Brown opens up spending in campaign's final month [Associated Press]
After
months of stockpiling his campaign cash, Gov. Jerry Brown has begun spending
big to boost the prospects of the water bond and rainy day fund measures on the
November ballot, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday. He spent
$13.5 million in October on behalf of propositions 1 and 2, spending that also
benefits his re-election campaign.
Public
opinion polls have shown the Democratic governor with a significant lead
against Republican challenger Neel Kashkari. He has not campaigned on his own
behalf, instead preferring to appear in TV ads for Proposition 1, which
authorizes $7.5 billion for water projects, and Proposition 2, which would
modify the state's rainy day fund.
Why
California's drought-stressed fruit may be better for you [National Public
Radio]
California's
severe drought is putting stress on everyone these days: the residents whose
wells are running dry; the farmers forced to experiment with growing their
produce with much less water; and of course, the thirsty fruits and vegetables
themselves. But preliminary research suggests the dryness isn't hurting the
produce's nutritional value, and with a few added minerals may even boost it.
That's the tantalizing concept Tiziana Centofanti has been studying at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture lab in Parlier, Calif., a sprawling campus of
experimental farmland about half an hour south of Fresno….Preliminary data, she
says, confirm her suspicions about drought's effect on the fruit's nutritional
value…But there is one interesting difference about the dwarf pomegranate
trees, the ones with constrained roots: The tiny pomegranates grown with the
salt, boron and selenium seem to have double the antioxidant content of
pomegranates grown under normal conditions..
Opinions
differ on video shot at west Petaluma duck farm [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
The
scenes purportedly shot at Reichardt Duck Farm could be viewed as routine or
ominous, depending on the point of view. The animal rights group that sent a
member to clandestinely take video at the Middle Two Rock Road ranch claims
some of the footage shows ducks with insufficient or no access to food or
water, in violation of state law. John Reichardt, the farm’s owner, did not
return calls Wednesday or Thursday seeking comment, but investigators for the
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said they found no evidence of mistreatment at
the farm during a visit Wednesday….They will send their findings, along with
reports by a Petaluma veterinarian and a veterinarian provided by the animal
rights group, to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office for review.
However, representatives with Los Angeles-based Mercy for Animals, which
opposes the raising of animals for food, disagree with the Sheriff’s Office
findings and said conditions at the ranch are cruel.
Lodi
citrus trees to be treated for invasive insect [Lodi News-Sentinel]
The
San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner and the California Department of
Food and Agriculture will begin treating citrus trees near Church and Chestnut
streets on Monday to fight off an invasive insect. The two agencies held an
open house at American Legion Post 22 on Thursday evening to discuss the recent
discovery of the Asian citrus psyllid in Lodi. Victoria Hornbaker, citrus
program manager with the CDFA, said pink notices will be handed out to
residents today notifying them of the preventative treatment….Crews will apply
a pesticide to the foliage of infected trees, and insecticide will also be
applied to the soil beneath the trees for ongoing protection, according to
Hornbaker.
Lodi
Unified gets first taste of farm-to-table movement [Stockton Record]
The
farm-to-table movement hit school cafeterias across the state Thursday, with
Lodi Unified one of 15 districts piloting the initial rollout after the program
was a hit in Oakland. Aimed at serving healthy, prepared-from-scratch school
meals made from locally grown fruits and vegetables, California Thursdays is
part of the Center for Ecoliteracy’s California Food for California Kids
initiative. Lodi Unified is implementing the program at all of its K-12
schools, which serve 20,000 meals each day — more than 5.5 million a year.
Every Thursday, everything the students are served will be local, “produced,
procured and grown in state,” said district Food Services Director Nancy
Rostomily….Other districts joining the California Thursdays program launch
include large urban districts in Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, San Diego,
and San Francisco, and suburban and rural districts in Alvord, Coachella, Conejo
Valley, Elk Grove, Hemet, La Honda-Pescadero, Monterey Peninsula, Oceanside and
Turlock.
Sacramento
food activists push for urban farms [Sacramento Bee]
The
half-acre that Chanowk Yisrael farms in south Oak Park is smack dab in the
middle of what healthy food advocates call a food desert. Residents of this
unincorporated area of Oak Park have few choices for buying fresh or locally
sourced food….Yisrael supports an urban agriculture ordinance that would allow
him to sell what he grows to the public from a stand on his property. Such
sales are currently illegal in Sacramento city and county….Representatives of
seven advocacy groups gathered on Thursday at Yisrael’s farm to try to build
support for the urban agriculture ordinance….The interest in urban farming is
outpacing the evolution of local zoning laws, and Sacramento is an example of
this phenomenon, said Sacramento City Councilman Steve Hansen.
Ag
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