October 21, 2019

21Oct

POLICY & POLITICS

 

Record number of people working in Valley. But what kind of jobs?

Fresno Bee

More people were working last month in Fresno County, and fewer people were out of work, than at any time in at least 30 years – a combination that drove the unemployment rate in September to its lowest point in decades.

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What’s needed for Valley medical school? About $25 million, feeder programs and more

Modesto Bee

A coalition for medical education convened in Modesto on Wednesday and discussed what it will take to establish a University of California medical school serving the San Joaquin Valley.

 

North SJ Valley:

 

Modesto investigating city clerk’s allegations against three top officials

Modesto Bee

Modesto is investigating its city manager, city attorney and a councilman after the city clerk made allegations against them. No one will say what the allegations are, and the city has not provided The Bee with a copy of City Clerk Stephanie Lopez’s memo in which she outlined her allegations.

 

Questions over Modesto’s urban growth, Wood Colony could surface in 2020 election

Modesto Bee

Should Modesto, hungry for new jobs and homes, swallow part of Wood Colony? That could become the most controversial piece of a revived effort to establish an urban limit around Modesto.

 

Modesto’s mayor now facing four opponents in November 2020 election

Modesto Bee

Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold faces at least four challengers as he runs for a second term in the November 2020 election, after two more candidates entered the race.

 

Planning manager departing position

Madera Tribune

Chris Boyle, longtime planning manager for the City of Madera, has announced his upcoming departure from the city of Madera effective Oct. 28. Boyle said he will be leaving to become Development Services Director at the City of Bakersfield.

 

Mayor of Stockton, Calif., Discusses Universal Basic Income Program Results

KVPR

What would you do with an extra 500 bucks a month, no strings attached? Well, thanks to an experimental program in Stockton, Calif., we now have some answers. Since February, the city has been sending $500 debit cards every month to 125 residents.

 

Central SJ Valley:

 

State Sen. Borgeas reflects on a year in office with business leaders

Business Journal

A few months shy of a year in office, state Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) reflected on the differences between local and state government — as well as wins and losses — at a Friday talk with local business leaders.

 

Fresno City Manager claims councilman defamed her over talk of relationship with police lieutenant

Fresno Bee

Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan threatened to sue the city and demanded an investigation into claims that Councilmember Miguel Arias defamed her, discriminated against her and created a hostile work environment, letters obtained by The Bee reveal.

 

Sanctuary cities, ethnic diversity take center stage at first Fresno mayoral debate

Fresno Bee

Three candidates hoping to be Fresno’s next mayor squared off Saturday in the first public debate of their campaigns, each challenging their competitors’ ability to meet the needs of Fresno’s diverse communities.

 

2 years since its reopening, Fulton Street continues to develop

abc30

Mark Standriff with the City of Fresno says the reopening of Fulton Street has increased gross revenue and boosted the economy. "It has grown over 1,500% which is an amazing figure, so this kind of growth is just the beginning," he said.

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They chose rural Madera County to get away from the city. Now, the city is coming to them

Fresno Bee

The residents of Rolling Hills have long known their days of quiet isolation were numbered. For decades, the invisible threat to their tucked-away neighborhood in unincorporated Madera County three miles north of Fresno was known as Gateway Village.

 

Column: Devin Nunes sued a fake cow. And kept suing and suing and suing …

Los Angeles Times

This is a helpful corrective, I guess, because most people think of Nunes as the Trump lackey who sneaked into the White House in the middle of the night last year to receive information that he turned around and claimed to be presenting to Trump for the first time the next day.

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South SJ Valley:

 

Bakersfield to consider loosening parking restrictions downtown to spur development

Bakersfield Californian

In the city of Bakersfield’s ever-evolving quest to revitalize its downtown, local officials are considering loosening parking restrictions for developers in an attempt to bring more people to the city’s main hub.

