Maddy Institute – November 3, 2021

03Nov

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Where Stanislaus stands on key measure tied to mask order Modesto Bee

● COVID-19 infections persist in Stanislaus County and cities with low vaccine rates Modesto Bee

● Stanislaus County and its cities report limited employee COVID-19 vaccination data Modesto Bee

Community conversation this week in Modesto will face racism in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Community members from all backgrounds are invited to join in a public conversation Thursday about racism. In Solidarity is a free event where residents can gather, share and listen to the realities of those who continue to face racism in Stanislaus County.

MJC waives student debt, offers free tuition for all students taking classes in spring 2022

Modesto Bee

Modesto Junior College will offer free tuition and zero student fees for all students taking classes during the spring 2022 semester.

Could Merced get a universal basic income program? Here’s where local leaders stand

Merced Sun Star

After a contentious public hearing over how to use money allotted by the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the Merced City Council on Monday reviewed a long list of proposals community members and youth advocates had pressed for in the last few weeks.

‘I do have values.’ Merced City Council member responds to two business owners’ complaints

Merced Sun Star

Emotions flared on both sides of the dais at Monday’s Merced City Council meeting as officials listened to scores of residents air their feelings over complaints filed by two Merced business owners against City Councilmember Bertha Perez.

Editorial: How to resolve whether Turlock councilwoman is lying about where she lives

Modesto Bee

The California Attorney General’s office should investigate claims that Turlock City Councilwoman Rebecka Monez does not live in the district she represents. A clear determination of Monez’s residency should be welcomed by all:

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Fresno County preparing to receive pediatric COVID-19 vaccine abc30

● Hundreds of Fresno parents seek information on COVID vaccine exemptions after CDC news Fresno Bee

● Fresno County Isn’t Done With COVID. Get Ready for Another Winter Surge. GV Wire

● Central Valley Right to Life group claims vaccine protection law prohibits freedom of speech Visalia Times Delta

‘Enough is enough.’ Fresno residents sue over new environmental review plan for the city

Fresno Bee

A recently approved City of Fresno plan for streamlining the environmental review process for new development projects is being challenged in Superior Court by residents of south Fresno.

Clovis mobile-home seniors without power more than two days. What happened?

Fresno Bee

A power failure that left a mobile-home community of senior citizens in Clovis without electricity for more than two days was expected to be fixed Tuesday afternoon.

Board of Supervisors move forward with map to redraw Fresno County districts

abc30

Reshaping representation across Fresno County. Tuesday the Fresno County Board of Supervisors considered three maps that were recommended by the Fresno County Advisory Redistricting Commission.

Trustee investigated after potentially "harmful" remarks to Visalia teacher

Visalia Times Delta

As a new school board will take shape after Tuesday's vote, the district is answering for Trustee Christopher Pope’s alleged comments and promising to hold the trustee accountable if wrongdoing is found.

Goodbye Devin … hello Kevin? New House boundaries could get weird for Fresno, Valley

Fresno Bee

Nunes might soon be turning over the keys to somebody else. Perhaps Kevin McCarthy, his fellow San Joaquin Valley Republican on Capitol Hill.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Kern Public Health reports 271 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths on Tuesday Bakersfield Californian

KCSOS dedicated building to first female Kern County superintendent

KGET

Monday night, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) made a special dedication for the first woman to serve as the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.

Newsom regulations on pharmacies resulting in job losses: Kern Medical

KGET

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in January 2019 requiring California Department of Health Care Services to transition all Medi-Cal pharmacy services from Managed Care Plans to Medi-Cal fee-for-service plans by Jan. 1.

Salvaggios: TRIP projects provide benefits 25 years out

Bakersfield Californian

TRIP has invested about $782 million for the preparation of the permitting and environmental clearance, utility relocations, right-of-way acquisitions, and design for each project listed above for a total cost to date of about $1.4 billion.

