno State Students For Pesticide Videos In Hmong

VPR

With the help of local ag advisors and video production students at Fresno State, California’s Department of Pesticide Regulations released a series of how-to videos about pesticides in Hmong.

 

Forecasts Hazy for State Marijuana Revenue

PEW
Revenue from “sin taxes” is notoriously volatile and difficult to predict, even when the taxes—such as those on cigarettes, liquor, or gambling—have been around for decades. Although consumption of or participation in these “sins” can change dramatically, analysts at least have historical data from across the nation to guide forecasts.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Warszawski: Her husband was killed by a hit-and-run driver. She found the strength to ‘move a mountain’

Fresno Bee

Gavin’s Law, which would increase penalties for hit-and-run drivers who flee an accident that results in injury or death, passed the Assembly floor by a 66-3 vote on Jan. 27 and will soon be taken up by the Senate.

 

Illegal casinos impacting quality of life in surrounding areas, BPD says

Bakersfield Californian

Illegally operated casinos are not only an ongoing problem in the eyes of the Bakersfield Police Department. They are impacting the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods, with one busted just in the last week. Illegal casinos are typically connected with illicit activities such as drug trafficking, prostitution and, in many cases, are places where illegal firearms are recovered, said Sgt. Daniel McAfee, head of the BPD’s organized crime/vice unit.

 

Statewide sex crimes operation nets hundreds of arrests, 31 in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Thirty-one people were arrested on suspicion of sex crimes in Stanislaus County as part of a statewide operation.

 

California could crack down on illegal marijuana landlords, advertisers under proposed law

Sacramento Bee

Black market marijuana is a billion-dollar industry in California, but it soon could become very expensive to do business with unlicensed operators. California Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, has introduced legislation that would levy up to $30,000 in fines for each offense of those caught “aiding and abetting” illicit commercial cannabis activity.

 

The fate of California’s cash bail industry will now be decided on the 2020 ballot

Sacramento Bee

A law passed in August that would have abolished cash bail in California starting later this year will instead appear on the November 2020 ballot, representing a big victory and relief for the state’s more than 3,000 bail bondsmen faced with the prospect of their career being outlawed.

 

California stopped charging parents for kids’ incarceration. So why are some still stuck owing thousands of dollars?

CalMatters

When Andrew Simmons first started getting billed for his son’s stints in juvenile hall, he was shocked. “I just thought that was crazy. I mean you’re going to arrest my kid and then you’re going to charge me for it?” Simmons said.

 

About half of Americans are OK with DNA testing companies sharing user data with law enforcement

PEW
Roughly half of Americans (48%) say it is acceptable for DNA testing companies to share customers’ genetic data with law enforcement agencies to help solve crimes, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 3-17, 2019. Fewer – a third – say this is unacceptable, while 18% are unsure.

 

Police Offering Drug Recovery Help: 'We Can't Arrest Our Way Out Of This Problem'

NPR
Emily Ligawiec has to sign in visitors to the recovery program she attends in a grand Victorian house in Holyoke, Mass. She can't bring people to her room. She only recently earned phone and car privileges. "We get 24, 48, 72-hour passes every weekend," she said.

 

Public Safety:

 

Tulare Co. Deputy named Officer of the Year at Public Safety Night

abc30

It was a special night for Tulare County Sheriff's Deputy Luis Araujo. At the Knights of Columbus 37th annual Public Safety Night on Saturday, Araujo was named Officer of the Year by the Knights.

 

Kaweah Delta's street medicine program serves vulnerable populations

Visalia Times Delta

Kaweah Delta Medical Center has created a street medicine program to serve Tulare County's most vulnerable populations. In 2019, there were 1,069 people living in the bi-county region experiencing homelessness, according to the Kings/Tulare Homeless Alliance Point in Time report.

 

Fire:

 

‘Fire Resilient Madera’ Progress Updated at Oakhurst Workshop

Sierra News

Fire Resilient Madera workshops are part of the Madera Strategic Wildfire Mitigation Project (MSWMP), which will implement strategic fuel breaks and defensible landscape projects in Eastern Madera County.

 

Expect more blackouts in California, PG&E says. But utility predicts smaller, shorter shutoffs

Sacramento Bee

Make no mistake: PG&E Corp. will plunge Californians into darkness again this year if it thinks that will prevent another major wildfire.

