January 19, 2021

19Jan

POLICY & POLITICS

 

North SJ Valley:

 

Stanislaus County public health stops using Moderna vaccine after state raises concerns

Modesto Bee

The state issued a warning Sunday and recommended a pause in administering a block of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine because of possible allergic reactions. A higher than usual number of possible allergic reactions were reported with a specific lot of Moderna vaccine administered at a single community clinic in California, said Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s top epidemiologist.

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Garth Stapley: Many Stanislaus voters distrusted mail elections, but no proof of fraud

Modesto Bee

On Dec. 15, my mother-in-law mailed Christmas gifts from her neighborhood post office in Orangevale, a Sacramento suburb, to various family members in Modesto, Texas and Utah. All were received in a couple of days, except ours.

 

‘What are you going to do?’ Stanislaus leaders look ahead while honoring MLK’s legacy

Modesto Bee

Taking ownership of the problems facing society today is crucial in honoring and building upon the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, Stanislaus County NAACP president Wendy Byrd said Monday.

 

Hampton returns to Turlock City Hall

Turlock Journal

Gary Hampton has returned to the City of Turlock to serve in an executive leadership position for the third time, following City Council action to appoint him acting city manager while the current city manager is under investigation.

 

Why did Turlock’s acting city manager accept the job? What he’s done since retiring

Modesto Bee

Gary Hampton’s return to the Turlock City Manager’s Office started with a phone call the weekend after the City Council put Toby Wells on investigative leave. Over the phone, a City Council member asked him if he would be willing to help as acting city manager, Hampton said.

 

Opinion: Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs’ election loss proves dangers of Facebook disinformation

Fresno Bee

There are lessons to be learned from one of the biggest shockers in the November election — where a virtually unknown Republican candidate who voted just three times in the last 23 elections, knocked off a nationally-recognized rising star, Democratic Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

‘Defiance of science’ partly behind Fresno County’s dismal COVID-19 numbers, says top doc

Fresno Bee

Fresno County’s top doctor said Friday that even as the county ramps up its vaccination efforts, he and other Valley health officers are bracing for an increase in COVID-19 infections related to family and social gatherings around the Christmas and New Year holidays.

See also:

 

Tulare County surpasses 500 deaths

Porterville Recorder

Tulare County reached a grim milestone on Friday as it surpassed 500 deaths due to COVID-19. Tulare County Health and Human Services reported seven more deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of deaths in Tulare County due to COVID-19.

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Jerry Dyer’s Beautify Fresno initiative kicks off with cleanups on MLK Day

Fresno Bee

Beautify Fresno, formerly known as Keep Fresno Beautiful, hosted two cleanup events to launch Mayor Jerry Dyer’s new initiative and to celebrate the National Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 

‘Everything’s on the table.’ Amid Capitol chaos, how can Fresno City Hall be made safe?

Fresno Bee

Following the assault on the Capitol by a mob last week, a Fresno City Council member is leading the charge to review safety measures at City Hall.

 

An ‘eviction tsunami’ looms over Fresno, central San Joaquin Valley. What it means for you

Fresno Bee

Approximately 2 million people, including children, are at risk of eviction when California’s eviction moratorium expires on Feb. 1. Nationwide, 6.7 million adults are likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, and Fresno may be in the eye of the storm.

 

Congressman David Valadao joins House Appropriations Committee

Hanford Sentinel

This week, U.S. Representative David G. Valadao was appointed to the House Committee on Appropriations, the committee responsible for funding the federal government and determining where American tax dollars are spent.

 

VP Mike Pence, wife address crowds at NAS Lemoore

Hanford Sentinel

Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence visited Naval Air Station Lemoore Saturday to honor military spouses and address some of the struggles they face. “This is my last official event as Second Lady, and there isn’t anywhere I’d rather be,” Pence said, becoming emotional.

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South SJ Valley:

 

Increasing COVID-19 deaths strain morgues, funeral homes

Bakersfield Californian

As COVID-19 deaths climb locally, funeral homes, crematories and others in the business of caring for the dead are feeling the strain. Deaths are mounting following a major uptick in virus cases locally that started after Thanksgiving.

