On the California water front, the news always seems to be bad. On July 31, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the state would receive 12% less water from the Colorado River over the next two years. Given that the river supplies about one-third of the water used in Southern California, this looks like a huge headache. The severity of the problem was underlined Thursday when the water level at Lake Mead — the massive reservoir created by the construction of the Hoover Dam across the river in the 1930s — reached an all-time low.

But a straightforward policy change could sharply limit the severity of a water crisis — one that would negatively affect a relative handful of Californians. It’s banning the use of state water supplies to grow alfalfa and other types of hay that are exported for use as animal feed. While a majority of these crops stay here to feed the state’s massive domestic livestock industry, about 30% are exported, in particular to Asian nations. In effect, alfalfa growers are now exporting as much as 70 billion gallons of water a year from drought-ridden California to the rest of the world in the form of alfalfa. That’s about 214,000 acre-feet of water — nearly half of the 440,000 acre-feet of water that the state stands to lose the next two years under the new Colorado River allocation formula.

An alfalfa export ban is not a new idea. National Geographic explored it in a 2014 report that focused on the incredulity of water-policy experts that the hot, dry U.S. Southwest exported so many water-intensive crops to nations without water shortages. That same year, a commentary in The New York Times pointedly noted that “a single plant is leading California’s water consumption. Unfortunately, it’s a plant that’s not generally cultivated for humans: alfalfa. Grown on over a million acres in California, alfalfa sucks up more water than any other crop in the state.”

But this advocacy has never translated into federal and state efforts to curb exports from the state’s 2,600-plus alfalfa farms. The 12% cut in Colorado River supplies should at least get the debate going.

And one fact may make selling this policy much easier than expected: Alfalfa is used to feed methane-belching cows, who are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Making alfalfa farmers use some of their land for other crops wouldn’t just ease the California water crunch. It would be good for the climate.

Seidler family: Sale of Padres could be complete later this month after vote by MLB owners

by Barry M. Bloom | Special for Times of San Diego

The pending sale of the Padres should close sometime this month, John Seidler, the team’s control person, told Times of San Diego on Wednesday night before they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 10-4, at Chase Field.

Seidler said approval from the 30 owners will be conducted by call or electronically. An MLB spokesman for commissioner Rob Manfred’s office said Thursday in response to a text message that the action had not yet been scheduled.

The Seidler family announced May 2 they had decided to sell the team to Jose Feliciano, co-founder of Clearlake Capital Group, a private equity firm, and co-owner of the English soccer club Chelsea FC, and his wife, Kwanza Jones, a singer and songwriter. The team will be sold at a record valuation of $3.9 billion.

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Del Mar Wants AG Bonta, Fairgrounds Official Investigated

by Tigyst Lane| Voice of San Diego

Del Mar City Councilmembers interrupted their summer vacation this week to call for an investigation into two state officials – a member of the Del Mar Fairgrounds board and California’s attorney general.

The Monday special City Council meeting lasted about 10 minutes. There was one public comment and no discussion among the councilmembers, leaving some with questions about what prompted the vote.

But to those who have been following City Hall, this is the latest in a long series of dustups between the city, a housing developer and the state.

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Viasat demonstrates first integrated automotive satellite voice call capability with BMW Group

by Newsroom | ViaSat

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced a landmark technology demonstration showcasing the first automotive satellite voice call demonstration fully integrated into a BMW Group vehicle’s platform.

It marks a significant step forward as Viasat brings Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) communications into the connected vehicle ecosystem: enabling drivers and passengers to stay connected in remote or underserved areas where cellular coverage may be limited or unavailable.

Building on an earlier demonstration with eSIM capabilities from Cubic³, a leading provider of software-defined vehicle (SDV) solutions, Viasat experts in Munich utilized advanced technology including Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s Snapdragon® Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 solution, and the Fraunhofer IIS NESC AI voice codec. This enables voice communications to be sent using the NB-IoT communications protocol over Viasat’s highly reliable, L-band satellite network.

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On Wednesday, Aug. 19, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and Southern California Tennis Association Foundation are co-hosting a special night to celebrate the life and times of long-time San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe resident Charlie Pasarell, and the launch of his autobiography “Serving First: Dreams Realized and Lessons Learned from Family, Friends, and a Life in Tennis”, a news release stated.

Spanning over six decades, Pasarell is recognized as one of the most influential players, organizers, and promoters in tennis history. America’s number one-ranked player in 1967 and one of the best in the world over the course of a 15-year world career, Pasarell was both well-liked and highly respected by his peers, the news release stated.

In the late ‘60s, as the world of tennis transformed itself from the old school amateur days into a full-fledged professional sport, Pasarell was front and center at all stages. In addition to his on-court success, his early off-court activities included a leading role in the formation of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and co-founding the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL).

After hanging up his racquet in the late ‘70s, Pasarell took over an endangered ATP event in the Palm Springs area, which he transformed into the hugely popular Indian Wells BNPs Paribas Open. This event is unofficially considered tennis’ fifth most important tournament, ranking only behind the four majors. In recognition of his accomplishments both on and off the court, Pasarell was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.

Richard Evans, a well respected long-time tennis journalist and author of 23 books, will join Pasarell for this special evening to trade behind-the-scenes stories and tennis history from the 1960s to the present day. Evans is a fellow inductee in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and a long-time friend of Pasarell. Finally, Joel Drucker, a historian-at-large for the Hall of Fame and co-author of Serving First, will moderate what is sure to be a lively and engaging conversation, according to the news release.

This special evening starts at 6:30 p.m. at the La Jolla Beach Club’s Spindrift Pavilion and will run through 9 p.m. A full bar, four stations of hors d’oeuvres, great stories, and autographed copies of Pasarell’s book for all attendees are included at a cost of $125 per person. All proceeds after costs will be donated to the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation (SCTA Foundation).

To reserve a spot for this special evening, go to the SCTA Foundation website atwww.sctafoundation.org or contact Linda Milan, executive director of the SCTA Foundation at lmilan@sctafoundation.org or 310-824-5139 (call or text).