Maddy Institute – September 16, 2021

16Sep

POLICY & POLITICS

Recall Results: Valleywide

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.

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

● 18,000 people in Fresno County voted in-person Tuesday, voters divided on recall abc30

● Opinion: Gov. Gavin Newsom isn’t terribly popular in Stanislaus County. Here’s why Modesto Bee

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Sept. 16: Stanislaus reports 13 deaths in a day after brief lull Modesto Bee

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

The City of Turlock is looking for a City Manager

Public CEO

The next City Manager will inherit a diverse, talented, and committed staff and a dynamic City Council all eager to continue their mission of making Turlock the ideal place to live and do business.

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.

Virus causing encephalitis found in Stanislaus County mosquito. Are humans at risk?

Modesto Bee

The virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis was detected in a mosquito sample in Stanislaus County. The St. Louis virus is a relative of the West Nile virus, which gets attention in the Central Valley every year for causing a potentially deadly neurological illness in some residents.

Stanislaus State ranked among best in West at graduating economically disadvantaged

Modesto Bee

In a measure called social mobility, California State University, Stanislaus, is No. 6 among 122 universities in the western states, U.S. News & World Report stated in its latest “Best Colleges” ranking.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● 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

Fresno County still has tens of thousands of ballots to count in Gavin Newsom recall election

Fresno Bee

Fresno County and most of the central San Joaquin Valley voted for the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to unofficial vote numbers — but there are still tens of thousands of ballots to count.

● Editorial: ‘Election integrity’ ballot watchers in Fresno are the real threat to democracy Fresno Bee

Residents protest decline in social services in west Fresno: A ‘disgrace to our community’

Fresno Bee

About 100 West Fresno residents on Wednesday protested the decline of social services offered at the county’s West Fresno Regional Center, following the consolidation of many services into a new centralized facility in Clovis.

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.

Fresno downtown developer accuses councilman of bribery. The conflict is over parking lots

Fresno Bee

Fresno’s developers and politicians are fighting again — and in true Fresno fashion, it’s over parking lots and involves “pay to play” allegations.

Fresno Unified raising daily pay rate for substitute teachers

abc30

More Central Valley schools are offering incentives to hire more temporary teachers. Many districts are struggling to find substitute instructors as pandemic protocols require educators to stay home if they show any signs of illness.

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.

'Too young to do nothing,' Grandma's House founder is Woman of the Year

Visalia Times Delta

Flora Johnson, founder of Grandma’s House afterschool program, will receive the Woman of the Year accolade from Assemblyman Devon Mathis.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

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

● Kern Public Health reports 675 new cases of COVID-19, 5 new deaths Wednesday Bakersfield Californian

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.

In symbolic vote, Bakersfield City Council allows transitional home for women and children to move forward

Bakersfield Californian

In a largely symbolic vote, the council chose to acknowledge the good neighbor policy of the Casa Esperanza Transitional Home for Women and Children proposed for the corner of Haley Street and Panorama Drive at a meeting Wednesday evening.

The daughter of farmworkers, CSU Bakersfield student wins top CSU honor

Bakersfield Californian

Jazmin Barrita Barrita will receive the highest honor conferred upon students of the California State University: The 2021 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement.

State:

COVID Update:

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

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

● California recall election results closely linked to COVID-19 vaccination rates Los Angeles Times

● 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

Recall: Statewide Results

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

● How Newsom defeated the recall: Early leads in suburbs, overwhelming margins in big cities Los Angeles Times

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

● Newsom overwhelmingly defeats California recall attempt CalMatters

● Walters: Newsom scores big recall win. What now? CalMatters

● Editorial: Recall was a slaughter. Will Newsom start acting boldly or play it safe until 2022? San Francisco Chronicle

● California Recall Election Results New York Times

● The polls didn’t undercount Trump voters this time. If anything, the problem was reversed. Washington Post

● Emboldened by recall win, Democrats brush aside talk of unity and escalate attacks on Republicans Washington Post

● Editorial: California Democrats Defeat Trump Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Had Too Many Potential Recall Voters Already Moved to Texas? Wall Street Journal

● Elex Michaelson: How Gov. Gavin Newsom Changed the Narrative & Easily Defeated the Recall Medium

● Exit Polls: Ongoing Pandemic Most Important Issue For California Recall Voters KCAL 29

● Newsom lost big in California’s conservative State of Jefferson. It barely mattered Fresno Bee

● Biden congratulates Newsom; supporters blast $276M cost for election Visalia Times Delta

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

● ‘Science was on the ballot.’ Gavin Newsom says recall proved voters back his COVID approach Sacramento Bee

● Biden calls Newsom’s recall victory a ‘resounding win’ for Democrats’ COVID policies Sacramento Bee

Newsom beat the recall. Will he take any lessons from it?

