TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Dan Walters leaving The Sacramento Bee after 57 years as a journalist
| Sacramento Bee |
He later became the Union’s Capitol bureau chief, and in 1981 began writing the state’s only daily newspaper column devoted to California political,
Delta tunnels, Paris Accord and covfefe
| Sacramento Bee |
A new Public Policy Institute of California poll shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating is an abysmally low 27 percent among California voters. Even worse for Trump and what’s left of the California Republican Party, 82 percent of Latinos who …
Donald Trump falls to 27 percent approval rating in new California poll
| The Mercury News | |
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President Donald Trump fell to his lowest approval rating among Californians since he took office, with just 27 percent of state residents approving of his job performance, according to a poll released Wednesday. That’s down from 30 percent and 31 …
Poll: Dim View of Trump and His Health Care and Immigration Policies
KEPQ
Californians deeply disapprove of President Donald Trump, but they’re closely divided on two major pieces of legislation that run completely counter to Trump’s policies on health care and immigration.
Californians gloomy about future, poll finds
San Francisco Chronicle
Despite their reputation for a warm and sunny outlook, Californians feel downright gloomy about the state of national politics and regional housing affordability, according to a statewide survey released Wednesday.
Hoover Golden State Poll: Voters Know What Road To Take On Infrastructure, May Reconsider Proposition 13, But Not Trump
Hoover Institution, Washington DC
As Californians prepare for a summer on the go and state lawmakers go forth with the proceeds from an increased gas tax, a new poll by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University shows what roads voters want to take on infrastructure repairs.
| Los Angeles Times |
Legislation to require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order to gain a spot on California’s presidential primary ballot won passage in the state Senate on Wednesday, but only after a tense debate that largely centered on …
| Los Angeles Times |
Going forward, Clinton said that she believes that it was “realistic” for Democrats to retake the House in 2018, notably by focusing on Republican congressional districts she won – including seven in California. She sounded less optimistic about the …
Democrats’ Bid to Regain Hold on House Begins in California
| New York Times |
All 14 members of the California Republican congressional delegation voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including seven who, like Mr. Issa, represent districts that voted for Mrs. Clinton. Four of those come from districts that include Orange County.
| Sacramento News & Review |
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I’m nursing a beer on a balcony at the 2017 CaliforniaDemocratic Convention in Sacramento, considering the crowd below—an amalgam of nerd-ass wonks, pink-clad Berniecrats, smarmy electeds and granola activists—and reflecting on the scene a few …
Recall effort targets Hanford councilman
| Hanford Sentinel |
Specifically, the notice alleges that Ramirez raised more than $1,000 when he ran for the District D council seat in 2014. Ramirez filed a form with the California Fair Political Practices Commission stating that he raised less than $1,000 and …
California Bill Protecting Against Workplace ICE Raids Passes Assembly
| CBS San Francisco Bay Area |
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The Immigrant Worker Protection Act, which aims to prohibit California employers from allowing immigration agents to enter a workplace or view their employees’ files without a subpoena or a warrant, passed the State Assembly …
Emilio Huerta wants re-match with David Valadao, plans 2018 Congressional run
| The Bakersfield Californian |
Emilio Huerta, running against David Valadao in the 21st Congressional District, shakes the hand of people wearing Donald Trump and Hilliary Clinton masks at his headquarters as they wait for election returns on election night.
Comey Expected to Testify Before Senate, if He Isn’t Blocked
| New York Times | |
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The chairman, Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California, is seeking information about how Obama administration officials handled sensitive information about Trump associates.
Sen. Kamala Harris says she hasn’t considered running for president
| Los Angeles Times |
Despite swirling speculation, California’s U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris said she’s not giving “any consideration” to running for president in 2020.
McCarthy announces staff mobile office in Porterville
| Porterville Recorder |
Congressman Kevin McCarthy, R-CA 23rd District, has announced a monthly staff mobile office in Porterville on Friday, June 2. The mobile office will be held from 9 to 10 a.m.
PolitiFact: Trump’s Foreign Visit, Dead Tree Fund
| Capital Public Radio News |
… collaborated with Facebook to spread a list of fake news sites. Joining Holan is PolitiFact California reporter Chris Nichols with two of his latest fact checks of his own about Gov.
California lawmakers take aim again at establishing statewide rules for drones
| Los Angeles Times |
The son of labor icon Dolores Huerta, he has worked for the United Farm Workers union – which his mother co-founded – throughout the Central Valley district.
