POLICY & POLITICS
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North SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● COVID-19 Delta variant confirmed in Merced County, as officials battle vaccine hesitancy Merced Sun-Star
● What Stanislaus County school districts are saying about plans for next month’s return Modesto Bee
As Harder’s contributions hit milestone, Congressman’s opponents begin to emerge
Modesto Bee
U.S. Rep. Josh Harder has raised nearly $2 million in the first half of this year and has about $5 million in campaign cash as he seeks his third term in the November 2022 election.
Railroad project on former dinner train line stirs up dust, anger from Oakdale neighbors
Modesto Bee
The growing shortline railroad is moving more freight and its new transfer station is stirring up complaints about dust, noise and more from nearby residents.
Central SJ Valley:
How will Fresno, Clovis schools enforce California’s COVID mask requirement? What we know
Fresno Bee
If you’re confused about whether your child’s school will require face masks when classes resume this fall, you’re not alone. California Department of Public Health issued updated guidance that said schools should bar students from campus who refuse to wear masks.
See also:
● California changes course on schools enforcing mask mandate Fresno Bee
Fresno schools did not discriminate against English-learning families, California says
Fresno Bee
Fresno Unified did not discriminate against the parents of English-language learning students last year during school-planning meetings, the California Department Education has ruled.
See also:
· Fresno Unified schools to receive 1,000 LGBTQ-friendly books to ‘benefit every child’ Fresno Bee
Body cams, eviction threats, name change. Twists, turns continue for tenants at Fresno complex
Fresno Bee
The owner of Manchester Arms — the Fresno apartment complex that has been spotlighted for numerous code violations in the past months — has served eviction notices to some of those who spoke to The Fresno Bee and changed the name of the complex.
They paid rent through COVID-19. Now they’re broke and can’t get help from California programs
Fresno Bee
It is unclear how many undocumented residents in Fresno have benefited from the city’s rental assistance program, which allows the city to reimburse up to 100% of a tenant’s unpaid rent to a landlord. The tenant must provide documentation showing income verification, a rental agreement and a rental bill or statement in order to qualify.
See also:
· Gov. Newsom touts rent-relief program as part of California's $100B recovery package abc30
· Housing shortage in Tulare County has created highly competitive market for renters Visalia Times Delta
Warszawski: Fresno long overdue for deep conversation on race. Just don’t lump in fired city clerk
Fresno Bee
When venerable Fresno activist Mary Curry spoke about her father and brothers fighting overseas for their country, only to come home and be forced to sit in the back of the bus, I felt that.
Fresno Bee
Before I joined The Fresno Bee in 2013, I worked for more than a decade at The Tribune in San Luis Obispo. While there, I became familiar with Diablo Canyonnuclear power plant.
South SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Kern Public Health reports 1 new coronavirus death, 134 new cases Wednesday Bakersfield Californian
● Schools seek guidance on masks as state sends out changing guidance Bakersfield Californian
Pesticide study renews conflict between growers, environmental justice groups
Bakersfield Californian
Controversy has again soured relations between local growers and environmental-justice activists, this time over concerns related to a three-county study of pesticides' effects on rural air quality.
Trump to meet with McCarthy on Thursday
The Hill
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will visit with former President Trump at Trump's golf club in New Jersey on Thursday, Trump said in a statement.
See also:
● McCarthy’s big Jan. 6 decision Politico
State:
COVID Update:
● Doctors investigate rare COVID breakthrough cases infecting vaccinated Californians abc30
● California is about to feel Delta’s full force Visalia Times Delta
● Will California backtrack on masks, reopenings as Delta variant sparks new COVID fears? Sacramento Bee
● COVID cases surging in California a month after reopening CalMatters
Will your family doctor start giving COVID vaccines? A new California effort encourages it
Sacramento Bee
For most of California’s seven-month vaccination campaign, the state has largely relied on mass sites and large hospital networks to get tens of millions of shots into arms as quickly as possible.
See also:
· Surgeon general issues health misinformation advisory amid vaccination push The Hill
Safety inspectors keep leaving Cal-OSHA. Now it has a mandate to hire dozens more
Fresno Bee
With COVID-19 raging in the state, officials at California’s workplace safety agency in November vowed to fill as many vacancies as quickly as possible so it could carry out more inspections at hospitals, warehouses, factories and offices.
Is homelessness Newsom’s weak point in recall? Republicans are counting on it
CalMatters
As part of their plans to reduce homelessness, Republican recall candidates are calling for a clean-up of the state.
NBC Los Angeles
NBC4’s Conan Nolan’s conversation with Jerry Brown, the 34th and 39th governor of California, continues.
Why Republicans want to pack the California recall ballot
Politico
To drive turnout, recall backers are encouraging any and all GOP entrants to join the race.