 

New homes are on the rise in Bakersfield real estate market

Bakersfield Californian

New homes are on the upswing across Bakersfield as a shortage of resale properties, combined with financial incentives and creative amenity packages, persuades shoppers to take a second look at some of the city's newest neighborhoods.

 

Price: How we can untap Bakersfield's tourism potential

Bakersfield Californian

That story line ought to interest those who've wondered why Bakersfield, pop. 400,000, with its rich connection to American music history, has not fully exploited its own possibilities as a music Mecca and, in doing so, multiplied its tourism dollars.

 

Gaspar: Plenty of blame to go around in fiasco at Kern County Fair

Bakersfield Californian

The Kern County Fair was placed on a state financial watch list in 2013 by the Fairs and Expositions branch of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. And yet somehow the Bakersfield-based fair operated for six more years without CDFA oversight or audit.

 

Porterville 'comes out' 5 years after former mayor made headlines for homophobic comments

Visalia Times Delta

Monache High School students and Gay-Straight Alliance members flooded the Porterville City Council chambers on Tuesday to urge city leaders to support LGBT youth with a "historic" action.

 

State:

 

California relishes role as liberal trendsetter, Trump foe

Fresno Bee

The Democrats who rule California took on homegrown tech giants Uber and Lyft over their workforces, convinced some of the world's biggest automakers to buck the president on fuel emissions and passed a law that could change college sports nationwide.

 

Company at center of insurance commissioner’s contributions scandal sold without California approval

San Diego Union-Tribune

The insurance conglomerate behind tens of thousands of dollars in political donations to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has been sold — even though state regulators say they have not approved the transaction.

 

Walters: Banning not just a city’s name

CALMatters

The 1,042 bills that passed the Legislature and the 870 signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom included an extraordinary number that used the state’s police powers to prohibit activities deemed to violate the Capitol’s often unique sensibilities.
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Waning Confidence in the Electoral Process

Public Policy Institute of California

In our most recent survey, 36% of all adults and 42% of likely voters say that they have either a great deal (18% adults, 22% likely voters) or quite a lot (18% adults, 20% likely voters) of confidence in California’s electoral system.

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EDITORIAL: Our state legislators hit on some important issues with Newsom, but missed on others

Modesto Bee

It’s good to know that our state legislators, for the most part, are in tune with ills confronting our families, and that they’re trying to fix some of them. New laws passed in the year’s recently concluded legislative session are a step in the right direction.

 

Federal:

 

State Dept. Inquiry Into Clinton Emails Finds NO Deliberate Mishandling of Classified Info

New York Times

A yearslong State Department investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server found that while the use of the system for official business increased the risk of compromising classified information, there was no systemic or deliberate mishandling of classified information.

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Elections 2020:

 

Trump’s campaign is spending more on legal fees, paying 13 law firms in Q3

Sacramento Bee

Pres. Donald Trump’s re-election campaign spent more on lawyers in the past three months than in any other quarter this election cycle as he continues to grapple with a range of legal challenges.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins Bernie Sanders in New York City for first rally since heart attack

abc30

Basking in loud chants of "Bernie's back," Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders resumed campaigning weeks after being sidelined by a heart attack and told supporters he was ready to resume "the epic struggle" for the White House.

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Sluggish Fundraising Looms Over Biden’s Bid

Wall Street Journal

Joe Biden faces a distinct funding disadvantage against his major Democratic presidential rivals in the months leading up to contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, creating potential obstacles in his bid to challenge President Trump.

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Warren says she’ll detail costs of her health plan soon

Fresno Bee

Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren says she'll release details on how she'd pay for her "Medicare for All" plan in "the next few weeks."

 

Think Warren’s too liberal? Biden’s old news? Midwesterners Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar want to talk to you

Los Angeles Times

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., has been building a robust campaign infrastructure and raking in piles of campaign cash, and during last week’s debate he grabbed the spotlight with an aggressive challenge to Warren.

