California to insurers: How much is fire risk ‘hardening’ commercial coverage market for wineries, vineyards, farms? [North Bay Business Journal]
After hearing stories about cancellation, nonrenewal or rejection of commercial insurance for wineries, wine grape growers and other agribusinesses in high wildfire risk areas, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Tuesday directed insurers to provide details on what’s going on. Lara gave carriers operating in the state and those participating in its coverage of last resort, the California FAIR Plan, 60 days to provide the Department of Insurance with detailed information about changes to and effects of commercial policy underwriting since January 2017.
Gavin Newsom signs bill to rush spending on California wildfire prevention as drought sets in [Sacramento Bee]
California is adding more than half a billion dollars in wildfire prevention spending this year after Gov. Gavin Newsom formally approved the money Tuesday ahead of the state’s peak fire season. Under the legislation, the state will spend $536 million on preventing fires through forest and vegetation management, clearing fuel around rural homes and retrofitting buildings in high-risk areas to help them survive fires. Newsom, a Democrat, has promised that this year his administration will focus on preventing fires with “a greater sense of urgency than ever in contemporary California history.”
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article250622984.html
Despite second dry year, Newsom resists declaring a drought emergency [San Francisco Chronicle]
Despite bipartisan calls to declare a state of emergency over California’s deepening drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom sidestepped questions Tuesday about when he may issue a proclamation. … If Newsom signed an emergency declaration, state agencies could more easily require water conservation and transfer water to support agriculture and other priority users. But Newsom downplayed the significance of such a declaration Tuesday. He said the state can move forward with many drought measures without officially calling the situation an emergency.
Southern California water giant wants Sacramento Valley water — and has $44 million to spend [Sacramento Bee]
With California in the throes of a second year of drought conditions, the mega-water agency of Southern California served notice Tuesday that it’s prepared to spend up to $44 million to buy water from Northern California to shore up its supplies. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million urban residents, authorized its staff to begin negotiating deals with water agencies north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where supplies are generally more plentiful.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/water-and-drought/article250648394.html
Democrats send letter to Biden requesting immigration bill in second part of infrastructure package [CNN]
A bicameral group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Tuesday requesting he prioritize legislation that would offer a pathway to citizenship to undocumented essential workers in the second part of his two-part infrastructure package set to address education and childcare. … The Citizenship for Essential Workers Act would provide a pathway to citizenship for more than 5 million undocumented essential workers with an immediate adjustment of status to legal permanent resident if it’s passed. In the legislation, any undocumented immigrant who works in child care, health care, agriculture, construction, emergency response, transportation, food, domestic work and other essential jobs would be able to apply for citizenship.
Opinion: Two immigration bills will finally recognize the contributions of the undocumented [Southern California News Group]
… Today, Americans have shown widespread support for Dreamers and farmworkers alike. Last July, Gallup found that 77 percent of Americans believe that immigration is good for the country. … Bipartisan passage of the Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the Senate would be historic; it would signify that America is finally ready to take on comprehensive immigration reform, correcting our past mistakes while providing a pragmatic and safe roadmap for the future. Every worker, and every sector of our economy, is interconnected. It’s time our immigration policies reflect this reality.
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