@AlbrightGeoff
Yes, stormwater is fairly polluted, and a lot of this will make its way to the Pacific. There are efforts underway in LA to capture and clean more of this water when it falls, both for quality and supply purposes. I wrote more about that here:
@mjpcdhoops
@nycsouthpaw
It definitely doesn't hurt, although much of this water will end up in the Pacific. Soil moisture, reservoir levels and snowpack have all seen boosts from this winter's storms. (But I'd also note that SoCal's other major water source, the Colorado River, is still very, VERY low).
Fire Capt. Eric Limones of
@calfireSCU
snapped this incredible photo of his crew at the
#DixieFire
this week. It speaks volumes about what these firefighters are up against as they battle the state's biggest blaze of the year.
California will become the first state to require insurance discounts for homeowners who take steps to mitigate for wildfires. Insurance companies must also give consumers the right to appeal their home's assigned "wildfire risk score."
Across the state, Californians in search of more open space, a sense of community and affordable housing are trading city life in major urban centers like the Bay Area or Los Angeles for suburban and rural communities.
Latest from me and
@sarahparvini
2023 was a doozy. But I broke a personal record with 87 stories on the front page of the
@latimes
this year 📰! I'm so proud to be part of this great paper.
As California burns, some ecologists say that forest thinning and logging are no longer working against climate-driven wildfires — and that focusing directly on communities is the best way to prevent more destruction.
My latest with
@phila_lex
I’m in Strawberry, CA, where crews are working hard and fast to prevent the
#CaldorFire
from reaching any structures. Here’s smoke rising behind the General Store.
Buried around 700 pages into Project 2025 is a call to demolish NOAA and the National Weather Service — some of the nation’s most dependable resources for tracking weather, combating climate change and protecting the public from environmental hazards.
Whew. Today marks my 56th front page story of 2022. I remain immensely grateful for the work we get to do at
@latimes
. Here are some of my favorites from the year:
Reflecting on my first full year at the
@latimes
. I wrote nearly 400 stories in 2021, which took me from COVID-19 intensive care units to the front lines of wildfires, to crime scenes and even late-night school board meetings. I still feel grateful every day. 🗞️
When it comes to traffic, the next few months will be crucial in determining whether the changes brought by the pandemic will alter what for more than a century has been one of the most bemoaned aspects of L.A. life.
My latest, a subscriber exclusive:
Gas prices in California are soaring to record levels as the holiday season approaches, combining with supply chain problems and mounting inflation to create a distinctly unfestive strain on many people’s wallets.
It was only months ago that South Lake Tahoe offered an escape valve for many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it's nearly uninhabitable as smoke from the
#Caldorfire
chokes the area.
State officials are attempting to address California’s staffing shortage through a sweeping policy change that allows asymptomatic healthcare workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus to return to work immediately, without isolation or testing.
LA is under an air quality advisory through Tuesday because of 4th of July fireworks, which emit high levels of particulate matter and metal air pollutants,
@grace_2e
reports.
California's wildfire season is already outpacing 2020 (the state's worst year on record). More than 2x as many acres burned in the first six months of this year than during the same period last year, and hundreds more fires.
My latest:
"A pregnant climate reporter? Isn't that a contradiction?"
For this week's
#BoilingPoint
, I wrote about my journey into motherhood at a moment of escalating crises.
Thx
@Sammy_Roth
for letting me helm your newsletter &
@jimcookeIII
for the striking art.
Valley fever, a disease that was for decades primarily found in the arid Southwest, appears now to be spreading, with new cases being reported in Washington, Oregon and Utah. Researchers say climate change is largely responsible.
Though this winter storm is unusual, it’s not the first time Southern California has seen snow. I dug into the archives to see what makes this so historic.
New research warns of a possible collapse of Atlantic Ocean currents, which could fundamentally alter global weather patterns. “This is bad news for the climate system and humanity,” the study says.
More here:
Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia is calling for an urgent reboot of the city’s “Green New Deal” over concerns that the 2019 climate plan has outlived its usefulness and lacks the transparency needed to accurately measure its outcomes. More here:
TONIGHT! Join me and
@DrLucyJones
at the
@AcademyMuseum
for a screening of SAN ANDREAS in 3D. We'll be talking about earthquakes, disaster movies, and of course, The Big One.
Screening SAN ANDREAS (2015) in 3D January 26, 2024 at 7:30pm
Post-screening conversation with Dr. Lucy Jones, Seismologist & Founder, Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. Moderated by Hayley Smith, Environment Reporter, Los Angeles Times.
