Weekly Green: August 18, 2015

Good afternoon, all. In recent headlines:

• New York Times: How California is Winning the Drought;
• Associated Press reports on 2012's Proposition 39, legislators respond;
• Wildfires may be "new normal;" 36-cent "shade balls;" much more.

» Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Green, your no-frills news roundup provided free of charge by the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, sign up for your free subscription today: http://ecovote.org/wg »

Top News

How California is Winning the Drought
The state and its 39 million residents are about to enter the fifth year of a drought. It has been the driest four-year period in California history -- and the hottest, too. Yet by almost every measure except precipitation, California is doing fine. Not just fine: California is doing fabulously.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/how-california-is-winning-the-drought.html

Lawmakers Call for Oversight Hearings on Green Jobs Measure
California lawmakers from both parties are calling for more stringent oversight of a clean jobs initiative after an Associated Press report found that a fraction of the promised jobs have been created.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f9777e5ea1f6484a99f19c94d0f9a5fe/ap-exclusive-california-measure-fails-create-green-jobs

Response from Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and Proposition 39 Co-Chair Tom Steyer
It's irresponsible and more than a little misleading to prejudge a long-term, multi-year program this early in the process. We are disappointed that the Associated Press did not take time to present an objective or comprehensive analysis of what is still a developing program.
http://sd24.senate.ca.gov/news/2015-08-17-joint-statement-senate-president-pro-tempore-kevin-de-le%C3%B3n-and-proposition-39-co

Sacramento Bee Editorial: Trust in short supply as Prop. 39 gets off to slow start
In 2012, Proposition 39's promoters made bold promises: The initiative would generate $1 billion a year by shutting a corporate tax loophole, and earmark $500 million to combat climate change and provide good blue-collar jobs. It's too early to call the measure a bust.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article31345247.html

California Environmental News

California to have nation's stingiest shower heads
The move responds to Gov. Jerry Brown's order to step up water efficiency amid a fourth year of drought. The latest regulation approved by the California Energy Commission requires shower heads to spray no more than 2 gallons per minute, starting in July, and no more than 1.8 gallons per minute two years later. It's the strictest cap in the nation, up from the current standard of 2.5 gallons per minute.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Drought-plagued-California-to-have-nation-s-6441098.php

The 36-cent 'shade ball' that could save $250 million and keep L.A. water clean
Can 96 million balls improve water quality? Los Angeles is about to find out.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-shade-ball-water-20150812-htmlstory.html

Lawmaker Defends California Climate Change Bill
Debate over an ambitious climate change bill continues to sizzle in the California Legislature as its final vote nears. Senate leader Kevin de León responded on Wednesday to what he said are fears about his measure stoked by the oil industry.
http://www.capradio.org/55176

California drought: 'Emergency situation' for state's trees
The rush to save water is claiming legions of unintended casualties -- California's trees. Specimens that have stood tall and strong for decades are stressed and dying because of the drought, as Californians turn off spigots to comply with Gov. Jerry Brown's mandatory conservation measures.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28651179/california-drought-emergency-situation-states-trees

More than 10,000 acres in Sierra Nevada protected in deal that aims to boost water supply, reduce fires
The Northern Sierra Partnership, based in Palo Alto and founded by Silicon Valley leaders Jim and Becky Morgan, joined with the Nature Conservancy and American River Conservancy to buy the land for $10.1 million from Simorg West Forests, an Atlanta timber company.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_28650412/more-than-10-000-acres-sierra-nevada-protected

As California wildfires rage, Marin prepares for the inevitable
A bulldozer-like vehicle with a spiky metal grinding wheel rolled through the woodlands next to Bon Tempe Lake in Marin County last week, devouring bushes and small trees and spitting out the mulched remnants like some kind of forest Pac-Man.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/As-California-wildfires-rage-Marin-prepares-for-6447819.php?t=69774854a300af33be&cmpid=twitter-premium

California Wildfires May Be 'New Normal'
UC Berkeley professor Scott Stephens is co-director of the Center for Fire Research and Outreach. He says some of the increase in fire frequency is likely due in part to climate change.
http://www.capradio.org/55336

Records: California Plans Taking Land for Huge Water Tunnels
State contractors have readied plans to acquire as many as 300 farms in the California delta by eminent domain to make room for a pair of massive, still-unapproved water tunnels proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown, according to documents obtained by opponents of the tunnels.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-plans-taking-farms-massive-water-tunnels-33140306

