Political Stories

Top stories

CD 10: Big money flooding into San Joaquin Valley congressional race — Lots of money from the left, right and locations in between is flowing into the closely watched San Joaquin Valley congressional race pitting Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, against Democratic challenger Michael Eggman.  McClatchy Newspapers article

CD 21: Valadao’s war chest still dwarfs Huerta cash — New reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show a wide financial gap between the two candidates in the 21st Congressional District battle. Incumbent David Valadao, R-Hanford, and Democratic challenger Emilio Huerta raised similar amounts in the third quarter of 2016, but Valadao has a campaign reserve that dwarfs his opponent’s. And that gives Valadao a distinct advantage over Huerta. Bakersfield Californian article

Valley politics

San Joaquin County supervisor candidates exchange accusations – While Tom Patti has accused his opponent for San Joaquin County supervisor of padding his resume, Moses Zapien’s camp has unleashed a list of alleged unethical or illegal finance practices by the challenger. Stockton Record article

Transportation question makes for twisty road in Bakersfield Ward 2 council race — Three men — retired correctional officer Kevin Blanton, nonprofit CEO Andrae Gonzales and incumbent restaurateur Terry Maxwell — are vying to represent the Bakersfield City Council’s sprawling Ward 2, which includes downtown. The same central issue that defined this race four years ago probably still does. It’s transportation — who’s for and against widening 24th Street and building Centennial Corridor, the freeway connection between Highway 58 and the Westside Parkway. Bakersfield Californian article

Bakersfield Californian: Elect newcomer Nance in Bakersfield Ward 5 — The three-way campaign for the Bakersfield City Council’s Ward 5 seat pits an experienced incumbent against an experienced challenger and a rookie. A mature rookie, but a political rookie just the same. We’re endorsing the rookie, Ryan Nance. Bakersfield Californian editorial

Fiscal issues, public safety at core of Stockton District 2 race – Steve Colangelo says if residents are struggling to decide which candidate to vote for in the upcoming District 2 City Council race, all they need to do is look at their water bills. But Dan Wright, the appointed incumbent in District 2, says it’s not nearly as simple as Colangelo makes it sound. In fact, Wright says his opponent’s stand on the issue is “irresponsible.” Stockton Record article

Shedding some light on candidates for Merced Unified High School District board seats – The Merced Sun-Star provides information on the candidates for the Merced Unified High School District board.  Merced Sun-Star article

Mail voters: Ballot return requires two stamps — With so many state propositions and local measures on the Nov. 8 ballot, those who vote by mail will have to spend a little more to return them to the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters. Austin Erdman, the county’s registrar, said vote-by-mail ballots will cost 68 cents, or two stamps, to be sent back to his office because they consist of two cards, and not one as they have in the past. Stockton Record article

Hearing begins for Fant, will resume Nov. 1 — City Council candidate Sam Fant’s preliminary hearing on felony election fraud and conspiracy charges is under way, but it will not resume until Nov. 1, only seven days before voters go to the polls. Stockton Record article

Statewide politics/Ballot Measures

Prop 64 raises drugged driving concerns: ‘We’re going to start losing folks in astronomical numbers’ – As Californians prepare to vote next month on Proposition 64, which would allow recreational use of marijuana, many law enforcement leaders and prosecutors warn that the state is ill-prepared to handle an expected significant increase in people driving under the influence of pot. LA Times article

52 local measures seek to tax and regulate marijuana – There are 52 local measures on the November ballot. They propose a range of taxes and regulation of pot-related sales and business in cities and counties including taxing grow operations and limiting dispensaries. Capital Public Radio report

Californians, having curbed bilingual education, may now expand it — In 1998, voters in California passed a law that severely restrictedbilingual education in public schools, arguing that students were languishing in their native language and that requiring English-only instruction would speed up the time it took children to learn English. Now, voters are being asked to overturn the measure in November, allowing school districts to implement more programs like those at Cahuenga, where students often learn in their native language. New York Times article

Orange County Super PAC ad rips U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris as ‘Bay Area liberal’ — A super PAC backing Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) for U.S. Senate launched a radio ad targeting Republican voters and attacking her rival, California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, as “another Barbara Boxer— a Bay Area liberal backed by the Democratic Party establishment.” LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article

