Maddy Institute – July 1, 2019

01Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Merced legislator moves to legalize gambling in California. Where would the money go?

Merced Sun Star

Legislation that would allow California to regulate sports betting independent of federal rules moved forward this week thanks to Assemblymember Adam Gray, D-Merced.

Called ACA 16, the proposal needs two-thirds approval in the state legislature to land on the ballot for voters to decide.

Census likely won’t ask about citizenship. Why Stanislaus County advocates say that’s vital

Modesto Bee

The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s decision to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census, finding that the administration’s explanation for the question appeared to be “contrived.”

Salinas Valley study finds immigration policy fears fueling Latino youth’s anxiety

Bakersfield Californian

The 2016 election of President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies and rhetoric on immigration may be taking a toll on the mental and physical health of U.S.-born Latino teens, a new study released Monday found.

Merced County CA farmers say ICE keeping farmworkers away

Merced Sun Star

Some San Joaquin Valley farmers said Friday at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue that they continue to struggle to find enough workers to harvest their crops, attributing the scarcity to the Trump Administration’s hard stance on deportation.

Salinas Valley study finds immigration policy fears fueling Latino youth’s anxiety

Bakersfield Californian

Why Modesto’s trees are an expensive liability for cash-strapped forestry division

Modesto Bee

Modesto is certified as a Tree City USA community, an esteemed program that recognizes cities across the country for excellence in urban forestry management.

Central SJ Valley:

Does the state want to take away your natural gas? Valley leaders push for alternatives

Fresno Bee

Plans by the state of California to explore ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from homes and buildings are being decried by a coalition of natural-gas customers as a recipe for requiring all structures in the state to ultimately convert to using only electricity.

‘He shouldn’t be whining here’: Devin Nunes’ SLO event draws small — but lively — protest

San Luis Obispo

Central Valley Congressman Devin Nunes’ private Republican fundraiser Friday evening in Pismo Beach drew protesters — albeit, just a few.

In The Studio: Can Advance Peace Curb Gun Violence In Fresno?

KVPR

Fresno is one step closer to adopting a new program that uses mentoring, behavioral therapy and life skills training to curb gun violence in the city. Council members voted last week to allocate $200,000 to fund Advance Peace.

South SJ Valley:

BAKERSFIELD MATTERS: Couple with local roots gifts foundation from afar

Bakersfield Californian

Fulfilling their wish to pay it forward, the couple gifted $2.5 million to the Kern Community Foundation, the largest single donation from an individual or family to the foundation to date. For 20 years, the organization has matched donors with community members and groups to meet the needs of the county.

And, now, we come to the final scene of the final episode of the epic Harrell-Fritts saga

Bakersfield Californian

Today, Sunday, June 30, at 5 p.m., one of the last few family-owned daily newspapers in America, and perhaps its longest held, passes from control of the Harrell family after 122 years. The new owner is Sound California News Media Inc., which has corporate brethren in California, Arizona, Canada, Illinois and New England.

State:

New California laws in effect beginning July 1

abc30

California already has the most expensive gas in the country, and as of Monday, it’ll also have the highest gas tax.

A two-for-one tenant bill now includes rent cap and eviction protections

Sacramento Bee

One of the few remaining tenant protection measures still alive in the California Capitol became a two-for-one bill this weekend, after lawmakers amended rent cap legislation to include eviction restrictions.

Gov. Newsom has signed his first budget. Here’s where the $215 billion will go

Los Angeles Times

California will increase its spending on public education, expand healthcare services and stash away more money than ever for an economic downturn under the state budget signed Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom — a plan that was stalled for two weeks over how it would address the state’s growing housing crisis.

● California’s new housing budget is a wrap. Here’s what you need to know. CALmatters

● New bill reignites California’s ‘reading wars’ CALmatters

Walters: Can Newsom break string of tech failures?

CALmatters

For years – many years – journalists and government watchdogs have cataloged an almost unbroken, extremely expensive string of failed attempts to bring information technology into state government operations.

California Is Poised To Ban Hair Discrimination

NPR
The measure, referred to as the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair), passed Thursday in the state Senate, 69 to 0.

