Denham
asks supporters to urge others in House to back immigration reform bill
[Modesto Bee]
Rep.
Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, told an audience of supporters in Ceres on Sunday that
he has had some criticism from within his own district after recently becoming
the first Republican to formally endorse a comprehensive immigration-reform
bill introduced by House Democrats. But a lot of criticism is coming in the
form of phone calls to his office from people outside his district. So Denham
wants those who support his stance on immigration to do the same. He asked a
few hundred people gathered at St. Jude's Catholic Church to call the offices
of those in the House of Representatives who don't support comprehensive
immigration reform and ask them why….Reps. David Valadao of Hanford and Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen of Florida are the two other Republicans who have since joined
Denham, publicly announcing their support of the bill. It is similar to a
Senate bill passed in June.
Ag
board reverses decision, schedules UFW-Gerawan decertification election [Fresno
Bee]
The
state's Agriculture Labor Relations Board, in a reversal of an earlier
decision, is allowing workers at Gerawan Farming to hold an election to
determine if they want to be represented by the United Farm Workers union. The
election is scheduled for Tuesday. The board's decision Friday was welcomed by
the workers and the company, one of the Valley's major farming firms, with
operations in Fresno, Reedley, Sanger and Kerman….A UFW representative was
sharply critical of the ALRB decision….Friday's reversal by the ALRB is the
latest twist in an ongoing dispute between Gerawan -- one of the largest
growers in the region -- the union and the ALRB.
Ambitious
Calif. river restoration problem plagued [Associated Press]
…After
eight years of work, this January is the deadline for the once-mighty San
Joaquin to be carrying enough water to allow spring and fall runs of Chinook
salmon to help revive the state's fishing industry. But the highly ambitious
river restoration has been plagued by unforeseen problems resulting in delays
and increased costs. Land has subsided so much in places that engineers must
figure out how to make the river run uphill. And farms, barns and roads are in
the way of a river that wants to return to its marshy expanse. After $100
million spent so far, the dry river is just as incapable today of carrying
water as it was in 2006 when an historic agreement was struck among
environmental groups, fisherman, farmers and the federal government to undo
damage caused by dam diversions.
In
Rim fire's aftermath, a new worry emerges: water [Los Angeles Times]
As
autumn turns to winter and rain falls over the charred landscape left behind by
the Rim fire, forest rangers and emergency planners have a new worry: water.
Over 90% of the blaze burned in the Tuolumne River watershed, where more than
2,600 miles of streams cut through steep, now-burned slopes of the Sierra
Nevada. Those mountains are primed for flooding and debris flows in a big
storm….The U.S. Forest Service has rushed to prepare culverts, stabilize roads
and trails, and put mulch and straw bales over burned soil to keep it from
sliding away in heavy rain. Rangers have closed roads and campgrounds and
posted signs to warn of falling rocks and trees. "The emergency's not over
when the fire's out," said Jason Carkeet, utility analyst for the Turlock
Irrigation District. His agency has purchased extra booms to capture logs and
woody debris that the Tuolumne River is likely to dump into 26-mile-long Don
Pedro Reservoir, which stores water to irrigate more than 200,000 acres of
Central Valley farmland.
Climate
change seen posing risk to food supplies [New York Times]
Climate
change will pose sharp risks to the world’s food supply in coming decades,
potentially undermining crop production and driving up prices at a time when
the demand for food is expected to soar, scientists have found. In a departure
from an earlier assessment, the scientists concluded that rising temperatures
will have some beneficial effects on crops in some places, but that globally
they will make it harder for crops to thrive — perhaps reducing production over
all by as much as 2 percent each decade for the rest of this century, compared
with what it would be without climate change.…The warnings come in a leaked
draft of a report under development by a United Nations panel, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The document is not final and could
change before it is released in March.…The warning on the food supply is the
sharpest in tone the panel has issued. Its previous report, in 2007, was more
hopeful.
Editorial: Urgent action
needed on ‘superbugs’ [Sacramento Bee]
…Antibiotic
resistance is urgent, requiring a public response….Why is this happening? We
have four major problems: Antibiotic overuse: The CDC calls this “the single
most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance.”…Farm animals: The CDC
said, “The use of antibiotics for promoting growth is not necessary, and the
practice should be phased out.” Antibiotics routinely are added to water or
animal feed. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California has introduced a bill,
the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act of 2013 (S 1256) that would require
drug companies and producers to demonstrate they are using antibiotics to treat
clinically diagnosable diseases, not to fatten livestock. Unfortunately, this
bill has run into a buzz saw of opposition from beef and pork producers, as
well as pharmaceutical companies. Declining research: The number of new
antibiotics continues to decline….Tracking: A network of 10 states, including
California, reports on “emerging infections,” but we need nationwide tracking
of antibiotic-resistant infections and antibiotic use. HR 2285 would direct the
CDC to report every two years on resistance trends, threats and antibiotic use.
Ag
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