Kamala Harris, husband release 2015 tax returns, Loretta Sanchez declines — U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris and her husband, attorney Douglas Emhoff, earned nearly $1.17 million in 2015 and paid almost $450,000 in state and federal income taxes, according to their 2015 tax returns. The Sacramento Bee asked Harris and her opponent, Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, to provide copies of their 2015 returns as part of a longstanding practice of reviewing candidates’ financial records in major statewide races. Sanchez’ campaign has declined. Sacramento Bee article; LA Times article

When it comes to fundraising, the super PACs in California’s U.S. Senate race haven’t been so super – The super PACs dabbling in California’s U.S. Senate race between Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris aren’t exactly breaking fundraising records. LA Times article

San Jose considers major changes to local medical marijuana rules, including pot deliveries — San Jose leaders are considering major compromises to hard-fought rules regulating medical marijuana — including allowing home delivery — just weeks before California voters decide whether to legalize recreational pot. San Jose Mercury News article

Kellie Montoya: Without Prop 61, our patients will continue to suffer – The Modesto registered nurse writes, “Nurses are campaigning for Proposition 61 across the state because we cannot be silent in the face of harm to our patients who can’t pay these outrageous prices. It’s time send a message to Big Pharma. Enough is enough. Vote Yes on 61.” Montoya op-ed in Modesto Bee

Jackson Browne to play anti-death penalty show in Sacramento – Hoping the California death penalty is running on empty? This is the concert for you. Advocates of Proposition 62, which would repeal capital punishment in California, have enlisted Jackson Browne to play a benefit show at Sacramento’s Crest Theater on Oct. 26. Browne will also play a benefit concert in San Diego on Oct. 24. Sacramento Bee article

CA 120: Myth of the ‘independents’ — In California’s June primary election, more than 130,000 voters who registered with the obscure AIP cast ballots, as did another 36,000 no-party-preference voters who requested an AIP ballot. However, Donald Trump, the AIP’s eventual nominee in California, wasn’t even on the ballot. Capitol Weekly article

Immigration

Mexican activist argues in Fresno for migrant rights — A prominent migrant rights activist from Mexico spoke at Fresno State on Monday with insight into why Latin Americans flee and what can be done about it. KVPR report

Other areas

Dan Walters: Legislative stalemate on State Bar dues morphs into a new battle – The state Legislature adjourned on Aug. 31 without passing the annual bill authorizing the State Bar to collect “dues” from the state’s attorneys to finance its operations. Walters column in Sacramento Bee 

Yes, you can vote if you are homeless – Black Americans cemented their right to vote 51 years ago with passage of the Voting Rights Act. In 1920, women broke down barriers to the ballot box. But only in the last 30 years have homeless Americans done the same. Not only does their vote matter, say advocates, but you can cast that ballot even if you have no fixed address.  KQED report

PolitiFact CA: Scott Jones falsely claims judges ruled on allegations of unwanted sexual advances — Republican congressional candidate Scott Jones recently claimed that allegations he made unwanted sexual advances on a young, female sheriff’s deputy “were found by two separate judges to not have merit.” News coverage, including a Sacramento Bee fact check, found the allegations by the deputy never advanced to trial for procedural reasons. It also found there’s no evidence in the court record that a judgement was made on the merits of the claims. PolitiFact CA article

Challenger Scott Jones discusses ‘illegal’ Clinton conduct, Bera’s vote for Iran deal — More recently, another Super PAC allied with Jones, Congressional Leadership Fund, is criticizing Bera’s support for the Iran agreement. Jones touched on the deal in a discussion with The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board, excerpted for length and clarity below. Sacramento Bee article

Trump’s not only candidate labeled sexist: Rep. Ami Bera on his opponents, dad, trade — Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, in a tight re-election race in the Sacramento suburbs, said he’s a “little bit angry” at his father for campaign finance crimes, and he called his Republican challenger, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, sexist and misogynistic in a recent session with the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board. Sacramento Bee article
Presidential Politics

Clinton leads Trump by 26 points in California in latest poll – Hillary Clinton continues to hold a dominating 26 percentage point lead over Donald Trump in California, although both candidates are down slightly from 17 days ago, according to a new poll by the Southern California News Group and KABC/Eyewitness News. Orange County Register article

