11Jun

POLICY & POLITICS

Valley:

Andrew Janz returns to day job as a prosecutor, while preparing to face Devin Nunes

Fresno Bee

Two days after the June primary, Andrew Janz, the Democrat seeking to unseat controversial Republican Congressman Devin Nunes of Tulare, was back at his day job inside the Fresno courthouse.

Votes don't come cheap in candidates' quests for elected offices in Fresno, Valley

Fresno Bee

It's no secret that political campaigns can be an expensive business. It takes money to fuel a serious campaign – money for filing fees, printing signs and flyers, postage, newspaper ad space, radio or television airtime, campaign consultants, and so on and so forth.

City Council hears of budget challenges facing Madera

Madera Tribune

Interim City Administrator Steve Frazier challenged the City Council on Tuesday during a discussion on the city’s annual budget: “We need to have bold vision by the council to move the city forward,” Frazier said. He was talking about how to get the city past an upcoming budget deficit.

See also:

● Frazier is right — City Council does need vision for the future Madera Tribune

Trailing Merced County supervisor candidate won't concede election yet. Here's why

Merced Sun-Star

The current frontrunner in the Merced County District 5 supervisor race, Scott Silveira, commanded 61.46 percent of this week's vote, but there are more ballots left to count. But Patricia Ramos Anderson, the current second-place candidate who garnered more than 20 percent of the vote, isn't conceding yet.

Stanislaus County vote update shows no change for sheriff, DA, Congress

Modesto Bee

The Stanislaus County election office released an update Friday evening, which shows no changes in several races from Tuesday’s primary election, including sheriff and district attorney.

Mike Dunbar: As vote-counting continues, Stanislaus County politicians drift in wind

Modesto Bee

Best not to talk to any campaign consultants about the recent election. They’re not in a talking mood.

Korean Americans in Modesto warily optimistic about Trump's summit

Modesto Bee

Anticipation is high among some locals with really good reasons for watching President Donald Trump's historic Tuesday summit with the North Korean leader. Expectations, though, remain rather low.

Early San Joaquin turnout at just 17.4%

Stockton Record

Based on current tallies, only 57,995 of the 334,212 registered voters in San Joaquin County took the time to cast a ballot in last week's California gubernatorial primary.

EDITORIAL: Looking for a ‘blue wave’? Not in Stanislaus

Modesto Bee

Across America, elections have been drawing large numbers of motivated voters anxious to make a local statement about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Either our area’s Democrats weren’t that motivated or not that aggravated. Familiar names, most often Republican incumbents, got most of the votes.

State:

Walters: New gamesmanship in governor’s race draws spotlight

Mercury News

It had been 50 years since a California primary election seemed to have national political consequences and drew national media attention.

California Politics Podcast: A closer look at the June primary results

Los Angeles Times

The race for governor and U.S. Senate offered fascinating glimpses into the impact of the state’s top-two primary system. And now, the stage is set for one-on-one showdowns in November for these races and a handful of key contests for the House of Representatives.

● California primary election 2018: A look at the turnout and big money spent OCRegister

● Top-two primary puts California in national spotlight CALmatters

● Skelton: Give California’s top-two primary some more time, and if it doesn’t get better, junk it Los Angeles Times

● Diaz: In defense of California’s top-two primary San Francisco Chronicle

● Calbuzz: A New Definition for California’s Political Sweet Spot Calbuzz

● Garcetti Muses on Villaraigosa’s Defeat New York Times

Meet John Cox and Gavin Newsom, the candidates for California governor

Los Angeles Times

The hard-fought primary campaigns for California governor are over, and the candidates left standing are Republican John Cox and Democrat Gavin Newsom. The two will face off in the Nov. 6 general election in what is expected to be a testy race.

