November 24, 2021

29Nov

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Federal Infrastructure Funds for California: Broadband and Beyond

CA FWD

Join CA FWD, California Emerging Technology Fund and other partners on November 30 from 1-2:30 p.m. PT for a briefing with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Federal Administration Officials and State Leaders.

 

North SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Two more hopefuls come forward for Modesto’s November 2022 council election

Modesto Bee

Two more Modesto City Council candidates for the November 2022 election have come forward. One works in supply chain management at Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center and the other is a barber, rapper and manager of three businesses.

 

Ceres City Council cancels appointment after concerns raised over divisive comments

Modesto Bee

The Ceres City Council unanimously rescinded the appointment of John Osgood on Monday after people urged officials to consider remarks they described as divisive and degrading.

 

Caltrans was liable for death at Modesto homeless camp. Why it won’t have to pay damages

Modesto Bee

The father of a woman accidentally killed by a Caltrans worker at a Modesto homeless encampment in 2018 won’t receive any money for his loss. A Stanislaus County jury on Friday declined to award damages to Maurice Bigley, whose daughter died in the accident.

 

Jury rules against organizers of deadly racist rally, one with ties to Stanislaus

Modesto Bee

A jury Tuesday ordered 17 white nationalist leaders and groups to pay more than $26 million in damages over the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Va.

 

How three Modesto-area schools are changing to better serve students with disabilities

Modesto Bee

Three Stanislaus County schools are changing the way they offer special education in order to keep those students in classrooms with their nondisabled peers for more of the school day.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Fresno leaders celebrate Biden spending plan. Here’s what stands to benefit locally

Fresno Bee

Fresno-area leaders celebrated on Tuesday the $1 trillion infrastructure plan that President Joe Biden signed into law last week, saying The Fresno-Yosemite International Airport is in a prime spot to benefit.

 

Flying circles in the sky: Thick tule fog forces Fresno flight diversions, cancellations

Fresno Bee

Foggy weather wreaked havoc with some airline flights that were scheduled to fly into Fresno on Monday morning and Monday night, including four international flights full of passengers coming to the Valley from Mexico.

See also:

 

EDITORIAL: ‘Squaw Valley’ offends Native Americans. Fresno supervisors should meet on renaming

Fresno Bee

Rain Tree has called on Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, who represents the eastern side of the region, to hold a meeting to discuss changing the place name. The pandemic took over in 2020, and a community gathering was impossible.

 

South SJ Valley:

 

COVID Update:

 

Kern may apply for federal expertise on setting up a local carbon storage project

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County officials are putting together a competitive application for federal technical assistance with a proposed industrial park that would pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and send it by pipeline to somewhere it can be buried permanently.

 

Gov. Newsom reverses parole recommendation for Kern County man convicted of killing a toddler

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that Gov. Gavin Newsom reversed a parole board’s recommendation for the early release of convicted baby killer Michael Panella.

 

State:

 

COVID Update:

 

Will California become an abortion hub? How a Supreme Court decision could affect the state

Fresno Bee

People in California seeking abortions would still be able to get them if the Supreme Court, which will likely release its decision on the Mississippi case in June, overturns Roe v. Wade.

 

As California prepares to raise marijuana tax, a cannabis entrepreneur calls for tax revolt

Fresno Bee

Fresh off of news that California is set to raise the cannabis cultivation tax despite projections of a $31 billion surplus, one marijuana entrepreneur is calling for a potential tax revolt this summer.

 

Matthews: California, let’s give thanks to Virginia, Arizona, Iowa and — last but never least — Texas

Fresno Bee

This Thanksgiving weekend, let’s give thanks for the only California real estate that’s still cheap — all that space that we’re occupying, rent free, in the heads of our fellow Americans.

 

With California’s OK, Chevron Is Selling Oil From an Illegal Spill

Capital & Main

Two years after it began, state regulators have yet to issue any penalties for the spill, which ranks among the largest in state history.

 

Conservative group sues to overturn California law requiring diversity on corporate boards

Sacramento Bee

A shareholder advocacy organization filed a lawsuit this week challenging a state law that mandates public corporations headquartered in California to appoint people of color or LGBTQ leaders to their boards of directors.

 

Video: Californians and Their Economic Well-Being

Public Policy Institute of California

Twenty months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians have mixed reviews of the state’s economy and most say the gap between rich and poor is growing.

