Maddy Institute – May 24, 2019

24May

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Merced could add 50% more land to the city. Not everyone is happy about that

Fresno Bee

The city’s first public meeting on the possible 7,670-acre annexation area north and northeast of Merced revealed many possible issues that could sprout up as city planners and consultants work with neighboring landowners and developers to address expected growth of the city and UC Merced area.

State of the City: ‘We have to rise, all together’

Stockton Record

Early in his third “State of the City” address Thursday afternoon, Mayor Michael Tubbs noted that Stockton had suffered its 18th homicide of the year late the previous evening and that violent crime has surged in recent weeks.

● Taking their seat at the table Stockton Record

Asthma Rates Higher in California’s Historically Redlined Communities, New Study Finds (Stockton & Fresno Named)

KQED

Researchers at UC Berkeley and UCSF examined health statistics in eight California cities that were heavily impacted by redlining — a tactic used by government officials to justify discriminatory mortgage-lending policies in predominantly minority neighborhoods. The study found that current residents of those neighborhoods are more than twice as likely as their peers to visit emergency rooms for asthma.

Central SJ Valley:

Welcome to politics, Chief Dyer. He’s popular, polarizing and could be next Fresno mayor

Fresno Bee

The front-runner in the 2020 Fresno mayoral race is the proverbial 800-pound gorilla who casts a 20-foot shadow at noon and cuts a dashing figure in dress blues and a gray suit.

Fresno’s parks are still nearly at the bottom. Would a permanent parks director help?

Fresno Bee

Fresno still lands in the bottom 10 of the 97 largest U.S. cities ranked by the Trust for Public Lands, which assesses park access, acreage, investment and amenities. Fresno’s score this year is 92, up two spots from 94.

Pete Buttigieg, MSNBC town hall at Fresno State June 3

Fresno Bee

Official details have been announced for Pete Buttigieg’s televised town hall – one of the first such meetings for the 37-year old Democratic presidential candidate.

Pride Visalia attendance jumps after criticism

Visalia Times Delta

A year after a Visalia man spoke out against the family-friend event, The Source LGBT+ Center is ready to host its third annual Pride Visalia in downtown. The event is expected to bring in 4,000 people, rallying after defending the event last year.

South SJ Valley:

Plan to outfit Bakersfield patrol cars with ‘In God We Trust’ decals will be brought to council

bakersfield.com

Delano believed to be first California city to to put motto on back of police cars.

Jacqui Kitchen appointed to Assistant City Manager position

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield has promoted Community Services Director Jacqui Kitchen to the position of Assistant City Manager. Kitchen is replacing Steve Teglia, who resigned from the position earlier this spring.

Controversial oil and gas ordinance alive and well in Arvin, Gurrola says

Bakersfield Californian

For a town of just 20,000, Arvin sure is in the news a lot. Who’s the guy most often at the center of that news?

McFarland City Council places missing city manager on paid leave

Bakersfield Californian

The McFarland City Council has placed City Manager John Wooner on paid administrative leave for up to 30 days as the Bakersfield Police Department continues its investigation into his disappearance.

State:

Gavin Newsom, top California lawmakers sign on to bill restricting cops’ use of deadly force

Fresno Bee

California’s most prominent bill to restrict when cops can use deadly is moving forward, but with changes that make criminal prosecutions of police officers less likely.

● Police Use Of Force Deal Reached By California Lawmakers Seeks To Rein In Fatal Encounters With Officers Capital Public Radio

● California deal on police use of force clears path for reform bill San Francisco Chronicle

● Deal: California poised to pass one of nation’s toughest police use-of-force standards CALmatters

‘Be ambitious’: California Democrats see Gavin Newsom as a sign to move further left

Sacramento Bee

From paid family leave to a $15 minimum wage, California Democrats have led the nation on pushing several progressive policies into law.

Here’s who paid for the flashiest California governor’s inauguration in 20 years

Sacramento Bee

Health care companies, the state’s biggest teachers union and other groups gave over $5.4 million to fund the biggest and most star-studded inauguration for a California governor in two decades, records filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission show.

