POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Voters could be asked to approve up to $550 million for facilities at MJC, Columbia
Modesto Bee
The Yosemite Community College District is considering a large bond measure for renovating or replacing older classroom facilities, construction of new facilities, equipment replacement and removal of safety hazards from its campus facilities.
Judge: MID overcharged 122,000 electric customers to help farmers. What happens next?
Modesto Bee
A judge has ruled in favor of two Modesto Irrigation District customers who allege the utility has overcharged its electric customers to provide a subsidy to its farm water prices.
Register for your seat at The Bee’s Modesto debate for congressional candidates
Modesto Bee
Registration is now open for the Jan. 22 debate among the six candidates seeking to represent Stanislaus County and southern San Joaquin County in the House of Representatives. The Modesto Bee is putting on the congressional debateat the State Theatre at 1307 J St. in downtown Modesto.
See also:
Candidate forums scheduled for March primary Turlock Journal
Public tribute for former Modesto Mayor Sabatino will include Sinatra’s ‘My Way’
Modesto Bee
A celebration of former Mayor Carmen Sabatino’s life will be held Jan. 18 at the Revival Center in downtown Modesto.
Central SJ Valley:
Fresno Bee
A Fresno City Council candidate alleges that a former staffer for Sen. Kamala Harris’ office in Fresno has harassed him for months and the senator’s office did little to address his complaints.
Fresno County, Assemi Family Settle Over Unpermitted Pistachio Plant Development
KVPR
Fresno County has settled with a family of pistachio growers over unpermitted building on what the family contends will be the largest pistachio plant in the world. The County issued permits back in September to Ventana South, LLC and Touchstone PIstachio, LLC for the construction of 49 siloes in Cantua Creek. Both companies are owned by the Assemi family of Fresno.
See also:
Devin Nunes’ challenger hauls in $700,000 after impeachment hearings
Fresno Bee
Rep. Devin Nunes’ Democratic opponent Phil Arballo raised more than $1 million to unseat Nunes by the end of 2019, raising more than $700,000 in the final quarter. Arballo raised nearly half of his funds for the year during impeachment hearings when Nunes was vociferously defending President Donald Trump.
The source LGBT+ center awarded $50,000 grant
Hanford Sentinel
The Source LGBT+ Center, serving Tulare and Kings County, has received a $50,000 grant from The Center at Sierra Health Foundation through the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access Points Project.
South SJ Valley:
Democrats, Republicans offer new compromises in effort to pass farmworker bill
Bakersfield Californian
A farmworker bill moving through the U.S. House of Representatives has won rare bipartisan support with a compromise attempt at balancing legitimacy for immigrant ag labor with new certainty for industry employers.
Bakersfield split on city's plan to build new homeless shelter in southeast Bakersfield
Bakersfield Californian
As Bakersfield leaders get closer to deciding where to place a new low-barrier homeless shelter, members of the public continue to deliver mixed messages about how they would like to help the scores of individuals found on city streets.
State:
Gavin Newsom’s new homeless plan calls for more spending, shelters on state property
Modesto Bee
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to direct $750 million from the state’s upcoming budget to help homeless people get off the streets, his office announced Wednesday morning. Also on Wednesday, Newsom plans to sign an executive order directing state departments to identify state property that can be used for emergency shelters and designate 100 trailers in California’s fleet for temporary housing and health care services. The executive order will also establish a homelessness “strike team.”
See also:
Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for $1.4 billion in new help for homeless Los Angeles Times
Trump administration holding up California homeless efforts, Newsom charges San Francisco Chronicle
California will open vacant state land for homeless shelters under Newsom order San Francisco Chronicle
Myth about huge California fines for shower and laundry usage won’t die. Here’s what’s true
Sacramento Bee
California will impose new limits on water usage in the post-drought era in the coming years — but a claim that residents will be fined $1,000 starting this year if they shower and do laundry the same day isn’t true.
Capital Public Radio
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Wednesday that would fast-track the use of government land near highways, travel trailers and vacant state hospitals to urgently get people off of California’s streets.
