17Sep

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

State, local leaders tour Merced Unified's CTE programs

abc30

Atwater High School has the largest ag education program in the country, with everything from floral design to diesel mechanics. Monday, students and teachers had a chance to show why they've been successful and what state leaders can do to support districts across California.

Stan State Staff Presents Innovative Ideas at EOP’s 50th Anniversary Gala

California State University Stanislaus

The innovative methods used in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at Stan State were well-received at the 50th anniversary celebration of the California State University systemwide program earlier this month in Long Beach, leaving the four Stan State representatives proud of their accomplishments and inspired by what they’d heard.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno-Clovis area sees hotel building boom

abc30

The Fresno-Clovis area is in the midst of a hotel building boom that will result in 2,000 more available rooms when current projects are complete. Four new hotel properties have recently opened up. Eight more were either in the process of being built or planned.

CCSPCA to cut ties with City of Fresno; contract ends June 2020

abc30

The clock is ticking for the City of Fresno as the Central California SPCA opted not to renew their contract as animal control services. Mayor Lee Brand says the decision does not come as a surprise, adding he and his staff have spent the last year looking at alternatives.

Help improve education: Join CSU chancellor at Fresno Bee’s California Priorities summit Sept. 18

Fresno Bee

Parents. Students. Teachers. Business owners. Concerned citizens. If you fall into any of the above categories – and most of us do – you will want to be at Fresno State the morning of Sept. 18 when The Fresno Bee brings together top educators and experts to discuss issues and solutions surrounding critical education-related issues.

Recent studies find Visalians feel the love in one of the most affordable cities in nation

Visalia Times Delta

Our water and air may be killing us, but according to two recent studies, people in the Visalia-Tulare area feel they have more love in their lives and their salaries go further here because of the (relative) low cost of living in the region.

Report: Small business confidence erodes. Downtown Visalia hopes to buck trend locally

Visalia Times Delta

It appears that worry about the economy has started to catch up to small business owners. One of the primary barometers of their sentiment was released last week, and the results were troubling, although not completely negative.

Fact Check: Did Democrats dox Devin Nunes’ wife and others?

Fresno Bee

The school district that employs Rep. Devin Nunes’ wife has no records that show public employees feared harassment after Democratic activists filed a public records seeking her emails, according to documents obtained by McClatchy.

Can You Cover The News Fairly While Also Working On Jerry Dyer's Campaign? This Journalist Says Yes

VPR

If you’re a news junkie, you may have noticed a new online media outlet called the San Joaquin Valley Sun. The editor in chief is Alex Tavlian.

Sen. Melissa Hurtado: $15 million secured for asthma prevention services

KGET

State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) announced Monday $15 million in funds from the governor’s budget have been secured to go towards asthma prevention services.

South SJ Valley:

Newsom administration quietly stalls fracking permits

Bakersfield Californian

The administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom has imposed a de-facto moratorium on hydraulic fracturing while it studies permitting procedures for the politically controversial oil well-completion technique better known as fracking.

Former Tehachapi City Council candidate arrested at meeting

Bakersfield Californian

A former Tehachapi City Council candidate was arrested at Monday night's council meeting, the second time that's happened in three months.

Mosquito activity high in Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

A species of mosquitoes is infesting Kern County and it has already taken over at least 50 neighborhoods.

State:

Important bills, surprising moments in the California Legislature’s final hours

Los Angeles Times

There was a sense among watchers of the California Legislature that the final hours of the 2019 session would be a bit of a letdown. After all, many of the contentious bills had already been heard and passed.

● In defying Newsom, she tried to protect California from Trump — and showed how legislating should work Los Angeles Times

● California housing, guns, criminal justice reform: Focus shifts to Gavin Newsom San Francisco Chronicle

● California Privacy Law Tweaks Await Governor’s Signature Bloomberg

A fight with Trump that Gavin Newsom doesn’t want: Why he’s vetoing environmental bill

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom took considerable political heat over the weekend from a pair of unlikely sources — the environmental community and Democratic lawmakers.

