February 12, 2021

12Feb

POLICY & POLITICS

 

North SJ Valley:

 

Editorial: Quit playing favorites, California. Give Stanislaus its fair share of vaccine

Modesto Bee

The fact that Stanislaus and other Valley counties have received far fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than swanky coastal counties is infuriating.

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More restaurant closures in Modesto, Stanislaus County as COVID-19 pandemic continues

Modesto Bee

As the pandemic wears on, so do its losses. From the unfathomable loss of human life nearing half a million of our fellow Americans, to the countless businesses large and small struggling to survive, it’s been an endlessly exhausting slog these past 11 months.

 

Gender discrimination claims by three women against elected board member cost MID $600K

Modesto Bee

The Modesto Irrigation District has paid out $595,000 in the past five months to three women who accused board member John Mensinger of gender discrimination, retaliation and more.

 

Bishop thankful for Supreme Court ruling. Modesto region Catholic churches reopen doors

Modesto Bee

Bishop Myron Cotta released a statement on Saturday saying churches in the Diocese of Stockton could return to indoor Masses immediately. His statement came a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s prohibition of indoor worship services.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

Editorial: A bipartisan effort? Fresno-area politicians must keep pressure on for COVID vaccination site

Fresno Bee

A week ago The Bee’s Editorial Board called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to increase the number​​ of COVID vaccine doses being allocated to Fresno County and surrounding areas because the region was woefully short of shots and yet has some of the most essential employees in​​ the state — food and agriculture workers producing the food we all eat.

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Fresno Co Sheriff Deputies don’t wear body cameras. That was news to pastor who was handcuffed

Fresno Bee

After a Fresno pastor alleged racial profiling was a reason he was handcuffed by a Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy, he met with sheriff’s officials and said he was disturbed to learn deputies are not equipped with body-worn cameras.

 

Fresno mayor: Effort to move homeless from freeways progressing. Here’s where it stands

Fresno Bee

A Fresno project that began in late January to move homeless people from prominent freeway embankments and into housing continued to roll along on Thursday. Mayor Jerry​​ Dyer said city staffers would attempt to house “dozens” of homeless people on Thursday, when Project Off-Ramp targeted​​ Highway 41 near Sierra Avenue in north Fresno.

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City of Clovis to Host Ground Breaking for Landmark Square

Clovis Roundup

A groundbreaking ceremony will take place for the Landmark Square Project on 3rd Street and Veterans Parkway in Old Town Clovis.

 

Does IPO mean renewed hope for Hanford manufacturing plant?

Business Journal

In 2019 Faraday Future founder Yueting Jia filed for bankruptcy protection, spurring rumors of the end of development for the Hanford plant. But recent news still leaves a ray of hope for Faraday Future’s future.

 

Squaw is a slur to many Native Americans. They want a Fresno County town renamed

Fresno Bee

Rain Tree’s campaign to rename Squaw Valley started last year but got more attention last month, when a resolution “supporting legislation authorizing the renaming of ‘Squaw Valley’ to ‘Nïm Valley’” appeared on a city council agenda of a nearby city

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

BPD officer hiring remains at 2018 levels midway through second year of Measure N spending

Bakersfield Californian

Midway through the second full year of the Public Safety and Vital Services Measure, the number of officers in the Bakersfield Police Department remains essentially the same as before the measure was passed.

 

Oil hearing draws comments from both sides of permitting debate

Bakersfield Californian

Speakers at an online public hearing Thursday night staked out opposing positions on Kern County’s proposal to reestablish an over-the-counter system of oil permitting.

See also:

 

Art installation in Bakersfield's sandy river bed hopes to bring 'Flow' back to the Kern

Bakersfield Californian

Stephen Yaws points to banks of the Kern River near Beach Park and imagines what the scene might have looked like a few generations ago before the flow was diverted, turning this stretch into a sandy riverbed.

 

GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy Distorts Job Loss Estimates For $15 Minimum Wage Hike

Capital Public Radio

Would raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour “destroy up to 3.7 million jobs” in the United States?