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Neighbors of proposed transitional home for homeless women file appeal with City Council

Bakersfield Californian

The neighbors of a proposed transitional home for homeless women and their children have filed an appeal of the project to the City Council following an approval by the Bakersfield Planning Commission.

 

JOSE GASPAR: McFarland, Arvin need total transparency in selecting new police chief

Bakersfield Californian

I'm picking off where I left off last time we met on the sensitive issue of the hiring process underway as the city of McFarland searches for a new police chief. Arvin is also going through a similar process, but I'll get to that in a bit.

 

In interview, retired Congressman Bill Thomas knocks McCarthy for supporting 'lies'

Bakersfield Californian

The fallout continued Friday for Rep. Kevin McCarthy when his former boss and mentor, retired Congressman Bill Thomas, called him out for supporting “the phony lies the president perpetuated” and labeled McCarthy a "hypocrite" for putting political aspirations for party leadership before doing what’s right for the country.

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State:

 

COVID Update:

 

Fight against COVID-19 hits wall of defiance, suspicion in rural California: ‘The excuses just go on’

Los Angeles Times

Jeremiah Fears sat beneath an elk head mounted on the wall of the volunteer fire department in his little city and rolled up his sleeve for what he hopes is a step toward normality: his first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

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Pandemic reveals tale of 2 Californias like never before

Politico

The tale of two Californias has never been clearer. As Bay Area tech workers set up home offices to avoid coronavirus exposure, grocers, farm workers and warehouse employees in the Central Valley never stopped reporting to job sites.

 

Prop. 22 faces first legal challenge as SEIU, ride-hail drivers file suit

Los Angeles Times

A handful of app-based drivers in California and one of the nation’s largest labor unions are taking to the courts to dispute Proposition 22, posing the first legal challenge to the state’s voter-approved law allowing gig companies to keep treating their workers as independent contractors.

 

Undercutting Trump, Justice Dept. ends Pa. election investigation, having found ‘insufficient evidence’ of criminal intent

Washington Post

The top federal prosecutor in Harrisburg, Pa., announced Friday that his office has closed an investigation into nine discarded ballots found in the northeastern part of the state that President Trump had touted to support his unfounded claims of election rigging, saying in a statement that the probe had found “insufficient evidence to prove criminal intent on the part of the person who discarded the ballots.”

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Walters: Democrats overreach on recall, miss valid point

CalMatters

California Democrats overreach by comparing the recall campaign against Gov. Gavin Newsom to the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol but could have had a legitimate point.

 

Trump’s rhetoric behind California’s big gains in Latino voter registration

CalMatters

President Donald Trump’s harsh rhetoric toward Latinos and failed promise to build a wall may well be the driving force behind a significant increase in Latino voter registration in California.

 

Federal:

 

Outgoing CDC Director Warns Of Pandemic's Peak: 'We're About To Be In The Worst Of It'

VPR

Redfield's departure on Wednesday, when President-elect Joe Biden will usher in a new administration, comes as a record surge in COVID-19 cases is sweeping across the country.

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Make America California Again? That’s Biden’s plan

Los Angeles Times

After four years of being relentlessly targeted by a Republican president who worked overtime to bait, punish and marginalize California and everything it represents, the state is suddenly center stage again in Washington’s policy arena.

 

Biden unveils plans for expanded access to the vaccine

Washington Post

President-elect Joe Biden on Friday offered a sober assessment of the nation’s ability to conquer the coronavirus pandemic, saying the country remains “in a very dark winter” as the number of dead approaches 400,000. Biden unveiled his incoming administration’s plan to get Americans vaccinated.

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What Will Biden’s Covid-19 Stimulus Plan Look Like?

Wall Street Journal

President-elect Joe Biden says he plans to detail Thursday the first major legislation of his incoming administration: a massive new stimulus and relief package meant to address the continuing economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Biden Begins Presidency With Positive Ratings; Trump Departs With Lowest-Ever Job Mark

Pew Research Center

As Joe Biden prepares to take office just days after a deadly riot inside the U.S. Capitol, 64% of voters express a positive opinion of his conduct since he won the November election. Majorities also approve of Biden’s Cabinet selections and how he has explained his plans and policies for the future.

