Maddy Institute – September 15, 2021

15Sep

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Sept. 15: Stanislaus adds just 1 death, 229 positive tests Modesto Bee

● Hospitals in Stanislaus County are overrun with COVID-19 patients. Most are unvaccinated Modesto Bee

● New data reveals how many younger people in Stanislaus County are dying of COVID-19 Modesto Bee

Turlock to again hire an acting city manager. Leadership turnover continues

Modesto Bee

The Turlock City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to appoint an acting city manager because Interim City Manager Sarah Eddy took a medical leave of absence, per a staff report.

See also:

● City manager carousel continues Turlock Journal

● Council votes to reduce transit fares Turlock Journal

Construction Derby

Turlock Journal

A recently approved housing project near the edge of town is set to add even more new homes to the city’s growing number of parcels.

Supervisors to consider County budget with staffing increases

Turlock Journal

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors next Tuesday will consider the 2021-2022 Recommended Final Budget, which aims to increase funding for services impacted by the pandemic.

Stanislaus DA Fladager won’t run for re-election. How she plans to stay with Peterson case

Modesto Bee

Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager announced Tuesday she will not seek a fifth term next year.

Modesto City Schools set equity goals in spring. When will leaders report progress?

Modesto Bee

School leaders have set concrete steps to provide students in Modesto’s largest district with equitable access to education.

Plan laid to hire mental health care workers for Stanislaus schools, with focus on Latinos

Modesto Bee

Spanish speakers soon will be placed in Stanislaus County schools as mental health care outreach workers and clinicians to fill what local officials and numerous reports call an urgent service gap.

MID threatened funding for kids program at Tuolumne River Trust. How did it turn out?

Modesto Bee

The Modesto Irrigation District will keep funding a children’s program at the Tuolumne River Trust, despite unease over some of the group’s other work.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Fresno Democrats call on Mayor Dyer to enact vaccine mandate for city employees Fresno Bee

● Nursing help keeps Fresno County from rationing care, but hospitals at COVID ‘tipping point’ Fresno Bee

● Fresno County averaging 400 to 600 new COVID cases daily. Valley ICUs remain burdened Fresno Bee

● COVID infections jump among students across Tulare County, VUSD sees drop in quarantines Visalia Times Delta

Why are Fresno County staffers under scrutiny ahead of CA recall election?

Fresno Bee

Fresno County elections workers, who are collecting and processing recall ballots, have drawn the attention of daily observers who question the process, according to Registrar of Voters James Kus.

Fresno Mayor Dyer vetoes union construction jobs deal. He says it’s ‘discriminatory’

Fresno Bee

Mayor Jerry Dyer on Monday vetoed an agreement recently passed by the Fresno City Council that gave city construction projects to union workers and apprentices, saying the agreement as written does not prioritize local hiring as intended.

See also:

● Mayor Dyer Vetoes Fresno Project Labor Agreement Business Journal

Human sex trafficking survivors struggle to find jobs. Will this Fresno effort help?

Fresno Bee

On Tuesday, Garcia gathered with Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Police Chief Paco Balderrama, and human trafficking support group, Breaking the Chains, to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 262 into law.

‘We are left out.’ Are social services moving away from west Fresno? Some residents say yes

Fresno Bee

Braggs and dozens more west Fresno residents are raising alarms about what they say is the erosion of social services offered at the West Fresno Regional Center, which has been in their community for about 17 years.

3 Fresno school districts rank among the Top 10 best reading scores in California

Fresno Bee

Three of the 10 best California schools for teaching reading are in Fresno County, according to a new report card from the California Reading Coalition. Kingsburg Elementary Charter (No. 3), Clovis Unified (No. 4), and Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified (No. 8) were in the state’s Top 10.

Fresno State changes COVID reporting policy for some cases. What students should know

Fresno Bee

Fresno State will change how it reports possible campus-related infections after several complaints that students were kept in the dark about many classroom infections.

Warszawski: A drama on four corners: No end in sight to Fresno protests over Tower Theatre sale

Fresno Bee

In the Tower District, Fresno’s most compelling drama occurs outside the namesake theater. The performance takes place every Sunday morning — 36 weeks running — at the intersection of Wishon and Olive avenues.

