Maddy Institute – November 20, 2020

20Nov

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Merced County COVID-19 update: Total deaths reach 175. Outbreaks reported at schools

Merced Sun-Star

The Merced County Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed the 175th death of a resident related to the novel coronavirus. The most recently death was a man, age 65-years-old or older, with underlying health conditions prior to death, according to County Public Health.

Hospital use, new cases keep rising in Stanislaus

Modesto Bee

New COVID-19 cases continued to pile up and hospital use grew as Stanislaus County spent another day under tighter rules. The state reported 143 positive tests on Wednesday in the county, up from 133 on Tuesday.

Modesto Police Chief Carroll retiring, leaving legacy of community trust

Modesto Bee

Modesto Police Chief Galen Carroll announced Thursday that he will retire Christmas Day after nearly eight years of leading a department of roughly 300 men and women.

Report shows ICE detentions in Merced County down recently, says sheriff

Merced Sun-Star

The number of people detained and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Merced County dropped notably last year compared to 2018, Sheriff Vern Warnke reported Tuesday before the Board of Supervisors.

Stan State Grad Student Michael Taylor Participates in CSU Panel on Hunger and Homelessness

Stanislaus State

Stanislaus State graduate student Michael Taylor has been selected by the California State University Office of the Chancellor to participate in a moderated panel discussion on research and programs that support students’ basic needs at the CSU’s 23 campuses.

Michael Tubbs lost his bid to return as Stockton mayor. Some say he’s still a rising star

Los Angeles Times

When Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs conceded defeat Tuesday in a bid for a second term in this troubled San Joaquin Valley city, it was a painful moment he had not expected.

California Republican infamous for social posts refuses – like Trump – to concede election

Modesto Bee

Republican Ted Howze was beaten handily by Rep. Josh Harder in the 2020 election. Even if Howze won all of the remaining votes left to count, he would still fall short of Harder’s lead. But Howze isn’t conceding.

Central SJ Valley:

New California coronavirus curfew won’t be enforced locally, Fresno law enforcement says

Fresno Bee

Law enforcement with the city of Fresno and Fresno County do not plan on enforcing the new California curfew issued Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

● Will local law enforcement agencies enforce Newsom's COVID-19 curfew? Visalia Times Delta

● City of Fresno asking for voluntarily compliance with California overnight curfew Fox26 News

● Valley hospitals seeing increase in COVID-19 patients as cases surge abc30

● Fresno County nearing 35,000 cases, 500 deaths amid national surge Fresno Bee

● Fresno County adds 232 new COVID-19 cases, on cusp of 35,000; officials respond to curfew Fresno Bee

Fresno County responds to COVID-19 in rural communities, hopes to add 3 testing sites

abc30

For 16-year-old William Gomez, the burden of the loss of his father, Guillermo, is difficult to bear. "Without him we're basically nothing," Gomez says. Joined by his mother Elvia, the grief-stricken teen says his dad epitomized joy.

COVID-19 case reported at Fresno County school three weeks after students return to class

Fresno Bee

Almost three weeks after reopening for in-person classes, someone at a Sanger Unified School District elementary school tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a notice sent out on Thursday by district officials.

2 Fresno churches to hold indoor services this weekend despite county moving to 'purple tier'

abc30

Widespread risk of COVID-19 has triggered a return to the 'purple tier' for Fresno County, meaning indoor religious gatherings have been deemed unsafe.

● Fresno bishop urges Catholics not to ‘jump on the COVID-19 vaccine bandwagon’ Los Angeles Times

Rising COVID-19 cases delay the reopening of VUSD schools. Other districts face delays, too.

Visalia Times Delta

The nationwide surge in coronavirus cases is forcing school districts in Tulare County to delay their reopening plans — including Visalia Unified School District.

Fresno Telecommute Survey (Employee Survey)

Fresno COG

Fresno COG is releasing a telecommute survey to assess the rate of telecommuting in Fresno County. The goal is to quantify the potential impacts of a regional telecommute strategy as part of the 2022 Regional Transportation Plan.

