18Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

(Josh Harder is the incumbent) GOP candidate in Cong. District 10 attacked for ‘extreme’ stance on immigration

Modesto Bee

Democrats unleashed online political ads charging that Republican candidate Ted Howze’s views on immigration are too extreme.

(Tom McClintock is the incumbent) A Democrat outraised Tom McClintock more than two-to-one. Does it matter for 2020?

Sacramento Bee

Democrat Brynne Kennedy outraised Republican Rep. Tom McClintock more than two-to-one over the last three months, new fundraising reports show.

Stockton City Council extends labor deal for five years

Recordnet

Advocates for a three-year renewal of a Stockton policy that requires union participation in major city projects turned out in force for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno Co. Clerk holding meeting to help voters before August elections

abc30

The Fresno County Clerk is inviting voters to attend a Public Consultation Meeting in preparation for the upcoming August election.

(Jim Costa is the incumbent) Longtime California House member faces tough race — from a fellow Democrat

San Francisco Chronicle

Fresno City Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria, the daughter of farmworkers, will run against fellow Democratic Rep. Jim Costa next year, hoping to parlay her Latina heritage and her political base in the district’s largest city into a seat in Congress.

South SJ Valley:

Lemoore City Council votes to replace Holly Blair

abc30

It was Councilmember Holly Blair’s fifth and final chance to keep her position in the Lemoore city council yet her seat remained empty again during Tuesday night’s meeting. This was her last strike, and city officials are now looking for her replacement.

(TJ Cox is the incumbent) We voters love a good rematch, and now we’ve got one

Bakersfield Californian

It’s on. The razor-thin, last-to-be-settled congressional race that ousted two-term Republican incumbent David Valadao last year is headed for a rematch. Democrat TJ Cox, six months into his first term as California’s 21st District representative, will be getting a familiar foe in 2020.

State:

Lead paint suppliers settle California lawsuit for $305M

The nation’s former major suppliers of lead paint have agreed to pay California’s largest cities and counties $305 million to settle a nearly 20-year-old lawsuit, attorneys said Wednesday. The settlement comes after years of legal and legislative battling in California and other states. Former lead paint manufacturers tried to change California law last year with a ballot initiative that they later withdrew.

Fur clothing’s days could be numbered in California — bill would ban sales

San Francisco Chronicle

Fur retailers across California may face a similar fate: State lawmakers are close to approving a bill that would outlaw the sale and manufacture of new fur clothing and accessories. It would be the first such statewide ban in the country.

Federal:

House votes down an attempt to start impeaching Trump

Fresno Bee

House Democrats rejected an attempt Wednesday to force a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump, showing that anger and frustration over the president’s racist tweets and other actions have not yet convinced a majority to push for his removal.

● House rejects effort to force vote on impeaching President Trump Los Angeles Times

● The Trump impeachment vote that few Democrats wanted Los Angeles Times

● House Passes Motion Blocking Bid to Impeach Trump Wall Street Journal

House vote condemning Trump’s tweets draws some GOP support

Los Angeles Times

In a remarkable political repudiation, the Democratic-led U.S. House voted to condemn President Trump’s “racist comments” against four congresswomen of color, despite protestations by Trump’s Republican congressional allies and his own insistence he hasn’t “a racist bone in my body.”

● President Trump takes on ‘The Squad’, crowd chants ‘send her back’ Stockton Record

● AP fact check: Trump assails and misquotes Omar at rally PBS NewsHour

● Poll: Most Americans call Trump’s tweets targeting 4 congresswomen ‘un-American’USA Today

● Three new polls help explain why Trump supporters chanted ‘Send her back!’ about Ilhan Omar Washington Post

House Holds Attorney General And Commerce Secretary In Contempt Over Census Probe

Capital Public Radio

Democrats have demanded documents related to the origins of Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The effort to add the question was ultimately halted.

House votes to raise federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, a measure unlikely to pass GOP-led Senate

Washington Post

The House voted Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, as Democrats overcame Republican opposition to approve the first minimum wage increase in a decade.

