Thursday, January 9, 2020

Help for homeless in a trailer park nearby. 
Governor Newsom plans to include $1.5 billion from the state's anticipated budget surplus to help homeless people get off the streets, his office announced Wednesday morning. According to the Sacramento BEE, Newsom plans to sign an executive order directing state departments to identify state property that can be used for emergency shelters and designate 100 trailers in California's fleet for temporary housing and health care services. The executive order will also establish a homelessness strike team. "Homelessness is a national crisis, one that's spreading across the West Coast and cities across the country," Newsom said in a statement. "The state of California is treating it as a real emergency."

5 construction trends to expect in 2020. Construction industry trends to look forward to this year include greater scrutiny of structural processes after notable failures in 2019, more progress on the modular front and in automation, a greater focus on diversity and growing contractor skepticism about high-risk contracts for megaprojects. Story


Lack of Plumbing. "More than 2 million people in the US lack running water and basic indoor plumbing, according to a new report by the human-rights nonprofit DigDeep and the nonprofit US Water Alliance - and race and poverty are key determinants of who has access to clean water and sanitation.... Racial water gaps for Latinx and African-American households are particularly salient at the regional level, the authors added: 'In parts of the South, African Americans are the group most likely to lack complete plumbing. In California and Texas, Latinx people are the most affected.'" Report
 
Young progressives flock to Sanders - but their grandparents prefer Mayor Pete. The Democratic field features candidates who would be the oldest and youngest presidents ever. Many of their supporters seem to value qualities in candidates that complement, rather than mirror, their own. Story But Sheila Bair with the Washington Post said this about Pete: Pete Buttigieg, whose primary asset seems to be a thin résumé . ... [T]his 37-year-old man has never held national office. He has never held statewide office. The sum total of his government experience includes valorous military duty and eight years as the mayor of the roughly 300th-largest town in the United States. He gives a good speech and has some interesting ideas. But he seems more adept at pointing out the frailties of his experienced opponents than explaining how he has any hope of surviving the 'swamp' if elected, given his complete lack of Washington know-how."
 
Major business spending begins in Democrat-on-Democrat legislative race. According to POLITICO Outside business spending to elect moderate California Democrats has begun. Conceding the reality of Democratic hegemony in Sacramento, industry groups regularly channel money into a constellation of political committees that boost friendly Democrats over more-liberal opponents. That dynamic has emerged for the first time in 2020 in a Central Valley state Senate contest (SD 5). A committee sponsored by the Western States Petroleum Association has directed more than $200,000 in independent expenditure funds to help Democratic Modesto City Councilman Manmeet "Mani" Grewal, who is vying with Assemblywoman Susan Eggman for an open Stockton-area seat. About $100,000 of that will fund television spots on Grewal's behalf. The district is seen as a priority for Democrats to defend and a promising Republican pickup opportunity. Its outgoing representative, state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, has consistently been one of the most centrist Senate Democrats. The clash between Eggman and Grewal has already generated controversy. Grewal last year lost an endorsement from the California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus after Equality California assailed Grewal over a campaign spot and comments the LGBT advocacy group considered homophobic.
 
In a related story... More Dem on Dem Progressive booster Courage Campaign, who "believes that California must be a beacon of progressive, equitable, and truly representative democracy," is laying down markers in a handful of Democrat-on-Democrat races, endorsing Fresno City Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria (challenging Rep. Jim Costa), Marisol Rubio (seeking to unseat state Sen. Steve Glazer), Assembly hopeful Tracie Stafford (running against moderate Democratic Assemblyman Jim Cooper) and state Sen. Holly Mitchell (vying for an LA City Council seat). [Politico]