California GOP asks state to investigate furniture buy for lieutenant governor’s office

Sacramento Bee

The state Republican Party is asking the Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis’ office, arguing she improperly used charitable donations to buy office furniture and paint.

Colleen Bell, former ambassador and TV producer, named director of California Film Commission

Los Angeles Times

In addition to administering the state’s tax credit program, Bell will also serve as a champion for California’s film industry, which has faced rising competition as other states and countries have beefed up incentives to lure filming.

DMV to go to airports, county fairs to explain Real ID driver’s licenses

Los Angeles Times

If you want to know the ins and outs of California’s Real ID driver’s licenses that will allow you to board a domestic airline flight starting next year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles is making the rounds at Ontario and L.A. airports as well as upcoming county fairs to explain what documents travelers will need to obtain the upgraded license.

You’ll have to ask for a paper receipt under a California bill that’s closer to becoming law

Fresno Bee

The state Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that would prohibit businesses from handing customers paper receipts unless customers ask for them. Instead, businesses would provide electronic receipts.

Federal:

Trump, Pelosi trade insults as their feud heats up

Modesto Bee

The enmity between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deteriorated Thursday into rude-and-then-some questioning of his fitness for office and her sanity, with personal attacks flowing from both the nation’s top elected officials.

● Trump shares video that highlights verbal stumbles by Pelosi and questions her mental acuity Washington Post.

Bid to Quickly Pass $19.1 Billion Disaster-Aid Package in House Fails

Wall Street Journal

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) rejects attempt to use special rules to pass bill by unanimous consent

● Congress reaches deal on disaster aid: California gets funds, Trump’s border request doesn’t Los Angeles Times

● Senate Reaches $19 Billion Deal For Disaster Aid Without Border Wall Funding VPR

● Disaster deal with billions for California wildfire relief passes Senate SFChronicle.com

● Senate approves deal on disaster aid, leaves out border money Trump demanded Washington Post

Worries persist despite additional billions for Census

Roll Call

Concerns about potential undercounting remain among lawmakers from both parties, even with increased funding.

Elections 2020:

MSNBC to host town hall with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg at Fresno State

abc30

Democratic presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg is coming to Fresno. MSNBC will be hosting a town hall with Mayor Buttigieg at Fresno State on June 3rd. Tickets for the event sold out in a matter of hours.

Inslee, 2020 Dems tout sweeping initiatives to combat climate change

abc30

The rising tide of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls calling for environmental reform now includes Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, a politician who has made climate change the crux of his campaign.

Kamala Harris’ Oakland kickoff rally for president didn’t come cheap

San Francisco Chronicle

Paying police alone racked up a bill of more than $187,000, according to an invoice the city sent to the California Democrat’s campaign.

See also:

● The Unknowable Kamala Harris The California Sunday Magazine

Garofoli: View from outside California’s blue bubble: Trump could win re-election

San Francisco Chronicle

What Democrats are up against is that many in the industrial Midwest — the region that abandoned Democrats in 2016 and gave Trump his Electoral College margin of victory — still feel that “no one is fighting for them. No one,” Morrison said.

Other:

Study: Racial prejudice declined in response to Trump as president

Washington Post

Donald Trump began his campaign for the presidency by branding Mexicans as “rapists.” He initially declined to denounce David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. One week after his 2017 inauguration, the president temporarily banned people from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. That summer, he said there were “very fine people” among torch-wielding white supremacists who descended on Charlottesville.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, May 26, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “Motor Voter: Fine Tuning the Registration Engine” – Guests: Secretary of State AlexPadilla; Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters; and John Myers, Los Angeles Times. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, May 26, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) –Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Madera County Pilots New Voting Process: What Were the Results?” – Guests: Rebecca Martinez, Clerk/Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Madera County. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, May 26, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “State Auditor Report on Charter Schools” – Guest: Margarita Fernandez, PIO State Auditor’s Office. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Fresno County may request disaster declaration after 60% of cherry crop destroyed by rain

abc30

All over the Valley cherries are popping up with blemishes, which means they will not be able to sell. The loss of crop is so bad that Fred Rinder, the Fresno County Deputy Ag Commissioner, is gathering information to request a disaster declaration.

