California farming country buckles under COVID-19. Will pandemic make or break the Valley? [Sacramento Bee]
… Long overlooked, often derided as “the other California,” the Valley is finally in the spotlight – for all the wrong reasons. … COVID-19 is putting considerable pressure on agriculture in ways that could hurt farmworkers eventually. For instance, it might speed up the mechanization of Valley farming as growers try to reduce their dependence on field labor. … In the Valley, however, change often comes slowly, and there’s considerable skepticism that a mere pandemic can lead to fundamental changes in the social, political and economic dynamics that have plagued the region’s agricultural underclass for decades.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article244968960.html
Political battles, confusion reign in Kern County, one of worst U.S. coronavirus hot spots [Los Angeles Times]
Kern County has become one of the worst coronavirus hot spots in the nation, with infections spreading rapidly through food processing plants, agricultural communities and other places in Bakersfield and small rural towns. But the response to the crisis has been hampered by growing battles between state and local officials, with Kern County leaders complaining that they have been stymied by mixed messages and bureaucratic red tape. … The rural, agricultural Central Valley has become one of the places hardest hit by coronavirus in the U.S, with the virus spreading rapidly among low-wage, primarily Latino essential workers, including those working in agriculture and food processing.
High temperatures slow work, trigger special precautions for outdoor laborers [Bakersfield Californian]
High temperatures are making tough jobs harder for people working outdoors in Kern County, and recently high humidity and poor air quality aren’t helping. Probably the biggest impact the ongoing heat wave has had locally is shortened work hours for some crews. … “The guys don’t necessarily want to go home” when temperatures rise to the upper 90 degrees, said pistachio orchard professional Josh Newfield, owner of Newfield Ag Management. “A lot of time they do want the hours. They want the work.”
Humidity shields grapes from the worst of Bay Area heat wave [Napa Valley Register]
Humidity and relative timing have shielded Napa Valley’s grape crop from the worst of the North Bay’s ongoing heat wave, growers say. Dry, prolonged heat can be harmful to grapevines, according to Mike Wolf, owner of an eponymous vineyard management company working with a number of growers in the Napa Valley. … But this heat wave is different, according to Wolf: it’s been less intense because it brought with it remarkable humidity. “What that humidity is doing, as miserable as it is for humans, is protecting the fruit,” he said.
Tulare County caught in the middle of pistachio law suit [Foothills Sun-Gazette, Exeter]
The nation’s biggest farmer and largest pistachio processor, Wonderful Pistachios, has sued Tulare County in hopes of shutting down construction of a nut plant owned by a rival company, ARO Pistachios. Wonderful argues in a July 14 lawsuit in Tulare County Superior Court that permits approved by Tulare County were “illegally issued” and with a potential record harvest approaching in weeks, Wonderful owner Stewart Resnick wants construction halted at one southern Tulare County farm. … Clearly the competitive juices are flowing in an industry where a handful of players dominate.
Editorial: Vote No on Proposition 15’s destructive property tax hikes [Southern California News Group]
… Despite the attorney general’s depiction of the measure as a benign effort to increase school and local-government funding by simply “changing” the assessment, Proposition 15 is a pure tax grab. … Passing Proposition 15 would pummel California’s economy at the very worst time. … It must never be forgotten that when taxes go up, there are downstream consequences. This measure would raise the cost of living, as grocery stores, retailers and other businesses face higher costs. Increases to California’s cost of living fall hardest on those with less means.
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2020/08/17/vote-no-on-proposition-15s-destructive-property-tax-hikes/