See also:

● It's Newsom vs. Cox in November Los Angeles Times

● Trump and taxes will dominate the governor's race for the next five months Los Angeles Times

● Gavin Newsom strolling into California governor’s job? John Cox may surprise San Francisco Chronicle

● Cox country wants to make California great again San Diego Union-Tribune

● Cox and gas tax author joust over repeal CALmatters

● Watch California’s two finalists for governor explain how they got into politics CALmatters

Track California’s House races as the field is set for the midterm elections

Los Angeles Times
Democrats consider 10 Republican-held districts here to be battlegrounds and likely can't retake control of the U.S. House without winning at least a few of them.

See also:

● Will California’s Red Districts Turn Blue in November? Public Policy Institute of California

How anti-Trump activists shaped Democratic wins in California

San Francisco Chronicle

The most significant endorsement that Democrat Mike Levin received en route to a runoff spot in a California House district that his party would love to flip didn’t come from a big-name politician, he said. It came from grassroots activists who held 67 demonstrations in front of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa’s office during the past year.

Kamala Harris romps across California ballot

Politico

Of 27 candidates Sen. Kamala Harris endorsed in Tuesday primary, 20 finished first or were leading in returns as of Friday, while another four finished second and will advance to the November general election.

Brownout

City Journal
Despite glowing media coverage and its departing governor’s claims, California faces a future loaded with problems.

Gov. Brown approves automatic voter registration for Californians

Los Angeles Times

Targeting California's recent record-low voter turnout, Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a measure that would eventually allow Californians to be automatically registered to vote when they go the DMV to obtain or renew a driver's license.

Orange County Fights Turning Blue. And the Resistance Is Formidable.

New York Times

California has dug in at the front lines of the resistance to President Trump. Then there is Orange County, a stubborn redoubt of conservatism that keeps defying prognostications that 80 years of Republican dominance will come to an end.

The progressive blue wave is crashing and burning in 2018

The Hill

The June 5 primaries underscored just how disastrous an impact the far-left progressive faction of the Democratic Party could have in undermining its chances of taking back control of the House in November.

Federal:

EDITORIAL: Trump policies on asylum children causes them serious harm

Fresno Bee

Of the many tweets sent by President Trump, one of the most misleading ones ever was a recent tweet demanding that Democrats put an end to the “horrible law” separating children from immigrant parents who are seeking asylum at the border.

House GOP leader: Trump's methods got North Korea to talk so give him a chance on trade

CNBC

President Donald Trump should be given some leeway in his effort to rebalance America's trade relationships, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told CNBC on Friday.

Judge Orders EPA to Produce Science behind Pruitt’s Warming Claims

Scientific American

EPA must produce the opposing body of science Administrator Scott Pruitt has relied upon to claim that humans are not the primary drivers of global warming, a federal judge has ruled.

After Trump’s G-7 summit fiasco, be afraid
Wall Street Journal

After President Trump’s atrocious and irrational behavior leading up to and at the Group of Seven summit, the disintegration of the liberal world order in place since the end of World War II and the potential for a serious international crisis no longer seem hard to imagine.

Supreme Court Upholds Ohio Rules for Canceling Voter Registration

Wall Street Journal

Justices’ 5-4 decision, in favor of conservatives, could allow purge of more Democratic-leaning voters

Other:

Here's our plan for sustainable local news at the Sac Bee

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Bee journalists publish an average of about 170 stories per week. They're developed by reporters who work closely with photographers, fact-checked by editors and supported by our video and digital teams. We tell a lot of stories. We don’t often share ours.

How to Increase Immunity to Truth Decay

RAND

Americans have always held differing views about policy issues, but increasingly we don’t agree on even basic facts. It’s a symptom of what RAND calls “Truth Decay,” and it’s doing severe damage to our democracy.

Fox News’ Charles Krauthammer Says He Has Weeks to Live After Cancer Returns: ‘My Fight Is Over’

San Francisco Chronicle

Fox News political analyst Charles Krauthammer said on Friday that he only has weeks left to live after learning that his cancer has returned and that he’s in final stages of a losing battle. The 68-year-old psychiatric physician turned Pulitzer Prize-winning analyst wrote a letter, which Fox News reported.

