March 15, 2021

15Mar

Vacancy Announcement: Call for Applications in Internal Search - Director of California Water Institute

Fresno State California Water Institute

Applications are invited from full time faculty (tenured, tenure track, full time lecturers) from across Fresno State (all schools and colleges) for the position of Director of the California Water Institute (CWI). The current interim Director intends to retire at the end of summer 2021 and will not be seeking the position.

 

POLICY & POLITICS

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Big jump in homicides underlines Los Banos crime numbers. Overall 2020 crime up by 11%

Merced Sun-Star

If there’s one takeaway from Los Banos’s 2020 crime numbers, it’s that homicides were up — really up. According to the police department’s Part 1 crimes data, which is submitted annually to the California Department of Justice, Los Banos recorded nine homicides in 2020 — a 350% increase from 2019.

 

How Stanislaus’ $832 million in COVID relief helped the county’s smallest businesses

Modesto Bee

With loans ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few million, the program has given out a total of more than $832 million to Stanislaus County businesses, according to data from the Small Business Administration that has been reviewed by The Bee.

See also:

 

How Modesto-area workers are being trained to compete for Bay Area jobs

Modesto Bee

Alejandro Alcazar had worked as a digital marketing coordinator for about a year when he discovered an interest in coding. “I grew really interested in computer programming through messing with our (company) website and learning a lot about data science,” he said.

See also:

 

Want to review how Turlock spends sales tax money? Apply for oversight committee here

Modesto Bee

Turlock residents interested in reviewing Measure A sales tax spending can apply for the Citizens’ Oversight Committee through March 31. The city extended the application period because only eight people have applied for the five-member advisory committee as of last week, acting City Manager Gary Hampton said.

 

Merced County’s The Bus will begin collecting fares from passengers again Monday

Merced Sun-Star

The Bus will begin collecting fares on all if its services starting on Monday, March 15. Fares were suspended in April last year on all fixed-routes and paratransit services to help mitigate COVID-19 exposure by reducing contact between bus operators and passengers.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

New Amazon deal a first-of-its-kind — no incentives, neighborhood buy-in

Business Journal

A settlement agreement advocates call the first-of-its-kind for the area between residents, the City of Fresno and developers will allow a second Amazon warehouse to be built near where a similar development failed several years ago.

 

Think Fresno drivers are bad? You’re right, analysis shows – but are they getting better?

Fresno Bee

The good news about driving in Fresno: According to the latest data on traffic collisions and fatalities, Fresno has become a safer place to drive.

 

Fresno police officer placed on leave after seen with Proud Boys at Tower Theatre protest

Fresno Bee

The Fresno Police Department is investigating one of its own officers after he joined the Proud Boys on Sunday morning to counter protest the sale of the iconic Tower Theatre to a church.

 

How bad is the spike in fentanyl overdoses in Fresno County? Here’s what the data shows

Fresno Bee

Drug overdoses caused by fentanyl in Fresno County more than doubled in 2020 from the year before, reflecting a nationwide surge in deaths attributed to the synthetic opioid, a rise at least partially related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to health officials.

 

Fresno included on list of deadliest pedestrian areas

Business Journal

From 2010 to 2019, there were 235 pedestrian deaths in the City of Fresno, equivalent to 2.4 annual pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people. Fresno has a Pedestrian Danger Index of 149.4.

 

County board approves sheriff’s and corrections reunification

Madera Tribune

The Madera County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve the reunification of the Madera Department of Corrections and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Microsoft Launches Program To Preserve And Protect Local Journalism In Fresno

VPR

Microsoft is piloting a new project to increase and support local news in four cities across the country including Fresno. KVPR was among the newsrooms chosen for the collaboration along with the Fresno Bee, Vida en el Valle and Radio Bilingue.

 

Valley Voices: ‘Police’ and ‘accountability’ rarely go together. Fresno faces major reform challenges

Fresno Bee

Before being sold, rotten produce is removed by a sorting process. But when discussing police malfeasance, we’re assured it’s just “a few bad apples.” Why is this repeated ad nauseum? For police departments, the answer is simple: “bad apples” makes systemic issues look like individual transgressions while evading even facile oversight.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

GOP House Leader McCarthy to introduce resolution calling for Rep. Swalwell's removal from Intelligence Committee

Visalia Times Delta

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plans on introducing a resolution to remove Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee, according to a tweet he posted Friday night.

 

Kern County education community says it's built resiliency through the pandemic

Bakersfield Californian

On March 15, 2020, a joint statement from the Kern County Superintendent of Schools and Kern County Public Health Services made it official: All schools in Kern County would close starting March 18. The statement said the closure was "temporary," but a year later COVID-19 has left a deep imprint on the lives of students and everyone involved in their education.

 

Bakersfield City Council to consider lease agreement for new Greyhound location

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council at its Wednesday night meeting will consider an agreement with Greyhound Lines Inc. for the bus service to lease space at the city-owned Amtrak Station.

 

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

California governor admits mistakes, says recall unjustified

Fresno Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged mistakes in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but insists the recall effort against him has more to do with politics than the public health crisis.