Tulare County introduces mental health response teams

Sun Gazette

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) and Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) say they’ve seen a steady increase in mental health crises over the last two years. The two agencies now plan to develop a co-response team to safely and effectively de-escalate mental health crisis situations.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Hospital emergency rooms are not COVID-19 testing sites, say local hospital officials Bakersfield Californian

● National Guard deployed to Kern County amid third coronavirus surge to relieve strain on local staff Bakersfield Californian

Study finds local oil field wastewater safe for use in irrigation

Bakersfield Californian

Central Valley water-quality regulators released a final report Friday concluding oil field wastewater from central Kern County, when blended with other water sources, can safely be used to irrigate a variety of locally grown crops.

Kern County sues Newsom claiming he 'violated the California Constitution' regarding oil

Bakersfield Now

Today, the County of Kern announced the county has "sued Governor Gavin Newsom for violating the California Constitution and disregarding multiple State laws."

ICE transferred 17 immigrants between Kern County detention centers. Was it retaliation?

Fresno Bee

More than a dozen people were transferred from one federal immigration detention center in Kern County to another last week — a move that two detained immigrants and their attorneys are labeling as an act of retaliation by U.S. ICE.

State:

COVID Update:

● COVID rates vary widely by region in California, 3 months after end of restrictions Fresno Bee

● See how many people in California are vaccinated, and find a COVID vaccine appointment Sacramento Bee

● Unvaccinated California state workers to take COVID tests under eye of their managers Sacramento Bee

● California Democrats considering more COVID vaccine rules on top of Biden order Sacramento Bee

● California coronavirus cases dropping, CDC says Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: California vaccine mandates aren't good enough. UCSF's Jeanne Noble and Maria Raven on what we need. Now San Francisco Chronicle

● Are COVID Policies Affecting Approval Ratings? Public Policy Institute of California

How Fresno, Merced counties voted so far, as Gavin Newsom prevails over recall

Fresno Bee

The recall won in many central San Joaquin Valley counties, bucking the statewide support of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The race was called for Newsom by 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to Associated Press.

● California recall fails; Gov. Gavin Newsom stays in office Visalia Times Delta

● California recall: Elder humbles GOP veterans and blows past other celebrity candidates Visalia Times Delta

● California Gov. Gavin Newsom beats back GOP-led recall Bakersfield Californian

● Central Valley voters deeply split over California Gov. recall effort abc30

● Gov. Newsom Keeps His Seat As A Majority Of California Voters Reject The Recall VPR

● Gavin Newsom defeats California recall election in historic vote Sacramento Bee

● Gavin Newsom used threat of COVID, Larry Elder to defeat recall Sacramento Bee

● ‘We said yes to ending this pandemic.’ Gavin Newsom makes victory speech in Sacramento Sacramento Bee

● California overwhelmingly rejects recall, keeps Newsom as governor Los Angeles Times

● Live Election Results Should Gov. Gavin Newsom be recalled? Los Angeles Times

● Newsom recall election tests the California dream Los Angeles Times

● Editorial: A sigh of relief for California as Newsom prevails in the recall election Los Angeles Times

● Newsom beats back GOP-led recall that threatened California Democrats’ agenda Mercury News

● Newsom Survives California Recall Vote and Will Remain Governor New York Times

● California Recall Election Results New York Times

● Newsom overwhelmingly defeats California recall attempt CalMatters

● California Gov. Gavin Newsom defeats the recall effort to remove him from office Washington Post

● California Gov. Gavin Newsom Wins Recall Election Wall Street Journal

● ‘Am I on drugs?’ These 7 California recall moments had people wondering Politico

Newsom crushed the recall campaign. Now Democrats want to change the rules

Sacramento Bee

Those who want to see the recall process reformed argue that it’s too easy to trigger such an election, and the way the ballot is set up is unfair because it allows for a candidate with a small portion of the total votes to win office.

● As recall campaign closes, Californians might be ready to change the system Los Angeles Times

● As California Votes, It Rethinks Its Tradition of Direct Democracy New York Times

● Walters: Are recall system changes reforms or power grab? CalMatters

California recall: The 2022 campaign, particularly for Newsom, starts now

Visalia Times Delta

Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to keep his job after months spent lambasting the recall as a Republican power grab; feverishly fundraising, wooing likely supporters and wrangling fractious progressive activists.