OPINION: The Troubles Beneath the Surface of California’s Comeback

Wall Street Journal

A decade ago many conservatives watched with delight as deep-blue California struggled beneath double-digit unemployment and gaping budget deficits. But the schadenfreude faded as the Golden State’s fiscal and economic picture brightened—at least on paper.

Federal:

DACA heads to the Supreme Court + Redistricting commissions + A final budget review

Sacramento Bee

The Supreme Court of the United States needs some time off after delivering two major decisions last week — one that stymies President Donald Trump’s efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, and one that allows political parties to draw congressional maps more or less as they please.

‘A court without a middle’: Supreme Court term signals changes ahead

Roll Call

The Supreme Court started its term last October amid the political divisiveness of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation process and with a much more private battle among the justices unfolding through the last day of the term Friday.

Census likely won’t ask about citizenship. Why Stanislaus County advocates say that’s vital

Modesto Bee

● How the GOP won by losing on census citizenship question Roll Call

● Interview: California Secretary Of State Alex Padilla Weighs In On Citizenship Question Ruling CPR

● EDITORIAL: The Supreme Court declares the sabotage of democracy none of its business Los Angeles Times

Elections 2020:

Buttigieg raises $24.8 million in quarter, continuing 2020 surge

Fresno Bee

Pete Buttigieg continued his surge as a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, raising $24.8 million in the second quarter and cementing his status as a top-tier candidate.

Kamala Harris probably won the California primary in the first debate

Los Angeles Times

One of the biggest losers in the Democratic debates was probably the California primary. Sen. Kamala Harris’ breakthrough performance may have made it a non-contest.

● ‘Her ambition got it wrong about Joe’: Harris faces debate backlash Politico

● Harris surges to third place in national poll after debate Politico

● Calbuzz: Why It’s Too Soon to Celebrate Kamala Harris Calbuzz

● The Hard-Charging Californian Nailed It! Fox & Hound

● FACT CHECK: Did Kamala Harris really disagree with Obama’s deportation policy? CPR

The 2020 race is officially on: Why both sides are capable of losing

Los Angeles Times

Trump has a powerful new talking point: He’s presided over 2½ years of robust economic growth. The president is notorious for inventing his own facts, but on the economy the truth is mostly on his side.

6 facts about Democrats as the party holds its presidential debates

Pew Research Center

Those who will appear are a diverse group – by background, age, gender, race and ethnicity and ideology – and reflect the competition of ideas within the party about its strategy and future.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump on Mueller, trade; Dem debate debut

A few months ago, President Donald Trump affirmed that he thought special counsel Robert Mueller acted honorably in the Russia investigation. Now Trump is back in “witch hunt” territory, this time falsely accusing Mueller of committing a crime.

Editorial: The threat to the next election is clear; what we’re doing about it is not

San Francisco Chronicle

Asked during a joint appearance with Vladimir Putin on Friday whether he would tell the Russian despot not to interfere in the 2020 election, President Trump quickly replied in the affirmative and turned to his counterpart to say, “Don’t meddle in the election, please.” Trump’s smirk and inflection said more than his words: The demand could hardly have been more perfunctory or less sincere.

Other:

Cable News Fact Sheet

Pew Research Center

Financially, these cable news channels have set themselves apart from other news media with their comparatively robust business model. Explore the patterns and longitudinal data about cable news below.

State of the News Media

Pew Research Center

Since 2004, Pew Research Center has issued an annual report on key audience and economic indicators for a variety of sectors within the U.S. news media industry.

How often people talk about race with family and friends depends on racial and ethnic group, education, politics

Pew Research Center

Americans turn to family and friend networks to talk about race and race relations. But who is likely to be having these conversations, with whom and how often depend at least in part on a person’s racial and ethnic identity, age, education and political affiliation, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey.

Republicans see a national political climate comfortable for Democrats, but less so for GOP

Pew Research Center

Nearly two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (64%) think that “Democrats in this country are very comfortable to freely and openly express their political views,” but only about a quarter (26%) think Republicans around the nation experience that same level of comfort.

Stark partisan divisions in Americans’ views of ‘socialism,’ ‘capitalism’

Pew Research Center

Republicans express intensely negative views of “socialism” and highly positive views of “capitalism.”