Capital Public Radio
In the months before California lawmakers in June granted prison guards a $5,000 bonus and an 8% raise over the next two years, the guards’ union made a few charitable donations.
California Supreme Court will be asked to grant extra time for state’s redistricting panel
Los Angeles Times
California’s citizen redistricting commission will ask the state’s Supreme Court to give the panel two extra weeks to draw political maps, saying that a delay from the federal government in providing new census data will otherwise limit public participation in the process.
See also:
● 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission Votes to Petition CA Supreme Court for January 14, 2022 Deadline California Citizens Redistricting Commission
Federal:
COVID Update:
● EXPLAINER: Are we going to need COVID-19 booster shots? Fresno Bee
● Long Covid Has Over 200 Symptoms And Leaves 1 In 5 Unable To Work, Study Finds Forbes
Surgeon general issues health misinformation advisory amid vaccination push
The Hill
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Thursday issued an advisory calling health misinformation an “urgent threat” amid the COVID-19 vaccination push.
See also:
US COVID-19 cases rising again, doubling over 3 weeks; delta variant, vaccine reluctance to blame abc30
· Most in new poll approve of Biden administration's 'door-to-door' vaccine awareness plan The Hill
· Anti-vaxxers gain power on right, triggering new fears The Hill
Delta Variant Widens Gulf Between ‘Two Americas’: Vaccinated and Unvaccinated The New York Times
GOP vaccine resistance poses growing challenge in pandemic fight The Hill
Biden urges Democratic unity on rebuilding infrastructure, expanding social programs
Los Angeles Times
Biden tried to solidify a fragile coalition of Democrats to make progress on his massive infrastructure proposal that would both rebuild the nation’s roads and enact a broad array of social programs, such as Medicare benefits, child-care assistance and immigration reform.
President Biden’s right to repair order needs strengthening to aid consumers
Brookings
July 9, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order (EO) directing a multitude of federal agencies to promote additional competition in the U.S. economy.
Senate Democrats begin push-pull process on budget
Roll Call
Progressives and moderates have demands that will make it difficult for Democrats to achieve a unity budget.
See also:
● What’s in Democrats’ $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan—and How They Plan to Pay for It Wall Street Journal
● Centrist Democrats Take Wait-and-See Stance on $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan Wall Street Journal
Trump, voting access defining 2022 midterm election outlook
Roll Call
Midterm elections have patterns, but the political calculus we use needs a little adjusting sometimes.
The Intensity Factor
The Cook Political Report
One of the hardest things to do in politics is to keep your voters engaged and motivated to vote in the midterm elections after your party wins a presidential election.
Other:
Massive trust gap splits America
Axios
New Gallup polling finds a 45-point split in trust of police — 76% of Republicans vs. 31% of Democrats. Confidence in the church or organized religion — twice as many Rs as Ds, 51% to 26%.
Column: Why should gun worship define American patriotism?
Los Angeles Times
Jake Bequette may not be a career politician, but if the online video he posted to announce his bid for Congress is any indication, he already knows how to fudge the truth to tell a good story.
New York Times
Executives at the social network have clashed over CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned data tool that revealed users’ high engagement levels with right-wing media sources.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, July 25, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “A Conversation with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla” - Guest: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, (D-CA). Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, July 18, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Police Use of Deadly Force: Valley Perspectives"- Guests: Laurel Rosenhall, CalMatters; Ron Lawrence - California Police Chiefs Association; Alice Huffman - NAACP; Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming; Sandra Celedon, Pres. & CEO - Fresno Building Healthy Communities. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Pesticide study renews conflict between growers, environmental justice groups
Bakersfield Californian
Controversy has again soured relations between local growers and environmental-justice activists, this time over concerns related to a three-county study of pesticides' effects on rural air quality.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Dispute between neighbors ends with Fresno’s 40th homicide of year. Police arrest suspect
Fresno Bee
Police on Wednesday identified Climmett Jackson, 30, as the suspect in a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in southeast Fresno. The shooting took place just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Ranchwood Condominiums in the 4800 block of East Lane.
Feds say they busted Maryland EDD fraud ring targeting California, 11 other states
Sacramento Bee
Federal agents say they have broken up an unemployment insurance fraud ring based in Maryland that targeted California and numerous other states with more than $2.6 million in claims.
Public Safety:
Judge won’t stop California’s new rules for good conduct releases for 76,000 inmates
Fresno Bee
A judge in Sacramento has refused to halt the state prison system’s use of new good-time credit policies designed to speed up the release of more than 76,000 inmates, ruling that 44 California district attorneys could have sued to stop the rules before they took effect May 1.
Fire:
River Fire update: Madera County evacuations eased; Cal Fire reports containment at 21%
Fresno Bee
The Madera County Sheriff’s Office around 3 p.m. downgraded some of it evacuation guidelines for the River Fire burning southwest of Yosemite National Park.
See also:
● River Fire update: Crews boost containment for wildfire near Yosemite, strengthen perimeter Fresno Bee
● River Fire: Multiple evacuation orders reduced to evacuation warnings abc30
● River Fire burning in Madera and Mariposa counties Madera Tribune
Dixie Fire explodes to 1,200 acres, prompts evacuation warnings in area of 2018 Camp Fire
Fresno Bee
Evacuation warnings were issued Wednesday as firefighters struggle to gain control over a new fire on the border of Butte County, a community hard hit by the deadly 2018 Camp Fire and last summer’s North Complex Fire.
Lack of Federal Firefighters Hurts California Wildfire Response
PEW
Firefighters monitor the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, in Plumas National Forest, California in early July. More than 142,447 acres have burned in California this year.
Wildfires In The West Are Putting Parched Tribal Lands In Growing Danger
VPR
Fierce wildfires in the northwest are threatening American Indian tribal lands that already are struggling to conserve water and preserve traditional hunting grounds in the face of a Western drought.
How Much Will the Wildfires Cost?
New York Times
Firefighters have continued to do the arduous, time-consuming work of containing explosive flames before they reach the places we most want to protect.
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
US consumer prices in June rose 0.9% from May, biggest jump in 13 years
abc30
Prices for U.S. consumers jumped in June by the most in 13 years, evidence that a swift rebound in spending has run up against widespread supply shortages that have escalated the costs of many goods and services.
CEOs promised to cut their pay during the pandemic. Here’s how they wound up earning more
Los Angeles Times
As the financial blow of the pandemic became a reality in the spring of 2020, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. furloughed thousands of workers and eliminated 2,100 corporate positions.
Jobs:
U.S. Jobless Claims, Benefits Payments Fall to Pandemic Lows
Wall Street Journal
Applications for unemployment benefits fell to a new pandemic low, showing a healing labor market, and the number of people receiving jobless aid has also trended lower as many states end enhanced pandemic programs.
EDUCATION
K-12:
How will Fresno, Clovis schools enforce California’s COVID mask requirement? What we know
Fresno Bee
If you’re confused about whether your child’s school will require face masks when classes resume this fall, you’re not alone. California Department of Public Health issued updated guidance that said schools should bar students from campus who refuse to wear masks.
See also:
● California changes course on schools enforcing mask mandate Fresno Bee
● Schools seek guidance on masks as state sends out changing guidance Bakersfield Californian
● What Stanislaus County school districts are saying about plans for next month’s return Modesto Bee
Fresno schools did not discriminate against English-learning families, California says
Fresno Bee
Fresno Unified did not discriminate against the parents of English-language learning students last year during school-planning meetings, the California Department Education has ruled.
See also:
· Fresno Unified schools to receive 1,000 LGBTQ-friendly books to ‘benefit every child’ Fresno Bee
Under attack: California schools face ransomware threat
CalMatters
Sixth grade teacher Hilary Hall had just started teaching one Monday morning in September when her teacher’s group chats at Newhall School District exploded with confused messages.
Higher Ed:
California’s community college system approves ethnic studies course requirement
Fresno Bee
Under a new regulation adopted this week by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, students pursuing an associate degree in the state’s community colleges will need to take a four-unit quarter class or a three-unit semester in ethnic studies.
Enrollment Increases Will Require More Housing for UC and CSU Students
PPIC
Enrollment increases at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) are good news for California students and the state.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
Opinion: California Oil Lobby Seeks to Strip Environmental Protections for Groundwater Amid Drought
Capital and Main
A prominent oil and gas lobbying group seeks to strip environmental protections from groundwater sources designated by the state for agricultural use
Climate solutions could cause their own problems
Axios
World leaders are pondering unprecedented moves to combat global warming by speeding up the transition to clean tech.
Energy:
Fresno Bee
Before I joined The Fresno Bee in 2013, I worked for more than a decade at The Tribune in San Luis Obispo. While there, I became familiar with Diablo Canyonnuclear power plant.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Extreme Heat Is Worse For Low-Income, Nonwhite Americans, A New Study Shows
VPR
As record-high heat hammers much of the country, a new study shows that in American cities, residents of low-income neighborhoods and communities of color endure far higher temperatures than people who live in whiter, wealthier areas.
US Overdose Deaths Hit Record High Of 93,000 During Pandemic
Capital Public Radio
Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Associated Press.
Human Services:
Surgeon general issues health misinformation advisory amid vaccination push
The Hill
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Thursday issued an advisory calling health misinformation an “urgent threat” amid the COVID-19 vaccination push.
