Illegal cannabis farms hidden inside California forests harm nearby wildlife, ecosystems and watersheds. But with little being done at the federal and state levels to clean up these sites fast enough, ecologists are sounding the alarm about the pollution the farms wreak on the state’s public lands.
As CalMatters’ Rachel Becker explains, the nonprofit Integral Ecology Research Center has tallied nearly 7,000 abandoned grow sites on California’s public lands. In addition to the trash that growers leave behind, pollutants from these sites leach into the soil and nearby streams, the center’s co-founders and the U.S. Geological Survey said. Excess nutrients from fertilizers disrupt ecosystems and spur algae blooms, and poisonous pesticides can kill wildlife, according to the co-founders.
The grow sites are spread across state-, federal- and privately-managed lands. But the U.S. Forest Service said it doesn’t have enough funds or staff to handle cleanup. Under President Donald Trump, roughly 5,000 non-fire employees have also been “either offboarded or are in the process of doing so” through “multiple voluntary separation programs,” according to an agency spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a policy to clean up all grows in the 1.1 million acres under its jurisdiction. Fees and taxes on California’s legalized cannabis market help pay for this endeavor, and the department has removed almost 350,000 pounds of trash and more than 920 pesticide containers in the past near decade.
Still, critics say progress isn’t happening fast enough, and the Integral Ecology Research Center has counted only 587 grow sites that have been at least partly cleaned up, out of 7,000 they tallied.
- Greta Wengert, co-founder: “They’re just these little death bombs, waiting for any wildlife that is going to investigate.”
More environmental news: The administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed the U.S. and Mexico’s commitment to restoring the polluted Tijuana River, writes CalMatters’ Deborah Brennan.
Lee Zeldin detailed upcoming projects that would prevent millions of gallons of sewage from entering the river, during a meeting with local San Diego leaders and members of Congress on Thursday. He also said that while public health solutions aren’t part of the current funding package, he would be open to adding them if Congress sets aside money for it.
- U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, a Carlsbad Democrat: “You wouldn’t know which party we all were part of based on our conversation. That’s unusual. It’s refreshing, but I think it’s also necessary to solve a problem of this magnitude.”
What should justice look like in California today? Join us in Los Angeles or virtually on Feb. 25 for a conversation with L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, former CDCR Director Dave Lewis and Heidi Rummel of the Post-Conviction Justice Project, on prosecution, incarceration and whether reform or tougher policies will define the state’s future. Register here.
Other Stories You Should Know
LAO criticizes UC and Cal State funding increases
From CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn:
California’s public universities should get no or way less new funding than what Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing, wrote the Legislature’s chief group of advisors in a report last week.
Newsom wants to increase support for the University of California and California State University by a combined billion dollars, split evenly, compared to what each system got in state support last year.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office says that type of growth is unsustainable given California’s projected multibillion-dollar deficits. Nor does Newsom propose new revenues, such as taxes, that guarantee funding for the systems, the office wrote.
But this recommendation runs contrary to what the Legislature and Newsom promised the systems in last year’s state budget. The elevated university funding is a way to open more slots to California residents at the UC and help Cal State overcome its entrenched budget woes. The proposed funding also makes up for cuts to the systems last year. Each system was permitted to take out loans to cover the losses.
The billion-dollar proposed increases are consistent with the governor’s promise in 2022 of annual 5% increases in state funding for five years to the universities. The analyst’s office calls the governor’s five-year plan a “budgetary hindrance” because it sidesteps the Legislature’s official role in determining how the state’s money is spent and limits fiscal transparency.
New bill pushes for state workers to telework
A California public employee union is sponsoring a bill that would make working from home a permanent option for state workers, writes CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu.
The proposal is backed by the Professional Engineers in California Government, which represents 15,000 state engineers. It would require state agencies to offer telework options and provide justifications when agencies require in-person work. The state would also have to establish a dashboard to track the annual savings generated by remote work — something the California Department of General Services used to do before ending the practice in 2024.
The bill challenges Newsom’s mandate last year, requiring most state employees to work in offices by July, for at least four days a week.
Half of California’s public workers were eligible for remote work as of 2024, according to the general services department. A state audit report also found last year that letting state workers work from home at least three days a week could save the state $225 million annually.
And lastly: CA sues 3D gun sites
California is suing two websites that it claims offer computer codes and instructions to 3D print lethal firearms. 3D guns are a subset of “ghost guns” that are difficult to trace, the lawsuit says, and since 2021, the state’s law enforcement agencies have recovered more than 11,000 ghost guns a year on average. Read more from CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich.
California Voices
Two views on reforming Assembly Bill 218, a 2019 state law that enables more victims of child sexual abuse to sue public schools:
AB 218 has created an unbalanced legal system that allows attorneys to turn lawsuits into a cottage industry and enrich themselves by profiting from victims’ pain, writes Edgar Zazueta, executive director of the Association of California School Administrators.
Reforming AB 218 would inflict grave injustice to survivors and curb schools’ motivation to take more serious steps to protect children from predators, writes John Manly, an attorney representing children who were victims of sexual abuse.
Other things worth your time:
Trump, CA and the multi-front war over the next election // Los Angeles Times
From A’s games to Sur La Table: What lawmakers’ campaign finance filings reveal // The Sacramento Bee
With a Super Bowl ad, CA governor’s race ‘is now kicked into gear’ // Los Angeles Times
Epstein files show post-conviction ties to Silicon Valley power players // The Mercury News
What happens when CA neighborhoods are built around farms // Grist
Shasta County Public Health identifies sixth site of possible measles exposure // Shasta Scout
SFUSD approves OpenAI contract, bypassing board and raising student privacy concerns // San Francisco Public Press
SF hosts a March for Billionaires. Many laugh at them // The San Francisco Standard
LAPD sent officers to train in Israel. Officials can’t explain what they learned // Los Angeles Times