Maddy Institute – June 10, 2021

10Jun

POLICY & POLITICS

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North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Update: Here’s what’s changing as Stanislaus County moves to orange tier Modesto Bee

Should Merced use local money to build more affordable housing? Big decisions loom

Merced Sun-Star

Merced city leaders remain divided over how to locally mitigate one of California's greatest challenges: building affordable housing for residents.

Modesto’s police reform committee named. Here’s who is on it so far

Modesto Bee

The Modesto committee charged with looking at how the PD can do a better job will do its work in public. The City Council approved forming the committee and its members and that committee meetings will follow the Brown Act, the state’s public meeting law.

$5.6 million for Turlock road repairs: City Council OKs budget boosted by tax revenue

Modesto Bee

Turlock residents could see the city spend $5.6 million of local sales tax revenue to fix roads through June 2022, per the budget officials approved Tuesday.

Three candidates run for Ceres special election. How council deadlock inspired one

Modesto Bee

Northern Ceres residents in the Aug. 31 special election can vote for a government worker, child care provider or moving business owner to represent them on the City Council.

Oakdale will renovate police building. Second project helps pedestrians near high school

Modesto Bee

The Oakdale City Council agreed Monday night to renovate the police building and to make walking and biking easier around the high school. Both votes were 5-0.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Lagging COVID vaccine rates bring California surgeon general to Fresno, Kings counties Fresno Bee

● COVID-19: Clovis At All Time Low Clovis Roundup

● COVID-19 update: County meets yellow tier guidelines, still in orange tier; no Freedom Fest Porterville Recorder

Fresno County’s affordable housing needs increased significantly even before COVID pandemic

Fresno Bee

For many Fresno County renters, finding affordable housing is even more challenging than in previous years, a new report shows.

Fresno City, Fresno County working to stop homeless encampments from relocating

KFSN

The county is working on more solutions for homelessness. The board approved changing a person's job title to Project Administrator Homeless Liaison. The county also recently purchased 165 beds to house individuals who are experiencing homelessness.

We’re looking into transportation needs in Fresno County. We need your help.

Fresno Bee

This week in Fresnoland, Cassandra continued her investigation of substandard housing conditions in Fresno, reporting on over 30 renters who have shared their own experiences and how the Manchester Arms situation is not an isolated case.

Fresno County Transportation Authority approves use of Measure C funding for Highway 41 widening

abc30

The Fresno County Transportation Authority board voted Wednesday to use Measure C funds to complete the expansion project of Highway 41 in Fresno County.

● Public Workshop tonight! Fresno Reverse Triangle Transportation Area Plan Reverse Triangle

Fresno-area community colleges could lose millions as enrollment plunges during COVID

Fresno Bee

As enrollment declines during the pandemic, community colleges face losing a chunk of their budgets in the years to come if students don't come back, according to State Center Community College officials.

100 years later, this Fresno neighborhood still has no sidewalks. Will they be in city budget?

Fresno Bee

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias detailed his plan to include funding in the budget to rebuild some of the city's forgotten neighborhoods where sidewalks, streets and trees have been neglected for years.

Will Fresno allow for more weed shops? City Council looks to expand business licenses

Fresno Bee

Fresno may be seeing more weed dispensaries in the near future, if a resolution passes through city council on Thursday.

Warszawski: Fresno mayor’s flip-flop over Pride flag issue proves he listens — and that’s a good sign

Fresno Bee

It took less than six months for Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer to flip-flop on a hot button issue. Good for Dyer. Because strong, engaged leaders should always be willing to listen and change their minds.

Leslie Caviglia named Visalia city manager, the first woman to hold the job in city's history

Visalia Times Delta

Leslie Caviglia will soon become Visalia city manager after Randy Groom retires in September. She will be the first woman appointed to the job since Visalia was founded in 1852.

Do Visalia Unified trustees trust teachers to talk about race?

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia Unified has gone back-and-forth on whether it should approve Global Learning Charter School’s use of Newsela, an educational application currently used by students.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Kern County COVID-19 vaccine tracker: 31% of people fully vaccinated Taft Midway Driller

Kern County to fund Lamont flood control, Wi-Fi at parks with federal stimulus package

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County plans to use a second federal stimulus package to achieve a wide range of improvements, including outfitting all public parks with Wi-Fi and addressing flood concerns in Lamont.