A New Constitution for Content Moderation

One Zero

Governments see that corporate power and are jealous of it, as they should be. French President Emmanuel Macron said directly when he appeared before the UN’s Internet Governance Forum in November 2018 in Paris: “I deeply believe that it is necessary to regulate.” Macron is not alone.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, July 7, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “The 2018 Turnout: What it Means for 2020?” – Guest: Mindy Romero, USC Price School of Public Policy; John Myers with Los Angeles Times and Secretary of State, Alex Padilla – LAO. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 7, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Voters and Legislators: The Midterm’s New Faces” – Guests: State Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) and State Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R- Fresno). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 7, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Cuenta atrás para el Censo del 2020” – Guests: Secretario de Estado Alex Padilla, Gisell Gasca – Mi Familia Vota y Alexei Koseff con San Francisco Chronicle. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

‘I don’t have Democratic or Republican cows’: Ag secretary, congressmen address Valley growers

Visalia Times Delta

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made a stop in the heart of the Central Valley during a Friday blitz across California to field farmers’ questions and urge House Democrats to ratify President Trump’s USMCA, an updated trade agreement between Canada and Mexico that would replace NAFTA.

Meat-Eating Agriculture Secretary Tries the Impossible Burger

Bloomberg

On Thursday, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture visited the Impossible Foods Inc. headquarters in Redwood City, California, where staff cooked up their signature alternative-meat burger for him. He said it tasted “very good,” and that it was a “good facsimile” of real beef.

Farmers Welcome Trade Truce, Hope for More

Wall Street Journal

Farmers and agricultural groups welcomed the U.S.-China trade truce but many said they still need a comprehensive agreement to restore large-scale exports of U.S. crops and meat and lift the fragile farm economy.

‘Centers of Insurrection’: Central Valley Farmers Reckon With Climate Change

KQED Science

The climate in the Central Valley is, like that in other food-growing regions of the earth, bouncing on an unpredictable axis — rising temperatures, followed by drought, followed by heavy rains, followed by intense sun, followed by ferocious winds, and then again, though not necessarily in that order. Such volatility presents a particular challenge to the crops that have swept through the Valley over the last decade — namely, almonds and other tree crops.

Merced County CA farmers say ICE keeping farmworkers away

Merced Sun Star

Planning for uncertain future

Stockton Record

Now the future of that market is uncertain. India this month imposed tariffs on almonds and 27 other American products, including apples and walnuts, in retaliation for the U.S. ending India’s preferential trade status. Those tariffs took effect June 16 and come on top of a significant tariffs China placed on almonds last year.

5 facts about marijuana

PEW Research Center

Nationwide, public support for cannabis legalization has steadily grown in recent years. As support has risen, a growing number of states have legalized or decriminalized the drug. Here are five facts about Americans and marijuana:

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Need a marijuana conviction removed? There’s a clinic for that

Fresno Bee

Fresno residents with minor drug-related criminal records got the chance to begin the process to expunge or reduce their convictions.

California ends its long, costly shift of prisoners to other states

Los Angeles Times

For an issue that received so much publicity at its peak — images of prisoners in triple bunk beds and overflowing into multipurpose rooms — the end of California’s prison crisis came quietly last week, when the state brought home the last of its inmates held in a private lockup northwest of Tucson.

San Francisco Banned Facial Recognition. Will California Follow?

New York Times

When San Francisco banned the use of facial recognition by the city’s police and other agencies earlier this year, it was an outlier in the United States. But now several other cities are following suit, and California is considering a limited ban on the technology.

California seeks to end execution lawsuit, cites moratorium

AP News

Gov. Gavin Newsom sought to end a long-running federal lawsuit challenging California’s lethal injection process on Friday, arguing that it is no longer valid because of his moratorium on executions.

EDITORIAL: California needs to provide better help for crime victims

Los Angeles Times

California provides money and other assistance to victims of violent crime, but the aid is available only to those who know to ask for it. Nearly 100 applications are denied each year because they’re filed late, perhaps because it took too long for victims to learn of the program, or perhaps because they were too busy dealing with the trauma or other consequences of the crime.

Public Safety:

In The Studio: Can Advance Peace Curb Gun Violence In Fresno?

KVPR

Ammunition sales surge ahead of California’s mandatory background check

abc30

A portion of the law requires certain individuals to pass a background check to purchase ammunition. But details on how the new mandates will work are still a bit sketchy.