See also:

 

Fact-checking Gavin Newsom’s 2021 State of the State speech

CalMatters

As California’s governor delivered his annual address — this time from Dodger Stadium — the CalMatters reporting team offered the following corrections, clarifications and context.

See also:

 

California teachers could spend more than 12 years on union organizing with new bill

Sacramento Bee

California teachers could take an indefinite leave from the classroom to work on union business without suffering consequences to their pensions under a bill introduced by a state lawmaker.

 

Cheaper Affordable Care Act plans and COBRA coverage benefit Californians under stimulus law

Sacramento Bee

The COVID-19 relief law signed by President Joe Biden will affect all Californians’ health care in some way, but it will be especially helpful to those hard hit by the pandemic.

 

California’s robust budget will get another $26 billion from new COVID-19 stimulus

Los Angeles Times

California’s state budget will receive an additional cash infusion of $26 billion under the COVID-19 relief bill that President Biden signed Thursday, sparking demands for a wide array of new efforts to help those hit hardest by the pandemic.

See also:

 

California would ban boys and girls sections at big retailers under proposed law

Sacramento Bee

The bill would also prohibit the use of signage to indicate whether a particular child care item or toy is for boys or girls. Online retailers with a physical presence in California would be required to label their toy and child care sections in a unisex or gender neutral way.

 

Interview: Gov. Newsom On Vaccine Equity, School Reopenings And Recall Effort

Capital Public Radio

The governor sat down Friday with Marisa Lagos from our partner KQED to talk about the emphasis on targeted ZIP code vaccination sites, schools reopening and the recall.

 

Daylight Saving Time Is Here Again, But California Lawmakers Still Hope To Get Rid Of It

Capital Public Radio

People across the country woke up Sunday morning and set their clocks forward an hour for the start of daylight saving time.

 

Blue Shield CEO says company will improve California’s vaccine system

Mercury News

The CEO of Blue Shield says he thinks his team can help California improve its distribution system by more closely tracking where vaccine is at all times — from when the federal government allocates it to the state to when shots actually go into arms.

 

California activist charged in D.C. Capitol riot is honored by Sacramento GOP group

Sacramento Bee

Jorge Aaron Riley, the Republican activist who is one of three Sacramento-area residents facing charges in the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, was honored this week by the Sacramento Republican Assembly for his long service on the group’s board.

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Biden Sets Goal Of July 4th To 'Mark Independence' From Coronavirus

VPR
President Biden is aiming for the country to begin to find a degree of normalcy and begin to move on from the coronavirus pandemic by the July Fourth holiday, Biden announced in his first prime-time address Thursday night from the White House on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic.

 

Biden’s ‘no-fail mission’: preventing the next pandemic

Fresno Bee

In a White House consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, one of the president’s less visible advisers is driven by the fear that the next outbreak could be even worse.

 

Biden, Harris Promise 'Help Is On The Way' With COVID Relief Package

VPR

President Biden and Vice President Harris spoke at the White House Rose Garden Friday afternoon in a ceremony celebrating the passage of the administration's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package earlier this week.

See also:

 

Biden planning first major tax hike in almost 30 years: report

The Hill

President Biden is reportedly planning the first major hike in federal taxes in almost 30 years to fund the economic program set to follow the recently approved $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package.

See also:

 

Biden’s sweeping ambitions delight liberals — but pose political risks for his party

Washington Post

If President Biden gets his way, the national minimum wage will be $15 an hour, immigrants without legal status will receive an eight-year path to citizenship, firearms will be harder to purchase, votes will be easier to cast and Americans will head back to work in 10 million new clean-energy jobs.

See also:

 

Pelosi pledges swift work on major infrastructure package

Los Angeles Times

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday pledged swift work by Congress on a jobs and infrastructure package that she said would be “fiscally sound” but acknowledged she wasn’t sure whether the next major item on President Biden’s agenda would attract Republican backing.

 

This California Democrat's survival in 2020 could provide a road map for party in Congress

San Francisco Chronicle

Harder, 34, and those who know him credit his success to focusing on issues that matter to his district and efforts at bipartisanship. Democrats hope he can serve as a model for their candidates in next year’s midterms, which historically are rough for the president’s party.

 

Biden Viewed Positively on Many Issues, but Public Is Less Confident He Can Unify Country

Pew Research Center

A little less than two months into his presidency, Joe Biden has a positive job approval rating and draws confidence from majorities of the public on his ability to handle a range of issues, especially the coronavirus outbreak.

 

Poll: 81 percent of Republican voters hold favorable view of Trump

The Hill

The vast majority of Republican voters hold a favorable view of former President Trump two months after he left office, according to a new poll. The survey obtained by The Hill was conducted by Tony Fabrizio, who polled for the former president’s 2020 campaign.

 

Gun control groups focus all efforts on Senate

The Hill

Gun control groups are now focusing all of their lobbying efforts on the Senate following House passage of two major bills last week that garnered some GOP support.

