Central
Valley farmers, contractors brace for new federal mandate [Fresno Bee]
Some
California farmers and agriculture leaders are fretting over the looming
deadline for complying with a federal mandate for providing health insurance.
The Affordable Care Act that takes effect in 2015 for large employers will
provide health insurance to thousands in the San Joaquin Valley — and many will
receive health-care coverage for the first time. But agriculture employers also
are anticipating higher costs, added paperwork and the possibility that a large
chunk of their workforce won't be covered.
County
may add voice to calls for reform [Stockton Record]
San
Joaquin County elected officials want to join the national debate on
immigration reform, adding more local pressure on federal lawmakers to take
action. The county Board of Supervisors hasn't taken an official position yet,
but it is expected the supervisors will consider passing a resolution at a
later meeting….Officials and farmers, alike, are keenly aware of the size of
the available labor pool. "The work is being done, the crops are being
harvested," county Agricultural Commissioner Scott Hudson said. But
sometimes farmers might have to wait to harvest, or they are not getting as
many workers as they want when they need them. That can hurt the quality and
yield of a crop, Hudson said….San Joaquin County taking a position on reform
would likely have some kind of impact, said Bruce Blodgett, executive director of
San Joaquin Farm Bureau….Immigration reform needs to provide a away to people
who want to work in county agriculture to be able to do so, he said.
Opinion: Giving drivers
licenses to ‘illegal immigrants’ is absurd, but not for the reason you may
think [Sacramento Bee]
Undocumented
immigrants will have driver’s licenses in California, and it’s about damn time.
If that statement makes you angry, please direct your wrath in the right
direction. Call your congressional representative and demand national
immigration reform….Fixing this and everything else related to immigration
would be good for the American economy, according to the Congressional Budget
Office, the U.S Chamber of Commerce, the California Farm Bureau Federation and
economists not driven by anti-immigrant animus….“The general public says it’s
time to solve this issue so let’s solve it,” said Paul Wenger, president of the
California Farm Bureau Federation.
Bad
year in Sacramento for environmental measures [San Jose Mercury News]
Environmental
groups were excited last week when a key bill they worked on all year came up
for a final vote in Sacramento. The measure would have allowed the California
Coastal Commission to fine people who illegally block public access to beaches,
destroy wetlands or build homes without permits -- rather than having to take
them to court. But at the last minute, eight Democrats, including three from
Bay Area coastal districts, reversed their earlier votes and killed the bill at
the urging of developers and farm interests.…The failure highlights a recent
trend: Environmentally friendly legislation has become an endangered species in
Sacramento….Fred Keeley, a former Santa Cruz assemblyman and environmental
leader, said environmentalists are having problems for three reasons. First,
Brown has said the state economy is still recovering and he wants few new laws
on businesses. Second, many new Democrats in Sacramento are from conservative
areas. And green groups haven't partnered with Latino lawmakers enough.
Commentary: Stop playing
politics with hunger [Los Angeles Times]
One
of the biggest pieces of business Congress has yet to resolve is the farm bill,
legislation that has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades. Unfortunately, the
process to reauthorize this crucial bill has taken a sharp and disheartening
turn this year. The Senate and the House are in a standoff over extremely
different versions of it with a deadline looming this month….There have always
been disagreements between our parties over the farm bill, but for decades we
have reached across the aisle to tackle the concerns on both sides.…The special
relationship in the legislative process between agriculture and those who need
assistance from the SNAP program is also built on this tradition. In the modern
era, funding for this vital program has been extended as part of the farm bill
with relatively little partisan bickering — until now. By stripping the
nutrition title from the legislation this year, the House has severed the vital
tie that helps connect our food system with those who struggle with hunger in
our own backyard.
Commentary: Rim fire shows we
need to rethink how we manage forests [Sacramento Bee]
Strategically
reducing overgrown brush and smaller trees with mechanical thinning and
controlled, well-contained, prescribed fires allows forests to become more
resilient to natural disasters, in turn safeguarding the natural resources all
Californians depend on. It is not like we don’t know what to do. These
practices are conducted each year by forest managers; however, their budgets
are getting smaller and smaller while our forests get denser and drier.…While
it may seem clear that more proactive forest management processes and practices
need to be implemented and executed to better safeguard our forests and water
supply, Congress in recent years has instead reduced the U.S. Forest Service’s
hazardous fuels reduction budget….It is time to take a serious look at current
forest management policies, to accelerate efforts to reduce forest fuels, and
to expand programs to improve forest health on federal lands. To protect our
natural resources and infrastructure, we must change our strategy by
pre-treating our forests before the fires start.
Ag
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