TOP POLITICAL STORIES
California’s 2018 governor’s race is going to be big. Find out who’s in and what’s next
| Los Angeles Times |
“This is a place that embodies the future – ethnically, economically and attitudinally,” said Darry Sragow, a veteran Democratic consultant in Los Angeles who is unaligned in the race.
Longtime Villaraigosa ally Jose Huizar to back his rival John Chiang for California governor
| Los Angeles Times |
State Treasurer John Chiang plans to poke at one of his top gubernatorial rivals Tuesday when he unveils a notable endorsement at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.
California rural areas vote for Trump, then see budget cuts
Merced Sunstar
The Maxwell Public Utility District in Colusa County, California, just northwest of Sacramento, got a $1.28 million loan and a $74,700 grant from the federal government for a water well replacement project in 2015. Last year, President Donald Trump won the county by 13 percentage points. Next year, the money that funded the well could completely dry up.
Taking on Trump, water, the law, the poor and the town
| Sacramento Bee (blog) |
How much do Californians hate Trump? A Public Policy Institute of California poll last week put his approval rating among California voters at an abysmal 27 percent. Worse for Trump and what’s left of the California Republican Party, 82 percent of …
State lawmakers pass bills on housing, immigration, education, cannabis
89.3 KPCC
California lawmakers this week approved hundreds of bills that included addressing the state’s affordable housing shortage, protecting immigrants, altering the teacher tenure process and prohibiting police from enforcing federal marijuana laws that conflict with state law.
Is California’s Legislature ultraliberal? Not so fast
| The Mercury News |
Opponents of the bail-reform legislation warned it would create public safety risks and cause job losses throughout the bail-bonds industry.
California Assembly violated transparency law, its backers say
| Sacramento Bee |
Advocates for a voter-approved transparency measure allege that the California Assembly violated the law this week in votes on more than 90 bills.
Sen. Kamala Harris’ Central Valley rep says he’s here to serve
| The Bakersfield Californian |
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris made a big public appearance in Kern County just over a year ago when she spoke at the United Farm Workers 20th Constitutional Convention in Bakersfield.
Political Road Map: Even before all the votes are counted, California ballot measures can become law
| Los Angeles Times |
It’s a phrase only five words in length, long enshrined in state law but increasingly seen as a civic catastrophe waiting to happen.
Nunes, Valadao to face challenge in 2018 election
| Visalia Times-Delta |
The Republican congressmen representing Tulare County will have challengers in the 2018 election. Andrew Janz, a Fresno prosecutor, will take on Devin Nunes (R-Visalia) for the District 22nd seat while Emilio Huerta, a Bakersfield-area attorney, will …
‘The whole valley is kind of proud of us:’ Lifelong friends from Kern River Valley among students appointed by …
| The Bakersfield Californian |
The pair was nominated by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, this year for admission to, respectively, the U.S.
California’s Local Elected Officials Divided on Top Political & Policy Issues — Except One
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
After pension issues, Independents ranked immigration and water issues in their top three – surprising as Republicans took a much lower interest in immigration (18% lower interest) despite the national conversation among top Republican leaders on the …
Recall effort targets Hanford councilman
Hanford Sentinel
A group of local residents has launched a recall effort against Hanford City Councilman Francisco Ramirez.
Good news, travelers: Your new California driver’s license may be golden in the coming years for airport security
| Los Angeles Times |
“Beginning in January 2018, driver license and ID card applications will have the option to apply for a federal-compliant driver license or ID card,” Artemio Armenta of the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in an email. “We have been moving …
Kimberly Ellis says her request for an independent audit of the vote …
| Los Angeles Times |
Democratic organizer Kimberly Ellis, the candidate who narrowly lost the race to be the next leader of the California Democratic Party,…
‘Shut up, Arthur, you Nazi!’: Trump backer leads the resistance to the resistance in California
| Los Angeles Times |
Schaper is part of the resistance to the resistance, a Californian who delights in upending city council meetings in so-called sanctuary cities and shouting down Democratic politicians.
