Maddy Institute – September 24, 2021

24Sep

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Delta COVID surge shows signs of slowing in Stanislaus County, health officials say Modesto Bee

● Sept. 24: Stanislaus reports 7 deaths, big drop in hospital cases Modesto Bee

Cong. Harder: Solutions to fire and drought in Stanislaus County and our Valley

Modesto Bee

The Central Valley is a special place to live. Friday night football games. Hiking in world-famous parks. The best food anywhere in the world, grown just next door. But right now, so much of what makes our Valley great is in jeopardy, and all you have to do is walk outside and take a breath to feel it.

Students protested Turlock Unified dress code, then helped draft new one. What’s it allow?

Modesto Bee

A few months after Turlock high school students protested their dress code for unfairly targeting females, school officials drafted a new policy — and for the first time, they invited students to help.

Newsom signs bill on warehouse worker quotas and break time in Patterson and beyond

Modesto Bee

Workers at Amazon and other large warehouses got new protections under a bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It bars these employers from imposing production quotas so demanding that people have to skip meal and restroom breaks.

Central SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Deadlines near for Fresno, Valley health workers to meet COVID-19 vaccine mandate Fresno Bee

● Fresno County considers offering $500 to employees fully vaccinated against COVID-19 abc30

● Despite CA's lower COVID-19 case rate, Central Valley counties have high virus transmission abc30

● COVID-19 updates: Tulare County metrics are still increasing, but pace is slowing Visalia Times Delta

Millions of dollars available for Fresno-area families in Child Tax Credit. How to sign up

Fresno Bee

New research by the California Policy Lab says that hundreds of thousands of California families are at risk of missing out on these cash benefits, including many children in the Central San Joaquin Valley. For qualifying families, there is still time to sign up online.

Air quality rises to unhealthy levels in Fresno, Clovis region from Sequoia wildfires

Fresno Bee

The KNP Complex and Windy fires that continue to rage out of control in Sequoia National Park and the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County are pumping increasing volumes of smoke into the air in the central San Joaquin Valley, creating unhealthy conditions.

Fresno County judge rules against air district over exemptions for Valley refineries

Fresno Bee

Environmentalists and the California Attorney General are praising a recent Fresno County Superior Court ruling that will force the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to no longer exempt several oil refineries from air monitoring requirements.

Editorial: West Fresnans right to raise a stink to get county services restored to their neighborhood

Fresno Bee

The recent controversy over important government services that were no longer available to residents in west Fresno has been settled, at least for now. Fresno County officials listened to residents’ concerns and restored services at the West Fresno Regional Center.

Teens need more sleep. Will this new law help Fresno students — or just frustrate parents?

Fresno Bee

Senate Bill 328, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019, requires California middle schools beginning in July 2022 to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

WWII veteran’s body was lost on an island. 78 years later, Marine’s remains are finally home

Fresno Bee

This week – 78 years after the 20-year-old Marine was killed – his remains finally returned home to the central San Joaquin Valley, where he grew up before moving to the Central Coast while in high school.

‘Hijacked’ or On Course? Future of Fresno’s Troubled Public TV Outlet Questioned

GV Wire

Is ValleyPBS in trouble? Fears over the management of Fresno’s donor-supported educational TV station were raised in multiple media posts earlier this year.

South SJ Valley:

COVID Update:

● Public Health removes 185 duplicate COVID-19 cases from total Bakersfield Californian

Kern County under investigation after denying group COVID contract over support for defunding police

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County could end up paying dearly for an October decision by the Board of Supervisors to withhold a $1.2 million coronavirus contract from a nonprofit group that had voiced support for defunding police.

Kern Behavioral Health and local artists unveil mural to address mental health, lift up hospital workers

Bakersfield Californian

Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services and Creative Co-Crossing on Thursday unveiled a mural at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital that is the penultimate work in a four-part everGREEN artwork series.

