Top Stories
Massive Fish-Lift Trucks Drought-Constrained Salmon to the Bay
Salmon is another story. California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) is directing a massive effort to truck tankloads of baby salmon from fisheries to the San Francisco Bay to help save the fishing industry, keep the species alive and put a Band-Aid on the food chain. State and federal wildlife agencies told AP it was the largest fish-lift ever. 30 million salmon. read more
Dammed L.A. Aqueduct Blocks Owens Valley Water for the First Time
Exports of water were already low. The Sheet reported that they were around 60,000-70,000 acre-feet each of the last couple years, compared to an average of 337,000 a year since 1970. L.A.’s sordid history with Owens Valley, in Inyo County, was famously fictionalized in the 1974 movie “Chinatown.” Owens Lake went dry in a decade. Farmers, ranchers and residents were devastated and the area has been wracked by dust storms and drought ever since. read more
Feds Indict Former No. 2 in the LA. County Sheriff’s Department
“Tanaka had a large role in institutionalizing the illegal activities in the Sheriff’s Department,” Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura said in announcing the indictment. Seven Los Angeles County deputies were convicted last year of obstructing an FBI probe of the county jail system. At one point, deputies moved FBI informant Anthony Brown from jail to jail in 2011, dodging the bureau while trying to find out what the feds’ sting operation had on them. read more
Court Rules Biased, Abstinence-Only Teaching Isn’t Sex Ed. Sadly, That’s “Historic”
Judge Donald S. Black told the Clovis Unified School District, “Access to medically and socially appropriate sexual education is an important public right,” and their abstinence-only sex ed curriculum “violated California law for many years.” But by the time he ruled, the lawsuit, filed in 2012, had already been settled. His ruling came during an argument over court costs. And he sounded a little pissed off. read more
Bay Bridge Problems: “Game Changers” or Wicked Witch of the West Syndrome?
There is more than wasted money at stake. The bridge was designated, and designed, as a key, reinforced, transporation corridor in case of a giant earthquake and city survival strategies revolve around that. MTC chief Steve Heminger said that he thought the big bridge picture was positive. But “Caltrans didn’t sweat the details,” he said. And broken rods might be some of them. read more
2 Million Pistachio Trees at Risk from Strange Disorder
The bacteria causes stunted tree growth and bushy tops, and can spread. It is known as Bushy Top Syndrome. The trees don’t root very well and most don’t bud. Farmers started ripping up their stocks, hoping that something evil wasn’t being left behind in the soil, lurking on farm implements or floating through the air. But the Visalia Times-Delta said that farmers weren’t told that Stanislaus County-based Duarte Nursery was probably the sole source of the problem until last month. read more
Racist/Homophobic S.F. Police Texts Ripple Through 3,000 Cases over 10 Years
Three retired judges from other jurisdictions, including former California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, will review cases handled by 14 officers. Around 1,600 of the arrests reportedly resulted in prosecutions. The review is part of a task force that will also report on whether a “culture of bias” exists in the department. That report is expected by the end of the year. read more
State Appeals Court Lets Cops Hide License Plate Scans from the Public
The facts were not in dispute. LAPD estimates it scans the license plates of approximately 1.2 million vehicles a week and stores them in a database. The Sheriff scans more. The judges upheld a lower-court ruling that the records constituted part of official investigations and were not subject to a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request. read more
Just 5 Weeks from Finding Out What’s in the Oil Wastewater Used on Crops
Chevron provides 10% of Kern County irrigation needs with recycled water from its oil drilling operations. The standards for measuring the toxicity of the water are two-decades old and predate many of the chemicals used in modern extraction techniques, like hydraulic fracturing. That changed last year with new fracking disclosure laws and regulations. read more
“Grumpy” Environmentalists Appeal Decision to Ship Mojave Water to Orange County Suburbanites
Critics say there is no surplus water for diversion to the aquifer, the aquifer will be drained, the pipeline will cut across sensitive federal property and the ecosystem will take a big hit. Conservationists lost their initial court cases that argued the environmental impact report and groundwater management plan were deficient and challenged the role of the Santa Margarita Water District in Orange County in approving them. read more
Audits of Two L.A. DWP Nonprofits Turn up the Usual Abuses but No Crime
City Controller Ron Galperin’s audit said the trust operators “have a cavalier attitude toward the use of public money” and blamed an “environment of lax oversight and inadequate financial controls.” The trusts accumulated an $11.3 million surplus as of June 30, 2014, but can’t document why it wasn’t spent and don’t have a plan for spending it. read more
Delta Water Plan Simplified by Focusing on Tunnels and Bagging the Restoration
The administration is cutting $8 billion worth of environmental improvements in the old plan down to $300 million and reducing the area of wetland and wildlife habitat restoration from 100,000 acres to 30,000, according to Associated Press. Environmentalists long complained that the delicate ecosystem was being treated as an afterthought in the state’s rush to move more water from the Delta to farmers in the Central Valley and thirsty Californians further south. read more
Federal Data-Breach Bill Would Replace Stronger California Law
California has arguably the most effective data security laws in the country—and they’re not very good. Myriad important deficiencies surrounding data remain unacknowledged, much less addressed. But H.R. 1770 would seriously undermine California’s effort in fundamental ways. The federal bill redefines what a data breach is by requiring action only when there is a potential for “financial harm,” a significantly narrower basis than the state uses. read more
Water Cuts Won’t Affect Thirsty Almonds; Growers Are Planting More of Them
“In spite of ongoing water concerns and high land costs, Rabobank expects California almond growers will continue to increase plantings and total production, leading to a rise of about 2 percent and 3.5 percent per annum, respectively, over the next decade,” according to Vernon Crowder, senior vice president and senior analyst.
And the water shortage has only made things better. “Drought conditions and the stronger US dollar have increased the price of almonds for all buyers,” he wrote. read more
Appeals Court Cans Key Part of State’s Water Conservation Plan—High Prices for Big Users
The court struck down a four-tiered pricing plan used by San Juan Capistrano’s water agency because it violated Proposition 218, a ballot measure passed in 1996 at the urging of fiscal conservatives that prohibits local governments from levying new or increased tax assessments on property owners without local ballot voter approval by said property owners. The California Supreme Court extended the reach of the law in 2006 to local water, refuse and sewer charges. read more
Court Re-Unseals Pasadena Shooting Excerpts, but Report Stays Under Wraps
The California Second District Court of Appeal rescinded, without comment, an earlier seal it put on excerpts from the report contained in a legal document, thus extending an odd process of now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t transparency that continues to leave family, friends and the community ill-informed about what happened to Kendrec McDade three years ago. read more