 

Amid COVID shutdowns, GOP's McCarthy attended son's wedding

Bakersfield Californian

At a time when California residents were being urged to avoid social gatherings because of the risk of spreading coronavirus, U.S. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy attended his son’s wedding in December with a small group of family members.

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State:

 

California death toll at 45,000, up 15,000 in less than a month

Fresno Bee

California has hit two different milestones in the coronavirus crisis, one grim and the other hopeful. The state on Thursday surpassed 45,000​​ COVID-19 deaths for the pandemic. The California Department of Public Health reported the official death toll at 45,456 with a single-day increase of 461, slightly below the state’s average​​ of 464 over the past two weeks.

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California’s Future

Public Policy Institute of California

As California emerges from the pandemic, can policymakers pave the way for an equitable recovery? And how can California—the most diverse state in the nation—expand opportunity across all of its communities and regions?

 

Will California's Big Businesses Get Behind a Recall of Gavin Newsom?

KQED

California businesses have their issues with Gov. Gavin Newsom: age-old concerns about the state's high tax rates and barriers to development have been compounded by recent spats over Newsom's signing of labor-friendly legislation, and his handling of business regulations during the pandemic.

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Harassment complaints continued in Capitol after shift to working at home, report says

Fresno Bee

The arm of the California Legislature charged with investigating complaints of harassment, discrimination and retaliation says it received 80 complaints over the past year, at a time when most Capitol employees were working from home.

 

Former California assemblyman sentenced to prison for coffee shop investment scheme

Sacramento Bee

Federal authorities on Wednesday sentenced 79-year-old former California Assemblyman Terrance “Terry” Goggin to prison for a money laundering scheme that involved coffee shops along Bay Area Rapid Transit lines.

 

State worker pleads guilty in $2.7 million fraud scheme at California Office of AIDS

Sacramento Bee

An $87,000 state salary will only go so far, and certainly wouldn’t cover the lifestyle that prosecutors say a former​​ manager in the state Office of AIDS lived as she bilked California taxpayers out of more than $2 million, then used the money for trips to Disneyland, concerts, Sacramento​​ Kings tickets and other lavish expenses.

 

Opinion:  ‘We've become parodies of ourselves': California Democrats bemoan SF school board

Politico

California Democrats disagree on plenty of issues, but they are increasingly coalescing around a common gripe: What exactly is the San Francisco school board thinking?

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Federal

 

Biden Says U.S. Struck Deals for 200 Million More Covid-19 Vaccine Doses

Wall Street Journal

President Biden​​ said the U.S. has struck deals to purchase 200 million more Covid-19 vaccine doses, following a pledge in January​​ to boost the number of shots available for Americans.

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Why Biden Looks To Mayors To Help Make The Case For More COVID-19 Aid

NPR

Biden's White House has found common cause with Republican mayors and county commissioners, highlighting it to bolster their claim that the COVID-19 proposal is "bipartisan," even as there's little sign Republicans in Congress will back the plan.

 

Opinion: Biden’s Golden State Parachute

Wall Street Journal

Progressives like to say these days that the Biden Administration is bringing California’s values to the rest of America, and alas that seems to be true. Consider the nomination of California Labor secretary Julie Su to be deputy U.S. Labor secretary after presiding over a gargantuan unemployment benefits fraud.

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Biden hopes infrastructure can bridge partisan divide

Business Journal

President Joe Biden is hoping that launching an effort to build roads and bridges can help to unite Democrats and Republicans in a time of sharp partisan divisions.

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GOP attacks Dems’ $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill from all angles

Business Journal

Republicans are attacking the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package as too costly, economically damaging and overtly partisan, an all-angles attempt to derail new President Joe Biden’s top priority as it starts moving through a Congress his party controls only narrowly.

 

Congressional Budget Office expects $2.3T deficit before Biden COVID-19 relief plan

abc30

The Congressional Budget Office says the federal government is on track for a $2.3 trillion deficit this year, down roughly $900 billion from last year when the coronavirus pandemic led Congress to provide historic amounts of financial aid.