State:

COVID Update:

● Judge limits new California law protecting vaccination sites Sacramento Bee

● State renews $1.7 billion contract with troubled COVID lab CalMatters

Did Latinos support Gavin Newsom in the California recall election? Results weren’t ‘apathetic’

Sacramento Bee

Early polling last year for the California recall election indicated Gov. Newsom might have a problem with the Latino vote. The surveys suggested Latino voters were split about retaining the governor, making them a closely watched group during the recall election.

● Opinion: Change California’s election process for better representation CalMatters

Some California Democrats want to stop taking fossil fuel money. Others say not so fast

Sacramento Bee

California Democrats went to Glasgow this week to show off the trend-setting climate policies they adopted in the last year and a half, including phasing out the sale of gas powered cars and even lawn mowers.

California tribes want to cut online competitors out of sports betting with proposed initiative

Sacramento Bee

Several tribes are airing a proposed ballot initiative that would give them control of sports betting in California while blocking card rooms and commercial giants like DraftKings and FanDuel from opening operations here.

Should California ban live ammunition on movie sets after ‘Rust’ tragedy? Democrats are divided

Sacramento Bee

A California Democrat is calling for a ban on live ammunition on movie sets in response to the deadly “Rust” film accident last week that left the cinematographer dead after actor Alec Baldwin unknowingly fired a gun containing a lead bullet while filming in Santa Fe.

Why does California still use daylight saving time? Here’s what to know as clocks switch

Modesto Bee

Daylight saving time is ending this weekend, which means Sunday morning could come with an extra hour of sleep. Here’s everything you need to know about the time change and why California still participates in the time switch.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● CDC advisers approve smaller-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 Fresno Bee

● CDC signs off on children’s coronavirus vaccine, allowing providers to begin immunizing kids ages 5 to 11 immediately Washington Post

● Why at-home coronavirus tests are easy to use and hard to find Washington Post

The Biden midterms start now

Politico

Midterms? Yes, we’re going to talk about Midterms! — There will be a moment, maybe tonight, when we’ll know who won the Virginia governor’s race. That’s when the 2022 midterms will have begun.

● ‘A new American fault line’: How new election laws will make it harder for 55 million to vote Visalia Times Delta

● Not it: Democrats dodge blame for stalled agenda as McAuliffe teeters Politico

● Voters punish Democrats amid left drift Axios

● What the Virginia governor’s race could tell us about the battle for control of Congress in 2022 Los Angeles Times

● Republican victory in Virginia shows a post-Trump path Los Angeles Times

● 11 thoughts after Republicans’ big night in Virginia and New Jersey Roll Call

● Youngkin’s Virginia Win Offers Midterm Road Map for GOP, Warning for Democrats Wall Street Journal

● GOP candidate Youngkin wins Virginia governor’s race, jolting Democrats Los Angeles Times

● Few election day voting snags seen amid extra scrutiny of process Los Angeles Times

Congress hits ‘standstill’ as December shutdown, debt cliff near

Politico

Government funding expires in one month, and bickering top lawmakers are already forecasting another autopilot spending bill to prevent a December shutdown. Democrats and Republicans can't even agree on how to begin negotiations.

● Shadow speaker: Progressive leader Jayapal rises during budget brawl Roll Call

● The end of Manchema Politico

● Opinion: Stop worrying about the cost of the Biden plan. In budgetary terms, it’s pennies Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: Can Either Party Set Priorities? National Review

● Opinion: Alienated Republicans, Moderate Democrats Wall Street Journal

Democrats' deal on prescription drugs would lower costs for seniors

VPR

Democrats in Congress have made a big, if substantially pared back, step toward lowering prescription drug costs for older Americans, reaching a compromise on the matter after significant in-fighting on the issue.

Dems aim to squeeze immigration into social spending bill — without path to citizenship

Politico

Democrats are closing in on a deal that would add immigration reform to their social spending bill before it hits the House floor, but without a long-sought goal: a pathway to citizenship.

After Jan. 6, threats and disinformation take hold across the U.S

Washington Post

The violent insurrection aimed at thwarting the democratic transfer of presidential power quickly became known by its date: Jan. 6. But the forces that drove Trump’s supporters into the halls of the Capitol did not fade after that day.