See also:

● Informed, civil commentary is losing a giant Bakersfield Californian

● Charles Krauthammer’s letter to his readers: ‘I have only a few weeks to live’ Mercury News

● Charles Krauthammer Goes Out Like Gehrig Wall Street Journal

Report: Facebook's shared user data with select companies

AP News

Facebook shared personal information culled from its users’ profiles with other companies after the date when executives have said the social network prevented third-party developers from gaining access to the data, the company confirmed Friday.

Goodbye to net neutrality. Hello to an even-bigger AT&T?

Washington Post

Two pivotal developments this week could dramatically expand the power and footprint of major telecom companies, altering how Americans access everything from political news to “Game of Thrones” on the Internet.

Podcast: Cake Case Leaves Gay Rights Questions Unanswered

Roll Call

The Supreme Court victory of a Colorado baker, who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, could be short-lived, given the court’s narrow decision in his favor.

See also:

● Masterpiece Cakeshop Is a Setback for Liberty National Review

AEI

Since Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election with a majority in the Electoral College but only a minority of the popular vote, ideas for somehow reforming the presidential election system have received a lot of attention.

Views of AI, robots, and automation based on internet search data

Brookings

Artificial intelligence, robots, and automation are rising in importance in many areas.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, June 17, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Public Employee Union Dues: “Fair Share” v. “Free Speech” – Guests: Laurel Rosenhall with CALmatters, Steve Smith with California Labor Federation, Dan Walters from CALmatters, and John Myers from LA Times. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, June 17, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk

580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: TBD.

Sunday, June 17, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “State Auditor To UC: UCPath on the Wrong Path” – Guest: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor's Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

Support the Maddy Daily HERE.

Thank you!

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Farm bill targets food stamps — but not the well-off farmers who have been on the dole for decades

Los Angeles Times

As more than a million Americans face losing food stamps under President Trump’s vision for reauthorizing the farm bill, his vow to wean families off dependence doesn’t apply to thousands of others who have been relying much of their adult lives on payments from the government’s sprawling agriculture program.

Mexico tariffs on cheese worry California dairy producers

Sacramento Bee

California's dairy farmers, stewards of the single largest sector of California agriculture, have struggled in recent years because of a steep slide in prices. Now they're in danger of becoming casualties in the Trump administration's trade war with Mexico.

Fresno pastors express staunch opposition to city's draft marijuana rules

Fresno Bee

A group of local pastors is angry and concerned about legislation being drafted that would pave the growth of medicinal marijuana dispensaries and manufacturing plants in the city of Fresno.

California’s legalized marijuana would be federally lawful under bill introduced by Cory Gardner, Elizabeth Warren

OCRegister

Marijuana would be legal federally in states that already have approved the drug’s use under a bill introduced Thursday by U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner and Elizabeth Warren.

See also:

● On Legal Weed, Let States Tend Their Own Gardens Wall Street Journal

EDITORIAL: It’s high time Trump is right

San Francisco Chronicle

President Trump’s putative support for ending federal marijuana prohibition has the virtue of being correct and the liability of having emerged from the mouth of a man whose word is as substantial as a puff of smoke.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

California’s dangerous trifecta: AB109, Prop. 57 and Prop. 47

OCRegister

Just two years ago, voters overwhelmingly passed the measure on the promise that only non-violent offenders would be eligible for early release from prison. In practice, Prop. 57 has failed to deliver.

Supreme Court asked to shield Sonoma County deputy who killed a 13-year-old carrying a pellet gun

Los Angeles Times

Two Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies were driving in the neighborhood on a routine patrol. When Officer Erick Gelhaus, an Iraq war veteran, spotted the 5-foot-3 teenager, he thought the boy might be carrying an AK-47.

Public Safety:

EDITORIAL: California’s suicide rate is among America’s lowest – maybe because we control guns

Sacramento Bee

One of the key takeaways from the stunning report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the difference that can be made by measures that keep lethal weapons out of the hands of people in crisis.