Elections 2020:

Trump’s California funders—where they are and what they’re giving

CALmatters

How much has President Trump raised from Californians this year? Which neighborhoods are giving him the most money? Could it be yours? We break it down in six graphs.

Kamala Harris overtakes Joe Biden in new poll of California voters

Fresno Bee

Following her performance in the first Democratic presidential debate, California Sen. Kamala Harris has overtaken former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a Quinnipiac University survey of California Democratic voters.

The Buttigieg bump: Mayor Pete challenges Kamala Harris for California cash

Los Angeles Times

Kamala Harris continues to lead all Democratic challengers so far among California donors of $200 or more, whose identities are revealed in campaign disclosures. However, her home-state advantage narrowed in recent months. Upstarts in the race like South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg out-raised her here by $500,000 in the most recent quarter, according to new filings released this week.

Facing Pressure In Campaign, Sanders Defends His Signature Health Care Plan

Capital Public Radio

Rivals embracing or attacking “Medicare for All” prompted Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to lay out his vision for eliminating private health insurance on Wednesday.

2nd Democratic Primary Debate: See Which Candidates Made The Cut

Capital Public Radio

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock will be taking the place of California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who dropped out last week. The lineup for each night of the July 30-31 event will be announced Thursday.

● ‘Maybe all the rules are gone’: Bullock tries to break through in Democratic primaryPolitico

Andrew Yang doing better than many veteran politicians in first White House run

San Francisco Chronicle

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang is gaining a little traction in the presidential race by talking about giving every American $1,000 a month basic income.

Fact-checking an attack on Biden about his votes on deportation, detention

Politicfact

Joe Biden says that President Donald Trump has a “morally bankrupt re-election strategy” that relies on “vilifying immigrants.”

Sen. Cory Booker makes his case for the Democratic nomination as part of The Post’s 2020 Candidates series

Washington Post

The senator from New Jersey and former Newark mayor will describe how he hopes to set himself apart from the crowded Democratic presidential field.

The legislative challenges facing Democrats if they win the White House in 2020

Brookings

Henry Aaron argues that continued Republican control of the Senate, rising budget deficits, and conservative dominance of the courts all threaten the ambitious and costly legislative agendas of every leading 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.

Microsoft data shows hackers still targeting US elections

Fresno Bee

State-backed hackers have attempted to infiltrate targets related to U.S. elections more than 700 times in the past year, furthering concerns about potential meddling in upcoming races, according to a blog posted Wednesday by Microsoft Corp.

States need more federal funds to secure elections: report

TheHill

States are in need of further funding from the federal government to fully secure elections, a report published Thursday found, citing six states as examples.

2020 Will Be a Referendum on Who Qualifies as an American

National Review

You may recall “Define American,” a nonprofit organization that, in its own words, “uses the power of story to transcend politics and shift the conversation about immigrants, identity, and citizenship in a changing America.”

Real political discourse happens in primaries. And young voters should have a say

Sacramento Bee

Nothing prevents state parties from implementing rule changes which would allow 17-year-olds to vote in their primaries under the condition that they be 18 by the time of the general election.

Google’s Tool to Tame Election Influence Has Flaws

Wall Street Journal

Mistakes have occurred in the Google Transparency Report for both Democratic and Republican presidential and congressional candidates

Other:

Opinion: Mourning Justice Stevens — and the process that put him on the Supreme Court

Los Angeles Times

Obituaries for retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens are reminding us that there was a time — several times, in fact — when presidents chose nominees for the high court on the basis of professional qualifications, not ideology, and those nominees were confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support.

Opinion: Healing the Human Heart: Religious Renewal, Not Government Intervention

National Review

Earlier this week, J. D. Vance — a person I admire greatly, by the way — delivered an address to the National Conservatism Conference that caught my attention and highlighted an important distinction between more-nationalist and more-statist Republicans (like Vance) and more-libertarian conservatives (like me). The issue is a key question: How much can government help solve the existential crisis that grips so many American hearts?

Am I an American?

The Atlantic

President Trump’s tirade against four minority congresswomen prompts the question: Whom does he consider to be American?