Supreme Court won’t hear case involving transgender rights

AP News

The Supreme Court is declining to wade into a case involving transgender rights and leaving in place a lower court decision against a Catholic hospital that wouldn’t allow a transgender man to have a hysterectomy there.

Opinion: Abortion Distortion at the Supreme Court

Wall Street Journal

Now a bad Texas law banning abortions after six weeks may induce the Court to distort the constitutional doctrine on legal standing, with long-term damage to the judiciary and the separation of powers.

Other:

Native American Heritage Month: How to support Indigenous communities

abc30

Fresno State American Indian Studies Director Leece Lee-Oliver and Fresno State Alumna Marie Casao collaborated to create an online educational resource about Native American History and the diverse cultures.

The 2020 census likely left out people of color at rates higher than a decade ago

VPR

Last year's approximately $14.2 billion census likely undercounted people of color at higher rates than those of the previous once-a-decade tally, an Urban Institute study involving simulated census results released Tuesday suggests.

The U.S. Department of Justice seeks to block a book publishing 'behemoth'

VPR

There are five big publishing houses in the United States right now, and one of them, Penguin Random House, wants to buy Simon & Schuster, one of its most robust rivals, for $2.75 billion dollars. But that presents a problem, says Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

Breitbart has outsize influence over climate change denial on Facebook, report says

Washington Post

Breitbart is the most influential producer of climate change denial posts on Facebook, according to a report released Tuesday that suggests a small number of publishers play an outsize role in creating content that undermines climate science.

Biden Administration to Order Federal Agencies to Fix Hundreds of Cyber Flaws

Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration is expected to issue a sweeping new order mandating that nearly all federal agencies patch hundreds of cybersecurity vulnerabilities that are considered major risks for damaging intrusions into government computer systems, officials said.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, November 7, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "A Ripple Effect: Will the Drought Increase Emissions?" - Guest: F. Noel Perry, Founder - Next 10. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, November 7, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Climate Change and Electric Vehicles:

Public Action and Private Markets"- Guests: F. Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10 & State Senator Fran Pavley. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

What California’s fading cotton crop in favor of almonds reveals about premium farmland and a warming planet

MarketWatch

Cotton was big in California by the 1950s. Now the crop’s diminished foothold in the state, on land reeling from the worst drought since the late 1800s, reflects how climate risks are shaping the future of farmland across the globe.

Opinion: Climate change and agriculture: What is the role of policy?

AEI

Agriculture is linked with climate change both as a source of carbon emissions and through the impact of changing weather patterns and the composition of the atmosphere on crop yields and productivity.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Fresno-area catalytic converter thefts are skyrocketing, police say. Here are the numbers

Fresno Bee

The theft of catalytic converters in Fresno County has spiked from last year, including an explosion of 10 times as many reports in Fresno, according to local law enforcement.

A California court says drug companies aren't liable for the state's opioid crisis

VPR

A state judge in California ruled late Monday that four drug companies can't be held liable for that state's opioid epidemic. Communities had hoped for tens of billions of dollars in compensation to help ease the addiction crisis.

● Opioid Makers Win Major Victory in California Trial New York Times

Second state worker pleads guilty in California Office of AIDS fraud scandal

Sacramento Bee

A second state worker has pleaded guilty in connection with a $2 million fraud case involving the California Office of AIDS and will cooperate with prosecutors, authorities said.

Public Safety:

Former public safety director sues KCCD, alleging discrimination, harassment

Bakersfield Californian

Attorneys for the former public safety director at the Kern Community College District filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the district alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

Boosted by the pandemic, ‘constitutional sheriffs’ are a political force

Washington Post

The 62-year-old former state trooper has largely avoided the polarizing label, which refers to a movement of sheriffs who argue that their power to interpret the law is above any state or federal authority — even the president.

Supreme Court looks to medieval England in gun rights case

Los Angeles Times

The Supreme Court is preparing to decide whether the 2nd Amendment gives Americans a right to carry a loaded gun when they leave home — and some justices are looking back to the England of 1328 for an answer.

