May 7, 2021

07May

POLICY & POLITICS

 

DEADLINE TODAY!

What does leadership look like in your community?

James Irvine Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Leadership Awards – a $250,000 grant for California leaders. Accepting nominations at IrvineAwards.org through May 7, 2021.

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Ceres to begin special election candidate filing period. Here’s what you need to know

Modesto Bee

The candidate filing period for the Aug. 31 special election in Ceres begins Monday, kicking off the race for a vacant City Council seat. Northern Ceres residents of District 1 will not find out who is running to represent them until December 2022.

 

Which route would you drive? Caltrans seeks comment on another 132 segment near Modesto

Modesto Bee

Caltrans is seeking public comment in May 2021 on plans for rerouting Highway 132 on a five-mile stretch west of the three-mile project now under construction.

 

How UC Merced Reinvents the Possible

Architect Magazine

Much will be written in coming years about UC Merced. Some will marvel at how the institution started with an empty grassland field in 2002 and rose to its present stature as a major research university of nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

What’s next after guiding pandemic, wildfire response? Fresno County health leader retires

Fresno Bee

David Pomaville, who helped lead Fresno County through two of the biggest emergencies in memory as director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health, has retired after nearly two decades with the agency.

 

Fresno Unified trustee condemns ‘disparaging’ remarks made about her disability

Fresno Bee

A FUSD trustee addressed “disparaging” comments from a community member about her health during a recent public meeting. Trustee Carol Mills spoke publicly for the first time about what she described as her “disability” at Wednesday night’s school board meeting.

 

San Joaquin River access a top priority for City of Fresno as plans move forward

Fresno Bee

Fresno councilman Mike Karbassi with Mayor Jerry Dyer and others pledge to move forward with San Joaquin River access at a press conference Wednesday, May 5, 2021 in Fresno.

 

Grant To Help Build Native American Cultural Center On San Joaquin River

Business Journal

The US Green Building Council Central California (USGBC-CC) has received a grant from the San Joaquin River Conservancy (Conservancy) to commence planning for a Native American and Environmental Resource Center at the San Joaquin River.

 

Warszawski: No, California isn’t ‘flushing water to the ocean,’ despite what Fresno politicians say

Fresno Bee

It’s that time of drought again. During one of the driest years on record, once again curtailing water deliveries to local farms, Fresno-area lawmakers wasted little time trotting out one of their favorite falsehoods.

 

Fresno Police Reopen Camera Monitoring System To Focus On Increase In Crimes Downtown

VPR

On the second story of Fresno Police Headquarters, there’s a darkened room lit up with screens that show 21 camera views. Each screen displays a different part of downtown. This monitoring system is called the Real Time Crime Center.

 

Injuries at Fresno’s Amazon warehouse are 3x industry average

CalMatters

Amanda Caballero wishes she could go back to work at Amazon. She made $15 an hour at the Fresno fulfillment center — several dollars more than the state’s minimum wage — and received more than three months of paid maternity leave.

 

State knew this Fresno mobile home park was unsafe – but didn’t tell city. Now one is dead

Fresno Bee

It took a deadly fire that killed one person and destroyed two homes for the city of Fresno to become involved with a mobile home park whose license to operate had been suspended by the state three months prior.

 

Hanford Council moves forward with replacement plan

Hanford Sentinel

Hanford City Council has voted unanimously to move forward with a plan to fill the seat of John Draxler (District A), who announced he would be stepping down to spend more time with family.

 

Pursuing the Last Mile: Broadband in the Central Valley

CVHEC

The pandemic and remote learning brought to the forefront the Central Valley students’ struggles for reliable internet as a result of the Central Valley’s inadequate or no access to broadband in parts of the region.

See also:

 

Gov. recall candidate John Cox brings 'Meet the Beast' campaign to Fresno County

Fresno Bee

John Cox, GOP governor recall candidate, on his “Meet the Beast Bus Tour” campaigns in Fresno County, on a farm north of Easton, Thursday, May 6, 2021, hoping he can bring to the state “beastly” solutions to California’s problems.

