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May 16, 2013
This Is Pure Insanity!
So, 170,000 acre feet literally down the drain while farmers are cut another 42,500 acre feet. You can't make this stuff up.
May 15, 2013
What's the Biggest Problem in the Delta?
The Sacramento Bee is trying their best to poo-poo the idea that sewage, ammonia, pathogen and pharmaceutical pollution from their sewage treatment plant are to blame
May 08, 2013
Releasing Criminals and the Delta Smelt
In the case of the Delta Smelt, the decision was made without regard to the human species
May 06, 2013
The Valley Water Pledge
What are we going to do today, tomorrow, or next year until dams and tunnels are built in 10 or 20 years?
May 01, 2013
What's Good for the Goose...!!
You know what we want? We want the same deal they got.
Apr 29, 2013
We Can See Where This is Going
So, it's beginning to look like Plan A, the 15,000 cfs BDCP is morphing into Plan B, the 3,000 cfs BDCP with promises of storage somewhere down the line.
Apr 26, 2013
Fresno Gets What Farmers Got From Day One!
The high-speed rail folks are treating Fresno like it’s something smelly on the bottom of their shoes.
Apr 24, 2013
Wasted Water
1,820 acre feet PER DAY are now flowing down the San Joaquin River in an ill-conceived effort to save the salmon.
Apr 22, 2013
The Last Sentence in the Story!
No matter how much support farmers give to the political opposition, nothing constructive ever seems to happen.
Apr 16, 2013
Mark Had It! When Will the Others?
Congressman Devin Nunes has been telling people like Borba that they are wasting their time and money supporting Democrats like Feinstein and Governor Brown because they "laugh at these guys over drinks, playing them for money."
Apr 12, 2013
The Great Delta Toilet Bowl Continues!
Every time the Sacramento politicians flush they are polluting the drinking water of 25 million people downstream
Apr 10, 2013
Who Will Lead?
Local officials like mayors, councilmen and supervisors apparently have not seen this as their fight.
Apr 08, 2013
Moral High Ground?
The information on the Times front page could never justify an endorsement of high-speed rail on the editorial page.
Apr 04, 2013
How Long Will Wastewater Keep Killing the Smelt?
No matter how many smelt are killed by this wastewater, the only consequences being paid for dead smelt are being paid by Central Valley farmers.
Apr 02, 2013
What About the Next 20 Years?
Are we just going to sit around with 20% water allocations for 20 years until these tunnels get built? If they ever get built?
Apr 01, 2013
This Is Good News?
The California High-Speed Rail Authority's continued reliance on additional federal spending is naive and misguided at best.
Mar 27, 2013
Cyprus & Water Allocation
We would suggest that the average Joe now understands what it's like to be a farmer in California when water allocations are announced
Mar 21, 2013
Who Are We Kidding? We Are Cyprus!
What's amazing to us is that people don't seem to understand that it is happening here, only in a much more subtle way
Mar 19, 2013
Tunnels: Will They Ever Be Built?
Within minutes of the announcement, however, there were already threats of lawsuits and ballot initiatives to stop it.
Mar 17, 2013
High-Speed Rail and the Twilight Zone
The only conclusion we can draw is that those pushing this project be be living in a different reality
Mar 15, 2013
The BDCP Is Here!! (Sort Of)
The NRDC's 'portfolio' approach "will rob 750,000 acres of the world's best farmland of its water supply."
Mar 13, 2013
Big Deal or No Bid Deal?
We would expect more from what is billed to be the biggest water news since the advent of the Delta Smelt and the San Joaquin River Restoration Act
Mar 11, 2013
Budget Negligence? Or Just Politics As Usual!!
We suspect that as governments found that they could spend money on all kinds of services that helped secure votes, they kicked the replacement infrastructure costs down the road
Mar 06, 2013
Does It Never End?
Only the California High-Speed Rail Authority would put them at the front of the line because they are convicted felons.
Mar 04, 2013
Another Bump-in-the-Road for High-Speed Rail?
High-speed rail has had more bumps and grinds than a North Beach pole dancer.
Mar 01, 2013
Insanity!
The initial 25 percent is the lowest since 2009 following a drought year, not a bureaucratic drought like this year.
Feb 25, 2013
NRDC 'Small Ball' Strategy
By the way, the NRDC doesn't call their plan the 'screw the farmer and Central Valley plan' which it what it should be called, but rather the 'portfolio-based conceptual alternative'
Feb 21, 2013
Is 20% the New 50%?
Westlands Water District officials have warned their farmers to expect to get only 20% of their water this year.
Feb 14, 2013
Ghosts of the Water Bond
There was more for-sure money in the water bond to prevent water storage than to create new water storage
Feb 12, 2013
The 'Farmer' Ad in the Super Bowl
Life for farmers has been generally good for the past few years. But, it's not because your lawmakers are trying to make it easier.
Feb 11, 2013
Politicians in Sacramento Don't Understand Economics!
Many people moved their money around and took the gains at the end of last year to avoid higher rates after the first of the year.
Feb 06, 2013
Water Bureaucrats
He has an uphill battle within his own party considering the past positions of the leaders of the Democratic Party in California.
Feb 05, 2013
Another Nail in the Coffin?
You will see a mixture of alphabet soup like you've never seen before. And it's all there to make your life more miserable.
Feb 04, 2013
Dam(n) Relicensing!
