Maddy Institute – July 3, 2019

03Jul

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Rep. Josh Harder discusses federal funding for higher education

Modesto Bee

Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, listened to local educators, school administrators and economic development experts Tuesday as he prepares to draft legislation that would target federal funding for labor needs in the Central Valley.

Central SJ Valley:

Abandoned historic building in downtown Fresno soon will be home for 79 families

Fresno Bee

Construction to renovate and restore Hotel Fresno will begin later this month to transform the historic, dilapidated building into apartments for 79 families and further revitalize downtown.

Madera County Supervisors Signal Readiness to OK Industrial Hemp Production

Sierra News Online

The Madera County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 2 voted 4-to-1 to direct the County’s agricultural commissioner to begin crafting an ordinance to regulate the cultivation of industrial hemp in Madera County.

Madera Awarded $11.3m For Vet Housing Project

Business Journal

The City of Madera and MORES (Madera Opportunities for Resident Enrichment and Services) a nonprofit community housing service, have been awarded $11.3 million from the California Strategic Growth Council for the Downtown Madera Veterans and Family Housing Project.

Valley Residents Join National #CloseTheCamps Protest In Front Of Congressman’s Clovis Office

KVPR
Dozens of people lined up in front of Congressman Devin Nunes’s Clovis office on Tuesday as part of a national protest to close immigration detention centers.

South SJ Valley:

$37 million deal preserves affordable housing in Tulare County

Sun Gazette

On June 7, Community Development Trust (CDT), which provides long-term debt and equity capital for the creation and preservation of affordable housing and charter school facilities, announced a joint venture with Southport Financial Services Inc. to purchase and improve five apartment complexes totaling 484 units.

Bakersfield College secures $1 million for workforce development

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College, with the help of Assemblymember Rudy Salas, received $1 million for workforce development through the 2019-20 state budget.

Dolores Huerta Foundation receives shot in the arm from state budget

Bakersfield Californian

For some in Kern County, the Dolores Huerta Foundation offers the first opportunity to engage in the civic process, potentially sparking an interest that lasts a lifetime. Thanks to an allocation of millions of dollars in funding in the latest state budget, the foundation will be able bring those opportunities to many more people throughout the Central Valley

State:

Trump administration backs off citizenship question. What that means for California
Fresno Bee

The Trump administration is preparing to print the 2020 census without a citizenship question and ending its battle in court to place a question about immigration status in the once-a-decade count.

● Trump: Commerce, Justice positions on Census are ‘FAKE’ Roll Call

● Poll: Majority say the census should be able to include citizenship question The Hill

● 2020 Census will not include citizenship question, Justice Department confirms Washington Post

● U.S. Drops Citizenship Question From Census Wall Street Journal

● OPINION: Trump’s efforts to rig the census may already be working Washington Post

Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom Spar Over Immigrant Health Care

Capital Public Radio

California’s governor vowed on Monday to continue expanding taxpayer funded health benefits to adults living in the country illegally next year, ensuring the volatile issue will get top billing in the 2020 presidential election as Democrats vying for the nomination woo voters in the country’s most populous state.

How ‘Big Soda’ used its clout to stop 5 of 5 California laws to regulate sugary drinks

Los Angeles Times

California is known as the state that took on the tobacco industry, challenged the NRA on firearms restrictions and passed other legislation framed as breakthroughs in safeguarding public health.

Hate crimes in California dip in 2018 after 2017 bump

Los Angeles Times

The number of reported hate crimes and victims decreased last year in California, although the number of suspects increased, the state’s attorney general reported Tuesday. Hate crime events fell 2.5% from 2017, down by about two dozen reports to 1,066 in 2018, according to the annual report.

Federal:

Trump ushers in tanks, military might in preparation for Washington D.C. July 4th event

abc30

President Donald Trump marshaled tanks, bombers and other machinery of war on Tuesday for a Fourth of July celebration that traditionally is light on military might, while critics accused him of using America’s military as a political prop.

See Also:

● Editorial: A Trumped-up Fourth of July San Francisco Chronicle

House Committee Files Lawsuit For Trump Tax Returns

Business Journal

A House committee sued the Trump administration in federal court Tuesday for access to President Donald Trump’s tax returns, setting up a legal showdown over the records. The House Ways and Means Committee said it needs the documents for an investigation into tax law compliance by the president, among other things.

