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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 28 April 2020

Created: 28 April 2020

Last Updated: 28 April 2020

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture is announcing a stakeholder workshop on the development of a soil organic carbon map for California.

CDFA is looking to engage interested parties to provide early feedback as the map develops. Staff from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will also participate in the workshop.

“We are excited to start the collaboration on creating a statewide soil organic carbon map,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We want to hear from our stakeholders on how it might be useful and how they can provide resources for its development.”

The map will serve as an indicator of soil health as California takes multiple actions to sequester carbon in agricultural soils to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The California Biodiversity Initiative: A Roadmap for Protecting the State’s Natural Heritage calls for the state to undertake a series of actions to secure the future of its biodiversity, including the development of the organic carbon map.

As part of this process, CDFA will develop a data repository system for soils data submitted to CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program and make the data available to monitor progress of soil carbon sequestration.

This map-based tool will monitor soil organic carbon changes and show on-the-ground results of projects implemented to build soil health.

The workshop will be held via webinar and will be presented on two separate dates to maximize participation. The agenda and description of the map can be found on our Healthy Soils Program webpage.

Participants much register in advance for one of the following two dates:

May 5 10 a.m. PT
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2081096641823640844 

May 6 1 p.m. PT
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3379254836366749452 

There is also a written comment period on the development of the map. Questions and comments should be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 5 p.m. PT, May 21, 2020. Questions and corresponding answers will be posted on our webpages shortly thereafter.

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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 23 April 2020

Created: 23 April 2020

Last Updated: 23 April 2020

PG&E Corp. announced Wednesday that its chief executive officer and president, William D. “Bill” Johnson, has decided to retire from the company.

His retirement will become effective on June 30, 2020, which is expected to be after the company’s plan of reorganization is confirmed by the bankruptcy court.

“I joined PG&E to help get the company out of bankruptcy and stabilize operations. By the end of June, I expect that both of these goals will have been met,” said Johnson. “As we look to PG&E’s next chapter, this great company should be led by someone who has the time and career trajectory ahead of them to ensure that it fulfills its promise to reimagine itself as a new utility and deliver the safe and reliable service that its customers and communities expect and deserve. I want to thank the Board as well as all of the employees, who work so hard every day to address the challenges the company has faced--it has been a privilege to work with them.”

PG&E has named William “Bill” Smith as Interim CEO. Smith, who joined the PG&E Board of Directors in 2019, will serve in this role from the time of Johnson’s departure through the appointment of a new CEO. Johnson and Smith will use May and June to transition. Johnson will remain on the board until June 30.

Andrew Vesey, current CEO and president of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the utility subsidiary, will continue in his role overseeing the company’s electric, gas, generation and customer operations.

Smith is the retired president of AT&T Technology Operations at AT&T Services, Inc., where he spent 37 years with the telecommunications service provider and its predecessor companies.

He held a number of senior officer positions at AT&T, including president of network operations. In his last role, Smith oversaw data center and information technology operations, DIRECTV field operations, planning, engineering, construction, provisioning and maintenance for the company’s wireless and wireline networks.

Throughout his career, he managed organizations with more than 100,000 employees and led network and customer care efforts across a broad global footprint.

“We were fortunate to have Bill Johnson’s experience and steady presence for the past year as he shepherded the company through multiple challenges,” said Nora Mead Brownell, chair of PG&E Corp.’s Board of Directors. “We are equally fortunate now to have Bill Smith step up and provide strong, stable experienced leadership during this transitional period. With his knowledge of the company and his long-time operational and transformation experience in large and heavily regulated, consumer-facing organizations, he is well-positioned to help the company begin its next chapter.”

“I have been deeply involved in the board’s work helping to prepare PG&E for its successful emergence from bankruptcy,” said Bill Smith. “I am delighted that I can bring my knowledge and experience to bear going forward, working together with employees, our regulators, and elected officials to introduce the new PG&E and continue to fulfill the company’s commitments to its customers and communities.”

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Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Published: 23 April 2020

Created: 23 April 2020

Last Updated: 23 April 2020

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham has issued a declaration closing the California Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (Districts 10, 17, 18 and 19) on May 15 at 11:59 p.m. to protect whales and sea turtles from entanglement in fishing gear.

Under the authority of Section 8276.1(c)(1) of the Fish and Game Code, the director may restrict take of commercial Dungeness crab after making a preliminary determination that commercial crab fishing poses a significant risk of marine life entanglement.

Before taking this action, the director considered all recommendations and information provided within the public notice period that ended at 5:30 p.m. on April 17.

Effective May 15, at 11:59 p.m. no vessel may deploy commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, take or possess crab in Districts 10, 17, 18 or 19 due to significant risk of marine life entanglement. The closure will remain in place for the remainder of the 2019-20 California commercial Dungeness crab season.

CDFW will engage regularly with the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group to review scientific information and advise efforts to minimize the risk of whale and sea turtle entanglements.

Based on that process, CDFW may take additional management actions in response to future risk assessments in the Northern Management Area (Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9).

For more information related to the risk assessment process or this closure, please visit CDFW's Whale Safe Fisheries page.

CDFW understands the challenges faced by California's commercial fishing industry during these difficult times. CDFW is committed to working with our industry partners to maximize their ability to safely deliver fresh, sustainably caught seafood during the COVID-19 crisis.

The decision provides additional time on the water while balancing the need to protect whales and turtles. Further, we will continue to explore options to assist commercial fishermen regarding federal funds earmarked for fisheries and aquaculture in the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act. Finally, we encourage local ports and harbors to maintain continuity of commercial fisheries and sales of fish in a manner consistent with the health and safety guidelines issued by the California Department of Public Health and local public health officials.

For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab .