May 24, 2021

24May

POLICY & POLITICS

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North SJ Valley:

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COVID Update:

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Help wanted: Modesto restaurants, retail understaffed as they struggle to hire more

Modesto Bee

Staffing shortages across the food service and retail industries are evident, with big chains advertising signing bonuses outside their locations and smaller businesses reducing their hours due to a lack of staff.

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Turlock Council appoints next acting city manager. Why does leadership keep changing?

Modesto Bee

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COVID emergency exposes the need for more public health funding in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Health advocates concerned about the state of underfunded public health systems see the coronavirus pandemic as their best chance of turning things around.

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Here’s what you can expect to see when likely Amazon warehouse is built in Turlock

Modesto Bee

While officials continue to say they cannot confirm that the one-million-square-foot warehouse planned for the Turlock Regional Industrial Park will be an Amazon facility, more details about the project have emerged, including that it will employ at least 700 workers.

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‘We have persevered’: Stanislaus State 2020 graduates celebrate in postponed ceremony

Modesto Bee

A year after earning their degrees from California State University, Stanislaus, about 260 graduates of the class of 2020 celebrated in a ceremony at the Turlock campus Thursday morning.

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Opinion: A Merced housing nonprofit’s CEO gets paid a ton of money. But is it legitimate?

Fresno Bee

The median household income in Merced County is $53,672. By comparison, California’s median household income is $73,235. So it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Merced County is one of the poorer places in the state.

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Stapley: Saving lives and money — what’s not to like about CAHOOTS? Give it a try, Modesto

Modesto Bee

When talk turns to police reform in Modesto, periodically someone will say something about CAHOOTS. I don’t recall hearing a decent explanation of what that is. So here goes.

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Stapley: California’s COVID tier colors are still a joke in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

So Stanislaus County will spend at least another few days in the red tier instead of moving up to the orange tier. Yeah. Whatever. Does anyone truly think life will dramatically change when we finally escape red? Did it in March, when we jumped from purple to red?

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Central SJ Valley:

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COVID Update:

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California changes its mind on Highway 41 widening, ‘saving lives,’ Fresno advocates say

Fresno Bee

State transportation officials changed course this week and agreed to offer a letter of support to widening Highway 41 south of Fresno, area leaders said Friday.

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Old Fresno County sawmill making a comeback due to Creek Fire, but challenges abound

Fresno Bee

Sawmill equipment strewn across acres of an eastern Fresno County property is “well worn” and “discombobulated,” Kirk Ringgold says on a recent spring day, but the scarred and rusted machinery has “good steel bones.”

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Many Fresno jobs have soared since Amazon, Ulta Beauty opened centers. How about wages?

Fresno Bee

It’s been almost three years since retail giants Ulta Beauty and Amazon opened huge new distribution centers at the south end of Fresno, accompanied by fanfare from city leaders who hailed the flurry of jobs the two companies were expected to create.

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A video from the president of California State University, Fresno

CSU Fresno

Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval is the ninth president of Fresno State. This marks an exciting time in our University’s history as President Jiménez-Sandoval is ready to partner with you to achieve bold excellence for our students and economic vitality for our region.

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Fresno housing policy gaps cause lack of timely inspections on substandard rental units

Fresno Bee

Three years after the city of Fresno launched a proactive rental housing inspection program, code enforcement officers inspected 7,704 registered rental units. Most of them failed initial inspection.

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MID, city partner on water project

Madera Tribune

Groundwater is vital for the community of Madera, particularly in dry years such as 2021. When surface water is limited due to inadequate rainfall and snowpack, Madera is even more heavily reliant on groundwater.

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Tulare County to receive $90.6 million from American Rescue Plan

Porterville Recorder

Tulare County is receiving nearly $91 million from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that was approved by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.

