COVID-19 outbreak, death among Santa Maria farm workers [KEYT TV, Santa Barbara]
At least one person has died and 14 farm workers have tested positive in an outbreak of COVID-19 in Santa Maria. According to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, the outbreak is related to Alco Harvesting and it includes H-2A worker housing in the Santa Maria Valley. … A spokesperson for Alco Harvesting confirms a lettuce crew foreman who drove a bus as employee transportation has died. … Alco Harvesting says he was a U.S. citizen and not an H-2A worker. The company says since he lived out of state, they provided him with temporary housing in its guest worker premises.
Monterey County ag industry begins large scale testing of essential employees [KSBW TV, Monterey/Salinas]
Monterey County’s largest industry and employer has partnered with the medical community to test its essential employees for COVID-19. “What we’re doing is unique it’s the only kind in the state of California and maybe only one of its kind in the nation,” said Chris Valadez, president of the Grower-Shipper association in Salinas. … The partnership streamlines the registration and testing of farmworkers, with results usually in 48 hours. With agriculture being the largest industry it’s an industry that also has the highest number of positive COVID-19 cases in the county so it’s vital employers know who has the virus.
Farmers, workers seek targeted COVID-19 response [Half Moon Bay Review]
Farmworkers on the Coastside already struggle to access health care, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s becoming even more difficult. Now, local farm owners and nonprofit leaders are discussing how to improve education and access to resources should essential farmworkers here become a hotspot. … The topic of health care and access to resources about COVID-19 for farmworkers was heavily discussed at Monday night’s Agriculture Advisory Committee meeting. The committee penned a resolution to the county spelling out the problems members see in their communities and asked for help.
‘It sends the wrong message’: Napa vintners react to winery reopening rollbacks [San Francisco Chronicle]
… The quick about-face has left many winery owners scratching their heads — and feeling angry, especially since there’s no evidence of California wineries being the source of coronavirus outbreaks. … To be clear, wineries don’t have to close under the new orders; they just can’t allow visitors indoors. Many California wineries would be seating most customers outdoors anyway, but this time of year there’s just one problem: It’s getting hot. … Still, vintners expressed confusion over the constantly changing guidelines.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/It-sends-the-wrong-message-Napa-vintners-15407926.php
Landmark groundwater act enters a crucial period [The Business Journal, Fresno]
… Sustainability plans developed by groundwater sustainability agencies (GSA) outline how water users can restore depleted water sources. But fights have arisen and disputes about the reliability of those water sources have come to light. Many GSAs say they have a good handle on how they can keep consistent water supply to growers and ranchers. But experts stand by their assessments of the impact SGMA may have on farming in the Central Valley.
https://thebusinessjournal.com/landmark-groundwater-act-enters-a-crucial-period/
Animal activists slam Mendocino County supervisors for renewing contract to kill livestock predators [San Francisco Chronicle]
Mendocino County supervisors voted Tuesday to renew the county’s contract with a federal agency that aids ranchers in killing predators that prey on their livestock. The county had previously contracted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, which has garnered criticism from animal advocates for killing predators such as coyotes, mountain lions and bobcats instead of considering nonlethal ways of curbing attacks on local livestock. … In a statement by wildlife conservation group Project Coyote, advocates said the majority of supervisors dismissed the “will of the public” and the that the vote authorizes federal officials to “use public dollars to kill thousands of wild animals in the cruelest ways imaginable at the behest of private ranchers.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Animal-activists-slam-Mendocino-County-15409094.php