Los Angeles Times

While Newsom can rightly boast that a sizable majority of voters want him to finish the term to which he was elected in 2018, the election returns offer no such mandate for his style of governing.

● Trump still wins elections — for Democrats — and other California recall lessons Los Angeles Times

● Column: What does the only other California governor to face a recall vote — Gray Davis — have to say now? Los Angeles Times

● Newsom Beat the Recall, Now Comes the Hard Part: Governing California New York Times

● Opinion: Democrats Continue to Struggle With Men of Color New York Times

● What the Election Results Tell Us About California New York Times

● In California Recall Results, Democrats See a Road Map, Republicans See a Warning Wall Street Journal

● Seven takeaways from California's recall election The Hill

● 9 takeaways from the California governor recall election Roll Call

● Today's Recall Election Shows California's One-Party Rule May Stick Around Reason

● After landslide victory, what will Newsom do with his post-recall mandate? Mercury News

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

● How much was spent on the recall? One estimate: Nearly half a billion dollars. New York Times

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.

● Is Newsom’s big recall win a good sign for Democrats running in 2022? What experts say Sacramento Bee

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

● Vaccines and Trump: Will Newsom’s formula for beating the recall work for Democrats in 2022? Los Angeles Times

● Opinion: Newsom’s winning recall strategy offers a playbook for Democrats

in 2022 Washington Post

● Newsom’s Anti-Trump Recall Strategy Offers Republicans a Warning for 2022 New York Times

● Democrats tout California recall result ahead of 2022 midterms Roll Call

● Democrats Won the California Recall by Invoking Trump. There’s More of That Coming Times

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

● California’s 7 tightest House of Representatives elections to watch in 2022 Sacramento Bee

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.

● California Democrats seek to make recalls more difficult Business Journal

● Full speed ahead on overhauling California recalls CalMatters

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

● California’s costly, confusing recall sparks an effort to rethink the rules Los Angeles Times

● Column: With $276 million down the drain, it’s time to revamp the California recall 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

● Pro-Trump outfits get recall election worker tossed at California poll, officials say Modesto Bee

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.

● Editorial: Why we shouldn’t forget Larry Elder’s baseless attacks on California recall integrity Sacramento Bee

● A California voter ID law? Sacramento Bee

● 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

● Trump Tells Voters California Governor Recall Will Be ‘Rigged’ National Review

● Opinion: Republicans Have Declared War Against Honest Elections Bloomberg

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

Sacramento Bee

Republican Larry Elder conceded California’s recall to Gov. Gavin Newsom but vowed to fight on after election results showed the incumbent soundly defeating the campaign to remove him from office.

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

● A Democrat edged out Larry Elder on the Newsom recall ballot in a single county. Here’s where Sacramento Bee

● Column: Trump branded the GOP a party of racists. Larry Elder as standard-bearer won’t help Los Angeles Times

● Defeated in the recall, Larry Elder looks to a future in conservative politics. New York Times

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

● Opinion: California’s recall election confirmed everything that is wrong with today’s Republican Party Washington Post

● The California Recall’s Lesson for Republicans National Review

● Trump may be losing popularity, but is ‘Trumpism?’ Here’s what California’s recall shows PBS News Hour

Newsom Administration Awards Nearly $138 Million in Fire Prevention Grants to Build Resilience in Local Communities

Office of the Governor

As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s key investments to bolster the state’s wildfire response and resilience efforts, CAL FIRE has announced it will direct nearly $138 million in funding for 105 local fire prevention projects that will help protect communities across California.

Bonta Joins Brief Opposing Texas Abortion Law

Sacramento Bee

California Attorney General Rob Bonta was one of 24 state attorneys general to sign on to an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, which is hearing arguments about Texas’ recent law banning abortions after six weeks.

Governor Newsom Expected to Sign Bill Creating New Labor Code Violations, Expanding Cal/OSHA Subpoena Powers

Ogletree Deakins

The California Legislature will soon send Senate Bill (SB) No. 606 to Governor Gavin Newsom, who is likely to sign the bill into law. The bill would make substantial changes to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) citation structure.

