Maddy Institute – June 17, 2021

17Jun

POLICY & POLITICS

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North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Freedom or concern? How Modesto-area residents felt on Day 1 of state’s reopening Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County’s popular pandemic relief program RAD Card expands to new county

Modesto Bee

The RAD Card is getting even radder, especially if you live in San Joaquin County. The gift card app that launched in downtown Modesto has since spread throughout Stanislaus County and is now expanding to San Joaquin County cities.

Excessive heat is about to hit. Here’s how to escape it around Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Daily high temperatures during the period are predicted to reach near 100 degrees Wednesday, 108 Thursday and Friday and 105 Saturday. Overnight lows of 71 to 74 degrees will bring little relief.

Reopening a sheriff’s substation may be in Stanislaus County budget despite COVID pandemic

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders approved a $1.46 billion budget Tuesday for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which represents a $6.2 million increase over the spending plan for the previous year.

Editorial: Taxpayers win with another Modesto Fire Department merger, this time with Ceres

Modesto Bee

How can anyone say no to a deal like that? On Monday, Ceres leaders said yes to the Modesto Fire Department’s offer to provide fire protection in Ceres, Modesto’s neighbor to the south.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● ‘We’ve missed you all.’ COVID restrictions lift in Fresno. What restaurants are saying Fresno Bee

● 506 days: Looking back at the ups and downs of COVID-19 in Central California abc30

● Tule River Reservation to maintain COVID policies Porterville Recorder

Fresno police chief proposes $1.9 million budget for department

abc30

Fresno leaders are continuing to review the city's budget proposal. On Tuesday, they focused on the Fresno Police Department. Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama's proposal totals more than $1.9 million.

● Are Fresno police officers ‘gaming the workers’ comp system’? Chief orders investigations for fraud Fresno Bee

Fresno schools will keep police on campus after debate - but some things are changing

Fresno Bee

A nearly yearlong community debate over police in the city’s public schools ended Wednesday when the FUSD voted to keep armed police officers on campus over objections of community groups that pushed the district to end its relationship with law enforcement.

Black leaders in Fresno ask City Council to reinstate city clerk after firing

Fresno Bee

Black leaders in Fresno want the City Council to reinstate the city clerk, the city’s only Black woman leading a department, after a surprise announcement this week that she was fired.

Devin Nunes’ attorney disrupting dairy worker depositions, magazine says in court documents

Fresno Bee

A national magazine sued by Rep. Devin Nunes and his relatives is alleging in new court filings that the congressman’s attorney is interfering with depositions of employees at a Nunes family dairy, dragging out a long-running lawsuit in an Iowa court.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Kern Public Health reports 14 new coronavirus cases Wednesday Bakersfield Californian

● Most pandemic restrictions lift in Kern Bakersfield Californian

● BC students canvassing to spread vaccine knowledge Bakersfield Californian

Gov. Gavin Newsom visits Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

Gov. Gavin Newsom came to Kern County to speak at a local fitness center regarding the benefits of exercise for physical and mental health, particularly in light of the toll inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bakersfield Police Broke 31 People’s Bones in Four Years. No Officer Has Been Disciplined for It

VPR

On Nov. 24, 2017, Robert Cruz Jr. biked north along Baker Street, on a quiet block straddling Bakersfield’s once-thriving old town and struggling new, restaurants interspersed with a rehab center and a prepaid phone store.

Chambers cleared before Bakersfield City Council approves budget and increase to BPD

Bakersfield Californian

A heated discussion on the proposed city of Bakersfield budget led to the Council Chambers being cleared Wednesday.

Wasco City Council votes down flying Pride Flag at City Hall

Bakersfield Californian

The Wasco City Council voted down a motion that proposed flying the Pride Flag over Wasco City Hall in recognition of Pride Month.

State:

COVID Update:

● No more masks for vaccinated California farmworkers? ‘Too soon,’ some advocates say Fresno Bee

● California reopening day sparks cautiously optimistic tone Business Journal

● Did California’s vaccine lottery work? Here’s what the data shows Sacramento Bee

● California Coronavirus Updates: California's Reopening Is Met With Cheers, Caution Capital Public Radio

● What workers want from customers: Don’t be a jerk, say if you’re vaccinated, and please keep masking Los Angeles Times

Facing Recall, Governor Newsom Opens California—Again. This Didn't Go Well the Last Time

Newsweek

Yuba County, in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, is an outlier. In a state where more than 66 percent of residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Yuba lags horribly, at just 33.8 percent.

