SACRAMENTO – The Clean Water Team, which is “leaping” into 2020, is celebrating its 20th season and 10th year producing the Citizen Monitoring Calendar, a digital planning tool for those interested in protecting water quality and aquatic wildlife, eager to learn more, and willing to help safeguard the state’s waterways.
 
Compiled by the State Water Resources Control Board, this year’s calendar offers a wealth of games, charts, activities and events directed at our youngest volunteers, as well as citizens looking for a deeper dive into the world of water.
 
Let’s start with an introductory quiz: Did you know only one percent of the earth’s water is useable, 99 percent of which is groundwater? That California’s historic drought lasted 376 weeks, extending from Dec. 27, 2011 to March 5, 2019? That trash, packaging and improperly disposed waste on land accounts for 80 percent of the debris found on beaches during cleanups and surveys? Or that the Gregorian calendar adds a “leap day” on February 29 every four years – this year included – to align with earth’s revolution around the sun?
 
These are just a few of the items that can be downloaded for free on the State Water Board’s website. Since not everyone enjoys taking quizzes, the calendar adhered to the “something for everyone” approach.
 
For those curious about the marriage of politics and water, the California legislature’s full schedule of events is included. Those motivated by a compelling movie and a fresh bag of popcorn can attend the Wild & Scenic film festival, which offers segments  about Sequoia & Kings Canyon, climate impact on wildlife in the Andorran Pyrenees, wildfire strategy in the aftermath of the recent damaging conflagrations  within the state, and the impact of trash pollution on the Tabernas Desert in Spain – Europe’s only desert.
 
Those who want to learn more about the health of the state’s streams, rivers and lakes can experiment with maps and links on Love Your River, Lakes Month and the Secchi Dip-In.
 
Additionally, this year’s calendar includes photos from the veteran monitoring groups Heal the Bay, San Diego River Park Foundation and Orange County Coast Keepers, as well as a profile of prominent marine biologist Kristy Finstad, who was among the 34 victims who perished in the dive boat fire off the coast of Santa Barbara on Labor Day Weekend.
 
Finstad, who studied aquatic biology at UC Santa Barbara, worked extensively on water issues during career stops for the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the California Coastal Commission and the City of Santa Cruz Water District, where she oversaw watershed health and protection.
 
The State Water Board and its nine regional boards are dedicated to a single vision: Abundant clean water for beneficial uses and environmental protections that sustain California’s future.
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State Water Resources Control Board, P.O. Box 100, Sacramento, CA 95812-0100 United States

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) are hosting four free commercial cannabis permitting workshops in northern California.
The free workshops are ideal for new and existing cultivators and formatted to help cultivators navigate the state's licensing process. Participants will be able to ask specific project questions, obtain permitting materials, learn about compliance and meet staff.
"We and our state partners are here to assist cultivators that are pursuing a state cultivator license and to explain regulatory compliance associated with commercial cannabis cultivation," said Ryan Mathis, CDFW Environmental Program Manager for the Cannabis Environmental Compliance Program.
CDFA's CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Division will provide an overview of the state's cannabis cultivation licensing program and review the requirements for cannabis farming. CDFW will cover Lake and Streambed Alteration agreements and how to limit environmental impacts. The State Water Board will review its cannabis policy, the permitting process and other important information.
California's cannabis regulations require commercial cultivators to obtain the necessary state licenses and local permits, as well as implement best management practices to reduce environmental impacts.
Workshops are scheduled on the following dates and times.
Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Trinity County Fairgrounds
6000 CA-3
Hayfork
*presentations start at 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Harwood Hall
44400 Willis Avenue
Laytonville
*presentations start at 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 12 will have two sessions: 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 7 p.m.
River Lodge Conference Center
1800 Riverwalk Drive
Fortuna
*presentations will start 30 minutes after the doors open for each session
To learn more about CDFW's cannabis program, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/cannabis or email askcannabis@wildlife.ca.gov. To report environmental crimes, such as pollution, water diversions and poaching, please call the CalTIP hotline at (888) 334-2258 or text information to "TIP411" (847411).
For more information about becoming a licensed commercial cannabis farmer and for an overview of the California Cannabis Track-and-Trace Metrc System, please visit the CDFA CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing Division's website at calcannabis.cdfa.ca.gov, call 1-833-CALGROW (1-833-225-4769) or send an email to calcannabis@cdfa.ca.gov. To report suspected illegal cannabis cultivation or related complaints, please call the CalCannabis toll-free hotline: 1-833-WEED-TIP (1-833-933-3847).
For assistance with the State Water Board's role in cannabis cultivation permitting, please email dwq.cannabis@waterboards.ca.gov or call (916) 341-5580 (Cannabis Cultivation General Order); or email cannabisreg@waterboards.ca.gov or call (916) 319-9427 (cannabis cultivation water rights).
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SACRAMENTO - Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) issued the following statement upon the announcement that the U.S. Senate ratified the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

"The Golden State is the top agriculture state in the nation and our farmers are the sole producers of many foods, including almonds, artichokes, grapes, and walnuts. This trade deal is a 21st century agreement that will strengthen our economy and help these California farmers in their admirable goal to feed the world.
"I want to thank the President for his hard-work to help the United States and our workers with the USMCA," said Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove. 

