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
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