● Opinion: The Second Amendment Is for Everybody Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: States have a history of restricting guns in public. The Supreme Court should keep it that way Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: When Is a Constitutional Right Not a Right? Wall Street Journal

Fire:

PG&E says Dixie Fire will cost $1.15 billion – and is being probed by federal officials

Sacramento Bee

Already under investigation by Cal Fire in connection with the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history, PG&E said in a regulatory filing Monday that it has received a subpoena by the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento over its potential role in the mega-fire.

When will Sierra-at-Tahoe open? Fire damage, supply chain issues delay winter season

Modesto Bee

Ski and snowboard season at Sierra-at-Tahoe likely won’t begin until early 2022, the resort announced this week as it continues to recover from damage caused by the Caldor Fire.

Climate change is now the main driver of increasing wildfire weather, study finds

Los Angeles Times

In a finding that scientists believed was still decades away from becoming reality, California researchers say that climate change is now the overwhelming cause of conditions driving extreme wildfire behavior in the western United States.

Hope after wildfire: Tiny sequoias could grow into giants

AP News

The effort led by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is one of many extraordinary measures being taken to save giant sequoias that were once considered nearly fire-proof but are at risk of being wiped out by more intense wildfires.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Fed to start reining in economic aid as inflation risk rises

Fresno Bee

With inflation at its highest point in three decades, the Federal Reserve is set this week to begin winding down the extraordinary stimulus it has given the economy since the pandemic recession struck early last year, a process that could prove to be a risky balancing act.

Holiday shopping could be difficult this year. Here’s what experts suggest

Sacramento Bee

Do your holiday shopping early. Supplies of the items you want most may be tight. “The highest demand items will likely sell out early in the holiday season,” said Scott Rankin, advisory industry leader for consumer and retail at KPMG, a tax, audit and advisory firm.

Stocks gain, pushing the Dow Jones industrials over 36,000

Los Angeles Times

Wall Street added to its recent run of milestones Tuesday as the major stock indexes hit new highs again, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing above 36,000 points for the first time.

See also:

● Opinion: Get Ready for Dow One Million Wall Street Journal

Opinion: Climate finance meets low-carbon agtech

Brookings

Headlining the climate finance discussions next week at COP26 may be the shortfall in advanced economies’ $100 billion annual pledge to help low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) adapt and further mitigate climate change.

Jobs:

California state agencies are on a hiring spree after cutbacks in 2020. How to get started

Sacramento Bee

California state government is advertising thousands of openings, with some of the state’s largest agencies including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Employment Development Department.

3 reasons labor strikes are surging right now — and why they could continue to grow

VPR

Thousands of workers across the U.S. are on strike, demanding better wages, better working conditions and more benefits. In what some have called "Striketober," workers in factories as well as the health care and food industries have either started or authorized strikes in the past month.

● Deere Workers Reject Second Contract Offer, Extending Strike Wall Street Journal

US prisons face staff shortages as officers quit amid COVID

Fresno Bee

Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. But the coronavirus pandemic — and its impact on the labor market — has pushed many corrections systems into crisis. Officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while officials struggle to recruit new employees.

EDUCATION

K-12:

These Fresno schools are in one of the most polluted parts of the state. An enduring shame

Fresno Bee

According to the CalEnviroScreen ranking released last month, the census area just north of Edison High is the most burdened in California by multiple forms of pollution — air, water and hazardous waste.

‘They really surprised me’: Stanislaus educators on distance learning effect on K-1 students

Modesto Bee

Though some children thrived during online learning, likely owing to parental support and access to technology, other children struggled to grasp basic concepts or didn’t enroll in school at all.

Trustee investigated after potentially "harmful" remarks to Visalia teacher

Visalia Times Delta

TUSD preparing for earlier start times

Turlock Journal

This change in school schedule is courtesy of a California law passed in 2019 that requires middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

The Path to College Education: The Role of Math and Verbal Skills

University of Chicago Press Journals

This paper studies the formation of math and verbal skills during compulsory education and their impact on educational attainment. Results on long-term educational outcomes indicate that verbal skills play a greater role in explaining university enrollment than math skills.

