Here are the morning’s top stories on Friday, February 7, 2025…

After three straight years of growth, the rate at which Californians are buying electric vehicles is flattening. That’s according to data from the California Energy Commission. Slowing demand for EVs could be a big barrier to California reaching its ambitious EV goals.
A major lithium project in Imperial County is moving forward again, after a judge rejected a legal challenge by two environmental justice groups.
Does the state of California stop many of its residents from spelling and pronouncing their names correctly? It does. Because in California, diacritical marks can’t be used to spell names on many official documents.

California’s Surge In EV Sales Has Stalled — So What Happens To Its Landmark Mandate?

California’s push to electrify its cars is facing a potentially serious problem: People aren’t buying electric cars fast enough. After three straight years of strong growth, sales have stabilized in California, raising questions about whether the state will fail to meet its groundbreaking mandate banning sales of gas-powered vehicles.

About a quarter — 25.3% — of all new cars registered in California in 2024 were zero emissions, just slightly more than 25% in 2023, according to new California Energy Commission data. The flat sales follow several years of rapid growth — in 2020, only one in 13 cars sold was zero-emissions. Their share of California’s market is now three times larger than four years ago.

But the slowed pace of growth in the market puts the state’s climate and air pollution goals at risk. Under California’s mandate, approved in 2022, 35% of new 2026 car models sold by automakers must be zero emissions. That leaves considerable ground to make up as some 2026 models begin rolling out later this year.

Imperial Valley’s First Lithium Project Moving Forward Again

Development of a major lithium project in northern Imperial County is lurching ahead after a county judge threw out a lawsuit that had frozen construction for close to a year.

[ad fullwidth]

The planned Hell’s Kitchen Project would be the region’s first operational commercial lithium extraction plant. Situated near the Salton Sea, it aims to collect dissolved particles of the valuable mineral from searing hot water deep below the valley and is being built by the privately-held energy firm Controlled Thermal Resources, or CTR.

The lawsuit that blocked it was brought early last year by two environmental justice groups, Comite Civico del Valle and Earthworks. They accused Imperial County officials of rushing their environmental analysis of the plant and underestimating its future impacts on the region’s water, air and tribal cultural resources.

Why California Doesn’t Allow Accent Marks On Official Documents

Does your name have a hyphens or accent mark that isn’t reflected on your California driver’s license or birth certificate? This is the norm in the Golden State, which doesn’t allow accents or hyphens in official documents. However, a proposed bill would allow residents to change their names to include diacritical marks — like accents and tildes — on government documents.

Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco of Downey is proposing the legislation. “I thought it was strange. And given that my parents are immigrants, I thought it was always important to have an understanding of your culture and appreciate your culture and being able to say your name correctly,” she said. “And spelling correctly is extremely important.”

AB 64, the Identity Integrity Act, would allow for residents of California to include accents, umlauts, tildes and other diacritical marks on vital records, such as birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses.

News Daily Newsletter

The Bay

Emma’s Must-Sees

Videos from KQED Live

Donor-Advised Funds

diacritical marksdiacritical marks

EV Sales Stall In California