Meadows Field rebounds to pre-pandemic levels

Bakersfield Californian

Meadows Field Airport reports the number of outbound passengers have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

State:

COVID Update:

● Newsom Defends Keeping California's COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Past June 15 Reopening Capital Public Radio

● Californians vaccinated for COVID-19 can largely shed masks on June 15 Los Angeles Times

● Wearing a mask may go from a symbol of responsibility to vulnerability as California reopens Los Angeles Times

● California’s big reopening: What changes — and what doesn’t — on June 15? CalMatters

● Reopening California: A Conversation with HHS Secretary Mark Ghaly PPIC

New faces enter fray as California recall slowly takes shape

Fresno Bee

Six weeks after California officials announced that Gov. Gavin Newsom would face an almost certain recall election that could drive him from office, the contest continues to be roiled by uncertainty and questions – even the date when it might take place remains unclear.

California Highway Patrol pay to be restored in agreement with Newsom administration

Fresno Bee

The California Association of Highway Patrolmen has reached an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to undo the pay cuts patrol officers took last year.

Proposed tax on California gun sales resurfaces after Democrats blocked it

Sacramento Bee

A California Democrat isn’t giving up on a proposal to tax guns and ammunition that appeared to die in the Legislature last week.

Newsom and California lawmakers approved to receive pay raise amid improving economy

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom, California legislators and other state elected officials were approved to receive a 4.2% salary increase this year after a state panel cited improving state finances and higher raises going to rank-and-file state workers as factors in the decision.

Will psychedelics become legal in California?

CalMatters

The state Senate passed a bill to legalize hallucinogenic drugs for Californians 21 and older. Could psychedelics become the next cannabis?

Walters: Newsom owes apology for EDD’s failings

CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom owes an apology to those who have suffered distress from the state’s inabilty to process unemployment insurance claims.

Opinion: California’s Endless ‘Emergency’

Wall Street Journal

As this column is being written the website of the federal Centers for Disease Control shows two straight days without a single Covid-19 death in the state of California.

California is about to lose a seat in Congress. How it could shift the balance of power

Sacramento Bee

California’s once-a-decade redrawing of congressional boundaries is underway, and the stakes are high with the state preparing to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● US to buy 500M Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to share globally: AP source abc30

● Biden to announce U.S. will donate 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to poor nations Los Angeles Times

● U.S. to Donate 500 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses to Lower-Income Countries Wall Street Journal

● Covid-19 Delta Variant First Found in India Is Quickly Spreading Across Globe Wall Street Journal

● Debating the origins of the COVID-19 virus: What we know, what we don’t know Politifact

● Opinion: The Cold War against Covid has begun AEI

● Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine protects against virus variants, study shows USA Today

● Opinion: Thank you, Uncle Sam. The vaccine rollout is the biggest government success in decades. Washington Post

● There's A Stark Red-Blue Divide When It Comes To States' Vaccination Rates NPR

One set of infrastructure talks failed. What’s next as Biden seeks a bipartisan plan?

Los Angeles Times

President Biden could be facing a make-or-break moment at home in his push for an expensive infrastructure proposal while he’s traveling in Europe this week on his first overseas diplomatic trip since taking office.

● House Democrats’ transportation bill may leave GOP at the station Roll Call

● Bipartisan group avoids partisan hurdles in infrastructure talks Roll Call

● New Talks on Infrastructure Face Old Problem: How to Pay for It Wall Street Journal

Senate approves expansive bill to boost U.S. competitiveness with China

Los Angeles Times

The Senate on Tuesday approved a sweeping effort to fortify the nation’s ability to compete with China’s economic and political ambitions by investing billions of dollars in scientific research and American manufacturing across several industries.

Justice Department to require federal agents to wear body cameras when serving warrants

Los Angeles Times

The Justice Department announced it will require federal agents to wear body cameras when serving arrest warrants or conducting raids, a shift that aligns federal law enforcement more closely with the growing legion of police officers who wear such devices.

Harris gets tough reviews over border on first foreign trip

The Hill

Before Vice President Harris’s plane touched down at Joint Base Andrews after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the narrative of her first foreign trip had already been cast.

● ‘Do not come’: Kamala Harris’ three words to Guatemalans stir debate and backlash Los Angeles Times

● Harris’ visit to Guatemala and Mexico a mix of diplomacy and controversy Los Angeles Times

Global approval of the United States has rebounded under Biden, survey finds

Washington Post

President Biden has promised the world that “America is back.” As he takes his first trip abroad as president, a Pew Research Center global survey released Thursday shows that many in advanced economies believe it.

A Growing Number Of Critics Raise Alarms About The Electoral College

VPR

It's hard to make an intellectual argument in favor of the Electoral College. Most people feel that the person who gets the most votes should become president.