See also:

 

Frontline, farm-state Democrats (Cong. Costa) push back against Biden tax plan

Roll Call

A group of 13 House Democrats, led by Iowa’s Cindy Axne and California’s Jim Costa, is pressing party leaders to exempt family farms from a tax increase President Joe Biden has proposed on inherited assets to help pay for new child care, education and other spending.

See also:

 

This California Republican (Cong. Valadao) voted to impeach Trump. Now he’s helping others who voted same way

Fresno Bee

A month after Rep. David Valadao was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump, his political action committee gave $1,000 to each of eight of his fellow GOP members of Congress who voted his way, Federal Election Commission records show.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Calling himself 'the beast,' gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaigns in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

A self-proclaimed beast made a quick stop in Bakersfield on Thursday, vowing to take on California’s “pretty boy” governor and drive corruption from Sacramento.

 

City Council makes no comment about report urging reforms to BPD

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council received a report on proposed reforms to the Bakersfield Police Department without comment during a meeting Wednesday.

 

Old Town Kern train depot to remain standing, for now

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council has granted the Southern Pacific train depot in Old Town Kern a temporary stay of execution. The depot, which is now owned and operated by Union Pacific, was scheduled for imminent demolition.

 

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

How does recalling a California governor actually work? Here's the process

abc30

The petition to recall California's Gov. Gavin Newsom has collected 1.6 million verified signatures, meaning a recall election is all but inevitable.

See also:

 

Why can’t Gavin Newsom fix California’s unemployment center? Phone lines still jammed

Fresno Bee

A year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood before the people of California and proclaimed he’d take bold steps to fix the state’s overwhelmed unemployment claim system. “Our top priority has been on processing these claims,” he declared.

 

How Newsom’s Reliance on Big Tech in Pandemic Undermines Public Health System

California Healthline

Gov. Gavin Newsom has embraced Silicon Valley tech companies and health care industry titans in response to the covid-19 pandemic like no other governor in America — routinely outsourcing life-or-death public health duties to his allies in the private sector.

 

California blazes a trail with 95% renewable energy

The Hill

Recently, California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, cranked out 94.5 percent renewable energy. This landmark moment occurred on April 29 around 2:30 in the afternoon, just days after we celebrated the 51st Earth Day.

 

CalSavers state pension plan survives challenge by Jarvis taxpayers group

San Francisco Chronicle

CalSavers, the employee-funded, state-managed retirement system for millions of Californians whose employers have no retirement plan, is a valid program that does not conflict with federal pension laws, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday.

See also:

 

Can You Handle The Truth?: Fact-Checking Claims By Recall Election Candidate John Cox & Gov. Gavin Newsom

Capital Public Radio

Republican recall election candidate John Cox claimed this week Gov. Gavin Newsom has “just let tens of thousands of inmates out of jail.”

See also:

 

Interview: New Sen. Alex Padilla Has Limited Time To Prove Himself To California Voters

Capital Public Radio

California Sen. Alex Padilla has been in office for just over 100 days after being appointed to the seat left vacant by Vice President Kamala Harris.

 

Who’s Leaving California—and Who’s Moving In?

Public Policy Institute of California

The 2020 census results are in: California experienced its slowest growth rates ever during the 2010s. This slowdown was enough to cause an unprecedented loss of a seat in the House of Representatives.

 

Opinion: American Rescue Plan provides billions for a down payment toward racial equity

CalMatters

Here are 5 key proposals using money from the American Rescue Plan Act as an initial investment for racial equity in California.

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Biden Backs Waiving International Patent Protections For COVID-19 Vaccines

VPR

Biden threw his support behind a World Trade Organization proposal on Wednesday to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, clearing a hurdle for vaccine-strapped countries to manufacture their own vaccines even though the patents are privately held.

See also:

 

Opinion: Why the federal government must put more money toward basic science

The Hill

A consensus is forming in Washington that the federal government is not doing enough to help American innovation. New research suggests that federal underinvestment is contributing to sluggish productivity and eroding America’s global competitiveness.

 

Biden Tax Plan Takes Aim at Trump-Era Investment Incentive

Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration says it’s trying to spur investment in America—while proposing to remove a four-year-old tax break that was intended to do exactly that.

