POLICY & POLITICS
Valley:
Maddy Associates Luncheon with Joel Fox, Editor and Co-Publisher of Fox and Hounds Daily
The Maddy Institute
TODAY, The Maddy Institute will be hosting Joel Fox, Editor and Co-Publisher of Fox and Hounds – a daily publication on California politics.Business and Community leaders have been invited to attend this private event in Fresno, CA. To become a Maddy Associate please contact usHERE.
Fresno County mostly voted red, but had a blue tint on registrations. What happened?
Fresno Bee
Despite a Democratic registration advantage of about 21,000, over Republicans, Fresno County’s election results show county voting trends tilted more red than blue in the Nov. 8 mid-term.
Harder surges past Denham in latest count; other Stanislaus races largely unchanged
Modesto Bee
Democrat Josh Harder on Friday zoomed ahead of Republican incumbent Jeff Denham in the hotly contested race for a House seat in the 10th District, a stunning reversal from what was initially announced in the midterm election, although perhaps 20,000 ballots have yet to be counted.
See Also:
● What Denham’s likely defeat says about our people, our priorities Modesto Bee
● GOP Rep. Jeff Denham falls behind Democrat Josh Harder as 3 other Republicans lose ground in ballot tally Los Angeles Times
Cox surges to within 2,000 votes of Valadao, who calls change ‘expected’
Fresno Bee
The race for California’s 21st Congressional District got a little more interesting over the weekend, as Kern County election results propelled Democrat TJ Cox to within two percentage points of incumbent David Valadao.
See Also:
● Leaders still hanging on in local races though Valadao's margin shrinks Bakersfield Californian
‘I have lost one of my closest friends.’ Staff director for Devin Nunes dies after illness
Fresno Bee
Damon Nelson, staff director of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a friend of Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, since high school, has died after a brief illness.
See Also:
● Tulare native who headed House Intelligence Committee staff has died abc30
Hurtado claims victory in state Senate race after opening up 8,000-vote lead over Vidak
Fresno Bee
Sanger City Councilwoman Melissa Hurtado has claimed victory over state Sen. Andy Vidak in California’s 14th Senate District, according to a statement released Monday by her campaign.
See Also:
● Hurtado, a Democrat, claims victory over Vidak in 14th State Senate District race Bakersfield Californian
Warszawski: Fresno Mayor Lee Brand: What do we do about city parks now?
Fresno Bee
What now, Mayor Brand?
See also:
● Autry Says Brand’s “Blatant, Flat-out, Untruths” Destroyed Measure P KMJ-AF1
Madera Tribune
The Madera City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to hire Arnoldo Rodriguez of Yuba City to become Madera’s next city manager starting Dec. 3rd.
Newcomers defeat 2 city councilmen
Madera Tribune
In a surprising turn, two sitting Madera City Council members were soundly defeated by challengers running on a platform of change of direction for the city. Santos Garcia defeated incumbent Charles Rigby in District 5, 339 to 257. And Steve Montes defeated incumbent Will Oliver of District 3, 383 to 339.
Moreno wins DA spot over Hornick
Madera Tribune
Experienced prosecutor Sally Moreno won a decisive victory over relative newcomer and prosecutor Paul Hornick. Both Moreno and Hornick had funded yard signs and gone door to door, and covered a lot of ground in the race but in the end, reputation and local endorsements mattered more.
City of Bakersfield announces data breach from hacked Click2Gov system
Bakersfield Californian
The city of Bakersfield has reported that a “cyber-security incident” may have compromised the personal and financial information of those who used the city’s Click2Gov online payment processor.
Supervisors save Secret Witness with $30,000 cash infusion
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County’s Secret Witness program is back in business after the Board of Supervisors guaranteed a minimum of $30,000 for the anonymous tip system, with potentially more funds on the way.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Hire expands lead over Wheaton for top Tulare County schools job
Visalia Times Delta
Results from recent elections.
Votes tallied, here's the top 5 head-scratchers from the midterms
Visalia Times Delta
California has a new governor, Devin Nunes remains District 22's congressman and Tulare County has a new superintendent of schools — we just don't know who, yet.
State:
Democrats gain veto-proof majority in California Legislature
Fresno Bee
Democrats win two Senate seats in California's Central Valley, gain veto-proof supermajorities in state Legislature.