Trump says he will nominate Christopher Waller and Judy Shelton to reshape Federal Reserve

Washington Post

President Trump plans to nominate Christopher Waller and Judy Shelton to fill the two remaining seats on the Federal Reserve Board of governors, the latest push in Trump’s effort to get the central bank to lower interest rates ahead of the 2020 election.

Ginsburg Passing The Liberal Torch: Takeaways From A Big Supreme Court Term

NPR

This past term, the Supreme Court decided cases dealing with thorny issues such as a citizenship question on the U.S. census, political gerrymandering and the separation of church and state.

Elections 2020:

If the courts won’t give us fair elections, maybe our high schools will

CALmatters

The Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld partisan gerrymandering as a political practice for which there is no federal judicial remedy will be taken as a green light by some state legislatures to draw political maps to favor the party in power.

Bad News About Those Constant Campaign Emails—They Work

Wall Street Journal

“Hey.” “Emailing again.” “Can I explain?” “I hate doing this.” These aren’t email subject lines from a needy paramour. They’re from the presidential candidates. They really want your money—even “$1 Just $1. That’s all it takes.”

Was Kamala Harris ‘part of second class to integrate’ Berkeley’s public schools?

PolitiFact

California Sen. Kamala Harris won a breakout moment in last week’s Democratic presidential debate when she attacked Joe Biden’s record opposing busing to desegregate schools in the 1970s.

● Kamala Harris made forceful claims on civil rights and immigration. Did she get them right? PolitiFact

Other:

American pride has hit an all-time low, a poll finds

CNN

The numbers, from a new Gallup poll, are the lowest since the polling organization began gauging patriotic fervor this way in 2001. The numbers have been falling for much of the 21st century, and are down even from last year. In 2018, 47% felt “extremely proud,” while this year 45% are saying the same thing.

OPINION: What Makes Americans One People?

Wall Street Journal

As July 4 nears, the rise of populist nationalism at home and abroad should drive Americans to reflect anew on the foundations of our political system. The Declaration of Independence is the appropriate place to start.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

County Supervisors Signal Readiness to OK Industrial Hemp Production

Sierra News Online

House Democrats call for revival of meat labeling law

Roll Call

A meat labeling law repealed three years ago may be making a comeback as some lawmakers call for it to be added to the proposed trade pact designed to replace the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.

Farmers Are Losing Everything After “Forever Chemicals” Turned Up In Their Food

Buzzfeed News

Such long-lived “fluorinated” compounds have been measured in the drinking water in over 600 locations in 43 states, near factories or military bases that use them in firefighting foams. Best known as PFAS chemicals (short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), they line numerous waterproof consumer goods, from hiking shoes to pizza boxes.

OPINION: High cannabis taxes keep black market alive in California

San Francisco Chronicle

Two years ago, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 64, which legalized adult cannabis use. Fast forward two years later, and the illicit market is “getting worse, not better.”

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Fresno Co. Sheriff’s deputy injured in shooting in Tollhouse, suspect in custody

abc30

A quiet Quail Springs Lane became a crime scene Tuesday after a dispute between neighbors escalated. “I heard helicopters gig around the top of my house and I’m curious maybe there’s a fire. I went down to look, and I see cop cars, and they say something about fire,” said neighbor Eli Bristow.

Report: Police deadly force incidents decline in California

Associated Press

A new report Tuesday spurred by national concern over fatal shootings by police shows 146 civilians and three officers died during law enforcement confrontations in California last year, with fewer violent encounters and suspect deaths than in previous years.

EDITORIAL: California needs to provide better help for crime victims

Los Angeles Times

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

Public Safety:

Gun rights groups sue California to challenge age restrictions on buying firearms

Fresno Bee

A coalition of California gun rights groups has sued the state in federal court to prevent the enactment of a law prohibiting people younger than 21 from buying firearms.

State Attorney General Appeals S.F. Ruling That Would Release Police Misconduct Records

KQED
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is arguing in an appeal filed late Monday that the state Department of Justice shouldn’t have to release records on local police misconduct and shootings under a landmark transparency measure that took effect this year.

Fire:

Fresno-area fire officials warn against using illegal fireworks

Fresno Bee

The Central Valley Fireworks Task Force says it has a zero-tolerance police against the possession and use of illegal fireworks this Fourth of July holiday season. At a news conference Tuesday morning to warn against the dangers of illegal fireworks, Clovis Fire Chief John Binaski said a simiple rule of thumb is: legal.

