Transportation Daily News August 15

Downtowns Across the U.S. See Streetcars in Their Future -- At least 40 cities are exploring streetcar plans to spur economic development, ease traffic congestion and draw young professionals and empty-nest baby boomers back from the suburbs, according to the Community Streetcar Coalition, which includes city officials, transit authorities and engineers who advocate streetcar construction. More than a dozen have existing lines, including New Orleans, which is restoring a system devastated by Hurricane Katrina. And Denver, Houston, Salt Lake City and Charlotte, N.C., have introduced or are planning to introduce streetcars. NY Times 8/14/08

 

*BART adopts rules for Segway use -- BART will restrict but not ban the use of electric Segway scooters on the train system.The BART board voted Thursday to approve a two-tier set of restrictions to replace a temporary ban, which was imposed after a June accident in which a runaway Segway toppled onto tracks and delayed train service at a San Francisco station. SJ Mercury 8/14/08

 

*Fewer dying in auto crashes -- National, state and local figures indicate vehicle fatalities are on the decline, including final 2007 figures for the U.S., released Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found fatalities across America dropped 3.9 percent from 2006 to 2007. PE  8/14/08

 

Agricultural Daily News August 15

This is my last news update. Thank you for reading so diligently.

 

Food and nutrition:

 

Fast-Food Curb Meets With Ambivalence in South Los Angeles -- In July the City Council passed a one-year moratorium, now signed into law and effective as of last week, on any new fast-food restaurants in a 32-square-mile area south of Interstate 10, and the city is offering prospective owners of new grocery stores and non-fast-food restaurants large financial incentives to set up shop in the area. It may be that what many of the roughly 550,000 people in the area covered by the moratorium desire is not less of what they have, but more of what they do not. NY Times 8/8/08

 

*Burger ban is weighed in San Jose -- Three San Jose City Council members Thursday proposed a one-year citywide moratorium on new fast-food restaurants, arguing that the prolific eateries are fattening people - especially kids - with unhealthy fare. The proposal is similar to a moratorium the Los Angeles City Council approved last month for south Los Angeles. The San Jose proposal also calls for an indefinite ban on new fast-food restaurants within 1,000 feet of schools. SJ Mercury 8/15/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*State: Valley is Medfly-free -- The California Department of Food and Agriculture has announced that it has successfully eradicated an infestation of the Mediterranean fruit fly in Santa Clara County, lifting a 75-square-mile quarantine zone that was put in place in fall 2007. The department also lifted quarantine zones in Solano and Los Angeles counties - which means that California has been proclaimed medfly-free. The eradication program involved the release of millions of sterile male medflies; the flies breed with wild females to control the population. Mercury 8/15/08

 

Sunnier Forecast for Corn and Soybean Harvest -- The Department of Agriculture is forecasting the second-highest corn yield on record with production of 12.3 billion bushels, about 600 million bushels more than it had expected earlier in the summer. NY Times 8/12/08

 

MORE SPACE FOR ANIMALS SOUGHT, BUT EGG PRICE JUMP PREDICTED -- ame-sex marriage, parental notification of abortion – California's November ballot is studded with weighty issues, but none is ruffling feathers like Proposition 2, which would effectively ban farms from raising hens in cages.The United Egg Producers predicts the measure would triple the cost of eggs, drive the industry out of the state and deprive consumers of fresh, safe California eggs. Sacramento Bee 8/15/08

 

Water and fish:

 

Parasite causing an itch for swimmers -- It's a condition caused by a tiny water parasite with a barbed tail that will bore into your skin and cause welts and itching if it mistakes you for a duck or goose paddling in a lake or bay. Swimmer's itch, rarely reported a decade ago in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, has become a rite of summer in several lakes in the East Bay Regional Park District in the last few years. Complaints about the itch have prompted the park district this summer to post warning signs at Crown Beach in Alameda, Lake Anza at Tilden Park in Berkeley, and Quarry Lakes in Fremont. SJ Mercury 8/14/08

 

*Pelosi won't limit vote to offshore drilling -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday firmly rejected the idea of a House vote solely on the issue of offshore oil drilling, calling it "a hoax on the American people" backed by oil companies. Instead, she said, she wants Congress to tackle a compromise comprehensive energy plan that would include alternative energy sources and curtailing tax breaks for oil companies. SF Chronicle 8/15/08

 

