Kings County lawsuit challenges Fresno-Bakersfield high-speed rail [Fresno Bee]
The
Kings County Board of Supervisors, the Farm Bureau and a group of county
residents filed suit Thursday in Sacramento County Superior Court challenging
the approval of a high-speed rail route through the county between Fresno and
Bakersfield. The lawsuit alleges that the California High-Speed Rail Authority
violated the California Environmental Quality Act and other state laws last
month when its board certified an environmental impact report and formally
approved the 114-mile stretch of the rail route through the southern San
Joaquin Valley. It is the first of several lawsuits that are anticipated
against the rail authority over the Fresno-Bakersfield approval. The rail agency
faced several similar CEQA challenges in 2012, when it approved environmental
reports and a route for its Merced-Fresno section. All of those cases were
settled out of court by the spring of 2013.
Water district
approves Merced County groundwater sale [Merced Sun-Star]
A
scaled-back version of a controversial project to sell groundwater out of
Merced County was unanimously approved by Del Puerto Water District board
members this week – one of the two Stanislaus County water districts benefiting
from the multimillion-dollar sale….The action Wednesday by the Del Puerto Water
District board of directors moves the water transfer one step forward, but it
still requires approval by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The Merced County
Board of Supervisors, Merced County Farm Bureau and Merced Irrigation District
all sent letters to the federal agency questioning the proposal’s impact on
Merced County farmers, especially during a drought year.…Merced County Farm
Bureau Executive Director Amanda Carvajal said classifying the groundwater
transfer as a “pilot project” allows the Del Puerto Water District to avoid a
full environmental review of the project. Carvajal and others pushed for
environmental studies to analyze the impact of pumping water out of the county.
Clever water trade
saves citrus trees in Terra Bella area [Fresno Bee]
A
drought-inspired water swap will likely save hundreds of citrus orchards in the
rolling hills of Tulare County, but it won't come cheap for desperate farmers.
Terra Bella growers were facing the summer without San Joaquin River water in a
region with almost no well water.…Now the farmers are getting 5,400 acre-feet
of water, which will be added to other smaller water trades that will give them
about half of what they usually use, according to the irrigation district. In
this complex water deal, they'll be paying $1,200 per acre-foot that will cover
costs of returning the water to a Kern County water district. The bill is about
six times higher than the usual acre-foot price, but it beats losing all those
trees.
Poll finds little
support for drought spending despite broad awareness [Los Angeles Times]
Most
Californians surveyed say the statewide drought has had little or no impact on
their daily lives, and a majority oppose the suspension of environmental
protections or large-scale public spending to boost water supplies, a new USC
Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll has found. Although 89% characterize the
drought as a major problem or crisis, only 16% say it has personally affected
them to a major degree….While Central Valley congressmen and some agribusiness
interests have blamed environmental regulations for worsening the water
shortages, those polled cited a much broader range of causes. Topping the list
was a lack of rain and snow and people using too much water, followed by
insufficient storage and climate change.
California drought:
El Niño chances increase, but scientists say it may be a weak one [San Jose
Mercury News]
Suffering
through the third year of an oppressive drought, California received good and
bad news Thursday from scientists closely tracking the Pacific Ocean for El
Niño, the phenomenon when ocean waters warm, often bringing wet winters to
California. The chances of El Niño conditions developing by this fall are now
82 percent, up from 78 percent last month -- and 36 percent since November --
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. But for the
first time, NOAA scientists said, it looks like a moderate -- rather than a
strong -- El Niño is developing. And historically, while strong El Niños have
nearly always brought soaking rains to California, moderate and weak ones only
about half the time have delivered wetter-than-normal winters.
Fresno County judge
spurns imposition of Gerawan worker contract [Fresno Bee]
The
Agricultural Labor Relations Board won't be allowed to impose a disputed
contract on nearly 3,000 field workers for Gerawan Farming, Fresno County
Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hamilton ruled this week. In April, the state
sought a temporary restraining order against Gerawan, saying the Fresno County
farming company was violating the law by not implementing a new employee
contract.…The United Farm Workers union is the workers' representative and its
officials have said the workers stand to benefit from higher wages and other
benefits. But many of the workers are divided over being union
members.…Hamilton, who rejected the state's request on Monday, said imposing
the mediated contract could create a long-term obstacle to an employee
election.
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