POLICY & POLITICS
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North SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● 50,000 Stanislaus County residents skipped their 2nd COVID shot. Are they protected? Modesto Bee
Independence Day celebrations are back in Modesto area. Here is where, when to find them
Modesto Bee
American independence will get its day in 2021. This year, revelers can find events as well as fireworks displays. Because July 4 falls on a Sunday, festivities are set for the day before, except in Columbia.
See also:
● Fireworks, food and fun: Your July 4 celebration guide for Northern California Sacramento Bee
Central SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Positive cases in Central Valley for Delta variant worry health officials Business Journal
Fresno City Council Passes ‘Unprecedented’ Budget; Emphasis on Improvement Projects, Public Safety
Valley Public Radio
Fresno City leaders voted to adopt a $1.4 billion budget Thursday, which some called ‘historic’ for its focus on community improvements in underserved areas of Fresno.
‘Absolute disgrace.’ Fresno begins inspection at Trails End Mobile Home Park
Fresno Bee
Around 30 Fresno firefighters, code enforcement inspectors and police were at the Trails End Mobile Home Park on Monday morning to begin inspecting the park where two recent fires destroyed five homes, killed one person and hospitalized two others.
Who will it be? Four applicants for open City Council position
Porterville Recorder
Porterville City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. during a special meeting on Tuesday to interview four candidates who have submitted applications to serve on the Council representing District 1.
South SJ Valley:
COVID Update:
● Kern Public Health reports 101 new coronavirus cases, 1 death Monday Bakersfield Californian
Kern County grapples with challenging budget yet again
Bakersfield Californian
Despite a growing deficit, Kern County plans to maintain many of its services over the next fiscal year.
State:
COVID Update:
● ‘Long COVID’ is a risk for the unvaccinated. What you need to know Los Angeles Times
● L.A. County urges everyone to wear masks indoors as Delta variant spreads Los Angeles Times
● The new ‘Delta-plus’ coronavirus variant has been identified. What does that mean? Los Angeles Times
California budget flush with surplus, stimulus checks and homeless aid up for votes today
Fresno Bee
California lawmakers plan to pass a 2021 state budget that reflects a partial deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom on most key issues, including $8 billion in stimulus checks for middle-income Californians and expanded funding for homeless aid.
See also:
● California lawmakers send Gavin Newsom budget flush with surplus, $600 stimulus checks Sacramento Bee
● Five Things To Know About Newsom’s Budget Deal With Legislature Capital Public Radio
● Five things to know about Newsom’s budget deal with Legislature CalMatters
● Some disabled Californians feel abandoned by Newsom’s Golden State Stimulus CalMatters
● Asm Fong: Proposed budget doesn’t do justice to water storage CalMatters
California Democrats again seek to alter recall laws
Fresno Bee
Four years ago, California Democrats altered the state’s recall laws in part to slow down the process and try to aid a state senator facing a removal vote over his support for increasing the gas tax.
See also:
● GOP’s Cox: California should force homeless into treatment Fresno Bee
● California Democrats move to change election rules ahead of Gavin Newsom recall Fresno Bee
● California Democrats again seek to alter recall laws, this time speeding things up Visalia Times Delta
● Newsom Sues Elections Chief to Get Party Preference on Recall Ballot Courthouse News
● California Democrats again seek to alter recall laws AP News
California has banned state-funded travel to 17 states over LGBTQ laws. Here’s the full list
Fresno Bee
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday he’s banning taxpayer-funded travel to five more states under a California law that calls on his office to act when another state adopts measures viewed as discriminatory against gay and transgender people.
See also:
● California bans state travel to Florida, 4 other states in response to transgender laws Fresno Bee
● California bans state travel to Florida, 4 other states due to discriminatory LGBTQ+ laws abc30
● LGBTQ rights: California adds 5 more states to travel ban including Florida; list now at 17 Visalia Times Delta
● California bans government travel to states with laws deemed discriminatory to LGBTQ people Los Angeles Times
California still highly segregated by race despite growing diversity, research shows
Los Angeles Times
Even as Los Angeles and other American cities have become more racially diverse over the last few decades, segregation and the inequities that go along with it have changed little, according to new research from UC Berkeley.