 

California’s biggest labor group recommends Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez as its next leader

Sacramento Bee

Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat assemblywoman who authored prominent bills on gig workers and warehouse employees, could become the first woman and person of color to lead California’s biggest labor organization.

California law allows transgender inmates in women’s prisons. Now, female inmates are suing

Sacramento Bee

A woman’s rights group is suing the state to overturn a new law that requires prisons to place transgender and gender nonbinary inmates in facilities that correspond to their gender identities, alleging the practice puts incarcerated people in danger.

 

SEIU Local 1000 president used union credit card for laundry, medical clinic

Sacramento Bee

Since he became SEIU Local 1000’s president in June, Richard Louis Brown has used his union credit card at a French launderer and a medical clinic specializing in weight loss.

 

Federal:

 

COVID Update:

 

Does Congress spend too much time away from Washington? Another break raises questions

Sacramento Bee

Congress has no votes this week, even though the government runs out of money next Friday and is expected to hit its debt ceiling soon afterward. This Thanksgiving Day recess is the second big exodus from Washington for Congress this month.

 

The White House is tapping oil reserves to try to bring down high gas prices

VPR
The U.S. plans to draw 50 million barrels of oil from its emergency oil reserves in coming months, a widely anticipated step aimed at trying to take the edge off high gas prices that have been hurting consumers at the pump — and hurting President Biden in the polls.

See also:

 

The Democratic brand is broken. The infrastructure bill isn’t fixing it.

Politico

In the days after the Democratic Party’s collapse in the Virginia governor’s race, party strategists descended on the commonwealth to figure out what went wrong and understand just how bad the national outlook might be next year.

See also:

 

Biden to Nominate Shalanda Young as Budget Director

Wall Street Journal

Ms. Young currently serves as acting director of the agency, which hasn’t had a permanent leader in many months. If she is confirmed as budget director by the Senate, she would be the first Black woman to run the office. Ms. Young was confirmed as deputy director earlier this year in a bipartisan 63-37 vote.

See also:

 

Trump’s False Claims of Voter Fraud Test Republican Candidates

Wall Street Journal

Former President Donald Trump’s yearlong campaign falsely claiming he won the 2020 election and demanding redress is turning voter fraud into a litmus test for Republicans seeking office as the party seeks to reclaim the House and Senate in 2022.

 

Other:

 

Adoption Proceedings Increase During Pandemic

California Courts Newsroom

Data from the California Child Welfare Indicators Project shows 6,512 children were adopted from July 2020 to June 2021, compared to 5,400 children the year prior (July 2019–June 2020).

Opinion: What the Arbery and Rittenhouse Trials Can’t Do for America

Politico

The jury in Kenosha acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges, siding with his claim that he acted in self-defense. The jury in Brunswick, Georgia, now has to make a similar judgment about the three men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery.

 

Apple Sues Israeli Firm NSO Over Spyware, Claiming iPhone Hacks

Wall Street Journal

The lawsuit alleges that NSO Group engaged in “concerted efforts in 2021 to target and attack Apple customers, Apple products and servers and Apple through dangerous malware and spyware,” and seeks to bar NSO Group from using Apple’s products.

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, November 28, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: ​​ "State Auditor Elaine Howle: A Retrospective" - Guest: Elaine Howle, CPA, California State Auditor. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, November 28, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: ​​ "Two State Watchdogs Take A Bow"- Guests: Elaine Howle, CPA, California State Auditor; Mac Taylor, Former California's Legislative Analyst. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

Sugar Industry Merger Challenged by Justice Department

Wall Street Journal

The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit challenging U.S. Sugar’s proposed purchase of rival Imperial Sugar, arguing the tie-up would lead to higher prices for refined sugar and food-and-beverage staples for consumers.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE​/​FIRE​/​​PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

3 of America's biggest pharmacy chains have been found liable for the opioid crisis

VPR

A federal jury found three of the nation's biggest pharmacy chains, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, liable for helping to fuel the U.S. opioid crisis — a decision that's expected to have legal repercussions as thousands of similar lawsuits move forward in courts across the country.

 

A new breed of brazen takeover robbers hitting California luxury retailers, raising ire

Los Angeles Times

The mayhem began Friday night, when thieves smashed a Louis Vuitton storefront window in San Francisco’s Union Square and ransacked the store. Criminals also targeted about a dozen nearby stores for theft and vandalism, police said, including a Burberry and Hermes store, as well as an eyeglass shop and cannabis dispensaries.