 

‘I still don’t feel safe’: House lawmakers adjust to metal detectors, new normal

Roll Call

Drab and grey, the metal detectors are either symbols of broken trust or hollow security theater, depending on who you ask. In interviews around the Capitol hallways over the last couple weeks, members of Congress said they don’t see them disappearing anytime soon.

 

House to Test Waters on Immigration Overhaul With Votes on Two Bills

Wall Street Journal

The House is set to vote on two immigration bills this week, the first steps in Democrats’ effort to see what, if anything, they can accomplish on the issue this year.

 

Column: Biden’s foreign policy may not be Trump’s — but it’s not Obama’s, either

Los Angeles Times

Biden promised during the campaign to revive traditional alliances, which he sees as a strategic asset, and dial down the chaos. So far, he looks like a man of his word.

 

Editorial: It’s up to Congress to preserve and protect the right to vote

Los Angeles Times

In his inaugural address, President Biden spoke eloquently about how democracy was both precious and fragile, referring to the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol by crazed supporters of then-President Trump who were determined to prevent Congress from confirming Biden’s victory.

 

Opinion: How Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark plans to navigate a polarized Washington

Washington Post

Last fall, in a bid to show seriousness about disentangling its brand from a Republican Party that had become more protectionist, isolationist and nativist under then-President Donald Trump, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed 23 freshmen House Democrats.

 

Other:

 

Governors evade sunshine laws to keep records from public

Fresno Bee

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's outspoken business-as-usual approach throughout the coronavirus pandemic has made her a darling of national conservatives and allowed her to hopscotch across the country as a fundraising force.

 

’Disappointing’ 2020 Latino turnout found in new analysis. Youth voting also lagged

Sacramento Bee

Even though the amount of Latinos and Asian Americans voting in California increased in 2020, they did not increase their voting numbers as much as other groups did.

 

Ranked-Choice Voting Gains Momentum Nationwide

PEW
Two years after New Yorkers voted to change the way they cast a ballot in municipal elections, voters in America’s most populous city will participate in the largest test of the ranked-choice system in the nation.

 

In the shadow of its exceptionalism, America fails to invest in the basics

Washington Post

Compared with its developed-world peers, America has always been a study in contrasts, a paradox of exceptional achievement and jaw-dropping deprivation. Rarely have the disparities been rendered as vividly as in recent weeks and months.

 

Why the Next Big-Tech Fights Are in State Capitals

Wall Street Journal

Tech companies are turning their attention to statehouses across the country as a wave of local bills opens a new frontier in the push to limit Silicon Valley’s power.

 

Slick Tom Cruise Deepfakes Signal That Near Flawless Forgeries May Be Here

NPR
In a crop of viral videos featuring Tom Cruise, it's not the actor's magic trick nor his joke-telling that's deceptive — but the fact that it's not actually Tom Cruise at all.

 

Editorial: COVID proves we are not prepared for future disasters

Mercury News

Cybersecurity. Earthquakes. Climate change. Pandemics. Water and power reliability. All high-profile challenges that demand high-level attention. Yet, when asked, disaster planners largely agree: We are not ready.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, March 21, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "The Mess at Unemployment Comp: Truth and Consequences" -​​ Guests: CA State Auditor Elaine Howle; John Myers - LA Times; Dan Walters - CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, March 21, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "To Catch a Thief: Combatting Workers Comp Fraud"  - Guests: CA State Auditor Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Rep. David Valadao co-sponsors Farm Workforce Modernization Act

Hanford Sentinel

On Tuesday, Congressman David G. Valadao signed on as an original co-sponsor to the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill negotiated to provide long-overdue stability to the agriculture industry and agricultural workers alike.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Human Trafficking Crisis In Indian Country 'Like A Pandemic'

VPR
Nobody knows how many indigenous people go missing or are murdered every year. There's just not a lot of comprehensive data. But on long neglected reservations such as Rosebud, tribal members are convinced the crisis is worsening everyday.

 

DOJ Says At Least 100 More People Could Be Charged Over Capitol Attack

VPR
The Justice Department says it expects to charge at least 100 more people in connection with the storming of the Capitol, describing the investigation into the deadly attack as one of the biggest in U.S. history.

 

Big jump in homicides underlines Los Banos crime numbers. Overall 2020 crime up by 11%

Merced Sun-Star

If there’s one takeaway from Los Banos’s 2020 crime numbers, it’s that homicides were up — really up. According to the police department’s Part 1 crimes data, which is submitted annually to the California Department of Justice, Los Banos recorded nine homicides in 2020 — a 350% increase from 2019.

 

Catalytic converter thefts skyrocket in California during the pandemic

Los Angeles Times

Terrence McNally didn’t notice anything unusual when he got into his Toyota Prius one morning in December. Then he started the engine. “It sounded like I had a Harley-Davidson in the back seat,” said the 72-year-old Long Beach resident.