Sen. Andreas Borgeas one of the California lawmakers on Hawaii trip amid COVID surge

Fresno Bee

Sen. Andres Borgeas (R-Fresno) is among the lawmakers who traveled to Maui this week to take part in the California Independent Voter Project’s annual policy conference, despite the statewide surge in COVID-19 cases that has led to officials urging residents to stay home.

Fresno State Ranks No. 3 Nationally For Graduating Low-income Students To Well-paying Jobs

Fresno State News

For the fourth consecutive year, Fresno State has placed among the top five best universities for social mobility — ranking No. 3 out of 1,449 schools in the 2020 Social Mobility Index. Top-ranked Baruch College in New York and California State University, Los Angeles, placed just ahead of Fresno State, which also placed third last year.

Pot home delivery OK in California after judge dismisses challenge by Clovis, others

Fresno Bee

In what could be a temporary victory for California’s legal cannabis industry, a Fresno judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to overturn a state rule allowing home deliveries statewide, even into communities that banned commercial marijuana sales.

Fresno adopts police reform report. Here’s how much is left to put it in practice

Fresno Bee

The Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously accepted a report and recommendations from the commission on police reform — setting in motion a team that will oversee the potential changes to police policies.

South SJ Valley:

Kern County moves back to more restrictive purple tier, local businesses suffer

KGET

Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that Kern County will move back to the more restrictive purple tier. Kern County Public Health repeated that message today that the county is dropping back to a more restrictive tier.

Kern Public Health: 309 new coronavirus cases announced Thursday Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield nursing home issued major fine for COVID-19 workplace violations

Bakersfield Californian

State workplace regulators have issued one of the largest fines yet for failing to protect employees from COVID-19 on the job to a Bakersfield nursing home where nearly 200 staff and residents were infected with the coronavirus.

Lawsuit prompts Bakersfield City Council to halt implementation of backyard hen ordinance

Bakersfield Californian

The Bakersfield City Council has placed a temporary restraining order on its recent urban hen ordinance, preventing homeowners from raising chickens in their backyards.

State:

Purple-tier California counties will get curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., state says

Fresno Bee

Nearly all Californians will be subject to a 10 p.m. curfew starting Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Thursday afternoon. The curfew, which administration officials are calling a limited stay-at-home order, will cover only nonessential activities and will be in place nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

● California Imposes Overnight Curfew To Stem Coronavirus Business Journal

● 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. curfew to begin Saturday Porterville Recorder

● California imposes overnight curfew to curb coronavirus Bakersfield Californian

● Statewide limited curfew to start Saturday Turlock Journal

● California To Impose Curfew Order Starting Saturday As COVID-19 Cases Surge Capital Public Radio

● Newsom issues evening curfew ahead of Thanksgiving week CalMatters

● California will impose ‘limited’ curfew due to COVID-19 surge Los Angeles Times

● What California’s new limited curfew to battle COVID-19 means Los Angeles Times

● Gov. Newsom announces curfew for California counties in purple tier San Francisco Chronicle

● Limited Stay At Home Order California Department of Public Health

● State Issues Limited Stay at Home Order to Stem the Tide of Surging Cases aalrr

● Coronavirus: Hospitalized cases in Calif doubled in past 4 weeks Fresno Bee

Where California Stands with Women in the Legislature

Public Policy Institute of California

This November representation remains unchanged at 32%, despite the 71 female candidates running for office—or 16 in the senate and 55 in the assembly. While all elections are not finalized, the gender makeup of the California Legislature remains unchanged.

Federal:

Biden tells governors he'll help states overcome COVID-19 pandemic

abc30

Joe Biden expressed concern Thursday that President Donald Trump's unprecedented attempt to block the peaceful transition of power at the White House has hindered the flow of information about programs to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine.

Small towns are the new face of COVID-19 pandemic as US passes 250,000 deaths

abc30

A South Dakota doctor is moonlighting as a newspaper columnist, urging readers to protect themselves against the virus that killed both his parents. The sheriff in a Kansas town is fighting for his life in a Denver hospital he was sent to for critical care.

● Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Infections Set Another Daily Record Wall Street Journal

What has Biden said about a second coronavirus stimulus package? Here’s what we know

Modesto Bee

President-elect Joe Biden is hopeful that Congress can pass coronavirus relief legislation once President Donald Trump leaves office. “Hopefully, when he’s gone, they’ll be more willing to do what they know should be done, has to be done, in order to save the communities they live in,” Biden said Wednesday.

Transition tensions escalate as Trump steps up desperate effort to hold on to power

Los Angeles Times

President Trump is escalating his slapdash yet persistent attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, pushing for judges and for Republican state lawmakers and local officials in several battleground states to ignore voters’ verdicts there and award him the electoral votes he needs for a second term.

● Poll: 61% of voters say it's important that Trump give concession speech The Hill

● Poll: 88% Of Trump Supporters Appear To Falsely Believe Biden Didn’t Legitimately Win Forbes

● The Transition: The ‘traffic jam’ gets worse every day the White House delays Roll Call

● Here are 277 policies that Biden can enact on day one – without Congress Moyers on Democracy

Fannie, Freddie Overseer Looks to End Federal Control Before Trump Leaves

Wall Street Journal

The federal regulator who oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is pushing to speed up the mortgage giants’ exit from 12 years of government control but has yet to reach an agreement he needs with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, according to people familiar with the matter.

Fact-checking false claims about the 2020 election

PolitiFact

Joe Biden is president-elect of the United States. But in Facebook groups, conservative media and the Trump White House, the battle for the presidency is far from over.

Other:

Call For New Federal Partnership On Broadband Access In California

CA Forward

Sallet spoke about why policy makers, including the new administration, Congress, those at the state, tribal and local level need to devote their time and attention to this issue while they tackle many other large societal issues.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Pot home delivery OK in California after judge dismisses challenge by Clovis, others

Fresno Bee

WHC Lemoore helps students with $70,000 in food vouchers for Thanksgiving

Hanford Sentinel

Hundreds of students were back on campus at West Hills College Lemoore on Thursday, even if only momentarily. The college hosted a food distribution event with eligible students receiving $100 food vouchers for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Weary but determined, California’s small, family-owned farms fight through the pandemic

Los Angeles Times

The novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on every aspect of the food industry. It’s been particularly taxing on California’s smaller farms, some of which have seen their restaurant orders all but vanish and their farmers markets sales decline.

State mandates emergency workplace COVID-19 protections, less crowding for guest farmworkers

CalMatters

Backed by the state’s attorney general and welcomed by labor advocates as better late than never, California’s new policy will start to hold businesses accountable for protecting their workers, mandate reporting outbreaks and decrease crowding in housing for vulnerable guest farmworkers spotlighted in a California Divide investigation.

Millions of Full-Time Workers Rely on Federal Health Care and Food Assistance Programs

U.S. GAO

The 12 million wage-earning adults (ages 19 to 64) enrolled in Medicaid—a joint federal-state program that finances health care for low-income individuals—and the 9 million wage-earning adults in households receiving food assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shared a range of common labor characteristics.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Fresno adopts police reform report. Here’s how much is left to put it in practice

Fresno Bee

California prison guards charged in inmate’s death, alleged cover-up scheme

Fresno Bee

Two former prison guards have been charged in connection with the 2016 death of an inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, and alleged efforts to cover up how he died.

Federal Court to Combat Unemployment Fraud

Business Journal

To fight an increasing amount of unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic, the Eastern District of California, located in Sacramento but with a courthouse in Fresno, has been allocated funds to hire an assistant U.S. Attorney for a one-year term.

State agency exposes jobless Californians to identity theft and fraud, audit says

Sacramento Bee

The state’s Employment Development Department has “continued to place Californians at risk of identity theft,” despite warnings last year that its policy of including Social Security numbers in mailings is dangerous, the state auditor found Thursday.