● Newsom breaks with Democrats on environmental ‘Trump insurance’ bill CALmatters

● EDITORIAL: Newsom on wrong side of environmental bill San Francisco Chronicle

Five Things To Know Now About California’s New Vaccine Law

Capital Public Radio

The law takes effect Jan. 1. It gives health officials final say on medical waivers, with the authority to reject them. Opponents hope to overturn it.

● Gov. Gavin Newsom defends his actions on new California vaccine laws Los Angeles Times

● Newsom Defends Actions on Controversial Vaccine Exemption Bill KQED

California tax collectors to target e-cigarettes in vaping crackdown ordered by Newsom

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Monday requiring stores selling vaping devices to post warnings about the health risks of such products and directing California tax collectors to step up enforcement on the e-cigarette industry.

● California to spend $20M on vaping awareness abc30

● State authorities warn of street drug in some spiked vapes Stockton Record

● California Campaign Will Warn Public Of Vaping Dangers Capital Public Radio

● California Gov. Gavin Newsom takes executive action on vaping and e-cigarettes Los Angeles Times

● Gov. Gavin Newsom announces executive order to curb youth vaping San Francisco Chronicle

● Newsom cracks down on vaping — and asks the Legislature for help CALmatters

● California to target counterfeit vaping products New York Times

Mathews: Facing a Serious Problem, Sacramento Again Turns to Formula

Fox & Hounds

Is there no serious challenge that state government won’t pretend to address with a formula?

Time could be right for California Democrats thinking of House retirement

San Francisco Chronicle

Democratic Rep. Susan Davis of San Diego is leaving Congress after 10 terms. Don’t be surprised if she’s not the only member of the state delegation to go.

Federal:

California Asks Trump For Housing Vouchers To Aid Homeless

Capital Public Radio

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday asked President Donald Trump to approve more housing vouchers as Trump's administration weighs in on the most populous state's massive homelessness problem.

● What Trump can and can’t do about California homeless crisis Sacramento Bee

● Trump sees ‘liberal policies’ fueling California homeless crisis. What can he do about it? Sacramento Bee

● Trump expected to visit Bay Area on Tuesday: Newsom asks for homelessness help San Francisco Chronicle

● Newsom to visiting Trump: Help us on homelessness Politico

● California asks Trump for housing vouchers to aid homeless Associated Press

● More Homeless Forced Into Mental Health Care PEW Trusts

● White House report on homelessness White House

A fight with Trump that Gavin Newsom doesn’t want: Why he’s vetoing environmental bill

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom took considerable political heat over the weekend from a pair of unlikely sources — the environmental community and Democratic lawmakers.

● Newsom breaks with Democrats on environmental ‘Trump insurance’ bill CALmatters

● EDITORIAL: Newsom on wrong side of environmental bill San Francisco Chronicle

Fox: Criticism of Big Tech Indicates A Political Shift

Fox & Hounds

When the Attorney Generals of 48 states joined AGs from Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico to announce a widespread probe of dominant technology firms, the focus here was that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra did not sign on. Yet, there is another aspect to the story that indicates a political shift occurring with some Republicans raising concerns about Big Tech and monopolies.

It’s true: Millions in dark money has been spent to tilt courts right

Politifact

To influence the court’s composition, a combined $34 million in "dark money" went toward both blocking President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and confirming President Donald Trump’s two Supreme Court picks, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

Jason Chaffetz: Ballot harvesting -- California's model to steal 2020

Fox News

The Heritage Foundation calls it the “tool of choice for vote thieves.” The convenient, innovative, and beloved mail-in ballot has been a source of contention due to its vulnerability to manipulation. During the 2018 midterms, Democrats in California and a Republican consultant in North Carolina used a process called "ballot harvesting" to collect mail-in ballots for voters.

Elections 2020:

Protest likely to greet Trump fundraising trip in California

Bakersfield Californian

President Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California, a Democratic stronghold where he is expected to rake in millions of dollars during a series of fundraisers for his reelection effort that are almost certain to be met with jeering protests.