● California local elections officials: Don't hold recall before Sept. 14 Politico

New contract for California prison doctors offers $10,000 bonuses to psychiatrists

Fresno Bee

California prison psychiatrists could claim $10,000 bonuses as a perk for seeing patients in person under a proposed contract their union negotiated with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.

Cheapest CalPERS health insurance plan will cost 23% more next year, projections show

Sacramento Bee

Prices are going up 23% next year for California public employees enrolled in one of CalPERS’ cheapest health insurance plans, according to preliminary rates published Tuesday.

Walters: California Legislature passes a self-serving sham budget

CalMatters

The Legislature’s Democratic supermajority put on something of a show Monday as they pretended to pass a new state budget.

California lawmakers secure $80 million in budget for Jewish causes

Jerusalem Post

Citing the recent spike in antisemitic attacks, the Jewish caucus in the California State Legislature has secured $50 million to help nonprofits and $10 million for an exhibit on antisemitism.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● Dr. Fauci Says The Risks From The Delta Variant Underscore The Importance Of Vaccines VPR

● COVID reinfection is rare — but not everyone has the same risk, study finds Sacramento Bee

● Symptom-free COVID patients could still become long haulers, study shows Sacramento Bee

● Covid Fades but Is Unlikely to Vanish Wall Street Journal

● Pockets of unvaccinated Americans threaten to prolong pandemic Bloomberg

● Former White House adviser says dangerous coronavirus variant is 'like Covid on steroids' CNN

House moving quickly to pass Senate bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday

abc30

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on legislation that would establish June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

● Slavery Didn't End On Juneteenth. Here's What You Should Know About This Important Day VPR

● Juneteenth to become federal holiday as House sends bill to Biden Roll Call

● Congress votes overwhelmingly to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The day commemorates the end of slavery in Texas in 1865. Washington Post

● Senate passes bill to make Juneteenth, day commemorating the end of slavery in Texas, a federal holiday Washington Post

● Federal employees to get Friday off as Biden signs legislation making Juneteenth a national holiday Washington Post

● As Juneteenth becomes a federal holiday, the US needs a culture of reparations Brookings

Fact Check: How GOP Senate resolution condemning critical race theory distorts the facts

Politifact

A Senate resolution condemns critical race theory, but it’s not a defined doctrine and it isn’t taught in K-12 schools. Still, it provides intellectual context for open discussions of race and privilege.

Biden Policies Would Help Unwind Destructive Forces of Inequality, Climate Change, Yellen Says

Wall Street Journal

Treasury secretary defends $6 trillion budget proposal in testimony before Senate Finance Committee.

Opinion: ProPublica’s Plan for a Poorer America

Wall Street Journal

A federal wealth tax would only make it harder for people with big dreams to make them a reality.

See also:

● Opinion: The High Costs of a Tax Hike on Dividends Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: What ProPublica gets wrong about the wealthy and taxes The Dispatch

Exclusive: White House debuts new maps showing broadband vacuum

Axios

The Biden administration Thursday unveiled a new mapping tool that shows much greater gaps in use of high-speed internet service across the U.S. than the government's previous maps reported.

Garland withdraws asylum limits for domestic abuse victims

Roll Call

Attorney general reverses two Trump-era asylum policies issued by predecessors Sessions and Barr.

House passes ESG, climate disclosure rules for public companies

Roll Call

SEC also has disclosure rules on its agenda.

These 4 states could decide control of Congress in 2022

Roll Call

Watch Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona.

● As voting rights bills fizzle in Congress, VP Harris looks to fire up voters for 2022 Los Angeles Times

● How Unite Here Turned the West’s Biggest Red State Blue The Nation

Proposed education spending hike faces resistance in Senate

Roll Call

Manchin balks at making first two years of college free.

Affordable Care Act survives third Supreme Court challenge, as case from Trump administration and GOP-led states is rejected

Washington Post

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act, saying Republican-led states do not have the legal standing to try to upend the law.

