Calif.
governor signs workers' compensation fixes [Associated Press]
Gov.
Jerry Brown signed a bipartisan bill Tuesday intended to reduce workers'
compensation costs for California businesses while increasing benefits to
people injured on the job. His office said statewide changes were needed
because the cost of workers' compensation insurance has risen from $14.8
billion to $19 billion for California businesses in the past two years.
Supporters said by making the system more efficient and limiting litigation,
the bill, SB863, will save businesses $1 billion next year and allow increased
payments to disabled workers. Opponents, including some chiropractors and
attorneys for injured workers, argued that limiting litigation would mean fewer
benefits for people who are unable to return to work. According to the
insurance-run Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California,
there were 527,000 workplace injuries reported in 2011, about 174,000 of which
resulted in temporary and permanent disability or death.
Fresno
Co. supervisors retain Williamson Act tax break for farmers [Fresno Bee]
Fresno
County supervisors agreed Tuesday to preserve a longtime tax benefit for
farmers, even as the benefit is costing the county millions in lost revenue.
The state's 47-year-old Williamson Act, which provides property tax breaks for
landowners who commit to keeping their land in agriculture, has been under
scrutiny ever since state reimbursement for the program dried up.…The 2-2 vote
not to touch the Williamson Act pitted two rural supervisors, who were not in
favor of changes, against two members from the county's urban core. The
decision was cheered by the farm community, many of whom turned out for
Tuesday's hearing in downtown Fresno to deliver personal accounts of how they
couldn't afford a tax hike.…Local agricultural groups, including the Fresno County
Farm Bureau, had fought to keep Williamson Act benefits intact.
Imperial
Irrigation District adopts QSA report but questions remain [Imperial Valley
Press]
Months
of discussion and outreach to the public came to an end with the adoption of a
report developing a Plan B to the Quantification Settlement Agreement, yet a
big question mark remains: how to conserve the water?...Imperial County Farm
Bureau President Mark McBroom said he agreed with much of what DuMars had to
say when he presented his final report to the Board of Directors two weeks ago.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to hear a perspective that doesn’t have a vested
interest in what’s going on here,” he said. McBroom said the farming community
was frustrated because it feels many of the ideas and solutions it offers are
turned down because of the QSA. However, DuMars’ message was met with
resistance when he spoke to the Farm Bureau last week. Farmers said that
on-farm water conservation programs mandated by the QSA pose an unreasonable
financial burden on their businesses and articulated a fear that they might
lose their shirts if forced to follow the QSA.
US
needs arsenic limits in rice-Consumer Reports [Reuters]
Consumer
Reports is urging U.S. limits for arsenic in rice after tests of more than 60
popular products -- from Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal to Gerber infant cereal
-- showed that most contained some level of inorganic arsenic, a known human
carcinogen. The watchdog group said that some varieties of brown rice --
including brands sold by Whole Foods Markets Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc -- contained
particularly significant levels of inorganic arsenic. It recommended ways for
children and adults to limit their intake of rice products each week and said
U.S. regulators should ban arsenic-containing drugs and pesticides used in crop
and animal production….The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday
that it plans to collect data on 1,200 food samples by the end of the year and
make its own recommendation on arsenic intake.
Breaking
out of guacamole to become a produce star [Wall Street Journal]
…Not
long ago, avocados were beloved in Super Bowl guacamole but seldom encountered
the rest of the year. Now, the fruits are having a mass-market breakthrough, as
supermarket sales surge and restaurant chains spread them and slice them on
sandwiches and salads. In consumers' minds, the avocado has been transformed
from exotic "fatty food" to everyday source of
"heart-healthy" fats….Mexican imports, available in all 50 states
only since 2007, have led to year-round availability and now contribute more
than 60% of U.S. supply. Avocado sales in 2011 totaled $2.9 billion, beating
2010 by 11%, according to the Hass Avocado Board, based in Irvine, Calif.
Consumption in the first half of 2012 was 30% ahead of the same period last
year….Helping propel avocados to high status in the produce aisle is consumers'
efforts to eat "healthy fats." Avocados contain mono- and
polyunsaturated fats, otherwise known as "good fats" because they
help reduce "bad" cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease.
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Editorial: Prop. 37 is wrong
approach to food labeling [Fresno Bee]
Consumers
want more information, not less. Opponents of genetically engineered food are
taking advantage of that desire as they promote Proposition 37, an
ill-conceived initiative on the Nov. 6 ballot that would require
California-only labels on some food that is genetically modified or contains
genetically altered ingredients. We don't oppose labeling of genetically
modified food. But the federal government, or the food industry, should develop
standards, not individual states. Prop. 37 is an overreach, and would encourage
countless lawsuits against retailers who sell food that might lack the proper
labeling. Proponents made no effort to push the concept through the
Legislature. While such a bill might have failed, at least the Legislature's attorneys
and analysts could have refined ambiguous provisions.
Ag
Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for
information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com.
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