● The science behind how Trump turns our unfounded fears into a potent political weapon Los Angeles Times

● Trump expected to visit Bay Area on Tuesday: Newsom asks for homelessness help San Francisco Chronicle

● Protest likely to greet Trump fundraising trip in California Associated Press

● Trump’s California fundraisers are drenched in cash – and secrecy Politico

● Boyarsky: Does Trump Really Want to Help the Homeless? Fox & Hounds

At rally, Warren decries Trump as ‘corruption in the flesh’

Fresno Bee

Facing thousands of cheering supporters in the nation's largest city, Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren on Monday decried President Donald Trump as "corruption in the flesh" and outlined her plans to root out corruption in the White House, Congress and courts.

Joe Biden’s childhood struggle with a stutter: How he overcame it and how it shaped him

Los Angeles Times

Six decades later, as Biden campaigns for president with his trademark long-winded oratory, few voters would guess he was ever at a loss for words. But he has referred to his struggle with stuttering as “the single most defining thing in [his] life.”

The Campaign Road Eventually Goes Through California Featuring Sen. Kamala Harris and Others

Fox & Hounds

If you watched the last presidential debate in Houston along with 14 million other Americans you realize that until now this remains very much a one-sided affair featuring Democrats.

‘More united’ vs. ‘A house divided’: GOP goes all in on Trump while Democrats clash over ideology and tactics

Washington Post

The Republican lawmakers gathered in Baltimore erupted in cheers and laughter Thursday as President Trump warned of “the dangers” of energy-saving lightbulbs and falsely claimed that televisions turn off when wind turbines stop spinning.

● OPINION: We are Trump’s Republican challengers. Canceling GOP primaries is a critical mistake. Washington Post

Other:

The Bells Did Toll: Ceremony kicks off Constitution Week

Porterville Recorder

Constitution Week officially begins September 17, but the local Alta Mira Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) hosted the annual event a few days early.

William F. Buckley Jr. vs. James Baldwin: A racial showdown on the American dream

Washington Post

Within weeks of losing a formal debate against writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin, Buckley said that no matter what he had done, it would have been impossible for him to win that night. The student audience at the Cambridge Union was “an orgy of anti-Americanism,” he said, who gave Baldwin “a standing ovation” before “he had uttered a single word.”

Google and Facebook’s latest efforts to ‘save’ journalism are already getting eye rolls

Washington Post

New policies by Google and Facebook aimed at ensuring original journalism ranks higher in search results are leading to fears that the changes could have unintended consequences for news media.

World Catching Up With China on Surveillance Tech

Wall Street Journal

China leads the world in facial-recognition and other new surveillance technologies, with its own government using the tools at home and Huawei Technologies Co. exporting them globally, according to a new report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Assemi brothers suing farming giant Wonderful Pistachios over nut payments

Fresno Bee

The Assemi brothers, known throughout the region for their home building, philanthropy and farming, are suing one of the biggest titans in agriculture over what could be millions of dollars worth of pistachios.

E. coli might be in the flour, so this longtime brand made a national recall

Fresno Bee

The possibility of E. coli prompted the national recall of 5-pound Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour bags with a best by date of Sept. 6, 2020.

Filmmaker shares story of farmworkers rights leader at PC

Porterville Recorder

Inside a packed PC Theater the audience sat captivated by a documentary that told the story of a forgotten leader in the long struggle for American farmworkers’ rights.

As states legalize marijuana, pesticides may be a blind spot

Roll Call

The EPA would ordinarily evaluate pesticide safety but has never done so for marijuana because the plant is illegal under federal law. So, states with legalized marijuana industries have been tasking newly created cannabis regulators, health officials and others with setting testing standards for pesticide residues present on the plant.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE / FIRE / PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

Research says key to reducing crime is good parenting from conception to age 2

Fresno Bee

We spend billions of tax dollars each year dealing with crime and various social issues, including law enforcement, the courts, prisons, drug addiction, mental health, special education and much more. Studies show that most of the people enmeshed in these issues did not have a positive conception to age 2.