Scientists alarmed by ocean dead-zone growth -- Dead zones where fish and most marine life can no longer survive are spreading across the continental shelves of the world's oceans at an alarming rate as oxygen vanishes from coastal waters, scientists reported Thursday. The scientists place the problem on runoff of chemical fertilizers in rivers and fallout from burning fossil fuels, and they estimate there are now more than 400 dead zones along 95,000 square miles of the seas - an area more than half the size of California. SF Chronicle 8/15/08

 

Los Angeles doubles fines for residents who waste water -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed an ordinance Thursday that doubles fines for residents who repeatedly violate the city's "drought buster" rules, including a reworked ban on watering lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The measure bars restaurants from serving water to customers unless it is specifically requested. LA Times 8/15/08

 

Labor and immigration:

 

*California unemployment rate surges to 7.3 percent -- California’s unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in July, up from a revised 7.0 percent in June, the state Employment Development Department (EDD) says in a report Friday.  A year ago, in July 2007, California’s unemployment rate was 5.4 percent. Central Valley Business Times 8/15/08

 

*Schwarzenegger says U.S.-Mexico border unites -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged fellow governors on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to cooperate on issues from water management to building a green economy. The annual Border Governors Conference spotlights a region that stretches from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico that is rife with unyielding problems — pollution, gun-running and drug violence — and economic potential. SF Chronicle 8/15/08

 

Health:

 

Medi-Cal cuts would raise other health costs, study finds -- By denying Medi-Cal benefits to more than 1 million people, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget would cost Californians with health care insurance more than $290 per family per year in added premiums to cover the new uninsured, according to a new study.The report was prepared by consultant Peter Harbage, whose study on the "hidden tax" paid by the insured to make up for uncompensated care was widely cited last year by Schwarzenegger in his unsuccessful campaign for universal health care. Sacramento Bee 8/15/08

 

Transportation Daily News August 14

Emissions:

 

California Department of Food and Agriculture Joins Fuel Cell Partnership -- The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has joined the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) as an associate member. The partnership is a collaboration of 31 member organizations including auto manufacturers, energy providers, government agencies and fuel cell technology companies. Together they work to promote the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as a means of moving towards a sustainable energy future, increasing energy efficiency and reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Imperial Valley News 8/14/08

 

*Greenhouse gas institute slips under the radar -- A publicly funded, world-class research institute that would develop answers to the threat posed by climate-changing greenhouse gases is being crafted in the Legislature, and is among the last-minute proposals expected to come before the Legislature in the closing days of this year's legislative session.  The plan differs sharply from the original blueprint proposed by California's top utilities regulator, state Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey. Legislation encompassing the new, estimated $87 million-a-year plan is likely to be completed within a few days.  Capitol Weekly 8/14/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*Lawmakers pass changes to high-speed rail measure -- The state Assembly has approved a bill increasing financial accountability in the high-speed rail measure that is on California's November ballot. Lawmakers will not send the bill immediately to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because he has pledged to veto every bill until legislators pass a budget.  If a Saturday deadline passes without the bill being signed into law, the new wording will not be included in the initial ballot pamphlet sent to voters. It would have to be included on a supplement pamphlet, instead. SJ Mercury 8/14/08

 

Budget standoff sidetracks update of rail bond -- The Assembly passed a bill late Wednesday afternoon that is designed to improve a high-speed rail bond's chances at the polls in November. But its author - not willing to risk a veto from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - says she won't send it to his desk until a state budget deal is struck. SF Chronicle 8/14/08

 

Survey: High gas prices lead half to curb driving -- Nearly half the respondents in a survey by Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book said they have cut back on their driving as a result of high gasoline prices. Nearly one-third of those surveyed by the longtime auto-pricing company opted to purchase a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Sacramento Bee 8/14/08

 

June driving drop was biggest in 8-month trend -- As summer vacation season kicked in, Americans got out of their cars, driving 12.2 billion fewer miles in June than the same month a year earlier. The 4.7 percent decline, which came while gas prices were peaking, was the biggest monthly driving drop in a downward trend that began in November, the Federal Highway Administration said Wednesday. SF Chronicle 8/14/08

 

Emergency and crisis:

 

Choked By Truck Traffic -- Armed with traffic pollution data they collected themselves, Ortiz and several dozen youth rallied last week on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, calling on city officials to take steps to reduce traffic pollution in the southeastern communities of the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley and the Bayview. They monitored the air for particulate pollution, ultra-fine particles that can lodge deep in the lungs. Particle pollution includes soot, ash and diesel exhaust, spewed into the air from the burning of fossil fuels and wood. New American Media 8/14/08

 

Tourism:

 

