As rats overrun California cities, state moves to ban powerful pest-killers [Sacramento Bee]
…The state is seeing a troubling resurgence of rodents, which can carry a wide array of diseases that have been around since the Middle Ages….At the same time, researchers are finding widely used rodent poisons at sometimes lethal levels in the bodies of beloved California predators such as birds of prey and mountain lions….As a result of the widespread wildlife poisoning, nearly every prominent environmental group in the state is advocating for a ban on anticoagulant rodenticides….In its current form, Bloom’s bill would only allow government officials to use the second generation rodenticides “for public health activities” and it could be applied in certain “agricultural settings” including food production sites, factories, breweries, or wineries.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article232687952.html
Produce growers get new ammunition in the battle against outbreaks [Washington Post]
…Behind the scenes, the fresh produce industry is in the midst of a transformation. From the field to the grocery store, outbreak prevention is a priority….Perhaps the most significant shift is greater interest in a “kill step,” a process that could reduce the number of live microbes by 99.9 percent, or 100,000-fold. Water washes are inconsistent and, at best, reduce microbes tenfold.
Senator Shannon Grove: ‘We need to protect and help our hardworking farmers’ [Visalia Times-Delta]
More than $50,000 of agricultural equipment — a New Holland tractor and an Air-O-Fan sprayer — was taken from an Exeter citrus grove last week….A new piece of California legislation will hopefully help law enforcement investigate these crimes. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 224 into law. SB 224 has been a passion project for the Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and Senator Shannon Grove….Under SB 224: A new category for grand theft of agricultural property will be created. Fines collected will be redistributed back to current agriculture and rural-based crime prevention programs.
Trump administration plans to streamline H-2A visa process, advocates say it will hurt local workers [KCOY-TV, Santa Maria]
…The Department of Labor is looking to streamline the H-2A visa application process, a long and complicated ordeal involving multiple agencies. But on the Central Coast, there is debate on whether the policy could hurt local farm workers….The Central Coast advocacy group says the Trump administration is favoring foreign field workers over domestic workers because of new proposed changes to the H-2A temporary agricultural program. “It’s currently a very cumbersome, complicated process,” said Claire Wineman, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. “The majority of the changes are looking at administrative improvements to help streamline the process.”
Farmworkers across Kern County fear deportations in the fields [KBAK-TV, Bakersfield]
…For every 10 farmworkers in Kern County nine are immigrants, according to Hernan Hernandez with the Central Valley Farmworker Foundation. “There’s still caution, but there’s not much fear as oppose to what it was a couple of weeks ago when statements were made in regard to large raids happening throughout the United States,” Hernandez said. Eyewitness News spoke to one of those undocumented workers who is a foreman at a local vineyard….His kids who are now 10 and 12 years old tell him they are worried he won’t come home from work one day. “We see a police officer and we turn around,” he said.
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/farmworkers-across-kern-county-fear-deportations-in-the-fields
Judge rejects effort to move Shasta Dam lawsuit to Fresno [Redding Record Searchlight]
A judge has rejected a San Joaquin Valley irrigation district’s request to move a lawsuit against raising the height of Shasta Dam to Fresno County. Westlands Water District, based in Fresno, wanted to move the lawsuit against it to its home county, but a judge has ruled the case will remain in Shasta County….Numerous environmental and fishing groups and the California Attorney General sued Westlands in May, claiming the district is violating a state law that prohibits state public agencies from working on or planning projects that would have an adverse effect on the McCloud River.
