Obama’s immigration plan could shield five million [New York Times]
Up
to four million undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for
at least five years can apply for a program that protects them from deportation
and allows those with no criminal record to work legally in the country,
President Obama is to announce on Thursday, according to people briefed on his
plans. An additional one million people will get protection from deportation
through other parts of the president’s plan to overhaul the nation’s
immigration enforcement system, including the expansion of an existing program
for “Dreamers,” young immigrants who came to the United States as children….
But farm workers will not receive specific protection from deportation, nor
will the Dreamers’ parents….Farm workers, for example, will not be singled out
for protections because of concerns that it was difficult to justify legally
treating them differently from undocumented workers in other jobs, like hotel
clerks, day laborers and construction workers.
Limits
end on most California stream diversions [Sacramento Bee]
Thousands
of water users across California can again draw water directly from streams
after state officials Wednesday lifted restrictions on one of the last major
blocks of water rights, imposed in June due to the drought. The State Water
Resources Control Board imposed the curtailments to ensure senior water rights
holders would have access to water during the drought, a requirement of state
laws governing water rights priority. More than 10,000 holders of so-called
“junior” water rights – those awarded after 1914 – were required to cease
diverting water from rivers and streams….Kathy Mrowka, enforcement program
manager at the water board, said the curtailments were lifted because storms
hitting the state this week eased some of the strain on watersheds and allow
some opportunity to divert water again. But she warned curtailments could be
imposed again, at any time, if nature does not provide enough water.
OID
water sales plan bashed by county advisory committee [Modesto Bee]
A
briefing of the Stanislaus County Water Advisory Committee on the state’s
proposals to reduce river diversions for agriculture quickly turned into a
pointed discussion about Oakdale Irrigation District’s determination to pump
groundwater for its farmers while selling surface water to agencies outside the
region. Water attorney Tim O’Laughlin spoke to the committee about concerns
shared across the Tuolumne, Merced and Stanislaus rivers on Wednesday. But
after his presentation, committee members immediately began to pepper
O’Laughlin, who represents OID, with questions about the district’s water
sales….This month, O’Laughlin has been helping OID negotiate irrigation water
sales to Fresno County’s Westlands Water District, the Stockton East Water
District and other “federal and state water contractors.”
Editorial: Feinstein freezes out
north state in water bill talks [Sacramento Bee]
Sen.
Dianne Feinstein and House Republicans have been secretly negotiating drought
relief legislation that could severely alter California water policy. She
should know better. Any legislation on the topic of water would have
far-reaching implications, and ought to receive a full public airing before a
congressional vote….If Sen. Feinstein won’t embrace an open debate on such
critical issues, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who will remain chairwoman of the
Environment and Public Works Committee through the lame duck session, ought to
stand up and object.
California
almond growers welcome record revenue, rainy weather [Sacramento Bee]
It
rained on hundreds of farmers heading into Blue Diamond Growers’ 104th annual
meeting Wednesday at the Sacramento Convention Center. But no one complained.
In fact, prayers of thanks were offered by officials of the Sacramento-based
cooperative. Concerns over California’s ongoing drought were about the only
drawback at the gathering, where growers were officially informed that the
cooperative amassed record annual revenue of $1.5 billion with its 2013 crop,
up 25 percent from $1.2 billion the prior year.
Cost
of Thanksgiving is going up, but not by much [Associated Press]
Giving
thanks will be a little costlier this year, but — and here's something you can
be truly thankful for — it probably won't empty your wallet. The price for
putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table for 10 people is expected to rise
slightly this year, clocking in at $49.41. That's 37 cents higher than in 2013.
For that, you can blame dairy products, coffee and that all-important
marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole, according to the annual informal
survey of consumer grocery prices performed by the American Farm Bureau
Federation….The group estimates the cost of Thanksgiving dinner by averaging
non-sale food prices around the country based on feeding 10 people a meal of
turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries,
carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk. And
yes, their estimates account for needing leftovers.
Ag
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