●

● Larry Elder concedes California recall election to Gavin Newsom, vows to carry on movement Sacramento Bee

● It’s now Larry Elder’s California GOP. What’s his next move? Los Angeles Times

● Column: Win or lose, Larry Elder could bring about a new era of Black conservatism Los Angeles Times

● Op-Ed: The GOP is now a zombie of the party that triumphed in the 2003 recall Los Angeles Times

● The recall lost. Will these candidates take on Gavin Newsom again next year? Sacramento Bee

● Editorial: The recall failed, but giant issues remain for Gavin Newsom. Welcome to ‘Crisis California’ Sacramento Bee

● Recall election nears, but California’s widening, ugly political divide here to stay Los Angeles Times

● Newsom beat the recall. Will he take any lessons from it? Los Angeles Times

● Lessons from a landslide: Key takeaways from California’s recall circus San Francisco Examiner

● 5 takeaways from Newsom’s big win in California’s recall election Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: Newsom’s winning recall strategy offers a playbook for Democrats in 2022 Washington Post

● 5 takeaways after Gov. Gavin Newsom prevails in California recall CNN

● Track the millions funding the campaign to recall California’s governor Los Angeles Times

California’s 2022 midterm election could have nationwide consequences. What voters should know

Sacramento Bee

California voters watched the recall election results roll in Tuesday, determining which governor will lead them for the next year. Those ballots are just a precursor to the next election that will shape the state’s and nation’s future out of Washington, D.C.

Trump falsely calls recall ‘rigged’ on Election Day. Why did he stay out of Newsom race?

Sacramento Bee

The former president said the election was “probably rigged” in an interview on conservative television news outlet Newsmax last week and added that Democrats were good at rigging elections that used mail-in ballots.

● Examining the conspiracy theories, legal threats and Trump fraud claims in the California recall Los Angeles Times

● The voter fraud claims that threaten to undermine trust in the democratic process Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: Newsom crushed the recall. Let the phony fraud investigations begin Los Angeles Times

● As Newsom leads California recall polls, Larry Elder pushes baseless fraud claims NBC

‘Code red:’ Biden urges Congress to address climate change after touring California wildfires

Sacramento Bee

Mixing policy with politics on his first California visit since taking office, President Joe Biden flew to Sacramento on Monday for a tour of wildfire-ravaged El Dorado County before heading south to campaign with Gov. Gavin Newsom against the gubernatorial recall election.

● Charred trees, destroyed homes — Biden tours wildfire danger during California trip Los Angeles Times

● In California, Worsening Fires Show Limits of Biden’s Power New York Times

● Biden Campaigns for Newsom, Views Wildfire Damage in Western Swing Wall Street Journal

● Walters: Wildfires ignite California insurance crisis CalMatters

● Opinion: Wildfire insurance isn’t working for California anymore. It’s time for this new approach Sacramento Bee

● Climate change, inequality and a recall vote: How the French Laundry embodies California Washington Post

Opinion: Why California’s slavery reparations task force has the power to transform us all

Los Angeles Times

Unless your school experience was atypical, you probably weren’t taught about the history of slavery in California. That could change for future generations, thanks in part to a new state task force in California.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● At-home COVID test costs are eligible for reimbursement, IRS says. Here’s what to know Sacramento Bee

● Fauci: COVID vaccines for younger children could be authorized sometime this fall Mercury News

● COVID infections rise, wiping out months of progress Mercury News

● Why COVID cases are climbing across the U.S., and how vaccinations are playing a role Fresno Bee

● Covid-19 Cases Climbing, Wiping Out Months Of Progress Business Journal

● 1 in 500 U.S. residents has died of Covid-19 Mercury News

● The pandemic marks another grim milestone: 1 in 500 Americans have died of covid-19 Washington Post

● Covid-19 Deaths in Delta Surge Trend Younger in U.S. Wall Street Journal

● Do Americans support Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate? Here’s what a new poll found Fresno Bee

● Biden goes further than Newsom in vaccine mandate for public employees: No exception for tests Sacramento Bee

● Biden to Meet With Top Executives on Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate Wall Street Journal

● Most Americans Now Want Vaccine Mandates For Planes, Hotels And Restaurants, Per Gallup Forbes

● 60 percent support Biden vaccine mandates: poll The Hill

● Axios-Ipsos poll: 60% of voters back Biden vaccine mandates Axios

● The vaccine divide will drive even worse economic divides Brookings

● Biden Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate Faces Arizona Legal Challenge Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Will Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Hold Up? Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Let the Courts Speak on Covid Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Risk and duty: A conservative argument for getting vaccinated AEI

What’s in the Democratic Tax Proposal?