 

Panda Express Sued by Former Employee for Sexual Battery and Harassment After Horrific Mandatory “Self-Improvement Seminar”

AP

Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., the operator of the national chain of Panda Express fast-food restaurants, was sued by former employee Jennifer Spargifiore for sexual battery, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

 

A Year After Breonna Taylor's Killing, Family Says There's 'No Accountability'

NPR

Now, her name is a ubiquitous rallying cry at protests calling for police reforms, and many social justice advocates point to her story as an example of how difficult it can be to hold police accountable for violent acts.

 

Valley Voices: ‘Police’ and ‘accountability’ rarely go together. Fresno faces major reform challenges

Fresno Bee

Before being sold, rotten produce is removed by a sorting process. But when discussing police malfeasance, we’re assured it’s just “a few bad apples.” Why is this repeated ad nauseum? For police departments, the answer is simple: “bad apples” makes systemic issues look like individual transgressions while evading even facile oversight.

 

Editorial: A Police Reform Crossroads

Wall Street Journal

A crime wave continues to roil American cities, but Democrats’ outlook is the same as last summer: Their priority is to restrict policing rather than strengthen it. Last week the House moved on that goal by passing a bill that would leave officers less room to maintain public order.

 

Public Safety:

 

Fresno police officer placed on leave after seen with Proud Boys at Tower Theatre protest

Fresno Bee

The Fresno Police Department is investigating one of its own officers after he joined the Proud Boys on Sunday morning to counter protest the sale of the iconic Tower Theatre to a church.

 

Newsom grants clemency for 20, including California inmates with elevated COVID-19 risk

Fresno Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday granted clemency for 20 people, including 10 California prison inmates with an elevated medical risk if they were to contract COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

 

Judge orders surveillance, body cameras installed at five California prisons

Sacramento Bee

A federal judge has ordered California prison officials to install surveillance cameras and have guards wear body cameras inside areas of five prisons where disabled inmates congregate, and to reform policies for how abuse of inmates by staffers are investigated.

 

Editorial: More Gun Control, More Gun Sales

Wall Street Journal

The Democrats running Washington seem intent on fulfilling every other progressive dream, so why not gun control? Last week the House passed two new gun measures, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promises they’ll get a vote on the Senate floor.

 

Fire:

 

California wildfire victims to get ‘hundreds of millions’ as PG&E payments ramp up

Fresno Bee

The trust distributing payments to PG&E Corp. wildfire victims is set to release another multimillion-dollar round of funds. The Fire Victim Trust said Friday it will make begin making payments Monday representing a 30% share of each verified claim.

 

U.S. female firefighters fight discrimination with lawsuits

Los Angeles Times

The highest ranking female firefighter in Asheville, N.C., says she was repeatedly discriminated against because of her gender and fought to keep her job while battling breast cancer.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

AP-NORC poll: People of color bear COVID-19’s economic brunt

Fresno Bee

More than 530,000 people have died in the United States. Those losses haven’t hit all Americans equally, with communities of color hit especially hard by both the virus and the economic fallout.

 

Kern's small businesses adapt to survive the pandemic

Bakersfield Californian

Great Change Brewing had only been open about a year and was just gaining momentum when the pandemic slammed it and just about every other small business in Kern County.

 

Bakersfield launches new loan-to-grant business recovery program

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield unveiled a new, $1.9 million program Friday designed to help local small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic by offering forgivable loans of up to $50,000 based on the size of their payroll.

 

How a new grant will help Stanislaus businesses with COVID, future economic crises

Modesto Bee

The Save Stanislaus COVID Intervention Program received a grant of over $150,000 to help small businesses across the county that have been harmed by the pandemic.

 

2021 Poverty Projections: Assessing Four American Rescue Plan Policies

Urban Institute

Four key elements of the American Rescue Plan Act would reduce the projected poverty rate for 2021 by more than one-third.

 

In some cities, the pandemic’s economic pain may continue for a decade

Brookings

It’s unlikely that all cities and regions will fare equally well. To the contrary, in a nation of varied local economies, the pandemic’s long-term impacts will likely also vary.

 

Andrew Fiala: Bitcoin, living wage, COVID relief: What is the real value of such things?

Fresno Bee

What is anything really worth? Numbers flash across our screens. But real value remains elusive. A new round of COVID relief is coming to individuals making less than $75,000. Some argue this is too generous. Others say it is not enough. Meanwhile, Wall Street valuations baffle and confuse. GameStop has bounced around.

 

Opinion: Will the stimulus work? Watch these three metrics

AEI

Focus on inflation expectations, monthly payrolls, and core PCE to tell whether the US economy is recovering from the pandemic safely.

 

Jobs:

 

More time off, paid childcare: How California lawmakers want to tackle COVID for workers

Fresno Bee

More paid sick days. Stiff penalties for unsafe workplaces. Childcare paid for by employers. Those are some of proposals California legislators are pushing in new bills as they look to address the effects of the yearlong coronavirus pandemic.

 

Study finds Bakersfield lags in remote-friendly work

Bakersfield Californian

The remote-work trend changing the nation's workplace culture is taking a long time getting to Bakersfield. A new report ranked the city 98th among the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas in remote-friendly job opportunities, with about 21 percent of local positions easily performed from home as compared with 29 percent nationally.