Gender Wage Gap Legislation Blocked by Senate Republicans

Wall Street Journal

Democrats needed 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster of Paycheck Fairness Act.

Federal probe: Protest not broken up due to Trump photo op

AP News

An internal government investigation has determined that the decision to forcibly clear racial justice protesters from an area in front of the White House last summer was not influenced by Donald Trump’s plan to stage a Bible-toting photo opportunity at that spot.

● A Jan. 6 report should be just the beginning. Just like the riot was Roll Call

● Opinion: Why Donald Trump may lose influence in the Republican Party Washington Post

Opinion: Only in our anti-truth hellscape could Anthony Fauci become a supervillain

Washington Post

Right-wing commentators are pretending that thousands of newly released emails from Anthony S. Fauci represent some kind of smoking gun against the government’s top infectious-disease expert, whom they have recently decided to try to destroy.

Other:

Record-high 47% say abortion is morally acceptable: Gallup

The Hill

A record number of Americans find abortion to be morally acceptable, according to a new Gallup poll.

A majority of young adults in the U.S. live with their parents for the first time since the Great Depression

Pew Research Center

The coronavirus outbreak has pushed millions of Americans, especially young adults, to move in with family members. The share of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents has become a majority since U.S. coronavirus cases began spreading early this year.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Sun-Maid holding job fair in Kingsburg on Thursday

abc30

Sun-Maid in Kingsburg is looking to hire for more than 50 positions during a job fair on Thursday. The company wants to fill several seasonal and full-time positions, including machine operators, forklift drivers, bin repair, stack crew and more.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

New civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse filed against Monsignor Craig Harrison

abc30

Attorneys have announced two new civil lawsuits against former Central Valley priest, Monsignor Craig Harrison, alleging he sexually abused two different teen boys in the 1990s. Jeff Anderson & Associates announced the lawsuits during a news conference.

New law brings big change to sentence for man convicted of killing Modesto teen girl

Modesto Bee

Jesus Manuel Rodriguez was 15 when he was the driver in a gang-related shooting at a Modesto park that killed 17-year-old Ernestina “Tina” DeJesus Tizoc.

Modesto’s police reform committee named. Here’s who is on it so far

Modesto Bee

Homicides are up, but GOP misleads with claims about blame

AP News

On social media and in political speeches, some Republicans and pro-police groups say last year's calls to slash spending on law enforcement have led to a dramatic rise in killings in cities overseen by Democrats

Public Safety:

Assault rifles needed ‘to fight against invaders, terrorists and tyrants,’ California judge writes

Fresno Bee

In his decision to strike down California’s assault weapons ban, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez described the AR-15 rifle as “good for both home and battle.”

Talks Falter on Background Checks for Gun Sales Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal

Democratic leader Schumer has said Senate may hold vote later this month

Adopting a Holistic Approach to Addressing Intimate Partner Violence

Little Hoover Commission

Last week, the Legislature’s Budget Committees approved $15 million for sexual and domestic violence prevention efforts and $100 million for crime victim services in the 2021-22 budget.

The push to remake policing takes decades, only to begin again

Washington Post

In 1988, as Joe Collum drove the New Jersey Turnpike to his new job at a local TV news station, he noticed a recurring scene on the side of the highway: White state troopers rifling through the belongings of Black and Latino motorists.

For a second year, most U.S. police departments decline to share information on their use of force

Washington Post

Despite a presidential order, congressional demands and a proposed new law requiring police to tell the FBI how often officers use force, only about 27 percent of police departments have supplied data to the National Use-of-Force Data Collection program launched in 2019.

Fire:

Wildfire at Millerton Lake in northern Fresno County spreads to 40 acres. Hikers rescued

Fresno Bee

Firefighters are battling a reported nearly 40-acre wildfire that broke out early Wednesday afternoon at Millerton Lake, Cal Fire reported.

California drought has moved up 2021 wildfire season far ahead of schedule, PG&E warns

Fresno Bee

California’s drought is accelerating the start of the 2021 wildfire season — and intensifying the pressure on PG&E Corp. to prevent more mega-fires of the sort that drove the state’s largest utility into bankruptcy.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Meadows Field rebounds to pre-pandemic levels

Bakersfield Californian

Meadows Field Airport reports the number of outbound passengers have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

Opinion: California’s support for its small businesses positions them well for pandemic reopening

Fresno Bee

California’s small businesses are the lifeblood of our state. At 4.1 million strong, they employ nearly half of the state’s workforce and create two-thirds of net new jobs.

