Interior strips protections for owl species on decline [CQ-Roll Call]
The Interior Department said it will eliminate from federal protection more than 3 million acres in California, Oregon and Washington vital to the northern spotted owl, a species considered endangered under federal law. In a draft rule published Wednesday as much of the nation was glued to impeachment proceedings, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a division of Interior, said it was excluding about 3.5 million acres of “critical habitat” established for the owls. … The rule could be subject to the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to strike down regulations finalized in the waning months of an administration.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article248491265.html
Riverside County seniors, teachers and farmworkers can get COVID-19 vaccine starting Thursday [Palm Springs Desert Sun]
Seniors, teachers and farmworkers in Riverside County can begin getting vaccinated this week, as state and federal guidelines change and more clinics open. Along with the health care workers in Phase 1A and frontline essential workers in Phase 1B Tier 1, all seniors 65 and older can attend county vaccine clinics beginning Thursday. … Frontline essential workers in Phase 1B Tier 1 include those in education, law enforcement, food and agriculture, and emergency services.
Battle over sick leave + Campaign finance bill targets ‘dark money’ + Chiu passes on AG post [Sacramento Bee]
As far as labor organizations see it, the state’s paid sick leave is nowhere enough, especially during the pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Californians. But as far as business organizations see it, the state’s current policy already restricts small businesses from reopening and the economy from recovering. The organizations laid out their competing visions in separate letters to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, one from workers’ rights organizations including the California Labor Federation and SEIU California and another from business organizations including the California Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article248480935.html
Ramona businesses devise new strategies to adapt in coronavirus era [Ramona Sentinel]
… Nelson Pizarro, owner of Castelli Family Vineyards with his wife, Cassie and her father, Michael Castelli, has developed an app designed to bring people to Ramona wineries. … The stay-at-home orders have also affected the livelihood of Gil and Nancy Riegler, owners of the Oasis Camel Dairy. … But with the fairs shut down, the Rieglers have found new ways to share their animals with the public. … When farmers markets were shut down early in the COVID pandemic, Three Sons needed to make some changes to keep the business in operation. Nick Jaquez, who runs the farm with his family, said they started doing home deliveries.
A brutal 2020 harvest in Napa Valley could give way to an opportune 2021, experts say [Napa Valley Register]
It’s been a difficult year for wine grape producers in Napa Valley, data from the Silicon Valley Bank’s annual state of the industry report confirms. More than 55% of the report’s Napa Valley respondents described a wine grape harvest of “below average” or “poor” quality, according to the report, which was released Wednesday morning. Nearly 75% of those same respondents said their crop yield — the amount of wine grapes produced and deemed acceptable for harvest — was lower than average or even their lowest ever, the report shows.
U.S. bans cotton, tomato imports from China’s Xinjiang region [Wall Street Journal]
The Trump administration on Wednesday banned imports of cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang, the broadest U.S. ban yet to target allegations of forced-labor practices in the northwest Chinese region. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents have been instructed to detain shipments containing these products, including those routed through or assembled in third countries in products such as apparel or tomato sauce. … Ketchup producer Kraft Heinz Co. has one supplier in Xinjiang, but none of those tomato products are exported to or used in the U.S., said a company spokesman.
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