Denham
reform has eye on area [Modesto Bee]
Immigration
matters more than ever to Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, as the conservative
California lawmaker adjusts to a San Joaquin Valley district with a large
Latino population. On Thursday, Denham stepped up his noteworthy drumbeat by
joining a Democratic colleague in calling for a comprehensive immigration
overhaul….His ally, Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City, used the term
"comprehensive immigration reform" in speaking to a
standing-room-only audience of about 100 staffers, reporters and others. Denham
preferred the phrase "top to bottom." Both terms mean combining
border security, internal immigration enforcement, improved visa and guest
worker programs and some form of legalization for immigrants already in the
country….House Republicans are sharply divided over how far to go, and the
caucus that has struggled to pass normally routine measures such as a farm bill
and annual appropriations bills faces more deep-seated challenges on
immigration.
Editorial: Nunes, McCarthy can
help immigration reform [Fresno Bee]
Achieving
immigration reform that secures our borders, brings in highly skilled
immigrants and immigrants simply willing to do the jobs that many Americans
won't is in the best interests of our country and especially the San Joaquin
Valley. We don't much care if it is done in one fell swoop as the Senate
envisioned, or in a series of separate laws as House Republicans want….* House
Whip Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield and Rep. Devin Nunes of Visalia, both of
whom have influence in tea party circles, must do their best to convince
conservative colleagues that immigration reform is a must for the country and
for the long-term survival of the Republican brand….Congress is on recess until
Sept. 9. We hope that when the lawmakers return, President Obama, Speaker
Boehner and Reps. McCarthy and Nunes are willing to do what's necessary to rewrite
the tired immigration script that both parties shamelessly have used for more
than two decades.
IID
water apportionment plan comes under challenge [Imperial Valley Press]
The
Imperial Irrigation District’s recently adopted water apportionment plan is
being challenged in court. Alleging that the district is relegating to farmers
water that remains after other users, like municipal customers, have received
their share, El Centro farmer Mike Abatti seeks to halt the implementation of
the IID’s Equitable Distribution Plan. The Imperial Irrigation District adopted
its Equitable Distribution Plan to help it repay the more than 200,000
acre-feet of Colorado River water it ordered above its allocation over a
two-year period…. The EDP was drafted with advice and feedback from a number of
prominent Valley farmers. While none expressed enthusiasm for an apportionment
plan, many acknowledged a need to help the district to stay within its
allotment of the Colorado River’s water.
Water
transfer from small reservoir in Butte County raises big concerns from
environmental groups [Chico Enterprise-Record]
A
transfer from a lesser-known small reservoir in Butte County to one of the
largest agricultural water districts in the state is moving ahead this year.
Concow Reservoir is in the Concow Valley, and operated by Thermalito Water and
Sewer District. The plan would transfer up to 2,500 acre-feet of water to
Westlands Water District in the western San Joaquin Valley through the
remainder of the summer. Locally, the Butte Environmental Council and a
coalition joined by Chico's AquAlliance have written letters to the State Water
Resources Control Board hoping to halt the new deal….Paris said the board of
directors in charge of the reservoir is interested in selling excess water this
year, but knows that in the future the area will be developed, and more surface
water will be needed….In the meantime, water transfers could benefit the small
water district.
Public
forum on Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta set [Fresno Bee]
Water
leaders, lawmakers and bureaucrats are primed to answer the public's questions
Saturday at Fresno State about the plan to revive the troubled crossroads of
California's water supply. Organizers booked a room with 800 seats to talk
about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta. Gov. Jerry Brown has been invited to the event, called the Delta Water
Summit, but he has not committed to it yet….The summit at California State
University, Fresno, is a chance to put the plan into plain English, says the
California Latino Water Coalition, the organizer of the event…."There's
criticism of the Fresno State event from Northern California opponents of the
conservation plan, who say it is impractical, unproven and possibly
destructive. Their opposition is not represented on the three panels.
Tracy
dairyman to pay $685,000 penalty [Stockton Record]
A
Tracy dairy operation has been ordered to pay a $685,000 penalty for
discharging manure waste into groundwater and failing to clean it up. The
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board said Thursday it fined
Henry Tosta Dairy for the violations, but the fine it imposed was far less than
the $1.1 million that it had initially proposed. An attorney for Henry Tosta
had protested the amount of the fine in letters to the Central Valley Regional
Water Quality Control Board, saying that Tosta is under "severe economic strain"
along with the rest of the dairy industry. Officials said the dairy has a
history of violations that degrade water quality.
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