 

Public Safety:

 

California law allows transgender inmates in women’s prisons. Now, female inmates are suing

Sacramento Bee

A woman’s rights group is suing the state to overturn a new law that requires prisons to place transgender and gender nonbinary inmates in facilities that correspond to their gender identities, alleging the practice puts incarcerated people in danger.

 

Congress decimates 911's digital upgrade

Axios

Public safety officials fear the nation's 911 centers will continue to languish in the analog era, after Democrats slashed proposed funding for a digital makeover in their social spending bill.

With federal oversight in short supply, state AGs step in to probe troubled police

Washington Post

So far, the new laws have only passed in Democratic-controlled state legislatures, but bills containing the measures received some bipartisan support in two of the four states. Investigations have been launched exclusively by Democratic state attorneys general.

 

Fire:

 

A fire ravaged this Fresno tortilla chip factory. Can the family-owned business recover?

Fresno Bee

Chavez-Hansen, who is La Tapatia’s CEO and president, had been using the building to make tortilla chips since 1993. If it were not for the building’s brick walls that helped contain the flames, the fire could’ve spread to other parts of the company’s property.

 

Federal Infrastructure Package Raises Firefighter Pay

Pew Trusts

The money will allow the secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to raise wages for federal firefighters in places where jobs are hard to fill and convert at least 1,000 seasonal firefighting jobs to full-time, permanent jobs.

 

ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

Farm Bureau: Survey shows Thanksgiving dinner cost up 14%

Turlock Journal

Farm Bureau’s 36th annual survey indicates the average cost of this year’s classic Thanksgiving feast for 10 is $53.31 or less than $6 per person. This is a $6.41 or 14% increase from last year’s average of $46.90.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1w5GyjJg8zPicPhHXI26VnNinYXz9h52kF1zsQVOoRYs/edit

Wall Street Journal

Rising bond yields and expectations for economic growth powered shares of energy and financial companies while weighing on the growth stocks that have lifted the market in recent months.

 

JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs Assigned Higher Capital Buffers

Wall Street Journal

Global financial regulators boosted capital requirements for JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and BNP Paribas SA under rules intended to help avoid a repeat of the 2008 global financial crisis, in which the largest lenders were deemed too big to fail.

 

Best Buy’s, Dick’s E-Commerce Growth Slows After Pandemic-Fueled Surge

Wall Street Journal

Best Buy Co. posted a decline in e-commerce sales during the quarter ended Oct. 30, after such sales nearly tripled last year. Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. reported flat online sales in the same quarter, after they had nearly doubled a year earlier.

 

Elon Musk’s Tax Bill on Stock Options Fell Along With Tesla’s Share Price

Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk already faces a federal tax bill topping $3.5 billion on exercising Tesla Inc. stock options. It would have been bigger if the company’s share price hadn’t fallen after he tweeted about selling stock.

 

Opinion: Powell needs to cool the economy now to avoid recession later

New York Times

At present, the Fed is erring too much on the side of maximum employment. Instead, Mr. Powell must tip the scales back in favor of price stability. If he doesn’t, he risks inviting a sluggish economy — or even a recession — in the coming years.

See also:

 

Jobs:

 

U.S. Jobless Claims Reach 52-Year Low

Wall Street Journal

Weekly jobless claims fell sharply to the lowest level in 52 years, reflecting the labor market’s tightening as the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic.

See Also:

 

SEIU Local 1000 president used union credit card for laundry, medical clinic

Sacramento Bee

Since he became SEIU Local 1000’s president in June, Richard Louis Brown has used his union credit card at a French launderer and a medical clinic specializing in weight loss, according to statements he posted online last week.

 

California wants Spanish speakers for these state government jobs. How to apply

Sacramento Bee

Are you bilingual, fluent in Spanish and looking to work for the state of California? Look no further.

 

West Coast dockworkers decline contract extension, setting stage for heated talks

Los Angeles Times

The union representing about 15,000 dockworkers at the nation’s largest ports declined an offer by employers to extend existing labor contracts for a year, setting the stage for heated negotiations.

