January 13, 2020

13Jan

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Wonderful Public Service Graduate Fellowship --> Application Window Open

The Maddy Institute

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

 

North SJ Valley:

 

Mariposa County supervisors gave themselves a salary boost. Is it too much?

Sierra Star

Mariposa County’s Board Supervisors this week voted to give themselves a significant pay raise — the first in nearly three decades.

 

Troubled fire district ignites debate in Stanislaus election. Jobs are another priority.

Modesto Bee

The three are running for the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors in District 1, the seat that represents Oakdale, Riverbank, Waterford and part of Modesto. The March 3 primary is expected to whittle the field to two for a runoff in November, unless one of them gets more than 50 percent of the vote.

 

EDITORIAL: These people make decisions affecting your life. Here’s how to get acquainted with them

Modesto Bee

All six congressional candidates have confirmed their participation in The Modesto Bee’s Jan. 22 Debate at The State, and free online sign-ups have been brisk for seats in The State Theatre’s 550-seat auditorium.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

About $90M in new money is proposed for Fresno and inland projects in Newsom’s budget

Fresno Bee

In his new budget proposal on Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for about $90 million in new spending in Fresno and other inland areas for ongoing and one-time projects related to hospitals and upward social mobility.

See also:

 

Fresno County Public Defender’s Office to boost ranks after legal settlement with ACLU

Fresno Bee

The Fresno County Public Defender’s Office will be adding much-needed lawyers to its ranks as part of a legal settlement between the county and the American Civil Liberties Union.

 

Mayor Bob Link to retire; Brett Taylor wants seat

Visalia Times Delta

A Visalia planning commissioner hopes to make the jump to city council after sitting Mayor Bob Link confirmed he will not be seeking reelection this year.

 

Is $1 worth cleaner streets in Visalia?

Visalia Times Delta

Is $1 worth cleaner streets, parks and sidewalks in Visalia? That's the question sanitation officials posed to council members this week, when they asked for an across-the-board increase on garbage pickup fees to establish the Solid Waste Elimination and Enforcement Program.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

Lynn Johnson, senior official with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, visits Kern County

KGET
A senior official with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), visited Kern County over the weekend, and spoke at a local Church Sunday. Lynn Johnson, Assistant Secretary for the HHS Administration for Children and Families, spoke at the Canyon Hills Assembly of God Church in northeast Bakersfield Sunday to discuss a plan aimed at ensuring disadvantaged children and families get the assistance they need.

 

Huge turnout expected for Kern supervisors oil meeting with state regulators

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County’s oil industry is expected to put forward a strong showing at a meeting between industry representatives, state officials and the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

 

OUR VIEW: Bakersfield city officials: Obey the law!

Bakersfield Californian

The City of Bakersfield violated the state’s open meeting and public records laws. It’s as simple as that. And the Kern County Superior Court judge who determined that is someone who should know. He spent much of his legal career, before being appointed to the bench, as a county attorney who insisted Kern County government obeyed those same laws.

 

Hanford Chamber of Commerce starts anew

Hanford Sentinel

The Hanford Chamber of Commerce is starting the New Year with a clean slate and a positive attitude

State:

 

From housing to health care: Here’s what’s in Gavin Newsom’s $222 billion California state budget

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to use a strong economy to help lower-income Californians by boosting education funding, revamping the state’s health program for the poor and getting homeless people off the streets through his second state budget proposal.

See also:

 

‘We want to be a no-kill state.’ Newsom calls for end to animal euthanasia in California

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants California to stop euthanizing animals, and he’s ready to put taxpayer money toward the cause. “We want to be a no-kill state,” Newsom said during a press conference where he presented his 2020-21 budget.

See​​ also:

 

Tracking Gov. Gavin Newsom's Campaign Promises

PolitiFact

The Newsom-Meter will measure whether Gov. Gavin Newsom is able to accomplish what he told voters and ultimately rate each promise as ‘Kept’, ‘Broken’ or ‘Compromise.’ It's the same process PolitiFact used with the Obameter to hold President Obama accountable and is currently used with the Trump-O-Meter to track President Trump’s commitments.

See also:

 

Salaries skyrocket at California state insurance fund following years of scandal

Los Angeles Times

A California public agency that offers workers’ compensation insurance coverage to employers has recruited a high-priced team of former executives from the private sector to turn it around after years of scandal and financial problems.

 

California Policy and Politics

CalMatters

Twenty-nineteen was a year of significant change at the state level in California, perhaps more than you might expect. California already had a supermajority of Democrats in the Legislature and a Democrat in the governor’s office. President Trump was already in the White House and Gavin Newsom was lieutenant governor.

 

Unfavorable Ratings for Political Parties Persist among Californians

PPIC

How do Californians view the two major political parties in this era of hyper-partisanship? In our recent survey, 47% of adults and 46% of likely voters report a favorable impression of​​ the Democratic Party and 31% of adults and 34% of likely voters report a favorable impression of the Republican Party.

 

California population growth could halt in 2060, demographers say for first time

Politico

For the first time, California demographers are warning the state’s population could level off in the coming decades. Data included in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal suggests that California could nearly stop growing by 2060 — a stark reversal from a boom that has seen California’s population double over the past half-century. The Department of Finance said its projections had never before shown that outcome.

