Environment

With just days until the legislative session wraps, California’s top Democrats are discussing a series of climate, energy and transit measures in backrooms. Details are so scant that even veteran lobbyists and advocates say they are confused and frustrated.

California lawmakers are rushing to extend the state’s landmark cap-and-trade climate program through 2045 amid opposition from unions and industry.

Federal prosecutors say faulty Edison equipment sparked the January wildfire that burned 8,000 acres. The company had already been investigating that possibility.

When lightning strikes are abundant, so are wildfires – some in remote places across the state. Scientists warn there may be more in the future.

After years of complaints from inmates and advocates about hot temperatures inside prison cells, California is finally embarking on a plan to cool some cells. But it’s only a test, and it will only help a fraction of inmates.

A San Francisco Democrat wants to streamline permitting and speed up the state’s high-speed rail construction. His proposal just died in the Legislature’s secretive “suspense file” hearing, following strong objections from local governments and utilities.

Lawmakers will again fail to set a safe indoor temperature standard for housing, as builders and tenant advocates battle over the cost of retrofits.

GoFundMe.org has teamed with an Inland Empire non-profit to distribute air conditioners and air and water purifiers to those in need just as the temperatures are predicted to rise to near 115 degrees in the desert.

Amid a legal fight over California’s power to regulate car and truck pollution, state agencies are suggesting policies that need stable funding, legislative action, or lengthy rulemaking.

After years of cracking down on California’s oil industry, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats are moving to get Kern County wells pumping again to avoid soaring gasoline prices.