Fire:

Cal Fire Release Cause of a Dozen More October Fires: Nearly All Connected to PG&E

KQED

Cal Fire has released its findings for a dozen more of the 170 fires that swept Northern California last October, finding that 12 major blazes were nearly all connected to PG&E electrical lines, power poles or other equipment.
See also:

● Cal Fire Investigators Determine Causes of 12 Wildfires in Mendocino, Humboldt, Butte, Sonoma, Lake, and Napa Counties Cal Fire

● Fight over PG&E’s liability in Wine Country fires just beginning San Francisco Chronicle

● Cal Fire: PG&E equipment caused 12 Northern California fires during October firestorm The Press Democrat

● Downed power lines sparked deadly Northern California wildfires, say state officials OCRegister

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Rethinking the Fed’s 2% inflation target

Brookings

Should the 2 percent inflation target framework be kept, changed or replaced? If the current framework is to be replaced, then with what?

President Trump Complained About U.S. Trade With Canada. Here's What He Got Wrong

Time

Canada is the top U.S. export market, with the country buying more than $340 billion in American goods and services in 2017, according to data from the U.S. Trade Representative. And, overall, the U.S. has an $8.4 billion surplus with Canada.

Has the ‘broken’ global trading system been hurting America?

AEI
At the heart of President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan is a harsh critique of long-term American economic performance.

See also:

● The Trade Wars of 2018: An Alternate History Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk's Tesla says new state rule punishes it for doing business in California

Sacramento Bee

The only large-scale car manufacturer in California argues that doing business in the state is hard enough without a fast-developing labor regulation backed by organizations that want to unionize its Fremont plant.

The 'third place' market grows downtown

Bakersfield Californian

It’s pretty remarkable, really. In the last two years, the number of local

coffeehouses downtown has almost tripled. It also speaks to the resurgence of our downtown. And it’s a sign that our community is doing well at encouraging small-business entrepreneurship.

Immigrant entrepreneurs leverage determination, Sikh network to transform local properties

Bakersfield Californian

This pattern, repeated often in Kern County's Sikh community, may soon produce some very noticeable changes around Bakersfield. A group of investors with diverse if sometimes checkered histories in local business are working on a series of real estate projects to crown their earlier investments.

Walters: One welfare boost for the poor, another for the rich

CALmatters

When we think of “welfare,” we assume it means supportive income for poor families, particularly those with children. That certainly is its meaning in Senate Bill 982, which won unanimous, bipartisan approval in the state Senate late last month.

Historic Rise in Lumber Costs Ripples Through Economy

Wall Street Journal

Wood prices are still up 67% over the past year, adding thousands of dollars to the cost of each new house.

What Americans Told Us About Online Shopping Says A Lot About Amazon
NPR

Only about a 10th of all our shopping dollars are spent over the Internet. And in the overall retail universe, Amazon does trail far behind Walmart in annual sales.

When did making customers happy become a reason for regulation or breakup?
AEI

In yesteryear’s cases, government regulation played an important role in restricting competition. Today’s tech companies have no such government-granted advantages — at least not yet.

Jobs:

Fresno Police Department organizes job fair in SW Fresno

ABC30

The event took place in Southwest Fresno from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Mary Ella Brown Community Center. More than 20 employers like Amazon, the California Highway Patrol, and Zacky Farms were on hand conducting interviews.

Pot businesses are on a hiring spree. Here’s how much the jobs pay

Merced Sun-Star

Since Californians legalized the adult use of recreational marijuana, pot has become one fastest growing employment sectors in the U.S. Job creation isn't limited to dirt-under-the-fingernails positions like growers and trimmers.

California home cooks stand up for bill that would decriminalize their work

San Francisco Chronicle

On Sunday, dozens of home cooks joined in an event aimed at halting the criminalization of thousands of home cooks across the state by urging support for the Homemade Food Act, or AB626, whose lead author is Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella (Riverside County).

Here’s how much jobs in the cannabis industry pay

Sacramento Bee

More than a year and a half has passed since Californians legalized the adult use of recreational marijuana, and since then, pot has become one fastest growing employment sectors in the U.S.

Entry-Level Jobs At Stores Aren't As Easy To Get

CBS

Across all entry-level retail jobs, the number of skills being demanded rose from 2010 to 2016, according to an analysis done for The Associated Press by Burning Glass Technologies, which scours 25 million job postings.

