Before we get into a story that involves dams, reservoirs, and irony: A reminder that this edition of The Newsletter includes, as always, a carefully curated news digest that makes it easy for you to quickly find the most important stories happening in your community this week. Also: A brief intro to a nonprofit doing good work AND a seasonal recipe. It's an effortless scroll—but first:
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By Eric Johnson
Published Sep 16, 2024
Loch Lomond, the reservoir that supplies the city of Santa Cruz with a significant portion of its drinking water, is also a beautiful recreational and natural resource.
Dams and Reservoirs: Up and Down
California Dams Get Raised and Razed
As a lifelong sworn environmentalist, I have always felt a little bit guilty about the fact that I love reservoirs—and if I'm honest the dams that create them. As a kid growing up in New Jersey just outside Manhattan, the Oradell Reservoir was my refuge, and the place where I discovered nature. When I moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains soon after high school, the Loch Lomond reservoir was walking distance from my home and became another refuge.
I saw my first eagle at the Oradell Reservoir when I was 16, and my first mountain lion at Loch Lomond when I was 19. I mention this not out of pure nostalgia, but to pont out that beyond their intended benefit of storing water for human use, reservoirs can be inherently good, in that they support rich and healthy ecosystems. And yes: Dams throughout California and the West have massively disrupted fisheries and threaten keystone species such as Chinook salmon with extinction.
So this week, a nuanced look at some dams throughout the state that are going up and coming down.
The Ups and Downs of California Dams
We check in on efforts to raise some dams in the state to store more water, and to raze some dams to to let water run free.
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San Benito County's Homepage |
| Direct your browser to https://sanbenito.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and San Benito County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community! | |
Recipe of the Week
Our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening publish a recipe from their gardens every Sunday, which we feature here so you can start your week with some yum.
See more recipes in their Taste Fall! cookbook.
Get to Know a Group
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San Benito County Historical Society |
Since 1957, the Historical Society has devoted itself to collecting and preserving materials pertaining to the San Benito County of yesteryear.
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From Our Media Allies |
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San Juan Bautista Calls for Proposals for Fire Protection Services |
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At a Sept. 10 special meeting the San Juan Bautista City Council approved a resolution calling for proposals for fire protection services and forming a special district to address unbalanced fire protection cost sharing. |
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BL Special Report: Restorative Justice Circles Help Incarcerated and at-Risk Youth |
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When Marisol Palomares sets up a room for a restorative justice circle, she begins by making space for conversation. She moves the tables and arranges the chairs in a circle around the room. She opens a box and carefully places … |
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2024 General Election Candidates Q&A: 17th District State Senate |
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In a Senate district that does not have an incumbent because of redistricting that followed the 2020 Census, veteran lawmaker John Laird is facing newcomer Tony Virrueta. |
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Rotary Club of Gilroy to Give Away $75k-Plus |
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The Rotary Club of Gilroy on Oct. 7 will kick off its 2024-25 funding cycle, inviting schools, nonprofits, youth organizations and others to apply for grants. |
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California Public Utilities Commission Approves Infrastructure Funding for San Benito County |
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The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the fifth round of recommended awardees for 10 last-mile broadband projects, awarding a cumulative $91 million worth of grants to projects serving predominantly disadvantaged and low-income communities.Nearly $15 million of those funds is … |
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Hwy 101/25 Interchange Upgrade to Begin Late November |
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Construction on the Highway 25/101 interchange is expected to begin in late fall, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) announced this week. |
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Meet the Candidates: Roxanne Stephens |
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The general election is almost two months away and area voters are getting informed on the local races and measures with large implications for San Benito County’s future. In Hollister, the mayor’s seat will be contested between an incumbent and … |
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Salvation Army and Cesar Chavez Foundation Join Forces to Empower San Benito County Communities |
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The Salvation Army Hollister Corps Community Center, in collaboration with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, is launching an impactful program to empower migrant workers and support the unhoused community in San Benito County. |
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SBCOE Begins Early Literacy Certification Program |
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As part of its Building Bridges to Literacy Initiative, the San Benito County Office of Education will begin the second cohort of its Early Literacy Certification Program on Sept. 14, says a press release from the county office. |
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HHS, Conectado Partner for AI Education |
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Hollister High School is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Conectado Inc. to deliver specialized bootcamps to students in artificial intelligence (AI) and bioinformatics. |
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2024 General Election Candidate Q&A: San Benito Health Care District Board |
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Three seats on the San Benito Health Care District board are up for election on Nov. 5. |
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Gavilan Breaks Ground on New Library, Student Center |
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Gavilan College officials were joined by local and regional representatives, as well as members of the South Valley community, for a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 10 for the college’s new library in Gilroy. |
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Gavilan’s Hollister Campus Nears Completion |
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After years in development, the first phase of Gavilan College’s new campus in Hollister will finish construction in November. This phase consists of a 35,000-square-foot building designed to support classes, administrative services, a cafe, computer labs and other amenities. |
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Recent Statewide News |
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• Audit of Military Equipment Used By UC Police
In compliance of state law, the University of California Regents will be considering the attached audit of inventory and use of military equipment by UC police and a budget request for additional items.