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Warszawski: Leaders in this Fresno County city caved to bigots — and went against the town’s heritage

Fresno Bee

Know what flag wasn’t flying at the Kingsburg Swedish Festival, and won’t be from any city building in Kingsburg anytime soon? The rainbow flag symbolizing LGBTQ+ rights. Why? Because Kingsburg’s Swedish heritage only extends so far.

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South SJ Valley:

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COVID Update:

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CSUB students overcome hardships of past year, honored during Friday graduation ceremony

Bakersfield Californian

Getting a bachelor’s degree is always hard work, and even in a normal year most students at Cal State Bakersfield don’t have an easy road.

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Kern's unemployment rate declined in April to 10.7%

Bakersfield Californian

Kern's unemployment rate improved in April to a seasonally unadjusted 10.7 percent, down nearly half a point from the month before, as the county's agricultural employers took on an additional 13,000 workers, according to state data released Friday.

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Kern employers take lenient approach to workplace vaccination policies

Bakersfield California

Employees' gradual return to traditional workplaces around Kern is raising thorny questions about how — or in some cases, whether — to accommodate workers who resist getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

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Kern County and its partners celebrate first anniversary of the M Street Navigation Center

Bakersfield Californian

The county of Kern and its partners celebrated the one-year anniversary of the opening of the M Street Navigation Center on Friday, by sharing success stories, statistics and strategies for the future.

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City's new parks director to oversee the programs he benefited from as kid

Bakersfield Californian

Rick Anthony's new job comes with a lot of old memories. The 55-year-old grew up in Bakersfield, and graduated from South High and Bakersfield College, before spending the next 30 years on the East Coast.

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State:

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COVID Update:

 

Newsom wants to ignite a post-COVID California boom. Here’s what could get in the way

Sacramento Bee

Yet a big part of what’s holding back the recovery isn’t a lack of demand from consumers. Rather, it’s the inability of restaurants, retailers and others to hire enough workers to serve the newly vaccinated customers who have cash to spend and are lining up at their doors.

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A Look at California’s Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Gaps

PPIC

A new state study identified a $4.6 billion funding gap to resolve safe drinking water problems over five years. We talked to UCLA’s Greg Pierce, the study’s lead researcher, about the findings.

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Suspense File Day: Which Controversial Bills Did California Legislators Kill?

Capital Public Radio

Forget about new protections for California kids cruising the internet. There will be no new requirements for crime labs to process old rape kits. And some households behind on their water bills won’t get more time to pay them back before their pipes get shut off.

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What’s missing in Newsom’s budget that has public health officials worried

Los Angeles Times

Healthcare advocates in California are pushing back against Gov. Newsom’s budget plan released last week, saying it follows a dangerous pattern of underfunding local public health agencies despite glaring funding inadequacies exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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California’s new attorney general turns focus from fighting Trump to policing, racial justice

Los Angeles Times

A month after taking over as attorney general, Rob Bonta has put the Department of Justice on a hard pivot, launching a series of initiatives to refocus the agency on problems inside the state after it spent four years fighting the Trump administration on national issues.

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Another summer of California power outages poses threat to Newsom as he faces recall

Los Angeles Times

Each time the power goes out, frustrated Californians look for someone to blame. That could spell trouble for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will appear on a recall ballot during another hot and dry season and as California voters brace for electricity outages around the state.

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Trump loves to bash California. Why is he quiet on Gavin Newsom’s recall?

Modesto Bee

California Republicans are motivated, and the nation is taking notice. After years of declining membership, and repeated failures to win state office, Golden State conservatives feel they have a real shot at kicking California’s top Democrat out of office.

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Event: Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

Public Policy Institute of California

PPIC’s latest survey examines Californians’ views on Governor Newsom’s job performance in light of a likely recall election, along with views on providing stimulus checks and other funds to certain households.

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Editorial: If California is truly as progressive as it claims, why don’t Capitol interns get paid?

Sacramento Bee

If California is serious about equity and diversifying its workforce to address entrenched systemic racism, it can start by paying interns who work at the state Capitol.