Opinion: Modernizing teacher pensions to work for all teachers (in an ecosystem of broad educational choice)

AEI

As educational options proliferate outside the traditional public schooling system, states should implement plans for teachers that facilitate a dynamic labor market and recognize the diverse factors involved in teachers’ decisions related to changing jobs and retirement.

Opinion: Education bureaucrats have declared war on Asian American achievement

AEI

School officials, inflamed with a newfound commitment to racial justice, are loosening admissions standards at the most competitive schools, watering down objective measures like test scores, in favor of more subjective criteria to get the “right balance” of racial groups in the classroom.

Higher Ed:

MJC waives student debt, offers free tuition for all students taking classes in spring 2022

Modesto Bee

Modesto Junior College will offer free tuition and zero student fees for all students taking classes during the spring 2022 semester.

He Unleashed a California Massacre. Should This School Be Named for Him?

New York Times

The founder of the Hastings College of the Law masterminded the killings of hundreds of Native Americans. The school, tribal members and alumni disagree about what should be done now.

Dual Enrollment Can Expand Educational Opportunity

Public Policy Institute of California

The impact of dual enrollment at the state’s community colleges is growing: more than 112,000 high school students graduating in the 2019–20 school year enrolled in college courses and earned college credit, representing an increase of 56% from 2015–16.

Opinion: College Degrees Are Overrated

New York Times

There is an invisible tragedy of successful careers that never happen because applicants without college degrees aren’t given a chance. It affects first-time job-seekers, those in dead-end careers, and victims of layoffs who no longer qualify for the jobs they had before.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

After California oil spill, environmentalists plan to sue US

Sacramento Bee

A month after a Southern California offshore oil spill, environmental advocates said Tuesday that they plan to sue the federal government over the failure to review and update plans for platforms off the coast.

How loss of historical lands makes Native Americans more vulnerable to climate change

VPR

Indigenous nations across the U.S. have lost nearly 99% of their historical land base over time. And it's not just the quantity of land that matters, but the quality too: Tribes were displaced to areas that are now more exposed to a wide variety of climate change risks.

Biden says climate fears are well-founded but touts progress at the U.N. summit

VPR

President Biden on Tuesday acknowledged concerns about the changing climate and skepticism among activists about whether the climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, will change things for the better.

● Biden announces sharp cuts to methane emissions as Congress delays his climate agenda Los Angeles Times

● Leaders vow to cut methane, protect forests at U.N. summit. Bolder climate action must wait Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: Questioning the climate science orthodoxy in Glasgow AEI

Breitbart has outsize influence over climate change denial on Facebook, report says

Washington Post

Energy:

Should California make solar more expensive? Inside the climate justice battle

Los Angeles Times

Even as the heat waves and wildfires of the climate crisis worsen — and as monopoly utility companies struggle to keep the lights on — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration could soon make it harder for many families to go solar.

Biden unveils new rules to curb methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas operations

Washington Post

On Tuesday, the Biden administration unveiled a sweeping set of domestic policies to cut emissions of methane from oil and gas operations across the United States. The proposals represent one of the president’s most consequential efforts to combat climate change.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Army scientists expect initial results this year on vaccine targeting all coronaviruses

Fresno Bee

Army scientists working on a vaccine to target all coronaviruses, including mutations of the one causing COVID-19 and others that may emerge in the future, are finding data from early human trials promising and expect to publish the results by year-end.

Is it COVID, a cold or the flu? Here are a few easy ways to tell

abc30

Most COVID-19 tests turn out to be negative. Dodd explained it's difficult for parents to tell the difference between the cold, flu and coronavirus. The first piece of advice is to simply be patient.

Syphilis is resurging in the U.S., a sign of public health's funding crisis

VPR

There was a time, not too long ago, when CDC officials thought they could eliminate the centuries-old scourge from the United States, for adults and babies. But the effort lost steam and cases soon crept up again.

