Business News
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Redwood Credit Union, or RCU, is helping bring fresh, local food to more tables through a $10,000 grant to the Good Farm Fund, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening local economies and increasing food access across the communities it serves.
RCU’s longstanding partnership with Good Farm Fund supports the economic viability of small farms in Lake and Mendocino counties.
By financially empowering local farmers, RCU ensures that the benefits of sustainable agriculture are accessible to those who need it most.
This funding is part of RCU’s broader mission to create social impact by aligning its core business with community investment.
“We are very fortunate to have the support of Redwood Credit Union, an organization which has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to supporting local farms and food security across the region,” said Caroline Radice, project coordinator of Good Farm Fund.
Through the grant from RCU, Good Farm Fund is providing agricultural producers with essential funding for capacity-building projects critical to their business success.
With RCU’s support:
• Walnut grower Round River Farm purchased machinery needed to shift from wholesale to consumer packaging due to changing market conditions.
• Peace and Plenty Farm, the largest grower and producer of saffron in North America, purchased and installed a temporary greenhouse helping to extend spring and fall growing production.
• Fourth generation family-owned Oak Valley Farm installed fencing to protect its melon and squash crops from wildlife.
“By expanding access to healthy food, we’re not just nourishing bodies—we’re helping build stronger, more resilient families, farms, and communities,” said Matt Martin, RCU’s SVP of community and government relations. “Grants like this one reflect our purpose: to inspire hope and elevate the financial well-being of our communities one person at a time, through good times and bad.”
Previous RCU grants to Good Farm Fund have provided direct support for small farms including Cerro Negro Farm, Coming Home to Country Farm, Folk Life Farm, Headwaters Grazing, Inland Ranch Organics, Irene’s Garden, Rancho Mariposa & Cinnamon Bear Farm and Wavelength Farm.
RCU’s partnership with Good Farm Fund exemplifies its dedication to fostering economic vitality and food equity across the region.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Jacobs Engineering, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s lead engineering design contractor, is hosting a virtual small business outreach event on July 30.
The event, which will take place from 9 to 11 a.m., will explore upcoming business opportunities at the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine in Clearlake Oaks.
The 160-acre Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine site is an abandoned open pit mercury mine on the shoreline of Clear Lake south of Clearlake Oaks.
The EPA is leading the cleanup of the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine site under the CERCLA program, also known as Superfund.
Engineering designs are currently being developed for the estimated $94 million cleanup action, which is expected to be constructed in four phases over about five years, starting in 2026.
Jacobs Engineering is the EPA's lead engineering design contractor and will also provide oversight throughout the project's construction. EPA and Jacobs recognize that skilled local subcontractors have an essential role to play in the success of this project.
There are a range of activities that Jacobs is seeking to subcontract to local businesses in the near term and a much wider range of opportunities to bid on over the next several years.
To receive log in/call in information for this virtual event, please fill out the brief questionnaire at https://forms.office.com/r/6q3znv7sM0.
For additional information about the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund site, visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sulphurbankmercury.
- Details
- Written by: Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce will host its next dinner meeting on Tuesday, July 29.
The meeting will be held at Highlands Bar & Grill.
For more information, email or
- Details
- Written by: AAA
In the thick of summer, gas prices are laying low with the average for a gallon of regular gasoline in California at $4.50, dropping three cents from a week ago.
“While the state’s excise tax increased by 1.6 cents a gallon at the beginning of the month, California gas prices are actually trending much lower than last summer, when gasoline was 23 cents higher per gallon than it is today,” said Doug Johnson, spokesperson for AAA Mountain West Group. “Meanwhile, the impact of new stricter air quality regulations — which went into effect July 1 — on gas prices remains unknown.”
The national average for a gallon of regular is also down one cent to $3.16, from last week. Pump prices have dipped to match the summer of 2021, the last time seasonal gas prices were this low.
However, a low-pressure system off the Gulf Coast has the potential — albeit low — to strengthen, and it’s something to watch as it moves westward.
This time of year, tropical activity can have an effect on gas prices if there’s damage to refineries or if local flooding affects gasoline distribution or demand.
Fuel prices around the state:
Lake County: $4.43
San Francisco: $4.68
Oakland: $4.56
San Jose: $4.51
Sacramento: $4.46
Fresno: $4.57
Stockton: $4.34
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration, or EIA, gasoline demand decreased from 9.15 million b/d last week to 8.48. Total domestic gasoline supply increased from 229.5 million barrels to 232.9. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.1 million barrels per day.
Oil market dynamics
At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI fell 14 cents to settle at $66.38 a barrel. The EIA reports crude oil inventories fell 3.9 million barrels from last week. At 422.2 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 8% below the five-year average for this time of year.
EV charging
The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station stayed the same last week at 36 cents. In California, it’s 38 cents.
State Stats
Gas
The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.50), Hawaii ($4.48), Washington ($4.39), Oregon ($3.99), Nevada ($3.76), Alaska ($3.74), Idaho ($3.47), Illinois ($3.44), Utah ($3.37), and Washington, DC ($3.33).
The nation's top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.72), Oklahoma ($2.77), Tennessee ($2.77), Texas ($2.78), Arkansas ($2.79), Louisiana ($2.80), Alabama ($2.81), South Carolina ($2.84), Kentucky ($2.84), and New Mexico ($2.84).
Electric
The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are West Virginia (51 cents), Alaska (51 cents), Hawaii (46 cents), Tennessee (46 cents), Montana (45 cents), South Carolina (44 cents), New Hampshire (43 cents), Alabama (42 cents), Wisconsin (42 cents), and Arkansas (42 cents).
The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (25 cents), Missouri (27 cents), Maryland (28 cents), Utah (28 cents), Nebraska (30 cents), Delaware (31 cents), Colorado (33 cents), North Carolina (33 cents), Washington, DC (33 cents), and Iowa (33 cents).
Find current fuel prices at GasPrices.AAA.com.
How to resolve AdBlock issue?