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Federal:

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COVID Update:

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Biden Lowers The Price Of The Infrastructure Plan, But Differences With The GOP Remain

VPR

In what appears to be a mostly symbolic step toward finding common ground with Senate Republicans, the Biden administration has lowered its spending proposal on its infrastructure and jobs proposal, from more than $2 trillion to $1.7 trillion.

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Fellow Asian Americans laud Kamala Harris’ rise, but want more clout for their communities

Los Angeles Times

Americans of Asian and Pacific Island heritage voted in unprecedented numbers to help VP Harris become the first Indian American in national office, and to push Democrats over the top in decisive races in Georgia and elsewhere that gave the party control of the Senate.

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Biden targets housing rules that hurt low-income earners. Will the suburbs buy in?

Los Angeles Times

The enduring image of the American Dream is owning a tidy single-family house behind a white picket fence in the suburbs. But for many people of color and low-income earners, that part of the American dream is fleeting, in part because of exclusionary zoning laws.

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Campaign spending on child care growing steadily since FEC allowed it

Roll Call

Overall, 51 candidates, including some Republican men, have spent campaign dollars on child care since the FEC first allowed it in 2018. That’s according to a study released Tuesday by a nonprofit founded by a losing candidate who got the rule changed.

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Commerce Department security unit evolved into counterintelligence-like operation, Washington Post examination found

Washington Post

An obscure security unit tasked with protecting the Commerce Department’s officials and facilities has evolved into something more akin to a counterintelligence operation that collected information on hundreds of people inside and outside the department.

Republicans struggle to define a new governing coalition as Trump closes grip on party

Washington Post

The Republican Party's metamorphosis starkly showed this week in the faceoff between a parade float championing Donald Trump and "Mr. Perks," an 18-foot pink pig on wheels emblazoned with the words "End Washington Waste."

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Progressives Pressure Top Democrats on Israel Arms Deal, Policing

Wall Street Journal

An increasingly vocal progressive wing is putting more pressure on Democratic leaders over hot-button issues including U.S. military aid to Israel, Capitol security funding and policing practices.

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Conservatives have a new target: Biden’s IRS plan

Politico

Add another obstacle to the growing list President Joe Biden faces in his negotiations over his massive spending plans: mounting opposition to one of the ways to pay for his proposal — growing the IRS.

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New poll warns Democrats about overreach

National Journal

The survey, conducted by veteran Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg, shows GOP intensity remaining sky-high, with Republicans faring competitively in battleground states and districts.

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Why does Congress need an independent 1/6 commission?

Brookings

When it comes to an investigation of the January 6, 2021 insurrection and assault on the U.S. Capitol, it needs “something beyond what Congress can do itself.”

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Editorial: Biden’s Global Tax Trouble

Wall Street Journal

At issue is the effective tax rate governments around the world would be required to charge companies under a rubric being negotiated at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

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Opinion: The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority is about to show us its true colors

Washington Post

On Monday morning, the court agreed to hear a challenge to a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy — a case that poses a direct attack on the constitutional right to abortion.

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Opinion: How preparing for an audit helped DOD's COVID-19 response

The Hill

The story today is that the comprehensive full financial statement audit has revolutionized the way DOD looks at data. Resulting changes save time and money while improving availability of reliable information for management, decisionmaking and crises response.

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Opinion: Biden’s Big Labor Bind

Wall Street Journal

If Washington’s grand infrastructure talks collapse, as they likely will, expect the usual finger-pointing from both sides. Don’t mention the donkey in the room: Big Labor. President Biden has a union problem already.

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Other:

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Where’s the rallying cry? America’s children are unequally prepared to absorb the impacts of COVID-19

Brookings

The inevitable negative impacts of economic and health distress on family life and children’s well-being are more an informational news story than a national rallying cry.

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Pandemic population change across metro America: Accelerated migration, less immigration, fewer births and more deaths

Brookings

In a new analysis based on recently released Census data, William Frey shows how changes in immigration, domestic migration, and births since the pandemic began have affected population growth in much of the United States.

