Ride with the Bike Patrol
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Four opportunities to ride with a Bike Patroller have been announced by the American River Bike Patrol. The get-acquainted rides are part of the patrol’s current membership drive and are open to cyclists 18 and over.
Ride-alongs, led by bike patrollers, will take place on Aug. 5, 12, 19 and Sept. 9, starting at 9 a.m. "If you like helping others and can ride a bike, these get-acquainted rides provide opportunities to hear, see and experience what bike patrollers do," said Recruiting Adviser Tim Viall.
"We're doing this now, as our final first aid class of the year occurs on Sept. 30 in Sacramento. That will be the last chance to become a bike patroller, this year." said Viall.
The Bike Patrol is an all-volunteer unit that provides safety patrols on over 69 miles of bike trails beside the American River and on the El Dorado Trail. "We help trail users stay safe and provide emergency bike repairs and first aid," said Viall.
The Aug. 5 ride-along will start from El Manto Access park on the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova. The Aug. 12 and 19 ride-alongs will start from the Streng Volunteer Center at William Pond Recreation Area in Carmichael. And, the Sept. 9 ride-along will start from Black Miner's Bar at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area in Folsom.
To reserve a place at the presentation and 30-minute ride-along, email tviall@msn.com or call 209-969-3875. Participants must bring a bike to ride.
More about the bike patrol is found at americanriverbikepatrol.org.
Bags of Swag at Midas Giveaway
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - A back-to-school giveaway dispensed more than 250 backpacks and scores of pencils, pens, erasers, calculators, thumb drives and note pads to local students, courtesy of the Carmichael Midas auto shop last weekend.
“Kids and parents were lining up even before we began the giveaway,” reported Midas store owner Kurt Swanson. “We felt great being able to support the community in this way. School supplies are a major expense for families.” The businessman also sprang for shave ice treats for more than 800 Saturday visitors.
Swanson’s volunteer team was joined by 2022 Golden Gloves champion Lorenzo Powell (20), who stuffed satchels with supplies and posed for selfies with fans. “I love doing this,” enthused Powell, who is scheduled to turn pro later this year. “I hope meeting me and seeing my medals will inspire other young people to take up the sport. Perhaps one of the kids I shook hands with today will end up a world champion.”
Carmichael Midas is located at 6840 Fair Oaks Blvd, Carmichael.
Jesuit Wins Robotics Championship
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Jesuit High School students this summer took top honors at an international collegiate-level robotics competition in Longmont, Colorado.
For a third consecutive year, the all-boys Catholic school team ‘Rovotics’ dominated the high-tech competition’s Explorer class. At the same time, teen engineers from sister high school St. Francis (Sacramento) topped the event’s Ranger division.
The 2023 Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) championship included underwater designs entered by student teams from 12 countries. The event aims to further climate change understanding, implementing solutions through science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
The Jesuit boys worked to develop ‘Tardigrade,’ a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that executed specific underwater tasks following the mission specs sent out by MATE. Evaluated in an Olympic-sized pool beside other teams, their robot scored highest overall points.
Rovotics CEO Timothy Monroe attributed the triumph to team organization. “It’s rare that you find a group of people that work together as well as we do,” he considered. “Combined with expertise and the help of our coaches, we were able to perform exceptionally well.”
“This year, Jesuit’s approach was to focus on sharing knowledge and lessons learned over the years with the broader robotics community,” he added.
Jesuit’s participation in the competition serves to inspire younger students not only towards high-tech career fields but also provides them an opportunity to market their ideas in the fast-paced world of commerce.
Legislation Introduced to Protect American Farmland and National Security Sites from Foreign Adversaries
WASHINGTON, DC (MPG) - On July 12, 2023, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher (WI-08) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen and expand protections around national security sites, critical infrastructure, and farmland.
“Protecting national security and food security go hand in hand in our region – which is why it is vital to know who owns land around national security sites,” said Rep. Thompson. “The bipartisan legislation I am introducing with Chairman Gallagher will help identify foreign actors who are seeking to purchase land near military installations while maintaining food security throughout our country.”
“The United States cannot allow foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party and its proxies to acquire real estate near sensitive sites like military bases or telecom infrastructure, potentially exploiting our critical technology and endangering our servicemembers. This bill gives CFIUS jurisdiction over foreign adversary real estate transactions to guard against the threat of the CCP and other adversaries purchasing land for malign purposes, and it also encourages CFIUS to consider food security issues as it evaluates the national security risk of a given transaction,” said Rep. Gallagher.
“Safeguarding our food supply chains and national security from foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party will always be a top priority of mine. We must ensure our government agencies have the necessary resources to stop bad actors from gaining a foothold in our homeland. I am proud to introduce this legislation as a continuation of my efforts to stop the CCP and all foreign adversaries from putting our food supply and national security at risk,” said Rep. Newhouse.