Public Safety:

Modesto Police Chief Carroll retiring, leaving legacy of community trust

Modesto Bee

Modesto Police Chief Galen Carroll announced Thursday that he will retire Christmas Day after nearly eight years of leading a department of roughly 300 men and women.

California should close 5 prisons to save money after releasing 25,000 inmates, analyst says

Modesto Bee

California should close five state prisons to capture savings from a shrinking inmate population, the Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended Thursday. Combined with the planned closures of youth prisons, closing five adult institutions would save the state $1.5 billion per year by 2025, according to the report.

Fire:

Creek Fire update: Recent snow helped. Here’s why containment could be stalled for months

Fresno Bee

The Creek Fire continued to inch toward full containment this week as fire managers assessed recent storm impacts. Firefighters planned to fly over the blaze Thursday to inspect the northern portion of the fire.

Sequoia Complex 90% contained

Porterville Recorder

The Sequoia Complex is now 90% contained as of Thursday. Officials stated due to limited access to the fire's edge in remote locations, full containment isn't expected until it can be assessed on the ground.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Mnuchin Declines to Extend Several Fed Emergency Lending Programs

Wall Street Journal

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would allow several emergency Federal Reserve lending programs to expire, opening a divide with the central bank, which had pressed for an extension.

Jobs:

Bakersfield looks to Bitwise for $750,000 job-training contract

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield officials hope to accomplish dual goals — train local tech workers and help people who lost income during the pandemic — with a contract now under negotiation with Fresno-based software hub Bitwise Industries.

Here’s how hard the coronavirus pandemic hit Black workers in California

Fresno Bee

More than four of five Black workers in California have sought unemployment benefits during the covid pandemic — a rate nearly twice the state average. A new report from the nonpartisan California Policy Lab, obtained by McClatchy Wednesday, illustrates dramatically how Black workers have been hit unusually hard by the coronavirus crisis.

12 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits The Day After Christmas Unless Congress Acts

VPR

The day after Christmas, millions of Americans will lose their jobless benefits, according to a new study. And that could spell financial ruin for many people, like 44-year-old Todd Anderson in the small town of Mackinaw City, Mich.

State mandates emergency workplace COVID-19 protections, less crowding for guest farmworkers

CalMatters

How Bank of America helped fuel California’s unemployment meltdown

CalMatters

After the Great Recession, California signed an exclusive contract with Bank of America to distribute unemployment benefits through prepaid debit cards. A CalMatters investigation reveals that to this day, no one knows how much the bank has made off the deal.

U.S. Unemployment Claims Rise Amid Coronavirus Surge

Wall Street Journal

The number of applications for unemployment benefits rose sharply last week, indicating continued challenges for the U.S. economic recovery as coronavirus infections increased around the country.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno Unified schools have a different plan for bringing students back. What we know

Fresno Bee

There’s no set date for when Fresno County’s largest school district will reopen for in-person classes, but it will be on a part-time hybrid schedule different from other large local districts whenever students return.

● Fresno Unified won't reopen campuses until county is in 'orange tier' abc30

● Fresno Unified provides update on students return to in-person learning abc30

Clovis schools shut down sports, band as COVID-19 surges, but most students returning

Fresno Bee

As Fresno County falls back into the purple tier this week, Clovis Unified is closing down its extracurricular activity pods but will continue its plan to phase back students who want to return to campus.

Rising COVID-19 cases delay the reopening of VUSD schools. Other districts face delays, too.

Visalia Times Delta

The nationwide surge in coronavirus cases is forcing school districts in Tulare County to delay their reopening plans — including Visalia Unified School District.

‘State-sanctioned segregation’: California’s school closure debate boils over

Politico

As the pandemic wears on, more Democrats are sounding the alarm after staying silent earlier this fall. They are increasingly distressed that California's approach has widened the gap between low-income communities of color and wealthier white families.

Education Secretary Pick: From Betsy DeVos to Union Boss?

U.S. News

The reason president-elect Joe Biden has for nominating as his education secretary the president or former president of one of the national teachers unions is as easy to understand as the reason he has for not doing that.

