Agriculture Daily News June 30

Health:

 

*Serious patient errors at California hospitals disclosed in state filings -- 1,002 cases of serious medical harm have been disclosed by California hospitals between July 2007 and May of this year. The disclosures are the first under a state law that requires hospitals to inform health regulators of all substantial injuries to their patients. LA Times 6/30/08

 

How California budget deadlock affects health care -- A south Sacramento pharmacist says he'll stop accepting new Medi-Cal patients starting Tuesday because the state will begin paying him 10 percent less for their prescriptions – not enough to cover the cost of drugs. Judy Lin in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/29/08

 

San Diego stem cell efforts awarded $5 million -- The money coming to San Diego includes $48,950 to the first commercial entity to receive institute funding: Novocell, the small company that is developing a method for turning human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells that can be transplanted into diabetics. Terri Somers in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 6/28/08

 

Agriculture:

 

Pajaro Valley farmers must adapt to shortages of water, land, labor and energy, ag leader says -- Escalating fuel costs will force Pajaro Valley farmers to switch from a global to a regional marketing strategy during the next 25 years. Farmers also will pay more for water, and cheap labor from across the border is likely to be harder to come by due to Mexico's dropping birth rate and improving economy. Miles Reiter, chairman and chief executive officer of Driscoll's, offered those predictions for the world the next generation of farmers will face Thursday in a speech at the annual Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau dinner, held this year just north of the county line at Reiter's Año Nuevo Ranch. SJ Mercury 6/28/08

 

STRAWBERRY GROWERS SET FOR BANNER YEAR -- Despite the local setback, the state's strawberry harvest is on pace to beat last year's record-setting production, according to the California Strawberry Commission. More than 53 million pounds of strawberries have been harvested to date, a 9 percent increase over this time last year. SJ Mercury 6/28/08

 

*Fuel costs take toll on farmers' bottom lines -- Ghiggeri & Stonebarger Farms used to spend $100 to $200 to grow an acre of the Brentwood sweet corn sold throughout Bay Area supermarkets and prized by chefs at some of the Bay Area's top-rated eateries. But this year's record fuel and fertilizer prices have driven those costs sky-high — up 30 percent to 50 percent from last year — for G&S and other local farmers. Hilary Costa in the Oakland Tribune -- 6/30/08

 

California meatpacking plants -- A state senator plans new efforts to monitor the meatpacking industry after lawmakers rejected a bill that would have required video surveillance cameras at California slaughterhouses. Senate Bill 200 by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, was aimed at keeping meat from what are known as "downer cows" out of the food supply. E.J. Schultz in the Fresno Bee -- 6/29/08

 

Tomato 'repacking' vexes salmonella trackers -- A widespread practice of mixing tomatoes from different farms at produce distribution centers has made it impossible so far to trace the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds, federal regulators said Friday. Sabin Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/28/08

 

Food:

 

*Slow Food Nation comes to San Francisco -- Fifty thousand people, including some of the world's leading food authorities, health care experts, farmers and policymakers, are expected to attend the four-day exhibition in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend - what's being called the largest celebration of American food in history. Their message: Americans need to fix the food system or risk destroying their health and the planet. Stacy Finz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/30/08

 

Hunger grows, pie shrinks -- Nearly 200,000 children live in San Joaquin County, and according to one recent study, they are diminishing in priority when it comes to federal spending. Every year, billions of dollars are dedicated to more than 100 federal programs that support children's education, nutrition, housing and health - and in real dollar terms, anyway, that amount has been steadily increasing. Jennifer Torres in the Stockton Record -- 6/28/08

 

*Contra Costa to begin composting program -- The East Bay Municipal Utility District is the first place in the country to turn food waste into electricity and compost through a process similar to what it uses for sewage. And the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority will be the first to try to send food waste directly to the utility district without an extensive cleaning process. San Francisco was the first customer to compost its food waste with the utility district, but it sends the waste through an extensive cleaning process. Contra Costa Times 6/27/08

 

Immigration and labor:

 

*Feds probe San Francisco's migrant-offender shield -- San Francisco juvenile probation officials - citing the city's immigrant sanctuary status - are protecting Honduran youths caught dealing crack cocaine from possible federal deportation and have given some offenders a city-paid flight home with carte blanche to return. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/29/08

 

Water:

 

Columbia River has record salmon run -- Ten times as many sockeye salmon are returning to the Columbia River as last year, which could mean the highest return for Idaho's most endangered fish in more than 30 years. McClatchy 6/29/08

 

*Federal government earmarks $9 million for Bay Area drought-relief projects -- Antioch, Pittsburg and other Bay Area cities pursuing the development of new water sources stand to benefit from $9 million in federal funds earmarked last week for drought-relief projects. Last month, President Bush signed a bill allowing local water and wastewater agencies to work jointly with the federal government to construct pipelines and treatment facilities to develop and expand the use of recycled water in the Bay Area. The bill was authored by Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. CC Times 6/29/08

 

 

 

 

 

Transportation Daily News June 30

Transit and infrastructure:

 

Honesty can cost in auto policies -- Will Californians lie to save money? Apparently. New legislation takes aim at an honor system, of sorts, perhaps one of the few remaining in which millions of dollars are at stake. The measure targets a process in which state law requires car insurance premiums to be based partly on motorists' estimates of how far they will drive each year. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/30/08