 

Stanislaus has high unemployment. Here’s what one economist says about our recovery

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County saw only a modest decline in unemployment in January, but new federal stimulus dollars and increased vaccine availability point to stronger recovery in the coming months.

See also:

 

How Modesto-area workers are being trained to compete for Bay Area jobs

Modesto Bee

Alejandro Alcazar had worked as a digital marketing coordinator for about a year when he discovered an interest in coding. “I grew really interested in computer programming through messing with our (company) website and learning a lot about data science,” he said.

See also:

 

California’s job losses were worse than expected this winter

Los Angeles Times

California’s winter COVID-19 surge took a grim toll on jobs as the state’s recovery lagged compared with the nation’s overall, according to recalculated state data published Friday.

 

Many Californians have just three days of paid leave. What if they get COVID-19?

Los Angeles Times

Millions of California workers are staring down the pandemic with no clear access to an economic safety net if they take time off, a situation that is deepening the state’s COVID-19 crisis and galvanizing policymakers to extend sick-leave mandates.

 

COVID-19 pandemic is speeding up rush to automate some jobs

CalMatters

When COVID-19 sent millions of Californians home to work remotely, shop online and video conference their doctors, companies adapted by replacing certain services with new technology. Now, that automation is reshaping jobs faster than previously thought.

 

From Remote Work to Hybrid Work: The Tech You’ll Need to Link Home and Office

Wall Street Journal

I certainly can’t tell you in detail what’s going to happen at your company, but I can say this hybrid life will make you even more dependent on your tech tools.

See also:

 

The PRO Act Could Do More Than Revive Unions

New York Magazine

Americans like unions, but very few belong to one. In 2017, only 10.7 percent of all Americans belonged to a union, but that same year, a PBS NewsHour poll found that nearly half of all Americans said they’d join a union if they could.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

‘Big burden’ for schools trying to give kids internet access

Fresno Bee

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools, educators had to figure out how to get kids online. Fast. In a patchwork approach born of desperation, they scrounged wireless hot spots, struck deals with cable companies and even created networks of their own.

 

The American Rescue Plan: What’s in it for K-12 Schools?

EdNote

Congress approved the American Rescue Plan (H.R.1319) on March 10, and it’s now on its way to President Joe Biden. Understanding the maze of funding programs and reporting requirements in the more than 600-page bill will be essential for state, local, tribal and school leaders to put these resources to use.

 

COVID-19 Testing in K–12 Schools

Rand Corporation

To help schools safely return to in-person instruction and expand coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing of teachers, other staff, and students, it will be imperative to successfully scale up and spread promising practices from K–12 schools and districts that were early adopters of COVID-19 testing in the fall semester of 2020.

 

Coronavirus and schools: Reflections on education one year into the pandemic

Brookings

A year later, schools are beginning to reopen, the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill has been passed, and a sense of normalcy seems to finally be in view; in President Joe Biden’s speech last night, he spoke of “finding light in the darkness.”

See also:

 

Opinion: School Isn’t Closed for Lack of Money

Wall Street Journal

The new Covid-19 relief plan, passed by the Senate over the weekend, includes $123 billion for K-12 public schools, supposedly to help them reopen. That’s almost the amount the U.S. dedicated, in real terms, to the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Fresno State starts construction on new greenhouse

abc30

Fresno State is adding a brand new addition to their campus. The university is building a new greenhouse. It's something that viticulture students like Marnelle Salie have wanted for years.

 

WHCL earns $2M grant to support Open Educational Resources

Hanford Sentinel

West Hills College Lemoore has earned a $1,999,924 grant from The U.S. Department of Education to further enhance its Open Educational Resource (OER) efforts in partnership with the Equitable Change in Hispanic Serving Institutions Open Educational Resources (CC ECHO) program.

 

UC, Cal State Police Much Less Diverse Than The Students They Serve

Capital Public Radio

California’s public universities are among the most racially diverse in the nation, but campus police departments don’t reflect that diversity.

See also:

 

College cost worries, online learning to remain after COVID-19

Roll Call

When college classes abruptly moved online in the spring of 2020, many college students found themselves shelling out high fees for an educational experience that did not match their expectations, and the accompanying economic recession left students struggling financially.

See also:

 

California agency that oversees for-profit colleges to face critics

Ed Source

California faces a reckoning in how it regulates for-profit colleges and trade schools at a time when more students are turning to an educational industry with a long history of fraud allegations.

 

California Sees Steep Decline in Financial Aid Applications

Public Policy Institute of California

The deadline to complete financial aid applications for fall 2021 passed last week, and preliminary data suggest that many California high school graduates may miss out on funding that helps provide access to college.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Biden is betting his whole climate agenda on infrastructure

Sacramento Bee

Candidate Joe Biden rode into the White House promising to build back the economy after the devastation of COVID-19 with cleaner energy and a lower carbon footprint. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that President Biden signed into law last week, however, does little in the way of fulfilling that pledge.

