Saturday | February 4, 2012

Saturday News Briefs

STOCKTON, 2/3/12 9:00pm

• Economic forum for Valley business set for Fresno

• Frogs trump fish in court ruling impacting Sierra Nevada

• And more….

Teachers union proposes ‘millionaires’ tax in California

SACRAMENTO, 2/3/12 9:00pm

• Might generate as much as $9.5 Billion for schools

• Tax would kick in at the million-dollar level

Senator demands answers from Freddie Mac's regulator

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 2/3/12 2:27pm
This story was written by Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, and Chris Arnold, NPR News

• Mortgage giant's controversial trades in the spotlight

• ‘The risk associated with these transactions is inconsistent with FHFA's goals’

Stockton names new utilities director

STOCKTON, 2/3/12 12:03pm

• City taps county water expert

• Mel Lytle joins city March 1

VA Secretary to make Central Valley vets clinic a personal matter

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/3/12 11:44am

• Clinic to be built near Stockton

• ‘The new facility will make medical services more accessible to our veterans’

Another conviction in Forest Service corruption case

SACRAMENTO, 2/3/12 11:33am

• Sacramento jury finds Atlanta man guilty

• Fourteenth person convicted in the case

USDA makes rural development grants to Central Valley

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/3/12 8:59am

• Ten companies or organizations get funding

• ‘These projects will provide financial returns and help create jobs’

Commission sides with striped bass

SACRAMENTO, 2/3/12 5:48am

• Eradication plan rejected

• Rejects farmers’ proposal

Gasoline prices jump

LOS ANGELES, 2/3/12 4:53am

• Refiners throttle back production

• ‘Crude oil prices are dropping now, but gas prices may take awhile to reflect those drops’

Science may have found how red wine’s health secret really works

BETHESDA, MD., 2/2/12 9:38pm

• The ‘French paradox’ revealed?

• ‘Resveratrol has potential as a therapy for diverse diseases such as type 2 diabetes’

Most Facebook users get more than they give, says new study

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/2/12 9:01pm

• Facebook users have fewer friends than their friends do

• ‘Highly active power users skew the average’

Science center get another founding partner

SACRAMENTO, 2/2/12 9:00pm

• Keller Group Office Environments signs on

• ‘We are honored to be a partner on such an incredible projec’

Urban Land Institute to offer ideas on Stockton’s downtown

STOCKTON, 2/2/12 9:00pm

• Focus on revitalization

• ‘The health of our downtown is critical to the success of the city and the entire region’

People (mostly) in the News

STOCKTON, 2/2/12 9:00pm

• Insurance companies promote and hire

• Generosity makes a big difference in Chico

• And many more, including our first Dog in the News….

Why Fannie and Freddie are hesitating to help homeowners

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 2/2/12 2:49pm , by Cora Currier, ProPublica

• An attempt to explain what they do and why they do it

• ‘It was the worst meeting I've ever had in my life’

Central Valley businessman named president of California Trucking Association

SACRAMENTO, 2/2/12 11:21am

• Scott Blevins to serve in 2012

• Rose from mechanic to president of Mountain Valley Express

Top managers named to run CalEMA

SACRAMENTO, 2/2/12 10:58am

• Governor taps private sector for top post

• Acting secretary gets undersecretary job

Davis firm expands in Brazil

DAVIS, 2/2/12 7:57am

• Schilling Robotics opens support center in Macae

• ‘The Brazil market is growing rapidly for our customers’

No Santa Claus for home sellers: Prices declined in December

SANTA ANA, 2/2/12 7:22am

• Short sales, foreclosures drive down prices

• ‘Until distressed sales in the market recede, we will see continued downward pressure on prices’

Four Central Valley metros add construction jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/2/12 6:50am

• Bakersfield ranks sixth in nation for job gains

• Nationally, 148 of 337 metros see growth

New Year kicks off with 28 percent surge in job cuts

CHICAGO, ILL., 2/2/12 4:30am

• 53,486 planned cuts announced in January

• ‘The sixth consecutive year … in which January job cuts surpassed the December total’

Bakersfield leaps into Leap Year

BAKERSFIELD, 2/1/12 9:00pm

• Launches new single-day visitor campaign

• “One More Day to Explore Bakersfield” offers deals

Great Recession, state budget crisis especially tough on women, says report

SACRAMENTO, 2/1/12 9:00pm

• New study highlights higher poverty, lower employment, and less support

• ‘California's women have faced an imperfect storm’

Three California national forests picked to implement new planning rule

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/1/12 9:00pm

• Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo national forests among eight

• ‘Will demonstrate straight out of the gate what we’ve been talking about’

Two Central Valley commercial real estate firms merge

FRESNO, 2/1/12 9:00pm

• Retail California merges with Pearson Realty

• ‘By joining the Pearson team we extend our reach’

Earnings double for Central Valley Community Bank

FRESNO, 2/1/12 1:57pm

• Net income tops $6.4 Million for 2011

• ‘Slight economic improvement is being seen in the markets we serve overall’

'Smart meter’ opt-out OK’d in California

SAN FRANCISCO, 2/1/12 1:27pm

• CPUC approves analog meters for PG&E customers

• But it will cost you

California’s snowpack a paltry 37 percent of average

SACRAMENTO, 2/1/12 12:41pm

• Manual readings confirm the worst

• ‘So far, we just haven’t received a decent number of winter storms’

Boards formed to wind down redevelopment agencies in Merced and Stanislaus counties