Reasonable steps for unmet needs
| Stockton Record |
STOCKTON – Rest assured that “City of Unmet Needs” never will appear on any publicist’s list of catchy slogans conjured up to peddle Stockton’s charms to the outside world.
Bill looks to provide more funding for California’s fairs
| The Turlock Journal |
After years of receiving little funding from the state, fairs throughout California may soon have an abundance of income thanks to legislation introduced by Assembly member Adam Gray which was overwhelmingly approved by the State Assemblyon …
What Jeff Jardine found when he cleaned out his desk for the last time
| Modesto Bee (blog) |
I cleaned out my desk this week and found some nice memorabilia. The items represent barely an iota of what I’ve gathered in nearly four decades in journalism and would mean little to anyone else.
Ron Agostini: He started with carbon paper and ended with Facebook
| Modesto Bee |
The end of the Modesto Relays, the event that sent the city’s dateline worldwide for over 60 years, was a personal disappointment.
Maverick CalPERS board member won’t run again
Calpension
CalPERS board member J.J. Jelincic, known for being reprimanded by fellow board members and asking frequent and detailed questions about agenda items, was expected to seek a third four-year term but decided not to run.
U.S. trails most developed countries in voter turnout
Pew Research Center
About 55.7% of the U.S. voting-age population cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election, according to newly released Census Bureau figures – a slight uptick compared with 2012, but less than the record year of 2008 and well below turnout levels typical in most other developed democracies.
EDITORIALS
Want jobs for the ‘forgotten man’? Finish high-speed rail.
Sacramento Bee
Disparaging California’s high-speed rail project as an overpriced boondoggle is a kind of received wisdom by now.
Amazon. Ulta. Who’s next as Brand aims to cut unemployment to 5%?
Fresno Bee
Companies are discovering Fresno, and the region has much to show off – aligned leaders, smart incentives and a workforce eager to get busy.
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AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Fans of Cuties, take note: State is stepping up battle against major citrus pest
| Modesto Bee |
Jerry Brown signed a bill by Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, that earmarks this amount from a fund created mainly by assessments on farmers.
Agriculture is vital
| Valley News |
This week at the San Diego County Farm Bureau’s annual installation and awards celebration in Fallbrook, I was proud to recognize Gary Crouch with an Assembly Resolution honoring him as “Farmer of the Year. … California has long been the nation’s …
California Localities Primed for Legal Recreational Cannabis Use …
| Bloomberg |
Twenty years after approving medical marijuana, Californians come 2018 will be able to consume it for recreational purposes, too, and the localities that have …
California’s ‘Green Rush’ Takes Hmong Back to Their Opium …
| New York Times |
The Trinity Pines area in Trinity County, Calif., part of what is called the Emerald Triangle, where marijuana farms have flourished.
High Times Cannabis Cup gives Wine Country different weekend buzz
San Francisco Chronicle
Northern California’s biggest pot party of the summer drew an estimated 10,000 marijuana fans, friends and family to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday for the High Times Cannabis Cup Nor-Cal— featuring performances by 311 and Bob Marley’s backing band, the Wailers.
Fresno restaurant may have received tuna contaminated with Hepatitis A, FDA says
| Fresno Bee |
Although no illnesses have been reported, the FDA is warning consumers that restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma and California may have received some of the contaminated fish. The High Sierra Grill, 2003 W. Bullard Ave., is one of 17 restaurants in …
Visalia building permits continue downward trend
| Visalia Times-Delta |
Grower and farmworker advocates appear to be on the same page for a change – backing legislation introduced in Congress to approve a new “blue card” for immigrant workers.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY
At $75,560, housing a prisoner in California now costs more than a year at Harvard
Los Angeles Times
That’s enough to cover the annual cost of attending Harvard University and still have plenty left over for pizza and beer.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 includes a record $11.4 billion for the corrections department while also predicting that there will be 11,500 fewer inmates in four years because voters in November approved earlier releases for many inmates.