All the other 34 studies appear to lean in favor of environmentalists (suprise!). Need we say more!
Jan 29, 2013
David vs. Goliath
The High Speed Rail issue will be an interesting battle between the powerful and elite vs. the ordinary folks just trying to save their homes & livelihood
Jan 28, 2013
Is It the Train or the Tunnels?
If it's either/or, which one do Californians need the most? Water or a train?
Jan 25, 2013
Water Sale Could Cost Modesto Plenty!
In other words, if you think you have enough excess water to sell, then we (the state) certainly have a use for it and will be glad to take it off your hands.
Jan 22, 2013
HSR: How Much Per Mile?
Even as the price came down, the cost per mile continued to go up.
Jan 18, 2013
San Diego Taking the Bait!
It looks to us like environmentalists have come to the conclusion that some form of the BDCP is going to happen.
Jan 16, 2013
Rx for California
The biggest challenge facing the state is the demise of upward mobility for the vast majority of Californians. The cure: Economic growth.
Jan 14, 2013
Normal Isn't Normal Any More!
Or maybe we should just say normal isn't anywhere near the 100% farm contracts say are supposed to be delivered.
Jan 11, 2013
Flawed Science
More water agencies are daring to fight biological opinions that they believe are flawed
Jan 10, 2013
More $, Less Water
One sure thing you can bet on is that at the end of all this spending the districts will receive less water.
Jan 07, 2013
SWRCB & FERC Want the Water Now and Will Look for the Benefits Later!
We can no longer simply say that fish need more water. It's more complicated than that.
Jan 03, 2013
More Proof As If We Needed It!
This story should show us all how far into the rule book environmentalists and officials within the water and energy bureaucracy will dig to find technicalities
Jan 02, 2013
Here's a Wake Up Call the Valley Should Heed!
Relicensing is the latest trick in their bag of tricks.
Dec 27, 2012
Wild and Scenic Roadblock
For too long, the most radical of the environmental community has been allowed to set policy for our society.
Dec 21, 2012
More Regulations!
Some people have removed themselves from the regulatory environment by dropping out of the rat race altogether, all thanks to the same government that is regulating the rest of us to death.
Dec 18, 2012
Wind + Solar = Fossil
The more wind and solar energy we produce the more fossil fuel we need to back it up.
Dec 10, 2012
The Food Stamp Bill
80% of the farm bill is related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.
Dec 07, 2012
Elections Have Consequences
Many of the problems with HSR in the Valley have been self inflicted by the arrogant and dismissive attitude of the engineering firms hired to do the outreach
Dec 06, 2012
Equal Playing Field?
Our olive oil producers are in Washington asking for a level playing field while our own Dept. of State is spending 100's of millions to help a foreign country.
Dec 04, 2012
No Dams in Water Bond?
We will now apparently spend another $11B and still have no new water and now new reservoirs.
Nov 29, 2012
How Much for S.J. River Restoration? Part 2
So, is it $400M, $800M, $892M, $1B or $2B?
Nov 28, 2012
All-American Water Deal With Mexico?
The old saying "we might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night" comes to mind
Nov 26, 2012
Everywhere You Look!
The Republican Party is constantly attacked as the 'party of no', but who is more a 'party of no' than environmentalists?
Nov 16, 2012
New FPV Radio Ad
Our new radio commercial urges Republicans in the House of Representatives to hold the line on increased government spending.
Nov 12, 2012
Put Students Before Fish!
California could have avoided most of the $2 billion funding cut it imposed on higher education this year or given another 61,500 students four-year scholarships.
Nov 02, 2012
20th Anniversary of CVPIA
Some of us aren't celebrating
Oct 31, 2012
Lucy, Charlie Brown and the Football
The latest version of Lucy's water deal is the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan which is the tunnel deal
Oct 26, 2012
There's a Sucker Born Every Day!
"It is in my estimation, the most dangerous decision for the Inland Empire that could ever come down from a court"
Oct 25, 2012
Westlands & Prop 30
It will be a lot easier for Westlands to make their case that SoCal should support the water plan if they can say they supported the Governor's tax plan
Oct 23, 2012
Building Bridges, Not Dams
And that's our problem with Senator Feinstein. Most of what she does when it comes to water does little to settle the matter.
Oct 18, 2012
Bandit River
"It is more like a one-sided win for politicians and environmentalists at the cost of farmers and the public purse."
Oct 12, 2012
Farmers, Salmon Both Win
Not only did water get taken from farmers, but rates for the water farmers did get were increased to pay for the restoration.
Oct 04, 2012
The Human Right to Water
So instead of passing a bill that would pay for the fixes, the legislature passes a highfalutin bill that sounds good but does nothing.
Sep 27, 2012
A Bankrupt City and the Delta Smelt
On the one hand we have highly paid government workers and retirees with expensive salaries, pensions and health care demanding more and more, and on the other hand we have environmentalists doing all they can to destroy the businesses needed to pay them.
Sep 25, 2012
The Williamson Act
But, make no mistake about it, this is policy created by central planners(legislators) to get what they wanted, not a tax give-a-way to a special interest group.
Sep 19, 2012
Water Regs for Ponds?
So we have 25 new enforcement personnel to track them down and hand out the tickets.
Sep 17, 2012
The Koch Brothers
On environmental issues, the count is 553 liberal groups against 32 conservative ones, and the left has 462 times the funding of the right.