● As the State Reopens, Some Californians Are Still Worried about COVID-19 PPIC

As retail prices rise, companies employ jargon to disguise it

Los Angeles Times

For items including clothing, cereal and trash bags, prices are going up fast. But many companies aren’t saying that, at least not in language most shoppers would recognize.

● Prices jumped 5 percent in May, continuing inflationary climb. Policymakers say it’s temporary. Washington Post

● U.S. Inflation Is Highest in 13 Years as Prices Surge 5% Wall Street Journal

● Inflation Is Surging. The Price Of A Toyota Pickup Truck Helps Explain Why Washington Post

● Consumer prices jumped 5 percent in May from year earlier, faster than expected. New York Times

Long shadows: The Black-white gap in multigenerational poverty

Brookings

These issues cover a wide range of topics, touching on policing and criminal justice, labor market discrimination, gaps in educational opportunity, social capital inequalities, and the racial wealth gap.

Rebuilding America’s economy and foreign policy with ‘ally-shoring’

Brookings

The president held out the prospect of more good-paying domestic jobs and reconfiguring our supply chains in mobility and other sectors for domestic production.

Jobs:

Sun-Maid holding job fair in Kingsburg on Thursday

abc30

U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to Another Pandemic Low

Wall Street Journal

New filings declined to 376,000 last week, as layoffs ease and hiring picks up

● These businesses found a way around the worker shortage: Raising wages to $15 an hour or more Washington Post

California regulators reconsider mask standard for workers

Fresno Bee

California’s workplace regulators are set to again reconsider controversial masking rules designed to protect employees against the coronavirus — requirements that business organizations say will make it harder for them to operate when the state fully reopens.

● You’ll still need a mask at work after California’s COVID reopening on June 15. Here’s why Sacramento Bee

● Cal/OSHA will propose allowing vaccinated workers to stop wearing masks Los Angeles Times

● Regulators withdraw controversial California work mask rules AP News

Yes, Your Employer Can Require You to Be Vaccinated

New York Times

As many Americans prepare to head back to the office, companies are hammering out policies on the extent to which they will require, or strongly encourage, employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Do Visalia Unified trustees trust teachers to talk about race?

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia Unified has gone back-and-forth on whether it should approve Global Learning Charter School’s use of Newsela, an educational application currently used by students.

KHSD releases maps of proposed boundary changes for fall 2022

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern High School District boundary committee released maps of three proposals, as well as a schedule of dates in June when the public can offer input on the changes.

99% of schools plan full in-person learning in fall

Porterville Recorder

Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday 99 percent of school districts in the state plan to fully reopen for in-person instruction this fall to begin the 2021-22 school year.

Opinion: California charter schools cater to the needs of our most disadvantaged students

Sacramento Bee

For those that didn’t leave the state and/or send their kids to private schools, most free public charter schools have proven to be a viable option allowing lower and middle-class families access to a rigorous education with fewer tax dollars.

Little action on building state website to track districts’ spending

EdSource

Advocates hope it will enable the public to compare districts' state and federal funding

Innovations in Distance Education When Broadband Is Not an Option

EdNote

State leaders are at a pivotal moment: Let’s reimagine learning while addressing inequitable access to broadband internet — not just now, this summer or next year, but for the long term.

Higher Ed:

Fresno-area community colleges could lose millions as enrollment plunges during COVID

Fresno Bee

Historic day for Fresno State, Pride Flag flies on campus for first time ever

abc30

Fresno State students and staff watched history unfold on Wednesday as the Pride Flag flew on campus for the first time in the school's history.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

UPS sets goal to be carbon neutral by 2050

Sacramento Bee

UPS announced Wednesday it aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. The pledge by the package delivery giant includes carbon neutrality across the key categories of greenhouse gas emissions, including direct emissions and indirect emissions.

Keystone pipeline canceled after Biden administration blocks permit

Los Angeles Times

The sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline said Wednesday that it is pulling the plug on the contentious project after Canadian officials failed to persuade President Biden to reverse his cancellation of its permit on the day he took office.

Biden pushes protection for more streams and wetlands, targeting a major Trump rollback

Washington Post

The Biden administration is set to toss out Trump’s efforts to scale back the number of streams, marshes and other wetlands that fall under federal protection, kicking off a legal and regulatory scuffle over the fate of wetlands and waterways around the country.