Opinion: What makes for an effective Secretary of Education?

AEI

I’ve had the opportunity to observe their strengths, limitations, and experiences, and I’ve concluded there are a half-dozen traits that President-elect Biden should seek in his choice:

Higher Ed:

Fresno State Ranks No. 3 Nationally For Graduating Low-income Students To Well-paying Jobs

Fresno State News

Stan State Grad Student Michael Taylor Participates in CSU Panel on Hunger and Homelessness

Stanislaus State

Community college enrollment falls as students grapple with job loss, online learning

CalMatters

David Lewis was just a few credits shy of earning his associate’s degree in journalism from Long Beach City College when the pandemic hit. Lewis, 29, was already encountering scheduling conflicts between his classes and a new job at Trader Joe’s.

● A New Era of Student Access at California’s Community Colleges PPIC

● Testimony: Getting to Graduation on Time at California State University PPIC

Unsanitized: Student Debt Cancellation Now an Anti-Austerity Measure

Moyers on Democracy

Since the election, the Prospect has been getting a certain degree of attention for a series we did last fall called the Day One Agenda. In it we posited a number of things a Democratic president can do without having to pass new legislation, comprising a full and robust agenda of tangible progress.

Campus free speech: A cultural approach

AEI

Free speech and community values can thrive together on a campus that takes an educational and scientific approach to addressing disfavored expression.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Trump pushes new environmental rollbacks on way out the door

Business Journal

Down to its final weeks, the Trump administration is working to push through dozens of environmental rollbacks that could weaken century-old protections for migratory birds, expand Arctic drilling and hamstring future regulation of public health threats.

See Also:

● Trump plans would ease protections for sage grouse in West Bakersfield Californian

Climate Activists Want Biden To Bar Appointees With Fossil Fuel Ties

VPR

Climate activists have set a high bar for President-elect Joe Biden's staff picks, asking that he exclude anyone with ties to fossil fuel industries. They've already been disappointed.

The Fall of Trump Propels the Climate Story into a Decisive New Era

Moyers on Democracy

Donald Trump’s defeat in the US presidential election is the biggest development in the climate story in years, if only because it means that the story might not have a hellish ending after all.

Opinion: California Lt. Gov. Kounalakis: Our future rests on climate action

CalMatters

We find ourselves at a crossroads for what the future could look like. Now is the time for the rest of the nation to join California in committing to climate action.

Energy:

Mild November Weather Stings Natural-Gas Prices

Wall Street Journal

Natural-gas prices fell Thursday, extending a recent November slide with moderate temperatures sweeping across the U.S. and limiting demand for the power-generation fuel.

Accelerating These 3 Trends Would Reshape The Energy Industry

Forbes

For years, interest in the energy transition, the sector’s transformation from fossil-based to zero-carbon systems, has been building. Such an enormous shift takes time, of course, but the pandemic has given the world an opportunity to accelerate it – if we make the right choices.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Coronavirus updates: Hospitalized cases in California have doubled in past 4 weeks

Fresno Bee

California’s surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continues to accelerate with no sign of letting up. The state through Thursday reported nearly 1.06 million lab-confirmed cases of the respiratory disease, with at least 18,466 Californians dead from it.

● Fresno County adds 232 new COVID-19 cases, on cusp of 35,000; officials respond to curfew Fresno Bee

● Valley hospitals seeing increase in COVID-19 patients as cases surge abc30

● Kern Public Health: 309 new coronavirus cases announced Thursday Bakersfield Californian

● Hospital use, new cases keep rising in Stanislaus Modesto Bee

● Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Infections Set Another Daily Record Wall Street Journal

List of facilities in Merced County that have COVID-19 outbreaks

abc30

Merced County has identified facilities with active coronavirus outbreaks. Officials released a list on Wednesday, which included five schools and several senior centers.

In U.S. Cities, The Health Effects Of Past Housing Discrimination Are Plain To See

VPR

Today, Edmonds' neighborhood remains overwhelmingly African-American, with a poverty rate of nearly 60%. Many of her neighbors suffer chronic medical conditions like kidney disease and diabetes.

