March 10, 2021

10Mar

 

Maddy Associate Speaker Series: Monday, March 22 from Noon to 1 pm “California's State Auditor: The State Watchdog Reports”

Join us for a discussion about some of the latest State Auditor's reports, including critical analysis of the State's efforts regarding COVID-related unemployment compensation benefits, affordable housing, and climate change. Click here to register with code MA0322.

 

POLICY & POLITICS

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Modesto city clerk sues city, former councilman, alleging mistreatment

Modesto Bee

Modesto’s longtime city clerk is suing the city and a former councilman alleging she was subjected to inappropriate comments and sexual gestures from the councilman while he was in office and retaliation for raising questions about city spending.

 

Stanislaus being stuck in purple means red light on reopening secondary classrooms

Modesto Bee

Remaining stuck in the purple tier, the most restrictive of the state’s COVID-19 risk rating system, has put the brakes on Stanislaus County school districts’ plans to reopen junior high and high schools.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Are rogue dine-in restaurants hampering Fresno’s COVID progress? Here’s what top doctor thinks

Fresno Bee

Fresno County’s progress toward escaping the most stringent tier of COVID-19 business restrictions has slowed in recent weeks, leaving the county lingering at the cusp of progress within California’s color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

 

Fight over police in Fresno schools heats up as political momentum swings against critics

Fresno Bee

Most students and parents want to keep armed police officers on Fresno Unified campuses, according to recent surveys conducted by FUSD and Fresno State, as part of the nearly year-long debate over the use of law enforcement in city schools.

 

Valley hospital allows limited visitation once again

Business Journal

A year of no visitors in hospitals has made for lonely goodbyes and anticlimactic hellos. But since Covid-19 is on the decline, Sierra View Medical Center in Porterville is allowing one visitor in its phase one of reopening to the public.

 

Newsom visits Tulare Co. first time since election

Visalia Times Delta

 It was Newsom's first stop in Tulare County since his election and possibly the first time any governor has visited the unincorporated farmworker community of about 8,500 people. An “Earlimart Strong” sign adored the wall behind him.

 

Sports Complex coming to Kingsburg

Hanford Sentinel

The City of Kingsburg is pleased to announce the public/private partnership with the Safarjian Family Foundation to begin planning for a regional sports complex

 

Here’s why Mayor Jerry Dyer makes $420K – and what he’s paying his top staff in mayor’s office

Fresno Bee

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer is on track to earn nearly $420,000 this year by simultaneously collecting his retirement benefits from his nearly 40 years working for the Fresno Police Department in addition to his mayor’s salary.

 

Warszawski: Fresno man who died in police custody was a victim of state-sanctioned homicide

Fresno Bee

Why is this necessary? Stop suffocating this poor man while telling him he’s fine. Clearly, he’s not. Those were the thoughts that kept echoing through my head while watching bodycam video of Fresno police officers and Fresno County sheriff’s deputies squash the life from Joseph Perez.

 

Shuklian: State of the county is strong

Porterville Recorder

Tulare County Board of Supervisors chair Amy Shuklian saved what she thought was the state of the county toward the end of her address on Tuesday.

See also:

 

Elizabeth Heng announces run for US Senate

abc30

Former candidate for Congress, Elizabeth Heng, is now beginning her campaign for the U.S. Senate. Heng says the coronavirus and misguided policies prevent public schools from educating children and that regulations prevent businesses from staying afloat.

See also:

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

SBDC webinar will provide business relief program updates

Bakersfield Californian

The director of Bakersfield's Small Business Development Center will provide updates on the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic relief initiatives during an hour-long webinar starting at noon Wednesday.

 

Kern supervisors approve mobile clinics for farm workers, new diversity director

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County supervisors approved two mobile vaccination clinics for agriculture workers and created a new diversity director position at a meeting on Tuesday.

See also:

 

Kern County Votes To Greenlight More Than 40,000 Oil And Gas Wells Over Next 15 Years

VPR
The Kern County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a controversial ordinance Monday evening allowing the addition of more than 40,000 oil and gas wells over the next 15 years. The vote took place after supervisors heard 8 hours of public comments.

