You are now in San Diego County category.

California Mayors Voice Support for Climate Proposal

A bipartisan group of California mayors is urging lawmakers to approve legislation from Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) that would extend the state’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The measure, SB 32, would set a goal of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, an increase from the current target of hitting 1990 levels by 2020. “Our cities continue to bear witness to the consequences of a changing climate,” the mayors wrote. “From record heat and fire to the continued water quality and availability challenges fo the drought, we are increasingly challenged by the consequences of climate change.”

State is Years Behind on Projects to Protect Wildlife at Salton Sea, Officials and Activists Say

The Salton Sea is in big trouble and plodding state officials are to blame, local authorities and environmentalists say. The California Legislature appropriated money to start designing projects to restore wildlife habitat and control dust at the steadily receding salt lake in 2010. But lawmakers did not approve funding to actually begin construction on those conservation efforts until June of this year, when they included $80.5 million in the state budget for a few modest habitat projects scheduled for sometime next year, state officials said.

Weak La Niña for California; not a big rain producer

This time of year many Californians start to wonder if we’ll have a wet or dry winter. The next rainy season is still over two months away, typically starting just after Halloween. Last year, we had a strong El Niño bringing hopes of a wet winter. Up next, a weak La Niña which typically brings drier weather to the Golden State. Rain and snow fell short this past winter and spring of what many Californians were hoping for given a record strong El Niño in the tropical Pacific.

Wildfires Continue to Spread Across the State

With 17 active fires burning throughout California, firefighters are facing one of the worst fire seasons in the state’s history. The latest fire reported is charring land in Fresno County. CAL FIRE crews are battling a grass fire that has destroyed 5,000 acres near Highway 198 and Coalinga Mineral Springs Road, west of Coalinga. The fire broke out just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Over the last 24 hours, a total of 1,000 firefighters have responded to the growing blaze, which is only 10 percent contained. Units from Bakersfield, California City and Tulare County were requested to assist on Wednesday.

State is Years Behind on Projects to Protect Wildlife at Salton Sea, Officials and Activists Say

The Salton Sea is in big trouble and plodding state officials are to blame, local authorities and environmentalists say. The California Legislature appropriated money to start designing projects to restore wildlife habitat and control dust at the steadily receding salt lake in 2010. But lawmakers did not approve funding to actually begin construction on those conservation efforts until June of this year, when they included $80.5 million in the state budget for a few modest habitat projects scheduled for sometime next year, state officials said.

BLOG: Wishful Thinking Won’t End California’s Drought

I know you’re tired of the drought. Tired of hearing about it; tired of trying to squeeze a little more savings out of your garden and indoor water use; tired of processing bad news about dying fisheries, drying wells, suffering farmers and dead trees. I’m tired, too: tired of studying and analyzing the impacts of this drought on California, after having done so for droughts between 1987 and 1992 and again between 2007–2009.

BLOG: Maximizing Return on Investments in River Flow

Drought, water diversions and other environmental pressures mean that many rivers and streams in California don’t always have enough water to support healthy fish populations and other wildlife. Environmental water transactions (EWT), a voluntary, market-based system, is one item in the toolbox of agencies and other stakeholders, which they have been using to try to increase flows in rivers and streams. And these transactions may get a boost soon as millions of dollars from the 2014 Proposition 1 water bond are assigned to projects in coming years.

Twin Tunnels Project to Face California State Audit

Critics of the Governor Jerry Brown’s California Water Fix scored a victory on Wednesday.  By a 9-2 vote, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved a financial audit of the controversial Twin Tunnels project. The two tunnels would divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and deliver it to southern parts of the state.The bi-partisan vote was requested by legislators representing the San Joaquin Delta. The effort was led by Stockton Democratic Assemblymember Susan Talamantes Eggman and State Senator Lois Wolk, of Davis.

OPINION: State Needs to Unite for More Water Storage

As most of California recovers from this historical drought, one thing we can count on is that history will repeat itself. Californians can take full credit for willingly sacrificing landscape and adjusting habits to save water supply for another year. Toilets have been replaced, lawns have been converted to plastic, leaks have been fixed, prime agricultural land has been fallowed, and we have learned to be more efficient with our water supply. So, fast-forward to the next drought. What’s next?

La Niña May Develop Between Now and October

There is little good news for drought-parched California in the latest forecast for the winter. There is about a 55 percent to 60 percent chance that California will come under the influence of La Niña during the fall and winter 2016-17, it says. La Nina is the name given to a general cooling of Pacific Ocean waters near the equator, the opposite of “El Nino.” What is means for California is general dry weather during the winter with less rain and snow than average. La Nina does pump more rain into the Pacific Northwest.