February 16, 2021

16Feb

POLICY & POLITICS

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

What COVID-19 relief help is open to Modesto, Stanislaus small businesses right now?

Modesto Bee

You can look toward existing programs from the local, state and federal government. Other community organizations are also pitching in with innovative projects meant to make surviving the ongoing coronavirus crisis just a little easier.

 

Town hall meeting on Zoom to discuss civilian police oversight committee for Modesto

Modesto Bee

A virtual town hall Zoom meeting organized by a consortium of Stanislaus County nonprofit agencies intended to provide information about civilian law enforcement oversight committees will be held Feb. 18.

 

Longtime Merced County supervisor, community leader Jerry O’Banion dies

Fresno Bee

Jerry O’Banion — a longtime community leader with a record of service spanning more than a quarter-century — died on Sunday. The cause of death wasn’t immediately clear.

 

Congress wants to fix the Central Valley’s doctor shortage. Will these plans work?

Fresno Bee

Two San Joaquin Valley lawmakers (Cong. Costa & Harder) in the past week put forward new bills that aim to attract more doctors to the region, working to address a shortage of professionals that keeps patients waiting for care.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

Fresno and Kings counties report new COVID cases, with some good news in weekly numbers

Fresno Bee

More than 350 new coronavirus infections were reported Saturday in Fresno County by the state Department of Public Health, bringing the number of additional cases revealed this week by testing to just over 2,000.

See also:

 

More vaccines on way to Fresno; California expands eligibility list

Fresno Bee

Fresno County received some positive news on Friday, with another 18,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine on the way.

See also:

 

How a Minimum-Wage Increase Is Being Felt in a Low-Wage City (Fresno)

New York Times

Even before the pandemic, Elsa Rodriguez Killion realized that Casa Corona, her restaurant in Fresno, Calif., was going to have to change with the times.

See also:

 

Fresno rent increases are biggest in the country — and some workers ‘just can’t pay’

Fresno Bee

Rent in Fresno is going up, up, up. The average cost of rent in Fresno increased by 10.8% in the last year -  the second-biggest rent increase in the country this year compared to other cities, and in stark contrast to the statewide average that decreased 5%.

See also:

 

Free bus transit comes at a cost, Fresno officials say. Will the community support it?

Fresno Bee

Before the pandemic, Fresno’s bus system, FAX, had made huge strides in ridership, even as other transit agencies were struggling.

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Phil Arballo lost to Devin Nunes and turned it into a career. Now he’s running again

Fresno Bee

Running against Rep. Devin Nunes can launch a career in politics — even if you lose. The past two Democrats who challenged Nunes in a general election — both of whom were first-time candidates — have built huge online followings that they turned into political and fundraising megaphones.

 

‘Trump said it’s not over.’ Trump supporters rally in north Fresno on Presidents Day

Fresno Bee

Dozens of supporters gathered on Presidents Day in north Fresno to show their support for former President Donald Trump. The rally at the corner of Nees and Blackstone avenues came just about 48 hours after the U.S. Senate acquitted Trump.

See also:

 

Fresno bar files injunction to halt sale of Tower Theatre to church. Here’s the latest

Fresno Bee

Fresno Tower District advocates said Friday a neighboring business of the Tower Theatre has filed a court injunction to stall the sale of the historic building to a church.

See also:

 

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

 

PBVUSD announces plan to bring elementary students for in-person learning in March

Bakersfield Californian

This week Panama-Buena Vista Union School District announced a plan to open all its elementary school campuses for in-person learning in March.

 

By 4-0 vote, Kern's Planning Commission recommends approval of controversial oil and gas permitting changes

Bakersfield Californian

Kern's Planning Commission voted 4-0 Friday, with one abstention, to recommend the county Board of Supervisors reestablish a streamlined oil-and-gas permitting system opposed by environmentalists around the state.

See also:

 

Robert Price: Long road back from tourism void might begin with this step by Kern County Museum

Bakersfield Californian

Among its many casualties, the pandemic has silenced cash registers at Kern County businesses that cater to two noteworthy species of tourists: adventure-oriented outdoorsy types drawn to the Sierra Nevada and upper Kern River, and pilgrims fascinated by that local canon of uniquely American music, the Bakersfield Sound, and all its colorful trappings.

 

State:

 

California will pay up to $15M to distribute vaccines under new contract with Blue Shield

Fresno Bee

California could pay insurance company Blue Shield up to $15 million for expenses as it helps the state increase and accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations under a contract the Newsom administration released Monday afternoon.

