Regional Roundup

San Joaquin County Republican Party endorses Mounce

The San Joaquin County Republican Party has endorsed Lodi City Council candidate JoAnne Mounce.

Mounce is seeking re-election this year. She and fellow incumbent Bob Johnson are facing challengers Kelly Bates, Cliff DeBaugh and Roger Khan in the November election.

Air district out of funds for diesel upgrades

VISALIA — Nearly 2,000 drivers of pollution-emitting diesel trucks will have to wait another year for state money to upgrade their engines.

The San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District says it has run out of money for the state program that modifies or replaces engines in older, more polluting trucks in an effort to reduce particulate pollution.

District officials would have needed $137 million to fund all 2,758 applications. Only $40.5 million was budgeted for the program in the Valley this year.

Executive Director Seyed Sadredin said he doesn't know yet whether the truck owners will have to reapply next year, or whether their applications can be carried over.

Delta group files suit over sewage spills

STOCKTON — A sportfishing group has filed a lawsuit to stop Stockton from releasing untreated sewage into the San Joaquin River that feeds the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

A spokesman for the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance said Stockton has caused 1,530 sewage spills over the past five years, a violation of its state discharge permit.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento says the city has delayed maintenance on its sewage system because of a lack of funding. The group, with farmers in the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, says part of the Delta's problems — which have resulted in court-ordered protections for the threatened smelt — are due to wastewater discharge.

Stockton officials declined comment until they can review the case.

Feds put restrictions on state's cattle travel

FRESNO — A new order by federal agriculture officials says most cattle leaving California must pass a veterinary test certifying they are free of bovine tuberculosis.

The USDA had warned state officials this summer that travel restrictions could be put in place after the communicable disease was detected in three Fresno County dairy herds earlier this year.

The order affects breeding cattle and bison. Steers and heifers moving directly to a feedlot can travel without testing.

The restrictions make it more difficult for ranchers to sell cattle out of state, transport them for out-of-state grazing during California's dry season and for breeders to haul livestock to shows.

California had been TB-free since 2005, two years after an outbreak in Kings and Tulare counties.

Fires, high temperatures cue air quality warning

FRESNO — Air pollution officials warn that smoke from two stubborn fires will impact air quality across the San Joaquin Valley for the next few days.

The San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District said Wednesday that particulate matter from a 3,700-acre blaze in Sequoia National Park and another 9,400-acre blaze in Kings Canyon National Park could cause health issues today for people with respiratory and heart problems.

Temperatures as high as 95 degrees and a lack of breezes are combining to trap bad air in the valley. The air board said even foothill communities in Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kern counties normally above the smog line are being affected.

Officials are warning people with respiratory problems to limit outdoor activity.