Monday’s outages were largely triggered by high winds, with the Santa Cruz Mountains under red flag warnings and expecting to see gusts from 35 to 50 mph through the afternoon.
Environment
Posted inFood & Drink
‘Overjoyed at this fruit’: A year after being devastated by heat, smoke, this harvest has winemakers smiling
Compared to the 2020 harvest, one vintner calls this year’s harvest “a blessing.” “It’s black and white. With the smoke last year, it was pretty much a 100% loss for most clients. The fact that there’s no smoke this year makes it 100% better. Last year, some clients actually paid me to not pick.”
Posted inEnvironment
Oil spill off Orange County coast is smaller than estimated, Coast Guard says
Officials determine that between 25,000 and 131,000 gallons of oil were released in last weekend’s spill off the Orange County coast. Previous estimates were as much as 144,000 gallons.
Posted inLatest News
Newsom signs ‘monumental’ law paving way for more prescribed burns
The new law limits the liability of private landowners and public agencies that use prescribed fires under specified conditions.
Posted inLatest News
Climate change is supercharging California heat waves, and the state isn’t ready
California’s worst heat waves arrive in a one-two punch — high temperatures combined with humid air from Baja.
Posted inEnvironment
Oil spill puts spotlight on the magic and fragility of California’s coast
Scientists say shifting currents could push thicker parts of the oil slick ashore, which would be devastating for ecosystems
Posted inEnvironment
How a coast crowded with ships, port gridlock and an anchor might have caused O.C. oil spill
A final determination for the cause of the spill could take months, but Coast Guard investigators have come up with no other explanation than anchor drag, federal sources said.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
New law signed at crucial time for Santa Cruz will stop CEQA lawsuits blocking needle exchange
Opponents of free needle programs in California are using environmental regulations to shut them down. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will end that strategy.
Posted inEnvironment
California and the West can see small glimmers of hope in weather outlooks for October
Drought-stricken California has equal chances of normal temperatures and precipitation. “Any change in the atmospheric pattern that has us locked in this drought would be welcome,” one climatologist said.
Posted inEnvironment
Did a wayward ship anchor cause Orange County oil spill? Here’s what we know
The offshore waters along the Orange and Los Angeles county coasts are teeming with cargo ships waiting to get into the ports of L.A. and Long Beach, and the Coast Guard is investigating the possibility that one of them dragged its anchor across a pipeline running from the Port of Long Beach to an offshore oil platform.