See also:

 

State fines Kaiser $499K for COVID-19 worker safety violations

CalMatters

California officials gave a nod to Kaiser Permanente’s reputation for efficiency when they recently selected it to help speed vaccine rollout. But a review of worker safety citations shows Kaiser has had its own pandemic troubles, failing to adequately protect its employees early on. 

 

In recall homestretch, GOP kicks in $250,000 to reach voters who want to oust Newsom

Sacramento Bee

The national Republican Party is wading into the campaign to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom, chipping in $250,000 for an outreach campaign aimed at persuading more voters to sign recall petitions.

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California Agencies Charged With Combating Homelessness Lack Oversight And Coordination, State Audit Finds

Capital Public Radio

A lack of oversight and coordination among California agencies charged with addressing homelessness has hampered efforts to solve the growing crisis, according to a state audit released on Thursday.

 

Exodus of staff from California’s unemployment agency hinders help for jobless

Los Angeles Times

California’s struggle to get unemployment benefits to jobless workers and combat fraud has been hampered by an exodus of some 1,590 staff and managers involved in the effort since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to state officials.

 

Newsom still wants to ask California voters to end death penalty

Politico

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday he still hopes to put a death penalty repeal before California voters. Nearly two years ago, Newsom said he would no longer carry out any executions and directed the dismantling of the death chamber at San Quentin State Prison.

 

Gil Duran: Left-wing violence rears its ugly head in Sacramento. But don’t you dare criticize it

Sacramento Bee

They’re angry, delusional and driven by disinformation. They consider violence a legitimate tool for pushing their fringe radical politics.

 

Skelton: California Senate Republicans take a step back from Trump with new leader

Los Angeles Times

A Republican moderate takes over as state Senate minority leader this week — a small, post-Trump step that could help rejuvenate the California GOP. Sen. Scott Wilk, 61, of Santa Clarita is a throwback Republican lawmaker, the type needed by the GOP if it’s ever going to move forward and regain legislative relevancy.

 

Walters: Data delay weighs on redistricting plans

CalMatters

The 2020 census will trigger redrawing of the state’s congressional and legislative districts but data delays will squeeze deadlines for the redistricting process.

See also:

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

CDC offers road map for safely reopening schools

Washington Post

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that schools can safely open as long as a range of precautions are in place, offering a road map for a return to classrooms that in parts of the country have been shuttered for nearly a year.

See also:

 

Biden is winning Republican support for his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.

Washington Post

Surveys show that a broad majority of Americans support the assistance, including large numbers of Republicans. Only a minority among Republican voters agree with GOP lawmakers that the aid package is too large, polls have found.

See also:

 

Yellen Is Creating a New Senior Treasury Post for Climate Czar

Wall Street Journal

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to wield the department’s broad powers to tackle potential risks to the financial system posed by climate change while pushing tax incentives to reduce carbon emissions.

 

Postmaster general’s new plan for USPS is said to include slower mail and higher prices

Washington Post

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is preparing to put all first-class mail onto a single delivery track, a move that would mean slower and more costly delivery for both consumers and commercial mailers.

 

Immigrants and children of immigrants make up at least 14% of the 117th Congress

Pew Research Center

Immigrants and the children of immigrants account for a small but growing share of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. At least 76 (14%) of the voting members of the 117th Congress are foreign born or have at least one parent born in another country, a slight uptick from the prior two Congresses.

 

Senate Acquits Trump In Impeachment Trial — Again

VPR

The U.S. Senate on Saturday acquitted former President Donald Trump on an impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection.

See also:

 

GOP grapples with future in Congress and beyond after Trump impeachment trial

Los Angeles Times

In the wake of Trump’s acquittal Saturday, Republicans are divided on the power Trump will — and should — command in the Republican Party, including in the 2024 presidential election.

See also:

 

Pelosi says independent commission will examine Capitol riot

abc30

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol.

See also:

 

Support for Third U.S. Political Party at High Point

Gallup

Americans' desire for a third party has ticked up since last fall and now sits at a high in Gallup's trend. Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults say “that a third party is needed,” an increase from 57% in September.

 

Other:

 

Parler back online after getting boot from Amazon over riot

Los Angeles Times

Conservative social media website Parler has returned to the internet after its service provider suspended the site following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

 

Eroding trust, spreading fear: The historical ties between pandemics and extremism

Washington Post

Adam Crigler used to feed his YouTube following a politics-free diet of chatter about aliens, movies, skateboarding and video games. Then came the pandemic. Now, he devotes much of his talk show to his assertion that mask mandates are an assault on personal freedom and that Democrats somehow stole the 2020 election from Donald Trump. Result: a much bigger audience.