Public Safety:

Dianne Feinstein to Republicans: Ban high-capacity ammunition magazines right now

Los Angeles Times

The primary effect of a high-capacity magazine — which is defined as a magazine holding more than 10 rounds — is more dead bodies.

Fire:

California power cuts made over wildfire risk

abc30

Thousands of people in California's Sierra Nevada are still without electricity because of wildfire danger.

FCC pressures cell service providers to prepare for California wildfire power shutoffs

San Francisco Chronicle

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. could soon shut off power for more than 48 hours during high wildfire risk — and the federal government wants to know how cell service providers are prepared to keep up service during what could be days of darkness.

PG&E’s role in the 2017 Tubbs Fire on track for trial in January

San Francisco Chronicle

North Bay victims of the 2017 Tubbs Fire can have their day in court in four months to argue that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is responsible for the deadly blaze, a judge decided Monday.

No One Can Agree on How to Price California Home Insurance for Wildfires

Wall Street Journal

A new flashpoint is the use of algorithmic models for predicting catastrophe losses. Insurers have long used these models to project losses from natural disasters but insurers, homeowners and regulators disagree on how they should be applied to assess California’s wildfire risk.

ECONOMY / JOBS

Economy:

Chinese envoy going to US to prepare for trade talks

Fresno Bee

A Chinese envoy will head to Washington on Wednesday to prepare for trade negotiations. The announcement Tuesday follows conciliatory gestures by both sides ahead of the October talks on their fight over trade and technology, which threatens to dampen global economic growth.

Fresno Bee

Officials in Japan appeared wary over the prospects for a trade deal with the U.S. after President Donald Trump said he was prepared to sign a pact soon.

Report: Small business confidence erodes. Downtown Visalia hopes to buck trend locally

Visalia Times Delta

In The Studio: Financial Pressures of LGBTQ Community Centers In The Valley

VPR

LGBTQ+ Community Centers serve as safe spaces to access resources, engage with peers and feel a sense of belonging. But here in the Valley, financial pressure has made it difficult for many to stay open.

'A little bit of everything': Services, restaurants, gyms help shopping centers adapt to e-commerce

Bakersfield Californian

Shopping centers used to be places people frequented mainly because they wanted to buy something — a book, a pair of shoes, maybe a birthday cake. While that's still the case to some degree, shopping centers have had to adjust to shifting consumer habits.

Why Legendary Economists Liked Universal Basic Income

Bloomberg

The idea wasn’t invented by today’s big-government left. It has intrigued thinkers from John Stuart Mill to Milton Friedman.

Fed Lines Up Another Quarter-Point Rate Cut

Wall Street Journal

Federal Reserve officials are gearing up to reduce interest rates at their next policy meeting in two weeks, most likely by a quarter-percentage point, as the trade war between the U.S. and China darkens the global economic outlook.

Economy Week Ahead: Fed Policy Statement, Home Sales, Industrial Production Data

Wall Street Journal

In the week ahead, the U.S. will see fresh figures on industrial production, housing starts and existing-home sales. The Federal Reserve will release its policy statement.

Jobs:

80,000 Kaiser workers plan 7-day strike that will affect California, 5 other states

Sacramento Bee

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced late Monday their roughly 80,000 workers will walk off their jobs as part of a seven-day strike beginning Oct. 14 in California, five other states and the District of Columbia.

Maybe We’re Not All Going to Be Gig Economy Workers After All
New York Times

The rapid rise of digital platforms that let people earn money by driving passengers, delivering groceries, walking dogs or running errands for strangers raised the prospect that one day many of us might turn to our mobile phones to find our next paycheck.

Are wages rising, falling, or stagnating?

Brookings

What is really happening to wages in America? Over the past 12 months, average hourly wages rose 3.2 percent, according to the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

EDUCATION

K-12:

State, local leaders tour Merced Unified's CTE programs

abc30

School Districts work to keep up on broken AC requests amid hot temperatures

abc30

The hot Central Valley temperatures and aging HVAC systems can make regulating classroom temps a big challenge. Hundreds of AC maintenance requests have poured in since the start of the school year and crews are working long hours to keep up.

