July 1, 2021

01Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

 

North SJ Valley:

​​ 

COVID Update:

​​ 

Merced County home prices are approaching all-time records. See what buyers are paying

Merced Sun-Star

The median price of a single-family home continues to increase in Merced County, reaching its highest mark in 15 years. Plus, the latest data shows the prices aren’t going down anytime soon.

See also:

​​ 

Back in classrooms, students energized to learn at Modesto City Schools’ summer sessions

Modesto Bee

MCS offered summer remediation and enrichment at all schools this year for the first time, using COVID-19 relief funding to expand camplike enrichment and bridge programs. Two schools were closed for renovations, but their programs moved to other buildings.

​​ 

Biden boosts forest firefighter pay. Modesto area’s congressman pressed the issue

Modesto Bee

President Joe Biden gave a raise to federal firefighters Wednesday, after hearing that some make as little as $13.45 an hour. The order drew praise from Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, who has worked with a Republican colleague to raise the issue.

​​ 

Central SJ Valley:

​​ 

COVID Update:

​​ 

‘It makes your heart skip a beat.’ Shaver businesses, residents worried by another fire season

Fresno Bee

Will Stufft isn’t terribly worried about the Blue Fire. But he’s not, not worried either. As the owner of two Shaver Lake businesses lived through the devastating Creek Fire and understands how quickly a fire can threaten a community.

​​ 

Editorial: In a summer of extreme drought, how safe can fireworks be in Fresno County?

Fresno Bee

Fresno, Clovis and other cities in the county allow the use of “safe and sane” fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July. But in this summer of extreme drought and fire danger, how safe can such fireworks be?

​​ 

Free Rides Ending Soon; FAX Bus Moving To Hybrid Fare Model In September

VPR

As City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell and I get on the FAX bus at Shaw and Cedar, a cool blast of air greets us. Our fare is free but that ends in September.

​​ 

Fresno Yosemite airport unveils new TSA tool for carry-ons. It’ll help ease growing crowds

Fresno Bee

The airport is now using a computer tomography scanner as its primary screening . The unit generates an image of a bag’s contents, which can be manipulated by a TSA officer to get a clearer view of what’s inside the bag. All of this is done without having to open it.

​​ 

California Republican votes ‘no’ on Capitol riot committee after supporting earlier proposal

Modesto Bee

Rep. David Valadao voted Wednesday against creating a special Democratic-controlled committee to investigate the January 6 Capitol insurrection — after supporting an independent commission last month.

See also:

​​ 

South SJ Valley:

​​ 

COVID Update:

​​ 

Board of Supervisors appoints Duncan as next fire chief

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors has appointed Aaron Duncan as the next chief of the Kern County Fire Department.

​​ 

Bakersfield Homeless Center adds 40 beds for homeless women

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield Homeless Center has finished a 40-bed expansion for single women. The center announced Wednesday that the expansion was funded by the city of Bakersfield through the Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention Program.

See also:

​​ 

B3K shares strategies for promoting local industry clusters

Bakersfield Californian

Collaborators in Kern County's B3K economic development initiative came together Tuesday afternoon to share ideas about what strategies they should pursue as a way of improving local job-creation efforts.

​​ 

Hurtado, Salas tout $73 million for Valley in state budget

Hanford Sentinel

State Senator Melissa Hurtado and Assemblymember Rudy Salas on Tuesday lauded the legislature’s passage of more than $73 million in the state budget for South Valley communities.

​​ 

State:

​​ 

COVID Update:

​​ 

What’s holding up a California budget for Newsom and lawmakers? Here’s what they’re negotiating

Fresno Bee

Lawmakers on Monday passed a series of budget bills that lay out a $262 billion framework for the state’s 2021-22 spending plan, but don’t represent a final deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

See also:

​​ 

Gov. Newsom Retreats On $1 Billion Wildfire Prevention Plan Ahead Of Meeting With President Biden

Capital Public Radio

Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled back a more ambitious wildfire prevention plan set by his predecessor, and this week his administration nixed more than half a billion dollars in promised fuel reduction spending.

See also:

 

More stories below (under “Federal”)

​​ 

Pay cuts end today for California state workers. When will raises show up on checks?

Sacramento Bee

End-of-the-month paychecks will reflect workers’ restored salaries, along with new raises and other miscellaneous pay adjustments state employee unions negotiated with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration over the last six weeks.

