Snow fell in Sierra Nevada on the last day of summer, giving the towering mountain range shared by California and Nevada a wintry look in September and making travel hazardous. Mammoth Lakes got more than a dusting Thursday in the first snowfall of the season, with 3 inches reported in the village. Snow coated the roads so heavily that the plows were out, and locals left footprints on sidewalks. Sixteen vehicles crashed on Interstate 80 as snow and hail fell Thursday, killing a man driving a pickup and causing minor injuries to other people, California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Nave said.

One day after the largest water district in America pulled out of a $17 billion state project to build twin tunnels under the Delta, a water supplier for 220,000 Alameda County residents supported the plan and said it wants to join in. In a 5-2 decision Wednesday night, Alameda County’s Zone 7 Water Agency endorsed the California WaterFix , which proposes to build tunnels under the Delta as a means of making state water supplies more reliable for buyers like Zone 7. The agency also agreed to commit up to $250,000 more toward state planning of the project.

The last day of summer could bring snow to the Sierra, weather forecasters say. Thursday morning will see near-freezing temperatures and a 20 to 30 percent chance of precipitation in Sierra locales including Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Reno and the higher elevations of Yosemite. Friday morning will be a little colder, under clear skies. Closer to the coast, a frost advisory has been issued for 3 to 8 a.m. Thursday in parts of Trinity and Mendocino counties, including Weaverville and Willits, the National Weather Service said. Temperatures there are expected to be in the low 30s.

The state’s largest pension fund on Tuesday shot down a pitch from a Republican lawmaker who wants it to study how much money it could save by cutting benefits for retired public workers. Sen. John Moorlach of Orange County in July wrote letters to CalPERS board members – Richard Costigan and Dana Hollinger – making two touchy requests for the pension fund. In one, Moorlach wanted CalPERS to estimate how much money it could save by temporarily suspending cost-of-living adjustments for retirees. CalPERS has different retirement plans that allow cost-of-living adjustments of 2 to 5 percent for its pensioners.