See Also:
● Republican concedes, California Democrats likely gain majority in legislature Fresno Bee
● California Democrats regain supermajority in Legislature San Francisco Chronicle
● Democrats win back a supermajority in California’s Legislature Los Angeles Times
● Dem domination: California Legislature is turning many shades of blue CALmatters
Brown leaves some unappetizing leftovers on Newsom’s plate
Modesto Bee
Twin tunnels and high-speed rail will require the new governor’s attention, as will fixing psychiatric care in state prisons.
See Also:
● Newsom won’t have budget crisis, but can it last? CALmatters
● Gavin Newsom’s dilemma: Making a change, while following Jerry Brown’s lead CALmatters
CA’s next governor Newsom picks chief of staff Ann O’Leary
Sacramento Bee
The Gavin Newsom administration began to take shape Friday as California’s Democratic governor-elect announced his first two senior staff appointments and launched a website to solicit job applications and advice.
See also:
● Gavin Newsom names top two staffers, bringing California and national experience to the top of his team CALmatters
● How Gov-Elect Gavin Newsom could shape California’s future, issue by issue CALmatters
● Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom names former Clinton advisor his chief of staff Los Angeles Times
● Gavin Newsom moves to governor’s office — his political orbit in motion too San Francisco Chronicle
● High Expectations on the Left for Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom KQED
● EDITORIAL: Gavin Newsom has a conflict of interest problem Los Angeles Times
● Gavin Newsom's file PolitiFact California
Eleni Kounalakis can carve out a meaningful role as lieutenant governor. It's in her genes
Los Angeles Times
She’ll have little power as lieutenant governor. But she’ll sit on the UC Board of Regents, the Cal State board of trustees and the State Lands Commission, which regulates coastal waters.
See also:
● New lieutenant governor Kounalakis makes statewide election history CAlmatters
Vote by mail? Better double-check that your ballot wasn’t rejected
CALmatters
Millions of Californians dropped off their ballots on Tuesday or mailed them in, but they might want to double-check online—because either a missing or a mismatched signature could void their vote.
See also:
● California's not goofy, it's really big. That's why counting the vote takes so long Los Angeles Times
Some State and Local Election Results You May Have Missed
RouteFifty
Minimum wage increases … firefighter pay parity … transgender protections … and school vouchers.
New Term Limits Add Stability to the State Legislature
PPIC
California Democrats are on track to add two seats to their majorities in both the state assembly and the state senate. Combined with Democrat Gavin Newsom’s win in the governor’s race, these flips give Democrats the supermajorities they need for unfettered pursuit of their legislative agenda.
Federal:
Trump largely alone as world leaders take aim at nationalism
Sacramento Bee
Amid WWI commemoration, Trump largely alone as world leaders take aim at nationalism.
More White House Shakeups, And Fallout From The Midterms
Capital Public Radio
Democrats took back the House, Republicans kept the Senate, and President Donald Trump got rid of his Attorney General. Political Junkie Ken Rudin explains what happened last week and why more White House shakeups could be coming.
See also:
Trump is preparing to remove Kirstjen Nielsen as Homeland Security secretary, aides say Los Angeles Times
Results from the 2018 midterm elections
Los Angeles Times
The election is over. The big picture is clear, though some ballots are still being counted. Here's what we learned:
See also:
● The 2018 midterms told a tale of two weak parties Washington Post
● The Candidates Mattered. But Opinions About Trump Mattered More Roll Call
Democrats Say Their First Bill Will Focus On Strengthening Democracy At Home
NPR
Democrats will take control of the U.S. House in January with big items topping their legislative to-do list: Remove obstacles to voting, close loopholes in government ethics law and reduce the influence of political money.
See also:
● Democratic Gains in the House Could Climb to 38 Seats Wall Street Journal
● With an Ambitious Policy Agenda, Pelosi is Poised to Lead the House Again Roll Call
● Democrats, don’t be idiots. Use your power wisely The Sacramento Bee
● 2018 exit polls show greater white support for Democrats Brookings
● The Blue Wave Breaks Gently Wall Street Journal
● For Democrats, a midterm election that keeps on giving Washington Post
● Democrats Built a Big Tent; Can They Keep It? Wall Street Journal
So Much Changed in Statehouses This Week. Here’s What It All Means.
PEW Center
The Democratic power surge in statehouses and governors’ offices will boost a host of progressive priorities, including health care, school spending, gun control, environmental protection and voting rights — even as divided government causes gridlock in Washington.