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Poll: Majority Of Americans Blame Trump For Violence At Capitol

NPR
Almost 6 in 10 Americans said they blame President Trump for the violent insurrection that took place Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

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Opinion: The current divide in the GOP isn’t that deep

Roll Call

There was a Democratic divide early in the year that evaporated during the general election, and there is a divide developing within the GOP. But what is missing in all the chatter and analysis is some perspective.

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The Trump administration bailed out prominent anti-vaccine groups during a pandemic

Washington Post

Five prominent anti-vaccine organizations that have been known to spread misleading information about the coronavirus received more than $850,000 in loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program…

 

How Trump compares with other recent presidents in appointing federal judges

Pew Research Center

Donald Trump leaves the White House having appointed more than 200 judges to the federal bench, including nearly as many powerful federal appeals court judges in four years as Barack Obama appointed in eight.  

 

With House Republicans flouting COVID-19 guidelines, proxy voting remains an essential option

Brookings

Since its adoption in May 2020, the proxy voting system has been heavily politicized, with Republican leaders even filing a lawsuit against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats that questions the constitutionality of the system.

 

Column: How Trump cheapened one of America’s highest honors, the Medal of Freedom

Los Angeles Times

Nothing makes sense anymore. The party of “law and order” just rampaged through the Capitol, bludgeoning a police officer to death and calling for the lynching of the vice president. The party’s leader, President Trump, has pardoned a rogues’ gallery of thieves and murderers.

 

Other:

 

News Use Across Social Media Platforms in 2020

Pew Research Center

As social media companies struggle to deal with misleading information on their platforms about the election, the COVID-19 pandemic and more, a large portion of Americans continue to rely on these sites for news.

See also:

 

‘A hack job,’ ‘outright lies’: Trump commission’s ‘1776 Report’ outrages historians

Washington Post

Historians responded with dismay and anger Monday after the White House’s “1776 Commission” released a report that it said would help Americans better understand the nation’s history by “restoring patriotic education.”

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, January 24, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: Little Hoover Commission Report: What's So Special About Special Districts?   - Guest: Carole D'Elia, Executive Director - Little Hoover Commission. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, January 24, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: Special Districts: Relevant or Redundant?- Guests: David Fey from LAFCO Fresno, Sara Lytle-Pinhey from LAFCO Stanislaus, William Nicholson from LAFCO Merced, David Braun from LAFCO Madera and Alan Hoffman, General Manager of the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Why Billions In Food Aid Hasn't Gotten To Needy Families

VPR
When schools shut down in the spring, that raised immediate worries about the nearly 30 million children who depend on school food. Those worries were essentially borne out, with researchers reporting a large rise in child hunger.

 

California sets vaccine plan for agricultural workers

Capital Press

California is rolling out its COVID-19 vaccine plan, which includes details about when agricultural workers can expect to receive vaccinations. Health care workers and residents in long-term care settings are first in line, in what the state has dubbed Phase 1a, which includes about 3 million people and could take months.

 

LOIS HENRY: Valley irrigation district OKs plan to harvest mountain stream

Bakersfield Californian

A plan to bring water from the South Fork of the Kern River through Isabella Lake and down 60 miles to farm fields west of Bakersfield was unanimously approved by the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District board of directors on Tuesday.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Racial bias in California courts could force judges to reconsider sentences under proposed law

Sacramento Bee

Californians with past criminal convictions would gain a new avenue to clear their records if they can show racial bias affected their arrest or sentencing under a proposed law sponsored by a former public defender.

 

Bank Of America Sued Over EDD Unemployment Debit Card Fraud

CalMatters

A new federal lawsuit takes aim at Bank of America for failing to secure the unemployment debit cards of thousands of Californians, part of a chaotic response to record jobless claims that has made the state Employment Development Department the target of widespread fraud.

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JOSE GASPAR: McFarland, Arvin need total transparency in selecting new police chief

Bakersfield Californian

I'm picking off where I left off last time we met on the sensitive issue of the hiring process underway as the city of McFarland searches for a new police chief. Arvin is also going through a similar process, but I'll get to that in a bit.