See also:

 

Commentary: The disturbing implications of increasingly narrow political ad targeting

Brookings

In a world unbridled data collection and a digital economy built on its targeted use, some technology executives are beginning to question the logic of surveillance capitalism.

 

Commentary: Connecting the unconnected in rural America

Brookings

A majority of Americans believe the COVID-19 pandemic has made the internet “essential.” Once a “nice to have” service in to enjoy streaming videos or playing games, broadband connections are now “must have.” Reaching online services to work and learn from home, visit the doctor, and even order toilet paper has never been more important.

See also:

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, February 21, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Little Hoover Commission Report: Saving California's Small Businesses” - Guest:  Pedro Nava, Chairman - Little Hoover Commission. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, February 21, 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

 

Hundreds of farmworkers get vaccinated for COVID-19 in Fresno County

abc30

Hundreds of hard-to-come-by COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Thursday to farmworkers on the west side of Central California. Several ag companies collaborated with Fresno County and the non-profit Valley Health Team to secure 800 doses for frontline workers.

See also:

 

Apiary industry issues tips for taking sting out of bee theft

Bakersfield Californian

Every year about this time beekeepers drive to remote, unguarded almond orchards in Kern County and drop off tens of thousands of dollars worth of beehives, then drive off to do the same thing somewhere else.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

‘Gang-banging’ not tolerated as Fresno police crack down on illegal guns, chief says

Fresno Bee

Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama has a message for gang members. “If you’re gang-banging in the city of Fresno, there are going to be consequences,” Balderrama said at a news conference Friday. We’re not going to stop until we can change things and make this community as safe a place as we can.”

 

Should porch pirates go to prison? California bill adds tougher penalties for repeat theft

Sacramento Bee

Under Senate Bill 358, introduced by Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, a person suspected of porch piracy, with two or more convictions of misdemeanor package theft within a three-year period, could be charged with a felony.

 

California plans to close troubled youth prisons after 80 years. But what comes next?

Los Angeles Times

Eighty years after California created separate incarceration facilities to spare teenagers from being locked up alongside adults, the state has pledged to begin the shutdown of its long-troubled and frequently violent youth prisons.

 

Does Legalizing Pot Increase Crime Rates? It Hasn't in Colorado and Washington, a Study Has Found

Newsweek

A study analyzing crime rates in Colorado and Washington suggests legalizing recreational marijuana has a minimal effect on crime rates, if any.

See also:

 

Public Safety:

 

Town hall meeting on Zoom to discuss civilian police oversight committee for Modesto

Modesto Bee

A virtual town hall Zoom meeting organized by a consortium of Stanislaus County nonprofit agencies intended to provide information about civilian law enforcement oversight committees will be held Feb. 18.

 

Fire:

 

Areas around Castle Fire perimeter to reopen; severely burned areas to remain closed

Porterville Recorder

Sequoia National Forest officials announced on Friday areas outside the burned perimeter of the Castle Fire will reopen on Tuesday, February 16.

 

Alpine chicken rancher rejected for fire insurance. He’s not alone in California.

inewsource

Three wildfires have crept close to Nathan Rakov’s 30-acre chicken ranch in rural Alpine since he moved there in 2006. If his barn, coops and storage rooms burned down, he’d struggle to rebuild because he hasn’t found a complete and affordable insurance policy.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Despite Valentine's Day boost, Valley restaurants still face long road to recovery

abc30

Heaters kept couples warm, as string lights created a romantic atmosphere at downtown Fresno's Quail State restaurant. Customers couldn't help but smile as they took in the Valentine's Day experience. Owners Josh and Hayley Islas-Wolf also felt the love.

 

COVID-19 aid for states and localities: How dire is the need?

PolitiFact

A decade ago, the Great Recession broadly undermined state and local government finances, which economists say dragged out the recovery for several years.

See also:

 

Jobs:

 

Exodus of staff from California’s unemployment agency hinders help for jobless

Los Angeles Times

California’s struggle to get unemployment benefits to jobless workers and combat fraud has been hampered by an exodus of some 1,590 staff and managers involved in the effort since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to state officials.