Eco-tourism still damaging wildlife irreversibly -- Nature lovers and eco-tourists might be damaging wildlife irreversibly even if they restrict their activities to tiptoeing discreetly through the undergrowth, a study by experts has warned. In 2004, eco-tourism outpaced the tourist industry threefold. One in five tourists now go on eco-holidays, which has been found to impact a range of species, from dolphins and dingoes to penguins and polar bears, according to a New Scientist report. Economic Times 8/14/08

 

 

Agricultural Daily News August 14

Parks and forests:

 

*Republicans want more aggressive forest thinning -- The state needs to be more aggressive in thinning out forests — and less concerned about conserving trees — if they are to contain wildfires, Republican lawmakers said Wednesday at a Capitol hearing of rural lawmakers. The group, which included members of Congress, sent a letter urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to resurrect last year's agreement with Nevada, which would require intensive logging in rural areas. CC Times 8/14/08

 

*State burning through fire budget at breakneck clip -- Faced with hundreds of sprawling, hard-to-control blazes, California is struggling with what could be its most expensive wildfire season ever, burning through nearly $300 million in just the past six weeks. Costs have soared since the 2003 Southern California firestorm and keep rising, creating a quandary for state officials already struggling with a severe budget shortfall. They're considering slapping homeowners with a natural disaster surcharge, with those at higher risk paying the most. SJ Mercury 8/14/08

 

Wildfire costs -- Amounts California has spent to fight major wildfires in each of the last 10 fiscal years (does not include annual budget for firefighter salaries and benefits). SJ Mercury 8/14/08

 

Water and fishing:

 

Some in Delta mobilize to oppose peripheral canal proposal -- Activist pastors have even held prayer vigils and community meetings, and new community groups have formed to protest the canal. Some property owners have vowed to keep state surveyors off their land. They also worry related proposals to transform farming islands into restored marshland could jeopardize businesses and the region's tax base. Sacramento Bee 8/14/08

 

Health:

 

Response to 911 medical calls has not improved -- San Francisco emergency officials have been unable to make significant improvements in responding to 911 medical calls despite their pledges to reduce the city's ambulance delays. Mayor Gavin Newsom promised in April to improve response times after a special report by The Chronicle found that the city's first responders were failing 27 percent of the time to meet the city's goal of getting help to the scene of urgent medical calls within 6 1/2 minutes. SF Chronicle 8/14/08

 

Agriculture:

 

Suit says USDA illegally funded egg board -- Sponsors of a November initiative banning the cramped caging of hens and other farm animals in California accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a lawsuit Wednesday of illegally approving $3 million in spending by a federally regulated egg board to defeat the measure. SF Chronicle 8/14/08

 

*Cal-OSHA penalizes 2nd labor contractor over farm heat rules -- State labor safety officials have ordered another farm labor contractor to pay large fines for violating California's heat illness prevention laws. Galt-based Solis Farm Labor Contractor was issued $77,900 in penalties on Monday for violations inspectors discovered during an investigation that began May 29. The probe began after the May 16 death of María Vásquez Jiménez, a worker for another San Joaquin Valley contractor, according to a press release from Cal-OSHA, the California Occupational Safety and Health agency.  Sacramento Bee 8/14/08

 

Agricultural Daily News August 13

Water and fishing:

 

*Navy agrees to sonar curbs to protect whales -- The Navy agreed Tuesday to restrict loud sonar blasts from anti-submarine vessels in large areas of the world's oceans to protect whales and other vulnerable creatures. A federal magistrate in San Francisco approved a settlement between the government and environmental groups that challenged the Navy's use of low-frequency sonar, loud sonic pulses that are deployed to detect enemy submarines at long distances. SF Chronicle 8/13/08

 

*Feinstein criticizes legislators for inaction on state water plan -- Warning that California faces catastrophic water shortages from a worsening drought, Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday upbraided state lawmakers for failing to rally behind a proposed $9.3 billion water bond for the November ballot. Feinstein has joined Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in calling for major improvements to state water storage and delivery systems. But their water bond plan has run aground in the Legislature. Sacramento Bee 8/13/08

 

Tahoe waters stay blue despite threat from 2007 blaze -- The wildfire that blackened the south shore of Lake Tahoe last summer sparked fears that ash and mud would cloud up the lake's famous clarity. But a new study released Tuesday finds that so far, the cobalt-blue waters have survived unsullied. In fact, Lake Tahoe's visibility - widely considered an indicator of the Lake Tahoe basin's environmental health - actually increased by two feet from the previous year, despite the blaze. SJ Mercury 8/13/08