 

Public Safety:

 

Efforts to curb domestic violence in California lack of strategy, leadership, commission says

Sacramento Bee

Domestic violence all too often explodes outside of California’s homes, resulting in the deaths of not only people in those households but also law enforcement and collateral victims.

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Fire:

 

Areas destroyed by Creek Fire now under a high wind watch. Power shutoff could be coming

Sierra Star

A high wind watch for areas ravaged by the Creek Fire has prompted PG&E to notify approximately 21,000 customers that they could be without power for a few days.

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Here’s What California Lawmakers Want To Do To Prevent The Wildfire Crisis From Getting Worse

Capital Public Radio

For the first time in a very long time the amount of acreage that burned across all sorts of California ecosystems — 4.1 million acres in 2020 — nearly matched how much burned historically in the state.

 

Wildfire smoke now causes up to half the fine-particle pollution in Western U.S., study finds

Los Angeles Times

Wildfire smoke now accounts for up to half of all fine-particle pollution in the Western U.S., according to a new study that blames climate change for worsening air quality and health risks in both urban and rural communities in recent years.

 

Hounded by Wildfires, Californians Rethink Their Willingness to Rebuild

New York Times

In the aftermath, some people are deciding to just begin new lives elsewhere. The pandemic and longstanding housing problems haven’t made the choices any easier.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Liquor license fee waivers part of Newson’s budget proposal

Business Journal

In Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2021-22 proposed budget, he set aside $45 million for fee waivers for liquor licenses from ABC that would affect approximately 59,000 restaurants and bars impacted by Covid lockdowns, according to a press release from the ABC.

 

Stocks fall as economy’s pain deepens, post a weekly loss

Business Journal

Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Friday, posting their first weekly loss after two weeks of solid gains. The S&P 500 fell 0.7%, with stocks of companies that most need a healthier economy taking some of the sharpest losses.

 

Retail Spending Dips For 3rd Straight Month As Infections Surge

VPR
Restaurants and bars are reeling from persistent spikes of coronavirus cases and related restrictions in their communities, driving retail spending in December down for the third month in a row.

 

Poll: 82% Of Americans Want More Small Business Aid, 72% Want Stimulus Checks From Biden Administration

Forbes

With President-elect Joe Biden preparing to push for a sweeping stimulus package from a Democratic Congress after he takes office on Wednesday, a new Morning Consult poll found that Americans want his administration to prioritize aid for small businesses and additional direct payments.

See also:

 

How We Rise

Brookings

How social networks impact economic mobility in Racine, WI, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC

 

The silver economy is coming of age: A look at the growing spending power of seniors

Brookings

Seniors are now significant players in the economy and their role will get even bigger in the 2020s.

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Jobs:

 

Many frustrated California workers locked out of unemployment benefits, accused of 'fraudulent activity'

abc30

Two weeks after 1.4 million Californians lost their unemployment benefits as part of the EDD's anti-fraud efforts, Assemblymember Jim Patterson is demanding answers.

 

California fast-food workers hold one-day strike over minimum wage, working conditions

Sacramento Bee

Fast-food workers went on a one-day strike in Sacramento, Oakland, Los Angeles and 13 other cities across the nation on Friday, marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and demanding a national minimum wage of $15 an hour.

 

New details on Newsom’s state worker proposal — what happens to raises, health deductions?

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom tentatively offered state employees some good news last week when he said his administration might undo the pay cuts the workers absorbed last summer.

 

Some workers don’t want a COVID-19 vaccine. Can their bosses make them get it anyway?

Los Angeles Times

Most of the faculty at a southern Minnesota high school can’t wait to get the shots that will protect them against COVID-19. But an instructor who teaches business classes said he’s not ready to take it, and he fears that his refusal to get vaccinated will prevent him from returning to his classroom.

 

Biden’s claim about employment of ‘mom-and-pop’ businesses

Washington Post

Biden made the observation that “mom-and-pop small businesses” employ more people than “big corporations.” Is Biden right? Well, it depends on what counts as a “mom-and-pop” small business — and a “big corporation.”

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

‘Let Them Play’ protests pop around Fresno area, supporting start up of high school sports

Fresno Bee

With the possibility of high school football and other sports not being played this school year, student athletes and their families around the state held protests late Friday afternoon to urge that school-sponsored sports resume.