VUSD bond oversight committee ready for work

Visalia Times-Delta

Last year, Visalians approved a $105 million education bond to fund a variety of projects, including the city's fifth high school. On Wednesday, community members will take their first steps toward ensuring those monies are spent effectively.

Disaster Days: How megafires, guns and other 21st century crises are disrupting CA schools

CALmatters

Each year, millions of Californians send their children to public K-12 classrooms, assuming that, from around Labor Day to early summer, there will be one given: A school day on a district’s calendar will mean a day of instruction in school. But that fixed point is changing, according to a CalMatters analysis of public school closures.

California Public School Closure Database 2002-2019

CALmatters

Working with school closure data gathered by the California Department of Education, CalMatters built an interactive database to examine the amount of instructional time public schools lose each year to natural disasters, unsafe conditions and other emergencies in California. Each closure day equals one lost day of instruction at a single public school site.

Back to school 2019: A lesson plan from the science of learning

Brookings

Teachers who headed back to school in the past few weeks are determined to buck the trend and create young readers who perform at grade level. Their goals are laudable, but we have not prepared them well to do this herculean task.

Gov. Newsom, lawmakers strike deal on $15 billion education construction bond

EdSource

After intensive down-to-the-wire negotiations, legislative leaders and staff from the governor’s office have agreed on legislation to place a $15 billion preschool, K-12 and higher education construction bond before voters in March 2020.

Full-day kindergarten could soon be required in every California school

EdSource

Kindergartners across California could soon be spending more time in their classrooms if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill approved by the state Legislature last week. The legislation, Assembly Bill 197, introduced by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, would require every public elementary school, including charter schools, to offer at least one kindergarten class the same length as 1st grade, beginning in the 2022-23 school year.

Grade Fixing Is No Fix for Education Inequality

Capital & Main

Oakland Unified says that it will be left to an independent investigator to examine allegations that grades were falsified on the district’s online credit recovery system — online credit recovery being the virtual courses that permit at-risk kids to quickly make up failed classes on their home computers.

Is Assessment Ready to Move Beyond Standardized Tests? These MIT Researchers Think So.

EdSurge News

In recent years, educators have spent countless collective hours designing, experimenting with and implementing new kinds of learning experiences for students—learning experiences that are fun, engaging and formative. But assessments haven’t evolved at the same pace.

No, record players won’t solve inequality

Washington Post

Responding to a question about the legacies of slavery during the Democratic debate Thursday, former vice president Joe Biden left many scratching their heads when he urged parents from poor backgrounds to “make sure you have the record player on at night” to ensure their children hear an adequate number of words.

Higher Ed:

Help improve education: Join CSU chancellor at Fresno Bee’s California Priorities summit Sept. 18

Fresno Bee

Attention parents: Free SAT and ACT online preparation courses available this month

Sacramento Bee

High school students preparing for college can take free SAT and ACT preparation classes using an online service for a limited time starting next week.

California lawmakers pass bill requiring public universities to offer abortin pill on campus

The Hill

The California State Assembly voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to require public universities in the state to offer medication abortion at on-campus student health centers.

Stan State Staff Presents Innovative Ideas at EOP’s 50th Anniversary Gala

California State University Stanislaus

Opinion: UC investments are going fossil free. But not exactly for the reasons you think

Los Angeles Times

Our job is to make money for the University of California, and we’re betting we can do that without fossil fuels investments. We believe hanging on to fossil fuel assets is a financial risk. That’s why we will have made our $13.4-billion endowment “fossil free” as of the end of this month, and why our $70-billion pension will soon be that way as well.

Apprenticeships:

Where Do Apprenticeships and Higher Ed Meet?