PG&E says it could pay 2017, 2018 wildfire victims. Here’s why that needs Legislature’s OK

Sacramento Bee

PG&E Corp. is floating a plan in the California Legislature to repay victims of the 2017 and 2018 wildfires by having the state issue billions of dollars in new bonds. The bankrupt utility’s shareholders would repay the bond out of future profits, a source familiar with PG&E’s plan said Tuesday.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

How the Trump administration’s 2018 trade aid package works

Porterville Recorder

The Trump administration’s Market Facilitation Program is meant to compensate farmers for income they’ve lost due to the U.S. trade war with China. Data provided to The Associated Press from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Freedom of Information Act gives some insights into where the money goes.

U.S. stocks on track for third record high of the week

Porterville Recorder

The rally follows a slight easing of trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Both nations have agreed to refrain from new tariffs while they open a new round of negotiations. The development relieved some pressure on the market, though the trade war still looms over global economic growth.

Rich get richer, everyone else not so much in record U.S. expansion

Reuters

Last month Pink Floyd frontman David Gilmour sold his guitar collection for $21.5 million, including one piece – his famed “Black Strat” Fender Stratocaster – that went for nearly $4 million to the owner of the U.S. National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts.

U.S. Treasury yields hit lowest rate since 2016 as stocks rise

Los Angeles Times

Bonds extended gains globally as investors weighed the prospect of more dovish appointees to two of the world’s major central banks. American equities edged higher in thin trading ahead of a holiday.

Paid leave as fuel for economic growth

Brookings

Across the political spectrum, almost everybody agrees that stronger economic growth would be a good thing. But there is little agreement on how to achieve it. Nor is there much solid evidence; this is an area where political ideology runs very far ahead of economic science.

Jobs:

Being Transgender and Looking For A Job In The Valley: ‘I Could Tell It Wasn’t Going To Work Out’

KVPR
Argain, whose gender was assigned male at birth, takes hormones and has facial hair removed with a laser to look more feminine. Transitioning has made Argain feel more like themself, they said. However, in the past, identifying as nonbinary and dressing in a feminine manner has made it more difficult to find work.

Robots could take over 20 million jobs by 2030, study claims

CNBC
Economists analyzed long-term trends around the uptake of automation in the workplace, noting that the number of robots in use worldwide increased threefold over the past two decades to 2.25 million.

New Rule to Test Union Membership, Finances

Wall Street Journal

Two of the nation’s most powerful unions face a potential loss of members and millions of dollars when a Trump administration rule takes effect Friday in the latest big test for organized labor.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Lead Detected in Drinking Water of Almost 1 in 5 California Schools

EWG

The State Water Resources Control Board confirmed in an email to EWG that 1,166 out of 6,595 schools that submitted test results found at least one fountain that served water with more than 5 parts per billion, or ppb, of lead. Many schools that tested their drinking water did not test all of the drinking water fountains or faucets of potable water.

Higher Ed:

Congratulations to President Zelezny on her first anniversary at CSUB!

CSU Bakersfield

President Zelezny tours the campus on her first day a year ago. Enjoy a retrospective of the outstanding, groundbreaking year we’ve had at CSUB with this video.

CSU Bakersfield REVS UP the Summer with Chevron-Sponsored Program

CSU Bakersfield

From smart home design to a visual demonstration of the effect of rising ocean water on living conditions, Chevron REVS-UP students were glued to their computers, in discussion or testing out one of their brilliant ideas come to life with a smart phone app control.

Second chances for applicants shut out of crowded CSU campuses

EdSource

Because of overcrowding, about 28,000 otherwise eligible students were shut out of all the CSU campuses to which they applied this year. But a new policy now offers potential freshmen and transfer students a second chance to attend a CSU.

EDITORIAL: Does CSU have lots of money saved in reserves? Yes, and it’s never been a secret

Sacramento Bee

The claim that California State University has a secret stockpile of surplus funds in outside accounts is a sensationalistic take on common – and responsible – fiscal practices. It is wrong to characterize designated operating reserves as “secretive massive funds.”