Populists on the left and right might want to think twice about cheering on the norms-busters
Washington Post
“The law in its majestic equality,” wrote Anatole France, “forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”
Congress Gears for Final-Stretch Fight Over Border Wall, Mueller Probe
Wall Street Journal
Congress returns this week for the final two-month stretch that is expected to be dominated by a fight over spending and immigration and a power struggle over the special counsel’s Russia probe.
Donald Trump Played Central Role in Hush Payoffs to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal
Wall Street Journal
As a presidential candidate in August 2015, Donald Trump huddled with a longtime friend, media executive David Pecker, in his cluttered 26th floor Trump Tower office and made a request.
FBI Is Investigating Florida Company Where Whitaker Was Advisory-Board Member
Wall Street Journal
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation of a Florida company accused of scamming millions from customers during the period that Matthew Whitaker, the acting U.S. attorney general, served as a paid advisory-board member.
See also:
● Federal investigators scrutinized Whitaker’s role in patent company accused of fraud, according to people with knowledge of case Washington Post
● Matthew Whitaker is a crackpot Washington Post
● Trump’s Appointment of the Acting Attorney General Is Unconstitutional New York Times
Fox&Hounds
At the Capitol Weekly post-mortem on the 2018 election, discussion of the 2020 election broke out. Apparently, it’s never too early to talk about a coming election, especially one that concerns the presidency.
See also:
● Analysis | The top 15 Democratic presidential candidates for 2020, ranked Washington Post
EDITORIAL: Democracy takes time — count all votes
San Francisco Chronicle
In determining the results of an election, speed and accuracy are competing imperatives — and it shouldn’t be much of a competition. Given the importance of reflecting the voters’ will, why hurry?
Other:
To Trump, the media is the ‘enemy of the people.’ He should look in the mirror.
Washington Post
By now it all seems normal, except it’s not.
See also:
● Fact-checking distorted video Sarah Sanders used to bar a CNN White House reporter Politifact
Washington Post
While far more Americans get their news from broadcast networks and local stations than from cable news, Trump’s devotion to cable has elevated the political importance of those networks, which remain plagued by myths
Some letters are easier to fact-check than others
Bakersfield Californian
Reader: As much as I like Peter Wonderly, I must strongly oppose his suggestion that evangelical Christians should "Vote for the common good.”
America’s Fever Is Still Rising
NY Magazine
There was, in other words, no blue wave. It was rather a familiar blue tide (which nonetheless looked more impressive by Thursday night than it did in the wee hours of Wednesday morning). If you just looked at the data, and knew nothing about the last two years, you’d think it was a conventional, even boring, election.
The U.S. is in a state of perpetual minority rule
Washington Post
Many see the midterm results as a split decision. Democrats herald their victory in the House as a repudiation of President Trump’s agenda. Republicans, meanwhile, regard picking up three seats in the Senate as a vindication of that very agenda, and the president tweeted that the election was a “very Big Win.”’
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Women Enjoy Political Gains, But Advocates Want More
Wall Street Journal
A record number of women will be in the U.S. Congress next year, but even after this year’s many wins by female candidates, they will remain heavily underrepresented in the upper reaches of the nation’s political power.
See also:
● My turn: Women make big political gains. Obstacles remain CALmatters
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Marijuana: State chief addresses local licensing concerns
Fresno Bee
California is on the verge of putting a massive set of regulations in place to govern commercial marijuana cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, testing and sales – but not all of the rules proposed since the passage of Proposition 64 two years ago are sitting well with cities and counties.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY
Capital Public Radio
With another mass shooting in California, number 19 since 1984, the state leads the nation in most deaths from these kinds of violent killings — but only because it is by far the most populous state.
See also:
● Hours after Thousand Oaks shooting, Newsom calls for more gun control Politico
● Trump blames Thousand Oaks shooting on ex-Marine's combat service, suggests he had PTSD Los Angeles Times
● Raging fires and mass shootings greet Governor-elect Newsom CALmatters
● A new survey reveals who owns guns in California—and how many got them without background checks CALmatters
● In response to mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California legislator proposes making it easier to confiscate guns Los Angeles Times
● Gun Deaths In America FiveThirtyEight
● Guard, officer killed in the nation’s latest mass shooting, stoking debate about active-shooter defenses Washinton Post
● Deaths From Gun Violence: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World : Goats and Soda NPR
Fire:
California wildfires: What fires are burning now and where are they?
