A new California legislative bill would stop utility companies from passing political lobbying, advertising, and shareholder expenses onto energy consumers. Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), introduced Assembly Bill 1167 on Feb. 21. The bill requires utility companies to justify rate increases. It makes "unjust" or "unreasonable" charges unlawful, according to...
Clovis Sales Tax Hike Begins April 1. It Will Pay for 12 New Cops, 6 Firefighters
On Tuesday, April 1, Clovis sales tax goes up a full percentage point, making the city among the highest taxed in Fresno County, trailing only Mendota and Reedley. The hike means an additional $10 on a $1,000 washer. Or 5 cents on a $5 coffee. Clovis voters in November 2024...
Madera Drama Teacher Sees the Arts as a Gateway to Improving Literacy Skills
A few years ago, when Julian Ramos first started teaching drama, he was hoping to explore Greek tragedy with his sixth graders. Then he realized only three out of his 30 students were reading at grade level. So, Sophocles was off the table. A practical soul, he pivoted to "The...
Schools in Delano Win Acclaim for Their Pandemic Comeback. How They Did It
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Some of California's most acclaimed schools right now aren't in elite suburbs or wealthy urban enclaves. They're in a small city in the San Joaquin Valley, an outpost on Highway 99 surrounded by almond trees and orange groves....
FresYes Fest: The Big Downtown Party Expects 25,000 People Saturday
FresYes Fest organizers expect 25,000 people — maybe more — in downtown Fresno enjoying food, crafts, and musical acts Saturday. Now in its 11th year, organizer Mike "Oz" Osegueda says FresYes Fest — which started as a celebration of Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co.'s anniversary — is Fresno's preeminent party destination. "Over...
Lobbyists Are a Growth Industry in Politically Complex California
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In the late 1990s, the late Jay Michael and I coauthored a book, published by the University of California, that explored why and how interest groups employ lobbyists to represent them in Sacramento. Michael was a retired lobbyist...
Will Vang Win Fresno Council Seat Outright? It Could Go Down to the Wire
Brandon Vang has a majority of votes cast from Tuesday's special election for a vacant Fresno City Council seat. But, with only 18 votes above the 50% plus one vote mark, clinching the election outright likely won't be known for another week. If Vang's margin holds, a runoff election isn't...
New CA Fire Maps Will Change How Some Valley Homes Are Built
When fires ravaged Chico and Paradise in 2018, most of the homes built there came before modern state mitigation standards, said Frank Bigelow, deputy director of community wildfire preparedness and mitigation with CalFire. Now, the statewide agency has new threat designations for areas much closer to urban areas than before....
Protests Planned All Over California to Oppose Medicaid, SNAP Funding Cuts
A grassroots movement, We Are California, is leading a statewide week of action to protest proposed federal budget cuts that threaten essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP, which millions of families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities rely on, the group said in a news release. The week-long campaign, which...
‘They Didn’t Lift a Damn Finger’: California Crime Victim Fund Ordered to Change Practices
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Ruby Marichalar didn't have the money to pay for her son's funeral after he was stabbed to death in September 2012. Like thousands of Californians every year, she turned for help to a state agency that was created...