See​​ also:

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Cities And States Are Saying No To Cashless Shops

VPR
After almost 10 minutes of standing in line at a coffee shop, Ritchie Torres realized he only had cash in his pocket — a form of payment no longer accepted by this store. "It was a humiliating experience," he said. "I remember wondering aloud, how could a business refuse to accept cash, which is legal tender?"

 

6 facts about economic inequality in the U.S.

PEW
Rising economic inequality in the United States has become a central issue in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, and discussions about policy interventions that might help address it are likely to remain at the forefront in the 2020 general election.

 

Views of Nation’s Economy Remain Positive, Sharply Divided by Partisanship

PEW
The public’s views of the nation’s economy remain more positive than at any point in the past two decades. In addition, more Americans say President Trump’s policies have made the economy better (44%) than worse (29%), while 26% say they have not had much effect.

See also:

 

Jobs:

 

California workers blame new labor law for lost jobs. Lawmakers are scrambling to fix it

Fresno Bee

The new law, Assembly Bill 5, has generated outrage from a wide range of Californians, from musicians to therapists to truckers and freelance journalists.

See​​ also:

 

Should Fresno airport workers have been fired for posting this video made on the job?

Fresno Bee

Dancing on the job and posting it on social media gets police officers love and attention. But for a group of workers at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, their popular video post of them dancing and goofing off inside and outside the terminal got them fired.

 

Macy's just dealt a big blow to the struggling American mall

CNN
Hundreds of American malls are struggling. Their troubles just got worse. Macy's (M), for decades a reliable anchor tenant for mall owners and a draw for shoppers, announced Tuesday that it will close 125 stores, roughly one-fifth of its portfolio, within the next three years. The company will pull out of "lower-tier" malls and focus on developing small, freestanding stores. Macy's is, in effect, staking its future away from the mall.

 

Commentary: Productivity growth showed some life last year, but is it the start of something bigger?

AEI
Anyone looking for an AI-driven productivity boom won’t find one in the new BLS data. After a first-half surge of 3.0 percent — the strongest two-quarter performance in a decade — things cooled off in the second half with a soft 0.6 percent gain. For the year, nonfarm business sector productivity, or output per hour of work, grew 1.7 percent.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Central Valley schools aim to reduce poverty through job training

CalMatters

On a recent school day in Fresno, Fernando Valero repaired a 32,000-pound diesel truck with failed sensors. Then he crawled under another truck before lifting it with a floor jack. The morning school work left his hands black from grease. And his day was just getting started.

See also:

 

Terry Slatic files damage claim against Fresno Unified — another demand to lift his censure

Fresno Bee

Trustee Terry Slatic has filed a formal claim for damages against the Fresno Unified School District, a move he described as a last-ditch effort to avoid a lawsuit and force the district to eliminate terms of his censure.

 

Future of Visalia's fifth high school uncertain; Trustees to weigh options Thursday

Visalia Times Delta

The future of Visalia's planned fifth high school is uncertain, with trustees set to weigh the district's options at a special board meeting Thursday. Visalia Unified School District is expected to begin construction of a fifth high school in northwest Visalia after securing a $105 million bond from Measure A in 2018.

 

Denair school district offers ROX empowerment program for girls

Modesto Bee

Ten girls, dressed in black T-shirts with bright pink writing on the back that states, “I am strong, independent and courageous,” gathered at Denair Charter Academy to participate in a Ruling Our eXperience, or ROX, group led by Kara Binkley.

 

New entrepreneur academy for middle, high schoolers set to open this fall

Bakersfield Californian

A new type of school that plans to offer real business experience to students in middle and high schools will open in the fall.

 

California’s Lone March Ballot Measure: A $15 Billion School Bond With A Confusing Name

Capital Public Radio

This year’s Proposition 13 would help pay for repairs and upgrades to K-12 schools, community colleges and public universities. But is not connected to California’s landmark property tax measure with the same name.

 

Less than a third of California students met or exceeded standards on new science test

EdSource

At a time when California is placing a greater emphasis on science education, most students did not score at a proficient level on the state’s new science test, with scores especially low among several student groups.

 

How some California school districts invest in counseling – and achieve results

EdSource

Geovanna Veloz, a senior at Mission High School in San Francisco, has always known she wants to be a nurse. What she didn’t know was how to get there.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Will the Valley’s first medical school help bring more doctors to the region?