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Hillary Clinton appears to suggest Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian pawn; Gabbard fires back

Los Angeles Times

The Hawaii congresswoman fought back after Clinton appeared to call her “the favorite of the Russians” in a recent interview and said she believes the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate.”

 

Weather Channel to talk climate change with 2020 candidates

The Hill

The Weather Channel will air interviews with nine 2020 Republicans and Democrats discussing how they plan to tackle climate change. The hour-long special will review how candidates would address the ways climate change is impacting jobs, the economy, national security and extreme weather.

 

‘I cannot afford to be outraised.’ McClintock doubles his cash ahead of 2020 reelection fight

Sacramento Bee

Rep. Tom McClintock’s email to supporters on Sept. 26 sounded desperate. “The fundraising figures from this quarter will very likely determine whether this district is again targeted by Democrats,” the note read.

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Tech Workers Backing Candidates Looking to Break Up Their Employers

Brookings

Silicon Valley software engineers seem more loyal to the left wing of the Democratic Party than to their own employers. Elizabeth Warren is outpacing all candidates in contributions from Silicon Valley, according to FEC data.

 

Other:

 

Zuckerberg’s speech draws ire from 2020 candidates, civil rights advocates

Washington Post

The swift, broad nature of the criticism — including from the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — largely centered on Zuckerberg’s acknowledgment of the dangers of disinformation and the potential for an “erosion of truth” online, even as he defended Facebook’s rules that allow politicians, including President Trump, to lie in their election ads.

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As Local News Outlets Shutter, Rural America Suffers Most

Pew Trusts

Amid the steady decline in local news, some states are considering stepping in to support the Fourth Estate. But critics worry that doing so might undermine the press’s role as a government watchdog.

 

Most U.S. adults intend to participate in 2020 census, but some demographic groups aren’t sure

Pew Research

As the 2020 U.S. census approaches, Americans overwhelmingly are aware of it, and more than eight-in-ten (84%) say they definitely or probably will participate, a new Pew Research Center survey finds. Still, 16% express at least some uncertainty about responding.

 

 

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

 

Sunday, October 20, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: “California’s Concealed Carry Permits: The Wild West of Permitting?” – Guest: California State Auditor Elaine Howle. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, October 20, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “Concealed Carry Permits:  Are Valley Standards the​​ De Facto State Standards?” – Guests: Fresno Co Sheriff Margaret Mims, Tulare Co Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, Stanislaus Co Sheriff Adam Christianson. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

 

Sunday, October 20, at 7:30 a.m. on UniMas 61 (KTTF) – El Informe Maddy: “Indices de Reincidencia y Programas de Apoyo” – Invitado: Joe Hayes, Investigator del Instituto de Politicas Publicas de California, Esther Olmos and Anita Flores con Project Rebound de Fresno State. Presentado Por: Coordinadora del Programa del Maddy Institute, Maria Jeans.

 

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

 

This Trump Rule Change Will Mean Lower Wages for Farmworkers

KVPR

Temporary seasonal farmworkers will see wages decrease if a visa rule change proposed by the Trump administration goes through, and labor advocates worry that it also could lead to pay cuts for other domestic farmworkers.

 

California families at risk for hunger – while a third of crops left to rot on farms

Fresno Bee

Sanchez and her family are among the 22% of people in Fresno County who could not afford the groceries they needed in the past year. Fresno ranks third in the country for food insecurity, according to the Food Research and Action Center.

 

Most U.S. Dairy Cows Are Descended From Just 2 Bulls. That's Not Good

KVPR

Dairy farmers can go to this online catalog and pick a bull, and the company will ship doses of semen to impregnate their cows. "There's one bull — we figure he has well over a quarter-million daughters," Dechow says.

 

Lemoore Cheese Heist Worth $50,000 Lands Two Suspects In Jail

KVPR

Police in Kings County are tracking down the suspects believed to have been involved in stealing $50,000 worth of inventory from a Lemoore factory. The goods are cheese: Mozzarella, stolen from Leprino foods, one of the world’s largest mozzarella producers.