See also:

 

Bakersfield ranks second in nation for most deadly metropolitan areas for pedestrians

Bakersfield Californian

Our busiest streets and traffic arteries are designed primarily for the convenience of drivers, not the safety of pedestrians. This, according to a nationwide study released Tuesday, is one of the reasons Bakersfield is the second most dangerous metro area in the nation to be a pedestrian.

 

Police respond to vandalism incident at office of Rep. Kevin McCarthy

Bakersfield Californian

Police responded to a vandalism incident that occurred at the office of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, on Monday evening.

 

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

Newsom blasts ‘naysayers and dooms-dayers’ as he touts pandemic progress

CalMatters

With a tradition-busting speech meant to mark the tragedies of the last year while inspiring hope for the future, Gov. Gavin Newsom also worked Tuesday night to shore up support from the Californians who can keep him from being thrown out of office.

See also:

 

Who should pay for pension mistakes? California Legislature could make a change

Sacramento Bee

A proposal aimed at ending surprise pension reductions for California retirees is back, accompanied by old questions over who should be responsible for mistakes that lead to benefit recalculations.

 

Empower 2021: Confronting Racism & Advancing Health Equity

California Budget & Policy Center

Health policy experts and leading advocates will talk about the findings of the Budget Center's new report — Confronting Racism, Overcoming COVID-19 & Advancing Health Equity — and discuss why declaring racism a public health crisis matters amid the pandemic.

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Here's What's In The American Rescue Plan As It Heads Toward Final Passage

VPR
The Senate passed its version of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill on Saturday, paving the way for the plan to be taken up by the House on Tuesday or Wednesday before heading to President Biden's desk for his signature.

See also:

 

Republicans call the COVID-19 relief bill a ‘liberal wish list.’ Democrats are owning that

Los Angeles Times

Republicans call the massive COVID-19 relief package making its way through Congress a “liberal wish list.” Increasingly, Democratic lawmakers and the Biden administration have chosen to own that.

See also:

 

Former Rep. Katie Hill’s lawsuit pits 1st Amendment against revenge-porn law

Los Angeles Times

The publication of private, intimate pictures of former Rep. Katie Hill that drove her to resign from office will be contested in court this week in an argument that pits the 1st Amendment against California’s revenge-porn law.

 

House fast-track process for bipartisan bills threatened

Roll Call

House leaders are discussing how to salvage a bipartisan tradition of fast-tracking bipartisan bills after rank-and-file members in both parties have used procedural tactics in recent weeks to derail their quick consideration.

 

House passes labor overhaul, pitting unions against the filibuster

Politico

The House passed Democrats’ wide-ranging overhaul of labor laws Tuesday, inching President Joe Biden closer to fulfilling a campaign promise and coinciding with Amazon workers’ ongoing push to unionize an Alabama warehouse.

See also:

 

Pension bills have always been bipartisan. Not anymore.

Brookings

After more than a decade of attempts to reach a bipartisan agreement that would prevent 1.5 million retirees from losing their pensions, congressional Democrats finally gave up and decided to do the job themselves.

 

12 Republican state attorneys general sue President Biden over climate change order

USA Today

Twelve states with Republican attorneys general Monday sued President Joe Biden over his first executive order aimed at climate change, alleging he lacked the constitutional authority to implement new rules about greenhouse gases.

 

Editorial: Democrats to States: No New Tax Cuts

Wall Street Journal

Democrats in Congress aren’t satisfied with spending $1.9 trillion to help blue states and union friends. They’ve also launched a sneak attack against conservative states. Read their legislation’s lips: No new state tax cuts.

 

Editorial: The U.S. Needs More Federal Judges

Wall Street Journal

Democrats and Republicans agree the U.S. needs more federal judges to keep up with expanding caseloads. But they haven’t taken action because of partisan differences over when to create them.

 

Other:

 

National Tracking Poll

Morning Consult + Politico

In a new poll, 50% of the country says the nation is on the right track, a level rarely reached in recent years.

