Maddy Institute – May 3, 2019

03May

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

UC Merced is ‘University of the Year!’

University of California

Winners were chosen by the editors of Education Dive based on resonance and industry impact. The digital news outlet solicited suggestions for nominees from its nearly 180,000 readers.

Central SJ Valley:

Andrew Janz challenges Fresno Mayor Lee Brand on notion of experience

Fresno Bee

Fresno County violent crimes prosecutor Andrew Janz held his first public event as a Fresno mayoral candidate Thursday evening in Radio Park.

Jerry Dyer is selling his home. What’s next for retiring Fresno police chief?

Fresno Bee

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was listed on Zillow late Thursday for more than $600,000. Dyer lives outside of Fresno’s city limits. The home is listed by Realtor Nader Assemi of Assemi Real Estate, Inc.

Here’s how jury was set for California Assemblyman Arambula’s misdemeanor child abuse trial

Fresno Bee

Jury selection for the misdemeanor child abuse case against Arambula concluded Thursday, after more than two days of intense interviewing that cut a pool of 180 prospective jurors down to 12 with two additional alternates.

South SJ Valley:

Bakersfield Fire Department to return to pre-recession staffing levels with funding increase from Measure N

Bakersfield Californian

A multi-million dollar budget increase is arriving at just the right time, officials with the Bakersfield Fire Department say. The department has been operating at historically low levels of staffing as calls for service have crept upward.

Former CSUB President Horace Mitchell returns for bench, conference room dedication

Bakersfield Californian

The once “big man on campus,” former Cal State Bakersfield President Horace Mitchell, made his return to Bakersfield Thursday for a dedication ceremony in his and other past presidents’ honor.

Tulare County Animal Services receives $28,687 grant to fund spay and neuter efforts

Porterville Recorder

Tulare County Animal Services announced Wednesday it has recently received a $28,687 grant from PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, to help fuel its spay and neuter efforts in Tulare County.

State:

Gavin Newsom officially kills twin Delta tunnels, eyes downsized CA water project

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration officially pulled the plug Thursday on the twin Delta tunnels, fullfilling Newsom’s pledge to downsize the project to a single pipe as he attempts to chart a new course for California’s troubled water-delivery system.

● Newsom officially kills Jerry Brown’s Delta twin tunnels project San Jose Mercury

● Twin Tunnels scrapped for smaller, coordinated option Stockton Record

● California Governor Makes Big Change To Giant Water Project Capital Public Radio

● State Withdraws WaterFix Approvals, Initiates Planning and Permitting for a Smaller Single Tunnel CA Department of Water Resources

Price Tag For California High-Speed Rail Increases Again, But State Says There’s Money To Build From Merced To Bakersfield

Capital Public Radio

In his first formal move to shape the future of the state’s high-speed rail project, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has released cost estimates and plans to build track, trains and stations in the Central Valley.

● High-speed rail might start with old-school diesel trains San Francisco Chronicle

● Likely cost of high-speed rail rises again Curbed San Francisco

● On California high-speed rail project, Newsom to scale back consultants but push ahead Los Angeles Times

● Cost of Central Valley Bullet Train Spikes by $1.8 Billion Courthouse News Service

● High-Speed Rail Authority Updates Plan to Finish Central Valley Segment Streetsblog Cal

● California’s High-Speed Rail Cost Grows by About $2 Billion Bloomberg

● New California rail plan pegs Central Valley line at $18.3B AP

● Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report: Merced to Fresno Section: Central Valley Wye California High Speed Rail Authority

These are the fastest-growing cities in California

Fresno Bee

California’s population mostly held flat in 2018, but some of its cities saw tremendous swings in the number of people who call them home. Wildfires drove the biggest changes, sending thousands of people from scorched communities like Paradise and Malibu to other cities.

California’s 2018 midterm election: A dive into the numbers

Capitol Weekly

Voter participation dramatically increased in California in the 2018 midterm elections, part of a nationwide trend. About 51.9% of California’s 25.1 million eligible voters hit the polls in the 2018 general election, up from 36.6% in 2014, the previous midterm election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

EDITORIAL: A right and reasonable crackdown on illegal campaigning

Los Angeles Times

State and federal law forbid governmental entities, like cities or counties or school districts, from using public funds or resources to campaign for ballot measures. Despite its name, the California Fair Political Practices Commission lacks the authority to pursue such unfair political practices.