 

Farmersville gets first weed dispensary, set to open next week

Visalia Times Delta

Farmersville, much like its neighbor to the east — Woodlake — felt the city would greatly benefit from the tax revenue created by allowing the cannabis industry to bloom in their cities.

 

Gov. Newsom’s cautious approach on California marijuana bums out cannabis advocates

Los Angeles Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom led the campaign to legalize marijuana in California three years ago but has since angered some in the industry by refusing to allow pot in hospitals and outlawing its use on tour buses and in limousines.

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'A model of sustainable commerce': carbon footprint, grid concerns push SoCal weed industry to be more green

Desert Sun

Desert Hot Springs’ Canndescent is embracing commercial-scale solar as part of a movement to build a sustainable farming sector from the ground up.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Crime:

 

'Don't let this be real': Threats against Kern County schools concern parents; law enforcement assure each case is investigated

Bakersfield Californian

The following morning, an email from the school was sent to parents notifying them the BPD investigated the post and determined the threat was not credible — McCauley said the photo used in the post was taken off a Google search.

 

Another Tulare County sheriff's deputy arrested, accused of domestic violence

Visalia Times Delta

Sgt. Brandon Van Curen was booked Wednesday into Fresno County Jail after he was arrested Monday by Kingsburg police. Van Curen is the second deputy to be arrested this fall.

 

California braces for deluge of child sex-assault lawsuits under new state law

Stockton Record

The new law, sponsored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, and that takes effect Jan. 1, raises the statute of limitations to 40 years of age, or up to five years after discovery. The law also opens a three-year window that allows victims of any age to sue on previously expired claims.

 

5 facts about crime in the U.S.

Pew Research

Violent crime in the U.S. has fallen sharply over the past quarter century. The two most commonly cited sources of crime statistics in the U.S. both show a substantial decline in the violent crime rate since it peaked in the early 1990s.

 

Public Safety:

 

Gavin Newsom pardons 3 Californians to spare them from deportation

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom pardoned three people to spare them from deportation Friday, arguing they reformed their lives after making mistakes when they were young and should not be sent out of the country.

 

Homeless Californians Who Commit Minor Crimes Could Get Treatment Instead Of Jail Under Proposed Ballot Measure

Capital Public Radio

Homeless people in California convicted of drug crimes or charges such as indecent exposure or defecating in public could be sentenced to treatment instead of jail time under a proposed ballot measure.

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Despite Lack of City Funding, A Father’s Quest To Lower Gun Violence In Fresno Gets Results

KVPR

If a street is quiet that’s a sign tension is brewing, Foster said. He asks around to see if anyone was beefing the night before because fights can turn into murder, he said. He also monitors social media posts to see if there are any threats of violence.

 

Share of Americans who favor stricter gun laws has increased since 2017

Pew Research

Despite deep partisan divisions on the issue, there has been a modest rise in support for stricter gun laws in the United States since 2017, a new Pew Research Center survey has found.

 

Following horrific tragedies, new hotline supports victims within Bakersfield’s Sikh community

VPR

Advocates in Kern County are working to address family violence in the Sikh community by providing a new resource hotline in both English and Punjabi.

 

Multiple earthquakes have hit Central California. What does this mean for the Big One?

Sacramento Bee

Multiple earthquakes have rattled Central California in the last few days. The activity, so close to the 30th anniversary of the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake, has left people wondering: Is it time to worry about the Big One?

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Fire:

 

70,000 California Wildfire Victims May Miss Out On Payments

Capital Public Radio

As many as 100,000 Californians are eligible to receive payments for the damages they suffered from a series of devastating wildfires over the last several years. But tens of thousands of them have not sought compensation.

 

PG&E CEO: It Could Be A Decade Until Utility Won't Need Power Shutoffs

Capital Public Radio

California's top regulator excoriated top executives of the state's largest utility even as Pacific Gas & Electric repeatedly said they know they failed to meet public expectations when the company cut the power to more than 2 million people last week.