Fresno Bee
Firefighters are battling two massive California wildfires late in the fire season, including a Northern California blaze that has killed 29 and destroyed 6,453 homes.
See Also:
● Crime ravages fire-destroyed Butte County as residents evacuate Fresno Bee
● Two new fires in Ventura County force another highway closure, evacuations Fresno Bee
● Valley Family’s Home Destroyed In Camp Fire – “It’s A Little Unreal” KMJ-AF1
● Woolsey Fire burns 143 square miles, 20 percent containment abc30
● 29 dead in Camp Fire in Butte County, 228 remain missing abc30
● California wildfires grow; death toll rises to 44 abc30
● Camp Fire is one of the two deadliest wildfires in California history abc30
● Fires still blazing on both ends of California, killing at least 23 with 110 missing Hanford Sentinel
● S. California fire burned 100s more homes, official predicts Bakersfield Californian
● Kern County Fire sends 70 firefighters to help with Northern California blazes Bakersfield Californian
● With 42 confirmed dead, Camp Fire is deadliest in California history. Four identified, hundreds still missing Modesto Bee
● Dozens from Stanislaus grabbed go-bags, dropped everything else, to fight Camp Fire Modesto Bee
● What the National Weather Service says is trapping fire smoke in the Central Valley Modesto Bee
● As 3 wildfires rage, California’s Red Flag Warning updated to last into the week Modesto Bee
● Camp Fire leaves 29 dead, 228 missing as blaze continues to grow Modesto Bee
● Did a campfire ignite the Camp Fire? How wildfires get their names Sacramento Bee
● While Firefighting Conditions Improve, Full Toll Of Camp Wildfire Still To Be Seen Capital Public Radio
● Tracking California’s deadly wildfires CALmatters
● Harrowing Escapes, Heartbreaking Loss In Paradise Capital Public Radio
● Death toll from Camp fire jumps to 42, making it worst in California history Los Angeles Times
● California fires live updates: Camp fire becomes state's deadliest; number of homes lost in Woolsey fire rises sharplyLos Angeles Times
● Camp Fire: Death toll rises to 42 as coroner’s recovery crews find more bodies San Francisco Chronicle
● Camp Fire: Oroville Dam officials keep close watch on approaching blaze San Francisco Chronicle
● Wildfires, landslides still a threat for local areas abc30
● Deadly California Fires Cause Epic Damage, Mass Evacuations Bloomberg
● Forced Out by Deadly Fires, Then Trapped in Traffic New York Times
● California’s Paradise Lost Wall Street Journal
Gov. Brown requests presidential major disaster declaration for state’s wildfires Sacramento Bee
Gov. Jerry Brown has requested a major disaster declaration from the president to help California residents affected by November’s wildfires get access to extra resources, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
See also:
California wildfires start in the woods. Why do cities keep burning?
Fresno Bee
Climate change contributes to the growing destruction from California wildfires. Hot, dry weather conditions that help carry fires for thousands of acres are often present nearly year-round now.
See Also:
● Brown: Climate change is driving Camp Fire, CA wildfires Sacramento Bee
● Scientists: Wind, drought worsen fires, not bad management Stockton Record
● Why California burns — its forests have too many trees San Francisco Chronicle
● California’s recent blazes aren’t the result of overgrown forests, as Trump suggests San Diego Union-Tribune
● Megafires More Frequent Because Of Climate Change And Forest Management VPR
● Governor Brown Issues Executive Order to Protect Communities from Wildfire, Climate Impacts CA.gov
● Trump fans flames by blaming wildfires on California, threatening to withhold federal funds CALmatters
● Trump blames fires, erroneously, on California forest management. Firefighters call it a 'shameful attack' Los Angeles Times
● Track key details of the California wildfires Los Angeles Times
● “A New Normal”: California’s Increasing Wildfire Risk And What To Do About It Hoover Commission
● California Wildfires: Billion-Dollar Blazes Threaten Utilities Bloomberg
● CNN Meteorologist Brutally Fact-Checks Trump’s Claims California Fires Due to Poor Forest Management Mediaite
● Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires? New York Times
● How to Help Those Affected by the California Fires New York Times
● EDITORIAL: Trump’s incendiary tweets have no place in burning state Sacramento Bee
● EDITORIAL: California is on fire. It won't be the last time. Let's get ready Los Angeles Times
Fires put pressure on California utilities despite new law
Fresno Bee
California utilities again are facing severe financial pressures from the possibility that their equipment sparked catastrophic wildfires, including two now burning at either end of the state.