Outbid, outhustled, outmuscled: Trump has never been able to conquer Southern California – In the world of real estate, the Trump name is a symbol of opulence and daring, stamped on buildings in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas in the U.S. and in cities around the world, including Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul and Mumbai, where Trump has licensed his brand to other developers. But there is no Trump Tower on the old Ambassador Hotel site or anywhere else in L.A., for that matter. LA Times article

Time to sever ties with Peter Thiel? Silicon Valley fights over his donation to Donald Trump – Peter Thiel‘s $1.25 million donation to Donald Trump‘s presidential bid has touched off a Silicon Valley firestorm. Should companies and organizations associated with Thiel, a major investor, entrepreneur and adviser, not just back away from him but sever ties? San Jose Mercury News article

Tom Fife: All along, Trump’s campaign is about jobs, jobs, jobs – I was a delegate for Donald Trump, I am a veteran. I have had this platform for many years and as long as I do, I swear I will never allow Mr. Trump to forget his promises to vets or farmers or America. It is about “Jobs, Jobs, and Jobs!”  Fife column in Visalia Times-Delta

Joe Altschule: An experiment in American Fascism — The real question we Americans have to answer is, what next? How do we recover from this experiment with American fascism, and how long will it take? Altschule column in Visalia Times-Delta

‘Desierto’ portrays a dire reality at the border – If the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump wins the White House, a small view of the kind of reality Americans can expect to see play out along the U.S.-México border can be both a frightening and a terrorizing one. Although Mexican migration to the United States has plummeted in recent years, those who have crossed the border in the past, and those who continue to take their chances and cross today, face the gravest of challenges. Vida en el Valle article

News Stories

Top Stories

U.S. transportation chief Foxx sees Fresno high-speed rail construction — U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, whose agency has committed several billion dollars of federal stimulus and railroad improvement funds toward high-speed rail construction in the San Joaquin Valley, got a chance Monday to see firsthand what the government is getting for its investment. Fresno Bee article 

Gross farm income drops in Merced, San Joaquin counties — Farmers in Merced and San Joaquin counties saw reduced gross income last year, mainly because of lower milk and nut prices. Merced reported $3.59 billion for 2015, down 18.9 percent from the year before. San Joaquin was at $2.73 billion, off 15.5 percent. Modesto Bee article

California cities seek record tax hikes as boom passes by — California’s booming, yet many of its cities aren’t feeling it. From Yreka, near the Oregon border, to El Centro, just north of Mexico, more than 80 local governments are asking voters next month to approve sales-tax increases, the most on record. While some aim to boost spending on roads or other projects, most measures would just provide extra cash. In Ridgecrest, Fairfax, and Fountain Valley, officials say the revenue would eliminate budget deficits or prevent cuts to police and fire departments. Bloomberg article

Jobs and the Economy

Many UC workers struggle to feed themselves and their families, study shows – Seven in 10 University of California workers in clerical, administrative and support services struggle to put adequate food on the table, according to a new Occidental College study. The study, released Monday, found that 45% of 2,890 employees surveyed throughout the 10-campus UC system went hungry at times. An additional 25% had to reduce the quality of their diet. LA Times article

Michael Fitzgerald: The irony of Newport Beach — Stockton went bankrupt in part because public employees, enabled by fiscally foolish leaders, rigged the system so it would over-compensate them. One of the ways they did this was called a “salary survey:” Stockton compared its public employee compensation to 12 California cities, and committed to be — if memory serves — fourth in compensation. That was imprudent on the face of it. A city should decide what to pay based on what it can afford, period. But leaders made it worse. The cities they okayed for that list included affluent California communities such as Pasadena and Newport Beach. For a working class town such as Stockton to pay in that league was crazy. The irony is that even Newport Beach can no longer afford to keep up with Newport Beach. Fitzgerald blog in Stockton Record

Study: Sacramento region’s pot economy could soar with legalization – Expanded legalization of marijuana could create a vast cannabis industry in the Sacramento region, accounting for an annual economic output ranging from hundreds of millions to potentially more than $4 billion if local governments endorse widespread marijuana production, according to a University of the Pacific study. Sacramento Bee article

