California

Without Mentioning China, California Close to Blocking Foreign Buyers From Its Farmland

Published

2 years ago

September 17, 2022

Without Mentioning China, California Close to Blocking Foreign Buyers From Its Farmland

WASHINGTON —

California’s legislature has handed a invoice banning international entities from shopping for its agricultural land, a transfer that’s a part of reignited discussions about whether or not the USA ought to block events from unfriendly nations from shopping for farmland.

The California invoice makes no point out of China, and Governor Gavin Newsom has till the top of the month to signal it into regulation. However on a nationwide scale, some consultants and politicians are involved that China’s growing investments in U.S. agriculture pose a menace to the nation’s safety. Different analysts informed VOA Mandarin that these issues are overblown, saying there may be little proof to counsel that China’s actions are dangerous.

Senator Melissa Hurtado, the Democrat who launched the California invoice, represents a district within the Central Valley with among the world’s richest and most fertile farmland. For her, safety is the important thing problem behind regulating international possession of farmland. “Meals can, and is, getting used as a weapon like we’re seeing in Ukraine,” she stated in a press release.

The Meals and Farm Safety Act, handed by the California Senate on Aug. 31 after passing the Meeting on Aug. 22, “would prohibit a international authorities from buying, buying, leasing or holding an curiosity, as outlined, in agricultural land inside the State of California.”

California grows two-thirds of all fruits and nuts in the USA and one-third of all greens. That manufacturing “could be jeopardized if international governments managed our agricultural land,” Hurtado stated in a press release to VOA Mandarin.

“My issues will not be with a selected international authorities, however slightly with the well-being of Californians, Individuals and the tens of millions of individuals around the globe who rely upon us for meals,” Hurtado stated. “My invoice will assist preserve California’s sturdy agriculture business and permit us to stay resilient, even throughout occasions of world unrest or worldwide battle.”

The USA doesn’t have a nationwide regulation regulating the quantity of agricultural land that may be foreign-owned.

FILE – Farmer Larry Cox appears to be like at soil on a discipline at his farm Aug. 15, 2022, close to Brawley, Calif. The Cox household has been farming in California’s Imperial Valley for generations.

“It’s very stunning that there are at present no federal laws governing possession of agricultural land in the USA,” Caitlin Welsh, director of the International Meals Safety Program on the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research (CSIS) suppose tank in Washington, informed VOA Mandarin. “I do suppose that that is one thing that each the federal and state governments of the USA ought to look into.”

Simply 2.9% of U.S. privately owned agricultural land is foreign-owned, in accordance with a December 2020 report from the U.S. Division of Agriculture, which was the final time such information was launched.

Canada accounts for the most important share of foreign-owned U.S. agricultural land at 32%, or 12.4 million acres, as of 2020, in accordance with the report.

China holds 352,140 acres as of 2020, which is barely lower than 1% of foreign-held acreage in the USA.

Fred Gale, an agricultural economist on the U.S. Division of Agriculture, doesn’t suppose China at present poses a menace to the USA by way of its agricultural land investments as a result of the investments are so small.

“Once we have a look at the composition of land bought by Chinese language house owners, solely about one-third is actual crop land,” Gale informed VOA Mandarin. “Many of the relaxation is what we name different kinds of farmland, which is only a miscellaneous class.”

Chinese language buyers’ holdings of U.S. agricultural land elevated from 13,720 acres in 2010 to 352,140 acres in 2020, in accordance with a Could 2022 report by the U.S.-China Financial and Safety Evaluation Fee. This rise was primarily on account of Shuanghui Worldwide shopping for Smithfield Meals in 2013.

As of 2019, the Chinese language-owned Smithfield properties accounted for 76% of all of the U.S. agricultural land owned by Chinese language entities, in accordance with the Could report.

That speedy improve in China’s holdings from 2010 to 2020 prompted a lot of the priority over Chinese language possession of U.S. agricultural land, in accordance with Cory Combs, an analyst on the China-focused coverage analysis group Trivium.

“It’s poorly understood what’s driving this funding, and to my thoughts, the actual problem is nobody actually has a transparent thought of — Is that this state-led funding? Is that this opportunism? Is that this meals safety diversification?” Combs informed VOA Mandarin. “The unknown — the uncertainty — is what’s actually probably the most threatening side of this.”

China’s Washington embassy didn’t reply to VOA’s e mail requesting remark.

There isn’t a lot concern that the highest nations that personal U.S. agricultural land — resembling Canada and the Netherlands — have dangerous motives, since their relationships with the USA have lengthy been pleasant, Combs stated.

