Water plays a lead role in the state’s political theater, with Democrats and Republicans polarized, farmers often fighting environmentalists and cities pitted against rural communities. Rivers are overallocated through sloppy water accounting. Groundwater has dwindled as farmers overdraw aquifers. Many communities lack safe drinking water. Native Americans want almost-extinct salmon...
Authorities Find Longest Southwest Border Smuggling Tunnel
SAN DIEGO — U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced the discovery of the longest smuggling tunnel ever found on the Southwest border, stretching more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it featured an extensive...
Gov. Gavin Newsom Restarts Giant Water Tunnel Project
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has restarted a project to build a giant, underground tunnel that would pump billions of gallons of water from the San Joaquin Delta to the southern part of the state. Newsom's administration on Wednesday issued a Notice of Preparation for the project, which is the...
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman Sentenced to Life in Prison
NEW YORK — The Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced Wednesday to life behind bars in a U.S. prison, a humbling end for a drug lord notorious for his ability to kill, bribe or tunnel his way out of trouble. A federal judge in Brooklyn handed down...
Elon Musk Firm Pitched to Build Transit System in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Entrepreneur Elon Musk's dream of an express tunnel transit system could finally become a reality in Las Vegas after major setbacks in other cities. Las Vegas' tourism agency announced Wednesday it is recommending that an enterprise backed by the divisive billionaire receive a contract to build and...