 

Can we make biking safer? -- All too often, there is a deadly intimacy between drivers and bicyclists on crowded urban roadways. But Saturday in downtown San Jose, bicyclists and transportation planners came together at a town hall meeting on how to solve what sponsors called "our bicycle safety crisis." It was part brainstorming session, part dispatches from the front lines of public policy in the Bay Area and in Sacramento Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury -- 6/29/08

 

Hands-free cellphone use while driving won't make the roads safer, studies show. Why? Brain overload. -- California will put findings to the test with a hands-free cellphone law that takes effect July 1. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/28/08

 

*Caltrans won't back bus rule -- After sparking the ire of parents, school officials, transit agencies and members of Congress, the state's transportation agency has backed away from supporting a federal rule proposal to ban public transit trips tailored for schoolchildren. Erik N. Nelson in the Contra Costa Times -- 6/28/08

 

Air travel:

 

The Obese Should Have to Pay More For Airline Tickets -- It is indisputable that heavy people are more expensive to fly. A study concluded that the 10 pounds Americans gained on average during the 1990s required an additional 350 million gallons of fuel a year. But as much as the airlines could use the revenue, it's highly unlikely they will start charging passengers by weight, according to a spokesman for the Air Transport Association. Newsweek July

 

Emissions:

 

Valley's smoky air is a pollution lesson -- Weather experts and longtime residents are familiar with inversions, which keep air – and smoke – trapped in the Sacramento Valley. Over the years, the Valley has experienced other lingering phenomena, high pressure systems yielding stagnant air. Sacramento Bee 6/29/08

 

Tourism:

 

*Gas prices, economy cast doubt on Tahoe summer vacation season -- As the traditional Lake Tahoe vacation season arrives, signs here along the popular deep-blue lake point to another challenging summer for hotels and tourism businesses — perhaps not in the number of visitors, but in the amount they spend.  CC Times 6/27/08

 

Ports and shipping:

 

*Port labor bargaining continues -- A six-year labor contract covering more than 20,000 West Coast dockworkers is set to expire Tuesday, but both sides anticipate negotiations continuing without disruption past the deadline.  The positive tone of negotiations is a welcome sign for the slumping U.S. economy, since the $1.2 trillion in cargo handled by those ports represents about 11 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.  And neither side wants a replay of the bitter, 10-day lockout in 2002 that caused an estimated $15 billion in economic losses. Press Telegram 6/28/08

 

Agriculture Daily News June 27

Food:

 

*Sacramento area restaurants struggle as gas, food costs rise -- Sacramento's eating and drinking establishments are entering a shake-out phase. Summer, already a traditionally slow season for restaurants, will severely test who can stand up to higher costs for everything from eggs to employees as sales wobble. The sluggish economy has already forced some out of business. Sacramento Bee 6/27/08

 

Not Just Another Jelly Bean -- An anomaly in the stagnant $29.1 billion candy industry, the company, based in Fairfield, Calif., continues to grow and increase market share, with sales up 25 percent since 2006. Jelly Belly's success, industry experts say, is because of wider availability and global expansion. And, according to candy connoisseurs, it just makes a better bean. NY Times 6/26/08

 

Health:

 

Two more birds in county had West Nile -- The dead birds, a house finch and a crow, were found in the Pocket area and in Oak Park, officials of the Elk Grove-based Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District announced Thursday.This year, five infected birds have been found in the two counties, a district news release says. In response to the new cases, the district elevated its mosquito trapping and treatment efforts in the areas where the infected birds were found. Sacramento Bee 6/27/08

 

Parks and forests:

 

*Overwhelmed firefighters ask governor, lawmakers for help -- A firefighters' blue-ribbon task force created by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 — and revived last year after devastating blazes — pleaded with the governor and lawmakers Thursday to "get real" about the growing wildfire threat facing California. The task force, which includes top fire officials in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, issued a statement calling for funds to finance more firefighters, year-round staffing in rural areas, and additional engines and aircraft in future years. SJ Mercury 6/27/08

 

Mendocino state of emergency called; face masks, air purifiers fly off shelves -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Thursday in fire-stricken Mendocino County, underscoring the peril facing thousands of rural residents and property owners. The proclamation put Mendocino County in line for more firefighters, equipment and financial aid, state officials said. Press Democrat 6/27/08

 

Water:

 

Fluidigm CEO's testing devices help the salmon he once fished -- Worthington's 9-year-old company has come up with a 1 1/4-inch-square silicone - not silicon - device that contains hundreds of thousands of rubber channels, valves and reaction chambers.Think of it as an integrated circuit for fluids. Instead of moving electric currents along intricate paths, it moves liquid, precisely mixing tiny biological samples with chemical agents that yield results for gene analysis, disease detection and other biological tests. The technology's promise is to replace biolabs full of test tubes, pipettes, machines and robots with a desktop device that will conduct tests faster and more cheaply than current systems. SJ Mercury 2/27/08

 

Schwarzenegger criticizes McCain's offshore drilling proposal -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a veiled swipe at Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on Thursday when he said at a climate conference here that anyone suggesting offshore oil drilling could bring down gas prices was "blowing smoke. The remark was also a dig at his host, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who riled environmentalists, tourism promoters and the state's political leaders on both sides of the aisle last week when he voiced support for McCain's proposal to lift bans on exploring for oil off the coasts of California, Florida and the Eastern Seaboard. LA Times 6/27/08

 

Agriculture:

 

Un-busy bees a disaster for almost everyone -- The folks at Haagen-Dazs are worried enough that they and others have mounted a campaign to halt the shocking decline of honeybees and other pollinators of strawberry plants, almond trees and the rest of the roughly 90 percent of terrestrial plant life that needs pollination. Officials of the Oakland company told Congress on Thursday that more than 40 percent of its product's flavors, derived from fruits and nuts, depend on honeybees. Federal research dollars are beginning to flow and will jump dramatically with the newly passed farm bill, but scientists remain baffled about the cause of pollinator decline. SF Chronicle 6/27/08

 

Ag secretary, lawmakers discuss farmers' flood aid -- The U.S. agriculture secretary says he is concerned that legal hurdles prevented much immediate federal help for Midwestern farmers faced with serious setbacks because of flooding. The Agriculture Department is also looking into whether it can be flexible with planting deadlines in the crop insurance law. They now act as disincentives for planting or replanting crops later in planting season. AP 6/27/08

 

Drought hits ranchers hard -- bout 615,000 acres of rangeland could be in jeopardy. Total losses could reach $3.2 million, said Marilyn Kinoshita, a deputy agricultural commissioner for Tulare County. Visalia Times Delta 6/27/08

 

Transportation Daily News June 27

Air travel:

 

*Landing soon in the Bay Area -- Three foreign carriers plan to launch new service to San Francisco International Airport. Air India, a state-run airline based in Mumbai, plans to launch a San Francisco-Frankfurt-Bangalore flight, possibly in late 2008 or early 2009. Emirates: Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; plans daily flight to Dubai, beginning Nov. 20. Kingfisher Airlines: Based in Mumbai; plans a San Francisco-Bangalore flight in the fall. SJ Mercury 6/27/08

 

*Foreign airlines lure Bay Area clientele with full frills -- Flying on domestic airlines these days is no frills and often no fun. But for those who fly foreign airlines, it's champagne and tandoori. A new golden era of air travel is being ushered in as foreign airlines arrive in the United States with fresh-off-the-assembly-line airplanes staffed by young crews determined to deliver ritzy service at 35,000 feet. Foreign carriers are legally prohibited from flying domestic routes. But for overseas flights, they are tapping into the Bay Area's large Asian population and the large number of valley tech workers who jet around the world. Weekly flights from San Francisco International Airport to the Asia Pacific region have jumped 40 percent since early 2000, from 255 to 358 in June. SJ Mercury 6/27/08

 

Airfare comparison sites work to offer 'true pricing' -- Airlines' new fees - from $5 for some aisle seats to $15 for the first piece of checked luggage - are upending the appeal of using Web sites to find the cheapest fares. No longer can travelers unearth the best deals with a few clacks on the keyboard. Now they have to remember which airlines assess which fees and calculate whether the one offering the lowest fare is truly the cheapest. Many airfare comparison sites say they, too, are frustrated by the mishmash of fees that airlines are charging to offset the costs of rising jet fuel. Kayak.com, the country's most-visited travel meta-search engine, is rewriting its airfare-calculating algorithm to give travelers the option of including fees, from checked bags to in-flight food. The Norwalk, Conn., company plans to debut the new menu in mid-July. SJ Mercury 6/27/08

 

Emissions:

 

*Board outlines plans to whip greenhouse gases -- California's air board unveiled the nation's most ambitious plan Thursday to require cleaner cars and fuels, energy-efficient buildings and more electricity from the sun and wind to cut greenhouse gases in the state. The 77-page draft plan, the first major step in implementing landmark legislation that requires the state to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2020, was embraced in varying degrees by environmentalists and industry officials at a hearing in Sacramento. SF Chronicle 6/27/08 CARB Draft

 

Dan Walters: State risks its economy on global warming fight -- We should be somewhat skeptical of California's latest foray into high-concept politics, Schwarzenegger's crusade to sharply reduce the state's dependence on fossil fuels that will both curb global warming and spark an economic renaissance, the governor promises us with his customary, if often misplaced, sanguinity. Not coincidentally, as the draft plan was released in Sacramento, the governor was in Florida (having flown there on his private, oil-consuming jet) to complain that the United States is "so addicted to oil it will take years to wean ourselves from it" and urge adoption of more aggressive national energy policies. Sacramento Bee 6/27/08

 

Discouraging driving crucial in warming battle -- A sweeping plan to carry out California's landmark law to fight global warming, made public Thursday by the state's air board, addresses a problem that planning groups say has been overlooked in most federal legislation: suburban sprawl. The idea is to discourage driving by concentrating development in urban areas near transit, jobs and retail or by laying out suburbs more efficiently.  For decades, Northern California's growth hasn't followed this dense, urban model. Most development has occurred outside the nine-county Bay Area, according to a report by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. SF Chronicle 6/27/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*House approves more funds for thriving public transit -- As commuters increasingly turn to bus and rail lines because of soaring gasoline prices, public transit, long the poor relation of American travel, is finally getting respect -- and money. In an effort to make riding bus and rail lines even more appealing, the House on Thursday moved to provide $1.7 billion to help transit agencies pay higher fuel costs, limit fare hikes and expand service. California would receive about $266 million. LA Times 6/27/08