Sep 14, 2012
The Humane Treatment of Farm Workers Act
The problem we have is something Nancy Pelosi said: "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it."
Sep 07, 2012
John Diener's High-Speed Rail
If Mr. Diener is so in favor of High Speed Rail, maybe he should recommend it go through his land on I-5 instead of appearing to ‘sellout’ his fellow farmers
Sep 06, 2012
How Much For S.J. River Restoration?
So, it looks like the Bee knows when the government says something will cost $900M and maybe $2B, it means it will cost $2B.
Sep 04, 2012
Delta Lessons 101
The article below explains that the cost of wholesale water from the Metropolitan Water District has gone up 75% since 2008
Aug 30, 2012
So, How Are We Doing?
And, while all this isn't going on, our legislators in Sacramento continue to sit in their think-tanks trying to find ways to make it even more difficult to farm.
Aug 22, 2012
Bankruptcies: Connecting the Dots!
The political mismanagement of our finances is no different than the mismanagement of our water supplies
Aug 21, 2012
Editorial: Argument for High-Speed Rail? Or Amtrak?
Maybe they're making a better case for Amtrak rather than high-speed rail without even realizing it.
Aug 16, 2012
JFK Revisited!
The devisiveness comes primarily from the environmental faction of the Democrat Party.
Aug 06, 2012
Devin's Deal or Tunnel Deal?
Remember H.R. 1837? It was Devin Nunes' solution to California's water war
Jul 30, 2012
SoCal Learning About the Delta!
Water's a utility. People turn on the faucet, water comes out, end of story.
Jul 26, 2012
The Peripheral Tunnel
Like a lot of others involved in the water debate we are going to take our time to look at this, see if it makes sense, then take a stand
Jul 25, 2012
Intelligent and Inspired Leadership - A Rare Commodity in California
The Clovis Chamber of Commerce reverses its stand on the project and its reasoning is included below.
Jul 23, 2012
Groundwater Regs Are Next!
Now the same regulators who took our surface water supplies are concerned that our groundwater is being depleted. Duh!
Jul 21, 2012
Higher Ed, Taxes, Pay Raises & HSR
The governor has sent out his univerity presidents to tell the voters if his tax increase doesn't pass, higher ed will suffer. What are we to do?
Jul 14, 2012
Made in China!
But has no problem using USDA government money to purchase food from China to feed Central Valley farmworkers who are out of work.
Jul 12, 2012
Water Bond: Where's the Common Sense?
Are they just hoping the economy comes roaring back so strong voters won't care about all the pork in 2014?
Jul 07, 2012
Exactly Backwards!
They kicked the water problem, which we really need to solve, down the road, and moved full speed ahead on the not-so-high-speed rail
Jul 05, 2012
Austerity and Mega-Spending
The bullet train won't be on the November ballot, but it will be on many Californians' minds as they decide the fate of Gov. Jerry Brown's tax proposal.
Jun 30, 2012
Two Frauds: Obamacare & HSR
Are the people who support Obamacare in touch with the American people? Are the supporters of HSR in touch with the people of California?
Jun 25, 2012
How the World Works?
The Chinese don't give aid to countries; they invest in countries.
Jun 22, 2012
Rare Display of Sanity!
Environmentalists, farmers, and fiscal conservatives rallied together to form an unbeatable coalition
Jun 18, 2012
Farm Worker Safety Act
AB 2346 will require that water shall be provided at a distance no more than 10 feet from any agricultural employee. 10 feet?
Jun 15, 2012
Have Something Good To Say About High-Speed Rail?
Since we can't find any good news about the project, we'd like to offer anyone out there who is for the project the opportunity to write their positive reasons for supporting it.
Jun 11, 2012
Ashley & Jerry: Connect the Dots!
But he undermines the frugality image by continuing to champion a financially indefensible plan to link the major metropolitan areas of the state
Jun 08, 2012
Wasting Water
No one ever thinks to look at environmental water wasting. But, they waste the most of all.
Jun 02, 2012
What's Good for the Goose
If environmental rules can be used to halt construction of anything good for farming, why not use the same rules to halt construction
May 30, 2012
HSR: Fiction vs. Reality
Now we get news that we will have to breathe even worse air for 20-years before we get any benefits from high-speed rail
May 29, 2012
15%+ Unemployment, But Workers Hard to Find
Do we really want to keep borrowing money for people who say they want a job, but don't want some jobs because they say they're just too hard?
May 24, 2012
Governor: Environmental Rules Are Too Cumbersome!
But now, the state has two major projects it wants to build, high-speed rail and a tunnel to send water under the delta, and it's going to fast-track the projects
May 16, 2012
Showdown in Tombstone!
Rangers say the Wilderness Act prohibits "motorized" or "mechanized" equipment because it might damage the wilderness and disturb endangered species.
May 09, 2012
NRDC's Deception
The NRDC and Barry Nelson continue to keep the myth afloat that "the core problem (of the Delta) is the amount of water we pump out of that system"
May 08, 2012
Feinstein Opponent Announces Water Policy
As McClatchy News reported on March 27th, "running for re-election this year, the 78-year-old Feinstein hasn't yet broken a sweat against unknown and underfunded Republican opponents."
May 04, 2012
$1B of Private Money for High-Speed Rail?