EDITORIAL Blue State Redistribution
Wall Street Journal
High-tax states are losing people, money and seats in Congress.
EDITORIAL: Values? Sexual misconduct scandal suggests California Democratic Party lacked them
Sacramento Bee
The California Democratic Party loves to trumpet its superior moral values. The party and its faithful never miss a chance to present themselves as paragons of anti-Trumpian virtue on issues such as immigration, climate change and economic inequality.
Federal:
White House Announces Trump Would Likely Veto Bill Regulating 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water
Newsweek
Tuesday, the White House indicated that it would veto the PFAS Action Act of 2019 legislation designed to keep harmful chemicals out of groundwater should it pass through the House and the Senate.
Elections 2020:
CA120: In California, Super Tuesday means super confusion
Capitol Weekly
In less than four weeks, 15 million Californians will be receiving ballots in the mail for the March 2020 primary.
California Voter Confusion Over No Party Preference Registration
Capital Public Radio
In December, the California Secretary of State’s office sent out emails and postcards notifying voters who registered as “no party preference” that they can vote in the Democratic, American Independent and Libertarian Party presidential primary elections on March 3, 2020, which is Super Tuesday.
See also:
We are now 55 days away from March 3, which — in case you have managed to forget — is California’s Primary Day, now and for the foreseeable future. New York Times
U.S.-Iran turmoil scrambles Democrats’ 2020 race, shifting focus to war and peace
Los Angeles Times
President Trump’s order for the targeted killing of a top Iranian general and Iran’s quick retaliation have scrambled the 2020 campaign, thrusting issues of war and peace to the center of a contest that so far has been dominated by domestic issues.
Bloomberg sees California as model on climate change, guns
AP
Mike Bloomberg’s plan for California - export it.
More Dems face debate chopping block
Politico
Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer and Cory Booker could all miss out on next week's debate in Iowa.
Other:
Restart the presses: California’s oldest weekly newspaper saved
Los Angeles Times
The state’s oldest weekly newspaper, which once published Mark Twain, will keep printing after a California retiree stepped in to save the day.
Brookings
From a potential conflict with Iran to the upcoming U.S. presidential election, 2020 is already shaping up to be an incredibly busy year. In a two-part compilation, Brookings experts lay out some of the biggest policy issues for the year ahead.
How we survive the surveillance apocalypse
Washington Post
Online privacy is not dead, but you have to be angry enough to demand it.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, January 12, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: California’s Housing Crisis Hits Home - Guest: Matt Levine from CALmatters and Dan Dunmoyer with California Building Industry Association. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, January 12, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: California’s Housing Crisis: Are Granny Flats the Answer? - Guests: Monica Davalos, Aureo Mesquita and Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto from the California Budget and Policy Center, Matt Levin with CALmatters, Dan Dunmoyer with California Building Industry Association, John Myer with LA Times and Dan Walters with CALmatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, January 12, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: State Auditor Report on Charter Schools - Guest: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor's Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Fresno County, Assemi Family Settle Over Unpermitted Pistachio Plant Development
KVPR
Fresno County has settled with a family of pistachio growers over unpermitted building on what the family contends will be the largest pistachio plant in the world. The County issued permits back in September to Ventana South, LLC and Touchstone PIstachio, LLC for the construction of 49 siloes in Cantua Creek. Both companies are owned by the Assemi family of Fresno.
See also:
Democrats, Republicans offer new compromises in effort to pass farmworker bill
Bakersfield Californian
A farmworker bill moving through the U.S. House of Representatives has won rare bipartisan support with a compromise attempt at balancing legitimacy for immigrant ag labor with new certainty for industry employers.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
California cops might have to turn over more sex assault records under proposed law
Fresno Bee
A California Assembly Republican announced on Tuesday that he wrote legislation that would strengthen a police transparency law.
Fire:
California Cities Turn To Hired Hooves To Help Prevent Massive Wildfires
VPR
California has gone through several difficult fire seasons in recent years. Now, some cities are investing in unconventional fire prevention methods, including goats.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Kern COG names annual award-winners
Bakersfield Californian
Ridgecrest's municipal leadership during the July 2019 earthquakes topped a list of outstanding achievements and quality-of-life improvements.