Apprenticeships:

Bakersfield College secures $1 million for workforce development

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield College, with the help of Assemblymember Rudy Salas, received $1 million for workforce development through the 2019-20 state budget.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Toxic algae threaten ‘gem of Chico’ – and these 10 waterways in the greater Sacramento area

Fresno Bee

The Butte County Public Health Department warned people on Monday to stay away from Horseshoe Lake after colonies of microscopic cyanobacteria grew out of control and ‘bloomed’ into toxic and potentially lethal algae, poisoning the waterway.

P&G hopes to develop recyclable diapers in battle against waste

Los Angeles Times

Procter & Gamble Co., facing an industrywide backlash against consumer waste, is seeking a patent that would help it develop recyclable versions of absorbent products including diapers, sanitary products and even cleaning wipes.

The war on Southern California smog is slipping. Fixing it is a $14-billion problem

Los Angeles Times

The war on smog has been called one of America’s greatest environmental successes. Decades of emissions-cutting regulations under a bipartisan law — the 1970 Clean Air Act — have eased the choking pollution that once shrouded U.S. cities. Cleaner air has saved lives and strengthened the lungs of Los Angeles children.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Meth Is Making a Comeback in California – And It’s Hitting the San Joaquin Valley Hard

KQED
The opioid crisis has been a national focus for years, but new state data shows amphetamines have eclipsed opioids in the San Joaquin Valley. In 2017, opioid overdoses killed 158 Valley residents. According to the California Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard, however, 232 people died from overdosing on amphetamines.

‘Paradigm Shift’ In Kaiser Surgeries Wielding Big Results

Business Journal

For patients and doctors alike, one of the main concerns before and after surgery has become the prescription and subsequent dependency on opioid-based painkillers, and it’s resulting big changes to the surgical process.

Obesity declining among preschoolers on public aid

Hanford Sentinel

The decrease was subtle, from 16% in 2010 to 14% in 2016, but the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reflected results from earlier studies. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the results were deemed promising.

CA vaccine laws have worked, study finds. More kindergarten students start school up to date

Sacramento Bee

After a measles outbreak in 2013, California lawmakers passed a series of new laws that put restrictions on the number of children who could be exempted from vaccinations. They also launched an education campaign among staff at kindergartens. Those efforts appear to have worked – in part.

Strapped CA stem cell agency winding down

Capital Weekly

The $3 billion California stem cell agency on Monday served up the bad news with only a smattering of sugar coating. No more applications for research funding are being accepted. The cash is running out, perhaps as early as the end of August.

Human Services:

Parents will stay close to their preemies in $35 million NICU at Sacramento-area hospital

Sacramento Bee

Dignity Health is investing $35 million at Mercy San Juan Medical Center to expand the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, adding space not only for state-of-the-art equipment but also 16 rooms where parents can stay with the frailest preemies until it’s time to go home.

California pays down their student loans, Doctors agree to treat poorer patients

CALmatters

It’s a trade aimed at getting more doctors to treat poorer patients: California this week said it will help repay the student loans of 247 selected doctors in exchange for their promise that at least 30 % of their caseload will be people enrolled in Medi-Cal.

How to safely use pesticides

Sacramento Bee

Pesticides can be dangerous to your health if used incorrectly. Here is how to safely use pesticides according to the National Pesticide Information Center.

IMMIGRATION

Amnesty International accuses Border Patrol of harassing, intimidating humanitarian aid workers

San Diego Union-Tribune

Amnesty International is calling on Congress to hold public hearings over what the human rights organization calls “a campaign of intimidation,” launched by the federal government that targets activists and lawyers helping migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.

LAND USE/HOUSING

This abandoned historic building in downtown Fresno soon will be home for 79 families

Fresno Bee

Construction to renovate and restore Hotel Fresno will begin later this month to transform the historic, dilapidated building into apartments for 79 families and further revitalize downtown.

Madera Awarded $11.3m For Vet Housing Project

Business Journal

$37 million deal preserves affordable housing in Tulare County

Sun Gazette

Fact check: Is Trump right when he says homelessness is a ‘new phenomenon’ in California?

Sacramento Bee

California’s population included nearly 130,000 homeless residents every day as of January 2018, according to a report from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. More than 10,800 veterans, more than 6,700 families and more than 34,000 people defined as “chronically homeless” were among them.