A billion and more? Wow! There's only one problem: "The group doesn't have money in the bank."
Apr 30, 2012
High-Speed Rail: A Better Idea
Wouldn't it make more sense to build a segment from Bakersfield to Los Angeles first?
Apr 27, 2012
FPV Radio Campaign
The commercial time for the campaign has been generously donated by Gar Tootelian Inc. in Reedley
Apr 25, 2012
99.5% of Birds Survive Drought!
"The bacterial disease, which does not affect humans, killed only a small proportion of the 1.8 million to 2 million birds."
Apr 24, 2012
Just Be Honest!
"The only analysis that says it makes sense is High-Speed Rail [Authority board members] themselves."
Apr 23, 2012
The Great California Exodus
"The progressive war on the middle class" which is being fought with 'smart growth', AB32, the bullet train, green jobs, taxes and water policy.
Apr 18, 2012
The Walmart Dilemma
Why are so many people unemployed? Why are so many people homeless?
Apr 12, 2012
Where Are the Kennedys?
JFK's speech is inspiring, a bipartisan support for growing food and jobs for Americans. Why do we no longer hear this from the Democrats?
Apr 11, 2012
No Delta Solutions!
Once again, like other studies done before, there is no way to identify one stressor or even list in any order a number of stressors
Apr 05, 2012
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You...
Realize you are being bribed, realize you are now a crony capitalist, realize you sold out to make a few bucks.
Apr 04, 2012
California Farmers Feel Pain
"Being a farmer in California is worse than going to Las Vegas," said Mark Borba
Apr 02, 2012
How to Make a $35B Increase Look Like a $30B Decrease
Could we just please get back to a $33-billion plan that was on the ballot?
Mar 30, 2012
Is the Fix In?
Are the Governor, the California High Speed Rail Authority, and a few environmental groups trying to circumvent the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for high-speed rail?
Mar 28, 2012
The Bullet Train and the Law
Does it even matter to California bullet train proponents that the current project doesn't come close to resembling what was passed by voters in 2008?
Mar 26, 2012
Extending a Hand
The people who have put years into the effort to put the Water Bond on the ballot are getting what they always get when they 'extend a hand': it gets chopped off.
Mar 19, 2012
Does Dianne Feinstein Oppose Removal of Klamath Dams?
Oh wait! Senator Feinstein didn't say that.
Mar 15, 2012
Winning The Lottery
If I were an employeee I would be asking myself how the Mayor can ask me to work for less while she advocates spending $100-billion for high-speeed rail.
Mar 13, 2012
And Then There Is Reality!
What if the entire end game of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) which appears to be to build a tunnel under the Delta is all about making water so expensive that farmers can't afford it?
Mar 08, 2012
Devin's Deal or Tunnel Deal?
Can the ag community afford their share of building it, their share of the debt service and try to make a living for the 10 or 20 years it's going to take before they get any water out of it?
Mar 05, 2012
Gleickgate
Gleick, and many like him, are so convinced that their side of arguments are the only side that they will do anything to discredit their opponents.
Mar 01, 2012
House Passes Nunes Water Bill
We spent the better part of 5 hours yesterday watching and listening to the debate in the U.S. House of Representatives over the Water Reliability Act
Feb 28, 2012
Can Valley Ag Unite for Water?
According to Nunes, the Friant Water Users Authority professional management and their lobbyists are working behind the scenes to scuttle his legislation
Feb 27, 2012
Nunes Lays It on the Line and Names Names!
In particular, Nunes names the Friant Water Users Authority professional management and lobbyists who he says have refused to allow their members to take an up or down vote on his bill.
Feb 24, 2012
McClintock: Just the Facts!
The first article below is a response by Congressman Tom McClintock to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the Water Reliability Act
Feb 21, 2012
Watching Hetch Hetchy
It's ironic that San Francisco has committed the biggest environmental rape of all, but to get water we all must make some environmental sacrifices
Feb 17, 2012
What's Their Solution?
Instead of solving problems during the wet years we continued to kick the can down the road and now we're in for a rough water year.
Feb 10, 2012
Carefully Disguised Stripers
The simple logic of this is to reduce the number of striped bass available to eat salmon and smelt, therefore leaving more endanged species alive at the end of the day.
Feb 08, 2012
NRDC Disinformation Campaign
The environmentalists will never stop their campaign of disinformation, misleading stories and lawsuits.
Feb 06, 2012
The Striped Bass Saga
It would seem that if you want to protect endangered species you would do something about the not-endangered fish that are eating them.
Feb 02, 2012
This Is Kinda Scary!
78% of all Californians don't know what the Delta is. 86% of Southern Californians do not know about the Delta.
Feb 01, 2012
Nobody Wants To Pay!
We don't think any one entity should have to shoulder the burden of the Delta's problems, but there's only one group being penalized year after year.
Jan 27, 2012
Keystone Pipeline vs. California High-Speed Rail
Does anyone doubt that had this exact same route been for high speed rail, rather than a pipeline, it would already have been approved?
Jan 24, 2012
Demolish O'Shaughnessy Dam?
It's amusing to watch the enviros in San Francisco defend their source of water after spending most of their political careers trying to destroy ours.
Jan 19, 2012
Trains vs. Dams
A dam at Temperance Flat is estimated to cost $2 billion, 1/50th of the projected cost of high-speed rail, yet there are no concrete plans to build it.
