Maddy Daily – May 31, 2018 - Chronicle of Policy and Politics in the San Joaquin Valley
POLICY & POLITICS
Valley:
GOP gubernatorial hopeful John Cox courts voters in Stockton
Stockton Record
Republican businessman John Cox delivered one-liners and a vow to take back California during a campaign stop in Stockton just five days before the June primary election.
Why California's Kevin McCarthy is having a hard time locking down the speaker's job — again
Los Angeles Times
The same House conservatives who blocked the Bakersfield Republican from ascending to the coveted post in 2015 do not appear any more convinced that he’s their guy.
Are you one of us? In key Central Valley congressional race, candidates spar over local ties
Mercury News
In a key congressional district just over the Diablo Range from the Bay Area, there aren’t many policy issues on which the half-dozen Democrats running in next week’s primary disagree. So the race has instead been driven by questions of whose Valley roots go deeper.
Tulare councilman calls mayor a bully, calls for reorganization
Visalia Times-Delta
For the fourth time since being on Tulare City Council, Jose Sigala is calling for a new mayor. Mayor Carlton Jones isn't worried.
Merced County DA candidates spar over police use of force
Merced Sun-Star
It is common for candidates of public offices to call for more law enforcement officers while on the campaign trail, but a forum this week in south Merced grilled Merced County District Attorney candidates about keeping police officers accountable for their use of force.
State:
CA governor's race: Gavin Newsom, John Cox lead in poll
Fresno Bee
A new poll shows San Diego Republican John Cox holds a seven-point advantage for second place among likely voters in the governor's election Tuesday, signaling that voters prefer him and Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom to face off in the November general election.
See also:
● Newsom, Cox, likely to advance in California governor's race, poll says Sacramento Bee
● Strange Bedfellows Fox & Hounds
Gavin Newsom ruminates on the legacy of Gov. Jerry Brown, the man he is running to replace
Los Angeles Times
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would seek to model the budget-conscious ethos of Gov. Jerry Brown, but said he would be more active in the legislative process if elected to succeed him.
See also:
● She's not on the ballot, but this woman could be 'front and center' in the governor's office Sacramento Bee
● Newsom TV spot hurts Democrats Capitol Weekly
Villaraigosa supporters spending $2.3 million to attack Newsom as lazy
Los Angeles Times
“We all know guys like Gavin,” a narrator says in a 30-second ad titled “Guys” launched Wednesday, in the final days before the primary. “Boasting, overselling his achievements, making false claims.”
See also:
● In Another Fresno Visit, Villaraigosa Gets Endorsement, Says Valley Is Important NPR
● On the campaign trail, Villaraigosa criticizes Trump on immigration and Newsom calls for stricter gun controls Los Angeles Times
Struggling with that California ballot? Here's what to know in key races
Sacramento Bee
Californians, you have one week left to cast a ballot before the June 5 primary election. Your vote will help decide the two individuals who face off in November to be our next governor, among dozens of other important races.
See also:
● Measure By Measure: A Roundup Of The Five Propositions On California’s June Ballot capradio.org
● The Top Two and Turnout in California’s Primary Public Policy Institute of California
● Time to Change Ballot Designation Law Fox & Hounds
● Capitol Weekly Podcast: Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly
● AEI Political Report: Election 2018 preview AEI
● More California voters, counties opting for mail-in ballots AP News
● How blockchain could improve election transparency Brookings
Gas tax repeal threats drive Jerry Brown to the aid of vulnerable Democrats
Sacramento Bee
While a proposed gas tax repeal has yet to officially qualify for the November ballot, Gov. Jerry Brown and his allies are already on a defensive campaign to save the unpopular fee hike — and vulnerable lawmakers who voted for it.
See also:
● Poll: Americans Want New Democratic Leadership Roll Call
● California Democrats' Weak Bench Threatens the Party The Atlantic
Republicans target Trump voters in California push
Sacramento Bee
The GOP's congressional campaign arm has mounted a six-figure digital effort focused on turning out Donald Trump voters in several of next week's California primaries, engaging in an early test of how to juice political participation from the president's base in some of the most potentially challenging districts for Republicans in the country.