See also:

 

Federal:

 

Six issues that make this a blockbuster Supreme Court term

Sacramento Bee

These decisions are likely to be decided in May and June 2020, in the midst of a presidential election season. They will be a powerful reminder that the most long-lasting impact of a presidential election is on the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary.

 

Ten years on, Citizens United ruling has changed U.S. politics — but not in the way many feared

Los Angeles Times

Opponents of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling feared it would result in a flood of corporate money into politics. But there was a different sort of flood.

 

Redistricting power is at stake in the 2020 legislative elections

Los Angeles Times

The reins of political power in the U.S. for the next decade could be determined in this year’s elections — not necessarily by who wins the presidency, but by thousands of lower-profile contests for state legislative seats across the country.

 

Trump Administration Weighs Tighter Requirements for Disability Payments

Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration is working on a plan to tighten eligibility requirements for disability benefits, especially for older Americans, the latest step in a broader White House effort to shrink federal safety-net programs.

 

Two Years Later: What Has Trump’s Tax Law Delivered?

Capital & Main

The corporate tax break will “in the medium term boost the average U.S. household income annually in current dollars by at least $4,000, conservatively,” according to President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers in October of 2017.

 

How unpopular is Betsy DeVos?

PolitiFact

House Democrats attacked Donald Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at a hearing related to a student debt forgiveness rule.  U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said that DeVos aimed to “destroy public education.” “You are the most unpopular person in our government,” Wilson said Dec. 12.

 

OPINION: America’s Conservative Plurality

Wall Street Journal

One major political trend of the past generation is the rising number of Americans who identify as liberal. This has led to predictions of an “emerging Democratic majority” fueled by young and minority voters as well as a bunker mentality on parts of the right.

 

Elections 2020:

 

Want to vote for president in California but bewildered by the changing rules? We’ve got you.

CalMatters

If you’re confused about how to vote in California’s presidential primary, you’re in good company with Susan Sarandon. At the beginning of January, the “Thelma and Louise” actress and Sanders enthusiast issued a public service announcement on Twitter: “California voters: make sure to switch from independent to democrat (sic) in order to vote for @BernieSanders.”

 

10 ways Democratic presidential candidates aim to make the U.S. more like California — and do those ideas work here?

CalMatters

With Democrats holding all the political power in California for nearly the last decade, the Golden State has evolved into a laboratory for big blue ideas. Put a price on carbon? We’ve done it. Provide health insurance to undocumented immigrants? We do some of that too. Gun control, minimum wage hikes and heavy taxes on the rich are also realities here.

 

Bloomberg adds 3 key hires in delegate-rich California

Associated Press

Michael Bloomberg is adding three experienced California Democrats to his presidential campaign in the state that awards the most primary delegates, including the former head of Sen. Kamala Harris’ state campaign operation. Courtni Pugh, who led Harris’ strategy in the senator’s home state, is joining Bloomberg’s team as a senior adviser focused on paid media targeting constituency groups such as Latino and black voters, the campaign announced Friday.

 

Six Democrats Qualify for Final Debate Before Iowa Votes

Wall Street Journal

Six Democratic presidential candidates have qualified for Tuesday’s debate in Iowa, the final televised encounter before the state’s Feb. 3 caucuses. The Democratic National Committee said Saturday the participants in the debate will be: former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

 

How Bernie Sanders Stumbled, Then Steadied His Presidential Campaign

Wall Street Journal

In the days surrounding Bernie Sanders’s heart attack on the campaign trail, his support dipped, at the same time as liberal rival Elizabeth Warren was surging into a near tie with Joe Biden for the lead. The Vermont senator’s chances for the Democratic presidential nomination seemed dim.

 

Can Amy Klobuchar pull off a surprise in Iowa’s presidential caucuses?

Los Angeles Times

Iowa political experts say her day job representing a neighboring state, her Midwestern values and the work she has put into meeting voters in big cities and small towns in every corner of the state could result in a surprise payoff when Iowans caucus on Feb. 3.

 

Pete Buttigieg faces Black Lives Matter protesters from South Bend during Watts visit

Los Angeles Times

Pete Buttigieg has left South Bend, but South Bend hasn’t left him. Activists from the Indiana city are making sure his hometown problems follow him around. When the Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend, Ind., mayor visited a homeless shelter in Watts on Friday morning, he got two very different receptions, symbolizing his challenge in attracting nonwhite voters.

See​​ also:

 

Andrew Yang won the internet, but can he win a 2020 primary?

Los Angeles Times

On a recent swing through Iowa, Andrew Yang was moving through his stump speech, a string of stories and statistics that can sound like an economics seminar. There was talk of flawed indicators and his signature plan to give a monthly check to every American. He warned about a dark and near future where the nation’s highways are filled with trucks driven by robots. One crossed the U.S. last month with a trailer full of butter.

See​​ also:

 

Bloomberg will spend to beat Trump, even if he’s not the nominee

Bakersfield Californian

Michael Bloomberg said Saturday he’s willing to spend a lot of money — but “hopefully not” as much as $1 billion — to help any Democratic nominee defeat President Donald Trump, even if he loses the nomination.