With Covid-19 Pandemic Dragging On, Some Countries Say They Can’t Afford to Fight

Wall Street Journal

As the sprint to try to reverse the spread of Covid-19 has turned into a marathon, some developing countries are dialing back spending on containing the pandemic.

States That Imposed Few Restrictions Now Have the Worst Outbreaks

New York Times

Coronavirus cases are rising in almost every U.S. state. But the surge is worst now in places where leaders neglected to keep up forceful virus containment efforts or failed to implement basic measures like mask mandates in the first place.

Human Services:

CDC updates Thanksgiving guidance, recommends that Americans do not travel

abc30

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adjusted its guidance Thursday to recommend that Americans do not travel for the Thanksgiving holiday next week.

● CDC recommends against Thanksgiving travel amid surge of coronavirus cases Washington Post

● Yes, Californians Should Be Worried About Thanksgiving, Too New York Times

Fresno County responds to COVID-19 in rural communities, hopes to add 3 testing sites

abc30

Bakersfield nursing home issued major fine for COVID-19 workplace violations

Bakersfield Californian

Coronavirus results in 11 minutes? Here's how California-based Lucira's new at-home test kit works

abc30

Lucira Health, a California-based biotech company started by four UC Berkeley graduate students, is releasing a COVID-19 home test kit under emergency FDA approval. The company developed the kit to diagnose flu but was able to modify it for COVID-19 in a matter of months.

As Vaccine Approvals Loom, U.S. Funds A Backup Plan For Delivery

VPR

As the nation gears up for a massive vaccination effort, the Trump administration is doubling down on a novel, unproven injection device by providing more than half a billion dollars in government financing for something still awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval.

● Will COVID-19 vaccines be safe? Fauci offers reassurance on quick development Modesto Bee

● Pfizer and BioNTech will seek regulatory clearance of their coronavirus vaccine Washington Post

● Pfizer, BioNTech to Seek Authorization of Covid-19 Vaccine Friday Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Teachers Should Get the Covid Vaccine First Wall Street Journal

Rural California, Sacramento hospitals brace for crush of COVID-19 patients. Are they ready?

Sacramento Bee

Sprawling, sparsely populated Siskiyou County along California’s northern border hit a milestone this week. After months of dodging a major COVID-19 outbreak, seven people were hospitalized with coronavirus infections, and the number of available ICU beds briefly dropped to zero.

The future of employer-sponsored health insurance

AEI

Congress should modernize ESI by reforming its tax treatment to control costs and entice more firms to offer plans, ensuring all workers have meaningful choices of coverage.

Trump Administration to Release New Rules Reducing Drug Costs

Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration is planning on Friday to roll out two final rules aimed at lowering drug prices—one curbing rebates paid to middlemen in Medicare and another pegging the prices of certain prescription drugs in the U.S. to their prices in other developed countries.

IMMIGRATION

Report shows ICE detentions in Merced County down recently, says sheriff

Merced Sun-Star

They fought California’s wildfires while incarcerated. Now, ICE could deport them

Fresno Bee

Advocates are calling for the release of two incarcerated firefighters who were on the frontlines of California’s wildfires this year. Upon completing their sentences, both were immediately handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Are more Trump-era family separations coming to California’s immigrant communities?

Fresno Bee

More than 54,000 U.S.-born children in California have Salvadoran and Honduran parents who are in the country under, Temporary Protected Status, a program in limbo as the Trump administration seeks to end it.

Judge Says Coronavirus Can't Be Used As Reason To Quickly Deport Unaccompanied Minors

VPR

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop deporting minor immigrants on the grounds that they are a coronavirus threat. The government has already expelled nearly 9,000 children who crossed the border alone, seeking protection, citing a public health order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Judge blocks rule to bar asylum for immigrants convicted of crimes

Westlaw Today

A federal judge in California on Thursday issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing a rule that would bar individuals convicted of any felony and a host of other crimes from obtaining asylum, one day before it was set to take effect.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

City Council Approve Loma Vista Park Plans, New City Flag Designs

Clovis RoundUp

One of the items discussed at Monday’s city council meeting was the request to approve the site layout of the Loma Vista Village Green. This will be a seven acre park that will be located between DeWolf Avenue and Leonard Avenue, north of Gettysburg Avenue.

