June 2, 2021

02Jun

POLICY & POLITICS

 

The Maddy Institute would like YOUR feedback!​​ Please help us better serve you and our communities by taking a few moments to complete​​ our annual survey.

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:​​ 

 

Turlock-based solar company expanding quickly to meet demand

Turlock Journal

One of the nation’s fastest-growing solar energy companies has helped thousands across five different states make the switch to solar since it was founded in 2017, and its home​​ office is right here in Turlock.

 

Stanislaus homes with tainted wells start getting free bottled water. How to qualify

Modesto Bee

Free bottled water has begun to arrive at homes with nitrate-tainted wells in parts of Stanislaus and Merced counties. The ambitious effort, funded by farmers​​ and other parties, launched the week of May 10 with free testing of residential wells.

​​ 

Turlock Black Lives Matter leader arrested. Supporters protest at Police Department

Modesto Bee

A couple dozen people gathered outside the Turlock Police Department on Sunday night to demonstrate in support of Turlock BLM Movement co-founder Jaimee Ellison, who was arrested early that day for allegedly trying to free a man being taken into custody by police.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:​​ 

 

Could Devin Nunes lose to a Fresno Democrat? Why a new challenger says he can win

Fresno Bee

A newcomer to the District 22 race said Tuesday he’s stepping in to challenge for the seat in Fresno and other parts of the central San Joaquin Valley. Lourin Hubbard said he’ll challenge Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, for the race in June 2022.

 

Valley communities lost water in last drought. Are small water systems ready this time?

Fresno Bee

Arturo Rodriguez and his colleagues on the Poplar Community Services District board are responsible for keeping clean water flowing to 2,500 residents in the​​ middle of a global pandemic and drought.​​ 

 

How to end illegal fires at empty buildings? Fresno council comes up with the answer

Fresno Bee

The City Council unanimously​​ passed a law last week that will require owners of empty commercial structures to secure those buildings from trespassers and to install fire-suppression systems.

 

Northwest Fresno sees major growth along Herndon corridor

abc30​​ 

"Development has really intensified over the last year. There's significant growth in residential and commercial development occurring," said Jennifer Clark, Fresno Planning and Development Director.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:​​ 

 

New affordable housing project planned for Baker Street; City​​ Council to vote on funds Wednesday

Bakersfield Californian

A new affordable housing development proposed for Baker Street aims to complete a years-long revitalization plan.

 

State looks to build on Kern's success employing homeless people in highway cleanup work

Bakersfield Californian

A Kern County initiative that has cleaned up local highways while helping people on the street get back on their feet is increasingly serving as a model for the rest of the state.

 

Donny Youngblood announces he will run for fifth term as sheriff

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood has announced he will run for a fifth​​ term in next year’s election. The 70-year-old sheriff was first elected to office in 2006, and he says he still has unfinished business to accomplish.​​ 

 

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

California task force launches study of slave reparations

Fresno Bee

A first-in-the-country task force in California to study and recommend reparations for African Americans is conducting its inaugural meeting, launching a two-year process to address the harms of slavery and systemic racism.

See also:

​​ 

New California union leader tries to block $1 million donation to Newsom recall defense

Fresno Bee

The newly elected president of California state government’s largest public employee union is trying to block a potential $1 million contribution from his union to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign.​​ 

See also:​​ 

 

10 Ways to Make Governor Newsom’s Proposed Budget More Equitable

California Budget & Policy Center

Governor Gavin Newsom released the​​ May Revision to his proposed 2021–22 state budget​​ — also known as his “California Comeback Plan” — and much attention is being given to the number of proposals and large dollar amounts.

See also:

 

Layoffs. Losses. Lawsuits. ‘Rules are being rewritten’ for California health care giant

Fresno Bee

Sutter Health has been the pre-eminent hospital chain in Northern California for decades — respected but also feared. Critics say it has strong-armed insurance companies and major employers into contract terms that inflated health care prices across the region.

 

Can’t get through to California’s unemployment office? Experts offer ways to get answers

Modesto Bee

Have a problem with unemployment benefits? The first thing to do is​​ NOT call the Employment Development Department. Experts recommend you look at EDD’s website and videos, and if that doesn’t help, send a message through its​​ Contact Us​​ feature on its website.

