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Drought Left California With ‘Zombie Trees.’ Here’s How To Spot Them ­­And Help Them

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Mila Jasper

Zombie trees” sound straight out of science fiction, but don’t worry: Your trees aren’t going to bite you. They’re just thirsty. Although seven years of drought in California finally relented this March, high heat and lack of water have caused a severe decline in the health of some trees, with many now essentially suspended between life and death, Sacramento-area arborist Matt Morgan said. “The whole zombie tree issue came about after years of drought stress,” Morgan, assistant district manager with The Davey Tree Expert Co., said. “They structurally declined and the health decreased to a point where the trees are just there right now.”

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Cooler Into California And The Southwest Into Early Next Week Thanks To A Slow Upper Low

/in , /by /AccuWeatherby Brian Thompson

Cooler weather and spotty showers will move into California while the Pacific Northwest has sunny, warm days ahead. An upper-level low moving into California this weekend will not bring much rain, but it will cool things off a little bit, especially heading into Sunday and Monday. The marine layer this morning does not appear to be as solid as some recent days. As this upper-level low approaches, it will likely beef up the marine layer some across Southern California Thursday and Friday nights.

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Imperial Irrigation District Board Calls For Plan To Pull Out Of Coachella Valley

/in , /by /The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Sam Metz

Imperial Irrigation District Board President Erik Ortega proposed withdrawing electricity services from the Coachella Valley at a Tuesday board meeting following debates over how the region’s ratepayers are represented on the district’s board. The proposal could potentially force residents of La Quinta, Indio, Coachella and the unincorporated eastern Coachella Valley to seek coverage from Southern California Edison. IID charges its ratepayers a base rate of 11.69 cents per kilowatt-hour, while Southern California

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Supervisors OK $14 Million In Improvements To Lindo Lake Park In Lakeside

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Debbie L. Sklar

The project at Lindo Lake Park is designed to improve the health of the lake, deepening it to 10 feet and improving the aquatic ecosystem, county officials said. The project will also add a fishing pier, birdwatching stations, picnic tables and landscaping, while also restoring wetland and native habitats and improving trails. “This project will restore the health and beauty to Lindo Lake, the heart of the Lakeside community,” said Jill Bankston, county chief of development.

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Check Please! Californians Can Fight Global Warming With Restaurant Surcharge

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Andrew Sheeler

A new state program gives Californians a way to fight climate change, one restaurant meal at a time. “Restore California” is a public-private partnership between the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Air Resources Board, and farms, ranches and restaurants across the state, according to a news release from the government agencies. Participating restaurants will add a 1 percent surcharge to their bills, with that money going into a fund aimed at helping farmers remove carbon from the atmosphere and adopt climate-friendly practices.

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‘Lot of History.’ Fire Destroys Sierra Nevada Cabin Where California Measures Snowpack

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Carol Pearson’s backyard in the Sierra Nevada has witnessed more than its share of California history: It’s been a cattle ranch, stagecoach stop and post office. The property, a peaceful meadow sitting at 6,820 feet elevation near Echo Summit, is also home to the state Department of Water Resources’ closely watched Sierra Nevada snowpack survey a monthly event that attracts hordes of reporters and photographers who tromp through the property on snowshoes.

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OPINION: Power Companies Want To Dodge Clean Energy Goals By Counting In Old Dams.

/in , /by /The San Francisco Chronicle

California power companies have an appealing but flawed argument with the state’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2045. They want existing dams that churn out carbon free electricity to count toward that mark, making it easier and cheaper to meet their climate friendly obligations. A pending bill, SB386, sounds narrow and focused, but it’s not. It would allow the Modesto irrigation district that operates Don Pedro Dam astride the Tuolumne River to total the cranked out electricity toward its renewable energy quota. That exemption would mean less need to buy juice from solar, wind and other green sources and save money for ratepayers.

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Years Into Tijuana Sewage Crisis, California Senators Call for Federal Help

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Ken Stone

A group of Democratic senators and San Diego County-based congressional representatives sent a letter to multiple federal agencies Tuesday urging them to address sewage runoff in the Tijuana River, which then flows into the Pacific Ocean. California Sens. Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein and Reps. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, Scott Peters, D-San Diego, Susan Davis, D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, co-signed the letter addressed to the directors of the U.S. Department of State, Environmental Protection Agency, Customs and Border Protection, Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, which oversees bodies of water that traverse the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Morning Report: Fired Water Department Employee Says She Is A Scapegoat

/in , /by /Voice of San Diego

A former city water department official who was let go during a recent shakeup said she is the victim of retaliation for raising concerns about spending of ratepayer money. Susan LaNier, a former deputy director, was pushed out as part a housecleaning by Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s administration, which has been responding for over a year to problems with the department, problems that first bubbled up when customers began receiving unreasonably high water bills.

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California’s Population Growth Is The Slowest In Recorded History

/in , /by /The Los Angeles Timesby Javier Panzar and Sarah Parvini

California’s 2018 population growth was the slowest in state history, new demographic data show underscoring shifting immigration patterns, declining birthrates and economic strains that are making it harder for some to afford living here. The state added 186,807 residents last year, bringing the estimated total population to 39,927,315 as of Jan. 1, according to estimates released by the state Department of Finance on Wednesday. The overall growth rate slipped to 0.47% last year from 0.78% in 2017, the slowest since data collection started in 1900, department spokesman H.D. Palmer said.

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