California Unions Want To Keep Anti-Labor Activists From Meeting New Teachers And Cops

Sacramento Bee

California's public employee unions are backing a pack of bills that might help them hold on to members if the Supreme Court this summer issues a ruling that’s expected to deliver a serious blow to the finances for labor organizations.

See also:

 A Catalog of California’s Anti-Janus Legislation California Policy Center

EDUCATION

K-12:

Central Unified takes initial steps in finding new superintendent

ABC30

The board held a meeting at the nearly empty Central West High School cafeteria, then went into closed session to discuss the job and interview candidates. At previous meetings, a lot of parents have expressed their anger at board members who dismissed former Superintendent Mark Sutton in April.

Applications for Modesto school board seat available Monday

Modesto Bee

Application materials for the open spot on the Modesto City Schools Board of Education will be available starting Monday. The district intends to appoint a member until the next regularly scheduled board election.

Tired of the 11th-grade high school assessment test? Proposal to instead use SAT or ACT heads to Senate

OCRegister

A bill that proposes that the SAT or the ACT be used as an alternative to California’s 11th-grade assessment test — and has strong support from Long Beach educators — passed the Assembly and is headed to the state Senate, the bill’s author announced Monday.

Charter Schools Regroup After Big California Election Loss

US News

Charter school supporters say they're deciding where to direct their considerable resources after spending nearly $23 million in the California governor primary on a candidate who didn't win.

Teacher pay: Sketching a win-win solution

AEI

AEI’s Rick Hess delivers the facts about compensation for educators, and makes some recommendations on how to sketch a deal on teacher pay that benefits students, teachers, and taxpayers.

Higher Ed:

Governor, legislative leaders agree on funding boost for higher education

CALmatters

California’s public universities will get an infusion of cash to increase enrollment, smooth students’ progress toward graduation and repair aging buildings under a state budget agreement reached today by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders.

$5 million to Chapman University from billionaire Charles Koch sparks an uproar

OCRegister

The normally tranquil Orange County campus of Chapman University is in the throes of a bitter controversy — all due to a $5 million donation from the Charles Koch Foundation.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Election 2018: Environmental measures were big winners in California

Mercury News

Most voters already know that Gavin Newsom and Dianne Feinstein were among the big winners in Tuesday’s California primary election. But there’s another group also popping the champagne this week: environmentalists.

City Council approves refuse, recycling rate increase

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield residents will soon pay a little more for refuse and recycling services provided by the city.

Much Of San Diego's Recycling Goes To China And Now China Doesn't Want It

Voice of San Diego

Unbeknownst to most people, about half of San Diego’s recycled material is sent across the ocean to China. In recent months, China imposed new restrictions on recycled material coming from abroad. For the past few weeks, it’s effectively blocked all recycled material sent by the United States.

Energy:

Renewable Energy Mandates Are Making Poor People Poorer

Reason

Escalating electricity prices are regressive—poorer people pay a higher proportion of their incomes heating and cooling their houses than do richer people

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

County's Valley Fever Institute could get $3M for research

Bakersfield Californian

The Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical Center has gotten one step closer in securing more funding for research. The Joint Legislative Budget Conference Committee has recommended state Sen. Jean Fuller’s request for $3 million to expand valley fever research be included as part of the state’s 2018-19 budget proposal.

Kern's — and nation's — suicide rate increasing, and celebrity deaths don't help

Bakersfield Californian

Unfortunately, suicide is occurring more frequently, not less, both locally and across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1999 and 2016, the suicide rate nationwide has increased by 30 percent, an astonishing number.

● Opinion: Suicide by a loved one is a different type of grief PBS

With pharmacists gagged, others drive up medication cost

Modesto Bee

With rising healthcare costs, including the costs of prescription medication, consumers have been continuously fed the notion that pharmaceutical manufacturers and even pharmacies are the culprits. Yet, most consumers know little about the middlemen called “pharmacy benefit managers,” or PBMs.