 

November 2020 General Election: Latino and Asian-American Vote

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Center for Inclusive Democracy

Latinos and Asian Americans also experienced a significant increase in their eligible voter turnout rate compared to the prior presidential general election. However, this increase

was not as high as the increase seen in turnout for the total population.

 

California’s Youth Vote: November 2020 General Election

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Center for Inclusive Democracy

In the 2020 general election, the youth (age 18-24) eligible turnout was 47.4%, a rate substantially higher than in the previous general election. The 2016 general election saw a 36.6% youth eligible turnout rate. 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, March 14, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "State Legislative Agenda for 2021" - Guests: Asm. Devon Mathis; CA State Sen. Anna Caballero; Asm. Rudy Salas; Asm. Heath Flora. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, March 14, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "State Legislative Response to the Pandemic" - Guests: CA State Sen. Andreas Borgeas; CA State Sen. Anna Caballero; Asm. Rudy Salas. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

For U.S. Farmers, China Is Back and Bigger Than Ever

Wall Street Journal

China is once again the U.S.’s chief customer for agricultural goods, three years after the start of a bruising trade war that prompted American farmers to try to wean themselves off their biggest market.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Bakersfield ranks second in nation for most deadly metropolitan areas for pedestrians

Bakersfield Californian

Our busiest streets and traffic arteries are designed primarily for the convenience of drivers, not the safety of pedestrians. This, according to a nationwide study released Tuesday, is one of the reasons Bakersfield is the second most dangerous metro area in the nation to be a pedestrian.

 

1 in 4 California prison employees got COVID-19. Inmates have herd immunity at 7 sites

Fresno Bee

So many people in California’s prisons have been infected with COVID-19 that at least seven of the institutions have crossed a threshold for herd immunity, a Sacramento Bee review of infection data found.

See also:

 

Fire:

 

Study Finds Wildfire Smoke More Harmful To Humans Than Pollution From Cars

NPR

Tens of millions of Americans experienced at least a day last year shrouded in wildfire smoke. Entire cities were blanketed, in some cases for weeks, as unprecedented wildfires tore across the Western U.S., causing increases in hospitalizations for respiratory emergencies and concerns about people's longer-term health.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

SBDC webinar will provide business relief program updates

Bakersfield Californian

The director of Bakersfield's Small Business Development Center will provide updates on the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic relief initiatives during an hour-long webinar starting at noon Wednesday.

 

Latest Stimulus Package Could Jolt U.S. Growth, Revive Inflation in 2021

Wall Street Journal

The nearly $1.9 trillion relief package heading for House passage Wednesday is projected to help propel the U.S. economy to its fastest annual growth in nearly four decades, reduce poverty and revive inflation.

 

Jobs:

 

California’s unemployment mess explained in 3 minutes

CalMatters

As the pandemic left millions of Californians unemployed, prosecutors say scammers found many ways to defraud the state. The confusion derailed the unemployment system and left many people out of work to fend for themselves.

See also:

 

Amazon’s third-party drivers owed millions in wage theft probe, state says

Orange County Register

California regulators have fined Amazon.com Services and a Santa Ana-based delivery company $6.4 million for failing to pay 718 workers for meal breaks and overtime when their 10-hour shifts ran long.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Nearly a dozen teachers laid off in Fresno’s Central schools following graduation changes

Fresno Bee

Ten full-time teachers in Fresno’s Central Unified School District will be out of a job by the end of the school year. The board voted 5-2 at Tuesday night’s regular meeting to lay off teachers.

 

Fight over police in Fresno schools heats up as political momentum swings against critics

Fresno Bee

Most students and parents want to keep armed police officers on Fresno Unified campuses, according to recent surveys conducted by FUSD and Fresno State, as part of the nearly year-long debate over the use of law enforcement in city schools.

 

Watch: The Fresno Bee Education Lab’s ‘Back to School: Q&A on COVID Safety’

Fresno Bee

Join us as The Fresno Bee’s Education Lab presents “Back to School: Q&A on COVID Safety” — a discussion with teachers and a physician with the county public health department on what parents should know about school reopenings, as well as continued distance learning.

