12Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Mayor says Tracy City Council committed to respect, civility after grand jury report

Stockton Record

A month after the San Joaquin County civil grand jury released a report that looked into multiple complaints of friction and toxic behavior among Tracy City Council members, officials have reviewed the findings and sent responses.

Second candidate enters race to succeed Olsen on Stanislaus Board of Supervisors

Modesto Bee

Van Winkle is the second candidate to emerge since Monday’s announcement that former state Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen won’t seek a second term as a county supervisor. Modesto Councilman Bill Zoslocki declared he was a candidate within hours of Olsen’s statement, which apparently signaled the end of her 15-year political career.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno councilwoman Esmeralda Soria challenges longtime Rep. Costa. Is she his toughest opponent yet?

Fresno Bee

In his next bid for re-election, U.S. Rep. Jim Costa may face his toughest challenge to date — and it comes from within his own party.

Republicans think they can knock off this California Democrat (Cong. TJ Cox), but they don’t have a candidate

Fresno Bee

Vulnerable Democratic Rep. TJ Cox doesn’t have an announced challenger in his 2020 race yet, but based on polling Republicans are doing in the district, they have their candidate in mind.

South SJ Valley:

Pence visits Valley to push trade deal revision

Visalia Times Delta

Amid hay bales and country music at a farm outside Lemoore Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence sought to rally farmers and others in the agriculture industry to support President Donald Trump’s revisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

See also:

● Vice President Mike Pence visits Lemoore Hanford Sentinel

● Vice President Mike Pence Visits Lemoore To Bolster Enthusiasm For A Trade Deal With Mexico, Canada VPR

State:

Report: How to make California more resilient through collaborative governance

California Economic Summit

As California communities seek to grow and thrive, they face dramatic new disruptions: a range of increasingly frequent natural disasters associated with climate change, and the social and economic dislocations caused by rising costs and changes in the workplace.

California governor orders firing of oil, gas regulator

Associated Press

Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the firing of California’s top oil and gas regulator Thursday over an increase in state permits for hydraulic fracturing and allegations of conflicts of interest among senior government officials.

● Civil rights groups celebrate census decision Fresno Bee

● Trump Backs Off Census Fight, Orders Agencies To Share Data On Citizenship Status Capital Public Radio

● Trump Announces Push For Citizenship Data Apart From Census Capital Public Radio

● Trump backs down in fight over census citizenship question Los Angeles Times

● Trump drops census citizenship question, will draw data from federal agencies San Francisco Chronicle

● Trump Says He Will Seek Citizenship Information From Existing Federal Records, Not the Census New York Times

● Trump abandons effort to add citizenship question to census Politico

● Overcoming Black Doubts About the Census Capital & Main

● OPINION: Three Governors on How They’re Fighting Trump’s Census Manipulation New York Times

● Trump Drops Effort to Put Citizenship Question on Census Wall Street Journal

Pelosi ready for deal on borrowing limit, spending levels

Fresno Bee

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she wants to complete a deal with President Donald Trump this month that would raise the government’s borrowing limit and set spending levels for the coming budget year.

Race becomes new flashpoint with Pelosi, Ocasio-Cortez

Bakersfield Californian

The debate between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other House Democrats over migrant children in detention at the border was wrenching enough. Then it became about race.

● EDITORIAL: Nancy Pelosi could have it worse. AOC and the ‘Squad’ have nothing on the Freedom Caucus Los Angeles Times

Trump judges key votes on keeping family-planning restrictions in place for now

San Francisco Chronicle

A federal appeals court granted requests Thursday by California, other states and reproductive-rights advocates to reconsider the Trump administration’s restrictions on federal family-planning funding, which prohibit agencies receiving the funds from referring women for abortions.

Trump applauds far-right social media provocateurs

Fresno Bee

President Donald Trump used a White House conference Thursday to applaud far-right social media provocateurs even as he conceded that some of them are extreme in their views.

EDITORIAL: Mike Pompeo’s new panel on human rights is unnecessary and maybe dangerous

Los Angeles Times

Champions of human rights around the world are reacting with understandable suspicion to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo’s announcement that he is creating a “Commission on Unalienable Rights” that will “ground our discussion of human rights in America’s founding principles.”