California woman wants hospital ordered to give ivermectin to her husband, a COVID-19 patient

Mercury News

A Bakersfield woman wants a hospital to be ordered to give ivermectin to her 66-year-old husband, who tested positive for COVID-19 and has been in the intensive care unit at San Joaquin Community Hospital. The woman filed a complaint in Kern County Superior Court, one of a string of such cases filed in recent weeks by patients and their relatives.

Citing climate consensus, state's top regulator offers detailed explanation of why he denied Aera fracking permits

Bakersfield Californian

Earlier this month Bakersfield-based oil producer Aera Energy LLC sent an email to the state's top oil regulator asking why, exactly, he recently denied the company's applications to perform 35 frack jobs in western Kern County.

State:

COVID Update:

● California now has nation’s lowest virus transmission rate Fresno Bee

● California awaits CDC guidance before releasing state’s COVID vaccine booster plan Fresno Bee

● Who’s dying in California from COVID-19? CalMatters

● California plans dramatic push of COVID-19 booster shots, vaccinations Los Angeles Times

● California Public Employers May Face a State Vaccination Mandate Should OSHA Issue Regulations Based on President Biden’s Vaccine Initiative aalrr

California farm worker union marching to the French Laundry after Newsom vetoes labor bill

Fresno Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have allowed farm workers to vote by mail in union elections, a change the United Farm Workers pressed for after the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year dealt a setback to its organizing practices.

See also:

● Newsom vetoes farmworker organizing bill Business Journal

● California farm worker union marching to the French Laundry after Newsom vetoes labor bill Sacramento Bee

● What’s the role of unions in the 21st century? CalMatters

Newsom signs law requiring California warehouses to disclose quotas, provide bathroom breaks

Sacramento Bee

California will require employers like Amazon to tell their warehouse workers of their quotas and prevent companies from using algorithms that block those employees from taking meal or bathroom breaks, under a first-in-the-nation law signed Wednesday.

● A New Law In California Aims To Protect Workers At Retail Warehouses Like Amazon's VPR

● California 1st to set quota limits for retailers like Amazon Business Journal

● Newsom signs bill taking aim at labor practices in Amazon warehouses Los Angeles Times

● California governor signs bill that could push Amazon to change labor practices. New York Times

‘These are dark days.’ Gavin Newsom signs laws protecting California abortion rights

Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a pair of laws aimed at protecting reproductive health care in California, calling them urgent measures ahead of a new challenge to abortion rights that’s expected to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court.

How much offshore wind energy is coming to California? Gov. Newsom signs law to find out

Sacramento Bee

Offshore wind is no longer a distant possibility in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Thursday mandating that the California Energy Commission create a plan for offshore wind development in federal waters.

Skelton: Don’t be fooled: California’s new housing laws make significant changes to zoning

Los Angeles Times

The word is out that major land zoning bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom don’t amount to much because they were so watered down by compromising legislators. Don’t believe it.

How Latino voters in the recall election set up a winning model for the midterms

Los Angeles Times

If anyone will close the curtain on Trumpism, it will be people like Angélica Salas. She’s a 50-year-old Latina matriarch and immigrant rights activist who helped save Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election.

Historic Investments For Regions, Forest Resilience And Broadband Access

CA FWD

Pending approval by Governor Newsom, the bills would proactively address some of California’s greatest needs, including regional economic resiliency, forest health and wildfire prevention, and broadband access for those lacking adequate service.

Opinion: Bridging the gap between climate justice and housing justice

CalMatters

Stable funding is needed to ensure California’s affordable housing efforts, climate goals and decarbonization policies work hand-in-hand.