California high court says menacing hand gestures don’t qualify as criminal threats
| The Mercury News |
SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court ruled in San Francisco today that a menacing nonverbal gesture doesn’t qualify as a criminal threat under state law. The court issued its ruling in the case of a Riverside County man, Mario Gonzalez, who …
California’s top court overturns convictions because prosecutor excluded Latinos from jury
| Los Angeles Times |
The ruling will affect every criminal trial. A violation of the rules, if left unchecked by the trial judge, would require convictions to be overturned, he said
Legislation To Overhaul Bail Reform In California Hits A Hurdle In State Assembly
Jazmine Ulloa @ latimes.com
An ambitious plan to overhaul the bail system in California stalled in the state Assembly late Thursday, facing steep opposition from i…
San Francisco Chronicle
The California Supreme Court hears many high-stakes cases on issues such as individual rights, taxes, and the lawmaking powers of the state and its voters. But it has seldom confronted a case with such potentially dramatic consequences as Tuesday’s hearing on the Proposition 66 death-penalty initiative.
EDUCATION
Why California’s next election will be a tug-of-war on education
Los Angeles Daily News
The future of public education in California has become a tug-of-war between different camps within the Democratic Party. Democrats aligned with organized labor – who dominated local and legislative races for many years — are now facing formidable challenges from Democrats who see overhauling some union rules as a key to improving education.
New report says California is flunking out in producing enough educated adults for the workforce
Los Angeles Times
California received flunking grades in a new report measuring the state’s progress in enrolling high school graduates in college and helping them complete a certificate or degree program
California coalition working to improve public leaders’ role in transforming higher ed
California Forward
Increasing investment in workforce programs will benefit from informed network of regional leaders
75% of black California boys don’t meet state reading standards
| The Mercury News |
Three of four African-American boys in California classrooms failed to meet reading and writing standards on the most recent round of testing, according to data obtained from the state Department of Education and analyzed by CALmatters. (Anda Chu/Bay …
CA promises safe financial aid for undocumented students | The …
| Sacramento Bee |
California lawmakers and educators are encouraging undocumented students to apply for the California Dream Act financial aid despite the current federal …
California call to undocumented students: It’s safe to apply for financial aid
| Sacramento Bee |
California community colleges have not had any immigration policy challenges on their campuses so far, and Oakley said the institution would provide students access to legal representation if detained.
Fresno sixth-grader spells ‘marocain’ to become surprise winner of Scripps National Spelling Bee
| Los Angeles Times |
California’s superintendent of public instruction, Tom Torlakson, excoriated the plan. “I give this budget an ‘F’ grade for failing public school students in California and across the nation,” Torlakson said in a statement.
UC May Struggle to Meet Transfer Requirement
Public Policy Institute of California
Governor Brown’s May budget proposal withholds $50 million from the University of California (UC), which must undertake a series of reforms to restore the funds. One requirement—the result of a deal made during the 2015 budget process—is that UC meet its fall 2017 target of enrolling only two new in-state freshmen for every in-state transfer student, both system wide and at each campus (except Merced).
When California and the UC system fight, the state’s kids and its economy lose
| Los Angeles Times |
Sacramento and the University of California should learn to get along. Gov. Jerry Brown is withholding $50 million from UC in his budget proposal.
Uncertainty for undocumented graduates who aren’t ‘Dreamers’
| San Francisco Chronicle |
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Katharine Gin, executive director of Educators for Fair Consideration, a San Francisco group that helps undocumented students pursue college degrees and careers, said up to 20 percent of undocumented students in four-year California colleges and …
Child care credit, which fell behind inflation, may get boost from California Legislature
| Los Angeles Times |
Besides the higher earnings ceiling, the legislature’s proposed fix would let parents whose incomes rise stay in the program for a year, as long as their earnings didn’t exceed 85% of the state’s median income. The legislature estimates that those …
UC Merced pricier than UCLA? The surprising cost to live on campus
| The Mercury News |
Zach Gamlieli, Berkeley Student Cooperative President, admires one of the many murals decorating the hallways at Casa Zimbabwe in Berkeley, Calif.
