California water bond clears Legislature, Brown signs off [San Jose Mercury News]
With
just a few hours to go before a midnight deadline to put a new state water bond
on the November ballot, lawmakers Wednesday approved a $7.5 billion package
that includes money for California's first new state-funded dams and reservoirs
in more than 30 years….Gov. Jerry Brown, who was silent on the water bond for
much of this year before jump-starting serious talks on the measure earlier
this week, signed the legislation late Wednesday surrounded by a crowd of
jubilant lawmakers….More than a third of the bond -- $2.7 billion -- is
dedicated to construction of dams, reservoirs and other water storage
solutions….Since 1970, California voters have approved 15 of the 16 water bonds
they have considered, though most of the money has gone to water conservation
and recycling, as opposed to water storage.
http://www.mercurynews.com/News/ci_26330978/California-water-bond-clears-Legislature-Brown-signs-off
Opinion: Gov. Jerry Brown
helps whip up a palatable water bond [Los Angeles Times]
Five
years after producing a pork-bloated water bond proposal that failed the smell
test, the Legislature has offered up a new serving that's lean and
digestible….The governor and Legislature were at their best: dickering, rather
than dithering, while admittedly prodded by a deadline to place a bond measure
on the November ballot….Everyone at the negotiating table got something. Nobody
went starving….The GOP had demanded $3 billion for water storage. But Brown's
offer was one they couldn't refuse….That $2.7 billion — if approved by voters —
would be the most money, by far, ever appropriated by Sacramento for dam
construction. Some of the GOP's most influential constituents — the state
Chamber of Commerce, California Farm Bureau, Western Growers Assn., Westlands
Water District — wound up supporting the compromise. So did influential Sen.
Lois Wolk (D-Davis), a major opponent of Brown's twin tunnels
Editorial: Central Valley
delegation led way on California water bond [Modesto Bee]
It’s
not often something happens deserving of the word “monumental,” especially when
discussing the legislative process. This might be one of those times. With the
Northern San Joaquin Valley delegation playing a pivotal role, and agreeing to
trust a governor who is following in the footsteps of his father, an agreement
was reached Wednesday on a water bond that could signal a victory in
California’s legendary water wars….But the fight isn’t over. Getting the bond
measure to the ballot is just the first battle. Now, legislators and the governor
must help persuade Californians to vote for it so the real work of providing
more secure water supplies for everyone can begin.
Farmers
wary of state regulating groundwater [KBAK and KBFX News/Bakersfield]
The
state of California uses more groundwater than any other state in the union,
but it's also the only state in the West that doesn't have any regulations to
make sure wells don't run dry. Agricultural leaders in Kern County is doing
their best to produce crops during another year of drought. At this point,
farmers have given up on El Niño bringing through any rain, forcing them to
rely even more on groundwater. "We're panicked," said Beatris Sanders
of the Kern County Farm Bureau. "It's incredibly vital. We can't live
without it. We can't farm without it. We can't produce food."…The Kern
County Water Agency doesn't want the state to step in. "Having some state
assistance would be helpful for everybody, as long as it's assistance and not
regulation," said Curtis Creel, the assistant general manager for Kern
County Water Agency. One of the bills on the floor right now is SB 1168,
proposed by state Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Augora Hills. The Kern County Farm Bureau
agrees with the Kern County Water Agency. They think that the bill might not be
best for an area that relies almost exclusively on groundwater.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/Farmers-wary-of-state-regulating-groundwater-271169741.html
State
board approves high-speed rail sites, OKs condemnation actions [Fresno Bee]
The
State Public Works Board on Wednesday approved the selection of nearly 160
parcels in Fresno and Kings counties for eventual acquisition for California's
controversial high-speed train project. Meeting in Sacramento at the state
Capitol, the panel comprised of the heads of the state's Finance, General
Services and Transportation departments, also adopted resolutions declaring a
public necessity to condemn four pieces of property in Fresno and Madera
counties for the rail line….The Public Works Board approved the rail agency's
selection of 158 parcels that have been identified as needed, either in whole
or in part, for the bullet-train right of way and structures such as road
overpasses….Since December 2013, the Public Works Board has adopted
condemnation resolutions for at least 20 parcels in Fresno and Madera counties
for the first construction section.
What's
that stinky smell around Santa Rosa? [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Some
people know it as the “Sonoma Aroma,” a not-so-gentle reminder that the North
Bay was farm country long before it acquired its reputation as Wine Country. A
couple of times each year, local dairy farmers start pumping out their holding
ponds to spread cow manure out on their fields. The resulting odor, which
pervaded the air around Santa Rosa and as far north as Healdsburg on Wednesday,
is a unique and unmistakable Sonoma County barnyard bouquet….Sue Ostrom, Sonoma
County’s chief deputy agricultural commissioner, said the process of “manure
spreading” traditionally occurs around the time of the end of the Sonoma County
Fair….Tom Flannigan, a spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District, said Wednesday there have been no recent complaints made to the
agency about foul odors in the area. Nor have there been any documented odor
violations, he said.
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