Yolo County Sustainability Digest

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.

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

A new incentive program has been launched by the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District to assist homeowners to make the transition to electric heat pumps.

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

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.

Recology Davis and Meals on Wheels Yolo County are collaborating on a five month pilot project to reduce waste in packaging and promote recycling.

Learn more about how the Yolo County landfill works hard to divert as much refuse and trash into recycling and other secondary use programs.

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

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.

Hedgerow Farms in Yolo County specializes in cultivating native plants for seeds to be used in land restoration.

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.

The Yolo County Department of Community Service announced a third round of climate action community workshops and the release of the draft 2030 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

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.

In its May 14 meeting, the Sacramento City Council unanimously approved a plan to encourage residents and businesses to replace gas appliances with electric.

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.

The Yolo County Administrator's office announced strategic appointments to enhance operations in several areas including climate action and sustainability and emergency services.

The City of Davis will receive $24M in federal funding for roadway upgrades utilizing cool pavement technology and other roadway rehabilitation projects.

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

The Mikuni Charitable Organization donation of $5,000 to Make It Happen for Yolo County is in support of local, under-resourced youth making the transition to independent living.

The consumer price index shows services are mostly responsible for persistent inflation, but prices for food and other goods in California remain high.

Ecologists estimate that up to 14,000 sequoias have been killed in recent wildfires. The National Park Service for the first time has begun replanting some severely burned areas.

New research warns of a possible collapse in Atlantic Ocean currents due to climate change. That could fundamentally alter global weather patterns.