 

California bill calls for $7 billion in COVID-19 bonuses for healthcare workers

Los Angeles Times

California lawmakers are considering legislation that would require hospitals, clinics and skilled nursing facilities to pay medical professionals $10,000 in “hero pay” for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda

California Healthline

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker, comes to his new role well known for pursuing an unabashedly progressive agenda on criminal justice issues.

 

Meet Seve Christian, who helped put California at the forefront of LGBTQ+ legislation

The 19th

As a California legislative aide, Christian always prioritizes the bill. At just 25, they have become one of the most consequential but least known LGBTQ+ policy minds in the country.​​ 

See also:

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Biden Says The Tulsa Race Massacre 'Can't Be Buried, No Matter How Hard People Try'​​ 

VPR

President Biden traveled to Oklahoma on Tuesday to mark​​ the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre amid a renewed reckoning over a long-overlooked attack that left as many as 300 people dead in a community once known as Black Wall Street.​​ 

See also:

 

Capito and Biden to meet as ‘fish or cut bait’ moment nears

Roll Call

President Joe Biden’s meeting Wednesday with Sen.​​ Shelley Moore Capito​​ on infrastructure comes at what Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls an approaching “fish-or-cut-bait moment” in negotiations with Senate Republicans.

See also:

 

Biden names Harris to lead administration's effort to protect voting rights

NBCNews

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the administration's push to protect voting rights as federal election reform legislation faces steep hurdles in the closely divided Senate.

See also:

 

Democrat Stansbury Keeps New Mexico U.S. House Seat In Party's Hands​​ 

VPR

New Mexico Democrats kept control of the U.S. House seat left vacant by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in one of the party's earliest tests of its messaging during the administration of President Biden.​​ 

 

Supreme Court overturns 9th Circuit’s rule that favors those seeking asylum​​ 

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a​​ rule used by the 9th Circuit Court in California that presumed immigrants seeking asylum were telling the truth unless an immigration judge had made an “explicit” finding that they were not credible.

 

Biden is ‘proudly pro-union.’ Can he reverse labor’s long decline?​​ 

Los Angeles Times

As Joe Biden launched his presidential run, he made an early stop at the Washington headquarters of the AFL-CIO to meet with its president, Richard Trumka.

 

GOP Governors' Cutoff of COVID Benefits Hits Hard in Rural America​​ 

PEW

After Lisa Wilkinson, 54, got laid off from her factory job in December 2019, she knew it would be difficult to replace it. She's older and lives in rural Tennessee, where work is scarce.

 

Staff training key to shifting attitudes on accessibility for disability community

Roll Call

Many staffers are heading back to Capitol Hill, and official visitors aren’t far behind, but the return to offices is prompting questions about gaps in physical and digital accessibility in Congress for staff, lobbyists, constituents and lawmakers with disabilities.

 

Biden to launch initiative to recruit 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and salons to accelerate vaccinations

Washington Post

President Biden will announce an initiative to recruit 1,000 Black-owned​​ barbershops and beauty salons​​ across the country to boost coronavirus vaccinations and outreach in communities​​ of color.

 

Other:

 

Most Americans think they can spot fake news. They can't, study finds

abc30

As many as three in four Americans overestimate their ability to spot false headlines -- and the worse they are at it, the more likely they are to share fake news, researchers reported Monday.

 

Addressing Big Tech’s power over speech

Brookings

At many points during the 2020 presidential election, social media platforms demonstrated their power over speech. Twitter​​ decided​​ to ban political advertisements permanently in 2019, sparking a vigorous debate over free speech and so-called “paid disinformation.”​​ 

 

Opinion: A Future of Secular Stagnation

Wall Street Journal

One critique of President Biden’s historic spending blowout is that it steals economic growth from the future in return for a temporary surge in the next two years. Imagine our surprise to see the White​​ House confirm this criticism in its own budget proposal.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

State Policymakers Can Provide Food Support to Undocumented and Mixed-Status California Families Blocked by Federal Policies

California Budget & Policy Center

All California children, parents, workers, and community members should have the support they need to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and other necessities.

 

'Big risk': California farmers hit by drought change planting plans

Reuters

Joe Del Bosque is leaving a third of his 2,000-acre farm near Firebaugh, California, unseeded this year due to extreme drought.​​ Yet, he hopes to access enough water to produce a marketable melon crop.