 

Calif. group says stimulus checks went for gas -- A California consumer group has called for more federal funding for public transportation, saying that most families have already spent their economic stimulus checks on pricey gasoline. The California Public Interest Research Group calculated that an average household has spent more than $1,300 on gasoline since mid-February, when President Bush signed the tax rebate law. Business Week 6/27/08

 

California's first hydrogen station opened -- The first public hydrogen station in California with integrated hydrogen and gasoline refueling opened Thursday in Los Angeles, as part of the U.S. government's program to test and promote vehicles using alternative energies. The west Los Angeles station, operated by Shell Hydrogen, is the company's third vehicle refueling stations in the United States, after one located in Washington, D.C. and another in New York.  Xinhuanet 6/27/08

 

High-speed rail:

 

*High-speed rail bond hits detour -- State officers are expected to extend this week's deadline for bullet train legislation until the second week of July, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani said Thursday. Her Assembly Bill 3034 would finalize ballot language for a $10 billion high-speed rail bond going before California voters in November. Modesto Bee 6/27/08

 

Coast Guard:

 

Coast Guard Sued to Protect Whales From Ships -- A conservation group has sued the U.S. Coast Guard to protect endangered whales from being hit by ships off California. The Center for Biological Diversity wants the Coast Guard to adhere to Endangered Species Act rules and consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service on how best to protect whales. The Log 6/26/08

 

Update: Transportation Daily News June 26

Emissions:

 

Calif. air regulators start tackling climate law -- Californians will have to drive cleaner cars, use less electricity and live closer to work to achieve the reductions in greenhouse gases mandated under the state's landmark global warming law. Those are among the measures called for in a draft proposal released Thursday by state air regulators who are charged with setting climate rules to implement the law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger two years ago. The proposals contained in the 75-page draft plan reveal for the first time the methods regulators are considering as they decide how the state will meet the law's requirements. It is the most comprehensive effort to cut greenhouse gases in the United States. SF Chronicle 6/26/08

 

California Outlines Broadest U.S. Global Warming Plan -- All parts of the $1.6 trillion economy, the largest of the U.S. states, would be affected. Utilities, refiners, carmakers, farmers, manufacturers and forest managers would be called on to cut pollution under the draft plan released today by CARB. California regulators call for boosting to 33 percent the amount of renewable energy that must be generated by utilities, up from the current 20 percent target.  The plan also outlines a cap-and-trade emissions program like those used in Europe that could generate an estimated $3.6 billion market, tougher energy-efficiency standards for appliances and buildings, incentives to grow trees that act as sponges for carbon and encouragement for local governments to develop cities in ways that provide shorter commutes.  Bloomberg 6/26/08

 

California air board announces plan for carbon-credit trading -- But the draft road map for implementing the state's landmark 2006 global warming law faces daunting obstacles, among them resistance from the Bush administration, legislative snarls and some industry opposition. The federal government has blocked California's 2002 law to cut carbon dioxide fumes from automobile tailpipes, opting for a less strict mileage standard. LA Times 6/26/08

 

 

 

Agriculture Daily News June 26

Health:

 

Pneumonia death rates vary widely at East Bay hospitals -- Death rates for pneumonia patients vary widely at East Bay hospitals, a new state study reveals. Researchers examined 354 hospitals throughout California as part of an ongoing program to help consumers decide where to seek treatment and to encourage poor-performing hospitals to make improvements. The study identified 48 hospitals as top performers because of lower-than-expected death rates. CC Times 6/24/08

 

One million could join the ranks of uninsured under state budget proposal -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to tighten eligibility rules and raise premiums for state-run health programs will swell the ranks of California's uninsured by 15 percent in three years, according to projections announced Wednesday by health care advocates. The governor's May budget proposal, intended to eliminate an estimated $17.2 billion deficit next fiscal year, would also reduce benefits for another 3.6 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries by 2011. CC Times 6/25/08

 

Health group says Schwarzenegger's budget cuts care for 1 million -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget would eliminate or deny health care coverage to more than 1 million people, the largest rollback in state history, according to a study released Wednesday. Hailed as the first study to detail the extent of the governor's proposed cuts, the report by Health Access California, a consumer advocacy coalition, warns the reductions would devastate the health care system in a state that already has 6.5 million uninsured people. Sacramento Bee 6/26/08

 

Agriculture;

 

*U.S. rice supply is fine; let's keep it that way -- Unlike many nations that import the majority of their rice, U.S. rice farmers grow nearly 90 percent of the rice consumed by Americans each year. They do that with half their crop and export the other half to consumers around the world. Media attention was driven by news of increasingly tight supplies and rapidly escalating prices in many rice-producing countries, particularly in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.  Despite the media coverage and high prices, global supplies are adequate. Western Farm Press 6/26/08

 