Steyer: It's messaging, not money, that puts me on debate stage

Politico

Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer said on Sunday he made the cutoff for Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate because of his messaging — not the millions of dollars he's spent on advertising. "I think that the thing that has put me on this stage — and it is the same for every single person who's running for president — is message," Steyer said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I have a very simple message, which is, the government is broken. It's been bought by corporations."

 

New Jersey’s Cory Booker ends his presidential campaign

Roll Call

Booker was one of two African-American senators who ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. California Sen. Kamala Harris ended her bid in December. With Booker’s departure, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is the only black candidate left in the race. Booker made his political experience in Newark, his adopted hometown, a central theme throughout his campaign.

See​​ also:

 

Other:

 

‘Women Rise’ For Third Annual Women’s March In Kern Next Weekend

Kern Sol News

Women’s March Kern County is preparing for it’s third annual march in downtown Bakersfield next weekend with a theme of “Women Rise.” This year’s march includes an extended route, a powerful lineup of speakers, musical performers and numerous vendors.

 

Women's Right To Vote Centennial: First Ladies, Rhetoric, And A Fresno Portrait Exhibit

Valley Public Radio

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The Fresno League of Women Voters is kicking off its celebration with a month-long First Ladies portrait exhibit at city hall showcasing a rare collection of oil paintings.

 

Ten years on, Citizens United ruling has changed U.S. politics — but not in the way many feared

Los Angeles Times

Ten years ago this month, the Supreme Court shocked the American political establishment with the declaration that corporations had the same rights as people in the eyes of the 1st Amendment, and therefore were exempt from restrictions on political spending.

 

The State of Trust, Facts, and Democracy

PEW Trusts

As the new year—and an election year—begins, we turn to data on our democracy to learn more about how Americans view institutions and civic life today. Host Dan LeDuc speaks with Michael Dimock, president of the Pew Research Center, about the latest research on trust, facts, and democracy in America.

 

Saving Democracy From the Managerial Elite

Wall Street Journal

The ongoing turmoil in U.S. politics is part of a larger political crisis that is shattering old alignments of left and right in North America and Western Europe. On both sides of the Atlantic, embattled establishments are besieged by populist insurgents.

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, January 19, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: Policing the Police - Guests: Laurel Rosenhall with CALmatters, Ron Lawrence with California Police Chiefs Association, and Alice Hoffman with California Chapter, NCAAP. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, January 19, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: Police Use of Deadly Force: Valley Perspectives - Guests: Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming and Sandra Celedon, Pres. & CEO of Fresno Building Healthy Communities. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, January 19, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: State Auditors Nurses: What would California do with a Nurse Ratched - Guest: Margarita​​ Fernandez, PIO State Auditor's Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Farmers Received $22 Billion In Subsidies In 2019 – Here’s Why Some Economists Are Concerned

Valley Public Radio

Farmers across the country have had a tough few years, between drought and climate change, evolving regulations, and of course, tariffs due to the Trump administration’s escalating trade war abroad.

 

Spray Safe workshop promotes safe application of pesticides

Fresno Bee

The Spray Safe workshop at the Fresno Fairgrounds brought together the agricultural community to encourage the safe application of pesticides. Another Spray Safe is planned Jan. 16 in Tulare.

 

Report: Stomach Illness Outbreak Prompts Yosemite Food Services Investigation

Sierra News

The Associated Press is reporting that federal health officials are inspecting Yosemite National Park’s food service areas after at least a dozen people have fallen ill with stomach issues.

See also:

 

Is this agreement enough to finally allow marijuana dispensaries in Fresno?

Fresno Bee

A couple of Fresno councilmembers said Friday they’ve come to an agreement with Mayor Lee Brand’s administration clearing the way for cannabis dispensaries in the largest city in California to not allow adult use weed shops.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

California Gov. Newsom denies parole for convicted Fresno County murderer

Fresno Bee

A convicted murderer who tortured and buried alive a developmentally disabled Clovis man in 1980 was denied parole by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday. Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp had urged Gov. Newsom to block parole for Weidert.

See also:

 

Gavin Newsom’s budget calls for jail reforms after McClatchy, ProPublica investigation

Fresno Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday demanded more accountability from his state community corrections board and called for more frequent jail inspections, tighter oversight and stricter standards for how sheriffs run local lockups.

 

'Returning as Good Neighbors': For Young Prisoners, Newsom Proposes Rehab Program

KQED
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has promised to focus on rehabilitation in state prisons, on Friday will propose a new program for young offenders that he says will resemble a college campus more than a state lockup — and let them access more educational, therapeutic and vocational opportunities.

 

Rethinking reentry: Strengthening programs and promoting personal agency among returning citizens

AEI

In AEI’s new edited volume “Rethinking Reentry,” leading researchers, scholars, and policymakers dig into the research around what works in prisoner reentry. Federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies continue to struggle with making meaningful and lasting reductions in criminal recidivism.

 

Report Supports Case for Collaborative Courts and Pretrial Programs

California Courts

The Judicial Council at its January 17 meeting will receive a final report on a three-year grant for 39 collaborative courts and pretrial programs that tracked retention, recidivism, and failure to appear rates for participating defendants.

 

COLUMN ONE : California’s Profusion of Prisons : In the past decade, 16 high-tech facilities have been added at costs far above the national average. ‘Three strikes’ will further fuel a growth industry that operates with little oversight.

