Lakehead residents raise questions about raising the height of Shasta Dam [Redding Record Searchlight]
About 130 private property owners around Lake Shasta could be forced to move if a plan to raise the height of Shasta Dam goes forward….About 90 people attended the meeting to hear from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials about how Lakehead residents and business owners will be affected if the height of the dam is raised 18½ feet. While bureau officials said they hope to issue the first construction contracts by late next year, they emphasized Monday night that they still have many hurdles to jump before construction actually begins.
Opinion: State water board’s proposed cutbacks will affect all Californians [San Francisco Chronicle]
Our state is in a fight over water policy that could hit all Californians squarely in their grocery carts….We’re not asking Californians to choose between fish and farms. We’re asking you to choose between outdated policy and cooperative, voluntary agreements based on results. Farmers and agricultural water suppliers stand ready to make those agreements happen.
‘Split roll’ tax measure to weaken Prop. 13 qualifies for California ballot [Sacramento Bee]
Coming to an election near you in 2020: the future of Proposition 13, California’s landmark law limiting property taxes. Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced Monday that an initiative to scale back the protections for commercial and industrial properties is eligible for the November 2020 ballot….The new initiative would tax commercial and industrial properties at market value while leaving in place the Proposition 13 protections for homeowners, a concept known as “split roll.” Small businesses, agricultural land and up to a half million dollars worth of tangible property, such as equipment, would be exempted from the change.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article220077410.html
Citrus packing house looking for up to 300 workers for upcoming season [Fresno Bee]
Bee Sweet Citrus, one of Fresno County’s leading citrus packing houses, is seeking 250 to 300 workers for the upcoming season….Bee Sweet Citrus spokeswoman Monique Bienvenue said the company is reaching out for workers as part of its normal hiring process and, so far, has not had trouble hiring workers. The company was among several agriculture employers that were audited in February by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/agriculture/article220048290.html
Legislation allows Napa wineries to use social media better [Napa Valley Register]
The wine industry scored a small win in Sacramento recently, bringing a handful of post-Prohibition laws up to date in the age of social media. Signed by Gov. Brown in late September, Assembly Bill 2452, which takes effect in January, will let wineries freely use social media to promote certain events hosted by retailers that plan to feature their wines….The new bill amends several exceptions in the laws that previously allowed wineries to promote events like winemaker dinners or instructional tastings hosted by retailers, but also limited what a winery could include in its promotion.
Dry winter curtails fatal disease in oak trees [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
A dry winter curtailed the presence of a deadly forest pathogen this year in Sonoma County and 13 other Northern and Central California counties, but experts still expect the oak-killing disease to spread and warned landowners to be vigilant. Since the mid-1990s, sudden oak death has killed up to 50 million trees from Big Sur to southwest Oregon and is entrenched in the woodlands, spreading rapidly after wet winters and slower during dry years….This year’s survey found the estimated rate of infection — based on lab analysis of leaves collected from bay laurels and tanoaks — at 3.5 percent throughout the 14-county region, a marked decline from 12.8 percent last year.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8835811-181/dry-winter-curtails-fatal-disease