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USPS trucks don’t have air bags or air conditioning. They get 10 mpg. And they were revolutionary

Washington Post

LLVs have far exceeded their projected 24-year life spans and now have a reputation of catching fire after hundreds of thousands of miles of overuse.

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Section 230 reform deserves careful and focused consideration

Brookings

While there may be changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that could adjust incentives to moderate offensive content, it will take a range of specific measures to accomplish what many people seem to broadly expect from Section 230 revision.

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MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

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Sunday, May 30, at 9 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "Air Quality: Has the Valley Hit the Invisible Wall?"- Guests: Rachel Becker, Environmental Reporter - CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

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Sunday, May 30, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Valley Air: Are We Breathing Any Easier?" - Guests: Tom Jordan, Senior Policy Advisor - San Joaquin Valley Air District; Dr. Tania Pacheco-Werner, Co-Director - Fresno State’s Central Valley Health Policy Institute. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

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AGRICULTURE/FOOD

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Carbon storage offers hope for climate, and cash for farmers

Los Angeles Times

The rye and rapeseed that Rick Clifton cultivated in central Ohio were coming along nicely. His tractor rumbled over the flat, fertile landscape, spraying it with herbicides.

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Facing a drought, California’s farmers make hard choices

Mercury News

In wetter times, these feathery beds of asparagus would produce generations of tender green spears, reaching for the vast San Joaquin Valley sky.

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‘Can we say economic justice?’ Inside the fight for equity in California’s cannabis industry

Sacramento Bee

A month ago, Amen stood with members of Sacramento’s CORE program as they opposed a freeze on cannabis permits in North Sacramento. Together they all share a vision of equity in California’s marijuana industry.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

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Crime:

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California says $5 million Ponzi scam bilked older Filipinos

Modesto Bee

California's attorney general on Friday charged 15 people with conspiring to defraud mostly elderly victims of Filipino descent out of a combined $5 million.

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Support for the death penalty is declining in California, poll shows

Los Angeles Times

Support for capital punishment continues to dwindle among Californians, with more voters favoring abolishing the death penalty, but the issue remains so politically volatile that the prospects of a repeal are uncertain.

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Opinion: We know how to stop gun violence; let’s fund it

CalMatters

In 2009, I was pained to bury a young student of mine named Larry Spencer. Like too many young Black and Brown men in this country, his vibrant and promising life was cut short as a result of gun violence.

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Public Safety:

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Cal/OSHA looked into only 8% of safety complaints in Central CA: ABC30 investigation

abc30

In close quarters and without proper protective equipment, employees at Hanford's Central Valley Meat claimed in a lawsuit their employer put them at risk every day in the first months of the COVID pandemic.

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Report Calls For State To Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis

VPR

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness about the connection between race and health equity, raising the question - how might this experience change public health policy moving forward?

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California prison doctors fear drug treatment program could create new addicts

Sacramento Bee

More than a third of California state prison doctors are objecting to a new corrections department requirement that they prescribe an opioid treatment drug, saying the prisons aren’t taking enough precautions to prevent its abuse.

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California’s new attorney general turns focus from fighting Trump to policing, racial justice

Los Angeles Times

A month after taking over as attorney general, Rob Bonta has put the Department of Justice on a hard pivot, launching a series of initiatives to refocus the agency on problems inside the state after it spent four years fighting the Trump administration on national issues.

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Fire:

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It’s California wildfire season. But firefighters say federal hotshot crews are understaffed

Los Angeles Times

As another wildfire season looms over California, the U.S. Forest Service is running short of the most experienced and elite firefighters in the country — the forestry crews known as hotshots, who travel the nation putting out wildfires.

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ECONOMY/JOBS

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Economy:

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Are Vaccinated Americans Powering the Economy? Not Yet, Data Show

Wall Street Journal

Vaccinated Americans are increasingly going out this spring—but not as much as their unvaccinated counterparts. Vaccinated consumers were less likely to go out to restaurants, salons and entertainment venues than those who don’t plan to get the vaccine.

