Posts Tagged: Fresno

Podcast

Nathan Click on Comms, the Senate race and ballot measures to watch

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: We are joined today by communications expert Nathan Click of Click Strategies. Click serves as a political advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and led communications efforts in the Governor’s successful campaign against the Recall. With last week’s announcement that journalist Bob Salladay would be replacing Anthony York as Gov. Newsom’s Communications Director, we thought it was a great time to ask Click about what the job is like. Click also shared his thoughts on the Senate race, the effect of the early primary, and weighed in on Initiatives that are likely to be on November’s ballot, including a repeal of Prop. 8.

News

A special election to replace Kevin McCarthy could cost counties big bucks

Kevin McCarthy, image via Associated Press

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s stunning announcement that he will resign from Congress before his term ends has sent the state’s political class and those who cover it into an uproar. The possibilities of who might seek to replace the former House Speaker are numerous, and names of conceivable candidates began flying seemingly moments after his announcement became public. But for now, McCarthy still holds the cards for how exactly that all goes down.

Opinion

Robust economy and climate goals can go hand in hand

An aerial, panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: Sai Chan, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: We do not have to sacrifice our prosperity to achieve California’s climate goals. Quite the opposite is true. To put California on an equitable and prosperous path to a carbon neutral economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a $750 million Community Economic Resilience Fund.

News

CA bullet train hopeful over Biden’s infrastructure plan

An artist's rendering of California's bullet train. (Image: High-Speed Rail Authority)

State rail officials are taking the glass-half-full view. Rather than lamenting the fact High Speed Rail is absent from the president’s infrastructure plan, they’re pointing to supportive statements from Biden and his team, and insisting there’s time before Congress irons out a final deal to claim a share for California’s fast train.

News

California pesticide use high, covers vast acreage

Pesticide warning signs in a California field that is ready for planting. (Photo:Tom Grundy, via Shutterstock)

FairWarning: Farmers in California, the nation’s top agricultural state, are applying near-record levels of pesticides despite the rising popularity of organic produce and concerns about the health of farmworkers and rural schoolchildren. The latest figures, released in April by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and covering 2016, show that 209 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients were used in agriculture.

Opinion

Water storage needed — but keep faith with Prop. 1

The Kern River flows through Hart Park near Bakersfield. (Photo: Richard Thornton

OPINION: The California Water Commission is currently evaluating 11 proposals that are competing for $2.7 billion of the Prop. 1 funds set aside for storage projects. In December, the applicants made their cases directly to the commissioners in Sacramento, describing their purported “public benefits” to satisfy Proposition 1’s funding requirements.

News

Bakersfield focus in bullet train battle

An artist's rendition of the California bullet train. (Illustration: California High Speed Rail Authority)

At the heart of the dispute over California’s bullet train project is Bakersfield, where a local legal battle is sending ripples through the multibillion-dollar system. “We have adversely affected all of Southern California,” said Adam Cohen, a Bakersfield transportation and planning consultant who closely monitors the high-speed train’s path and station through his city.

Opinion

‘Digital deserts’ push life to the slow lane

Illustration of online activity at a snail's pace. (mattsabe, Shutterstock)

OPINION: In California — and all across the country — there are “digital deserts,” places where it’s impossible to get high-speed Internet access at home and thus impossible to do homework, apply for jobs and be a full-fledged member of the digital economy. These digital deserts also prevent farmers from using Internet technology to improve efficiencies in growing crops and getting them to markets.

News

Drought’s not over for everybody

Localized flooding on the American River near Folsom Dam. (Photo: David Greitzer

Most Californians are – finally – out of the drought, but the record-setting rains have not washed away emergency conditions for all residents. Gov. Jerry Brown’s April 7 executive order lifted the drought state of emergency for 54 of California’s 58 counties.

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