Report: Home prices increase in September in most Valley counties – In Fresno County in September, the median sold price was $240,000, a 9.1 percent year-over-year increase compared to September 2015. The median sold price in Madera County in September was also $240,000, a 9.8 percent increase from September 2015. In Tulare County, the September median sold price was $209,900, up 10.7 percent year-over-year. Kings County, which bucked the trend, saw a September median sold price of $197,000, which was actually down 3.2 percent from September of last year. The Business Journal article

Raiders to Las Vegas? Some fans won’t be quick to follow — The Raiders are one step closer to leaving the less-than-ideal conditions of the Coliseum behind after both houses of the Nevada Legislature passed a proposal on Friday to put $750 million in hotel tax money towards building the team a stadium in Las Vegas. While the news of a potential departure becomes more realistic for the franchise, many Raiders fans have seen the writing on the wall for years. East Bay Times article

Steinberg urges ‘thinking big’ on Sacramento Convention Center – The Sacramento City Council is expected to approve a major renovation of the aging Community Center Theater on Tuesday, but a plan to expand the nearby Sacramento Convention Center has drawn skepticism from Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg and other critics who say it may aim too low. Sacramento Bee article

Richard Lewis, Randy Paragary, and Nancy Garton: A sound and smart plan to update two Sacramento arts venues – Lewis, president and CEO of California Musical Theatre; Paragary, who owns and operates Paragary’s and other restaurants in Sacramento; and Garton, president of the Sacramento Ballet board of directors, write, “Golden 1 Center is a tremendous driver for Sacramento’s economic and cultural renaissance, but it represents only one of many steps needed to push our city to reach its potential. A critical vote by the City Council on Tuesday will decide the fate of Sacramento’s Community Center Theater, an equally important and iconic venue for Broadway shows and ballet and opera performances.” Lewis/Paragary/Garton op-ed in Sacramento Bee

Scott Vandenberg: Sacramento Convention Center must expand to survive – The general manager of the Hyatt Regency and president of the Sacramento Hotel Association writes, “We must move quickly or Sacramento will be at risk of losing existing convention business and interest from potential hotel developers. Already, major conventions have made it clear that the center no longer meets their needs. Moreover, Sacramento isn’t considered by potential new clients due to lack of flexible space.” Vandenberg op-ed in Sacramento Bee

Tech fat cats want homeless tent camps gone from San Francisco sidewalks – Ladies and gentlemen, start your shopping carts: If some big-money tech folks from San Francisco have their way, police there will be able to clear out sidewalk homeless camps upon 24 hours’ notice. San Jose Mercury News article

Stuck in traffic, Santa Clara County weigh transportation tax — Scott’s frustration fuels his support for Measure B, a 30-year, half-cent sales tax on the Santa Clara County ballot that would provide more than $6 billion for road and transit improvements. He calls it “an easy decision.” But the tax needs approval from two-thirds of voters, and that can be tough to muster from voters like real estate broker Karen Biglardera, of San Jose. San Jose Mercury News article

Agriculture/Water/Drought

Stanislaus, Merced boards will discuss river flow plans — The state’s controversial plan to boost river flows will go before the boards of supervisors in Stanislaus and Merced counties Tuesday. Officials from the State Water Resources Control Board can expect skeptical audiences as they present their thinking behind the proposal for the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers. Modesto Bee article

Criminal Justice/Prisons

Violent crimes up, robberies down in Stockton – September was a bad month for several categories of violent crime in Stockton, most notably homicide, rape and assault, while robbery was down significantly from the prior month, according to the latest crime statistics released Monday by the Police Department. Stockton Record article

Legendary lawyer Serra will defend death row inmate Stankewitz – Legendary San Francisco attorney J. Tony Serra is taking over the case of Douglas Ray Stankewitz, who is awaiting a third retrial in Fresno County Superior Court in the shooting death of 22-year-old Theresa Graybeal in February 1978. And the 81-year-old Serra plans to bring his San Francisco legal team with him to defend the longest-tenured inmate on California’s death row.  Fresno Bee article

LA County eyes private firm for expansion of care for mentally ill inmates — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to consider a motion Tuesday that would hire a private firm to manage the expansion of care for medium-security inmates with serious mental illness. KPCC report