See also:

 

Newsom's proposal to expand transitional kindergarten offerings brings good news to local districts

Bakersfield Californian

Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed state budget makes some headway on his goal of making transitional kindergarten accessible to all 4-year-olds in the state by providing relief to school districts.

 

Europe’s Schools Are Closing Again on Concerns They Spread Covid-19

Wall Street Journal

As U.S. authorities debate whether to keep schools open, a consensus is emerging in Europe that children are a considerable factor in the spread of Covid-19—and more countries are shutting schools for the first time since the spring.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Madera Community College nursing students assisting with COVID-19 vaccination process

abc30

The Madera County Department of Public Health Department is in need of reinforcements. A few days ago they started allowing residents 75 and older to get vaccinated, but they ran into some issues.

 

A record number of students leaving California for college. See where they’re going

Sacramento Bee

The number of young adults leaving California to attend college rose nearly 70% over the last decade, with the sharpest jumps in migration coming in years when tuition and fees increased at public universities.

 

College Board is scrapping SAT’s optional essay and subject tests

Washington Post

Two major stress points in the grueling rituals of college admission testing are vanishing this year: the optional essay-writing section of the SAT and the supplementary exams in various fields known as SAT subject tests.

 

When it comes to student success, HBCUs do more with less

Brookings

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been supplying leaders to the nation and to communities for nearly 200 years...The simple message in the numbers is that HBCUs work their magic with very little money.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Valley Air District Issues Health Caution Due to Strong Winds and Dust

Clovis Roundup

The San Joaquin Valley Air District is issuing a health concern for Valley residents of high concentrations of PM10 emissions due to strong winds and blowing dust. The winds and dust are expected to impact most of the Central Valley from Monday, Jan. 8 through Tuesday, Jan. 19.

 

Wildfire smoke now causes up to half the fine-particle pollution in Western U.S., study finds

Los Angeles Times

Wildfire smoke now accounts for up to half of all fine-particle pollution in the Western U.S., according to a new study that blames climate change for worsening air quality and health risks in both urban and rural communities in recent years.

 

A ‘forever chemical’ surprise awaits Biden’s EPA

Roll Call

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to address so-called forever chemicals that have been found in Americans’ drinking water and linked to many adverse health effects.

 

In Trump’s last days, a spree of environmental rollbacks

Washington Post

The Trump administration has gone on a spree of environmental rollbacks in its final days, loosening standards for equipment Americans use to heat their homes, reducing protected habitat for the northern spotted owl and opening conservation lands in California and Utah to development.

 

Energy:

 

Appeals Court Vacates Trump Rules on Emissions at Power Plants

Wall Street Journal

A federal appeals court on Tuesday vacated the Trump administration’s rules that eased restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants, potentially making it easier for the incoming Biden administration to reset the nation’s signature rules addressing climate change.

 

Oil-and-Gas Industry Faces a Slow Recovery From Pandemic Lows

Wall Street Journal

Oil and gas prices are rebounding from their pandemic lows, but the road ahead for the industry remains challenging amid new competitive threats and demands from investors.

 

How Sustainable Is the Rally in Renewable Energy Stocks?

New York Times

The overall stock market was fabulous last year, but as investors focused on climate change, renewable energy stocks did even better.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

‘Defiance of science’ partly behind Fresno County’s dismal COVID-19 numbers, says top doc

Fresno Bee

Fresno County’s top doctor said Friday that even as the county ramps up its vaccination efforts, he and other Valley health officers are bracing for an increase in COVID-19 infections related to family and social gatherings around the Christmas and New Year holidays.

 

Tulare County surpasses 500 deaths

Porterville Recorder

Tulare County reached a grim milestone on Friday as it surpassed 500 deaths due to COVID-19. Tulare County Health and Human Services reported seven more deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of deaths in Tulare County due to COVID-19.

See also:

 

Yet another concerning COVID variant increasingly found in California, researchers say

Merced Sun-Star

California laboratories conducting genetic sequencing are increasingly finding yet another COVID-19 variant that concerns researchers, prompting the California Department of Public Health to hold an unusual, last-minute press conference Sunday evening.