China is dealing with meals safety points at residence on account of arable land misplaced to speedy urbanization and industrial development, inhabitants decline and pure disasters, in accordance with a report from the U.S.-China Financial and Safety Evaluation Fee. “Recognizing its challenges, China has additionally gone overseas to deal with its wants by way of investments and acquisitions of farmland,” amongst different means, the report stated.

The query of Chinese language possession of U.S. farmland has been a periodic flashpoint — most just lately in July, when a Chinese language meals producer, the Fufeng Group, purchased 300 acres of land close to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to arrange a corn milling plant. The sale raised nationwide safety issues as a result of the venture is situated about 20 minutes from the Grand Forks Air Power Base.

Following the controversial sale, Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota launched a invoice in August that will ban the governments of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from shopping for or investing in U.S. agricultural land.

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California

Atmospheric river update: 25-foot waves to hit California

Published

1 hour ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

Atmospheric river update: 25-foot waves to hit California

What’s New

An incoming atmospheric river will bring 25-foot waves to the coastline in central California early next week, as well as heavy rain and strong winds.

Why It Matters

The Pacific Northwest is known for its atmospheric rivers, particularly during the winter months. The storms bring heavy rain and snow, typically to Oregon, Washington and California. Though the moisture-laden storms can help alleviate drought, they also pose life-threatening risks from mudslides and floods.

Back-to-back atmospheric rivers have already hit the West Coast this month, including one that brought heavy rain and strong winds to Washington and Oregon earlier this week.

Another few storms will barrel into the West Coast this weekend, with meteorologists expecting their impact to stretch further south into California. In addition to precipitation, the storm will spur large, dangerous waves that will break along the coast.

Heavy surf created by a large storm in the Gulf of Alaska sends huge waves crashing along the coastal rocks and shoreline on February 4, 2016, near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, California. A high…

George Rose/Getty

What to Know

The high surf advisory will go into effect early Saturday morning. It stretches from Cloverdale to Monterey, according to a map from the National Weather Service (NWS).

Some of the advisories expire on Sunday, though the high surf advisory issued by the Los Angeles NWS office will remain in effect throughout next week.

Large, breaking waves are possible, along with dangerous rip currents. The biggest threat for large waves will be on west and northwest-facing beaches.

The highest forecast waves could hit up to 25 feet tall for Central Coast beaches from Monday into Tuesday. Waves will likely be smaller for the Santa Barbara South Coast beaches, reaching up to 12 feet on Monday and Tuesday. Ventura County beaches could see breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet with local set as high as 17 feet on Monday night into Tuesday.

What People Are Saying

NWS meteorologist Devin Black told Newsweek: “The storm system is generating winds. Pacific systems that come through our area tend to build way back west, and that allows the swells to really build.

“Average waves for Central Coast beaches are around 5 to 8 feet this time of year, meaning the incoming waves will be “pretty significant.”

NWS Los Angeles in a high surf advisory: “There is an increased risk for ocean drowning. Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Large breaking waves can cause injury, wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats near shore.”

NWS San Francisco in a hydrologic outlook: “The storm door is wide open with a very active storm track forecast to impact Northern California. Wet and unsettled weather will bring periods of light to moderate rainfall to the region with the biggest impact expected over the North Bay.”

What Happens Next

The storms expected to hit the Golden State this weekend will “prime the soils” for storms to come later next week, potentially leading to dangerous water rises in area creeks and streams, the hydrologic outlook warned. Residents in the impacted area are urged to keep an eye on NWS weather alerts as the storms arrive, given that the storm set to hit Monday is “gearing up to be the strongest and wettest of the series.”

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California

California suffers exodus as over 200,000 Americans leave state in one year

Published

9 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

California suffers exodus as over 200,000 Americans leave state in one year

What’s New

More Americans left California between 2023 and 2024 than any other state across the country, according to new data released by the Census Bureau.

The Golden State lost a total of 239,575 residents to other states, the largest net domestic migration loss in the country over the past year. New York, another blue bastion in the country, saw the second-highest loss, losing a total of 120,917 residents between 2023 and 2024.

Why It Matters

The findings confirm an ongoing trend in the Western U.S. and specifically the Golden State, which has lost thousands of residents to the South in recent years, especially during the pandemic.

The California population drain, according to research compiled by the Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), is mainly due to people’s desire to live in more affordable places: several studies have found that the cost of housing alone is a key reason for people to leave the Golden State.