 

More than one thousand valley farm workers are preparing for a water rally in Sacramento -- They gathered to discuss their mission, to get a bond on the November ballot that will deliver more water to drought stricken valley farms.  25 busses will be pulling out of the valley early Wednesday morning. 13 hundred farm workers and managers are hoping to get even more lawmakers to support the measure before a Saturday deadline.  ABC 8/13/08

 

Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force to Meet -- The Governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet August 21-22, to seek public comment on the third staff draft of the Delta Vision Strategic Plan. The third staff draft will be released prior to the meeting on this website. Delta Vision Homepage 8/11/08

 

*Environmental groups unite against water bond -- A coalition of environmental, fishing and community organizations spoke out against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Diane Feinstein's push for a $9.3-million water bond in November, arguing it would worsen California's water crisis while increasing its debt. The coalition argues that officials should create "new management solutions" rather than fund the "same kinds of projects that have pushed California's water system to the brink." It suggests enforcing land use regulations based on true water availability, creating a statewide conservation program, protecting watershed and aquatic ecosystems and creating water policy that focuses on sustainability and equity. LA Times 8/13/08

 

Health:

 

*Final S.F. budget cuts in health programs, pay -- The mayor's office revealed on Tuesday nearly $5 million in final cuts to the San Francisco budget, most of them targeting public health programs and pay for certain union employees. The biggest single budget hit is to the Department of Public Health, which loses $2 million. Most of those cuts will come from two sources: reducing operating room hours at San Francisco General Hospital and scaling back funding for nonprofit outpatient service programs for mental health and substance abuse. SF Chronicle 8/13/08

 

Thousands whose health policies were canceled to be offered new coverage -- About 3,400 Californians whose health insurance was canceled by Kaiser, Health Net and PacifiCare after they got sick will soon receive notification that they may be eligible for new coverage and for compensation for medical bills they paid while they were uninsured. LA Times 8/13/08

 

Food and nutrition:

 

The Bay Area's visionary chefs -- Great cooks are everywhere - at a neighborhood bar, in a modest storefront restaurant and at haute cuisine white-tablecloth venues. But the Bay Area's visionary chefs are more than great cooks; they are people who have made Northern California an epicurean epicenter. Today and in the next two Food sections, I'll profile 20 of these innovators who have helped change the way we eat. SF Chronicle 8/13/08

 

Calories would be posted in San Mateo County -- San Mateo County supervisors voted Tuesday to join San Francisco and Santa Clara County in requiring chain restaurants to post nutritional information about their food, including total calories, sodium amounts and fat content. SF Chronicle 8/13/08

 

Immigration and labor:

 

U.S. to plug border 'loophole': Open seas -- Immigration officials are beefing up patrols, buying more boats and preparing for a surge in illegal water crossings as immigrants and drug smugglers are likely to chart new routes into the USA through the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean. Heavier enforcement on the U.S.-Mexican land border, in the form of staffing, fencing, cameras and other detection technology, will force smugglers and migrants to look for easier entry spots, says Lloyd Easterling, assistant chief of the Border Patrol. USA Today 8/13/08

 

Agriculture:

 

This year's California table olive crop is the pits -- Table olive prices are expected to go up as California growers face their second-lightest harvest in more than a decade. State and federal agriculture officials are predicting that the table olive crop will be down by half this year because of harsh spring weather. The U.S. Department of Agriculture survey released today predicts 65,000 tons of olives are in the field. But growers say fewer than 45,000 tons will actually be harvested because of rising fuel and labor costs. SJ Mercury 8/13/08

 

Rice tour for Northern California to be held Aug. 21 -- A rice field tour covering weed resistance management and water quality will be held in Northern California, Aug. 21, 2008. The University of California (UC) is organizing a field tour of rice research sites in Butte and Glenn counties. Research at these sites focuses on the development of weed, and nutrient and pest management strategies for rice grown under different establishment systems (water and dry seeded). Western Farm Press 8/13/08

 

*Farm expenses hit record high: USDA -- The rising cost of fuel and other products drove U.S. farm production expenditures to a record $260 billion in 2007, according to USDA’s Farm Production Expenditures 2007 summary released by the department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Total U.S. farm production expenditures rose 9.3 percent from 2006 and nearly 30 percent from five years ago.  Western Farm Press 8/13/08

 

