A wildfire burning in Northern California has grown to more than 1,500 acres and continues to threaten thousands of homes, forcing residents to flee, authorities said Thursday. The Trailhead fire broke out Tuesday along the middle fork of the American River near Todd Valley, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, according to the Department of […]
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton….” Hold it there. Cotton growers don’t like those fish jumpin’. Neither do hardly any other growers in the thirsty San Joaquin Valley. Not bass, anyway, jumpin’ in the bucolic California Delta. They want `em dead. Striped and black bass, so popular with recreational anglers, […]
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s $175 million purchase of five islands in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been cleared to move forward, even as legal challenges continue. On Thursday, the 3rd District Court of Appeal lifted a temporary stay order it had issued in June that briefly prevented the sale […]
Monterey County marked a fourth year of record sales in 2015, with crop production values totaling more than $4.84 billion. Total crop values in 2015 were $348 million more than in 2014 or a 7.75% increase, according to the 2015 Monterey County Crop report county Agricultural Commissioner Eric Lauritzen presented at its annual news conference […]
As if California’s water supplies weren’t already sufficiently imperiled, a bill that would have taken a small step toward groundwater regulation unfortunately has now stalled. Sen. Lois Wolk’s Senate Bill 1317 would have slowed the speed at which new wells are drilled, and denied permits for wells in critically overdrafted basins until groundwater regulations begin […]
It was revealed in June that California’s southern Sierra Nevada is now stocked with an estimated 66 million dead trees, all killed directly or indirectly by the state’s ongoing drought. The number is staggering and difficult to comprehend. Even more difficult is understanding what it means. In short, the southern Sierra – the highest section […]
2,600 Buildings Threatened by Northern California Wildfire, Forcing Residents to Flee
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Matt Hamilton and Joseph SernaA wildfire burning in Northern California has grown to more than 1,500 acres and continues to threaten thousands of homes, forcing residents to flee, authorities said Thursday. The Trailhead fire broke out Tuesday along the middle fork of the American River near Todd Valley, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, according to the Department of […]
Let Bass off the Hook in Gov. Jerry Brown’s Delta Tunnel Plan
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby George SkeltonSummertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton….” Hold it there. Cotton growers don’t like those fish jumpin’. Neither do hardly any other growers in the thirsty San Joaquin Valley. Not bass, anyway, jumpin’ in the bucolic California Delta. They want `em dead. Striped and black bass, so popular with recreational anglers, […]
Court Rules That Sale of Delta Islands Can Proceed
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan SabalowThe Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s $175 million purchase of five islands in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been cleared to move forward, even as legal challenges continue. On Thursday, the 3rd District Court of Appeal lifted a temporary stay order it had issued in June that briefly prevented the sale […]
Another record ag year for Monterey County
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Californianby David CastellonMonterey County marked a fourth year of record sales in 2015, with crop production values totaling more than $4.84 billion. Total crop values in 2015 were $348 million more than in 2014 or a 7.75% increase, according to the 2015 Monterey County Crop report county Agricultural Commissioner Eric Lauritzen presented at its annual news conference […]
OPINION: California needs action now on groundwater protection
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento BeeAs if California’s water supplies weren’t already sufficiently imperiled, a bill that would have taken a small step toward groundwater regulation unfortunately has now stalled. Sen. Lois Wolk’s Senate Bill 1317 would have slowed the speed at which new wells are drilled, and denied permits for wells in critically overdrafted basins until groundwater regulations begin […]
Summer of Fire: Drought Transforms Southern Sierra
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Matt WeiserIt was revealed in June that California’s southern Sierra Nevada is now stocked with an estimated 66 million dead trees, all killed directly or indirectly by the state’s ongoing drought. The number is staggering and difficult to comprehend. Even more difficult is understanding what it means. In short, the southern Sierra – the highest section […]