A new study suggests that building massive homes on agricultural lands reduces the property's economic vitality. The study provides ammunition to county planning officials, who want to discourage wealthy landowners from building mansions, rather than farms, on agricultural lands. Officials have proposed an update to the Marin Countywide Plan that would restrict housing on agricultural property to 2,500 square feet or less. Critics say the data, taken in 2003, is no longer applicable. Marin Independent Journal 10/30/07
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District will re-introduce grazing to two former ranches within the preserve this winter as a naturally efficient way to manage weed buildup and cut back on wildfire risk. The grazing will serve another purpose as the animals will feed on the invasive, non-native grasses that are conquering fields of native California grasses. The sight of animals grazing on district lands is rare, but will become more common over the next five to 10 years. SJ Mercury 10/31/07
Federal officials raided seven locations in the East Bay yesterday morning that were connected to a medical marijuana dispensary in Hayward, officials said. Two men were arrested. Oakland Tribune 10/31/07
First spotted in California in 2004, Japanese dodder has popped up in at least 13 counties, state officials report. The worst infestations have occurred in the Sacramento area. Although no one knows for sure, some officials say they think travelers to Asian countries brought the plant to the United States not knowing the consequences. In Contra Costa County, officials have found Japanese dodder in 28 sites, many of them in West County. Contra Costa Times 10/31/07
After nearly a year of debate and discussion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's health care reform bill finally goes before a legislative committee today. SF Chronicle 10/31/07
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to support a controversial project that would replace an aging fossil fuel plant on Potrero Hill with a newer fossil fuel plant. The board voted 8-3 as a symbolic gesture to show support for the plans, which would require the nod from several state agencies. The new plant would be much smaller and would only be used when there is high demand for power in the city, but some people question the general wisdom of building a power plant that operates on fossil fuel. SF Chronicle 10/31/07
A suit was filed Tuesday by the Santa Cruz City Council and Santa Cruz County against the state over the aerial spraying of the light brown apple moth. Both governments contend that the state has failed to conduct an environmental assessment of the pesticide, CheckMate LBAM-F, whose long-term health effects have never been studied and which has never been sprayed in an urban setting on such a large scale. Santa Cruz Sentinel 10/31/07
California's hay haulers say they would like to put cargo securement practices in place that have been approved as safe by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), however the results of the study have not yet been approved by the California Highway Patrol. California Farm Bureau Report 10/31/07
A coalition of water users threatened to sue the state on Thursday for legal restrictions that protect striped bass, a non-native fish. The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta says protecting the bass doesn't make sense because the fish eat native species, including Delta smelt. Though not native, some experts consider striped bass to be a favorable species. Recordnet 10/26/07
No comments:
Post a Comment