New California Law Requires Additional Flexible Spending Account Notices
Ogletree Deakins
Under a California law that took effect on January 1, 2020, employers will have to provide extra notices to California employees enrolled in flexible spending accounts (FSAs) explaining the “use it or lose it” federal tax rules that apply to those FSAs.
California Trade Report for November 2019
California Center for Jobs & the Economy
Below are highlights from the recently released trade data from the US Census Bureau and US Bureau of Economic Analysis.
See also:
Jobs:
California truck drivers score millions from Wal-Mart after US Court of Appeals verdict
Fresno Bee
A Fresno law firm has scored a major victory with a U.S. Court of Appeals decision upholding a multi-million-dollar verdict for about 700 Wal-Mart truck drivers. The California truck drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against the mega-retailer nearly a decade ago for short-changing their pay. About 100 of the truck drivers are from the Fresno area.
See also:
Need a new job? These 10 California state jobs pay much better than private sector
Fresno Bee
California’s booming labor market means job hunters have a lot of options. Among the recruiters is the state’s government, which employs nearly a quarter-million people and is hiring more. While some state jobs pay less than the private sector, others pay considerably more, especially when the state’s benefit package — including pensions and health insurance contributions — is taken into account.
Kaiser teams with SEIU-UHW union to train 10,000 for health care jobs over next four years
Sacramento Bee
Kaiser Permanente and the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West joined Wednesday in announcing a $130 million effort to train 10,000 Californians for work as medical coders, licensed vocational nurses and other allied health professions over the next four years.
Uber, Lyft, Postmates Refuse To Comply With California Gig Economy Law
VPR
A new law that went into effect in California is supposed to make it harder for companies to hire workers as contractors — but gig companies like Uber, Lyft and the food delivery platform Postmates are refusing to reclassify their fleet of drivers as employees.
EDUCATION
K-12:
What do you think about education in Fresno County? Tell us in our Ed Lab survey
Fresno Bee
The Fresno Bee’s new Education Lab team is asking for your help. You may have already read about some of our goals, but if you haven’t, here’s what you should know. We are a team of journalists looking to spotlight education issues in Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley.
CUSD Set to Kick Off Measure A Campaign
Business Journal
Community members will gather Jan. 9 to kick of Clovis Unified Schools District’s Yes on A campaign to approve a $408 million bond measure.
Higher Ed:
Voters could be asked to approve up to $550 million for facilities at MJC, Columbia
Modesto Bee
The Yosemite Community College District is considering a large bond measure for renovating or replacing older classroom facilities, construction of new facilities, equipment replacement and removal of safety hazards from its campus facilities.
New facilities and scientists join USDA and UC Davis in efforts to research honeybees
Sacramento Bee
A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the addition of new facilities and researchers was held by the U.S. Department of Agricultural Research Service at the USDA Honey Bee Facility in Davis on Tuesday.
Garces Memorial makes history as first high school in Kern with competitive dance team
KGET
A New Year brings a new team to Garces Memorial High School. The Catholic high school is making history as the first local high school to have a competitive dance team.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
Bat poop may give researchers clues about historical changes to climate, vegetation
Sacramento Bee
Whether it's ice, lake-bottom mud, or cave stalactites and stalagmites, if something piles up and accumulates over time, it can tell scientists about past climate conditions or surrounding landscapes and how they've changed.
Group raises nearly $16 million to buy Alder Creek Giant Sequoia Grove
Los Angeles Times
The donations ranged from $1 to several million. The money came from across the country and around the world. Save the Redwoods League raised nearly $16 million — more than half of it in four months — to close a deal for 530 acres of the Alder Creek Grove of giant sequoias.
Trump-aligned automakers would be barred from federal sales under new bill
San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area Rep. Mark DeSaulnier is throwing another jab in California’s battle with the Trump administration over climate change policy.