Elections 2020:

Gavin Newsom will decide whether Trump must release tax returns to get on 2020 ballot

Fresno Bee

California lawmakers approved a bill on Thursday to force President Donald Trump to publicly release his tax returns ahead of the 2020 election, setting the stage for another legal showdown between the state and the Trump administration.

Former Vice President Joe Biden lays out his vision on foreign policy in NY speech

abc30

In the speech, Biden is expected to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, tensions with Russia and North Korea, and the Paris Climate Accord.

Bernie Sanders brushes off likability concerns, maintains focus on platform

abc30

Sen. Bernie Sanders pushed back against the notion that he has not shared enough about his personal life and family during his two presidential runs.

Tom Steyer: What to know about 2020 candidate

abc30

San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer has joined the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, but who is he?

● Tom Steyer wants to fix American politics by making it Californian CALmatters

Harris renews attacks on Biden and busing, calls debate remarks ‘revisionist history’

abc30

Sen. Kamala Harris on Thursday renewed her attacks on fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Joe Biden for his debate remarks about busing.

Other:

When will KSEE24, CBS47 return to DirecTV? It’s still unclear, but negotiations resuming

Fresno Bee

Last week, DirecTV subscribers across the U.S. lost access to some of their local affiliate stations as part of a contract dispute between AT&T, DirecTV’s parent company, and Nexstar Media.

AT&T to automatically block robocalls for its customers

abc30

Tired of spam calls? AT&T customers will soon be free of them, the company reported Tuesday. AT&T will automatically block unwanted robocalls for their customers.

The Desire for Fake News Lives in All of Us

National Review

President Donald Trump will occasionally, at rallies or press conferences, just point to a reporter or a group of reporters and say, “You are fake news.” It’s a crowd pleaser at the rallies. But in a way, by pointing a finger directly into the camera bays, he is pointing at all of us. And I feel accused.

EDITORIAL: Buhach Colony coach stopped a man from hitting a woman, a great life lesson for his team

Merced Sun-Star

Matt Granado will be the head football coach for Buhach Colony High School’s freshman team this fall. But he has already given the players one of the best life lessons they could receive.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, July 14, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Unintended Consequences: Do Open Meeting Laws Undermine Good Decision Making?” – Guest: Former California’s Little Hoover Commission Executive Director Carole D’Elia. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 14, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Sunshine (Laws) in the Valley: A Good Thing?” – Guests: Nate Monroe (UC Merced Prof.), Paul Hurley (Former Editor, Visalia Times Delta), Hilda Cantu Montoy (Fresno-area Attorney and former City Attorney for the City of Fresno). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 14, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Participación en 2018: lo que puede significar para 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

Avocado shortage has prices soaring

abc30

A shortage of avocados has sent prices soaring. Wholesale prices of avocados are more than double what they were just a year ago. Most of the extra cost is being passed onto consumers, with retail prices almost doubling.

See also:

● Avocado prices are up, but it’s not for tariffs Visalia Times Delta

Winners of the 2019 Central Coast Wine Competition

Modesto Bee

In mid-June, 18 judges met in Paso Robles and blind-tasted 803 wines from 165 wineries in the 17th annual Central Coast Wine Competition. The competition includes 10 coastal counties from Alameda to Ventura.

Oregon marijuana surplus a cautionary tale for other states

Pew Trusts

The state has enough marijuana to satisfy buyers for more than six years.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Crime continues to drop in California. Here are the numbers for your county

Fresno Bee

Most violent and property crimes fell last year, continuing an ongoing decline in California, according to statistics released this month by the state Attorney General. The trend toward a less violent society is not consistent across every region, but overall — and with a few exceptions.

Public Safety:

Law Enforcement Staffing in California

PPIC
Community-police relationships have recently become a focus of national attention, as incidents across the country have brought concerns about the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities by law enforcement to the forefront.

Public Safety, Civil Rights Groups Battle Over Face ID Tech

U.S. News

San Francisco is on track to become the first U.S. city to ban the use of facial recognition by police and other city agencies, reflecting a growing backlash against a technology that’s creeping into airports, motor vehicle departments, stores, stadiums and home security cameras.

Fire:

County ‘Officially’ Opens New Tesoro Viejo Fire Station

Sierra News

The county’s newest fire station had its formal grand opening celebration Thursday, July 11. But Madera County Station #7 — already nicknamed “Lucky 7” — officially went online last fall.

