TOP POLITICAL STORIES
Sikh community begins campaign: ‘Sikh values are American values’
| Fresno Bee |
Sikhs from the central San Joaquin Valley joined Fresno Mayor Lee Brand on Thursday to announce the “We are Sikhs” awareness campaign.
Kern County supervisors set to field battle over PACE financing program
| The Bakersfield Californian |
Tuesday afternoon is likely to get hotter than a solar panel in August inside the Kern County Board of Supervisors chambers
The Assembly is deliberately misinterpreting California’s t
| Los Angeles Times |
Weeks after voters passed Proposition 54, the California Legislature Transparency Act last November, the state Assembly declared its intention to flout one of the key parts of the initiative: the requirement that the final text of a bill be printed and …
California attorney general to Trump: You can’t touch our national …
| Los Angeles Times |
California’s attorney general argued Thursday that President Trump has no legal authority to revoke or modify national monuments created by previous …
Loser challenges vote for California Democratic party chair
San Francisco Chronicle
The ongoing fight between members of the California Democratic Party escalated Thursday, when Richmond resident Kimberly Ellis — who narrowly lost a race to chair the party — filed a formal challenge to contest last month’s results.
California Democrats worry that infighting will distract party leaders from taking on Trump
| Los Angeles Times |
Top California Democrats worry that the escalating feud over the outcome of the state party’s selection of a new leader may fracture the membership and undercut the state’s emerging role as the nation’s political counterweight to the policies of …
Hanson: In praise of controversial California Rep. Devin Nunes
| The Mercury News |
All three are currently represented by Portuguese-Americans from farming families and from both parties: Nunes (22nd District); my own representative, David Valadao (Republican, 21st District); and Rep. Jim Costa (Democrat, 16th District). All three …
Kamala Harris raises political profile at Comey hearing, but gets few answers
| Los Angeles Times |
Sen. Kamala Harris of California pressed James B. Comey on Thursday to reveal whether Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions played any inappropriate role in the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election. But her interrogation …
Trump hearings launch Kamala Harris
| Politico |
The first-term California senator often described as risk-averse and overly cautious appears to be eagerly shedding that profile and embracing a role as one of the Senate’s fiercest critics of the Trump administration. … But she also acknowledged …
Interpreting the Meaning of “Hope” at the Comey Hearing—Harris has her Say
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
A crucial question unresolved in yesterday’s dramatic testimony by former FBI Director James Comey before the Senate Intelligence Committee is this: Did President Trump direct Comey to drop the investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael …
Uber’s miserable week; Kamala Harris steps onto a big stage
| Sacramento Bee |
California’s Republican repres
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom visits Santa Barbara voters
| KEYT |
Students shared their concerns about the controversy surrounding University of California Regents’ finance
Sen. Josh Newman’s recall battle gets nasty
OC Register
Facing a Republican-fueled recall drive, state Sen. Josh Newman has decided to sling some mud: A new mailer from his campaign misleadingly implies there’s evidence the recall leader sexual harassed former aides.
EDITORIALS
California’s senators stood out during the Comey hearing, for different reasons
Fresno Bee
Kamala Harris introduced herself to a worldwide audience as a former prosecutor and attorney general. Dianne Feinstein used her experience to elicit the quote of the hearing. “Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” James Comey said of his meetings with President Donald Trump.
Comey comes across as telling truth to power
Modesto Bee
Kamala Harris introduced herself to a worldwide audience as a former prosecutor and attorney general. Dianne Feinstein used her experience to elicit the quote of the hearing. “Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” James Comey said of his meetings with President Donald Trump.
Our View: Hits & Misses: Salas’ bill chips away more at valley fever scourge
| The Bakersfield Californian |
HIT: Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, made points among many of his 32nd District constituents back in April when he voted against a bill to increase gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees to fund road repairs and transit improvements.
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AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Kings County Business: Hanford forum will discuss dairy biogas plan
| Hanford Sentinel |
California Division of Food & Agriculture will soon award between $29 million and $36 million for the installation of dairy digesters in California, which, they say, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Existing milk producers and dairy digester …
Weather could complicate rebound for California prune crop
| Capital Press |
A sense of nervous optimism prevails in California’s prune industry as this year’s yields are expected to rebound from the weather-impacted short crop of 2016. This year’s prune crop is forecast at 105,000 tons, more than double the 51,000 tons that …
Cannabis in California urged to get serious — by doing the boring things other businesses do every day
| The San Diego Union-Tribune |
A representative from the California Agricultural LaborRelations Board was at Thursday’s meeting and said if cultivators and growers of marijuana with 20 or more employees want to receive a license from the state they must sign what’s called a “labor …
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PUBLIC SAFETY
$103 Million in Prison Savings Awarded to 23 California Cities, Counties
| KQED |
California for the first time is creating a treatment and prevention infrastructure that millions of Californians have wanted and needed for generations.