See also:
● California's white population dropped 3% in 4 years with declining birth rates and increased mortality San Francisco Chronicle
● All recent US population growth comes from people of color, new census estimates show Brookings
Online activism is spilling into the streets of Southern California, sparking a post-Trump movement
Washington Post
A week before California reopened its economy, a group of 100 or so demonstrators gathered in front of the Orange County Board of Supervisors here to decry lingering mask mandates and other health restrictions.
Federal:
COVID Update:
● White House Working On Vaccinating The ‘Movable Middle’ Capital Public Radio
● Covid-19 Contact Tracers Race Against Delta Variant in the U.S. Wall Street Journal
● mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were tested in humans, have proven to be safe, effective Politifact
● Opinion: Vaccine passports underscore the necessity of U.S. privacy legislation Brookings
As Biden reassures moderates on infrastructure, progressives worry
Los Angeles Times
It was the image progressives most feared last year as Joe Biden clinched the long 2020 Democratic primary.
See also:
● ‘It’s a daydream:’ Questions emerge about financing plans for bipartisan infrastructure deal Washington Post
● Biden to Highlight Infrastructure Deal’s Roads and Bridges, Not Legislative Path Wall Street Journal
● Opinion: Joe Biden and Congress make wasteful proposals for closing the digital divide AEI
Biden proposal could be the answer to Social Security disability benefit woes
Roll Call
The announcement that President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2022 budget proposal would provide a 9.7 percent increase, or $1.3 billion, in funding to the Social Security Administration is certainly a promising step toward a return to post-pandemic normalcy.
Opinion: The Biden administration and Congress have a chance to tame Big Tech
Washington Post
Earlier this month, President Biden appointed Lina Khan to chair the Federal Trade Commission, the agency tasked with protecting consumers and promoting competition.
Pelosi Discloses Details of Planned Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Committee
Wall Street Journal
Speaker will appoint the chair and 13 members, with five in consultation with Republicans
See also:
● Is a select congressional committee the next best option for probing Jan. 6? Politifact
● Spending bill report would overhaul Capitol Police Roll Call
House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Boost Scientific Competitiveness, Following Senate
Wall Street Journal
The two chambers will now have to negotiate a final version of the legislation before President Biden can sign it into law
Other:
US ranks last among 46 countries in trust in media, Reuters Institute report finds
Poynter
The United States ranks last in media trust — at 29% — among 92,000 news consumers surveyed in 46 countries, a report released Wednesday found. That’s worse than Poland, worse than the Philippines, worse than Peru. (Finland leads at 65%.)
1/4 of Americans qualify as highly 'right-wing authoritarian,' new poll finds
Business Insider
More than one quarter of Americans qualify as having right-wing authoritarian political beliefs, according to new polling by Morning Consult.
Eugene Robinson: The cold truth about Republicans’ hot air over critical race theory
Washington Post
Republicans’ hissy fit over critical race theory is nothing more than an attempt to rally the party’s overwhelmingly White base by denying documented history and uncomfortable truth.
See also:
· Op-Ed: Stop gaslighting parents on critical race theory AEI
Paul Krugman: What Underlies the G.O.P. Commitment to Ignorance?
New York Times
As everyone knows, leftists hate America’s military. Recently, a prominent left-wing media figure attacked Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declaring, “He’s not just a pig, he’s stupid.”
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
How Does Cannabis Cultivation Affect California’s Water?
PPIC
The number of cannabis farms in California has grown dramatically in recent years. How is this affecting the state’s water?
It’s Some of America’s Richest Farmland. But What Is It Without Water?
New York Times
A California farmer decides it makes better business sense to sell his water than to grow rice. An almond farmer considers uprooting his trees to put up solar panels. Drought is transforming the state, with broad consequences for the food supply.