Federal:

COVID Update:

● ‘Soul-crushing’: US COVID-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a day Fresno Bee

● Is The Worst Over? Modelers Predict A Steady Decline In COVID Cases Through March VPR

● Federal officials shift vaccine distribution over fears doses will expire Los Angeles Times

● Some experts see signs of hope as COVID cases fall Axois

● Coronavirus Testing Problems Mount as Delta, Back-to-School Drive Demand U.S. News

● Domestic flight vaccine mandate? Not ‘off the table’ Roll Call

● Opinion: This will make us all freer AEI

● GOP senators say Biden COVID-19 strategy has 'exacerbated vaccine hesitancy' The Hill

Biden Pushes Democrats to Find Consensus on Budget Package

Wall Street Journal

President Biden pressed lawmakers to reach a consensus on his sweeping $3.5 trillion spending proposal during a series of meetings at the White House on Wednesday, aiming to settle sharp intraparty differences that threaten to derail his legislative agenda.

● Some Profitable Companies Would Still Pay No Taxes Under Democrats’ Plan Wall Street Journal

● Many lingering questions despite ‘framework’ for reconciliation offsets Roll Call

● House Democrats ready reconciliation package for floor vote next week Roll Call

● Opinion: Democrats love tax cuts for the rich AEI

● Opinion: $3.5 Trillion Is a Phony Number Wall Street Journal

Infrastructure Plan Faces Fresh Uncertainty as Democrats Remain Divided

Wall Street Journal

Persistent divisions among Democrats over the size of their climate and social-welfare plan are threatening to derail much of President Biden’s agenda, as progressives signal that they could block passage of a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure package next week.

See also:

● How the U.S. Debt Ceiling Works and Why It Matters Wall Street Journal

● What Is the Debt Ceiling and Why Does Congress Need to Raise It? Wall Street Journal

● Infrastructure vote suspense prompts worries about highway bill Roll Call

● Many lingering questions despite ‘framework’ for reconciliation offsets Roll Call

● Democratic leaders racing toward Monday infrastructure vote The Hill

● Opinion: Why California’s congressional delegation must lead on infrastructure bill CalMatters

Biden Faces His Toughest Negotiating Test: Bringing Together the Democrats

U.S. News

The president known for his negotiating skills faces a do-or-die series of votes that will determine the fate of his domestic agenda. But it's not Republicans in Biden's way. It's his own party.

● Biden steps into the breach Axios

● Biden's big bet backfires Axios

White House tells U.S. agencies to get ready for first government shutdown of pandemic

Washington Post

The White House budget office notified federal agencies on Thursday to begin preparations for the first shutdown of the U.S. government since the coronavirus pandemic began, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill struggle to reach a funding agreement.

See also:

● Pelosi Says Government Funding Won’t Lapse Wall Street Journal

Biden White House leans toward releasing information about Trump and Jan. 6 attack, setting off legal and political showdown

Washington Post

The White House is leaning toward releasing information to Congress about what Donald Trump and his aides were doing during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol despite the former president’s objections — a decision that could have significant ramifications.

● After Trump, Democrats move to restrict president’s power over pardons, spending Sacramento Bee

House passes legislation to create statutory right to abortion as battle over Texas law heats up

Washington Post

The House on Friday passed legislation that would create a statutory right for health-care professionals to provide abortions, amid an intensifying legal battle over a Texas law that is the most restrictive in the nation.

Democrats Hunt for Redistricting Wins Despite GOP Tilt

Wall Street Journal

Republicans hold the pen in 20 out of 35 states where legislatures control redistricting and the state has more than one congressional seat, so Democrats are using legal, legislative and political maneuvers to try to improve their position as maps start to take shape.

More air rage incidents spur calls for criminal enforcement

Roll Call

The chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee called Thursday for unruly airline passengers to be prosecuted for misbehavior, arguing that fines aren’t doing enough to prevent such incidents.

Other:

Opinion: Our constitutional crisis is already here

Washington Post

The US is heading into its greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War, with a reasonable chance over the next 3-4 years of incidents of mass violence, a breakdown of federal authority, and the division of the country into warring red and blue enclaves.

Opinion: A brief proposal to expand the scope of whistleblower programs

Brookings

Throughout the country’s history, Congress has permitted individuals who uncover misconduct to share in the proceeds from a verdict or settlement even where the individual has not been directly harmed by the defendant.

MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING

Sunday, September 26, at 10 a.m on ABC30 – Maddy Report: "Air Quality: Have We Hit the Invisible Wall?" - Guest: Rachel Becker, Environmental Reporter - CalMatters. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

Sunday, September 26, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report - Valley Views Edition: "Valley Air: Are We Breathing Any Easier?"- Guests: Tom Jordan, Senior Policy Advisor - San Joaquin Valley Air District; Dr. Tania Pacheco-Werner, Co-Director - Fresno State’s Central Valley Health Policy Institute. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Lawmakers laud bill for repurposing farmland

Bakersfield Californian

A bill that would create a program to help farmers find new life for farmland idled by coming groundwater restrictions had its own phoenix moment earlier this month when it was killed and almost simultaneously reborn — this time with money.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

California launching program to track violent deaths in LGBTQ community

San Francisco Chronicle

The evidence that LGBTQ people are more likely to die violent deaths is already glaring: Reported homicides of transgender women have surged, and almost half of young people in the community contemplated suicide last year.

Public Safety:

What does Modesto’s new police chief have to say about reform, systemic racism?

Modesto Bee

Gillespie is a strong supporter of Forward Together but deferred when asked whether he supports an independent auditor and civilian review board.

Privacy Reset: A guide to the important settings you should change now

Washington Post

We all know it’s important to protect our privacy online to prevent things as simple as our birth date or as detailed as our search history from being used by companies, strangers and even governments. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know where to start.

Fire:

Air quality alert extended until Monday

Bakersfield Californian

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District extended an ongoing air quality alert until Monday. Smoke from the Windy Fire and KNP Complex continues to impact the San Joaquin Valley.

Two Sequoia wildfires have each passed 30,000 acres. New Windy Fire evacuation warnings

Fresno Bee

The KNP Complex Fire grew by almost 5,000 acres overnight as it spreads in a difficult area for fire crews to reach. The fire has scorched 33,046 acres since lightning sparked the blaze on Sept. 9, and has drawn more than 1,500 firefighters and other personnel to the Sequoia National Forest.

● Gov. Newsom Signs Historic Climate Change Spending Package As Firefighters Battle Growing Wildfires VPR

● Newsom signs $15-billion package to fight climate change, wildfire, and drought Los Angeles Times

● Gavin Newsom visits KNP fire near Fresno; signs $15 billion climate change bills Sacramento Bee

● Gov. Gavin Newsom visits Sequoia National Park amid KNP Complex Fire, signs $15B climate bill Visalia Times Delta

● General Sherman, Giant Forest survive KNP Complex Fire as blaze threatens other sequoia groves Visalia Times Delta

● As fires threaten the Ancient Ones, sequoia lovers wonder what else will no longer endure Los Angeles Times

Generous people are flooding KNP Complex firefighters with donations. That's causing problems

Visalia Times Delta

Well-intentioned donations are overwhelming local businesses and firefighters battling the KNP Complex and Windy fires in Tulare County.

Windy Fire update: 31,388 acres, 7 percent contained

Porterville Recorder

The Windy Fire burning in the Tule River Indian Reservation and the Giant Sequoia National Monument reached 31,388 acres and was 7 percent contained as of Wednesday morning.

● Fawn fire forces emergency declaration in Shasta County as Windy fire spurs more evacuations Los Angeles Times

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

Event: Register today for the 2021 California Economic Summit

CA FWD

Registration for the 2021 California Economic Summit — taking place on November 9-10 in Monterey — is now open! The annual two-day gathering is designed to shape our collective action in 2022 and to strengthen the Summit network.

COVID economy: California unemployment claims rocket higher, worst in five months

Mercury News

Unemployment claims in California rocketed to their highest level in five months last week, raising fresh uncertainties about the strength of a statewide economy attempting to recover from coronavirus-spawned maladies.