 

How a Minimum-Wage Increase Is Being Felt in a Low-Wage City (Fresno)

New York Times

Even before the pandemic, Elsa Rodriguez Killion realized that Casa Corona, her restaurant in Fresno, Calif., was going to have to change with the times.

See also:

 

Millions Are Out Of A Job. Yet Some Employers Wonder: Why Can't I Find Workers?

NPR

At a time when millions of Americans are unemployed, businessman Bill Martin has a head-scratching problem: He's got plenty of jobs but few people willing to take them. "I keep hearing about all the unemployed people," Martin says. "I certainly can't find any of those folks."

 

Commentary: The performing arts unites us and supports key jobs in the economy

The Hill

On a typical evening at the Kennedy Center, before the coronavirus era, you would feel the energy as the team readies for the first performances of the night after the wrap of daily free programs on the Millennium Stage.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

CDC offers road map for safely reopening schools

Washington Post

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that schools can safely open as long as a range of precautions are in place, offering a road map for a return to classrooms that in parts of the country have been shuttered for nearly a year.

See also:

 

Commentary: Aiming to win back suburban voters, GOP targets Democrats over closed schools

Roll Call

Republicans, with their sights on the 2022 elections, have seized on the issue of school reopenings in an effort to woo suburban voters who turned against the party during the Trump era.

 

Will these vaccine, testing projects help Fresno-area schools reopen — and stay open?

Fresno Bee

As pressure to reopen schools mounts, school districts in the central San Joaquin Valley are attempting to help speed up the process by becoming vaccination sites, partnering with local health clinics, and ramping up COVID-19 testing for students and teachers on campuses.

See also:

 

Clovis Unified to bring middle, high school students back to campus week of Feb. 22

abc30

Clovis Unified is moving forward with bringing more students back to campus. Class will be back in session and in-person for thousands of students after nearly a year of distance learning.

See also:

 

PBVUSD announces plan to bring elementary students for in-person learning in March

Bakersfield Californian

This week Panama-Buena Vista Union School District announced a plan to open all its elementary school campuses for in-person learning in March.

 

Imagine graduating from high school with a diploma AND a two-year college degree

Bakersfield Californian

It is now possible in coming years for a high school senior in Kern County to walk across the stage at her commencement ceremony, then later walk across another stage to pick up her associate degree from Bakersfield College.

 

School reopenings more common in rural areas and in private schools, state data shows

CalMatters

The California State Department of Public Health has for the first time during the pandemic published public-facing data about which schools in the state have reopened for physical instruction.

See also:

 

Commentary: Schoolwide free-meal programs fuel better classroom outcomes for students

Brookings

The federal school-meals program is the largest form of nutritional assistance to school-age children, accounting for half of the food consumption among children who participate and subsidizing free or reduced-price meals for more than 22 million students.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Most California Colleges Are Sticking with Online Instruction This Spring

Public Policy Institute of California

In spring 2021, the overwhelming majority of California’s colleges continue to operate primarily online. This is in contrast to the rest of the country, where only about half operate primarily online.

 

Commentary: New Education secretary should look to community colleges in recovery

CalMatters

As Miguel Cardona prepares to take the helm of the U.S. Department of Education, community colleges can provide a path forward.

 

Student loan payments are suspended. Here's how to make the most of it

abc30

Millions of student loan borrowers received a welcome reprieve last month when President Joe Biden extended the suspension of payments and interest on federal student loans through September 30.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

California’s monarch butterflies are in crisis. Inside a state parks plan to revive them

Fresno Bee

Big changes could be coming to the Pismo Beach monarch butterfly grove as part of California State Parks’ wide-ranging plan for Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area and Pismo State Beach.

 

How To Solve Climate Change: Bill Gates Wants You To Know Two Numbers

Forbes

Bill Gates wants you to know two numbers: 51 billion and zero. The former is the number of tons of greenhouse gases typically added to the atmosphere each year as a result of human activities. The latter is the number of tons we need to get to by 2050 in order to avert a climate crisis.

 

Energy:

 

By 4-0 vote, Kern's Planning Commission recommends approval of controversial oil and gas permitting changes

Bakersfield Californian

Kern's Planning Commission voted 4-0 Friday, with one abstention, to recommend the county Board of Supervisors reestablish a streamlined oil-and-gas permitting system opposed by environmentalists around the state.

See also:

 

Interior Secretary Nominee on Collision Course with Oil Industry

Wall Street Journal

Deb Haaland is poised to make history on two fronts, as both the first Native American cabinet secretary and as the architect of what could be a landmark change in the U.S. government’s relationship with oil.