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Outgoing CDC Director Warns Of Pandemic's Peak: 'We're About To Be In The Worst Of It'

VPR

Redfield's departure on Wednesday, when President-elect Joe Biden will usher in a new administration, comes as a record surge in COVID-19 cases is sweeping across the country.

 

COVID-19 cases increasing in kids, teens, and young adults, CDC study finds

Fresno Bee

COVID-19 cases in children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 24 have been increasing steadily since the summer, but especially among Americans over age 18, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

 

Can COVID-19 vaccine prevent infecting others? Scientists to search for answer

Fresno Bee

One of the Army’s chief scientists developing a COVID-19 vaccine often gets a question that is being asked by Americans across the country: Once a person is vaccinated, is it safe to visit parents and friends, or could they still infect them?

 

'I've Tried Everything': Pandemic Worsens Child Mental Health Crisis

VPR

Lindsey is one of almost 3 million children in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with a serious emotional or behavioral health condition. When the pandemic forced schools and doctors' offices closed last spring, it also cut children off from the trained teachers and therapists who understand their needs.

 

Human Services:

 

When can you get your COVID vaccine? How much will it cost? Answers to your top questions

Fresno Bee

As more doses of COVID-19 vaccines are distributed to counties and other health agencies, demand – and competition – is growing in Fresno County and across the central San Joaquin Valley for the protection promised by the new drugs.

See also:

 

When it comes to vaccines demand exceeds supply

Porterville Recorder

Eligibility is one thing. But availability is another. Yes, Tulare County Health and Human Services continues to expand those who are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to sign up to be vaccinated to meet state guidelines.

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Increasing COVID-19 deaths strain morgues, funeral homes

Bakersfield Californian

As COVID-19 deaths climb locally, funeral homes, crematories and others in the business of caring for the dead are feeling the strain. Deaths are mounting following a major uptick in virus cases locally that started after Thanksgiving.

 

Use of some Moderna vaccines paused in California after reports of allergic reactions

Merced Sun-Star

The California Department of Public Health is telling COVID-19 vaccine distributors to stop administering one specific batch. Less than 10 people required medical attention within 24 hours of receiving vaccines from Moderna lot 41L20A at a California clinic, according to a CDPH media release distributed Monday.

See also:

 

Bakersfield Street Medicine Team Works To Combat Misinformation On Covid-19 And Vaccine

VPR

On a cloudy morning in Northeast Bakersfield, Dr. Mathew Beare walks along a narrow trail of damp fallen leaves to a small homeless encampment.  For over a year, Beare and his street medicine team have made the drive every Thursday from Clinica Sierra Vista in downtown Bakersfield to this barren site just off of Chester Avenue.

 

COVID-19 Is Wreaking Havoc In State Hospitals, Too

VPR

In the months since the pandemic began, COVID-19 has taken a tremendous toll on hospitals, where bedspace is at a minimum and staff are overworked, and prisons, where tight living quarters and mixed enforcement of safety precautions have left incarcerated people vulnerable to soaring infections.

 

Trump Administration Will Let More Doctors Prescribe Drug To Fight Opioid Addiction

VPR
The Trump administration introduced new addiction treatment guidelines Thursday that give physicians more flexibility to prescribe a drug to patients struggling with opioid addiction.

 

Cal/OSHA Issues Updated FAQs Regarding Emergency COVID-19 Regulations

aalrr

On January 8, 2021, Cal/OSHA published an updated version of its “COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards Frequently Asked Questions” (“FAQs”) on its website.  In updating these FAQs, Cal/OSHA has expanded the number of FAQs from 31 to 69 (and added seven (7) new topical subheadings).

 

Use of Telehealth Jumped as Pandemic Shutdown Began; Use Is Highest for Mental Health Services

Rand Corporation

Use of telehealth jumped sharply during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, with the approach being used more often for behavioral health services than for medical care, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

 

Overwhelmed, More States Turn to National Guard for Vaccine Help

New York Times

At least 16 states and territories are using the National Guard to give shots, drawing on doctors, nurses, medics and other troops who are skilled in administering injections.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Biden plans early legislation to offer legal status to 11 million immigrants without it

Los Angeles Times

During his first days in office, President-elect Joe Biden plans to send a groundbreaking legislative package to Congress to address the long-elusive goal of immigration reform, including what’s certain to be a controversial centerpiece: a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country without legal status, according to immigrant rights activists in communication with the Biden-Harris transition team.

