Bond could aid ambitious pipe-to-farm project [San Diego Union Tribune]
Few,
if any, industries are watching the fate of California’s $7.5 billion water
bond on the Nov. 4 ballot more closely than agriculture….But more than just
adding reservoirs and pipelines, the bond could help fund an ambitious,
first-of-its-kind water recycling project in Escondido that would give farmers
on the outskirts of the city a new, potentially cheaper source of
water….Farmers in ag heavy North County are keeping a close eye on the project,
with a mix of hope and healthy skepticism about how successful Escondido’s
endeavor will be and whether it could be duplicated elsewhere….“Anything that
increases the portfolio of water in San Diego County is a big plus,” Eric
Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, said about
Escondido’s efforts. “Farmers have pretty much done all the efficiencies and
WATER CONSERVATION they can.”
Monterey
Peninsula, Salinas Valley move closer to source water deal for groundwater
replenishment [Monterey Herald]
After
months of negotiation, the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley may finally
have a workable preliminary deal for a water source for the proposed
groundwater replenishment project. At the end of a two-hour meeting on Friday
between Peninsula water officials, Salinas Valley growers and others, two
agricultural industry representatives indicated they were
"comfortable" with most of the details of a proposed deal….Both Ocean
Mist Farms vice president Dale Huss and Paraiso Vineyards owner Richard Smith
indicated a revised memorandum could meet most of their concerns….Smith said
Salinas Valley agricultural players want to be assured they won't be taken
advantage of in the project agreement, and won't end up with less water than
they have rights to now.
Editorial: Water rules won't
settle the disputes [Santa Maria Times]
The
bills signed into law last week by the governor will give the state some
management authority over groundwater pumping, but it does so through local
water agencies. Still, many landowners will object to the meters, monitoring of
pumping and fines for overdrafts. The new rules may have the force of state law,
but that likely will not protect them from a full-on legal attack from land
owners intent on defending their former rights of ownership….Having a law and
making it work are two different things, and Republican opposition in the state
Legislature to the new rules all but ensures a fierce legal skirmish over
property rights that could very well end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — battles
that should have been decided years ago.
Tomato
growers’ lawsuit against feds fails to bear fruit [McClatchy News Service]
A
federal court has rejected the potentially far-reaching claims of Florida
tomato growers who say they lost business because of Food and Drug
Administration warnings. The ruling unsettles numerous growers, who
collectively lost several hundred million dollars following FDA food safety
warnings in 2008 that proved erroneous. The ruling also curtails other growers
tempted to base similar challenges on the constitutional requirement that the
government pay compensation for taking property. “Advisory pronouncements, even
those with significant financial impact on the marketplace, are not enough to
effect a taking of property under the Fifth Amendment,” U.S. Court of Federal
Claims Senior Judge Lynn J. Bush stated.
California
olive oil producers create new quality standards [Fresno Bee]
California
is the first state in the nation to create quality standards for its olive oil
producers, a key step toward growing the industry. The state's Department of
Food and Agriculture approved a set of rules last week that California's olive
oil producers must abide by before labeling their bottles as extra virgin,
virgin or refined….In the olive oil world, extra virgin is the highest quality
oil and fetches a premium price. But farmers and industry leaders say research
by the University of California has found that some of the imported oils,
labeled extra virgin, contained lower quality oils.
Opinion: Agency still
denying farmworkers a vote [San Diego Union-Tribune]
The
Legislature and the Brown administration apparently believe California’s
farmworkers cannot be trusted to exercise their democratic rights. It’s the only
plausible explanation for their efforts — via an administrative process and
legislation — to invalidate the votes of 3,000 Fresno area workers who took
part in a union election….This seems inexplicable until one recognizes some
relevant details. The workers almost certainly have voted to invalidate the
United Farm Workers union as their representative. ALRB, despite its supposed
impartiality and prosecutorial powers, seems closely allied with the UFW and
worries that workers will strike against the union.
Ag
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