 

Opinion: Inequitable access to the outdoors is a pervasive issue in California

CalMatters

Many of us have personal connections to California’s public lands and rivers; it’s imperative that we protect these places for the next generation.

 

Opinion: How Californians Are Weaponizing Environmental Law

The Atlantic

By any reasonable metric, the empty lot on the corner of First and Lorena Street in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles is a natural place to build housing. With a bus stop next door and an Expo Line light-rail station less than a quarter mile away, residents would enjoy an easy 30-minute commute to one of the densest business districts in North America.

 

Energy:

 

Groups sue of California county’s plan to drill oil wells

Business Journal

Environmental and community groups have sued a California county after the prime oil-drilling region approved a plan to fast-track thousands of new wells in a state that’s positioned itself as a leader in combating climate change.

 

Here’s Why Your Electricity Prices Are High And Soaring

CalMatters

California’s electricity prices are among the highest in the country, new research says, and those costs are falling disproportionately on a customer base that’s already struggling to pay their bills.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

It is likely we'll see resurgence of coronavirus infections as we relax guidance, says Dr. Gottlieb

CNBC

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner, says we should still be cautious of Covid-19 as states relax regulations and guidance. He says it's likely we'll see a resurgence of new cases, but hopes that the current rate of vaccination will be able to offset that. He joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss Covid-19 vaccinations, AstraZeneca vaccines, and when it's likely we'll reach herd immunity.

See also:

 

Pandemic's ripple effect of mental health issues could last years

Bakersfield Californian

We humans are social animals, and the importance of touch, of communicating with others, of simply being together has been reinforced in study after study. Physical contact is critical for social and emotional development in newborns, and that need continues into adulthood.

 

How COVID-19 Has Complicated The Response To Valley Fever

VPR

Even though COVID-19 has been the dominant public health threat for a year, first with a summer surge, then a winter surge, and now with the rollout of much-anticipated vaccines, other public health problems haven’t just disappeared.

 

Survivors struggle as scientists race to solve COVID mystery

Sacramento Bee

There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lear’s anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of COVID-19. A year later, she’s still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers.

 

Why experts say it’s especially important for heart patients to get a coronavirus vaccine

Washington Post

More than 30 million people in the United States have heart disease, which alone kills hundreds of thousands each year. It’s also a significant risk factor for developing serious complications from another major threat right now: COVID-19.

 

One year in, COVID-19’s uneven spread across the US continues

Brookings

Although new cases have fallen in the last month, per capita new case levels—nationally and for many states—are higher than they were in late summer, and the potential for further surges is real.

See also:

 

‘We want to be educated, not indoctrinated,’ say Trump voters wary of covid shots

Washington Post

Be honest that scientists don’t have all the answers. Tout the number of people who got the vaccines in trials. And don’t show pro-vaccine ads with politicians — not even ones with Donald Trump.

See also:

 

Opinion: Air Pollution Kills Far More People Than Covid Ever Will

Bloomberg

More than 10 million people die each year from air pollution, according to a new study — far more than the estimated 2.6 million people who have died from Covid-19 since it was detected more than a year ago. And while Covid is headline news, ordinary air pollution remains a side issue for policy wonks and technocrats.

 

Human Services:

 

On the frontlines: Nursing students assist with vaccination efforts

Fresno State Campus News

The clinics have visited rural communities where access to health care — and the vaccine — are not readily available. Over 60 nursing students have helped to administer over 3,700 vaccines.

 

How Californians with obesity — and other medical conditions — can get vaccines starting Monday

Fresno Bee

Starting Monday, March 15, California will make a new group eligible for vaccines: those aged 16 to 64 with disabilities or preexisting conditions, including severe obesity.

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These Fresno and Bakersfield clinics will now distribute vaccines. New groups eligible

Fresno Bee

Vaccines at Clinica Sierra Vista locations will target those with certain significant, high-risk medical conditions or in living and work spaces that put them at higher risk for serious COVID-19 illness, according to a news release.

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Moderna And Pfizer On Track To Hit Vaccine Production Goals

VPR
Pfizer and Moderna agreed to supply 100 million doses a piece to the U.S. by the end of March. With just under three weeks left, both companies have their work cut out for them.

 

Vaccine Altruists Find Appointments For Those Who Can’t

Capital Public Radio

Grassroots volunteer corps — powered by people with time, tech savvy and a computer at their fingertips — are popping up in major metropolitan areas where thousands of people are competing for the same appointment slots. Their altruism offers an antidote to the actions of vaccine line jumpers.

 

California counties sidestep direct Blue Shield oversight in new vaccine deal

Los Angeles Times

California counties that have refused to sign on to the state’s new COVID-19 vaccine program run by Blue Shield of California are expected to instead reach a separate agreement with the state to end a stalemate that threatened to slow delivery of shots.