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ECONOMY/JOBS

 

Economy:

 

More than 100 million young adults are still living in extreme poverty

Brookings

The energy, dreams, and demands of the world’s youth (young adults aged 15-24) can be the drivers of massive political, societal and economic shifts. But what of the youth whose energies will be channeled instead only towards eking out an existence rather than rallying global public opinion?

 

California has reformed consumer loan interest rates. But will lenders find loopholes?

CalMatters

The people of California, through their legislature and governor, just decided to end a decades-long, unbridled fleecing of millions of the state’s borrowers. Some predatory lenders, however, may launch a scheme that could, for their companies, effectively overturn that sovereign decision.

 

Opinion: Could CalSavers be good for your business?

Business Journal

Senate Bill 1234 requires private sector employers to either provide an employee retirement savings plan, or give workers access to the new California Retirement Savings Program called CalSavers.

 

Opinion: Private equity is a driving force for economic opportunity

Roll Call

In total, private equity-backed businesses paid out $600 billion in wages and benefits last year, and another $1.1 billion in wages and benefits were generated by suppliers and related consumer spending.

 

Jobs:

 

Record number of people working in Fresno, Valley. But what kind of jobs?

Fresno Bee

More people were working last month in Fresno County, and fewer people were out of work, than at any time in at least 30 years – a combination that drove the unemployment rate in September to its lowest point in decades.

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This Trump Rule Change Will Mean Lower Wages for Farmworkers

KVPR

Temporary seasonal farmworkers will see wages decrease if a visa rule change proposed by the Trump administration goes through, and labor advocates worry that it also could lead to pay cuts for other domestic farmworkers.

 

H-1B: Uber snatches up more foreign-worker visas as it lays off hundreds of employees

Mercury News

Uber has doubled the number of government approvals it has received to hire foreign workers through the controversial H-1B visa this year, while laying off hundreds of skilled employees, state and federal data show.

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EDUCATION

 

K-12:

 

Students from all over California battle it out in annual robotics competition

Fresno Bee

FIRST – which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, an organization founded in 1989 to promote youth interest in STEM fields – holds regional engineering contests that pit student engineers against each other, and this year’s Capital City Classic contest included more than 40 teams from California.

 

CEO of embattled Inspire charter schools resigns

Fresno Bee

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the resignation last week of Herbert Nichols comes after seven California county schools superintendents requested the state audit the Inspire network for potential fraud.

 

BHS Parent Center helps non-native English speakers get involved in their children's education

Bakersfield Californian

It doesn't just have to be the wrong address listed that has some parents in the dark when it comes to their child's education. Language barriers, lack of knowledge or even fear make it more difficult for them to effectively help their children.

 

For better student outcomes, hire more Black teachers

Brookings

So, if you fire a whole bunch of Black teachers—as education reformers did with devastating effect in New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and Newark, New Jersey, around the time of the recession—that’s going to have ripple effects on their families and communities.

 

California becomes first state in the country to push back school start times

Los Angeles Times

California will become the first state in the nation to mandate later start times at middle and high schools under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, a proposal designed to improve educational outcomes by giving students more sleep.

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Higher Ed:

 

Why CA Didn’t Overhaul Student Aid This Year — But Could Soon

Capital Public Radio

It has long been a refrain among California students struggling to pay for housing, food and textbooks: There’s more to the high cost of college than tuition. Early this year, as state lawmakers convened, hopes were high that finally, California was listening.

 

CSU graduation rates improve but still far from some goals

EdSource

Graduation rates for the entire 23-campus California State University rose again slightly this year as the sprawling system tried to remove roadblocks to completion, hire more faculty and speed students along.

 

Policing Postsecondary Campuses

EdNote

At the state level, a large subset of recently introduced bills address campus police, with the majority focusing on establishing campus police forces or providing benefits for campus police officers. Here are a few examples.