Jan 17, 2012
The Spain Train
Why bother sending a reporter all the way to Spain if you're not going to listen to the evidence he brings back?
Jan 09, 2012
Sham Science Vindicates Sham Scientists!
If we told you the President of Resolve is the former Executive Director of GreenpeaceUSA, you might have some doubts about how neutral they would be.
Jan 06, 2012
High-Speed Denial
Predictably, officials at the California High-Speed Rail Authority reacted as they always do, with high-speed denial
Dec 29, 2011
Young Farmers?
Why would a young person want to get into a business that doesn't allow you to know how many acres you will be able to plant next year because you don't know how much water you will have?
Dec 27, 2011
Delta Stressors: Where to Begin?
If they think ranking Delta stressors is a tough job, they should try farming where you have to deal with what Mother Nature gives you, what politicians take from you, and what scientists claim to be the 'truth'.
Dec 23, 2011
High-Speed Rail Jobs Estimate Too Good to Be True!
"First, they counted every year of work as a separate job. So if one person were to work 10 years, that would count as 10 jobs."
Dec 22, 2011
We Have to Pass It to See What's In It!
Silly to think we have to pass a bill to find out what's in it, isn't it? Not really. It's actually the way things work.
Dec 20, 2011
The Water War Is Still On!
You can read the letter below and see how the Congressmen implore Secretary Salazar to make sure the "new Delta Smelt biological opinion be clearly grounded in the best available science, not just the best science the federal agencies have to offer."
Dec 19, 2011
Whether You Like It Or Not!
The City of Bakersfield just voted to oppose the project, and what was the reaction of the High-Speed Rail Authority? The usual arrogance they display for all who quesiton their infinite wisdom
Dec 15, 2011
Double-Crossed Again!!
The Bureau of Land Management is proposing to give a 5.4 mile stretch of the San Joaquin River 'scenic river' status.
Dec 06, 2011
Wanger & Westlands
It appears that the editorial boards can't find anything wrong with what he's doing, but they just don't like it.
Nov 18, 2011
FPV Board Member Helps Secure Bush for Farm Show
When Families Protecting the Valley Board Member Mark Watte gave a helicopter tour of Valley ag
Nov 17, 2011
How to Build a Healthy Economy
California's bureaucracy needs to get out of the way, and we need to elect people that can make it happen.
Nov 14, 2011
There's A Lot Worse Than Pork in the Water Bond!
All we hear about regarding the Water Bond is the pork, but pork is only the beginning of the problems in this legislation.
Nov 07, 2011
The High-Speed Rail Outreach Program in Action
What has this country come to when the Occupy Wall Street protesters are allowed to take over communities and trash them without consequence, but in this case, the citizens in Central California are threatened with police actions when trying to express th
Nov 03, 2011
Shouldn't We Really Vote Again?
We would suggest, as others do below, that since this isn't what we voted for in 2008 that we get a chance to vote again
Nov 01, 2011
OKV: Occupy Klamath Valley
While you keep one eye on the Occupy Wall Street movement, we recommend you keep the other on events surrounding the removal of four Klamath River Dams.
Oct 28, 2011
'Zealot' Scientist Receives Award for Her Work!
Instead of going back to the drawing board and re-doing their bad science, the Fish & Wildlife Service gave one of the scientists their Star Award
Oct 27, 2011
Community Colleges Cheerleading for HSR!
Should not the function of an educational system be to objectively study and evaluate this project instead of being a cheerleader for it?
Oct 26, 2011
Water=Jobs, Now Air=Jobs!
But a cost-benefit analysis is necessary when implementing something as draconian as AB32 which is an effort to cap greenhouse gas emissions with the cap-and-trade emision system.
Oct 24, 2011
2030
The funny thing is that even as recently as five years ago we would have laughed at this possibility, but it doesn't seem so far fetched now, does it?
Oct 20, 2011
Who's Not Bringing Their Water to the Table?
These diversions are bigger than the water pumped from the South Delta to farms and urban areas in the southern half of the state.
Oct 19, 2011
Economics & Water
That's why we pay attention when we see headlines like the following: Lowes to Close 20 Stores (affecting 1950 employees), Gap to Close 189 US Stores, Expand in China, Walmart Plans Smaller Stores, Best Buy to Reduce Square Footage by 10%, Mall Vacancie
Oct 18, 2011
The Dam Problem!
There are always the expected lawsuits over endangered fish and scenic rivers not to mention climate change.
Oct 14, 2011
Is It Rain or Pumping Restrictions?
You can believe the NRDC or you can believe Judge Wanger
Oct 12, 2011
When The Rubber Hits The Road!
The train will cut a 20-mile diagonal through the heart of the city, impacting 15-20% of land area.
Oct 11, 2011
The River vs. The Dam
The Merced River has 122.5 miles of Wild and Scenic River designation. This modification of the Exchequer Dam would impact 1/2 mile of it.
Oct 07, 2011
Water Police
The U.S had the right to stop him from plowing because it could ruin the ponds and hurt the fairy shrimp and salamanders
Oct 06, 2011
Why Did the Chicken Plant Close and 185 Workers Lose Their Jobs?
Well, it all starts with the benevolent idea of biofuels
Oct 05, 2011
High-Speed Rail: A Better Idea!