A person walks down a residential street on August 04, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. More Americans left California between 2023 and 2024 than any other state across the country, according to new data…

Mario Tama/Getty Images

California is among the top five states with the highest overall cost of living in the country, SIEPR reported. The median sale price of a home in the state, according to Redfin’s latest data, is $831,300, up 4.7 percent compared to a year earlier. That was nearly double the nationwide median sale price of a home at $430,010.

Most of those who’ve left California in recent years have gone to states like Texas and Arizona—a red state and a swing state, respectively. President-elect Donald Trump won both in November. Two-thirds of those who moved out of California told SIEPR that they didn’t do so because of politics, but the political impact of their decision is undeniable. One quarter told the institute that they had moved explicitly for political reasons.

What To Know

Where California is losing, Texas is gaining. The Lone Star State continues to welcome new residents and lead the country with the largest net domestic migration gain between 2023 and 2024, totaling 85,267 new residents over the past year. Texas has several benefits attracting people that California doesn’t offer: the state has no income tax, it’s cut off from the Western Interconnection electric system and has been building more new homes, whereas the Golden State is still going through a homelessness crisis and a housing shortage.

Overall, the U.S. population grew by nearly 1.0 percent between 2023 and 2024, surpassing 340 million in total. This population growth, the fastest the country has seen in a year since 2001, was mainly due to rising net international migration, the bureau reported. Net international migration refers to any change of residence across U.S. borders.

Newsweek contacted the Census Bureau for comment by email on Friday morning.

What People Are Saying

“California is no longer the preferred destination it used to be,” Hans Johnson, a demographer at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, told the Los Angeles Times in April, discussing the issue of people moving out of the Golden State.

What’s Next

It’s not all gloom and doom for California. The state was among 47 including the District of Columbia which experienced population gains of over 100,000 people between 2023 and 2024, adding a total of 232,570 residents in the past year. Despite the fact the state is trailing Texas and Florida, it still reported the third-highest numeric increase in the nation.

The Golden State had the second-highest increase in births outnumbering deaths (what’s known as natural increase) after Texas, at 110,466.

Together with Florida (411,322) and Texas (319,569), California saw one of the largest gains from international migration, at 361,057. Net international migration refers to any change of residence across U.S. borders.

The Golden State was also the most populous in the country, with an estimated population of 39,431,263 residents as of July 1, followed by Texas with 31,290,831 and Florida with 23,372,215.

Should it continue, California’s population drain could drastically change the state’s job market and fiscal outlook, as well as cause the state to lose further congressional seats.

Have you left California for another state in the past few years? We’d love to hear your story. Contact g.carbonaro@newsweek.com

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California

Campaign manager charged with acting as Chinese agent in California election

Published

17 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

Campaign manager charged with acting as Chinese agent in California election

A man was charged for allegedly acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while working as a campaign manager for a political candidate in Southern California who was elected in 2022 to the city council.

Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, was also accused of conspiring with another man — John Chen — who had been plotting to target U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday. Chen was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent.

Sun, a Chinese national who resided in Chino Hills, California, had served as the campaign manager and “close personal confidante” for a political candidate who ran for city council in Southern California in 2022, prosecutors said. According to the complaint, Sun communicated with Chen about his efforts to get the candidate elected.

“Chen allegedly discussed with Chinese government officials how the (People’s Republic of China) could ‘influence’ local politicians in the United States, particularly on the issue of Taiwan,” prosecutors said.

After the candidate was elected to office in November 2022, prosecutors alleged that Chen instructed Sun to submit reports on the election that could be sent to Chinese government officials. Chen remained in frequent contact with Sun and told him in early 2023 that the two men were “cultivating and assisting (politician’s) success,” according to the complaint.

In another exchange, prosecutors said Chen instructed Sun to refer to the politician as a “new political star” in a draft report. Chen also critiqued Sun’s draft report and suggested that he add information about their “past struggle fighting Taiwanese independence forces in a named California city over the years and fighting (Falun Gong) influences in that city,” according to the complaint.

The complaint added that in February 2023, Sun sent Chen a proposal to combat “anti-China forces” by participating in an Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C. Sun also requested that the Chinese government provide $80,000 to fund pro-PRC activities in the United States, the complaint states.

If convicted of all charges, Sun faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

Sun’s arrest comes just months after a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor Andrew Cuomo were charged with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government. Linda Sun, Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, was arrested and pleaded not guilty in September.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement that Linda Sun had used her state government service “to further the interests of the Chinese government” and the Chinese Communist Party. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars,” Peace added.

Contributing: Reuters

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