With smoke from California's wildfires now reaching all the way to the east coast, I took a deep dive into some of the latest research about what it contains. Some experts said the fumes are nearly as dangerous as the flames.
"Everything we worried about is happening, and it’s all happening at the high end of projections, even faster than the previous most pessimistic estimates.”
Important story by
@dhpierson
@aliceysu
@mollyhf
Despite all this rain, LA's system of engineered waterways is designed to whisk stormwater out to sea — a strategy intended to reduce flooding that nonetheless sacrifices countless precious gallons.
Despite a statewide mood of optimism, about 57 Californians are still dying of COVID-19 each day. I spoke to some of their families about who they were, and what it's like to lose a loved one at a time when the death rate is plummeting.
W/
@skarlamangla
“There’s no words to make it OK.”
Two days after the shooting in Uvalde, survivors are recounting stories of the horrifying moments they endured as they were attacked.
w/
@r_valejandra
@mollyhf
@kevrector
FEMA’s official definition of a “major disaster” does not include two threats that are increasingly posing harm to millions of Americans: extreme heat and wildfire smoke. A petition filed Monday argues it’s time for that to change.
Story here:
Well, it's officially time for some personal news. As of this week, I have returned to the
@latimes
to cover breaking news as part of the
@LANow
team. To say this is a dream come true would be an understatement. Follow us & subscribe to support our work!
Angelenos hate to see stormwater wash out to sea, but capturing rainfall is only one part of the L.A. River’s job. It's also flood control channel that is critical to protecting lives and properties. Can we get it to do both?
"The amount of farmland left dry this year surpassed the peak of fallowed land during California’s last drought from 2012 to 2016." Many bleak stats in this report
@ByIanJames
Humanity is ignoring major planetary vital signs as atmospheric CO2 levels soar to all-time highs and Earth records its 12th consecutive month of record-breaking heat.
“We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”
Story here:
“It’s absolutely very smoky over here...Stay inside, close your doors and windows, don’t do rigorous activity outside, because the air quality is really tough.”
Wildfire smoke now accounts for up to half of all fine-particle pollution in the Western U.S. It may be transporting countless living microbes that can seep into our lungs or cling to our skin and clothing. Terrifying report from
@JosephSerna
California's incoming atmospheric river is likely to compound the damage from the week’s earlier storms. But wildfire burn scars and drought-dried trees are also worsening the hazards. My latest:
“The larger, darker blue circles — indicating more confirmed cases of coronavirus — are much more likely to appear in redder parts of the map, indicating areas with higher pollution burdens.”
@Sammy_Roth
The forecast said it could snow in Southern California down to 1,500 feet in elevation. So I made this map to see where we might see some snow-dusted mountaintops when the rain and fog clears.
Following California's lead, OSHA has advance a proposed rule that would establish nationwide heat protections for 35 million indoor and outdoor workers in places such as warehouses, kitchens, farms and construction sites.
Details here:
Well, this video has generated some interest. Some notes: Yes, a lot of this water will end up in the ocean. There are efforts underway to improve that. Also, this is our flood control system at work. And since you’re here, please consider subscribing to
@latimes
🌊
The region "operates more like a secretive fiefdom ruled by a handful of legacy farming clans than a publicly governed jurisdiction."
Don't miss this investigation into CA's powerful land barons
@jvgarrison
@susrust
@ByIanJames
@a1daylanan
@rgaut999
“The Southwest’s hottest, driest days are much drier than they were a few decades ago. The numbers are even worse in California and Nevada, where humidity has dropped by one-third on those days over the last 40 years.” Really important read by
@Sammy_Roth
June marked the planet's 12th consecutive month of global warming at or above 1.5 degrees Celsius — the international benchmark for avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
TIL that some Arrowhead bottled water comes from San Bernardino National Forest. 🙃 One environmentalist told
@ByIanJames
it's "outrageous for a company to profit by taking water from public land while Californians are being asked to conserve."
Absolutely devastating day for Los Angeles and for journalism. Any team out there would be so lucky to scoop up
@aepetri1
@Jeremy_Childs
@JeongPark52
@jonahmv
or any of my other incredible colleagues. They're some of the best in the game.
