Central
Valley awash in water worries [Fresno Bee]
…If
this winter is as dry as the previous two, the drought conversation could turn
to pumping restrictions, which is a dreaded prospect. Farmers, politicians and
many businesses do not want state authority and expense involved in the use of
groundwater….About 70% of California's total groundwater use is in the combined
San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, known as the Central Valley, according to
the state Department of Water Resources. California groundwater pumping is not
regulated by the state, as it is in such places as Colorado and Arizona. The
idea always has been a political hot potato in Sacramento. One result: The
region has tens of thousands of private wells that are not tracked in a
detailed way, unlike river water. People in the water business around the
Valley are talking about dozens of private wells going dry this year, but the
state has no way of tracking it.
Southern California water users view Delta
tunnel plan as key to reliable future [Sacramento Bee]
…Some Northern Californians have branded the
project a water grab, fearing the tunnels are primarily a tool to divert more
precious Sierra Nevada snowmelt to Southern California. But the current project
description promises no additional water supply beyond what has been diverted
from the Delta, on average, over the past decade….The Southern California water
agencies backing the project say the answer is clear-cut. They say the tunnels
are essential to their economic future – and by extension, the state’s. What
they want from the project is “reliability,” a word that is relatively new in
the world of water supply. What it means is disputed. But the clamor for
reliability does suggest there are not many options left to provide more water
in 21st century California.
Who will pay for Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
tunnel project? [Los Angeles Times]
…The San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts
and urban water agencies in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area
that get water supplies from the delta have promised to pick up most of the
tab, with federal and state taxpayers paying the rest. But the key question of
precisely how the costs are divvied up between urban and agricultural users is
unanswered. And hints have been dropped in recent months that to keep the
project alive, urban ratepayers in the Southland may wind up paying more than
their share, in effect subsidizing San Joaquin Valley agribusiness
interests….Jim Beck, general manager of the Kern County Water Agency, which
supplies southern San Joaquin Valley agriculture, said that the cost
distribution would mirror project benefits. But he couldn't say how benefits
would be determined.
House Republicans say they’ll act on
immigration reform this year [Washington Post]
House Republicans intensified their outreach
to Latino groups last week, offering renewed pledges that the House will deal
with immigration reform this year. The effort has revived hope among advocates
that a bipartisan deal can be reached to address the fate of the nation’s 11
million undocumented workers and students. The chances of a comprehensive deal
passing Congress remain doubtful, advocates cautioned, and they worry that the
legislative process will spill into 2014, presenting new complications in a
year when lawmakers face reelection battles. But they were encouraged by
signals from key GOP leaders that the House is willing to move forward on
legislation that could produce a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations.
Fresno County farmworkers seek to vote out
UFW [Fresno Bee]
Workers at Gerawan Farming have filed a
petition with the state seeking to dissolve their rocky relationship with the
United Farm Workers union. The workers are asking the state's Agriculture Labor
Relations Board to schedule a decertification election so that they can vote
the union out. If the state verifies the petition's signatures --
decertification advocates need a simple majority of the company's 2,600 workers
-- then an election could be held as early as Wednesday, said Ed Blanco, an
acting regional director of the ALRB.
Editorial: Stop pumping farm
animals full of antibiotics [San Jose Mercury News]
When historians look back on our time, one
question they're likely to ask is this: How could people have been so stupid as
to cripple the lifesaving power of antibiotics by letting farmers pump cows,
pigs and chickens full of them? It's a clear case of putting profits before
people's lives, and if the FDA and Congress won't act, California should show
them how….California has set the pace for the nation on clean-air regulation
and other health advances that eventually went national. If the FDA and Congress
continue to ignore this very serious threat to public health, California should
set rules for meat raised or sold in the state. It is a huge market -- and even
if factory farmers across the country try to ignore it, consumers are likely to
take notice. Especially as the number of deaths from antibiotic-resistant
infection continues to grow.
Ag
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