See also:

 

FCC’s Net-Neutrality Proposal Marred by Millions of Fake Comments

Wall Street Journal

Nearly 18 million fake comments were filed with the Federal Communications Commission over its proposal to scale back internet regulation, fueled by both opponents and supporters of the rule, an investigation by the New York attorney general’s office found.

See also:

 

Harris to meet virtually with Mexico’s president about migrant issues

Los Angeles Times

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet virtually Friday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, her second conversation with the leader and a prelude to her first trip next month to a region for which she has taken a special diplomatic role.

 

How conservative anger at Big Tech pushed the GOP into Bernie Sanders’ corner

Los Angeles Times

During most of Donald Trump’s time in the White House, Silicon Valley could regard the legal threats Republicans hurled its way as a sideshow: unfocused, unserious, untenable.

 

Justice Barrett has aligned most often with these 2 SCOTUS justices

ABAJournal

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the U.S. Supreme Court’s newest justice, has aligned 100% of the time in argued cases with conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, according to an analysis by CNN reporter Joan Biskupic.

 

Other:

 

Chris Ruddy and Newsmax went all-in on Trump. Now they might pay a price for it.

Washington Post

Newsmax’s visibility rose during the Trump era in no small part because Ruddy’s did. In numerous news stories that were often built on the accounts of unnamed Trump aides and allies, Ruddy was the rare associate willing to lend a colorful quote with his name attached.

See also:

 

Commentary: The past year has underscored the need for vigilance in defending the First Amendment

Poynter

The tumultuous events of the past year have highlighted the First Amendment’s vital role as a pillar of American democracy. They have also underscored the need for vigilance in defending it.

 

Opinion: Do You Live in a Political Bubble?

New York Times

The film critic Pauline Kael once said that she lived in a “rather special world” because she only knew one person who voted for Richard Nixon. People in the Bay Area, the country’s most Democratic metropolitan enclave, may have felt similarly after Donald Trump won in 2016.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, May 16, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "Eliminating Fraud, Waste & Abuse: Who You Gonna Call?" - Guests: Gabriel Petek - Legislative Analyst's Office; CA State Auditor Elaine Howle; Pedro Nava, Chairman - Little Hoover Commission; John Myers - LA Times; Dan Walters - CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, May 9, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “Congressional Agenda for 2021” - Guests: Congressman Jim Costa; Congressman David Valadao; Professor Greg Soydemir - Stanislaus State; Professor Nate Monroe - UC Merced; Professor Lisa Bryant - Fresno State. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

How growers had to sidestep county and state programs to vaccinate farmworkers

CalMatters

As harvest season approached, growers begged county officials to vaccinate their workers. But the state and counties didn’t prioritize vaccine doses for farmworkers in February. So the growers and doctors stepped in and set up their own clinics.

 

Frontline, farm-state Democrats (Cong. Costa) push back against Biden tax plan

Roll Call

A group of 13 House Democrats, led by Iowa’s Cindy Axne and California’s Jim Costa, is pressing party leaders to exempt family farms from a tax increase President Joe Biden has proposed on inherited assets to help pay for new child care, education and other spending.

See also:

 

Focus on Ag: Report tracks progress to cut dairy emissions

Hanford Sentinel

This week, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors heard a report on progress in cutting dairy cow and cattle emissions that cause particulate pollution and generate greenhouse gases.

 

Grocery prices are soaring. Here’s why

Los Angeles Times

The higher prices food makers have been warning about for months have hit U.S. grocery carts. Seafood prices are up 18.7% in the 13-week period that ended April 24, while baked goods such as doughnuts and rolls cost about 7.5% more than in the same period last year.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

Fresno Police Reopen Camera Monitoring System To Focus On Increase In Crimes Downtown

VPR

On the second story of Fresno Police Headquarters, there’s a darkened room lit up with screens that show 21 camera views. Each screen displays a different part of downtown. This monitoring system is called the Real Time Crime Center.

 

Fresno man pleads guilty to submitting false claims for pandemic unemployment assistance

Fresno Bee

A 30-year-old Fresno man is facing 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for scheming to defraud California’s Employment Development Department. Garrett Scott Wheelen pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to charges of mail fraud and possession of stolen mail.