 

EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

TUSD reviewing emergency protocols after violent incident

Turlock Journal

After an incident involving a stabbing between two students, which Superintendent Dana Trevethan called “the recent unprecedented violence at Turlock High School,” TUSD wants the community to know they have protocols in place to keep students safe and are constantly reviewing to make sure they are effective.

 

How three Modesto-area schools are changing to better serve students with disabilities

Modesto Bee

Three Stanislaus County schools are changing the way they offer special education in order to keep those students in classrooms with their nondisabled peers for more of the school day.

 

Changes could be coming to Clovis Unified's dress code next year

abc30

Many Clovis Unified students believe the district needs to get with the times when it comes to fashion. "It was really hard to find shorts in dress code and then jeans with rips and leggings like that," says Clovis East student Sasha Lopez.

 

Parents are scrambling after schools suddenly cancel class over staffing and burnout

VPR
Schools and districts around the country have been canceling classes on short notice. The cancellations aren't directly for COVID-19 quarantines; instead schools are citing staff shortages, staff fatigue, mental health and sometimes even student fights.

 

Higher Ed:

 

Here’s what more power and resources mean for ethnic studies at Stanislaus State

Modesto Bee

More power and resources are becoming available to the ethnic studies program at Stanislaus State as it transitions into a department in the spring, aligning with the 50th anniversary of its inception.

 

Fresno State College Republicans host speaker connected to white nationalist movement

Fresno Bee

The Fresno State College Republicans group recently hosted a digital event with Tyler Russell, a Canadian nationalist with reported ties to American white nationalist movements.

 

Fresno State could host Mountain West championship game. Here’s how it can happen

Fresno State

The average roller coaster ride doesn’t last long, less than two minutes, though there is one in England that goes up and down and this way and that three times as long. That could be what the Thanksgiving weekend will be like for Fresno State football fans.

 

What’s it like to study from a hotel? As UC housing crunch worsens, these students are finding out

CalMatters

At least four UC campuses have resorted to hotels to house students this fall. The option provided temporary relief to hundreds of students. But the financial support campuses offered varied. And for many students, finding more permanent, affordable housing remains elusive, even as the end of fall quarter nears.

 

San Jose State settles for $3.3 million with former athletes over sexual abuse allegations

Los Angeles Times

The payout follows a federal civil rights investigation that found San Jose State did not take adequate action in response to the athletes’ reports and retaliated against two employees who raised repeated concerns to the university about Scott Shaw, the former trainer and director of sports medicine.

Opinion: Access to online college courses can speed students’ degree completion

Brookings

Online courses are an increasingly important part of students’ college experience, but how does this impact what students glean from their college experience? Trends toward online learning were evident even before the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

With California’s OK, Chevron Is Selling Oil From an Illegal Spill

Capital & Main

Two years after it began, state regulators have yet to issue any penalties for the spill, which ranks among the largest in state history.

 

Editorial: Why a fossilized gas station is the perfect symbol for California’s climate fight

Los Angeles Times

California is full of contradictions when it comes to the move away from fossil fuels. We’re a climate leader and we have the nation’s worst air pollution. We want to end sales of new gas-powered cars, yet we won’t stop drilling for oil.

 

Energy:

 

The White House is tapping oil reserves to try to bring down high gas prices

VPR
The U.S. plans to draw 50 million barrels of oil from its emergency oil reserves in coming months, a widely anticipated step aimed at trying to take the edge off high gas prices that have been hurting consumers at the pump — and hurting President Biden in the polls.

See also:

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Jury Holds Pharmacies Responsible For Role In Opioid Crisis

Business Journal

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

 

Human Services:

 

Voice-only telehealth may go away with pandemic rules expiring

VPR
There are about 1,000 proposals pending before state and federal legislatures that address extending or expanding telehealth beyond the pandemic's public health emergency.

 

Supply chain woes trigger shortages of critical medical devices

CalMatters

Eying the offshore traffic jams at ports and supply chain problems, California hospitals report delays and shortages in medical supplies. Some patients are forced to reuse medical tubes.

 

New federal billing rules should force overcharging doctors to accept fair prices

Sacramento Bee

The proposed rules represent the Biden administration’s plan to carry out the No Surprises Act, which Congress passed to spare patients from the shockingly high bills they get when one or more of their providers unexpectedly turn out to be outside their insurance plan’s network.