More California fruit and nut growers will get help with Trump tariffs in new farm aid deal

Fresno Bee

Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Thursday that grapes, tree nuts and cranberries will be added to the list of crops that are eligible for direct payments from the federal government to compensate for losses in the trade war with China.

● Trump’s Trouble in the Farm Belt WSJ

● Trump Administration Rolls Out $16 Billion Farm-Aid Program WSJ

● Trump announces new $16 billion aid package for American farmers hit in trade war Washington Post

● Trump is sending $16 billion more in aid to farmers hurt by China trade war Los Angeles Times

Farmersville will be home to three marijuana dispensaries set to open soon

Visalia Times Delta

Farmersville, much like its neighbor to the east — Woodlake — feel the city will greatly benefit from the tax revenue created by allowing the cannabis industry to bloom in their cities.

Dispensaries prepare as ban on all sales of marijuana in unincorporated county comes into effect

Bakersfield Californian

Across Kern County, medical marijuana users are flocking to dispensaries in anticipation of a ban set by the Kern County Board of Supervisors.

Keeping Up with Canada? California Moves Towards State Cannabis Banking.

International Cannabis Business Conference

As most folks know by now, a lack of banking services have forced cannabis businesses, including those legal under state law, to deal predominantly in cash due to continued U.S. banking laws that make it nearly impossible to do business with federally chartered financial institutions.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Police hunting illegal machine pistols in hands of Fresno gang members

Fresno Bee

Fresno police are working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to track down illegal, Chinese-made devices that convert a Glock semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon capable of firing a burst of bullets in seconds.

They were wrongfully convicted, freed from prison. California treats them as guilty anyway

Los Angeles Times

Broke and angry, Maurice Caldwell wants California to know that it owes him more than his liberty. Caldwell was sentenced to 27 years to life for second-degree murder in 1991 and served 7,494 days before that conviction was overturned in 2011, in part because another man confessed to the crime.

Public Safety:

Gavin Newsom, top California lawmakers sign on to bill restricting cops’ use of deadly force

Fresno Bee

California’s most prominent bill to restrict when cops can use deadly is moving forward, but with changes that make criminal prosecutions of police officers less likely.

● Police Use Of Force Deal Reached By California Lawmakers Seeks To Rein In Fatal Encounters With Officers Capital Public Radio

● California deal on police use of force clears path for reform bill San Francisco Chronicle

● Deal: California poised to pass one of nation’s toughest police use-of-force standards CALmatters

California’s jails are so bad some inmates beg to go to prison instead

Los Angeles Times

Ever since he stole his first car at age 10, Cody Garland has spent much of his life behind bars. Now 35, he has served time at eight different California prisons.

Plan to outfit Bakersfield patrol cars with ‘In God We Trust’ decals will be brought to council

bakersfield.com

Delano believed to be first California city to to put motto on back of police cars.

Fire:

California agencies fought fires on federal land. Now Trump won’t pay in full

Guardian

After the most destructive and expensive season on record, California issued a $72m reimbursement request for local firefighting efforts on federal lands. The US Forest Service audited the agreement that made this exchange possible and is now withholding $9m.

As California Wildfire Season Looms, Finding Tree Trimmers Is a New Problem

New York Times

Pacific Gas & Electric has a big problem. Its equipment keeps coming into contact with dry trees and shrubs and starting devastating wildfires. So the company is scrambling to trim or cut down hundreds of thousands of trees across its vast Northern California territory. But it has another problem: finding people to do that work.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Empty no more: These retailers are taking over Toys R Us, Babies R Us in Fresno area

Fresno Bee

In the little more than a year since Toys R Us and its sister store closed, all three Fresno-area locations have attracted new renters who are either already open or planning to.

Amazon retailers unhappy with relief from California tax

Sacramento Bee

Small online retailers wanted more relief from California tax collectors than Gov. Gavin Newsom is prepared to give them.

Dow tumbles nearly 300 points Thursday on concerns over messy trade war

Los Angeles Times

Heightened worries that the U.S. and China are headed for a long standoff in their costly trade dispute put investors in a selling mood Thursday.