● Supreme Court Leaves Affordable Care Act Intact Wall Street Journal

Supreme Court unanimously rules for Catholic group in Philadelphia foster-care dispute

Washington Post

The Supreme Court said Thursday that Philadelphia was wrong to end a contract to provide foster care services to a religious organization that refuses to work with same-sex couples.

Editorial: A Breyer retirement could help depoliticize the Supreme Court

Los Angeles Times

Progressive activists are exasperated by the failure of Justice Stephen G. Breyer to announce that he will retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s current term.

Other:

What makes a news story trustworthy? Americans point to the outlet that publishes it, sources cited

Pew Research

Americans see a variety of factors as important when it comes to deciding whether a news story is trustworthy or not, but their attitudes vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits.

Senate bill would ban toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in makeup, which new study found are often unlabeled

Washington Post

Cosmetics distributed in the United States and Canada are rife with a class of chemicals that have been associated with a number of diseases, including cancer, and frequently aren’t labeled accurately, according to a new study.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

No more masks for vaccinated California farmworkers? ‘Too soon,’ some advocates say

Fresno Bee

They say the relaxed rules could jeopardize the health and safety of the state’s agricultural workers, a community already disproportionately affected by the deadly disease.

Water board fees add more costs to growers, as disasters and regulations mount up

Agri-Pulse

The drought is the next disaster to add further financial uncertainty for the growers shouldering the fees.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Are Fresno police officers ‘gaming the workers’ comp system’? Chief orders investigations for fraud

Fresno Bee

As the Fresno Police Department struggles with a staffing and recruitment problem, Police Chief Paco Balderrama and the City Council during its budget hearing on Tuesday also tackled another department challenge: long-term absences.

Ex Fresno County worker sentenced for stealing from dead. His attorney asked for leniency

Fresno Bee

The last member of a Fresno County employee theft ring accused of stealing money, jewels and cars from the dead was sentenced Wednesday to three years in the county jail.

AP: Some stolen US military guns used in violent crimes

Fresno Bee

Pulling a pistol from his waistband, the young man spun his human shield toward police. “Don’t do it!” a pursuing officer pleaded. The young man complied, releasing the bystander and tossing the gun, which skittered across the city street and then into the hands of police.

Calaveras drug bust: 3,000 marijuana plants, 58 pounds of pot seized worth over $3.4 million

Modesto Bee

Calaveras County sheriff’s investigators seized nearly 3,000 growing marijuana plants and more than 58 pounds of processed marijuana with an estimated value of over $3.4 million at four illegal outdoor and indoor cultivation sites last week.

Opinion: The January 6 Apologists Have Let Antifa Off the Hook. Now the FBI Did It.

Esquire

I think now we are far enough into this to declare that there is a Sedition Caucus within the Republican minority in the House of Representatives. Here is a good place to start if you’re formulating a roster.

Public Safety:

Fresno has some of the worst drivers in the U.S., new ranking reveals. Here’s why

Fresno Bee

You know that driver who blows past you on the freeway when you’re already moving at the speed limit? Or the one who’s having trouble staying in one lane after one or two too many drinks after work?

Bakersfield Police Broke 31 People’s Bones in Four Years. No Officer Has Been Disciplined for It

VPR

Reopening a sheriff’s substation may be in Stanislaus County budget despite COVID pandemic

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County leaders approved a $1.46 billion budget Tuesday for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which represents a $6.2 million increase over the spending plan for the previous year.

Mentally incompetent defendants languishing in jails, must be given prompt care, court rules

San Francisco Chronicle

A state appeals court says California is sending defendants to jail for months after they have been found mentally incompetent to stand trial, in violation of a law that entitles them to prompt medical care.

Gun sales have skyrocketed in California

San Francisco Chronicle

Californians are on a gun-buying spree. In 2020, 1.26 million guns were purchased in the state, a 56% increase from the previous year, and the most since at least 2000.

Fire:

Sierra ‘oasis’ surrounded by Creek Fire burn has a message: We all failed the forest

Fresno Bee

A creaking tree stopped the Terzian family in their tracks on a recent spring day while surveying wildfire and wind damage at Minarets Pack Station in Sierra National Forest.