Parents say bullying at California elementary school led to son’s suicide attempt
| The Mercury News |
By Beau Yarbrough, Southern California News Group | … COLTON – Parents of a Grand Terrace Elementary School third grader say that unaddressed bullying by another student led to their son attempting to commit suicide. … was severe or pervasive and …
More teachers turning to nonprofits for innovative science lessons
| EdSource |
Stoneman Elementary is one of numerous schools throughout California that are using curriculum provided by science education nonprofits to teach the state’s new Next Generation Science Standards. The lessons provided by Save the Frogs included reading …
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
California Politics Podcast: Gov. Jerry Brown jabs Trump on climate change
| Los Angeles Times |
Republican senators opposed the bill as a threat to the state’s finances. “We don’t have the money to pay for it,” Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto) said. “If we cut every single program and expense from the state budget and redirected that money to this …
Essential Politics: California’s governor acting as climate ambassador just as Trump abandons accord
| Los Angeles Times |
A weekend terrorist attack in London prompted President Trump to renew the call for his travel ban to be reinstated and left Britain grieving but defiant ahead of closely watched elections that could dramatically reshape the country.
Only environmental bills go down to defeat in California Senate’s hectic week
| Sacramento Bee |
TALKING THREATS: Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will be joined by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to speak on national security in an age of highly-publicized terrorism, Russian intervention, Chinese growth, rising populism …
California politics updates: Gov. Jerry Brown goes to China to affirm climate change alliance
| Los Angeles Times |
Republican senators opposed the bill as a threat to the state’s finances. “We don’t have the money to pay for it,” Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto) said. “If we cut every single program and expense from the state budget and redirected that money to this …
Mixed response to Trump’s climate accord decision
| Visalia Times-Delta |
Jerry Brown, the California Manufactures and Technology Association, Mi Familia Vota and Ruben Macareno, a candidate in the 14th State Senate District race. … Macareno is challenging incumbent Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) for the California Senate seat.
Business and Trump’s Paris Climate Agreement Decision
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
The issue of how business will fare, respond to or be affected by President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement received much attention after Trump’s announcement yesterday.
In Fresno Visit, Feinstein Slams Trump Climate Retreat
| Valley Public Radio |
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein used a visit to the Central Valley Thursday to criticize President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.
Upcoming eclipse will darken solar power production in California
| The Mercury News |
Yet, Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, sees the upcoming eclipse as a teachable moment for energy conservation. Why turn on carbon-emitting power plants when millions of Californians could instead switch to …
Is California’s heralded recycling program broken?
Los Angeles Daily News
An industrial conveyor belt rumbles, propelling a production line jam packed with more than enough recycling-bound plastic bottles to make an environmentalist smile.
Stockton and Lemuria: Case Closed
| Stockton Record |
But why? Who does that? Powered, perhaps, by energy from the vortex surrounding Mount Shasta we’ll find answers one day. – Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209)
LOIS HENRY: Drownings prompt questions of whether to close the Kern River to recreation
| The Bakersfield Californian |
… well-deserved reputation as a “mean piece of water.” “Hey, Merle wrote the song,” he said. Contact Californian columnist Lois Henry at 661-395-7373 or lhenry@bakersfield.com. Her work appears on Sundays and Wednesdays; the views expressed are her …
FINANCES
Gov. Brown wants California to borrow from itself to fund employee pensions. Good idea
| Los Angeles Times |
It seems that scarcely a day passes when our politicians aren’t exhorted to run government like a business, or like a couple pondering household finances over the kitchen table. Usually this advice is misguided, since government has vastly different …
Is Corcoran’s sales tax proposal misleading?
| Hanford Sentinel |
Turns out Meik is right about other cities using the same strategy as Corcoran. “You’ll see it in most of the [sales tax increase] measures, and there are hundreds of them,” said Michael Coleman, fiscal policy adviser for the California League of…
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Burr: ‘i Don’t See A Comprehensive Health Care Plan This Year’ – Politico
politico.com
The House bill is widely regarded as too conservative to pass through the Senate, where Republicans can only afford to lose two of their 52 votes, with Vice President Mike Pence voting to break a 50-50 tie. Then the House would have to vote to pass the Senate version or the two bills would need to be reconciled in conference, followed by another vote in each chamber on the final legislation.
