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"slug": "winter-is-coming-storms-soak-bay-area-next-week-drop-2-feet-of-fresh-snow-on-tahoe",
"title": "Winter Is Coming: Storms Soak Bay Area Next Week, Drop 2 Feet of Fresh Snow on Tahoe",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999982/winter-is-so-back-storms-are-on-the-way-for-the-bay-area-and-sierra-nevada\">going to get wet \u003c/a>over the next week across the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s good news for local water supplies and the state’s subpar snowpack, but the coming cold system could complicate travel to the slopes for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072038/2026-winter-olympics-how-to-watch-bay-area-athletes-tahoe-figure-skating-skiing-snowboarding-cortina\">winter sports enthusiasts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>National Weather Service forecasters said they expect multiple bands of precipitation to move over Northern California starting Saturday and lasting through late next week. A cold, large low-pressure system will start to dip down on Saturday from the Gulf of Alaska, producing waves of rain and snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said the rain will start falling Saturday evening across the Bay Area and last through at least Wednesday. Rain totals vary widely across the region. Cities like Gilroy and San José could receive as much as 2.5 inches of rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 3 inches could fall in San Francisco and San Rafael could get more than 4.5 inches of rain. Coastal mountains could see more than 5 inches of rain over the next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were mostly dry in the mid- to latter-half of January, so all this rain is very beneficial,” Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gass said he doesn’t expect major flooding from the multiple rounds of rain, especially since the system isn’t an atmospheric river, which can douse the region in rain and cause flash flooding. But he said the highest peaks in the coastal mountain range could get some snow since temperatures are trending 5 to 10 degrees below average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow is definitely a possibility because they’re going to be colder systems than what we’ve previously seen earlier in the winter,” Gass said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters expect the system to impact the Sierra Nevada starting late Sunday, with heavy snow starting Monday. More than 4 feet of snow could fall in the Sierra Nevada next week — a huge boost for the state’s snowpack, which is \u003ca href=\"https://cdec.water.ca.gov/snowapp/sweq.action\">currently\u003c/a> at about 54% of normal for this time of year.[aside postID=news_12073187 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/GettyImages-2051128708-1020x652.jpg']“It’s going to pack a punch for the snowpack and help us a lot,” said Justin Collins, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Reno office. “Around Lake Tahoe, we could see anywhere from 1 to 2 feet of snow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sara Purdue, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento Office, said snow levels could drop below 3,000 feet on Tuesday, making travel across mountain highways next week potentially “hazardous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Try to get any traveling done on Saturday at the latest because we’re going to see potentially moderate to heavy snow through Wednesday,” Purdue said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the influx of snow could quickly change ski conditions in the Sierra Nevada from wet, spring-like snow to a light, cold, fluffy surface that skiers and snowboarders love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Winter is back, and we are fully back in the swing of things,” said Jake Stern, content and communications manager for the Sierra at Tahoe ski resort. “It’s going to be full-on February, Sierra Nevada powder skiing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Lacey, public relations manager for Palisades Tahoe, encouraged anyone traveling for the three-day weekend to monitor the forecast and drive carefully, especially on Monday, when snowfall is expected to increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The California Department of Water Resources (from left) Hydrometerologist, Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, and Engineer Jacob Kollen, conduct the second media snow survey of the 2026 season on Jan. 30, 2026, at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sara Nevis/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lacey said all the snow in the forecast is promising for a great rest of the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at 53 inches of snow, and this storm cycle continues quite a bit into the future; there’s snow every single day on the 15-day forecast,” Lacey said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how long will this cold weather last? Gass, with the weather service, said the wet pattern is in motion for the foreseeable future, “but how long it’s going to last, we’re not really sure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not knowing when the snow will stop isn’t a bad thing for ski resorts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of our snow in Tahoe typically falls in February and March,” Stern said. “The season is not over. It’s kind of just getting started.