 

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

 

Environment:

 

Bakersfield to consider loosening parking restrictions downtown to spur development

Bakersfield Californian

In the city of Bakersfield’s ever-evolving quest to revitalize its downtown, local officials are considering loosening parking restrictions for developers in an attempt to bring more people to the city’s main hub.

 

Nasty letters. Funding threats. Here’s why California’s clean air fight with the feds matters

CalMatters

California's latest clean air fight with Trump's EPA is about more than backlogged paperwork — but it likely won't hurt the state's federal transportation funding anytime soon.

 

Can U.S. consumers save paper recycling, one straw or TV dinner tray at a time?

Los Angeles Times

On one hand, the rise of paper straws is a brazen case of greenwashing, since straws make up only a tiny share of waste. On the other, the proliferation of paper and bamboo straws marked the beginning of a larger commercial pivot away from plastic.

 

Trees That Survived California Drought May Hold Clue To Climate Resilience

NPR

But some trees did survive the test of heat and drought. Now, scientists are racing to collect them, and other species around the globe, in the hope that these "climate survivors" have a natural advantage that will allow them to better cope with a warming world.

 

Energy:

 

There’s a new sheriff at the California Public Utilities Commission. PG&E better shape up

Los Angeles Times

There’s a new sheriff in town to regulate utilities and force them to toe the line in wildfire prevention and power shutdowns. She’s Marybel Batjer, whom Gov. Gavin Newsom recently appointed president of the California Public Utilities Commission. They don’t come much better in government.

 

Commentary: In the transition away from gas, California must not leave low-income people behind

CalMatters

California has passed dozens of laws designed to create a 21st Century clean energy economy, earning a reputation as a global climate leader in the process. But this work does not end with the governor’s stroke of a pen. In fact, implementation of our clean energy future has just begun.

 

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

 

Health:

 

Gusty winds cause health concerns for Valley residents with respiratory issues

Visalia Times Delta

San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District officials issued a health cautionary statement Saturday for San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties.

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‘We have to be vigilant.’ Breast cancer fighters and their supporters hit streets

Modesto Bee

A crowd estimated at more than 3,000 people put on a lot of pink — shirts, skirts, boas, bandannas, capes and more — in Modesto’s ninth annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event Sunday.

 

Vaping is an increasing problem among young people. Here’s how we stop it

Sacramento Bee

In the last decades of the 20th century, society waged a political and cultural war to keep young people away from the health risks of tobacco. Today, a similar battle is underway against the next generation of smokers to discourage the use of e-cigarettes.

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CBDs: a ‘Wild West’ of wild claims

San Diego Union-Tribune

Relatively unknown just a few years ago, CBD-infused balms, said to help relieve pain and anxiety, now are prominently displayed at CVS pharmacies and Sprouts groceries. CBD shops have opened in Old Town and Pacific Beach, while CBD tinctures, bath salts, vaping cartridges, transdermal patches and other items are hawked at gas stations, farmer’s markets and across the internet.

 

Committee pitches concept to settle all opioid lawsuits

Fresno Bee

A committee guiding OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy has suggested other drugmakers, distributors and pharmacy chains use Purdue's bankruptcy proceedings to settle more than 2,000 lawsuits seeking to hold the drug industry accountable for the national opioid crisis.

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Sweet excess: How the baby food industry hooks toddlers on sugar, salt and fat

Washington Post

Leading health organizations recently released their first consensus recommendations about what young children should be drinking: only breast milk or, if necessary, infant formula until a baby is 6 months old, with water introduced around then and plain cow’s milk at around their first birthday.

 

Human Services:

 

What’s needed for Valley medical school? About $25 million, feeder programs and more

Modesto Bee

A coalition for medical education convened in Modesto on Wednesday and discussed what it will take to establish a University of California medical school serving the San Joaquin Valley.