See Also:
● Investors flee as PG&E faces scrutiny over cause of Camp Fire Fresno Bee
● Utility emailed woman about problems 1 day before fire Fresno Bee
● PG&E and Edison stocks plummet as California wildfires burn Los Angeles Times
● EDITORIAL: Should PG&E be broken up? San Francisco Chronicle
Generous but useless donations flood wildfire evacuation centers. Here’s what to send
Fresno Bee
When evacuation centers aiding California residents fleeing the rapacious Camp Fire put out a call for donations, people responded. And responded, and responded, and responded. Now center coordinators are asking donors to stop sending supplies, reported The Redding Record-Searchlight.
See Also:
● How To Help Victims Of The Camp Wildfire Capital Public Radio
● How to Help Those Affected by the California Fires New York Times
● How to Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke KQED Science
One California calamity after another, and yet we always endure
Los Angeles Times
Earthquakes, yes. Torrential downpours, yes. Mudslides, yes. Extended droughts, yes. A president who kicks us when we’re down, yes.
Price: The fire drill went fine, the walk back inside not so much
Bakersfield Californian
We had a fire drill Thursday at our new offices north of Bakersfield.
ECONOMY / JOBS
Where’s your package? Amazon closes Sacramento center due to Camp Fire smoke
Fresno Bee
Hazardous smoke conditions smothering much of Northern California this weekend due to the Camp Fire led Sacramento’s Amazon fulfillment center to evacuate Saturday. It was still closed Monday.
Why the US stock market was down
Stockton Record
A broad sell-off in technology companies pulled U.S. stocks sharply lower Monday, knocking more than 500 points off the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Apple, Amazon, Goldman Sachs and other big names fell.
See Also:
● Stocks fall sharply as tech firms drop; Dow loses 600 points Los Angeles Times
State Laws Put Installment Loan Borrowers at Risk
PEW Center
Pew’s latest research notes that installment loans can be safer, more affordable alternatives to other high-cost credit products like payday or auto title loans. But state laws governing these loans are not strong enough to prevent lending practices that obscure the true cost of borrowing and put customers at financial risk.
Right on the Election, Dead Wrong on the Market Reaction
Wall Street Journal
I had a well-worked-out forecast for what would happen to stocks after the midterm elections. It was smart, logical, and 100% wrong. Quite why is an interesting question, and shows how hard it is to predict markets even when events go exactly as predicted.
U.S. on a Course to Spend More on Debt Than Defense
Wall Street Journal
In the past decade, U.S. debt held by the public has risen to $15.9 trillion from $5.1 trillion, but financing all of that debt hasn’t been a problem. Low inflation and strong global demand for safe U.S. Treasury bonds held the government’s interest costs down.
Inside the New Industrial Revolution
Wall Street Journal
The mobile internet, automation and AI will have profound implications. Here’s a closer look at how the old and new economies compare.
EDUCATION
K-12:
This Navy veteran is trying to get Visalia students excited about service
Visalia Times Delta
Nearly 70 Ivanhoe Elementary School fifth-graders spent Friday honoring local veterans and learning more about what it’s like to serve their country.
Plans underway for new elementary school in Lemoore
Hanford Sentinel
Voters Tuesday passed Measure D, a school bond that will raise $26 million for new Lemoore Union Elementary School District projects.
Manteca police to conduct school bus safety enforcement
Stockton Record
Wednesday and Thursday, the Police Department’s Traffic Unit will be conducting a special traffic enforcement campaign focusing on school bus safety.
Higher Ed:
CSUB event gives participants chance to pitch business ideas
Bakersfield Californian
Local students and other members of the community are working together this weekend to increase their business experience and pitch their ideas.
WHCL hosts annual conference for prospective teachers
Hanford Sentinel
West Hills College Lemoore’s held their annual Teach Conference for college students, community members and high school students interested in becoming educators.
Bakersfield College, Cal State Bakersfield see major increases in graduates
Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield College and Cal State Bakersfield both graduated more students this year than they have in at least five years, according to data from the colleges.
Cambridge Academies’ HOST House program helps men get a “restart” on life
Modesto Bee
At HOST House in Patterson, the nonprofit Cambridge Academies runs a low-barrier men’s shelter and the Enterprise Restart program.