When the next recession hits, will California be able to count on Washington?

CALmatters

Income tax receipts surpassed expectations for the pivotal month of April. Projections of a $21 billion-plus surplus are not out of the question. Nearly 3 million jobs have been added since the depths of the Great Recession, yielding record low unemployment.

Federal:

Barr besieged by allegations of being president’s protector

Fresno Bee

Barr has emerged as arguably the most divisive figure in Donald Trump’s administration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused him on Thursday of lying — a charge the Justice Department called reckless and false — and House Democrats are poised to hold him in contempt.

● Prop chicken brought to House hearing in Barr’s absence abc30

● Nancy Pelosi accuses Attorney General Barr of lying to Congress. ‘That’s a crime.’ Sacramento Bee

● House Democrats say they may hold William Barr in contempt Los Angeles Times

● Presidents Should Not Investigate Themselves National Review

Trump Fed choice Stephen Moore withdraws amid controversy

Fresno Bee

Stephen Moore, a conservative commentator whom President Donald Trump had tapped for the Federal Reserve board, withdrew from consideration Thursday after losing Republican support in the Senate, largely over his past inflammatory writings about women.

● Trump Fed pick Stephen Moore withdraws amid GOP opposition Politico

● OPINION: My Brush With Personal Destruction Wall Street Journal

Trump’s NAFTA replacement hits snag in Congress

UPI
President Donald Trump‘s trade deal with Canada and Mexico have hit roadblocks in Congress, with a key Republican calling for an end to tariffs on the countries while the Democrats demanded stronger worker protection language.

‘Downright deadly’: Pelosi rips Trump rule allowing providers to deny care to LGBTQ, women

Roll Call

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that expanded permissions for health care providers to deny care based on religious or moral objections could be “downright deadly” for women and LGBTQ people.

Clash Between Congress, White House Likely to Reverberate for Years to Come

Wall Street Journal

In a private room deep inside the U.S. Capitol complex, Rep. Gerry Connolly fumed as he questioned a former Trump administration official over the security-clearance process.

Washington’s Biggest Lobbyist, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Gets Shut Out

Wall Street Journal

A month before his inauguration, and shortly after he had finished a round of golf with Tiger Woods, Donald Trump was introduced to an adviser of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the chief advocacy group for American corporations.

CBO Sees National Debt Continuing to Grow

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. continues to be on a path to an expanding national debt, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday, in a report that largely repeated its earlier budget projections.

EDITORIAL: Nothing concrete in Trump-Pelosi push to rebuild infrastructure

San Francisco Chronicle

Infrastructure has become Washington’s answer to the weather in that everyone talks about it but no one does anything about it.

OPINION: Republicans in a Nation Needing Repair

Wall Street Journal

This week I talked with an intelligent politician who is trying to figure out the future of the Republican Party. He said that in presidential cycles down the road, it will be a relief to get back to the old conservatism of smaller government, tax cuts and reduced spending.

Elections 2020:

California renews bid to get presidential candidates’ taxes

Associated Press

The California Legislature is trying again to force presidential candidates to publicly disclose their tax returns, hoping a new Democratic governor known for his clashes with President Donald Trump won’t block them this time.

OPINION: Harris challenges the thinking on the best way to challenge Trump

Washington Post

Frankly, who will be “electable” in 18 months is rarely apparent to so-called experts, let alone voters. Based on the false sense of security of a white candidate, Democrats in the 2008 cycle would have told you that Barack Obama was less “electable” than Clinton.

Who is John Hickenlooper? Five things Californians need to know as he runs for president

Sacramento Bee

Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is a former Denver mayor and Colorado governor campaigning on a more pragmatic set of policies. He’s qualified for the first debate by earning 1 percent in at least three polls.

Michael Bennet, senator from Colorado, announces 2020 presidential run, joining huge Democratic field

Los Angeles Times

There were already roughly 20 Democrats seeking the party’s presidential nomination, of whom all but a handful barely register in early polls.

2020 Democrats Aim High With Climate Change Proposals

NPR
The past few presidential campaigns, environmental activists have “been left begging for there to be a single question at a campaign debate about climate change,” longtime climate change activist and author Bill McKibben recently told NPR.

