The Sacramento Bee Archives

Snow In May: Yosemite Looks Like A Winter Wonderland In The Middle Of Spring

“It was surreal.” As an unseasonal winter storm blanketed Yosemite with snow Sunday, people took to social media to share their awe. Photos from the Yosemite Conservancy’s webcam show El Capitan shrouded in fog and a dusting of snow atop Half Dome. Videos and photos posted to social media show thick snowflakes coming down and conditions that look out of place for late spring. “Sometimes Mother Nature has a plan of her own. Like snowmen in May in your hiking vacation in Yosemite!” said one Instagram user, who posted a photo of her child making a snowman near Tenaya Lodge.

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One Less Tax. California Lawmakers Move To Reject Gavin Newsom’s Water Fee

A Senate budget subcommittee rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water tax plan on Wednesday, instead recommending finding $150 million elsewhere to finance a safe and affordable drinking water fund. Newsom proposed the tax in his January budget to help communities clean contaminated water systems. His May budget revise also included a fee to address the statewide problem that affects one million Californians.

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Snow In May? Sierra Could Get Up To A Foot As Rare Cold Storm Sweeps Over California

May 13, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Michael McGough

In addition to wet weather and possible record-setting cold in the Sacramento Valley and foothills later this week, the Sierra will see snow showers Thursday and into the weekend. With temperatures dipping as low as 25, a rare mid-May snowstorm could affect the northern and central Sierra. In a special weather statement early Monday, National Weather Service’s Reno office warns that snow levels could fall to 6,000 feet by the end of the week. Forecasts for the mountains and foothills also show wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible by midweek, with even stronger winds expected.

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Paradise Asked For Aid To Deal With Toxic Water System. Gov. Newsom’s Budget Falls Short

May 9, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Tony Bizjak

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget leaves several Camp Fire-beleaguered agencies hanging, including a water district that has requested a $22 million state bailout while it deals with mass contamination of the Paradise drinking water. Newsom, in his announced budget Thursday, said he would provide $10 million in one-time funds to support Butte County “communities in their recovery from the unprecedented devastation of the Camp Fire.” That amount, though, is considerably less than the $30 million-plus requested by a handful of local governments who say they are struggling to maintain basic services in the wake of the November fire that destroyed most of Paradise, Concow and Magalia, and sent thousands of refugees to temporarily live in Chico, Oroville and other nearby towns.

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Gavin Newsom’s $209 Billion Budget Calls For New Taxes. Can He Get Them Passed?

May 7, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Sophia Bollag

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed new taxes and fees to fund health care subsidies, clean drinking water and tax credits for low-income families. But state revenue outpacing even his most optimistic predictions could present a challenge for him as he attempts to raise taxes. Last month, corporate taxes came in at $3.4 billion, much higher than the Newsom administration’s estimated $2.6 billion. Income taxes also came in ahead of projections, making up for a shortfall earlier in the year, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

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OPINION: To Prevent Water Shortages, California Must Embrace Desalination

May 6, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Paul Kelley

California has long been at the forefront of worldwide environmental leadership. Under our landmark law, Assembly Bill 32, we are slashing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. We lead the way in recycling, with some of the strictest requirements on earth. Our solar industry is thriving. Silicon Valley is creating the most innovative zero-emissions vehicles ever imagined. And Gov. Gavin Newsom is committed to taking our environmental leadership to the next level. However, in one key respect, California is lagging behind many other parts of the world. Climate change is causing drought and water shortages everywhere, but California has been slow to adopt a solution that over 120 countries are using: desalination.

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Toxic Water In California Prisons: Sickening Inmates And Costing Taxpayers Millions

May 3, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage, Uncategorized /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow

An inmate’s death in Stockton from Legionnaires’ disease marks the third time in four years the rare form of pneumonia has struck California’s state prisons – and has laid bare a history of contamination and other problems plaguing water supplies in the corrections system. Incidents of tainted water have spawned inmate lawsuits, expensive repairs, hefty bills for bottled water and fines, putting a multimillion-dollar burden on the taxpayer-funded corrections system, according to documents and court records reviewed by McClatchy. Now the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which oversees a network of 76 prisons, youth lockups and inmate firefighter camps, is dealing with a death.

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Drought Left California With ‘Zombie Trees.’ Here’s How To Spot Them And Help Them

May 2, 2019/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Mila Jasper

Zombie trees” sound straight out of science fiction, but don’t worry: Your trees aren’t going to bite you. They’re just thirsty. Although seven years of drought in California finally relented this March, high heat and lack of water have caused a severe decline in the health of some trees, with many now essentially suspended between life and death, Sacramento-area arborist Matt Morgan said. “The whole zombie tree issue came about after years of drought stress,” Morgan, assistant district manager with The Davey Tree Expert Co., said. “They structurally declined and the health decreased to a point where the trees are just there right now.”

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OPINION: To Address Climate Threat, California Must Lead The Way On Green Bonds

April 30, 2019/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Fiona Ma

We celebrated Earth Day last week, but climate change threatens our quality of life and poses material risk to our communities every day. A recent article by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco points out that climate change also poses a real threat to our economy. Similarly, other reports identify tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure needs in California. They also say new infrastructure must be resilient, adaptable and responsive to the threat of climate change.

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Dead Fish Wash Up Near $6.3 Million Passageway Designed To Protect Them. Why Didn’t It Work?

April 24, 2019/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler

Dozens of fish carcasses 13 of them Chinook salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act rotted in the sun Tuesday a couple hundred yards from a new $6.3 million structure that state officials built specifically to keep that grisly scenario from happening. Before the winter and spring flood season this year, engineers completed work on the new fish passage along the Fremont Weir, a nearly two mile-long concrete structure atop the Yolo Bypass.

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