First surveyed in 1998, the Sur Pockmark Fields stretch along California’s central coastline and lie in an area ripe for future wind energy installations. Using a fleet of underwater robots to gather mapping data and sediment core samples, scientists discovered that these mysterious pockmarks are caused by a geologic phenomenon known as gravity flows rather […]
Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com. Gov. Gavin Newsom made a splash when he promised on May 10 to bring relief to California’s turbulent insurance market by vowing to speed up how quickly price increases are reviewed in […]
Anyone paying a utility bill has certainly noticed that the cost of electricity has risen over the past couple of years—at a rate that has often outpaced recent high inflation. With electricity demand rising due to a number of factors, including everything from electric vehicle (EV) adoption to even cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence (AI), rates […]
California will receive more than $35 million in federal funding to help address the scourge of abandoned oil wells that are leaking dangerous chemicals and planet-warming methane in areas across the state, including many in Los Angeles. The investment from the Biden-Harris administration is among the “largest ever in American history to address legacy pollution,” […]
California will be the first U.S. state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition, starting in July. The new tax — an 11% levy on each sale — will come on top of federal excise taxes of 10% or 11% for firearms and California’s 6% sales tax. The National Rifle Assn. has characterized […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s administration said Thursday it will now cost more than $20 billion to build a giant tunnel aimed at catching more water when it rains and storing it to better prepare for longer droughts caused by climate change. State regulators have been trying to build some version of […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is asking the Legislature to give it more control over when Californians pay their state taxes, an issue that stems from tax return delays due to severe weather. Atmospheric rivers in early 2023 brought rain and floods to California. That prompted the federal and state governments to delay tax filing deadlines […]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal from California corrections officials who sought immunity from lawsuits claiming they acted with deliberate indifference when they caused a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at one of the world’s most famous prisons four years ago. The justices turned down the appeal without comment or […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s budget deficit is at least $45 billion, a shortfall so large it prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday to propose painful spending cuts impacting immigrants, kindergarteners and low-income parents seeking child care in a state often lauded for having the world’s fifth-largest economy. Officially, Newsom said the state’s deficit is […]
FILE – Seen is the eastern Sierra Nevada, with Mount Whitney, the largest of three pinnacles at center, near Lone Pine, Calif., Dec. 21, 2016. Two climbers reported missing on California’s towering Mount Whitney have been found dead, officials said Thursday, May, 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Melley, File) INDEPENDENCE, Calif. (AP) — Two climbers reported […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to unveil an updated state budget on Friday showing a huge budget deficit that’s likely to trigger painful spending cuts — a shortfall that appears to have grown during the past few months. State lawmakers must produce a balanced budget by the time the new fiscal year begins on […]
Drought relief (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The storms that hit California in 2023 and early parts of 2024 continued to provide glimpses of hope after the severe drought up and down the state dropped water levels to shocking all-time lows. While the large fronts that began at the start of the year have caused […]