High-speed rail plans focus of hearings in Sacramento [Fresno Bee]
Kings
County, where sentiments against high-speed rail plans run strong, will be at
the heart of action and arguments over the state's proposed train system today
and Friday in Sacramento. The California High-Speed Rail Authority's board of
directors meets today to consider a staff recommendation for a preferred
high-speed train route between Fresno and Bakersfield.…On Friday, the agency
faces another court date in a lawsuit by Kings County alleging that the
bullet-train plans violate Proposition 1A, the $9.9 billion bond measure
approved by voters in 2008. The Fresno-Bakersfield route that the rail board is
considering today is a reversal from a recommendation in April by the
authority's staff for a route that bypassed Hanford to the west.…The revised
route makes no difference to the steadfast opposition by the county's Board of
Supervisors. "It doesn't matter what they want, we don't want this in
Kings County," Board Chairman Doug Verboon said last week.
"Agriculture is the No. 1 source of income in Kings County. We can't lose
one acre."
Red-Legged
frog's friends settle claims over poison [Courthouse News Service]
Environmentalists
and the U.S. government agreed to end - for now - a years-long stalemate over
pesticides that poison the California red-legged frog. In 2011, the Center for
Biological Diversity claimed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
Environmental Protection Agency blew off their nondiscretionary duty - and a
court order - to protect the threatened California red-legged frog from
pesticide poisoning. FWS listed the frog as threatened and put it on the
Endangered Species in 1996. The environmentalist group said the two agencies
failed to complete consultation proceedings on a list of 64 pesticides the EPA
determined might cause harm to wildlife.…After three years of litigation,
however, the environmentalists and the agencies settled Tuesday for an official
consultation on the effects of just seven of the original 64 pesticides -
glyphosate, malathion, simazine, pendimethalin, permethrin, methomyl and
myclobutanil.
Yolo
supervisors reaffirm dedication to Williamson Act [Woodland Daily Democrat]
For
nearly 50 years, the Williamson Act has been a source of financial support for
farmers and other landholders wishing to keep their property undeveloped. And
Yolo County's leadership likes it that way. On Tuesday, the Board of
Supervisors reminded constituents of the importance of that law to Yolo
County's character with a unanimous vote to continue its implementation.…In
part, the vote adopted a resolution to continue to implement Assembly Bill
1265, the latest effort by state legislators to reinstate a program that was
nearly defunded in recent years. It also allowed for landowners "to opt
out of the contract changes affecting property taxes for the 2014-15 fiscal
year by filing a notice of non-renewal."
Editorial: Squeezing water out
of a plan [Santa Maria Times]
…At the end of last
month, state and federal officials unveiled a five-year Water Action Plan, the
purpose of which is to fold all the old and new ideas for ensuring water supply
into one package, let officials and taxpayers comment on it, then have it all
approved sometime next month….There are other significant barriers to getting
everyone together on a water plan, including the fact that any such plan will
take a stab at setting lower limits on agriculture’s use of water. Farms
consume more water than urban areas, but lawmakers have a history of being
unwilling to place legal restrictions on ag water use, which means the
California Legislature would need to get involved, and that is always a
problem….This region’s economy relies heavily on agriculture — it’s our No. 1
industry — so we definitely have a horse in this race. It would be good to hear
from local growers about the possibility of water-use restrictions.
Commentary: Unreliable water supplies
cripple farming [Fresno Bee]
…We
have disproportionately borne the costs associated with actions under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect fish species that occupy the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta….The real costs of these decisions are on
the people. The ESA is ruining communities: Schools are closing, vendors are
going broke, tens-of-thousands of workers are unemployed, food lines are
forming, and family relationships are strained. Eight people who would
otherwise be employed now don't have work because I could not hire them due to
the lack of water. That may not seem like much, but mine is one of almost 4,000
farms in the San Joaquin Valley suffering from chronic water supply shortages
due to ESA decisions made by the federal fish agencies. In big cities, maybe
these numbers aren't considered important, but in our small, rural, often
disadvantaged communities, where one of four workers is unemployed, they are
vital. Towns, once thriving, are now shells.
Commentary: Prompt immigration
reform makes sense on many levels [Bakersfield Californian]
…My
interest in fixing our broken immigration system is grounded in my responsibly
to represent my constituents. Reform will provide our agriculture industry with
the workforce it desperately needs. This is imperative to the economic health
of the Central Valley. Without an adequate supply of labor, our farmers and
ranchers will be unable to feed our country, much less the world. Most
importantly, my constituents understand that the federal government has
neglected this problem long enough and that now is the time for action….Regardless
of political party or ideology, Americans recognize that our current
immigration system is broken and in desperate need of reform. Now is the time
to have an honest discussion and explore all possible options until a solution
is reached. As a country we must learn from our mistakes of the past, set goals
for the future and move forward as a nation.
Ag
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