 

Valley fever researcher receives $100,000 donation for development of NikZ

Bakersfield Californian

Developing a drug that could provide better treatment for severe cases of Valley fever isn't cheap. In fact, millions of dollars have been put into the development and manufacturing of NikkomycinZ, which has proven itself to be effective in the treatment of Valley fever.

 

Mom-and-Pop Pharmacies Say California’s Lower Drug Reimbursement Rates Are Putting Them In the Red

Capital Public Radio

After California began implementing the new reimbursement rates in February, some pharmacies started getting less money back from the state when they submitted claims for these patients.

 

Often lost in health care debate, lack of dental insurance impacts millions

Fresno Bee

While efforts to expand dental insurance rarely receive the same level of attention in the state as battles over universal medical care, the health implications are significant, experts say. An estimated 5.2 million Californians lack dental benefits.

 

IMMIGRATION

 

California extends new protections to immigrants under laws signed by Newsom

Los Angeles Times

California lawmakers continued the state’s expansion of rights and protections this year for immigrants who enter the country illegally, with laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom allowing them to serve on government boards and commissions and banning arrests for immigration violations in courthouses across the state.

 

Most Republicans & Democrats agree: Immigrants make the U.S. a better place to live

Los Angeles Times

More than 80% of registered voters in the state concur with that opinion, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times. About 92% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans are in agreement.

 

Trump Administration’s Scaledown of Refugee Program Is Built to Endure

Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration’s decision to reduce this year’s refugee cap to a record-low 18,000 people is just one step in its broader plan to shrink the program and make it harder for any future administration to quickly resume accepting refugees.

 

LAND USE/HOUSING

 

Land Use:

 

2 years since its reopening, Fulton Street continues to develop

abc30

Mark Standriff with the City of Fresno says the reopening of Fulton Street has increased gross revenue and boosted the economy. "It has grown over 1,500% which is an amazing figure, so this kind of growth is just the beginning," he said.

See also:

 

They chose rural Madera County to get away from the city. Now, the city is coming to them

Fresno Bee

The residents of Rolling Hills have long known their days of quiet isolation were numbered. For decades, the invisible threat to their tucked-away neighborhood in unincorporated Madera County three miles north of Fresno was known as Gateway Village.

 

What else is going in around Modesto’s new Save Mart? Restaurants and more planned

Modesto Bee

Construction on The Marketplace, a new shopping center at the corner of Oakdale Road and Sylvan Avenue, has been underway for close to two years. And, let me tell you, for almost that long people have been asking me what else is coming into the complex.

 

Oildale parks could soon be under scrutiny under new program aimed at increasing usage

Bakersfield Californian

They are pitch black during the night, and cleaning crews often cannot keep up with the steady flow of used syringes and drug paraphernalia used by individuals — homeless or otherwise — who have been a constant presence in the parks over the last year.

 

County vows Rathbun branch library in Oildale will reopen — better than ever

Bakersfield Californian

So when the Kern County Rathbun Branch Library on China Grade Loop in Oildale unceremoniously closed its doors "temporarily" last spring, some families suffered the loss more than others.

 

Housing:

 

New homes are on the rise in Bakersfield real estate market

Bakersfield Californian

New homes are on the upswing across Bakersfield as a shortage of resale properties, combined with financial incentives and creative amenity packages, persuades shoppers to take a second look at some of the city's newest neighborhoods.

 

Facing a deepening housing crisis, Gov. Newsom says he’s still ‘pleased’ with his work on it

Los Angeles Times

Now at the end of the first legislative year of his term, many of Newsom’s highest-profile initiatives to speed housing production, boost the state’s authority over development decisions and increase private funding for affordable housing have stalled or failed.

 

Podcast: The case for local control over housing

CalMatters

Cities and homeowner groups — often reluctant to allow the building of denser housing in their backyards — are frequently blamed for California’s soaring housing costs.

 

PUBLIC FINANCES

 

Prop. 13 overhaul gets friendly summary from California Attorney General

San Francisco Chronicle

A new effort to revise California’s landmark Proposition 13 would boost taxes on large corporations and businesses, but opponents are complaining that’s almost an afterthought in the state attorney general’s new title and summary of the proposed initiative.