*Additional Bovine Tuberculosis-Affected Herds Detected in California -- The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have confirmed the detection of bovine tuberculosis in two more dairy herds in Fresno County.   A single cow in each of these two additional herds was confirmed positive, bringing the current total number of herds affected to three.  USDA is beginning the process to officially downgrade California's bovine tuberculosis status from "Accredited Free" to "Modified Accredited Advanced." CDFA Press Release 6/24/08

 

Biologists, ranchers hope cows will help lure back butterflies -- On Wednesday, a rancher herded 40 Angus cows to Tulare Hill's north side. Turns out the bovine beasts - often cast as environmental enemies for their methane emissions, among other problems - love to graze on non-native grasses like Italian rye and squirrel tail, species that now grow in abundance on Tulare Hill and crowd out the threatened butterflies' favorite snacks. The Bay checkerspot butterfly - with distinctive red, yellow and brown spots on its wings - is unique to the San Francisco Bay Area. But many of its favorite haunts have disappeared in recent decades as open space has given way to development. Mercury News 6/26/08

 

*State Withdraws Aerial Spray Plan -- After months of local government and citizen condemnation from Monterey to the East Bay of the state's proposed plan to spray by air to disrupt the reproduction of the light brown apple moth (LBAM), with anti-spray bills moving rapidly through the state legislature and with lawsuits temporarily tying up the spray program in two counties, California Secretary of Agriculture A. J. Kawamura announced last week that he has a new attack plan aimed at the tiny moth native to Australia. Berkeley Daily Planet 6/26/08

 

Food:

 

*S.F. offers restaurants trans-fat-free decal -- Starting in 30 days, restaurant owners who prove they serve nothing containing trans fats will get bragging rights in the form of a decal with a green heart emblazoned with a silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge and the words "Trans Fat Free San Francisco Restaurant."  The stickerwill cost restaurant owners $250 and time spent documenting every ingredient they serve. Or, they can pay the inspector $150 an hour (time-and-a-half after hours and on weekends) to document everything in the kitchen for them. SF Chronicle 6/26/08

 

Water:

 

Dead trees tell water tales -- Two years of drought have California's water managers scrambling. What if we had 200 years of drought? It's happened, a number of scientists say. And it could happen again. Trees hidden beneath the waters of Sierra Nevada lakes suggest California, and most of the West, experienced "megadroughts" that put our current water crisis in context. Precipitation and stream flow records in California go back no more than 150 years, and the earliest are spotty at best. With only rough ideas of what the preceding centuries were like, Scott Stine, a geographer with California State University, East Bay, says our entire perception of California's climate may be off. Stockton Record 6/26/08

 

Scientists' study clears air in water dilemma -- A four-year, $6.8 million study ending next week should help state officials improve water quality in the San Joaquin River and guide fish through the oxygen-starved Stockton Deep Water Channel, experts said Wednesday. Scientists said they now have a better understanding of the many factors that cause dissolved oxygen levels in the channel to plummet, suffocating fish. Stockton Record 6/26/08

 

*California water shortages to boost some crop prices -- Water shortages in California, coupled with high fuel costs, mean customers can expect rising prices for some fruits and vegetables, particularly melons, canned tomatoes, and perhaps lettuce. The situation turns the screws on Sacramento to solve the state's decades-old water standoff between its cities, farmers, and environmentalists. Christian Science Monitor 6/26/08

 

 

 

Transportation Daily News June 26

Emissions:

 

*Air board to vet plans for war on warming -- The California Air Resources Board today will consider a draft plan for how the state will fight global warming, an ambitious proposal to require cleaner cars, more energy-efficient appliances, less-polluting fuels and more reliance on wind and solar energy. The agency's preliminary recommendations also include working with other Western states and Canadian provinces to develop a market-based system under which heavy polluters such as electric utility companies and oil refineries trade carbon credits, according to a summary of the draft plan that the air board released Wednesday. SF Chronicle 6/26/08

 

Judge rejects automakers' effort to delay California emissions rules -- A federal court has rejected an effort by carmakers to delay implementation of stringent vehicle emissions standards in California. The ruling by District Judge Anthony W. Ishii of the Eastern District of California in Fresno was the latest in a series of rebukes to the auto industry's efforts to gut a state mandate on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. LA Times 6/26/08

 

*State to add items it regulates for smog -- Smog-forming emissions from household items like cleaners and dryer sheets are projected to surpass those from passenger cars statewide by 2020, prompting the Air Resources Board today to expand the list of consumer products it regulates as sources of smog. The board already regulates more than 100 product categories, from deodorant to perfume, in its effort to meet federal ozone standards by reducing emissions of organic solvents, referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Sacramento Bee 6/26/08

 

State renews climate battle -- The bottom line for consumers, according to the agency's analysis: Electricity and fuel prices will rise. Sacramento Bee 6/26/08

 

California regulators unveil greenhouse gas plan -- Ushering in a historic effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, California regulators today will unveil a landmark plan that calls for a major hike in the state's use of renewable energy, a new market to trade pollution credits and a move to force automakers to make cleaner cars. SJ Mercury 6/26/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