Fox: New Study: Looking at the Best Ways to Move on Up

Fox & Hounds

Growing support for the idea of Universal Basic Income is challenged in a new report from the California Business Roundtable which argues that it is better to recognize workers value in society through programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

EDITORIAL: Trump to Harriet Tubman: Don’t get uppity

Los Angeles Times

Maybe Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin is correct when he says the reason for delaying the long-planned Harriet Tubman $20 bill is that he’s got his hands full at the moment fighting counterfeiting.

Jobs:

Striking California workers could collect unemployment on the picket line under proposed law

Fresno Bee

Striking workers would be eligible to collect unemployment under a proposal the Assembly passed Wednesday. The bill would allow workers to collect unemployment benefits from weeks four through 26 of a prolonged strike.

New logistics center will bring 25 jobs to county

Bakersfield Californian

An Israeli company has announced that it will bring 25 new jobs to Oildale. On Monday, the company, Hadco Metal Trading Co., hosted a groundbreaking for a 250,000 square foot logistics center planned to be located near Meadows Field Airport.

Former Inmates Are Getting Jobs As Employers Ignore Stigma In Bright Economy

VPR

Many employers say they can’t find enough workers. And for Oden and 20 million or so Americans with a felony record, that might mean a much better shot at getting a job and reintegrating into society.

What’s the state of play on intern pay on Capitol Hill?

Roll Call

Intern compensation funding is up for discussion again.

The case for a $15 minimum wage is far from settled

AEI

The minimum wage is not a settled issue. Important, high-quality studies come to different conclusions on serious questions. Journalists, commentators, and policymakers: Take note.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Court denies injunction request against BCSD to prevent summer school cuts

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Superior Court has denied a request for a preliminary injunction against the Bakersfield City School District to prevent the cancellation of the regular summer school program this year.

See also:

● California lawmakers consider sweeping charter-school changes San Francisco Chronicle

Charter school curbs pass Assembly, but drama foretells compromise

CALmatters

Legislation that would give local school districts more control over charter-school authorizations narrowly passed the California State Assembly Wednesday in a dramatic vote that served as an initial litmus test for a package of union-backed charter regulation bills.

Targeted Funding for Early Care and Education Could Provide a Path Out of Poverty for More California Children

California Budget Center

This Fact Sheet shows eligibility for subsidized child care by California county while highlighting the significant unmet need that remains for these programs. Because eligibility is concentrated in certain areas of the state, state policymakers can reach those with the greatest need by targeting funding for early care and education.

California confronts lack of qualified teachers

Capitol Weekly

California is experiencing a lack of qualified teachers even as enrollment rates in preparation programs rise.

Higher Ed:

Stanislaus State grads hear a ‘Yes we can!’ message

Modesto Bee

Even before civil rights icon Dolores Huerta delivered a rousing “Sí, se puede/Yes, we can” message during her keynote address at Thursday morning’s commencement, that feeling was in the air among graduating students at California State University, Stanislaus.

CSUB mourns loss of academic adviser

Bakersfield Californian

Cal State Bakersfield is mourning the loss of an academic adviser who died from complications during childbirth Wednesday.

CSUB to hold 49th commencement ceremony with record number of graduates Friday

Bakersfield Californian

The university will award 2,312 bachelor’s degrees, a 28 percent increase from the 1,806 undergraduate degrees awarded last year, according to a press release.

Expanding Enrollment at UC and CSU

PPIC

California’s economy is increasingly demanding highly educated workers. To meet this demand, and to ensure that more Californians are successful in the 21st century economy, the state’s universities will need to admit and graduate greater numbers of students than they do today.

Miracle Or Hoax? UC Merced Students Attempt To Recreate Remarkable, Mysterious ‘Starlite’ Material

Valley Public Radio

Thirty years ago, a BBC program called Tomorrow’s World captivated viewers with a seemingly simple demonstration: A blowtorch pointed directly at an egg. Its shell slowly blackens, but it neither cracks nor erupts in flames. “This is no ordinary egg,” warns presenter Peter Macann with a smile.

The College-Admissions Mess

Wall Street Journal

The SAT’s new index should be seen as a patch to liberalism’s greatest failure.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Fresno’s parks are still nearly at the bottom. Would a permanent parks director help?