 

Commentary: Update green building codes to make EV charging available for everyone

CalMatters

Californians who live in multifamily housing such as apartments face an extra hurdle to electric vehicle ownership; changing the green building code can help.

 

Commentary: What’s Ahead For Energy & the Climate

Wall Street Journal

In our latest issue, The Future of Everything looks at shrinking nuclear reactors, turning household trash into fuel, the ski industry’s survival in a warmer world and more.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Fresno and Kings counties report new COVID cases, with some good news in weekly numbers

Fresno Bee

More than 350 new coronavirus infections were reported Saturday in Fresno County by the state Department of Public Health, bringing the number of additional cases revealed this week by testing to just over 2,000.

See also:

 

Study finds 7 newly-identified COVID-19 variants circulating in the United States

abc30

Researchers said Sunday they have identified a batch of similar troubling mutations in coronavirus samples circulating in the United States. They've named them after birds.

See also:

 

U.N. approves AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

Los Angeles Times

The World Health Organization has granted an emergency authorization to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, a move that should allow the United Nations agency’s partners to ship millions of doses to countries worldwide as part of a U.N.-backed program to tame the pandemic.

 

Europe is using longer, stricter lockdowns to fight coronavirus variants. They show signs of working.

Washington Post

For months, one pesky number had undermined Britain’s fight against the coronavirus. It wasn’t the daily number of new cases, the ever-increasing death toll or even the spread of an alarming new variant — though none of these were reassuring, of course.

 

Hospitals still ration medical N95 masks as stockpiles swell

AP News

Mike Bowen’s warehouse outside Fort Worth, Texas, was piled high with cases of medical-grade N95 face masks. His company, Prestige Ameritech, can churn out 1 million masks every four days, but he doesn’t have orders for nearly that many. So he recently got approval from the government to export them.

 

Human Services:

 

More vaccines on way to Fresno; California expands eligibility list

Fresno Bee

Fresno County received some positive news on Friday, with another 18,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine on the way.

See also:

 

California will pay up to $15M to distribute vaccines under new contract with Blue Shield

Fresno Bee

California could pay insurance company Blue Shield up to $15 million for expenses as it helps the state increase and accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations under a contract the Newsom administration released Monday afternoon.

See also:

 

Data problems hurt California’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts

Los Angeles Times

Omitted doses, uploading errors, lag times and software mishaps. California’s vaccine rollout has been plagued by data issues, leaving the state unable to keep track of how many doses of the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine are available at any one time.

See also:

 

How to master the vaccine-appointment website: A guide for everyone

Washington Post

The process feels like something between trying to nab highly sought-after Beyoncé tickets and gladiatorial combat. Scheduling coronavirus vaccine shots online is causing panic for eligible Americans and the children and grandchildren helping them.

 

No Insurance? Biden's Reopening of ACA Health Insurance Means You Could Still Get Coverage.

ConsumerReports

President Joe Biden today signed an executive order that will reopen the sign-up period for Affordable Care Act healthcare plans for 90 days, so people without insurance can still get coverage for 2021. 

 

Walters: Medi-Cal overhaul sounds good on paper

CalMatters

State officials are fond of giving their high-concept — and expensive — new programs snappy, one-word acronyms derived from much-longer and often awkward official titles.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Biden faces pressure as US sets new course on immigration

Fresno Bee

After a weeklong bus ride from Honduras, Isabel Osorio Medina arrived in northern Mexico with the hope President Joe Biden would make it easier for people like him to get into the United States.

 

As Biden reforms immigration policy, a question: What becomes of sanctuary beneficiaries?

Los Angeles Times

The notice from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to pay a $59,126 fine didn’t bolster Hilda Ramírez’s confidence that she could soon leave the church where she and her son had received refuge for almost five years.

See also:

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Fresno encouraging city pride in Neighborhood Blitz revitalization project

Fresno Bee

About 80 volunteers withstood a slight drizzle while taking part in the City of Fresno’s first “Neighborhood Blitz” revitalization project in the Cary Park neighborhood on Saturday.

 

Hear why Native Americans believe now is the time to rename Squaw Valley in Fresno County

Fresno Bee

Local Native Americans are working to get a petition signed in an effort to rename the Fresno County town of Squaw Valley, a name that has been long seen as offensive to Native American women.

