Lessons learned during the multi-year California drought will help farmers and ranchers cope with the next one—and those lessons extended beyond the farm to the realms of policy and public perception, according to farmers who spoke at a water conference in Monterey. Four farmers from different parts of the Central Valley talked about impacts of […]
It’s no secret that the past few years of the California drought forced homeowners to take certain steps to ensure they were able to save water and money. With the droughts declared over, the state’s homeowners associations (HOAs) are now telling residents that they have a limited amount of time to get their lawns back […]
Have you been searching for a particular tree or shrub this year and just can’t seem to find it anywhere? Local nurseries and growers are scrambling to keep up, but demand — especially for specific cultivars — has caused an extreme shortage of many sought-after plants. With most of the drought water restrictions now removed, people […]
Agriculture accounts for roughly 80 percent of the water used by people in California. “Roughly” because, unlike urban water districts, farm-water suppliers reveal little about how much of the state’s most precious resource goes into irrigation ditches and fields. That lack of basic public information from a behemoth water consumer was one reason the state […]
When 36 people died in the nation’s deadliest fire since 2003, Oakland’s mayor promised full transparency about the infamous Ghost Ship inferno. Instead, city officials ran roughshod over the state Public Records Act, delaying release of documents for weeks until we threatened to sue. When the Sacramento Bee sought records about former UC Davis Chancellor […]
So many of President Trump’s Cabinet appointments have been so alarming that nominations to posts further down in the pecking order might seem a bit anticlimactic. What’s the use of getting worked up over subordinate positions? There has got to be a point at which consternation over the president’s choices yields to exhaustion. And then […]
Farmers Look Back At Range Of Impacts From Drought
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /KYET (Santa Barbara)Lessons learned during the multi-year California drought will help farmers and ranchers cope with the next one—and those lessons extended beyond the farm to the realms of policy and public perception, according to farmers who spoke at a water conference in Monterey. Four farmers from different parts of the Central Valley talked about impacts of […]
Brown Lawns’ Welcome Is Over Now, According To California HOAs
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Total Landscape Careby Beth HyattIt’s no secret that the past few years of the California drought forced homeowners to take certain steps to ensure they were able to save water and money. With the droughts declared over, the state’s homeowners associations (HOAs) are now telling residents that they have a limited amount of time to get their lawns back […]
Popular Drought-Resistant Plants In Short Supply
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Rebecca JepsenHave you been searching for a particular tree or shrub this year and just can’t seem to find it anywhere? Local nurseries and growers are scrambling to keep up, but demand — especially for specific cultivars — has caused an extreme shortage of many sought-after plants. With most of the drought water restrictions now removed, people […]
OPINION: California Needs To Stop Letting Farm-Water Suppliers Ignore The Law
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeAgriculture accounts for roughly 80 percent of the water used by people in California. “Roughly” because, unlike urban water districts, farm-water suppliers reveal little about how much of the state’s most precious resource goes into irrigation ditches and fields. That lack of basic public information from a behemoth water consumer was one reason the state […]
OPINION: More Government Transparency Needed In California
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /East Bay TimesWhen 36 people died in the nation’s deadliest fire since 2003, Oakland’s mayor promised full transparency about the infamous Ghost Ship inferno. Instead, city officials ran roughshod over the state Public Records Act, delaying release of documents for weeks until we threatened to sue. When the Sacramento Bee sought records about former UC Davis Chancellor […]
EDITORIAL: Trump’s latest Interior Department Pick is Bursting with Conflicts of Interest and Alternative Facts
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesSo many of President Trump’s Cabinet appointments have been so alarming that nominations to posts further down in the pecking order might seem a bit anticlimactic. What’s the use of getting worked up over subordinate positions? There has got to be a point at which consternation over the president’s choices yields to exhaustion. And then […]