See also:
● Growers, experts say convention wisdom around drought is flawed Business Journal
The land was worth millions. A Big Ag corporation sold it to Sonny Perdue’s company for $250,000.
Washington Post
In February 2017, weeks after President Donald Trump selected him to be agriculture secretary, Perdue’s company bought a small grain plant in South Carolina from one of the biggest agricultural corporations in America.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
How much can illegal fireworks cost you in Stanislaus County? Here are the fines in each city
Modesto Bee
With Independence Day festivities approaching, city officials throughout Stanislaus County are reminding residents of the dangers and costs of lighting up illegal fireworks.
Thousands of Prisoners Were Sent Home Because of Covid. They Don’t Want to Go Back.
New York Times
Criminal justice advocates say the pandemic offers a case study for a different type of punitive system in America, one that relies far less on incarceration.
Public Safety:
‘Should not happen.’ Fresno police chief urges gun safety after two children shot separately
Fresno Bee
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama on Monday called for parents to take gun safety measures seriously after one child died and a second was wounded when they got hold of firearms in separate in-home shooting incidents over the weekend.
See also:
● Fresno police chief offers free gun locks for owners, starting tomorrow Fresno Bee
Fire:
Roads reopen after firefighters bring Vulcan Fire in Fresno County to 50% containment
Fresno Bee
Firefighters working overnight brought the Vulcan Fire burning along Friant Roadnorth of Fresno to 50% containment Monday morning. Roadways closed for the firefighting effort were reopened.
See also:
● Vulcan Fire: Flames burning near Friant Road 145 acres, 50% contained abc30
District urges Valley residents to celebrate fourth safely
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Air District officials are cautioning Valley residents that personal fireworks emit high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health effects. Individuals most at-risk are small children, the elderly and people with existing respiratory conditions.
Walters: Newsom wildfire prevention claims undercut his credibility again
CalMatters
Gavin Newsom’s penchant for extravagant — and ultimately false — promises, predictions and claims of achievement makes him his own worst enemy.
California firefighter pay cuts on track to end this week as union works on new contract
Sacramento Bee
Cal Fire firefighters next month are on track to get full paychecks for the first time in a year when temporary wage reductions their union accepted last year expire.
See also:
· These are the hotshot firefighters leading attacks against California wildfires. And they're quitting CNN
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
Los Angeles Times
As a child growing up in the rugged Rust Belt city of Rockford, Ill., Michelle Youngblood loved to make sketches of dresses and outfits. After high school she went to design school in Chicago.
International Tourist Drought Hits Some States Hard
Pew Trusts
Beaches, hotels and casinos nationwide are filling up again as COVID-19 vaccination rates climb and closure orders lift. But the surge in summer tourism is being driven almost entirely by U.S. residents.
Americans’ Hunger for the World’s Goods Drives Global Recovery
Wall Street Journal
Pent-up U.S. demand, fed by federal stimulus and pandemic-sparked savings, fuels growth abroad
Are rising US interest rates destabilizing for emerging market economies?
AEI
Rising U.S. interest rates are often thought to be bad news for emerging market economies (EMEs). However, on other occasions EMEs weathered rising U.S. rates with few difficulties.
How does the government measure inflation?
Brookings
Inflation refers to changes over time in the overall level of prices of goods and services throughout the economy. The government measures inflation by comparing the current prices of a set of goods and services to previous prices.
Jobs:
Here’s why Modesto City Schools is hiring for more positions this year
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County school districts are hiring for a number of positions for the coming school year. Some deadlines are as early as this week. The openings are due to a combination of staff retirements and state and federal funding to provide additional positions.
America’s workers are exhausted and burned out — and some employers are taking notice
Washington Post
Meg Trowbridge’s plans for the week are pretty simple. She’ll take long, meandering walks and explore some new parks and visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for the first time since 2019 — all on company time.
EDUCATION
K-12:
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.
Here’s why Modesto City Schools is hiring for more positions this year
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County school districts are hiring for a number of positions for the coming school year. Some deadlines are as early as this week. The openings are due to a combination of staff retirements and state and federal funding to provide additional positions.