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SOYDEMIR: Virus Control Key to Economic Recovery

CSU Stan Newsroom

The national economic recovery from the pandemic is continuing at a slower pace, due to emerging variants of the COVID-19 virus and a reluctance among some populations to seek vaccination.

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Opinion: Great Inflation Expectations Won’t Save the Fed

Wall Street Journal

Central bankers will assure you that as long as the Fed (and its peers) can manage inflation expectations, this will all work out in the end. Based on this belief, steering those expectations-the term of art here is “anchoring”-has become a policy-making preoccupation.

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Jobs:

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Kern's unemployment rate declined in April to 10.7%

Bakersfield Californian

Kern's unemployment rate improved in April to a seasonally unadjusted 10.7 percent, down nearly half a point from the month before, as the county's agricultural employers took on an additional 13,000 workers, according to state data released Friday.

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Biden administration moves toward making the pandemic work-from-home experiment permanent for many federal workers

Washington Post

As the Biden administration contemplates how to return the massive federal workforce to the office, government officials are moving to make a pandemic experiment permanent by allowing more employees than ever to work from home.

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Help wanted: Modesto restaurants, retail understaffed as they struggle to hire more

Modesto Bee

Staffing shortages across the food service and retail industries are evident, with big chains advertising signing bonuses outside their locations and smaller businesses reducing their hours due to a lack of staff.

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Bosses Still Aren’t Sure Remote Workers Have ‘Hustle’

Wall Street Journal

More than a year into America’s great work-from-home experiment, many companies have hailed it largely as a success. So why do some bosses think remote workers aren’t as committed as office dwellers?

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Many Fresno jobs have soared since Amazon, Ulta Beauty opened centers. How about wages?

Fresno Bee

It’s been almost three years since retail giants Ulta Beauty and Amazon opened huge new distribution centers at the south end of Fresno, accompanied by fanfare from city leaders who hailed the flurry of jobs the two companies were expected to create.

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Kern employers take lenient approach to workplace vaccination policies

Bakersfield California

Employees' gradual return to traditional workplaces around Kern is raising thorny questions about how — or in some cases, whether — to accommodate workers who resist getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

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New Face-Mask Rules Put Grocery Workers Back at Center of Debate

Wall Street Journal

Many supermarket chains have eased rules for wearing masks in stores since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 13 that fully vaccinated people no longer need to cover their faces indoors.

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Parents getting kids shots left out of COVID-19 paid leave options

Roll Call

The Biden administration and some employers have not extended COVID-19 vaccine paid leave policies to parents helping kids get shots, which children's health advocates say could make it difficult for some of the most vulnerable to get vaccinated.

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Job Benefits Cutoff Will Hit Rural U.S. Hard

PEW Trusts

At least 22 Republican governors are ending federal unemployment benefits, arguing that they discourage people from taking jobs. Economists say the move will hit rural areas—where opportunities are limited—particularly hard.

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Editorial: The Child Care Excuse for Unfilled Jobs

Wall Street Journal

Democrats claim that caring for children stuck at home is keeping parents from jobs. That’s no doubt true in some cases, yet a new study suggests it’s far less important than politicians claim.

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Opinion: Reserving America’s poor track record on inclusivity in infrastructure jobs

Brookings

More than a year since the COVID-19 recession began, the economic recovery is gaining momentum. Businesses and schools are reopening. Incomes and consumer spending are up.

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EDUCATION

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K-12:

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Clovis schools ease some face mask requirements. District expects more changes to come

Fresno Bee

Students, employees, and visitors no longer have to wear masks outside at Clovis Unified schools as long as social distancing can be maintained, officials announced Friday afternoon.

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Clovis Unified employees, students no longer have to wear face masks outdoors abc30

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Now is the time to invest in school infrastructure

Brookings

Why is it so important to invest in school infrastructure now? There is evidence that school ventilation protects children from contracting COVID-19 and other viruses in schools.

