California farmers are reeling in frustration after water allocations [Visalia Times-Delta]
… Water managers announced that growers relying on California’s two largest irrigation canals — the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project — would receive no more than 20% of their standard allotment. … Local ag leaders said the disappointing news may lead to Valley farmers beginning to fallow some fields. “Who among us would be satisfied in paying 100% of the cost for a good or service, but then receive only 20% of what we paid for?” said Tricia Stever-Blattler, Tulare County Farm Bureau executive director.
Valley ag, advocacy groups tell Newsom that vaccines for farm labor a ‘moral imperative’ [Fresno Bee]
A wide-ranging coalition of community, farm and advocacy organizations in Fresno and across the central San Joaquin Valley is urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines for agricultural workers. … Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, said he believes Newsom’s announcement via Twitter this week directing 34,000 unused doses to Valley agriculture “is at least partly attributable to our letter.” … Thursday’s letter restated the organizations’ collective commitment.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article249517790.html
Judge rejects employers’ challenge to California’s coronavirus workplace protection rules [San Francisco Chronicle]
A challenge by retailers and growers to the state’s emergency workplace regulations for COVID-19 — requiring employers to have prevention programs, provide protective equipment, test anyone who may have been exposed, and provide paid leave to ailing employees — was emphatically rejected Thursday by a San Francisco judge. … The rules require every employer to have a written coronavirus prevention program, including training, identification of hazards, social distancing, and provision of masks and other protective equipment.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Judge-rejects-employers-challenge-to-15981318.php
California air board OKs crackdown on agricultural burning in San Joaquin Valley [Sacramento Bee]
… After a six-hour meeting, the California Air Resources Control Board unanimously approved a plan to begin phasing out almost all agricultural burning in the Valley by 2025, a move that may eventually lead to increased fines for farmers caught breaking the rules. … Several farmers and agricultural associations on Thursday warned that the added costs of the air board’s plan could put small growers out of business. … An additional challenge is the numbers of biomass power plants available to farmers to haul their limbs and vines have shrunk dramatically, said Samir Sheikh, executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article249514990.html
New gray wolf found in Central Sierra [Bay Area News Group]
A young gray wolf visited Mono County this week, marking the most southern foray into California of the restless species. The GPS-collared wolf, a male known as OR-93, has traveled hundreds of miles to the central Sierra Nevada from his birthplace near Oregon’s Mt. Hood, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. … There has been growing conflict between wildlife advocates and the state’s ranchers, who report livestock losses. While the confirmed cattle killings represent just a fraction of California’s 5.15 million head of cattle, they disproportionately affect ranchers who live in Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen and Plumas counties.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/02/26/new-gray-wolf-spotted-in-central-sierra/
California Democrats seek to add 535,000 acres of wilderness in state [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino counties could play host to part of the largest new designation of federal wilderness in a decade if Democratic sponsors of the land-protection package can find a way through the divided U.S. Senate. A bill sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, would designate 257,797 of new acres of wilderness in Northern California while placing 480 miles of river in the region under the nation’s strictest environmental protections for waterways. The bill would designate an additional 49,692 acres as potential wilderness area.
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