5 acres of logs burn at Auberry mill. Blaze may take 5 days to fully extinguish, Cal Fire says

Fresno Bee

Firefighters responded to a fire in a stack of logs and wood in Auberry at a lumber yard. Cal Fire Division Chief Michael Bowman said the fire broke out about noon in a one-acre by one-acre lot of seasoned logs about 25 feet high on Auberry Road.

What’s Going On With Illegal Fireworks in California?

New York Times

It was after 9 p.m. on Sunday when I heard two big booms within five minutes. In this part of West Los Angeles, the sounds aren’t so familiar — and two in quick succession had me wondering: fireworks or gunshots?

US West swelters in record-busting heat, risking wildfires

Fresno Bee

Dangerous, record-busting heat spread across the U.S. Southwest as a dome of high pressure hovered over a large swath of the region, pushing temperatures into the triple digits this week and intensifying the risk for wildfires amid a long-running drought.

● ‘Mega-heatwave’ is peaking in the West, breaking records and intensifying drought, fires Washington Post

● It's Too Hot and Dry for Fourth of July Fireworks in the Southwest Vice

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Access Plus Capital presented with $1.5 million Wells Fargo Open For Business grant to help diverse-owned businesses recover from the pandemic

Fresno EOC

Many businesses shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help diverse-owned small businesses affected by the pandemic, Wells Fargo representatives are presenting Access Plus Capital with a $1.5 million Open for Business Fund grant.

Opinion: California Defies Doom With No. 1 U.S. Economy

Bloomberg

The Golden State has no peers when it comes to expanding GDP, raising household income, investing in innovation and a host of other key metrics.

Lumber prices start to dip after reaching sky-high costs. Will they keep coming down?

Sacramento Bee

Lumber prices have started to come down from historically high levels — but some experts don’t expect them to return to normal anytime soon.

Amid inflation worries, Fed signals an earlier increase in interest rates

Los Angeles Times

The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it would likely nudge up interest rates earlier than previously expected in response to sizzling economic growth and a spike in prices that has sparked inflation fears.

● Fed sees earlier time frame for rate hikes with inflation up Sacramento Bee

● Fed estimates inflation will grow faster than projected just 3 months ago and moves up expectations for rate hike Washington Post

● Fed Pencils In Earlier Interest-Rate Increase Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: No Inflation Worries at the Fed Wall Street Journal

Opinion: Bring everyone to the table to achieve equitable economic growth

Cal Matters

California employers, workers and residents must commit to creating a shared prosperity.

Recent Retirements Throw Wrench Into Fed’s Economic Recovery Plans

Wall Street Journal

Federal Reserve’s Jerome Powell says officials don’t know what future labor-force participation will look like.

Jobs:

Latinas left workforce at highest rate, see slow recovery

Bakersfield Californian

Teresa Marez spent 14 years building a strong clientele base as a hair stylist in San Antonio. When her son, who is autistic, had to switch to virtual learning because of the pandemic, she quit her job to help him.

Gallo approved for $400M South Carolina bottling plant. Will it affect Modesto jobs?

Modesto Bee

E.&J. Gallo Winery of Modesto announced Tuesday that is has final approval to build a bottling plant in South Carolina. The plant will employ about 500 people but will not reduce jobs in Modesto, the company said earlier.

How can you find a good job now that California is reopening? Here’s what to know

Sacramento Bee

As California lifts most of its restrictions, experts expect the state to continue to regain lost jobs. See which industries are hiring, according to the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s analysis of the state’s employment data.

Will California investment in new job training programs pay off?

CalMatters

By its own account, the state’s effort to train Californians for “green jobs” coming out of the Great Recession fell short in helping them find work and improving wages.

Jobless Claims Rose Last Week, Pausing Downward Trend

Wall Street Journal

As Covid-19 restrictions continue to wane, new filings make biggest jump since late March.

Measuring Labor-Force Participation and the Incidence and Duration of Unemployment

Federal Reserve Board and UC San Diego

The underlying data from which the U.S. unemployment rate, labor-force participation rate,

and duration of unemployment are calculated contain numerous internal contradictions. This

paper catalogs these inconsistencies and proposes a unified reconciliation.

Tasks, Automation, and the Rise in US Wage Inequality

NBER

We document that between 50% and 70% of changes in the US wage structure over the last four decades are accounted for by the relative wage declines of worker groups specialized in routine tasks in industries experiencing rapid automation.