Fresno Bee

Andy Haussler, community and economic developer for the city of Clovis talks about the construction of the California Health Sciences University campus and how it will help diversify industry and provide jobs for years to come.

 

Fresno State Liberal studies program surpassing Graduation Initiative 2025 goal

Fresno State Campus News

Korey Domingos was determined to graduate from college in four years, even if that involved going to school full-time while working two full-time jobs. She said she believes some students who have the ambition and drive to finish in four years are faced with circumstances beyond their control that make it difficult.

 

Closing the access gap: campus equity is the focus of CSUB president’s open forum

The Runner

Big changes are coming to CSU Bakersfield for the spring 2020 semester. In light of these upcoming changes, CSUB President Lynette Zelezny held an open forum to address the student body, staff, and faculty on Feb. 5.

 

Reminder: CSUB offering free tax preparation

KGET
If you need help with taxes local university students are offering free tax preparation for the next few weeks at California State University, Bakersfield. Each Saturday for the next few weeks accounting students will be on campus helping people with their filings.

 

UC Task Force: Keep The SAT, For Now

Capital Public Radio

Though not the university’s final decision on the subject, the recommendations are a blow to critics who say the tests discriminate against low-income students and underrepresented minorities.

See also:

 

Pointing Eligible Students to Available CSU Campuses

PPIC

Large numbers of students are turned away from their campus of choice each year because many California universities receive more freshman and transfer applications than they can admit. At the California State University (CSU), campuses with more applications than they can admit are called “impacted.”

 

West Hills Community College District starts building new campus in Firebaugh

abc30

The city of Firebaugh is breaking ground on better education. On Friday, West Hills Community College District took the first steps in building its new $40-million Firebaugh campus.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Howling winds cause havoc in Central Sierra: Yosemite road closures, power outages

Fresno Bee

Howling winds knocked down trees in the Sierra on Sunday, forcing road closures in Yosemite National Park and contributing to widespread power outages.

See​​ also:

 

With One California Recycling Bill Already Dead, Will This Be The Year The State Tackles Its Waste Crisis?

Capital Public Radio

Many special interests and legislators agree California's recycling system is broken. Here's how they aim to fix it.

 

Unlikely allies got White House to tackle Tijuana River mess: How they pulled it off

Los Angeles Times

Tijuana’s sewage fouled California beaches for decades. Now the Trump administration is set to spend $300 million to address the problem.

 

Justice Department Drops Antitrust Probe Against Automakers That Sided With California on Emissions

New York Times

The Justice Department has dropped its antitrust inquiry into four automakers that had sided with California in its dispute with the Trump administration over reducing climate-warming vehicle pollution, deciding that the companies had violated no laws, according to people familiar with the matter.

See​​ also:

 

Energy:

 

The toxic legacy of old oil wells: California’s multibillion-dollar problem

Los Angeles Times

Across much of California, fossil fuel companies are leaving thousands of oil and gas wells unplugged and idle, potentially threatening the health of people living nearby and handing taxpayers a multibillion-dollar bill for the environmental cleanup.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

CDC Allowing Some California Labs To Test For Coronavirus In Hopes of Speeding Up Detection

Capital Public Radio

California health workers will be able to test potential coronavirus cases more quickly now that the federal government has given some state labs permission to analyze samples.

See​​ also:

 

How Americans feel about the satisfactions and stresses of modern life

PEW
Most Americans are at least somewhat happy with their lives, but some have grappled with issues like loneliness and isolation, work-life balance and finding meaning and purpose. Over the years, Pew Research Center has conducted surveys in all these areas.

 

HIV Prevention: Have You Struggled to Get PrEP?

Capital & Main

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a rapidly emerging HIV-prevention strategy for people at high risk of getting a human immunodeficiency virus. It’s been proven greater than 99 percent effective in preventing the transmission of HIV from an HIV-positive partner, when taken as directed.

 

Commentary: How do we tackle the opioid crisis?

Brookings

Opioids are a class of drugs that affect the brain, including by relieving pain, and they are extremely addictive.

 

Human Services:

 

Single Payer Health Care Is Back On The Table In California

Capital Public Radio

A newly formed commission held its first meeting last week to consider having one government plan provide health care for everyone.