In crowded field, 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls turn to podcasts

Roll Call

The medium, which is growing in popularity, allows candidates to talk about their visions and policies without having to conform to TV’s short sound bites, Smith said. And for listeners, choosing to play a host’s podcast is akin to “letting a person into your home.”

African Americans say presidential candidates are missing basic connections

Washington Post

As the 20-plus Democratic hopefuls traipse across South Carolina, black voters are absorbing more than policy positions and applause lines. They’re also taking note of social miscues and ignored niceties that, as Pryce said in an interview, “show you’re coming to the black community just because you have to.”

· Black students face barriers to enrollment, graduation at community colleges, speakers say Fresno Bee

Where Was All of This Skepticism about Beto Last Year?

National Review

The column is scathing, but some of us will wonder . . . where the heck was all of this scrutiny and skepticism of O’Rourke last year? He’s the same guy he was in 2018!

Other:

Facebook bans extremist leaders including Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos for being ‘dangerous’

Washington Post

A sign that the social network is more aggressively enforcing its hate-speech policies at a moment when bigoted violence is on the rise around the world.

Potential Facebook Settlement With FTC Likely to Include WhatsApp

Wall Street Journal

Facebook Inc.’s potential settlement with federal regulators over breaches of consumer data privacy is nearing completion, and will likely cover related services such as its WhatsApp messaging function, people familiar with the matter said.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

The Raisin Industry? Not Such a Dry Subject

New York Times

The other was that the young chief executive, Harry Overly, had in his first year on the job pulled out of something called the Raisin Bargaining Association, an organization the company had been a part of for decades. I wondered if there had been any repercussions.

California Has Farmers Growing Weeds. Why? To Capture Carbon

KQED
California’s climate change efforts can be spotted all over the Bay Area in the growing number of electric cars and solar panels. But now, California is enlisting people from a more conservative part of the state — even if they don’t think climate change is much of a concern.

A Farmer Goes in Search of a Successor

Capital Public Radio

As a generational wave of farmers in California enters retirement age, these growers and ranchers face difficult choices about what to do with their farms and how to support themselves as they age.

OPINION: America Is at the End of the Lime

Wall Street Journal

Largely uncelebrated in its native land, Cinco de Mayo is mostly a rickety pretext for tequila-fueled parties north of the border. But the commemoration of the Mexican Army’s victory over the French in the 1862 Battle of Puebla could also serve as a fitting tribute to a vanished U.S. crop—the lime.

Have you checked out this new farmers market in the Tower District?

abc30

The new farmers market, called Market in the Tower District, will run every Thursday from now through the end of October.

ALDI grocery store opens in Hanford

Hanford Sentinel

ALDI operates more than 1,800 stores in 35 states. It’s relatively new in California, having opened its first store in the state just three years ago.

A joint is cheap in California, but marijuana costs even less in these states

Sacramento Bee

The Oxford Treatment Center, a drug addiction treatment center, used data from crowd-source marijuana price aggregator priceofweed.com, to compile a list of states where bud is cheapest, and where it’s most expensive.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

New law barring 14- and 15-year-olds from adult court stands, California appeals court rules

Fresno Bee

A California appeals court has upheld easing the life sentence of a Solano County man sentenced to life in prison at age 15 on attempted murder, sexual assault and torture charges, in the state’s first ruling to uphold the controversial law barring 14- and 15-year-olds from being tried as adults.

Public Safety:

Fresno County peace officers gather to honor memory of 60 killed in line of duty

Fresno Bee

Members of Fresno County law enforcement agencies gathered Thursday afternoon at the Peace Officers Memorial in Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno for a ceremony honoring the memory of every in the line of duty death from all law enforcement agencies within Fresno County.

Cal City Police Department turns to retirees to fill hiring void

Bakersfield Californian

Two months ago, the California City Police Department faced a challenge that could have crippled many other law enforcement agencies. But the situation has since turned around, thanks in part to a group of recent retirees, who have decided to step back into the uniform.

California among most ‘dangerous’ states for online dating

abc30

Are you single and looking to swipe or click? A new study ranks California among the top states where it’s most dangerous to date online. Scientists came up with the rankings, using factors like STD rates, violent crime statistics and sex education data.

Fire:

California wildfire dilemma: Can the state keep bailing out counties ravaged by disaster?