SACRAMENTO, 2/1/12 12:31pm

• Three members appointed to each board

• From paying final bills to disposing of assets and more

California renews jump start to electric vehicle sales

PASADENA, 2/1/12 11:58am

• CARB OKs $11 Million to encourage sales

• ‘There are more electric and hybrid trucks in California than any other state’

Strengthening levees makes more sense than peripheral canal, say experts

STOCKTON, 2/1/12 11:43am

• Levees are critical to economic sustainability in the Delta

• Reports say seismic levee upgrades are lowest cost strategy for water supply reliability

Weak customer demand, not regulations, is the problem, say small businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/1/12 9:28am

• Survey says small businesses want protection from unfair competition

• Almost all say regulations needed as necessary part of a modern economy

Obama tosses lifeline to underwater homeowners

WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/1/12 9:01am

• UPDATED at 10:19 a.m. and at 11:59 a.m. with reaction

• Asks Congress to approve easier refinancing

• Plan might help some homes rise to a positive value

Controller: California about to go broke

SACRAMENTO, 2/1/12 5:42am

• Will run out of money by March

• Urges lawmakers to do something

More than 21 percent of California voters refuse to identify with a party

SACRAMENTO, 1/31/12 9:00pm

• Hits record high

• Third-largest ‘party’ is not a party at all

State and Blue Shield reach deal on autism treatment

SACRAMENTO, 1/31/12 9:00pm

• Insurance company agrees to offer coverage

• ‘We want to acknowledge the importance of Blue Shield's agreement’

Sacramento Food Bank getting help from local restaurants

SACRAMENTO, 1/31/12 9:00pm

• Social media promotion

• ‘As business owners, we feel it is our duty to give back’

California begins crackdown on ‘debt buyers’

SACRAMENTO, 1/31/12 9:00pm

• State Senate passes Fair Debt Buyers Practices Act

• ‘Aggressive debt buyers are using deceptive tactics to collect funds’

Five percent of California’s electricity now comes from wind

BERKELEY, 1/31/12 12:34pm

• More than 900 MW of wind projects installed in 2011

• ‘A banner year for wind generation in California’

California gasoline consumption down 1.8 percent, diesel up 4.8 percent

SACRAMENTO, 1/31/12 9:11am

• Gasoline use continues downward trend as pump prices rise 23 percent

• ‘I’m concerned high fuel prices are hurting consumer spending’

Credit managers see some improvement in economy

COLUMBIA, MD., 1/31/12 7:50am

• Improvement may have potential for staying power

• ‘The jump from December was nothing short of spectacular’

California cuts prison staffing

SACRAMENTO, 1/31/12 5:58am

• Expects to fire 548 workers

• Fewer state inmates as many are transferred to counties

Fast-food chain opens fifth restaurant in Central Valley

ELK GROVE, 1/30/12 9:00pm

• Smashburger opens Tuesday in Elk Grove

• ‘We’re looking forward to yet another successful franchise location’

Former Sacramentan pleads guilty to swindling people needing wheelchairs

SACRAMENTO, 1/30/12 9:00pm

• Enters guilty plea to 16 counts of wire fraud

• A number of the victims were disabled, elderly, or disabled veterans

Massive Bakersfield mortgage fraud nets 27 months in prison for swindler

FRESNO, 1/30/12 9:00pm

• Former Crisp & Cole agent sentenced for mortgage fraud conspiracy

• Sixth case in $23 Million fraud

Sexual orientation cannot block access to housing, says government

WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/30/12 9:00pm

• New regulation to be effective in March

• ‘You cannot use taxpayer dollars to prevent Americans from choosing where they want live’

Internal Revenue Service leases over 500,000 SF in Fresno

FRESNO, 1/30/12 9:00pm

• IRS signs 10-year renewal with Government Properties Income Trust

• ‘This lease is meaningful for the city of Fresno’

Freddie Mac Bets Against American Homeowners

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., 1/30/12 1:51pm
The story was written by Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, and Chris Arnold, NPR News

• Helping its bottom line? Or helping homeowners?

• ‘Put them squarely against the homeowner’

Winery of the year nominees sought

LODI, 1/30/12 12:55pm

• Lodi Conference and Visitors Bureau to make annual award

• Tourism advocate award nominees also needed

State wants to buy more ‘green’ power

SACRAMENTO, 1/30/12 12:48pm

• DWR seeks bids for up to 180,000 watt-hours a year

• ‘Eill assist DWR in meeting its goal of reducing its greenhouse gas footprint’

Central Valley tax shelter scam promoter sentenced

FRESNO, 1/30/12 12:44pm

• Gets nine years in prison

• ‘Cagey, conniving, smart, wily … a sophisticated cheat’

Foreclosures rates continue to fall

SANTA ANA, 1/30/12 8:49am

• Some Valley metros actually below national rate

• Mortgage delinquencies also drop

In-store mobile commerce rises –and shoppers walk

WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/30/12 6:14am

• Looking up competitors’ prices, getting advice

• And then, many walk out without buying from the store

Free! Free! Tax help from the taxman, that is

WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/29/12 9:00pm

• New available nationwide

• More than 12,000 locations

Central Valley is not rural any more

WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/29/12 9:00pm

• New federal classifications

• To help identify important health disparities among communities

Union membership continues to decline

WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/29/12 9:00pm

• But rate of decline flattens out

• Just 11.8 percent of workers are unionized