EdNote

Word on the street is apprenticeships create a direct pathway to in-demand jobs by providing an on-ramp for individuals to enter the workforce while learning the skills needed to enter specific jobs and careers. As part of broad workforce development initiatives, states are relying on registered apprenticeships as one way to meet workforce demand.

ENVIRONMENT/ ENERGY

Environment:

A fight with Trump that Gavin Newsom doesn’t want: Why he’s vetoing environmental bill

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom took considerable political heat over the weekend from a pair of unlikely sources — the environmental community and Democratic lawmakers.

● Newsom breaks with Democrats on environmental ‘Trump insurance’ bill CALmatters

● EDITORIAL: Newsom on wrong side of environmental bill San Francisco Chronicle

Mosquito activity high in Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

A species of mosquitoes is infesting Kern County and it has already taken over at least 50 neighborhoods.

Wildfires and flying could stymie California's climate goals

San Francisco Chronicle

Wildfires and air travel, two fast-growing sources of emissions, are not included in California’s ambitious climate goals.

Managing a Non-Native Delta Ecosystem

PPIC

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta has more non-native species than native ones, and its estuary is considered the most invaded in the world. We talked to Jim Cloern—an emeritus scientist with the US Geological Survey and an adjunct fellow at the PPIC Water Policy Center—about this challenge.

How smart economic policy can help combat climate change

Brookings

Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Action Summit, World Resources Institute President and CEO Andrew Steer joins Senior Fellow David Dollar to discuss the steps countries are taking to address climate change and whether it’s enough.

Energy:

California gas prices will probably rise after attack on Saudi oil plant

Los Angeles Times

California gas prices will probably rise gradually after the weekend attack on an oil processing plant in Saudi Arabia, an analyst said Monday.

● Attack on Saudi facility exposes world economy’s ‘Achilles heel’ Los Angeles Times

● Supply, demand and 'geopolitical tensions': How oil prices rise abc30

Newsom administration quietly stalls fracking permits

Bakersfield Californian

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

Fresno Bee

A Tulare County resident has died from complications related to the use of e-cigarettes, the Tulare County Public Health Office reported Monday. The announcement came just a few hours after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to spend $20 million on vaping awareness.

● First vaping-related death reported in Tulare County Visalia Times-Delta

● Why did vaping leave one Southern Californian dead and dozens more hospitalized? Orange County Register

California tax collectors to target e-cigarettes in vaping crackdown ordered by Newsom

Fresno Bee

● California to spend $20M on vaping awareness abc30

● State authorities warn of street drug in some spiked vapes Stockton Record

● California Campaign Will Warn Public Of Vaping Dangers Capital Public Radio

● California Gov. Gavin Newsom takes executive action on vaping and e-cigarettes Los Angeles Times

● Gov. Gavin Newsom announces executive order to curb youth vaping San Francisco Chronicle

● Newsom cracks down on vaping — and asks the Legislature for help CALmatters

● California to target counterfeit vaping products New York Times

As illnesses spread, fake vape gear sells on LA streets

Associated Press

A short walk from police headquarters in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, a cluster of bustling shops are openly selling packaging and hardware that can be used to produce counterfeit marijuana vapes that have infected California’s cannabis market.

Five Things To Know Now About California’s New Vaccine Law

Capital Public Radio

The law takes effect Jan. 1. It gives health officials final say on medical waivers, with the authority to reject them. Opponents hope to overturn it.

● Gov. Gavin Newsom defends his actions on new California vaccine laws Los Angeles Times

● Newsom Defends Actions on Controversial Vaccine Exemption Bill KQED

California’s governor signed a pro-vaccine bill into law this week. Then the protests got weird.

Washington Post

Anti-vaccine activists in California heatedly protested new limits on medical exemptions to vaccine requirements days after the bill was finalized amid a nationwide crisis of confidence in vaccinations.

Human Services:

80,000 Kaiser workers plan 7-day strike that will affect California, 5 other states

Fresno Bee

South Valley non-profit pairing vets with service dogs-for free

abc30

California Service Dog Academy's current mission is to train and provide service dogs to veterans at no cost. Thanks to a grant from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the relatively new non-profit is doing just that.