Sierra Nevada red fox may get endangered species protections
San Francisco Chronicle
A group of secretive and rare red foxes whose dwindling numbers reside in lofty, snow-covered Sierra mountain passes could soon gain recognition as an endangered species.
Energy:
The real reason California was stuck in the dark
CALmatters
In California, we pride ourselves on technological innovation. Which is why the outdated grid frustrates so many of us.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Stanislaus County records its first flu-related death of the season
Modesto Bee
An adult man younger than 65 was the first person in Stanislaus county to die from influenza this season.
‘No flavored tobacco products, no exceptions.’ California lawmaker unveils new ban effort
Sacramento Bee
A California lawmaker has announced a renewed effort to ban flavored tobacco products in the state, and he’s gotten the lieutenant governor and nearly 30 other legislators to sign on to the bill. Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, announced Senate Bill 793, which would prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarette products such as Juul pods.
See also:
E-cigs redux CALmatters
Public health advocates outraged by Trump's limited vaping ban The Hill
Amid Vaping Controversy, California Schools And Health Officials Want To Teach Kids How To Quit
Capital Public Radio
Across California, posters and billboards from the state health department warn young people about the dangers of vaping. State lawmakers introduced a bill this week to end all store sales of flavored tobacco, and the federal government recently moved to ban some e-cigarettes.
‘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.
5 things to know as California starts screening children for toxic stress
California Healthline
Starting this year, routine pediatric visits for millions of California children could involve questions about touchy family topics, such as divorce, unstable housing or a parent who struggles with alcoholism. California now will pay doctors to screen patients for traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, if the patient is covered by Medi-Cal.
US cancer death rate sees largest-ever single-year drop, report says
CNN
The rate of people dying from cancer in the United States continued to decline for the 26th year in a row, according to a new American Cancer Society report.
Human Services:
Effort to control opioids in an ER leaves some sickle cell patients in pain
Business Journal
The pain is from sickle cell disease, a group of genetic conditions that affect about 100,000 people in the U.S., many of them of African or Hispanic descent.
Pharmacies say prescribers bear opioid crisis responsibility
Business Journal
Doctors and other healthcare practitioners who write prescriptions bear ultimate responsibility for improper distribution of opioids to patients, not pharmacists who are obliged to fill those prescriptions, a series of pharmacy chains argued in federal court.
Why it's important for adults to still get vaccines
Business Journal
Last year, 61,000 Americans died from the flu. Only 45 percent of adults got the vaccine.
Foster Care Adoptions Reach Record High
Pew Trusts
The most recent data shows an increase of nearly 25% from fiscal 2014 to 2018.
IMMIGRATION
Stanislaus County population grows faster than state rate
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County’s population grew by 3,779 residents in the past year, about a 1 percent increase that pushed the total to 558,395.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
California lawmaker again taking aim at single-family zoning
Los Angeles Times
California lawmakers will once again debate a contentious measure that could radically increase housing growth in the state after a legislator revamped his proposal to allow construction of mid-rise apartment complexes near transit and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods.
The Ahwahnee in Yosemite is no longer a 4-diamond hotel
Fresno Bee
A major hotel rating for one of Yosemite National Park’s grandest properties, The Ahwahnee, has been downgraded.
See also:
Yosemite’s grand Ahwahnee Hotel loses its luster, four-diamond award San Francisco Chronicle
Supes Bet On Casino: County and Tribe reach agreement on relocation
Porterville Recorder
On Tuesday, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors approved a Memorandum of Understanding and Intergovernmental Agreement (MOU) with the Tule River Indian Tribe to address environmental impacts related to the proposed relocation of the Eagle Mountain Casino to land adjacent to the Porterville Airport.
Housing:
Gavin Newsom’s new homeless plan calls for more spending, shelters on state property
Modesto Bee
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to direct $750 million from the state’s upcoming budget to help homeless people get off the streets, his office announced Wednesday morning. Also on Wednesday, Newsom plans to sign an executive order directing state departments to identify state property that can be used for emergency shelters and designate 100 trailers in California’s fleet for temporary housing and health care services. The executive order will also establish a homelessness “strike team.”