Energy:

California warned to brace for another summer of energy blackouts

NBCNews

Checking on California's power grid usage and forecast demand became second nature to many residents last year after the state, roiled by soaring temperatures and deadly wildfires, temporarily shut off power for hundreds of thousands of people during the height of summer.

Opinion: The left's 'America Last' energy policy

The Hill

The administration's actions and laws making their way through committee have made their goal clear: destroying America's energy industry while boosting our enemies' production.

Editorial: America’s Energy Gift to Dictators

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. is barreling toward one of the greatest self-inflicted wounds in its history.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

‘Delta’ coronavirus variant first found in India reaches US. Here’s what to know

Fresno Bee

Another coronavirus variant, this time one that was discovered in India, has made its way to the U.S., grabbing the attention of public health officials even as COVID-19 vaccinations continue to lower new cases and deaths in the nation.

US deaths from heart disease and diabetes climbed amid COVID

Sacramento Bee

The U.S. saw remarkable increases in the death rates for heart disease, diabetes and some other common killers in 2020, and experts believe a big reason may be that many people made the lethal mistake of staying away from the hospital for fear of the coronavirus.

Race and Research: The Gaps in Health

Pew Trusts

Continuing our look at race and research, we turn to health care. They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, how to build trust in the medical system among those communities, and other ways to improve patient care.

Human Services:

Opinion: California must renew efforts to keep families in crisis together

CalMatters

Maya, a pregnant mother living in her car with her 6- and 8-year-old children, reached out for help in Sacramento last April. Within 24 hours, she received a hotel voucher and rental assistance for permanent housing.

Bridging the vaccine divide will boost the global economy and save lives

The Hill

The most urgent challenge facing the world today is bridging the COVID-19 vaccine divide. In the emerging market and developing world, which accounts for 86 percent of the world’s population, less than 20 percent of people have been even partially vaccinated.

Opinion: Even during pandemic, don’t delay your child’s routine visits and immunizations

Fresno Bee

Amid the worst health crisis of the century, pediatricians are now grappling with the potentially dangerous consequences of interrupted care.

IMMIGRATION

Health Coverage and Care for Undocumented Immigrants in California

PPIC

COVID-19 has revealed how gaps in health care coverage among immigrants can put the health of entire communities at risk.

Spirituality underpins migrant activism in US borderlands

Fresno Bee

Alvaro Enciso plants three or four crosses each week in Arizona's desert borderlands, amid the yellow-blossomed prickly pear and whip-like ocotillo, in honor of migrants who died on the northbound trek.

U.S. apprehensions of migrants crossing border continue to soar

Los Angeles Times

In the predawn hours one rainy day last week, dozens of Mexicans and Central Americans made their way across the Rio Grande and up the riverbanks into Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.

Supreme Court says TPS recipients who arrived illegally have no right to green card

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a setback to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have so-called temporary protected status, ruling they can’t have a green card if they entered the country illegally.

Central America and the root causes of migration to the US

PolitiFact

People in Central America experts describe countries where crisis conditions caused by wars, displacement, scarcity, a legacy of corporate colonialism and other social ills have hampered daily life to the point of desperation.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Balch Park to reopen June 18

Porterville Recorder

Balch Park will reopen for day-use and overnight camping on Friday, June 18. Those heading to Balch Park will also be able to participate in hiking and fishing.

Kern County to fund Lamont flood control, Wi-Fi at parks with federal stimulus package

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County plans to use a second federal stimulus package to achieve a wide range of improvements, including outfitting all public parks with Wi-Fi and addressing flood concerns in Lamont.

Biden nominee for public lands boss faces GOP opposition

Fresno Bee

Senate confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning to direct the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would mark a stark change from the government's catering to oil and gas interests under former President Donald Trump.

Housing:

Fresno County’s affordable housing needs increased significantly even before COVID pandemic

Fresno Bee

For many Fresno County renters, finding affordable housing is even more challenging than in previous years, a new report shows.

Fresno City, Fresno County working to stop homeless encampments from relocating

KFSN

Should Merced use local money to build more affordable housing? Big decisions loom

Merced Sun-Star

Merced city leaders remain divided over how to locally mitigate one of California's greatest challenges: building affordable housing for residents.

Faster, Cheaper: How California Is Revolutionizing Homeless Housing — And Why It Might Not Last

KQED

Policy experts, service providers and others who work on homelessness in California have lauded Homekey as a monumental step in creating desperately needed new subsidized housing for the state’s more than 161,000 homeless residents.