(09/15/2024) → University of California• Which Growing California Communities Will Get the Hottest?
California’s inland regions are experiencing dangerous heat waves, exacerbated by rapid population growth. As more people move away from the expensive coastal areas to more affordable inland communities, these regions are seeing significant demographic changes and spiking electricity bills.
(09/13/2024) → CalMatters• CA Cities Jump on Homeless Encampment Bans
For five years, California officials responding to the homelessness crisis had to work around one big restriction imposed by the federal courts: Because they didn’t have enough shelter beds, cities generally couldn’t make homeless camps illegal.
(09/13/2024) → CalMatters• No Sleeping Bags, Keep Moving: California Cities Increase Crackdown on Homeless Encampments
More than two-dozen California cities passed, strengthened or are considering ordinances that penalize people for sleeping outside, after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed cities to crack down.
(09/11/2024) → CalMatters• California Schools Face Twin Perils: Chronic Absenteeism and Declining Enrollment
California’s public schools have a numbers problem —and it’s not just that their students don’t score very highly in national tests of mathematics ability.
(09/11/2024) → CalMatters• H5N1 Bird Flu Infects California Dairy Cows
H5N1 bird flu has been reported in three California dairy herds.
(09/11/2024) → Los Angeles Times• CA Homeless Count Is Up 8% From 2022
An exclusive CalMatters analysis of the latest California homeless count reveals some good news and bad news: Though the growth rate of homelessness appears to be slowing, the overall number of unhoused Californians increased from two years ago.
(09/10/2024) → CalMatters|
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Government Announcements |
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United States (09/12/2024) Dearborn Sausage Company, Inc. Recalls Wiener Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens |
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2024 - Dearborn Sausage Company, Inc., a Dearborn, Mich. establishment, is recalling approximately 1,944 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) wiener products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the...
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State of California (09/05/2024) Dawn Addis CA Assembly 30: |
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Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Assemblymember Addis toured Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula and honored Dr. Susan Swick as District 30's 2024 Woman of the Year.
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United States (08/30/2024) Hickory Hollow Jerky Recalls Ready-To-Eat Jerky Products Produced Without Benefit of Inspection |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2024 - Hickory Hollow Jerky, a Eufaula, Ala., establishment, is recalling approximately 6,229 pounds of ready-to-eat jerky products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection...
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State of California (08/27/2024) Dawn Addis CA Assembly 30: |
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Monday, August 5, 2024
Assemblymember Addis participated in a ceremony at the State Capitol, honoring Native American Day.
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State of California (08/26/2024) Dawn Addis CA Assembly 30: |
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Monday, August 26, 2024
Asm. Addis spoke at a rally on several bills that aim to hold polluters accountable.
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United States (08/16/2024) FSIS Issues Public Health Alert For Ineligible Meat and Poultry Products Illegally Imported From the Republic of the Union of Myanmar |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for various meat and poultry products that were...
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United States (08/16/2024) Perdue Foods LLC, Recalls Frozen, Ready-To-Eat Chicken Breast Nugget and Tender Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2024 - Perdue Foods LLC, a Perry, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 167,171 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken breast nugget and tender products that may be contaminated...
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United States (08/16/2024) FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Ineligible Meat and Poultry Products Illegally Imported from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for various meat and poultry products that were...
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United States (08/16/2024) Perdue Foods LLC, Recalls Frozen, Ready-To-Eat Chicken Breast Nugget and Tender Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2024 - Perdue Foods LLC, a Perry, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 167,171 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken breast nugget and tender products that may be contaminated...
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State of California (08/13/2024) Dawn Addis CA Assembly 30: |
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Monday, August 12, 2024
Assemblymember Addis honored Assembly Fellow Michael Guerra on the Assembly Floor.
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