See also:

 

School district acquiring thousands of COVID tests for athletes

Turlock Journal

As Turlock Unified School District prepares for the return of football next week, a robust COVID testing regimen has been adapted so that teams can meet guidelines set forth by the state and remain safe while playing.

 

Stanislaus being stuck in purple means red light on reopening secondary classrooms

Modesto Bee

Remaining stuck in the purple tier, the most restrictive of the state’s COVID-19 risk rating system, has put the brakes on Stanislaus County school districts’ plans to reopen junior high and high schools.

See also:

 

Does Raising High School Graduation Requirements Improve Student Outcomes?

Public Policy Institute of California

The abrupt shift to distance learning at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis exacerbated inequalities in California’s K–12 system and added urgency to an ongoing discussion about the role of high school graduation policy in promoting equitable student outcomes.

 

Stress Topped the Reasons Why Public School Teachers Quit, Even Before COVID-19

Rand Corporation

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has added more stress to an already high-stress profession: American public school teacher. The authors of this report share the results of a new survey of nearly 1,000 former public school teachers and reveal how important stress has been—even more so than pay—to teachers' decisions to leave the profession.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Coronavirus update: Did a California university just turn into a Spring Break hot spot?

Fresno Bee

UC Davis, which is nearing the end of its fourth consecutive quarter of all or mostly all remote classes, is taking a cautious approach to its Spring Break and offering 750 grants to its students to be used for “staycations” in town as an incentive to avoid nonessential travel.

See also:

 

Artificial intelligence meets real friendship: College students are bonding with robots

Los Angeles Times

The responses flowed into the data bank of Billy Chat, a robot that uses artificial intelligence to text. Billy and other “chatbots” were launched at California State University campuses in 2019 to help students stay on track to graduate.

 

Expect College Wait Lists to Be Obnoxiously Long This Year

Wall Street Journal

Their mathematical models to predict which admitted students might accept their offers and enroll as freshmen are proving useless because the coronavirus pandemic threw most traditional elements of the admissions process into disarray.

 

Stimulus bill makes needed fix to student loan safety net

AEI

The stimulus bill, which the Senate passed over the weekend, included a huge change in federal student loan policy.

 

Editorial: More Defenders of Campus Speech

Wall Street Journal

It’s not a sign of good fire management when communities start calling on private firefighters, and it’s not a sign of health in American higher education that organizations devoted to defending academic freedom are proliferating.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

U.S and China Engage, Tentatively, on Climate Change

Wall Street Journal

Washington and Beijing are to co-chair a G-20 study group focusing on climate-related financial risks. It is a cautious step in a low-stakes venue. Still, neither country is eager to take credit for even such a modest initiative, underscoring sensitivities on both sides about any outreach.

 

12 Republican state attorneys general sue President Biden over climate change order

USA Today

Twelve states with Republican attorneys general Monday sued President Joe Biden over his first executive order aimed at climate change, alleging he lacked the constitutional authority to implement new rules about greenhouse gases.

See also:

 

Energy:

 

Kern County Votes To Greenlight More Than 40,000 Oil And Gas Wells Over Next 15 Years

VPR
The Kern County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a controversial ordinance Monday evening allowing the addition of more than 40,000 oil and gas wells over the next 15 years. The vote took place after supervisors heard 8 hours of public comments.

See also:

 

US officials: report on oil and gas sale ban due by summer

Business Journal

The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will deliver an interim report on its suspension of oil and gas sales from federal lands and waters by summer, but officials declined to state how long the moratorium could remain in place.

 

Why Texas had catastrophic blackouts

Brookings

Amid this statewide crisis, seven advisory board members to the state’s grid operator have resigned. How did Texas, a state driven by oil and gas extraction since 1901, end up in this situation?

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Covid-19 Vaccines Targeting Multiple Variants Are in the Works at Moderna, Novavax

Wall Street Journal

Drugmakers are crafting Covid-19 vaccines that would target more than one strain of the virus, hoping to strengthen the immunization campaign against the pathogen as it evolves.