CDC recommends Pfizer's COVID vaccine for children ages 5 through 11

VPR

The CDC is recommending that all children ages 5 through 11 get a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. The move clears the way for shots to be administered as soon as tomorrow, though it may be a few days before the vaccine is widely available.

● Kids ages 5-11 now can receive a Pfizer COVID vaccine after CDC gives green light Modesto Bee

● CDC recommends Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11, shots expected to roll out this week Visalia Times Delta

● Health officials facing pockets of parental resistance to COVID-19 vaccinations for teens Sacramento Bee

● ‘Not Quite on Board’: Parents Proving a Tough Sell on Covid Vax for Teens California Healthline

● Breastfeeding and vaxxed: Parents delay weaning children to pass on COVID-19 antibodies Los Angeles Times

● U.S. gives final clearance to COVID-19 shots for kids 5 to 11 Los Angeles Times

● Dear Governor Newsom, Dr. Aragón, Dr. Ghaly, Dr. Pan and Dr. Sud: CA Parent Power

● KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: October 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation

Republicans advance bill for claiming vaccine exemptions

Fresno Bee

Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation aimed at protecting employees who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by setting out an easy process to claim a religious or medical exemption.

Human Services:

Covered California begins open enrollment period for 2022

Sacramento Bee

Open enrollment for the nation's largest state-run health insurance marketplace began Monday and runs through the end of January. Covered California sells individual health insurance plans to people who can't get coverage through their job.

Child care in California hasn’t rebounded — why many workers aren’t coming back

CalMatters

California’s child care workforce is still 10% smaller than it was before the pandemic, as low wages contribute to acute staffing shortages.

Opinion: California must provide resources, support for youth in crisis

CalMatters

County child welfare leaders and social workers are stymied by a lack of tools needed to best support foster youth.

IMMIGRATION

Institute creates a safe haven for immigrants to advance their educations, careers

Modesto Bee

Adults yet to complete their high school education and seeking to advance their skills can do so free of cost through a newly launched institute in Modesto.

Illegal crossings at California border reach highest level since 2008. See the numbers

Sacramento Bee

The U.S. Border Patrol stopped more people trying to illegally cross from Mexico to California during the past 12 months than during any other year since 2008, new federal statistics show.

Lawmakers demand apology for U.S.-Canada border detention of Iranian Americans

Los Angeles Times

Two U.S. congresswomen renewed demands Tuesday for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide a formal apology and release records in connection with the January 2020 detainment of 200 Iranian Americans at the U.S.-Canada border.

Dems aim to squeeze immigration into social spending bill — without path to citizenship

Politico

Democrats are closing in on a deal that would add immigration reform to their social spending bill before it hits the House floor, but without a long-sought goal: a pathway to citizenship.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

‘Helluva journey.’ Will City of Fresno buy troubled University Medical Center campus?

Fresno Bee

The Fresno City Council this week will decide whether to make an offer on the troubled former University Medical Center campus for a mixed-use, mixed-income housing and retail project.

How loss of historical lands makes Native Americans more vulnerable to climate change

VPR

Housing:

County searching for solution as home prices rise

Turlock Journal

Stanislaus County is hoping to bring its communities together to address the current housing market and shortage of homes, which has plagued prospective homebuyers not only locally but state and nationwide.

Clovis mobile-home seniors without power more than two days. What happened?

Fresno Bee

A power failure that left a mobile-home community of senior citizens in Clovis without electricity for more than two days was expected to be fixed Tuesday afternoon.

Clovis firm IDs five trends to shape new home development

Business Journal

Future home development in California will be shaped by factors including a “schizophrenic housing market,” new building codes, environmental concerns, booming inland demand and new forms of communal living.

California home sells for $1 million — and it’s tiny. Look around, it won’t take long

Fresno Bee

In the real estate world, small-livable tiny houses have become all the rage since most are available for a reasonable cost. And then there’s this 328-square-foot home that just sold for $1.025 million in Santa Cruz, California.