Half of the pandemic's unemployment money may have been stolen

Axios

Criminals may have stolen as much as half of the unemployment benefits the U.S. has been pumping out over the past year, some experts say.

If we want universal savings, pay employers to sign us up for IRAs

Brookings

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) estimates that, even with Social Security, some 40+% of us will run out of money in retirement.

The Amazon That Customers Don’t See

New York Times

Each year, hundreds of thousands of workers churn through a vast mechanism that hires and monitors, disciplines and fires. Amid the pandemic, the already strained system lurched.

EDUCATION

K-12:

KHSD hosts its first forum on boundary changes at West High

Bakersfield Californian

A week after the district released three proposals, the Kern High School District hosted its first forum on boundary changes Tuesday night.

Modesto City Schools to hire parent ambassadors. What does the district seek in applicants?

Modesto Bee

To better engage families with their children’s educations, Modesto City Schools is preparing to launch a Parent Ambassadors program for the upcoming school year.

Summer school options: California hits record enrollment, but is it enough?

CalMatters

The stakes are high this summer for South Los Angeles parent Renee Bailey. Her daughter Cali just finished kindergarten, but she spent most of it on a computer screen at home where her reading, arithmetic and handwriting skills all declined.

K–12 Enrollment Declines Vary across Districts

PPIC

Enrollment in California’s public K–12 schools declined nearly 3% between 2019–20 and 2020–21. These declines, which exceeded pre-pandemic forecasts, were largest among low-income students in kindergarten and grade 1.

Why training California bilingual teachers just got harder

EdSource

End of state-funded program could worsen bilingual teacher shortage.

Should COVID vaccines be required for school? Here’s what Americans said in poll

Sacramento Bee

A majority of Americans support requiring students to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to school, a recent poll found.

Education Dept. says Title IX protections apply to LGBTQ+ students

abc30

The Education Department on Wednesday issued guidance that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a reversal of the Trump administration's stance that gay and transgender students are not protected by the law.

Higher Ed:

BC professors file federal suit against college district officials over free speech

Bakersfield Californian

Two Bakersfield College history professors at the center of a politically contentious funding dispute have filed a federal lawsuit alleging top officials at the Kern Community College District violated their rights of free speech and academic freedom.

It wasn’t a crank call: Surprising many, MacKenzie Scott gives millions to California groups

Los Angeles Times

Denise Dunning opened an email in spring that said an anonymous donor wanted to make a donation to Rise Up, a California-based nonprofit she leads that works to improve the rights of women and girls across the globe. She thought it was spam.

How some college counselors are fighting back against pandemic-induced enrollment decline

CalMatters

Thousands of California high school graduates didn’t go to college last year due to the pandemic. The drop, which mostly affected community colleges, might be temporary, but it showed the need to provide more support for students going from high school to college.\

Proposed education spending hike faces resistance in Senate

Roll Call

Manchin balks at making first two years of college free.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

House passes ESG, climate disclosure rules for public companies

Roll Call

SEC also has disclosure rules on its agenda.

It's Time for Global Action to Eliminate Plastic Pollution

Pew Trusts

16 organizations agree on 6 key actions needed to solve the world’s plastic problem.

Will Biden Be Forced to Give Up What Some Say is His Best Shot at Tackling Climate Change?

Inside Climate News

Studies suggest the clean electricity standard the White House is proposing would give renewables a leg up in a nation awash in fossil fuel. But Congress is a stumbling block.

Earth is now trapping an ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, NASA says

Washington Post

The amount of heat Earth traps has roughly doubled since 2005, contributing to more rapidly warming oceans, air and land, according to new research from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Energy:

CA power grid declares Flex Alert for Thursday, asks for electricity conservation

abc30

The manager of California's power grid has issued a Flex Alert for Thursday, asking residents and businesses to cut back on power usage to prevent strain on the system.

● ISO issues Flex Alert for energy conservation tomorrow California ISO

● Will Early Heat Wave Take Down California's Energy Grid and Gavin Newsom? Newsweek

● Opinion: The California and Texas Greenouts Wall Street Journal

Around Kings County: 'Wall to Wall' solar plants on the way

Hanford Sentinel

This month the Kings County Planning Commission approved three huge but modified solar projects that will sprawl over the westside of the county, flanking Highway 41 and the Avenal Cutoff — all part of the huge Westlands Solar Park project.