You downloaded FaceApp. Here’s what you’ve just done to your privacy

Washington Post

5 questions we all should have asked before we downloaded the latest viral app that ages your face.

● FaceApp went viral with age-defying photos. Now Democratic leaders are warning campaigns to delete the Russian-created app ‘immediately’ Washington Post

● FTC considering update to kids’ online privacy rules, citing ‘rapid technological changes’ Washington Post

Opinion: The Race Card Has Gone Bust

Wall Street Journal

America has never been fairer or more integrated, yet politicians obsess over wiping out discrimination.

Opinion: Nationalism Doesn’t Fit the American Nation

Wall Street Journal

No ethnic or religious group can expect to impose its view of American identity.

Opinion: Smart conservatives give nationalism a good name and a bad one

Bloomberg

A nationalism worthy of its name would grapple with its enemies, even if they are more powerful than white-identity groups or nameless academics — and even if they claim to be nationalists themselves.

Opinion: Why We Need Someone Like Ike

Wall Street Journal

War is like lier in a world without inhibition, and the cyber era has elevated undisciplined leaders.

Opinion: Will America ‘go back’ to where it came from?

Roll Call

OPINION — It has never been clearer that the president of the United States considers some Americans more worthy of respect and consideration and legitimacy than others, and how he draws that line is as simple as black and white.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, July 21, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Reducing Recidivism: Do Prisoner Rehabilitation Programs Actually Work?” – Guest: Jonathan Peterson, California Legislative Office. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 21, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Project Rebound: Breaking the Cycle of Crime” – Guests: CSU Fresno Prof. Emma Hughes, Project Rebound Director Jennifer Leahy, and Project Rebound Rebound Arnold Trevino. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, July 21, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “State Auditors Nurses: What Would California Do With A Nurse Ratched” – Guests: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor’s Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Potentially deadly valley fever is hitting California farmworkers hard, worrying researchers

NBC News

Getting an accurate count of the number of people affected by valley fever is a challenge because the majority of those who are infected never know they have it.

Ficklin Vineyards ports, made in Madera, garner Gold as most honored in the U.S.

Madera Tribune

Ficklin Vineyards has accepted nomination for submission to the 2019 California Wine Grape Growers Competition. This competition, held in Sacramento, is not a competition open to entry. All wines accepted into the competition are by legislative nomination only.

California could get $1.8 billion in food stamp funding. It just needs people to sign up

Sacramento Bee

California, a state with the nation’s highest poverty rate, consistently ranks near the bottom when it comes to enrolling low-income people.

If We All Ate Enough Fruits And Vegetables, There’d Be Big Shortages

Capital Public Radio

There’s already not enough produce for everyone in the world to get the daily recommended amount. Two new studies urge revamping the food system to feed the growing population and protect the planet.

By making plant roots grow deeper, these geneticists hope to curb climate change

PBS NewsHour

The plants you see on land remove 29 percent of our carbon emissions from the atmosphere, according to recent estimates. But if we want to stave off global warming, given humanity’s current rate of emissions, that may not be enough. So to siphon even more carbon out of our air and store it in the ground, growing deeper plant roots could help.

A Time of Reckoning in the Central Valley

Bay Nature

Climate change is upending agriculture and land use in California’s Central Valley.

California pot regulators struggling with job, audit says

Fresno Bee

The agency overseeing California’s legal marijuana market has been overmatched by the job and is struggling to hire sufficient staff and set an overall strategy for the nation’s largest cannabis economy, an audit found.

Do you know California’s marijuana DUI law? Chances are you don’t, survey says

Sacramento Bee

Quick, how much marijuana can you legally smoke before you drive? If you’re like a majority of Californians, odds are you don’t know the answer to that question.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

It took deputies 24 hours to find a body in this California jail. Its problems aren’t fixed

Fresno Bee

Bureaucratic roadblocks, indifference from county sheriffs and critical errors in planning by local officials have meant dozens of California jails remain broken and dangerous, unable to adequately serve an influx of inmates, while hundreds of millions of dollars to fix the aging facilities go unspent.