See also:

 

How COVID-19 has impacted young patients at Valley Children's Hospital

abc30

Doctors at Valley Children's Hospital say the start of the year brought with it a spike in COVID-19 cases. Holiday gatherings and winter break were partly to blame.

See also:

 

Human Services:

 

Looking for a COVID vaccine? This site can help find spares — but you’ll need patience

Modesto Bee

In an attempt to rid Americans of the tedious task of refreshing websites for hours on end, a team of 21 medical advisors, technology experts and business people are running a site that matches COVID-19 vaccine providers with leftover doses to people who want one.

See also:

 

Churches, Community Groups Help States Vaccinate Immigrants

PEW

Some cities such as Chicago and states including Maryland and California are enlisting churches and community groups to help vaccinate immigrants. Churches and community groups can approve appointments for people they know are qualified, making the process less intimidating for some immigrants.

 

How the pandemic changed health care, one year later

Roll Call

More than 500,000 American deaths and trillions of taxpayer dollars later, the virus has reshaped the health care landscape for years to come. That system’s shortcomings became painfully obvious as the virus spread, exposing glaring gaps in care for rural and low-income communities, as well as people of color.

 

The Virus Cost Performers Their Work, Then Their Health Coverage

New York Times

As the entertainment industry collapsed during the pandemic, several major health plans made it harder to qualify for insurance. Thousands lost it.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Supreme Court won’t hear Trump immigration case after all

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court won’t weigh in on the legality of a controversial Trump administration policy that allows immigrants to be denied permanent residency over their use of public benefits such as Medicaid or food stamps. The dismissal comes after an agreement by the Biden administration and states and groups challenging the “public charge” rule.

See also:

 

Young Central American Migrants See Biden Era as Chance to Enter U.S.

Wall Street Journal

Across parts of Mexico and Central America, the source of most illegal immigration to the U.S., many would-be migrants don’t follow the ins and outs of U.S. immigration policy. But many agree on one thing: It is probably easier to get in with Mr. Biden than with Mr. Trump.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Sports Complex coming to Kingsburg

Hanford Sentinel

The City of Kingsburg is pleased to announce the public/private partnership with the Safarjian Family Foundation to begin planning for a regional sports complex.

 

How Community Development Financing Can Help Support Healthier Neighborhoods

PEW

Community development efforts generally involve a range of initiatives that affect a neighborhood’s economic, physical, and social environments. They can include building affordable housing, financing small-business development, supporting community organizing, and improving street and neighborhood infrastructure.

 

Housing:

 

California housing crunch: Is the answer to end single-family zoning?

Christian Science Monitor

The history of single-family zoning in America stretches back more than a century to what today ranks as one of the bluest cities in one of the country’s bluest states.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California state worker pay database updated with 2020 wages, overtime

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature reduced most state workers’ pay halfway through the year, when projections showed a budget deficit of $54 billion due to anticipated economic effects of the coronavirus.

 

CalPERS retirees will get a cost of living increase this year. Here’s how much

Sacramento Bee

CalPERS retirees will get a small bump in their pensions this year since the price of consumer goods increased last year despite the coronavirus pandemic.

 

You could see a stimulus check quickly once Biden signs the economic relief act

Sacramento Bee

Millions of Californians are likely to see thousands of dollars in stimulus money by the end of March, if not sooner. A qualifying family of four could get $5,600 in federal stimulus payments, thanks to the new economic relief plan the House is expected to pass as soon as Tuesday. An estimated 80% of Californians should see some stimulus payment.

See also:

 

Up to $3,600-per-child tax credit in stimulus plan could lift millions out of poverty

Modesto Bee

The COVID-19 stimulus bill expected to be signed into law in the coming days includes a Child Tax Credit expansion that experts say could lift millions of children out of poverty.

See also:

 

States Expected Covid-19 to Bring Widespread Tax Shortfalls. It Didn’t Happen.

