Valadao
walks tightrope between House leadership and his constituents [Bakersfield
Californian]
Time
is running out for comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. House of
Representatives -- and that worries valley Republican David Valadao, who said
Tuesday he hasn't ruled out a break with his party's leadership. "A bunch
of us are getting nervous," Valadao said, noting that he and other
like-minded colleagues may push their own party's leadership to take action on
immigration reform before the end of the year….During a telephone press
conference Tuesday, Valadao told reporters a lot of his Republican colleagues
are interested in the issue. If they can come together as a group, House
leaders will be more likely to listen -- and act. One of Valadao's colleagues,
Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, has already broken with leadership by endorsing an
immigration plan that includes a "path to citizenship" for immigrants
who are in the country illegally. The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the
reform bill in June with bipartisan support but the measure has gone nowhere in
the Republican-controlled House. While Valadao favors a path to citizenship, he
remained cautious Tuesday about whether to take the kind of risk Denham has
taken and throw his support behind the bipartisan effort.
Commentary: House leaders
should lead U.S. to prosperity with immigration reform [Sacramento Bee]
With
just one vote, Congress can grow our economy, relieve burdens on employers and
keep families together. It seems obvious that our Republican leaders in
Congress would want to move our nation forward with these most essential GOP
values. Instead, the vote we need to fix our broken immigration system, bolster
our economy and secure our nation has been caught up in Washington politics….In
that vein, as a Republican legislator and business leader, we strongly urge
California’s Republican House members to ask Speaker John Boehner to schedule a
vote on comprehensive immigration reform….We agree with the unprecedented number
of business, labor and community organizations who have come together to
support comprehensive immigration reform. No other policy issue is more
important to resolve.
Ag
Labor Relations Board office in Visalia picketed again [Visalia Times Delta]
Facing
what they said was forced union membership, a group of hundreds of Valley
farmworkers staged a protest last month at the Agricultural Labor Relations
Board office on Walnut Avenue in Visalia. Tuesday morning they were at it
again. Hundreds of workers employed by Gerawan Farming were denied a vote last
month that would have afforded all employees a chance to voice their opinion
about whether to be represented by the United Farm Workers union.
Careful
fertilizing protects drinking water, say experts at Modesto conference [Modesto
Bee]
The
fertilizers that help California produce food for the world might also threaten
some of the drinking water at home, experts said Tuesday in Modesto. They also
noted ways that farmers have improved their use of fertilizers in recent years
in response to the concerns, mainly about nitrates in public wells. The
discussion came at the 21st annual conference for the state’s Fertilizer
Research and Education Program, which promotes farming practices that help
ensure bountiful crops while protecting streams and aquifers….Food and
Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross said another report soon will be released by a
task force charged with developing a tracking and reporting system for nitrates
in high-risk areas. The upcoming work also includes assessing nitrates in areas
beyond the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley, said D’Adamo, who has worked
for three Valley congressmen and served on the California Air Resources Board.
Just
say no to GMOs? Advocates hope to put ban on 2014 ballot [Eureka Times
Standard]
Ten
years after legal flaws sent an anti-GMOs measure to a withering end at the
ballot box, a new group is looking to bring the issue back before voters in
November 2014.The Committee for GMO Free Humboldt is scheduled to meet today
from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Co-op Community Kitchen in Arcata to gather final
feedback before submitting the initiative to the county by the end of this
week. Committee for GMO Free Humboldt spokesman Bill Shaser said he hopes to
create an economic advantage in California with GMO-free produce, adding that
neighboring Mendocino and Trinity counties already have bans….The committee's
current draft would make it a public nuisance to “propagate, cultivate, raise
or grow” GMOs in the county. The proposed initiative also states that GMO
products would still be legal to purchase, sell or conduct research on.
Outbreak
of misinformation on salmonella [San Francisco Chronicle]
The
recent outbreak of food-borne illnesses from Salmonella Heidelberg linked to
three California Foster Farms chicken processing facilities has created a rash
of misinformation from some media and activists, creating misperception by the
public. The fact that so many were sickened, and an increased number
hospitalized, speaks to the virulence of the strains found in the outbreak, not
to antibiotic resistance….Americans eat about 160 million servings of chicken
every day, and the vast majority of them are cooking and handling chicken
properly and having a safe experience. Everyone involved wants that experience
to be safe every time, which is why it is important as a last step to follow
safe handling instructions and cook chicken to 165 degrees F. Let us base any
discussion about antibiotic use and resistance on biological science, which
reporting on the recent outbreak of salmonella has almost totally disregarded.
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Ag
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