● Authorities investigating inmate death at Fresno County Jail abc30

California’s execution pause hasn’t stopped new capital cases. The Supreme Court could change that

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s death penalty moratorium hasn’t stopped district attorneys from pursuing capital punishment in California, but the state Supreme Court is considering a case that could change that.

Jose Arredondo was reportedly beaten to death; still no suspects in Cabo killing

Bakersfield Californian

A day after the news broke that Jose Arredondo, the rags-to-riches Kern County auto dealer, had been killed in an apparent homicide in Baja Sur, Mexico, Bakersfield was still trying to sort the facts from the speculation.

California Bail Industry’s Latest Effort To Stay In Business? Ask Voters For Constitutional Protection.

Capital Public Radio

The battle over whether the state should eliminate cash bail is moving toward a double-barreled showdown at the ballot box.

Study Finds California’s 12 Oldest Prisons, Including San Quentin And Folsom, Need Major Fixes

Capital Public Radio

California’s 12 oldest prisons, including San Quentin and Folsom State Prisons, need major repairs or replacements if they are to continue to house about a third of the state’s inmates, a new study reported Tuesday.

California Stopped Tracking Sexual Harassment Complaints Years Ago. What Happens Now?

Capital Public Radio

At the height of the Me Too movement, California leaders couldn’t answer basic questions about the prevalence of sexual harassment complaints across state agencies. That’s because the state eliminated its tracking system in 2012.

California Today: Can California Curb Police Shootings?

New York Times

California is on the brink of passing a law meant to reduce police shootings. That may not sound very surprising given the politics of this blue state, where Democrats hold every statewide office and about three-quarters of the seats in the Legislature.

SLO police chief disciplined, fined after losing gun

Fresno Bee

It was determined that San Luis Obispo’s police chief inadvertently violated two city policies when she left her gun in the bathroom of a local restaurant, but she won’t miss any time on the job as a result.

Public Safety:

Can’t call 911? Here’s how you can text Merced police in an emergency

Merced Sun-Star

Merced Police Department announced on Wednesday its dispatch system can now receive text messages to 911.

Visalia looks to revise parks ordinance

Visalia Times Delta

It’s become commonplace. Overflowing shopping carts, blue tarps tied to park fences, tents and other homemade shelters set up across Visalia. The problem is getting harder to ignore.

Fire:

U.S. Forest Service relents in California firefighting dispute, state to recoup millions

Fresno Bee

The state of California and the U.S. Forest Service reached an agreement late Tuesday on federal reimbursement rates for local firefighters, ending a tense standoff that had alarmed state officials.

These California Counties In Fire-Prone Areas Don’t Have Access To A Federal Emergency Alert System

Capital Public Radio

As residents brace for another fire season, six counties still do not have the ability to use the federal Wireless Emergency Alert system to notify residents of wildfires, floods and other pending danger.

Beautiful, important, dramatic: See aircraft firebombing from above

Sacramento Bee

Cal Fire crews have been training with firebombing aircraft this month as the agency prepares for new C130 planes that will soon join their fleet.

‘Sticker shock’ for California wildfire areas: Insurance rates doubled, policies dropped

Sacramento Bee

Jennifer Burt knows she lives in a fire-prone community. That’s why she’s done everything she can to fire-proof her home in Meadow Vista.

Skelton: With new California wildfire law, Newsom didn’t let perfect be the enemy of good

Los Angeles Times

“Nothing’s clean, Howard. But we do our best, right?” the Ava Gardner character tells eccentric Howard Hughes, who is fretting over germs. It’s one of my favorite movie quotes, one that universally speaks to the human condition — most any condition, particularly politics.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

How China Peak’s owners plan to create a year-round business

Business Journal

Significant investments made this year at China Peak kick off the resort ownership’s venture into making the mountain escape a “year-round attraction.”

A rising tide lifts area boat sales

Business Journal

With temperatures rising, kids out of school and proximity to a number of parks and lakes, the Central Valley is a prime area to experience a classic American summer.

