Immigration
bill uncertain in House [Wall Street Journal]
The
last time House Republicans passed a broad immigration overhaul, they called
for expedited deportations and tougher criminal penalties, but did nothing to
expand guest-worker programs or address the millions of immigrants in the
country illegally. Now, more than seven years later, many lawmakers who backed
that bill are vowing another tough stand if the Senate passes a bill to expand
work visas and create a pathway to citizenship for people now in the country
illegally….At the same time, there are reasons to believe Republicans there
will be more receptive this time to provisions rejected in 2005….One of the
Republicans involved in the broader discussions is first-year Rep. David
Valadao, whose district in California's Central Valley is more than 70%
Hispanic. He argues that even districts with small Latino populations would
benefit from expanded legal immigration, because their constituents benefit
from economic activity elsewhere in the country.
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GMO
foods subject of bill in U.S. Senate [San Francisco Chronicle]
On
the heels of last year's defeat on the issue in California, Sen. Barbara Boxer,
D-Calif., and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., have introduced a bill to order the
Food and Drug Administration to mandate the labeling of genetically engineered
foods. The legislation, which would require food manufacturers and stores to
tag items made with genetically modified ingredients or grown from genetically
engineered seeds, has support from both sides of the aisle, including more than
20 co-sponsors combined in the Senate and House of Representatives. It has been
hailed by food labeling advocates as a boon for consumers who have repeatedly
tried to get such laws passed. California's Proposition 37, a referendum on
requiring genetically engineered food labeling last year, failed to pass. Boxer
tried to pass a similar bill, without success, in 2000. But activists say that
Boxer and DeFazio's proposed legislation shows that demand for a genetically
engineered labeling law has reached critical mass.
Yellow
frog, Yosemite toad close to ESA protection [Associated Press]
The
Yosemite toad and the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog share some critical
mountain habitat and now an unenviable distinction: both are being proposed for
federal Endangered Species Act protection. Yellow-legged frogs, which live
throughout the Sierra Nevada, have declined in numbers in recent years due to
habitat destruction, predation by non-native trout in mountain waterways, the
drifting of pesticides to the mountains from farm fields and climate change.
Yosemite toads are threatened primarily by livestock grazing, climate change
and pesticides, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, which has
pushed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to speed up protection decisions.…The
proposal, announced Wednesday, includes designating 2 million acres of critical
habitat for the amphibians. The listings could impact some federal permits on
grazing land, a situation that is frustrating members of the California
Cattlemen's Association.
Wild
dogs kill hundreds of goats [Stockton Record]
The
San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office conducted air and ground searches Wednesday
for a pack of wild dogs that has slaughtered hundreds of goats in French Camp,
and one dog was shot when it advanced toward a deputy, authorities said. The
dogs are believed to be responsible for at least six attacks at five locations
since April 11, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.
The bloodiest attack occurred Monday, when 160 goats were killed at the
Stockton Livestock Auction Yards on East French Camp Road, Garcia said. Auction
yard manager Joe Mayar said 87 goats were found dead and 73 others were
euthanized because of injuries to their throats and limbs, costing his business
$35,000.…The dogs have killed at least 240 goats in the area, Mayar said.
Shorebirds
fit into puzzling future of rice farming [Davis Enterprise]
Yolo
County’s rice farmland is home to more than one entity that needs to cope with
changes in order to survive. “We get up every morning, look for the sunshine,
and hope it’s going to be a good day,” said Yolo County rice farmer Jack De
Witte. His 1,500-acre stretch of land sprawls in the Yolo Bypass, and neighbors
many unlikely allies — long-legged shorebirds wading in wetlands. The two — the
rice farmer and the (native and migratory) waterbirds — are reliant on one
another in their less than ideal circumstances.
Editorial: Preparing county
for ag’s future [Santa Maria Times]
It
seemed evident many years ago that, at some point, decision makers in Santa
Barbara County would need to choose between agriculture and
residential/commercial development as the dominant social configuration.…As the
years passed, it became just as evident that agriculture would remain an
integral part of the local culture, social fabric and economy….Which is what
the Board of Supervisors had in mind last week by unanimously approving a
series of land-use recommendations, the purpose of which is to establish a more
formal and official buffer between farm/ranch lands and residential/commercial
development….Protecting agriculture and developers from each other makes
perfect sense for Santa Barbara County, which is an eclectic mix of urban chic
and dusty-booted wranglers. It’s a balance worth protecting, and the county’s
new rules about buffering without fencing off seems a good way to maintain that
balance.
Ag
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