See also:
● Republican candidate for governor John Cox courts voters in Stockton with criticism of Newsom, delta tunnels Los Angeles Times
● Before John Cox was Trump's choice for governor, he was on a quixotic mission to remake California's Legislature Los Angeles Times
● California Republicans hit rock bottom Politico
● GOP gubernatorial hopeful John Cox courts voters in Stockton Stockton Record
How California political ads fool voters, while candidates keep hands clean
San Francisco Chronicle
PACs do the dirty work of trashing opponents while the candidates get to keep their hands clean. That’s because, by law, these outside groups are not allowed to work with the candidates they are spending millions of dollars to elect.
California Campaign Finance Regulator Resigns Before Election
Capital Public Radio
California’s top regulator of political campaigns is resigning just days before the June primary election. Fair Political Practices Commission Chairperson Jodi Remke announced on Tuesday that she will step down on Friday. That follows months of acrimony with fellow commissioners.
California Senate passes net neutrality bill
San Francisco Chronicle
The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would replace the federal government’s repealed net neutrality regulations, sending the measure to the Assembly.
See also:
● California Senate votes to restore net neutrality The Verge
● California net neutrality bill passes state senate CNet
California must take guns from criminals and mentally ill
Sacramento Bee
In California, we have some of the nation’s strongest gun laws. Even so, too little attention is directed to a large problem: criminals and mentally ill people who illegally own guns.
See also:
● School Shootings Spread Like a Virus. The Media Can Help Stop Them. Weekly Standard
● What we don't know about gun violence Marketplace
Federal:
Trump imposes steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union, Canada and Mexico
Washington Post
Mexico on Thursday announced tariffs on multiple U.S. agricultural and industrial products. The European Union also promised it would retaliate to the White House’s move Thursday to impose new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.
See also:
● U.S. Plans to Hit EU With Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Wall Street Journal
● How Trump’s Steel Tariffs Could Harm National Security National Review
● Auto Tariffs Mean Lost Jobs Wall Street Journal
● Trump Shows How Not to Be a Protectionist Wall Street Journal
● AEI Political Report: Trade wars and tariffs; health care and the 2018 election AEI
What Donald Trump got wrong in his Tennessee rally for Marsha Blackburn
PolitiFact
Trump spent most of the rally telling stories about the biggest moments of his presidency, rehashing a litany of exaggerations and falsehoods in the process.
See also:
● Fact Checking Trump's Nashville Rally FactCheck.org
The Russia investigation at year one: Where is public opinion?
AEI
Robert Mueller was appointed as the special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation on May 17, 2017. Here’s a snapshot of where public opinion stands one year later.
Mitch McConnell is winning the long game
Washington Post
Franklin D. Roosevelt, afflicted by the disease at age 39, died in April 1945 at the polio recuperation facility he had created in Warm Springs, Ga. Before then, Mitch McConnell, living in Five Points, Ala., began going there for treatment for the polio that struck him at age 2, in 1944.
Is Trump Saving the Blue States?
Wall Street Journal
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to decide whether government employees can be forced to pay for unions even when they choose not to join them, the association previews the impact in the Garden State and elsewhere.
Other:
Brooks: What Moral Heroes Are Made Of
New York Times
Recently, I’ve been lucky enough to be around a lot of people who I would regard as moral heroes. I’ve been wondering what traits such people tend to have in common.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, June 3, at 10 a.m. on ABC 30 – Maddy Report: “Candidate for Governor: Antonio Villaraigosa” – Guest: Antonio Villaraigosa, Former LA Mayor and Candidate for Governor. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, June 3, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “Gubernatorial Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa & Cal Facts” – Guests: Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; James Mayer, President and CEO, CA Fwd; Fred Silva, Senior Fiscal Policy Advisor, CA Fwd; Matt Lege, Research Analyst, SEIU UHW; Cathy Martin, VP of Workforce Policy, California Hospital Association; Cathy Creswell, Housing Policy Specialist, Creswell Consulting. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
Sunday, June 3, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “California's Top Ten” – Guest: Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee reporter. Host: Maddy Institute Program Coordinator, Maria Jeans.
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AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Court Forces ALRB To Count Central Valley Farm Workers Votes
KMJ
A court ruling Wednesday forces the count of Central Valley farmworker votes. Ballots cast in the UFW decertification vote must be counted in a decision by the Fifth District Court of Appeals.
