San Joaquin Valley

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, June 16. For many, masks here to stay Rome wasn’t built in a day — and neither did California reopen in one. Flanked by minions, Smurfs and Transformers at Universal Studios Hollywood, a maskless Gov. Gavin Newsom drew $15 million worth of prizes in the state’s vaccine lottery and declared […]

In the rural towns around Visalia, today’s dry spell is indistinguishable from the last one or the next one. Drought is a perpetual plight in the region, which is a hotspot for dry wells.

A Fresno-area politician wants California to prioritize struggling San Joaquin Valley farmworkers in a proposed pilot program that would put cash in the hands of some the state’s impoverished residents. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from Sanger, issued a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom last week urging the state to prioritize California’s “displaced, underemployed, or unemployed […]

Drought reporting systems can predict where wells will go dry and help communities prepare to take action before they run out of water.

With most of the state gripped by extreme dryness, some conditions are better, some worse, than the last record-breaking drought. Over-pumping of wells hasn’t stopped. But urban residents haven’t lapsed back into water-wasting lifestyles.

Pressured by growers and legislators, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency in 39 counties as most of California experiences severe drought. The order, which affects more than half of the state, will expedite water sales among growers while allowing state officials to keep reservoirs full and river fish protected.

The move comes after environmentalists lambasted Newsom for failing to tackle California’s oil and gas production. The oil industry called it an “illegal mandate” and vowed to fight it. Fracking accounts for only 17% of California's oil production.

Audubon reviewed eight groundwater management plans and found that they fell short in their consideration of managed wetlands.

Valley residents have waited more than a decade for the end of burns at vineyards and groves that spew smoke. Several board members pushed for quicker action, but the board voted to grant four more years.

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, February 22. Trump key sticking point The California Republican Party is attempting to balance on a political tightrope by keeping its eyes on the prize: recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom. That dynamic was evident at the state GOP’s online convention this weekend, in which chairwoman Jessica Patterson — who was handily […]