Pro-choice license plates on California’s horizon
| Capitol Weekly |
The reproductive freedom plate would join 14 other special interest license plates available through the DMV that raise money for a number of agencies including the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Arts Council, California …
| Capital Public Radio News |
The bill’s author, Democratic Senator Bob Hertzberg, says it’s not fair for pre-trial release to be based on the size of someone’s wallet – rather than their public safety risk. Hertzberg told his colleagues during Senate debate that the bill would …
Emilio Huerta launches 2018 bid for California’s 21st Congressional District
| KERO 23ABC News |
The lack of educational opportunities, the unhealthy air we’re forced to breathe, and the staggering unemployment in Kern, Tulare, Fresno, and Kings County has made the 21stCongressional District one of the poorest regions of the country. Valley …
Bad bills for business before Legislature
| LA Daily News |
As a key deadline looms for state bills to advance, California businesses are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best – or, more accurately, to avoid the worst.
Will the Legislature send remaining ‘job killer’ bills to their graves?
| Sacramento Bee |
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This week also marks a test for the CaliforniaChamber of Commerce’s marquee lobbying tactic: the infamous “job killer” list. Each year the chamber slaps the “job killer” label on bills that it says reduce jobs or deter companies from doing business in …
After another Nunes no-show, cardboard cutout replaces congressman at Fresno event
Fresno Bee
Kiki Wells looked at a cardboard cut-out of Rep. Devin Nunes on Wednesday, and told it her concerns about his support of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Nunes, sidelined from Russia probe, launches one into ‘unmasking’ of Americans
McClatchy DC
The embattled head of the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday appeared to have launched an investigation of his own, this one into allegations that senior Obama administration officials improperly “unmasked” the identities of Trump associates captured communicating with foreign officials.
California lawmakers OK bill to add new gender option on IDs
AP
California senators have passed a bill to add a third gender option on state IDs for people who do not identify as either male or female. Lawmakers voted 26-12 Wednesday to send the bill to the Assembly.
AB 485 Pet Rescue & Adoption Act Passes California State Assembly 55-11
| PR Newswire (press release) |
SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — California Assembly Bill 485, the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, passed the State Assembly today. AB 485, authored … “We are elated with the response from the state legislature and their robust support.
EDITORIALS
Our View: Our commencement address to you, graduates
The Bakersfield Californian
Few of you in the Class of 2017 will miss your battered old biology textbooks. Few of you will pine for the days of “The Scarlet Letter” or that monotonously dull chapter on Reconstruction.
Kushner should explain exactly what he talked about with Russians
Fresno Bee
There’s no good explanation if Jared Kushner did ask Russia’s ambassador to set up a secret way to communicate with the Kremlin, away from the watchful eyes of U.S. intelligence.
California must stand against Trump’s plan
Merced Sun Star/ Modesto Bee
Perhaps Donald Trump thinks he’s being clever about his plans to take America out of the Paris Climate Accord; teasing reporters, putting out hints through surrogates, pretending there is something that might change his paranoid mind when it comes to climate change. We’re not fooled.
California banned plastic bags in November. Are plastic straws next in line?
| Sacramento Bee | – 15 hours ago |
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On Tuesday, the Berkeley city council met to discuss the recommendation. If the ordinance passes, Berkeley would be one of the first cities in California to ban plastic straws, according to the East Bay Express. The recommendation states that the …
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AGRICULTURE/FOOD
California steps up war against citrus greening
| Central Valley Business Times |
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In 2008, the pest ACP was first identified in Southern California. In the last three years, ACP has rapidly spread north into commercial citrus groves and residential trees, and quarantine boundaries have expanded to encompass one-third of the state.
Food and Farm News — Northern California farmers are optimistic about table olive crop
| East Valley Times |
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An official estimate remains a couple months away, but Northern California farmers and canners say they’re optimistic about the table-olive crop. Olive trees bloomed during May, and growers report the potential for a large crop. The California Olive …
Having to fight to fund FFA and similar programs is absurd
| Modesto Bee |
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This month’s fight in the legislature over CTE programs – a fight that could have stripped funding for programs like the Future Farmers of America and others – was an unnecessary and misguided attempt to eliminate something that represents a …
Why honeybees are important and why they are dying!
| Fresno Bee |
Here’s a short list of pesticides commonly used by home gardeners that may well be on your garden shed shelves. Some have low toxicity; some are rated as being highly toxic to bees.
