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