POLICY & POLITICS
Deadline extended: March 15, 2019
Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
The Maddy Institute
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships
North SJ Valley:
Stockton may be ready to expand its cannabis horizons
Stockton Record
Just a few months after the city modified its municipal code to allow the sale of retail cannabis, Stockton soon may allow for other types of marijuana businesses to take up shop in town.
Central SJ Valley:
Out of Many, We Are One: Youngsters Become US Citizens in Clovis
GVWire
About 150 children who have become naturalized U.S. citizens received their proof of citizenship Friday, Feb. 15, in a Maddy Institute Citizenship Academy ceremony at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.
Tired of Fresno’s coin-fed parking meters? Upgrades are on the way
Fresno Bee
The city of Fresno is taking steps to upgrade its parking meters, including the ones on Fulton Street and downtown. The city is soliciting bids for a project to install “smart meters” — an effort that could be completed by summer.
Last of Valley Children’s founders, Carolyn Peck, dies. Described as hospital’s ‘compass’
Fresno Bee
Carolyn Peck, the last of the “founding mothers” of Valley Children’s Hospital, has died, the hospital announced Monday on social media. She was 91.
Rivera relies on youth and experience to win Clovis election
Clovis RoundUp
Twenty-eight-year-old Maeketah Rivera is aiming to bring a fresh perspective as she runs for a Clovis City Council seat in March.
South SJ Valley:
City defends spending Measure N funds to save money on pension system
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield residents were sharply divided when the city announced it planned to use some Measure N funds to change the way it pays for its pension system, but city officials say the move is sound financial practice.
East Hills Mall owners slips into default
Bakersfield Californian
Local investors’ plan to redevelop East Hills Mall has been thrown into question by their partnership’s failure to make a large loan payment due last summer to the previous owner of the increasingly troubled shopping center in northeast Bakersfield.
Protesters gather to oppose border wall
Hanford Sentinel
Protesters gathered in downtown Hanford on President’s Day to voice their complaints about a decision announced by the current president.
State:
Trump slams California’s ‘fast train’ as Gavin Newsom leads 16 states suing over border wall
Fresno Bee
President Donald Trump criticized California and 15 states that filed a lawsuit on Feb. 19 challenging his declaration of national emergency on the Mexico border. He compared his border wall to high speed rail.
See also:
● Newsom claims ‘retribution’ after Trump administration demands high-speed rail funds back Fresno Bee
● Trump administration terminates high-speed rail grant abc30
● Trump attacks ‘fast train’ after California leads lawsuit against national emergency abc30
● Border wall, bullet train: California vs. Trump escalates Merced Sun-Star
● Trump pulls nearly $1B from high-speed rail Visalia Times Delta
● Trump wants California to pay back billions for bullet train Bakersfield Californian
● Trump administration to cancel $929 million in California high-speed rail funding Los Angeles Times
● Trump administration cancels funding for California high-speed rail San Francisco Chronicle
● EDITORIAL: Gov. Gaslight? Newsom’s slippery words on high-speed rail raise questions Sacramento Bee
Chairman of troubled bullet train project resigns
Los Angeles Times
The man former Gov. Jerry Brown tapped to rescue the California bullet train in 2011, Dan Richard, resigned Tuesday as chairman of the troubled project.
Border wall, bullet train: California vs. Trump escalates
AP
Disputes over President Donald Trump’s border wall and California’s bullet train are intensifying the feud between the White House and the nation’s most populous state.
Federal tax changes could be why California’s budget is more than $2 billion below projections
Los Angeles Times
State financial experts on Tuesday reported fiscal year-to-date revenues are more than $2.3 billion below the expectations set by Newsom’s first spending plan. But they believe the money is simply delayed, not missing.
California Republicans look into the abyss
Politico
Some see the upcoming election for state party chairman as the last chance to avert a total collapse.
Huntington Beach’s Wall of Denial
Fox and Hound
But in this century, Huntington Beach has achieved a different sort of prominence: as the anti-California, its independent vibe having curdled into a nasty mix of irresponsibility, litigiousness, and conspiracy-mongering.
Has Newsom become Governor Gaslight?
CALmatters
Contemporary politics seethe with such manipulative trickery and President Donald Trump may deserve the title of Gaslighter in Chief for constantly attempting – clumsily at best – to create an alternative reality to justify his positions.