Orange County is a model for recycling water
In the 1960s, when most of Irvine was farm fields, planners realized the value of recycling water. In a remarkable act of foresight, they built an extra set of pipes into plans for the master-planned city to carry treated wastewater to those fields.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-677812-recycled-recycling.html

The next drought: Water officials endorse a 'less is more' strategy for the future
The desalination plants, the lawn-less yards and the tech-savvy approach to irrigation are just a few examples of that new water-saving landscape.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-next-drought-20150816-story.html

State calls for $2 million audit of PG&E's focus on safety
Nearly five years after the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion, state regulators called Monday for a $2 million utility-financed investigation into whether Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is putting enough emphasis on safety.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/State-considers-safety-audit-of-PG-E-6449751.php

Scientists at Tahoe make bad fish good fish for Reno poor
Largemouth bass and bluegills that were making their home in parts of Lake Tahoe where they don't belong are ending up in the stomachs of some of Nevada's poor and homeless as part of an offshoot of a research project to combat invasive species.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article31250456.html

Crews begin work on drought fix at Folsom Lake
As water regulators continue to rapidly drain Folsom Lake to bolster supplies downstream, crews have begun construction of a floating barge that could keep water flowing to the city of Folsom this fall.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article31164809.html

Yosemite deaths put focus on killer toll of drought on trees
The deaths of two children at Yosemite National Park after a tree limb fell on their tent while they were sleeping is again focusing attention on the toll the drought is taking on trees.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yosemite-deaths-put-focus-on-killer-toll-of-drought-on-trees-20150814-story.html

San Diego Is Saving Water, But Has Plenty to Go Around
San Diego water officials cheered the region's water-saving efforts Thursday but chafed at statewide restrictions that don't take into account local investments in desalination, recycling and storage capacity.
http://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2015/08/13/san-diego-is-saving-water-but-has-plenty-to-go-around/

Soldiers to replace college students fighting wildfires across West
With more than 29,000 firefighters already on the ground and resources stretched thin, wildfire managers on Monday called in active-duty soldiers to help battle fires burning across the parched West, especially in California.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/17/soldiers-replace-college-students-fighting-wildfires-across-west/31873651/

Op-Ed: Memories of a thirsty childhood
Drought-shaming could become a popular pastime in California's driest summer. Egregious water wasters, especially the ones with massive lawns and high public profiles, are getting called out by reporters and humbled on social media. There's something to be said for bringing the heedless well-to-do low, but make no mistake, it is the poor and disadvantaged who are truly demeaned as water becomes more precious.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-oe-belk-water-poverty-20150802-story.html

The 'sad but not surprising death' of a wandering puma known as P-32
What is striking about P-32 -- and indeed, his species -- is his ability to hide in plain sight, slinking through suburbs and parks and survive five freeway crossings. Their presence gives proof to the lie that Southern California is just a concrete jungle.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-puma-killed-freeway-20150813-story.html

After plague case, Yosemite to shut camps for spraying
The bodies of two squirrels that died of plague have been found at the popular Tuolumne Meadows campground in Yosemite National Park, prompting public health officials to shut down more than 300 campsites for five days starting Monday, August 17.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/After-plague-case-Yosemite-to-shut-camps-for-6445789.php

El Niño could be strongest ever -- but can it match El Niño mania?
In California, after four dry years, people are hungry for wet weather, not only prattling on about precipitation but also tracking monsoons on the Internet and schooling themselves on the fine points of the jet stream -- all in hope that the climatic pattern named after a child delivers an adult-size punch of moisture this winter.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/El-Ni-o-getting-bigger-and-bigger-6442359.php

El Niño Won't End California Drought, State Says
State and federal forecasters say California's drought won't stop even if a soggy El Niño arrives this winter. State Climatologist Michael Anderson said Thursday there's only a "50/50 chance" of a wetter California winter.
http://www.capradio.org/55242

Incentives under fire for fuel cells
Environmentalists and lawmakers are warning that fuel cells that generate electricity and pollution from natural gas could scoop up the lion's share of state subsidies for utility customers who generate their own electricity, edging out cleaner emerging technologies.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/11/fuel-cell-incentive-questioned/

Proposal from PG&E, other utilities, seeks cut in benefits for solar customers
But under proposals by the state's three utility giants, rooftop solar power may become less of a good deal. The companies, including PG&E, are seeking to lower compensation rates to solar customers who supply excess power to the grid, and to also implement new "demand charges" for those customers.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/4325943-181/proposal-from-pge-other-utilities

