IMMIGRATION:
Deportation protests escalating [Riverside Press Enterprise]
As
members of Congress work to hammer out immigration-reform proposals in
Washington, Inland immigrant-rights activists are stepping up protests against
deportations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties….Demonstrators want an
end to all deportations while immigration-reform talks continue in Washington.
Immigrant-rights activists nationwide have called for at least a moratorium on
deportations of undocumented immigrants who are not serious criminals….The
administration has said that it is focusing its deportation efforts on serious
criminals, recent border crossers and repeat immigration-law violators. But
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement statistics show that only 19 percent
of deportees in fiscal year 2012 were convicted of the most serious crimes,
such as murder, rape, child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and some categories
of theft and burglary. Another 12 percent were convicted of less serious
felonies, or of three or more misdemeanors. About 41 percent had recently
crossed the border or had repeatedly violated immigration law by, for example,
returning to the United States after deportation. The other 28 percent – about
115,000 people – were convicted only of minor crimes or none at all.
Editorial: What happened to
reforming immigration? [Bakersfield Californian]
Not
long ago, the momentum for comprehensive immigration reform was gaining speed
at a pace so startling it seemed likely we'd have a bill before Congress by
summer. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, in both houses of Congress as
well as the White House, seemed to generally agree on the key provisions of an
immigration law makeover. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as the unofficial spokesman
of the Senate's reform-writing, bipartisan Gang of Eight, spelled out an
immigration plan that in several significant ways mirrored what came later from
President Obama. Then the parties seemed to catch themselves. Compromise?
Cooperation? Those words aren't in the playbook. The deal-staller, it seems,
was the sequestration fight. Obama overplayed his hand and lost -- but not
before, in an effort to dramatize the adverse consequences of the sequester, he
authorized the release of 2,000 illegal immigrants detained by Homeland
Security for criminal offenses….Nothing on Obama's current agenda is
unimportant, but one significant issue seems to have been pushed aside. Obama
needs to put bipartisan immigration reform back on the table while all of that
recent progress still has legs. There's no reason Congress can't enact such
legislation this year.
Coalition
forms to defend Calif. environmental law [Associated Press]
Labor
and environmental groups on Tuesday joined some of the more liberal Democrats
in the state Legislature in announcing a coalition to oppose reforms sought by
Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Environmental Quality Act. Overhauling the
law to prevent abuse is one of the governor's top priorities this year, but
opponents say the act has served a vital role in protecting the state's air and
water over its four-decade history….Common Ground, the new coalition group
opposing reforms, commissioned a report as part of its effort to emphasize the
importance of the law. The study by Peter Philips, a University of Utah
economics professor, points to the state's record in building alternative-energy
projects and maintaining construction jobs as evidence that the law is
working…. Republican Sen. Tom Berryhill of Stanislaus has re-introduced a
proposal for streamlining the review process that was pushed last year by
former Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Bakersfield. The reform effort was led by Rubio
until he resigned last month to take a job with Chevron.
APNewsBreak:
US braces for another bad fire year [Associated Press]
Despite
the slowest start to a wildfire season in a decade, the head of the U.S. Forest
Service said Tuesday his agency is preparing for another busy year, but with
fewer firefighters….The predicted hot spots for wildfires this year? Tidwell
pointed to Florida, Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California….The
predictions are key as the Forest Service ramps up for the season. The agency,
which is trying to absorb a 5 percent cut in its preparedness funding due to
sequestration, plans to preposition firefighters and other resources in areas
where fire activity is expected to be above normal. The funding cut will mean
about 500 fewer fighters and 50 fewer engines with crews. The agency will also
have to rely more on aircraft that are not on contract with the federal
government, and Tidwell said that could ultimately lead to higher firefighting
costs.
Wine
Buzz: Fearing drought, staying hopeful [Sacramento Bee]
The
dreaded "D" word has the California wine industry on edge. We're
talking about "drought," given that January and February were deemed
the driest on record in the northern Sierra Nevada, the heart of water supplies
for California farmers. While rain and snow totals are well ahead of last
season's overall numbers, the past two months have hit hard. These challenging
conditions are thus far a turn from the stellar 2012 growing season, which
resulted in a state- record crop boasting 3.89 million tons of crushed wine
grapes. Farmers and wine industry observers are staying hopeful for a good
soaking this spring.
"Many
of our significant rain events came in March and April (last year), and we
still have real potential for that," said Camron King, executive director
of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. "From what I'm hearing, people are
cautiously optimistic that we'll be getting more rain soon. Since we had such a
good water year last year, I don't think the concerns are as large."
Editorial: Valley leads in
raising chickens in a humane way [Modesto Bee]
Our
valley struggles in so many regards, but when it comes to food production and
agricultural innovation, we soar. The latest example is Foster Farms, the
Modesto-born, Livingston-based company which has become the first major
producer of broiler chickens in the country to be certified as growing their
birds under humane conditions. Packages of fresh Foster Farms chicken now carry
the seal of the American Humane Association, the country's oldest humane
society. To earn that designation the company has spent the past 18 months in
discussions with the association and for the past six months or so been audited
by humane society inspectors on the living conditions and diet of its millions
of chickens. To keep the certification, Foster Farms will be subject to audits
at any time….Another local company, J.S. West, took the lead in responding to
Proposition 2 by building "enriched colony" cages. The American
Humane Association has endorsed that type of housing….We've always maintained
that most farmers do a good job of caring for their animals because it is in
their best interest to do so. Cows that are well cared for give more milk;
healthy and well-fed chickens lay more eggs, and so on. But there are some bad
actors and animal rights groups have been successful in showing their poor
practices via video and other campaigns. Unfortunately, they tend to
characterize those situations as the norm rather than aberrations….Whether
motivated by consumer demand or by the risk of government intervention — or,
more likely, a combination of both — Foster Farms has made a savvy move that
will only bolster our region's reputation as a food producer.
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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