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Editorial: Newsom finally rings the school bell

Los Angeles Times

It’s a little late in the game, but Gov. Gavin Newsom is finally getting tough about reopening schools. Or tougher, anyway.

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Walters: California still mistreating its school kids

CalMatters

The traditional school year will soon end, but the maltreatment of California’s 6 million public school students — especially those from poor non-white families — shamefully continues.

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Opinion: California Leftists Try to Cancel Math Class

Wall Street Journal

If California education officials have their way, generations of students may not know how to calculate an apartment’s square footage or the area of a farm field, but the “mathematics” of political agitation and organizing will be second nature to them.

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Higher Ed:

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CSUB students overcome hardships of past year, honored during Friday graduation ceremony

Bakersfield Californian

Getting a bachelor’s degree is always hard work, and even in a normal year most students at Cal State Bakersfield don’t have an easy road.

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A video from the president of California State University, Fresno

CSU Fresno

Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval is the ninth president of Fresno State. This marks an exciting time in our University’s history as President Jiménez-Sandoval is ready to partner with you to achieve bold excellence for our students and economic vitality for our region.

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‘We have persevered’: Stanislaus State 2020 graduates celebrate in postponed ceremony

Modesto Bee

A year after earning their degrees from California State University, Stanislaus, about 260 graduates of the class of 2020 celebrated in a ceremony at the Turlock campus Thursday morning.

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ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

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Environment:

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Great white shark population increasing off California coast, researchers say it's a good thing

abc30

The number of great white sharks is increasing off the California coast, according to researchers, and they say this is a good thing.

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Your Uber and Lyft driver must go electric. California’s latest climate change mandate

Modesto Bee

The California Air Resources Board voted Thursday to require ride-hailing companies to phase electric vehicles into their fleets starting in 2023. By 2030, at least 90% of the miles driven by ride-hail companies in California must be in electric vehicles.

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Energy:

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Governor caught between key Democratic blocs on oil setbacks

Bakersfield Californian

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has set some of the nation's most ambitious goals for weaning his state off oil, including a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 and the end of oil production a decade later.

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Another summer of California power outages poses threat to Newsom as he faces recall

Los Angeles Times

Each time the power goes out, frustrated Californians look for someone to blame. That could spell trouble for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will appear on a recall ballot during another hot and dry season and as California voters brace for electricity outages around the state.

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Opinion: A key source of California’s future energy will be wood waste converted at biomass plants

Fresno Bee

California continues to strive to transform our energy sector to provide safe, clean, and affordable services and infrastructure to every community. This goal is a cornerstone of the state’s energy policy and requires real solutions based on facts and science.

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HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

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Health:

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Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Booster shots, HIPAA violations, mask guidance

Fresno Bee

More than 33 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday afternoon, May 22, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 589,000 people who have died nationwide.

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How Medical Jargon Can Make COVID Health Disparities Even Worse

VPR

When cases of COVID-19 began rising in Boston last spring, Pooja Chandrashekar, then a first year student at Harvard Medical School, worried that easy-to-understand information about the pandemic might not be available in the many languages spoken by clients.

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Fact check: COVID vaccines won’t affect teens’ development or fertility, experts say

Fresno Bee

Now that children between the ages of 12 and 15 can receive COVID-19 vaccines, parents are concerned about the shots’ potential to interfere with teens’ development, hormones and future fertility.

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Many Latino men haven’t gotten vaccinated. Misinformation, fear and busy lives are factors

Los Angeles Times

Nationally, a third of unvaccinated Latinos say they want to get the shot as soon as possible — a much higher share than unvaccinated Black or white people, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Skepticism Of Science In A Pandemic Isn't New. It Helped Fuel The AIDS Crisis

VPR

As often happens, when science is searching for the answers and formulating hypotheses, attractive theories get elevated to facts prematurely. And even after they're disproved by solid scientific studies, the public may not get the news – the wrong ideas persist — and if it's convenient, politicians may exploit the misunderstandings.