9th Circuit Vacates Order Barring Enforcement of Law Banning Mandatory Workplace Arbitration Agreements

The Recorder

A Federal appeals court vacated a court order barring enforcement of a California law that banned mandatory workplace arbitration agreements…“An arbitration agreement cannot simultaneously be ‘valid’ under federal law and grounds for a criminal conviction under state law.”

CHP sidesteps feds to continue 30-day tows

CalMatters

Four years after a federal appeals court ruled that 30-day vehicle impounds for unlicensed drivers are unconstitutional, some law enforcement agencies across California are still doing them.

Editorial: Here’s why California doesn’t need a bill requiring gender-neutral toy sections

Los Angeles Times

A bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto would require stores or chains with more than 500 employees statewide to create gender-neutral toy sections, in which playthings traditionally associated with girls and with boys are commingled on the shelves.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● How much did unvaccinated COVID patients cost US hospitals? Study says in the billions Sacramento Bee

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

● As COVID-19 vaccine mandates rise, religious exemptions grow Fresno Bee

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

● 1 in 500 Americans have died of COVID since 1st US infection abc30

● 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

● ‘Matter of life and death.’ Army unveils COVID vaccine deadline for active-duty members Fresno Bee

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

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

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

● Will Joe Biden’s vaccination requirements hold up in court? Politifact

● Opinion: Joe Biden needs a COVID-19 exit strategy AEI

What’s in the Democrats’ Tax Plan? Increases in Capital Gains and Corporate Tax Rates

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.

● Why Democrats Can’t Pay for Their Ambitions National Review

● Biden vows to "deal everyone in" as Nobel laureates back economic plan Axios

● Opinion: Even the “tax cuts” in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion plan are mostly new benefit spending AEI

Drug-Prices Measure Splinters House Democrats

Wall Street Journal

Democratic divisions spilled into the open over how to lower prescription drug prices as part of a broader $3.5 trillion budget package, signaling the challenge Democratic leaders face ironing out internal disagreements over a marquee component of the legislation.

Why the 2024 presidential race will start later than expected

Roll Call

While campaigns are starting earlier and earlier, and there certainly isn’t an “off year” from elections anymore, the 2024 presidential race is primed to get off to a late start.

Bipartisan bill offers green card path for ‘documented Dreamers’

Roll Call

Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., proposed legislation Wednesday that would put so-called documented Dreamers, or foreign citizens who grew up legally in the U.S. on a parent’s work visa but then aged out, on a path to permanent residency.

AEI Polling Report: Biden’s summer slump

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: The Roberts Court is Dying. Here’s What Comes Next.

Politico

With the chief justice increasingly sidelined, the Supreme Court's new majority has an aggressive strategy to cement a conservative agenda.

● Opinion: In overturning the eviction moratorium, the Supreme Court continues its history of harming Black households Brookings

Opinion: Fix the political system; don’t tamper with the Constitution

AEI

The United States has had in fact two constitutions, the Articles of Confederation (1781) and the Constitution (1788). Nevertheless, the underlying point remains the same: There has been remarkable stability in the country’s basic governing structure. Why?

Other:

Americans have little trust in online security: AP-NORC poll

Associated Press

Most Americans don’t believe their personal information is secure online and aren’t satisfied with the federal government’s efforts to protect it, according to a poll.

Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place. It Got Angrier Instead.

Wall Street Journal

In the fall of 2018, Jonah Peretti, chief executive of online publisher BuzzFeed, emailed a top official at Facebook Inc. The most divisive content that publishers produced was going viral on the platform, he said, creating an incentive to produce more of it.

A Primer on Rural Broadband Deployment

PEW

A telecommunications expert explains current technologies and challenges for expansion. More than 18 million Americans lack access to high-speed internet, many of them in rural areas where homes and businesses are spread far apart.

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.

Growing Uncertainty in the Central Valley

New Yorker

Across the state, many produce farmers were weighing the market prices of their crops against the rising cost of water. To meet their contracts, some had overplanted, and now they found it was more cost-effective to kill certain crops than to proceed with the harvest.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Identity Thieves Targeting Foster Youths’ COVID Relief

The Imprint

With the growing access to financial assistance has come new opportunities for young adults who have survived childhood trauma to become victimized yet again — and new possibilities they will miss out on money owed to them.

Public Safety:

Law Enforcement’s Use of Commercial Phone Data Stirs Surveillance Fight

Wall Street Journal

Few consumers realize how much information their phones, cars and other connected devices broadcast to commercial brokers and how widely it is used in finance, real-estate planning and advertising.

