Environment

Growers’ groups voiced strong opposition, questioning the water board’s power to stop senior rights holders from pumping the water.

At least 85% of single-use plastic items don’t get recycled, even if they carry the familiar triangular symbol. A California bill would restrict which plastics can bear the mark.

In a year of superlatives, some statistics stand out for California’s 2020 fire year: Four million acres, 112 million tons of greenhouse gases, thousands of lightning strikes, 11 million gallons of fire retardant. And 31 lost lives.

Suffering severe drought, the state’s water board is poised to prevent thousands of growers and others from pumping water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The state lost a lawsuit with irrigation districts during the last drought.

It’s California's first big step toward regulating “forever chemicals,” which are ubiquitous in California and around the globe. The proposed goals — which aim to make the cancer risk negligible — are many times lower than federal guidelines for drinking water.

As drought grips most of California, water thefts have increased to record levels. Thieves tap into hydrants, pump water from rivers and break into remote water stations and tanks.

Extreme drought now grips 85% of California so the governor is seeking voluntary action. Newsom expanded the drought emergency to nine more counties, mostly along the Central Coast and in the Bay Area.

Large animals cause 20 crashes a day on California highways. Experts say special bridges and tunnels can prevent them and protect endangered species.

Insurance companies want to factor climate change in calculating wildfire coverage, but consumer watchdogs worry California homeowners will end up with higher premiums. Lawmakers from fire-damaged districts say they are open to change because their constituents are already losing coverage.

A rural Central Valley community is without running water during a heat wave, prompting authorities to haul in bottles and jugs of water to more than 700 people in Teviston.