Water
Dozens of California dams need repair as El Niño winter draws closer
As El Nino nears, California found 57 dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition, and regulators have never yet penalized an owner.
Environment
Molly Peterson
Environment and Health Editor
Rachel Becker
Water Reporter
Alejandro Lazo
Climate Reporter
Alejandra Reyes-Velarde
California Divide / Environmental Justice Reporter
Politics
Thousands mark Indigenous Peoples Day on Alcatraz as tribes decry Newsom’s vetoes of tribal bills
Organizers and attendees at the twice-yearly sunrise ceremony criticized the governor’s vetoes of bills on water, sacred sites and missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Elections
How would Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton manage California’s most precious resource, water?
We asked California governor candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton how they'd manage conflicts over water. The Republican endorsed more spending on dams.
Environment
Prop 45 explained: CEQA overhaul could shift who holds power over building
Prop 45 would shift who’s in charge of building in California. Supporters say it would also speed it up.
Capitol
Newsom apologized to tribes for historic harms, but vetoed 2 bills that would have empowered them
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would’ve given tribal governments a greater voice in water projects and in preventing the destruction of sacred Indigenous religious sites on state land.
California Wildfires
No single failure caused LA fires, report finds. Who fixes the system?
A 723-page review ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom finds LA fires overwhelmed a system never designed for a wind-driven conflagration.
Environment
Newsom vetoes Delta levees bill as El Niño winter looms
Newsom vetoed SB 872, saying money in the budget made it redundant. The state puts Delta levee repair costs at $3.3 billion.
Environment
New law tightens rules on explosive chemicals after Garden Grove scare
Sen. Tom Umberg’s law adds rules to cover methyl methacrylate, an explosive chemical; existing sites including GKN are exempt.
CalMatters reported that the state’s accidental release program has long left explosive chemicals out.
California Wildfires
He knows his community is going to burn again. Now he’s making sure they’re ready
As climate-fueled wildfires test water systems in new and devastating ways, this Lake County fire chief is racing to adapt
Environment
Newsom sides with industry, vetoes bill on factories near homes and schools
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required more polluting facilities built near homes and schools to undergo environmental review — a decision that keeps in place looser rules he championed to speed up development in California. The bill authored by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas, responded to fears raised by […]