AP FACT CHECK: Newsom wrong on illegal border crossings
AP
California Gov. Gavin Newsom devoted part of his first State of the State address to attacking President Donald Trump’s positions on illegal immigration, declaring, “This border emergency is nothing more than a manufactured crisis and California will not be part of this political theater.”
Influencer Scores: State Capitol
Capitol Press Corps
This year’s Capitol press corps Top Influencer list includes several returners, including POLITICO’s Carla Marinucci, LA Times’ John Myers and Alexi Koseff, now with SF Chronicle.
Federal:
Why Trump’s tweets could be used against him in California’s border emergency lawsuit
Fresno Bee
California is using President Donald Trump’s tweets against him in a lawsuit challenging his national emergency declaration. The state argues there is no crisis at the Mexico border.
See also:
● Trump’s proposed border wall would be a disaster for endangered species, lawsuits say Fresno Bee
● Trump says he has ‘absolute right’ to declare emergency Fresno Bee
● 16 states sue Trump over emergency declaration abc30
● California, 15 Other States Sue Trump Over Emergency Wall Declaration Capital Public Radio
● Political Junkie On Trump’s National Emergency Declaration Capital Public Radio
● Trump Is On Solid Legal Ground In Declaring A Border Emergency To Build A Wall The Federalist
Trump Ignites New Budget Fights by Targeting Pentagon Programs
Roll Call
CQ defense reporter John M. Donnelly spells out how President Donald Trump’s emergency action to raid Pentagon accounts to pay for a border wall could affect military facilities and programs already stretched thin.
AP FACT CHECK: Trump spins fiction about diversity visas
AP
The president offered a multitude of
fabrications and partial truths over the past week on the subject of immigration
— both the legal and illegal varieties — as he declared a national emergency
aimed at finding the money to build his border wall.
Japan nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize after White House asked, newspaper reports
NBC News
Just as President Donald Trump claimed last week, Japan’s prime minister has, indeed, nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — at the request of the White House — one of Japan’s largest newspapers reported Sunday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders says he’s running for president in 2020
Fresno Bee
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he’s running for president in 2020: ‘Our campaign is about transforming our country’.
See also:
● Sanders’ 2020 campaign raises $4M in half a day Fresno Bee
● Will Joe Biden run in 2020? Sources close to the former vice president say yes abc30
● Can Bernie Sanders re-create the magic? Vermont senator joins 2020 Democratic race Los Angeles Times
● EDITORIAL: Relax: Bernie Sanders and the Democrats aren’t trying to turn the U.S. into Venezuela Los Angeles Times
The calendar is shifting Democratic influence in 2020 to voters of color
CNN
As in every recent Democrat primary race, the 2020 contest will begin in two virtually all-white states, with the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary in early February. But after that the next month of the primary calendar is dominated by states across the Sun Belt where non-white voters comprise a large share, and often an absolute majority, of the electorate.
Clarence Thomas agrees with Trump that libel laws should be eased
Los Angeles Times
Justice Clarence Thomas filed a solo opinion Tuesday that should appeal to President Trump. He said the high court should make it easier for public figures to sue for libel.
See also:
● Justice Clarence Thomas Calls for Reconsideration of Landmark Libel Ruling New York Times
Supreme Court says constitutional protection against excessive fines applies to state actions
Washington Post
In an opinion written by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the justices ruled unanimously for a man whose Land Rover was seized after he sold a small amount of drugs.
See also:
● Supreme Court, in unanimous ruling, moves to limit state and local governments’ power to impose fines and seize property Washington Post
Other:
‘America first’ increasingly looks like America alone
Los Angeles Times
The annual Munich Security Conference is usually a somnolent affair, a ritual renewal of vows between the United States and its European allies. This year was different.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Massive Loss Of Thousands Of Hives Afflicts Orchard Growers And Beekeepers
VPR
Almond bloom comes nearly all at once in California — a flush of delicate pale blooms that unfold around Valentine’s Day. And beekeeper Bret Adee is hustling to get his hives ready, working through them on a Central Valley ranch before placing them in orchards.
‘Big Gulp ban,’ soda tax coming before California Legislature
San Francisco Chronicle
Months after the California Legislature reluctantly voted to ban cities from passing new soda taxes, Democratic lawmakers are taking another stab at a statewide fee and other measures to reduce consumption of sugary drinks.
Have Trump’s policies ‘lifted’ nearly 5 million Americans off food stamps?
Washington Post
President Trump lauded the number of people “lifted off food stamps” amid a slew of economic statistics in his annual State of the Union address. This is nothing new — he made some variation of this point 41 times in rallies and at speeches taking office.