Los Angeles Times

With minimal outside oversight, California has spawned a multibillion-dollar prison construction industry that extends from Wall Street money managers to hard hats who build the bastilles of concrete, steel and razor wire.

 

Uber won’t share sex assault details with California regulators

San Francisco Chronicle

The ride-hailing company will not share contact information for sexual assault victims with California regulators as ordered.

 

Fresno County To Boost Public Defender Budget As Part Of Settlement

Business Journal

Fresno County has settled a lawsuit regarding the staffing level of its Public Defender’s Office, promising to increase and maintain its budget over the next two fiscal years.

See​​ also:

 

Stemming Gang Activity In Fresno

Valley Public Radio

Fresno’s gangs have been in the news as details emerge about the mistaken retaliation by a Fresno street gang called Mongolian Boys Society in November that left four dead and six injured.

 

EDITORIAL: Fresno County Jail inmates using computers? It might seem risky, but it’s the right idea

Fresno Bee

Fresno County Jail has had its share of controversies over its treatment of inmates. But recently Sheriff Margaret Mims announced a development that is nothing but positive and represents an improvement for inmates.

 

Public Safety:

 

Modesto, Stanislaus County face wrongful death claims in pursuit that killed two

Modesto Bee

The families of two men killed in June by a driver who crashed into them as he fled from authorities in a stolen car have filed wrongful death claims against Modesto and Stanislaus County, seeking millions in compensation.

 

California prison guards opened cells for inmate attacks. Why some kept their jobs

Sacramento Bee

A California prison warden was going to fire six correctional officers after an investigation found they had helped a group of inmates assault convicted sex offenders.

 

National Stalking and Human Trafficking Awareness Month

Fresno State Campus News

Millions of men and women are stalked every year in the United States. Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes fear. This may look like being followed, approached and/or threatened, including through technology.

 

Lack of funds leaves McFarland with few cops, multiple challenges

Bakersfield Californian

I like McFarland. I really do. This working-class northern Kern County city of slightly more than 15,000 souls has had a colorful history and has come back from adversity a number of times in several ways. Disney even made a movie about it aptly titled "McFarland, USA." But the city today is in such dire financial straits that it's difficult to imagine how it might find its way out of this one.

 

Fire:

 

California governor’s budget calls for hundreds more firefighters. ‘It’s about damn time.’

Merced Sun-Star

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget calls for adding hundreds of Cal Fire firefighters to shore up wildfire response capability. The Camp Fire, Tubbs Fire and others showed emergency responses weaknesses.

 

Live in a California wildfire zone? Gavin Newsom budget has money for home retrofits

Sacramento Bee

It was just about the sole piece of good news to emerge from the November 2018 Camp Fire: Homes built to a higher standard were a lot more likely to survive the deadly wildfire. Now, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to do something about that.

 

FEMA says it may bill fire victims if it can’t get $4 billion from PG&E

San Francisco Chronicle

Federal officials say Pacific Gas and Electric Co. owes the government nearly $4 billion, and if they can’t get the payment request resolved as part of the utility’s bankruptcy case, they may later have to ask wildfire victims for a portion of the money instead.

See​​ also:

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

‘Not The Golden State Anymore’: Middle- And Low-Income People Leaving California

Capital Public Radio

Many who have left say they simply couldn’t afford to stay. One report found that the majority of people leaving earned less than $100,000.

 

More entitlements as economy slows?

CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom is tiptoeing into a political region that predecessor Jerry Brown purposely skirted — expanding expensive services and benefits that are difficult, and perhaps impossible, to shrink if California’s economy turns sour. They are called “entitlements” and Newsom’s own proclivities and pressure from a very liberal Legislature are slowly, but surely, expanding existing ones and adding new ones.

 

Most Americans Say There Is Too Much Economic Inequality in the U.S., but Fewer Than Half Call It a Top Priority

Pew Research Center

With about a month to go before the first caucuses and primaries, the issue of economic inequality and how to tackle it remains a focal point in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, and it will likely continue to be a central issue in the general election.

 

Trade War With China Took Toll on U.S., but Not Big One

Wall Street Journal

Farmers took a big hit. Importers of auto parts, furniture and machinery choked down punishing tariffs. Investment between the world’s two largest economies dropped. Much of the U.S. economy is largely unscathed by two turbulent years of trade war with China, economic indicators show. Yet economic growth is trending near 2% in 2019, well short of the Trump administration’s goal of 3%.

 

Washington, Beijing Agree to New Dialogue to Pursue Reforms, Address Disputes

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. and China have agreed to semiannual talks to push for economic reform and resolve disputes, borrowing from a format from previous administrations that Trump trade officials had once derided.

 

Bets on Global-Growth Rebound Power Stock-Market Gains

Wall Street Journal

Investors enter the heart of fourth-quarter earnings season optimistic that the world economy will pick up steam in 2020, a turnaround from last year that some hope can push stocks to fresh highs. Early last year, revenue warnings by bellwether companies including Apple Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. exacerbated worries of a recession spurred by higher interest rates and mounting tariffs.

 

Bank Stocks Had a Bonanza in 2019. Earnings Will Be More Blah.

Wall Street Journal

Falling interest rates were a mixed bag for big U.S. banks last year. That should be evident when they report fourth-quarter earnings this week. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times last year, an about-face after raising rates nine times in the previous three years.