See also:

​​ 

GOP’s Cox: California should force homeless into treatment

AP News

John Cox, a Republican candidate for California governor, said Monday that he would force homeless people into mental health or addiction treatment before providing them with housing as part of his effort to cut homelessness in half in five years.

See also:

​​ 

Reimbursements: A little-known provision of recall law

Capitol Weekly

Taxpayers could be on the hook for hefty bills if the recall of Gov. Newsom fails because of a provision of the constitution: “A state officer who is not recalled must be reimbursed by the State for the officer’s recall election expenses legally and personally incurred.”

​​ 

Opinion: Make online meetings for public agencies a fixture in California

CalMatters

They have the potential to save money and allow more citizens to participate, but the executive order that allowed them during the pandemic is about to be rescinded.

​​ 

California banned state-funded travel to Florida. Meet the LGBT leader who made it happen

Fresno Bee

California this week banned taxpayer-funded travel to five states that recently adopted measures viewed by Democratic leaders as discriminatory against transgender Americans.

See also:

​​ 

Federal:

​​ 

COVID Update:

​​ 

Pres. Biden is raising federal firefighter pay amid threat of catastrophic wildfire season

abc30

President Joe Biden is temporarily raising pay for federal firefighters to ensure that no one fighting wildland fires is making less than $15 per hour.

See also:

​​ 

House passes $700 billion transportation and water bill, making its pitch on infrastructure

Washington Post

The House passed a more than $700 billion transportation and water infrastructure bill Thursday, a measure that stakes out the chamber’s position in a debate over how to rebuild the nation’s roads, transit networks, water pipes and sewers.

See also:

​​ 

130 countries sign on to global minimum tax plan, creating momentum for Biden push to crack down on tax avoidance

Washington Post

The Biden Administration claimed an important victory on Thursday in its drive for a global minimum corporate tax with an announcement from Paris that 130 countries had signed on to the plan.

See also:

​​ 

The TJCA created the most substantial changes in business taxation in decades. But in a new analysis we find that it included many poorly designed provisions, especially in the treatment of income by multinational corporations and pass-through businesses.

​​ 

GOP tax attack

AXIOS

Republican senators are rallying against one of the main ways President Biden wants to pay for his infrastructure deal — a $40 billion infusion to help the Internal Revenue Service collect $100 billion more in taxes.

​​ 

Democrats search for sweet spot on ‘SALT’ deduction

Roll Call

Compromise may be at hand over state and local tax deduction

​​ 

How Biden and Congress could improve business taxation

Brookings

The TJCA created the most substantial changes in business taxation in decades. But in a new analysis we find that it included many poorly designed provisions, especially in the treatment of income by multinational corporations and pass-through businesses.

​​ 

‘Not a healthy environment’: Kamala Harris’ office rife with dissent

Politico

There is dysfunction inside the VP’s office, aides and administration officials say. And it’s emanating from the top.

​​ 

House creates committee to investigate Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Los Angeles Times

The House voted largely along party lines Wednesday to create a special committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd.

See also:

​​ 

Republicans Ask Federal Retirement Plan for Details on BlackRock, State Street’s Votes

Wall Street Journal

Letter from senators shows heightened scrutiny on how large money managers are exerting their influence over companies on behalf of investors.

​​ 

U.S. Supreme Court allows Republican-backed Arizona voting restrictions

Reuters

The Supreme Court made it easier for states to enact voting restrictions, endorsing Republican-backed measures in Arizona that a lower court had decided disproportionately burdened minority voters and handing a defeat to Democrats who had challenged them.

See also:

​​ 

Supreme Court Strikes Down Nonprofit Donor Disclosure Rule

Wall Street Journal

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that California went too far in requiring charities to file with the state regulators federal forms disclosing major contributors to tax-exempt charities, finding that the policy infringed on donors’ First Amendment rights.

​​ 

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg Surrenders to Authorities

Wall Street Journal

The Trump Organization’s finance chief Allen Weisselberg surrendered to New York prosecutors as he and the company’s lawyers prepared to face the first criminal charges stemming from a multiyear investigation into former Trump’s business affairs.

​​ 

Amazon Seeks Recusal of FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan in Antitrust Investigations of Company

Wall Street Journal

Online giant questions Khan’s ability to be impartial in light of her repeated criticisms of Amazon.

​​ 

Biden Gained With Moderate and Conservative Voting Groups, New Data Shows

New York Times

President Biden cut into Donald Trump’s margins with married men and veteran households, a Pew survey shows. But there was a far deeper well of support for Mr. Trump than many progressives had imagined.