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Biden administration to start processing asylum seekers in California forced by Trump to ‘Remain in Mexico’

Los Angeles Times

Border officials are set next week to start processing asylum seekers in California and Texas who were forced back across the border under a controversial Trump-era policy that President Biden pledged to end, advocates and officials said Thursday.

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Lancet report faults Trump for 'avoidable' coronavirus deaths

The Hill

A report in the British medical journal The Lancet blames former President Trump for an error-filled response to the coronavirus pandemic that it says contributed to 40 percent more deaths compared to other wealthy countries.

 

Trump's condition during hospitalization was worse than acknowledged: NYT

The Hill

Then-President Trump was sicker than previously reported when he was rushed to Walter Reed Hospital for treatment for the coronavirus last fall, The New York Times reported Thursday.

 

Trump impeachment trial: Capitol rioters acted on Trump's 'orders,' Democrats say

abc30

House prosecutors concluded two days of emotional arguments in Donald Trump's impeachment trial late Thursday, insisting the Capitol invaders believed they were acting on "the president's orders" to stop Joe Biden's election, the deadly culmination of Trump's pattern of spreading false and violent rhetoric that will continue to vex American politics if left unchecked.

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State and local GOP committees attack any Republicans who dare turn on Trump

Washington Post

Since Trump left office, grass-roots Republican activists and state parties have become his vociferous defenders, condemning and censuring elected Republicans who dare to deviate in any way from full-throated support of the former president.

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MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, February 14, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “The Valley's Mayors: What's on their 2021 Agenda?” - Guest: Matthew Serratto, Mayor - City of Merced; Jerry Dyer, Mayor - City of Fresno; Steve Nelson, Mayor - City of Visalia; Karen Goh, Mayor - City of Bakersfield. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, February 14, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “The Pandemic's Effect on Small Business” - Guests: Nick Ortiz, President/CEO - Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce; Greg Newman, CEO - Clovis Chamber of Commerce; Dave White, CEO - Opportunity Stanislaus; Katy Winders, Director - Small Business Development Center, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

World Ag Expo happening virtually

Porterville Recorder

The 2021 World Ag Expo Online looks a little different this year, but the now-virtual event is still taking place from Tuesday-Thursday this week. The expo has attractions including Top-10 New Products, seminars and special events.

 

Local ag looks to spotlight its climate-friendly profile

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Farm Bureau issued a "call to action" this week asking local growers and ranchers to participate in a series of upcoming meetings that will influence the role California's agricultural lands will be expected to play, or continue to play, in fighting climate change.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Fresno Co Sheriff Deputies don’t wear body cameras. That was news to pastor who was handcuffed

Fresno Bee

After a Fresno pastor alleged racial profiling was a reason he was handcuffed by a Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy, he met with sheriff’s officials and said he was disturbed to learn deputies are not equipped with body-worn cameras.

 

How Data Can Drive Real Justice System Change

CAFWD

As the country continues to come to terms with systemic racism within law enforcement it may be important to bring nuance to the discussion. Perhaps the better way is to delve into criminal justice systems to find out how to make them more efficient and equitable.

 

Scammers Seize on Frustration, Chaos of Vaccine Rollout

PEW

Americans are desperate to get COVID-19 vaccines, but supplies are scarce and the distribution has been chaotic and confusing. That combination has created a huge opportunity for scammers who want to part customers from their money or personal information.

 

Public Safety:

 

BPD officer hiring remains at 2018 levels midway through second year of Measure N spending

Bakersfield Californian

Midway through the second full year of the Public Safety and Vital Services Measure, the number of officers in the Bakersfield Police Department remains essentially the same as before the measure was passed.

 

California police unions back bill that aims to diversify departments, add training

Sacramento Bee

California’s largest law enforcement union on Thursday announced its support for a bill that seeks to modernize training for officers and diversify police departments by creating new recruitment channels.

 

Opinion: Dear Gov. Newsom: California’s next attorney general must hold police accountable.

Fresno Bee

In the upcoming days, Gov. Gavin Newsom has the opportunity to appoint a new attorney general who is aligned with, and reflects, the values of Californians. It is well past time for the state’s top attorney to represent all Californians, especially those that have been most harmed and least helped.