 

OPINION: ‘Late Capitalism’? Not Even Close

Bloomberg

Even the most ardent defenders of capitalism must acknowledge the indignities it occasionally imposes. The toilet seat designed to be uncomfortable with the goal of getting employees back to work quickly seems to capture some of the essence of the criticism that capitalism has jumped the shark.

 

OPINION: The Economy’s Inequality Dividend

Wall Street Journal

The December employment report on Friday was a modest disappointment with fewer new jobs and slowing wage gains. But the report is an exception to other strong recent labor data, and the big picture is that the longest hiring expansion in 80 years is lifting lower-income workers in particular as accumulating evidence shows.

 

Jobs:

 

Left waiting: Workers’ comp creates lengthy delays for those injured on the job

CalMatters

Although the number of Californians needing evaluations for reported on-the-job-injuries has soared, the state's stable of approved medical evaluators to review those cases has been dropping.

 

Amway, Welcome to the Gig Economy: You’re Being Sued Over Pay

Bloomberg

Amway Corp. has long faced controversy over its multi-level marketing business model. Now, the family-owned direct sales giant is accused in a lawsuit of ripping off the people who peddle its products by failing to pay them minimum wage. It’s part of a wave of cases in California over who counts as an employee, a battle that’s heated up with a new state law that makes it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors to avoid giving them better pay and benefits.

 

OPINION: The Gig Economy Is Coming for Your Job

New York Times

A few years ago, Adalberto Martín began to see some troubling changes at work. As a veteran member of the room service staff at Marriott’s W Hotel in downtown San Francisco, he was an expert in delivering carefully assembled trays of food and drink to hungry guests.

 

Want to earn $18-$21 an hour? Census Bureau is hiring temporary workers for 2020 count

Modesto Bee

The U.S. Census Bureau wants you to help determine how billions of federal dollars are distributed for local schools, roads, hospitals and more.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Here’s a chance to work at Clovis Unified with a teacher job fair later this month

Fresno Bee

Would you like to work for Clovis Unified? The nationally recognized school district will hold its seventh annual teacher job fair Jan. 22 at the Clovis Unified Professional Development Building.

 

CUSD Kicks Off Measure A Campaign With Pep Rally

Clovis RoundUp

Clovis Unified School District board members, along with faculty, students and community supporters, kicked off the district’s Measure A campaign to approve $408 million in bonds.

 

Fresno Unified School District works to fight flu season

abc30

As our kids settle back into the classroom, flu season is in full swing. At Fresno Unified, it's never too early to start talking flu season.

 

A legend among Modesto educators will kick off Martin Luther King Jr. events

Modesto Bee

Odessa Johnson, one of the most accomplished educators in the Modesto area, will kick off events marking the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

 

Principal transfer upsets Oak Grove community

Porterville Recorder

The recent shift in principals at three different Burton School District schools has done more than just “shake up” the staff. It also has those at the schools questioning as to why the moves were made.

 

Lincoln Unified Board of Trustees vote down petition to open a charter school in the district

Stockton Record

Aspire Public Schools officials say they are not giving up on their petition to open a charter school in the Lincoln Unified School District after the district’s Board of Trustees voted it down Wednesday evening.

 

Big changes could be in store for 3 school districts if March bond measures pass

Bakersfield Californian

Voters in McFarland and Wasco will decide the fate of three school bond measures in March that, if passed, will lead to the construction of new facilities and revitalization of several schools.

 

After-school educational center opening first California location in Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

IDEA Lab Kids — an after-school educational center focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math — is opening its first California location at 3359 Allen Road on Saturday.

 

Follow The Money: Are Changes Coming For California’s School Funding Law?

Capital Public Radio

A critical state audit has made oversight of spending on disadvantaged students a first order of business for California lawmakers.

See also:

 

Newsom’s budget includes $900 million to address California teacher shortage

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget includes $900 million to recruit and retain teachers, part of a plan to attack a critical statewide shortage of instructors, especially in math, sciences and for students with disabilities.

See also:

 

Follow the money: Are changes coming for California’s school funding law?

CalMatters

Galvanized by a state audit that criticized California’s lax oversight of school spending, legislators are ringing in the new decade with proposals that would require the state to follow the money that districts get to educate disadvantaged kids.

 

African-American suspension rate drops in California, after years of reform efforts

EdSource

After nearly a decade of school discipline reform in California, the suspension rate for African American students continued to decline last year, according to recently released state data.

 

Continuing Efforts to Connect Education to the Workforce

EdNote

Historically, state policymakers have sought ways to connect people to quality education that leads to sustaining and fulfilling jobs. As the 2020 legislative sessions get underway in states, there are a few general principles that support connecting education and workforce development. In many instances, the legislation introduced in 2019 (at least 258 bills in 49 states) and ultimately enacted (49 bills in 26 states) apply these principles.

 

Success Academy Charter Schools with Robert Pondiscio

AEI

No charter school network has generated as much controversy as New York City’s Success Academy. Founded in 2006 by Eva Moskowitz, the schools have gained renown for their unprecedented success on standardized tests. At the same time, some critics have forcefully criticized Moskowitz and aspects of the schools’ culture.

