Tag "Central Valley"

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Despite shake-up, bullet train project faces more bad news

California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Brian Kelly worked over the summer to reassure anxious state lawmakers that a new management team could revive the troubled bullet-train project. He also proceeded to push out key officials overseeing contract and property decisions.

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Two new headaches for California high-speed rail project

The California High-Speed Rail Authority – the agency in charge of building the state’s bullet train system – has already faced a tough year, with Gov. Gavin Newsom signaling in February that he’s not confident the full system can ever

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Census question could increase swing seats in House, Legislature

The recent U.S. Supreme Court hearing where the justices’ conservative majority appeared prepared to accept the Trump administration’s decision to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census form has triggered sharp criticism from California Democrats. If the question leads to

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Central Valley roiled by Newsom’s bullet-train plans, but some hopeful

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement in his State of the State speech in February that he didn’t believe California had the resources to complete its $77 billion statewide bullet-train project produced a backlash that Newsom didn’t seem to expect. Within hours

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Water bond facing unexpectedly strong opposition

At a time when many Democrats and Republicans alike believe often-drought-stricken California needs more water storage projects and infrastructure, an $8.9 billion bond measure that earlier this year seemed to be a sure thing now faces a somewhat less certain

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Interior secretary sets Sept. 1 deadline for new Central Valley water policies

The long-expected showdown between the Trump administration and the state of California over water, farmers and the Central Valley appears to be imminent. On. Aug. 17, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued a memorandum declaring his staff had 15 days to

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Brown’s ‘WaterFix’ has new momentum – but daunting obstacles remain

Just six weeks ago, Gov. Jerry Brown’s hopes for a huge, difficult legacy project to solidify California’s statewide water distribution system – one funded by water districts, not directly by taxpayers – appeared in bad shape. Years of lobbying for what the

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Court OKs constitutional challenge to new state law affecting farm industry

SACRAMENTO – A federal appeals court last week has taken the highly unusual step of finding a U.S. constitutional cause of action in a challenge to a California state law – the latest wrinkle in a long-running and bitter dispute

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CalWatchdog Morning Read – August 30

Farm worker OT bill awaits verdict from Gov. Brown Court ruling paves way for pension overhaul Mandatory minimums for certain sex crimes Liberal groups fight over legislative response to secret recordings High-speed rail under fire in Congress MADD v. DMV 

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El Nino provides little relief outside of Northern California

Once-high hopes that a winter 2015-16 El Nino would lift California out of its 5-year-old drought have given way to a complex picture. Heavy winter snow and rains in the northern Sierras and the Sacramento Valley are providing widespread relief in

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