 

Special Enrollment for Health Insurance (Covered California)

Covered Californian

People who experience a qualifying life event can newly enroll in a health plan through Covered California even outside the open-enrollment period. Currently enrolled members who experience a qualifying life event can change their coverage or choose a new plan. This is called special enrollment.

 

Some Nonprofit Hospitals Aren’t Earning Their Tax Breaks, Critics Say

PEW
On a recent morning at John H. Stroger Hospital, hardly a seat was to be had in any of the first-floor clinic waiting rooms. Not in audiology. Not in heart and vascular. Not in the pharmacy or ophthalmology.

 

Walters: Fraud infects disability system

CalMatters

Kenneth and Mandy Henderson have given a new dimension to marital togetherness. Two years ago, a disability claim filed by Mandy Henderson, a lieutenant in the Santa Clara County sheriff’s office, came under suspicion.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

EDITORIAL: Stanislaus sheriff navigates tricky California sanctuary law in meetings with residents

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse is caught between two sides of a heated national debate on deportation.

 

Commentary: A birth tourism crackdown is turning US government agents into the pregnancy patrol

Hanford Sentinel

The officers will be forced to spend more time serving as the pregnancy patrol instead of focusing on more important matters such as security background checks and facilitating legitimate travel.

 

Opinion: ‘New Deal for New Americans’ will reform immigration policy and strengthen our nation

Sacramento Bee

We have, sadly, gotten used to constant bad news about immigration policy. There’s the public charge rule aimed at denying benefits, to eligible immigrants to the Trump administration’s attack on DACA and the “Dreamers.”

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Is California Ready For A New State Park?

Capital Public Radio

Gov. Gavin Newsom has budgeted $20 million to create California’s first new state park in a decade, a proposal that was greeted with bipartisan support.

 

‘A fantastic opportunity.’ As Muni golf course closes, what’s next for 54 acres of land?

Modesto Bee

When the city closes its nine-hole Modesto Municipal Golf Course later this year, it will have the rare opportunity to redevelop 54 beautiful, tree-studded acres in a prime location near downtown and Highway 99.

 

Housing:

 

City: Little improvement needed at Calcot homeless site, preparations begin for fall opening

Bakersfield Californian

Less than a month after the Bakersfield City Council voted to purchase the headquarters of local cotton cooperative Calcot Ltd. for the city’s newest homeless shelter, plans are solidifying for opening the facility this fall. While the city hopes the shelter will be a one-stop-shop for homeless individuals seeking a pathway to permanent housing, corporate neighbors plan to increase security and change company policy to mitigate potential impacts of the shelter.

 

Staying close: California's housing crisis sickens families

The Californian

Tanya Harris and her three daughters struggle to breathe in the converted motel room they now rent as a studio. Just large enough for a bunkbed and a desk, the room holds all four of them. Harris sleeps on a silver inflatable mattress on the floor.

 

Here's how people living in a tiny home make their space seem big, according to those who designed their houses themselves

Business Insider

There's more to tiny houses than what meets the eye. They may be small — generally defined as less than 400 square feet — but they're bigger than they look if you get savvy with the space. Four people who traded their homes for minimalism shared with Business Insider their best tips and tricks on maximizing and utilizing a tiny house.

 

Wanted: Better Neighborhoods

City Journal

One of the most influential ideas to shape public policy at the end of the twentieth century was the concept of “mediating structures.” While the principle is old, an influential 1977 essay, To Empower People, by Peter Berger and Richard John Neuhaus, crystalized the concept for policymakers. Berger and Neuhaus proposed that four mediating structures were essential for a healthy and prosperous democratic society: neighborhoods, families, congregations, and voluntary associations.

 

Racist Housing Practices From The 1930s Linked To Hotter Neighborhoods Today

NPR

In cities around the country, if you want to understand the history of a neighborhood, you might want to do the same thing you'd do to measure human health: Check its temperature.

 

Commentary: Three lessons 21st century housing policy could learn from “Little Women”

Brookings

Of the nine films competing for the top honor at this Sunday’s Academy Awards, there’s a few that take on issues of housing and urban policy, from the class conflicts of “Parasite” to the metropolitan decay in “Joker.” But it may just be the meticulous recreation of 19th century New England in Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” that has the most to say about American homes, even offering some bold yet sensible lessons to improve our own 21st century housing policy.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Governments Increasingly Rely on Evaluations for Tax Incentive Reform

PEW
The District of Columbia scaled back funding earlier this year for a tax incentive program targeting  technology companies by approximately $16 million after a statutorily required evaluation by the city’s chief financial officer revealed that, among other findings, several large companies had received substantial credits without evidence of new economic activity in the district.