See also:
Appeals court says Gerawan didn’t influence union vote The Business Journal
California sues Trump administration to restore rules protecting farmworkers
Los Angeles Times
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra joined his counterparts in New York and Maryland on Wednesday in filing another in a string of lawsuits against the Trump administration, this time challenging a decision to suspend safeguards for agricultural workers.
See also:
● AGs sue EPA over delay of requirement to protect farmworkers TheHill
● California Today: State Farmers Supported Trump. Now His Trade Policies Have Them Worried. New York Times
From the Vine: World waking up to Lodi in a big way
Stockton Record
This year, Lodi growers and vintners will cover hundreds of thousands of miles pressing the flesh and spreading the word of a region gaining momentum as a premium wine producer.
Burger Battle: Cattle Ranchers Challenge Surging Popularity Of 'Impossible'-Style Vegetarian Patties
Capital Public Radio
For decades, vegetarians have used a variety of nut-and-bean patties as a substitute for one of America’s most popular menu items: the hamburger. But now, a handful of California-based companies are using science to shake things up. The results are so similar to ground beef, that cattle ranchers are taking action.
California Senate supports state-backed bank for pot money
Fresno Bee
California lawmakers moved Wednesday to create a state-backed bank to handle the billions of dollars flowing from the newly legal recreational marijuana market.
See also:
● California Senate passes bill to create banks for pot businesses San Francisco Chronicle
Illegal pot grows found in Yosemite, forests. Officials crack down, citing 'catastrophic' poisons
Merced Sun-Star
Citing new scientific evidence of "catastrophic" impacts on California's forests and wildlife, law enforcement officials in Sacramento announced a new crackdown Tuesday on illegal marijuana growing sites statewide that they say are run by Mexican drug cartels.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
Jerry Brown has weak argument for 'large' prison guard raises, analyst says
Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown's administration has a "weak justification" for the short and sweet tentative contract offer it struck with the state's union for correctional officers, a new report from the Legislative Analyst's Office says.
CAFWD
On most days, social service worker Lita Meza can be found in her Toyota Prius transporting her clients from Riverside County’s jails to outside rehabilitation programs all over Southern California. For 16 years, she has been the force behind the Alternative Sentencing Program run out of the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office.
Public Safety:
A California church flirts with an unusual social experiment: to never call police again
Los Angeles Times
“We can no longer tolerate the trauma inflicted on our communities by policing,” Torbett, a white church volunteer, said in front of churchgoers who held photos of African Americans shot dead by law enforcement. The church, she promised, would never call the cops again in nearly every circumstance.
California measure would lift secrecy on police use of force
San Francisco Chronicle
Some of the secrecy surrounding shootings by police in California would be lifted under a measure that advanced Wednesday in the Legislature. Senators approved the public release of police reports when officers are found to have improperly used force or discharged a firearm, committed sexual assaults on the job or have been dishonest in their official duties.
Fire:
Lawmakers back off, allowing Elon Musk—and his California customers—to play with fire
CALmatters
California lawmakers added fuel to Elon Musk’s entrepreneurial fire last week when they cleared the way for sales of the investor’s newest—and probably hottest—product: personal flamethrowers.
This bill will lower the risks of wildfires and climate change
Sacramento Bee
Firefighters, forest communities and rural regions across California are talking about “the new normal” of climate change — more frequent and longer droughts, increased tree mortality, more devastating wildfires and more frequent floods.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Economy:
Bitwise expands realty footprint in Downtown with The Hive
ABC 30
Bitwise is planning on turning shipping containers in 18 office spaces, something similar to what you'd see in Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
Don’t pick on California: 47 other state economies can’t keep pace
OC Register
When folks complain about California’s sub-par housing development and other economic challenges — and the purported drag created for the state’s business climate — they’re often using the wrong scales.
Stockton Tries Free Cash to Fight Income Inequality
New York Times
Stockton is readying plans to begin a trial of so-called Universal Basic Income, handing out cash grants to several hundred local families, no strings attached.
Federal Reserve votes to ease rule aimed at preventing big banks from making risky financial bets
Washington Post
Federal regulators on Wednesday approved a broad proposal easing financial crisis-era regulations on risky trading, delivering Wall Street one of its biggest victories yet in the Trump era.
Handed $30 Billion, Corporate America Is Splurging on Everything
Bloomberg
President Donald Trump and Republicans sold the cut as a means for companies to spur investment in America and create jobs. But S&P 500 companies aren’t following through, at least not yet.