Maybe instead of clinging to an idea that just gets worse and worse, it would be prudent to 'think outside the box' for a change
Oct 04, 2011
How Many Water Plans Are There? We Don't Know Either!
"I know of no one who has all of these in his/her head and can see how they fit together."
Sep 28, 2011
230,000 New EPA Jobs!
The cost of all this is being billed at $21 billion, which doesn't include the economic cost of the regulations themselves.
Sep 26, 2011
What Do You Call the Generation That Demolishes What The 'Greatest Generation' Built?
Why is it that if we all loved 'The Greatest Generation' we are so unlike them?
Sep 23, 2011
Job Creation Through Destruction!
They believe in tearing down dams to create jobs.
Sep 22, 2011
Science Gets A Black Eye!
It is ever more apparent to more and more people that scientists are nothing more than politicians in white coats.
Sep 19, 2011
Why The U.S. Economy Is Going To Hell!
It is damn near impossible to keep up with the insanity that passes for economic policy in this country
Sep 17, 2011
Wanger Court: Environmental 'Bad Faith' Exposed Again!
The enviros continue to try to shove the 'bad science' down our throats with the help of the courts
Sep 14, 2011
Who Are These Scientists and What Is Their Agenda?
We're all starting to see that politics might be more important to some scientists than science
Sep 07, 2011
Environmental Money Machine
The vast majority of large, well known environmental groups are nothing more than money machines
Sep 07, 2011
Labor Day Breakfast Dreams
It's necessary to make a point about 'green' energy. It's not about politics.
Sep 06, 2011
Record Income For California Farms!
But when the rain stops, we'll be right back where we started because nothing's been done to fix the problems
Sep 02, 2011
Wanger Retirement: Good News or Bad News?
So, someone is going to have to absorb his caseload including ruling over these very important water issues
Sep 01, 2011
Farrmers Prevail Over Enviro Junk Science Again!
Today we have Judge Wanger's ruling calling environmental junk science and credibility into question once again
Aug 30, 2011
Squeezing A Balloon!
When there are water problems in one area it impacts other areas as well, like squeezing a balloon.
Aug 29, 2011
Reaching Across the Aisle
For all his work with the Democrats his reward is to be removed from the California Water Commission
Aug 25, 2011
Sucker Punched!
We have our Delta Smelt. In Southern California they have their Santa Ana Sucker.
Aug 24, 2011
Water Trumps Rail!
The governor should push ahead with water plans, and sidetrack the high-speed rail proposal before it rolls over taxpayers.
Aug 23, 2011
Obama's Paradoxes
The fiscal and regulatory policies coming out of Washington (and out of Sacramento) have not worked, yet leaders who believe in them want more of the same.
Aug 22, 2011
Rachel Maddow And Hoover Dam
When we saw MSNBC's Rachel Maddow standing in front of Hoover Dam in a t.v. promotion (called 'Lean Forward') proudly extolling the virtues of building dams, we about fell off the couch.
Aug 20, 2011
The ESA in SF
Now if that was a Swainson's hawk nest anywhere in the San Joaquin Valley all human activity within a radius of up to 1 mile would have to come to a dead screeching halt
Aug 19, 2011
EPA Ozone Levels Too Tough For Yellowstone Park!
“As soon as Obama was elected president, the radicals at the EPA are just running wild”
Aug 18, 2011
U.S. Funding New Dam In Pakistan?
Why is it that we can build a dam in Pakistan, but not in California?
Aug 17, 2011
Obama To Unveil Plan To Boost Rural Jobs!
He could boost rural jobs in the San Joaquin Valley at zero-cost by not allowing fish to be more important than people.
Aug 16, 2011
How About A Hearing For People?
There is so much concern for the fish, but not too much for the people who create the jobs and pay most of the taxes.
Aug 15, 2011
Unemployment As Stimulus?
Apparently its hard for even "highly educated" people to think things through, and that's why we are where we are
Aug 12, 2011
Wonder Why The EPA Is The Way It Is?
The Obama administration announces it is expanding a liberals-only internship program that we don't need with money we don't have.
Aug 11, 2011
Regulation Nation!
At a time when deregulation should be the order of the day, it's just the opposite
Aug 10, 2011
Hey! I Have An Idea!
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom thinks something is wrong with the economy of California. Yah think?
Aug 09, 2011
California's HSR Boondoggle Was Predictable - And Predicted!
“This is the first time I am unable to endorse a high-speed rail plan,” he told the senators, saying that he found the California High Speed Rail Authority’s work to be “the poorest I have ever seen.”
Aug 08, 2011
We Can't Let West Side Go Dry!
Victor Davis Hanson writes below about how California's green dreams are colliding with the economy
Aug 02, 2011
Enviros Get 86% of Delta Water and Want Even More!
If 25.4 million acre feet out of 29.6 million acre feet flowed through the Delta and out to sea
Jul 29, 2011
NASA Debunks Global Warming!
It means "far less future global warming will occur than United Nations computer models have predicted
Jul 26, 2011
I'm Here To Help!
Let's just go ahead and put everybody out of business and see how much tax receipts shrink.
Jul 25, 2011
HSR Moment Of Truth!
Does anyone really think if another vote were to be taken on this bond today it would have a chance of passing?
Jul 22, 2011
SoCal & Farmers on Same Side in Water Fight!
