Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $95 million would help undocumented workers rebuild after winter storms and floods. Months later, $18 million is being doled out and there are translation issues with the state’s website.
Weather
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As threat of El Niño winter looms, Newsom signs order to hasten levee repairs
Restoring levees is crucial to public safety, but critics say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order also comes at the expense of rules designed to protect the environment. The move comes after disastrous flooding in the Pajaro Valley and elsewhere amid last winter’s storms.
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California has new weapons to battle summer blackouts: Battery storage, power from record rain
Last summer, a dangerous heat wave across California pushed the power grid almost to the brink. Officials say the state is better equipped to weather such extreme heat this year, but late summer could still be a test.
Posted inEnvironment
‘We are in a new era’: A year after reopening, how far has Big Basin come — and how far does it still need to go?
Big Basin Redwoods State Park has made big strides since its reopening a year ago, with more trails and campgrounds reopened to the public now than over the last two years. However, the park in its current state is ‘almost unrecognizable’ from its pre-2020 iteration, parks officials say, even after nearly three years of intensive restoration work. Now, California State Parks is beginning the process of studying what kinds of new permanent facilities will be built in the park, and where.
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Winter’s floodwaters have receded in the Pajaro Valley, leaving behind fertile ground for lawsuits
As in the wake of flooding that hit the Pajaro Valley in 1995, an ugly and protracted litigation phase appears to be ramping up following this winter’s disaster, with residents of Watsonville among hundreds pursuing claims against a variety of local and state entities.
Posted inEnvironment
As El Niño officially begins, what might the effects look like in Santa Cruz County?
The climate pattern known as El Niño has officially begun and is expected to bring cooler, wetter winters to some regions of the United States. While the effects on the Central Coast are not as clear cut, Santa Cruzans likely won’t see any significant impacts until the winter months.
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Watsonville, Pajaro residents send warning shot as winter flood lawsuits against governments appear imminent
The City of Watsonville, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties and a number of local and state agencies have been named in claims made by hundreds of residents on both sides of the Pajaro River, according to the Los Angeles-based firm representing them; those claims are a precursor for a potential mass-action lawsuit.
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Santa Cruz Mountains communities brace for turmoil as home insurers leave California over wildfire risk
As insurance companies like State Farm pull out of writing new policies in California over concerns about the cost of wildfires, homeowners in high fire-risk areas, such as the San Lorenzo Valley, can expect to pay higher premiums as they pick from a much smaller pool of property insurers. An insurance program that offers limited fire insurance may become the only option for many in the Santa Cruz Mountains — one that experts warn could be far too expensive for some low-income families.
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Months after Pajaro levee breach, hundreds of flood evacuees are still living in hotels, waiting to return home
“You go to sleep living one life, then you wake up living another,” says one Pajaro resident whose family of seven has been in limbo since the March floods. While they’ve received help from FEMA and local agencies, the high cost of living and the uneven post-flood response has them confused and worried.
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Record wet winter inflicted more than $210M in damage to California parks — $100M at Seacliff alone
California state parks have declared $187 million in damage to 85 state parks in January’s FEMA storm event, with an additional $23 million in March’s storm event. Seacliff State Beach in Aptos accounted for more than $100 million.