Gun violence kills and injures thousands of children every year. Here’s a solution

Sacramento Bee

We’re pediatricians. We usually talk about vaccinations, the growth and development of your child and how to keep your child safe from preventable harms. When a group of us gathered recently to discuss what we could do about the scourge of the gun violence epidemic on children’s health, the conversation was quite different.

California police are destroying files and charging high fees to release misconduct records

Los Angeles Times

The law, authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), covers records of shootings by officers, severe uses of force and confirmed cases of sexual assault and dishonesty by officers. Skinner said the revelations that have come out so far are proof that the law is working to shed sunlight on police misconduct.

● California police agencies holding back misconduct records despite new transparency law Orange County Register

● California Has a High Rate of Police Shootings. Could a New Open-Records Law Change That? New York Times

Fire:

CAL FIRE crews prepare for wildfire season with hands on training

abc30

Hands on experience right on the front line of a wildfire, that’s the goal of Wildland Spring Exercise by CAL FIRE. This exercise is both a teaching tool and refresher course to the different tactics firefighters can use to put out a blaze.

Newsom’s wildfire plan for PG&E, other utilities, needs two-thirds vote in Legislature

Sacramento Bee

Potentially complicating Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to pay for future wildfires and lift PG&E Corp. out of bankruptcy, his legislation will require a two-thirds supermajority to pass the Legislature.

Scant Details: Are California Utilities Doing Enough To Fireproof Their Equipment?

CPR
With much fanfare and no less hand-wringing, state regulators approved plans that for the first time set out how California’s electric utilities intend to prevent their equipment from sparking wildfires.

Inhaled | ‘A tragedy waiting to happen’

Enterprise-Record

In Paradise, more than 27,000 survivors were fleeing the Camp Fire via limited evacuation routes. Ever present for them that day was the thick, black and yellow choking smoke that cut visibility to just three feet in some places.

EDITORIAL: California is burning. Maybe it’s time to ban fireworks on the Fourth of July

Sacramento Bee

Every summer around this time, the red flags grow redder: the dry air, the triple-digit heat, the dying trees in the wilderness, the chaparral rattling in the foothills. Every summer around this time, some fiery apocalypse erupts somewhere in the state as if to drive home the message.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Fresno’s Bitwise Raises $27 Million: Now Founder Wants To Change The Face Of Tech In Bakersfield Too

KVPR
The female, Latinx co-founder of Bitwise Industries says the company’s recent $27 million funding milestone means it can train more people in underserved communities, and expand south. But amidst the optimism in Bakersfield, there’s also some ambivalence.

S&P 500 Posts Best First Half in 22 Years

Wall Street Journal

Stocks notched solid gains in the second quarter thanks to a perceived shift in the Federal Reserve’s appetite for interest-rate cuts, extending a rally that propelled the S&P 500 to record highs.

Rising U.S. Inequality: How We Got Here, Where We’re Going

Stanford Business

The U.S. economy hit a historic high in 2018, and today unemployment is at its lowest rate in five decades. Yet wage growth for the vast majority of Americans has stalled, and more people are struggling to afford housing, health care, education, and other basics.

What Just Happened Also Occurred Before The Last 7 U.S. Recessions. Reason To Worry?

NPR

Signs are pointing to a coming U.S. recession, according to an economic indicator that has preceded every recession over the past five decades. It is known among economists and Wall Street traders as a “yield curve inversion,” and it refers to when long-term interest rates are paying out less than short-term rates.

How healthy is the U.S. economy? Here’s what 7 key indicators reveal.

Washington Post

The U.S. economy is in an odd place. Jobs are plentiful and the stock market is at record levels, but business leaders are worried enough about the future to pull back on spending.

Opinion: How Does a California Family Survive?

Fox&Hounds

It’s common enough to discuss the high cost-of-living in California. It’s become a serious topic, at last. But for Californians who are used to paying ridiculous prices for everything, it may be helpful to present a comparison in the form of an annual family budget. How much does it cost to take care of a family of four in Los Angeles compared to Houston?

● Opinion: Comparing Texas And California, And Why Texas Wins Out Fox&Hounds

Jobs:

Casualty of trade war: Chinese investments in U.S. grind to a halt, blocking new jobs

Los Angeles Times

In a chronically depressed area where the most conspicuous features include small churches and bail-bond offices, some 400 people flocked to the new plant for jobs. Last month, Jushi, which means giant rock in Chinese, began production.