School districts: Academic standards dipped with distance learning
Bakersfield Californian
Talk to any teacher, student or parent, and they will tell you distance learning and other chaos wrought by the pandemic took the focus away from academics. But data is beginning to trickle in for the last school year that demonstrates just that.
Special ed and high-needs students get windfall in budget deal
CalMatters
A historic boost in state funding will allow educators to make investments in high needs students, special education and early childhood education.
School Choice Movement Celebrates Its ‘Best Year Ever’ Amid Pandemic
Pew Trusts
School choice advocates now are working to protect this year’s gains and are gearing up for battles in other states next session.
Transgender student wins bathroom battle after Supreme Court rejects school's appeal
abc30
A transgender man from Virginia has won a years-long legal battle against his former high school over its refusal to let him use boys' bathrooms when he was a student.
See also:
● In win for transgender student, Supreme Court refuses to hear case on bathroom ban Los Angeles Times
● Supreme Court Declines to Consider Transgender Bathroom Case Wall Street Journal
Higher Ed:
Fresno-area college criticized over hiring white chancellor. Here’s what she says
Fresno Bee
As West Hills Community College looks to fill two president positions at its campuses, western Fresno County leaders are urging the district to appoint leaders who represent the population — a majority of whom are Mexican and Mexican American.
California budget proposes $10 million for UC Merced. Here’s what the money will go toward
Merced Sun-Star
Over $10 million in state dollars is anticipated to be set aside for UC Merced this fiscal year, according to a California budget report released last week.
California wants to make more space for in-state students at top UC campuses. Here’s how
Fresno Bee
California wants to invest $180 million to increase the enrollment of in-state students at the University of California and California State University by more than 15,000, under a budget proposal released last week.
Students sue over California university’s COVID vaccine mandate, saying shots could harm them
Sacramento Bee
Three California State University, Chico, students who have recovered from COVID-19 are suing the school, saying the California State University system’s requirement that they receive a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to class in the fall places them at risk of dying.
NCAA Division I Council recommends allowing athletes to profit off name, image and likeness
Washington Post
The NCAA’s Division I Council recommended that the organization cease its long-held amateurism rules regarding name, image and likeness rights, a shift in long-standing policies that prohibited college athletes from benefiting financially from their talents and fame.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
'California is now in a new climate:' Stanford scientist explains state's heat wave, dry conditions
abc30
A record heat wave in the Pacific Northwest is serving as a sign for California firefighters of what's to come this fire season.
See also:
● Editorial: Record-setting heat wave shows that climate change is creating hell on Earth Los Angeles Times
Oil bankruptcies leave environmental cleanup bills to California taxpayers
Desert Sun
Randeep Singh Grewal built a fossil fuel empire around his Greka group of companies. Now, taxpayers are paying millions to clean up Rincon Island.
California just OK'd a massive new build-out of renewables and clean storage
Canary Media
A plan to replace the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant with 11.5 GW of zero-carbon capacity — and no natural gas — will test the grid value of renewables and batteries.
Factbox: Lifetime carbon emissions of electric vehicles vs gasoline cars
Reuters
Reuters analyzed data generated by an Argonne National Laboratory model to determine at what point a typical electric vehicle (EV) becomes cleaner than an equivalent gasoline car in terms of its lifetime carbon footprint.
Energy:
Californians urged to conserve energy as heat wave rolls in
abc30
The extreme heat has the state's electricity manager warning residents that the power system may be stressed with so many people running their air conditioning.
The grid’s big looming problem: Getting power to where it’s needed
Washington Post
In the punishing heat wave that has struck the Pacific Northwest, about 17,000 electricity customers were without power Monday evening. Nearly 20,000 more were in blackouts in Idaho, Oregon, California and Nevada.
