Feinstein
warns about effects of 'fiscal cliff' [Associated Press]
Sen.
Dianne Feinstein said on Tuesday that pending federal spending cuts could cost
thousands of jobs in California. During an address before the Maddy Institute
in Fresno, the veteran Democratic lawmaker warned that the so-called
"fiscal cliff" of deep federal spending cuts and tax increases
looming at the end of the year would "hurt California very badly."
Citing a George Mason University study, Feinstein said California would lose
225,000 jobs in the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years, including 135,000 defense
jobs….During her speech in Fresno, Feinstein reiterated her support for Gov.
Jerry Brown's plan to build two large tunnels to move water beneath the fragile
Sacramento-San Joaquin delta. She also advocated for building more storage for
water - including expanding existing dams and improving groundwater storage -
and planning for dry years. "Water is vital in our state," she said.
"You can't have a state that has grown to 37 million people have the same
water infrastructure" that it had years ago.
Experts
explore fertilizer complexities at Modesto conference [Modesto Bee]
Experts
in fertilizing crops said Tuesday that the industry has done much to clean up
its practices but could do more. About 250 people attending a conference at
Modesto Centre Plaza heard about efforts to apply fertilizer with increased
precision, saving money for farmers and reducing pollution. "We need to
let people know that this is something the industry is supporting, that we are
behind good nutrient management," said Robert Mikkelsen of Merced,
director for western North America at the International Plant Nutrition
Institute.…Karen Ross, food and agriculture secretary for Gov. Jerry Brown,
said the issue is not simple in a state with about 400 farm products. "So
many people fail to understand the complexity of plant nutrient management, and
what works for almonds does not work for strawberries," she said.
Backers
aim to take farmland annexation to Watsonville voters [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
A
proposal to push city limits onto 80 acres of farmland appears headed to a
vote. On Tuesday, Councilman Daniel Dodge, who wants to annex what's known as
the Sakata-Kett property for development into a big-box shopping center, turned
in 2,206 signatures in favor of putting the issue to a vote -- 702 more than
the required number to put the question on a ballot….Dodge needed 2,256
signatures of registered voters to require a special election in 2013, but the
City Council can opt to place the question before voters next year. Dodge said
he'll push the council to do so. Watsonville residents want action, he
said….Even if voters in Watsonville approve, significant hurdles remain. The
Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau is opposed to paving over more farmland and has pledged
to fight any attempt to annex the property. The city also would have to win
approval from the Santa Cruz Local Agency Formation Commission, the government
body that oversees annexations. The commission turned down a city attempt at
annexing the property in the 1990s, and historically has frowned on farmland
conversion.
Safety
of genetically modified foods is debated in California [Sacramento Bee]
Susan
Lang doesn't know for certain if her son's itchy skin and upset stomach were
caused by eating food made from crops whose genes were altered in a lab.…The
Fair Oaks woman concedes, however, that her evidence is not scientific, saying
she has "more than a hunch, but I don't have proof."…Proposition 37
supporters offer little scientific evidence that genetically modified food is
dangerous to human health….Opponents are making the case that labeling the food
implies health dangers that haven't been proved…."There is no evidence
that there is any health issue with any of the products on the market. And
there is nothing particular to the technology itself that makes it
dangerous," said Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center
at UC Davis, which uses genetic engineering to develop agricultural seeds.
Proposition
37 losing in late Business Roundtable-Pepperdine poll [Los Angeles Times]
Backing
for Proposition 37, the genetically engineered food labeling initiative, is
falling, fast. A new poll by the California Business Roundtable and the
Pepperdine University School of Public Policy showed 39.1% of likely voters
support the measure, while 50.5% oppose the labeling requirement. Undecided
voters represented 10.5% of respondents. The results released Tuesday show a a
drop in support of nine percentage points since a similar survey just over two
weeks ago. "It seems voters have been influenced by both the No campaign
and a barrage of negative editorials" in newspapers around the state, said
Chris Condon of M4 Strategies, which conducted the poll of all 11 initiatives
on the Nov. 6 ballot. The Internet-based poll of 2,115 likely Califonria
general election voters was conducted from Oct. 21 to Oct. 28 and had a margin
of error of 3%.
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.
Some story links may require site registration. To be removed
from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your
name and e-mail address.
No comments:
Post a Comment