Feds give green light to Friant-Kern Canal repairs [San Joaquin Valley Sun]
The Friant-Kern Canal has received the approval from the federal government to fix a sag in the canal. The Bureau of Reclamation gave its approval Tuesday – signing a Record of Decision giving environmental clearance for the project – following action from the Trump administration to invest about $5 million to study and begin pre-construction work on the canal. “Since day one, the Trump administration directed Reclamation to modernize infrastructure to ensure water reliability for California’s farms and communities,” said Reclamation commissioner Brenda Murman in a statement. “I am delighted Reclamation reached another of the administration’s critical milestones for the San Joaquin Valley and look forward to seeing shovels in the ground in the near future.”
http://sjvsun.com/ag/feds-give-green-light-to-friant-kern-canal-repairs/
California Dungeness crab season delayed to protect whales [Associated Press]
California wildlife regulators on Wednesday postponed the start of the commercial Dungeness crab season to protect whales and sea turtles from becoming entangled in fishing gear. The Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that it was pushing back the scheduled Nov. 15 start of the season to Dec. 1. The recreational fishing season will be allowed to open on Saturday. The postponement affects fishing zones from Mendocino County north of San Francisco to the Mexican border. The move came after biologists found 50 humpback whales in one week last month off the coast of San Francisco and another 25 in the Monterey Bay area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Editorial: Devin Nunes, Jim Costa have a chance to work together for the good of the Valley [Fresno Bee]
With victories in their latest elections seemingly in their grasp, Republican Devin Nunes and Democrat Jim Costa — the central San Joaquin Valley’s senior-most representatives — head toward final terms in their current districts. Both Costa’s 16th and Nunes’ 22nd will be redrawn, along with all of California’s other congressional districts, by the independent redistricting commission that has already started work. Just where those district lines will fall remains to be seen, but one possibility is that the party-registration edges Nunes and Costa have enjoyed get diluted. Whether they run again depends on what shape the new districts take. So this coming term might be a final chance for both to cement their legacies of serving the Valley. The best way for them to do that is to work together on the intractable problems that perennially challenge the region: finding viable water solutions for farmers, improving health care for the many uninsured and under-insured living here, and forging an immigration solution that doesn’t criminalize people but provides a legitimate way to bring newcomers into the nation.
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article246965647.html
California goat back home after stolen by animal activist [CNN]
A goat stolen from a California high school is back with its student caretaker. It all started when the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office caught a woman stealing the animal. There are 20 goats at Central High School in Fresno County, California, but Tilly was the one that was taken. Tilly’s owner, Faith, says that’s because she’s the friendliest….Alexandria Fall, an animal rights activist from Los Angeles broke into the farm and stole Tilly. When asked why she did it, Fall said she heard Tilly was being mistreated….”For miles and miles she didn’t have food. She was in a cramped car. I was just like, you’re a hypocrite you know?” June Bettencourt, the agriculture teacher at the school said the animals are always top priority at the school.
How the 2020 election will impact food, agriculture, and labor in the U.S. [Foodtank]
The 2020 election results will affect the future of food, agriculture, and labor policies in the United States. In a closely-watched House race, Minnesota congressperson and chair of the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson lost his bid for reelection. Peterson, a Democrat, has served as a representative for Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District since 1990. The loss impacts the future of the House Agriculture Committee, which has legislative jurisdiction over issues including agriculture, food, and rural development. An agriculture lobbyist reports that the industry is uncertain what the food and agriculture policy in the country will look like without the leadership of Peterson. But some experts are hopeful that Peterson’s loss presents a chance to create change in the sector. “Peterson losing was exciting to me because it opens up new leadership on that committee,” Patricia Griffin, Partner at NVG LLC says in a post-election panel hosted by Food Tank and Table 81. She continues, “The next couple folks who are in line are much more progressive…That, to me, provides an opportunity.”
https://foodtank.com/news/2020/11/how-the-election-will-impact-food-agriculture-and-labor/
Election results: IID heading for a shakeup while incumbents holding on at Coachella Valley water boards [Palm Springs Desert Sun]
Water districts races in the Coachella Valley on the Nov. 3 ballot saw all their incumbents holding onto leads by Wednesday afternoon, but Imperial Irrigation District’s board of directors appeared to be headed for a board shakeup. Longtime Director Bruce Kuhn already fell in the primary for IID Division 2, which covers Heber and parts of El Centro. Incumbent Erik Ortega was also behind his challenger in Division 4 by fewer than 50 votes on Wednesday. JB Hamby, a 24-year-old who touted his status as a fourth-general valley resident, his Stanford University degree, and his energetically stated defense of the valley’s water rights, released a statement on Wednesday extolling his likely victory in Division 2. “Last night, we made history,” he said, adding that voters “made the choice to shape history in the Imperial Valley, across the Colorado River, the American West and Mexico.”
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