Sacramento Bee

As embers were dying from the cataclysmic 2018 wildfire season, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators rushed in with tens of millions of dollars in bailout funds for Butte and other counties to keep fire-ravaged areas afloat until they can rebuild their tax base.

Prescribed Burning To Resume On Bass Lake Ranger District

Sierra News

Fire officials on the Sierra National Forest have announced plans to continue the spring underburning program within the Bass Lake Ranger District for approximately 400 acres on the Greys Mountain, Doublegate, Timberloft and Lone Sequoia projects.

PG&E Offers $105M ‘Wildfire Assistance’ Plan

Capital Public Radio

Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. plans to set up a $105 million fund to help survivors of recent California wildfires likely started by the utility’s equipment, according to a court filing Wednesday.

Fire season is off to a slow start, but high burn potential is forecast for California

Los Angeles Times

The Western U.S. has seen a slow start to this year’s fire season, but California can still expect “above normal” potential for large wildfires this summer as heavy crops of grasses sprouted by the wet winter dry out, according to a new government report on fire potential.

PG&E Says S.E.C. Is Investigating Its Wildfire Disclosures

New York Times

The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into Pacific Gas and Electric’s accounting for its losses related to three years of wildfires in Northern California, the utility reported to shareholders Thursday.

Bakersfield Fire Department to return to pre-recession staffing levels with funding increase from Measure N

Bakersfield Californian

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

U.S. unemployment fell to 3.6 percent, lowest since 1969

Washington Post

The U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs in April, notching a record 103 straight months of job gains and signaling the current economic expansion shows little sign of stalling.

Dollar to reign for another 3-6 months, then cede ground – Reuters poll

Reuters

The U.S. dollar, which has dominated currency markets since last year, will stay strong for another three to six months before starting to cede ground to most other major currencies, a Reuters poll found.

More than 1,000 attend Valley Made Manufacturing Summit

abc30

Different businesses set up shop, informing people about what they do and the working opportunities available.

Democrats Take Aim at the Gig Economy

Bloomberg

Leading Democrats are proposing a labor law overhaul that could extend collective bargaining rights to huge swaths of the gig economy, the latest sign of gathering blowback for companies committed to maximizing profits by denying workers rights and benefits often associated with regular employment.

EDITORIAL: Tourism is the lifeblood of our local economy

Sierra Star

Most of us found this area as tourists and while here on a vacation we made the decision to buy a place or rent a home and to become a resident rather than a visitor. That being said I want to remind folks that the tourists bring many needed dollars into the local economy.

OPINION: Diversity of Mind at the Fed

Wall Street Journal

Steve Moore withdrew Thursday as a candidate for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, after weeks of media pounding all out of proportion to the job. This ugly episode underscores the need for fresh thinking at the Fed, and that’s where President Trump’s economic advisers should keep their focus.

Jobs:

California janitors may get labor law protections in wake of federal court decision

Los Angeles Times

In a decision opening yet another front in the battle over how to classify workers, a federal appeals court Thursday ruled that an international franchiser could be forced to treat its California janitors as employees rather than independent contractors.

When Finding Work is a Necessity, and Nearly Impossible

KPCC

More Californians are working past the age of 65, many because they can’t afford to retire. But the seniors who most need a job often have the hardest time finding one.

Three LGBTQ job discrimination cases could have wider consequences for everyone

Los Angeles Times

It is hard to see how the Supreme Court could rule against the LGBTQ workers in these new cases without upending decades of established law.

OPINION: Open Forum: The future of work begins in California

San Francisco Chronicle

We may be the place where new ideas most often turn into new industries, thanks to venture capital funding, innovative startups, world-class universities, state-of-the art labs and our diverse talent pool.

OPINION: America the Productive

Wall Street Journal

Small U.S. firms continued adding workers and continued raising wages in April. That’s according to the latest employer survey from the National Federation of Independent Business, due out later today. Also, a new government report shows that workers at businesses of all sizes are getting more done.

EDUCATION

K-12:

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education

PPIC

Most Californians say charter schools are an important option for parents in low-income areas—but many express concern that charters divert funding from traditional public schools.

Teacher’s job at risk because of school paper article

abc30

A Stockton teacher may lose her job because of an article written in the school paper about a student involved in the adult entertainment industry.