 

Meat Buyers Scramble After Cyberattack Hobbles JBS

Wall Street Journal

Meatpacker​​ JBS​​ SA was hit by a ransomware attack that took a big chunk of U.S.​​ beef-and-pork processing offline, sending buyers scrambling for alternatives and raising pressure on meat supplies.

 

Foster Farms Failed To Remove Fresno Worker After Positive COVID Test, Son Says​​ 

VPR

Singh got a text message just before 1 p.m. one day in early December, alerting him that his mother’s COVID-19 test results were available.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

California Supreme Court to hear case that could lead to death penalty reversals

Fresno Bee

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments in the case​​ of a death row inmate from Los Angeles that challenges the constitutionality of how the death penalty has been applied and could lead to the reversal of hundreds of death sentences.

See also:​​ 

 

Supreme Court Says Tribal Police Can Search Non-Indians on Reservations​​ 

Wall Street Journal

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that tribal police officers with sufficient cause can stop and search non-Indians traversing reservations, the latest in several recent decisions that in ways large and small have affirmed limited sovereignty for​​ Native American nations.

 

Public Safety:

 

California handgun sales surged during pandemic lockdowns. Here are the numbers

Fresno Bee

Californians bought about 920,000 handguns from March 2020 through April 2021, a 66% increase from the previous 14 months, according to estimates from​​ thetrace.org, a nonprofit journalism organization.

 

Latinos are disproportionately killed by police but often left out of the debate about brutality, some advocates say

Washington Post

Latinos are nearly twice as likely as Whites to be fatally shot by police. So why aren’t they included in the national conversation about policing and racism?

 

Central Valley sheriff says six inmates escaped from jail due to ‘failures’ by staff

Fresno Bee

Merced County Sheriff’s officials say failures by staff at the downtown Main Jail played a role in the escape of six inmates from the aging facility in January.​​ 

 

Fresno County Jail reopens visitations

Hanford Sentinel

The Fresno County Jail is once again allowing​​ members of the public to schedule visitations with inmates. Effective Saturday, May 29, it was announced that visitations could resume.

 

California saw more active shooters than any other state over past 20 years, FBI data shows

San Francisco Chronicle

California, the most populous state in the nation and home to some of its strictest gun laws, was also the site of the most active shooter incidents over the past two decades, according to a new FBI report.

 

Fire:​​ 

 

Smalley Fire: Evacuation warnings lifted, Madera Co. wildfire 35% contained

abc30

The Madera County Sheriff's Office has lifted the evacuation warning for some mountain community residents as CAL FIRE crews continue to battle a wildfire in Madera County.

See also:

 

California Drought Could Mean Peak Fire Season Months Earlier Than Usual

Capital Public Radio

Sissy Savoye’s tent is surrounded by charred trees and burn scars from last year’s massive North Complex Fire in Butte County.​​ 

See also:​​ 

 

Update: Wildfire near Pine Flat Lake in Fresno County kept to 30 acres, 70% contained

Fresno Bee

The Slope Fire, which ignited on Memorial Day and threatened structures near Pine Flat Lake, was kept to 30 acres overnight and​​ was 70% contained​​ as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire.​​ 

 

How to end illegal fires at empty buildings? Fresno council comes up with the answer

Fresno Bee

The City Council unanimously passed a law last week that will require owners of empty commercial structures to secure those buildings from trespassers and to install fire-suppression systems.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Zoom's boom continues in 1Q, raising post-pandemic hopes

Bakersfield Californian

Zoom is still booming, raising prospects that the video-conferencing service will be able to sustain its momentum, even as the easing pandemic lessens the need for virtual meetings.

 

Jobs:

 

Yes, your employer can require you to get a COVID vaccine. Here are the updated rules

Fresno Bee

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Friday​​ released new guidelines for employers​​ on requiring or encouraging workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

State looks to build on Kern's success employing homeless people in​​ highway cleanup work

Bakersfield Californian

A Kern County initiative that has cleaned up local highways while helping people on the street get back on their feet is increasingly serving as a model for the rest of the state.