From strip clubs to strip malls, how 2 million workers could be swept up in a bill aimed at the gig economy

CALmatters

In coming weeks, the state Senate will begin hearings on a bill that will make it harder to classify workers as independent contractors, officially codifying a sweeping 2018 California Supreme Court decision.

Debate Over Uber and Lyft Drivers’ Rights in California Has Split Labor

New York Times

California’s labor movement recently seemed on the verge of a new era for worker rights. A state court ruled that workers in the gig economy should have many of the protections of employment, like a minimum wage and overtime pay.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Search salaries of all Clovis Unified workers in our new database

Fresno Bee

Teachers in the Clovis Unified School District received more than $129 million in base pay in 2018 — but extra pay for additional duties such as coaching, advising clubs or serving on faculty committees boosted the total pay for many individual educators by thousands of dollars over the year.

With New High School, Central Unified Reaches for the Stars

GV Wire

Pick a word. Stunning. Exciting. Expensive. All apply to Central Unified’s newest high school, which breaks ground Saturday morning at Ashlan and Grantland avenues and is expected to be ready for students in August 2021.

Budget realities challenging California school districts’ restorative justice programs

EdSource

No longer considered an obscure alternative to traditional school discipline, legions of California educators have been trained in restorative justice in recent years. Yet, even in districts with well-established programs, finding and keeping funding for it remains a challenge.

Higher Ed:

California budget spends $280 million to make college more affordable, from savings to grants

Fresno Bee

California’s new state budget has almost $280 million earmarked for programs that would help people pay from college, from opening savings accounts for infants to offering new grants to parents pursuing degrees.

College costs saddle many students with large debts. That needs to change

Fresno Bee

In the movies, college is about football games and fraternity parties, all-nighters in the library and espresso-fueled bull sessions about the meaning of life. But in the real world, higher education is much less glamorous.

EDITORIAL: CSU hid a $1.5 billion surplus while raising tuition. Where is the accountability?

Sacramento Bee

Another scandal involving a state-funded entity hoarding a secret stockpile of money. This time, an investigation by California State Auditor Elaine Howle discovered $1.5 billion in surplus funds hidden in outside accounts controlled by the California State University system.

CSUB students take part in Apollo 11 hatch community build helmed by TV’s Adam Savage

Bakersfield Californian

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, special effects designer (and “Mythbusters” host) Adam Savage challenged more than 40 groups to create different pieces of the hatch, which he will then assemble live with artist Jen Schachter at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on July 18.

FBI Urges Universities To Monitor Some Chinese Students And Scholars In The U.S.

NPR

U.S. intelligence agencies are encouraging American research universities to develop protocols for monitoring students and visiting scholars from Chinese state-affiliated research institutions, as U.S. suspicion toward China spreads to academia.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

‘Centers of Insurrection’: Central Valley Farmers Reckon With Climate Change

KQED Science

Lead Ammunition is Now Banned for Hunting Wildlife in California

KQED

Beginning July 1, lead ammunition is banned for hunting wildlife anywhere in California. It’s the final phasing in of a law California passed in 2013. Governor Jerry Brown signed it in large part to protect the threatened California condor.

18 GPS Garbage Trackers. One Lone Ship. 40 Tons Out of the Ocean. Proof of Concept

KQED

The Ocean Voyages Institute has figured out how to pull 40 tons of “ghost” fishing nets and other plastic debris from the North Pacific Gyre. That’s a proof of concept that another cleanup effort, the multi-million dollar plastic boom, is still struggling to achieve. Problem is, there are now an estimated 78,660 tons to go.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Meth Is Making A Comeback In California – And It’s Hitting The San Joaquin Valley Hard

KVPR
The most notorious amphetamine, of course, is methamphetamine, which the state Department of Public health confirms comprises the majority of the drug family. In the San Joaquin Valley, meth-related fatal overdoses have surpassed those due to opioids since 2015.

EDITORIALS: Merced County cannot relax efforts to deal with childhood obesity crisis

Merced Sun-Star

Childhood obesity is a particularly difficult public health problem because if left unchecked, it will lead to many significant medical issues later in life.