California OKs plan to shore up utilities

Visalia Times Delta

California lawmakers approved a multibillion-dollar plan Thursday to shore up the state’s biggest electric utilities in the face of catastrophic wildfires and claims for damage from past blazes caused by their equipment.

See also:

● California backs effort to boost utilities during wildfires Bakersfield Californian

● California passes $26 billion plan to deal with wildfire threats Sacramento Bee

● Utility customers will pay $10.5 billion for California wildfire costs under bill sent to Newsom Los Angeles Times

● California Assembly approves major wildfire bill, sending it to Gov. Newsom San Francisco Chronicle

● California Lawmakers Give Utilities a Backstop on Wildfire Liability New York Times

● California lawmakers more inclined to save utilities this year Politico

Report: PG&E Ignored Repairs On Aging Power Lines

Capital Public Radio

A report released Wednesday says that Pacific Gas & Electric knew for years that dozens of its aging power lines posed a wildfire threat but avoided replacing or repairing them.

California’s worsening wildfires, explained

Public CEO

If it seems that wildfires are burning nearly all the time these days, that there’s no longer a definable fire season in California, you’re right. Fourteen of the 20 most destructive fires in state history have occurred since 2007, and California has 78 more annual “fire days” now than it had 50 years ago.

‘We will not let you die today!’ Dramatic new firefighter video shows Camp Fire chaos

Sacramento Bee

California fire officials this week published a dramatic video documentary showing glimpses inside the chaotic and lethal first few hours of last fall’s Camp Fire from the perspective of the firefighters who rushed in.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

When will KSEE24, CBS47 return to DirecTV? It’s still unclear, but negotiations resuming

Fresno Bee

Last week, DirecTV subscribers across the U.S. lost access to some of their local affiliate stations as part of a contract dispute between AT&T, DirecTV’s parent company, and Nexstar Media.

New Costco to open in Clovis on July 18

Clovis Roundup

The new development on Clovis and Shaw, near Sierra Vista Mall will not only benefit the members of the community who will be customers, but also the local business environment around the new store.

Stocks hit new highs: Dow tops 27,000 and S&P 500 ends just shy of 3,000

Los Angeles Times

A turbulent day on Wall Street ended in the record books Thursday as the Dow Jones industrial average climbed above 27,000 for the first time and the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed at another all-time high.

Bubble Watch: California’s venture capital cash for startups balloons to record high

Orange County Register

Despite all the debate about the quality of California’s business climate, venture capitalists invested $82 billion in 2,360 California companies in the 12 months ended in June. That’s up 62% in a year. It’s up 137% above the decade’s average investment pace.

A handbook to help cities report local progress on the Sustainable Development Goals

Brookings

As 47 countries get ready to report their progress next week on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations’ annual check-in (the High-level Political Forum, or HLPF), a quiet revolution is brewing below the surface.

Jobs:

Walmart is hiring truck drivers in Tulare County. See what the job requirements are

Fresno Bee

Walmart is hiring at least 100 truck drivers to support its Porterville and Sacramento distribution centers. The retailer is also hiring drivers in Sparks, Nev. Interested job applicants can apply online at drive4walmart.com.

Generation Green helping underserved youth explore forest jobs

abc30

Repairing a hiking trail requires teamwork, a skill Generation Green interns are getting well acquainted with this summer. They’ll spend a majority of their vacation at the Sierra National Forest near the mountain community of North Fork.

Are contracted workers ‘oppressed’ in California? Debate over ‘gig’ economy heats up

Sacramento Bee

A proposed law that would force companies to treat their independent contractors like full-time employees is dividing California workers, with some demanding a path to benefits and others fighting for the freedom that comes with a flexible schedule.

See Also:

● California Democrats Turn Up Pressure On Gig Economy The Business Journal

Will Your Job Still Exist In 2030?

Capital Public Radio

New research finds automation widening the gap between urban and rural areas and dramatically affecting people who didn’t go to college or didn’t finish high school.

CA Economic Summit prescription for what must be done to improve our workforce

California Economic Summit

The pieces to improve the California workforce are in place. It is a “must” that the pieces are put together so that the state is producing a deep pipeline of talented and adaptive workers. And it needs to happen now!