● Bear Creek student newspaper’s controversial story will run as planned Stockton Record

● California school newspaper will run story on porn worker Bakersfield Californian

● Profile of student porn worker allowed to run in Stockton high school newspaper Los Angeles Times

● District backs off, allows school newspaper to run story about student in sex trade San Francisco Chronicle

● EDITORIAL: Bruin Voice controversy an overreaction at highest levels Stockton Record

Visalia PBIS problem might have a simple fix, communication

Visalia Times Delta

Visalia Unified School District administrators say they’ve heard their teachers loud and clear.

When it comes to the district’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) framework, there is much room for improvement.

Should California Teachers Who Become Seriously Ill Have to Pay for Their Own Subs?

KQED

A San Francisco public school teacher who is fighting a serious illness will have the cost of her replacement — a substitute — deducted from her paycheck while she is out on extended sick leave.

First on new California state superintendent’s long agenda: getting more men of color in the classroom

EdSource

Four months into his first term, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is creating 13 work groups that he expects will recommend strategies for addressing some of the state’s thorniest education challenges.

Higher Ed:

UC Merced is ‘University of the Year’

University of California

Winners were chosen by the editors of Education Dive based on resonance and industry impact. The digital news outlet solicited suggestions for nominees from its nearly 180,000 readers.

Former CSUB President Horace Mitchell returns for bench, conference room dedication

Bakersfield Californian

The once “big man on campus,” former Cal State Bakersfield President Horace Mitchell, made his return to Bakersfield Thursday for a dedication ceremony in his and other past presidents’ honor.

Black students face barriers to enrollment, graduation at community colleges, speakers say

Fresno Bee

Students and State Center Community College District staff members told California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley on Tuesday night that the district lacks support for African American students from enrollment through graduation.

Video: English as a Second Language in California Community Colleges

PPIC

While the educational goals of students who enroll in ESL courses at California’s community colleges may vary, the economic benefits of effective ESL programs are clear: English proficiency can facilitate social and economic mobility for non-native speakers.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

Drought left California with ‘zombie trees.’ Here’s how to spot them – and help them

Sacramento Bee

Although seven years of drought in California finally relented this March, high heat and lack of water have caused a severe decline in the health of some trees, with many now essentially suspended between life and death, Sacramento-area arborist Matt Morgan said.

Paris climate bill will send a message and test Republicans

Roll Call

As the House votes Thursday on legislation to stop President Donald Trump from pulling the nation out of the Paris climate agreement, debate in the chamber Wednesday centered on whether the deal would hurt or help the economy.

● Republicans could have a Green New Deal problem Politico

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Trump Administration Finalizes New ‘Conscience Rule’ For Clinicians Who Oppose Abortion

Time

The Trump administration on Thursday moved to protect the rights of clinicians who object to participating in abortions with a regulation intended to safeguard those with religious and moral objections.

Street medicine team will keep serving homeless in Stanislaus. Will it make a difference?

Modesto Bee

Golden Valley Health Centers began the medical outreach a year ago through a $157,000 grant from Sutter Health. Launched in May 2018, the one-year pilot program took basic health care to the homeless in Modesto, Turlock, Patterson and Los Banos.

Orange County confirms first case of measles in 2019

abc30

The Orange County Health Care Agency has confirmed its first case of measles in 2019. The agency says a woman in her 20s, who is a resident of Placentia, reported recent international travel to one of the many countries experiencing widespread measles activity.

Sleeping pills: A risk of car crashes, gunshot wounds and Jason Bourne amnesia

Los Angeles Times

Millions of Americans take millions of sleeping pills every year — a sign, many experts say, that human beings weren’t designed to live in a wired world of constant stimulation.

Human Services:

Trump defends clinicians’ right to refuse to do abortions

Fresno Bee

Advancing his anti-abortion agenda, President Donald Trump moved Thursday to protect health care workers who object to procedures like abortion on moral or religious grounds. Trump chose the National Day of Prayer to announce the new regulation.

● Trump touts new faith-based protections for health-care workers at National Day of Prayer ceremony Washington Post

Trump Drug Rebate Plan Won’t See Lower List Prices, CBO Says

Bloomberg

A key part of the Trump administration’s plan to lower the list prices of drugs wouldn’t actually do so and would end up increasing federal spending by tens of billions of dollars over a decade, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday.