See also:

 

Progress reported for Centennial Corridor, but much remains to be done

Bakersfield Californian

After 15 years, many of the Thomas Roads Improvement Program projects have wrapped up construction, but the city of Bakersfield still has the big one — the Centennial Corridor — yet to be completed.

 

California parks plan would turn refinery land into a coastal off-road playground

Sacramento Bee

California State Parks has announced plans for a massive recreational development on the Phillips 66 Santa Maria oil refinery property, even though the oil company will not cease operations at the plant near Arroyo Grande for another two years.

 

Housing:

 

Fresno rent increases are biggest in the country — and some workers ‘just can’t pay’

Fresno Bee

Rent in Fresno is going up, up, up. The average cost of rent in Fresno increased by 10.8% in the last year -  the second-biggest rent increase in the country this year compared to other cities, and in stark contrast to the statewide average that decreased 5%.

See also:

 

Duplex development can't open soon enough for some renters

Bakersfield Californian

It'd been years since residential developer Steve Hair built new apartments — and with good reason: They don't easily "pencil out," he said. But with interest rates low he gave it a shot.

 

Valley Voices: 2020 was a tough year, but the future got brighter for west Fresno residents. Here’s how

Fresno Bee

2020 was not all bad. It was also the year that we experienced residents’ ability to transform the politics and institutions that maintain systemic inequity in Fresno.

 

The Californians Are Coming. So Is Their Housing Crisis.

New York Times

Is it possible to import growth without also importing housing problems? “I can’t point to a city that has done it right.”

 

Opinion: Biden’s Executive Order on Housing: Replacing Old Sins with New Ones

National Review

President Biden’s flurry of executive orders has now extended to housing policy — and to a pledge to reverse the Trump administration’s approach to “fair housing.”

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

You may be eligible for more COVID stimulus money. Here’s how to get it

Fresno Bee

Did your income drop in 2020? Have a baby? You could be eligible for more economic stimulus money from Washington – quickly. You can claim it as part of your new tax return.

 

COVID-19 aid for states and localities: How dire is the need?

PolitiFact

A decade ago, the Great Recession broadly undermined state and local government finances, which economists say dragged out the recovery for several years.

See also:

 

Democrats unveil bill to end tax break for investment managers

The Hill

A group of House Democrats announced Tuesday that they are reintroducing legislation to end the carried interest tax break that is beneficial for investment managers.

 

Commentary: Where is the US government getting all the money it’s spending in the coronavirus crisis?

Brookings

The U.S. government and its counterparts all over the world are spending trillions of dollars in response to the COVID-19 crisis, borrowing trillions of dollars to do so. Here are some answers to questions we’ve been hearing and discussing.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Free bus transit comes at a cost, Fresno officials say. Will the community support it?

Fresno Bee

Before the pandemic, Fresno’s bus system, FAX, had made huge strides in ridership, even as other transit agencies were struggling.

See also:

 

Airlines Push To Reduce Carbon Footprint With Greener Fuels

Wall Street Journal

Can the world’s jet fuel ever be green? Under pressure to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, airlines are experimenting with so-called sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF.

 

California's ever-shrinking high-speed rail plan

San Francisco Chronicle

By 2030, according to a new state plan, Californians will be able to ride high-speed trains — but only between Merced and Bakersfield.

 

WATER

 

Trump sending more California water to farms troubled federal biologists. They were sidelined

Sacramento Bee

Federal scientists and regulators repeatedly complained they were sidelined by former President Donald Trump’s administration when they warned of risks to wildlife posed by a California water management plan, according to newly unveiled documents.

 

California Now Has A Futures Market For Water. Some Farmers Are Skeptical

Capital Public Radio

Investors, farmers, and Reddit users can now all hedge bets on the price of water in California thanks to the launch of the first water futures market in the country late last year. It represents a new financial outlook on water in California — one driven by the market.

See also:

 

Lois Henry: Double blast of lawsuits fired at proposed Kern groundwater bank

Bakersfield Californian

A major water banking proposal northwest of Bakersfield that won coveted Proposition 1 funding in 2018 was hit by two lawsuits earlier this month, one claiming it is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing intent on selling Kern River water to southern California.

 

“Xtra”

 

Bethany Clough: What’s next in Fresno’s Brewery District? More beer, restaurants, pot shops may be coming

Fresno Bee

Downtown Fresno’s Brewery District is on the cusp of some big changes. A taco shop and a craft beer/spirits taproom are getting closer to opening. And several new buildings are up for rent, with plenty of businesses eyeing them.

 

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

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute 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.

                                                     

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