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Legislation to help stabilize ag labor workforce in Monterey County, nation unveiled

in Local Roundup

MONTEREY – Faced with a growing labor crisis, five members of the United States House of Representatives, including Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, unveiled bipartisan legislation that provides a path to legal status for undocumented immigrant farmworkers while strengthening employee verification.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019, which could come up for a vote of the full House by the end of the year, aims to ensure farmers can meet their labor needs well into the future.

“One thing is clear … this bill is a prime example of governing by leadership, bipartisanship, farmers and farmworkers, together in the process, sitting at the table with both sides grinding out the details,” said Rep. Panetta. “Understand the number one issue is the lack of a stable labor workforce. This bill is so important because it protects the existing agricultural workforce while supporting an enduring future workforce.”

Nearly 300 California fire departments are battling the Kincade Fire

in Local Roundup

CALIFORNIA, USA — In an instant, hordes of firefighters traveled hundreds of miles from their homes to the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County to help Californians in need.

Nearly 300 fire departments, operational areas, and protection districts charged toward fire line of the raging Kincade Fire, a fire that has forced nearly 200,000 people to leave their homes.

According to Cal Fire, roughly 5,000 fire personnel are involved in the fire fight in Sonoma County. Those firefighters are comprised of crews as near as Bodgea Bay and Santa Rosa and as far as Sacramento, Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Diego. That response is due to the state's fire and rescue mutual aid system, once touted by State Fire and Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris as "the best in the world."

Continue Reading on ABC 10

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Wedding photo showing masked newlyweds in burning California looks apocalyptic

in Local Roundup

Brides are told to always expect the unexpected on their wedding day.

But that took on a new meaning for a Chicago couple who got married in California’s wine country during the Kincade Fire.

Curtis and Katie Ferland traveled from the Windy City to have their dream destination wedding in Sonoma County Saturday, according to the Mercury News. When they landed, they were confronted with the enormous blaze that was ravaging the northern end of the county.

The couple continued their nuptials as planned at the Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, about 30 miles south of where the fire started, but not without a few hiccups, the paper reported.

Continue Reading on USA Today

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Acquitted murder defendant reflects on trial

in Local Roundup

Four months after a Stanislaus County jury found Frank Carson not guilty of murder, the defense attorney is working on moving forward with his life and career, but that is not to say he is ready to let bygones be bygones.

Carson and brothers, Baljit Athwal and Daljit Atwal, who own the Pop N’ Cork stores in Turlock, were facing criminal charges for the death of 26-year-old Turlock resident Korey Kauffman.

Kauffman disappeared at the end of March 2012 and his remains were found in the Stanislaus National Forest in August 2013. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation, which led them to identify Carson as their primary suspect.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

PG&E says 605,000 customers to lose power in 29 Northern California counties starting early Tuesday

in Local Roundup

Pacific Gas & Electric says it will go forward with another round of power shut-offs in 29 Northern California counties to prevent powerful winds from damaging equipment and sparking fires.

PG&E says the latest planned blackout will affect 605,000 customers — about 1.5 million people — starting early Tuesday.

It’s unclear how many of the more than 2 million still without power amid the current shut-off will have it restored before the next round of outages.

The announcement comes as crews battle a huge wildfire in Sonoma County wine country that has destroyed 96 buildings.

Continue Reading on CNBC

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Rep. Josh Harder slams PG&E for California blackouts in floor speech

in Local Roundup

Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, slammed the utility company PG&E for their widespread blackouts in California while giving executives bonuses in a floor speech on October 23, 2019.

Continue Reading on McClatchy

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With raging fires, high winds and blackouts, California is living a disaster movie. Is this the ‘new normal’?

in Local Roundup

SAN FRANCISCO — With its blue skies and bustling tourist traffic, this California city is doing its best to appear normal.

But a closer look reveals a level of chaos more typical of a Hollywood disaster movie.

Downed trees, hurricane force winds, whitecaps on the bay and widespread power outages were the supporting cast of a drama that played up and down the Golden State on Sunday.

As usual, the savage stars were the fires. Back for a repeat performance that Californians now brace for each fall, seven currently rage — including the dangerous Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which is just 5% contained, has consumed 85 square miles and is responsible for displacing 180,000 of the state's 200,000 evacuees.

Continue Reading on USA Today

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California Fire: 500,000 May Lose Power in Another Round of Blackouts

in Local Roundup

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency on Sunday, saying the high winds that have been fueling the blazes in the state were “unprecedented” and pleading with people in evacuation zones to flee.

The Kincade fire, the largest of more than a dozen wildfires now active up and down the state, has burned more than 54,298 acres since Wednesday night in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, and was only 5 percent contained as of Sunday night. Local authorities have ordered more than 180,000 people to evacuate from its path.

“We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires,” Mr. Newsom said, noting that more than 3,000 firefighters were battling the Kincade fire alone.
Continue Reading on New York Times

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Wildfire fueled by monster winds races through Sonoma County, leveling buildings

in Local Roundup

(CNN)A raging wildfire that forced massive evacuations in Northern California scorched thousands of acres in hours -- and is expected to keep growing.

The Kincade Fire ignited Wednesday night in Sonoma County, and burned 16,000 acres by Thursday night. It was fueled in part by high winds that had already prompted California electric utilities to intentionally cut power to thousands of residents.
The blaze had claimed 49 structures by Thursday afternoon, Cal Fire said. It was unclear how many of those lost were homes.
Continue Reading on CNN

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Two people killed in drug-related crash in Merced County. Driver arrested, CHP says

in News

Two people died and one person suffered major injuries Thursday in a head-on traffic collision in Merced County.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened at 5:30 a.m. on Santa Fe Drive, near East Avenue, just south of Denair.

A woman and a male passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. A third man suffered major injuries. All three victims were believed to be in their 30s. They were traveling in a 2004 Chevrolet van that was struck head-on by a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria driven by 43-year-old Charlie Everitt of Sacramento, Officer Eric Zuniga said.

Continue Reading on Merced Sun Star

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