Stocks fall; railroads pull down industrial sector

Los Angeles Times

U.S. stocks extended their losses into a second day Wednesday as railroad operator CSX had its biggest drop in 11 years, pulling other industrial companies down with it.

U.S.-China Talks Stuck in Rut Over Huawei

Wall Street Journal

Trade negotiations are at standstill as Washington weighs how much business with telecom-equipment giant to allow.

Economic mobility: Is the American dream in crisis?

AEI

This congressional testimony offers a brief overview of the state of mobility in our economy and a few thoughts about potential policy responses.

Jobs:

Bipartisan House Coalition Votes to Repeal Health Law’s Cadillac Tax

Wall Street Journal

Business- and labor-backed measure would cancel levy on high-cost employer insurance.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno Unified paid out a half billion dollars to workers in 2018. See what they make

Fresno Bee

The Fresno Unified School District, the fourth largest school district in California, doled out more than $555.5 million in paychecks.

Bullard High cheerleader seeking restraining order against Trustee Terry Slatic

Fresno Bee

A Bullard High School cheerleader is seeking a restraining order against Fresno Unified Trustee Terry Slatic, citing the incident last week where he showed up unannounced to a cheer practice.

‘They terrorized the kids.’ School board calls for discipline over active shooter drill

Fresno Bee

Teachers at Raisin City Elementary School near Fresno, California are calling for the removal of the superintendent after a janitor wore a mask and held a fake rifle for an unannounced active shooter drill.

● After Realistic Active Shooter Drill, Raisin City School Board Considers Fallout VPR

Central Unified leader killed in crash was ‘beloved by every employee,’ district says

Fresno Bee

Central Unified is mourning the loss of its assistant superintendent and chief business officer, who was killed Tuesday in a crash on Highway 168.

● Fresno Unified to hold special meeting following incident involving board memberabc30

Miller: ‘Big, Black, and Bald’

Madera Tribune

When Darren Miller took over the reins of Martin Luther Middle School as principal, in his first staff meeting he introduced himself by saying that he was “big, black, and bald.” Three years after that he was demoted and placed in a counselor’s position with Madera Unified.

‘Literacy is healthy’: County officials partner to show power of reading

Bakersfield Californian

There are several factors that impact one’s overall health — environment, exercise, eating right, health services — but one that many might not consider is in the palm of their hands.

Bowe Cleveland awarded $3.8 million in damages for 2013 Taft school shooting

Bakersfield Californian

A Kern County jury awarded $3.8 million in damages Wednesday to Bowe Cleveland, a former Taft Union High School student who was severely injured during a 2013 school shooting, for his past and future suffering.

Charter School Case Exposes Big Loopholes in How the State Funds Schools

Voiceofsandiego.org

Last month, an explosive indictment filed in San Diego alleged a charter school scam that was both lucrative and audacious: Two men, along with a handful of close employees, managed to siphon $80 million of public education funds into “consulting” companies they controlled.

Higher Ed:

Will Fresno State students stick with troubled nursing master’s program? Numbers are in

Fresno Bee

The majority of students enrolled in Fresno State’s beleaguered nursing master’s program have chosen to stay, despite the loss of its accreditation in May. Students had until Monday to decide whether they would stay in the program, take a leave of absence, or withdraw.

UC Merced placing final touches on campus expansion

abc30

When fall classes start next month, UC Merced faculty and students will have an additional 1.2 million square feet of learning space.

Audit finds weaknesses in UC admissions process, echoing national scandal

San Francisco Chronicle

University of California auditors found weaknesses in 11 admissions processes — including potential conflicts of interest among application readers and failing to verify whether students won the awards they said they did — in a report presented to the UC regents Wednesday that echoes problems exposed in a recent nationwide admissions scandal.

Focus On Students

Porterville Recorder

Dr. Claudia Lourido Habib is the new president of Porterville Community College. Her goal is to listen and hear the needs of the people and students of Porterville, and she says the 37 percent increase in the graduation rate is impressive and that reflects the hard work that people have done at the college.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

A Time of Reckoning in the Central Valley

Bay Nature

Climate change is upending agriculture and land use in California’s Central Valley.