California made $345 million, not predicted $1 billion, on legal cannabis in 2018
San Jose Mercury
California took in $345.2 million in tax revenue from legal cannabis during the first year of regulated sales in 2018, according to figures the state released Tuesday. That’s just more than a third of the $1 billion in annual revenue analysts predicted California would see once the state’s regulated cannabis industry was in full gear.
‘United Pot Smokers’ weed delivery service sued over ‘confusingly similar’ branding
Merced Sun-Star
UPS, the package and shipping service, sued a marijuana delivery operation that includes United Pot Smokers in California federal court, alleging trademark infringement over “confusingly similar” branding.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Public Safety:
Alliance of Democrats and police union erodes
Visalia Times Delta
California’s crime rates soared in the 1970s and became a potent political issue that Republicans used, with great effect, against Democrats by accusing them of being soft on crime.
Armed and Dangerous: How the ATF Retrieves Guns From Banned Buyers
Wall Street Journal
A firearms purchase can proceed after three business days, whether or not the federal background check is complete.
EDITORIAL: State lags in seizing weapons from owners on banned list
San Francisco Chronicle
California, with some of the toughest laws in the nation, faces an Illinois-scale problem. Since 2013 state authorities are directed to seize firearms from people with criminal convictions and mental health problems.
Fire:
Tiny Homes For Homeless Get The Go-Ahead In The Wake of California’s Worst Wildfire
VPR
Before the state’s most destructive wildfire tore through Butte County, Calif., detailed plans for a tiny home village for the homeless in the northern California city of Chico were met with a mix of indifference, NIMBY-ism and outright rejection from a previous city council.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Stock indexes edge up, and Walmart jumps after posting strong earnings
Los Angeles Times
Stocks shook off an early wobble on Wall Street on Tuesday, finishing modestly higher and extending the market’s gains into a fourth week.
Wall Street Journal
Highlights from The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of global trade disputes
Payless ShoeSource To Close In Oakhurst, Exact Date Unknown
Sierra News
As Payless ShoeSource prepares to close approximately 2,500 store locations in North America, that, of course, includes the Oakhurst store in the Old Mill Shopping Center.
The stark divide in black and white economic mobility in America
Brookings
In an examination of upward and downward intergenerational income mobility, Richard Reeves and Christopher Pulliam find that, “On every rung of the income ladder, black children have worse prospects of the American dream than white children—including at the very top.”
Jobs:
Gas tax hiring spree continues at Caltrans. It has hundreds of new openings
Merced Sun-Star
Caltrans will consider hiring nearly anyone for 333 maintenance jobs it is trying to fill. The department is on a spree to hire enough workers to improve road upkeep as called for in a 2017 gas tax bill that in November survived an initiative that would have repealed it.
EDUCATION
K-12:
California students may not be ready for new science test
EdSource
Next month California students will start to be tested on the state’s new science standards for the first time, but with little instruction in the subject in elementary school and few aligned textbooks they aren’t likely to be ready.
California’s school funding flaws make it more difficult for districts to meet teacher demands
EdSource
Just days before Oakland teachers are expected to go on strike, a fact-finding report required by California law lays out a precise and grim picture of the district’s financial struggles, with sobering implications for other districts attempting to settle labor disputes with their teachers.
Higher Ed:
Deadline FAST APPROACHING: Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship
The Maddy Institute
Applications for two $56,000 Fellowships Due Friday, March 15th, 2019. 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. The Maddy Institute will award two $56,000 Fellowships to Valley students who are accepted into a nationally ranked, qualified graduate program in the fall of 2019.
Professor of hip-hop is heading to Stanislaus State
Fresno Bee
For Black History Month, CSU Stanislaus in Turlock, California welcomes Virginia professor of hip-hop A.D. Carson, presenting “This is the Next Time: Reflections on Resistance Through Rhymes and Revolutions.”
Not-so-free college: The limits of California’s Promise program
CALmatters
The scholarship covers a year’s worth of fees—usually $46 per credit hour—for first-time, full-time students in community college districts that meet certain requirements, such as participating in the federal student loan program and offering counseling services.
The State of Higher Education for Black Californians
College Opportunity
California’s Black families and students know the value of an education. Today, more Black students are graduating from high school, going to college, and earning degrees than ever before. But for many of the 2.2 million Black Californians the dream of going to college and crossing the graduation stage remains an illusion.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
California Lawmakers Toy With Idea Of Replacing Sales Tax With A Carbon Tax
Capital Public Radio
The idea is to place a tax on every item sold in the state based on how much carbon is emitted when it’s made. Sen. Ben Allen introduced a study bill on this requiring the California Air Resources Board to report back to the legislature by 2021.