In December 2019, Senator Grove was one of 26 state leaders from across the United States who signed on to a letter urging Congressional leaders to pass the USMCA. 
In 2019, Senator Grove introduced Senate Joint Resolution 12 which requested the California State Legislature to support and urge Congress to approve the USMCA. SJR 12 passed out of the California State Senate with bipartisan support.
In an op-Ed published in The Fresno Bee, Senator Grove outlined the importance of the USMCA. Click here to read the op-Ed.
 
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Senator Shannon Grove represents California's 16th Senate District which encompasses large portions of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino counties and including the cities of Bakersfield, Barstow, California City, Exeter, Frazier Mountain, Joshua Tree, Mojave, Needles, Ridgecrest, Rosamond, Taft, Tehachapi, Twentynine Palms, Tulare, Visalia, Yucca Valley and portions of the Kern River Valley. She is the Senate Republican Leader. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.


For press inquiries for questions, please contact Jacqui Nguyen, press secretary for the Senate Republican Caucus, at (858) 999-7706.

 
By Dr. Glenn Mollette
 
We usually don't want to just give up, or conclude we don't have what it takes to go on. I've thought about that some lately in trying to learn a difficult fiddle tune. 
 
What have you thought about quitting? Smoking? Alcohol? Drugs? A toxic relationship? There are so many good things in life that require so much work to make them happen.  Yet, when we stay with it there is eventual satisfaction. And, even if we don't finish, we aren't doing a bad thing for trying to do the good things.  
 
There is a process of finishing a course and then retiring from the course. We all retire, quit or are terminated. Kenny Rogers sang, "You have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them." We all do. My dad worked over 30 years in underground coal mining and at the age of 55 he retired. He also quit. He never had any interest in going back to work in the coal mine. 
 
Quitting gives you an opportunity to do something else. If you hang on, then how do you ever have the opportunity to experience the next phase of life? Maybe you don't want to. You like the road you are traveling and you're going to ride it till it ends. There's nothing wrong with that because familiarity and what we know can be very comfortable. It will end though. Life changes. 
 
A man in the Bible said one time, "I've fought a good fight, I've finished the course and I've kept the faith." There are internal and other rewards for hanging in there and not quitting. An old friend used to say often, "The person who loves God most is at his post when all the others have walked away." Have you ever walked away? Maybe you have or that's what you are contemplating today. It doesn't mean life is over, but it will change.  Whatever happens next will require a lot of the same stuff - tenacity, working hard, and staying at your post. You can walk away from a lot of things in life, but you can't always walk away or quit everything because then you'll never accomplish anything. 
 
Can you imagine how all our soldiers have felt on the battle fields? They miss their families and home. They go through the agony of war and they can't escape but fight and hang on until their tour of duty is over.  Because of their tour of service and not quitting we still have our freedom in America. 
 
You may be on your tour of duty right now and it may not be the military. Anything ever accomplished takes a lot of time, concentration and downright survival of the fittest. It's up to you. You have to ask yourself, "Is it worth it to hang on and not quit?" Only you can answer that question. 

Potential Outages Are Possible Due to Approaching Weather
 
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—With unsettled weather expected to return to its service area this week, PG&E is asking customers to have a plan for inclement weather and be prepared for unexpected power outages.
 
PG&E meteorologists are forecasting a change in the weather pattern over Northern and Central California later this week. The most impactful storm of this pattern will start on Wednesday afternoon with wind, rain and mountain snow and last into Thursday. Unsettled weather may continue over the weekend and into the following week.
 
“An impactful winter storm is on the way and we’re asking customers to have a plan to keep themselves and their families safe. Our team of meteorologists is closely tracking the weather system and working with our employees in the field to stage resources and ensure we’re prepared to restore power safely and quickly,” said PG&E senior meteorologist Evan Duffey.
 
PG&E is closely tracking the weather system and will be mobilizing crews and materials into areas expected to feel the brunt of the storm, so they can get to work and restore service to impacted customers more quickly.
PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts, historical data and system knowledge to accurately show where and when storm impacts will be most severe. This model enables the company to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to enable rapid response to outages.
Storm Safety Tips:

• Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
• Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, pets and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
• Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup.
• Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the freezer.
• Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard structures and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines or property.
• Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
• Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
• Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 811 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging to have all underground utilities safely marked.

 
Other tips and more information can be found at www.pge.com/weather.
 
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 24,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Tyler Diep (R-Huntington Beach), Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced they have introduced legislation to address the rising number of car break-ins throughout California. Assembly Bill 1921 will make it easier to prosecute auto-burglary by eliminating the need to prove that a vehicle’s doors were locked when the theft occurred.
 