California needs real climate leadership. Here’s how Gov. Newsom can step up

Sacramento Bee

To truly protect our climate, Newsom must do even more. As he cleans house at DOGGR, the governor should direct his replacement team to implement health and safety buffers around vulnerable communities harmed by oil extraction, as the state science panel recommended more than four years ago.

By making plant roots grow deeper, these geneticists hope to curb climate change

PBS NewsHour

Democrats appear stymied on a top priority: climate legislation

Roll Call

It’s been more than six months since Democrats assumed control of the House promising to take bold action on climate change. But they don’t have much to show for it.

No, using reusable straws isn’t a ‘risk.’ Not using them is

Los Angeles Times

Though straws are a relatively small part of the plastic problem, the bans have been useful to call the public’s attention to the problem of single-use plastic without causing too much inconvenience to the average customer.

Lead paint suppliers settle California lawsuit for $305M

At least 6 more earthquakes rattle California

Visalia Times Delta

The magnitude 7.1 quake that hit near Ridgecrest was the most powerful shaker to strike California in 20 years. Does this mean “The Big One” is coming? Don’t panic, the U.S. Geographical Survey cautioned.

Energy:

Nuclear industry has been pushing for less oversight, and it’s working

Los Angeles Times

Fewer mock commando raids to test nuclear power plants’ defenses against terrorist attacks. Fewer, smaller government inspections for plant safety issues. Less notice to the public and to state governors when problems arise.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Potentially deadly valley fever is hitting California farmworkers hard, worrying researchers

NBC News

Getting an accurate count of the number of people affected by valley fever is a challenge because the majority of those who are infected never know they have it.

Heat wave is coming: How to stay safe and prepare an emergency supply kit

abc30

In new guidelines for how to deal with heat waves, the American Red Cross warns to prepare an emergency supply kit ahead of a heat wave in case of a power outage.

Food is better than supplements

abc30

A recent study found the best way to improve longevity is by getting nutrients in the food you eat-and that supplements might even be bad for you.

LGBTQ Americans Could Be At Higher Risk For Dementia, Study Finds

Capital Public Radio

Research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Convention found that LGBTQ Americans are three times more likely to experience cognitive decline than their non-LGBTQ counterparts.

Human Services:

Rising health insurance deductibles fuel middle-class anger and resentment

Los Angeles Times

Health insurance — never a standard protection in the U.S. as it is in other wealthy countries — has long divided Americans, providing generous benefits to some and slim-to-no protections to others.

Bipartisan House Coalition Votes to Repeal Health Law’s Cadillac Tax

Wall Street Journal

Business- and labor-backed measure would cancel levy on high-cost employer insurance.

Trump Administration Moves to Shift Patients’ Chronic Illness Costs to Insurers

Wall Street Journal

Under new guidance, plans with health-savings accounts would cover treatments such as regular diabetes vision screenings or medications.

Drug overdoses fell significantly in 2018 for first time in decades, provisional CDC data show

Washington Post

Provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that fatal drug overdoses fell 5.1 percent from 2017 to 2018. If confirmed when the final data is released later this year, the 2018 figure could represent the first significant decline in drug overdose deaths since the 1990s.

See also:

● Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Internship program gives students real look at medical field careers

abc30

Their time is divided between shadowing a professional and working on a research project based on health disparities.

Planned Parenthood Officials Say They’ve Halted Use Of Title X Family Planning Funds

Capital Public Radio

The move follows an announcement this week by the Trump administration that it will enforce new rules forbidding groups that receive the funds from counseling patients about abortion.

IMMIGRATION

Community On Edge Following ICE Presence During Parlier Gang Operation. ‘This Is Irresponsible’

VPR

Immigrant communities in Parlier were on high alert Tuesday after reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents knocking on doors.

‘No Meaningful Oversight’: ICE Contractor Overlooked Problems At Detention Centers

Capital Public Radio

Public scrutiny of the health and safety conditions at immigration detention centers is growing. But the contractor ICE hired to inspect those conditions is accused of ignoring problems for years.