How We Kept Poverty Down in 2020

The Dispatch

Census Bureau figures on food insecurity and poverty agreed that hardship was contained successfully last year. This fact is cause for celebration and a testament to the extraordinary efforts by policymakers early on in the pandemic.

Jobs:

California’s extra sick leave for COVID-19 is ending, but is it too soon?

CalMatters

A state law gives California workers as much as two weeks additional paid sick leave during COVID-19, but it’s ending as a federal tax credit that offsets the cost for employers also expires.

What can California workers expect from Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate? Here’s what we know

Sacramento Bee

More COVID vaccine mandates are on the way for California. President Joe Biden last week rolled out his plan to get more Americans vaccinated by requiring federal workers and their contractors to get the shots.

● What Employers Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements in the Workplace National Law Review

California’s Dual Jobs Challenges

Public Policy Institute of California

The latest jobs report for California holds both promise and challenges for the near-term. In an economy made uncertain by the Delta variant, California added jobs at a faster clip than the nation. But the unemployment rate itself barely budged.

U.S. Jobless Claims Hover Near Pandemic Low

Wall Street Journal

Initial unemployment claims, a proxy for layoffs, rose by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 351,000 last week from a revised 335,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Teens need more sleep. Will this new law help Fresno students — or just frustrate parents?

Fresno Bee

Senate Bill 328, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019, requires California middle schools beginning in July 2022 to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Staffing shortage delays ambitious program to extend school day and year in California

EdSource

One of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s and the Legislature’s most ambitious and expensive education programs — the extension of the school day and of the school year for elementary school students — won’t happen this year, at least in most districts.

California Considers COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Students 12 and Up

NBC

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said while the state is considering a vaccine mandate for students, 'no definitive action or decision is being made at the moment'

For Parents of Disabled Children, School Mask Wars Are Particularly Wrenching

New York Times

In Tennessee, where the governor allows families to ignore school mask mandates, some parents are making excruciating calculations each morning about whether to send their children to school.

Concerns about child well-being during the 2020-21 school year were greatest among parents of remote learners

Brookings

Over the last 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have compiled a host of metrics to describe its ongoing impact on children, who are suffering through school closures that may have immense effects on their life outcomes.

Higher Ed:

Why earning a pilot’s license at this Fresno-area college could soon be a little cheaper

Fresno Bee

Earning a pilot’s license at Reedley College could soon get a little cheaper after the school purchases new planes with $1 million in newly secured state funding.

New generation of disabled UC students revives activism

CalMatters

A coalition is calling for the University of California to give disabled students more support and a say in pandemic-era learning plans.

As UC makes room for more Californians, can it afford to lose out-of-state students?

CalMatters

Out-of-state UC students are having a bad year. The Legislature made plans to have the UC enroll fewer of them to make way for more in-state students. Meanwhile, tuition is going up $8,000 for future out-of-state students.

Opinion: Colleges that betray core principles don’t deserve more public aid

AEI

The dismal state of campus free inquiry was cast into sharp relief this week by a compelling new survey of more than 37,000 students at more than 150 leading colleges and universities.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Fresno County judge rules against air district over exemptions for Valley refineries

Fresno Bee

See also:

· Valley Air News San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

Citing climate consensus, state's top regulator offers detailed explanation of why he denied Aera fracking permits

Bakersfield Californian

Climate change fuels California emphasis on preventing fires

Business Journal

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday approved nearly $1 billion in new spending to prevent wildfires, signaling a policy shift in a state that historically focused more on putting out fires than stopping them before they start.

Hikers shut out as climate change, fires kept California forests off-limits

Los Angeles Times

Even with most forests in the northern part of the state now open and Southern California forests reopening late Wednesday, many worry that this could become the new normal if wildfires continue their high-intensity trend, fueled at least in part by climate change.

SEC Asks Dozens of Companies for More Climate Disclosures

Wall Street Journal

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent letters to dozens of public companies asking them to provide more information to investors about how climate change might affect their financial earnings or business operations.

