An image from September 2020 of Lake Tenaya in Yosemite National Park, with sunlight and shadows cast in the wildfire smoke hanging over the lake water.
Image credit: Chris Neklason contributed
Fire Season Begins with a Roar
A whiff of smoke on the breeze the other day had me thinking back to 2020.
I was up at our family cabin outside Yosemite that August, and one night watched the most intense thunderstorm of my life take place off to the east over the Sierra. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder crashed and boomed for hours, though little or no rain fell.
It was the same up and down California, and the next day, the state was on fire.
I was back up at the cabin a month later in September, and the smoke was so thick I donned goggles and an industrial respirator and headed up into the Yosemite high contry in search of breathable air. After driving a couple hours I found some up in Tuolumne Meadows, and remember hiking to the river and wondering if I should camp out for a few days.
That summer there were so many fires buring in the state, I'd found the best air in California and was loathe to leave.
Since then, more communities have become firewise certified, more homeowners have embraced defensible space, and more funding has been directed toward clearing beetle-killed trees in forests.
Hopefully, this summer won't see the return of the lurid yellow and orange skies of 2020.
Summer arrived this year on June 20, but fire season got here first with the ignition of the Corral Fire south of Tracy in San Joaquin County on June 1. Now 100% contained, the fire burned over 14,000 acres of grasslands and led to evacuations of some neighborhoods.
California wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and more ferocious. ‘Malibu Burning’ author Robert Kerbeck shares simple steps you can take to protect your home.
The UC San Diego-managed ALERTCalifornia network of mountaintop cameras act as remote eyes for fire fighters, and the public.
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Recipe of the Week
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Big Brother Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported mentorship. The organization believes that all children can achieve success when given the proper tools and resources—and volunteer mentors are among the most important of those resources.
Despite urgent pleas by county leaders and local activists, state officials won't intervene in the closure of lifesaving hospital services in East San Jose.
Santa Clara County’s main transportation agency needs to change how it is governed and improve its transparency with the people it serves, a recent audit reveals.
San Jose officials plan to allocate additional funding toward mental health services in the upcoming budget, after advocates pushed for more non-police emergency response.
A new study commissioned by the City of Morgan Hill has found that the city needs to raise its wastewater customers’ rates by 8-9% per year through 2029 in order to keep up with the system’s ongoing operating expenses and …
A Folsom Assemblyman is pushing legislation that calls for more transparency on how the state is spending money on homelessness. The bill is in response to a state audit report which revealed the state spent $24 billion on homelessness, yet …
The California Supreme Court won’t hear former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith’s appeal of a case that disqualified her from holding public office.
San Jose could withhold certifications from big developers who use contractors with unpaid wage theft judgments in California under a new construction policy.
The California Supreme Court has blocked an anti-tax ballot measure that faced fierce opposition from local officials, unions and activists in Santa Clara County.
As summertime temperatures are here to stay for a while, local residents and families can cool off at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center during its recreational swim hours through the end of August.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors this week adopted a fiscal year 2024-25 budget that closes a $250 million revenue shortfall while maintaining key public services, according to county officials.
Voters in Gilroy will be asked in the Nov. 5 election to approve a quarter-cent local sales tax that would be dedicated strictly to increased police, fire protection and related public safety services.
On May 29 around 2pm, Shadi Allen, a resident of Mountain Laurel Lane in Los Gatos, became aware of a possible fire while she was on the second floor of her home. She smelled smoke wafting through the bedrooms, then …
A popular farmers market in Cupertino is up for grabs in a battle over who can provide the West Valley city fresh tomatoes and strawberries — and it hasn’t been without growing pains.
A bacterial outbreak has emerged among homeless individuals living at San Jose encampments in Columbus and Roosevelt parks, but health officials say the risk to the general public is low.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved contributing $10 million in funding for a proposed housing development of 100% affordable units in Los Altos.
Local real estate development company Lakeside Community shared feedback collected over several sessions expressing local resident input about desired uses for the 114-acre former golf course.
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board voted to move forward with a $38 project to provide a safe crossing of Highway 17 near the Lexington Resrvoir for both people and wildlife.
The San Jose City Council approved a new land-use category to protect the 58 mobile home parks and tens of thousands of residents in the city from future displacement.
In their June 17 meeting, the Gilroy City Council voted 6-1 to put a 1/4 cent sales tax on the November ballot to fund increased fire and police staffing.
On June 11, the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Agency released a state audit report noting a lack in transparency in financial records and election outcomes.
A proposed new housing development of 25 single-family homes on a 72.45 acre site on Pierce Road has raised concerns from local residents about traffic and blocked wildfire evacuation routes.
A push to bolster housing production in California's coastal communities in recent years has led to heated battles over potential state reforms. Below, a veteran elected official believes the debate has created a false choice between housing and protections. The opposing view: A former attorney for the Coastal Commission says the state Coastal Act has failed to deliver on what it envisioned.
Gov. Newsom and legislative leaders announce an agreement to bridge the state budget deficit by dipping into reserves and reducing some spending. The deal also calls for a bill in August to set aside more money and a 2026 constitutional amendment to grow the state’s rainy day fund.
A new round of litigation began when environmental groups opposed to the Sites reservoir in Colusa County filed an appeal on a ruling which dismissed their suit seeking to halt the project from proceeding.
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.
Totally Cool, Inc. of Owings Mills, Maryland is recalling multiple brands of ice cream products, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others w
June 24, 2024, Wildly Beloved Foods of Clinton, Washington is recalling approximately 30 packages of Orzo (vegan) Dried and 30 packages of Campanelle (vegan) Dried, 10 oz, due to potential mold growth contamination. The recalled Orzo (vegan) Dried, 10oz were distributed through Payless Foods, The
DSD Merchandisers, LLC is voluntarily recalling UPC 6-51433-99651-6 Deluxe Roasted & Salted Mixed Nuts, Sell by: 10/09/24, due to the presence of undeclared peanut. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to specific type of allergen peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening aller
California Leaders Announce 2024 State Budget Agreement
hagamasc
Mon, 06/24/2024 - 09:22
Title
Press Secretary
Email
Cynthia.Moreno@asm.ca.gov
Phone
916-319-2029
Saturday, June 22, 2024
SACRAMENTO, CA On Saturday, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Governor Gavin Newsom and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire announced a three-party budget agreement ahead of the June 30 constitutional deadline.
What Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) Says
The …
Statement from Speaker Rivas on Legislature v. Weber Opinion
hagamasc
Mon, 06/24/2024 - 09:20
Title
Press Secretary
Email
Cynthia.Moreno@asm.ca.gov
Phone
916-319-2029
Thursday, June 20, 2024
SACRAMENTO, CA Following the California State Supreme Courts opinion in Legislature v. Weber, Speaker Robert Rivas released the following statement:
Im very pleased the California Supreme Court rejected this unlawful and extreme effort to take …
Pro Tem McGuire, Speaker Rivas Fast-Track Retail Theft Legislation To Make California Safer, Stronger
hagamasc
Mon, 06/24/2024 - 09:17
Title
Press Secretary
Email
Cynthia.Moreno@asm.ca.gov
Phone
916-319-2029
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
SACRAMENTO With a comprehensive and bipartisan package of Assembly and Senate bills aimed at halting retail theft and improving public safety heading to policy committees this week, today Senate President …
Vitakraft Sun Seed Inc. of Weston, OH, is voluntarily recalling one lot of Sun Seed Vita Prima Hedgehog Food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is also a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products,