 

American history textbooks can differ across the country, in ways that are shaded by partisan politics.

New York Times

The textbooks cover the same sweeping story, from the brutality of slavery to the struggle for civil rights. The self-evident truths of the founding documents to the waves of immigration that reshaped the nation. The books have the same publisher. They credit the same authors. But they are customized for students in different states, and their contents sometimes diverge in ways that reflect the nation’s deepest partisan divides.

 

Blog Post: Military kids change school up to 9 times. So let’s make it easier.

AEI

By the time most military children complete secondary school, they will have switched schools up to nine times. These frequent changes between schools of strikingly varying quality trouble military children both socially and academically.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Pres. Castro to talk about new initiatives, highlight faculty and staff at Spring Assembly

Fresno State Campus News

As part of his spring message, President Castro will discuss new collaborations and initiatives that build on our collective foundation of innovation. Among other topics, you will hear about recently obtained and impactful grants and private donations that support our work and mission in supporting student success.

 

Fresno State students to see road closure upon return from winter break

abc30

Fresno State students go back to class next week, and the spring semester will begin with a street closure and a lot of construction on the school's new student union.

See also:

 

UC Merced forecast for 2020? More students, employees and campus space

Merced Sun-Star

UC Merced, the youngest school in the University of California’s 10 campus system, is growing up — and fast. Opened in 2005, the size of the student population, number of employees and the size of the ever-expanding campus are on the rise.

 

Letter to the Editor: Support a new hub coming to town

Bakersfield Californian

On Dec. 26, on the bottom of the front page there was an article about two families who have contributed to an upcoming science and math building with will be built on CSUB's campus ("Retired educator gives financial gift to CSUB's Energy and Engineering Innovation Building").

 

What happens when community college is made free

The Conversation

Policymakers and presidential hopefuls are having a spirited debate over whether the U.S. should offer free community college, free public college in general or additional college subsidies directed at low-income students. In a recent paper, my coauthors Chris Avery, Jessica Howell, Matea Pender and I looked at these scenarios.

 

Is college still worth it? Read this study.

Washington Post

Soon, high school seniors across the country will find out which colleges have accepted them for admission in the fall. For many, next comes a decision that could tether them tomonthly debt payments for decades.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Conservationists buy sequoia grove in Tulare County

Visalia Times Delta

Donations flooded in from around the country — and the globe — to purchase the largest private grove of giant sequoia in the mountains of Tulare County.

See also:

 

Environmental group files another legal challenge to Grapevine housing project at Tejon Ranch

Bakersfield Californian

An Arizona-based environmental group has again challenged plans for a large, master-planned community just north of the Grapevine, saying Kern County's amended environmental review of the project underestimates its potential impacts on wildlife and air quality.

 

What causes dangerous tule fog in California’s Central Valley, and why is it becoming less common?

Los Angeles Times

Opaque tule fog, a staple of winter in California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, is the bane of motorists because it can reduce visibility to zero and cause massive freeway pileups.

 

California Lays Out Ambitious Climate Change Budget Plan, Says Trump Administration Isn’t Helping

Capital Public Radio

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new budget proposal holds ambitious goals for addressing climate change — including a climate resilience bond for the November ballot.

See also:

 

She helped make California a clean air leader. Now Trump could upend that legacy

Los Angeles Times

She has served under four governors, and has long been the force behind California’s crusade to reduce air pollution, clean car emissions and lead the United States in addressing climate change.

 

California wants to buy huge ranch to create new state park

Associated Press

A pristine, 80-square-mile ranch within an hour’s drive of San Francisco is up for sale for the first time in 85 years and California wants to acquire the property to create one of the largest state parks in decades.

 

Critics warn Trump's latest environmental rollback could hit minorities, poor hardest

The Hill

President Trump's proposed overhaul of a bedrock environmental law aims to streamline project reviews, but those changes are likely to hit minority communities and those with high poverty rates the hardest, experts warn.

 

House passes bill to force EPA regulation of 'forever chemicals'

abc30

The House passed a bill on Friday that will require the Environmental Protection Agency to act to limit Americans' exposure to chemicals connected to health problems amid a growing concern about the quality of drinking water around the country.

 

Energy:

 

Huge turnout expected for Kern supervisors oil meeting with state regulators

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County’s oil industry is expected to put forward a strong showing at a meeting between industry representatives, state officials and the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Hundreds connected to the oil industry are expected to attend the meeting, which will offer a unique chance for dialogue between oil leaders, local government officials, and state department heads whose jobs could include the managed decline of Kern County’s leading industry.

 

California’s renewable energy targets slashed carbon pollution — now there’s a proposal to pause them

CalMatters

California’s ambitious renewable energy targets helped drive a substantial drop in greenhouse gas pollution that propelled the state past its 2020 climate change goals early, according to a non-partisan analysis released this week. Yet one California lawmaker confirmed Tuesday he wants to put a stop to the mandate, for now.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose that California manufacture its own generic drugs

CalMatters

In a bold strategy to drive down prescription drug prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing that California become the first state in the nation to establish its own generic drug label, making those medications available at an affordable price to the state’s 40 million residents.