See also:

 

IMMIGRATION

 

A California study asked 2,000 immigrants about discrimination. Here’s what it found

Modesto Bee

Many Latino and Asian immigrants in California feel discrimination at work, in health care, when using government benefits and when encountering law or immigration enforcement, a study co-authored by a UC Merced faculty member found.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

California cities rush to limit new law increasing density of single-family neighborhoods

San Francisco Chronicle

Advocates of denser construction as a solution to California’s housing shortage scored a victory in September when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a long-sought law that will make it easier to build out existing neighborhoods by splitting lots, adding second units to the properties and converting homes into duplexes.

 

Housing:

 

Developers set to break ground on second affordable housing project in Fresno in 2022

Fresno Bee

More affordable housing is on its way to Blackstone Avenue — in part because of a $3 million loan from the city of Fresno.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Most California college students who qualify for ‘food stamps’ aren’t using them

Fresno Bee

In recent years, California’s public colleges have begun taking action to address food insecurity and other basic needs to help students graduate, especially those from low-income households.

 

About 1 million Californians could have to repay pandemic unemployment money to EDD

Sacramento Bee

About 1 million Californians who got unemployment payments from the pandemic-related federal benefit program now have to prove to the state they had a prior work history – or face paying back benefits.

 

U.S. Households Increased Spending in October

Wall Street Journal

Personal spending rose 1.3% and income increased 0.5%

 

These retirees took part-time jobs. Now CalPERS is demanding $400K in pension clawbacks

Sacramento Bee

CalPERS maintains that the retirees were working in paid jobs under the direction of local government leaders. To CalPERS, that means the retirees should not have been taking their pensions while they held their consulting jobs.

 

Walters: Will high-income Californians get a big tax break?

CalMatters

One of the sticking points in President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion social policy legislation is a change in tax law that would have huge effects on California.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Flying circles in the sky: Thick tule fog forces Fresno flight diversions, cancellations

Fresno Bee

Foggy weather wreaked havoc with some airline flights that were scheduled to fly into Fresno on Monday morning and Monday night, including four international flights full of passengers coming to the Valley from Mexico.

 

City of Wasco to benefit from latest California high-speed rail grant

Global Railway Review

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded a $24 million grant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) which will be used to advance the nation’s first high-speed rail system while enhancing and better connecting the community of Wasco.

 

The dream of high-speed rail in the Pacific Northwest may be on the horizon

Kitsap Sun

Rail advocates argue new lines will grow the region economically by providing better connections between cities and evening out mobility inequalities, while also contributing to decarbonizing the region.

 

Opinion: California must ensure EV charging access for all

CalMatters

We call on Newsom to instruct the Building Standards Commission to require that all new multi-family housing units with parking must include EV ready charging access, via a receptacle or EV charging cordset, with prominent signage indicating it is EV Ready.

 

WATER

 

TID seeks public input on redistricting maps

Turlock Journal

The Turlock Irrigation District is asking the community to weigh in on three different maps recently released as part of the second step in the redistricting process.

 

Water release from Kerckhoff Dam to increase flow of San Joaquin River

abc30

PG&E officials are preparing residents for rising water levels in the San Joaquin River. Company representatives say they plan to increase flows on a portion of the river this Sunday by releasing more water from the Kerckhoff Dam in Fresno and Madera counties.

 

Henry: Four valley groundwater plans fail to meet state standards – for now

Bakersfield Californian

Four groundwater plans in the Central Valley don’t show how they will protect water quality, keep drinking water wells from going dry or stop already sinking land from sinking further, according to the Department of Water Resources.

 

$7M donation could mean clean drinking water for local residents

Business Journal

An Arizona based renewable natural resource company is offering its technology to help eligible residents in the Central Valley.

 

‘Everybody’s pumping.’ How California’s plan to conserve groundwater ran into a drought.

Sacramento Bee

A water-well contractor based in the Fresno County community of Riverdale, Big River can hardly keep up with demand for new wells as farmers and rural residents seek to extract more water from underground.

 

“Xtra”

 

Bitwise Industries' apprenticeship program receives national recognition

abc30

Two months into her apprenticeship with Bitwise Industries, Emelia Guaderrama already has her sights set on continuing her career with the company.

 

City hosting annual grease-collection event

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield is once again offering its annual holiday grease collection event starting next week.

 

The Santa experience this year is a mix of laps, distancing

AP News

Santa is back this year, but he pleads caution as he continues to tiptoe through the pandemic.

 

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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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