See also:

 

Fresno-area construction company co-owner bilked workers’ comp for nearly $1M, state accuses

Fresno Bee

The co-owner of a Fresno-area construction company is facing state charges that she underrported her employee payroll by millions of dollars to avoid paying higher insurance premiums.

 

Inmate’s death at California state prison investigated as a homicide, officials say

Fresno Bee

An inmate death Thursday at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, is being investigated as a homicide, prison officials said. James D. Torres was pronounced dead at 5:39 a.m.

 

California bar owner charged with selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards

Los Angeles Times

The owner of a San Joaquin County bar was arrested and charged this week with selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards, authorities said.

 

Public Safety:

 

City Council makes no comment about report urging reforms to BPD

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council received a report on proposed reforms to the Bakersfield Police Department without comment during a meeting Wednesday.

 

Fire:

 

California fire victims see little payout from settlement

Bakersfield Californian

A trust approved by a federal judge to help compensate victims of deadly California wildfires sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric equipment paid survivors just $7 million while racking up $51 million in overhead in its first year of operation, KQED News reported.

See also:

 

What’s next after guiding pandemic, wildfire response? Fresno County health leader retires

Fresno Bee

David Pomaville, who helped lead Fresno County through two of the biggest emergencies in memory as director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health, has retired after nearly two decades with the agency.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Regions Rising Webinar to Explore Rebuilding of Regional Economies

CA FWD

While there is a sense of renewed hope brought by increased access to vaccines and declining COVID-19 cases, the growing inequality in the state and the erosion of upward mobility continues to impact too many Californians.

 

Building Equitable Economies Webinar Series

CA FWD
On May 13, CA FWD is hosting a webinar on strategies to confront economic, racial and geographic inequities as we rebuild stronger economies.

 

Restaurants Plan for Post-COVID Renewal: Smaller Menus, Merch Stores, Healthcare for Workers

Wall Street Journal

For many restaurant owners, pandemic-related labor shortages laid bare what was no longer working in an industry defined by its unrelenting work culture, and provided a window for experimentation.

 

US stocks close higher as banks, technology lead broad rally

Business Journal

Banks and technology companies led a late-afternoon turnaround that pushed the S&P 500 to a 0.8% gain, reversing the benchmark index’s losses for the week.

 

Jobs:

 

Injuries at Fresno’s Amazon warehouse are triple industry average

CalMatters

Amanda Caballero wishes she could go back to work at Amazon. She made $15 an hour at the Fresno fulfillment center — several dollars more than the state’s minimum wage — and received more than three months of paid maternity leave.

 

Too many jobs, too few applicants: Fresno restaurants facing staffing shortages

abc30

Cinco de Mayo is one of the biggest days for restaurants, and customers were quickly filling tables as restrictions loosen. But now, restaurants are facing another problem - finding enough staff to meet the demand.

See also:

 

U.S. Employers Added 266,000 Jobs in April as Hiring Slowed

Wall Street Journal

U.S. employers added a modest 266,000 jobs in April, far short of the 1 million expected among economists, and unemployment rose to 6.1%. The slowdown in hiring signaled a potential loss of economic momentum.

See also:

 

Google says 20% of workers will be remote, many more hybrid

Business Journal

Google says it expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after its offices reopen this fall, while some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days “wherever they work best.”

 

States start to opt out of federal pandemic unemployment benefits

AEI

Many employers across the country continue to argue that extraordinary federal unemployment benefits — including $300 per week unemployment bonuses perpetuated by lengthy extended benefits — are keeping workers on the sidelines:  

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Pursuing the Last Mile: Broadband in the Central Valley

CVHEC

The pandemic and remote learning brought to the forefront the Central Valley students’ struggles for reliable internet as a result of the Central Valley’s inadequate or no access to broadband in parts of the region.

See also:

 

Fresno Unified trustee condemns ‘disparaging’ remarks made about her disability

Fresno Bee

A FUSD trustee addressed “disparaging” comments from a community member about her health during a recent public meeting. Trustee Carol Mills spoke publicly for the first time about what she described as her “disability” at Wednesday night’s school board meeting.

 

7 out of 10 Californians Support State-Funded Preschool

Public Policy Institute of California

President Biden recently announced the American Families Plan, which would invest $200 billion toward free universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds, regardless of income.