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New nursing home guidelines differ from CDC recommendations for fully vaccinated

Mercury News

You can hug your vaccinated grandpa and stay to play cards with him at his nursing home, even if you haven’t been vaccinated, according to new Covid-19 guidance for nursing homes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

 

As California's vaccine rollout gains steam, Black and Hispanic residents continue to lag behind whites

Yahoo News

On March 3, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California would reserve 40 percent of available COVID-19 vaccines for residents living in disadvantaged areas in an effort to help rectify socioeconomic and racial disparities.

 

How the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill will bolster the Affordable Care Act

PBS
A key part of the COVID aid bill creates the most significant changes to the Affordable Care Act since it was passed more than 10 years ago, including larger subsidies to buy insurance, reducing deductibles and more money for Medicaid expansion.

 

Don't Fall for a COVID-19 Vaccine Scam

Consumer Report

COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more widely available but not fast enough to deter scammers from preying on people anxious to get their shots.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Potential eviction crisis looms for Fresno-area undocumented workers during pandemic

Fresno Bee

Carolina is out of work, hasn’t paid rent in three months, and has been watching her utility bills slowly pile up. But, on a recent Thursday afternoon, the 34-year-old single mother was mostly worried about the chewed-up pencils on her kitchen table.

 

Mexico is holding hundreds of unaccompanied children detained before they reach the U.S. border

Washington Post

While President Biden has promised to respond humanely to the growing number of children arriving at the U.S. border, both with and without adults, Mexican authorities have continued to act as an arm of U.S. immigration enforcement, as they did under President Donald Trump.

 

Biden Administration Directs FEMA to Help Shelter Migrant Children

New York Times

The agency will help provide basic care as criticism mounts over the treatment of the increasing number of young migrants who have filled detention facilities at the southwest border.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

Yosemite campgrounds opening this spring, summer. Here’s how to get a reservation

Fresno Bee

Yosemite National Park announced Friday that it will open additional campgrounds during the 2021 spring and summer season for reservation, and that its first-come, first-served campgrounds will stay closed.

 

Sequoia Complex recovery effort continues: Balch Park could open June 15

Porterville Recorder

While the Sequoia Complex fire was declared 100 percent contained on January 5, the recovery will continue for some time.

 

Work begins on Riverbank’s Crossroads West. New housing, retail coming to expansion

Modesto Bee

Fields once filled with oats and alfalfa soon will be packed with new homes and roadways as work on Riverbank’s long-planned Crossroads West development is finally underway.

 

A corporation wants to mine for gold near Death Valley. Native tribes are fighting it

Los Angeles Times

Perched high in the craggy Inyo Mountains, between the dusty Owens Valley floor and Death Valley National Park, looms a rugged, nearly roadless chunk of desert terrain teeming with wildlife and scarred by mining operations.

 

Opinion: Inequitable access to the outdoors is a pervasive issue in California

CalMatters

Growing up, my family and I had limited access to parks and green space nearby. I learned of California’s iconic National Parks like Joshua Tree later in life, but my mom, like other low-income, single parents, either wasn’t aware of these places or couldn’t afford to take me.

 

Housing:

 

Fresno man evicted while fighting cancer gets early win from judge. Landlord foots bill

Fresno Bee

An ailing Selma man who says he was wrongfully evicted on March 2 and forced to sleep in his car will be able to rest safely in a motel room, thanks to a Fresno County Superior Court judge.

 

Pandemic Funding Creates New Housing Options To Fight Homelessness In Fresno

VPR
Katherine Miranda stands outside Fresno’s Crossroads Village housing complex overlooking Blackstone Avenue. She just moved here about a month ago. Before that, she was on the streets for nine years. Her first night in her new room was so quiet, she says.

 

Four lessons from a year of pandemic housing policies

Brookings

Housing insecurity was a widespread problem among low-income renters well before the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2019, more than 10 million households spent over half their income on rent.

 

Amid a pandemic and a recession, Americans go on a near-record homebuying spree

Pew Research Center

The American dream of homeownership has not been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn it has caused.

 

Editorial: Moving homeless people out of the Fresno Triangle is a must before someone gets run over

Fresno Bee

Even by the standards of the homeless population used to sheltering on Fresno’s streets, living at the Triangle is a dangerous proposition. A group of homeless people, having been uprooted from the land they occupied elsewhere downtown, recently migrated to property framed by major roadways.

 

Viewpoints: COVID has left some Californians struggling to pay the rent. Here’s how we’re helping

Sacramento Bee

On New Year’s Day, Graciela Alvarado, a mother of three, nervously thought about her immediate future. Would she and her family have a place to live by the end of the month? How much longer would her landlord wait as she struggled to pay five months of past due rent?

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

When will you get your $1,400 stimulus check? IRS’s ‘Get My Payment’ tool is now live

Fresno Bee

The Internal Revenue Service’s “Get My Payment” tool to track your $1,400 stimulus check is now live. A third round of stimulus payments — this time of up to $1,400 — was included in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said some Americans could start seeing the payments hit their bank accounts this weekend.

See also:

 

Want to review how Turlock spends sales tax money? Apply for oversight committee here

Modesto Bee

Turlock residents interested in reviewing Measure A sales tax spending can apply for the Citizens’ Oversight Committee through March 31.