The last thing California needed: Drought adds to electricity woes as hydro power dries up

Sacramento Bee

California’s shaky power grid is on a collision course with an epic drought that’s depleting a major source of supply: hydroelectricity.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

The heat’s coming: Fresno area set for three days of ‘life-threatening’ weather

Fresno Bee

The National Weather Service is predicting a high level of heat risk for Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley over the next three days. Just how high is said risk?

As contract lapses, local anesthesia group declares bankruptcy

Business Journal

Community Regional Anesthesia Medical Group provides anesthesia services to Community Medical Centers at its three major hospitals: Clovis Community Medical Center, Community Regional Medical Center and Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital.

New physical fitness and mental well-being council targets Californians’ health

Sacramento Bee

After more than a year of closures and limited capacity restrictions, gyms and physical fitness centers are up and running again as California’s economy reopens.

It turns out some Californians aren’t eager to shed their masks just yet

Los Angeles Times

It turns out that many people are not that eager to throw away their masks. California fully reopened Tuesday, and with that, fully vaccinated residents were able to go into many public places without masks, even indoors. Some did.

For Those Facing Alzheimer's, A Controversial Drug Offers Hope

VPR

In early June, the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, now called Aduhelm, based on its ability to reduce the sticky amyloid plaques that tend to accumulate in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's.

Too much caffeine may raise risk of blinding eye diseases for some people, study finds

Fresno Bee

Caffeine can do a lot more than give you shaky hands and a short-lived boost of energy; it can cause long-term health consequences if consumed in high enough amounts

The quest for a pill to fight viruses gets a $3.2 billion boost

Washington Post

Borrowing from the model used to create drugs that transformed HIV from a death sentence into a manageable disease, the Biden administration announced Thursday a $3.2 billion plan to stock the medicine cabinet with drugs that would be ready to treat future viral threats.

Opinion: Covid Didn’t Start the Mental-Health Crisis

Wall Street Journal

The devaluing of parental care leaves society—and its children—unprepared to deal with stressful events.

Why American Women Everywhere Are Delaying Motherhood

New York Times

The birthrate is falling for American women in their 20s, especially in places where the local economy is booming.

The Delta variant is serious. Here’s why it's on the rise.

National Geographic

With vaccination rates slowing in the U.S., and other countries struggling to secure vaccines, public health experts have growing concerns that the Delta coronavirus variant, first identified in India in March, could trigger dramatic rises in cases and deaths in the U.S. and the world.

● Opinion: The delta variant is a rising threat in the U.S. We have to redouble vaccination efforts. Washington Post

Human Services:

Sierra View to hold virtual vaccine meeting Friday

Porterville Recorder

Nearly 1,200 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered at the Community Vaccination Clinic located at the Porterville Veterans Memorial Building since the clinic's launch on Thursday, May 13.

Vaccine effort turns into slog as infectious variant spreads

Bakersfield Californian

As cases tumble and states reopen, the potential final stage in the U.S. campaign to vanquish COVID-19 is turning into a slog, with a worrisome variant gaining a bigger foothold and lotteries and other prizes failing to persuade some Americans to get vaccinated.

● Immigrants crucial to vaccinating US, but gaps remain Roll Call

Use of preventive care services declined despite expanded coverage

AEI

For the privately insured, Medicare, and uninsured populations, the prevalence of the use of preventive care services declined for many services examined.

IMMIGRATION

Garland withdraws asylum limits for domestic abuse victims

Roll Call

Attorney general reverses two Trump-era asylum policies issued by predecessors Sessions and Barr.

Immigrants crucial to vaccinating US, but gaps remain

Roll Call

Access issues, concern over legal status pose challenges to getting more immigrants vaccinated.

Democratic Rep. Cuellar urges Kamala Harris to visit border amid immigration crisis

FoxNews

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, invited Vice President Harris to his district to visit the U.S.-Mexico border and warned the "situation on the border will only worsen" in a letter this week.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Tule River Tribe to hold groundbreaking for USDA, fire building

Porterville Recorder

The Tule River Tribe will hold a groundbreaking at 8:30 a.m. Thursday for its new USDA and Tule River Fire Building. The groundbreaking will be held where the building will be located at the Harry Lowe property just past McCarthy Ranch.

