San Benito County Local Environment News Articles and Digest

Economy & Jobs Environment Economy & Jobs Environment Economy & Jobs Environment

California to Send $95 Million to Undocumented Flood Victims Months After Promising ‘Rapid Response’

05/31/2023
Gov. Gavin Newsom in March said state relief would soon help flood victims who don’t qualify for federal emergency relief. The state has yet to name nonprofits that will dole out the aid.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Environment Housing Economy & Jobs Environment Housing

State Farm Pulls Out of CA Home Insurance Market

05/30/2023
Wildfires and expensive rebuilding wiped out their profits, California home insurers say. State Farm isn’t the first insurer to retreat from the state, and may not be the last.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water

Mono Lake Advocates Demand State Stop Sending Lake’s Water to L.A.

05/29/2023
Environmentalists say it’s past time for California water officials to halt Los Angeles’ diversion of Mono Lake’s tributaries. But L.A. officials insist that water is a tiny but vital part of the city’s water supply.

From East Bay Times...

Public Safety Environment Public Safety Environment

FBI, EPA Investigating Hazardous Chemical Release from Martinez Refinery

05/27/2023
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice started assisting the Environmental Protection Agency’s investigation this week.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment

Supreme Court Rules on Wetlands. How Will It Affect California?

05/26/2023
Wetlands in California will stay largely protected despite a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that limited the authority of federal regulators.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Environment State of California

CA Dems Scotch Newsom’s Infrastructure, Environment Plans

05/25/2023
Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled out a plan to speed construction of major public infrastructure and demanded quick votes from lawmakers. His Democratic allies put the proposals on ice.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Environment Health State of California

California Now First State to Phase Out Toxic Hexavalent Chromium

05/25/2023
The state Air Resources Board voted today to ban the substance known as chromium 6, giving platers several years to switch to an alternative the platers say won’t produce the same chrome shine.

From Monterey Herald...

Economy & Jobs Environment Health Sustainability

California Lawmakers Block Bill Allowing People to Sue Oil Companies Over Health Problems

05/19/2023
California legislative committees in the Assembly and Senate blocked two big climate bills. One would have made the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets more ambitious. Another would have allowed people to sue oil companies over health problems if they meet certain criteria.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Water

NOAA Approves $2.2M to Restore Elkhorn Slough

04/24/2023
The $2.2 million in funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with funding leveraged by the Inflation Reduction Act. It aims to bring back species across an entire coastal landscape—from coastal grasslands to tidal salt marsh, eelgrass beds to native oysters.

From The Mercury News...

Environment Water Sustainability

California Snowpack Data Debunked: 2023 Was No Record Year

04/23/2023
And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Water

Eel River Among America’s Most Endangered Rivers

04/19/2023
The Eel River is now one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States, according to an annual report released by America's Most Endangered Rivers. The 50-year-old conservation group each year spotlights American waterways that are suffering but where key impending decisions could improve their fate.

From CalMatters...

Environment Families & Children Sustainability

Earth Day Contest Highlights: Youth Sound the Alarm

04/17/2023
From brainy write-ups to passionate pleas for reform, here are selected excerpts from CalMatters' Earth Day op-ed contest.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Animals

US Panel Approves Salmon Fishing Ban for Much of West Coast

04/07/2023
A federal regulatory group voted to officially close king salmon fishing season along much of the West Coast after near-record low numbers of the fish returned to California rivers in 2022. The approved closure of the 2023 season is for all commercial and most recreational fishing.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Water Sustainability

Acres of Sludge Threaten to Contaminate Tulare Lake Floodwaters

04/06/2023
As epic Sierra Nevada snowpack threatens to overwhelm this phantom lake bed with spring runoff, some fear the Tulare Lake Compost facility could be transformed into an environmental disaster.

From Benito Link...

Environment Water

California Fish & Wildlife Reverses Policy on Clearing Waterways

03/31/2023
Steve Loup, the county’s public works administrator, informed the San Benito County Board of Supervisors that individuals could go into Pacheco Creek, on an emergency basis, to clean out debris, some of which has amassed for decades.

From SanBenitocom...

Environment Land Use & Development County of San Benito

Strada Verde Developer Asks County to Halt Environmental Study

03/23/2023
Image for display with article titled Strada Verde Developer Asks County to Halt Environmental Study

The developer of the proposed Strada Verde Innovation Park—which was the subject of a failed ballot initiative—has asked the county to pause its work on the project’s application.

From SanBenitocom...

Environment

Cluster of Earthquakes Shake Tres Pinos

03/14/2023
Image for display with article titled Cluster of Earthquakes Shake Tres Pinos

At least eight earthquakes have been reported in the Tres Pinos area since late in the morning March 14, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water

Ghostly Tulare Lake Will Be Revived This Year

03/14/2023
California was once home to the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, but Tulare Lake disappeared as water was diverted to irrigate crops. This year, however, the lake will once again re-emerge.

From Gilroy Dispatch...

Environment

Photos: Winter Persists in Gilroy

02/28/2023
Image for display with article titled Photos: Winter Persists in Gilroy

The wild winter of 2023 continues, with the latest chapter bringing rare snowfall to South Valley—not just once, but multiple times since last week.

From Gilroy Dispatch...

Public Safety Environment

Week Begins With More Snow in the Hills, Rain and Thunder in the Valley

02/27/2023
Image for display with article titled Week Begins With More Snow in the Hills, Rain and Thunder in the Valley

The hills east of San Jose and mountains of San Benito County are likely to see more snow and more windy, dangerous conditions this afternoon.

San Benito County Local News: Environment