​​ 

Democratic-Leaning Suburbs Pose Redistricting Challenge for GOP

Wall Street Journal

Republicans pursuing a House majority have upper hand in drawing favorable seats, but some districts are changing rapidly.

​​ 

Other:

​​ 

Which States Have Dedicated Broadband Offices, Task Forces, Agencies, or Funds?

Pew Trusts

A review of state strategies for improving access

​​ 

The most popular fact checks of 2021, so far

Washington Post

We’ve fact-checked President Biden more than any other politician in the first six months of 2021, but scrutiny of his words apparently does not command the same attention from readers as examination of President Donald Trump’s utterances did.

See also:

​​ 

​​ 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

​​ 

Sunday, July 4, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "High Speed Rail: Back on Track?" - Guest: Brian Kelly, CEO - CA High Speed Rail Authority; Dan Walters - CalMatters; Tom Richards, Chairman - CA High Speed Rail Authority. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

​​ 

Sunday, July 4, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Reporter's Notebook: High Speed Rail Update"- Guests: Tim Sheehan - Fresno Bee; David Lightman - McClatchy Newspapers. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

​​ 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

​​ 

Water deliveries ending early for local farmers as dry conditions continue

abc30

This year's surface water flow through Fresno Irrigation District canals is one of the shortest in history. In a few weeks, this canal near Stan Morita's Biola farm will run dry because the 2021 water delivery season lasted for just the month of June.

See also:

​​ 

Promising technology arises in fight against potentially devastating citrus disease

Bakersfield.com

Researchers in Riverside and Maryland may have come up with a breakthrough in the fight against a pest-borne bacterial disease threatening to wipe out California's citrus industry.

​​ 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

​​ 

Crime:

​​ 

Hate crimes against Asian Americans in California spiked by 107% in 2020, new data shows

Fresno Bee

Reports of hate crimes across California — particularly involving the Asian American and Pacific Islander community — rose exponentially from 2019 to 2020, according to the state attorney general’s office.

See also:

​​ 

California advances decriminalizing psychedelic substances

AP News

California on Tuesday moved another step closer to decriminalizing psychedelics after the author removed a substance from the bill that opponents said can be used as a date-rape drug.

​​ 

Public Safety:

​​ 

Editorial: In a summer of extreme drought, how safe can fireworks be in Fresno County?

Fresno Bee

Fresno, Clovis and other cities in the county allow the use of “safe and sane” fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July. But in this summer of extreme drought and fire danger, how safe can such fireworks be?

​​ 

GOP donor pays $1M to deploy South Dakota National Guard

AP News

Earlier this month the billionaire Republican donor, who amassed a fortune building an international junkyard empire, took the unusual step of calling South Dakota Gov. Noem, a rising Republican who has railed against illegal immigration and aligned herself with Trump.

​​ 

Fire:

​​ 

‘It makes your heart skip a beat.’ Shaver businesses, residents worried by another fire season

Fresno Bee

Will Stufft isn’t terribly worried about the Blue Fire. But he’s not, not worried either. As the owner of two Shaver Lake businesses lived through the devastating Creek Fire and understands how quickly a fire can threaten a community.

See also:

​​ 

Salt Fire updates: Fire estimated at 1,000 acres; mandatory evacuations in place

Visalia Times Delta

The Salt Fire is burning east of Interstate 5 near the Salt Creek exit in the Lakehead area. The first call about the fire was reported at 1:41 p.m. It prompted road closures and the evacuation of residents who live in the area.

​​ 

Board of Supervisors appoints Duncan as next fire chief

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Board of Supervisors has appointed Aaron Duncan as the next chief of the Kern County Fire Department.

​​ 

ECONOMY/JOBS

​​ 

Economy:

​​ 

B3K shares strategies for promoting local industry clusters

Bakersfield Californian

Collaborators in Kern County's B3K economic development initiative came together Tuesday afternoon to share ideas about what strategies they should pursue as a way of improving local job-creation efforts.

​​ 

California consumer confidence index at 28-month high

Mercury News

A statewide consumer confidence index confirms what crowded shopping centers, filled attractions and jammed freeways suggest: California’s shopper psyche is at a 28-month high.