Street medicine team will keep serving homeless in Stanislaus. Will it make a difference?

Modesto Bee

A street medicine team that helps homeless people of Modesto is funded through December and beyond. Golden Valley Health Centers began the medical outreach a year ago through a $157,000 grant from Sutter Health.

Health insurance deductibles soar, leaving Americans with unaffordable bills

Los Angeles Times

Soaring deductibles and medical bills are pushing millions of American families to the breaking point, fueling an affordability crisis that is pulling in middle-class households with health insurance as well as the poor and uninsured.

Breakdown: California’s mental health system, explained

CALmatters

Mental health advocates have long described California’s fragmented mental health system with words like “struggling” and “broken.”

Family Welfare Caps Lose Favor in More States

PEW
Massachusetts joins New Jersey, which effectively repealed its cap last year as part of its budget — after two previous attempts were vetoed by former Republican Gov. Chris Christie. California repealed its maximum family grant rule in 2016.

OPINION: State Medicaid Tax Trap

Wall Street Journal

Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare was sold as a free federal lunch for the states, but the bill is now coming due. Witness Gov. Gina Raimondo’s plan to tax businesses that employ low-income workers to fund Rhode Island’s booming Medicaid case load. Look for this soon in a state near you.

IMMIGRATION

The U.S. is taking in fewer refugees than ever, and it’s our loss

Los Angeles Times

The administration’s stance ignores overwhelming empirical evidence, including from its own study, that refugees are a huge net benefit to the U.S. economy.

Fearing an undercount, states prepare for 2020 census push

In immigrant communities often wary of government, a question about citizenship status will make people “less likely to fill out the census form or even answer the door when someone comes knocking,” said Guevara, who works for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

LAND USE/HOUSING

US long-term mortgage rates down; 30-year average at 4.14%

Fresno Bee

U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell this week after four weeks of increases, giving a boost to prospective home buyers during the spring sales season.

More millennials will be looking to buy homes. Will Sacramento have enough housing?

Sacramento Bee

Thousands of millennial homebuyers are expected to enter the Sacramento region real estate market in the next 10 years, but it’s not clear if the area has enough housing to support the influx.

L.A. homes near mass transit often sell for more, a study finds

Los Angeles Times

Access to public transit is the new granite countertop when it comes to home listings.

That’s the takeaway from a study by real estate data firm Trulia, which looked at the language used to describe homes on the market in Los Angeles County from 2013 to 2018.

A senior on the streets, with little chance of a home

KPBS
As the baby boom generation has aged, the number of homeless people 62 and older jumped 68.5% across the United States from 2007 to 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

PUBLIC FINANCES

CBO Sees National Debt Continuing to Grow

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. continues to be on a path to an expanding national debt, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday, in a report that largely repeated its earlier budget projections.

When the next recession hits, will California be able to count on Washington?

CALmatters

Five Key Facts About California’s Soon-to-Expire “MCO Tax”

California Budget & Policy Center

When Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposed 2019-20 budget this past January, one of the biggest surprises was that he did not include a proposal to extend California’s tax on health insurance plans — or “managed care organizations” (MCOs) — which expires on July 1.

TRANSPORTATION

Shrink part of Blackstone to two lanes? Fresno trying to help cyclists feel safer

Fresno Bee

Feeling safe while riding a bicycle on the streets of Fresno shouldn’t require a police escort. Unfortunately for many residents of California’s fifth-largest city, it takes nothing less.

E-scooter rentals could get a test run in Modesto. What you need to know

Modesto Bee

Modesto could give a test run to electric scooter rentals as a form of alternative transportation. Wednesday, the City Council’s economic development committee recommended a pilot scooter program with Lime, a company with shared scooters or electric-assist bikes in more than 100 cities.

SJ gas prices hit $4 for first time in 5 years

Stockton Record

Finding regular-grade gasoline under $4 a gallon will get harder from here on out in San Joaquin County now that the average price has reached that milestone, based on a comprehensive daily survey of area stations provided on the AAA Gas Prices website.

