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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. 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

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:


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

Tens of thousands of truck loads of earth will be moved to raise the B.F. Sisk Dam by ten feet.
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.


Yes, Asian pears can be baked

Spices give Asian pears a subtle boost in flavor in this summer-into-fall cobbler.
New! A cobbler perfect for a seasonal transition


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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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West Sacramento News Ledger logo Tiny Home, Big Problems

Resident Robyn Davis has an issue living by the rules here.

The Dirt logo Yolo County Farms Featured in National Tv Series About Ag

Séka Hills, K & J Orchards, Rainwater Ranch and Cultural Roots Nursery Highlighted in “America’s Heartland”

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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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Image of United States seal. United States   (09/12/2024)

Dearborn Sausage Company, Inc. Recalls Wiener Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

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...
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (09/09/2024)

Bill Dodd CA Senate 03:
Sen. Dodd Names Jack London Park Partners Nonprofit of the Year

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, …
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (09/06/2024)

Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry CA Assembly 04:
Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry Applauds Governor's Regulations to Protect Public from Intoxicating Hemp Products

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 …
Image of City of Woodland seal. City of Woodland   (09/04/2024)

Sustainability Advisory Committee Hosts “Green Drinks” Event on Friday, September 13

Quarterly event promotes community and discussion around sustainability and climate change
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (09/03/2024)

Bill Dodd CA Senate 03:
Legislature OKs Sen. Dodd’s Government Ethics Bill

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 …
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (09/01/2024)

Bill Dodd CA Senate 03:
Legislature Approves Sen. Dodd’s ‘Willie Mays Highway’ Bill

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, …
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (08/30/2024)

Bill Dodd CA Senate 03:
Legislature Approves Sen. Dodd’s Camp Coombs Park Bill

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 …
Image of United States seal. United States   (08/30/2024)

Hickory Hollow Jerky Recalls Ready-To-Eat Jerky Products Produced Without Benefit of Inspection

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...
Image of City of Woodland seal. City of Woodland   (08/29/2024)

City Welcomes New Chief of Police

Chief Derrek Kaff to Retire in October
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (08/29/2024)

Bill Dodd CA Senate 03:
Legislature Approves Sen. Dodd’s Elder Fraud Protection Bill

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 …