GOP embraces single-payer healthcare attack in California

The Hill

Republicans are seizing on Democratic demands for a single-payer health system as an attack line in California, arguing that candidates backing the issue spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are out of step with their districts.

Human Services:

Kaweah Delta 'holding door open' to possibly run TRMC

Visalia Times-Delta

Despite hesitations, the board and Kaweah Delta CEO Gary Herbst responded to a request for proposal from Tulare Regional Medical Center, essentially holding their seat at the table of interested parties who may want to manage the healthcare district.

County leaders approve a plan to keep meals-on-wheels rolling to seniors

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders on Tuesday approved a six-month extension of an agreement with Howard Training Center to deliver meals to home-bound seniors. Under a transition plan, the Howard center will continue delivering the frozen meals to 420 seniors in the county between July 1 and Dec. 31.

California orders opioid overdose antidote naloxone available without prescription

San Francisco Chronicle

The California Department of Public Health on Thursday issued a statewide standing order for naloxone, the emergency antidote that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

FCC Chairman Proposes Rural Healthcare Funding Increase

AgNet West

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced this week that he has circulated a draft order to his colleagues that would significantly increase funding for the Universal Service Fund’s Rural Health Care Program.

What Latest Health-Law Case Means for Insurance Markets

Wall Street Journal

Uncertainty weighs on plans, prices for next year; in the longer term, new winners and losers

Studies show the rise of grandmas helped babies thrive — and evolve

NPR

When grandmothers were added to the mix, babies ate better and may have developed better social skills to manage their multiple caregivers.

IMMIGRATION

Rep. Denham on GOP's Push for Immigration Vote

Bloomberg

Rep. Jeff Denham, a Republican from California, discusses a push by Congressional Republicans to force a floor debate and vote on immigration.

● What the House Is Thinking on Immigration National Review

● Analysis: Deep GOP Rift on Immigration Isn’t Easy to Fix Roll Call

Fowler Dream Act recipient stuck in Mexico, denied re-entry into U.S.

ABC 30

Erika Leon Mejia's family has been torn apart by an immigration issue. Under direction from the US government, she returned to Mexico three weeks ago to file for a residency permit. It was denied, and she was not allowed to return to the U.S.

U.S. Immigration Officials Can Now Deport Hosts of Migrant Children

The Pew Charitable Trusts

A new federal policy will allow federal agents to investigate, and possibly arrest and deport, families who step up to host children found at the border. It’s the latest in a series of enforcement actions by the Trump administration intended to discourage a new surge in unauthorized immigrants.

ICE plans to send 1,600 immigrant detainees to federal prisons, including approximately 1,000 to California

Mercury News

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials plan to transfer some 1,600 immigrant detainees to federal prisons across the United States, with the largest group heading to a prison in Victorville this weekend.

A real opportunity to reform immigration issues and secure our borders

Modesto Bee

The Stanislaus Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation recognizing Immigrant Heritage Month – a nationwide effort to celebrate and share inspirational stories about immigration in America.

SJ orders east Stockton store to stop letting migrant workers shower, sleep there

Stockton Record

For years, men and women worked during the morning and afternoon hours and returned tired and hungry to their temporary home, where they pitched tents and slept in vehicles. Until this year, when an unknown man entered Shop N Buy Market and demanded they stop.

Fear drives forced labor underground along U.S.-Mexico border

Reuters

Fear of tightened border patrols and tough new immigration laws is driving victims of human trafficking into hiding in the Rio Grande Valley at the southern tip of the U.S. border with Mexico, according to a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Demolition makes way for a 'beautiful change' at VEAC

Visalia Times-Delta

Visalia Emergency Aid Council is making way for a brand new pantry. Over the last few weeks, construction crews tore down the nonprofit's previous administration building — built in 1940. The spot will soon be home to a nearly 3,000-square-foot pantry.

With funding in place, city speeding along with Centennial Corridor projects

Bakersfield Californian

With funding completely secured for the Centennial Corridor, the City of Bakersfield is moving full steam ahead on the project. The funding came after the city earned other state grants in total of $119 million to help pay for the Centennial Corridor.