In California battles over product labels, industry usually wins
| CALmatters |
All of these could get new labels under proposals being considered by Californialawmakers, triggering an annual conflict in the state Capitol over how much to tell people about what they buy at the store or use at work.
Senate passes bill that would allow later last call times at California bars
| ABC10 |
The local plan must identify which areas will be eligible for extended hours, as well as a law enforcement assessment regarding impact on public safety. The local plan must exhibit resident and business support, as well as the availability of …
Suddenly, marijuana dispensaries are everywhere in Stanislaus County
| Modesto Bee |
“They know it is a free-for-all,” said Mark Ponticelli, co-owner of a Modesto medical pot dispensary for 2 1/2 years. “They know the municipalities are not going to enforce anything now.
SLO County pressures California Valley pot growers
| New Times SLO | |
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About 300 California Valley marijuana growers filed for a permit to grow marijuana under an urgency ordinance the SLO County Board of Supervisors passed in 2016, more than half of the people who applied in county. A recent draft of the permanent …
Some Cities, States Help Minorities Enter Marijuana Industry
| KQED |
The Maryland General Assembly adjourned last month without acting on a bill to guarantee a place for minority-owned businesses after the Legislative Black Caucus complained that no black-owned companies were awarded any of the state’s initial 15 …
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Senate Approves Bail Reform Bill as Bail Lobby Pushes Back
| KQED |
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A bill that would massively overhaul the way California treats people who are accused of a crime and are awaiting trial was easily approved by the state Senate Wednesday, overcoming a huge lobbying push by the bail industry and some law enforcement …
Push to Limit Money Bail Gains Steam in California
KQED
Every year in California, nearly 1 million people are arrested and booked into jail…
California GOP Mayor Says Attracting Asians And ‘The Gays’ Helps Reduce Crime
| HuffPost |
“Good things happen when you’re able to increase your Asian population to a certain threshold: Crime rates go down, education levels go up,” Parris told Vice.
Inside Look at State’s Largest Immigrant Detention Facility
| NBC Southern California |
… life is like for the hundreds of undocumented immigrants detained since President Donald Trump took office in January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agreed to give NBC4 a tour of its Adelanto Detention Facility, the largest of its kind in …
Jails exist for punishment or public safety, not for locking people up …
| Los Angeles Times |
California’s two bills to reform the unfair and antiquated money bail system would be good for justice, public safety and accountability.
Two-year probation for state workers? That’s what Jerry Brown is proposing
| Sacramento Bee |
Getting a job working for the state of California can take months of testing and interviewing. Keeping one would take up to two years under a state budget provision that would give departments more time to lay off new workers without cause.
California Bill Would Change Procedure For Reviewing Officer-Involved Shootings
| CBS Sacramento |
McCarty’s Assembly Bill 284 would essentially require the CA Department of Justice to create an independent investigative team.
Knowingly exposing others to HIV should no longer be a felony …
| Los Angeles Times |
The state Senate on Wednesday voted to no longer make it a felony for someone infected with HIV to knowingly expose others to the disea…
California Bill Would Target People Recording Fights For Social Media
| CBS Sacramento |
Now one state lawmaker is fighting to change that– by introducing a bill named after a southern California boy, Jorden Pisner.
EDUCATION
Fresno tackles its shortage of math and science teachers | EdSource
| EdSource |
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If you’re bright and friendly and live in Fresno, there’s a good chance Traci Taylor has encouraged you to be a teacher. Most likely a math teacher.
Gov. Brown‘s revised budget plan draws mixed response from early education advocates
Ed Source
While early education advocates say they appreciate Gov. Jerry Brown keeping last year’s promise to increase preschool funding – which he proposed postponing when he introduced the 2017-18 budget in January – they were disappointed that the May budgetrevision didn’t include additional money and changes that would allow more low–income families to qualify for subsidized child care.
New bill proposes school days start after 8:30 am
| yourcentralvalley.com |
The bill would mandate that California teenagers wouldn’t be starting their day before 8:30 in the morning. If passed through the assembly and signed by the governor it would take effect in 2020.