Wall Street Journal

House Democrats on Monday released the full details of their plan to pay for a bevy of new social programs aimed at expanding access to paid family leave, education and healthcare, and combating climate change.

See also:

● Democrats Release Details of Proposed Tax Increase Wall Street Journal

● House Democrats Consider 26.5% Corporate Tax Rate Wall Street Journal

● Editorital: Here Comes the Biden Tax Bill Wall Street Journal

● Editorial: Democrats Blink on Carried Interest Wall Street Journal

● Democrats seek corporate, wealthy tax hikes for $3.5T plan The Business Journal

● Democratic Tax Plan Would Hit Million-Dollar Households Hardest, Analysis Shows Wall Street Journal

● Estate Taxes Are Easy to Avoid. House Democrats Want to Change That Wall Street Journal

Democrats Hear Conflicting Messages From Voters on $3.5 Trillion Plan

Wall Street Journal

The competing interests within this one district in central Virginia highlight the challenges Democrats face as they try to squeeze through climate provisions and a vast expansion of the country’s safety net through a legislative gantlet.

● Opinion: When Politicians Talk About Infrastructure Wall Street Journal

● What to know about the big budget battles in Congress Washington Post

● Republicans warn reconciliation may stall bipartisan R&D proposals Roll Call

● In response to Western drought, a flood of legislation Roll Call

● Senate Democrats prepare to tweak House reconciliation package Roll Call

● Three questions about the Democratic spending plan American Enterprise Institute

An Independent Review of the 2020 Census Results Found No Major Irregularities

VPR

An independent panel of researchers said it has found no major irregularities in the 2020 census results that were used to reallocate congressional seats and Electoral College votes for the next decade.

See also:

● Opinion: Is Racial Gerrymandering Going Out of Style? Wall Street Journal

As the largest-ever U.S. climate bill inches forward, a lobbying frenzy ensues

Washington Post

The prospect of a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending bill has sparked a lobbying frenzy in Congress, as lawmakers zero in this week on a measure that could reshape the nation’s energy system.

Covid-19 Likely to Overshadow Afghanistan, Abortion Rights and Spending Plans in Midterm Elections

Wall Street Journal

Even with Afghanistan, abortion rights and multitrillion-dollar domestic-spending proposals competing for attention, the trajectory of the pandemic and which party’s approach would be more effective at taming it remain the top concerns for voters.

Justice Department Asks Federal Judge to Quickly Block Texas Abortion Law

Wall Street Journal

The Justice Department asked a federal judge to block a restrictive Texas abortion law temporarily while its lawsuit challenging the state’s near-ban on the procedure moves forward.

Senate Democrats Unite Behind Revised Elections Legislation

Wall Street Journal

A group of Senate Democrats unveiled revised elections legislation that aims to ease voters’ access to the polls, a proposal that is expected to unite the party but not draw sufficient Republican support to advance.

Most Republicans want Trump as the GOP's leader but are divided about whether he'd help them retake the White House

CNN

Most Republicans want former President Trump to remain their party's leader, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. But differing views about Trump's role in the party -- and his strength as a future presidential nominee -- highlight divides within the GOP.

Filibuster reform is coming—here’s how

Brookings

“Despite majorities in both houses of Congress that have expressed support for voting rights legislation, the Senate filibuster stands in the way.”

How today’s politics is a throwback — to the 1890s

Roll Call

We are now in a period of intense partisanship and polarization, with each party painting the other as extreme, untrustworthy and even dangerous.

AEI Polling Report: Biden’s summer slump, the evolution of opinions on Afghanistan, abortion attitudes over time and in Texas, party prospects, tracking Trump’s support, the pumpkin spice of ordinary life

AEI

President Biden has lost ground on several important fronts in recent months. His approval rating currently stands at 43 percent, down from 50 percent in April of this year (NBC News).

Opinion: Ways and Means Committee poised to consider harmful e-cigarette tax

AEI

The House Ways and Means Committee is now poised to consider a proposal that would impose a new federal e-cigarette tax. The committee should heed the mounting evidence that e-cigarette taxes have the deadly side-effect of increasing smoking.

Opinion: When Politics Isn’t About Principle

New York Times

In Employment Division v. Smith, a case decided by the Supreme Court in 1990, Justice Antonin Scalia led the majority in ruling that the State of Oregon was allowed to deny unemployment benefits to two men fired from their jobs after ingesting peyote.

