Valley's summer without water: 'How can they let this happen?' [Fresno Bee]
For
residents and farmers alike, this is the cruelest summer in memory for the
nation's most productive farm belt. And for many, it provokes serious questions
about public neglect of California groundwater. Tens of thousands of people
from Kern to Stanislaus counties daily live in fear of losing their wells….On
an even larger scale, the $37.5 billion ag industry is suffering economic
mayhem from dry wells and lack of river water. Cropland with a footprint larger
than Los Angeles has been left to tumbleweeds….Short of a storm bonanza this
winter, easing this pain won't happen quickly -- nor will sorting out the right
and wrong in this panic.
Editorial: Water law takes a new
and scary turn [Chico Enterprise-Record]
…The
particular act of stupidity that prompted this legislation is overdrafting,
which is sucking up more groundwater than the land can provide….That's
happening, and that's why these bills were passed. And that's why it's hard to
argue with the legislation. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be afraid of it. The
state of California, which doesn't have a record for gentle or even reasonable
enforcement of its regulatory authority, is taking charge of yet another resource,
and the most crucial one of all. Once the water beneath the ground becomes the
state's water, it can limit private abuses, but it can also foster public
abuses. If it can say someone is using too much, it can also say someone is
hoarding too much and it needs to share.
Marin
farmers and ranchers face water shortage, rising feed prices [Marin Independent
Journal]
Point
Reyes dairy farmer John Taylor has cut the size of his herd by a third since
the California drought started, and unless sufficient rainfall arrives by
December, he will have to sell more of his 400 cows and calves….Like Taylor,
other Marin dairy operators, ranchers and farmers are all looking to the sky
and hoping for some relief in the months to come….Sam Dolcini, a rancher and
president of the Marin County Farm Bureau, said, "We're dealing with
historically high hay prices on top of historically low precipitation because
of the drought."…Dolcini said he has also cut the size of his beef cattle
herd. "We and everyone I know of in the beef business is running between
10 and 20 percent fewer animals this year because of the drought
conditions," Dolcini said.
Editorial: Water bond
proposal? Supporters shouldn't be overconfident [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
We're
waiting to see what sort of push and pushback California's $7.5 billion water
bond proposal gets. Supporters are feeling confident. They feel like they're
ahead on the game because the bond amount is so much lower than the unpopular
$11 billion bond proposal that was to have gone before voters — no one gave
that one much of a shot. And they also feel the drought will drive home the
message the bond money is needed. Also, some of them say, Democratic Gov. Jerry
Brown supports it, so how could it lose? They should take care not to grow
overconfident….Honestly, neither supporters nor opponents have much time for
campaigning before the November general election (especially since so many
ballots are mailed out weeks in advance). But opponents? They don't need that
much time; they have an automatic head start because it takes hardly any
investment at all to say no; when it's about increased taxes, it's the natural
inclination.
California
waits on Congress for action or – more than likely – inaction [Sacramento Bee]
Congress
is returning to plenty of unfinished California business. Then, it will soon
depart again, leaving most of the Golden State goals still unmet….A
drought-fighting bill favored by Central Valley farmers and feared by
environmentalists and some Northern California lawmakers remains under
negotiation….Underscoring the persistent frustration with legislative
roadblocks, 38 House members from California have signed a “discharge petition”
designed to bring a bill that stabilizes funding for wildland firefighting to
the House floor. Though they rarely, if ever, succeed, such discharge petitions
send a signal both about policy and roadblocks.
Under
pressure from Dems, Obama delays action on immigration [Sacramento Bee]
Facing
pressure from Senate Democrats worried about losing seats in November,
President Barack Obama will postpone until after the election his plans to act
on his own to change immigration laws, White House officials said Saturday. The
White House blamed Republican opposition for delaying Obama’s plans to act
until the end of the year. But the White House was feeling heat from vulnerable
Senate Democrats who feared a controversial change in immigration law _ made
without congressional approval _ would energize Republican voters and hurt them
at the ballot box in November….The decision infuriated immigration advocates
who accused Obama of breaking a promise. They had expected a plan for temporary
legal status to help some of the 11 million undocumented immigrants stay and
work in the U.S.
Ag
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