Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/533409
ByKevinFreking TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON Republican members of California's congressional delegation are tackling drought relief again with a wide-rang- ing bill introduced Thurs- day that attempts to speed up new water storage proj- ects and move more water through river pumps for farms and cities. The bill by Republican Congressman David Va- ladao of Hanford comes closer to what Demo- cratic Sen. Dianne Fein- stein pushed through the Senate last year, but there are also considerable dif- ferences. For example, the House bill scraps efforts to restore a Chinook salmon fishery in the San Joaquin River, which was the goal of a 2006 lawsuit settlement. Valadao said Congress needs to act because the consequences of Califor- nia's drought are spreading. "Inaction will result in the collapse of our domes- tic food supply," he said. Valadao's bill requires certain levels of pumping in the Sacramento-San Joa- quin River Delta unless re- ducing water flow is nec- essary to ensure the long- term survival of a species. The GOP proposal moves away from past efforts that called for running Califor- nia's two primary water distribution systems with- out taking requirements of the Endangered Species Act into account. Environmental advo- cates immediately rejected the proposal and Feinstein made clear that changes would be needed to get her support. "The drought bill intro- duced today in the House includes some useful pro- visions to increase the flex- ibility of water delivery as well as some provisions that would violate environ- mental law, which I've said many times I cannot sup- port," Feinstein said. California has suffered from extremely dry condi- tions since 2012, and the House has passed legisla- tion in the previous two congressional sessions aimed at bringing more water to the state's agricul- tural belt in the Central Val- ley. Those measures have stalled in the Senate. The bill requires agencies to consider alternatives to reduced pumping, such as installing temporary barri- ers to prevent saltwater in- trusion or removing non- native fish that eat pro- tected fish such as the delta smelt and certain salmon species. It drew support from the California Farm Bu- reau Federation but the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said the bill repack- aged ideas that have repeat- edly been rejected by state lawmakers and fishermen. The group said increased water supplies should come from water recycling and improving water efficiency on farms. And NRDC argues Congressshouldprovidetem- poraryfinancialassistanceto farmworkers and others dis- placed by the drought. Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California also crit- icized the House bill. "It's unfortunate that House Republicans — with much fanfare — are rolling out a bill that is the same- old, same-old and will only reignite the water wars," Boxer said. The bill attempts to ad- dress drought relief in other Western states by stream- lining the permitting pro- cess for some water stor- age projects and by allow- ing more irrigation districts to make early repayments to the federal government for new or expanded water projects. WASHINGTON GOPlawmakersintroducereviseddroughtreliefbill By Julia Horowitz The Associated Press SACRAMENTO California's Assembly on Thursday ap- proved a hotly contested bill requiring that nearly all public schoolchildren be vaccinated, clearing one of its last major legis- lative obstacles before the measure heads to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. The bill aims to in- crease immunization rates after a measles out- break linked to Disney- land in December sick- ened over 100 people in the U.S. and Mexico. It would give California one of the nation's strict- est vaccine laws by strik- ing the state's personal be- lief exemption. Only chil- dren with serious health issues would be allowed to opt out of mandatory vaccine schedules. Unvac- cinated children would need to be homeschooled. If the bill becomes law, California would join Mis- sissippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements. "Do we wait until we have a full-fledged crisis to protect the most vulnera- ble?" Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, asked as she pre- sented the bill. The measure passed on a bipartisan 46-30 vote after weeks of vocal op- position, with thousands of parents placing calls to representatives and don- ning red shirts to protest at the Capitol. But proponents have been equally resolute, standing by 7-year-old leukemia survivor Rhett Krawitt Wednesday as he delivered a petition with over 30,000 signatures to the Democratic gover- nor. Krawitt's parents said that because he could not be immunized for a year after receiving chemother- apy, they were nervous to send him to school in the chronically under-vacci- nated Marin County. "We should fight for the liberty not just of those who don't want to vaccine their kids, but for those who cannot," said Repub- lican Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-Pleas- anton, during Thursday's floor debate. Two Republican assem- blywomen joined the Dem- ocratic majority in sup- port. The Senate already approved the bill once, but still must approve amend- ments before it is sent to Brown. The Senate could take up amendments as early as next week. Brown has not said whether he would sign the bill authored by Dem- ocratic Sens. Richard Pan of Sacramento and Ben Al- len of Santa