​​ 

130 countries sign on to global minimum tax plan, creating momentum for Biden push to crack down on tax avoidance

Washington Post

The Biden Administration claimed an important victory on Thursday in its drive for a global minimum corporate tax with an announcement from Paris that 130 countries had signed on to the plan.

See also:

​​ 

Op-Ed: Inflation won’t just hurt the rich

American Enterprise Institute

The poor and middle-class could suffer as well.

​​ 

Jobs:

​​ 

Americans support employers requiring COVID vaccines — unless it’s their boss, poll finds

Fresno Bee

A new poll found most Americans think employers should require the COVID-19 vaccine — but don’t want theirs to do the same.

​​ 

Construction work is booming, but where are the engineers?

Business Journal

Construction activity is rampant and money is expected to pour into transportation infrastructure. But there is a problem — there are not enough engineers to go around.

​​ 

How the ACCESS to Careers Act Aligns With Workforce Development System Innovations

EdNote

The U.S. Senate recently introduced the ACCESS to Careers Act, a bipartisan bill that continues the trend set by the current administration to accelerate economic recovery and set individuals on the path to good jobs.

​​ 

This Summer, Jobs Come With a Hefty Signing Bonus

Wall Street Journal

As companies grow more desperate to fill open roles, some dangle incentives worth $1,000 or more.

​​ 

We hate the office. We love the office. Do we want to go back?

Washington Post

A Gallup poll found that 40% of white-collar workers would prefer to continue working remotely as much as possible, while 21% would rather return to the office (and 29% were not working remotely, while the rest didn’t want to go back because of COVID concerns).

​​ 

US jobless claims fall to 364,000, a new pandemic low

AP News

The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the job market and the broader economy are rebounding rapidly from the coronavirus recession.

See also:

​​ 

EDUCATION

​​ 

K-12:

​​ 

KHSD responds to community concerns about transparency at final school boundary forum

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern High School District held its third and final public forum Tuesday night at Golden Valley High School to address its proposed boundary changes prompted by the opening of Del Oro High School in fall 2022.

​​ 

KHSD students petition to have a student representative on the board

Bakersfield Californian

This coming school year, the Kern High School District will have a new face on the board, thanks to an effort by students to have their very own representative.

​​ 

Back in classrooms, students energized to learn at Modesto City Schools’ summer sessions

Modesto Bee

MCS offered summer remediation and enrichment at all schools this year for the first time, using COVID-19 relief funding to expand camplike enrichment and bridge programs. Two schools were closed for renovations, but their programs moved to other buildings.

​​ 

Mental health toll from isolation affecting kids on reentry

Fresno Bee

After relentless months of social distancing, online schooling and other restrictions, many kids are feeling the pandemic’s toll or facing new challenges navigating reentry.

​​ 

The pandemic laid bare existing inequalities. California’s kids felt the pain.

CalMatters

Of all the ZIP codes in Alameda County, 94603, has been perhaps the most brutalized by the pandemic. It had a COVID infection rate eight times that of the ZIP code with the lowest infection rate, 94618.

​​ 

Special ed and high-needs students get windfall in budget deal

CalMatters

California schools are poised to get a record-breaking amount of money in the state budget to help students recover from the 15 months of chaos, virtual classrooms, hybrid schedules and ever-shifting guidance.

See also:

​​ 

Innovations in Distance Education When Broadband Is Not an Option

EdNote

State leaders are at a pivotal moment: Let’s reimagine learning while addressing inequitable access to broadband internet — not just now, this summer or next year, but for the long term.

​​ 

Opinion: America’s cultural education also needs a ‘truth’ upgrade

Roll Call

With gag orders being placed on schools, stories told on celluloid have never been more important.

​​ 

Higher Ed:

​​ 

Former Fresno State softball player says coach grabbed her by jersey in on-field incident

Fresno Bee

Fresno State softball player Kaitlyn Jennings blasted former coach Linda Garza on social media on Wednesday, relaying her version of events that apparently led to Garza taking a mysterious leave of absence midway through the season and her resignation at the end of it.

​​ 

NCAA clears way for athlete compensation as state laws loom

Modesto Bee

The decision, expected for months as state after state passed laws intended to render NCAA rules moot on the topic, came on the eve of the market opening Thursday for athletes in a dozen states, including giants like Texas and Florida.

See also:

​​ 

California Lawmakers Tout Big College Spending, But Key Items Get Zero Dollars This Year

Capital Public Radio

Lawmakers are boasting about a massive infusion of funding in the new budget to help more Californians afford college and expand enrollment at public universities, including the most competitive. But all of those are unfunded promises.