● Newsom on Trump homeless threat: ‘I don’t know that he knows what it means’ Politico

Walters: Newsom’s housing deal just a baby step

CALmatters

Every Californian should be aware by now that the state’s housing shortage not only causes personal angst for millions of the state’s residents, but is a key factor in its economic future. The latter was underscored last month in an analysis of the state’s employment picture by Christopher Thornberg, founder of Beacon Economics and director of the UC Riverside Center for Economic Forecasting.

OPINION: One reason for the high cost of housing in California may surprise you — overregulation

Los Angeles Times

Shocking almost no one, nine of the 15 most expensive metropolitan areas in the United States are in California, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. But one major reason for this may surprise you: The state has an overregulation problem that’s contributing to the housing affordability crisis.

PUBLIC FINANCES

$1.2 billion CalPERS lawsuit over long-term care gets go-ahead from judge

Sacramento Bee

Public workers and retirees who sued CalPERS over an 85% rate increase to long-term care insurance plans could find out next week whether their lawsuit will move forward.

TRANSPORTATION

California DMV won’t face independent review over handling of Real ID, Motor Voter

Sacramento Bee

The audit request was billed as the most sweeping review of the DMV’s troubled roll-out of a voter registration program and a new federal ID requirement that has put the state at odds with the Trump administration.

California High-Speed Rail Authority to Make Public Recommendations for the State’s Preferred Alternatives in Northern California

California High-Speed Rail Authority

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is releasing the staff recommendations for the State’s Preferred Alternatives for the high-speed rail routes in Northern California. Today’s action kicks off the start of a comprehensive outreach campaign through the summer to gather feedback from the public on the staff recommendations for the Authority Board of Directors to consider in making their decisions in September.

EDITORIAL: A moment of distraction can mean death on the highway. Here’s how you can save lives

Sacramento Bee

A few seconds. That’s all it took. In the time required to read these words, a 5-year-old girl’s life was cut short. She died when her family’s car was violently rear-ended by a pickup truck on Highway 99 near Yuba City. The California Highway Patrol says the pickup’s 24-year-old driver was texting on his phone and failed to notice a slowdown in traffic.

WATER

Modesto had average rainfall in the year that ended Sunday. There’s more to the story

Modesto Bee

By one measure — rainfall in downtown Modesto — the weather year that ended Sunday was about average. By more important measures — in the mountains feeding our local rivers — the year was plenty wet. And the figures bring warnings for people planning to visit the streams on Independence Day and later in the summer.

Why California’s fight against climate change must include clean water

CALmatters

California’s political leaders have made the long-overdue decision to clean up the Central Valley’s contaminated drinking water, and help cash-strapped rural water districts. The catch: rather than assess a fee on water users or tapping into the state’s budget surplus, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature relied on cap-and-trade money to pay for a portion of the operation.

“Xtra”

Here’s where you can (and can’t) get in the Kings River this holiday week

Fresno Bee

The Kings River is now open for recreation in Kings County, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday. The Kings River remains closed in Fresno and Tularecounties.

Where’s the big Independence Day fireworks show? Here’s the list for the holiday week

Fresno Bee

Visalia

Visalia Freedom Celebration, event starts at noon; 6 p.m., Rawhide Ballpark gates open to anyone attending the Visalia Rawhide vs. Stockton Ports game, fireworks show after the game with free admission. rawhidebaseball.com.

July 5 is ‘Gene Haagenson Day’ in Fresno. It’s also his last day as a reporter at ABC30

Fresno Bee

After close to 30 years and a career covering everything from traffic accidents to city council meetings and presidential visits, Gene Haagenson is retiring. The veteran reporter is leaving his position at ABC30 to “spend more time with the grandkids,” he says.

Fresno Power Wheelchair Soccer Team Takes Third Place At National Tournament

KVPR
Members of Fresno’s wheelchair powered soccer team, the Central Valley Ghostriderz, have just returned from this year’s 2019 MK Battery Conference Cup Series in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

OPINION: Stapley: A look at fireworks from both sides now

Modesto Bee

Four-and-a-half years ago, as a Modesto Bee reporter working a New Year’s Day shift, I covered the sad aftermath of a fire that destroyed a two-story home in east Modesto, displacing a couple and their three young children. They smelled smoke, went outside and found their wood-shake roof on fire at 12:51 a.m., and their home soon went up in flames.