From CalMatters...
A Plan to Change Your Utility Rates Is Dividing California Environmentalists. Here’s Why
04/18/2024The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.
From CalMatters...
California Requires New Homes to Have Solar Panels. Should Wildfire Victims Get a Break?
04/11/2024A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.
From SF Gate...
Photographers Capture Spectacular Streaking Lights of Southern California
04/02/2024It quickly became clear that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was responsible for the show. The lights were a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 new Starlink satellites into orbit. The rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:30 p.m., and it’s trail was visible from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park.
From Los Angeles Times...
Two Rare Tornadoes Seen in Central California
03/02/2024A tornado stuck Kings county briefly, and another touched down in Madera county, as favorable conditions came together during a powerful winter storm which swept the region.
From Los Angeles Times...
With State Approval, Rancho Palos Verdes to Fast-Track Landslide Mitigation
02/26/2024State officials determined that Rancho Palos Verdes can utilize an already-established state of emergency to expedite landslide stabilization efforts as the crisis escalates.
From Los Angeles Times...
How Freeing Rivers Can Help California Ease Flood Risks, Revive Ecosystems
02/19/2024Efforts to restore river floodplains are expanding in California. Making space for water is increasingly seen as a natural solution for floods and droughts.
From Los Angeles Times...
Winter Rains Fuel ‘Unprecedented’ Acceleration of Landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes
02/17/2024More and faster land movement has wreaked havoc across Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where a slow-moving landslide has lurked for decades.
From CalMatters...
If Done Correctly, Californians Can Save on Utility Bills by Creating Income-Based Charges
02/06/2024California’s utility regulators are exploring energy bill reforms that would structure charges based on household income. If done correctly, the change shift the cost for maintaining the grid to higher earners who can afford it.
From Los Angeles Times...
L.A.’s Flood-Control System Survived Epic Storm. But It’s Losing the Battle With Climate Change
02/05/2024Los Angeles County flood control network withstands punishing rains—for now.
From Los Angeles Times...
The Terrifying Forces That Created a California Monster Storm
02/05/2024The storm fed off of unusually warm waters as it grew. It also reached “bomb cyclone” status as it neared California.
From SF Gate...
New USGS Map Shows California Is at High Risk for Damaging Earthquakes
01/24/2024An updated earthquake hazard map from USGS shows a high shaking risk in California.
From Los Angeles Times...
‘Thousand-Year Storm’ Leaves San Diego Reeling From Punishing Rainfall, Floods
01/23/2024Hundreds of San Diego homes and businesses were damaged or ruined in devastating floods after punishing rainfall fell on Jan. 22.
From CalMatters...
350,000 Californians Are on the FAIR Plan, the Last Resort for Fire Insurance. Now What?
01/22/2024As the FAIR Plan writes more fire-insurance policies, homeowners complain about poor service, rising costs and threats of getting kicked off.
From Los Angeles Times...
The 1994 Northridge Quake Was a Shock. Here’s Why the Next One Won’t Be
01/16/2024Our understanding and preparedness have come a long way since Southern California’s magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 1994. We’re still learning from that destructive temblor.
From EdSource...
California Community College Students Helping Peers
01/03/2024Two-thirds of community college students in California admit to struggling to meet basic needs. The California Community Colleges’ Student Ambassador Program has empowered more than 50 students to act as resource guides to help them.
From Monterey Herald...
Smoke Exposure From Controlled Burns Is Raising Concerns
12/26/2023Prescribed burns, used to limit destructive wildfires, are growing in frequency at California State Parks. But as the smoke drifts into residential areas, it’s easy to see why many Californians are concerned about the health impacts.
From San Joaquin Valley Sun...
Bureau of Reclamation Names New Leader for California Region
12/21/2023The Bureau of Reclamation, which manages federal water such as the Central Valley Project, has a new regional director for the California-Great Basin Region.
From Escalon Times...
Coordinated Effort Aims to Secure Aircraft for CalFire
12/19/2023An effort spearheaded by the Newsom administration and congressional leaders resulted in Congress authorizing and accelerating the transfer of seven C-130 aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard to CalFire, expanding California’s firefighting fleet.
From YubaNet...
11/29/20232023 has broken climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
From CalMatters...
Flooded California Towns Got Millions in Aid. But Residents, State at Odds Over How to Spend it
11/16/2023Residents of Planada and Pajaro want state aid to help alleviate debt incurred from rebuilding after January floods. Local officials want some money to go elsewhere.
From Sacramento Bee...
‘Super El Niño’ is Heading for California This Winter
11/13/2023Much of California could get hit by extreme weather conditions this winter. A major storm is due to hit Northern California this week.
From Sacramento Bee...
Tree Climbers Are Helping Replant California’s Forests
11/09/2023More than 1.5 million acres of forest have been burned or scarred in California. Climbers go high in trees to grab pine cones that could help in reforestation.
From YubaNet...
Scientists Find Two Ways That Hurricanes Intensify
10/26/2023Forecasters have struggled to understand why tropical storms sometimes blow up into major hurricanes. Scientists have shed some light on this forecasting challenge.
From The Mercury News...
California Tops FEMA’s New List of Areas Vulnerable to Weather Disasters
09/19/2023The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified nearly 500 “zones” that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards. California topped all states with 51 total zones, followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida.
From The Mercury News...
09/08/2023A new study that found human-caused climate warming has increased the frequency of fast-spreading California wildfires has come into question from the unlikeliest of critics—its own lead author.
From CapPublicRadio...
Hotter Climate Means a Never-Ending Fire Season for the National Guard
08/26/2023After California lost over 4 million acres to fire in 2020, the state funded Task Force Rattlesnake, with National Guardsmen to assist Cal Fire.
From CapPublicRadio...
Power Grid Emergencies: What to Know About Flex Alerts, Other Warnings
08/07/2023Summer heatwaves can strain California’s electricity supply, prompting energy emergency notifications to appear across highway signs and social media.
From YubaNet...
How to Move Communities Away From Flooding Risks
07/27/2023As sea levels rise, many countries are considering a controversial strategy: relocation of communities. A Stanford analysis of planned relocations around the world reveals a blueprint for positive outcomes from an approach often considered a last resort.
From The Sacramento Bee...
Goat Herders Prevent California Wildfires. Most Haven’t Seen Their Families in Years
07/20/2023Luis Yauri Oyola hopes one day to buy a tractor to start a business in Peru; he estimates that he is six years away from that goal, for which he will have spent more than a decade of his life living thousands of miles away from his family. He is on call 24/7 and doesn’t leave the job site except for necessities.
From Santa Cruz Sentinel...
California ShakeAlert Warns 3 Million Ahead of Quake in Biggest Test Yet
12/19/2022Cell phones buzzed 10 seconds ahead of shaking in Northern California.
From CapRadio...
05/16/2021While the federal government has loosened mask mandates, California Health officials announced Monday that masks will be required indoors until June 15.