UC urges students to file DACA renewals as appeals court rules against Trump
CALmatters
California notched another legal victory Thursday in its bid to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation, as a federal appeals court agreed with the state’s attorney general and the University of California that the Trump administration cannot dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
He suggested exterminating Chinese immigrants. His name is on a UC Berkeley building.
Fresno Bee
UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall, named for a 19th century lawyer whose racist writings helped lead to the Chinese Exclusion Act, could soon be renamed. The decision rests with the University of California Berkeley Law School dean.
America Is Divided by Education
The Atlantic
The gulf between the party identification of white voters with college degrees and those without is growing rapidly. Trump is widening it.
What the 2018 midterm elections mean for education in America
Brookings
While education was not a top issue driving most voters to the polls, Michael Hansen, Elizabeth Mann Levesque, and Jon Valant explain what impact the midterm election results could have on federal oversight and state-level policies, as well as education’s role in the next presidential election.
ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY
Environment:
Smoke from wildfires prompt health caution for residents in San Joaquin Valley
Bakersfield Californian
Wildfires around the state have prompted local air officials to issue a health caution for smoke impacts throughout the San Joaquin Valley. So far, Kern County is feeling the least of it while our neighbors north are getting hit hard.
See Also:
● What the National Weather Service says is trapping fire smoke in the Central Valley Modesto Bee
● For the homeless, there’s nowhere to escape bad air quality Sacramento Bee
● Sacramento to give residents masks due to poor air quality Sacramento Bee
Young Activists Can Sue Government Over Climate Change, Supreme Court Says
NPR
A group of young people can sue the federal government over its climate change policies, the Supreme Court said Friday. Since it was first filed in 2015, the government has requested several times that Juliana v. United States be dismissed.
Environmentalists Say the Time to Act on Climate Is Now. Voters Aren’t So Sure.
PEW Center
Although numerous left-leaning measures found success at the ballot box last week, many voters said "no thank you" to policies that could curb climate change.
Energy:
U.S. Oil Prices Mark Longest Losing Streak Since 1984
Wall Street Journal
Oil prices notched the longest losing streak in more than three decades on Friday as concerns about oversupply have rapidly returned to the market.
Trump’s Interference With Science Is Unprecedented
The Atlantic
Experts say that key EPA proposals would meddle with the research process and endanger decades of protective health rules.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Save a grandma. Get your flu shot
Los Angeles Times
A natural disaster is bearing down on our country, one assured to take the lives of thousands and hospitalize tens of thousands more: the annual flu epidemic. Last year’s strains were particularly virulent, with 900,000 Americans hospitalized and more than 80,000 people dying from the flu or its complications.
Uncle Sam wants you to sit less and move more. Here’s how you can meet the new exercise guidelines
Los Angeles Times
Listen up, Americans! The government has been recommending you get 150 minutes of exercise a week for a decade now. That’s just 20 minutes a day — and not even one in four of you can handle it.
Washington Post
“Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly? This isn’t just my lane,” she tweeted Friday. “It’s my [expletive] highway.”
Human Services:
Houchin selects its chief operating officer to replace retiring CEO
Bakersfield Californian
After a nationwide search, Bakersfield-based Houchin Community Blood Bank has selected its own chief operating officer.
Stockton women organize distribution of food, clothing to homeless on West Weber Avenue
Stockton Record
Seeing the growing number of people — including children — living outside on the streets became too much for a young Stockton woman, so she decided to do something herself that would alleviate a bit of the suffering she observed.
SJ County sets contract with temporary forensic pathologist
Stockton Record
Nearly one year after the resignations of both San Joaquin County forensic pathologists, and possibly more than a year away from the opening of a new, independent Medical Examiner’s Office, supervisors have approved a contract with a new pathologist who will help fill the gap during the transition period.
Too Few Doctors and Nurses for Veterans in Some Areas
PEW Center
As the nation prepares to honor its veterans Nov. 12, many veterans in rural areas and some cities still face long wait times for health care because there aren’t enough doctors, nurses and support staff to provide it.
The False Promise of ‘Medicare for All’
Wall Street Journal
Health care was a priority for midterm voters, and for good reason. In nearly five years since ObamaCare’s major provisions came into effect, insurance premiums have doubled for individuals and risen 140% for families, even while deductibles have increased substantially.
EDITORIAL: Democrats thumped the GOP on healthcare in the midterms. Can we finally move past ‘repeal and replace’?