EDITORIAL: Equal Pay in Sports

San Francisco Chronicle

The U.S. women’s World Cup players are crushing the arguments holding down their paychecks. Soccer overlords could not have missed hearing the equal-pay chants. What they plan to do next is another matter.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Warszawski: Atheist group says Fresno police chaplains proselytize to schoolkids. I disagree

Fresno Bee

Are first-graders in the Fresno Unified School District learning important life lessons through a classroom reading partnership with the Fresno Police Chaplaincy? Or are these 6- and 7-year-olds unwittingly being subjected to religious proselytizing and recruitment?

Are Fresno Unified Magnet School Lotteries on the Up and Up?

GV Wire

Fresno Unified School District’s magnet schools are some of the best anywhere. They’re innovative, challenging, and staffed with top-flight teachers. In many of them, naturally, applicants exceed capacity. Thus, the district uses lotteries to determine the students getting Golden Tickets.

FUSD Trustee Slatic Facing Complaints at Bullard High

KMJ

Another campus controversy involving Fresno Unified School Board member Terry Slatic

Merced County visually impaired students face tough odds. Here’s how three succeeded

Merced Sun-Star

Three visually impaired Merced County students are getting ready for college thanks to the support of technology and a special education program.

Segregation has soared in America’s schools as federal leaders largely looked away

Los Angeles Times

Nearly 50 years have passed since Kamala Harris joined the legions of children bused to schools in distant neighborhoods as the United States attempted to integrate its racially segregated public schools.

Achievement in California’s Public Schools: What Do Test Scores Tell Us?

PPIC

Two major reforms have transformed California’s K–12 education system over the past decade. To revamp English and mathematics instruction, the Common Core standards were adopted in 2010, with district implementation beginning several years later.

Budget Takes Baby Steps Toward Special Education Reform

PPIC
The new 2019–20 state budget recently signed by Governor Newson provides significant new funding for K–12 special education programs. It also makes substantial revisions to the state funding model for services to students with disabilities—and signals policymakers’ intent to make even more extensive changes in this policy area next year.

New charter schools to open this fall despite efforts to curb growth

EdSource

It took Tiffany Gilmore 14 months, two failed petitions to the Moreno Valley school board and two appeals to the Riverside County Board of Education before she secured approval to open her charter school.

Higher Ed:

Here’s what led to Fresno State’s nursing master’s program accreditation loss

Fresno Bee

Fresno State’s troubled nursing master’s program — which had its accreditation revoked last month — failed to meet a dozen standards needed to operate in good standing, according to a report obtained by the Fresno Bee this week.

Now for some good news: Fresno State to see a hike in next year’s enrollment

Fresno Bee

Thanks to last-minute negotiating by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators, Fresno State will be able to enroll more students in the coming year than first expected.

World’s largest scientific publisher cuts access to UC in battle over digital sharing

Sacramento Bee

Months after the University of California ended negotiations with the largest publisher of academic and medical literature in the world, the publisher this week began cutting the university’s access to its content, starting with articles published this year.

How much do Valley community college instructors, workers earn? Search here to find out

Fresno Bee

More than 8,300 salary and compensation records for teachers, administrators and support staff at Valley community colleges have been added to The Bee’s searchable database of public employee salaries in the four-county region.

California to pay off $10.5M in student debt – giving poor patients greater access to dentists

Sacramento Bee

The state of California is paying off $10.5 million in student loans for 40 dentists who agree to ensure that 30 percent of their patient caseload is made up of Medi-Cal patients – among the state’s poorest and frailest residents.

Promoting accountability in higher education: Finding common ground

AEI

America spends roughly $120 billion a year to support higher education. And yet, concerns about student debt continue to grow — for both graduates with significant debt and students who have smaller debt levels but have failed to obtain a degree.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Oceano Dunes stays open to off-roading. But California still says big changes must be made

Fresno Bee

While state commissioners said they do not believe off-road vehicles on the beach at the Oceano Dunes is compatible with California’s Coastal Act, they decided that activity can continue as is at the beach for now.

● Coastal Commission tables decision on Oceano Dunes until 2020 abc30

● Cultures clash as Coastal Commission weighs fate of off-roading at Oceano Dunes Los Angeles Times

● Coastal Commission rejects proposal to restrict off-roading at Oceano Dunes — at least for now Los Angeles Times

Newer buildings show little damage after California quakes

Bakersfield Californian

The two Southern California desert communities rocked by last week’s powerful earthquakes may have sustained as little damage as they did because they have no tall buildings and many of the homes in one are fairly new and were built to stricter earthquake standards.