A majority of young adults in the U.S. live with their parents for the first time since the Great Depression

Pew Research Center

The share of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents has become a majority since U.S. coronavirus cases began spreading early this year, surpassing the previous peak during the Great Depression era.

As home prices soar in unlikely places, the most vulnerable residents pay the price

Washington Post

Inside a Victorian house flecked with chipping white paint, 65 group home residents must suddenly find a new place to live, an unintended consequence of a Federal Reserve policy meant to save an economy in crisis.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Some California state workers could see double-digit raises in contract for blue collar union

Sacramento Bee

Blue-collar California state workers in 52 different jobs will receive special pay bumps of 4% to 7% on top of general raises as early as July under a new contract agreement.

ProPublica's bombshell tax investigation reportedly has lawmakers eyeing policy changes.

Business Insider

A ProPublica investigation into the tax records of the richest people in the US, which showed that some avoided paying federal income tax even as their wealth grew, has renewed debate in Congress about tax reform, The New York Times reports.

● Opinion: Think twice before changing the tax rules to soak billionaires Washington Post

Child Tax Credit: Up to $300 per child paid 6 times to US families: Here's when money arrives

abc30

American families with children 17 years old and younger should see payments of up to $300 per kid starting in July and recurring through December.

Another 2.3 million stimulus checks have been sent out, IRS says. Here’s who got them

Modesto Bee

More than 2.3 million stimulus checks have been sent out as the latest batch under the American Rescue Plan, totaling more than $4.2 billion to Americans, the IRS said Wednesday.

States Invested in Broadband Expansion Despite 2020 Budget Woes

Route Fifty

The need to move routine activities online during the pandemic sharpened policymakers’ focus on expanding access to high-speed, reliable internet for residents, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.

TRANSPORTATION

We’re looking into transportation needs in Fresno County. We need your help.

Fresno Bee

Fresno County Transportation Authority approves use of Measure C funding for Highway 41 widening

abc30

The Fresno County Transportation Authority board voted Wednesday to use Measure C funds to complete the expansion project of Highway 41 in Fresno County.

● Public Workshop tonight! Fresno Reverse Triangle Transportation Area Plan Reverse Triangle

Unions are the powerhouse behind California’s troubled bullet train. A big test awaits

Los Angeles Times

They are sending a clear message that organized labor supports the massive $100-billion project and wants lawmakers, rail board directors and other state officials to stick with it.

See also:

· High-Speed Rail Is "Having a Moment" Engineering News-Record

CARB reopens incentives for clean trucks and buses

California HVIP

The 2021 reopening will make available $165 million to California-based businesses that want to transform their fleets with new, zero-emission and near-zero-emission clean vehicles

Commutes are changing. What does that mean for commuter rail?

Politico

Nick Potter leans against the marble ticketing booth in the sparsely populated Grand Central Terminal, scrolling aimlessly on his phone as he awaits his more than two-hour commute back to his home in Connecticut.

Tackling Social Inequity, Some Cities May Ditch Bus, Subway Fares

PEW Trusts

Across the country, some transit agencies and cities are considering scrapping or reducing fares, at least for low-income riders, to ensure access for disadvantaged communities.

WATER

Opinion: San Joaquin Valley needs to stop waiting to be rescued from droughts

Fresno Bee

The Bureau of Reclamation recently issued its update of water allocations for the Central Valley Project for agricultural, municipal and industrial users.

California's farmers are already taking drastic measures to conserve water

San Francisco Chronicle

Countless farmers across the state are taking drastic measures to deal with the drought, either because they’re not getting their usual irrigation allotments or because the ponds they normally rely on are drying up in the second year of California’s drought.

Biden moves to restore clean-water safeguards ended by Trump

Los Angeles Times

The Biden administration began legal action to repeal a Trump-era rule that ended federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, leaving them more vulnerable to pollution from development, industry and farms.

“Xtra”

Wedding boom is on in the US as vendors scramble to keep up

Fresno Bee

Couples in the U.S. are racing to the altar in a vaccination-era wedding boom that has venues and other vendors in high demand. With restrictions on large gatherings loosening, wedding planners said they've started pushing their bookings into late 2022 and early 2023.

Three new restaurants open in Fresno area with pizza, pho and Mediterranean food

Fresno Bee

Three new restaurants have opened in Fresno and Clovis – four if you count the boba tea shop attached to one of them.

10 facts about Americans and Facebook

Pew Research

Facebook, the social media giant that was founded in 2004 and now boasts more than 2.8 billion monthly users worldwide, is a regular focus of scrutiny in the United States and abroad.