● Trump administration stops sending kids to controversial Homestead migrant facilityabc30

● Refugee mothers separated at border sue Trump Admin for $3 million each Los Angeles Times

● EDITORIAL: Trump asylum policy outsources American values SF Chronicle

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Visalia looks to revise parks ordinance

Visalia Times Delta

It’s become commonplace. Overflowing shopping carts, blue tarps tied to park fences, tents and other homemade shelters set up across Visalia. The problem is getting harder to ignore.

Yosemite National Park suit settled

Madera Tribune

DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. (Delaware North), the United States of America, and Yosemite Hospitality, LLC (Aramark) have settled the lawsuit filed by Delaware North related to Delaware North’s former concession contract at Yosemite with the National Park Service.

SF’s new 17-mile urban trail offers look at rarely seen areas

San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco is a great walker’s town, and Sunday is a great day for walking. It is also the opening of the new San Francisco Crosstown Trail, which runs 17 miles from one end of the city to another.

Berkeley becomes first U.S. city to ban natural gas in new buildings

San Francisco Chronicle

Berkeley became the first city nationwide to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings in a unanimous vote Tuesday by the City Council. The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Kate Harrison, goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020 and phases out the use of natural gas by requiring all new buildings to have electric infrastructure.

Dignity Health forms partnership to open sprawling, multi-sport complex in Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

The transformation of the Buck Owens Boulevard commercial corridor continued apace Wednesday when a newly formed partnership between Dignity Health and Gameday Sports Academy announced plans to open what they are describing as Kern County’s first multisport indoor complex for youth.

Stockton Might Turn City Hall Building Into Housing, Retail Shops

Capital Public Radio

Stockton City Council voted on Tuesday to explore developing its 93-year-old historic City Hall building into market rate housing and retail on the ground floor.

Ideas on Main – Can one community’s solution be another community’s blueprint?

The Atlantic

You can learn a whole lot from our country’s small cities and towns—if you know where to look. With featured case studies from Grow with Google and original reporting from The Atlantic’s in-house creative studio, Atlantic Re:think, Ideas on Main looks for local initiatives worth emulating and presents stories that address pressing questions about modern life and work in the United States.

Housing:

Gov. Newsom has chosen a Fresno leader for his homeless taskforce. Here are her goals

Fresno Bee

Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria landed a spot on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s homeless task force, where she hopes to highlight the challenges for Fresno’s homeless population that may be different than the rest of the state.

Proposed development could bring new housing to Lemoore

abc30

New housing could be coming to the city of Lemoore. Granville Homes proposed a new development north of town during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. If the proposal passed, more than 200 homes would be located near 18th Avenue and Lacey Boulevard.

Stockton Might Turn City Hall Building Into Housing, Retail Shops

Capital Public Radio

They say you can’t fight City Hall — but apparently in Stockton you can buy it. Stockton City Council voted on Tuesday to give exclusive negotiating rights to Cort Companies, a group that wants to develop the 93-year-old historic City Hall building into market rate housing and retail on the ground floor.

Looking for an affordable apartment in Modesto? It might be harder than you think

Modesto Bee

Mark Galvan, a case manager who assists tenants with fair housing issues, did not see a reason to mince words.

Just half of Californians believe they can afford to live here, poll finds

Sacramento Bee

Who can afford to live in California? A newly released Quinnipiac University poll found that just slightly more than half, or 53 percent, of Californians believe they can afford to live in the Golden State.

Sacramento mayor says California must require cities to provide shelter space for homeless

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is calling for an enforceable statewide “right to shelter” mandate that would require communities to have enough shelter space or other housing to accommodate their homeless populations, a strategy modeled after a decades-long program in New York City.

Court tells Calif. to use mortgage settlement money to help homeowners

San Francisco Chronicle

The state Supreme Court required California to spend $331 million from a national banking settlement to help homeowners victimized by foreclosures during the last recession.

US home construction slips 0.9% to 1.25 million in June

Fresno Bee

U.S. home construction slipped last month as an uptick in the building of single-family homes was offset by a big drop in apartment construction.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Record Growth Puts Money in the Bank for California

PPIC

This July marks the longest period of economic expansion in US history. For 121 months and counting, the national and state economies have experienced continuous growth.