Cap-And-Trade Funds Sustainable Development
Capital Public Radio
Last year, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded the city of Sacramento funding to build a new light rail stop and redevelop the Twin Rivers housing project as a green community using money from the state’s Cap-and-Trade program.
Trump sets the stage for a Democratic president to declare a climate change emergency
Los Angeles Times
All liberal Democrats should want the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm that President Trump can declare an emergency and fund the border wall without congressional approval. When a Democrat is elected president, on Day 1 she should declare an emergency and fund climate change measures — say, for $500 billion — by citing the potential ruling on the Trump emergency.
Massive restoration of world’s forests would cancel out a decade of CO2 emissions, analysis suggests
Independent
Replenishing the world’s forests on a grand scale would suck enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to cancel out a decade of human emissions, according to an ambitious new study.
EDITORIAL: A moment of bipartisanship in Congress could mean good news for conservation
Los Angeles Times
When members of the House of Representatives return from the February break next week, something unusual will be waiting for them: a sweeping, 662-pagebipartisan package of 110 proposals the Senate approved last week — by an overwhelming 92-8 vote — that would protect more than 1.3 million acres of newly designated national wilderness from most development.
Fouled waters reveal lasting legacy of US mining industry
Merced Sun-Star
Every day many millions of gallons of water loaded with toxic metals flow from some of the most contaminated mining sites in the U.S. and into surrounding lakes and streams without being treated.
Energy:
Crank Up the A/C, Crank Up the Cost: States Consider ‘Surge Pricing’ for Power
PEW
Starting in March, the
state’s utility regulator will require major utilities to increase prices
during the hours when electricity is in high demand and lower prices the rest
of the time — a change that’s expected to affect some 6 million households.
Can California homes and businesses quit natural gas? Some say yes
San Francisco Chronicle
To meet its aggressive goals for fighting climate change, California wants to wean millions of homes and businesses in the state off natural gas.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Anti-vaccine talk is an ‘attack on our nation’s health’ and must end, California lawmaker says
Fresno Bee
As deadly diseases like measles make a comeback, a California lawmaker is urging the surgeon general to make fighting anti-vaccine misinformation a public health priority. Several states have seen outbreaks.
Flu widespread, but cases cut in half in Visalia
Visalia Times Delta
With flu season still in full swing, as many as 17.8 million people — including 2 million more within the last week — have fallen sick with influenza since October in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls a “low-severity” season, officials said.
See also:
● California flu deaths up despite fewer infections. Watch for signs you need a doctor Modesto Bee
Human Services:
Last of Valley Children’s founders, Carolyn Peck, dies. Described as hospital’s ‘compass’
Merced Sun-Star
Carolyn Peck, the last of the “founding mothers” of Valley Children’s Hospital, has died, the hospital announced Monday on social media. She was 91.
Courts hammer Trump for sabotaging Obamacare, in rulings that could cost the Treasury billions
Los Angeles Times
Federal judges have awarded health insurers billions in claims for Trump’s effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
Scientist says some pollution is good for you — a disputed claim Trump’s EPA has embraced
Los Angeles Times
In early 2018, a deputy assistant administrator in the EPA, Clint Woods, reached out to a Massachusetts toxicologist best known for pushing a public health standard suggesting that low levels of toxic chemicals and radiation are good for people.
IMMIGRATION
Federal gov’t to pay $125,000 to settle alleged sexual assault of teen girl at border
Fresno Bee
A teenager who was allegedly sexually assaulted at the U.S.-Mexico border by a border patrol agent as she and her sister attempted to reach their mother in Fresno has settled a lawsuit with the federal government, the ACLU of Northern California said Tuesday.
See also:
Man becomes 3rd person to die in Border Patrol custody in as many months
abc30
A Mexican man died at a McAllen, Texas, hospital Monday while in Border Patrol custody after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas earlier this month, officials said.
How California Laws Meant to Integrate Immigrants Can Open a Backdoor for ICE
Voiceofsandiego.org
In several recent arrests by ICE, agents had copies of immigrants’ driver’s licenses or other information they provided to the DMV. The arrests underscore a long-standing concern from immigration advocates that laws intended to bring unauthorized immigrants in California out of the shadows expose them to federal immigration enforcement because of widespread database-sharing among law enforcement agencies.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Riverbank’s Crossroads West plans move forward, developers promise modern amenities
Modesto Bee
The proposed Crossroads West development in Riverbank,CA is moving forward. The plan would annex 380-acres to build retail, housing, schools and parks across from the existing Crossroads center on Oakdale Road.