Other:

Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That’s Exempt.

Wall Street Journal

Mark Zuckerberg has publicly said Facebook Inc. allows its more than three billion users to speak on equal footing with the elites of politics, culture and journalism, and that its standards of behavior apply to everyone, no matter their status or fame.

Willie Brown: The Inside Man

New York Times

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has attended almost every Democratic National Convention since 1960. He’s had a unique view on the evolving influence of African-Americans on U.S. politics.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, September 19, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "Little Hoover Commission Report: California's Digital Divide" - Guest: Pedro Nava, Chairman - California Little Hoover Commission. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, September 19, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: “Closing the Valley's Digital Divide and the Promise of Telemedicine"- Guests: Dr. Casey Gray, Kaiser; Laurence Du Sault, Mercury News/CalMatters; Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula; Barb Yellowlees, CETF. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

California bill aims to protect farmworkers from smoke. Some say it ‘isn’t going to help’

Fresno Bee

Some are now pushing for a bill moving through the California legislature that would give farmworkers reliable access to a steady stockpile of N95 masks, which protect against exposure to smoke.

Here’s why your food prices keep going up

Washington Post

Before the pandemic, most people didn’t think much about where food came from, how much it traveled or how it was assembled. Certain industry phrases have underscored rising grocery bills over the past 18 months.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Public Safety:

Five Bills to Make California Streets Healthier and Safer

NRDC

The California Legislature passed five key bills that collectively represent a sea change for our roads and highways that will make them safer, more fair and more conducive to getting around in climate-friendly ways.

Data-driven policing’s threat to our constitutional rights

Brookings

“Big-data technology lets police become aggressively more proactive.” But this data can be biased, unreliable, or simply false. Unquestioned reliance on data can hypercharge discriminatory harms from over-policing and the school-to-prison pipeline.

Fire:

Update: Maps show where the KNP Complex Fire continues to burn in Sequoia National Park

Fresno Bee

A pair of wildfires continue to burn in Sequoia National Park, 80 miles southeast of Fresno. Combined, the KNP Complex Fire has burned 5,861 acres, according to an update from the National Park Service on Tuesday.

● Sheriff orders new evacuations in Three Rivers due to KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park Fresno Bee

● Additional evacuation warning issued for Three Rivers area Visalia Times Delta

● Tulare County proclaims local emergency over KNP Complex, Windy fires Visalia Times Delta

● Fires shut Sequoia National Park, could threaten huge trees Business Journal

● KNP Complex Fire Grows, More Evacuations, Three Rivers Polling Place Becomes Incident Command Center VPR

● KNP Complex fire threatening Sequoia National Park grows fivefold, forcing residents to flee Los Angeles Times

● Wildfires rage in Sequoia National park and forest, sending flames into grove of giant trees Los Angeles Times

● KNP Complex fire threatening Sequoia National Park grows fivefold, forcing residents to flee Los Angeles Times

Nearby fires prompt officials to issue air quality warning Monday

Bakersfield Californian

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an air quality warning Monday. Air District officials say dangerous particulate matter from the KNP Complex Fire and Windy Fire could affect the entire San Joaquin Valley over the next few days.

Judge digs deeper into PG&E’s suspected role in Dixie Fire

A Pacific Gas & Electric troubleshooter spent nearly two hours in federal court Monday fielding questions about whether the beleaguered utility could have turned off the electricity sooner to a power line now suspected of sparking the monstrous Dixie Fire two months ago.

California keeps burning over and over and over

Washington Post

It is not new that California would be on fire. The state has a very experienced agency generally referred to as CalFire that is tasked with preventing and combating the regularly emerging conflagrations.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

U.S. poverty fell overall in 2020 due to stimulus payments

Washington Post

U.S. poverty fell overall in 2020, a surprising decline that is largely a result of the swift and large federal aid that Congress enacted at the start of the pandemic to try to prevent widespread financial hardship as the nation experienced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

● Census: Relief programs staved off hardship in COVID crash Business Journal

● Pandemic-era stimulus lifted millions out of poverty, new government data shows Axios

Americans without college degrees and immigrants saw steep income declines in 2020

Sacramento Bee

Non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics and Asian Americans saw their median household incomes decline significantly in 2020 amid the COVID-19 health crisis and economic upheaval spurred by the pandemic.