*Farm groups urge changes to federal food-safety programs -- In a statement submitted to the House agriculture subcommittee on horticulture and organic agriculture, the California Farm Bureau Federation urged lawmakers to develop a system that would clearly define the targets of recalls while narrowing unneeded recall actions and the resulting financial losses.  The Farm Bureau said more funding and staffing are needed to research and diagnose food-borne illnesses. Better reporting and communication is also needed between food safety agencies and food handlers to trace illnesses, the statement said.  California Farm Bureau Federation 8/13/08

 

California mangoes bounce back from freeze -- In the wake of California’s devastating January 2007 freeze, the state’s mango crop is expected to climb back to about 250,000 cartons this season. The Packer 8/13/08

 

Transportation Daily News August 13

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*Highway 50 plan may not be green enough for state -- In what appears to be a California first, state highway officials are shelving a major Highway 50 widening plan in Sacramento until they can study whether the expansion will contribute to global warming. The state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it will not fight a Sacramento court ruling that the agency conducted an incomplete environmental review for a project that would add lanes on the congested Rancho Cordova freeway. Sacramento Bee 8/13/08

 

Incidents prompt BART to consider Segway rules -- Fears of out-of-control Segways careening about BART trains and stations are prompting the transit agency to consider limiting use of the devices to people with disabilities. BART planners are recommending the restrictions after three incidents in May and June. SF Chronicle 8/13/08

 

Cab company asking drivers to prepay fees -- Cabbies asked the San Francisco Taxi Commission Tuesday to bar the city's largest taxi company, Yellow Cab, from making drivers prepay their gate fees each month.  These fees now average $98.50 per shift. Drivers say the policy is a legal maneuver to cement their status as independent contractors instead of employees, depriving them of their rights to workers’ compensation and other benefits. SF Examiner 8/13/08

 

*62% of Californians Want High Speed Rail -- Last month, 62% of voters polled by JMM Research said they would support the bond measure, up from 52% in November. Voters cited having an "affordable" transportation alternative, "reducing dependence of foreign oil" and "reducing traffic congestion" as reasons for supporting measure. California High-speed Rail Blog 8/13/08

 

Emissions:

 

*UCS Says that California Must Reinvent, Not Weaken the State's Zero Emission Vehicle Program -- The staff of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has submitted a proposal that would significantly weaken the state's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program. If adopted by the board, this plan would make it more difficult for California to meet its goal of cutting global warming pollution 80 percent by 2050, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). CARB could make its decision as early as this Thursday. H2Daily 8/13/08

 

Coast Guard:

 

U.S. to plug border 'loophole': Open seas -- Immigration officials are beefing up patrols, buying more boats and preparing for a surge in illegal water crossings as immigrants and drug smugglers are likely to chart new routes into the USA through the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean. Heavier enforcement on the U.S.-Mexican land border, in the form of staffing, fencing, cameras and other detection technology, will force smugglers and migrants to look for easier entry spots, says Lloyd Easterling, assistant chief of the Border Patrol. USA Today 8/13/08

 

Transportation Daily News August 12

Emissions:

 

Can cattails combat climate change? -- About 2-1/2 years ago, scientists noticed that their “big garden” of cattails in the Delta , was removing carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. That revelation persuaded state and federal officials to expand the project. They are now trying to determine whether the tules and cattails could be used to combat global warming through what they call “carbon-capture” farming. AP 8/11/08

 

CARB issues emissions fines -- The California Air Resources Board recently fined six companies, including several truck fleets, a total of $144,750 for violations of emissions regulations. Etrucker 8/12/08

 

Air travel:

 

Pilots complain airlines restrict fuel to cut cost -- Pilots, flight dispatchers and others have continued to sound off with their own warnings, yet the Federal Aviation Administration says there is no reason to order airlines to back off their effort to keep fuel loads to a minimum. AP 8/12/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

BART lifts ban on contractor campaign contributions – Four BART Board members have filed to run for re-election, kicking off the first board race in 12 years in which incumbents can accept campaign contributions from contractors seeking business with BART jobs. Board President Gail Murray of Walnut Creek, Bob Franklin of Oakland, and Tom Radulovich and Lynette Sweet, both of San Francisco, all filed by Friday's deadline to retain their seats in their districts. CC Times 8/10/08

 

*Lawmakers apparently miss deadline to change rail bond measure -- With a veto threat looming, lawmakers on Monday missed a deadline to replace November's $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond ballot measure with an updated version. The legislation, Assembly Bill 3034, faces an uncertain future anyway because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who supports it, has vowed to veto all legislation until lawmakers pass a state budget, now 43 days late.  "We can still get it on the ballot," said Jo Linda Thompson, a lobbyist for the Association for California High Speed Trains. Sacramento Bee 8/12/08

