Former Officials Team Up to Push for Statewide Pension Reform
Many California cities hold pension liability as their largest debt. That's caused, in large part, the bankruptcies of cities like Stockton and San Bernardino. Now, San Jose's former mayor and a former San Diego city councilman are looking to expand pension reform statewide, after leading their own successful local measures.
After Battery Plant Contaminated Neighborhoods, Lawmakers Demand Future Reform
In Sacramento, state lawmakers are applauding the closure of the Exide battery recycling plant in the city of Vernon, just south of Los Angeles. The plant had been leaking lead and arsenic into some neighborhoods. Under a federal agreement, company officials won't face criminal charges, but will have to demolish and clean up the plant site.
Pumping of Prehistoric Groundwater Raises Questions About Sustainability
Groundwater -- or the unchecked pumping of it -- is a big issue in California. With the drought entering its fourth year, wells are drying up. Now there are signs we may be tapping water in a way that's irreversible. The groundwater we're currently pumping out of some aquifers in the southern Central Valley last fell as rain around 20,000 years ago. We talk with Tom Knudson, a senior reporter for the radio show "Reveal," about how aquifers work and why some scientists think we're entering a danger zone.