Calif.
high-speed rail faces crucial court ruling [Associated Press]
California's
plan to begin building its $68 billion high-speed rail system in the Central
Valley hinges on a crucial court decision that could stop the project in its
tracks if a judge agrees to a request for a delay from farming interests. Sacramento
County Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley is expected to decide Friday
whether to grant a preliminary injunction that would temporarily halt the
ambitious infrastructure project. That would prevent the state's rail authority
from buying land along the proposed route and continuing with site surveys,
engineering design work and geological testing that began months ago. Groups
representing Central Valley farmers claim in lawsuits that the state agency
overseeing the project, the California High-Speed Rail Authority, failed to
conduct the thorough environmental reviews required by California law and
comply with public meeting laws. They are asking the judge to halt all work
until their claims can be heard at trial.
Ranchers,
farmers brace for 'death tax' impact [Fox News]
Rancher
Kevin Kester works dawn to dusk, drives a 12-year-old pick-up truck and earns
less than a typical bureaucrat in Washington D.C., yet the federal government
considers him rich enough to pay the estate tax -- also known as the
"death tax." And with that tax set to soar at the beginning of 2013
without some kind of intervention from Congress, farmers and ranchers like
Kester are waiting anxiously….Two decades ago, Kester paid the IRS $2 million
when he inherited a 22,000-acre cattle ranch from his grandfather. Come
January, the tax burden on his children will be more than $13 million. For
supporters of a high estate tax, which is imposed on somebody's estate after
death, Kester is the kind of person they rarely mention. He doesn't own a
mansion. He's not the CEO of a multi-national. But because of his line of work,
he owns a lot of property that would be subject to a lot of tax.
Republicans
moving toward Dems to work on immigration plan [Sacramento Bee]
The
ingredients of a new immigration bill are beginning to take shape, with many
Republicans rushing to join Democrats to develop a comprehensive plan….But this
week both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill spoke as if they finally
could reach agreement on a solution to address the estimated 11 million people
who are living in the country illegally. There's general consensus on stronger
border protection, employment verification and a path to legal status for some
illegal immigrants. What's in dispute is what type of path to legal residence,
for how many and whether it would include citizenship. Leaders also anticipate
arguments over a bigger guest-worker program.
Migrant
ed enrollment drops as fewer families follow crops [Salinas Californian]
…It
is the shared goal of migrant farmworkers and the educators who teach their
children that one day these families will stop moving, settle into a community
for good and join the mainstream of households that call one place home.
Migrant education officials in Monterey County say their goal is to reach the
day when they will have worked themselves out of a job because there are no
more kids who are migrant. Well, that day may be closer than previously
thought….In Monterey County and other parts of the state, migrant education
programs are witnessing a steady decline in the number of students they
serve….The reasons for the enrollment decline vary but can be attributed
broadly to changes in U.S. immigration policy, the economic recession, advances
in farm harvest mechanization and a commitment by migrant parents themselves to
simply find a way to stop moving and stabilize the family.
San
Francisco hits up Oakdale Irrigation District for sale of water [Modesto Bee]
Two
months after the Modesto Irrigation District dropped a controversial proposal
to sell water to San Francisco, the city has turned to a potential neighboring
source: the Oakdale Irrigation District. The city seeks an initial sale of
2,240 acre-feet, the same as with the MID, said Steven Ritchie, assistant
general manager for the water enterprise at the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission.…OID leaders will approach negotiations with an open mind, said
board member Frank Clark….San Francisco wants OID water in dry years and the
amount could not be subject to reduction, Ritchie said. That clause in the MID
proposal drew protest from farmers and the city of Modesto, which gets treated
Tuolumne River water from the district.
Kids
discover food's origins [Merced Sun-Star]
Chocolate
milk doesn't come from brown cows. Those leafy plants with the thick white
blossoms on them actually go into producing the clothing we all wear. These are
some of the lessons that about 1,200 third-graders from Merced city schools
learned Thursday morning at the first-ever Farm to Fridge event. It was
co-sponsored by the Merced County Office of Education, MCOE Foundation, Merced
County Farm Bureau and Merced City School District. Steve Gomes, county
superintendent of schools, said there is a huge disconnect between the farming
community and urban residents, even in the farm-rich Central Valley.…Amanda
Carvajal, farm bureau executive director, was elated by the large turnout for
the pilot event. Gomes said next year's Farm to Fridge likely will involve
about 3,800 students from throughout the county….Carvajal said the program is
important because there is so much that encompasses agriculture.
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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