California Senate Passes Universal Health Care Bill | The Sacramento Bee
Taryn Luna @ sacbee.com
The go-to source for news on California policy and politics
Universal health care for California: A step closer to reality, but big hurdles remain
| The Bakersfield Californian |
Even with the higher taxes, the study says, some California families could save as much as 9 percent annually on health care and some small businesses, as much as 22 percent (the largest employers might save 1 percent).
California state senators passed a single-payer healthcare bill, but it’s going nowhere fast
| Los Angeles Times |
Lara says Californians currently spend $367 billion each year on healthcare – federal, state and private money. His bill would use that money, eliminating private insurance.
‘Berniecrat’ clout helped single-payer health care bill
| San Francisco Chronicle |
The senator, who asked not to be named because caucus meetings are off the record, said Democrats felt that saying “no” – or even holding off on a vote until the finances were laid out – was not worth crossing the politically powerful California …
Yes, our healthcare system isn’t working — but will single payer …
| Los Angeles Times |
There are template for setting up a successful universal healthcare system that do not involve single payer.
Single-Payer Bill Met With Skepticism On Its Accessibility To Health Care
| Capital Public Radio News |
Supporters and opponents both question how much more accessible health care would become to Californians if signed into law. The California Nurses Association is a lead supporter of a single-payer health care bill. RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of …
Single-payer, Many Taxes :: Fox&hounds
foxandhoundsdaily.com
There are many issues that legislators and California residents have to work through to try and understand the dramatic changes contemplated by the single-payer plan under SB 562. The Los Angeles Times Melanie Mason did a good job of presenting those issues here. When it comes to the numbers associated with the measure they are so large, it might be difficult for residents to grasp.
Rudy Salas valley fever bill advances to the Senate
| Bakersfield Now |
(KBAK/KBFX) – It’s a Kern County killer that took six lives last year, but now millions of dollars may soon go to fighting valley fever.
Right To Die law: Patients struggle to find doctors who will help
| The Mercury News |
Amanda Friedland, left, surrounded by friends and family adjusts her friend Betsy Davis’s sash as she lays on a bed during her “Right To Die Party” in Ojai, Calif.
IMMIGRATION
Congress should protect Dreamers with path to citizenship
| Fresno Bee |
In the United States, over 2 million Dreamers are contributing to their local communities, churches and the economy. Immigrants make up 21.8 percent of the population in the Fresno metropolitan region.
CA Legislation to Repeal Anti-Immigrant Provisions in Prop. 187 Approved by Calif. State Assembly
| California Newswire |
Raul Bocanegra is the Democratic Majority Whip in the California State Assembly. He represents the 39th Assembly District, which includes the Los Angeles communities of Arleta, Granada Hills, Lakeview Terrace, Mission Hills, North Hollywood, Pacoima, …
Villaraigosa: Think immigrants cost California? Check this out
| The Mercury News |
Nearly 40 percent of our state’s full-time workers are immigrants – the highest rate in the nation. In California, foreign-born people account for 60 percent of construction laborers, half of all dentists and childcare workers and a quarter of all …
Why state needs to follow Sacramento’s lead on immigrants
| Sacramento Bee | – Jun 1, 2017 |
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California is home to one of every four immigrants in America. When many are facing threats of deportation, California has a responsibility to uphold the constitutional due process. That is why I am encouraging our Legislature to pass Senate Bill 6.
JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
California Today: How California Helps the US Economy
| New York Times |
After a long and painful recovery, the nation is nearing full employment – and California has played an outsize role. Over the last five years, California has outperformed the nation in just about every important economic metric. Yes, the state is big …
California’s economy will grow, with caveats
| San Francisco Chronicle |
But California’s continued housing shortages, especially in the state’s major cities, are also restricting population growth.
| California Economy Expected to Grow More Slowly
San Francisco Chronicle |
| A new economic forecast from the Center for Business and Policy Research at the University of the Pacific shows the economy continues to grow despite an uncertain policy environment. But California should expect slower growth compared to recent years. Non-farm payroll jobs are expected to increase 1.5 percent over the next year, half the pace of the previous four years. |
Private Attorneys General Act is another burden to California small businesses
| OCRegister |
But what happens when minor compliance or technical errors, like a missed lunch break or misclassified information on a paystub, become multi-million dollar liabilities for small employers? Such is the status quo under California’s Private Attorneys …
Small Business Day and Disgruntled Small Businesses
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
The annual Small Business Day event hits Sacramento today with elected officials recognizing small businesses from their districts.
Amazon. Ulta. Who’s next as Brand aims to cut unemployment to 5%?
| Fresno Bee |
At the rate his team is going, Fresno Mayor Lee Brand might have to raise his job-creation goals. The first-year mayor has said at several public events recently that he wants to bring 10,000 permanent, new jobs to the city.
Amazon bringing 1500-plus jobs to Fresno with planned warehouse
| Modesto Bee |
… the southern edge of Fresno – as its “preferred site” for an 855,000-square-foot warehouse. A development team for the company first approached the city in September 2016.
Do California’s clean energy jobs equal 10 times the nation’s coal …
| PolitiFact |
Democrats in California vowed to take on greater leadership on climate change this week after President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate …
| Why Are So Many Women Dropping Out of the Workforce?
Los Angeles Times |
| For half a century after World War II, women barreled into the job market in numbers that surged higher every year. They drove most of the rise in real household income for decades and boosted the economy’s total output at a time when men were dropping out of the job market. |
LAND USE/HOUSING
Want to live in a tiny house? Clovis has plans for Old Town alleys
| Fresno Bee |
In the city’s long-term plan for downtown, city planners envision tiny houses dotting alleys in the rear portions of underused, sometimes unsightly, lots to refresh the landscape with mother-in-law homes, student housing or rentals.
Housing crisis? What California has is a housing catastrophe
| Sacramento Bee (blog) | \ |
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We do a lot of talking about the housing crisis in this state. But I’m beginning to think the word “crisis” isn’t strong enough to convey just how alarmed every Californian should be that the cost of meeting a basic necessity of life – you know
California Senate Passes Package Of Bills Aiming To Address Housing Crisis
Liam Dillon @ latimes.com
California state senators passed a package of housing legislation Thursday, a bid to spend more on low-income housing as well as make …
Bill to increase affordable lodging on California coast advances in legislature
| 89.3 KPCC |
But a bill that aims to make it easier for low- and middle-income Californians to vacation at the beach is working its way through the state legislature. The bill, AB250, sponsored by Assemblywoman Lorena González Fletcher (D-San Diego), would require …
Right fix for California’s housing crisis
| SFGate |
Legislation passed by the state Senate last week promises to ease California’s housing crisis by the only means likely to succeed over the long run: preventing local governments from needlessly restricting residential construction.
To end the housing crisis, California leaders can’t be afraid to put all options on the table
Los Angeles Times
How do you know that California’s housing problem has hit crisis proportions? When state lawmakers introduce more than 130 bills to try and fix it.
The state’s housing market has long been unaffordable for far too many Californians. But in recent years, the problem has become impossible to ignore.
With some borrowers struggling with a new kind of home-improvement loan, reforms are on the table
Los Angeles Times
Business has been good for contractors whose home-improvement jobs are financed by a new program known as PACE. Lenders eager to fund the program’s energy-efficiency projects offer contractors online tools to manage their business and sign up customers.
Visalia building permits continue downward trend
| Visalia Times-Delta |
Grower and farmworker advocates appear to be on the same page for a change – backing legislation introduced in Congress to approve a new “blue card” for immigrant workers.