See also:

● Census Figures Show Americans’ Incomes Fell in 2020 Wall Street Journal

Opinion: Defining Inflation Down

Wall Street Journal

We’re old enough to remember a time—earlier this year—when 5.3% consumer-price inflation was considered high. No longer. Nowadays when price rises hit that pace, as they did in August, everyone’s supposed to relax because that means inflation is moderating.

● Inflation Eased in August, Though Prices Stayed High Wall Street Journal

The Delta variant will cost many lives and some GDP

AEI

Our estimates suggest that although the Delta variant may cost more than 900,000 lives around the world, the impact on global GDP will be a more modest $200 billion, or less than 0.2 percent of GDP.

US economy is being undermined by supply-side struggles

AEI

You can try to boost growth by increasing demand, but there’s also a supply side of the economy. And even if the former is holding up well during this Delta surge, it’s strength can be at least partially offset by troubles with the former.

Jobs:

Fresno Mayor Dyer vetoes union construction jobs deal. He says it’s ‘discriminatory’

Fresno Bee

See also:

● Mayor Dyer Vetoes Fresno Project Labor Agreement Business Journal

Human sex trafficking survivors struggle to find jobs. Will this Fresno effort help?

Fresno Bee

36 Calif cities and counties where minimum wage is higher than $14 an hour

Sacramento Bee

California’s current minimum wage is $14 an hour for those working for employers with 26 or more employees and $13 an hour for the rest. Next year, the state’s minimum wage will again increase by $1 an hour.

COVID jobs recovery: California rebound is among nation’s worst

Mercury News

California is mired near the bottom of the nation in recovering from mammoth lob losses unleashed by coronavirus-linked business shutdowns, underscoring the feeble economic rebound for the state.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Modesto City Schools set equity goals in spring. When will leaders report progress?

Modesto Bee

School leaders have set concrete steps to provide students in Modesto’s largest district with equitable access to education.

Plan laid to hire mental health care workers for Stanislaus schools, with focus on Latinos

Modesto Bee

Spanish speakers soon will be placed in Stanislaus County schools as mental health care outreach workers and clinicians to fill what local officials and numerous reports call an urgent service gap.

Three Fresno school districts rank among the Top 10 best reading scores in California

Fresno Bee

COVID infections jump among students across Tulare County, VUSD sees drop in quarantines

Visalia Times Delta

Visalia Unified School District reported a decrease in student and staff quarantines for the first time since the start of the school year. At the same time, infections among young people and teachers is up.

School vaccine campaigns targeting students face blowback

Fresno Bee

Across the U.S., vaccine-hesitant parents are struggling with vaccine-seeking teenagers set on getting their shots.

Many California schools get a failing grade on teaching reading, report finds

EdSource

Many California school districts get a failing grade on how well they teach reading, according to a new report from the California Reading Coalition, a literacy advocacy group.

Rethinking teacher certification to employ K–12 adjunct teachers

AEI

Current teacher certification laws create a rigid and deficient process for selecting and employing teachers. Reforming teacher certification laws would provide districts with more flexibility in how they hire teachers, like employing adjunct teachers for K–12 classrooms.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State changes COVID reporting policy for some cases. What students should know

Fresno Bee

Fresno State will change how it reports possible campus-related infections after several complaints that students were kept in the dark about many classroom infections.

Thousands of UC students struggle to find housing

EdSource

While the housing shortage may not be universal throughout the UC system, it has affected thousands of students at UC Merced, UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz, in addition to Santa Barbara.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Reporting on Climate Injustice in One of the Hottest Towns in America

ProPublica

What does climate injustice look like? A town where farmworkers struggle for access to clean drinking water and comfortable places to sleep while their wealthy neighbors water their lawns generously and park in climate-controlled garages.

As the largest-ever U.S. climate bill inches forward, a lobbying frenzy ensues

Washington Post

The prospect of a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending bill has sparked a lobbying frenzy in Congress, as lawmakers zero in this week on a measure that could reshape the nation’s energy system.

People around the world increasingly see climate change as a personal threat, new poll finds

Washington Post

Nearly three-quarters of residents of countries with some of the world’s most advanced economies worry that climate change will one day create suffering in their own lives, according to a far-reaching survey published Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

Energy:

California gets OK to boost gas power to keep lights on

Mercury News

The Biden administration on Friday issued an emergency order allowing some California natural gas power plants to operate without pollution restrictions to shore up the state’s tight electricity supplies, the U.S. Department of Energy said.

