California

In a recent study, scientists found that a previously unmeasured source – water percolating through soil and fractured rock below California’s Sierra Nevada mountains – delivers an average of 4 million acre feet (5 cubic kilometers) of water to the state’s Central Valley each year. This underground source accounts for about 10% of all the water […]

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park that left 10 dead and at least 10 injured:             “It was heartbreaking to wake up to another mass shooting, this time at a Lunar New Year celebration. What should have been a joyous […]

California’s infamous drought-to-deluge-to-drought climate has just swung hard toward the wet end of the spectrum. Three weeks of relentless storms brought San Francisco some of its heaviest rains in more than a century. Floodwaters inundated large areas, tens of thousands of Californians lost power, and countless trees were toppled across the state as gale-force winds […]

WASHINGTON, January 20, 2023 — The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce sea otters to a large stretch of the West Coast. Threatened southern sea otters occupy only 13% of their historic range, and a small population of the animals currently lives on California’s central coast. “Bringing the sea […]

SACRAMENTO – Business owners and taxpayers impacted by California’s winter storms are now eligible for emergency tax relief from late payment interest and penalties. “California is moving with the urgency this moment demands, rapidly bringing support to Californians recovering from the devastating impact of the recent storms,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Business owners across the […]

Spring is the sweet spot for breeding songbirds in California’s Central Valley – not too hot, not too wet. But climate change models indicate the region will experience more rainfall during the breeding season, and days of extreme heat are expected to increase. Both changes threaten the reproductive success of songbirds, according to a study […]

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of California and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides beginning on December 27, 2022, and continuing. The President’s action makes Federal funding available to […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) along with Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif-19), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11), and Representatives Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.-03), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-30), and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32) led a bipartisan letter with 42 other California Members of Congress urging President Joe Biden to grant […]

Heavy rainfall from an atmospheric river triggered mudslides in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 9, 2023. Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG via Getty Images Amir AghaKouchak, University of California, Irvine Rivers of muddy water from heavy rainfall raced through city streets as thousands of people evacuated homes downhill from California’s wildfire burn scars […]

January 11, 2023 – Despite recent, torrential rains, most of Southern California remains in a drought. Accordingly, many residents plant trees prized for drought tolerance, but a new UC Riverside-led study shows these trees lose this tolerance once they’re watered. One goal of the study was to understand how artificial irrigation affects the trees’ carbon […]

Sacramento, January 10, 2023 — Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s introduction of the 2023-24 State Budget, League of California Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman issued the statement below: “The Governor’s proposed 2023-24 State Budget honors funding commitments to local governments made in the 2022 Budget that bolster essential local programs and support our most […]

Sacramento – With significant winter weather impacting the majority of the state this week, the Department of Motor Vehicles is reminding Californians to stay off the roads if possible and take precautions if you must drive. “Driver safety is our number one concern,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “The safest thing to do is stay home. But […]

Late Sunday evening while in Mexico City, Mexico for the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., declared that an emergency exists in the State of California and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from successive and severe winter storms, flooding, […]

SACRAMENTO – As winter storms continue to pummel California, Governor Gavin Newsom today submitted a request to the White House for a Presidential Emergency Declaration to support ongoing storm response and recovery efforts. If approved, the declaration will activate the full weight of the federal government behind California’s storm response and allow the state to […]

SACRAMENTO – Working to protect Californians from the incoming winter storms, Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed a state of emergency throughout California to support the ongoing response to recent winter storms. The emergency proclamation supports emergency relief efforts including authorizing the mobilization of the California National Guard to support disaster response, directing Caltrans to request immediate […]

SACRAMENTO—Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero took office today as the 29th Chief Justice of California. She is the first Latina and third woman to hold the office in state history. Chief Justice Guerrero and Justice Evans both took the oath of office from Gov. Gavin Newsom. In the audience were First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and […]

SAN FRANCISCO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA was today sworn in to her second term leading the world’s fourth-largest economy as the state’s primary banker. She was officially sworn in at a family ceremony with her father, Dr. William Ma, by her side in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Judge Lillian Sing, the first Asian-American […]

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement regarding the death of Riverside County Sheriff’s Motor Deputy Isaiah Albert Cordero: “Jennifer and I extend our deepest sympathies to Deputy Isaiah Cordero’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. He served his community selflessly, and with dedication and courage. We owe him our respect, gratitude, […]

Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) wants Californians to be aware of several new laws taking effect in the new year. The laws listed below take effect on January 1, 2023, unless otherwise noted. Notable Changes in 2023 Online Driver’s License Renewal for Californians 70 and Older Ends December 31 (AB 174, Committee on […]

Graduate student researchers and academic student workers at the University of California voted this week to approve new contracts, ending their six-week strike today (Dec. 23). Under the terms of the new contracts, these workers will be among the best supported in public higher education in the country.  “The University of California welcomes the ratification […]