 

Opinion: We need to get serious about expanding dual enrollment for high school students

CalMatters

Now is a critical time for California policymakers to expand high school student access to dual enrollment community college classes, as persistent high school achievement gaps have grown larger due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reliance on inequitable distance learning practices.

 

Higher Ed:

 

How UC Merced Reinvents the Possible

Architect Magazine

Much will be written in coming years about UC Merced. Some will marvel at how the institution started with an empty grassland field in 2002 and rose to its present stature as a major research university of nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

 

International students heading to California colleges navigate vaccine, visa hurdles

CalMatters

More California colleges are planning to require students to get COVID-19 vaccinations. For international students, that often means only vaccines approved by the World Health Organization will be accepted, even though not all students have access to those.

 

PC to gradually return to in-person learning

Porterville Recorder

Porterville College president Dr. Claudia Habib has announced plans for the school to gradually return to in-person instruction for its summer and fall sessions.

 

Opinion: Biden tuition plan boosts colleges, not students

AEI

If the new administration wanted to help more poor kids afford college and to halt rising college costs, it would instead trade in open-ended higher education subsidies and aid in return for a single item — an increase to Pell grants.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Air Pollution Control District issues health caution going into weekend

Bakersfield Californian

A health caution has been implemented through Saturday in the San Joaquin Valley, according to a news release from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

 

Endangered Bakersfield cactus threatened by off-road recreation

Bakersfield Californian

The hikers gathered at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the southern reaches of Hart Park. Before long they were walking uphill into the washes, canyons and carved hills that rise dramatically to the south.

 

How UC Davis is testing ‘sheep mowers’ against conventional landscaping techniques

Sacramento Bee

A sheep landscaping crew is the latest, if temporary, addition to the front entry of UC Davis.

 

Cutting methane quickly is key to curbing dangerous warming, U.N. report says

Los Angeles Times

Cutting the super-potent greenhouse gas methane quickly and dramatically is the world’s best hope to slow and limit the worst of global warming, a new United Nations report says.

 

Global Vaccine Crisis Sends Ominous Signal for Fighting Climate Change

New York Times

The gap between rich and poor countries on vaccinations highlights the failure of richer nations to see it in their self-interest to urgently help poorer ones fight a shared crisis.

 

Energy:

 

California blazes a trail with 95% renewable energy

The Hill

Recently, California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, cranked out 94.5 percent renewable energy. This landmark moment occurred on April 29 around 2:30 in the afternoon, just days after we celebrated the 51st Earth Day.

 

The Lithium Gold Rush: Inside the Race to Power Electric Vehicles

New York Times

A race is on to produce lithium in the United States, but competing projects are taking very different approaches to extracting the vital raw material. Some might not be very green.

 

Can hydropower help solve the climate crisis? This $63-billion plan is banking on it

Los Angeles Times

Conservationists in California and across the West are deeply skeptical of hydropower, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s a long history of government agencies damming spectacular canyons, choking off rivers, obliterating fish populations and cutting off access to Indigenous peoples.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

‘Alarming’ rate for this sexually transmitted disease in Fresno County, public health warns

Fresno Bee

There is a growing concern among state and Fresno County public health officials over a trend that seemingly runs contrary to a year of shelter in place orders, quarantines and shuttered bars, restaurants and college campuses.

 

Stanislaus County sees big spike in overdose deaths in 2020. Did COVID-19 contribute?

Modesto Bee

Deaths from drug overdoses jumped 47 percent in Stanislaus County last year, an increase that officials attribute at least partially to the COVID pandemic. In 2020, 122 people lost their lives to overdoses of illicit or prescription drugs, compared to 83 in 2019.

See also:

 

Covid-19 Retreats in the West, but the Pandemic Fight Is Far From Over

Wall Street Journal

The center of the global Covid-19 pandemic has shifted decisively to low- and middle- income countries, fueling sickness and death on a scale that trends suggest could quickly exceed the world-wide toll in 2020.

See also:

 

Poll Shows Parents Are Reluctant to Get Their Children Vaccinated for Covid-19

New York Times

The American public’s willingness to get a Covid vaccine is reaching a saturation point, a new national poll suggests, one more indication that achieving widespread immunity in the United States is becoming increasingly challenging.