Lawyer accused of disrobing during jail visit wins $45,000 settlement, change in policies — Sacramento County has settled another lawsuit involving the jail, this time agreeing to pay $45,000 to an attorney who says she was falsely accused of exposing herself to a client while visiting him when he was locked up. Sacramento Bee article

Chief: California officers spared when gunman’s weapon jams — A man wearing body armor pointed an assault rifle at two police officers in a California Starbucks, only to have the weapon malfunction before he fled and was shot by the officers nearby, police said Monday. Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou called it an “attempted assassination” of the two officers, who were on break when the confrontation occurred. AP article

Head of nation’s largest police group issues formal apology for ‘historical mistreatment’ of racial minorities — The head of the nation’s largest police organization formally apologized on Monday for “historical mistreatment” of racial minorities by police and called on officers to work with minority groups to improve trust. LA Times article

A mother was fatally shot 13 times in Inglewood.  But the police watchdog group has barely even met — Inglewood officials created the commission in 2002 to monitor the police department following a controversial arrest in which an Inglewood officer was captured on video punching a handcuffed 16-year-old boy and slamming him onto the hood of a squad car. The idea was for a citizens’ panel to review the actions of officers in a public forum and allow residents to speak out and seek answers on an array of matters including discipline, police shootings and allegations of officer misconduct. But it has not worked out that way. LA Times article

Education

California college students incur less school debt than national average – For California families worried about the cost of college and how much debt their children should take on, a new report offers some good news. Graduates of California colleges and universities finish school with some of the lowest average debt loads in the nation, according to the study by the Oakland-based Institute for College Access & Success. The state’s generous financial aid and the relatively low costs at the California State University system are the main causes, researchers said. EdSource article

San Joaquin Delta College president may get extension into 2019 – San Joaquin Delta College President Kathy Hart appears to be sticking around for a few more years. Trustees Tuesday night will consider approving a contract extension for 70-year-old Hart through September 2019. Stockton Record article

Next Yosemite Community College District board will pick chancellor — The Yosemite Community College District will restart its search for a new chancellor, throwing the decision to the next cohort of trustees. A majority of seats on the board are up for election Nov. 8. In a statement Monday, the YCCD board said none of the three finalists who participated in the public forums last week will be hired and the position will reopen for applications. Modesto Bee article

San Jose State president addresses concerns about the university’s response to sexual assaults – Facing concerns over the university’s handling of rape allegations against a water polo player, San Jose State President Mary Papazian on Monday pledged to change how the campus responds to sexual assaults and treats victims, vowing to “do everything possible to ensure that SJSU is a safe, caring, inclusive community.” San Jose Mercury News article

Modesto sees increase in free neighborhood libraries — Dr. Jacob Barber of Modesto braved shark-infested waters on a swim to raise funds to promote early literacy. Richard Fisher of Riverbank used his woodworking skills to build little libraries giving books to children in crisis, and fashioned one that helped heal the emotional wounds of a tragedy. Little Free Libraries are sprouting in Modesto in a possible sign that forces of good can still drive a popular trend. Modesto Bee article

Ceres leadership magnet school elects to hear candidate — As the campaign season winds into a frenzy for the nation, elected leaders at Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary are settling into their desks. But they took time to hear from a member of the state’s leadership team as he took a campaign swing through Ceres. “It’s good to see other people who come from little cities like Ceres and became really important people in the world,” said sixth-grader Delia Vidal after hearing Adam Gray speak Thursday. Modesto Bee article

Energy/Environment

As winter nears, watch for new risks to Valley air quality — Windy conditions forecast for the Central Valley this week are raising the possibility of poor air quality, although recent precipitation may help keep dust from blowing around, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said. Merced Sun-Star article

Health/Human Services 

When breast cancer hits young: Growing numbers of women in their 20s, 30s confront the disease — For women in their 20s and 30s, breast cancer can be a lonely place. Younger women – who are often still dating, finishing school, building careers or raising young children – have vastly different emotional, physical, financial and medical needs than older women with breast cancer. They’re typically hit with a far more aggressive disease, one that’s more likely to metastasize and strikes at a more vulnerable stage in life. Sacramento Bee article

Dismal dental care access for low-income Californians prompts counties and state to test drive solutions — One third of California residents and half of the state’s children qualify for Denti-Cal, the state’s Medi-Cal dental program. So leaders in counties like Santa Cruz, where 82 percent of the dentists don’t take Denti-Cal, are seeking new ways to serve this long-suffering low-income population. California Health Report article