Morain: Can California turn the West green?
California's leaders quickly saluted last week when President Barack Obama released his Clean Power Plan, a 1,500-page proposal that would dramatically reduce the nation's dependence on coal. We're already there, or at least we think we are.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article30956595.html

San Francisco Bay Area commuters make big shift away from cars
Workers in the San Francisco Bay Area made the nation's most dramatic shift from commuting via automobile to using alternative transportation between 2006 and 2013, according to a new Census Bureau report.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article31010712.html

State fines ExxonMobil $566,600 for serious safety violations in wake of Torrance refinery explosion
State regulators fined ExxonMobil $566,600 for 19 workplace heath and safety violations, 18 of them classified as serious because they could lead to worker death, in the wake of the Feb. 18 explosion at the Torrance refinery that literally rocked the city.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20150813/NEWS/150819796

L.A. council OKs sweeping plan to add bike lanes, bus routes by 2035
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a sweeping transportation plan that calls for the addition of hundreds of miles of new bicycle lanes, bus-only lanes and other road redesigns over the next 20 years.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mobility-plan-20150811-story.html

Chevron fined for air pollution at Richmond refinery
Chevron has agreed to pay $146,000 in fines for spewing pollutants into the air at its refinery in Richmond, air quality regulators announced Tuesday.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-fined-for-air-pollution-at-Richmond-6437988.php

Baldassare: Californians and Climate Change
It's been nine years since the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" had its debut and AB 32, the "California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006" was passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2015/08/californians-and-climate-change/

Air pollution from China undermining gains in California, Western states
A study released Monday by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA found that smog-forming chemicals making their way across the Pacific Ocean from China are undermining the progress California has made in reducing ozone, the most caustic component in L.A. smog.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20150810/NEWS/150819954

Comstock's: "Head in the Clouds"
Senate pro Tem Kevin de León is California's first Latino Senate leader in more than 130 years. He has championed an aggressive agenda centered on transitioning the state away from fossil fuels and toward a low-carbon, high renewable energy economy. We sat down with him recently to discuss that transition.
http://www.comstocksmag.com/commentary/head-clouds

National Environmental News

Hillary Clinton breaks with Obama on Arctic drilling
Hillary Clinton distanced herself Tuesday from President Barack Obama's decision to approve offshore drilling in the Arctic -- a move that quickly drew attacks from the GOP but may shore up her support among skeptical environmentalists.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/hillary-clinton-arctic-drilling-opposes-obama-121480.html

MLK III: Climate change and pollution take away civil rights
Climate change and the pollution that fuels it are civil rights issues, with the poor and communities of color bearing the brunt; Obama administration's setting new limits on carbon pollution from power plants is an attempt to redress this inequality.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/opinions/king-obama-limits-on-carbon-pollution/

Fiorina, Cruz and Walker respond to Jerry Brown on climate change
California Gov. Jerry Brown, blaming climate change for hot weather that has exacerbated the state's historic drought, has pressed Republican presidential candidates in recent weeks to address the issue in their campaigns, first scolding them in a letter and then telling reporters, "My message is real clear: California's burning. What the hell are you going to do about it?" On Saturday, a rejoinder.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article31237517.html

States downstream from contaminated river upset that EPA didn't alert them
As the Environmental Protection Agency continued to monitor 3 million gallons of mine waste released into Colorado's Animas River, residents in two states downstream decried the federal agency Tuesday, saying it failed to alert them to mustard-colored sludge headed their way.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-colorado-river-spill-20150811-story.html

California Politics and Government

Key bills on the table
Following is a list of important bills awaiting action in the final weeks of the legislative session that starts Monday and ends Sept. 11.
http://capitolweekly.net/lineup-legislation-key-bills-session-final/

Terhaar: Good luck trying to figure out California's campaign finance data
It is the "most knotted ball of string you ever imagined." That's how Richard Hertz -- pollster, professor and former Fair Political Practices Commission staffer -- describes California's campaign finance database, called Cal-Access.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/joyce-terhaar/article31239362.html

How to speak like a Capitol insider
To those unaccustomed to the inside baseball of policymaking, politicians can sometimes seem like they speak a different language. But fear not! With lawmakers returning from a summer recess Monday, this legislative dictionary will help you decipher how California Capitol creatures conduct business.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article31238789.html

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