See also:

 

Do temperature checks really catch COVID infections? Depends on your age, experts say

Fresno Bee

Many businesses, offices and events are still depending on temperature checks to detect coronavirus infections among the seemingly healthy. But fevers aren’t always a part of the COVID-19 package, especially among older adults.

 

Large weddings are back, and some couples are asking guests to be vaccinated

Fresno Bee

The COVID-19 pandemic snarled wedding plans for couples across the country last year, but as more and more people get vaccinated against the coronavirus, some couples feel the clouds are lifting.

See also:

 

Black moms are more likely to die in childbirth. Will Congress do anything about it?

Los Angeles Times

Lawmakers pushing to address the nation’s rising maternal death rate — particularly among Black women — heard testimony Thursday on what Congress can do to address the problem.

 

Walmart Deal Shows Expansion in Telehealth, New Front With Amazon

Wall Street Journal

Walmart Inc. said Thursday it purchased telehealth provider MeMD and plans to offer nationwide virtual health care services, another sign of the retail behemoth’s healthcare ambitions.

 

Human Services:

 

CVS is latest pharmacy to offer walk-in COVID vaccines. Here’s what to know

Fresno Bee

CVS announced Wednesday it’s joining the list of pharmacies offering people the coronavirus vaccine without requiring an appointment, spokesperson Matt Blanchette told McClatchy News. Same-day scheduling as soon as one hour ahead of time is also available.

 

California to spend $33 million to combat vaccine hesitancy, reach more communities

Sacramento Bee

California plans to shift its strategy for COVID-19 vaccination, as demand has been slowing while more than one-third of adults still have not received a first dose.

See also:

 

Green Spaces Tied to Smaller Black-White Gap in Coronavirus Rates

U.S. News

A higher ratio of green space in an urban county is significantly associated with a smaller Black-white racial disparity in coronavirus infection rates, according to a recent study.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

Migrant children to be housed at California National Guard post on Central Coast

Modesto Bee

A San Luis Obispo County supervisor on Thursday announced Camp Roberts will house thousands of migrant children from the United States-Mexico border.

 

Is America the merciful nation immigrants want it to be?

Los Angeles Times

Some of the world’s most vulnerable people arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border every day. Men and women fleeing violence in Central America, political strife in Haiti and Venezuela. Boys and girls sent alone by their families, in the hope that America will offer them better lives.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

San Joaquin River access a top priority for City of Fresno as plans move forward

Fresno Bee

Fresno councilman Mike Karbassi with Mayor Jerry Dyer and others pledge to move forward with San Joaquin River access at a press conference Wednesday, May 5, 2021 in Fresno.

 

Grant To Help Build Native American Cultural Center On San Joaquin River

Business Journal

The US Green Building Council Central California (USGBC-CC) has received a grant from the San Joaquin River Conservancy (Conservancy) to commence planning for a Native American and Environmental Resource Center at the San Joaquin River.

 

Old Town Kern train depot to remain standing, for now

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council has granted the Southern Pacific train depot in Old Town Kern a temporary stay of execution. The depot, which is now owned and operated by Union Pacific, was scheduled for imminent demolition.

 

Biden administration looks to triple amount of protected land in the U.S.

Los Angeles Times

Faced with the possible extinction of tens of thousands of species and the growing threat of climate change, the Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to protect 30% of the nation’s land and ocean territory by the end of the decade.

 

On-The-Ground Forest Resilience Projects Forging Ahead

CA FWD

As California braces for another perilous wildfire season, forest resilience projects are advancing on a number of fronts, along with new state investments in wildfire prevention.

 

Housing:

 

State knew this Fresno mobile home park was unsafe – but didn’t tell city. Now one is dead

Fresno Bee

It took a deadly fire that killed one person and destroyed two homes for the city of Fresno to become involved with a mobile home park whose license to operate had been suspended by the state three months prior.

 

Why is the Central Valley’s rental market booming? Here’s how local prices stack up

Modesto Bee

The Central Valley is the nation’s hottest rental market, according to a new report. The data, analyzed by RENTCafé, an online rental listing site, shows the region leading a group of midsize hubs across the country.