Less on prisons, more on prevention? California starts the shift
| Sacramento Bee |
“The first thing the ballot initiative did was change the penalty for six low-level crimes, and then the subsequent savings it generated in the state prison budget as a result of those penalty changes would be reallocated to prevention treatments …
Crime Q&A: How many California prison inmates are sentenced to life without parole?
| Sacramento Bee |
Q: I know there are over 700 people on death row in California. What is the number of people in (prison) for life with no parole?
LA to receive $36 million for programs to keep people out of jail
| 89.3 KPCC |
Nearly $36 million will flow into L.A. County to fight recidivismover the next few years—money all saved by sending fewer people to prison for drug and property crimes.
CA Police Chiefs Association reacts to viral video of emotional police encounter
| ABC10 |
“I agree that she should not have to feel afraid, and I think it is incumbent upon us as law enforcement professionals to help change the narrative that exists today related to policing in California and policing in America,” said Chief Swing who …
How Prison Kitchens Feed Inmates For About One Dollar Per Meal …
| L.A. Weekly |
With just $3.32 per prisoner, per day, Willie Harris and the kitchen crew at Chino men’s prison cook meals with a heavy reliance on garlic powder and…
EDUCATION
UC Irvine’s rare distinction: It’s an elite research university that’s a haven for Latinos
| Los Angeles Times |
For most of her life, Angela Vera never imagined herself at the University of California. She grew up in a low-income Santa Ana neighborhood, the daughter of a Mexico-born carpenter with second-grade schooling who stressed the value of education but …
EDUCATION ROUNDUP: KHSD graduation, college-readiness rates climbing
| The Bakersfield Californian |
Roughly 87 percent of KHSD students graduated in 2016 – a 6 percentage point increase over 2010 – and roughly 4 percentage points higher than the state average, according to California Department of Education data. Roughly 34 percent of all of KHSD’s …
Advocates of 3-year teacher tenure face big decision
| EdSource |
But the California Teachers Association, which fought the original and current version of the bill, countered that a longer probation would discourage people who are thinking about teaching, and that two years is enough time on which to judge a teacher …
Cal State Fullerton expert: Tirade at OCC sparks debate on discourse
| OCRegister |
The Los Angeles Times called the incident “a visual illustration of the academy’s decline from a place of learning to a victimology hothouse.
The University of California Doesn’t Need Fixing
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
For more than 50 years, under California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, UC has been the linchpin of the finest public higher education system in the world. One of the things that has made UC work so well is its independence from political command …
Pro-charter majority to take power on Los Angeles school board
| Washington Post |
In another sign of the intensity of the conflict, the Parent Teacher Alliance – a PAC supported by the California Charter Schools Association – sent out mailers that superimposed the face of Zimmer in the gunner’s hatch of a tank in an effort to …
Want to teach science or special ed? California may soon have a scholarship for you
| 89.3 KPCC |
Members of the California Assembly recently approved the creation of a grant program that would offer $20,000 scholarships to prospective teachers who promise to teach science, technology, engineering, math, bilingual education or special education in …
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
‘Feinstein says Trump decision on climate accord means surrendering world leadership
| Fresno Bee | – Jun 1, 2017 |
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U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California’s senior Democrat from San Francisco, told a Fresno audience Thursday that President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord was “a huge and reckless choice” that will diminish America’s global …
Can California really hit a 100% renewable energy target?
| The San Diego Union-Tribune |
Rob Nikolewski talks to Fox 5 San Diego about a bill in the Legislature that calls for a dramatic next step, getting the state’s electricity grid to go to 100% renewable energy sources by the year 2045. Rob Nikolewski Contact Reporter. California takes …
Sucking Up to China Is Unseemly, Even on Climate Change
| Fox and Hounds Daily |
I understand the impulse of Gov. Brown and leading Democrats to stick it to President Trump. Our so-called president has lied so often about California that he deserves to be on the business end of a never-ending counterattack.
Calif. governor travels to China to spur more investment in renewable energy
CBS
When President Trumppulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord last week, California Governor Jerry Brown saw an opportunity to go green — in China.
