California could get boost in race for top job on House Agriculture Committee [San Francisco Chronicle]
A Californian has not chaired the powerful House Agriculture Committee since just after the Civil War. Rep. Jim Costa is hoping to change that. … Costa has won the support of a coalition of 70 California farm organizations and water districts and the California Farm Bureau Federation, the state’s largest farm group. Sara Arsenault, who runs the federation’s federal policy shop, said Costa has been active on issues like immigration reform and labor concerns — areas that are outside the direct jurisdiction of the committee but of importance to California farmers.
California, Oregon will take over dams controlled by Warren Buffett – and tear them down [Sacramento Bee]
Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Oregon counterpart signed a landmark deal Tuesday to take control of four aging dams targeted for removal on the Lower Klamath River, an agreement designed to push the controversial $450 million plan over the finish line. Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown committed their states to replacing PacifiCorp — a utility company controlled by financier Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate — as co-licensees of the dams, which have been blamed for ruining salmon runs considered vital by California Indian tribes.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article247242289.html
Latino service organization urges agricultural workers to use assistance amid COVID-19 [KTXL TV, Sacramento]
Latino service organizations fear the area’s population of agricultural workers, one of the most vulnerable populations for COVID-19 infections, are not taking advantage of programs meant to help them.…That’s why state legislation, along with federal funds, are being used for the Healthy Harvest program. The program helps infected agricultural workers with services like special quarantine housing, food and other support services, such as $1000 a week in wage support for those who choose to work when they shouldn’t because they can’t go without a paycheck.
Biden’s win shows rural-urban divide has grown since 2016 [NPR]
President-elect Joe Biden will be taking over a country that is even more sharply divided on urban-rural lines. One of the biggest reasons why the divide got bigger in 2020 may be the coronavirus pandemic.…So can a President Biden make inroads into Trump’s red America in 2021? The new administration’s agenda will face big obstacles especially in the Senate, which gives disproportionate power to rural states.
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/934631994/bidens-win-shows-rural-urban-divide-has-grown-since-2016
China defends food import controls to curb virus [Associated Press]
China’s government on Wednesday defended anti-coronavirus controls that have disrupted imports of beef, poultry and fish from the United States, New Zealand and other trading partners. Customs officials who say the coronavirus has been found on frozen meat and on packaging have imposed temporary suspensions on suppliers. That prompted complaints by China’s trading partners. The “reasonable and justifiable” curbs are intended to protect public health, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. China, where the pandemic began in December, declared the disease under control in March. It is trying to prevent new outbreaks caused by the virus being imported by travelers or on food.
California’s food banks will get a shake-up on Jan. 1. Will it interrupt supply? [Sacramento Bee]
Come Jan. 1, many of California’s food banks will get food distributed from a new organization, which promises cost savings that could result in more supplies for the facilities, more frequent delivery and a “produce mobile” with fresh fruits and vegetables. But Sacramento-based California Emergency Foodlink, the current entity in charge of distributing the food, is asking the federal government to stop the change. The state used a flawed and biased method to pick the new organization, a Foodlink representative said in his October letter to the federal government….But on Jan. 1, Cal Foods Logistics will be the state’s new partner. The nonprofit incorporated just a few months ago in May. CEO Steve Linkhart said he worked very closely with the state delivering emergency food boxes as part of a different program this year.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article247083297.html
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