Valley Water Board elects chair, vice chair for 2025
The Valley Water Board of Directors elected Tony Estremera as the Chair for 2025, and Richard P. Santos as Vice Chair. The board voted on their new officers at the Dec. 10 meeting.
Estremera has been on the Valley Water Board since 1996, and is...
State approves rules that turn sewage into drinking water
In a milestone for creating a major new source of drinking water, California has approved its first standards for turning sewage into potable water supplies delivered to homes and businesses.
The State Water Resources Control Board, in a unanimous vote Dec. 19, outlined for the...
Counting on sheep
As vineyard manager at the 7,000-acre Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, Kelly Mulville has a rather significant task: he’s trying to practice organic, regenerative farming on 25 acres of vines while surrounded by hundreds of acres of vineyards being conventionally farmed.
“Our underlying philosophy...
BLM seeks public comment on federal land drilling proposal
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on proposed management updates for oil and gas leasing and development on public lands in Santa Clara, San Benito, Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, as well as portions of Fresno,...
State reps push for farmworker tax credits, more overtime
State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, introduced legislation to create a tax credit for agricultural employers to help cover the cost of paying overtime wages to farmworkers.
Senate Bill 921, co-sponsored by the California Farm Bureau and the California Association...
DeRose Winery is steeped in South Valley history
In my last column I highlighted Rosy and Rich Bergen’s Little Uvas Vineyard (LUV) and their facility called “The Garage” at 255 Fitzgerald Ave. in San Martin. Their long range plan is to have other businesses, like other wineries and eateries, help fill the...
Federal monitor moves county from ‘Severe’ to ‘Moderate’ drought
With seemingly constant rain storms pummeling the South Bay so far this winter, a federal drought monitoring program recently downgraded most of Santa Clara County from “Severe” to “Moderate” drought. But local water supply authorities warn that residents and property owners should continue to...
Conservationists purchase 80-acre Coyote Valley property
The Peninsula Open Space Trust this week announced the purchase and permanent protection of 80 acres within an ecologically important flood plain and wildlife corridor in Coyote Valley.
The 13th such conservation purchase by POST on the valley floor, this property, which POST is calling...
Guest View: Building a safer, stronger Anderson Dam for future generations
When I think about Anderson Dam, I think about what it means for the people of Santa Clara County. It is not just a structure holding water, it is a lifeline for our families, businesses, farms and our future. That’s why the seismic retrofit...
Conservationists secure ranchland for open space in Morgan Hill
The Peninsula Open Space Trust recently completed the transfer of 1,908 acres of Lakeside Ranch in Morgan Hill to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency.
With the transaction, the Habitat Agency gains stewardship of one of the largest remaining intact ranches in the South Bay,...
