Several controlled burns will take place Thursday at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to help clear brush in the event of a wildfire. The prescribed fires were expected to happen between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., military officials said. Drivers along Interstate 15 and other roads near the base may see smoke and flames. MCAS Miramar Fire Stations 61 and 62, alongside local San Diego fire departments will conduct the burns.
Summer heat is coming. Eventually. But for the next few days, cool, cloudy and perhaps drippy weather is in store for much of San Diego County. June gloom will get gloomier.
A trough of low pressure moving over the West Coast is expected to beef up the marine layer Thursday through Saturday. The coast should see little or no clearing on Friday, and light rain or drizzle is possible during the morning from the beaches to the mountains. Strong winds are expected in the mountains and desert, where gusts could reach 50 mph this afternoon and Friday afternoon. Blowing dust could reduce visibility in the desert.
President Donald Trump’s depiction of U.S. tariffs as a painless way to help U.S. exports get fair treatment has never jibed with reality. Now California’s almond farmers, who provide 80% of the world’s supply, are taking another hit as a result. India — the world’s leading importer of almonds — has imposed a retaliatory tariff of 70% on U.S. almonds and other U.S. imports. China — another major importer of almonds — imposed a 50% tariff on U.S. almonds last July.
The Sweetwater Authority anticipates that it will buy less imported water and supply customers with more from its own water supply in the upcoming fiscal year than in 2018-19, thanks primarily to above-average rainfall. The South Bay water agency estimates that the amount it will spend to purchase water will drop from $15.2 million in 2018-19 to $10 million in the fiscal year that begins in July. The projected decrease is reflected in the $46 million operating budget adopted by the governing board last week. Among notable increases in expenses in the 2019-20 spending plan, the Sweetwater Authority expects an 11 percent increase in employer pension contributions and an 8 percent increase in health insurance costs.
With the spring and onset of summer comes the return of the lerp psyllid insect to Rancho Santa Fe’s trees, an insect that eats up red gum eucalyptus foliage and leaves behind a big mess. The weather being cold and rainy for the last two winters has helped—the lerp psyllid population dies down in the cold months and that, in combination with the abundant rain, has reduced the overall stress on the trees, they are able to sustain themselves a bit better, said Caitlin Kreutz, RSF Association Parks and Recreation assistant manager. But with the return of warmer weather, the lerps are back.
The Fallbrook Public Utility District will offer residents in its service area free low-water or drought-tolerant plants beginning July 1. The district will give qualified residents vouchers redeemable for plants at Silverthorn Ranch Nursery in Fallbrook, which produces plants using recycled water. “Customers will go through an application process and qualified applicants will receive free plants to install in their landscape,” said Mick Cothran, Fallbrook Public Utility District engineering technician. “We want to encourage and help our customers replace turf with plants that don’t require a lot of water, and show them drought tolerant plants can be beautiful additions to their landscaping.”
Pollution in the oceans of the world is a major problem. It’s also a problem close to shore. But a relatively small invention called the Seabin is making a big difference in cleaning San Diego’s coastal waters. In San Diego on Friday, Seabin CEO and co-founder Pete Ceglinski showed KPBS how the device works at Cabrillo Isle Marina on Harbor Island. A container with a fiber lining catches debris and oil, which is sucked into the unit, similar to how a pool filter works. It filters the water and flushes clean water out the bottom. It’s emptied once or twice a day.
The San Diego County Water Authority has partnered with San Diego singer and guitarist Jon Foreman of Switchfoot to create a series of videos highlighting the value of water to the region’s economy and quality of life. From sustaining world-famous tourist destinations to making world-class guitars, the San Diego lifestyle wouldn’t be possible without clean and reliable water supplies delivered by the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies. “It takes a huge investment from the San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies to maintain the pipes that deliver water across our region,” Foreman says in one of the videos.
In 2006, when California adopted Assembly Bill 32 — the state’s landmark climate change law forcing a long-term shift to cleaner forms of energy — the measure initially faced concerns that it would increase the energy bills of poor households. Lawmakers responded to this concern by including language in the bill that said emission fees paid by polluters in the state cap-and-trade market set up by the measure would be used not just for projects that helped the environment but to limit the measure’s effects — including higher gas prices — on the poor.
Zephyr Partners last week floated the idea of a wave water park as part of a development proposed for the former Oceanside drive-in property, more than 90 acres along the San Luis Rey River just east of the city’s airport. The perfect machine-made wave would attract surfers from hundreds of miles away and would capitalize on the city’s beach-town reputation, said Michael Grehl, a senior vice president for Zephyr.