 

Fire:

 

Illegal pot grow? Antifa? Rumors swirl about Creek Fire cause, but officials’ lips sealed

Fresno Bee

Six months since the start of the biggest single wildfire in California history, investigators still don’t know what caused it. The Creek Fire began​​ burning on Sept. 4 around 6:30 p.m. in the Big Creek drainage, in the forest wedged between Shaver and Huntington Lakes.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Does IPO mean renewed hope for Hanford manufacturing plant?

Business Journal

In 2019 Faraday Future founder Yueting Jia filed for bankruptcy protection, spurring rumors of the end of development for the Hanford plant. But recent news still leaves a ray of hope for Faraday Future’s future.

 

Bank of the Sierra provides COVID-19 funding through grant program

Porterville Recorder

Bank of the Sierra announced that $23,000 was given to eight nonprofits in the Central Valley during the fourth quarter. The Bank will continue to prioritize funding to nonprofit organizations that are fighting or have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through its Sierra Grant Program.

 

Small Local Banks Make A Big Difference For Black-Owned Businesses Trying To Hang On

VPR

While PPP loans were designed by Congress to be forgiven so long as certain conditions are met, bankers also had to overcome suspicion among some Black borrowers — a legacy of the long history of discriminatory lending.

 

New Report: Pathways to Economic Resiliency outlines economic recovery recommendations

Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

County of Los Angeles has released a report produced by LAEDC, with data and analysis of the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, and recommendations for steps the public and private sector can take to improve the recovery and create more widely shared equity.

 

Views of California’s Economy Vary by Race and Income

Public Policy Institute of California

Amid a backsliding economy, we see considerable racial/ethnic and income disparities in Californians’ views of the recession and concerns about job loss.

 

GameStop Mania Is Focus of Federal Probes Into Possible Manipulation

Wall Street Journal

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether market manipulation or other types of criminal misconduct fueled the rapid rise last month in prices of stocks such as GameStop Corp. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

 

New data show the failures of Donald Trump’s China trade strategy

The Economist

Donald Trump is rarely accused of subtlety. His bellicose approach to China’s trade surplus and (more justifiably) its unfair practices was no exception. Swingeing tariffs on Chinese goods did succeed in bringing China to the negotiating table.

 

How the US economy can counter its demographic headwind

AEI

The US is in better demographic condition than many other advanced economies, but some of those lessons — especially regarding participation rates and immigration — are worth noting.

 

Opinion: Biden’s unemployment checks would harm economy

AEI

At a time when the economy is growing rapidly again, the last thing Congress should do is make unemployment more financially rewarding than working.

 

Jobs:

 

After setback, union again sues to block California’s gig worker initiative

Fresno Bee

Rideshare drivers and a labor union are again challenging California’s gig worker initiative in courts less than a week after the California Supreme Court declined to hear their request to quickly strike down the new law.

 

GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy Distorts Job Loss Estimates For $15 Minimum Wage Hike

Capital Public Radio

Would raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour “destroy up to 3.7 million jobs” in the United States?

 

U.S. jobless claims fall slightly to 793,000, still a high number

Los Angeles Times

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to 793,000, evidence that job cuts remain high despite a substantial decline in new viral infections.

 

How many jobs will Democrats’ $1.9 trillion stimulus plan create?

AEI

Compared with the abundant attention focused on tens of millions of stimulus checks, enhanced unemployment benefits, and child allowances that Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan would provide, the number of jobs that plan might create has gotten far shorter shrift. 

 

Another Remote-Work Year Looms as Office-Reopening Plans Are Delayed

Wall Street Journal

From Silicon Valley to Tennessee to Pennsylvania, high hopes that a rapid vaccine rollout in early 2021 would send millions of workers back into offices by spring have been scuttled.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

COVID-19 is driving many California teachers to early retirement, CalSTRS says

Fresno Bee

More California teachers are retiring than at any point since the Great Recession, with many of those decisions motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 3,200 teachers retired in the second half of 2020, a 26% increase over that same period in 2019, according to a blog post by the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, also known as CalSTRS.