“Car break-ins have become so common and lucrative that thieves are traveling from the Bay Area to Los Angeles to commit these crimes. AB 1921 is a common sense bill to reduce one of the most common types of property crimes in the state,” said Assemblyman Diep. “It is unacceptable that current law puts the burden of proof on the victim and allows burglars to escape the consequences of their actions. It is time to pass this bill and stop the break-ins.”
 
“Auto break-ins are at epidemic levels. These crimes harm neighborhoods and badly hurt people who can’t afford to keep fixing their car windows and who rely on their cars to survive. People who break into cars must be held accountable. We need to close this ridiculous loophole that allows people who break into cars to avoid consequences,” said Senator Scott Wiener, a co-author of AB 1921, who authored SB 23 and SB 916, which were previous versions of the bill introduced in the past two years.
 
Since 2013, there has been a steady increase of auto burglaries in California. There have been numerous reports, from all over the state, showcasing the problem of auto break-ins. A neighborhood in Fairfield was hit with 28 car break-ins in one night. In the Los Angeles area, perpetrators are targeting unsuspecting tourists in broad daylight. In San Francisco, people are putting signs in their cars claiming there isn’t anything of value inside.
 
AB 1921 will specify that “auto-burglary” is the forcible entry of a vehicle with intent to commit theft. Forcible entry of a vehicle will be defined as damaging the exterior of a vehicle or the use of a tool or device to manipulate the locks. The bill is co-authored by a bipartisan coalition of Senators and Assemblymembers from around the California.
 
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Assemblyman Tyler Diep represents the 72nd Assembly District, which includes Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, and Westminster.
Copyright © 2020, Assembly Republican Caucus, All rights reserved.

 
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that scholarship applications are now being accepted for college-bound high schoolers as well as current college and continuing education students living in Northern and Central California.
 
More than 150 awards totaling nearly $500,000 are being made available through PG&E scholarships, which includes the employee resource group (ERG), engineering network group (ENG) and Better Together STEM scholarship programs.
 
PG&E scholarships information, including criteria and applications, is available on PG&E’s website. To be considered for a scholarship, all applications must be submitted by Feb. 7, 2020.
 
“Helping students in our communities attend college and achieve their goals is a big step toward improving lives. These individuals, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, will be the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. We’re proud to invest in these promising young people,” said Mary King, PG&E vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer.
 
PG&E scholarships are awarded annually to help offset the cost of higher education. ERG scholarship winners will receive awards ranging from $1,000 to $7,000 for exemplary scholastic achievement and community leadership. Better Together STEM Scholarship recipients will receive a one-time scholarship of $1,000 to $10,000 to assist in their pursuit of higher education in engineering, computer science, cybersecurity or environmental sciences.
 
Since 1989, PG&E’s ERGs and ENGs have awarded more than $4.5 million in scholarships to thousands of recipients. The funds are raised totally through employee donations, employee fundraising events and Campaign for the Community, the company’s employee giving program.
 
Since 2012, PG&E’s Better Together STEM scholarship program has given nearly $3.6 million to accomplished students based on a combined demonstration of community leadership, personal triumph, financial need and academic achievement.
 
Funds for Better Together STEM scholarships come from the PG&E Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting charities that address critical social, educational and environmental challenges in the company’s service area. These scholarships are supported by PG&E shareholders.
 
More than 5,000 PG&E employees belong to the ERGs and ENGs. Each group helps further the company’s commitment to serving its communities and growing employee engagement.
 
PG&E’s ERG and ENG scholarships are available through these 12 groups:
 

• Access Network (individuals with disabilities)
• Asian
• Black
• Latino
• Legacy (tenured employees)
• National Society of Black Engineers (STEM career employees)
• NuEnergy (new employees)
• PrideNetwork (LGBT employees)
• Samahan (Filipino)
• Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers (STEM career employees)
• Veterans
• Women’s Network

 
In addition to the PG&E scholarships, the Pacific Service Employees Association (PSEA), a non-profit mutual benefit organization serving PG&E employees and retirees, also provides scholarships for dependents of company employees.
 
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ andhttp://www.pge.com/news.
 
 
  
 

 
(Washington, DC) – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement regarding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeking reimbursement from Pacific, Gas, and Electric’s (PG&E) $13.5 billion fund that was originally set aside for wildfire victims.
 
LaMalfa said: “State and Federal governments should not have the ability to take settlement funds from wildfire victims. It is the government’s job to set aside funds for disasters, and victims should be able to receive the restitution they need. While it may never be able to make them whole, wildfire victims deserve every penny of the $13.5 billion fund to help them rebuild their lives – many from the ground up.
 
I recently sent a bipartisan letter asking FEMA to stand down on seeking a reimbursement from PG&E’s settlement fund for the wildfire victims. While FEMA is in the wrong, this letter did not mention that the State of California is seeking reimbursement from the PG&E compensation fund at the price tag of $3.3 billion. When preparing to respond to the needs of the victims, the state received $2.5 billion of the $3.3 billion from the federal government. The State of California is purposefully slighting its citizens by trying to earmark money from the victims’ compensation fund for themselves.”
 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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