DWR study finds no ‘unacceptable risks’ at Oroville Dam [Chico Enterprise-Record]
A 19-month study of the safety of the Oroville Dam project has found no “unacceptable risks.” The Department of Water Resources released its Comprehensive Needs Assessment on Oct. 30, and notes its findings generally agree with those of an Independent Review Board and a regular five-year review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that was completed in July. Though no unacceptable risks were found, several “potential vulnerabilities” were identified. DWR said work is underway to address some of those.
https://www.chicoer.com/2020/11/13/dwr-study-finds-no-unacceptable-risks-at-oroville-dam/
Some grocers bring back purchase limits as Covid-19 cases rise [Wall Street Journal]
Grocery stores are reinstating purchase limits on items like paper towels or soap for the first time since the spring, as consumers stock up on staples amid rising Covid-19 cases. With people staying at home more, retailers say there is renewed demand for paper products and frozen foods. Stores also are reporting new shortages in staple cooking ingredients like butter and spices. … Even as outdoor dining becomes less available, retailers say hoarding levels won’t come close to where they were in the spring partly because consumers have already loaded their pantries.
Hearing on housing project near Rancho Maria continued again by Santa Barbara County Planning Commission [Santa Maria Times]
Santa Barbara County Planning Commission was poised to deny a 143-home development proposed within and adjacent to Rancho Maria Golf Club, but instead voted 5-0 Thursday to continue the hearing until Feb. 3….Commissioner John Parke, whose 3rd District encompasses the project location identified in the Orcutt Community Plan as Key Site 21, was ready to move denial of the project following Thursday’s public hearing that lasted about five hours….“I think this is a perfect example of leapfrogging and sprawl,” he said….“My biggest problem I have with this project is its direct proximity to farmland,” said 4th District Commissioner Larry Ferini, adding the farm to the west is a high-activity farm.
Anglers pinch themselves as Dungeness crab season gets off to solid start [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
And the circle turns. We had our first legitimate cold front of the year move though last weekend. A few boats got their pots out on Saturday. Dangerous conditions kept smart anglers tied to the docks, until the nine- to 11-foot swell and windstorm passed through. Nearly everyone waited until Monday to start pulling up the crab traps, and many were brimming with feisty Dungeness crab. Joe Baxter from Santa Cruz took his crew up to Half Moon Bay this week, where the crab are more numerous and you don’t have to fish so deep. Many shore anglers even cast crab snares from the jetty at Princeton Harbor for legal Dungeness crab….Tom Dolan on the Mega Bite out of Santa Cruz dropped test pots on Saturday morning then scurried back to the safety of the harbor. On Monday, he reported, “The storm has finally moved out and the weather forecast for the next week at least is perfect for fishing and crabbing! We pulled a crab pot yesterday to check the quality and these crabs are BIG! Should be a great crabbing season.”
‘BC in the Vineyards’ recruits farmworkers on the job [Bakersfield Californian]
Hernan Hernandez started noticing something worrisome about the crews that were coming out to work the fields and vineyards. “I was starting to see a lot of young faces,” said the executive director of the California Farmworker Foundation. “My concern was that we would see the second and third generation of farmworkers.”…He found out they were often there because they had dropped out of high school, sometimes just a few credits shy of a diploma….That’s how BC in the Vineyards, now an annual program, began three years ago. Bakersfield College brings counselors and advisers right into the vineyards where workers are to give them the extra support and advice workers and their families need to continue their education.
Stanislaus County is still plagued by illegal marijuana grows 4 years after Prop. 64 [Modesto Bee]
Stanislaus County has issued 39 permits for cannabis commercial operations in almost three years since adopting regulations for the newly legalized industry. … County leaders use fee revenue generated by the legal industry to fund efforts to eliminate what’s estimated to be 1,100 to 1,500 illegal pot grows within the county’s boundaries. Top county executives said Tuesday the black market trade is marked by crime and violence, public nuisance and environmental damage. It continues to exist because these growers have paying customers.
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article247139369.html
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