 

Schools in more affluent areas move faster to reopen than those in low-income communities

Los Angeles Times

Districts serving less affluent Latino and Black communities — some of the hardest hit by the pandemic — are further behind. Their leaders spoke of the suffering and fears of their families in the darkest months of the pandemic.

 

Are Students Spending Enough Time on School during the Pandemic?

Public Policy Institute of California

Distance-learning experiences have improved since the early days of the pandemic, but we still do not know whether students are making sufficient progress and whether gaps in learning are growing among student groups.

 

Surveying the Landscape of California’s English Learner Reclassification Policy

Public Policy Institute of California

All students confronted obstacles during the 2020 school year, but for students learning English, the year presented a distinct set of difficulties

 

Even Before COVID-19, Few Children Received Beneficial Home Visiting Services

California Budget and Policy Center

Providing California families with children ages 0-2 child development assistance, parenting support, and mental health services is the core work of many social workers and nurses, often in the form of home visits.

 

Biden’s goal to reopen schools meets high-stakes political test

Washington Post

One of Joe Biden’s central campaign promises sounded simple: reopen most schools within his first 100 days in office. The politics and the logistics have proved far more complicated.

 

Opinion: Follow the science and reopen schools

Roll Call

Nearly a year after the world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many things we still do not know about this virus. One thing we do know: Children can and should be safely back in school for in-person learning.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Opinion: Keeping COVID-19 From Sidelining Equity

Inside Higher Ed

Without engaged interventions, higher education will most likely become less diverse and inclusive, given the pressure the pandemic is placing on women and faculty of color.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Biden's climate task force has first meeting

The Hill

The White House’s new National Climate Task Force held its first meeting Thursday, seeking a return to "credibility" on climate change.

 

Commentary: To break its toxic legacy, California must move away from fossil fuels

Fresno Bee

When I was a senior in high school, I had an asthma attack in the middle of a class. Unaware of what was happening, I panicked for my life. Luckily, I was passed an inhaler by a classmate, but the fear of that moment and shock to my otherwise healthy life is something implanted in my memory.

 

Energy:

 

Oil hearing draws comments from both sides of permitting debate

Bakersfield Californian

Speakers at an online public hearing Thursday night staked out opposing positions on Kern County’s proposal to reestablish an over-the-counter system of oil permitting.

 

Advocates, Elected Officials And Even Celebrities Urge Kern County To Reject Oil and Gas Expansion

VPR
Community advocates delivered a petition with more than 7,000 signatures to the Kern County Planning Commission Wednesday. The petition opposes expanded oil and gas drilling in the county.

 

Joe Biden wants 100% clean energy. Will California show that it’s possible?

Los Angeles Times

The undersea power line would run south from San Luis Obispo County, hugging the California coast for 200 miles before making landfall in or near Los Angeles. It would be able to carry electricity from a fleet of offshore wind turbines, providing Southern California with clean power after sundown and helping to replace fossil-fueled generators.

 

Shell Hits Its Own Peak Oil, Plans to Reduce Output

Wall Street Journal

Royal Dutch Shell said it would start reducing oil production, calling an end to a decades-old strategy centered on pumping more hydrocarbons as it and other energy giants seek to capitalize on a shift to low-carbon power.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

California death toll at 45,000, up 15,000 in less than a month

Fresno Bee

California has hit two different milestones in the coronavirus crisis, one grim and the other hopeful. The state on Thursday surpassed 45,000 COVID-19​​ deaths for the pandemic. The California Department of Public Health reported the official death toll at 45,456 with a single-day increase of 461, slightly below the state’s average of 464 over the​​ past two weeks.

See also:

 

1st South African variant cases hit state; push for more vaccine sites

Fresno Bee

The first two cases of a coronavirus variant from South Africa in California were reported on Wednesday, one in Alameda County and one in Santa Clara County.

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Make sure your Valentine’s gift to your sweetheart isn’t COVID. Here are safety tips

Fresno Bee

As you plan a Valentine’s Day celebration with your sweetheart, there are steps you can take to make for a safer occasion.

