This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In a sense, California has been taxing wealth since it became a state 175 years ago. Well into the 20th century, the state relied on taxing land and buildings which, in that agrarian period, were major forms of...
How California Is Trying to Speed Up Spending on Voter-Approved Climate Projects
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. A Democratic lawmaker is pushing a proposal to speed up $10 billion in funding for climate programs more than a year after voters approved Proposition 4, the state’s biggest investment yet to combat climate change. Assemblymember David Alvarez...
Will Merced’s New Pedestrian Ordinance Encourage Safer Street-Crossing?
Merced pedestrians who don’t cross the road in a crosswalk, commonly called jaywalking, can now face potential citations under a new city ordinance. Merced police officers can cite pedestrians only when there is imminent danger of collision with a vehicle, according to city attorney Craig Cornwell. The city cannot regulate...
California Police Chiefs Back Swalwell and Bianco for Governor
Noting how divided politically California has become, the association of the the state's law enforcement heads decided to give out two endorsements for the next governor — one for Bay Area Rep. Eric Swalwell, and one for former Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. A news release from the California Police...
Overwatch 2 Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Reports
Overwatch 2 experienced a possible outage Friday, with thousands of users reporting issues, according to Downdetector.com. More than 24,000 users had reported problems with the platform as of 4:00 p.m. PST, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collecting status reports from multiple sources. Most users reporting issues say they’re...
Fresno Unified Retirees Allege Elder Abuse Via Health Care Change
Fresno Unified retirees filed a formal letter of demand Thursday against the district and School Board, alleging elder abuse and opposing the imposition of the Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan. “The main concern is that without their consent, the retirees and their beneficiaries had their medical coverage switched to an Aetna...
Republican Mayor Jerry Dyer Speaks Truth to Trump’s ICE Power
On the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday, Fresno Mayor Jerry did what few Republicans are willing to do. He spoke the truth about the ICE goon squads roaming the country, terrorizing citizens — documented and undocumented — and shredding the Constitution. "Goon squad" is my term — not...
Madera VP’s Lawsuit Claims Harassment, Retaliation by State Center, Faculty Union, SCCCD Insiders
A Madera Community College administrator is suing State Center Community College District, the district's faculty union and its president, and an anonymous coalition that calls itself the SCCCD Insiders on allegations of creating a hostile work environment, harassment, retaliation, failure to prevent harassment and discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress,...
Big Fresno Fair Announces Return of Harness Racing After Century-Long Absence
Harness racing will return to Fresno after a century-long absence under a new agreement between The Big Fresno Fair and Watch and Wager, LLC, making the city California’s only approved harness racing venue, fair officials announced. The California Horse Racing Board unanimously approved 38 harness race dates for Fresno on...
Madera County Authorities Arrest Woman in Infant Abuse Case
A 50-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the abuse of a 3-month-old infant who suffered severe head trauma, the Madera County Sheriff's Office said on Friday. Madera County Sheriff’s deputies responded Jan. 13 to a medical aid call for an unresponsive baby. The child was rushed to a local...