 

CalPERS told her she’d earn $60,000 a year in retirement. Her pension isn’t even close to that

Sacramento Bee

Marla Moura thought she was being careful when she asked financial advisers on three different occasions to estimate how much she’d earn from a CalPERS pension after a career in California government agencies.

 

Editorial: America is taking baby steps towards universal basic income

Los Angeles Times

The $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief bill that President Biden signed into law Thursday includes an initiative that looks a lot like guaranteed income for families. Starting in July, parents of children ages 17 and younger will get monthly cash grants of up to $300 per child, to spend however they please.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Think Fresno drivers are bad? You’re right, analysis shows – but are they getting better?

Fresno Bee

The good news about driving in Fresno: According to the latest data on traffic collisions and fatalities, Fresno has become a safer place to drive.

 

‘One giant leap if you’re a raisin.’ Bill Maher skewers California high-speed rail plan

Fresno Bee

“We’re 6 billion (dollars) in the hole just trying to complete the tracks connecting the vital hubs of Bakersfield and Merced,” Maher said in a sarcastic tone during the show that aired Friday. “One small step for nobody. One giant leap if you’re a raisin.”

 

Fresno Yosemite International Airport seeing increase in travelers

abc30

It's been over a year since the pandemic began, and it's clear several Americans are in a hurry to get back to normal. The Fresno Yosemite International Airport is seeing a major uptick in passenger travel in recent days.

 

Bakersfield City Council to consider lease agreement for new Greyhound location

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council at its Wednesday night meeting will consider an agreement with Greyhound Lines Inc. for the bus service to lease space at the city-owned Amtrak Station.

 

Merced County’s The Bus will begin collecting fares from passengers again Monday

Merced Sun-Star

The Bus will begin collecting fares on all if its services starting on Monday, March 15. Fares were suspended in April last year on all fixed-routes and paratransit services to help mitigate COVID-19 exposure by reducing contact between bus operators and passengers.

 

Increasingly irrelevant gas tax awaits a better idea

Roll Call

As lawmakers begin work on a massive infrastructure bill that they hope to pass by this summer, a key question lingers: What’s to become of the gas tax?

 

Amtrak to restore daily long-distance train service with federal relief funds

Washington Post

Daily service will be restored to long-distance Amtrak trains starting in May, and hundreds of furloughed employees will be called to report back to work as soon as next month, the passenger railroad announced Wednesday after Congress passed a pandemic relief package that includes $1.7 billion for the carrier.

 

Are gas prices going up? And is it Joe Biden’s fault?

PolitiFact

There’s been chatter online recently about the recent spike in gasoline prices — and whether President Joe Biden is to blame. One Facebook post features a photograph of Biden with the caption, "Gas prices going up? How do you like me now?"

 

Editorial: Axe federal support for the bullet train

OC Register

The California High Speed Rail project was pitched to Californians more than a decade ago as a much-needed, innovative infrastructure investment linking Northern and Southern California.

 

Opinion: High-Speed Rail: It’s Time to Commit

StreetsBlog Cal

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CAHSRA) current proposed business plan and accompanying finance plan was the subject of a joint Assembly hearing yesterday.

 

Opinion: Flying is safer than driving, even during the pandemic. These statistics show why.

Washington Post

While staying home is safest, some will choose to risk travel. For those who will go, what is the safest form? In particular, are we better off driving or flying?

 

WATER

 

Central Valley groundwater markets emerging under SGMA

SJV Water

Central Valley farmers may soon have another crop to sell along with almonds, tomatoes and peppers — the groundwater beneath their land.

 

Premature or precautionary? California is first to tackle microplastics in drinking water

CalMatters

Huge gaps exist in scientific knowledge, but California is about to set the world’s first health guidelines for microplastics in drinking water. Yet no one agrees how to test water for the tiny bits of plastic, or how dangerous they are.

 

The megadrought parching 77 percent of the Western US, explained

Vox

Rising temperatures and lack of rain threaten to decrease water supplies and bring more wildfires this summer and in the years to come.

 

“Xtra”

 

Fresno tattoo artist aiming to change the industry. Her just-launched app could do just that

Fresno Bee

Channelle Charest works in tech, with a side hustle at a tattoo shop in downtown Fresno, though at times it’s often felt like things were the other way around. “I was thinking: Do I get a personal assistant to help me manage scheduling and things?” says Charest, chief operating officer at Bitwise Industries and an artist at Faithful and True Tattoo Studio.

 

Knott’s Berry Farm to reopen for its 100th anniversary season. Here’s what to know

Fresno Bee

California officials recently eased COVID-19 restrictions for theme parks, saying parks could reopen starting April 1 with reduced capacity, mandatory masks and other public health precautions, according to The Sacramento Bee.

 

Local breweries, wineries now able to open with fewer COVID restrictions

abc30

At Engelmann Cellars, buying wine no longer comes with an extra purchase. This weekend, new guidelines took effect, allowing wineries, breweries and distilleries that don't serve food to reopen.

 

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