CA Assemblymember Adam Gray secures rare victory for water rights holders

Sierra Sun Times September 17, 2017 SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Adam C. Gray’s (D-Merced) announced the landmark passage of water rights fairness legislation after the bill received final approval on the last day of the Legislative session. The bill requires that administrative law judges conduct water rights enforcement hearings, instead of the State Water Board. “The region I [...]

Hundreds of bills head to Governor Brown’s desk

By Marisa Lagos, Guy Marzorati, Scott Shafer KQED News September 16, 2017 Friday was the end of this year’s legislative session, and lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown hundreds of bills this week covering issues as wide-ranging as immigration, public safety, health care and housing. Here’s a roundup of some of the bills now sitting on Brown’s desk. IMMIGRATION Senate Bill [...]

HUD awards $55M for housing, community development projects in 77 Native American communities

FOR RELEASE Thursday, September 14, 2017 WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $55.2 million to 77 Native American tribes throughout the country to improve housing conditions and to stimulate economic development in their communities. HUD's Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program is a competitive program that supports a [...]

Community forums taking place following KHSD discrimination lawsuit settlement

By Harold Pierce | [email protected] Bakersfield.com September 14, 2017   A coalition of community groups is hosting a meeting Friday informing the public of steps moving forward after the Kern High School District settled a major discrimination lawsuit in July. That lawsuit alleged KHSD engaged in a years-long pattern of discriminatory disciplinary practices against black and Latino youth. The [...]

Report: Investment needed to prepare San Joaquin Valley communities for high-speed rail

By Erin Baldassari  | [email protected] Bay Area News Group September 13, 2017   Without state and local intervention, San Joaquin Valley cities with high-speed rail stations will become bedroom communities, sending out waves of tech workers on express trains to the Bay Area and Los Angeles, a report released Wednesday by nonprofit think-tank SPUR argues. Reading this on your [...]

Dyer: New approach coming for mental health cases

NPR for Central California September 17, 2017 Police officers across the country and in the Central Valley have been under increasing scrutiny and pressure for how they deal with civilians in the field. At the same time, some departments are acknowledging that their role is morphing into one that is just as concerned with identifying and [...]

Valley economic index falls but sits in healthy range

The Business Journal September 8, 2017 The San Joaquin Valley Business Conditions Index has moved down, but still points to strong growth in the next three to six months. “The region is currently experiencing solid manufacturing growth with combined upturns in regional construction,” said Dr. Ernie Goss, research faculty with the Craig School of Business at Fresno [...]

How one program gives federal property to groups helping the homeless

Capital & Main By Charles Davis September 6, 2017 Hundreds of thousands of people sleep every night on the streets of the United States, where just about every major city is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. While no federal program offers completely free housing for the homeless, a little-noticed statute is allowing those who help this population [...]

Los Banos highway’s ‘innovative’ pedestrian signal poised to benefit safety, traffic

The Merced Sun-Star By Vikaas Shanker May 2, 2017 LOS BANOS A crossing point on a busy road near Los Banos High School is the first intersection in Merced County to be installed with an innovative traffic signal that can be activated by pedestrians, officials said. The new signal, known as the HAWK for High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, works like [...]