City's back-in plan for parking will take some getting used to

Bakersfield Californian

The newly drawn parking spaces on four blocks of 18th Street, east of Chester, require drivers to back in. The idea, put into effect last Monday, was to create more parking in this increasingly active and desirable section of downtown.

A few thoughts on creating a perfect California city

San Francisco Chronicle

The state of California constantly reduces the revenues and limits the discretion of municipal governments. Our newest cities — like Menifee in Riverside County — have struggled to survive.

Affordability Crisis Prices National Park Service Office Out of San Francisco

KQED

Federal officials plan to relocate an office that helps oversee 60 national parks throughout the western United States from downtown San Francisco to Vancouver, Washington, in a move they say could save millions of dollars.

Housing:

California housing crisis podcast: What the election means for housing affordability

Los Angeles Times

The results of California’s gubernatorial primary means the state’s next governor has big promises to fulfill on housing affordability.

California’s housing standoff is becoming a battle. It doesn’t have to be this way

Sacramento Bee

The political tug-of-war over repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act will not lead to lasting solutions for California’s housing affordability crisis. Whichever side wins in this highly politicized and costly ballot box fight, ultimately, California’s renters will lose.

Boost in spending for homelessness in budget deal reached by governor, legislative leaders

Los Angeles Times

Homelessness prevention efforts around the state will receive more than $600 million in new funding under a state budget deal announced Friday between Gov. Jerry Brown and top lawmakers.

See also:

 Homeless people are moving from the river to homes in the suburbs. Does this approach work? Sacramento Bee

Caltrans selling homes for as little as $150,660 thanks to dead freeway project

Mercury News

Six 710 route tenants have been given the green light by the California Transportation Commission in late May to buy the homes they’ve rented from Caltrans — a first for multiple residents since the ill-fated project’s 59-year-old saga began.

New Tax Laws Have Home Buyers Checking New Places

Wall Street Journal

New tax rules that cap deductions of state and local taxes are having a disproportionate effect on taxpayers who live in states with high income taxes and property taxes.

Carson backs off plan to triple rents for poorest households

Politico

HUD Secretary Ben Carson is backing off plans to triple the minimum rent paid by some of the country's poorest households, citing Congress' move to defy the administration and boost his agency's budget.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Jerry Brown proposes tax credit for poor

Sacramento Bee

In a concession to more liberal strains of the state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature, Gov. Jerry Brown will include a tax credit for California’s poorest families in a revised budget plan he releases Thursday.

● California Leaders Reach Budget Deal With More Homeless, Higher Education Spending KQED

● $200 billion California budget deal rejects health care, tax breaks for undocumented Sacramento Bee

Citing past budget anxiety, Gov. Brown vetoes several new tax credits

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday vetoed nine bills that would have provided new tax credits to benefit California lawmakers' priorities, including low-income housing, energy efficient appliances, seismic retrofits, small businesses, food bank donations and hiring.

$200 billion California budget deal rejects health care, tax breaks for undocumented

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders struck a $200 billion budget deal on Friday that rejected two proposals that would have expanded access to health care and tax breaks to undocumented Californians.

See also:

● Homelessness, welfare get big boost in California budget deal OCRegister

Opinion: No News Is Bad News — The Looming Social Security Crisis

Roll Call

The Social Security crisis is not only real, it is already well upon us.

How Much Does Your State Collect in Excise Taxes?
Tax Foundation

Excise taxes make up a relatively small portion of state and local tax collections—about 11 percent—but per capita collections vary widely from state to state.

TRANSPORTATION

United begins daily flights from Fresno to Chicago

Business Journal

United Airlines began on Wednesday offering daily direct flights between Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport using Embraer E-175 jets.

Speeding tickets are going down, so are speed limits

Visalia Times-Delta

Last year, Visalia police officers handed out more than 2,500 speeding tickets to drivers. With designated speed limits on roadways across the city being lowered by as much as 20 mph, that number may increase soon.

