Environment

Water

Why a contentious project to raise California’s Shasta Dam could move forward under Trump

Enlarging the dam would deliver more Sacramento River water to Central Valley farmers but a tribe could lose sacred sites and endangered salmon could lose habitat in wet years.

By

Alastair Bland

• May 12, 2025

Three pelicans glide through the still waters of a marsh near partially submerged branches, while a line of cars and trucks travels along a narrow stretch of Highway 37 in the background. Industrial cranes and silhouettes of distant hills are visible through the haze, suggesting a mix of natural and developed environments.

Politics

California wine country traffic jam fuels fight over endangered mice, marsh birds

A bill by Assemblymember Lori Wilson could help finally break the Highway 37 gridlock despite worries about harming endangered species.

By

Ryan Sabalow

• May 7, 2025

A close-up view of shipping containers in various colors drving out of a port terminal.

Environment

Grants for LA clean trucks frozen in Trump effort to defund green energy

The $250 million, which would fund about 500 electric trucks serving the ports of LA and Long Beach, remains frozen as a legal dispute plays out between the EPA, a bank and a green energy group.

By

Alejandro Lazo

• May 1, 2025

A pile of live crabs rests on crushed ice inside a seafood market display case. A sign on the glass reads “We have live crab!!” with an image of a crab above the text. The crabs’ legs and claws are interlocked, and a few are raised slightly, indicating movement.

Water

‘A ghost town’: How Bodega Bay is adapting to the ailing seafood industry

Collapsing salmon runs and restrictions on Dungeness crab have forced restaurants, charter boats and commercial fishers in California's coastal villages to adapt.

By

Alastair Bland

• April 29, 2025

A person speaks at a podium labeled “World’s Largest Aerial Firefighting Fleet” in front of a CAL FIRE aircraft. They wear a dark jacket with a CAL FIRE patch and stand in front of a group of uniformed personnel. The setting appears to be an aircraft hangar or similar indoor facility.

Politics

How Gavin Newsom is balancing the fight against Trump with Los Angeles fire relief

Gov. Gavin Newsom reset his relationship with President Donald Trump after the Los Angeles fires, but he has yet to secure the disaster aid he wants. Now new political pressures are pushing California’s governor back into confrontation with Trump.

By

Alexei Koseff

• April 24, 2025

Two young baseball players wearing blue and white jerseys stand in their positions as they watch a batter get ready for a pitch during a game. Blue cranes from a nearby port can be seen in the distant background.

Environment

These communities are unaware they’ve lived near toxic gas for decades. Why has no action been taken?

Five facilities near schools and houses in LA County fumigate produce shipped from overseas with methyl bromide. But the air agency doesn’t plan to monitor the air or take any immediate steps to protect people from the gas, which can damage lungs and cause neurological effects.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• April 23, 2025

Water

Commercial salmon season is shut down — again. Will California’s iconic fish ever recover?

While it’s an unprecedented third year in a row for no commercially caught salmon, brief windows will be allowed for sportsfishing in California.

By

Alastair Bland

• April 15, 2025

A firefighter wearing yellow protective gear and a helmet walks through a smoky forest, surrounded by tall trees and scattered branches. The scene is hazy with smoke.

California Wildfires

California sets aside $170 million to thin vegetation, forests to help prevent wildfires

Six conservancies throughout the state will oversee work largely in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada.

By

Alejandro Lazo

• April 14, 2025

Cleanup workers in protective gear and life vests deploy a long yellow containment boom on a beach following an oil spill. The boom stretches from the rocky shore into the water, with a boat visible in the distance.

Environment

Oil company fined record $18 million for defying state orders to stop work on pipeline

The pipeline caused a major oil spill a decade ago, fouling the ocean off Santa Barbara County. The new owners say they don’t need new permits for repairs. The fine is the Coastal Commission's largest.

By

Alejandro Lazo

• April 10, 2025

Two electrical towers are seen on top of a small brown mountain with wires running through them on other side.

Economy

Could utility gear set your neighborhood on fire? California risk maps are 8 years old

California's Public Advocate has been pressing for new utility fire maps since 2023. Utilities are on board — but regulators turned them down.

By

Malena Carollo

• April 10, 2025