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Human Services:

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Laws to Curb Surprise Medical Bills Might Be Inflating Health Care Costs

VPR

New state laws designed to protect patients from being hit with steep out-of-network medical bills may contribute to higher health care costs and premiums, some researchers warn.

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COVID emergency exposes the need for more public health funding in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Health advocates concerned about the state of underfunded public health systems see the coronavirus pandemic as their best chance of turning things around.

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California Coronavirus Updates: Early CDC COVID-19 Tests Came With Wrong Instructions, Costing The U.S. Weeks

Capital Public Radio

Government scientists distributed flawed COVID-19 tests early in the pandemic, says an internal report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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What’s missing in Newsom’s budget that has public health officials worried

Los Angeles Times

Healthcare advocates in California are pushing back against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget plan released last week, saying it follows a dangerous pattern of underfunding local public health agencies despite glaring funding inadequacies exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Explaining HIPAA: No, it doesn’t ban questions about your vaccination status

Washington Post

As the CDC continues to relax safety measures for people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and the country begins to reopen, many employers, businesses, families and friend groups are finding themselves having to ask about others’ vaccination statuses.

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Democrats Lower Their Sights on Healthcare Changes

Wall Street Journal

Many progressive Democrats are facing the political reality that far-reaching healthcare overhauls aren’t likely to succeed in the short term, which means their hopes may rest instead on building on recent Affordable Care Act changes and reducing prescription drug costs.

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IMMIGRATION

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With more border crossers, US groups seek to stem deaths

Modesto Bee

Every week, migrant rights activist Eduardo Canales fills up blue water drums that are spread throughout a vast valley of Texas ranchlands and brush. They are there for migrants who venture into the rough terrain to avoid being caught and sent back to Mexico.

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LAND USE/HOUSING

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Land Use:

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Yosemite’s new reservation system now in effect. Yosemite Valley traffic is different

Fresno Bee

Online reservations are now needed for almost all visitors to enter Yosemite National Park. The new system went into effect Friday.

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Here’s when Yosemite says Tioga Road to the east side is opening. But first, a spring storm

Fresno Bee

Here’s some good news for travelers coming into Yosemite National Park in the next few weeks: All of the park’s winter road closures should be lifted by next week. That includes Tioga Road (Highway 120) and the eastern entrance to the park.

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Housing:

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Fresno housing policy gaps cause lack of timely inspections on substandard rental units

Fresno Bee

Three years after the city of Fresno launched a proactive rental housing inspection program, code enforcement officers inspected 7,704 registered rental units. Most of them failed initial inspection.

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Biden targets housing rules that hurt low-income earners. Will the suburbs buy in?

Los Angeles Times

The enduring image of the American Dream is owning a tidy single-family house behind a white picket fence in the suburbs. But for many people of color and low-income earners, that part of the American dream is fleeting, in part because of exclusionary zoning laws.

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Cash to help California renters goes unspent with eviction protections expiring soon

Los Angeles Times

Months after the state approved $2.6B to help California tenants pay rent amid hardship caused by the pandemic, advocates say a disappointingly low number of people have applied, as the program has been hampered by a slow start, confusion and red tape.

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Selling to Buy a Bigger Home? It May Be Rough in This Hot Market

Wall Street Journal

After a long year spent cramped at home, many homeowners are eager to move into larger spaces. These sellers stand to benefit from the hot housing market, but trading up could be tricky. Here’s how to look at the financials and logistics of sizing up this seller’s market.

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Opinion: California leaders have no more excuses for their inaction on housing reforms

Sacramento Bee

From city government actions to President Biden’s infrastructure plan, the momentum to end exclusionary zoning and land use policies that contribute to both our housing crisis and neighborhood segregation is mounting.

