YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS. FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY. |
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- Urban Water Use Up, Ag Water Use Down
- Will Congress Pass an Immigration Bill This Year?
- Proposed Pilot Program of Cash Payments to Farmworkers
- Water Board Pushing for Readoption of Emergency Regulation for Delta
- CAWG Events: Regional Roadshow, Foundation Golf Tournament
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Urban Water Use Up, Ag Water Use Down |
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This week, state water officials reported Californians used nearly 19% more water in March 2022 than in March 2020. Every hydrological region in California, except for one, reported higher water use among urban users. The largest increases were seen in Southern California and the desert region. Water use defined as urban includes residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional users, and excludes ag uses.
The increased water consumption has occurred despite Governor Newsom’s call to action urging Californians to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. The volume of urban water usage for March 2022 represents the highest March total since 2015.
While Governor Newsom’s administration has curtailed ag uses of water, with more curtailments expected, no similar restrictions have been imposed on urban and suburban water uses. Instead, the Governor has left it to local governments to decide the details of any water conservation measures to be implemented.
California’s farmers have been able to increase economic output, while using less water. In 2015, the state’s farmers produced 38% more in ag value in 2015 than in 1980, even though farmers used about 14% less water.
CAWG continues to push for additional investment in above and below ground water storage and is advocating that water conservation be a shared goal among all Californians.
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Will Congress Pass an Immigration Bill This Year? |
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Conventional political thinking suggests Congress is incapable of passing complicated, controversial legislation in an election year. With mid-term elections in November fast approaching and Republicans aiming to take control of Congress, it seems highly unlikely Congress would take up an immigration bill. However, a group of farm state members of Congress are working hard to forge a bipartisan agreement on a narrowly focused immigration bill to improve the availability of guest worker visas, particularly the H2A ag guestworker program. To read more, click here.
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Proposed Pilot Program of Cash Payments to Farmworkers |
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State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) is pushing for a pilot project, SB 1066, that would provide cash payments to farmworkers. The bill would allocate $20 million to the California Farmworkers Drought Resilience Pilot Project. Eligible farmworkers could receive monthly cash payments of up to $1,000 for three years.
Senator Hurtado’s bill was originally conceived as a program to help farmworkers affected by COVID-19 related disruptions, but it has been amended to focus on drought. At this time, CAWG has no position on the bill.
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Water Board Pushing for Readoption of Emergency Regulation for Delta |
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Today, the State Water Resources Control Board staff held a technical workshop to receive information and comments on an emergency regulation adopted by the board last August, which authorized curtailment of water diversions in the Delta. Today's hearing is one step in a process the State Water Board is taking to readopt the emergency regulation before it expires in August.
The Delta watershed comprises approximately 20 percent of California’s land mass and constitutes the state’s largest source of surface water supplying a portion of the water supply to two-thirds of Californians and millions of acres of farmland.
For more information regarding drought in the Delta watershed, visit the Delta Drought webpage. For information on other drought related activities, please visit the State Water Board’s Drought webpage.
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· CAWG Regional Roadshow - REGISTER NOW · |
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May 17 | Madera
The Vineyard Restaurant
605 S I St, Madera
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Wine Social
Guest Speaker: John Roncoroni, Ph.D. Weed Specialist
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June 27 | Lodi
Woodbridge Golf & Country
800 East Woodbridge Rd, Woodbridge
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Wine Social
Guest Speaker John Roncoroni, Ph.D., Weed Specialist
Only Two
Meetings Left!
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THANK YOU to our Regional Roadshow Premier Sponsors! |
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Complimentary registration for all CAWG members.
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CAWG Foundation Golf Tournament |
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The California Association of Winegrape Growers Foundation 3rd Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, sponsored by Duarte Nursery, is scheduled for Monday, June 27 at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club. Tournament proceeds support scholarships for college age children whose parent or guardian is employed by a California winegrape grower.
Tournament check-in opens at 9 a.m. followed by a 10 a.m. shotgun start. The tournament will be played as a four-person scramble format. The day will include games, a hole in one contest, and a reception with prizes, drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Following the golf tournament CAWG will host its Regional Roadshow reception at the club house, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. To register for the tournament, click here.
The 92-year-old Woodbridge Golf & Country Club is located in the heart of Lodi’s wine country and the valley’s finest wineries. The golf course features 27 distinctive holes on its three-championship course.
For information about the CAWG Foundation, please click here.
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