Fresno Bee

California tourists spent $500 million at Yosemite in 2018, and even more at another park

Fresno Bee

Visitors’ spending in the communities around California’s national parks soared by $800 million in 2018, according to a new report from the Department of Interior.

Do swarms of tiny temblors rattling the West Coast warn of a catastrophic quake?

Fresno Bee

A series of tiny quakes rattling California and the Pacific Northwest may signal an upcoming catastrophic earthquake, seismologists say, KOIN reported.

Hundreds bash Trump’s oil fracking plan in SLO: ‘This battle does not end tonight’

Fresno Bee

A public meeting erupted into an impassioned rally in San Luis Obispo Wednesday night as activists and local residents took turns bashing a federal plan to resume leasing public land in Central California to new oil and gas drilling, including fracking.

State’s Progress on 5 Million Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) by 2030:

California Center for Jobs and the Economy

Cumulative PEV Sales at 11.2% of 2030 Goal—True ZEVs at 6.2%.

Was Joe Biden a climate change pioneer in Congress? History says “Yes”

PolitiFact

Joe Biden may not be the most progressive candidate in the crowded Democratic primary field. But one thing is for certain: Among 2020 presidential candidates, he has the longest legislative record on climate change.

Energy

Controversial oil and gas ordinance alive and well in Arvin, Gurrola says

Bakersfield Californian

For a town of just 20,000, Arvin sure is in the news a lot. Who’s the guy most often at the center of that news?

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Asthma Rates Higher in California’s Historically Redlined Communities, New Study Finds (Stockton & Fresno Named)

KQED

Mosquitoes in Visalia test positive for West Nile Virus

abc30

Mosquitoes in Visalia have tested positive for West Nile Virus according to the Tulare County Health and Human Service Agency.

A bill to put health warnings on soda and sugary drinks advances in California

Los Angeles Times

California lawmakers on Thursday advanced the last major surviving bill in a package aimed at reducing consumption of sodas, approving a measure that would require health warning labels on sugary drinks.

● Why California’s efforts to limit soda keep fizzling CALmatters

Proposed California ban on flavored tobacco products shelved by lawmakers

Los Angeles Times

A California bill to ban flavored tobacco products, aimed at reducing the use of electronic cigarettes by minors, was shelved Thursday after the author said it had been watered down so much with exemptions that it was now opposed by public health groups.

Officials fighting U.S. measles outbreaks threaten to use rare air travel ban

Washington Post

Federal authorities keep a Do Not Board list to prevent those who pose a public health risk from getting on planes.

Human Services:

When California hospitals say no, where can uninsured patients find surgery?

Sacramento Bee

She waited a year for that first procedure. Now she worries the pain in her left knee will soon make her chores, and her warehouse job, impossible.

The best way to keep abortion legal: Women like me should talk openly about having them

Los Angeles Times

Carol Sanger, a legal scholar and author of “About Abortion: Terminating Pregnancy in the 21st Century,”argued in a 2017 lecture that privacy and secrecy shouldn’t be conflated. Everyone deserves privacy, but a person keeping their abortion secret out of shame or fear of reprisal isn’t exercising that right freely.

Network matching: An attractive solution to surprise billing

AEI

Surprise medical billing — cases in which patients are unexpectedly billed at highly inflated prices from providers who do not accept their insurance — has attracted policymakers’ attention. In this report, Benedic Ippolito, Matthew Fiedler, and Loren Adler outline the economic rationale for why markets have not eliminated this behavior and present policy solutions.

Trump Administration Preparing Executive Order on Health-Cost Disclosure

Wall Street Journal

Directive for price transparency could be released next week amid growing pushback against industry’s secrecy

Trump Administration Moves to Roll Back Protections for Transgender Patients

Wall Street Journal

Obama-era policy expanded nondiscrimination rules under the Affordable Care Act

IMMIGRATION

Trump’s pick for ICE director: I can tell which migrant children will become gang members by looking into their eyes

POLITICO

Mark Morgan, the White House choiceto lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said during a Fox News interview earlier this year that he can judge the likelihood that an unaccompanied minor will become a gang member by looking into that child’s eyes.