Feds to help world's largest traffic tech test -- In what is billed as the largest such experiment in the world, a consortium of academics, tech firms and government agencies will use upward of 1,000 drivers from the Bay Area to the Sierras to create a traffic monitoring system virtually overnight. And all the drivers have to do is bring along new mobile phones as they cruise around for several months expected to begin in September or October. The phones use global-positioning features to transmit each vehicle's location and speed, and then receive organized data telling drivers of upcoming bottlenecks and alternate routes and even alternatives to driving where available. Inside Bay Area 6/25/08

 

AC Transit does 180 on buses -- The controversy over Belgian-made Van Hool buses bubbled over at the AC Transits Board of Directors meeting Wednesday evening, with a solid majority rejecting an order for 19 new 60-foot buses. The big-windowed European buses, which have come to dominate the East Bay's urban landscape in recent years, were vigorously opposed by a small, but vocal, group of bus riders and transit activists. They charged that the buses were poorly designed, leading to injurious spills for many elderly and disabled riders as the buses lurched people out of seats on high platforms. Inside Bay Area 6/26/08

 

What you should know about new hands-free cell phone law -- Five more days. That's how long California drivers have left to gab away, with one hand on the wheel and the other on their cell phone. By now, you've been warned that starting Tuesday all drivers 18 and older will be required to use a hands-free device to make a call. Drivers younger than 18 can forget it - no electronic devices, period, while behind the wheel. SJ Mercury 5/26/08

 

Villaraigosa wants sales tax hike for transit -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said for the first time Wednesday that he would like to ask voters in November to consider a half-cent sales-tax increase in Los Angeles County to pay for more road and mass transit projects. LA Times 6/26/08

 

 

 

Agriculture Daily News June 25

Water:

 

*Better Delta protections demanded -- Five members of Congress from Northern California fired a warning shot Tuesday across the bow of a swift-moving plan that calls for a controversial aqueduct to deliver water around the Delta as its centerpiece. The letter accuses the federal regulatory agencies that must approve the plan of failing to protect Delta fisheries in the past and pointedly asks for assurances that the latest plan to save the Delta will fare better. SJ Mercury 6/25/08

 

Angry over missing water meters, Sacramento council delays vote on rate hike -- Outraged over an audit's revelations that Sacramento's Department of Utilities is plagued with oversight issues so severe that it can't account for thousands of water meters, City Council members yanked a potential water rate increase off the agenda Tuesday. Besides the $1.3 million in missing meters, Kolkin's audit revealed a host of problems, including failure to follow competitive bidding procedures, and questionable debit charges by employees. Sacramento Bee 6/25/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*Small farms grow with community support -- While many are unclear on the CSA concept, it has become big business among family-owned farms. The Chronicle found more than 20 CSAs that deliver to the Bay Area alone. Since most Northern California CSAs run year-round, farmers also can offer employees steady labor and benefits that are unheard of in California agribusiness. SF Chronicle 6/25/08

 

Nonprofit group wants farms near urban housing -- The nonprofit Soil Born Farms are growing tomatoes, kale, chard and other vegetables on 25 acres they've leased from Sacramento County . Their vision, however, is much bigger than this patch of fertile loam: they hope to sprinkle urban farms throughout Sacramento neighborhoods, providing affordable, healthy food for people right where they live.  California Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura visited in April with a delegation of agriculture officials from Mexico, Canada and the western United States. Sacramento Bee 6/25/08

 

Parks and forests:

 

*Study: California's plants threatened -- Two-thirds of California's unique plants, some 2,300 species that grow nowhere else in the world, could be wiped out across much of their current geographic ranges by the end of the century because of rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, according to a study. Half of the plant species that are unique to the continental United States grow in the Golden State only, from redwoods to fire poppies. SJ Mercury 6/25/08

 

Grim look at state's plant life -- Scientists from UC Berkeley, Duke University and other institutions released maps Tuesday showing how 2,300 plants found only in the state might respond to the effects of global warming. SF Chronicle 6/25/08

 

Health:

 

Five California gene testing firms among 13 suspended -- Five of 13 gene testing businesses ordered two weeks ago by California health authorities to halt operations until they prove they are complying with the law are based in California, according to a list those authorities made public Tuesday. The letters from the California Department of Public Health had told the companies to stop conducting tests involving biological specimens originating from California until the companies obtained clinical laboratory licenses or registrations. SJ Mercury 6/25/08

 

Food:

 

Small bites add up to big tastes at Domo -- Japanese restaurants in the United States tend to cater to Western palates, and usually offer a little bit of everything - udon or soba for the noodle lover, sushi and sashimi, and even tempura, teriyaki or robata grilled items for those not partial to raw fish. That's not the case at Domo, a tiny new spot in Hayes Valley, which leans toward Eastern influences. It has a neighborhood feel, just a handful of high-backed wooden stools, and a menu that, while innovative and varied, focuses almost exclusively on seafood. SF Chronicle 6/25/08

 

Fork in the Road: Sea urchin is a precious, luscious California commodity -- The rocky inlets and kelp forests of California's eight Channel Islands are home to what is considered to be some of the finest uni, or sea urchin, in the world. Sea urchin used to be primarily an export product, sold at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market. In 2006, 11 million pounds of sea urchins were harvested in the United States, 8.5 million of which were brought into port in Santa Barbara and Ventura, making Central California the nation's leading source of uni. Here in the Bay Area, you can find or order uni at serious fish markets such as Berkeley Bowl, Tokyo Fish Market in Albany and Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley. Inside Bay Area 6/25/08

