By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters In 2020, California will make health insurance mandatory — and charge a tax people to people without. For people who lack it now, there’s an upside: The state also will began giving subsidies to those who don’t qualify for assistance through the federal Obamacare program. In 2018,...
Cheers, Tears, Prayers for 2020: A New Decade Is Ushered In
Revelers around the globe are bidding farewell to a decade that will be remembered for the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement and, of course, President Donald Trump. A look at how the world is ushering in 2020: Australia More than a million people descended on...
Mighty Bernie at Bat? Sanders Makes Pitch for Minor Leagues
BURLINGTON, Iowa — Take Bernie out to the ball game? Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate, is aggressively opposing a Major League Baseball plan to cut 42 minor league teams across the country after 2020. Among the targeted are the Vermont Lake Monsters, the Single-A affiliate of...
Classic Blue Is Pantone Color Institute’s Color of the Year
NEW YORK — In these uneasy times, as we move along to a new decade, the Pantone Color Institute has reached back in time to calming, confident Classic Blue as its color of the year for 2020. The color is an anchor offering stability, constancy and connection, said Laurie Pressman,...
Brand New Sales Tax Idea for Funding Fresno's Big Needs
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand rolled out his early idea for a new sales tax in an interview Tuesday with GV Wire. Though he didn't name it such, you might call it "Triple-P" — a 0.75% hike on the November 2020 ballot raising about $69 million annually for public safety, parks,...
Ahead of 2020, FB Ensnared in Heated Political Climate
Mark Zuckerberg defended meetings he's reportedly had with conservative leaders after #DeleteFacebook began trending on social media. Politico reported this week that the Facebook CEO held private meetings with, among others, Fox News' Tucker Carlson and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. Conservatives have long accused Facebook of suppressing conservative political view and...
Rep. TJ Cox Tackles Impeachment, Water, Immigration
With Congress in recess, TJ Cox sat down with GV Wire to talk about his first year in the House of Representatives and his upcoming 2020 reelection bid. Cox, a Fresno Democrat, will face David Valadao, the Hanford dairyman and Republican he narrowly defeated in 2018. The Impeachment Question The...
New California Law Expands Same-Day Voter Registration
SACRAMENTO — California will allow voters to register on Election Day at all polling places in 2020. Legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom expands conditional voter registration in the state. Voters who register conditionally on Election Day will not have their ballots counted until their registration has been verified....
Get Ready for Fresno County's New Voting System in 2020
The Voters Choice Act is an exciting new model for elections administration. California Senate Bill 450 was passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor in 2016, which authorizes counties to send every voter a mail ballot and provide ballot drop-off locations and Vote Centers throughout the county. In...
Newsom Signs Law Overhauling Charter Schools
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law overhauling California's charter schools Thursday in a move seen as a compromise between teachers’ unions and charter school supporters, who have long argued over how charter schools impact public education. Charter schools are privately-run or nonprofit public schools that operate by different...