 

*Golden Gate Bridge congestion toll plan dies -- Commuters no longer face the threat of a congestion-based toll on the Golden Gate Bridge, which could have pushed the cost of crossing the span to at least $7.  But in its place, drivers parking at meters along the route to the bridge - including on Lombard Street and Van Ness Avenue - will face varying rates that rise during the busiest hours and are designed to increase turnover and push long-term parkers to lots and garages. SF Chronicle 8/12/08

 

Ports and shipping:

 

Shipping costs curb exodus from U.S. -- Rising oil prices are slowing the tide of U.S. companies moving to foreign lands because it's costing more to ship products home, a research group said.  In a survey released July 31, RSM McGladrey found 52 percent of 357 businesses surveyed expected "dramatic increases" in shipping costs, compared with 20 percent three months earlier, USA Today reported Tuesday. UPI 8/12/08

 

Agricultural Daily News August 12

Water and fishing:

 

Can cattails combat climate change? -- About 2-1/2 years ago, scientists noticed that their “big garden” of cattails in the Delta , was removing carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. That revelation persuaded state and federal officials to expand the project. They are now trying to determine whether the tules and cattails could be used to combat global warming through what they call “carbon-capture” farming. AP 8/11/08

 

Graywater systems recycle bath, laundry water -- Gray and her husband, Larry, know their water provider, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, called for water rationing in May because of drought, but the Grays' yard will be green all summer and for years to come. When the Grays built their new two-story home, they invested in a graywater system that catches water from sinks and showers and redirects it for landscaping and gardening. Every possible drop of water the couple use — except for water from the toilets and kitchen sink water — is reused on their landscape. CC Times 8/9/08

 

*Recycled water project officially on tap -- Officials from Delta Diablo Sanitation District, state water agencies and the federal government joined city leaders in dedicating a project that will use recycled water on Delta View Golf Course and some city landscaping. Officials gushed that the water reuse project allows the city to maintain grassy areas in case of drought, while saving money and usable water for residents. SJ Mercury 8/11/08

 

*California Water War Enters New Front with the 'Battle of the Reports -- The Public Policy Institute of California released a report advocating the construction of a peripheral canal on the California Delta, while two environmental groups, EDF and NRDC, released two separate reports recommending ways to provide enough water to both restore salmon and serve California's water needs. Indy Bay 8/11/08

 

Fire retardant discovered in wastewater plants that discharge into the Bay -- A new fire retardant product with unknown long-term impacts on human health and the environment has been discovered in two wastewater treatment plants that discharge into San Francisco Bay, according to a scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute who made the find. Inside Bay Area 8/12/08

 

EPA Agrees to Set Beach Water Criteria By 2012 -- The association representing most of the country's municipal sewerage agencies says it is satisfied with an settlement reached Friday that ensures its members will be represented as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency develops new criteria for beach water quality.  The head of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies said today he is pleased with the agreement the association reached Friday with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Los Angeles County in litigation over new recreational water quality criteria.  Environmental News Service 8/11/08

 

Health:

 

Health care costs seen rising 10 percent in 2009 -- Health care costs are expected to rise more than 10 percent into next year, according to a survey of insurers by Aon Consulting Worldwide. But that increase is the smallest Aon has seen in six years. Experts say it shows that efforts to tame costs, such as employee wellness or disease management programs, may be paying off. AP 8/11/08

 

Labor and immigration:

 

*Study looks at health of farmworkers – A MICASA study is being conducted by the University of California at Davis documenting health trends in California immigrant communities. MICASA is an acronym for "Mexican Immigration to California: Agricultural Safety and Acculturation." Such a project is vital because of the role farmworkers play in the Valley's farming economy, study coordinators and health experts say. Fresno Bee 8/11/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*Global California almond shipments soar -- Exports of California almonds soared for the marketing year just closed, according to the Almond Board of California, Modesto, Calif. Almonds soared to new all-time records, indicating continued strong global demand. Record shipments accompany the industry’s largest crop ever. 1.38 billion pounds of almonds, 24 percent more than the previous year, were harvested during 2007. Western Farm Press 8/12/08

 

New study cites continued regulatory cost explosion -- The California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops has published a new study which details the continuing explosion of regulatory costs on California agriculture and specifically citrus. Since a 2006 study by the Institute an additional $12.4 million in regulatory impacts have been shouldered by citrus producers throughout California. Western Farm Press 8/12/08

 