Embrace offshore wind as key part of the climate crisis solution

CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom should sign AB 525 to help develop California’s offshore wind energy industry.

Chevron to Triple Low-Carbon Investment

Wall Street Journal

The San Ramon, Calif., oil giant is pledging to spend $10 billion through 2028 on biofuels, hydrogen production, carbon capture and other technologies, up from a prior commitment of around $3 billion.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

California’s poor air quality from wildfire smoke raises COVID-19 risk. Here’s why

Sacramento Bee

The smoke can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation and affect the immune system, making it seem like COVID-19. But, what’s worse: The smoke makes lungs susceptible to more infections including SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

What are the differences between COVID & flu? What to know as influenza season nears

Fresno Bee

COVID-19 and the flu — both illnesses that attack the respiratory system but are caused by different viruses — are expected to spread simultaneously beginning this fall. And yes, you can be infected with both at the same time.

FDA Experts Among Group Opposing US Booster Shot Plan

Business Journal

The average person doesn’t need a COVID-19 booster yet, an international group of scientists — including two top U.S. regulators — wrote Monday in a scientific journal.

● Opinion: The Case for Covid Booster Shots Is Strong Wall Street Journal

Human Services:

Nursing help keeps Fresno County from rationing care, but hospitals at COVID ‘tipping point’

Fresno Bee

A slight drop in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the arrival of out-of-town nurses and medical teams have pulled Fresno County from the brink of potentially rationing hospital services under “crisis standards of care.”

Tulare County introduces mental health response teams

Sun Gazette

Health Care Unions Defending Newsom From Recall Will Want Single-Payer Payback

California Healthline

Should Gavin Newsom survive the Republican-driven attempt to oust him from office, the Democratic governor will face the prospect of paying back supporters who coalesced behind him.

America wants parents back at work. Is it ready to help foot the bill for childcare?

Los Angeles Times

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how critical affordable, accessible childcare is to the economy. When schools and day-care facilities closed, businesses saw on a large scale the difficulty of retaining or hiring employees with nowhere to send their children.

IMMIGRATION

ICE transferred 17 immigrants between Kern County detention centers. Was it retaliation?

Fresno Bee

Applying for a green card? Immigrants will need the COVID vaccine first, feds say

Sacramento Bee

Migrants applying for U.S. residency will soon be required to get the COVID vaccine first, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday. The rule, which goes into effect Oct. 1, says that applicants must be fully vaccinated before the immigrant medical examination.

Biden Admin steps up effort to unite migrant families separated under Trump

Los Angeles Times

The Biden administration is expanding its effort to find and reunite migrant families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Trump as part of a zero-tolerance policy on illegal crossings.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Modesto Councilman Ricci, Sheriff Dirkse advocating for campgrounds for homeless

Modesto Bee

Councilman Chris Ricci is proposing Modesto use park rangers to patrol city parks to curb illegal activity, such as drug use, and designate areas in the city where homeless people can camp or sleep in their cars.

Visalia Industrial Park remains hot property for growth

Business Journal

MWI Animal Health and Mor Furniture for Less are each expanding their operations in the Visalia Industrial Park — and getting out of each other’s way in the process.

Forest Service to reopen millions of acres of California lands, but some remain closed

Sacramento Bee

The U.S. Forest Service is reopening most of its California forests for public use Thursday — two days earlier than planned.

Housing:

Construction Derby

Turlock Journal

A recently approved housing project near the edge of town is set to add even more new homes to the city’s growing number of parcels.

California cities' ability to stop new housing projects limited by state appeals court

San Francisco Chronicle

Under the Housing Authority and Accountability Act, if a proposed development is consistent with a city’s general plan and zoning standards, a city can reject it only if it would have “a specific, adverse and unavoidable impact on public health or safety” under objective criteria.

Gavin Newsom Showed Up At An Encampment Sweep. Were The People Living There Moved Into Safe Housing?

Politifact

Caltrans officials clearing a Berkeley homeless encampment last month were joined by a surprise guest: Gov. Gavin Newsom, who personally spoke with the workers about their efforts to move unhoused people into shelters and was photographed at the site moving items.

