Articles by Brad Hooker

Reps. Jim Costa and Adam Gray are rolling out a new federal water infrastructure package aimed at expanding storage, streamlining permitting and accelerating long-delayed projects as Central Valley water agencies rally behind what they call a pragmatic push to address California’s deepening water crisis.

JBS will permanently shut down its Riverside beef processing plant early next year, cutting 374 jobs as the world’s largest meatpacker restructures its operations amid tight cattle supplies and continued volatility in the U.S. beef market.

California water policy is splitting in two directions — with the Trump administration pushing to ramp up Delta pumping while the Newsom administration shifts toward multi-benefit projects.

A bipartisan federal biotechnology commission traveled through California’s Central Valley this week, meeting with researchers, farmers and industry leaders to examine how agricultural innovation could bolster U.S. supply chains and national security.

California’s infrastructure is aging faster than it’s being repaired and a new statewide report shows the consequences. The 2025 Infrastructure Report Card gives the state a C-, warning that climate risks, outdated systems and funding gaps are pushing critical roads, water systems and public facilities toward failure.

Labor groups are threatening to turn against the Sites Reservoir project over a controversial contractor choice, adding a new front of opposition to a project already under environmental scrutiny.

Farm and ag-tech advocates are pushing back on a Cal/OSHA plan for regulating autonomous farm equipment, warning the proposed framework could stall innovation, undermine workforce goals and drive investments out of the state.

California regulators have released a new list of the most common pesticide safety violations found on farms in 2024, highlighting recurring gaps in training, record keeping and worker protections.

A bipartisan coalition in Congress is renewing its push to expand farmer access to cutting-edge precision agriculture tools through the PRECISE Act, a proposal that builds on earlier versions that stalled but is gaining fresh momentum.