Jump on agritourism wave and stay on a farm -- Call them haycations: It's a chance to spend a night or two on a working farm or ranch and enjoy the comforts of an inn or guest home while you learn about your hosts' approach to agriculture. Traditionally, they're known as farm stays. SJ Mercury 8/12/08

 

*Inland growers moving quickly to prepare for Asian citrus psyllid -- A tiny pest just south of the U.S. border with a taste for budding citrus trees has state agriculture officials and growers on high alert. Its arrival could mean doomsday for an industry that was worth $1.8 billion in California last year, they say. In recent weeks, the Asian citrus psyllid, an insect the size of a pea that can carry a rapidly spreading disease dubbed "greening," inched closer to California's southern border. Freshplaza 8/12/08

 

*Sacramento area plays big role in tomato products -- As harvests peak this summer and fall, we'll tell you about what's ripe in the Sacramento region, from farmers market favorites to food staples shipped across the globe. Nearly all are specially bred for the food industry, which churns them into everything from ketchup to pizza sauce. Around a third of the state's processing tomatoes grow within 75 miles of Sacramento, mainly in Yolo and San Joaquin counties. Our area produces 30 percent of the nation's supply. There's a bumper crop this year, around 10 percent above average. Sacramento Bee 8/12/08

 

Leafy greens agreement passes 500 inspections -- The California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement has reached a milestone, completing 500 food safety inspections of its members’ growing operations in its first year. The Packer 8/12/08

 

Transportation Daily News August 11

Transit and infrastructure:

 

Fuel costs changing the way school buses run in districts -- Fremont may double its bus fees, to $700 a kid. In Gilroy, elementary students must now live a mile away from school before they can board a school bus. And transportation directors everywhere are working the phones to find the best price on diesel fuel. SJ Mercury 8/11/08

 

*Suit filed over state high-speed rail project -- A coalition of transportation and planning groups and two Peninsula cities filed suit Friday, seeking to invalidate the environmental study - and the choice of the Pacheco Pass alignment - for the state's high-speed rail project. The suit, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, contends that the California High Speed Rail Authority intentionally slanted a legally required study on the impact of building the fast rail line to steer the authority's board into selecting a route through the Pacheco Pass in Santa Clara County over one through the Altamont Pass in Alameda County. SF Chronicle 8/9/08

 

*Santa Clara voters to consider BART extension -- Santa Clara County voters will be asked in November to raise the sales tax to help fund the long-envisioned plan to extend BART to the Silicon Valley. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority governing board voted Thursday to place a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot to raise the sales tax in the county by one-eighth of a cent. The tax is now 8.25 percent.  SF Chronicle 8/9/08

 

BART has commuters all a-Twitter -- Since Aug. 1, Bay Area Rapid Transit riders have been providing dispatches from the trenches to BART officials and other passengers through twitter.com. The free microblogging and social-networking site, developed by San Francisco start-up Obvious and launched two years ago, allows users to exchange real-time updates of what they’re doing with their friends — so long as the descriptions are under 140 characters. Examiner 8/11/08

 

Coast Guard:

 

*Mexico smugglers ply sea route to California -- Mexican smugglers are cramming illegal immigrants and drugs into boats and ferrying them to California by sea to try to beat the tightened security on the U.S. land border, authorities say. U.S. Coast Guard and police officers have nabbed 24 vessels packed with contraband in Pacific coastal waters off southern California since October 1 2007, more than twice the number stopped during the same period of the previous year. Reuters 8/11/08

 

Air travel:

 

*Sacramento Airport flight reductions could hurt local businesses -- The reduction in flights at Sacramento International Airport is more than an inconvenience to vacationers. It could be harming the area's business climate. While tourists lament the loss of nonstop flights to locales like Maui and Puerto Vallarta, business leaders are anxious about the cancellation of Sacramento's only nonstop service to bread-and-butter destinations such as Charlotte, N.C., one of America's banking centers. Sacramento's diminishing air service, they say, could make it harder to do business here and recruit corporations. Sacramento Bee 8/9/08

 

 

Agricultural Daily News August 11

Water and fish:

 

*Bill would allow agencies to ban water softeners if salt threatens recycling efforts -- The Culligan Man could soon join the Maytag repairman in California, as regional water agencies seek more authority to remove home water softeners if they threaten local water supplies. Assembly Bill 2270, by Assemblymen John Laird and Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, would allow cities, counties and special districts – whichever entity oversees wastewater – to ban water softeners. Sacramento Bee 8/11/08

 