Los Angeles Times
Every federal election held since Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010 has been a referendum of sorts on President Obama’s signature healthcare law. Perhaps Tuesday’s election will be the last one.
IMMIGRATION
Appeals court gives ‘Dreamers’ — even those in the Central Valley — temporary relief
Fresno Bee
Dreamers nationwide and in the Central Valley will avoid deportation for the time being after a federal appeals court reaffirmed a preliminary injunction to stop an attempt to end DACA by the Trump administration.
See also:
● Fact-checking Donald Trump’s tweets about the border, DACA PolitiFact
Migrant caravan moves to western Mexico city of Guadalajara
Sacramento Bee
Several thousand Central American migrants heading for the U.S. border have arrived in the western Mexico city of Guadalajara with help from truckers and other motorists, marking a month since their trek began.
See Also:
● Tijuana braces for arrival of thousands as Central American caravan moves north San Diego Union-Tribune
● The caravan has all but vanished from cable news Washington Post
California teacher pension fund pulls money out of immigrant detention centers
Sacramento Bee
California’s teacher pension fund is pulling its investments out of two private prison companies that have contracts to house immigrants detained at the Mexican border.
Immigrant advocates sue to block Trump’s asylum order
San Francisco Chronicle
Hours after President Trump barred asylum for thousands of undocumented immigrants entering the United States at the Mexican border, advocates for the migrants filed a federal lawsuit.
See Also:
● EDITORIAL: The Trump administration’s attack on asylum is against the law San Francisco Chronicle
Birthright citizenship is debatable and the US Supreme Court decides
San Francisco Chronicle
The U. S. Supreme Court today comprises five conservative justices and four liberal ones. Will this majority of five comply with the legal precedents and continue to define American citizenship as deriving from jus soli?
See also:
Constitutional Ways to Curb ‘Birth Tourism’ Wall Street Journal
With or without criminal records, some immigrants spend many years in detention
Los Angeles Times
Two dozen other detainees in California alone have spent more than three years in ICE custody, according to data obtained through a public records request by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse of Syracuse University and released last month.
Los Angeles Times
In a closely watched legal battle, the state attorney general’s office has filed notice that it will appeal an Orange County Superior Court judge’s ruling that the city of Huntington Beach is exempt from complying with a state law providing “sanctuary” protections for immigrants who are in the country illegally.
In Appropriations Endgame, All Roads Lead to Border Wall
Roll Call
Sooner or later, President Donald Trump will have to confront the political reality that Congress is extremely unlikely to provide the $5 billion he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Border arrests surged to highest levels of Trump presidency in October
Washington Post
The number of migrants taken into custody along the Mexican border soared to the highest totals of the Trump presidency in October, according to figures released late Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
Making Blackstone Avenue a healthier roadway
Fresno Bee
Most everyone thinks of “big streets” as four or more travel lanes that move a high number of cars through a particular area of a city. Only partially true: big streets can also serve as connections between people and places of community appeal, innovation, enterprise and even healing, if they are designed and constructed to be comfortable and safe for all who travel on them. Fresno has an opportunity to invest in a project that is designed to enhance those connections and improve the quality of life along our city’s most beloved big street.
Home Sweet Home: Cottage Home Program revitalizes Old Town alleys
Clovis Roundup
Clovis’ Cottage Home Program was implemented in an effort to revitalize the alleyways of Old Town and infill residential areas. Within the past year, residents with extra unused land have begun building tiny homes to beautify the alleys.
Housing:
The rent control initiative just lost: What’s next for renters?
CALmatters
With the death of California’s proposition to expand rent control, perhaps the bigger question is what incentive the landlords have to compromise at all.
PUBLIC FINANCES
City facing lean years after sales tax failure
Bakersfield Californian
Ask Bakersfield voters to pass a sales tax increase to address city budget woes. The millions in new tax revenue could fund more cops, more infrastructure and meet some of the city's general obligations.
Los Angeles Times
When California voters opted to continue paying higher gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund state transportation projects, groups hoping to drum up money to expand other state-funded services were encouraged.
See also:
● Gas tax repeal leader’s Plan B: Try to pick off Democrats one-by-one CALmatters
EDITORIAL: This California Supreme Court case could ease cities' pension crisis
San Diego Union-Tribune
On Dec. 5, the California Supreme Court will take up challenges to the state’s 2012 pension reform law, including its ban on the outrageous practice of allowing public employees to spike their pensions by buying years of service.
