Employer
retaliation against immigrants decried [Los Angeles Times]
Alarmed
that abusive bosses are increasingly threatening to turn employees over to U.S.
authorities when they complain about working conditions, state lawmakers and
immigrant-rights advocates are calling for tougher laws to combat the practice.
The tactic is used against low-wage, undocumented workers in California if they
complain about not being paid what they're due or about unsafe working
conditions, said Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina). He is chairman of
the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, which highlighted the issue at a
hearing in the state Capitol on Wednesday….Undocumented, low-wage workers,
mainly in the service, agriculture and housekeeping industries, are
particularly vulnerable to employer retaliation, said Art Pulaski,
secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation. "They are often
fired.
Sequester
hits border entry [San Diego Union-Tribune]
A
move to reduce inspectors’ overtime at the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and other U.S.
ports of entry as a result of sequestration budget cuts that took effect March
1 has started to cause longer waits for many travelers entering the United
States, according to Customs and Border Protection. “Effects are already
visible,” Jackie Wasiluk, a spokeswoman in San Diego for the agency, said
Wednesday….U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who oversees
Customs and Border Protection, warned in Senate testimony last month that
sequester measures will lead to longer waits at land ports of entry and airport
security checkpoints.
Western
Farms case against IID dismissed by judge [Imperial Valley Press]
A
motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to unwind the Imperial Irrigation
District’s purchase of some 45,000 acres of land was granted this week,
effectively ending the nearly decade-old Western Farms lawsuit. Imperial County
Judge Christopher Plourd on Tuesday granted the IID’s motion to dismiss the
case on the basis that the plaintiffs’ attorney had not shown reasonable
diligence in prosecuting their cases, said Mark Hattam, IID’s lead attorney on
the case. “We argued that they violated the California code of civil
procedure,” Hattam said, referring to a rule that says all cases must go to
trial within five years. At issue in the lawsuit is the IID’s purchase of
Western Farms’ land that the Texas millionaire Bass brothers bought in order to
sell the water rights. It turned out that they could not sell the water rights
and sold the land. It changed hands twice before the IID purchased it in
January 2004 for some $88 million.
Fall-run
Chinook salmon numbers expected to continue rising [Redding Record Searchlight]
The
number of fall-run Chinook salmon expected to return to the Sacramento River
this year could be even higher than last year. That was the report from a
California Fish and Game Commission meeting on Wednesday in Mount Shasta that members
of the commission did not attend. Commission Executive Director Sonke Mastrup
said members of the panel were expected to fly in to either Redding or Weed on
Tuesday night from Sacramento, but high wind kept planes grounded. While there
was snow on Interstate 5 near Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta on Wednesday, the
highway was still open. More than 50 people attended the meeting, including
state Department of Fish and Wildlife staff, members of the public and others.
Tulare
County farmers, cities set to deal with water shortages [Visalia Times-Delta]
The
gray clouds Wednesday over his almond farm west of Tulare were a welcome sight
to Anil Gupta. He looked forward to those clouds dropping some much-needed rain
on the Valley. But that storm system, which is expected to continue here today
and tomorrow, didn’t drop nearly as much rain as Gupta would like. He and other
Valley farmers are hoping for a much wetter-than-normal March to end a dry
winter in the Valley. “Even a couple of inches would be good,” said Gupta, who
also grows nuts near Farmersville and Earlimart. Earlier this month, the
California Department of Water Resources announced that snow levels in the
Sierra were low, with a water content 44 percent below average for Feb. 28,
when the measurements were taken.
Op-Ed: Gov. Brown: Let’s
have ice cream and discuss water [Lodi News-Sentinel]
…With
multiple special interest groups, overpaid consultants and entrenched
bureaucrats running around, no wonder the California water crisis has yet to be
solved. Between us, the current Bay Delta Conservation Plan — more infamously
known as the "Delta twin underground tunnels" — would be a man-made
disaster of epic proportions. Yet any time any constructive criticism of the
BDCP arises, blind supporters often regurgitate "years of study have gone
into this plan to achieve a reliable water supply and a restored Delta
ecosystem, blah, blah, blah." While the "years of study" part is
true, unfortunately your current plan will totally fail to deliver.
Ag
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