Essential California: Oh my smog! California forges ahead with ozone-cutting measures
| Los Angeles Times |
You may recall the nasty fight at the California state Democratic convention last month. Kimberly Ellis, a progressive Bay Area Democrat who tapped into a wellspring of disaffected Bernie Sanders backers, continues to blame her narrow loss on voting …
What price are Californians paying to fight climate change?
| Sacramento Bee |
Californians pay about 15 cents a gallon extra at the pump to fight climate change. Here’s what they’re getting for their money: continued progress in the effort to curb carbon.
As Trump’s EPA delays smog rules, California vows to forge ahead
| Los Angeles Times |
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Young cited the “critical public health challenge” of air pollution in Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. He said steps that California regulators are taking to reduce emissions in the freight and transportation sector “will put us on the …
California’s greenhouse gas emissions fall by less than 1%
| SFGate |
The state’s emissions in 2015 dropped just 0.3 percent from the prior year, according to data released Wednesday by the California Air Resources Board. The board’s detailed annual greenhouse gas inventories are issued more than a year after the fact.
While Trump pulls out of climate deals, Jerry Brown signs them
Grist
Chinese President Xi Jinping met this week with a powerful American leader who believes climate change is real and wants to open the economic floodgates for U.S.-China cooperation on green tech.
Opinion: Private lenders use PACE energy program to trap struggling homeowners
| The Mercury News |
Tax bill delinquencies are on the rise in some counties where private party PACE programs have been in effect longer, and where homeowners can’t keep up with the unanticipated rate of debt. To make the program more transparent, and to ensure its long …
Wildland fire threatens Three Rivers. Firefighters have come from around California
| Fresno Bee |
The Dinely Fire near Three Rivers was 35 percent contained and firefighters from around the state are fighting it, a fire captain said Thursday.
FINANCES
Lindsay says yes to 1 cent sales tax increase, allowing more city services
| Fresno Bee |
Voters in Lindsay have overwhelmingly approved Measure O, a proposed sales tax increase of 1 cent per dollar, raising the overall sales tax to 8.75 percent.
Lawmakers, governor face tight deadline for state budget
| Merced Sun-Star |
A budget conference committee voted Thursday to boost spending on social services and expand a tax credit for the working poor. The panel also approved money for 1,500 new University of California students while placing restrictions on the UC Office of …
California lawmakers, governor
| KCRA Sacramento |
A California legislative panel advanced pieces of the state budget Thursday, setting up a vote in the full Legislature ahead of a deadline next week.
State budget plan boosts K-12 spending and fixes Oroville, but how about those tobacco-tax dollars?
| Los Angeles Times |
The budget plan boosts K-12 school funding and provides money for more in-state students attending the University of California and Cal State University systems. It preserves the state’s Middle Class Scholarship program — a concession made by Gov.
Partial California Budget Deal Reached, But Sticking Points Remain
| Capital Public Radio News |
But in a blow to UC leadership, the state will split off the UC president’s office budget from the rest of the system after a scathing audit questioned the university’s spending practices.
California legislative panel advances pieces of state budget
| Washington Times |
Lawmakers, who often complain that Brown is too stingy when it comes to spending on social services, pushed to increase payments for Medi-Cal doctors, boost spending on services for the poor and add more money for higher education. Lawmakers are …
Opinion: Is Jerry Brown’s pension-paydown plan a boon or a boondoggle?
| The Mercury News |
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This plan works by having the state make an extra $6 billion payment to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System using monies not immediately needed for state operations.
State analyst recommends lawmakers create accountability …
| Los Angeles Times |
The California Legislature should develop methods for holding the administration accountable for effectively spending $5.2 billion annu…
State workers will have a new personnel director in Jerry Brown’s last year
| Sacramento Bee |
Gillihan is a familiar face at CalPERS. He’s a member of its board of administration in a seat that’s reserved for the governor’s personnel director
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Denham talks ACCESS Act, doctor shortage in the Central Valley
| The Turlock Journal |
After the introduction of his newest bill to help attract doctors to the Central Valley, Congressman Jeff Denham spoke Wednesday about the importance of addressing the 10th Congressional District’s doctor shortage and future plans to combat the issue …
California’s single-payer healthcare bill is illegal, unworkable and ill informed
| Modesto Bee |
I am a lifelong Democrat who has worked for more than a decade to improve the policies and build the coalitions necessary for the success of the Affordable Care Act.