 

 

Pandemic Hasn’t Changed Partisan Divide on Paid Time Off

PEW

Democrats and labor advocates say that now more than ever, workers need to be able to stay home when they’re sick or caring for a family member. Republicans and business​​ advocates, meanwhile, say now’s not the time for imposing costly new mandates on employers.

 

California to consider ending some workplace mask requirements

Los Angeles Times

A California workplace safety board on Thursday is scheduled to consider whether to relax mask​​ and physical distancing rules for workers.​​ 

 

California's EDD is so hard to reach that unemployed people are paying go-betweens to do it for them

San Francisco Chronicle

It’s so tough to contact California’s Employment Development Department​​ about unemployment benefits that a cottage industry has sprung up of intermediaries offering to help desperate jobless people reach the agency — for a fee.

 

Amazon warehouse workers suffer serious injuries at higher rates than other firms

Washington Post

A Washington Post analysis of Occupational Safety and Health Administration data shows Amazon’s serious injury rates are nearly double those at warehouses run by other companies.

 

Amazon Will Stop Testing Job Seekers For Marijuana, Now Backs Legalizing Weed

VPR

Amazon will no longer test most job applicants for marijuana use, in the latest sign of America's changing relationship with pot. Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the U.S., also says it now backs legalizing marijuana nationwide

 

CEO Pay Increasingly Tied to Diversity Goals

Wall Street Journal

The killing of George Floyd in police custody a year ago​​ and the subsequent protests prompted pledges from U.S. business leaders: They would fight racism and work to recruit and promote Black and other minority employees.

 

Opinion: The Left’s Decriminalization Push Stops Short of Labor Law

Wall Street Journal

The left-leaning EPI calls on prosecutors and state lawmakers to seek criminal punishment of employers for workplace and labor-law violations that are currently addressed through less serious legal sanctions. There are good reasons to be wary of this advice.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Can California withstand a teacher retirement boom?

CalMatters

Earlier this year, the California State Teachers Retirement System issued an ominous statement: teacher​​ retirements in California are projected to hit nearly record-breaking heights in 2021.

 

California bilingual programs ready to grow after slowing during pandemic

EdSource

After years of English-only education in California, the state is now pushing to multiply the number of bilingual programs after a law that limited bilingual education in California was repealed by voters in 2016.

 

Higher Ed:

 

UC faculty authorize potential strike for better job security, higher pay

San Francisco Chronicle

The union representing thousands of nontenured teaching faculty in the University of California system announced its members voted to authorize a potential strike Tuesday amid a push for more job security and higher pay.

 

Opinion: Colleges Should Admit Students Without the ACT or SAT

Inside Higher Ed

If you walked into the admissions office at any college or university in America and suggested judging applicants based on a new metric proven primarily to predict parental income and education, you would be laughed out of the room.

 

Opinion: Community colleges deserve more attention. But making them free isn’t the answer.

Washington Post

President Biden’s proposed American Families Plan calls for two years of free community college education for every American interested in attending. The federal government would spend an estimated​​ $109 billion​​ to cover the tuition.

 

Opinion: Should Biden Have Forgiven Student Debt?

Wall Street Journal

Canceling student loan debt is a short-term solution that will only encourage universities to raise tuition. They won’t lose applicants over cost increases. Parents who can’t pay will expect the feds to step in.​​ 

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Climate change responsible for 37% of global heat deaths, study says

Los Angeles Times

More than one-third of the world’s heat deaths each year are due directly to global warming, according to the latest study to calculate the human cost of climate change.

 

Western States Sizzle Under Triple-Digit Temperatures

New York Times

Dangerously hot conditions and triple-digit temperatures are forecast for the Western United States this week, leading to a wave of excessive-heat warnings and heat advisories from Central California and Nevada up to Washington.

 

Energy:

 

Biden Administration Suspends Oil Leases in Arctic Refuge

Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, blocking plans for the first-ever drilling program in the pristine 19-million-acre wilderness.

See also:

 

Battle heats up over California consumer cost of solar

abc30

A battle is brewing over a proposed California law changing how much we pay for electricity and how much people save when they own solar.

 

Turlock-based solar company expanding quickly to meet demand

Turlock Journal

One of the nation’s fastest-growing solar energy companies has helped thousands across five different states make the switch to solar since it was founded in 2017, and its home office is right here in Turlock.

 

Biden Administration Supports Oil, Mining Projects Backed by Trump​​ 

Wall Street Journal

Biden administration lawyers are defending oil and mining projects approved under the Trump administration, benefiting ConocoPhillips, Rio Tinto PLC, BHP Group Ltd. and others at the expense of environmental and tribal groups challenging the projects.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

The pandemic is getting worse, even when it seems like it’s getting better

Washington Post

The pandemic is slowly receding from the daily lives of many Americans as businesses open up and local authorities ease restrictions. But the pandemic is hardly in retreat elsewhere. Coronavirus case counts worldwide are already higher in 2021 than they were in 2020.​​ 

 

WHO grants emergency approval to 2nd Chinese COVID vaccine

Fresno Bee

The World Health Organization has issued an emergency use listing for the COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinovac for adults 18 and over, the second such authorization it has granted to a Chinese company.​​ 

See also:

 

Masks, social distancing still important even with COVID vaccination, study suggests

abc30

Vaccination alone might not be enough to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with a majority of the population vaccinated, the removal of pandemic precautions could lead to an increase in virus spread,​​ researchers reported.

See also:

 

Coronavirus name game: Farewell, B.1.1.7. Hello, Alpha!

Los Angeles Times

Do you confuse the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant with B.1.351? What about P.1, P.2 and P.3? The COVID-19 pandemic is confusing enough without arcane scientific nomenclature getting in the way.​​ 

 

Opinion: How to investigate the lab-leak theory without inflaming anti-Asian hate

Washington Post

Many will be justifiably upset if evidence emerges pointing to culpability for this unspeakably awful tragedy. But nothing justifies turning one’s rage into violence against innocent individuals.

 

Human Services:

 

Layoffs. Losses. Lawsuits. ‘Rules are being rewritten’ for California health care giant

Fresno Bee

Sutter Health has been the pre-eminent hospital chain in Northern California for decades — respected but also feared. Critics say it has strong-armed insurance companies and major employers into contract terms that inflated health care prices across the region.

 

California Child Mental Health Advocates Say Demand For Care Is Up During the Pandemic, But Services Are Lacking

Capital Public Radio

A​​ budget revision released in May​​ by Gov. Gavin Newsomcould put more than $4 billion toward home visiting programs, school counselors, childhood trauma screenings and better Medi-Cal coverage for psychiatric care.

 

From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda

California Healthline

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker, comes to his new role well known for pursuing an unabashedly progressive agenda on criminal justice issues.

 

Nursing Home COVID Deaths Lead to State Staffing Rules​​ 

PEW

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York state moved many critically ill patients from hospitals back to nursing homes, contributing to as many as 15,000 deaths.

See also:

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Supreme Court overturns 9th Circuit’s rule that favors those seeking asylum​​ 

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a rule used by the 9th Circuit Court in California that presumed immigrants seeking asylum were telling the truth unless an immigration judge had made an “explicit” finding that they were not credible.

 

Former immigration lawyers aim to cut through political noise

Roll Call

Kathy Manning, a former immigration lawyer for nearly two decades, had recently decided to run for office when she turned​​ on the TV — and listened to politicians engage in immigration rhetoric.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Northwest Fresno sees major growth along Herndon corridor

abc30​​ 

"Development has really intensified over the last year. There's significant growth in residential and commercial development occurring," said Jennifer Clark, Fresno Planning and Development Director.

 

Sustainable Development and Land Use Update

JDSupra

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed into law Senate Bill 7, which will allow qualifying housing projects to benefit from a fast-tracked review process already offered for other major developments.

 

Housing:

 

New affordable housing project planned for Baker Street; City Council to vote on funds Wednesday

Bakersfield Californian

A new affordable housing development proposed for Baker Street aims to complete a years-long revitalization plan.

 

California lawmakers eye shuttered malls, big box retail stores for new housing

Mercury News

California state lawmakers are grappling with a particularly 21st-century problem: What to do with the growing number of shopping malls and big box retail stores left empty by consumers shifting their purchases to the web.

 

Walters: Marin County’s guerrilla war against housing

CalMatters

Marin County, the suburban enclave north of the Golden Gate bridge, isn’t interested in having riff-raff — meaning ordinary Californians — despoil its bucolic ambience.