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.

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

● Crews work to protect giant sequoias from KNP Complex Visalia Times Delta

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

● Red Cross: 'We are doing everything we can' to help KNP Complex evacuees Visalia Times Delta

● Want to help KNP Complex Fire evacuees? Here's how Visalia Times Delta

● Sequoia wildfires continue to grow uncontained. New Incident Management Team called in Modesto Bee

● Sequoia National Park’s giant trees at risk as fires grow Business Journal

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

● KNP Complex fire burns within mile of Giant Forest, threatening towering Sequoia preserve Los Angeles Times

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

● Fires in Sequoia National Forest Close Park, Threatens Giant Trees Wall Street Journal

● California fires force Sequoia National Park personnel to evacuate Axios

Dixie Fire victims sue PG&E as wildfire liabilities mount for California’s largest utility

Sacramento Bee

PG&E Corp. is being sued by more than 200 victims of the Dixie Fire, adding to the potential wildfire liabilities confronting a utility that barely a year ago emerged from a bankruptcy case sparked by earlier fire damages.

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.

COVID Hits Wildfire Fighters Even Harder Than Last Year

PEW

As wildfires rage across Western states, flattening rural towns and forcing thousands of people to evacuate, coronavirus cases and pandemic-related supply chain problems have made it harder to deploy firefighting resources to where they’re needed, fire officials say.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Pandemic pushed more Americans into poverty, but relief cash averted hardship, report says

Los Angeles Times

The share of Americans living in poverty rose slightly as the COVID-19 pandemic shook the economy last year, but massive relief payments pumped out by Congress eased hardship for many, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

● Census: Relief programs moved millions out of poverty Mercury News

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

● Covid-19 Pandemic Aid Kept Millions of Americans Out of Poverty in 2020 Wall Street Journal

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

● Opinion: Poverty at historic low, but Dems bringing it back AEI

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

Los Angeles Times

Spurred by the pandemic, Democrats are proposing a foundational shift in how the nation pays for child care — placing responsibility largely on taxpayers rather than parents.

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

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.

Jobs:

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

Fresno Bee

U.S. Jobless Claims Remained Near Pandemic Low Last Week

Wall Street Journal

Jobless claims rose slightly last week but remained near a pandemic low, as layoffs stabilize amid an economic slowdown tied to rising coronavirus cases.

States Embrace Vaccine Mandates Despite Potential Worker Exodus

Pew Trusts

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent months weighing full approval of the vaccines. During that time, officials in several states negotiated with unions and considered whether a mandate would chase a large number of employees out of the state workforce.

Changes at NLRB forecast major challenges ahead for employers and expansion of rights for employees and labor unions

aalrr

For the first time in years the NLRB’s five-member Board, which decides cases and enacts regulations, has a Democratic majority. The Board will decide cases as presented.

Looking for a job? These careers rank as ‘most promising’ for future pay and growth

Sacramento Bee

The nation’s best job for future growth is in the health care sector, a new report finds.

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.

Fresno Unified raising daily pay rate for substitute teachers

abc30

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.

Gov Newsom Highlights New In-Person Student Rates, Nation-Leading School Safety & Prevention Efforts

Office of the Governor

Governor Gavin Newsom visited a TK-8 school in Oakland to highlight the state’s efforts to safely open schools for full in-person instruction, highlighting new state data showing that the vast majority of school districts are reporting that 95-100 percent of students are in-person.

6 Ways Policymakers Can Support Learning in 2021-22 and Beyond

EdSource

Looking back to understand how the disruptions from the past two school years have affected students’ learning is critical as leaders plan for how to support education recovery and transformation in the coming year and beyond.

Higher Ed:

Stanislaus State ranked among best in West at graduating economically disadvantaged

Modesto Bee

The daughter of farmworkers, CSU Bakersfield student wins top CSU honor

Bakersfield Californian

Jazmin Barrita Barrita will receive the highest honor conferred upon students of the California State University: The 2021 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Commentary: Investing in community colleges does more than fuel California’s workforce

CalMatters

In cities and towns across California and online, 116 community colleges do all of this and more. They are our state’s primary point of access to higher education and have lifted millions of Californians into the middle class and beyond.

Geography of College Enrollment in California

PPIC

Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, the demand for a college education is as high as ever. In fact, in July the University of California (UC) announced a record-high number of admissions for the current school year.