Greenhouse gases in grocery freezers are more powerful than carbon. The EPA now aims to slash their use.

Washington Post

Agency’s final rule will slash the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons — often found to be leaking from U.S. supermarket freezers — by 85 percent over the next 15 years

Energy:

How much offshore wind energy is coming to California? Gov. Newsom signs law to find out

Sacramento Bee

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

FDA backs Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine boosters for people 65 and older, other at-risk groups

abc30

The U.S. moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of the extra shots.

● CDC leader adds people with risky jobs to COVID booster list Fresno Bee

● Can you get Pfizer booster shot if you got Moderna or J&J COVID vaccine? What to know Fresno Bee

● The FDA OKs Pfizer-BioNTech Booster For People 65+ Or At High Risk For Severe COVID VPR

● CDC endorses Pfizer booster shots for seniors and for healthcare workers Los Angeles Times

● FDA backs Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for seniors and those at high risk Los Angeles Times

● FDA authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine booster for older Americans and those at high risk of illness Washington Post

● Pfizer booster now available to older Americans and those at higher-risk, including on the job, as CDC chief partly overrules panel Washington Post

● CDC Chief Backs Pfizer Boosters for At-Risk Workers in Break With Panel Wall Street Journal

● CDC Vaccine Committee Endorses Pfizer Booster Shot for Millions of Americans U.S. News

● CDC advisers back third COVID-19 shot for older and high-risk people Roll Call

Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids?

Fresno Bee

Experts say there's no strong evidence that it makes children and teens sicker than earlier versions of the virus, although delta has led to a surge in infections among kids because it's more contagious.

Covid-19 Vaccines Can Be Updated for the Delta Variant. Here’s How.

Wall Street Journal

Scientists are working to develop shots that would target the Delta variant specifically. The mRNA platform behind some vaccines might make this process relatively straightforward, according to senior director of product development at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.

Mapping America’s hospitalization and vaccination divide

Washington Post

The delta covid wave carves a dividing line across the country defined by one rule: Regions with more vaccinations have fewer hospitalizations.

As more get vaccinated, spread and severity of COVID-19 worse among unvaccinated

Politifact

New cases of COVID-19 peaked again in August 2021, after the more contagious delta variant became predominant in late June 2021, and there are cases of breakthrough infections among people who have been fully vaccinated.

Human Services:

Providers challenge only US law banning vaccine mandates

Business Journal

Medical providers and Montana residents with compromised immune systems are challenging the only law in the U.S. that prevents employers from mandating workers get vaccinated amid a surge of COVID-19 infections.

Pfizer CEO rallies staff to fight Democrats’ drug price negotiation

Politico

Pfizer's CEO sent a video message to company employees urging them to fight proposed government drug price negotiations and expressing frustration with Congress, which is considering using the projected savings to help pay for a $3.5T social spending package.

IMMIGRATION

Civil and human rights leaders decry treatment of Haitian migrants at southern border

Los Angeles Times

Civil and human rights groups on Wednesday criticized the White House’s immigration policies for inflicting “cruelty on Black, Brown and Indigenous immigrant communities,” according to a letter sent by the organizations to President Biden.

● Biden’s Strategy on Haitian Migrants in Texas Sparks Bipartisan Blowback Wall Street Journal

● Latin American Migration, Once Limited to a Few Countries, Turns Into a Mass Exodus Wall Street Journal

● Black lawmakers sound alarm on Haitian migrant treatment Roll Call

● Many migrants from border camp staying in US AP News

● Biden slips into political quicksand amid Haitian migrant buildup Politico

● Why are there thousands of Haitian migrants at the Texas border? Washington Post

● U.S. special envoy to Haiti resigns, says he will not be associated with ‘inhumane, counterproductive’ deportations of Haitians Washington Post

● U.S. Envoy to Haiti Resigns in Protest of Biden Administration Migrant Policy Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Abusing migrants while on horseback? That fits with the Border Patrol’s long history of brutality Los Angeles Times

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Downtown Fresno developer sues councilman and city alleging fraud over stalled project

Fresno Bee

A downtown Fresno developer is suing Councilmember Miguel Arias and the city of Fresno, alleging breach of contract, fraud and more. Cliff Tutelian, the downtown developer who owns The Grand Tower and renovated Kepler Neighborhood School, filed the lawsuit Friday.

