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NEWS: July 19, 2016
Poll: Clinton Holds Small Lead Among Feds In the first post-primary survey of federal employees of the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton opens with a narrow lead over Republican Donald Trump. The former secretary of state leads the businessman by 5 percentage points in the poll by the research arm of the Government Executive Media Group, with 42 percent of federal respondents saying they would vote for Clinton if the election were held today, compared to 37 percent who said the same for Trump. Nearly one in 10 respondents were still undecided, while 3 percent would vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson. >> Government Executive Housing Secretary Cited for Violating Hatch Act Housing Secretary Julian Castro violated the federal Hatch Act restricting partisan political activity by federal employees when he praised Clinton during an interview with Yahoo News conducted from his government office, Office of Special Counsel investigators found. >> Washington Post Analysis: HR, IT Workers Happier at Federal Agencies Analyzing its 2015 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government report, the Partnership for Public Service found that government human-resources and information-technology professionals were more satisfied at their agencies than the average employee. >> Federal News Radio
Critical Report on Lead Brings Superintendent's Abrupt Resignation Minutes after the release of a damning report on how Portland Public Schools handled the discovery of elevated lead levels in its drinking water, Superintendent Carole Smith announced her resignation. Smith, who served nine years as superintendent and reshaped the city's high-school system, said she provided the school board with a 90-day notice of her departure but that she has accumulated 90 days of unused vacation and leave time so she will cease working immediately. >> Willamette Week, Portland Oregonian California Community College System Gets New Leader Long Beach Community College District President Eloy Ortiz Oakley will be the next chancellor of the 113-school California Community Colleges, the nation's largest public college system. Ortiz earned his first college degree from one of the system's institutions. >> Long Beach Press-Telegram, Chronicle of Higher Education Public Services | The Nation Federal Government Still Scores Dead Last in Customer Experience For the federal government, there was really nowhere to go but up in the latest Forrester Research Customer Experience Index. Yet, despite a better score this time around, the government still finished dead last, as it did last year, among the 21 industries assessed. >> Nextgov
Prosecutors Dropping Corruption Case Against Former State Attorney General Prosecutors moved to drop the public-corruption case against former Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff, two years to the day after Shurtleff and his hand-picked successor as attorney general, John Swallow, were arrested on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings cited several reasons in his motion, including a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowing the prosecution of corruption. >> Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune Judge Rejects Plea Deal for Former L.A. County Sheriff A federal judge threw out a plea agreement that would have given former Los Angeles County sheriff Lee Baca a maximum of six months in prison, saying the sentence was too lenient considering Baca's role in obstructing an FBI investigation into the county jails. >> Los Angeles Times Law Enforcement | The Nation After Attacks, Police Being Told to Team Up Police departments across the country are ordering officers to pair up after attacks left eight officers dead in Baton Rouge and Dallas, precautions being described as some of the most intense since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks but which could slow response times to low-level crimes and drive up overtime for already exhausted police. >> AP/Yahoo News Police: Baton Rouge Officers Were 'Intentionally Targeted' The three police officers who were shot to death Sunday in Baton Rouge were "intentionally targeted and assassinated" by a Marine Corps veteran who planned his approach and stalked his targets, appearing to go out of his way to spare civilians, police officials said. >> Reuters, Baton Rouge Advocate >> Follow GovManagement on Twitter >> Share this edition:
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“It's like the Grateful Dead said: 'What a long, strange trip it's been.'” Coalinga, Calif., Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Keough, on the city council's decision to allow commercial marijuana cultivation within the city limits and to sell, for $4.1 million, the city's Claremont Custody Center to a company called Ocean Grown Extracts, which will transform the dormant prison into a medical cannabis oil-extraction plant, a sale that will immediately bring the city's general fund into the black >> Fresno Bee | More quotes DATAPOINT 78% Percentage of Americans who mistakenly think that residents of the District of Columbia have voting representation in Congress, according to recent polling, while 82 percent, when properly informed, think the nation's capital should have a vote in Congress, the goal of a referendum that will be on the November D.C. ballot asking voters to allow city officials to petition Congress to turn a large part of the District into the 51st state >> Brookings Institution | More data VIEWPOINT Public Workforce | Howard Risher What Government Workers Want and Need Human capital and workforce issues rank as the No. 1 challenge for state and local governments. The reasons have been widely reported, including the aging workforce, damage to the "brand" of government, hiring and pay freezes, and the staggeringly slow hiring process. In government, employees are managed as a cost to be controlled and minimized. Meanwhile, the private sector is experiencing a revolution in the way work is organized and managed. Government's problems will only be solved when employers find a way to provide attractive career opportunities. Every worker wants a positive work experience, to feel valued and respected. >> Route Fifty | More commentaries UPCOMING EVENTS Heritage Foundation Discussion: "California's Rush to Restrict Religious Freedom in Higher Education" Today, noon-1 p.m., Washington, D.C. American Society for Public Administration Webinar: "An Analysis of Superstorm Sandy and Government Responsiveness: How Can Governments Do Better?" Today, 1 p.m. ET Brookings Institution Discussion: "The 5G Network, the Internet of Things and the Future of Health Care" Today, 2-3:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. General Services Administration Webinar: "How to Acquire Cloud and Make it Secure" July 20, noon ET Center for American Progress Discussion with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro: "Addressing Lead Exposure in Low-Income Communities" July 20, 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Environmental Council of the States State Environmental Protection Meeting July 21, Washington, D.C. Engaging Local Government Leaders Technology Efficiency Webinar July 21, 1 p.m. ET >> Full events listings |