“As the proud Representative of Travis Air Force Base in Congress for over a decade, the recent land purchases near the base by unknown investors raise serious questions and concerns. Travis, also known as the ‘Gateway to the Pacific,’ is one of the most strategically valuable installations within the U.S. military. We must do everything in our capacity to ensure Travis is fully protected and supported,” said Rep. Garamendi. “Though Flannery Associates claims that it is not controlled by foreign entities, they have shockingly failed to provide any proof to local and federal officials. This issue raises serious security concerns for our community and the critical military operations at Travis. That’s why I greatly appreciate this important bipartisan legislation and look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to protect our communities and defend our national security.”
“Food security is national security, and I’ve been fighting to get the Secretary of Agriculture a seat at the table for a long time – this bill builds on that fight. As we witness growing threats from foreign adversaries on American soil, Congress should work overtime to ensure our military bases, food sources, and research facilities are protected. Our bill provides CFIUS will the tools needed to keep America’s enemies away from our most sensitive areas,” said Rep. Johnson.
“The People’s Republic of China has an alarming history of leveraging foreign investment to gain access to sensitive information,” said Rep. Case. “This type of foreign espionage is a serious threat to national security. This bill will help close the gaps in our oversight of foreign purchases and their use of agricultural land, especially near our military bases and training sites. This will help ensure that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States can fully assess investments that can compromise our security and intelligence sites.”
“Food security is national security. Communist China buying up U.S. agricultural land is just one of the CCP’s many attempts to subvert our sovereignty and threaten our national security. I will continue to fight to protect our agricultural land and to ensure that our country’s food security and national security are prioritized. I am proud to support this legislation that will mandate heightened scrutiny over adversarial land purchases near our military installations,” said Chair Stefanik.
“Food is a national security issue. Increasing foreign ownership of American farms and farmland is a threat to our food security,” said Rep. Costa. “We need to prevent foreign adversaries like China from undermining the American agricultural industry. This bill will ensure American agriculture is operated by American businesses.”
“A resilient food supply is essential to national security, which is why the rise of foreign investments in our nation’s farmlands deserves increased scrutiny. I have long supported adding the Secretary of Agriculture on CFIUS, which will equip the Committee with the expertise needed to identify potential threats to our national security,” said Rep. Lucas. “I’m pleased to be an original cosponsor and commend Congressman Gallagher for his work on this important legislation.”
“Our geopolitical adversaries are exploiting loopholes in regulations to purchase farmland and other agricultural assets, threatening our national and food security,” said Rep. Panetta. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to ensure CFIUS has the jurisdiction and mandate needed to properly vet these foreign purchases as in the best interest of the United States. This is a necessary step to counter any malign efforts to weaken U.S. agricultural independence and security.”
“The scope and scale of the Chinese Communist Party’s activities in the United States is deeply alarming,” said Rep. Wittman. “Entities with clear ties to foreign adversaries should not be permitted to purchase land near U.S. military bases, intelligence facilities, or national laboratories. I’m proud to join this effort to equip the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States with the tools it needs to protect our national interests.”
American farmland belongs to American farmers — period. For the sake of our national, energy, and food security, we cannot let China, or any other foreign adversary, buy our fertile farmland, prevent our young producers from planting their roots, or jeopardize our agricultural supply chains,” said Rep. Feenstra. “I am proud to work with my colleagues to introduce legislation to protect American farmland from foreign acquisition, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, and keep American farmland where it rightfully belongs — in the hands of American farmers.”
An entity called Flannery Associates has spent nearly $1 billion over the last five years to become the largest landowner in Solano County. The land purchases go up to the fence of Travis Air Force Base, the home of the largest wing of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command.
The United States Department of the Treasury Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States and certain real estate transactions by foreign persons, in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. However, there are significant gaps in the current process.
The Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act would:
Give CFIUS jurisdiction over all land purchases (with exceptions for real estate in urban areas and single housing units) by foreign adversary entities; This would avoid a repeat of the “FuFeng incident” where, despite a clear national security concern to a military installation in North Dakota, CFIUS claimed it was unable to even review (let alone block) the transaction because the land was outside the scope of CFIUS jurisdiction;
Authorize CFIUS to consider U.S. food security, including via biotechnology acquisition, as a factor in its national security reviews and require the Secretary of Agriculture have a vote in CFIUS reviews of transactions that involve farmland or agriculture technology;
Establish a “presumption of non-resolvability” by CFIUS that raises the approval threshold for CFIUS transactions by a foreign adversary entity purchasing near sensitive sites (e.g., major military sites, acknowledged intelligence facilities, etc.); CFIUS will be required to review these transactions with the presumption that the national security concerns cannot be resolved.