East Hills Mall owners slips into default
Bakersfield Californian
Local investors’ plan to redevelop East Hills Mall has been thrown into question by their partnership’s failure to make a large loan payment due last summer to the previous owner of the increasingly troubled shopping center in northeast Bakersfield.
Housing:
Gavin Newsom’s housing lawsuit put 47 California cities on notice. Is yours on the list?
Fresno Bee
For years, California cities have failed to build affordable housing units, with the vast majority not hitting production targets outlined in their city plans. Newsom in his campaign for governor pledged to speed up construction, aiming for the state to build 3.5 million new housing units by 2025.
See also:
● Gavin Newsom lists his Marin County home for $5.995 million as he pivots to life in Sacramento Sacramento Bee
● After Huntington Beach lawsuit, Newsom warns cities he’ll continue housing law crackdown Los Angeles Times
● Gov. Newsom talks housing with California mayors, ‘can’t promise’ not to sue another city Riverside Press Enterprise
Three Important Steps to Reaching Governor Newsom’s Housing Goals
Fox and Hound
The Newsom plan includes an ambitious goal of building 3.5 million new housing units by 2025, and he has proposed a state investment of $1.75 billion for new housing initiatives. For that capital to produce a return on investment, however, three important steps need to be taken.
Could this new bill help solve California’s housing crisis? New study suggests otherwise
Sacramento Bee
It’s often held up as a key strategy for solving California’s housing crisis: increase the supply of cheaper housing by encouraging more dense construction near transit centers.
Tents are up at new Modesto homeless camp under bridge, people could move in soon
Modesto Bee
Crews on Tuesday had erected about 150 tents at a site for a city and county-approved homeless encampment underneath the Ninth Street Bridge along the Tuolumne River in Modesto.
A Snapshot of Homelessness in California
PPIC
After rising 14% from 2016
to 2017, the total number of homeless Californians declined slightly (by 1%)
from 2017 to 2018. Homelessness decreased in many of California’s major urban
areas, including in four of the five counties with the largest homeless
populations: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Alameda.
Housing Is Already in a Slump. So It (Probably) Can’t Cause a Recession.
New York Times
A decline in residential real estate has led several recessions. With construction still in a multiyear slump, it seems unlikely to be the culprit this year.
PUBLIC FINANCES
City defends spending Measure N funds to save money on pension system
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield residents were sharply divided when the city announced it planned to use some Measure N funds to change the way it pays for its pension system, but city officials say the move is sound financial practice.
Tax vote ruling causing chaos in California
Visalia Times Delta
Over the last four decades, California voters have passed a series of amendments to the state constitution, all designed to make it harder for governments to tax them and raise new revenue.
California Budget and Policy Center
Given the severe deficiencies of the TCJA, Californians may be surprised to learn that the new federal tax law has some potential benefits for our state — if our policymakers choose to act.
I owe how much? Americans shocked by impact of new tax law
Sacramento Bee
Wait, I owe the IRS? The first tax filing season under the new federal tax law is proving to be surprising, confusing — and occasionally frightening — for some Americans, especially those accustomed to getting money back from the government.
California Lawmakers Toy With Idea Of Replacing Sales Tax With A Carbon Tax
Capital Public Radio
The idea is to place a tax on every item sold in the state based on how much carbon is emitted when it’s made. Sen. Ben Allen introduced a study bill on this requiring the California Air Resources Board to report back to the legislature by 2021.
Cap-And-Trade Funds Sustainable Development
Capital Public Radio
Last year, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded the city of Sacramento funding to build a new light rail stop and redevelop the Twin Rivers housing project as a green community using money from the state’s Cap-and-Trade program
Bloomberg
The U.S. tax burden was 27.1 percent of GDP, ranking it 31st among the 36 members of the OECD, the club of the world’s affluent democracies. That 27.1 percent includes state and local taxes; it doesn’t factor in the big tax cuts signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2017.
TRANSPORTATION
Gas tax hiring spree continues at Caltrans. It has hundreds of new openings
Merced Sun-Star
Caltrans will consider hiring nearly anyone for 333 maintenance jobs it is trying to fill. The department is on a spree to hire enough workers to improve road upkeep as called for in a 2017 gas tax bill that in November survived an initiative that would have repealed it.
