Agriculture

WhatMatters

Why parents face a debt + What’s driving one of the year’s most costly races + Whither asparagus

Kids' arrests leave parents in debt. Trump makes play for Nevada on nuclear waste. Farm worker OT bill looms large in Senate race.

By Dan Morain • February 10, 2020

Environment

Exclusive: California climate budget to include $1 billion green loan fund

The four-year proposal would seed innovation in recycling, transit, agriculture and other sectors that could help the state address climate change.

By Judy Lin and Rachel Becker • January 9, 2020

California Divide

California families are hungry while a third of crops rot in fields

Maximina Molina Sanchez is worried about going hungry this winter. She depends on a food bank in Huron to feed her husband and two kids. But with most agricultural workers out of jobs during the winter, demand is bound to increase, so she worries there won’t be enough food to feed everyone who needs it. […]

By Manuela Tobias • October 18, 2019

Environment

On bill to blunt Trump’s environment aims, it’s farms or endangered species — and Newsom must choose

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has been part of negotiations over air, water and endangered-species protections. The governor decries Trump's environmental rollbacks but also seeks harmony with farmers opposing the bill.

By Julie Cart • September 11, 2019

Commentary

Californians must pitch in to make drinking water safe for everyone

Groundwater basins drawn down by years of drought contain dangerously high levels of nitrates, arsenic and other contaminants. One million Californians don't have safe drinking water and nearly 2 million more are not served by a regulated public water system and may not know if their water is contaminated. The Legislature must step in.

By Guest Commentary • May 9, 2019

Newsletters

A shooting, wine, taxes, weed and the homeschool bill that failed

State continues to grapple with gun violence, California could lose in 2020 U.S. Census count, tax breaks for corporations may be costing some cities

By Dan Morain • April 29, 2019

Commentary

Organic food is a rich bounty. Policymakers can help it grow

California agriculture is presented with an opportunity it has only begun to tap. Despite rapid growth in organic food production, only 4 percent of all agricultural land in the state is being farmed organically. We need policies that use organic agriculture as a practical, evidence-based approach to solving the complex challenges facing California.

By Guest Commentary • February 26, 2019

Commentary

My turn: Peace in California’s water wars is within grasp

There’s reason for optimism that there can be a truce in California’s water wars. The State Water Board adopted the first phase of a far-reaching revision to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento‒San Joaquin Delta and its watershed. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom’s support and involvement will be essential to carry this effort to a positive conclusion.

By Guest Commentary • December 19, 2018

Environment

Let it flow: In about-face, state breaks and shifts levees to restore natural floodplains

A growing emphasis on reconnecting California floodplains to rivers so they can absorb floodwaters is a U-turn from past reliance on levees to protect cities and towns.

By Alastair Bland • December 4, 2018

Elections

He voted for farm worker overtime. Farm interests try to make him pay

Agricultural interests have poured $420,000 in recent days into a push to unseat Bakersfield Democrat Rudy Salas Jr., over his vote in 2016 for a landmark bill that grants farm workers overtime.

By Dan Morain • October 24, 2018