Southern California Residents Paid over One Billion Three Hundred Million Dollars ($1,311,300,000) For WATER THEY DID NOT RECEIVE
Jul 19, 2011
HSR Racing To Make Errors?
We don't believe there has ever been a government project that has limped along so stubbornly when the facts are so negative and with this much bad publicity.
Jul 18, 2011
EPA, Enviro Collusion!
Enviro groups get grants, win lawsuits, have their legal fees paid, and you lose water and pay the fees
Jul 15, 2011
Fix The Delta!
How long do people get to try to fix something if everything they do makes things worse?
Jul 14, 2011
No Good News About HSR!
It's difficult to keep up with the never-ending stream of bad news about high-speed rail
Jul 08, 2011
Droughts & Water & Jobs
Some would have you believe farm unemployment wasn't a problem during the drought, but it just isn't true.
Jul 01, 2011
Taxes on the 4th of July!
So, how is it if things are so bad that property taxes are going up?
Jun 30, 2011
FPV's New Signs!
Average citizens don't know that many farmers have to pay for 100% of the water even though they only get 50% or 60%.
Jun 29, 2011
Train To Nowhere!
It is crystal clear that this project will be a mullti-billion dollar albatross on California
Jun 24, 2011
Budget Boondoggle Award!
Even though Congress has already zeroed out new high-speed rail appropriations for fiscal year 2011
Jun 23, 2011
Purposeful Flooding
In other words, they used the dam system to re-create the river as if there weren't dams
Jun 22, 2011
Groundwater Pumping Can Sink HSR!
The Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) project only a few years old is now at risk because of subsidence
Jun 20, 2011
Outnumbered!
It's fair to say that when analyzing coverage by the mainstream media we are simply outnumbered
Jun 16, 2011
Ag Doesn't Matter!
Investors have figured out that the dollar is no place to keep the dollar.
Jun 13, 2011
It's Tough Enough!
So, not only do we have to fight against unfair laws
Jun 09, 2011
Who Started the Water Wars?
They can't stand it when the other side fights back
Jun 07, 2011
High-Speed Rail Meeting Tonight
We hope you can attend regardless of your position on the issue
May 31, 2011
A Deal Is A Deal! Or Is It?
This meant farmers couldn't get the water back they had been promised.
May 26, 2011
David vs. Goliath
California High Speed Rail continues to spend millions of dollars by hiring expensive lobbyists
May 23, 2011
Sloppy Science
While scientists study, farmers go broke.
May 17, 2011
California's Perpetual Water Wars
While farmers get back to growing crops, enviros get back to doing what they always do
May 12, 2011
The San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act
Devin Nunes promised that when he had the chance he would do what he could to repeal it(River Restoration)
May 06, 2011
The Science of Water
Farmers never thought they'd have to get post-graduate degrees in biology and environmental science
May 04, 2011
Connecting The Dots
So is their solution is to shut down more tax-paying businesses that could help balance the budget?
May 01, 2011
Groundwater and Surface Water
Our system doesn't have enough surface storage available to make water banking work
Apr 28, 2011
River Restoration Public Hearings
This is an effort to explain their 3-year study to restore flows to the San Joaquin River
Apr 25, 2011
Chinese Bullet Trains
Today, Liu Zhijun is ruined, and his high-speed rail project is in trouble
Apr 21, 2011
Properly Managed Forests
It could also get back 1 million to 3 million acre-feet or more of additional water
Apr 16, 2011
Too Dammed Expensive!
The problem of underground storage is directly linked to above ground storage,
Apr 14, 2011
Not Dependent On Hydrology
It's not helping the rivers, the delta, the smelt, the salmon or anything else.
Apr 12, 2011
FPV Board Members Testify at Congressional Hearing
Board members Kole Upton and Mark Watte testified before the Congressional Natural Resources Water and Power Subcommittee
Apr 08, 2011
The Myths of Peter Gleick
Dr. Gleick is an ivory tower guy who as far as we know has never worked in a field in his life, yet is never short on advice on how to farm
Apr 07, 2011
Fresno Hearing on Man-Made Drought This Monday
We encourage all who can attend to go in support of policies
Apr 05, 2011
We Need Dams, Not High-Speed Trains
In recent days, more than 300,000 acre-feet of water is moving through the Delta and out to sea every day
Apr 01, 2011
Drought or Flood: Why Build Dams?
If droughts won't build dams, maybe floods will.
Mar 31, 2011
Facts Are Pesky Things!
High Speed Rail is not fiscally responsible
Mar 30, 2011
The Costa Plan
We suspect his problem will come from his own party.
Mar 29, 2011
Can They Totally Shut Down the Pumps?
They actually say "this case could completely change the game in the Delta, shutting down the pumps"
Mar 24, 2011
Just Had To Get This Off My Chest!
How much rain must the clouds dump on us before we get all the water we need?
Mar 23, 2011
FPV Board Member Testifies!
The problem is that this project was sold under the concept that HSR would use existing corridors
Mar 23, 2011
Is 70 the New 100?
The problem is no longer the amount of water, but the ability to move it around
Mar 17, 2011
Bullet Train Has No Business Plan!
He goes so far as to say that high speed rail lacks a "disciplined, genuine business plan"
Mar 14, 2011
Connecting the Dots Revisited
Here we are in the agricultural capitol of the world and we're begging for money from Walmart
Mar 11, 2011
Some Can't See the Forest for the Trees
Some people are beginning to see that there are many problems in the Delta, but others refuse
Mar 09, 2011
PPIC Report: They are Coming for the Water Rights!