​​ 

How Will Student Loan Borrowers Fare After the Pandemic?

PewTrusts

Increased repayment challenges could outlast the COVID-19 recession

See also:

​​ 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

​​ 

Environment:

​​ 

Federal program debuts climate change, racial justice criteria as part of infrastructure grants

Washington Post

For the first time, federal transportation officials judged projects seeking multimillion-dollar grants from a highway, rail and port infrastructure fund based on how they might tackle climate change and racial injustice.

​​ 

That Heat Dome? Yeah, It’s Climate Change.

New York Times

In the old days, we could escape the summer heat by heading north — to the Adirondacks in the East or to the cool, forested Pacific Northwest in the West.

​​ 

Schwarzenegger warns that climate 'despair' has public tuning out

Politico

Former CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the climate change activism movement is “wearing the public out” with a barrage of dystopian warnings about the “existential threat” to life on Earth. He urged activists to target pollution as the globe’s single biggest threat.

​​ 

Energy:

​​ 

PG&E wants rate hike for California wildfire prevention. How much your bill could increase

Fresno Bee

PG&E Corp. is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to keep California from catching fire — and wants its customers to pay for it.

See also:

​​ 

California tests off-the-grid solutions to power outages

Business Journal

The ramping up of this technology is a strategy to improve energy resilience in California as a cycle of extreme heat, drought and wildfires hammers the U.S. West, triggering massive blackouts and threatening the power supply in the country’s most populous state.

​​ 

Blackouts in US Northwest due to heat wave, deaths reported

Business Journal

The unprecedented Northwest U.S. heat wave that slammed Seattle and Portland, Oregon, moved inland Tuesday — prompting a electrical utility in Spokane, Washington, to resume rolling blackouts amid heavy power demand.

​​ 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

​​ 

Health:

​​ 

Valley's dry conditions could lead to more mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus

abc30

Summer is here and so is the busy mosquito season. But as California deals with another drought year, less water could mean more mosquitoes carrying a potentially life-threatening virus.

​​ 

We Studied COVID-19 Cases After Birthdays. Family Gatherings Can Still Be Dangerous

Rand Corporation

Despite more than a year of significant restrictions on formal gatherings, America has seen more than 33.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 602,000 deaths.

​​ 

The Delta Variant: What Scientists Know

New York Times

The variant is gaining traction worldwide. But vaccines are driving down coronavirus case numbers in the U.S., and it’s unclear whether Delta will reverse that trend.

​​ 

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were tested in humans, have proven to be safe, effective

PolitiFact

A widely shared social media post claims that the technology used in two of the three COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. had not been tested in humans — and asserts that assurances it is safe and effective are wrong.

​​ 

Human Services:

​​ 

In Stanislaus County, patients are waiting 45 minutes for an ambulance. Why so long?

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders are directing attention to a faltering ambulance system in which responses longer than 35 minutes, or even 45 minutes, are happening too often, top officials said.

​​ 

California delays funding to handle public health emergencies in new state budget

Fresno Bee

Public health funding in California largely plateaued for a decade. One in four public health labs also closed their doors in the two decades leading up to the pandemic, leaving local jurisdictions without resources to mitigate an infectious disease outbreak in their communities.

​​ 

IMMIGRATION

​​ 

Video: Health Coverage and Care for Undocumented Immigrants in California

Public Policy Institute of California

Compared to other immigrants, undocumented immigrants face limited options for health insurance and health care. Cha discussed these and other insights from a report examining what health coverage and care now looks like for undocumented immigrants in California.

​​ 

Low DACA approval numbers prompt concern from lawmakers, advocates

Roll Call

Only a fraction of the tens of thousands of new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program were approved in the first quarter of 2021, ranking advocates who’d hoped to see the program bolstered under a Democratic president.

​​ 

US will close 4 emergency shelters for migrant children

AP News

U.S. officials will close four emergency facilities set up to house record numbers of migrant children crossing the Mexican border alone but cautioned Tuesday that minors were still arriving.

​​ 

LAND USE/HOUSING

​​ 

Land Use:

​​ 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks increase fire restrictions to 'highest level'

Visalia Times Delta

Park rangers are enacting a Stage 3 fire restriction for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national park, the highest level of restrictions.