See also:

 

Who’s Leaving California—and Who’s Moving In?

PEW

The 2020 census results are in: California experienced its slowest growth rates ever during the 2010s. This slowdown was enough to cause an unprecedented loss of a seat in the House of Representatives.

See also:

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

California stimulus checks of up to $1,200 are heading to hundreds of thousands of residents

Fresno Bee

Hundreds of thousands of Californians can expect a stimulus check, ranging from $600 to $1,200, soon, if they haven’t already received one. One-time $600 payments under the “Golden State Stimulus” are on the way for eligible Californians.

 

California keeps millions in child support while parents drown in debt

CalMatters

Federal data shows California is keeping an unusually high portion of the child support payments — more than 3½ times the national average, paying itself first at the expense of the very children it’s supposed to be looking out for.

 

President Biden's American Families Plan: Budgetary and Macroeconomic effects

Budget Model

PWBM projects that the American Families Plan (AFP) would spend $2.5 trillion, about $700 billion more than the White House’s estimate, over the 10-year budget window, 2022-2031.

 

Biden Tax Plan Takes Aim at Trump-Era Investment Incentive

Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration says it’s trying to spur investment in America—while proposing to remove a four-year-old tax break that was intended to do exactly that.

 

Editorial: The Capital-Gains Revenue Illusion

Wall Street Journal

Evidence that President Biden’s capital-gains tax increase is counterproductive keeps rolling in, and the latest is from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a nonpartisan outfit often cited as an authority by Democratic economists.

 

Opinion: The Corporate Tax and American Sovereignty

Wall Street Journal

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has a grand idea: a global tax regime. She envisions a minimum corporate tax standardized across the developed world and expanded authority for nations to tax multinational corporations.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Which route would you drive? Caltrans seeks comment on another 132 segment near Modesto

Modesto Bee

Caltrans is seeking public comment in May 2021 on plans for rerouting Highway 132 on a five-mile stretch west of the three-mile project now under construction.

 

Gearing up for summer travel demand, United expands flights at Fresno Yosemite International

Fresno Bee

To meet expected demand from summer travelers, United Airlines has expanded its capacity at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. On Thursday, the carrier started a daily mainline flight between Fresno and Denver International Airport and resumed a seasonal morning flight to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

See also:

 

California bullet train isn’t the jobs creator some claim

Los Angeles Times

Atop massive viaducts and bridges under construction for the bullet train in the San Joaquin Valley, the state has hung banners proudly proclaiming “5,000 workers and counting.”

 

Should California allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs?

Fresno Bee

Supporters and opponents discuss AB 122, a bill to allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs.

 

California DMV to eliminate 25 language options from drivers license tests, memo says

Modesto Bee

The California DMV is preparing to stop offering written drivers license tests in 25 languages, reducing the available test languages to seven, according to a directive issued last week.

 

How has President Biden done on transportation in his first 100 days?

Transportation for America

After 100 days in office, the administration has ignored a lot of low-hanging fruit when it comes to executive and administrative actions they can take to support public transportation, emissions reduction, and other critical goals.

 

WATER

 

Deepening Drought Holds 'Ominous' Signs For Wildfire Threat In The West

VPR
After one of the most destructive and extreme wildfire seasons in modern history last year, a widening drought across California and much of the West has many residents bracing for the possibility this season could be worse.

 

“Xtra”

 

Newly renovated Regal Cinemas at Fresno's River Park to reopen May 14

abc30

Regal Cinemas at River Park in northeast Fresno will soon open to moviegoers after nearly a year of renovations. The movie theater is expected to reopen Friday, May 14.

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Bethany Clough: Known for its sourdough, this California sandwich shop is opening in an empty Fresno spot

Fresno Bee

The Jimmy John’s restaurant on West Shaw Avenue has been closed for months, but a new sandwich shop is about to take over. West Coast Sourdough is planning to open a sandwich restaurant in the space, aiming to open in about two or three weeks.

 

Cal Expo delays California State Fair, will continue as site of mass COVID-19 vaccinations

Fresno Bee

The California State Fair will be delayed and slimmed down this year as leaders of Cal Expo announced Wednesday that they will continue to dedicate most of its buildings and open spaces to the COVID-19 response.

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

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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