San Joaquin County Sustainability Digest

A look at where the new electric vehicle charging clusters are slated to be installed in Manteca.

California Democrats are backing a legislative proposal that would allow gig workers to form unions. Expect big pushback from companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash.

The California Air Resources Board is going to spend $100 million to track greenhouse gas emissions with satellites.

A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough?

State and federal water managers have announced significant increases to water allocations across California thanks to early February storms and healthy reservoir levels.

The governor vowed to clear the way for more groundwater recharge. Has it worked? “We’re still tinkering around with small numbers,” one expert says.

For the past three years, more than 200,000 western monarch butterflies spent their winters along the California coast — huddling together in tall tree groves, finding respite from the wind from November to February.

Read on for more information about the Tracy Earth Project and Tracy Chamber of Commerce collaboration in launching the Tracy Green Business Network.

The number of monarch butterflies overwintering in California are at a near-record low, and the wiping out of the Topanga butterfly habitat by the LA fires has made matters worse. Read on to learn more.

Energy demands from big tech, including for AI, has elected officials giving an old power source a second look.

The president’s order has no immediate effect on offshore wind leases already authorized, including two large areas off California’s coast. But it sends a current of uncertainty through the fledgling renewable energy industry, which relies on federal and state support.

It would be impossible to overstate the complexity of water supply management in California.

In a striking setback to reduce California’s air pollution but a win for trucking companies, state regulators have walked away from their ambitious plan to phase out diesel trucks less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decree that by 2035 all new cars sold in California must be powered by batteries or other zero-emission systems has received a double dose of legal and political support.

Learn more about the $35 million Stockton Rising project to improve the environment and sustainability in the City of Stockton.

The Biden administration is awarding Inflation Reduction Act money to help clean the air before President-elect Trump takes over.

Excessive groundwater pumping is behind the sinking of the ground level in the San Joaquin Valley. Read on to learn more about the Stanford University research behind this startling finding.

Trump’s promise to “end” the offshore wind industry could threaten CA’s renewable energy goals, potentially cutting off federal funding.

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.