LAS VEGAS — Water managers from seven Southwestern states that depend on the Colorado River for drinking and irrigation water are getting closer to finalizing an unprecedented drought contingency plan they may have to enact in 2020, officials said Thursday. The federal government's top water official, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner...
State OKs More Water for Salmon, Less for Farmers and Cities
SACRAMENTO — A state board on Wednesday approved a contentious proposal to boost water flows through the San Joaquin River, a move that would increase habitat for salmon but deliver less water to farmers and cities such as San Francisco. The plan under consideration by the Water Resources Control Board...
Walters: Pension Benefits Hinge on State Supreme Court Case
California’s public employee unions suffered a potentially heavy blow this year when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that they could not charge “fair share fees” to non-members. Union leaders and their political allies – essentially the entire Democratic Party – feared that the ruling (Janus vs. AFSCME) would entice many...
OMG! California Considers Fees on Text Messaging.
SACRAMENTO — California regulators are considering a plan to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones to help support programs that make phone service accessible to the poor, according to a newspaper report Wednesday. The proposal is scheduled for a vote next month by the state Public Utilities...
Walters: Harassment Case Tarnishes Sen. Kamala Harris
Former policeman Larry Wallace hitched his wagon to a politician on the fast track when he went to work for Kamala Harris. She was San Francisco’s district attorney at the time, and he was her personal driver. But she was clearly destined for bigger things and when Harris became California’s...
Official: California Must Mull Home Ban in Fire-Prone Areas
SACRAMENTO — California's increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires have become so unpredictable that government officials should consider banning home construction in vulnerable areas, the state's top firefighter says. Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott will leave his job Friday after 30 years with the agency. In an...
Tulare County Man Accused of Killing Dog That Peed on Yard
TULARE — Authorities say a man accused of using an assault rifle to shoot and kill a dog that peed on his yard and car was arrested and faces animal cruelty charges. The Tulare County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Monday that the dog's owner contacted officials Saturday after...
In Chula Vista, as in Fresno, Ag Land Is Tomorrow's Subdivision
Once, 34 Davidson was a landmark. Now it is a secret. I visited the home recently as part of a quest to understand how California housing and California dreams are aging and changing. I studied six different houses, in different parts of the state, all of which had deep meaning...
Walters: Rethinking California's Electric Utilities
California’s two major electric power utilities are on the hot seat as Capitol politicians ponder whether they should be protected from the financial consequences of last month’s killer wildfires. Downed power lines owned by Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison are suspected of sparking the fires that killed...
Senate Sides With Imperiled Salmon Over Sea Lions
SEATTLE — A bill that would make it easier to kill sea lions that feast on imperiled salmon in the Columbia River has cleared the U.S. Senate. State wildlife managers say rebounding numbers of sea lions are eating more salmon than ever and their appetites are undermining billions of dollars...