California
farmworkers may win fast track to legal residency [Sacramento Bee]
As
many as 400,000 California undocumented farmworkers may get a fast track to
legal status under a potential landmark accord between the agricultural
industry and the United Farm Workers union. The agreement, hashed out with key
guidance from U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif., stands to be a major
component in sweeping immigration legislation introduced Wednesday in the
Senate. Backers hail the farm labor accord, which still faces an arduous path
through Congress, as an elixir to a significant worker shortage in California's
$44.3 billion agricultural industry and beyond.
Editorial: Breakthrough on
immigration [Los Angeles Times]
…Undoubtedly,
the Senate bill introduced by the so-called Gang of Eight will face serious
challenges and undergo many changes, especially in the House, where some
Republicans have already signaled their intent to derail it, just as they did
in 2007 with a similar measure. But we urge Congress to stand by what is best
in this bill as the process gets underway. Though not perfect, the bill
provides a very good starting point for the robust overhaul that is long
overdue….It would also create a new guest worker program for people who want to
come to this country as farm workers temporarily; those workers would be
expected to return to their home countries when their visas expire. Although
legitimate questions have been raised about a program that creates an official
new tier of second-class, nonresident workers, the idea could be acceptable if
enough protections for workers are included to ensure that guest workers are
not at the mercy of employers….That this bill came together at all is
extraordinary given the political climate in Washington today, and it presents
lawmakers with an opportunity to do what they were elected to do. But the path
ahead will be neither straight nor smooth, and they will have to muster a fair
amount of political courage to hammer out a humane and workable immigration law
that does right by this country, all of its residents and those who hope to
make a new life here.
Buy
California farm products bill clears committee unanimously [Los Angeles Times]
A
bill that would require prisons, schools and other public institutions to give
preference to California farm products handily cleared a committee Wednesday.
The Choose California Act, sponsored by Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena),
cleared the Assembly Agriculture Committee on a 7-0 vote. The proposed law, AB 199,
would mandate public institutions to buy California agriculture products if the
price is within 5% of the lowest out-of-state competitor.
Calif.
bill to thwart animal investigations killed [Associated Press]
After
weeks of opposition from animal welfare advocates, labor groups and First
Amendment experts, a California assembly member withdrew a bill that would
limit undercover abuse investigations before it could advance past its first
step….The California bill introduced by Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, originally
would have required anyone collecting evidence of abuse to turn it over to law
enforcement within 48 hours or be guilty of an infraction, which advocates say
does not allow enough time to show a pattern of illegal activity under federal
humane handling and food safety laws. In an effort to ease criticism, he
amended the bill last week to increase reporting time to 120-hours. It was
supposed to have been voted on Wednesday by the California State Assembly
Committee on Agriculture. Patterson killed his bill less than three hours
before hearings were scheduled to begin as it became clear he would not have
the votes to get it out of the committee.
East
Valley water allotment cut again [Fresno Bee]
After
analyzing additional Sierra snowpack measurements, federal officials Wednesday
reduced irrigation allotments from Millerton Lake to 50% for east San Joaquin
Valley farmers. The decision also takes into account that the San Joaquin River
restoration will require about 170,000 acre-feet of water from Millerton this
year. Earlier this month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had trimmed the
allotment from 65% to 55% of the high-priority water for the 15,000 farmers in
the Friant Water Authority.
United
Water won't release September groundwater for first time since 1989 [Ventura
County Star]
Residents
and growers in several Ventura County cities will likely see water in their
wells drop and pumping charges rise in September because a yearly release of
groundwater will not happen this year for the first time since 1989. Last
winter’s light rainfall dried the Santa Clara River to dirt in several places
and did not fill Lake Piru enough for the United Water Conservation District,
which manages groundwater supplies for 340,000 users, to release the
supplemental water often needed to refill city and private wells….In Camarillo,
where agricultural lands flow through residential neighborhoods, about 38
growers will be severely affected, said Dave Souza, general manager of the
10,500-acre Pleasant Valley County Water District, which services only agricultural
users with two reservoirs. “We are going to be severely impacted without the
surface water this year and the release,” said Souza, who is writing telling
users about the issue.
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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