But my consistent, recurring thought as I read the PPIC report was “Oh man, ag is NOT gonna like that”
Mar 07, 2011
It's Not So Complicated!
We have to face the fact that Democrats and Republicans have two very different views on water policy
Mar 05, 2011
What (Who) Is The PPIC?
So, is this really independent, objective, nonpartisan research?
Feb 28, 2011
Every Win Counts!
You could say we've had three wins in three months
Feb 25, 2011
It's Every Fish For Himself!
Yet, the Department of Fish and Game has done nothing to reduce the striped bass population
Feb 23, 2011
FPV To Speak At Madera County Farm Bureau Regional Conference
They will discuss 'The Delta and Our Water', a look at the marketing campaign
Feb 21, 2011
Environmental Wackos With A Plan
The truth is that they are smart and probably five steps ahead of the rest of us.
Feb 16, 2011
Librarians And Farmers
Just in cast they didn't 'connect the dots' between the farm and the library, we are happy to do it for them
Feb 15, 2011
Why Is The EPA In The Delta?
Why after decades of studies has the EPA decided to get involved at this time?
Feb 11, 2011
The Love Train
If just 1/10th of this money were spent on California's water infrastructure, think what it would do for the economy.
Feb 08, 2011
How Many Smelt Does It Take To Shut Down The Pumps? 93!
Feb 04, 2011
The Next Play In The NRDC's Playbook
One of them is the 'reasonable use' clause of the 'public trust' doctrine
Feb 01, 2011
They Finally Admit They Don't Know!
Feb 01, 2011
They Finally Admit They Don't Know!
They now say there are over 40 potential causes for the Delta's decline.
Jan 28, 2011
Social Audits For Farms? Where Does It End?
Are you aware that large customers have decided shippers need to undergo "social audits?"
Jan 26, 2011
Train To High-Speed Bankruptcy!
Doesn't all this add up to something that just doesn't add up?
Jan 23, 2011
'No Dam' People!
Because there is no place to put this excess water, it will never be used for families or farms.
Jan 21, 2011
Nothing Reasonable About 'Reasonable Use'
First of all, it doesn't make any sense for farmers, who fight for every acre foot they get, to waste any of it.
Jan 16, 2011
'Public Trust' Next Big Fight(Part 2)
It is a huge mistake for Sacramento to attack Agriculture, its largest industry.
Jan 14, 2011
'Public Trust' Next Big Fight(Part 1)
It means that there is now a new front in the war on ag water.
Jan 12, 2011
Sacramento Bee Publishes FPV Response!
They called Families Protecting the Valley a 'cuddly sounding front group'
Jan 09, 2011
Drought Or Flood? It Looks Like Both!
But, it's no joke as the Board voted unanimously for both the flood and drought emergency
Jan 06, 2011
Who Is John Laird?
The Mercury News calls him an 'environmental advocate' who will have a powerful voice in oversight
Dec 30, 2010
Connecting The Dots
Why are so many people unemployed? Why are so many people homeless?
Dec 15, 2010
Sloppy Is No Way To Run A Delta
Judge Wanger then has to determine if the bureaucrats's interpretation of bad law makes any sense
Dec 11, 2010
SAC BEE Blames FPV For Sewage Decision!
We take full credit for our part in the public relations campaign to spread the word about the damage
Dec 11, 2010
Sac Bee Blames FPV for Sewage Decision!
Dec 10, 2010
Rare Win In Water Wars!
This has been a long, difficult battle
Dec 03, 2010
We Really Can't Say Too Much About This!
We distributed over 600,00 of the flyers through newspapers in the San Francisco/Sacramento Bay-Delta area
Dec 01, 2010
Train Just Keeps Truckin'
Despite all the bad news almost on a daily basis, the darn train just keeps truckin' down the track
Nov 29, 2010
Important Hearing Next Week!
Families Protecting the Valley, among other water organizations, has been very vocal in educating the public about wastewater
Nov 23, 2010
Water Wars Are Not Over
It looks like the same old story of bringing farmers to the table in an effort to get them to agree to cut their own throats
Nov 16, 2010
Seperate Truth From Fiction
If someone is accused of subsidies, Westlands gets blamed
Nov 01, 2010
Enviros Never Get Billed!
When water is diverted from farms for the environment, farmers are the only ones to pay
Mar 15, 2010
Farmers Also Need Costa's Response On SJ River
We need Congressman Costa and our other representatives to speak up before it is too late
Mar 13, 2010
Newsletter: It Takes Water To Make Mud
The 15,000 farm families do not consider themselves as separate from these communities.
Mar 11, 2010
Is It The Striped Bass Or The Pumps?
Why does one of our government agencies file suit against farmers to protect the salmon while another government agency stocks predator striped bass
Mar 08, 2010
Newsletter: And They Wonder Why We Don't Trust Californians
We found it curious that the California water bill package on the November ballot has $250-million for dam removal
Dec 29, 2009
Newsletter: Here We Go Again
'Where does the Valley think this will lead?'
Nov 15, 2009
Newsletter: Devil In The Details
Although there is supposed to be 3-billion-dollars for surface water storage in the bond, we can find no guarantee that anything will be built.
Nov 14, 2009
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