 

Agriculture Daily News June 24

Water:

 

Delta's aquatic junkyards polluting waters -- The sheriff's office has removed more than 300 derelict recreational vessels from the county's waterways since 1987, according to a recent Contra Costa County Grand Jury report. No agencies have started to tackle the growing number of abandoned commercial vessels, mostly due to a lack of funding, the report says. To rid the county and its 200 miles of waterways of all the abandoned commercial vessels and debris would cost millions of  dollars. SJ Mercury 6/24/08

 

Supreme Court to consider sonar versus whales -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider whether the military's assertions of national security trump the need to protect endangered species, when the justices decide whether the Navy must limit its use of sonar in training exercises off Southern California because the sound waves might harm whales. SF Chronicle 6/24/08

 

Immigration and labor:

 

Supreme Court rejects challenge to border fence -- The Bush administration's controversial fence along the Southwest border escaped a potentially devastating legal roadblock Monday as the Supreme Court rejected a constitutional challenge by environmental groups and more than a dozen members of Congress. Without comment, the justices refused to consider pleas that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff had overstepped his constitutional authority by waiving laws and regulations in order to expedite construction of 670 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. Sacramento Bee 6/24/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*Tomato growers anxious -- Bay Area eateries are putting juicy red Romas and round red tomatoes back into pita sandwiches, cheese burgers and tortilla salads. Supermarkets are once again stacking them toward the ceiling. But California tomato growers are anxiously wondering whether consumers will shun raw tomatoes the way they did raw spinach a year and a half ago. The warning has not been lifted. But supermarkets and restaurants now have a clear idea where their tomatoes are grown. SJ Mercury 6/24/08

 

*Despite high wheat prices — producers not rolling in the dough -- Ethanol demand has not driven wheat prices to record high levels, wheat industry leaders told a congressional subcommittee. World fundamentals, extreme market volatility and lack of technology development are to blame, they said. In testimony before a House Small Business Committee hearing to examine food prices and small businesses, David Cleavinger, president, National Association of Wheat Growers, and Ron Suppes, chairman, U.S. Wheat Associates, said historically high wheat prices are the result of a number of factors. Western Farm Press 6/24/08

 

Apiary study shows U.S. honey bee situation remains in perilous state -- This year, the problem has largely moved to the West Coast. Beekeepers there "lost tens of thousands of colonies last winter." It seemed to have happened just before, during or after they moved bees into almond pollination in California. A lot of colonies were empty and had to be transported back to the beekeepers' homes after almond pollination. Western Farm Press 6/24/08

 

California growers appear ready for "official" drought -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's June 4 declaration of a statewide drought – the first in 17 years – makes official what the state's farmers have been grappling with daily for too long – a dire water shortage that has already led to a first-ever water rationing this summer for some farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. Western Farm Press 6/24/08

 

Health:

 

West Nile detection has state officials concerned, but not alarmed -- California health officials are concerned with the large number of dead birds due to West Nile virus found in the state so far this year but caution that it is too early in the season for alarm. PE 6/24/08

 

Food:

 

*At California's Asian fish markets, freshness is everything -- New immigrants kept demand high for the dozen California fish farmers who raise product for the state's Asian customers. Small neighborhood markets catering to Asian tastes have expanded outside traditional Chinatowns to suburbs such as the Sunset District in San Francisco and Monterey Park in Los Angeles. LA Times 6/24/08

Transporation Daily News June 24

Transit and infrastructure:

 

Bus service fills void for $5 service to L.A. -- Five dollars doesn't go very far in the Bay Area, but starting today, that's enough to get you a one-way bus ticket to Los Angeles.  California Shuttle Bus announced the $5 daily rate on Monday to fill the gap left by Megabus stopping its $1 express bus service on Sunday from San Francisco and Oakland to Los Angeles due to low ridership. Kazuhiro Nakagawa, founder and chief executive of San Jose-based California Shuttle Bus, said he believed there was a market for low-cost bus transportation.  Inside Bay Area 6/23/08

 

Committed to investing in public transit for California -- This governor, more than any other governor in recent history, has put his money where his mouth is when it comes to demonstrating his commitment to public transportation in California.  It is important that public transportation agencies and operators become as efficient and cost-conscious as possible, because they will have to provide service for more riders than ever before. SF Chronicle 6/24/08

 

Emissions:

 

*Air board to outline emissions strategy -- California's top air-quality agency for the first time on Thursday will reveal a long-awaited strategy for how it expects business and the public to respond to the challenge of dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from factories, power plants and cars. By itself, the draft plan before the Air Resources Board will not impose specific regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming.  Instead, the plan is widely expected to set the course for establishing state policies that will redefine energy use in California.  San Diego Union Tribune 6/24/08

 

Water:

 

*Supreme Court to consider sonar versus whales -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider whether the military's assertions of national security trump the need to protect endangered species, when the justices decide whether the Navy must limit its use of sonar in training exercises off Southern California because the sound waves might harm whales. SF Chronicle 6/24/08

 

