Environment

In some areas, hazards have surged. Buildings in the highest hazard zones will be subject to the strictest fire-resiliency rules.

About a quarter — 25.3% — of all new cars registered in California in 2024 were electric cars, compared with 25% in 2023. The flat sales follow several years of rapid growth, and sales are still far below the state's 35% target.

Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire proposed that state firefighters work full time in place of the seasonal workforce the agency currently staffs for nine months each year.

In order to make full use of available rental properties, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to change some rent rules.

The White House confirmed that President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to impose an array of conditions for federal wildfire assistance, will meet with California's governor.

Customers are picking up the $1.7. billion tab after utility's s equipment was linked to a Southern California wildfire and flooding seven years ago.

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

LA had planned to take substantially less from the iconic Eastern Sierra lake this winter. The decision is a blow to conservationists who have been trying to restore the lake for decades.

Social and environmental groups sued last year saying the $1.8 billion Hell's Kitchen project could cause water and air problems not disclosed in its environmental impact report. A judge disagreed.

A CalMatters analysis has found that as of 2020, nearly 14 million Californians lived in the sprawling 7-million-acre zone that makes up the wildland urban interface. And when fires sweep through it, they often leave destruction.