Budget Decider: Making choices that impact millions

CALmatters

California lawmakers have passed a $215 billion budget filled with progressive eye-catchers. But what if you had the awesome power to tax and spend, charting a new course for California?

California insurance commissioner won’t disclose calendars after accepting industry donations

Sacramento Bee

An advocacy group is demanding that California’s insurance commissioner release records about his business meetings following a report that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from insurance leaders and their spouses.

New coalition calls for statewide soda tax in California

Politico

Health advocacy groups launched a new campaign Wednesday to pass a statewide 2-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks, setting up a potential standoff with the beverage industry after it successfully fought five bills this year that sought to curtail soda consumption.

California union contracts targeted in new lawsuit challenging how workers quit paying dues

Sacramento Bee

Conservative groups are suing the union representing in-home caretakers, alleging that the union is violating workers’ First Amendment rights by restricting when members can leave the labor organization.

Cracks emerge in SEIU Local 1000 leadership as bargaining season begins

Sacramento Bee

Three top officers at SEIU Local 1000 say union president Yvonne Walker’s tight grip on power is keeping them from carrying out the promise of change on which they were elected last year.

Stockton City Council extends labor deal for five years

Recordnet

Advocates for a three-year renewal of a Stockton policy that requires union participation in major city projects turned out in force for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Bipartisan House Coalition Votes to Repeal Fed Health Law’s Cadillac Tax

Wall Street Journal

Business- and labor-backed measure would cancel levy on high-cost employer insurance.

TRANSPORTATION

Gas prices lower but still higher than last year

Visalia Times Delta

If you’re planning on taking a summer road trip this summer, now is the time to head to the pump and fill up.

Federal Transit Act funds available

Hanford Sentinel

Terri King, executive director of the Kings County Association of Governments (KCAG), announced recently that applications for federal fiscal years 2018 and 2019 Federal Transit Act Section 5310 funds are available through the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

‘They were saying no one would ride it’: 10 years on, Burrard bike lane is N. America’s busiest, officials say

CBC News

After outcry over effect on traffic and business in 2009, more than a million cyclists cross bridge every year.

Environmental reviews, citizen concerns have driven up highway construction costs

Construction Dive

In a paper prepared for this week’s 2019 Municipal Finance Conference at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., two researchers looked at U.S. highway construction from the 1960s to the 1980s in an attempt to determine why projects costs have risen, Brookings reported.

California readies $1.6B high-speed rail design contract

abc30

California officials on Tuesday moved toward awarding a $1.65 billion contract to design and construct the tracks and system for the first segment of its beleaguered high-speed rail project.

WATER

LA’s Kern County sludge farm to stop receiving free Bakersfield water

Bakersfield Californian

It was a match made in heaven, at least for the residents of Los Angeles, but it will soon be coming to an end.

Salmon study may foil Trump plan to deliver more water to Central Valley farms

Los Angeles Times

Federal biologists worked frantically this year to meet a deadline to assess the environmental impacts of Trump administration plans to send more water to Central Valley farmers.

“Xtra”

Free July food deals in Fresno: Ice cream, chicken wings, hot dogs and more

Fresno Bee

Free food. Two of the sweetest words ever. The month of July contains National Hot Dog Day, National Ice Cream Day and National Chicken Wing Day. And that means free food deals at various restaurants.

Clovis business honoring veterans receives special recognition

abc30

A small Clovis brewery received a big honor Wednesday morning. Tactical Ops Brewing was recognized with the resolution as Small Business of the Year in the 23rd Assembly District.

Drop kids off on an alien planet at Modesto’s new gaming center, complete with VR room

Modesto Bee

Always wanted to try virtual reality? New Modesto gaming center has a room dedicated to VR games, and a lot more.

Yosemite’s high country finally opens to camping, hiking

San Francisco Chronicle

After an eight-month winter in Yosemite high-country wilderness, the season for camping, hiking and backpacking is launching.