Housing:

Turlock nears end of its homeless crisis. Displaced woman calls for new approaches

Modesto Bee

Three months into Turlock’s four-month-long homeless emergency, one woman living on the streets called on the city to consider different approaches such as opening an authorized camping site.

Is union labor requirement in the way of easing California’s affordable housing crisis?

CalMatters

California lawmakers introduced several bills this year that would rezone empty strip malls and big box stores across the state to allow for new housing development without undergoing lengthy and costly local approvals.

Millions fear eviction as housing crisis worsens

Business Journal

More than 4 million people say they fear being evicted or foreclosed upon in the coming months just as two studies released Wednesday found that the nation’s housing availability and affordability crisis is expected to worsen significantly following the pandemic.

● National and State Efforts Continue to Prevent Pandemic-Related Evictions Pew Trusts

PUBLIC FINANCES

Why some families may want to opt out of the child tax credit payments starting in July

CNBC

Come July 15, millions of American families will start receiving payments through the enhanced child tax credit that may amount to hundreds of dollars each month through the end of 2021.

TRANSPORTATION

How far can you go in an electric car? California needs 1.2 million charging stations

Fresno Bee

California wants to eliminate the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, but consumers worry about how far they can drive on a single charge with an electric car.

● GM Raises Electric-Car Bet, Will Add More Battery Factories Wall Street Journal

Southern California Assemblymembers want to divert high-speed rail funding

KTVU FOX 2

California lawmakers are divided over how to spend state money after the governor announced he wants to spend $4.2 billion to finish the early stretch of the high speed rail system.

● High-speed rail getting last minute push in Congress The Hill

Senate, Assembly Pass Budget, Punting on Specifics

StreetsBlog Cal

The California legislature passed its budget bill yesterday, meeting the statutory deadline of June 15. But to get to the finish line, lawmakers punted on specifics, particularly on transportation, climate action, and clean energy.

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

PEW

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, LaShawn Poole took two buses every weekday to get to her job as a medical assistant in Kansas City, Missouri. She had to shell out more than $100 a month, which took a chunk out of her limited budget.

Amtrak is a top travel choice in the Northeast. With an ally in the White House, it wants trains in the rest of America

Washington Post

Using its success in the populous Northeast Corridor as a model, Amtrak is pushing a $75 billion expansion to bring trains to dozens of cities and towns across the nation.

Why Airlines Let Sick Passengers on Flights

Wall Street Journal

Carriers face a quandary when contagious fliers board planes—an issue with higher stakes during the coronavirus pandemic

A world less travelled: The cost of COVID-19

Barclays

Jetting off to an exotic locale used to require little more than a credit card, a passport and a few minutes on the internet. COVID-19 put an end to that.

WATER

‘This is how dry things are.’ California warns farmers about water cutoffs due to drought

Sacramento Bee

The seriousness of California’s drought is being driven home to thousands of farmers in the Central Valley.

What to Know About California’s Drought

New York Times

As the weather warms, coronavirus cases continue to decline and vaccinated Californians gleefully plot their “shot girl summers,” I regret to inform you that the Golden State’s next big disaster is already upon us.

“Xtra”

Bethany Clough: Why are over 35 cars allowed to wait in Fresno fast food drive-thrus? What we found out

Fresno Bee

One thing Fresnans love to rant about: drive-thru restaurant lines jam-packed with cars. The Bee published a story about the owner of Westwoods BBQ complaining publicly about the line of dozens of cars from Chick-fil-A blocking parking spaces near his restaurant.

Bethany Clough: This national cookie shop is expanding to Fresno. Here’s why we’re having a cookie boom

Fresno Bee

The national franchise is planning to open a location in the Villaggio shopping center at Blackstone and Nees avenues. That’s the center with Barnes & Noble — and the Crumbl bakery will be next to Coldstone Creamery.

New bar and nightclub opens in Fresno's Tower District

abc30

With California officially reopen, one bar and nightclub is hoping to start a new chapter in Fresno. It's called Splash Bar, and the owners hope to rejuvenate the nightlife experience in the Tower District.