Environment

CA sardine fishing ban: Did regulators wait too long?

The federal government’s emergency moratorium on sardine fishing off the California and Pacific Northeast coast took effect July 1, in a major blow to commercial fishing operations, which directly and indirectly sustain thousands of middle-class jobs. The Pacific Fishery Management

Counties say too much water goes to environmental supply

Josephine Djuhana June 16, 2015

Although water consumption has been on the decline in the state of California, county officials believe these rates can be lowered by cutting supplies to the environment and fisheries. Back in 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a statewide emergency

NFIB opposes four Sacramento bills

CalWatchdog Staff June 10, 2015

Here’s the analysis of four pieces of legislation in the California State Assembly and Senate by the National Federation of Independent Business California. The NFIB opposes all four bills. These bills were introduced by Democratic legislators. Assembly Bill 464: Transaction and use taxes: maximum combined

Money and costs become central theme of cap and trade

Joel Fox June 9, 2015

When discussing California’s landmark cap-and-trade legislation set up to pay for carbon emissions, there is more conversation about money than there is about climate change. How much will the program cost? How will the money be spent? How will the

CARTOON: Anti-Fracking Kool-Aid

CalWatchdog Staff June 6, 2015

Is another bold CA energy strategy flopping?

Chris Reed June 1, 2015

In December 2000, Californians suffered a rare ordeal: rolling blackouts in a cool month instead of the blackouts seen intermittently in summer because of heavy air conditioning use overtaxing the state’s energy grid. The Golden State’s struggle to keep the

CA legislators revisit microbead ban

James Poulos May 30, 2015

After a near miss last year, a new push to ban so-called microbeads has gained momentum, clearing the California Assembly. The tiny plastic orbs, especially prevalent in cosmetics and personal care products, like facial scrubs, became the target of environmentalist scorn over recent

Oil pipeline spills up to 105,000 gallons along Santa Barbara coast

Josephine Djuhana May 21, 2015

Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County in light of an oil spill near Refugio State Beach, reported on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. “This emergency proclamation cuts red tape and helps the state quickly mobilize

CA Democratic Convention: Democrats divided on economic issues, trade pact

John May 16, 2015

Sen. Elizabeth Warren staked her claim as the progressive choice for president Saturday, with a rousing speech to delegates at the California Democratic Party’s state convention. The first-term Democratic Senator from Massachusetts earned a rousing applause and standing ovation from convention delegates

Big water importers dealt minimal cutbacks

Wayne Lusvardi May 16, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown has mandated an overall 25 percent reduction in urban water usage over the next nine months – equivalent to 1.3 million acre-feet, or enough to supply 7.8 million people. But does Brown’s plan target where the most