 

Flu deaths up 65% in the new year: CDC

abc30

At least 4,800 people have died and 87,000 have been hospitalized due to the flu, according to preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

US fertility rate falls to record low: What women should know about trend

abc30

The total fertility rate in the U.S. -- the number of births that a woman is expected to have over her lifetime -- is at 1.73, an all-time low, according to data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

Climate change could stress mind and body, Modesto audience hears. But there’s hope

Modesto Bee

Modesto Junior College hosted experts Friday on how climate change could affect physical and mental health in the Central Valley.

 

Children to be screened for toxic stress, trauma under new state initiative

Bakersfield Californian

Children in Kern County and throughout California may be screened for childhood trauma and toxic stress during routine pediatrician visits starting this year.

 

‘Troubling’ audit reveals state failure to test millions of babies for toxic lead

CalMatters

State Auditor Elaine Howle found some 1.4 million toddlers enrolled in Medi-Cal had gone untested for lead exposure over the past decade, and another 740,000 missed one of two required screenings — a failure encompassing nearly three-quarters of the babies covered by the state’s publicly-funded health insurance program.  

 

Lyme disease led to my daughter’s death. Join the fight against tick-borne disease

CalMatters

My cause is personal, and my goal will not be deterred as I, and those joining with me, work to see that no other person suffers the way my daughter did. A small tick bit her. That eventually led to her death. In 21st Century America, this should not have happened.

 

Human Services:

 

Fresno Co. veterans to get new building for community events

abc30

After years of talking about it, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 73-80 of Firebaugh are getting a new facility. City leaders recently secured a Community Development grant to tear down the old building and begin construction in the coming weeks.

 

Federal official in Bakersfield asks faith community to take in more foster youth

Bakersfield Californian

A Trump administration official visiting a Bakersfield church Sunday challenged faith communities to find permanent homes for young people struggling in the foster care system.

 

Inside Google’s Quest for Millions of Medical Records

Wall Street Journal

Roughly a year ago, Google offered health-data company Cerner Corp. an unusually rich proposal. Cerner was interviewing Silicon Valley giants to pick a storage provider for 250 million health records, one of the largest collections of U.S. patient data. Google dispatched former chief executive Eric Schmidt to personally pitch Cerner over several phone calls and offered around $250 million in discounts and incentives, people familiar with the matter say.

 

What if a Vaping Tax Encouraged Cigarette Smoking?

New York Times

The surging popularity of vaping among young Americans is driving lawmakers to use one of their favorite tools to discourage unwanted behavior: taxes. In December, the Massachusetts legislature passed a 75 percent tax on all e-cigarettes.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

How Supreme Court DACA case could affect U.S. citizen children

EdSource

When 15-year-old Guadalupe Garcia thinks about what could happen if the Supreme Court decides to end protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, she feels terrified that her mother could be deported.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

City of Merced wants residents' input on plot of land

abc30

The City purchased the property in 2007 for a soccer and sports complex to use jointly with the Merced Union High School District. Officials say those plans changed when the district built El Capitan High School in North Merced, but the need never stopped growing for additional soccer space.

 

Five Below moves into former Sears building at the Merced Mall

abc30

A new store is coming to the North Valley. Five Below will be one of the shops moving into the former Sears building at the Merced Mall. The department store mostly sells merchandise for teenagers.

 

Popular Merced hotel receiving big makeover as part of downtown renovation efforts

abc30

A model space inside the Tioga gives prospective renters a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle GSF Properties is promoting. While most units will not come fully furnished, they will feature an open floorplan, stone countertops, stainless steel appliances and a washer and dryer.

 

More Visalia Spec Industrial Buildings Get Permits

Business Journal

Two more massive, speculative industrial buildings got City of Visalia permits in recent weeks. Fresno’s Diversified Development Group (DDG) will build a 244,280 square-foot concrete tilt-up building at 2520 N Plaza Dr., and a second 120,000 square-foot building next door at 9105 W Riggin Ave., both located at the southeast corner of Riggin and Plaza.

 

Hurdle cleared for casino to go from res to Porterville

Visalia Times Delta

Another hurdle was cleared in the effort to relocate Eagle Mountain Casino from the Tule River Reservation to Porterville.

 

EDITORIAL: How do we pump new life and energy into downtown Modesto? Here are some ideas

Modesto Bee

Some potential changes to downtown Modesto now being floated are eye-opening. They include: Moving the Modesto Nuts’ ballpark to a future stadium at the southeast corner of 10th and F streets, now home to a body shop, various industrial buildings and private parking.

 

A New Tool Can Help Assess Opportunity Zone Investments’ Social Impacts

Urban Institute

The Opportunity Zone (OZ) tax incentive is intended to encourage private investment in real estate and businesses in high-poverty or low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods. The Urban Institute’s early research on Opportunity Zones revealed the promise of the incentive, as well as the risk that it could fail to make a difference in many regions and cities.

 

Housing:

 

Trump’s homeless czar went undercover in Fresno. Now he’s making plans for California

Fresno Bee

Should homeless people get housing first, or be asked to address substance and mental health issues before being admitted to a shelter? Donald Trump’s homeless czar disagrees with California’s approach.

 

Shaver Lake Lands Top Spot For Best Winter Vacation Homes

Business Journal

Looking for a winter home? You may not have to look further than Shaver Lake. The popular recreation spot in Fresno County has been named as one of the 10 best places to buy a winter vacation home in 2019-2020, according to Vacasa, a Portland, Oregon-based vacation rental management company.

