Officials warn that next year’s cuts in water supply could go even deeper as severe drought grips nearly 90% of California. Residents of the North Coast and Bay Area conserved more than Southern Californians did.
Wildfires
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘We’re here to talk about it’: PG&E addresses community concerns over increased, prolonged outages across county
After an increasing number of both unplanned and planned outages countywide over the past few months, PG&E representatives hosted two virtual community forums to address customer concerns. With the new “fast trip” setting, some outages have been sparked by birds, squirrels and vegetation, leading to hours of no power and no explanation for customers.
Posted inLatest News
The bold firefighting strategies that saved some of the world’s largest sequoias
Crews have used controlled burns, protective foil and other protective measures to guard Sequoia National Park.
Posted inEnvironment
Fire creeps closer to ancient sequoias, reaching Trail of 100 Giants
Flames from the Windy fire are chewing the trunks of trees within Long Meadow Grove, home to some 1,500-year-old sequoias along the Trail of 100 Giants.
Posted inLatest News
‘This is my children’s future’: Angry fire survivors dig in against potentially damning clause, vow to fight
On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved the CZU Rebuild Directive, which removes a geological hazard evaluation requirement but required another document stating the evaluation had not been done. Owners say this clause will affect property values, and officials are looking into possible adjustments.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Where do we go from here?’: Activists will hold community forum to address racial, social issues
Activist Thairie Ritchie is hosting a discussion Saturday, seeking to engage the larger community about the traumatic issues Santa Cruz County residents have had to deal with this year. It will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. at Mission Plaza in Santa Cruz.
Posted inEnvironment
Giant Forest trees prepped for flames in Sequoia National Park as KNP Complex fire closes in
Flames from the KNP Complex fire were within reach Thursday of the sequoias in the Giant Forest, fire crews warned. “A lot of special effort is going into protecting this grove,” a parks spokesperson said as firefighters wrapped trees and structures in a fire-resistant aluminum material.
Posted inLatest News
Charred trees, destroyed homes — Biden tours wildfire danger during California trip
President Biden visited a firefighting headquarters in Idaho before he’s expected to tour wildfire damage near Sacramento.
Posted inLatest News
A clause for concern: CZU victims express fear over verbiage included in proposed geological revision
The board of supervisors agreed to hear more information on the topic in two weeks and encouraged homeowners to flesh out their concerns further. “If you feel strongly that this is going to have an impact on the value of your homes, I would suggest coming back with some evidence from real estate professionals,” Manu Koenig said.
Posted inLatest News
PG&E sheds light on Ben Lomond power outage, what was tripping the ‘fast trip’ tech: It was squirrels
Thousands of Ben Lomond residents were angry at PG&E over the weekend as power went out. A spokesperson for the utility company told Lookout on Monday that squirrels biting or touching a line triggered the new “fast trip” mechanism.