● Ridgecrest earthquakes caused damage to Earth’s crust seen from satellite Los Angeles Times

Climate change is threatening freshwater fish populations. And we can do something about it

Sacramento Bee

Researchers from UC Davis and Reed College in Portland, Ore., found a strong link between fish deaths in freshwater lakes in Wisconsin and hot summers. They predict that fish “die-offs” will double by 2050 and quadruple by 2100 in Wisconsin.

Poison, traps and hourly patrols: A tale of CalEPA’s battle with rats at its own building

Sacramento Bee

By the end of June, CalEPA had ordered security guards to conduct hourly patrols of a courtyard where rats were breeding and burrowing and getting closer to the agency’s building at 1001 I Street.

Few of Trump’s environmental claims stand up to scrutiny

Los Angeles Times

President Trump on Monday held himself out as a leader in the fight to protect America’s air and water, despite two years of policies that have weakened environmental regulations.

After Aliso Canyon, a gas pipeline exploded — costing Californians $1 billion

Los Angeles Times

Two years after methane gas began leaking from Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon storage field, one of the company’s key pipelines exploded, starting a fire in the desert and leaving a smoking crater in the ground.

Energy:

California governor orders firing of oil, gas regulator

Associated Press

● ACLU files lawsuit ahead of anticipated raids Fresno Bee

● ICE raids in 10 cities to begin Sunday, report says abc30

● Cities brace for ICE deportation raids as Trump threats spread fear abc30

● AP Explains: How do immigration authorities make arrests? Bakersfield Californian

● Immigrants in U.S. legally deal with fear, ‘chaos’ as ICE raids loom San Francisco Chronicle

● Planned immigration raids renew fear in local communities San Diego Union-Tribune

● ICE to Launch Roundup of Undocumented Immigrants Sunday Wall Street Journal

● Pelosi urges Dems to help counter Trump’s planned ICE raids Politico

● Cities, States Brace for Immigration Raids PEW

● ICE Raids: What are Your Rights if Immigration Agents Knock on the Door? Newsweek

● EDITORIAL: Trump’s threats to immigrants never stop San Francisco Chronicle

Bakersfield to join hundreds of other cities in rally for closure of immigrant detention centers

Bakersfield Californian

On Friday, activists in Bakersfield will join those in hundreds of other cities across the world in a vigil intending to “shine a light” on the detention of immigrants from South America at the southern border of the United States.

After Reports Of Upcoming Immigration Raids, Valley Organization Ramps Up Community Action

KVPR
A faith-based grassroots organization in the San Joaquin Valley is ramping up its resources and engaging its network of people to help communities that could be targeted by immigration raids this weekend.

U.S. Border Policy Becomes 2020 Dividing Line: Balance of Power

Bloomberg

When it comes to coping with the wave of migration at the southern U.S. border, Donald Trump and the Democrats trying to unseat him are squarely on opposite sides of the fence.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Kamala Harris, Ocasio-Cortez team up to give ex-cons a chance at federal housing assistance

Sacramento Bee

People with a criminal record could soon be able to apply for federal housing assistance, under a bill put forward by California Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.

Can Robots Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis?

Politico

At first glance, the video is not all that exciting—a robot arm squeezes out layers of concrete over and over again. But as the layers accumulate upward and the outline of a structure emerges, it becomes clear that this robot is building a house and doing it with astonishing speed.

PUBLIC FINANCES

First Look: Understanding the 2019-20 State Budget

California Budget & Policy Center

State Budget Includes Balanced Investments, Leaves Opportunities to Improve the Economic Well-Being of More Californians.

CalPERS narrowly misses its annual investment target

Sacramento Bee

California’s largest public pension fund narrowly missed its investment return goal over the past year. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System reported Thursday morning that it earned a 6.7 percent return on its investments for the last fiscal year, which ended on June 30.

Debt limit may be reached before end of August recess, Mnuchin says

Roll Call

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin put his request on paper for Congress to act on the debt ceiling before the August recess, writing to congressional leaders Friday that there’s a chance Treasury could run out of cash in early September.

Public unions see only modest decline after Janus Supreme Court ruling

Anticipating that the U.S. Supreme Court might end mandatory union fees for public employees, some labor-friendly states enacted laws last year to protect membership rolls while unions redoubled their recruitment efforts.