California bullet train authority ordered part of a flawed bridge torn down

Los Angeles Times

Engineers have built about 24,000 bridges in California over the last century, but a new one under construction in Madera County for the state’s bullet train project shows that they can still lead to serious blunders.

Conditions Ripe for Drop in Gasoline Price

Voices of San Diego

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County dropped one-tenth of a cent Sunday to $3.744, one day after dropping three-tenths of a cent.

Bike share programs have largely missed poor neighborhoods

Marketplace

Bike share programs have proliferated in American cities over the past decade. But there’s a growing body of research that finds they’re not always equitable in terms of where stations are located or who has access to them.

EDITORIAL: Scooters aren't an urban scourge. They're a solution

Los Angeles Times

If cities are serious about creating alternative modes of transportation that don’t involve polluting cars or bumper-to-bumper traffic, then they ought to develop rules that allow the expansion of shared scooters and “dockless” bikes.

WATER

Cancer-causing contaminant found in Tulare drinking water

Visalia Times-Delta

Tulare's water system failed to meet state water drinking standards, city officials reported in a letter sent to residents this week. It could take three years to completely clear the cancer-causing contaminant from Tulare's water supply, city officials said.

Water allowed to flow through Bakersfield to accommodate dam repairs upstream

Bakersfield Californian

Water flowing from Isabella Lake serves as a refreshing reminder that the Kern River does run through Bakersfield — sometimes, anyway, and not always because there's been a recent abundance of rain or snowfall.

Why Southern California is calling for a do-over on its vote to bankroll the Delta tunnels

Sacramento Bee

A historic vote on the Delta tunnels project is getting a do-over. Southern California's powerful water agency — the Metropolitan Water District — said Thursday its board will vote again in July on whether to pay for the lion's share of the project, known officially as California WaterFix.

Earth's dismal water future, mapped

Los Angeles Times

Satellite data and images are provocative, even disturbing. They confront us with a global view that can be at once breathtaking, like a piece of art, and yet, in this era of rapidly changing climate, they paint a picture of the demise of the environment. How and if we will respond to what we see is uncertain. That uncertainty lies at the root of our perilous future.

“Xtra”

Joan Jett leads Madera Fair 2018 concert lineup

Fresno Bee

The leather-clad rock icon (who had a streak of '80s radio hits including "I Love Rock 'n' Roll") plays Sept. 7. American funk pioneers (and Eric Burdon backing band) War performs Sept. 6. Country singer Josh Turner plays the Saturday night slot, Sept. 8.

Best summer beer in California? This national list names a winner

Fresno Bee

A Firestone Walker beer has been crowned a best brew in California — and it might be one of the best in the world. That's according to Popular Mechanics, which recently released its list of the best summertime beer from each state.

Graffiti Summer revs up with Frankie Avalon, return of the cruise in Modesto

Modesto Bee

Former teen heartthrob Frankie Avalon made his name in teen films of the 1960s. He brings his music to Modesto for the Gallo Center's Graffiti Summer concert.

Stockton Art Scene: Each of us need to find a way to connect with the arts

Stockton Record

Stockton is truly blessed with an abundance of cultural diversity and a great range of arts experiences. Each of us needs to make the effort to find ways to connect by sampling the arts. All that is missing is you.

Families line up for tastes of sweet corn at Fresno State

ABC30

It's the sweetest time of the year at Fresno State because sweet corn is officially for sale at the Gibson Farm Market. On Friday morning dozens of customers lined up waiting to fill their bags.

Madera County law enforcement agencies to participate in Torch Run for Special Olympics

Madera Tribune

Law enforcement agencies throughout Madera County will participate in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on Tuesday, June 12. The runners hope to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics movement.

Want to know true love? Adopt a senior pet

Sierra Star

Many people say they can’t take the early heartbreak they know will come with a senior dog or cat. Which makes it sound as if their hearts are so big they just can’t manage the pain. But my thought is that those who adopt senior dogs have hearts bigger than most. So big that they have room for the heartbreak and still always have room left for more love.

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