Before he was state Sen. John Laird, he was the County of Santa Cruz’s John Laird, and before that, he was Santa Cruz mayor, city councilmember and staffer John Laird. They were formative years for observing and responding to disasters. And they taught him perspective both on accepting nature’s random, inevitable penance and finding ways to make this uniquely disaster-prone county as ready as possible for the next lashing.
Climate
Posted inLatest News
Calories, carbs and climate. Should fast food have environmental labeling?
Climate-related food labeling could be an effective tool to whittle down the beef industry’s carbon footprint, new research argues.
Posted inLatest News
How climate change is reshaping the Christmas tree
As climate change causes extended periods of drought and warm temperatures, even hardy Christmas trees are struggling to thrive. This has spurred some Santa Cruz-area Christmas tree farmers to become more innovative in their approach to growing the trees. It also means your Christmas tree might look a little different in future years.
Posted inLatest News
Recent storms give drought-weary California cause for hope, but will they continue?
Despite some improvements in snowpack and soil moisture, experts warn that California still has a long way to go to truly reverse its historic dry streak.
Posted inLatest News
Whither West Cliff? Recent collapse of path along ‘Santa Cruz’s front porch’ suggests troubling future
The West Cliff Drive we know today — Santa Cruz’s “front porch,” a surfing mecca and the site for a procession of multimillion-dollar homes/objects of envy that represent the Sunset magazine ideal of the California Good Life — is a shockingly recent development. Coastline erosion has been an ongoing constant, consistent over decades and centuries — but now we humans are adding a new wrinkle: climate change.
Posted inEnvironment
As California droughts intensify, ecosystems and rural communities will bear the brunt
Increased groundwater demand and less precipitation because of drought have forever altered the state, but several sectors will be hit especially hard.
Posted inEnvironment
Drought forces California farmers to idle vast growing areas, costing $1.7 billion
A third year of severe drought forced California farmers to leave an estimated 752,000 acres of farmland idle this year, according to a new report.
Posted inLatest News
Climate change is rapidly accelerating in California, state report says
The state report paints a stark picture of California’s escalating climate crisis and documents wide-ranging effects on weather, water and residents.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Assembly District 30 update: Will Addis’ advantage in Santa Cruz, Monterey push her past Nohrden?
Vicki Nohrden of Monterey, the Republican candidate in the race for state Assembly District 30, garnered more votes in San Luis Obispo County than Morro Bay’s Dawn Addis in the June primary. But Addis (along with three other Democratic candidates) carried the vote in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties and seems likely to collect the votes of those three other Democrats.
Posted inLatest News
Climate change is fueling extremism, raising tempers along with temperatures
California won’t rebuild every rural town incinerated by a fire. As resources shrink and priorities change, the risk of far-right violence will grow.