 

Commentary: The best way to fix Social Security

AEI
With the Social Security trust fund projected to be depleted within the next 15 years,​​ policymakers have started to consider the changes needed to keep the trust fund solvent. While they disagree about the details, there is broad support for making those changes in a progressive manner, placing larger net burdens on those with more resources.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Finally, you can pay to park in downtown Fresno with a credit card. Here’s where

Fresno Bee

There's a new way to pay to park in downtown Fresno using credit and debit cards. Eight solar-powered stands allow downtown visitors to pay for a stall by entering their license plate number and the length of time they plan to stay, according to a news release from the city Thursday.

 

Should Fresno airport workers have been fired for posting this video made on the job?

Fresno Bee

Dancing on the job and posting it on social media gets police officers love and attention. But for a group of workers at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, their popular video post of them dancing and goofing off inside and outside the terminal got them fired.

 

Gas prices down 7 cents per gallon to $2.53 in past 2 weeks

Hanford Sentinel

The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline dropped 7 cents per gallon to $2.53 over the past two weeks. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that gas prices responded to falling crude oil costs.

 

Trump administration drops probe into carmakers working with California

San Francisco Chronicle

The Trump administration has dropped an antitrust investigation into four car companies that negotiated with California to raise the fuel economy of their new vehicles above national standards.

 

More than a Hundred Miles of California High-Speed Rail are Under Construction

StreetsBlog Cal

California High-Speed Rail is under construction. It is. Central Valley construction contracts total nearly $4 billion. There are 30 active construction sites spanning 119 miles across five counties: Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern.

 

No pedestrian fatalities in Helsinki traffic last year

City of Helsinki

In 2019, there were no pedestrian fatalities in road traffic in the capital city. Precise statistics on accidents have been kept since 1960, and during this time, there have been zero years in which there were no pedestrian lives lost in traffic.

 

WATER

 

State Agencies Present Framework for Voluntary Agreements to Improve Habitat and Flow in the Delta

California Water News Daily

The California Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency released a framework for potential voluntary agreements to improve river flows and habitats in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta last week.

 

SGMA Off and Running "How Much Water Can I Pump?"

South Valley Water Association

Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are asking this very basic question because the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires groundwater resources in California to be sustainable by 2040, is officially starting to phase in. For most farmers there is no firm answer to the question.

 

Commentary: Newsom’s water framework is imperfect but necessary. The alternative is further deterioration of the Delta

CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom has put forward a framework for managing water and habitat in the Delta and its watershed. As far as we can tell, no one is very happy with the framework—and that may be a good sign.

See also:

 

“Xtra”

 

App allows library patrons to check out digital content around the clock

Fresno Bee

The Digital Bookmobile visited Fig Garden Regional Library Friday, Feb 7, 2020 to introduce patrons to the Libby app which allows patrons to access digital content from the library around the clock.

 

This Fresno brewery’s expanding to Merced, into the historic building sharing its name

Fresno Bee

After 12 years of building its brand in downtown Fresno, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company is expanding into another Valley city’s downtown. The brewery announced on Friday it will open in Merced later this summer.

See​​ also:

 

The Fresno County Blossom Trail is now open

abc30

The calendar may say February, but in Fresno County, the opening of the Blossom Trail is the beginning of Spring. The trail has been causing visitors to ooh and aah for 32 years.

 

Will there be a dazzling ‘super bloom’ again this year?

Stockton Record

Wildflowers are fickle. Ample rain is needed each winter month, especially in January and February, in order for the plants to blossom at the proportions that create a super bloom, flower enthusiasts say.

 

Yosemite sees visitor increase in 2019. Data shed insights on best, worst times to go

Sierra Star

Attendance at Yosemite National Park increased by 10.2% in 2019,, and rangers are huddling with experts to devise ways to better manage traffic.

See also:

 

Test yourself with our new free game: PolitiTruth

Think you can tell the difference between True and False?

Do you really know what is fake news?

 

Support the Maddy Daily

 

HERE

 

Thank you!

 

 

Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

                                                     

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.

 

 

To Subscribe or Unsubscribe: mjeans@csufresno.edu