Valley officials throw support behind larger water bond [Fresno Bee]
A
cross-section of city and county officials, farming and business interests
joined together Wednesday at Fresno City Hall to support a multibillion-dollar
water bond that's nearly twice as large as what Gov. Jerry Brown wants. The
governor this week pledged support for a $6 billion water bond for November's
ballot -- but no more -- because of concerns about long-term debt….The water
bond event in Fresno was one of two in California on Wednesday. Assembly
Minority Leader Connie Conway was among Republican and Democratic lawmakers who
stated support to increase funding for water-storage projects at the site of a
proposed reservoir in an agricultural valley north of Sacramento….The bond amount
is now in negotiations between the state Assembly and Senate leadership and the
governor's office, Perea said. It requires two-thirds support from legislators
to reach the ballot.
Editorial: Our View: Gov.
Brown’s water bond falls far short of what’s needed [Modesto Bee]
So
let’s get this straight. It’s OK with the governor to spend $9.95 billion for a
bullet train that will speed from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but he can’t
fathom spending a penny more than $6 billion to provide more water for all 36
million Californians and a $45 billion ag industry that is literally begging
for it….But more than we need fast trains, more than we need better roads, even
more than we need better classrooms, we need more water. And if Gov. Jerry
Brown isn’t prepared to spend more than $2 billion on creating additional
storage, then he isn’t serious about helping us find that water….Bluntly and
emphatically, $2 billion is not enough. Not even remotely….There’s still time
to negotiate a better water bond. If the governor won’t lead, our legislators
must….There must be enough money in this bond to build more storage. Otherwise,
it’s just not good enough.
Editorial: Our View: This is
the year to make the pitch for Sites [Marysville Appeal – Democrat]
When
a small group of state legislators and staff members visited Colusa County on
Wednesday, they not only saw the area that will hopefully become Sites
Reservoir, but also parched landscape that such a facility would help water….We
need voter approval to have the projects move ahead. Now is the year to put
this on the ballot — California has inched out of the desperate times of a few
years ago, and no one who considers a ballot measure can escape the sights and
effects of drought....which could be well mitigated by storage at Sites….One
perhaps-sour note was sounded as news of a proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown made
the rounds the same day as the tour. Brown is proposing a very lean $6 billion
bond plan that would provide some funding for a variety of purposes, including
storage. His desire to economize is respected, but we don't think the amount
dedicated to storage — perhaps just $2 billion — is adequate to get the job
done (certainly not both Sites and Temperance Flat).
Russia
bans import of U.S. farm goods, but impact may be small [Sacramento Bee]
U.S.
exporters of farm products said Wednesday that they would search for new
foreign markets after Russia announced a one-year retaliatory agricultural
trade ban as punishment for financial sanctions imposed by the United States
and Europe….California nut growers are also affected. Russia bought more than
$425 million worth of tree nuts in 2012, and about $143.7 million of that came
from U.S. exporters of almonds and pistachios, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture….The largest U.S. almond exporter, Blue Diamond Growers of
Sacramento, Calif., didn’t wait for the sanctions. It started turning down
business in Russia months ago after the border dispute between Russia and the
Ukraine turned violent. The company stopped selling to Russia about six months
ago. “We don’t wait for the government. There are other people who want our
almonds, plenty of demand,” said Susan Brauner, director of public affairs for
the cooperative to which more than half of California growers belong.
Surveys
show Valley songbird in decline [Stockton Record]
The
dwindling tricolored blackbird, an iconic Central Valley songbird, will have to
wait a while longer for protection as a threatened or endangered
species…."The results suggest that the species is in precipitous
decline," said Michael Sutton, president of the state Fish and Game Commission….Still,
the commission was unwilling to bypass its normal process and grant the
blackbird expedited protection under the state's Endangered Species Act.
Commissioners decided to wait until a formal petition is filed, with the
understanding they may reconsider emergency action next spring, before crop
harvests threaten additional birds….Environmentalists and bird advocates
support emergency protections but agricultural groups spoke out against them
Wednesday, saying they would harm landowners and that voluntary efforts should
continue. "Showing up with a gun and a badge on a dairy does not engender
cooperation and conservation of a species," said Noelle Cremers with the
California Farm Bureau Federation.
Imperial
County Farm Bureau offers burrowing owl nesting box workshop [Imperial Valley
Press]
…While
70 percent of California's burrowing owl population makes its home in the
Imperial Valley, they're still considered a species of special concern. It is
illegal to hunt, capture or kill burrowing owls. Even possessing one of their
feathers is against the law. So, when they take over burrows next to concrete
canals, in ditch banks and drains, they have to be encouraged to vacate those
burrows and move to areas where they won't interfere with irrigators….One easy
way to do so is to build an artificial burrow not far from the inhabited
location, and then lock them out. It's a simple operation, according to Marie
Barrett, a biologist with Barrett’s Biological Surveys. Barrett taught an
Imperial County Farm Bureau workshop on how to do just that July 29 at the
Meloland Field Station in Holtville.
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