See also:
Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for $1.4 billion in new help for homeless Los Angeles Times
Trump administration holding up California homeless efforts, Newsom charges San Francisco Chronicle
California will open vacant state land for homeless shelters under Newsom order San Francisco Chronicle
Demonstrators Protest SB50 As California Lawmakers Reintroduce Controversial Housing Law
Capital Public Radio
Chants of “Where’s the affordable housing!” and “Homes for people, not profit!” drowned out voices backing California’s most controversial housing bill during a press conference in Oakland on Tuesday. The event was meant to support the bill’s relaunch, but felt more like a protest rally against it.
See also:
Last year’s hottest housing fight just got resurrected — here’s what to know Public CEO
It's Round 3 for SB 50, S.F. Senator's Controversial Transit Housing Bill KQED
EDITORIAL: SB50 is back, and so is the shouting San Francisco Chronicle
New homes in 2020 must have solar, mandate says
Turlock Journal
Just weeks after California celebrated building one million solar energy systems on homes, schools, farms and businesses throughout the state, new legislation that went into effect Wednesday will ensure that number continues to grow.
Bakersfield split on city's plan to build new homeless shelter in southeast Bakersfield
Bakersfield Californian
As Bakersfield leaders get closer to deciding where to place a new low-barrier homeless shelter, members of the public continue to deliver mixed messages about how they would like to help the scores of individuals found on city streets.
AEI Housing Market Indicators release on September 2019 data
AEI
From a year ago, months’ supply has increased at all price points, but inventories remain historically tight, especially at the lower end.
TRANSPORTATION
It's Round 3 for SB 50, S.F. Senator's Controversial Transit Housing Bill
KQED
The Legislature's battle over a bill that would bring sweeping changes to urban land use and housing development across California is resuming with the introduction of a series of amendments that seek to calm opposition from a diverse array of interests — from towns jealous of their power to set zoning rules to community activists concerned that the legislation will increase displacement and gentrification in the state's biggest cities.
World's first 350km-per-hour driverless bullet train goes into service in China
CNN
China has just hurtled past another milestone in its vast high-speed railway expansion plans.
WATER
Valley land has sunk from too much water pumping. Can Fresno County fix it?
Fresno Bee
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors adopted a plan on Tuesday meant to maintain groundwater and keep users from pumping too much from underground basins. The supervisors adopted plans for two areas connected to the Delta-Mendota subbasin. Officials throughout the San Joaquin Valley have been required by the state to adopt a plan by the end of the month.
Valley engineering firms win honors for water, drone work
Business Journal
The American Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC California) has announced the 2020 recipients for its Engineering Excellence Awards, including three San Joaquin Valley projects headed by local companies.
Judge: MID overcharged 122,000 electric customers to help farmers. What happens next?
Modesto Bee
A judge has ruled in favor of two Modesto Irrigation District customers who allege the utility has overcharged its electric customers to provide a subsidy to its farm water prices.
State releases draft of water resilience plan
Turlock Journal
State agencies released a new water planning document that contains a number of recommendations to help California cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, aging infrastructure and other challenges.
Myth about huge California fines for shower and laundry usage won’t die. Here’s what’s true
Sacramento Bee
California will impose new limits on water usage in the post-drought era in the coming years — but a claim that residents will be fined $1,000 starting this year if they shower and do laundry the same day isn’t true.
White House Announces Trump Would Likely Veto Bill Regulating 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water
Newsweek
Tuesday, the White House indicated that it would veto the PFAS Action Act of 2019 legislation designed to keep harmful chemicals out of groundwater should it pass through the House and the Senate.
“Xtra”
A bit of the who’s who in downtown Modesto mural is sure to make you ask, ‘Who’s that?’
Modesto Bee
With its crops, tractor, cows, wine barrels and “Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health” arch, the mural on the Hotsy Pacific building at G and Sixth streets is, unmistakably, a tribute to Modesto.
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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.
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