Wall Street Journal

States have avoided a Great Depression-scale cash crisis. Despite the pandemic’s crushing toll on the economy, total state tax revenues were roughly flat in 2020 from the year before, according to the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

 

Early Warning Systems Can Help States Identify Signs of Fiscal Distress

PEW
By implementing and improving early warning systems, states can proactively identify fiscal weaknesses and provide assistance to their local governments when necessary, potentially helping them avoid fiscal disaster.

See also:

 

How States Can Manage the Challenges of Paying for Natural Disasters

PEW

Ensuring that public funding is available to respond to, recover from, mitigate against, and prepare for these events involves a complex relationship across all levels of government: federal, state, and local.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Caltrans releases California Transportation Plan

Transportation Today

Caltrans released its view of an innovative, sustainable, and integrated transportation system Tuesday in the California Transportation Plan (CTP) 2050.

 

Tesla touts self-driving to consumers. To the DMV, it tells a different tale

Los Angeles Times

For years, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has been telling the public that fully autonomous Teslas are just around the corner, no more than a year or two off. The company has been telling regulators a very different story.

 

Congress weighs propping up a transforming transport system

Roll Call

The COVID-19 pandemic upended virtually every aspect of the transportation industry. Now, one year later, lawmakers tasked with crafting infrastructure policy have to figure out which of those changes will be permanent.  

 

America’s Battery-Powered Car Hopes Ride on Lithium. One Producer Paves the Way.

Wall Street Journal

Lithium is an increasingly crucial material, central to the rechargeable batteries that power cellphones and electric cars. These batteries are becoming a disruptive force in the energy sector as well.

 

WATER

 

TID sets reduced irrigation cap amid historically dry year

Turlock Journal

Local growers serviced by the Turlock Irrigation District will see a 34-inch water cap allotment this irrigation season, set to begin March 18.

 

‘The most basic form of PPE’: 1.6 million households face water shutoffs

CalMatters

In April, the governor issued an executive order that barred water shutoffs for customers who don’t pay their water bills. State leaders are looking for ways to bail out struggling residents and smaller water systems alike, both buckling under $1 billion in water debt statewide.

 

California’s snowpack signals another dry year, prompting calls to save water

The Guardian

California will face another critically dry year, and residents will need to adapt quickly to cope with water shortages and a warmer, drier climate that has helped fuel destructive wildfires.

 

“Xtra”

 

Taco Truck Throwdown is back on Fresno’s calendar. It’s going to be in your neighborhood

Fresno Bee

Rest assured, Fresno taco lovers: After a one-year pandemic-induced hiatus, the Taco Truck Throwdown is back for 2021. And it’s coming to a neighborhood near you.

See also:

 

Raising Cane’s chicken restaurant is coming to a second Valley city. What about Fresno?

Fresno Bee

Popular chain restaurant Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers plans to open a restaurant in Hanford, the first in what could be several locations opening in the Valley.

 

2021 Kids Day Ambassador: Meet Elise Hales. She loves ballet and gymnastics

Fresno Bee

Jennifer and Jason Hales never knew anything was amiss with their daughter, Elise, until a doctor performing a routine checkup heard a clicking sound in her heart. Tests revealed that the 5-year-old had a partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR).

See also:

 

A new home for some of Downtown Fresno's favorite burgers

Business Journal

Desirae Washington, owner of Take 3, is partnering with Arthur Moye, owner of Full Circle Brewing Co., to open her new restaurant, Grumpy Burger Lady’s, inside the brewery’s upcoming location on Fulton Street in the former Zack’s Brewing space.

 

Merced County Fair canceled for second year — but in-person livestock show to resume

Merced Sun-Star

Merced County will spend another summer devoid of a flagship annual community tradition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Merced County Fair is canceled for the second year in a row, a news release confirmed on Tuesday. The 2021 fair had been scheduled for June 9 through 13.

 

Don’t plan your Disneyland trip just yet. Theme park pushes back reopening plans

Modesto Bee

After California officials said amusement parks could reopen starting April 1, Disney is pushing its reopening date back. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement Tuesday that Disneyland will reopen when the time is right, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

See also:

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

                                                     

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