Downtown Fresno Projects Receive Deadline Extension

Business Journal

The Fresno City Council voted Thursday to extend the deadlines for two major Downtown Fresno commercial building projects.

Housing:

Here’s how we found places in California with rules about ‘crime-free housing’

Los Angeles Times

To understand the spread of crime-free housing policies in California, The Times searched the municipal codes of all 539 cities and counties in the state and scoured local police department websites.

Black and Latino renters face eviction, exclusion amid police crackdowns in California

Los Angeles Times

Three years after his release from prison following a cocaine dealing conviction, Terrance Stewart was accepted to UC Riverside and began searching for a place to live near campus with his wife and 3-month-old daughter.

Where Americans Are Moving

U.S. News

Americans are flocking to a group of mostly Western states, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The data, released on Tuesday, indicates that approximately 7.4 million Americans who were at least 1 year old moved from one state to another in 2019.

Fortress Fumble on Las Vegas Rail Bond Sale Boosts Housing

Bloomberg

California on Wednesday reallocated $600 million of private activity bonds formerly awarded to Fortress Investment Group’s Las Vegas tourist train to affordable housing needs, a win for developers trying to ease the state’s severe shortage of homes.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Not Dire, For Now: California Expects $26 Billion Windfall Despite Pandemic

Capital Public Radio

The good news: The recession California officials predicted in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic has not been as dire as they thought it would be, leaving the state with a $26 billion windfall heading into the next fiscal year.

The IRS has blessed this workaround for dodging the cap on state and local taxes

CNBC

The IRS has signaled it will bless a workaround that allows small-business owners to skirt the $10,000 cap on state and local income tax deductions. Ever since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect in 2018, high-tax states have sought ways to help individual taxpayers who itemize on their returns deal with the $10,000 limit.

Commentary: Tackling the legacy of persistent urban inequality and concentrated poverty

Brookings

The death of George Floyd and other Black Americans and the uneven impact of COVID-19 have highlighted deep-rooted concerns about racial and urban inequality and segregation in America and the consequences of inequality for families living in persistent poverty.

TRANSPORTATION

Boeing 737 MAX Cleared to Fly Again, but Covid-19 Has Sapped Demand

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. on Wednesday approved Boeing Co. ’s 737 MAX jets for passenger flights again after dual crashes took 346 lives, issuing a set of long-anticipated safety directives and notices to airlines globally that will help resolve the plane maker’s biggest pre-pandemic crisis.

See also:

● FAA clears Boeing 737 Max to fly again Los Angeles Times

GM Ups Bet on EVs as Investors Swoon for Electric Cars

Wall Street Journal

General Motors Co. is raising its bet on electric cars by more than a third, as it hustles to convince a skeptical Wall Street that it too can be successful in the nascent market.

WATER

Well water throughout California contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’

CalMatters

These chemicals are everywhere. They last forever. They’re expensive to get rid of. And many Californians don’t even know they’re drinking them.

WET Center Webinar Series: Navigating the State of the Irrigation Industry with Aric Olson, President of Jain Irrigation Inc.

The Water, Energy, and Technology Center

Join us on November 20 at 10:00 am to discuss the current and future state of the irrigation industry with Aric Olson, President of Jain Irrigation, Inc. We will be covering topics such as where irrigation innovation is needed in the areas of permanent crops and how technology could fill the gaps.

“Xtra”

Fresno health officials: Santa photos should be outside. Video visits among the plans

Fresno Bee

Like everything else in 2020, visits with Santa Claus will look different this holiday season because of COVID-19. The pandemic has made sitting on Santa’s lap a no-no, but a number of businesses that offered photos with St. Nick in the past are forging ahead with other ideas.