Jobs:
State worker unions need return to 'core functionality,' new leader says
Sacramento Bee
It’s a bad year to be up for re-election as a California public employee labor leader.
2,000 Construction Jobs Created on the High-Speed Rail Project
California High-Speed Rail Authority
With construction now extending between Madera and Kern counties to build the nation’s first high-speed rail system, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is pleased to announce that 2,000 construction jobs have been created in the Central Valley.
Andrade named CEO of SJ Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Stockton Record
Next week, Stockton City Councilman Jesús Andrade will have a new day job aimed at promoting local Latino businesses and owners as the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO.
The politics of pensions in America
Brookings
Congress is trying to prevent the collapse of multiemployer pension plans that would eliminate the pensions of more than 1 million Americans, bankrupt thousands of small businesses, and add possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars to Medicaid and other taxpayer obligations.
Kasich: Entitlements Will Eat America’s Economy
Wall Street Journal
It’s been 17 years since lawmakers and the White House approved a spending plan that didn’t add to the national debt.
EDUCATION
K-12:
Los Angeles Times
In the race for state superintendent of public instruction, standard party affiliations don’t much matter. The two major players here are teachers unions and charter schools — and their big spending tends to blur a clear picture of the front-runners.
'Global California 2030' aims to get more students learning more languages
Los Angeles Times
Outgoing state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday announced a new statewide effort to encourage students to learn more languages. Called Global California 2030, its goal is to help more students become fluent in multiple tongues.
See also:
● Improving Outcomes for English Learners Public Policy Institute of California
● Will This Year’s Budget Provide Funding to Address the State’s Bilingual Teacher Shortage? California Budget & Policy Center
How A California Farming Community Is Leading The Global Shift To Competency
Forbes
Known for personalized learning, Lindsay Unified School District educators are building a competency-based system where they know exactly where students are in their academic journey and how they are progressing.
Study: Students in only federally funded voucher program perform worse on math
Washington Post
D.C. students who use vouchers to attend private schools perform significantly worse in math than their public school peers, according to a federal study that could cast a cloud over Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s quest to expand voucher programs across the country.
Higher Ed:
Democratic hopefuls for California governor back more money, more accountability for higher ed
EdSource
If the next governor of California is a Democrat, the state’s higher-education system can count on an ally who will propose a surge in extra funds for public colleges and their students.
You don’t need to be the head of Google to know what needs to be done about the UC
Sacramento Bee
New challenges, new dangers, and new opportunities face California now. We’re a different place than we were in 1982. But we’re also in many ways the same: still committed to making our state a booming success, resting on the creativity and inventiveness of each successive generation of Californians. Our public universities got us to this point. We need to help them take us even farther in the future.
UC is handing out generous pensions, and students are paying the price with higher tuition
Los Angeles Times
As parents and students start writing checks for the first in-state tuition hike in seven years at the University of California, they hope the extra money will buy a better education.
Why Is Undergraduate College Enrollment Declining?
NPR
Undergraduate college enrollment in the United States is down for the sixth straight year. This decline is happening across the board in higher education, and that is despite the popularity of a bachelor's degree. Elissa Nadworny of NPR's Ed team has more.
See also:
● The college dropout problem most education advocates don’t talk about AEI
● Event: Elevating college completion: What can be done to raise postsecondary attainment in America? AEI
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
The list of electronics Californians must recycle could get much longer
Sacramento Bee
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) formally adopted 11 recommendations in May as a part of its Future of Electronic Waste Management in California project, which includes a suggestion to add most devices that require batteries or a power cord to the list of items covered under California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act, according to a CalRecycle news release.
The battle over Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in judges’ hands
San Francisco Chronicle
The battle to drain the reservoir in Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley reignited Wednesday as critics of the historic dam told a panel of judges in Fresno that their legal case to raze it should proceed, despite an earlier decision to dismiss the suit.
Californians may have to request plastic straws at eateries
AP
Sit-down restaurants in California may soon stop automatically providing disposable plastic straws with drinks unless customers request them. The state Assembly advanced a bill Wednesday that would require dine-in restaurants provide single-use plastic straws only upon request.
