San Joaquin Valley

Water

Is a new plan for delivering Delta water worse than Trump’s rules? Environmentalists say yes.

Growers support a federal and state proposal for operating California’s massive systems that send river water south. But it could harm more salmon and other endangered fish.

By

Alastair Bland

• October 25, 2024

Water rushes out of the Oroville Spillway at Lake Oroville in Butte County, on March 26, 2023. California ended its 2022-23 water year on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. After years of severe drought, the reservoirs in the state water project ended the year at 128% of their historical average. That includes Lake Oroville. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo

Commentary

California reservoirs are flush, but water politics may trump hydrology

In California, water politics are tricky, but they're as important as hydrological factors like precipitation and storage.

By

Dan Walters

• October 24, 2024

A group of people gathers in front of an Amtrak train, protesting the closure of the Pittsburg-Antioch Amtrak station. They hold signs, including one reading "Stop the closure of the Pittsburg-Antioch Amtrak Station," and many are dressed in bright-colored shirts. The protesters raise their hands and chant in unison, displaying a sense of solidarity and urgency. The scene is set outdoors, with trees providing some shade, and a camera crew is visible in the background, capturing the moment.

Commentary

Unjust closure of Antioch Amtrak station deserves a closer look from California’s attorney general

The unprecedented decision by the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority to shut down the Antioch-Pittsburg Amtrak station deserves immediate legal scrutiny from the attorney general, a Bay Area transit advocate argues.

By Carter Lavin • September 20, 2024

Water

‘I won’t let them drink the water’: The California towns where clean drinking water is out of reach

Drinking water contamination is a chronic, insidious threat in California’s rural communities. Some have been waiting for clean water for years.

By

Rachel Becker

• September 10, 2024

A person with pants, but no shirt, fills their water bottle during a hot day at a water station at a tennis court.

Climate Change

More extreme heat + more people = danger in these California cities. ‘Will it get as hot as Death Valley?’

Inland communities with big population booms will experience the most extreme heat days under climate change projections. The combination puts more people at risk — and many cities are unprepared.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

and

Arfa Momin

• September 5, 2024

A road sign announcing the closure of the Emergency Room and Madera Community Hospital outside the main entrance on Jan. 2, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Health

A bankrupt California hospital left a health care desert. Two medical groups move to reopen it

The closure of Madera Community Hospital created a new health care desert in a community that already had fewer doctors per capita than other parts of the state. UCSF and Adventist have a plan to reopen it.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• February 8, 2024

A construction site for a segment of the high speed rail in Fresno on Oct. 20, 2023. Construction has started a 171-mile starter segment connecting Central Valley’s Bakersfield and Merced. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Commentary

From ‘train to nowhere’ to Fresno’s dream: What high-speed rail means for the Central Valley

If you listen to California’s political class, the high-speed rail project sounds like a textbook boondoggle. Yet in communities across California’s farm belt, the discourse is different. High-speed rail isn't "a train to nowhere" – it's a symbol of transformation.

By

Yousef Baig

• January 9, 2024

Commentary

A 50-year-old California mass murder case forever etched in my consciousness

Fifty years ago, two drifters murdered nine people in the bedroom of a home near Lodi. The memory of it never fades.

By

Dan Walters

• November 6, 2023

Farmland in Lemoore, on June 16, 2021. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo

Environment

San Joaquin Valley growers may face probation for failing to protect groundwater

Hundreds of wells in Tulare Lake aquifer are at risk of going dry. Today's recommendation is the first time that state officials have moved to crack down on local plans that fail to stop excessive groundwater pumping.

By

Rachel Becker

• October 12, 2023

Health

California bails out distressed hospitals, offers interest-free loans to 17 troubled providers

Some independent California community hospitals have struggled with rising costs since the COVID-19 pandemic. Three declared bankruptcy this year, prompting the state to distribute interest-free loans.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• August 25, 2023