Regional
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
This is one of many recent steps USDA has taken to ensure California residents in need have food to eat.
Rather than require SNAP households to report food losses individually, USDA allowed the state of California to approve automatic mass replacements for residents of certain counties and zip codes who lost food because of the power outage.
USDA authorized the mass replacement of 25 percent of regular benefits for households that were issued in August 2023.
The waiver request applies to eight zip codes in the following five counties: Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Shasta, and Tehama. More details will be made available through the California Department of Social Services.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP.
Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being.
FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022.
To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
“Solano County contributes greatly to California’s reputation as being America’s breadbasket, so people in my district are understandably alarmed at a shadowy investment group buying up large tracks of farmland, purportedly to build a new city,” Sen. Dodd said.
“But we don’t really know what’s going on because the investors have not shared anything with locals,” Dodd said. “While California certainly needs more housing, we need to be intentional about how and where we develop. We need to be able to continue to produce food and avoid suburban sprawl. I’m calling on these developers to be fully transparent in their dealings and to abide by state and local land use regulations. Trying to subvert agricultural protections, public scrutiny and thoughtful decision making doesn’t fly.”
Sen. Dodd was speaking Tuesday about the Flannery Associates land purchases during an informational hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee entitled “Navigating Threats to California Agriculture.”
The hearing can be found here.
Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.
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- Written by: Redwood National and State Parks
ORICK, Calif. — On the afternoon of Aug. 14, a thunderstorm rolled through Northern California that started numerous wildfires.
Quick responses from multiple agencies and partners were able to slow or stop many fires, but several have developed into large, uncontrolled wildfires.
Within the southern portion of Redwood National and State Parks three fires were detected, and the park responded with full suppression tactics.
Two of the fires, the Glen and the Devil, are both 100% contained and in patrol status.
The Glen fire smoldered in several redwood trees and was controlled primarily with an innovative sprinkler system, pioneered by local California Department of Parks and Recreation staff, installed over 100 feet up in the trees.
The third fire, named the Lost fire, burning in the Lost Man Creek watershed, is now over 700 acres and 0% contained.
A fast response from federal crews, Cal Fire and Green Diamond Resource Co. prevented the fire from burning into private timber lands. Additional crews have continued to arrive, with over 400 firefighters working to contain the spread of the fire to an area as small as possible.
A majority of the Lost fire is in second growth forest that was logged and replanted decades ago. However, the westernmost flank has reached old growth, where fire activity has diminished in the more humid environment.
All these fires are part of the Six Rivers Forest Lightning Complex and Redwood Lightning Complex that is being managed by California Incident Management Team 2.
More information and daily updates on the fires can be found here.
The same thunderstorm on Aug. 14 also started fires that are burning outside the north-eastern border of the park.
These fires are part of the Smith River Complex, and are being jointly managed by California Incident Management Teams 13 and 15. Information about this complex of fires can be found here.
While these fires are outside the boundary of Redwood National and State Parks, they have multiple impacts to park operations.
The primary access highway to the area, Highway 199, has been closed for several days and is not expected to reopen to normal conditions for many days to come.
The main electrical transmission lines to the area were also de-energized to prevent new fire starts and to protect responders working in the area.
This outage has caused the closure of the Hiouchi Visitor Center, Jedediah Smith Campground, and Mill Creek Campground.
Howland Hill Road has also been closed at the request of emergency responders to improve safety and travel routes for incident personnel.
“Our primary concern and focus on these incidents is the safety of firefighters and the public,” said Redwood National and State Park Superintendent Steve Mietz stated. “Multiple organizations are coming together to aggressively engage the fires in ways that ensure everyone can go home when the fires are out. I am proud of the collaborative spirit from our neighbors and partners who have come to help the park during this tough time. We are grateful for the support and understanding of park visitors at this challenging time.”
A full list of impacts and closures within the park can be found here.
\Additional updates are regularly posted on the Facebook pages for Redwood National and State Parks and the Six Rivers Forest.
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- Written by: OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN MIKE THOMPSON
“State Route 37 is an essential thoroughfare that faces significant risk from rising sea levels, threatening the commute for the millions who rely on it every year,” said Thompson. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the most significant investment in our country’s infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s interstate system, and now the State Route 37 project is receiving a major boost from this historic law.. I was proud to vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Congress and I am glad to see the federal funding coming to our community to improve State Route 37, protect habitats, and combat the climate crisis.”
The federal funding will help guard against future flooding on a vital regional corridor that connects Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties and enhance habitat connectivity for San Pablo Bay. The other $25 million is being funded by the State of California.
The $180 million project will raise the roadway by 30 feet over Novato Creek by 2029, well above the projected year 2130 sea-level rise.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was signed into law on November 15, 2021.
The law includes around $550 billion in new federal investment in America’s roads and bridges, water infrastructure, resilience, internet and more.
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