Democrats in Oil Country Worried by Party’s Natural-Gas Agenda
Wall Street Journal
Progressive agenda has moderates weathering Republican attack ads over oil and gas jobs
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
District issues health caution due to wildfire smoke impacts
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
The Vulcan Fire in Fresno County and the Shell Fire in Kern County are causing smoke impacts in Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern Counties. In addition, smoke from wildfires in Arizona may begin impacting the southern San Joaquin Valley starting Monday afternoon.
A Hospital Charged More Than $700 For Each Push Of Medicine Through Her IV
VPR
As hospitals disaggregate charges for services once included in an ER visit, a hospitalization or a surgical procedure, there has been a proliferation of newfangled fees to increase billing. In the health field, this is called "unbundling."
Heat stroke or heat exhaustion? How to tell the difference as extreme heat grips US
Sacramento Bee
The historic heat wave hovering over the Pacific Northwest is shattering temperature records like never before, ringing in a torrent of excessive heat warnings in regions unfamiliar with such blistering conditions.
See also:
● How To Stay Safe And Avoid Heat-Related Illnesses As Temperatures Rise Valley Public Radio
Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants?
Capital Public Radio
That depends on a few things — including your personal risk tolerance. The COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be protective against the new virus variants, according to the World Health Organization.
Why Young Adults Are Among the Biggest Barriers to Mass Immunity
New York Times
Bridget Burke, a college student in Michigan, said she was unsettled by rumors that vaccines could affect her reproductive health. Bryson Hardy, a fiber optic cable splicer from Georgia, said he was not worried about contracting the virus and had no plans to get vaccinated.
Human Services:
Lost Hills reaches exceptional vaccination rate with help of The Wonderful Co.
Bakersfield Californian
A sustained effort by one of Kern's largest private employers has helped produce one of the county's highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the remote town of Lost Hills.
Opinion: Child care system needs long-term TLC
CalMatters
Our broken child care system is no longer hidden behind the scenes, blocked by a wall of inequities caused by racism, misogyny and classism. The pandemic made our country face the reality of this broken system and begin to re-imagine it for the better.
Medi-Cal expansion: Some barriers for low-income residents removed
CalMatters
The new budget removes the asset rule that restricted eligibility for older and disabled Californians.
See also:
● Enrollment in Health Insurance Lags Among Latino Children Pew Trusts
Opinion: Vaccine Mandates Are Coming. Good.
New York Times
It would be nice if the United States could reach herd immunity with just vaccination incentives like tickets to ballgames and free beer. Americans don’t like to be told what to do, and public officials would almost always rather hand out cash than have to punish.
IMMIGRATION
Uprooted again: Venezuela migrants cross US border in droves
Fresno Bee
Marianela Rojas huddles in prayer with her fellow migrants, a tearful respite after trudging across a slow-flowing stretch of the Rio Grande and nearly collapsing onto someone's backyard lawn, where, seconds before, she stepped on American soil for the first time.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
EIR for Woodville Landfill on County Board agenda
Porterville Recorder
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors should take quick action at its next meeting to move along the reopening of the Woodville Landfill that will eventually lead to the Teapot Dome Landfill being shut down.
Housing:
‘Absolute disgrace.’ Fresno begins inspection at Trails End Mobile Home Park
Fresno Bee
Around 30 Fresno firefighters, code enforcement inspectors and police were at the Trails End Mobile Home Park on Monday morning to begin inspecting the park where two recent fires destroyed five homes, killed one person and hospitalized two others.
Writer Mark Arax On The History Of Race And Real Estate In Fresno
VPR
Arax has been working to uncover the history that explains how many neighborhoods in Fresno were established. Some of the city's largest developers used restrictive real estate covenants to prevent Armenians and people of color from living in certain neighborhoods.
Home prices in Fresno, Valley push to new all-time records. See what buyers are paying
Fresno Bee
The median price of a single-family home continues to increase in Fresno, as well as across the Valley and California, reaching new all-time records in much of the central San Joaquin Valley.
See also:
● After an astounding rise in home prices, this expert predicts the boom will continue AEI
End to COVID-19 hotel housing for homeless raises worries
Fresno Bee
Everyone on the streets knows “Sir Charles". At a gig this week at the iconic Elbow Room beach bar, he danced with a soda in his hand as the bouncers teased him, the ladies applauded and patrons slipped a few dollars into his tip jar.