The number of dry wells in California has increased 70% since last year, while the number of people living with contaminated water is at nearly 1 million. The majority of those people live in low-income communities and communities of color.
w/
@bvdbrug
The York fire is searing through a delicate ecosystem already strained by invasive species and the burning of fossil fuels. Experts fear the burned Joshua Trees may be impossible to replace.
w/
@grace_2e
California's warming climate is propelling wildfires to ever-higher elevations, scorching terrain that previously was too wet to burn. Researchers found that fires in the Sierra Nevada have advanced up the mountains by more than 1400 feet since the 1980s.
As California wildfires get worse, new allegations have emerged that private firefighters in Napa and Sonoma may have ignited illegal backfires in an attempt to combat the
#GlassFire
raging through the region.
Nearly a dozen levees along the Cosumnes River have breached, and 3 people have been killed. It's a chilling vision of just how vulnerable California’s network of rural levees has become in an age of climate extremes. w/
@LouisSahagun
and
@jvgarrison
I've been thinking about this lately as well: The Times editorial board argues that Californians need a term other than "drought" to describe the state of our water. They suggest "water debt."
Today is the 5th anniversary of the Camp fire in Paradise, the deadliest wildfire in California history. Has the state done enough to ensure it never happens again?
My story with
@phila_lex
here:
It's official: 2023 was Earth's hottest year on record. The global average temp last year was just shy of the 1.5 degree Celsius limit established under the Paris Climate Agreement.
More here:
An LA water district hopes to establish the nation's first-ever "blue water farm" by harvesting freshwater from deep in the ocean. Will seafloor desalination work?
After hovering at 6% containment for several days, the blaze, which started Sept. 6 and has grown to more than 40,000 acres, is now only 3% contained.
My latest on the
#BobcatFire
.
Today's update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows an extraordinary sight: Deep splotches of dark red and purple signifying the worst levels of drought have been erased from California’s map almost completely.
Herb Segall, 91, was a physicist who served on Linus Pauling's research team at
@CalTech
and spent more than three decades as a professor at
@Occidental
.
"My father was a giant," his daughter said. "He was a sequoia."
Three years in, L.A.'s ambitious program to capture more stormwater is making sluggish progress. Only 30 acres of new green space have been added under the program so far, according to
@LAWaterkeeper
. Story here:
.
@bvdbrug
and I spent some time in the Central Valley meeting with residents who are dealing with dry wells and contaminated drinking water. Here's our story.
(🧵 below).
Get ready for short showers and brown lawns: More than 6 million Southern Californians will be placed under new drought rules today in an unprecedented effort to conserve water.
An analysis of California water rights by
@RestoretheDelta
found that the people who make decisions about California’s water are overwhelmingly white and male.
@ByIanJames
has the story:
Update: The mountain lion who died on the 405 Freeway this morning has been identified as P-97, an 18-month old male who had recently separated from his mother.
The call to dismantle NOAA has raised the hackles of experts who say it provides not only important free data but also life-saving information during extreme weather events.
More on Project 2025's plan to eliminate NOAA & the Nat'l Weather Service here:
Smoke has become such a factor in our lives that it has spawned a new subfield of fire science: aeropyrobiology, committed to ”studying how fire-powered plumes can waft microorganisms about the landscape, an atmospheric analogue to ocean currents.”
Henry was my first professor at
@USCAnnenberg
and he always encouraged me to aim for the
@latimes
. I absolutely loved debating punctuation with him. A huge loss.
I'm so excited to announce that I'll be working with the
@latimes
this summer on a special project to memorialize the victims of COVID-19 in California. We've all got a lot of healing ahead of us, and I am so honored to be a part of that process.
Tim Walz has an impressive track record when it comes to climate action, including initiatives focused on clean energy, air and water quality, and environmental justice.
Some of his inspiration came from California:
California is missing out on billions of gallons of stormwater each year, while Los Angeles has more untapped potential than any other urban area in the West, per a new report from
@PacificInstitut
More here:
Much of the state saw some level of drought improvement after December's storms. But experts emphasized that California will need to maintain this wet trend in order to truly climb out of its dry spell.
with
@CartoonKahuna
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors adopted the county’s first water plan, which outlines how America’s largest county must pivot over the next two decades to sourcing 80% of its water locally by 2045,
@jaclyncosgrove
reports:
As a relentless heat wave bears down on California, experts say the state’s prisons are uniquely unprepared for climate change due to a variety of factors, including their remote locations, aging infrastructure and overcrowding.
Story here:
The surprising end to one of the driest years in California history is welcome news to climatologists and residents, despite the travel headaches and power outages the winter weather is bringing.