See also:

​​ 

Housing:

​​ 

Bakersfield Homeless Center adds 40 beds for homeless women

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield Homeless Center has finished a 40-bed expansion for single women. The center announced Wednesday that the expansion was funded by the city of Bakersfield through the Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention Program.

See also:

​​ 

Merced County home prices are approaching all-time records. See what buyers are paying

Merced Sun-Star

The median price of a single-family home continues to increase in Merced County, reaching its highest mark in 15 years. Plus, the latest data shows the prices aren’t going down anytime soon.

​​ 

Gavin Newsom extends California’s eviction ban despite opposition from Realtors and landlords

Sacramento Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday extended an eviction moratorium until the end of September and boosted funding for a rent relief program, despite opposition from landlords and realtors who argued the protections have created more problems than they’ve solved.

See also:

​​ 

Inspector general overseeing federal housing agency resigns, months after watchdog report finds abuse of authority

Washington Post

It was unclear whether the Biden administration would remove Laura Wertheimer following other leadership changes at the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

​​ 

PUBLIC FINANCES

​​ 

Who got the most stimulus money? New IRS report breaks it down by group

Fresno Bee

A majority of the third round of stimulus checks went to households with income under $50,000, the Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday in a report.

See also:

​​ 

Here’s how taxes work on estates and inherited money

Los Angeles Times

Are all assets entitled to a stepped-up basis upon the death of the owner? My father died about a year ago, leaving my sister and me an estate of a little over $1 million.

​​ 

TRANSPORTATION

​​ 

Fresno Yosemite airport unveils new TSA tool for carry-ons. It’ll help ease growing crowds

Fresno Bee

The airport is now using a computer tomography scanner as its primary screening . The unit generates an image of a bag’s contents, which can be manipulated by a TSA officer to get a clearer view of what’s inside the bag. All of this is done without having to open it.

​​ 

Free Rides Ending Soon; FAX Bus Moving To Hybrid Fare Model In September

VPR

As City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell and I get on the FAX bus at Shaw and Cedar, a cool blast of air greets us. Our fare is free but that ends in September.

​​ 

California Democrats send Newsom a budget without money for high-speed rail

Fresno Bee

The conspicuous absence of money for high-speed rail in the $262.6 billion budget bill approved Monday by state legislators in Sacramento could have major consequences for construction work of the bullet-train line in Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley.

See also:

​​ 

The California DMV restored more than half a million driver licenses. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

The California Department of Motor Vehicles restored more than half a million driver licenses that were suspended as a result of the drivers’ failure to pay traffic fines or appear in court, according to a new court filing released this week.

​​ 

Why airlines are canceling hundreds of flights — and what you can do

Washington Post

Southwest and American cancellations enraged fliers. They might not subside any time soon.

​​ 

WATER

​​ 

As drought ravages California, Biden’s infrastructure bill could help store more water

Fresno Bee

As California and the West suffer through an epic drought, President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans and Democrats have included $5 billion for Western water projects in their infrastructure deal.

​​ 

“Xtra”

​​ 

New restaurant opens with Lao, Thai food and a side of community in southeast Fresno

Fresno Bee

The first thing you need to know about the newly opened La Kitchen in southeast Fresno is how to pronounce it. Despite the sign with the capitalized letters, this restaurant has nothing to do with Los Angeles. It’s pronounced La Kitchen, as in tra la la.

​​ 

Two new diverse restaurants and a coffee shop coming to downtown Fresno. Here’s where

Fresno Bee

Another wave of eateries is coming to downtown Fresno, this time with a couple of diverse options. A Vietnamese restaurant, an Ethiopian restaurant and a coffee shop that may be familiar are slated to open before the end of the year.

​​ 

Want to visit Great Wolf’s Northern California water resort? What you need to know

Modesto Bee

Room rates start at $199 for a family suite (with two queen beds and a full-size sofa sleeper), $239 for the Wolf Den (with children’s themed bunk beds) and $349 for a Grizzly Suite (king-sized master bedroom, two queen beds in a second room and a sleeper sofa).

​​ 

​​ 

Test yourself with our new free game: PolitiTruth

Think you can tell the difference between True and False?

Do you really know what is fake news?

​​ 

Support the Maddy Daily

​​ 

HERE

​​ 

Thank you!

​​ 

​​ 

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.

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​    ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

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

​​ 

Subscribe to the Maddy Daily HERE

​​ 

Or, to Subscribe or Unsubscribe: email amyboam@csufresno.edu

​​