Pool parasites sickening swimmers are on the rise, CDC says. Here’s how to stay safe

Fresno Bee

Cryptosporidium, called Crypto for short, is a parasite that causes diarrhea for weeks, and outbreaks increased at an average rate of 13% a year from 2009 to 2017, according to new data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The scientific effort to protect babies from trauma before it happens

Quartz

For years, scientists have been trying to figure out how to break the remarkably robust connection between adversity early in life and bad outcomes later on—poor health, incarceration, dropping out of school, violence.

Trends in Health Equity in the United States by Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Income, 1993-2017

JAMA Network

Using data from more than 5.4 million respondents to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this study found that from 1993 to 2017, the black-white gap showed significant improvement. However, measures of health equity and health justice declined over time, and income disparities worsened.

Human Services:

When your school is a health center. How clinics offer lifeline for uninsured kids

Fresno Bee

For the past two years, improvised clinics like this one have served students of Northwood Elementary and other schools in the Twin Rivers School District of Sacramento, part of the steady growth in school-based health centers that provide access to routine and preventive care for underserved populations.

California doctors must tell patients if put on probation for sexual misconduct under new law

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown announced Wednesday that he had signed the Patient Right to Know Act, making California the first state in the nation to require physicians to inform patients when regulators put them on probation for harming those under their care.

Community Citizen Science

Rand Corporation

In community citizen science, groups of volunteers exert a high degree of control over research, working with professional scientists during the research process and performing research on their own.

RAND Study: Hospitals Charging The Privately Insured 2.4 Times What They Charge Medicare Patients

Forbes

An explosive new study has unlocked some of those secrets. It finds that employers and their insurers are failing to control hospital costs, increasing calls for transparency into insurer-hospital agreements.

The Hidden Cost of GoFundMe Health Care

The New Yorker

On the Internet, crowdfunding is distinguished by its scale. As of 2017, GoFundMe alone had raised five billion dollars. That money has helped many of its users, and it has helped the company grow.

IMMIGRATION

Merced County CA farmers say ICE keeping farmworkers away

Merced Sun Star

Salinas Valley study finds immigration policy fears fueling Latino youth’s anxiety

Bakersfield Californian

AG Barr moves forward with immigration court changes

San Francisco Chronicle

Attorney General William Barr has moved forward with a regulation changing the way immigration courts handle appeals, expanding the ability of that court to issue decisions that bind the way all immigration judges must decide cases.

What we know about illegal immigration from Mexico

PEW Research Center

There were 11.6 million immigrants from Mexico living in the United States in 2017, and fewer than half of them (43%) were in the country illegally, according to Pew Research Center estimates. Mexico is the country’s largest source of immigrants, making up 25% of all U.S. immigrants.

Interview: California Secretary Of State Alex Padilla Weighs In On Citizenship Question Ruling

CPR

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census — for now. Trump responded by threatening to delay the census until the court is given more information.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Why Modesto’s trees are an expensive liability for cash-strapped forestry division

Modesto Bee

Modesto is certified as a Tree City USA community, an esteemed program that recognizes cities across the country for excellence in urban forestry management.

Crush of people hits California parks, campgrounds

San Francisco Chronicle

The heart of the problem is that the population of California has doubled since 1970, from roughly 20 million to 40 million, while the number of campground spaces at state and national parks has remained roughly the same.

The walkable urban trend keeps going

CNU

A national study shows strong demand for walkable urban development—cities with high rents perform surprisingly well on social equity measures.

Housing:

A two-for-one tenant bill now includes rent cap and eviction protections

Sacramento Bee

California’s new housing budget is a wrap. Here’s what you need to know.

CALmatters

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders agreed to spend a fresh $2 billion to combat the state’s housingand homelessness woes. Democratic lawmakers and the new governor settled relatively quickly on the amount—which advocates say is the biggest in recent memory dedicated to housing.

Lawmakers—cutting big checks to combat the housing crisis—fight over who gets the money

CALmatters

California lawmakers have approved more than $2 billion in new state spending on housing and homelessness. If that sounds like a big number, it is.

How Does a California Family Survive?

