By admin 
From a moderate Bay Area earthquake to a major California vineyard cutting back operations, Wednesday’s Sacramento Bee covered stories with wide-ranging impacts across Northern California.
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Here’s a quick digest of today’s top stories:
- Sacramento is proposing its first water and sewer rate increase in eight years, citing inflation, aging infrastructure and $2.2 billion in deferred maintenance. Property owners will receive notices in August ahead of a Dec. 2 public hearing. If approved, the new rates would take effect in July 2027 and increase incrementally through 2031.
- Beckstoffer Vineyards is tearing out more than half its wine grape vines across Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties, reducing its vineyards to about 1,940 acres from roughly 4,000. The 50-year-old operation laid off 50 of its 65 employees as California growers removed more than 38,000 acres of vineyards between October 2024 and August 2025 amid an oversaturated market.
- A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck Sonoma County about 5 miles from Cloverdale at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, triggering the state’s ShakeAlert warning system. More than 500 people from as far away as Pleasanton and Glenbrook, Nevada, reported feeling the earthquake, which was followed seconds later by a magnitude 2.5 aftershock.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.
Read more NorCal earthquake, sewer rate increase. The Sacramento Bee top stories on July 29.