Proposal to harness wind power off Mendocino coast worries fishing industry -- The Electric Power Research Institute estimates enough wave power can be extracted from coastal waters to account for about 15 percent of California's electricity production. Offshore wind and wave technologies are promising, but they're untried. They also raise concerns about potential damage to the coast's prized vistas and fish industry. Sacrament Bee 8/11/08

 

Navy studies radiation at Weapons Station -- As the U.S. Navy gets ready to start studying radiation levels at the Concord Naval Weapons Station, old questions and theories inevitably come up — some would call them conspiracy theories — about the July 1944 explosion there and what it really was.. CC Times 8/11/08

 

*Kern County agency buys public water low, sells high -- Delta fish suffered a crippling decline while taxpayers paid nearly $100 million to a Kern County water wholesaler for an environmental protection program that was largely ineffective, a Contra Costa Times investigation has found. In the process, the wholesaler sold water to the state for as much as $200 an acre-foot and last year bought water from the state for as little as $28 an acre-foot. CC Times 8/9/08

 

Sewage spill closes beach in Sausalito -- Environmental officials will be testing the water quality today near Sausalito after a sewage spill dumped raw sewage into San Francisco Bay.  The spill was first reported just after noon Sunday. It forced the closure of Swede's Beach, a popular waterfront stretch south of Richardson Bay. CC Times 8/11/08

 

State-of-the-art water recycling system fuels campus facilities -- The water crisis will continue to have little impact on UCLA because of the effective methods in recycling water along with campus conservation strategies for sanitation and water usage. UCLA has conserved and recycled water through the cogeneration plant, located in the Facilities Management Building near the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. This facility burns fuel and reuses the heat gained to make electricity, steam and chilled water. Daily Bruin 8/11/08

 

State Senate Decision Could Begin the Restoration of Delta Salmon and Other Fisheries -- Sometime in the next week to ten days, AB 1806, the Delta restoration and mitigation bill, will encounter its last hurdle when it is heard on the floor of the State Senate. The bill has already cleared the Assembly, and if passed by the Senate, will go to the Governor’s desk for his signature. Here is today's press release about the bill from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. Indy Bay 8/11/08

 

*Signs point to monster return for salmon -- The story of the decline in salmon populations on the Pacific Coast is well documented, but there's a surprise twist this summer. Scientists blamed the fall of salmon stocks primarily on a lack of marine food production, which has also affected the population of some marine birds. This was the result of a change in wind patterns across the ocean that caused poor upwelling and lack of plankton and krill. With plenty of food again in the ocean, yet far fewer adult salmon this summer, the fish that are out there are gorging and getting huge. SF Chronicle 8/11/08

 

Food and nutrition:

 

*Whole Foods ground beef in Northern California stores safe to eat -- Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef because of a possible E. coli outbreak. But Bay Area residents can rest easy: beef sold in the store's 24 Northern California locations is not involved, said spokeswoman Vanessa Cornish. SJ Mercury 8/10/08

 

Wood-Fired -- Rizzolo and her husband, the chef Philip Wojtowicz, quit their Los Angeles kitchen jobs in 2001 to come to Big Sur and make the Big Sur Baker. The bakery served as the meeting point for the community and firefighters, who insisted the place remain open in order to maintain a sense of normalcy. One day, Rizzolo started getting calls from evacuated patrons, who saw the bakery on the news. “One customer called, sobbing, saying: ‘We can’t lose the bakery! It’s a symbol of Big Sur.’ ” NY Times 8/10/08

 

Cal Citrus joins Sunkist, closes marketing office -- After more than four decades of marketing its own fruit, Cal Citrus Packing Co. Inc., Lindsay, Calif., is becoming a member of the grower-owned cooperative, Sunkist Growers Inc., Sherman Oaks, Calif. The Packer 8/11/08

 

Immigration and labor:

 

Mexico smugglers ply sea route to California -- Mexican smugglers are cramming illegal immigrants and drugs into boats and ferrying them to California by sea to try to beat the tightened security on the U.S. land border, authorities say. U.S. Coast Guard and police officers have nabbed 24 vessels packed with contraband in Pacific coastal waters off southern California since October 1 2007, more than twice the number stopped during the same period of the previous year. Reuters 8/11/08

 

*Study finds 11 percent drop in illegal immigration -- According to a report released last week by the Center for Immigration Studies, illegal immigration overall is decreasing nationwide, but some states such as California and Texas have increasing numbers of illegal immigrants. More relaxed policies in border states make them more attractive to undocumented workers living in states with stricter enforcement. Daily Texan 8/11/08