TRANSPORTATION
It’s official
| Porterville Recorder |
As part of the festivities, the California Air Resources Board presented the city with a ceremonial check for $9.5 million, which will pay for Porterville to become the first all-electric city transit system in the nation.
California Inc.: Waze carpool app aims to redefine people’s commutes
| Los Angeles Times |
Election day: Los Angeles voters will elect a new congressman this week in a race that has been fueled by money from outside interests.
What you need to know about California’s traffic proposal decriminalizing most tickets
| Los Angeles Times |
California’s court leaders plan to send the Legislature a proposal to make traffic violations civil offenses, removing them from the criminal arena. The plan would protect drivers from possible arrest and massive fines for failing to show up on the …
Southern California schools get $9 million dollars for battery-powered buses
| 89.3KPCC | |
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This fall, some Southern California student will be riding to school on battery-electric powered buses. The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Friday unanimously approved nearly $9 million dollars to buy 33 new battery-electric powered …
Do major downtown businesses want to spend $50 million for a trolley?
| Sacramento Bee |
Sacramento’s planned streetcar line this month faces the first of what may be three make-or-break moments this year – all involving money.
Are ‘smart’ parking meters too smart for us?
| Sacramento Bee |
Are smart parking meters smarter than you and I? The new electronic meters have been around downtown Sacramento for more than a year, and in numerous other cities as well.
WATER
APNewsBreak: Water agencies push bigger role in tunnel plan
| Fresno Bee |
23, 2016, file photo, a sign opposing a proposed tunnel plan to ship water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California is displayed near Freeport, Calif.
California water agencies are seeking a bigger role, aiming to speed …
| Los Angeles Times |
California’s powerful regional water districts are working alongside Gov. Jerry Brown to take on more responsibility for a $15.7-billion twin-tunnel project that …
Oroville Dam repairs could harm tourism. This might help
| Sacramento Bee |
California officials want to accelerate long-awaited improvements to Oroville Dam’s recreational facilities, hoping to compensate for the damage to tourism expected from lengthy repairs to the dam’s flood-control spillways. In a letter to federal …
The Oroville Dam crisis was a good thing for these people
| Sacramento Bee |
That figure is expected to grow to something less than $200 million, said Erin Mellon, spokeswoman of the state Natural Resources Agency. That’s down from an earlier estimate of $274 million. But it doesn’t include the $275 million that Kiewit will …
California gets ready for an epic whitewater rafting season
| The Mercury News |
(Photo courtesy of James Kaiser). It’s a stunning start to an epic white water rafting season – possibly a little too epic.The record-breaking snowpack and high water have prompted a few changes in a rafting world that was grappling with drought just …
Going by the book to create a landscape that’s good for California
| OCRegister |
Many homeowners listened to the clarion calls to conserve water, ripping out more than 170 million square feet of thirsty green lawns during the past eight years, Kent said.
“Xtra”
California State Senate passes bill to extend bar hours – KEYT
| KEYT |
The California state senate passed a bill Wednesday that would allow for bars and restaurants to serve alcohol until 4 a.m..
California Budget & Policy Center
Older adults are one of the many groups facing significant threats to their social and economic well-being from federal policy changes that could be enacted by the Trump Administration and its allies in Congress. Such changes would have a major impact on California given that the state is home to nearly 1 in 9 of all adults age 65 or older in the US.
State senate passes license reform bill
| Manteca Bulletin |
The state legislation, authored by Senator Tom Berryhill, will transition California’s calendar-based fishing license to one that is valid a full 12-months from the date of purchase.
Anglers Applaud Bill To Change California Fishing Licenses
| CBS Sacramento |
Saele is talking about SB 187, proposed by Republican Senator Tom Berryhill (R-Twain Harte), which just passed the California Senate with a unanimous vote. It now goes to the State Assembly for a final vote. If approved, it would make California’s …
Fitz’s Stockton: Stockton’s tough pioneer preacher
| Stockton Record |
Stockton has two memorials to the Rev. Jeremiah King. Each says something about King and about the city. King (1803-83), a founding father of Stockton’s African-American community, spent 50 years in slavery in Georgia.