Officially started in 1946 CalVet goes back 135 years

Porterville Recorder

The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) has served California’s veteran population in a variety of ways since its creation by the California State Legislature in 1946. CalVet provides varying ranges of care at its eight Veterans Homes of California.

Adventist Health uses new footprint scan to enhance infant safety

Bakersfield Californian

Adventist Health Bakersfield has implemented a new safety technology that uses an infant's footprint for identification in the event of an abduction, natural disaster or other newborn security issue.

‘Some Good Out Of Some Tragedy’ – Kern County Suicide Survivor Tackles Prevention Head-On

VPr

Ellen Eggert works with Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services as a project supervisor and head of its crisis intervention hotline, and three decades ago attempted suicide herself.

Purdue Pharma, drugmaker accused of fueling the opioid epidemic, files for bankruptcy

Washington Post

Purdue Pharma, the drug manufacturer accused of triggering the nation’s epidemic of opioid addiction through its sale of the profitable but highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, filed for bankruptcy Sunday.

IMMIGRATION

Tent courtrooms open to process migrants waiting in Mexico

Fresno Bee

Tent courtrooms opened Monday in two Texas border cities to help process thousands of migrants who are being forced by the Trump administration to wait in Mexico while their requests for asylum wind through clogged immigration courts.

As California moves to ban private prisons, lawmaker decries 'unsanitary conditions' at ICE detention facility

Desert Sun

Just seven janitorial staff are responsible for cleaning the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, Calif., a privately owned and operated immigrant detention center housing almost 900 people, according to California Rep. Mark Takano.

Bill Aims to Probe Immigrant Detainee Deaths

Capital & Main

Melissa Castro had just given birth to her first son last February when she learned that her 27-year-old husband, Jose Ibarra Bucio, then held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, lay shackled to a bed at Loma Linda University Medical Center after passing out at ICE’s Adelanto Detention Facility near San Bernardino.

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Fresno-Clovis area sees hotel building boom

abc30

Precarious spot for mobile home owners as investors swoop in

Associated Press

When the time came for her to sell the mobile home park she and her son owned near Aspen, 89-year-old Harriett Noyes had two big offers and an even bigger decision: Take nearly $30 million from a developer who would likely evict her family and friends to build luxury homes, or sell to the county for a fraction of that to preserve affordable housing in one of the most expensive areas in the United States.

Housing:

Recent studies find Visalians feel the love in one of the most affordable cities in nation

Visalia Times Delta

As crisis mounts, events turn focus on homelessness

Stockton Record

With new encampments seeming to pop up daily and with the number of unsheltered people steadily increasing, homelessness will be the topic at three different events this week in Stockton.

California Asks Trump For Housing Vouchers To Aid Homeless

Capital Public Radio

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday asked President Donald Trump to approve more housing vouchers as Trump's administration weighs in on the most populous state's massive homelessness problem.

● What Trump can and can’t do about California homeless crisis Sacramento Bee

● Trump sees ‘liberal policies’ fueling California homeless crisis. What can he do about it? Sacramento Bee

● Trump expected to visit Bay Area on Tuesday: Newsom asks for homelessness help San Francisco Chronicle

● Newsom to visiting Trump: Help us on homelessness Politico

● California asks Trump for housing vouchers to aid homeless Associated Press

● More Homeless Forced Into Mental Health Care PEW Trusts

● White House report on homelessness White House

California wants you to build a ‘granny flat’ in your garage or backyard. Here’s why

Sacramento Bee

They used to be called granny flats. Now, they’re billed as a secret element to solving California’s housing crisis. Striving for ways to boost housing, California legislators have sent two controversial bills to the governor that would make it easier for homeowners to turn garages into rental units or build cottage apartments in the backyard.

Fresno Bee

Prices for CalPERS’ most popular health insurance plans are going up more in Sacramento County than in most of the state, partly as a result of a change the retirement fund’s board made to how it groups insurance markets last year.

