Rep. McCarthy’s rise could be golden for the Golden State [Sacramento Bee]
Republicans
in the House of Representatives on Thursday elected Bakersfield, Calif., native
Kevin McCarthy as majority leader, giving California’s Central Valley a leg up
on Capitol Hill. McCarthy’s election makes the 49-year-old former deli operator
the first Californian to reach the House’s number-two position since it was
created in 1899….California’s cotton, oil and gas producers could specifically
benefit, along with the Silicon Valley business leaders McCarthy has spent
considerable time cultivating….On the other hand, California’s high-speed rail
program, already disfavored by House Republicans, can probably kiss future
federal support goodbye. McCarthy is an adamant foe of the multi-billion-dollar
project.
Republicans blame
Obama policies for immigration crisis on border [Los Angeles Times]
Republicans
are challenging the president's characterization of the surge in young
immigrants from Central America across the southern border as an unforeseen
crisis, accusing his administration of contributing to the influx and demanding
that he deploy National Guard troops and other resources to secure the border.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called the flood of unaccompanied minors
across the U.S.-Mexico border a "failure of diplomacy." "I've
known about this for two years. The president has known about this," Perry
said during a briefing in Washington. Since October, 47,000 children have been
caught crossing the southern border alone, a more than 90% increase from last
year, federal officials said. The number of unaccompanied children caught could
reach 90,000 this year, with many crossing here in the Rio Grande Valley.
Local drought-relief
projects costing $13 million move forward [San Luis Obispo Tribune]
Five
drought-relief projects costing nearly $13 million may bring emergency water to
some of the most vulnerable communities in San Luis Obispo County by next year.
Topping that list are Cambria and San Simeon, which face drastic water
shortages. Cambria is expected to run out of water as early as October if rain
doesn’t fall and needs a temporary brackish water treatment plant to avoid a
disaster. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved applying for state
grants to cover the bulk of the $13 million cost for the five projects, four of
them in the North County. However, what should have been a routine matter
turned into a controversy because one project will allow surplus water from
Nacimiento Lake to be piped to the Chorro Valley west of San Luis Obispo.
Consortium addresses
behavioral health services and coverage for farmworkers [Modesto Bee]
Behavioral
health services will see some expansion in Merced and Stanislaus counties,
according to an announcement made Thursday by Golden Valley Health Centers
officials at the Merced County Health Care Consortium meeting….Also during
Thursday’s meeting, Joel Diringer, founder of Central California-based health
policy and data consulting firm Diringer and Associates, presented information
on health coverage options and challenges for California’s farmworkers.
According to Diringer’s presentation, about 60 to 75 percent of the 1.2 million
agricultural workers in California are not authorized to work in the U.S., and
fewer than 20 percent receive employer-provided health benefits. Diringer said
maintaining healthy field workers is key to ensure a strong and stable
workforce for California’s $43 billion agricultural industry. Research has
found that nearly 1 in 5 male farm workers are at risk of developing a chronic
disease, and most are vulnerable to occupational injuries, he added.
Guava fruit fly
discovery triggers insect battle [Riverside Press-Enterprise]
Two
male guava fruit flies were caught in insect traps in Eastvale earlier this
month, prompting the California Department of Food and Agriculture to set out
poison bait and begin spraying vegetation in the area. The eradication area – 9
square miles around each site where an insect was trapped – includes much of
Eastvale and stretches into the southern portions of Chino and Ontario in San
Bernardino County. The insect, native to Pakistan, India and Thailand, lays its
eggs in the fruit. The larvae then tunnel through the flesh, making it unfit to
eat. The fly larvae are known to feed on mandarins, melons, oranges, peaches
and cherries.
Farmers urged to
fight attempts to curtail century-old water rights [Modesto Bee]
They
don’t know what’s going to be proposed, but they know they won’t like it. That
message was clear at Thursday night’s gathering to fire up opposition to any
attempt by the state to curtail river diversions by those with century-old water
rights. Assorted state and local politicians attracted about 70 people to the
Stanislaus County Farm Bureau office….And there were dire predictions about
what’s to come. “They are going after your groundwater,” insisted Paul Wenger,
president of the California Farm Bureau. He sees any water board attempt to
curtail senior water rights as just the first step, and he urged farmers to
show up in droves at its next meeting. “This is one we fight for, boys.”
Ag
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