Farmers, worker advocates urge immigration reform [Modesto Bee]
Farm
leaders joined Monday with advocates for foreign-born workers in Modesto to
urge immigration reform. They called on Congress to pass legislation that would
provide a pathway to citizenship for people who have entered the United States
illegally, while easing the process for bringing in temporary workers.
“California growers are faced with labor shortages that reduce productivity and
threaten the existence of family farms because federal immigration laws fail to
provide an adequate number of legal workers,” said Sasha Farkas, an apple and
timber producer in Tuolumne County and board member with the California Farm
Bureau Federation.
Commentary: To help California
farmers, pass immigration reform [Sacramento Bee]
…It’s
clear that our immigration system needs reform – even an incremental approach
that tackles one aspect at a time. It makes the most sense to address the issue
of jobs first, not only because farmers and other employers need a clear path
forward, but because it will immediately slow the stream of people trying to
come here illegally….I urge my fellow Californians to encourage members of the
California delegation to take a leadership role in moving key aspects of
immigration reform forward this year.
California
rethinking groundwater [Palm Springs Desert
Sun]
With
water tables plummeting in places from the wine country of Paso Robles to the almond
orchards of the San Joaquin Valley, the state Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown
could soon adopt measures to retool California's approach to groundwater. Water
agencies, experts and academics have offered a growing list of recommendations
for policymakers in Sacramento, and one of the worst droughts in California
history has given new urgency to the prescriptions for preventing more wells
from running dry….State officials say the issue has shot to the top of the
water agenda, attracting more attention than ever before….The push for reform
reflects a growing recognition among water managers across the western U.S. —
given prolonged drought, receding aquifers and concerns about climate change —
that it's vital to consider groundwater along with surface water in long-term
water plans.
Valley
truckers, farmers fear effects of pollution-credit auctions [Fresno Bee]
Representatives
of trucking and agriculture want state legislators to delay air-quality
regulations that they say will create unpredictable spikes in gasoline and
diesel prices starting next year. State regulators say those fears are
overblown, and continue to aim at a Jan. 1 date for including fuel distributors
in California's controversial cap-and-trade program.
Under
cap-and-trade, companies that are unable to reduce their greenhouse-gas
emissions to comply with California's air-quality limits can instead buy
pollution-offset credits in state auctions. The uncertainty of what those
credits will cost at auctions -- and how and when those costs may be passed
along to fuel customers -- was one of the biggest concerns expressed at a press
conference Monday at Inland Star Distribution, a major transportation and
warehousing company near Malaga, south of Fresno.
Commentary: Without context,
reports shallow [Salinas Californian]
A
report titled “Agricultural Pesticide Use Near Public Schools in California” intends
to cause a panic about food production in proximity to our educational
facilities. The report makes no claim that children are being adversely
affected by farming activities, but only implies that, by proximity, the use of
agricultural chemicals near schools is automatically a bad thing. The
perception this report infers is that use equals risk, which is falsely implied
by not providing proper context of the regulatory process that exists to
protect against exposure incidents….Our food supply is too important to let
hysteria overtake the discussion on what’s good and bad. Let’s base it on
experience, and good science. Understanding the context of the facts is just as
important as reporting them.
Sacramento-area
high school ag programs fear loss of funding [Sacramento Bee]
…The
number of California students enrolled in agricultural programs has more than
doubled in the past 20 years, said Bob Heuvel, manager of agricultural
education for the California Department of Education….But Heuvel and other FFA
proponents are concerned that such momentum will be undermined if the state
eliminates a $4.1 million earmark for agricultural education, as proposed by
Gov. Jerry Brown….Students from across the state expressed their opposition to
the budget proposal by attending rallies and marches and by writing letters to
Brown. The letter-writing campaign, initiated by Assemblyman Rudy Salas,
D-Bakersfield, has resulted in more than 10,000 letters sent to the governor.
Ag
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