Fox & Hound

Here’s 3 things California can do to dig out of a homelessness crisis years in the making

USA Today

The idea of reducing, much less ending, homelessness in California has started to seem impossible to many as the crisis has worsened. But across the country, communities that have successfully reduced homelessness know otherwise. They also know that inadequate investment is among the biggest obstacles to ending homelessness once and for all.

EDITORIAL: You can’t believe the homeless count – you can only believe we don’t know what’s going on

Sacramento Bee

According to the count made public last week, overall homelessness has jumped 52 percent in Sacramento County over the last two years. According to the count, nearly 6,000 homeless people lived on the streets in January as homeless counters fanned out across the county.

PUBLIC FINANCES

California financial aid increases in Newsom budget

Fresno Bee

Ready to retire? If you’ve saved 8 times your salary by age 60, maybe

Los Angeles Times

What we do know is that people who save a lot tend to have more options as they age. And once you reach your 50s, you’d be smart to consult a fee-only financial planner who can give you a second opinion on your retirement plans to ensure you’re on track.

This time CalPERS plans for stock market drop

Calpensions.com

When its investment fund had a huge loss during a stock market crash a decade ago, plunging from about $260 billion to $160 billion, CalPERS was caught by surprise and had to sell assets at a market bottom to pay bills.

TRANSPORTATION

Gas tax set to take effect Monday continues to drive debate

Bakersfield Californian

The latest gasoline tax out of Sacramento, a levy of 5.6 cents per gallon set to take effect Monday, is fueling discussion locally over how to pay for road repairs, reduce traffic and otherwise improve the state’s sprawling transportation infrastructure.

● California gas tax rises another 6 cents a gallon Monday AP

● SLO County has the most expensive gas in United States — and Fresno is in the top 20 The Tribune

● EDITORIAL: Caltrans director’s pricey commute cost taxpayers. Will wasteful practices continue? Fresno Bee

Building a Multimodal Future

ULI Bookstore

Building a Multimodal Future shows how planning land uses and transportation together with transportation demand management (TDM) policies creates safer, more walkable environments.

Bike lanes need physical protection from car traffic, study shows

arsTECHNICA
The researchers conducted an observational study, gathering data from 60 cyclists in Melbourne, Australia. For a week or two, the cyclists were equipped with sensors and cameras to capture data over the course of their riding.

‘Do I risk it?’ Your photos of the world’s best and worst cycling infrastructure

The Guardian

Bike lanes blocked by bollards, potholes, contradictory signs and “the world’s shortest bike lane”: when we asked for examples of the best and worst cycle infrastructure in cities the submissions came in thick and fast.

Consumer Reports: E-Scooter safety investigation

abc30

A Consumer Reports investigation found that serious e-scooter injuries are happening all too frequently. Consumer Reports contacted hospitals, municipal agencies, and universities in 47 cities where at least one of the major ride-sharing e-scooter companies, Bird or Lime, operates.

WATER

A water year in review: How has water shaped up for Sacramento and Northern California?

Fresno Bee

As the 2018-19 water year came to a close Sunday, record-setting snowpack in the Sierras and above-average rain means several reservoirs are near full capacity heading into the dry summer months. Here’s a look at the past 12 months of California water.

How did California’s rainfall season measure up? Good, but not great

Los Angeles Times

Sunday is the end of the 2018-19 rainfall season in California, and you may have heard that the season’s precipitation totals were extraordinary. The figures show that the season was good — above normal — but not in the top 20% of wettest seasons.

“Xtra”

Where’s the big Independence Day fireworks show? Here’s the list for June 29-July 4

Fresno Bee

Fresno: Freedom Run, 7 a.m. Woodward Park, 7775 N. Friant Road, runsignup.com/Race/CA/Fresno/ FresnoFreedomRun, $20-$30. Kids races, 4-mile run and 2-mile run/walk.

Fresno Women’s Summit offers empowerment and support

abc30

Women in the Central Valley came together Saturday for a day of empowerment and support. The Fresno Women’s Summit was held at Peerless Building in Downtown Fresno.

Our View: The Wall, the Fourth: Let us not cheapen their meaning

Stockton Record

Those two calendar points represent very different but linked moments in our history: July 4th celebrated as the official birth of our nation and June 6 a measure of the extraordinary sacrifices this nation has been willing to make in the name of freedom and, perhaps ironically, our always longed-for peace.