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PUBLIC FINANCES

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Tulare County to receive $90.6 million from American Rescue Plan

Porterville Recorder

Tulare County is receiving nearly $91 million from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that was approved by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.

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More Black Millennials Are Turning To Investing And Cryptocurrency To Build Back Wealth

Capital Public Radio

Kayla Green has lost more than money this past year. Early in the pandemic, the 30-year-old elementary school teacher lost her partner, in part due to increased financial stress she and her family were facing.

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Biden Tax Hikes Hitting Resistance, With ‘No Room for Error’

Bloomberg

Weeks after President Joe Biden pitched the first major set of tax increases since 1993, signs are mounting that anxiety among congressional Democrats will significantly temper any increases that manage to pass Congress.

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Opinion: California needs an extreme wealth tax, says multi-millionaire

Sacramento Bee

In their 1983 classic “King of Pain,” The Police sing: “There’s a rich man sleeping on a golden bed. There’s a skeleton choking on a crust of bread.” The song is almost 40 years old and rings as true now as it did when Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

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TRANSPORTATION

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California changes its mind on Highway 41 widening, ‘saving lives,’ Fresno advocates say

Fresno Bee

State transportation officials changed course this week and agreed to offer a letter of support to widening Highway 41 south of Fresno, area leaders said Friday.

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California’s highest-in-the-nation gas taxes are rising. But promised repairs are lagging

Los Angeles Times

Four years after the Legislature boosted the gas tax in order to fix California’s crumbling roads and bridges, the state has spent billions and made some progress in repairs, but officials now say the funding is sufficient only to complete less than half of the work needed.

See also:

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Opinion: California Must Lead Transition to Zero Emission Vehicles

Natural Resources Defense Council

In actuality, the need is even greater for California to continue its role as the nation’s “laboratory or pioneer” for new, innovative clean air policies, such as the three-way catalytic converter, unleaded gasoline, and the Zero Emission Vehicle program.

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WATER

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MID, city partner on water project

Madera Tribune

Groundwater is vital for the community of Madera, particularly in dry years such as 2021. When surface water is limited due to inadequate rainfall and snowpack, Madera is even more heavily reliant on groundwater.

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A Look at California’s Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Gaps

PPIC

A new state study identified a $4.6 billion funding gap to resolve safe drinking water problems over five years. We talked to UCLA’s Greg Pierce, the study’s lead researcher, about the findings.

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California facing drought crisis as water shortages mount and fire danger escalates

Washington Post

California’s deepening drought has worsened into a crisis, as a second dry year in a row has diminished the state’s water supply and another difficult fire season looks inevitable. Nearly three-quarters of the state is in extreme to exceptional drought.

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Short-term federal funding from ARP can jumpstart long-term water infrastructure improvements

Brookings

While many states and localities have prevented water shutoffs and offered to help cover these bills, they lack the economic certainty and fiscal capacity to develop lasting solutions in the months and years to come.

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Skelton: Follow the warning signs: California is facing a devastating drought. It’s time to take action

Los Angeles Times

When Sierra snow seeps into the ground or evaporates before it can flow downstream into reservoirs, you know California is facing a severe drought. It’s happening this spring up and down the mountain range that is a primary water source for the state.

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Opinion: Investment in Delta tunnel, Sites Reservoir will ensure water supply

CalMatters

California just recorded its’ third driest winter in history, so it’s no surprise that State Water Project deliveries have been cut to just 5% of contracted amounts.

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“Xtra”

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Bethany Clough: Another Raising Cane’s restaurant headed for the Valley. Plus latest on Fresno, Clovis

Fresno Bee

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, the highly anticipated fast food chain, has announced plans to open yet another restaurant in the Valley. Tulare is getting a location, scheduled to open Sept. 7. It will be at 1579 E. Prosperity Ave., about a half mile off Highway 99.

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Fresno's Island Waterpark officially reopens with safety changes

abc30

Just in time for the summer heat, the slides and rides at Island Waterpark are back up and running. The park remained closed through the last summer due to the pandemic.

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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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