Monica. Opponents of the vac- cine bill gathered on the Capitol steps after the vote, vowing to make their voices heard to the gover- nor. SACRAMENTO Vaccine bill clears a major legislative hurdle MICHAELROBINSONCHAVEZ—LOSANGELESTIMESVIAAP Firefighters work a ridge off The Old Road in the Newhall Pass trying to halt the advice of a brush fire on Wednesday. The Associated Press Wildfires are charging through several dry West- ern states, including a blaze in California that showed new life after burning for a week and forced some com- munities to flee their homes. A look at some of the latest hotspots and what crews are doing to control them: SouthernCalifornia A huge forest fire that has been burning through rugged terrain in the San Bernardino Mountains for more than a week forced evacuations as it stretched northeast into the desert. The blaze about 90 miles east of Los Angeles showed new life as winds shifted. The tiny Mojave communi- ties of Burns Canyon and Rimrock were ordered to leave their homes Thursday. Evacuations were voluntary in nearby Pioneertown. A change in wind direc- tion also forced several hun- dred campers to evacuate Wednesday. Crews relied on retar- dant-dropping aircraft to battle the hard-to-reach fire, which began June 17 in mountain wilderness. Offi- cials say they had to tem- porarily ground air tank- ers for safety reasons after a hobbyist's drone flew over the fire, but flights resumed Thursday. It has charred more than 36 square miles of old- growth timber and brush and was partially con- tained. Meanwhile, a wildfire north of Los Angeles that drove about 1,000 peo- ple from their homes and briefly shut down part of a major freeway was reduced to mostly embers. People could return about nine hours after the blaze broke out Wednesday in Santa Clarita. At its height, some 500 homes had to be evacuated as flames moved close. Damage was limited to one garage. Northern California A wildfire has grown to more than 26 square miles in inaccessible terrain south of Lake Tahoe and has led to some voluntary evacuations Thursday, offi- cials said. No buildings have been damaged, but the small mountain town of Mar- kleeville is under a volun- tary evacuation warning, according to the Bureau of Land Management. About 900 firefighters are battling the blaze ig- nited by lightning Friday about 20 miles west of the Nevada border. The fire is partially contained. Meanwhile, crews have contained a 533-acre fire about 50 miles east of San Francisco near Antioch that had led some 30 homes to be evacuated Wednesday night, news station KNTV reported. No structures were damaged. Alaska Wildfires have shown significant growth, but fire managers say there have been no new evacuations from threatened commu- nities. Nearly 300 fires were burning across almost 945 square miles in Alaska, with much of the activity in the dry and hot interior. Fire managers are prioritiz- ing where to send fire crews stretched thin as older fires winds down. Earlier this week, many residents from one threat- ened interior village, Nu- lato, fled by boats to other villages. Wildfires: California fire grows, forces evacuations THE WEST By Scott Smith The Associated Press FRESNO Farmers in at least two California irri- gation districts are consid- ering whether to ignore a letter from the state call- ing for historic cuts in wa- ter use during the drought, a lawyer said Thursday. Attorney Steven Herum, who represents two Central Valley irrigation districts serving farmers, said the move is under consider- ation because the state is backing off the notices is- sued this month demand- ing deep cuts. He said the confusion has caused the farmers to consider defying the state to keep their orchards alive. "We're reaching the point of reckoning," Herum said. "I think the farmers and irrigation districts are going to have to take a hard look at the totality and le- gal consequences of the sit- uation." State water board attor- ney David Rose said the state hasn't wavered on the cuts and farmers face significant fines if they are found illegally using water. Rose said the state let- ter to rights holders car- ries the message: "You hold this right. Under our analysis, this right doesn't have water available to it. Be aware." Herum, however, said attorneys for the state called the curtailment notice "advisory" and a "courtesy notice" in court. He said that amounts to backing off the strongly worded letter that uses co- ercive language. Irrigation districts in Oakdale, Manteca, Pat- terson and Tracy have filed lawsuits seeking to suspend the curtailment notices. In each case, a judge ruled the disputes need to be heard by a court out- side the counties where the farmers work and live as a way to avoid prejudice. Herum said farmers in the districts he represents have trees that produce more than $1 billion in al- monds and walnuts. They say the cuts would threaten their livelihoods. The state Water Re- sources Control Board is- sued the curtailment no- tice on June 12 to 114 wa- ter users who hold rights dating back to 1903. DROUGHT Farmers may defy state notice to stop irrigating RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS State Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, talks with Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento at the Capitol in Sacramento on Thursday. NEW ARRIVALS ~ Soy Mosquito Repellant Spray ~ Organic Moisturizing Sunscreen ~ Organic Goat Milk Lotion ~ Mother-of-the Bride Dress ~ 3-Pcs. 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