Appeals court rejects California home insurance refund order

AP News

Consumer advocates said Tuesday that they will ask the California Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court ruling they said undermines the state’s ability to order billions of dollars in insurance company refunds.

Housing Affordability Among Rural and Urban Female-Headed Householders in the United States

Springer Link

This study examines housing affordability among female-headed households, focusing on the differences between those living in rural areas versus those in urban areas. The results of this research provide insight concerning the attributes of female householders.

Walters: SF case tests state’s will on housing crisis

CalMatters

When San Francisco officials rejected a 495-unit apartment project, they set up a test of laws aimed at preventing arbitrary blockage of housing developments.

Opinion: States under time crunch to provide housing assistance: How to fix it

Brookings

Due to the pandemic-driven economic recession, the federal government has been forced to respond to the sharp rise in housing challenges Americans have faced. This federal intervention is a critical lifeline for millions of Americans who are in danger of losing their homes.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Could Merced get a universal basic income program? Here’s where local leaders stand

Merced Sun Star

California pension fund to award $1.1 million record-breaking bonus to investment chief

Sacramento Bee

CalSTRS is preparing to award a record-breaking $1.1 million bonus to its one of its top executives following the 27.2% investment return the pension funded recorded in 2020-21 financial year.

Opinion: Six reasons why an expanded Child Tax Credit or child allowance should be part of the US safety net

Brookings

A consideration of the pros and cons of a nearly universal, unconditional child tax credit or benefit amount raises a host of issues. It is useful to consider these issues within the framework of the optimal design of a social safety net system.

● Opinion: Biden’s tax credits benefit non-workers most AEI

Opinion: Why It’s So Hard To Tax the Rich

Politico

Why is it so hard to tax the rich? After all, the idea behind progressive taxation is simple, even beautiful: Let the engine of capitalism roar and then have the winners compensate the losers.

TRANSPORTATION

Big expansion of train service to Central Valley, San Jose is delayed and already over budget

Sacramento Bee

The start of new rail service connecting Sacramento with the Central Valley and San Jose is at least three years behind schedule and over budget, forcing officials to consider dropping some of the 16 new train stations that were part of the $1.3 billion-plus plan.

The U.S. has new COVID vaccine rules for international travelers. Here's what to know

VPR

The U.S. has come up with new rules and regulations for travelers flying in from other countries, to take effect on Monday, November 8. It could take nearly a decade for public transit to return to pre-pandemic levels

It could take nearly a decade for public transit to return to pre-pandemic levels

Fortune

With the U.S. vaccination rate slowly increasing and COVID cases dropping in many states across the U.S., transit systems have seen a slight recovery in ridership, still, nothing like pre-pandemic levels.

What’s In (And What’s Out Of) the New Reconciliation Bill For Sustainable Transport

StreetsBlog USA

Most programs favored by sustainable transportation advocates have survived negotiations over the massive social infrastructure package that’s held up the country’s transportation ambitions for months — though a few of them have gotten a little skinnier.

WATER

California farm town lurches from no water to polluted water

Reuters

The San Joaquin Valley farm town of Teviston has two wells. One went dry and the other is contaminated. The one functioning well failed just at the start of summer, depriving the hot and dusty hamlet of running water for weeks.

New water year off to a good start, but two dry years behind and La Niña ahead are not helping

Bakersfield Californian

Water and weather professionals in Bakersfield and beyond tend to be cautious about making predictions regarding any new water year.

“Xtra”

‘Vibrancy everywhere.’ Yosemite fall colors come with rushing waterfalls this autumn

Merced Sun Star

Fall colors are on full display in Yosemite National Park, making early November a great time for an autumn trip to the popular park in California. “You need to go, like now,” photographer Glenn Lee Robinson said.

When will Sierra-at-Tahoe open? Fire damage, supply chain issues delay winter season

Sacramento Bee

Ski and snowboard season at Sierra-at-Tahoe likely won’t begin until early 2022, the resort announced this week as it continues to recover from damage caused by the Caldor Fire.

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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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