Land Use/Housing

Video: Voices in California housing talk about getting past ‘no’ at local level – Last week, a statewide group of local officials, planning agencies, and homebuilders came together in Los Angeles to talk about California’s housing crisis, new ideas for funding housing and related infrastructure, and building more supply in the right places. California Economic Summit video

Fresno expands blight-fighting efforts to more school neighborhoods — Earlier this year, Fresno leaders announced an effort to take on blight in five older neighborhoods in the city. On Monday, Mayor Ashley Swearengin unveiled an expansion of her Restore Fresno initiative to 10 additional neighborhoods in central and south Fresno. Fresno Bee article

Other areas

Fresno County animal shelter contractor cuts death rate in first year – Fresno Humane Animal Services has its shelter at the former Fresno County morgue, but death has taken a holiday for most animals since the agency took over the county’s animal control contract a year ago. Dogs and cats are dying far less frequently and leaving much faster for faraway new homes than ever before. Fresno Bee article

Longtime Clovis Councilman Harry Armstrong honored as he casts his last votes – A Who’s Who of area politics and civic life gathered at Clovis City Hall Monday for a reception in honor of William “Harry” Armstrong, who retired after 46 years on the Clovis City Council. Fresno Bee article

State investigating Kern County Fair over pig weight — The California Department of Food and Agriculture is investigating a complaint that a representative of the 2016 Kern County Fair falsified a document to allow a child to sell a pig that didn’t meet the fair’s weight requirements. Bakersfield Californian articlea

Lemoore Naval Air Station welcomes new commander, bids farewell to old at base ceremony – A change of command ceremony took place Monday at Lemoore Naval Air Station in which the base welcomed a new base commander and bid farewell to the old one. Officers, enlisted personnel and others bid farewell to Capt. Monty Ashliman, base commander for 3 1/2 years. Fresno Bee article; Visalia Times-Delta article

Jeff Jardine: Lawsuit doesn’t change power balance at Oakdale Irrigation District — As new board members who beat incumbents by wide margins, Altieri and Santos came with the mandate to question the way the district does its business. Ultimately, that included plans to fallow land to sell water outside the district. Jardine column in Modesto Bee

‘We are all here because we want the best for our future generations’ – Throughout the 15 years she’s been with the Stanislaus County Library, Olga V. Cárdenas has done a variety of things from managing branches, to serving as a Regional Children’s Librarian and to her most recent position: Service Outreach Librarian. Vida en el Valle article 

Sevag Tateosian: Hey, kids: Discover the Discovery Center – The host and producer of The Central Valley Ledger writes, “Looking for community-based organizations to highlight for my television and radio program, I did research online trying to find ones that benefit our community and have been around for a long time. It was then I came across The Discovery Center and learned a lot about this little “hands-on” museum.” Tateosian op-ed in Fresno Bee

How many milkshakes did we drink at Big Fresno Fair? A lot — Here’s a quick look at how much was sold: 900 slices of pie from Willamette Valley Pie Company; 4,000 Indian Tacos; 5,000 balls of bacon-wrapped guacamole; 6,000 orders of strawberry funnel cake and a whopping 7,000 milkshakes from Fabe’s Gelato & Churros. The milkshakes were such a hit that the vendor sold a record 1,088 shakes in one day. Not bad, considering they cost $12 each. Fresno Bee article

Valley Editorial Roundup

Bakersfield Californian – The three-way campaign for the Bakersfield City Council’s Ward 5 seat pits an experienced incumbent against an experienced challenger and a rookie. A mature rookie, but a political rookie just the same. We’re endorsing the rookie, Ryan Nance.

Fresno Bee – While Congress fiddles, California burns.

Merced Sun-Star – We make no apologies for endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
Modesto Bee – The Modesto Bee offers its recommendations for the Nov. 8 election.

Sacramento Bee – Sacramento City Council should move ahead on Community Center Theater, do more study on Sacramento Convention Center expansion.

Stockton Record – Cheers and jeers: Calculated approach for Cal Park/Magnolia District, hunger summit is a key step in San Joaquin County, and other issues.