San Joaquin County Sustainability Digest

In a bid to reduce water usage, the City of Ripon has mandated a once a week landscape watering schedule through the end of February.

Sixty years ago, I was a reporter for the Klamath Falls (Oregon) Herald and News and with my family lived in a small house on the Link River, which flows out of Upper Klamath Lake, draining a large portion of the Cascade mountain range.

Low counts of spawning salmon could mean another year without fishing. Experts say the outlook still has time to turn around.

Growers support a federal and state proposal for operating California’s massive systems that send river water south. But it could harm more salmon and other endangered fish.

Most of us operate on the calendar year — the 12 months that begin on January 1 and end on December 31.

Capturing and storing carbon underground is a big part of California’s efforts to tackle climate change but community members and environmentalists say it prolongs the life of fossil fuels.

Learn more about a statewide program offering rebates for energy efficient electric heating and cooling appliances.

How to apply rebate as part of the recent $80 million state program to electrify homes.

The City of Stockton recorded its 41st day of temperatures at or above 100 degrees on September 24, breaking the record of 40 days set in 2022.

Stocktonia provides background information about a proposed wood pellet facility to be located at the Port of Stockton, and some of the concerns around the project.

The California state goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal waters has advanced, with conserved lands reaching 25% and coastal waters 16%.

Beginning the week of September 16, the City of Manteca will be replacing resident blue recycle carts with new ones in preparation for weekly recycling pickups.

Dozens of young people held a demonstration on August 17 in downtown Sacramento to protest the banking industry's contribution to the escalating effects of climate change.

Legislators and Gov. Newsom are working behind the scenes to draft energy legislation before the end-of-the-month deadline.

New state green energy rules for public education facilities mean that Measure A funded upgrades to Brock Elliott and Joshua Cowell schools will include solar panels and onsite battery storage.

Public chargers must be built at an unprecedented pace to meet the target in less than 7 years, and then doubled to 2 million in 2035. The high cost — $120,000 or more for one fast charger— is just one obstacle.

Harnessing clean energy is a venture of unprecedented scope in California, bringing big changes to Humboldt and the Central Coast, and requiring 26 ports along the coast.

Legal rights to use water — particularly those obtained prior to 1914 — lie at the heart of California’s perpetual wrangling over the allocation of increasingly limited water supplies.

Tens of thousands of California homeowners, especially those who live in areas at risk of wildfires, have lost their insurance or have to pay more to keep coverage. One after another, major companies have pulled out of the state, many citing the cost of claims.

Aiming to store more water and protect the public, legislators are negotiating with the governor to restore $50 million to help repair 42 aging dams throughout the state.

The two-day CalMatters Ideas Festival wrapped on June 6 with more than a dozen events examining critical policy issues impacting the lives of millions of Californians.

These community projects can give renters and low-income homeowners a chance to go solar, but the PUC’s action is unlikely to give them the option.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, flew more 6,000 miles to Rome this month to deliver a brief speech on climate change at a Vatican-sponsored conference.

It’s been almost a half-century since I first heard the term “peripheral canal” uttered by William Gianelli, who was then-Gov. Ronald Reagan’s top water official. The project, in one form or another, had already been kicking around for decades.

Monthly water use in Manteca is almost 90 million gallons less than in 2013, despite a population growth of 17,000 since.

The April 27 Love Lodi event saw a turnout of nearly 1,000 volunteers completing 60 projects throughout the city.

A bill to rein in a proposed monthly fee on California electric bills would let California’s largest for-profit utility companies charge customers $24 per month — with fees as low as $6 for lower-income customers — as a kind of membership fee for the power grid.

17 trees were planted at Yosemite Village Park on Arbor Day April 25 by the Manteca Garden Club with the City of Manteca.

Energy costs increased by $1.4M during the last school year at Manteca Unified School District.

The Lodi City County voted to add hourly fees for use of city-owned EV charge stations beginning June 1.

The California Department of Water Resources announced the water content of the Sierra Nevada snowpack at 110% of the April 1 average.

Ripon Consolidated Fire District is seeking a parcel tax increase to fund the hiring of six firefighters.