 

Opinion: Manic housing market needs a calming dose of deregulation

AEI

Worrywarts are calling it a​​ “crisis” and circulating weird tales of buyer desperation — including one about a supplicant in Bethesda, Maryland who apparently​​ offered to name her first-born child after a seller​​ — and warnings of stunted recoveries.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Bank of America must provide more proof of fraud before freezing EDD accounts, court orders

Los Angeles Times

A federal judge on Tuesday prohibited Bank of America from freezing accounts for California unemployment benefits based solely on an automated fraud filter and required it to do a better job of responding when jobless people say their benefits were stolen.​​ 

 

California’s Safety Net in Recession and Recovery

PPIC

California’s low-wage workers were hit hard by the COVID-19 shutdown and may need the social safety net for a longer period than they did after past downturns.

 

How local leaders can use American Rescue Plan funds to support playful learning in cities

Brookings

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of our daily lives, and disproportionately impacted low-income families and vulnerable communities—with a particularly devastating effect on children.

 

Child care costs $17,000 a year for California parents. Would Biden plan help?

Fresno Bee

Imagine paying less than half of what you now pay for child care. Or being among the thousands of parents who could send their 3- and 4-year-olds to free pre-kindergarten as the system expands.

 

Opinion: How does Social Security reform indecision affect younger cohorts?

AEI

The Social Security trust fund will be exhausted in the early 2030s. The U.S. government will need to make a choice about how to​​ address the impending trust fund exhaustion, but it is unclear what it will choose to do.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Can you stop going to the DMV? How the department wants to eliminate visits

Fresno Bee

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Department of Motor Vehicles was forced to close its doors and shift to a primarily digital approach.

 

A disadvantaged Valley town will see millions in investment, with high-speed rail agreement

Modesto Bee

For years, residents in the small town of Fairmead in Madera County fretted about the prospect of their community being split by California’s planned high-speed rail route.

 

Infrastructure Overhaul Should Focus More on Safety, Advocates Say​​ 

PEW

In Montgomery County, Maryland, a woman was​​ struck by a car and killed while crossing a busy, six-lane road in April—four years after her husband was killed trying to cross the same road.

 

America's Amtrak moment could finally be here

CNN

Created in 1971 from the creaking remains of the classic US railroads that helped build modern America, Amtrak has often lived a precarious existence.

 

WATER

 

As California’s Drought Worsens, the Biden Administration Cuts Water Supplies and Farmers Struggle to Compensate

Inside Climate News

The impacts of California’s deepening drought hit home for Central Valley farmers earlier this week, when federal officials​​ announced​​ they didn’t have enough water to supply many of their agricultural customers.​​ 

See also:

 

Fresno irrigation water deliveries begin but future deliveries remain unclear

abc30

The Fresno Irrigation District (FID) will begin water deliveries Tuesday, but it's unclear if deliveries will be extended past the end of the month.

 

Stanislaus homes​​ with tainted wells start getting free bottled water. How to qualify

Modesto Bee

Free bottled water has begun to arrive at homes with nitrate-tainted wells in parts of Stanislaus and Merced counties. The ambitious effort, funded by farmers and other parties, launched the week of May 10 with free testing of residential wells.

 

“Xtra”

 

Castle Fire: Loss and renewed; no mountain festival, springville fall festival set

Porterville Recorder

There was a lot lost — but there are also signs of regrowth. Sequoia National Forest posted on its Facebook page photos of the considerable​​ damage done to the area's precious resource – its Giant Sequoias.

 

Slimmed-down Stanislaus County Fair will start selling tickets to its loudest events

Modesto Bee

Ticket sales will start Wednesday, June 2, for the destruction derbies and other motor sports at the Stanislaus County Fair. It may be the clearest sign yet the fair is really back after skipping 2020 due to COVID-19.

 

America Has a Drinking Problem

The Atlantic

Few things are more American than drinking heavily. But worrying about how heavily other Americans are drinking is one of them.

 

Bethany Clough: Fresno-area tribe opens new SONIC drive-in restaurant. Here’s where the business is located

Fresno Bee

The classic drive-in restaurant where customers can order tater tots and cherry limeade from their cars opened Tuesday in Coarsegold at Chukchansi Crossing Fuel Station & Travel Center. It also has indoor seating.