Uncertainty over federal money could spur Covered California rate …
| 89.3 KPCC |
If the federal government does not clarify by mid-August whether it will continue an important health insurance subsidy for consumers next year, California’s …
One year of legal doctor-assisted suicide in California
| 89.3 KPCC |
The law has sparked important conversations between patients and their doctors that often lead to patients discovering more palliative care options, says Matt Whitaker, Compassion & Choice’s California and Oregon state director. “The fact that this …
IMMIGRATION
Are immigrants tuned in to Becerra’s anti-Trump role?
| Capitol Weekly |
At a recent appearance before the Sacramento Press Club, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra defined his job in simple terms: “Anywhere I have jurisdiction to advance or protect the interests of the people of the state of California, you’ll see …
JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
Fitzgerald: Fighting fire with a hammer
| Stockton Record |
… and staked their livelihood on a small business handled this case with adequate empathy. – Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 ormichaelf@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/fitzgeraldblog and on Twitter@Stocktonopolis.
CalEITC Particularly Benefits Children of Color and Women
California Budget & Policy Center
The California Budget & Policy Center today published a new post from Senior Policy Analyst Sara Kimberlin examining the demographic characteristics of those likely to benefit from the CalEITC, an important support for low-income workers and their families.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Prevailing wage rule for home builders would impoverish California
| Modesto Bee |
While Stanislaus County’s median home price appears to be a relative bargain at $275,000, our county’s home affordability rate (when average income is considered) is only 48 percent.
Lodians tackle city’s homeless dilemma
| Lodi News-Sentinel |
Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear from the Lodi Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans on what those agencies are doing and how the public could help. They also were able to offer ideas in a freeform – and …
Legislature takes on housing affordability
| Sacramento Business Journal |
… overcame funding challenges by tapping state tax… more. Dennis McCoy | Sacramento Business Journal. In about an hour’s time last week, state senators took aim at what’s believed to be the biggest issue now confronting the state’s economy: housing.
TRANSPORTATION
Proposal emerges for a new ‘lion bridge’ for Modesto
| Modesto Bee |
Dave Leamon, deputy public works director for Stanislaus County, said there’s no money in the budget for purchasing art or putting artwork on the new structure that will replace the 101-year-old Seventh Street Bridge over the Tuolumne River.
Overview of the 2017 Transportation Funding Package
Legislative Analyst’s Office
Provides a brief background on the state’s transportation system, describes the major features of the transportation funding package contained in the Road Repair and Accountability Act (SB 1), and discusses issues for the Legislature to consider moving forward.
If you don’t like California’s gas tax increase, you’re not alone
| Sacramento Bee |
An early indicator for how the gas tax could play out in next year’s legislative elections is the pending recall effort of Democratic Sen. Josh Newman in Southern California. Newman, a freshman lawmaker who supported the tax hike despite winning by …
Poll: Road Repair Law Could Be Political Liability for California Democrats
| KQED |
California’s new transportation infrastructure fix, paid for by an increase in the state’s gas tax, is opposed by a strong majority of voters in the state. … The findings could prove troublesome for Democrats in the legislature running for re …
California Transportation Commission brings together state and locals for road maintenance and Rehabilitation …
| East Valley Times |
Sacramento, CA – Today, The California Transportation Commission (Commission) began two days of workshops and meetings aimed at answering questions related to the implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act.
Caltrans to motorists: Secure loads before traveling
| Lodi News-Sentinel |
Transporting unsecured loads is unsafe, illegal, and pollutes California’s roads and waterways, according to the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans wants motorists and commercial vehicle operators to make sure their load is secure before …
WATER
5 things to know about the Oroville Dam
| Sacramento Bee |
… provides about half the total power produced by the State Water Project’s eight hydroelectric facilities. 5. It’s one of California’s seven wonders of engineering. The California Society of Professional Engineers bestowed the honor on the dam in 1967.
Snowmelt may mean increased thrills, danger on NorCal rivers this summer
| KTVU San Francisco |
(KTVU) – The record Sierra snowpack led to some great ski days just a few months ago. But with the snowmelt already underway, the excitement has shifted from the slopes to the rivers.
Are You Ready For Recycled Water?
| KEYT |
The South Coast – and much of California – has exceeded the limits of reservoirs and wells, the traditional supply options of the 20th century.
It rained today. Is that normal?
| Sacramento Bee |
Yes, a cold rainy day in Sacramento in June is unusual. But hardly unprecedented. The mild storm that greeted morning commuters Thursday was the first June rainfall in Sacramento in two years, when two days of wet weather briefly interrupted the drought.
Yes, it’s happening. California gets snow and rain in June
| SFGate |
The city will likely see the average rainfall for June, which is sixteen one-hundredths of an inch, in one day. Urban areas in the North Bay will get up to a quarter of an inch and higher elevations a half-inch.
California Today: A Fight Over Water in the Mojave
| New York Times |
Environmental groups and some lawmakers, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, have warned that the Cadiz plan could wipe out springs that sustain desert plants and wildlife.