 

Mountain Area Home Sales, Median Prices Hold Steady in 2019

Sierra News

2019 proved to be a solid year for home sales in eastern Madera County, according Realtor Ed Bailey of Ed Bailey Realty, who compiled the year-end data from California Regional MLS reports released in 2019.

 

Downtown developer looks for a second housing success

Bakersfield Californian

The father-son team behind downtown Bakersfield's first market-rate housing development in decades is doubling down with a similar project just two blocks away in a part of town observers say has greatly benefited from the investment.

 

Podcast: Will the latest changes to controversial housing bill get Newsom on board?

CalMatters

Sen. Scott Wiener is on his third try to force cities to allow more apartment buildings around public transit and in single family neighborhoods. It’s been an arduous, uphill slog, with unexpected setbacks that have stalled previous versions of Senate Bill 50 relatively early in the legislative process.

 

Last year’s hottest housing fight just got resurrected — here’s what to know

CalMatters

Sen. Scott Wiener's housing density bill is back in the pipeline, with amendments to appeal to the suburban homeowners, local governments, and anti-gentrification groups that twice sank it.  Will the third time be the charm?

 

Homeless Californians Adapt To Camp Sweeps And ‘The Caltrans Shuffle’

California Healthline

It’s 5 a.m., and the thermostat reads 44 degrees. Cars round the bend of an off-ramp of state Route 24 in northern Oakland, spraying bands of light across Norm Ciha and his neighbors. They wear headlamps so they can see in the dark as they gather their belongings: tents, clothes, cooking gear, carts piled with blankets, children’s shoes and, in one case, a set of golf clubs.

 

EDITORIAL: Getting serious about California’s housing crisis means moving SB 50 forward

Los Angeles Times

Senate Bill 50 is back — new, improved, still controversial and definitely worth consideration. Though the bill is not perfect, it deserves to be moved forward.

 

EDITORIAL: Newsom’s homeless shelter plan needs legislative support

San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new homelessness plan is ambitious. But without additional changes to state law, there are no guarantees that he’ll find success.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Cannabis Tax Revenues In Woodlake Hit $800,000 And Counting

VPR

In January 2018, the Tulare County City of Woodlake became home to the San Joaquin Valley’s first-ever recreational marijuana dispensary. Two other businesses, a large-scale cultivator and extract manufacturer, opened in 2019.

 

Blog Post: Rhetoric aside, safety net spending continues to grow

AEI

To listen to some of the Trump administration’s critics, you would think the American safety net for families and the poor has been completely shredded. One recent exampleis an “Open Letter to the American People Concerning the Trump Administration’s Anti-Family Policies” that dozens of liberal groups issued on December 11, 2019.

 

What if a Vaping Tax Encouraged Cigarette Smoking?

New York Times

The surging popularity of vaping among young Americans is driving lawmakers to use one of their favorite tools to discourage unwanted behavior: taxes. In December, the Massachusetts legislature passed a 75 percent tax on all e-cigarettes.

 

Two Years Later: What Has Trump’s Tax Law Delivered?

Capital & Main

The corporate tax break will “in the medium term boost the average U.S. household income annually in current dollars by at least $4,000, conservatively,” according to President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers in October of 2017.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

What American voters can learn from Boeing

Fresno Bee

One of the questions Americans must decide before they vote in November is whether they want a leader who admits his/her mistakes or claims invulnerability. Boeing has just eaten crow by admitting that it now recommends simulator training for its 737 MAX jetliners, two of which crashed within five months of each other, killing all on board.

 

California’s ‘hydrogen highway’ never happened. Could 2020 change that?

CalMatters

Hydrogen-powered cars haven't taken off. But with successful pilot projects using hydrogen buses and trucks, and with carmakers poised to expand consumers' options, proponents say this may be the year when the climate-friendly “fuel of the future” finally arrives.

 

WATER

 

Rising sea levels threaten California beaches. Here’s how we can help protect them

Fresno Bee

In California, although we also understand that climate change is happening, we hadn’t experienced it much until recently. So far, we mostly have been spared impacts of sea-level rise and have benefitted from favorable ocean circulation patterns.

 

The delta’s sinking islands

San Francisco Chronicle

A fight over the management of a diked island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is shining a light on a growing conundrum for California water managers, farmers and environmentalists over the best way to restore natural habitat on cropland created more than a century ago by draining marshes.

 

“Xtra”

 

Openings And Ovations — Restaurant News In The Central Valley

Business Journal

Eateries are getting noticed in the Central Valley with a couple notable mentions nationally as well as some awaited openings.

 

A look at the new restaurants/retailers coming to Modesto, Central Valley in 2020

Modesto Bee

What’s opening in the valley in 2020? Find out what new restaurants, retailers are coming into the area this year, and when.

 

At the Golden Globes ‘1917’ Wins Top Awards on Night of Upsets

Wall Street Journal

With all eyes on whether Netflix would rule the Golden Globes this year, the night’s most prestigious award went to a late-breaking front-runner, the World War I epic “1917.” The film, which will not open in wide release until the end of the week, beat out three Netflix movies in the race for best motion picture drama.

 

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

 

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

                                                     

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

 

 

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