 

Arthritis drug reduces death, length of stay in hospitalized COVID patients, study says

Fresno Bee

A study of more than 4,000 hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 found that an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, combined with a steroid treatment, reduces risk of death by about one third for people requiring “simple” oxygen and by nearly half for those needing invasive mechanical ventilation.

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Do vaccinated people need to quarantine after COVID exposure? CDC offers new guidance

Fresno Bee

People who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and are later exposed to someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are not required to quarantine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But only if they meet certain criteria.

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CDC Says Double-Masking Offers More Protection Against The Coronavirus

Capital Public Radio

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new research on Wednesday that found wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask offers more protection against the coronavirus, as does tying knots on the ear loops of surgical masks.

 

Air pollution caused 1 out of 5 deaths in 2018 — that’s more than 8 million, study says

Miami Herald

Microscopic, and sometimes larger, particles of soot, smoke and dust that spew out of gas-guzzling factories, ships, cars and aircraft were responsible for 18% of total global deaths in 2018 — that equals more than 8 million people, a new study found.

 

FDA commissioner race could test pharmaceutical industry’s sway

Roll Call

A tug of war over who should lead the Food and Drug Administration at a critical moment has become a referendum on how the value of agency experience stacks up against new perspectives on how the FDA should regulate the pharmaceutical industry.

 

Human Services:

 

In Fresno Stop, Newsom Announces Reedley Vaccination Clinic, But No Mass FEMA Clinic Yet

VPR
Though Newsom was widely expected to announce a new federal government-partnered mass vaccination clinic in the city during his stop at the Fresno Fairgrounds, he instead shared that the state had selected a COVID-19 testing site at Reedley College to be converted into a community vaccination clinic.

 

Short waits, swift shots: Sutter Gould ramps up with COVID-19 vaccine hub in Modesto

Modesto Bee

Coronavirus vaccinations were on a roll Wednesday at a Sutter Gould Medical Foundation hub in Modesto. Maria Marcelino, 70, had an appointment and got right in. Soon after an initial screening and the check-in process, she waited for a few minutes in line and then was seated next to a medical assistant, who asked her a few questions.

 

Glitch results in erroneous appointments for Stanislaus County COVID vaccine clinic

Modesto Bee

More than 200 people thought it was “their turn” for a coronavirus vaccination at Stanislaus County’s clinic in Oakdale set for Friday.

 

California is dramatically undercounting its vaccinations, county officials say

Fresno Bee

California’s vaccine data system is dramatically undercounting shots administered by counties, officials say, a problem that could hurt planning for the state’s immunization campaign.

 

CVS starts taking appointments for COVID-19 vaccines. Where to get one in Central CA

abc30

Eligible residents can start making appointments to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot at some CVS pharmacies in the Central Valley. Select stores in six Central California cities will begin administering doses on Friday, February 12.

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Fauci says 'virtually everybody' could start getting COVID-19 vaccines in April

abc30

Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts by April it will be "open season" for vaccinations in the U.S., as supply boosts allow most people to get shots to protect against COVID-19.

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Scalise’s claim that unauthorized immigrants are getting priority for vaccination misses the point

Politifact

Current vaccination guidelines recommend certain essential workers and those 65 and older be vaccinated. So, while some unauthorized immigrants may be eligible, it’s because of their job or age, not immigration status.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Biden administration to start processing asylum seekers in California forced by Trump to ‘Remain in Mexico’

Los Angeles Times

Border officials are set next week to start processing asylum seekers in California and Texas who were forced back across the border under a controversial Trump-era policy that President Biden pledged to end, advocates and officials said Thursday.

See also:

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

City of Clovis to Host Ground Breaking for Landmark Square

Clovis Roundup

A groundbreaking ceremony will take place for the Landmark Square Project on 3rd Street and Veterans Parkway in Old Town Clovis.

 

Housing:

 

Fresno mayor: Effort to move homeless from freeways progressing. Here’s where it stands

Fresno Bee

A Fresno project that began in late January to move homeless people from prominent freeway embankments and into housing continued to roll along on Thursday. Mayor Jerry Dyer said city staffers would attempt to house “dozens” of homeless people on Thursday, when Project Off-Ramp targeted​​ Highway 41 near Sierra Avenue in north Fresno.