Data Exclusive: 75 Percent of Black California Boys Don’t Meet State Reading Standards
| CALmatters |
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Three of four African-American boys in California classrooms failed to meet reading and writing standards on the most recent round of testing, according to data obtained from the state Department of Education and analyzed by CALmatters. More than half …
California must do much more to invest in a strong teacher workforce
| EdSource |
California is in the midst of a serious and growing teacher shortage that threatens to undermine our investments and our commitment to advancing opportunities and achievement, especially for low-income students, English learners and foster youth …
SB 201 aims to extend collective bargaining to student research assistants
| Daily Californian |
… advocate Michael Young wrote research assistants “do much of the cutting-edge research that … makes UC a world-renowned research university” in a letter of support for SB 201 addressed to California State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León.
Assembly pressing for solutions to teacher shortage in state budget
| EdSource |
In its version of the 2017-18 spending plan, the Assembly Budget Committee last week approved five proposals, totaling $85 million, that primarily would create incentives for more science, math, special education and bilingual teachers in low …
Free community college tuition? The idea is spreading across Southern California
OC Register
Get your high school degree and college is free. That message starts when Long Beach Unified School District students are in preschool and continues as they get older. Long Beach has become a model for free tuition programs, which are spreading rapidly across Southern California community colleges and the state.
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
Trump administration referees environmental fight over California …
| Sacramento Bee |
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John Duarte faces a $2.8 million fine from the federal government for harming wetlands while plowing on his Northern California farm.
Forget cap-and-trade — require pollution reductions
| San Francisco Chronicle |
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The California Air Resources Board is well positioned to implement direct-source reductions toward meeting the state’s goal of 40 percent less emissions by 2030, but this will only happen if the Legislature allows cap-and-trade to expire, which would …
California plan for 100% renewable energy by 2045 clears key hurdle
| Los Angeles Times |
Legislation to require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order to gain a spot on California’s presidential primary ballot won passage in the state Senate on Wednesday, but only after a tense debate that largely centered on …
California Today: To Fight Climate Change, Heal the Ground
| New York Times |
Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor, spoke during the state Democratic convention in Sacramento this month. Credit Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press.
California Lawmakers Move Towards New Renewable Energy Goals
| KQED |
… on the existing mandate that half of the electricity produced in the state come from clean sources by 2030. “At the time reaching a 50 percent renewable portfolio standard was an ambitious but attainable target,” said Senate President Pro Tem Kevin …
What Californians are saying about Trump pulling out of Paris Accord
| Sacramento Bee | |
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Instead, the President risks grave consequences not just for our environment, but for our economy and our future. “We have already seen the devastating effects of climate change in California and across the world. Droughts threaten farmers and agriculture.
EPA’s Pruitt is failing to protect children – Lake County Record-Bee
| Record Bee | |
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More than 15 years ago the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached an agreement with pesticide manufacturers to voluntarily restrict the pesticide …
Gov. Jerry Brown and Democrats say Trump is going ‘backwards’ if …
| Los Angeles Times |
Gov. Jerry Brown warned Wednesday that a decision by President Trump to withdraw the United States from a 2015 global climate change ag…
Is Jerry Brown taking Trump’s place on world climate stage?
| Sacramento Bee |
There would be a loss of confidence in the California market as a working example if the state doesn’t preserve its program into the future, said Gordon, an expert on the intersection of clean energy and economic development. “I think this trip is …
California governor looks abroad for climate changes allies
AP
Looking for allies in the fight against climate change, California Gov. Jerry Brown heads to China this week in a push to build foreign support for carbon-cutting efforts that have found resistance in Washington. California will work with governments around the world to combat climate change even if President Donald Trump rolls back environmental regulations, Brown said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Brown Moving “Heaven And Earth” To Get Legislature To Extend Cap And Trade
Capital Public Radio
On the eve of his departure for China, where he’ll hold meetings on climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown is imploring California lawmakers to extend the state’s “cap-and-trade” greenhouse gas reduction program.
FINANCES
| Los Angeles Times |
Newman’s wasn’t the key vote in reaching the required two-thirds Senate majority. That came from a moderate Republican, Sen. Anthony Cannella of Ceres in the northern San Joaquin Valley.
