Water:
*Water plan can proceed, high court rules -- The state and federal governments can form a long-range plan for managing water shipments through the bay and delta region without examining the option of reducing exports to Central and Southern California, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Environmentalists had argued that the plan favored dams over conservation, and farmers said they feared they might be bypassed in favor of city dwellers. But the court ruled unanimously that CalFed, the state-federal consortium drawing up the long-range plan, had balanced water supply needs against ecological and other concerns. SF Chronicle 6/6/08
*Court to consider further steps to curtail water deliveries, help salmon -- A federal judge today will begin considering whether to further restrict the flow of water to California farms and cities in a state already parched by drought. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger has already ruled that permits meant to prevent water managers from driving fish extinct are failing and illegal. Last year, he ordered Delta pumping reductions of as much as 30 percent because Delta smelt are vanishing. The hearing in Fresno, which may extend into next week, could lead to further restrictions to protect salmon and steelhead, which are also in decline. Inside Bay Area 6/6/08
*Tracking weather to save water -- Since 2002, Spain has been selling his WeatherTrak product to help heavyweights of American retail and industry such as Wal-Mart, Google, eBay and Lockheed Martin reduce the amount of water used in irrigation, and thus costs. For its 15,000 customers, HydroPoint replaces sprinkler timers with controllers that get daily, location-specific weather data using wireless technology and are able to adjust watering patterns based on preprogrammed information about soil, slope and other conditions. SJ Mercury 6/6/08
California DWR Selects Kleinfelder to Study Levees Along San Joaquin River -- The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has awarded Kleinfelder a $112.5 million, five-year contract to perform geotechnical levee evaluations along portions of the San Joaquin River Flood Control System. This is the largest geotechnical contract Kleinfelder has been awarded and the second-largest contract overall in company history. PR Inside 6/5/08
Reclamator creator - which he says turns sewage into drinkable water - files defamation suit against state for nearly $80 million -- The inventor of a device that he claims turns sewage into drinkable water has sued the state and some of its local water quality regulators for nearly $80 million, alleging they defamed him and his product. The Regional Water Quality Control Board staff has repeatedly warned Los Osos residents about Murphy’s claims about his product, saying the device hasn’t been thoroughly tested and may not meet water quality standards. San Luis Obispo County 6/6/08
Health:
13,000 in S.F. to discuss diabetes treatments -- More than 13,000 diabetes experts will converge on San Francisco today for one of the most anticipated diabetes conferences in the world, a five-day event that will cover a broad spectrum of topics both scientific and social - from the emerging field of immunotherapy to whether kids should be allowed to give themselves insulin shots in school. SF Chronicle 6/5/08
*First West Nile-infected bird in 2008 found in San Mateo County -- The first bird of the season has tested positive for West Nile virus, officials from the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District announced Wednesday. The bird, of a species not native to San Mateo County, was found dead in South San Francisco on May 15, but San Mateo County health officials only obtained the test results Wednesday, according to Lauren Couture, assistant vector ecologist with the vector control district. SJ Mercury 6/6/08
Food:
Food summit ends with contentious resolution -- A world summit on hunger veered near collapse late Thursday when Latin American countries objected bitterly to a final, watered-down resolution designed to boost agriculture and control soaring food prices. Ultimately, the declaration was adopted, with about 180 countries pledging to work to eliminate hunger and secure access to food "for all, today and tomorrow" through urgent actions, including the easing of trade barriers and the supply of seeds and fertilizer to poor farmers. LA Times 6/6/08
*Food Stamp Use Spikes in California -- The number of households using food stamps is up 23 percent in San Bernardino County since April of last year and up 16 percent in Riverside County, according to data released by the California Department of Social Services. And government officials expect those numbers to grow. Indy Bay Media 6/6/08
Whole Foods halts tomato sales amid salmonella scare -- Whole Foods Market Inc. has halted sales of fresh Roma and large field-grown round tomatoes at all its stores after the Texas Department of State Health Services warned of a salmonella outbreak linked to eating uncooked tomatoes. Whole Foods has 23 stores in Northern California. East Bay Business Times 6/6/08
Agriculture:
*Reedley Says OK to Aerial Spray Plan for Bay Area -- With some 30 cities and 80 organizations on record opposing the state agriculture department’s plan to spray coastal cities and the Bay Area to eradicate the light brown apple moth (LBAM), one city is bucking the trend. Reedley, a Fresno County agricultural community of around 24,000, has stepped up to support the state. Berkeley Daily Planet 6/6/08
Grower-Shipper Association inaugurates mayor of Salinas as new chairman, honors first chairwoman -- The Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) reflected on a year of positive change under the leadership of its first female chairperson and inaugurated the mayor of Salinas as its new chairman at its May 29 annual meeting. Western Farm Press 6/6/08
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