TRANSPORTATION
Should FAX bus drivers be rewarded with extra time off just for showing up to work?
Fresno Bee
The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted to approve a new union contract for FAX bus drivers that included raises and a new incentive time-off program, but not without a contentious debate over city-wide employee performance and accountability.
14 months of construction begin on 24th Street as motorists encouraged to take alternate routes
Bakersfield Californian
Construction on the 24th Street Improvement Project will reduce eastbound traffic on the road to two lanes for the next eight months.
Cost of building Southland section of bullet train could jump by $11 billion, documents show
Los Angeles Times
The cost of constructing the Southern California section of the state bullet train could jump by as much as $11 billion over estimates released earlier this year, though rail authority officials caution that their new numbers assume a more expansive design than is likely to be built.
Electric Scooters Have Been Burned, Buried and Butchered. They’re About to Be Regulated.
PEW Trusts
Thousands of new riders have embraced the electric pay-per-minute scooters that have proliferated on America’s streets.
Infrastructure talk ramps up as election dust settles
Politico
There are still some ballots to be counted in Florida and elsewhere, but most of the key questions have been answered from Tuesday’s election. As expected, Democrats took back the House, and Republicans maintained control of the Senate. If you thought the two chambers couldn’t get along in this Congress, wait until you see what’s in store next year. Expect a ramp up of partisan bickering and two very different approaches to policy.
WATER
Voters rejected Proposition 3. Where now on water?
Sacramento Bee
Instead of a costly bond that puts more pressure on the state’s general fund, legislators should consider fees tied directly to the amount of water people use.
See also:
● Why California voters rejected Proposition 3 water bond Sacramento Bee
Toxic taps abound in rural Tulare County, failed water bond brings no relief
Visalia Times Delta
"Safe, clean and affordable" drinking water is enshrined in California law as a basic human right.
Public Policy Institute of California
Managing water remains one of the great challenges for California. Population growth, a shifting climate, and declining ecosystem health are putting pressure on the state’s water supply and flood management systems. New policies are needed to address these challenges. This briefing kit highlights some of the most pressing issues,
Make California’s Water Grid Climate-Ready
Public Policy Institute of California
Next week people from around the globe will gather at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco to explore solutions to climate change. California has long played a leadership role in reducing climate emissions. But the state has a crucial weakness in its climate readiness: its vast water system. Modernizing California’s “water grid”―the linked network of above- and below-ground storage and conveyance systems that connects most water use in the state―can help reduce the costs and impacts of a changing climate.
EDITORIAL: Editorial: How Newsom can chart new approach to water woes
Mercury News
Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom should take a page out of Jerry Brown’s climate change playbook
“Xtra”
Largest Veterans Day Parade rolls through downtown Fresno
Fresno Bee
The Veterans Day Parade wound its way for hours, entertaining thousands in downtown Fresno on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Organizers say it's acknowledged as the largest in the country.
See Also:
● California fires: How to help victims of wildfires across the state abc30
● Thousands honor those who served at Bakersfield's Veterans Day Parade Bakersfield Californian
Bulldogs playing for division title, but will fans show?
Fresno Bee
Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford and the Bulldogs play the San Diego State Aztecs at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 with a division title in the Mountain West Conference at stake. Tedford is hoping for more fan support.
Mountain community celebrates Mickey Mouse’s birthday with early Mouseketeer
Fresno Bee
Paul Petersen, one of the Mickey Mouse Club’s original Mouseketeers, is coming to easter Madera County to help the community celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday.
Country duo Brothers Osborne heading to Fox on April 2
Bakersfield Californian
Brothers Osborne has a busy holiday season coming up, with the Grammy-nominated country duo hitting tour stops in Scotland, England and Wales before returning to the States in the new year. Among the recently added dates to the tour is a performance April 2 at the Fox Theater.
Bakersfield brewing district begins to ferment
Bakersfield Californian
Far from the bars and restaurants of downtown, in an area that mostly closes down after dark, Bakersfield's semi-official brewing district is forging a unique identity that participating business owners see as becoming a popular destination for craft beer connoisseurs and hobbyists.
Will Amestoy's vintage neon sign be saved or sold?
Bakersfield Californian
Amestoy’s on the Hill in east Bakersfield is one of those gnarly old saloons locals love for its history — and for its homeliness.