Investigation

Drought: What’s the best way to save water and energy?

It is being widely touted in the media that water conservation obviously not only saves water but also saves energy. Water is free, but the cost to capture, convey and treat it is not. It’s worth asking, and answering: Which

High-speed rail: Where’s the money?

Kathy Hamilton March 5, 2014

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on the new Draft 2014 Business Plan of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Part 1 was about the questions raised by the plan. Part 2 was about California’s 3rd District Court of Appeal

LAO: Bullet train could increase greenhouse gases by 2020

Dave Roberts March 4, 2014

Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to spend the lion’s share of cap-and-trade auction revenue on the high-speed rail project won’t help the state meet its goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 2020, according to a recent Legislative Analyst’s Office report.

Judge blasts ‘corrupt’ Cal Fire in wildfire lawsuit

Dave Roberts February 19, 2014

Superior Court Judge Leslie Nichols this month ruled that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection repeatedly deceived and withheld evidence in a lawsuit seeking $8.1 million from a company and several landowners for a wildfire that the company

Court of Appeal keeps high-speed rail chugging for now

Kathy Hamilton February 17, 2014

This is Part 2 of a three-part series on the Draft 2014 Business Plan of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Part 1 is here. On Friday, California’s 3rd District Court of Appeal kept California’s high-speed rail project chugging at least a

New High-Speed Rail business plan mainly raises questions

Kathy Hamilton February 13, 2014

This is Part 1 of a three-part series on the Draft 2014 Business Plan of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Part 2 is here. There are more questions than answers in the Draft 2014 Business Plan of the California High-Speed Rail

New CARB Scoping Plan claims fighting ‘climate change’ is a ‘great unifier’

Wayne Lusvardi February 11, 2014

Yesterday the California Air Resources Board released the first update of its Climate Change Scoping Plan. The original Scoping Plan came out in Dec. 2008. Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, required the original Scoping Plan

Drought Wars: Where did the farm water go?

Wayne Lusvardi February 6, 2014

Where did that farm water go? That’s a major question stalking California during its record drought. The finger-pointing sure is under way. On Feb. 4, environmental writer Dan Bacher pointed at state water managers, claiming they made the California drought worse by

Sen. Steinberg advances drought bill

Wayne Lusvardi February 4, 2014

Yesterday state Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, released an outline of a drought reduction bill. Steinberg does not want to be outdone by Republican congressmen grabbing all the media attention for being the first to float an anti-drought

Drought Wars: Dueling bills seek to balance fish and farmers

Wayne Lusvardi February 3, 2014

The sprinkles some areas of California have enjoyed the last couple of days have done almost nothing to alleviate the state’s severe drought. So the Drought Wars between Democrats and Republicans have continued. In several recent articles CalWatchdog.com has covered