Despite Cal/OSHA’s emergency COVID-19 safety rule, workers say little has changed [Los Angeles Times]
As California became the national epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the final weeks of 2020, state officials adopted sweeping emergency measures meant to protect workers. But implementation of the new rule has been a letdown, further casting doubt on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ability to wrangle a virus that has killed tens of thousands of Californians. … A lawsuit set for a preliminary hearing Thursday in San Francisco called the mandate so “ruinous” it threatens the “continued existence” of small businesses. Another topic of the hearing will be a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles by agricultural groups on similar grounds.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-01-28/cal-osha-covid-19-worker-safety-emergency-rule
Opinion: Challenging California’s pandemic mandates on businesses [Southern California News Group]
Some of California’s COVID-19 mandates on business are illegal – and they’re killing countless California small businesses. We’ve sued the state to overturn these dangerous and destructive mandates before any more damage is done. … Small businesses have done the right thing. But California regulators now say small businesses haven’t done enough. … If Cal/OSHA had followed the law, small businesses would have shown up in force to make their voices heard. They would have told the agency: Don’t do this, or else you’ll hurt our companies, workers, and communities. Instead, Cal/OSHA moved forward without a second thought or second opinion.
https://www.dailybulletin.com/2021/01/27/challenging-californias-pandemic-mandates-on-businesses/
Steady rain in the Valley puts a hold on harvesting [KFSN TV, Fresno]
This week’s steady rain has disrupted the Valley harvest of everything from citrus to vegetables. Crews were in the middle of carrot season at Terra Nova Farms in western Fresno County, which was turned into a muddy mess. … Crews can’t resume the harvest until all the grounds dry so they can get around fields and orchards. Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said, “Citrus is going prime-time right now. It slowed a little bit down with the rain but I think would prefer to see that water coming in.”
https://abc30.com/central-ca-weather-california-rain-snow-storms/10076692/
Biden’s buy-American order could put more Modesto cannery peaches in school lunches [Modesto Bee]
The buy-American order from President Joe Biden was especially welcome to peach canneries in and near Modesto. They have struggled for years with cheap imports from China and other competitors. Monday’s order strengthens existing law that directs federal agencies buy U.S.-made products if possible. That includes canned peaches purchased for school lunches through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of the nation’s supply comes from the Del Monte Foods plant in Modesto and the Pacific Coast Producers plant in Lodi.
https://www.modbee.com/news/business/agriculture/article248774605.html
Wine shipments in US increase slightly in 2020 amid pandemic [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Wine shipments in the United States narrowly increased in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic that upended the sector, forcing vintners to sell more wines online and in supermarkets to make up for lost restaurant and tasting room sales. American and foreign wineries shipped an estimated 369 million wine cases nationwide last year, up 1.2% from 2019, according to a preliminary analysis of federal excise taxes on the shipments by alcohol beverage industry consulting firm bw166. The data was released Wednesday during the annual Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, held virtually instead of its typical Sacramento location.
Wasted: Why the average California strawberry goes uneaten [KCRW Radio, Santa Monica]
… In the U.S., more than a third of edible food is tossed, and this happens most with fresh produce. Wasted food comprises almost a quarter of landfills. … Landfill waste starts on the farm — because the strawberries have to win a beauty contest. … Produce faces another hurdle while it’s transported and prepared for sale. Food might bruise or soil on its way from the farm to the fork. … Of the strawberries that make it off a farm and into a grocery store, one in 10 won’t get sold — on purpose. … “In the U.S. and in North America, more food is wasted at the household level than at any other point in the supply chain,” says Collins.
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/wasted-education-space/food-waste-strawberry
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