Opinion: Federal student loan repayment freeze is putting some well-off borrowers on a fast track to forgiveness

AEI

While it’s important to provide relief for borrowers who are truly struggling, the student loan moratorium fails to target those who are truly in need and is providing a payday, at taxpayer expense, to many high earners.

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.

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.

● Can We Find a New Way to Tell the Story of Climate Change? New Yorker

● Opinion: Climate Change Saves More Lives Than You’d Think Wall Street Journal

● Activists ‘born into the climate crisis’ face another challenge: Fear of the future Washington Post

● In Response to Climate Change, Citizens in Advanced Economies Are Willing To Alter How They Live and Work Pew Research Center

Feds Ok Plan To Cut Salmon Fishing When Needed For Orcas

Business Journal

Federal officials have approved a plan that calls for cutting nontribal salmon fishing along the West Coast when the fish are needed to help the Northwest’s endangered killer whales.

Energy:

Opinion: 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.

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 staff say Pfizer COVID-19 boosters may not be needed, but do improve immunity

Reuters

U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists said on Wednesday that booster doses of Pfizer's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine may not be needed, even though the third shot generates a higher immune response in recipients.

● FDA Says Covid-19 Vaccines Remain Effective Without Boosters Wall Street Journal

● Federal regulators publish the first analysis of Pfizer’s booster shot application. New York Times

● U.S. Booster Policy Is in Flux as Studies Add to Dissent New York Times

● At the besieged FDA, ‘it never stops!’ as decisions loom on boosters, pediatric shots and more Washington Post

● COVID-19 booster debate rages days before target rollout date Roll Call

Parents Seek Out Covid-19 Vaccine Trials for Their Children Ahead of Official Authorization

Wall Street Journal

Many parents across the U.S. are racing to put their children in Covid-19 vaccine trials to try to protect them from the virus sooner rather than later.

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

A Boy Went to a COVID-Swamped ER. He Waited for Hours. Then His Appendix Burst.

ProPublica

Non-COVID patients are paying a price as the delta variant and low-vaccination rates overwhelm hospitals across the country. “Wait times can now be measured in days,” said an expert.

Opinion: Biden’s Price Controls Will Make Good Health More Expensive

Wall Street Journal

Democrats are looking for ways to finance their $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill and one plan is to put price controls on prescription drugs. If enacted, these policies would harm patients enormously.

Mental Health Services Targeted for Federal Aid

Pew Trusts

Legislators in a number of states have set aside millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act for everything from mental health awareness campaigns to mobile crisis teams and bonuses for psychiatric hospital staff.

Patients and doctors who embraced telehealth during the pandemic fear it will become harder to access

Washington Post

Many states have already rescinded the licensing waivers that allowed clinicians and some other providers to practice across state lines, or are preparing to do so. Other decisions at the state, federal and individual health-care system levels remain uncertain.

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.

Bipartisan bill offers green card path for ‘documented Dreamers’

Roll Call

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Fresno historic building destruction prompts protection proposal

abc30

Weeks after finding the historic Hardy's Theater gutted by new owners, a Fresno city councilmember is proposing new rules to prevent similar destruction across the city.

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.

● California will reopen many of its national forests, but fire threats remain. New York Times

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.

PUBLIC FINANCES

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.

More California stimulus checks to be released this week

SF Gate

The second round of payments of the Golden Gate Stimulus will be released on Friday, the tax board said. The estimated size of the release is 2 million direct deposit payments.

Yellen, IRS Push Democrats to Require Banks to Report Taxpayers’ Annual Account Flows

Wall Street Journal

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig pressed lawmakers to give the Internal Revenue Service more information about taxpayers’ bank accounts, as the Biden administration tries to salvage its struggling tax-compliance proposal.

FEMA’s New Flood Insurance Policy Is Fairer—and Rewards Mitigation

PEW

Earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced its updated risk rating structure that will have property owners paying for coverage based on a more refined consideration of their structure’s risk of flooding and cost of repair.

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.

● U.S. House Democrats add more mass transit, high-speed rail in second shot at infrastructure bill Patch

WATER

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.

● Improving California’s Water Market PPIC

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”

NASA Is Launching A New Telescope That Could Offer Some Cosmic Eye Candy

VPR

In December, NASA is scheduled to launch the huge, $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope, which is sometimes billed as the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope.

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The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute was established to honor the legacy of one of California’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.

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