Mandatory CFIUS filing for foreign adversary entities making land purchases near sensitive sites. This will ensure CFIUS remains apprised of ongoing real estate purchases by foreign adversary entities;
Expand the list of sensitive national security sites designated for CFIUS jurisdiction; Require CFIUS to expand the list of sensitive national security sites to all military facilities, acknowledged intelligence sites, national laboratories, and defense-funded university-affiliated research centers, critical telecommunication nodes, and more. Current CFIUS regulations only cover a limited number of sensitive sites, and does not include all military facilities, national laboratories, and other sites. CFIUS is also limited to sensitive sites that are US government property.
The bill is led by Rep. Mike Thompson, Chairman Mike Gallagher, Reps. John Garamendi (CA-08), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Ed Case (HI-01), Bill Johnson (OH-06), Jim Costa (CA-21), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Frank Lucas (OK-03), Jason Crow (CO-06), Rob Wittman (VA-01), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), and Mary Sattler Peltola (AK-AL).
The bill text can be found at Congressman Thompson’s website mikethompson.house.gov/
Rep. Thompson sent a letter to CFIUS calling for a review of the purchases in Solano County.
Caltrans Marks 50th Anniversary
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Fifty years ago this month, the State of California established a new Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to unify a wide range of transportation functions under a single entity. Since July 1973, the department has managed one of the most complex transportation systems in the nation and helped play a vital role in creating the world’s fourth largest economy.
Five decades later, Caltrans continues its mission to deliver a best-in-class experience for all Californians, regardless of the mode of travel they choose.
To honor the milestone, Caltrans has released an updated history page on its official website. This new content traces the state’s transportation roots from 1895 when the Bureau of Highways was formed and chronicles key developments and noteworthy projects spanning to the present day.
Visit the Caltrans Historical Page at dot.ca.gov/programs/public-affairs/caltrans-history
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Achieving a major milestone in the state’s efforts to maximize the potential of recycled water, the State Water Resources Control Board announced on July 11, 2023, proposed regulations that would allow for water systems to add wastewater that has been treated to levels meeting or exceeding all drinking water standards to their potable supplies. The process, known as direct potable reuse, will enable systems to generate a climate-resilient water source while reducing the amount of wastewater they release to rivers and the ocean.
This development advances Gov. Newsom’s all-of-the-above Water Supply Strategy, which includes the goal of recycling and reusing at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030.
This turning point in California’s history with recycled water, which began in the mid-20th century with the use of recycled water for crops, comes after an expert panel of 12 scientists and engineers evaluated work by the State Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water and determined that the proposed regulations are protective of public health. The regulations are the most advanced in the nation and reinforce California’s position as a leader of innovative solutions to climate challenges. They are now open for public comment and subject to revision based on that input.
Direct potable reuse relies entirely on immediate, multi-barrier treatment that can recycle wastewater to drinking water standards in a matter of hours. This contrasts to the method currently being deployed in major projects launched throughout the state, called indirect potable reuse, which further improves treated wastewater over time through groundwater recharge or dilution with surface water. While no formal direct potable reuse projects can be initiated in California until the regulations are adopted, water agencies in Santa Clara, San Diego and the city of Los Angeles have launched pilot projects in recent years.
The board will consider adoption of the regulations before the end of the year.
The State Water Board’s mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper resource allocation and efficient use for present and future generations.
Carmichael's Best of the Best Returns
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) – It’s time to get ready to vote for something that really counts. The popularity contest that decides Carmichael’s top businesses is returning for another exciting year.
Community nominations have begun coming in since last week at BestofCarmichael.com. Businesses in over 30 fields are contenders. Categories include professional services, non-profits, markets, restaurants, fitness centers, churches–and many more entities that make Carmichael a commercial and residential hub. A few new categories can be found on the website as the program continues to grow every year.
The contest has garnered increasing excitement since the Carmichael Times and Carmichael Chamber of Commerce joined forces a few years ago to expand the event. It has become one of the top annual events for the community.
Nominee merchants must be located in Carmichael or be current Chamber of Commerce members, but anyone‒from anywhere in the world–can vote for any category. Best of Carmichael awards are given to the winners, with certificates, proclamations, applause‒and bragging rights‒rewarding the victors.
The celebration dinner is a festive tradition that is almost a guaranteed sell out. This year’s event will be held Saturday, September 30th, 2023. Be sure to save the date! Raffles and auctions will add to the celebration dinner’s competitive atmosphere. Glamorous merchandise and experiences will be up for grabs. Following a cocktail hour and catered buffet, dessert auctions, with fabulous cakes, cupcakes and pies will tempt even the most disciplined of sweet toothers.
The event will be held at La Sierra Community Center, 5325 Engle Road in Carmichael. The program is an annual fundraiser for the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce and licensed through the Carmichael Times to support the community.
Tickets will be available on the Chamber of Commerce website in the coming weeks. For more information on the contest and awards dinner, go to www.carmhaelchamber.com