Memories of library visits past merit renewal of tax for the future
| Modesto Bee (blog) |
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Since 1995, Stanislaus County’s library system has relied on an 1/8-percent sales tax that funds nearly 89 percent of what it costs to keep the main library in downtown Modesto and 12 other branches up and running and expanding services. The tax is …
Public Administrators See Financial Crisis Ahead for California Municipalities
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
In 2012, the City of San Francisco became the first city in California to achieve revenue levels that equal or exceeded the pre-2008 economic collapse, according to city budget documents.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
How U.S. Health Care Got Safer by Focusing on the Patient Experience
Harvard Business Review
Before 1999 “performance” had a simple, unidimensional definition for health care leaders and their boards: It was shorthand for the CFO’s financial report, summarizing operating margins. In the years since, “performance” has…
| Los Angeles Times |
The comment came after Mantle asked Villaraigosa if he supported a bill in the California Legislature that would create a single-payer health system for California. According to a legislative analysis, the cost of the proposed healthcare system would …
Universal health plan would save Californians $37 billion annually, study says
| The Mercury News |
SACRAMENTO – As the California Senate considers voting this week on a proposal to replace private health insurance with a statewide health plan that covers everyone, the bill’s main backers on Wednesday heralded a new study that says the plan could …
New analysis of California’s single-payer bill shows savings
| 89.3 KPCC |
Regardless of whether the line was intended as a joke, Lara’s bill may be a hard sell to a governor with an austere budget.
Single-payer healthcare is popular with Californians — unless it raises their taxes
Los Angeles Times
Almost two of every three Californians in a new statewide poll said they like the idea of a single-payer, government healthcare system, but far fewer support the idea if it includes a tax increase.
Study: New taxes could fund universal California health care
AP
A longshot California proposal to replace insurance companies with government-funded health care for all of the state’s residents could be paid for with a sales tax hike and a new tax on business revenue, according to a report released Wednesday.
Higher taxes on cars and dining to pay for California health care? Nurses have a proposal
| Sacramento Bee |
The high cost of paying for Canadian-style health care for all Californians has for more than two decades killed proposals by politicians to adopt such a system.
What would California’s proposed single-payer healthcare system mean for me?
| Los Angeles Times |
The prospect of a universal single-payer healthcare system in California – in which the state covers all residents’ healthcare costs – has enthralled liberal activists, exasperated business interests and upended the political landscape…
The Unserious Left Reveals Itself on Single-Payer
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
Health care is a serious subject. Single-payer health systems provide a serious model for how to get the public the health care it needs.
Universal health care is not a fantasy
| Sacramento Bee |
The California Legislature passed and Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new 12 cent per gallon gasoline tax. This is on top of the current 40 cent state gasoline tax. The new gas tax won’t hurt the rich or the upper middle class. It will only hurt the lower …
Enrollment in Subsidized Child Care and Development Programs Varies by Race and Ethnicity
California Budget & Policy Center
This report shows access to early care and education (ECE) by race and ethnicity in California and offers policy recommendations for improving access to care and helping address existing disparities.
Break the sad cycle of foster kids having foster kids
| Sacramento Bee |
More than half of young women in foster care in California will have been pregnant at least once by 19, a rate that is three times greater than for non-foster youths, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
California’s foster children need more legal funding under
| San Francisco Chronicle |
The Judicial Council had requested a $33.1 million funding increase, and the Legislature has acknowledged that this full amount is what’s actually necessary.
Embattled Republican Darrell Issa faces health care blowback
| 89.3 KPCC |
FILE – In this Aug. 4, 2015 file photo, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., speaks at a news conference at the U.S embassy in Abuja, Nigeria.
Dialysis Patient Safety Act faces fight in California Legislature | The …
| Sacramento Bee |
SB 349 aims to regulate dialysis clinics by increasing staffing ratios to eight nurses per patient. The bill is supported by the SEIU-UHW but many patients, doctors …
Why does a California senator want to make it harder to catch bad doctors?
| Los Angeles Times |
Hard to believe, but the answer is D. As the law stands now, officers who investigate tips about doctors who write questionable prescriptions can check a monitoring database maintained by the California Department of Justice. There, they can look for …
Group: 504 Californians got life-ending prescriptions
AP
At least 504 terminally ill Californians have requested a prescription for life-ending drugs since a state law allowing physician-assisted deaths went into effect in June 2016, marking the first publicly released data on how the practice is playing out in the nation’s most populous state.
How many people have taken advantage of California’s assisted death law?
| Sacramento Bee |
We won’t know exactly until next month, when the California Department of Public Health is set to release its first annual statistical report on the number of assisted death prescriptions, how many patients used them and how many doctors wrote them …
IMMIGRATION
The Supreme Court protects a Mexican immigrant from deportationThe Economist “WE HAVE some bad hombres here”, Donald Trump said in his third debate with Hillary Clinton, “and we’re going to get them out”. Ridding America of undocumented immigrants with criminal records is, rhetoric aside, not terribly far from Barack Obama’s position;…” Departing From ‘Sanctuary Cities,’ Some Sheriffs Embrace Immigration Enforcement RoleThe PEW Charitable Trusts |
In a whitewashed cinderblock room here at the Frederick County Detention Center, each new inmate answers two questions: “What country were you born in?” and “Of what country are you a citizen?”