Price Tag For California High-Speed Rail Increases Again, But State Says There’s Money To Build From Merced To Bakersfield

Capital Public Radio

● High-speed rail might start with old-school diesel trains San Francisco Chronicle

● Likely cost of high-speed rail rises again Curbed San Francisco

● On California high-speed rail project, Newsom to scale back consultants but push ahead Los Angeles Times

● Cost of Central Valley Bullet Train Spikes by $1.8 Billion Courthouse News Service

● High-Speed Rail Authority Updates Plan to Finish Central Valley Segment Streetsblog Cal

● California’s High-Speed Rail Cost Grows by About $2 Billion Bloomberg

● New California rail plan pegs Central Valley line at $18.3B AP

● Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report: Merced to Fresno Section: Central Valley Wye California High Speed Rail Authority

WATER

Gavin Newsom officially kills twin Delta tunnels, eyes downsized CA water project

Fresno Bee

● Newsom officially kills Jerry Brown’s Delta twin tunnels project San Jose Mercury

● Twin Tunnels scrapped for smaller, coordinated option Stockton Record

● California Governor Makes Big Change To Giant Water Project Capital Public Radio

● State Withdraws WaterFix Approvals, Initiates Planning and Permitting for a Smaller Single Tunnel CA Department of Water Resources

Skelton: Newsom says he has a fresh approach to California’s longtime water woes

Los Angeles Times

Newsom wants to reexamine practically everything the state has been working on — meaning what former Gov. Jerry Brown was doing — and piece together a grand plan for California’s future that can draw the support of longtime water warriors.

How above average is Sierra Nevada snowpacks? Final snow survey points to ample supply

Sacramento Bee

Water in California’s snowpack was above average Thursday in the final snow survey of the year, boding well for the state’s water supply in the coming months.

California tap water linked to thousands of cancer cases, study suggests

Visalia Times Delta

Looking at how drinking water pollutants interact to affect human health, rather than looking at each one separately, researchers analyzed data in more than 2,700 California community water systems from 2011 to 2015.

● Toxic water in California prisons: Sickening inmates and costing taxpayers millions Sacramento Bee

City lays out need for wastewater rate hike

Stockton Record

A handful of residents attended a meeting about the city’s proposed wastewater rate increase Thursday night, seeking information as to why their bills will change and raising concerns about it.

“Xtra”

This Fresno author won the culinary equivalent of an Oscar. His new book is out soon

Fresno Bee

Last weekend, the James Beard Foundation handed out its 2019 media awards and among the list of winners was Fresno author Mark Arax. The awards were held in New York City as something akin to the Oscars for the literary world. A victory is no small thing, in another words.

The Tower District launches two new events Thursday: One has art, one has kale

Fresno Bee

On the first and third Thursdays of the month, organizers are planning Tower ArtWalk from 6 to 10 p.m. It’s a bit like ArtHop (which also happens on the first Thursday of the month), but on the sidewalk.

Spend your evening on the savannah or head out for a wine walk this weekend

abc30

It’s going to be a nice warm spring weekend. Hang out with your friends and family in old town Clovis – or take on a challenging run in downtown Fresno.

Dozens of Vietnam veterans in Valley honored in Fresno ceremony

abc30

44 years after the end of the Vietnam War, dozens of Valley Veterans were honored Thursday at American Legion Post 509. A federal program known as the Vietnam War Commemoration teamed up with Humana, a health and well-being company, to host the ceremony.

5,000 butterflies to be released at Mariposa Butterfly Festival

abc30

People living in the Sierra Foothills are getting ready to celebrate the beauty of butterflies this weekend. The Mariposa Butterfly festival is this Saturday and Sunday.

Annual Relay For Life set for Saturday

Madera Tribune

The last few weeks purple ribbons have been tied to trees and light poles along the heavily traveled roads in Madera. More than half a year in the making, the Madera Relay for Life is taking over Lions Town and Country Park on Howard Road on Saturday.

5th Annual Yosemite Half Marathon Near Bass Lake

Sierra News

Centered around breathtaking vistas on the Bass Lake Ranger District, the 5th Annual Yosemite Half Marathon race will take place on Friday and Saturday May 10-11, produced by Vacation Races.

Museum Tea and Fashion Show this weekend

Porterville Recorder

Have an interest in the clothing trends of bygone eras? This weekend is your chance to have an up-close-and-personal look at the styles of yesteryear. The Porterville Historical Museum will present a Tea and Fashion show this Saturday.