El Dorado County Explainer Articles


Image caption: Student debt is a potential source of financial stress for about one in seven Americans.
Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan: Here’s How it Works

President Joe Biden announced a plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for each borrower. Here are the details on who is eligible and how the plan works.

Image caption: With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork

Fires, floods, earthquakes—California’s got it all. And CERT volunteers are ready to step in.

Image caption: Edward C. Hyatt hydroelectric plant was forced to shut down due to low water levels in Lake Oroville reservoir.
Is Hydroelectric Energy Really Clean? It’s Complicated

Hydroelectric is widely thought of as renewable energy that can help California achieve its climate goals. But the state doesn't even count large hydro plants toward its goal of 100 percent renewable electricity sources.

Image caption: Building new wind farms off the California coast is the next step in meeting the state's goal of 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2045.
Offshore Wind Energy: Key to State’s Clean Energy Goals

Wind power is essential to meeting California's goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2045. Moving wind farms offshore is the next step. Sites off of Morro Bay and Eureka will soon be leased by the federal government.

Image caption: Community Choice Aggregators are now the chosen energy providers for most of California's coastal region.
The Rapid Rise of Community Choice Aggregation

Marin County created the state's first Community Choice Aggregator to deliver energy in 2010. Now, CCA's cover almost the entire California coast, with more than 200 communities choosing to take part in this new way of powering homes and businesses.

Image caption: California has set a goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2045.
Consumer Choice Aggregation and California Clean Energy

How a recent policy with bureaucratic-sounding name ‘Consumer Choice Aggregation’ delivers clean energy from renewable sources more efficiently to California consumers, potentially helping to roll back climate change.

Image caption: Same sex marriage and other rights may soon come under the SCOTUS axe.
Clarence Thomas Wants SCOTUS to Take Back More Rights

If Clarence Thomas gets his way, the Supreme Court won't stop at revoking the right to abortion. Same sex marriage, contraception and gay sex are likely to be next on the SCOTUS hit list.

Image caption: Justice Clarence Thomas calls for SCOTUS to pull back even more established rights after Roe v. Wade.
Why Clarence Thomas Wants to Throw Out Your Rights

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that after overturning Roe v. Wade SCOTUS must now overturn decisions allowing same-sex marriage and contraception. Here's why.

Image caption: Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners

As California insurance companies have revoked the fire policies of thousands of homeowners, the state has taken steps to get them covered again.

Image caption: Historically dry conditions appear likely to lead to another summer of fire in California.
California Wildfire Season 2022: Here's What to Expect

The 2022 California wildfire season looks like another dangerous one, with the state's historic drought showing no signs of letting up. Here's what to expect, and some measures the state is taking to slow down the flames.

Image caption: The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

Image caption: An affordable housing complex being built in Santa Cruz County.
A Real Solution to the Housing Crisis

Gov. Newsom and the state legislature should consider allocating $40 billion of the state's $97 billion surplus to subsidize the building of low-income housing.

Image caption: Immigrants continue to shape the face of California today.
California’s History of Immigration: How Immigrants Built the State

From long before it became a state, to the present day, immigration has shaped California—but they have often been treated poorly. Here’s how immigrants helped build California, through the state’s mixed history with immigration.

Image caption: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies lost more than half of their value in just six months.
The Great Crypto Crash of 2022, Explained

Crypto investors have seen more than half of their cryptocurrency value wiped out in six months. What is crypto, and what caused the great crash of 2022?

Image caption: ATMS were one of the earliest forms of online networked banking.
How Cash Went Digital

Before crypto, banking began moving into the digital world as far back as 1953. Here's a brief history of how computers and the internet changed finance.

Image caption: Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo County, California.
Nuclear Power in California: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

California may soon shut down its last nuclear power plant, but Gov. Gavin Newsom who once championed the closure has had a change of heart. Federal funds may now keep the plant running.

Image caption: The scene of the K Street shooting in downtown Sacramento, in which six people were killed.
Covering the Sacramento Mass Gang Shooting

Following the K-Street shooting, a freelance journalist's thoughts about reporting on the deadliest single episode of gun violence in Sacramento history.

Image caption: Elon Musk says he wants to buy Twitter to protect ‘free speech.’
Billionaires Buy the Media: Elon Musk is Only the Latest

Elon Musk may be the latest, but billionaires have been buying media outlets for decades. What does that mean for the control of news and information at a time when a free press is more important than ever?

Image caption: Seemingly minor code violations can cost struggling homeowners thousands.
Code Violations and ‘Excessive Fines’: Californians Battle Cities

Code violations, even after they're fixed, can cost struggling homeowners their homes. Some have seen fees and fines into the six figures even after repairs. Here are some of the horror stories. But what can be done about it?

Image caption: With drought getting worse, California needs to increase water use efficiency.
How California Can Increase Water Savings By 30 Percent

California can increase water savings in urban and suburban areas by 30 to 48 percent using nothing but existing technology, a new report from the Pacific Institute says.

Explainer

Long form articles which explain how something works, or provide context or background information about a current issue or topic.