Mexican migrant workers came to California to pick grapes. Now they own wineries.
| Washington Post |
Their fathers left for El Norte as migrant workers – some under the Bracero guest-worker program, others crossing the border illegally but gaining legal status in a time when papers were easier to come by.
Workers detained by ICE on Northern California military base denied immigration hearing
| The Mercury News |
Two undocumented immigrants detained by ICE agents on the Travis Air Force Base earlier this month remain in expedited deportation proceedings after being denied immigration hearings Tuesday, according to their attorney and local immigration activists.
California Assembly OKs protection against workplace raids
| Sacramento Bee |
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The California Assembly on Wednesday passed and sent to the Senate a bill prohibiting employers from letting immigration agents enter worksites or view employee files without a warrant or subpoena.
This Orange County congressman’s immigration town hall turned chaotic and led to three arrests
| Los Angeles Times |
Several California members of Congress have held similar immigration-specific town halls or workshops in the last few months as questions swirl about changes to federal immigration policies and enforcement. The purpose of the town halls is to “let …
Half of Californians worry about someone they know getting deported, poll finds
San Jose Mercury
As President Donald Trump steps up immigration enforcement, half of Californians are worried that someone they know will be deported, a poll released Wednesday found.
JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
San Diego to host 2017 California Economic Summit
CALFWD
Sixth annual event tackling housing, workforce, water problems hindering upward mobility Read More
Pre-Apprenticeship Program Bill Passed By Assembly
| Oakdale Leader | |
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Assemblyman Heath Flora (R-Ripon) on Tuesday announced passage of his bill AB 579 which will create a firefighter pre-apprenticeship pilot program that aims to recruit candidates from underrepresented communities.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Essential California: The jump in LA County homelessness is ‘staggering’
| Los Angeles Times |
A revised single-payer estimate: With a state Senate vote possibly imminent on a single-payer health system for California, supporters Wednesday released a study estimating it would cut spending on healthcare in the state by 18% and cost tens of …
Inland Empire, California are nation’s top spots for construction jobs …
| OCRegister |
New housing, like this project in Irvine, is spurring statewide growth in construction jobs. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.
TRANSPORTATION
Driving Californians Out of Their Cars
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
In a state whose voters are obsessed not only with curbing waste but trimming their waistlines, it should come as no surprise that state officials want to put California on a “road diet.” Not to be confused with South Beach or Jenny Craig, a road diet …
US gasoline demand falls for third consecutive month: EIA
| Reuters |
The modest drop in U.S. gasoline demand was offset by strong demand for distillates, helping push total oil demand up by 2.1 percent in March versus last year, according to EIA’s Petroleum Supply Monthly report.
WATER
Morain: Jerry Brown sends a message to water agencies on the Delta tunnels – and it’s direct
Sacramento Bee
Jerry Brown took an Old English turn from his Latin wisdom in 2012 by declaring: “I want to get s— done,” a reference to his vision for building two tunnels 30 miles long to move Sacramento River water south from the Delta to the rest of the state.
Waterwise: Loans offered for farmers hit by drought
| Visalia Times-Delta |
Gov. Jerry Brown declared the California drought over. However, the effects and recovery are still underway. The National Park Service is dealing with campground closures and removal of dead trees while local farm operators have the option to apply for …
California may get a new water rights management structure
| Central Valley Business Times |
Mark Twain is credited with the aphorism, “whiskey’s fer drinkin’ and water’s fer fightin’.” Whether he said that or not, it could almost be the state motto but now the California Legislature is tinkering with the most fundamental – and convoluted …
Source of Tuolumne River resembles a mini-Niagara Falls
| Modesto Bee |
In April, MID planned to show off their mini-Niagara Falls to the Modesto City Council and posted notice of a closed session.
Newspaper gets answers on exclusive Oroville Dam site visit
| Oroville Mercury Register |
The newspaper editorial board, along with a reporter and photographer, were invited to meet with acting DWR Director Bill Croyle; dam safety consultant David Gutierrez; communications and outreach adviser Erin Mellon from the Natural Resources Agency; …