Wayne Lusvardi | CalWatchdog.com

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Will Brown’s brown lawns cause brownouts for summer 2015?

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory 25 percent cutbacks in urban water usage over the next nine months due to the prolonged water shortage in the state’s surface water reservoirs. In response, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said

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

CA may use Prop. 1 water bond to buy enviro water during drought

Wayne Lusvardi April 30, 2015

In the midst of a grueling four-year drought in agriculture, state officials say some $287.5 million in borrowed cash is available to purchase water for smelt and salmon runs and other wildlife. The funds come from California’s $7.5 billion Proposition

UCLA Study: 35% water reduction order in Palm Springs may backfire

Wayne Lusvardi April 15, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s recently announced Executive Order B-29-15, mandating statewide water use reductions will hit the Palm Springs area of California the hardest with 35 percent cuts in water usage. But a new UCLA study of outdoor watering restrictions in

Climate change should be top issue despite public apathy, Steyer and Cisneros say

Wayne Lusvardi April 7, 2015

Despite a recent Gallup poll showing climate changing ranking last among a number of environmental priorities, including polluted drinking water, air pollution and the loss of tropical rain forests, billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and former Secretary of Housing and

Hoover analyst: CA already met 50% renewable goal

Wayne Lusvardi March 30, 2015

Eureka! California already surpassed Gov. Jerry Brown’s 50 percent goal for renewable energy power by 2030. It did so, in fact, in 2011. That’s the conclusion of an article in the March-April issue of Eureka, a new periodical by the Hoover

Studies show tradeoffs on health vs. environment

Wayne Lusvardi March 27, 2015

Two new studies show cleaning the environment to improve health is about tradeoffs. One study is on clean-air regulations, the other on diesel truck exhausts. The studies give policymakers more information on the choices they will be making. The first

Deal to send rice water to SoCal could dry up before summer

Wayne Lusvardi March 26, 2015

The Sacramento Bee recently reported it’s a done deal to transfer water from Central Valley rice farmers to Southern California. The transfer would alleviate curtailments of urban water allocations. But if California does not provide the full allocation to the owners

Housing report by Legislative Analyst raises affordability questions

Wayne Lusvardi March 24, 2015

The California Legislative Analyst’s new report on housing costs puts numbers to what housing-hunters know on the ground: affordable housing in the state’s coastal areas is scarce and getting scarcer. But the report itself raises new questions. According to the

Worst-case scenarios for CalSTRS and CalPERS

Wayne Lusvardi March 4, 2015

Sometimes it’s good to consider worst-case scenarios. Maybe they won’t even happen, but it can help to look at every possibility. Two analysts have done that for California’s two biggest pension systems. As of the most current figures, the California Public