City of Fresno works to fill potholes before next storm
abc30
It’s inevitable, a whole new set of potholes seem to spring up after every storm. But Fresno city leaders are trying to be as proactive as possible. That’s why the city is stepping up road repair patrol following the latest round of winter storms.
See also:
● Storms cause millions of dollars in damage to California highways Los Angeles Times
Locals have mixed reviews on bill that could eliminate speed limit on I-5, Hwy 99
abc30
A new bill proposed by a Southern California senator could eliminate the speed limit on lanes of Interstate 5 and State Route 99, but the bill is getting mixed reviews.
See also:
● ‘No speed limit lanes’ on 99, 5 highways? Visalia Times Delta
● California lawmaker wants to give the state its own high-speed Autobahn Los Angeles Times
● Bullet trains? Monorails? An end to speed limits? California’s transportation future is going to be a wild ride Los Angeles Times
● German-style autobahn coming to California? One state senator sees the need for speed Visalia Times Delta
● O.C. Lawmaker Proposes New Lanes on 5 Fwy With No Speed Limit as Alternative to High-Speed Rail KTLA
● Trump Threatens To Cancel California’s $929 Million High-Speed Rail Grant NPR
Newsom claims ‘retribution’ after Trump administration demands high-speed rail funds back
Sacramento Bee
The Trump administration, stepping up its fight with California over the state’s struggling high-speed rail project, said Tuesday it plans to rescind a $928 million federal grant.
Amtrak Plan to Expand Ridership Could Sidetrack Storied Trains
Wall Street Journal
Seeking to attract millions more passengers, Amtrak is preparing a large-scale overhaul of its national network aimed at boosting passenger service in the South and West—but at the expense of long-haul routes beloved by train buffs and their allies in Congress.
Washington needs a fresh infrastructure approach
Brookings
Despite being an issue of bipartisan interest, a bold infrastructure plan never moved forward in the 115th Congress. Adie Tomer and Joseph Kane explain how America’s leaders can learn from previous missteps and develop a comprehensive new vision for the nation.
WATER
Valley storms, cold weather show no signs of stopping. Take a look at what’s on the way.
Fresno Bee
Tuesday’s sunny skies won’t last long. More wet weather is expected Wednesday in the central San Joaquin Valley, following two weeks of freezing temperatures and snow in the foothills and rain in the valley.
See also:
● North end of Bass Lake iced over after heavy storms, frigid conditions Fresno Bee
● Cold winter storm expected to bring more snow to Yosemite Valley Fresno Bee
● Sierra snowpack well above average for first time in years abc30
● February storms soak California with 18 trillion gallons of water abc30
● Modesto will get more rain, snow in its watershed. How do they compare with 2017? Modesto Bee
● School delays due to weather Bakersfield Californian
● ‘A pretty good season.’ What California’s winter rain and snow mean for you in 2019 Sacramento Bee
● Rare L.A. mega-storm could overwhelm dam and flood dozens of cities, experts say Los Angeles Times
Fouled waters reveal lasting legacy of US mining industry
Merced Sun-Star
Every day many millions of gallons of water loaded with toxic metals flow from some of the most contaminated mining sites in the U.S. and into surrounding lakes and streams without being treated.
My turn: To fulfill clean water law, state must focus on L.A.’s small systems
CALmatters
In his first actions as governor, Gavin Newsom has focused on drinking water, in particular fulfilling the state’s promise, enshrined as a human right in a 2012 law, to provide safe and affordable water to all Californians.
“Xtra”
Hanford Sentinel
February is Black History Month and the Kings County Black History Committee is organizing two fun and informative Black History events in Hanford.
Porterville Recorder
Tulare County’s Citrus Room, is the Porterville Historical Museum’s latest exhibit that chronicles the history of the signature crop of the county.
Yosemite’s famous ‘firefall’ returns as spectators flock to the park
abc30
Yosemite’s ‘firefall’ has returned! According to Yosemite Gateway Partners, the event will run from Feb. 12 until Feb. 24. If you plan on trying to catch a glimpse of this natural phenomenon there are just a few things you need to know.
Take your shot at a nature photo contest featuring the Valley and Sierra
Modesto Bee
Photographers have until March 31, 2019, to enter a wildlife and landscape photo contest sponsored by the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center in Twain Harte, CA. The shots can be from the Sierra or Valley.