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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Yolo County's Homepage |
| Direct your browser to https://yolo.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Yolo 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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Big Brothers Big Sisters |
Big Brother Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported mentorship. The chapter serves Sacramento and Yolo counties, as well as southern Placer County.
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From Our Media Allies |
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Tiny Home, Big Problems |
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Resident Robyn Davis has an issue living by the rules here. |
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Yolo County Farms Featured in National Tv Series About Ag |
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Séka Hills, K & J Orchards, Rainwater Ranch and Cultural Roots Nursery Highlighted in “America’s Heartland” |
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Davis Farm to School 101 |
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The nonprofit bringing hands-on garden and farm education to schools in Yolo County . |
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Recent Local News |
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• Report on Annual Solidarity Summit on Homelessness
A Solving Sacramento report on the September 7 Solidarity Summit on Homelessness.
(09/16/2024) → CapPublicRadio• PBS Spotlights Yolo County Farms
The PBS "America's Heartland" series will feature segments about four Yolo County farms in the upcoming season.
(09/15/2024) → Daily Democrat• Woodland Will Host ‘Prohousing’ Hearing
A public hearing will be held on September 17 by the Woodland City Council as it considers the process and advantages of being a state designated "Prohousing Community."
(09/15/2024) → Daily Democrat• Woodland Considers Land Purchase
The City of Woodland is considering the purchase of 2.6 acres next to the recently opened Vista Del Robles housing complex for the development of more housing.
(09/15/2024) → Daily Democrat• Yolo Food Bank Offers Drive-Through Program
Working with the Woodland Community College, the Yolo Food Bank is offering drive-though food pickups on Thursdays at the college parking lot at 2300 East Gibson Road.
(09/13/2024) → Daily Democrat|
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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 (09/09/2024) Bill Dodd CA Senate 03: |
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Monday, September 9, 2024GLEN ELLEN Deploying its cadre of dedicated volunteers and generous donors, Jack London Park Partners has managed Jack London State Historic Park since 2012, preserving the parks natural character and recreational opportunities for more than 100,000 visitors each year. For its success in maintaining the former home of one of Californias most beloved writers, Sen. Bill Dodd, …
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State of California (09/06/2024) Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry CA Assembly 04: |
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Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry Applauds Governor's Regulations to Protect Public from Intoxicating Hemp Products
beltrala
Fri, 09/06/2024 - 12:01
John Ferrera
Chief of Staff
916-402-8900
John.Ferrera@asm.ca.gov
Friday, September 6, 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D- Winters) and key stakeholders, including the California Cannabis Industry Association and United Food and Commercial Workers, applaud the Governors proposed emergency regulations to …
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City of Woodland (09/04/2024) Sustainability Advisory Committee Hosts “Green Drinks” Event on Friday, September 13 |
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Quarterly event promotes community and discussion around sustainability and climate change
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State of California (09/03/2024) Bill Dodd CA Senate 03: |
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Sunday, September 1, 2024SACRAMENTO The California Legislature on Saturday approved legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would update conflict of interest laws to ensure local governments and other parties can more effectively implement and follow the law to prevent corruption or the appearance of corruption.
This bill builds on the states local government ethics safeguards by focusing in on …
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State of California (09/01/2024) Bill Dodd CA Senate 03: |
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Sunday, September 1, 2024SACRAMENTO The California Legislature approved a resolution from Sens. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and colleagues statewide to name a portion of Interstate 80 in San Francisco after the late baseball icon, Willie Mays.
This is an absolute homerun, Sen. Dodd said. Willie Mays endeared himself to generations of San Francisco Giants fans, including myself, …
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State of California (08/30/2024) Bill Dodd CA Senate 03: |
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Friday, August 30, 2024SACRAMENTO Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today the California Legislature has approved his measure to allow the state of California to sell land at Napa State Hospital known as Camp Coombs to Napa County for inclusion in Skyline Wilderness Park.
This new parcel, when combined with the adjacent and much larger Skyline Wilderness Park, will be a …
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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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City of Woodland (08/29/2024) City Welcomes New Chief of Police |
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Chief Derrek Kaff to Retire in October
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State of California (08/29/2024) Bill Dodd CA Senate 03: |
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Thursday, August 29, 2024SACRAMENTO The California Legislature today approved a measure from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would strengthen elder and dependent adult financial abuse protections by clarifying the duties of banks and financial institutions to safeguard against fraud.
Today we take an important step toward underscoring what steps a bank or credit union should take to protect against senior …
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