Energy:
California, Texas Face Summer Power Shortage, Grid Watchdog Says
Bloomberg
Power companies are shutting so many generating plants in Texas and California that the two most populous U.S. states may struggle to keep the lights on this summer.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
EDITORIAL: Make mental health care as strong as the physical
OCRegister
Because of mass shootings by gunmen with mental illnesses, and because of the clear link for many of its victims between homelessness and mental afflictions, the public has never been more vocal about society’s need to treat people with these disorders.
In California, a fight over clinics for kidney patients
CALmatters
A battle is escalating between the dialysis industry and an influential union in California, with allegations on one side of shoddy practices in the treatment of kidney patients and accusations of political bullying on the other.
See also:
● Her kidney is 'just done'. But insurance giant Kaiser balked at life-saving surgery Modesto Bee
● Initiative to regulate dialysis industry qualifies for California's November ballot Los Angeles Times
Poll: Seniors ready to Skype docs, worry about care quality
AP News
The vast majority of older Americans and their caregivers are ready to give virtual health care a try: Nearly 9 in 10 adults ages 40 and over would be comfortable using at least one type of telemedicine for themselves or an aging loved one.
Why It's Difficult For Viruses To Turn In To Deadly Pandemics
NPR
The World Health Organization is in the midst of an experimental campaign to vaccinate tens of thousands of people in Congo against Ebola.
America’s record low fertility rate provides yet another reason to support paid family leave
AEI
In 2017 the birth rate in United States hit a new record low. Would paid parental leave increase fertility in the United States? Certainly, it would get rid of one hurdle that currently stands in the way of women having children.
Human Services:
Los Angeles Times
More than 95% of healthcare groups that have commented on President Trump’s effort to weaken Obama-era health insurance rules criticized or outright opposed the proposals.
Trump Wants Medicaid to Push for Lower Drug Prices – But Will Patients Be Hurt?
The Pew Charitable Trusts
A little-noticed part of President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce prescription drug prices could change the way Medicaid has paid for drugs for nearly 30 years.
California’s right-to-die law on hold for at least a month
San Francisco Chronicle
California’s right-to-die law for terminally ill patients will apparently remain suspended for at least another month after a judge on Wednesday reaffirmed his ruling that the law was illegally considered and passed during a special legislative session on health care.
See also:
● Right to die: Judge rebuffs effort to restore access to life-ending drug San Jose Mercury News
● EDITORIAL: Court should recognize health of California’s right-to-die law Mercury News
● EDITORIAL: Don't let a technicality leave California's sick and dying in the lurch Los Angeles Times
IMMIGRATION
5 Obstacles to a House Republican Immigration Deal
Roll Call
House Republicans are trying to do in a matter of weeks what they couldn’t accomplish during their nearly eight years in the majority — pass a sweeping immigration bill.
See also:
● House Split On Immigration Might Be Good Politics For Some Moderate Republicans NPR
● Immigration Policy Arguments Have Buried the Plot National Review
● Don’t forget the real immigrants at the heart of the immigration debate AEI
Trump's 'zero tolerance' at U.S.-Mexico border is filling child shelters
Los Angeles Times
Family separations on the southern border due to President Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy increased the number of immigrant children in government shelters 22% during the last month, officials said.
See also:
● California stopped expansion of abusive ICE detention. Congress can, too Sacramento Bee
● Listen: Following Up On 1,500 Missing Immigrant Children In The U.S. NPR
● The Case of the Missing Immigrant Children The New Yorker
● Fact-checking immigration spin on separating families and 1,500 ‘lost’ children Washington Post
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Work on Veterans Memorial Building begins
Hanford Sentinel
City officials feared the worst when the Veterans Memorial Building was unexpectedly closed late last year due to a suspect roof, but organizations may be able to inhabit the building again sometime this summer. Hanford City Council approved a work project on the building at its last meeting on May 15 and work is already underway.
City changes event permit process to ensure businesses notified of street closures
Bakersfield Californian
The city has created a new form that would require organizers to obtain signatures from all impacted businesses and residents and submit them to the city no later than 14 days before the event as part of the permit process.
Here’s how much more you’ll pay to visit Joshua Tree National Park this summer
Los Angeles Daily Times
Peak season ends Thursday, May 31, and beginning Friday, June 1, the park entrance fee will rise from $25 to $30 per vehicle, less than the $70 the National Park Service had originally considered in the fall for its busiest parks.