‘Epidemic of death’ alleged as U.S. stops sending migrants to Texas processing center

Los Angeles Times

U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily stopped sending migrants to a massive processing center in south Texas this week after the death of a 16-year-old who fell ill there and a flu outbreak.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Merced could add 50% more land to the city. Not everyone is happy about that

Fresno Bee

Yosemite, Golden Gate tourist spending rose in 2018

Sacramento Bee

Visitors’ spending in the communities around California’s national parks soared by $800 million in 2018, according to a new report from the Department of Interior.

Housing:

Supporters unite in last-chance effort to save California’s most controversial housing bill

San Jose Mercury

In a last-ditch attempt to save the year’s most controversial housing measure, supporters of a stalled bill to overhaul California’s zoning rules are pressuring the state Senate leader to resurrect the legislation.

California must solve housing crisis, Newsom says

Sacramento Business Journal

Without offering a solution, Gov. Gavin Newsom called California’s housing crisis the state’s greatest challenge, during his address Thursday at the annual Sacramento Host Breakfast.

Housing Authorities Reel as HUD Singles Out Undocumented Immigrants

The Pew Charitable Trusts

Public housing authorities say they were blindsided by a proposed federal rule banning many immigrants from receiving housing assistance — and, they said, they will fight to keep it from being implemented, even if that means ending up in court.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Serial ADA lawsuit filer indicted in Sacramento on federal tax fraud charges

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento-area attorney Scott N. Johnson, who has sued thousands of small businesses in Northern California alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on charges that he filed fraudulent tax returns on funds he received from the lawsuits.

Opinion: California service tax proposal would be a tax increase

CALmatters

California’s elected leaders are enjoying the fruits of a go-go economy, with record surpluses and record spending on education. So naturally there’s talk of tax increases.

Are Property Taxes Actually Low in California?

Mansion Global

Due to Proposition 13 and several exemptions, it’s one of the U.S. states with the smallest burden on homeowners

House passes a bill to improve retirement security and ease IRA rules

Los Angeles Times

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved legislation that relaxes the rules for retirement savers and makes it easier for small businesses and other companies to offer retirement plans.

See also:

● House passes big retirement savings bill, first in 13 years San Francisco Chronicle

● House Passes Bill Making Big Changes to U.S. Retirement System WSJ

TRANSPORTATION

Sequoia Shuttle hits the road for 2019 season

abc30

All aboard the Sequoia Shuttle. The 2019 season kicked off in Visalia with three full buses headed to Sequoia National Park. $20 bought passengers a round trip, park admission and unlimited use of the in-park shuttle service.

EDITORIAL: Hits & Misses: Expect congested roads, high prices this weekend

Bakersfield Californian

Nearly 43 million Americans are expected to hit the road this weekend, a 3.6 percent increase over last year, according to AAA, the second-highest travel volume on record for the holiday.

Imagining Cities With Fewer Cars

POLITICO Magazine

Welcome to What Works: The Transportation Issue.

WATER

Why California’s Water Crisis Is So Difficult to Solve

New York Times

Nearly one million Californians are exposed to unsafe drinking water each year. And while California’s drinking water problems span the length of the state, about half of California’s failing water systems are concentrated in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley.

“Xtra”

Big Fresno Fair plans fundraising day for Valley Children’s. Here’s how you can help

Fresno Bee

The Big Fresno Fair and Valley Children’s Hospital on Thursday joined to announce a special ticket deal. The fair plans to donate half of all special $4 “Fill the Need” tickets good for Oct. 10 back to the hospital.

Wondering what acts are coming to Modesto’s Gallo Center next season? Here’s a glimpse

Modesto Bee

The newly announced 2019-20 season at the Gallo Center for the Arts again brings some of entertainment’s biggest names to Modesto. The announcement also comes with an important takeaway: More to come.

No plans for the 3-day weekend? Bakersfield has you covered

Bakersfield Californian

Memorial Day brings with it a three-day weekend for most people, and while many have vacations planned, others find themselves wondering what to do for the holiday. For those staying in town, there are several events to explore to make every day count.