There’s a rural-urban divide in California’s coronavirus infection rates. Here’s the data [Sacramento Bee]
… A Sacramento Bee review of infection and death rates in each of the state’s 58 counties shows vast differences in the depth of the crisis, notably between lightly-hit rural and harder-hit urban spots. The rural north state in particular stands out with lower rates. The numbers help explain why some rural counties are pushing the governor to rescind or loosen his statewide “stay at home” order for their areas. … Rural areas of California are generally faring far better than urban areas.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article242363226.html
Sen. Steve Glazer looks at food breakdown across the state [Brentwood Press]
… The panel, held April 23 in one of Glazer’s ongoing virtual Town Hall events, featured Jamie Johansson, California Farm Bureau Federation president; Estella Cisneros, California Rural Legal Assistance attorney; Ben Palazzolo, Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA) market manager; and Matt Sutton, senior vice president of the California Restaurant Association.
Johansson addressed the overabundance of produce as the state came to a halt and farmers’ main buyers cut back significantly. … Johansson said distribution and transportation were impacted by COVID-19 safety regulations, so while some grocery store shelves are bare due to logistics, the fields aren’t.
California’s Green New Deal likely to be sidelined by COVID-19; lawmakers hope to salvage its goals [Capital Public Radio, Sacramento]
Fourteen Democratic lawmakers pushed for a California Green New Deal in January. It was supposed to be bold and big, accelerating the state’s climate goals amid the threat of drought, sea-level rise and deadly wildfires. … But Bonta’s bill, AB 1839, could be pushed back to next year or massively scaled down in part because the state budget from January is “no longer operable,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in early April. … When it comes to legislative priorities, some lawmakers think many bills will be pushed to future legislative sessions.
Democrats propose protections for farm workers [Roll Call]
Domestic farm workers, many of them undocumented immigrants, would be covered by a bill of rights for essential workers that advocates and a group of House Democrats want included in any future economic relief bill that moves through Congress. … The 10-point rights framework calls for hazard pay, child care, personal protective equipment, health care access and prohibitions on employers changing or dissolving collective bargaining agreements. … The National Council of Agricultural Employers will be among the groups keeping an eye on the Democratic proposal. … Marsh noted that the framework has no Republican supporters, which he said will make it “tough to include in any package.”
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/04/30/democrats-propose-protections-for-farm-workers/
PPE to be included in farmworker relief boxes [Fresno Business Journal]
Farmers, laborers and food processors have been competing with a flurry of other industries and public agencies to grasp the limited amount personal protective equipment coming into the country. In response to the needs of those in the ag industry, Nisei Farmers League banded together with boxer Jose Ramirez, his training camp, Top Rank Boxing, ESPN and the Bautista Medical Group to bring much needed protective equipment as well as supplies to farm workers throughout the Central Valley. … In the past, manufacturers such as 3M dedicated large portions of respiratory masks to agriculture to maintain food safety standards. As much as 90% of what they received was redirected to health care, said Ryan Jacobsen of the Fresno County Farm Bureau.
https://thebusinessjournal.com/ppe-to-be-included-in-farmworker-relief-boxes/
US wine sales in stores up 14% in 5th week of coronavirus lockdown but tripled via e-commerce [North Bay Business Journal]
U.S. consumers still seem to be buying more adult beverages in stores and online during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest data from Nielsen. Wine sales in stores and other off-premises channels the market research firm tracks rose 14.1% the week of April 18 from a year before but were down 3.3% from the previous week. … For the seven weeks of noticeable impact from COVID-19 — since March 7 — wine off-premises sales were up 29.4% in dollar sales overall from a year before.
The business of burps: Scientists smell profit in cow emissions [New York Times]
… It is a well-known problem that has had few promising solutions. But in the last five years, a collection of companies and scientists has been getting closer to what would be an ecological and financial breakthrough: an edible product that would change cows’ digestive chemistry and reduce their emission of methane. Several companies are pursuing a seaweed-based compound, and a Dutch firm, DSM, is testing a chemical supplement with promising results.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/business/cow-methane-climate-change.html?searchResultPosition=2