Concord, Navy at odds over land use plan deadline -- Because of a Monday deadline that came and went, the U.S. Navy is threatening Concord's planning authority over the shuttered Concord Naval Weapons Station for the second time. Months ago the city began asking the Navy for more time to put together its blueprint for exactly how the closed military base's 5,028 inland acres will be developed with houses, offices and parks. Local leaders asked for the extension knowing that Concord, as the designated planning authority, wouldn't be able to meet the June 23 deadline.CC Times 6/23/08

 

 

 

Transporation Daily News June 23

Transit and infrastructure:

 

Ridership is up, but RT faces budget cuts -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office says its proposed budget merely holds the line on spending for Regional Transit. But ask RT officials, and they'll say their agency is actually facing big cuts, because the governor is slicing $18 million that they would have received through a special fund to shore up the beleaguered budget. Toss in a drop in sales tax receipts because of the sluggish economy, and RT says it is looking at operating its fleet next year with 10 percent less money than this year. Sacramento Bee 6/21/08

 

*With bond funds approved, Sacramento railyard design to begin -- The state Department of Housing and Community Development on Friday approved $47 million in bond funding for the railyard – money that will be used to construct streets connecting the site to the rest of downtown. Design will begin right away, and construction on key roads likely will start next year, said Suheil Totah, vice president for developer Thomas Enterprises. Sacramento Bee 6/21/08

 

Fuel costs may raise mass transit fares -- Escalating fuel prices that have pushed more commuters out of their cars and onto buses, ferries and trains also have put an added financial strain on transit operators and could lead to higher fares. Transit operators nationwide are considering raising fares or cutting service, just when demand for mass transportation is at the highest level in half a century and operating subsidies from financially-drained local and state governments are drying up. SF Chronicle 6/21/08

 

*Caltrans supports proposal to eliminate school routes from public bus lines -- The state has weighed in on what local transit and education officials say is the wrong side of a dispute with the federal government concerning banning buses that get thousands of East Bay children to school. Caltrans is backing a rule change that could deny transportation to hundreds of thousands of urban schoolchildren in the state and nation, said officials dismayed with the transportation department's support of the proposal. On Thursday, Caltrans declared its support for the Federal Transit Administration's proposal to tighten regulations aimed at keeping public entities from competing with "yellow school bus" companies. Inside Bay Area 6/20/08

 

Free BART smashes record -- With its last breath, the doomed anti-smog Spare the Air Day free transit program declared that it could deliver public transit riders like nothing else, pumping up trips on BART to nearly 400,000 and an all-time record Thursday. But at a cost of nearly $2 million a day, the free rides have ended in favor of a Spare the Air program that appeals to drivers' environmental stewardship to switch to transit during hot, smog-prone summer days. Inside Bay Area 6/20/08

 

Emissions:

 

*Bush rejects demand for papers in state air dispute -- Setting up a constitutional showdown, the White House asserted executive privilege Friday in denying a request to turn over thousands of pages of documents that Congress seeks as part of an investigation involving California's air-quality standards. The dispute hit a boiling point when the White House said it would not comply with congressional subpoenas aimed at finding out whether President Bush blocked California's attempts to regulate its greenhouse gas emissions. Sacramento Bee 6/22/08

 

Air board's ambitious plan to battle warming -- California's air board, for years an obscure state agency, will take center stage this week when it unveils a blueprint for the nation's most aggressive fight against global warming that is expected to affect every resident, industry and government agency in the state in the coming decade. The far-reaching plan, which comes 18 months after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed landmark legislation to curb greenhouse emissions by one-third by 2020. SF Chronicle 6/22/08

 

High-speed rail:

 

*Another View: Let's put state on fast track to the future -- Editorial content by Judge Quentin Kopp: High-speed trains use one-third the energy of air travel and one-fifth the energy of automobile travel. High-speed trains will reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 22 million barrels a year. Moreover, they'll operate at a profit (just like the European and Asian systems), without taxpayer subsidy. Sacramento Bee 6/22/08

 

Ports:

 

Idling trucks big contributors to air pollution -- Citing serious health problems associated with pollutants in Oakland's air and across the Bay Area, several volunteers will hit the streets Tuesday seeking to curb what they say is a serious contributor to the problem: truck idling. In West Oakland, volunteers will pursue truck drivers face to face at the Mayway Warehouse truck parking facility on 12th Street, at the truck scales on Maritime Boulevard, and by the recycling centers in the Clawson neighborhood. Their goal is to be educational rather than aggressive. Inside Bay Area 6/22/08

 

Other:

 

*California Adds Eco Label to All 2009 Cars -- Currently voluntary, the so-called "environmental performance" rating sticker will become a requirement starting January 1, 2009. According to Edmunds' Green Car Advisor, new car dealers will be mandated to attach eco labels, such as the one pictured above, to all '09 model year vehicles. Each car's greenhouse gas impact will be rated "on a 1-10 scale, with the highest scores representing the least impact, so a '9' will be greener than a '7'." PC Magazine 6/23/08

 

Calif. lawmaker wants voting age dropped to 17 -- State Assemblyman Gene Mullin wants to lower the voting age in hopes of boosting participation at the polls among young adults.  Mullin's constitutional amendment would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries and special elections if they will turn 18 by the next November general election. Such a policy has been adopted by 19 other states.  CC Times 6/22/08