See also:

 

HUD To Probe Housing Bias Cases Involving Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity

VPR

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Thursday it will begin enforcing the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Most Californians would get big stimulus checks under Biden plan, analysis says

Fresno Bee

Nearly nine in 10 Californians would get all or part of the $1,400 stimulus payments proposed by President Joe Biden, an economic research firm’s new analysis has found.

U.S. Signals Policy Shift on California State Retirement-Savings Program

Wall Street Journal

Signaling a shift in retirement policy, the U.S. Labor Department has dropped its support for a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate a California state retirement-savings program for people who lack access to 401(k) plans at work.

 

Congressional Budget Office expects $2.3T deficit before Biden COVID-19 relief plan

abc30

The Congressional Budget Office says the federal government is on track for a $2.3 trillion deficit this year, down roughly $900 billion from last year when the coronavirus pandemic led Congress to provide historic amounts of financial aid.

See also:

 

 

Tax season: What to know if you worked from home, received stimulus checks, became victim of unemployment scam, more

abc30

The COVID-19 pandemic has made everything a bit trickier - tax filing season is no exception. The whole process is starting a bit later this year and there are a few wrinkles to be aware of for those who received unemployment benefits, worked from home, took on gig work, were a victim of fraud - or faced other issues common to 2020.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

A Conversation with New Assembly Transportation Chair Laura Friedman

StreetsBlogCal

Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) recently talked to Bike Talk host Nick Richert and me, Melanie Curry, editor of Streetsblog California, about her new position as Senate Transportation Committee chair, and about her thoughts on furthering sustainable transportation in California.

 

15 Bicycle Safety Facts, Statistics, and Tips

CyclingHow

The benefits of cycling are well documented. It’s a fun way to get fit. It causes less strain and injury if done correctly. Cycling also allows you to accomplish other tasks, such as getting to work or buying groceries, while also exercising. It is, therefore, understandable why cycling is an increasingly popular activity among Americans.

 

WATER

 

Art installation in Bakersfield's sandy river bed hopes to bring 'Flow' back to the Kern

Bakersfield Californian

Stephen Yaws points to banks of the Kern River near Beach Park and imagines what the scene might have looked like a few generations ago before the flow was diverted, turning this stretch into a sandy riverbed.

 

California's rainfall is at historic lows. That spells trouble for wildfires and farms

The Guardian

There’s a race on in California, and each day matters: the precipitation during winter that fuels the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and fills groundwater supplies has been slow to start, and faltering at best.

 

Commentary: Water Markets Can Reduce the Costs of Drought

Public Policy Institute of California

A just-launched commodity futures market for the state’s water provides a new tool for farmers, municipalities, and other interested parties to insure against water price shocks arising from drought-fueled shortages

 

“Xtra”

 

Major Yosemite entrance has reopened, but you still need an online reservation to get in

Fresno Bee

A major Yosemite National Park entrance that’s been closed for a few weeks reopened Thursday, but visitors still need an online reservation to get into the popular park at least through February.

 

State Parks offers dramatic new vision for Oceano Dunes. Here’s what it has planned

Fresno Bee

Roughly 900 pages of documents released by California State Parks reveal the possible future of off-road riding and camping at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area and the neighboring Pismo State Beach.

 

Cocktails to go? California bill lets restaurants continue offering takeout alcohol

Fresno Bee

California restaurants would be allowed to continue serving cocktails to go after the pandemic ends under a proposed law introduced Thursday. Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, called the legislation “a lifeline to California restaurants struggling to survive the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic” in a statement announcing the bill.

 

Bethany Clough: A new restaurant brings Kansas City barbecue to Fresno area – plus there’s tri-tip

Fresno Bee

This new restaurant’s sign​​ says it all: Chuck and Jenny’s BBQ & Smokehouse. It’s barbecue food brought to you by a guy named Chuck and his daughter Jenny.

 

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

 

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