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- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
Each year, CDFA conducts a two-phase competitive solicitation process to award funds to projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops.
Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Review the 2019 Request for Concept Proposals for detailed application instructions.
Phase I of the process begins with the submission of concept proposals, which undergo both an administrative review and a technical review. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a detailed grant proposal in Phase II of the process.
Grant awards will range from $50,000 to $450,000 per project and projects may last for up to two years and six months.
Nonprofit and for-profit organizations; local, state, federal, and tribal government entities; and public and private colleges and universities are eligible to apply. All applicants must register online with the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool (FAAST), https://faast.waterboards.ca.gov, to apply.
Concept proposals must be submitted electronically using FAAST by Friday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m. PST.
CDFA will conduct four workshops and two webinars, all featuring an overview of the program, a review of the concept proposal questions, a live demonstration of the online application system, and more. Visit CDFA's SCBGP Web site, www.cdfa.ca.gov/grants, for full details.
Workshops and webinars will be held at these locations on the following dates:
Merced workshop: Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sonoma workshop: Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Webinar 1: Thursday, Oct. 11, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Los Angeles workshop: Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Webinar 2: Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sacramento workshop: Thursday, Oct. 18, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
All prospective SCBGP applicants are encouraged to participate. There is no cost to attend; however, space is limited and CDFA requests that attendees register in advance.
To register, email
Prospective applicants may contact CDFA’s Office of Grants Administration at 916-657-3231 or
- Details
- Written by: Laura Counts
The study, forthcoming in the American Economic Review, found that polluting emissions from U.S. manufacturing fell by 60 percent between 1990 and 2008 – a period in which manufacturing output grew significantly – primarily because manufacturers adopted cleaner production methods in tandem with increasingly strict environmental regulation.
“In the 1960s and 1970s, people worried that Los Angeles, New York and other U.S. cities would have unbearable air pollution levels by the end of the 20th century,” said Joseph Shapiro, an associate professor of agricultural and resource economics who co-authored the study with Reed Walker, an associate professor in the Haas School of Business and Department of Economics. “Instead, air pollution levels have plummeted, and the evidence shows that environmental regulation and the associated cleanup of production processes have played important roles in those steep declines.”
Shapiro and Walker analyzed newly available data on over 1,400 different products produced by U.S. plants between 1990 and 2008. They combined this with plant-level pollution emissions data over the same period.
The authors then categorized reductions in overall emissions into those that can be explained by changes in manufacturing output, changes in the types of goods produced or changes in production technologies.
The researchers found that most of the decreases in emissions of important pollutants from manufacturing – such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide – came from changes in production technologies.
“People often assume that manufacturing production pollutes less today because manufacturing output has declined, when in fact output was 30 percent greater in 2008 than in 1990," said Walker. “Others argue that manufacturing has shifted towards cleaner, high-tech products or that the manufacturing of ‘dirty’ products like steel has moved to China, Mexico or other foreign countries. Our analysis showed that changes in the product-mix of U.S. manufacturing do not explain much of the reduction in emissions. Instead, manufacturers are producing the same types of goods, but they’ve taken significant steps to clean up their production processes.”
The researchers sought to identify the key driver of the change in production technology. They quantified the importance of reductions in tariffs and other trade costs, improved productivity and environmental regulation in explaining decreases in air pollution emissions.
Then they showed that the stringency of environmental regulation for manufacturing firms nearly doubled between 1990 and 2008.
The researchers demonstrate that this increase in regulatory stringency, rather than improvements in manufacturing productivity or trade exposure, accounted for most of the decreases in pollution emissions.
The study was funded in part by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Shapiro conducted much of the research in his former position at Yale University.
Laura Counts writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
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- Written by: Assisted Living Locators
Assisted Living Locators will provide the full continuum of care locating quality assisted living options throughout Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties. The franchise is owned by Eldercare Advisor Ramona Maurer.
Assisted Living Locators now has franchises in Santa Rosa, El Dorado, Thousand Oaks, San Gabriel Valley, West Inland Empire and Los Angeles.
Assisted Living Locators offers a no cost service for seniors and their families providing expert advice on short and long-term care options, including in-home care, independent living, assisted living, memory care, and retirement apartments. It generates revenue from the referral fees paid by the facilities.
According to the Administration on Aging, the population of adults 65 and older is experiencing the biggest increase in history. Between 2010 and 2050, the number of seniors is expected to more than double.
“As a result of our growing senior population, many different options for care and housing are available, including in-home companion care, 55+ communities, independent retirement options, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes,” said Maurer. “Seniors and their families need a trusted advisor to help them navigate what can be an overwhelming amount of information. We are also a resource for short-term respite care, emergency discharges, and out-of-town relocations.”
She explained that Assisted Living Locators offers a complete assessment of a senior’s needs and recommends a plan that provides the full continuum of care.
“Our goal is to assist families in choosing appropriate care options for their loved ones, to save time, decrease stress, and to provide 'peace of mind,’” said Maurer. “And because I’m local and in the community, I look at a wide range of options for seniors that just can’t be matched by online resource databases. I tour and rank all the facilities I recommend, and make sure all our partners in the senior care market are fully committed to providing the best care possible.
I’m passionate about helping others and I’m excited to help others navigate the system to find the best senior care options for their loved ones,” she added.
For more information about Assisted Living Locators’ no cost community service for seniors and their families, call Maurer at 707-536-0514 or visit www.santarosa.assistedlivinglocators.com.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Individuals or families purchasing a primary residence in California with a USDA Rural Development Single Family Loan Guarantee through the GSFA Platinum Program will be eligible for assistance of up to 4 percent in the form of a nonrepayable gift.
The amount of the gift is based on the amount of the mortgage loan. Funds from the gift can be used for closing costs and/or principal reduction.
“Partnerships like this one with USDA Rural Development are essential to meeting the needs of California homebuyers.” said Ferguson. “We are excited to expand our existing down payment assistance program and focus on how to help more rural homebuyers achieve the dream of homeownership.”
USDA’s loan guarantee program offers 100 percent financing and is available to low-to-moderate income homebuyers in rural areas, typically communities with populations of 35,000 or fewer.
Coupled with the GSFA Platinum Program, qualifying homebuyers may be able to purchase a home with no money out of pocket.
“With California’s high home prices, affordability is a real struggle for many homebuyers,” said Vann. “Through this partnership with GSFA, we have another great tool to help increase affordability, and support rural prosperity.”
To participate in the program, homebuyers must meet income eligibility and the property must be located in an eligible rural area.