Parks and politics: What you need to know about Propositions 68 and 70
CALmatters
What to make of the propositions on California’s June 5 ballot? As ever, the issues span the political spectrum. But two address the environment, one asking voters to shell out billions to improve it and another that could make it more difficult for the state to spend billions on helpful projects.
Early decade big city growth continues to fall off, census shows
Brookings
While most big cities are still gaining population, the rates of that gain are falling off for many of them as the nation’s population shows signs of broad dispersal.
Housing:
Event: Housing Policy in the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative
Join the San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative, the California Department of Housing and Community Development and other leaders from across the Valley to discuss affordable housing policy in our communities.
Bubble Watch: Are house hunters shying from newly built homes?
OCRegister
U.S. new-home sales in April were off 1.5 from March. In Western states, sales were down 8 percent. Are we seeing a significant early-spring slip in the pace of new-home purchases nationwide and in 13 Western states?
EDITORIAL: CEQA was designed to protect the environment, not to fight housing for homeless people
Los Angeles Times
Housing for homeless people can’t be built fast enough in Los Angeles to fill the desperate need. The efforts to cut red tape, however, have drawn lawsuits by two community groups, which claim that the council’s actions violated the California Environmental Quality Act.
EDITORIAL: BART housing bill exposes lots of hypocrisy
San Francisco Chronicle
The Berkeley City Council went on record Tuesday solemnly urging the governor to declare homelessness a statewide emergency while noting its own “comprehensive” efforts to grapple with the housing shortage. At the same time, the council formally objected to legislation that might allow new apartments to encroach on the ocean of asphalt surrounding the North Berkeley BART Station.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Walters: Brown wants to save, but legislators want to spend
CALmatters
It will be the 16th and last budget for the state’s longest serving governor, Jerry Brown, writing the final chapter of his fiscal record. And it won’t be easy, even though California is, as he said this month, “nearing the longest economic recovery in modern history.”
TRANSPORTATION
Valley Rail Project Receives Major Grant Funding By State
Altamont Corridor Express
The California State Transportation Agency announced a series of grant awards under the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), and selected the Valley Rail Project as a major awardee, providing $500,500,000 to fund a series of new stations and track improvements to increase connectivity and frequency of service to the Sacramento region.
Electric Vehicles on the Road Are Set to Triple in Two Years
Bloomberg
The global fleet of electric vehicles is likely to more than triple to 13 million by the end of the decade from 3.7 million last year, according to a report released Wednesday. Sales may soar 24 percent each year on average through to 2030.
Highway 1 set to reopen in September
San Francisco Chronicle
A 7-mile-length of Highway 1 along the southern Big Sur coastline that has been closed for a year, forcing long detours, is expected to reopen in September, Caltrans announced Monday.
Digital license plates that change displays and track your car being tested in California
Fox News
Over 100 of the high-tech tags are already in use as part of a pilot program, and now Sacramento has become the first city to add them to its municipal fleet.
WATER
California Water Service Requests Rate Decreases Due to New Tax Law and Capital Financing Costs
Cal Water
California Water Service (Cal Water) submitted a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) yesterday to decrease revenue needed in its service areas by almost $18 million, due to changes in federal tax laws and CPUC-authorized capital equity and debt financing costs. If approved as submitted, new rates reflecting the lower tax rates and financing costs will be effective July 1, 2018.
California Water Allocations Increase Due To Late Season Rain And Snow
KSRO
Molly White with the Department of Water Resources said the allocation amounts to nearly one-point-five-million-acre-feet of water that will be distributed to 29 water contractors.
“Xtra”
'Dreams come true.' Watch these Visalia students dance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'
Fresno Bee
The families of many students at Washington Elementary School in Visalia don't have enough money to enroll their children in dance classes. Principal Liz Serrato wished that wasn't the case and made a free after-school dance club.
Want to beat the heat? It's First Friday to the rescue!
Bakersfield Californian
Not all heroes wear masks but some artists might this First Friday. Among the exhibits opening for the monthly gathering is the Super Hero Art Show at Bubble Pop Gallery. Characters from the Marvel Universe and beyond will be featured on the walls of the H Street pop-up gallery.
Keep on truckin' at fun, hands-on event at Beale this weekend
Bakersfield Californian
It's hard to get a good look at fire trucks, delivery trucks and other work vehicles when they're driving down the road on the job, but the curiosity of what's inside starts when we're young and never really goes away.
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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.
The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno 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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