 

Tax penalty returns next year. But health coverage will cost less in Stanislaus County

Modesto Bee

Middle income residents for the first time are eligible for financial help to lower health insurance costs, as the enrollment window opens for Covered California health plans for 2020.

 

Supreme Court to Consider Structure of Consumer Finance Watchdog

Wall Street Journal

The Supreme Court will review whether the leadership structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is constitutional, a case that could give the president more power over independent government agencies.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

High-speed rail work could affect your freeway commute. Where, when is it scheduled?

Fresno Bee

A short stretch of Highway 99 at the south end of Fresno will be closed at night for about six weeks as construction crews extend a viaduct over the freeway for future high-speed rail tracks.

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State Senator blasts plan to cut millions from Valley highways. Newsom denies critics’ claims

Fresno Bee

State Sen. Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno, who represents a large swath of the central San Joaquin Valley, said he’s baffled by new state-level plans that could take money from highway projects that voters support.

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Fresno partnership allows mobile pay for parking

Business Journal

The City of Fresno has announced a partnership with ParkMobile, a provider of smart parking and mobility solutions. The result of this partnership will be the implementation of the ParkMobile app, allowing drivers to pay for parking from their mobile devices.

 

Six decades later, dirt finally flies on rerouting of 132 west from Modesto

Modesto Bee

Officials gathered Friday on a bare patch of dirt to celebrate the start of construction on the Highway 132 rerouting west from Modesto. The long-awaited project will take three miles of the state highway off Maze Boulevard and move it close to Kansas Avenue.

 

Driving past school buses with flashing red lights? Here’s what it could cost you

Sacramento Bee

California law requires drivers traveling in either direction to stop when buses flash red lights. Violations may result in fines as much as $1,000 and a driver’s license suspension of up to one year.

 

WATER

 

State Water Board Approves Central Valley Plan to Address Drinking Water Pollution

Community Water Center

The condition of approval, via a resolution, directs the Central Valley Regional Water Board to make significant revisions to the Amendment to better protect communities from unsafe drinking water now and into the future.

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“Xtra”

 

How to watch the Orionid meteor shower peak this week

abc30

The Orionid meteor shower will reach its peak this year on the night of Oct. 21 and 22. The best time to view the shower is after midnight when the constellation Orion, where the meteors appear to originate, rises high above the horizon, according to AccuWeather.

 

Gallery: Tulare Fire Department hosts pancake breakfast, open house

Visalia Times Delta

As part of National Fire Prevention Week, Tulare Fire Department hosted a pancake breakfast and open house at Fire Station 61 on Blackstone Street. Tulare Kiwanis served up hundreds of pancakes – including Mickey Mouse pancakes – to residents.

 

Modesto ain’t afraid of no ghosts. Businesses, landmarks share their haunted lore

Modesto Bee

It’s no mystery that Halloween is big business. Last year Americans spent some $9 billion during spooky season. But for some Modesto businesses and landmarks, Halloween is just business as usual.

 

Sequoia Symphony To Open Season With 'Indiana Jones'

KVPR

The Sequoia Symphony Orchestra opens their 2019-2020 season with a live performance of the film “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” at the Visalia Fox Theatre on Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19.

 

Dust Bowl Festival a country mix of music, food and local history

Bakersfield Californian

The Dust Bowl Migration, he said, not only transplanted thousands of Americans from the South and Midwest to California, it helped transplant an entire culture, in music, in food, in attitude. And the festival has been a celebration of that economic and cultural migration for three decades.

 

Via Arte, like a flower, is temporary but beautiful

Bakersfield Californian

Spend some time watching artists at Via Arte, the annual Italian street painting festival put on by the Bakersfield Museum of Art, and it soon becomes clear how much work goes into producing each piece.

 

 

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Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.

 

The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno 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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