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LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Fresno’s Tower Theatre has another bidder. Here’s who’s looking to buy area icon

Fresno Bee

Owners of a longtime Fresno catering company have put in a bid to buy the historic Tower Theatre days after its potential sale to a church drew controversy. The 81-year-old theater and surrounding spaces gained a bid Friday from the owners of The Painted Table, according to co-owner Jeromie Garza-Hansen.

 

New facilities at Monache, Strathmore

Porterville Recorder

New facilities are once again coming to Porterville Unified School District high schools. In the fall, construction will begin at Strathmore and Monache High Schools for new facilities within their agriculture programs. Both are 12-month projects expected to be finished in the fall of 2022.

 

We should design cities for shorter distances, not faster speeds

Brookings

In other words, the pandemic has proved that solving congestion doesn’t solve our bigger transportation problems. Overcoming those structural issues will require a new approach in how policymakers, planners, and other leaders design, build, and pay for our transportation networks and the neighborhoods they serve.

 

Housing:

 

An ‘eviction tsunami’ looms over Fresno, central San Joaquin Valley. What it means for you

Fresno Bee

Approximately 2 million people, including children, are at risk of eviction when California’s eviction moratorium expires on Feb. 1. Nationwide, 6.7 million adults are likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, and Fresno may be in the eye of the storm.

 

This California city just ended chronic homelessness

Fast Company

But in 2020, the city and surrounding county still managed to achieve a goal that few other communities have: It reached “functional zero” for chronic homelessness, meaning that long-lasting and recurring homelessness were essentially eliminated.

 

Commentary: How will a declining population impact California?

CalMatters

In 2020, with COVID-19 driving all that U-Haul traffic out of the Bay Area, California’s population – currently hovering at just below 40 million people – probably went down. Even Elon Musk apparently moved to Texas.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

$600 stimulus checks have caused some confusion. Here are answers to your questions

Sacramento Bee

No stimulus money yet? New baby in the family? Confused because you made a decent income before the COVID pandemic and you got no stimulus payment — but got laid off this year so you now qualify?

 

The Debt Question Facing Janet Yellen: How Much Is Too Much?

Wall Street Journal

A big question hangs over Janet Yellen this week at her confirmation hearing to become U.S. Treasury secretary: How much debt is too much?

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

California governor proposes $1.5B for clean transportation

Freight Waves

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has released his proposed 2021-22 budget, calling for $1.5 billion to be invested in clean trucks, buses and cars, as well as infrastructure to fuel those vehicles.

 

Biden COVID relief plan includes help for transit agencies

Progessive Railroading

President-elect Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion emergency relief plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic includes much-needed funding for some of the nation's hardest-hit public transit agencies.

 

WATER

 

Turn On the Water

Slate

Gospel music filled the room inside a midcentury church on Detroit’s west side on a bleak February morning. But people didn’t come here for worship. They came for water.

 

LOIS HENRY: Secret Kern River talks underway

Bakersfield Californian

It’s hard to say what spurred “confidential mediation” over the Kern River that began last week. Could it be the relentless “Bring Back the Kern!” campaign by a group of young, Bakersfield residents?

 

LOIS HENRY: Valley irrigation district OKs plan to harvest mountain stream

Bakersfield Californian

A plan to bring water from the South Fork of the Kern River through Isabella Lake and down 60 miles to farm fields west of Bakersfield was unanimously approved by the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District board of directors on Tuesday.

 

“Xtra”

 

Bethany Clough: Fresno bars amp up food offerings to survive pandemic. How steak and tacos are helping

Fresno Bee

Bars are having a rough year. With COVID-19 cases continuing to spike in Fresno County and the Valley’s ICU bed availability effectively at zero, the region is under a stay-at-home order. That means bars must close and restaurants can only offer takeout — no indoor or outdoor dining.

 

 

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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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