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Third Heat Wave In A Month Begins Monday In San Diego

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

Temperatures will soar to the upper 80s at the coast and the 102-104 range across some inland valleys on Monday and Tuesday as San Diego County experiences its third heat wave in a month, according to the National Weather Service. The above average temperatures are expected to last until the weekend, and monsoonal moisture could return by mid-week. An excessive heat watch will be in effect for all areas but the coast from 10 a.m. on Monday to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Monday will be the hottest day.

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OPINION: California’s Leaky Bucket Theory Of Public Improvement

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Jon Coupal

Unfortunately, Californians have come to expect significant levels of waste and incompetence when it comes to government programs. Just last week, we learned that the “new” $290 million computer system for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration — in the works for over a decade — was having significant problems with tax filers trying to submit their quarterly returns. Despite California being home to Silicon Valley and the best high-tech minds on the planet, the State of California has a sorry history of failure when implementing big computer projects.

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OPINION: Securing A Reliable Water Future

/in , /by /Ventura County Starby Steve Blois

The imported water that keeps most of Ventura County running comes from one main source — Northern California. It is delivered to us through the State Water Project. Protecting our supply — and our economy — means modernizing the heart of this delivery system hundreds of miles away in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The state is on the verge of doing so with a project known as California WaterFix, with Ventura County securing an important role in managing its construction. After more than 11 long years of study, planning and debate, WaterFix is moving forward.

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Over-Billings On Water Meters In San Diego Topped $2 Million

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Joshua Emerson Smith

When customers started complaining early last year about spiking water bills, authorities downplayed the situation. Water department officials repeatedly said that leaky toilets, broken sprinklers and the rising cost of water were likely to blame, even as customer complaints flooded into the agency’s public hotline for months. However, a recent analysis by the San Diego Union-Tribune has shown that single-family homes serviced by the city’s water department were collectively overcharged by more than $2 million last year — with some residents receiving bills for tens of thousands of dollars.

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OPINION: Historic Water Deal Provides Less Expensive, More Reliable Supplies

/in , /by /San Diego Downtown Newsby Mark Muir Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A historic achievement for the San Diego region passed almost unnoticed when the San Diego County Water Authority’s board of directors adopted new wholesale water rates in late June. The rate-setting process highlighted how the Water Authority’s independent water supplies from the Colorado River are now both less expensive and more reliable than supplies from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s an accomplishment that the region’s water officials started working toward two decades ago, and one that will bear fruit for decades to come.

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A Vicious Climate Cycle: Droughts Are Becoming Hotter, Raising Risk Of Wildfire, Scientists Say

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Amina Khan

Droughts don’t just make a place drier. As new research shows, they also make it hotter. A team from UC Irvine that compared temperature changes across the U.S. found that temperatures rise faster in places under drought conditions than they do in places with average climates. This relationship could also raise the risk of concurrent heatwaves and wildfires, the researchers say. As global warming continues its upward climb, the phenomenon described in the journal Science Advances highlights another complex feedback loop that contributes to more extreme weather events — events that could have serious implications for human health and safety.

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Judge Clears Water Authority Delegates To Keep Meeting In Private

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Ricky Young Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A judge has ruled in favor of the San Diego County Water Authority, dismissing a lawsuit by an open government group that wanted the agency to hold certain gatherings of its board members in public. The water authority sends delegates to the Metropolitan Water District, a large regional organization based in Los Angeles. The San Diego water authority delegates meet regularly with no public notice or access — a situation challenged by attorney Cory Briggs in a lawsuit in June 2017. He cited the state’s open meetings law, the Ralph M. Brown Act.

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OPINION: Historic Water Deal Provides Less Expensive, More Reliable Supplies

/in , /by /Times-Advocates (Escondido, Calif.)by Mark Muir Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A historic achievement for the San Diego region passed almost unnoticed when the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors adopted new wholesale water rates in late June. The rate-setting process highlighted how the Water Authority’s independent water supplies from the Colorado River are now both less expensive and more reliable than supplies from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s an accomplishment that the region’s water officials started working toward two decades ago, and one that will bear fruit for decades to come.

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How Is A Changing Climate Affecting California’s Way Of Life?

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento, Calif.)

California’s natural beauty is facing tremendous challenges — a climate that is changing and a population that is growing fast and constantly demanding the most precious resource: water. “California needs a new tool to manage water for the next drought,” said Jim Watson, Sites Project Authority general manager. One of those new tools is the Sites Reservoir Project, which was just awarded $816 million in voter-approved state funding. Located about 90 miles north of Sacramento, the site of the new reservoir is just remote rangeland now, but when it’s completed in 12 years, it will store nearly twice as much water as Folsom Lake — enough to serve 4 million Californians each year.

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California Wildfires Roar Into ‘Uncharted Territory’

/in , /by /USA Today (McLean, Va.)by Jim Schultz, Chelcey Adami and John Bacon

The surging wildfires raging across Northern California represent a “new normal” and the state must be prepared to spend billions of dollars dousing, containing and trying to curb them in the future, Gov. Jerry Brown said. Brown, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said the state’s exploding population combined with climate change has conspired to create ripe conditions for the prodigious blazes. “Nature is very powerful and we are not on the side of nature,” Brown said. “Every year is teaching the fire authorities new lessons. We are in uncharted territory.”

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