California’s Eviction Moratorium Extension: What’s In It For Tenants And Landlords?
Capital Public Radio
California renters, who are still struggling to pay the rent even as the pandemic wanes, will be shielded from eviction through Sept. 30, under a last-minute deal announced Saturday by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders.
See also:
● California set to extend eviction protections, pay 100% of back rent Los Angeles Times
● California bill would extend eviction moratorium to September Business Journal
● As CDC’s Eviction Moratorium Ends, States Prepare for Flood of Cases Pew Trusts
Homeowners Behind on Mortgages to Be Offered Help, U.S. Agency Says
Wall Street Journal
New rules require mortgage lenders to contact the borrowers to assess if they qualify for lower rates or new loan terms
PUBLIC FINANCES
Flush With Federal Cash, States Invest in Their Crowded Parks
Pew Trusts
When the American Rescue Plan dropped more than $6 billion in federal funds into the state’s coffers this year, state leaders saw a chance to finally fix their parks.
Biden proposal could be the answer to Social Security disability benefit woes
Roll Call
The announcement that President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2022 budget proposal would provide a 9.7 percent increase, or $1.3 billion, in funding to the Social Security Administration is certainly a promising step toward a return to post-pandemic normalcy.
Opinion: The GOP Should Love the SALT Deduction
Wall Street Journal
Will Biden seek to repeal the $10,000 cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes? Many conservatives say the SALT cap should remain in place because repeal would primarily aid high-income homes in Democratic states.
TRANSPORTATION
Tehachapi welcomes latest changes to high-speed rail plans
Bakersfield Californian
Tehachapi City Hall, once a leading local critic of California's bullet train project, has tentatively given its blessing to plans released Friday for high-speed rail tracks proposed to connect Bakersfield and Palmdale.
See also:
● High Speed Rail Authority releases final environmental impact report on Bakersfield-Palmdale route KGET NBC 17 Bakersfield
● High-Speed Rail Authority Releases Environmental Impact Report KABC ABC 7 Los Angeles
● California High-Speed Rail Authority marks environmental milestone Progressive Railroading
Gas prices are rising again — and there’s no sign of letting up this summer
Los Angeles Times
After a brief dip, gasoline prices in the U.S. are on the rise again. The U.S. average price for a gallon of gasoline rose 2 ½ cents from last week to $3.09 per gallon Monday, according to the travel and fuel price tracking app GasBuddy.
Car Dealers Are Selling More Vehicles Above the Sticker Price
Wall Street Journal
It’s a seller’s market, but production shortfalls also mean dealerships must manage with lower sales volume.
United Airlines Bets on Post-Pandemic Growth With Its Biggest Ever Jet Order
Wall Street Journal
The airline plans to buy 270 Boeing and Airbus planes as well as retrofitting some of its existing narrowbody fleet.
WATER
An entire California town is without running water — in a heat wave
CalMatters
A rural Central Valley community is without running water during a heat wave, prompting authorities to haul in bottles and jugs of water to more than 700 people in Teviston.
Water shortages: Why some Californians are running out in 2021 and others aren’t
CalMatters
Drought resilience depends on location but also extraordinary engineering — determining which California places are running out of water this year and which remain in good shape.
Asm Fong: Proposed budget doesn’t do justice to water storage
CalMatters
The current agreement provides $258 million for wildfire prevention and response and $3 billion for drought, but lacks any water storage commitment.
Drought woes in dry US west raise July 4 fireworks fears
Business Journal
With a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans on setting off fireworks or begging for caution.
“Xtra”
Modesto mall loses major retailers, gains new restaurant as it awaits Dave & Buster’s
Modesto Bee
The northwest Modesto shopping center has seen a handful of its major brands leave in what we all hope are the waning days of the pandemic, after surviving the open-closed-open again-closed again roller coaster of the last 15 months.