● Fresno-area development group getting its ducks in The Row The Business Journal

Housing:

What California’s hardest-hit communities need to prevent evictions when moratoriums end

Sacramento Bee

California has been slow to distribute the $5.2 billion available for rent relief. As of early August, the state had received more than 132,000 rental assistance applications from nearly 91,000 households — amounting to about $1 billion in requested rent relief.

New California housing law challenged in court by Los Angeles nonprofit

Sacramento Bee

A Los Angeles-based nonprofit sued California on Wednesday to halt the implementation of a new housing law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last week that allows cities to rezone certain urban neighborhoods for small apartment buildings.

Contractor’s deal on California rent relief gets more lucrative

CalMatters

The state is relying on a private contractor to get rent relief to California tenants and landlords, and just increased the lucrative deal.

Black & Latino Homeowners Are About Twice As Likely As Whites To Get Low Appraisals

VPR

Home appraisers are more likely to undervalue homes in Black and Latino areas than those in white ones, a new report by Freddie Mac has found.

PUBLIC FINANCES

Millions of dollars available for Fresno-area families in Child Tax Credit. How to sign up

Fresno Bee

Haven’t gotten your $600 stimulus check? Here’s when more may get them

Sacramento Bee

Through its Golden State Stimulus, the state has already sent more than $1.8 billion to eligible taxpayers in the last few weeks, according to the Franchise Tax Board. The last batch of payments to some 2 million Californians was sent last week on Sept. 17.

The Government Gave Free PPP Money to Public Companies Despite Warning Them Not to Apply

ProPublica

At least 120 publicly traded companies that received large PPP loans grew their revenues last year and have been allowed to keep the money anyway, according to a ProPublica analysis. The program was built to help small businesses.

Editorial: The New Government Basic Income

Wall Street Journal

The history of government entitlements is that they inevitably expand, often into something far different than how they began. There’s no better example than the “child tax credit” that Democrats are now expanding.

See also:

● Opinion: The Destructive Legacy of the Great Society Wall Street Journal

● Opinion: Pension smoothing – the budget gimmick that will not die AEI

● Opinion: Will Tens of Millions of New Monthly Benefit Checks Be Joe Biden’s Legacy AEI

● Editorial: The Government Family Plan Wall Street Journal

TRANSPORTATION

WATER

Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley

Public Policy Institute of California

The San Joaquin Valley is ground zero for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It has the largest groundwater deficit in California and faces some of the worst impacts from overdraft, including land subsidence and drying wells.

See also:

● New Opportunities for Trading Surface Water in the Sacramento Valley under SGMA Public Policy Institute of California

● Event: Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley Public Policy Institute of California

California's water crisis is real. What are the solutions?

Visalia Times Delta

In California, there will always be droughts. And even in good years, there will never be quite enough water to satisfy the demands of the state’s urban population, its natural environment and an insatiable $50 billion agriculture industry.

See also:

● California is running out of water CalMatters

“Xtra”

Event: 10th Annual Pistachio Party

Old Town Clovis

Come join us for our 10th annual and beloved Pistachio Party at the Old Town Clovis Friday Night Farmers Market presented by Clovis Community Medical Center and American Pistachio Growers!

Test yourself with our new free game: PolitiTruth

Think you can tell the difference between True and False?

Do you really know what is fake news?

Support the Maddy Daily

HERE

Thank you!

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

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.

This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.

Subscribe to the Maddy Daily HERE

Or, to Subscribe or Unsubscribe: email nnaoe@csufresno.edu