EDITORIAL: California unions want to gut Prop. 13 to pay for rising pension costs

Las Vegas Review-Journal

California unions have figured out the cause of the state’s budget problems — taxes aren’t high enough.

TRANSPORTATION

Road work to begin in southeast Visalia

Visalia Times-Delta

Road work is scheduled to begin Monday on Ben Maddox Way, between Walnut and K avenues, as part of the Major Street Rehabilitation Project. Roughly 0.33 miles of road will be worked on, according to city officials.

Why are trucks more dangerous once they simply cross into California?

Bakersfield Californian

It’s amazing how stupid truck drivers become immediately upon crossing the border from other states into California. There must be something in the air.

California bullet train’s mishandling of land deals adds to mounting costs and delays

Los Angeles Times

California’s bullet train project confronts an array of political and financial challenges, but its biggest problem involves mismanagement of land acquisitions, which has contributed to construction delays, cost increases, litigation and the launch of a federal audit.

Pedestrians die every 90 minutes in the U.S., and low-income areas are hurt most

Los Angeles Times

The memorial to Christian Vega near a busy Los Angeles intersection is a serene arrangement of flowers and votive candles offset from the busy sidewalk by a row of bushes. Erected where Riverside Drive and Newell Street meet, it is the second memorial for Vega. The first was flattened by a car that jumped the curb as it sped around the corner, spilling red roses like blood just yards from where a Toyota Camry struck the 17-year-old on a rainy night in February.

WATER

Just to clear things up: Modesto’s first rain of the weather year was just right

Modesto Bee

The Modesto area got its first rainfall of the weather year Monday – all of 0.07 inches, but welcome at the height of harvest.

DCA Set to Vote on the Establishment of a New Delta Stakeholder Engagement Committee

California Department of Water Resources

The Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA), an independent joint powers authority tasked with design and engineering work to support the state's effort to modernize Delta conveyance, has posted the agenda packet for the September 19 Board of Directors meeting. During this week’s meeting, the DCA board will consider establishing a new Delta Stakeholder Engagement Committee.

Trump to propose 'narrower definition' for water protection

PBS NewsHour

The Trump administration this week rolled back Obama-era regulations on the Clean Water Act, which was established to limit the amount of pollution in U.S. bodies of water and to protect sources of drinking water.

“Xtra”

Unusual skateboard project helps both inmates and kids

Fresno Bee

Sixteen inmates at Avenal State Prison are turning old, rescued, thrashed skateboards into works of art that will be auctioned off to benefit a nonprofit that provides new skateboarding equipment to kids who may otherwise not have access.

Fresno’s brewery district’s growing again: New beer tasting room headed for downtown

Fresno Bee

Fresno’s brewery district is about to grow once again. A new craft beer tasting room is scheduled to open next year on Fulton Street downtown. Fittingly, it’s in the building that has a mural painted on the side that says “brewery district.”

Our food writer spent hours tasting local food at the Fresno expo. Here are her favorites

Fresno Bee

The event is a huge trade show in downtown Fresno that connects 140 food makers from the Valley and across the state with around 700 stores and other potential buyers. A portion of the event, Expolicious, is open to the public, but not everyone can make it – or stomach the $60 ticket.

Wine, craft beer tasting in Fig Garden benefits Habitat for Humanity

abc30

Fig Garden Village is hosting its annual wine walk and craft beer tasting on Thursday. More than 20 wineries and several local breweries are serving tastings at the 9th annual Wine Walk.

Fall season begins for planetarium

Bakersfield Californian

This Wednesday, the William M. Thomas Planetarium begins the fall season of shows with “Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity.”

Makino begins PC concert series

Porterville Recorder

The Porterville College Music Department has announced several dates for its 2019 fall concert series.

Fresno's Reel Pride Film Festival: 30 years of LGBTQ Films, A Sanger Native's Debut Film

VPR

This year, the Reel Pride Film Festival is celebrating its 30th year in Fresno. It’s the sixth largest and sixth longest running LGBTQ film festival in the country.