Commentary: The one element missing from the discussion of housing: Tolerance

CalMatters

If living in a home with a garden is your thing, you probably shouldn’t expect Californian tolerance from a certain group of people.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Supervisors to consider County budget with staffing increases

Turlock Journal

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors next Tuesday will consider the 2021-2022 Recommended Final Budget, which aims to increase funding for services impacted by the pandemic.

CalPERS sent pension checks to more than 20,000 dead people over several years, audit says

Sacramento Bee

CalPERS hadn’t recovered about $42 million in pension overpayments made to about 22,000 dead people by the middle of last year, according to a newly public internal audit report.

At-home COVID test costs are eligible for reimbursement, IRS says. Here’s what to know

Sacramento Bee

The Internal Revenue Service last week reminded taxpayers that the cost of at-home coronavirus testing is an “eligible medical expense” and therefore can be paid for or reimbursed.

How you can help America deal with its COVID-related coin circulation problem

Sacramento Bee

Is there really a coin shortage? No. There isn’t a coin shortage in the United States, reports WFAA-ABC8. There’s a coin circulation problem, according to the U.S. Coin Task Force.

What’s in the Democratic Tax Proposal?

Wall Street Journal

See also:

● Democrats Release Details of Proposed Tax Increase Wall Street Journal

● House Democrats Consider 26.5% Corporate Tax Rate Wall Street Journal

● Editorital: Here Comes the Biden Tax Bill Wall Street Journal

● Editorial: Democrats Blink on Carried Interest Wall Street Journal

● Democrats seek corporate, wealthy tax hikes for $3.5T plan The Business Journal

● Democratic Tax Plan Would Hit Million-Dollar Households Hardest, Analysis Shows Wall Street Journal

● Estate Taxes Are Easy to Avoid. House Democrats Want to Change That Wall Street Journal

Opinion: Towns and Cities Should Use Their Stimulus Windfalls to Cut Taxes

Wall Street Journal

Since the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in March, state policy makers have fiercely debated how to spend nearly $200 billion in stimulus funds. Few Americans, however, have heard plans for the $130 billion that went to cities and counties.

Repealing the SALT cap: State-by-state impact

AEI

We examine how the repeal of the state and local taxes (SALT) cap in 2021 would affect federal revenue and the tax liabilities of taxpayers. Federal income tax liabilities would fall by approximately $91 billion, with wide variation in the distribution of benefits across states.

TRANSPORTATION

Council votes to reduce transit fares

Turlock Journal

The Turlock City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution which will reduce transit fares ahead of a scheduled rate increase, benefitting a wide range of bus riders from students to seniors.

Layoffs and delays threaten California’s high-speed rail as project faces funding hang up

Sacramento Bee

Top Democrats withheld billions of dollars in funding Gov. Gavin Newsom sought for the state’s high-speed rail line in the final days of this year’s legislative session, threatening construction delays and layoffs unless they come to a deal in early 2022.

US, California exploring vehicle-miles-traveled 'user fee’ to replace gas tax

North Bay Business Journal

Federal and state governments are taking a serious look at moving away from a tax per gallon method of paying for road repairs in favor of motorists paying by the mile.

WATER

Fresno County towns with no drinking water drown in debt while hope fades for new well

Fresno Bee

The longer it takes for two new wells to be dug in Cantua Creek and El Porvenir in western Fresno County, the deeper in debt the towns are mired. Now, with the drought, those well projects are in a race against dropping groundwater levels.

New Opportunities for Trading Surface Water in the Sacramento Valley under SGMA

PPIC

Successful groundwater stewardship under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) demands good information—not only about groundwater conditions, but also about surface water availability.

In response to Western drought, a flood of legislation

Roll Call

The bipartisan infrastructure bill approved by the Senate includes provisions aimed at mitigating drought impacts, and Democrats are looking to build on that with additional measures in their budget reconciliation package.

“Xtra”

Behtnay Clough: A second big store at Manchester Center in Fresno is coming soon. Here’s when it opens

Fresno Bee

Ross Dress for Less is the next big store opening at Manchester Center in Fresno. And it’s set an opening date: Saturday, Oct. 9. The company announced the date one day after saying the neighboring store, dd’s DISCOUNTS would open Saturday, Sept. 25.

California is close to permanently legalizing takeout cocktails and parklet drinking

San Francisco Chronicle

The pandemic has changed many of the ways that restaurants and bars operate — in some cases, for the better, according to many owners. Bars have found previously untapped revenue streams by serving takeout drinks.

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