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
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