See also:
US COVID-19 cases rising again, doubling over 3 weeks; delta variant, vaccine reluctance to blame abc30
· Most in new poll approve of Biden administration's 'door-to-door' vaccine awareness plan The Hill
· Anti-vaxxers gain power on right, triggering new fears The Hill
Delta Variant Widens Gulf Between ‘Two Americas’: Vaccinated and Unvaccinated The New York Times
GOP vaccine resistance poses growing challenge in pandemic fight The Hill
Will your family doctor start giving COVID vaccines? A new California effort encourages it
Sacramento Bee
For most of California’s seven-month vaccination campaign, the state has largely relied on mass sites and large hospital networks to get tens of millions of shots into arms as quickly as possible.
Botched surgeries and death: How the California Medical Board keeps negligent doctors in business
Los Angeles Times
Lenora Lewis hoped spinal surgery would relieve her chronic back pain. But when the mother of three from Lancaster awoke from the operation in 2013, she was paralyzed from the waist down, her feet numb but for the horrifying sensation of “a billion ants running through them.”
Editorial: Paying $25,000 to every living forced-sterilization victim is the least California can do
Los Angeles Times
As California prepares to pay reparations to the people who were sterilized in public hospitals and other state institutions by force or deception, the number of the compensated won’t be very high.
IMMIGRATION
30% of immigrants in ICE custody have refused a coronavirus vaccine
Axios
ICE recently began distributing an initial allotment of 10,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Wildfires In The West Are Putting Parched Tribal Lands In Growing Danger
VPR
Fierce wildfires in the northwest are threatening American Indian tribal lands that already are struggling to conserve water and preserve traditional hunting grounds in the face of a Western drought.
At 75, Bureau of Land Management Should Increase Focus on Conservation
PEW
From the vast sagebrush sea of the West and red rock of the Colorado Plateau to the traditional homelands of tribes across more than a dozen states and vibrant deserts of the Southwest.
Housing:
They paid rent through COVID-19. Now they’re broke and can’t get help from California programs
Fresno Bee
Juana Iris Meza and her husband have always lived paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make the $535 rent for the one-bedroom apartment they share with their four kids in central Fresno. But they never missed a payment.
Housing shortage in Tulare County has created highly competitive market for renters
Visalia Times Delta
If you’re stressed over the competitive nature of finding affordable rental properties in Tulare County, you’re not alone.
PUBLIC FINANCES
The Expanded Child Tax Credit Is Here. Here's What You Need To Know
Valley Public Radio
If you have children under the age of 18, chances are good you'll be getting some cash from the federal government this week.
See also:
· Monthly child tax credit payments start hitting bank accounts this week. Here’s what you need to know if you’re eligible. The Washington Post
· President Biden discusses monthly Child Tax Credit payments as first checks go out CBS News
IRS begins sending monthly checks to millions of American parents in crucial test for Biden
The Washington Post
The Biden administration has launched the biggest U.S. anti-poverty program since Lyndon Johnson’s ‘war on poverty’ in the 1960s.
Eligible Californians missing out on tax credits worth hundreds of dollars, report says
Fresno Bee
Hundreds of thousands of lower income Californians in 2017 did not claim a state tax credit designed to provide extra cash for households like theirs, according to a new report by the nonpartisan California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley.
Democratic Senators Call for Investigation of Tax Avoidance by the Ultrawealthy
ProPublica
Calling ProPublica’s Secret IRS Files series a “bombshell,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse demanded an investigation into how the rich use “legal tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of income taxes.”
Editorial: The GOP arguments against making the IRS more effective are ridiculous
Los Angeles Times
Building and repairing roads, bridges and other public works projects is one of the few acts of government that draw bipartisan support — at least in theory.
The US economy doesn’t need disaster relief
AEI
Biden’s plan to bolster competition goes too far. The progressive left and populist right will both like that about it.
TRANSPORTATION
Californians, here’s how to get your Real ID license without a DMV visit
Los Angeles Times
State officials have been nudging us since 2018, but millions of Californians still haven’t updated their driver’s licenses to federally mandated Real ID status. Why?
Legislative Dithering Could Blow Up Bullet Train
StreetsBlogCal
In the budget update to its board of directors, agency staff announced it is preparing for a future where funding is held back
WATER
With drought worsening, should California have much tougher water restrictions?
Los Angeles Times
When Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Californians to voluntarily conserve water last week as he stood in front of the retreating shoreline at Lopez Lake in San Luis Obispo County, some must have had déjà vu.
“Xtra”
Bethany Clough: Three new locally owned stores open in Fresno area, from downtown to Old Town Clovis
Fresno Bee
A vintage Ghostbusters T-shirt. Gym clothing with a cause behind it. And a whole bunch of Baby Yoda stuffed animals. The variety of products sold at three new stores opening in the Fresno area is huge.
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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.
The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.
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