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999982/winter-is-so-back-storms-are-on-the-way-for-the-bay-area-and-sierra-nevada\">going to get wet \u003c/a>over the next week across the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s good news for local water supplies and the state’s subpar snowpack, but the coming cold system could complicate travel to the slopes for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072038/2026-winter-olympics-how-to-watch-bay-area-athletes-tahoe-figure-skating-skiing-snowboarding-cortina\">winter sports enthusiasts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>National Weather Service forecasters said they expect multiple bands of precipitation to move over Northern California starting Saturday and lasting through late next week. A cold, large low-pressure system will start to dip down on Saturday from the Gulf of Alaska, producing waves of rain and snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said the rain will start falling Saturday evening across the Bay Area and last through at least Wednesday. Rain totals vary widely across the region. Cities like Gilroy and San José could receive as much as 2.5 inches of rain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 3 inches could fall in San Francisco and San Rafael could get more than 4.5 inches of rain. Coastal mountains could see more than 5 inches of rain over the next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were mostly dry in the mid- to latter-half of January, so all this rain is very beneficial,” Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gass said he doesn’t expect major flooding from the multiple rounds of rain, especially since the system isn’t an atmospheric river, which can douse the region in rain and cause flash flooding. But he said the highest peaks in the coastal mountain range could get some snow since temperatures are trending 5 to 10 degrees below average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow is definitely a possibility because they’re going to be colder systems than what we’ve previously seen earlier in the winter,” Gass said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters expect the system to impact the Sierra Nevada starting late Sunday, with heavy snow starting Monday. More than 4 feet of snow could fall in the Sierra Nevada next week — a huge boost for the state’s snowpack, which is \u003ca href=\"https://cdec.water.ca.gov/snowapp/sweq.action\">currently\u003c/a> at about 54% of normal for this time of year.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It’s going to pack a punch for the snowpack and help us a lot,” said Justin Collins, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Reno office. “Around Lake Tahoe, we could see anywhere from 1 to 2 feet of snow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sara Purdue, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento Office, said snow levels could drop below 3,000 feet on Tuesday, making travel across mountain highways next week potentially “hazardous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Try to get any traveling done on Saturday at the latest because we’re going to see potentially moderate to heavy snow through Wednesday,” Purdue said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the influx of snow could quickly change ski conditions in the Sierra Nevada from wet, spring-like snow to a light, cold, fluffy surface that skiers and snowboarders love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Winter is back, and we are fully back in the swing of things,” said Jake Stern, content and communications manager for the Sierra at Tahoe ski resort. “It’s going to be full-on February, Sierra Nevada powder skiing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Patrick Lacey, public relations manager for Palisades Tahoe, encouraged anyone traveling for the three-day weekend to monitor the forecast and drive carefully, especially on Monday, when snowfall is expected to increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey2026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The California Department of Water Resources (from left) Hydrometerologist, Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, and Engineer Jacob Kollen, conduct the second media snow survey of the 2026 season on Jan. 30, 2026, at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sara Nevis/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lacey said all the snow in the forecast is promising for a great rest of the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at 53 inches of snow, and this storm cycle continues quite a bit into the future; there’s snow every single day on the 15-day forecast,” Lacey said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how long will this cold weather last? Gass, with the weather service, said the wet pattern is in motion for the foreseeable future, “but how long it’s going to last, we’re not really sure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not knowing when the snow will stop isn’t a bad thing for ski resorts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of our snow in Tahoe typically falls in February and March,” Stern said. “The season is not over. It’s kind of just getting started.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "how-did-the-newt-cross-the-road-with-help-from-these-volunteers-carefully",
"title": "How Did the Newt Cross the Road? With Help From These Volunteers, Carefully",
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"content": "\u003cp>On rainy winter nights in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a>, a quiet migration unfolds under the cover of dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/28273\">California newts\u003c/a> — those small, slow-moving amphibians with bright orange bellies — leave their upland habitats and head toward the ponds and reservoirs where they’ll breed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For thousands of years, this trek was uneventful. Today, it often ends beneath the tires of passing cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along Alma Bridge Road near Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, volunteers with a group called \u003ca href=\"https://www.bioblitz.club/newts\">Newt Patrol\u003c/a> have spent years documenting the toll. Since 2017, community scientists have recorded more than 36,000 dead newts on this single 4.2-mile stretch of road alone. In some early years, surveys averaged roughly 6,000 dead newts per season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They move very slow, and they’re kind of soft and squishy in a nice way. They’re just not adapted to roads,” said Merav Vonshak, an ecologist who organizes Newt Patrol.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000027\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000027\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1499\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized-1536x1151.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers from Newt Patrol on their way to the assisted migration area. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Merav Vonshak)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This means that “every time I look at them, especially the live ones, it’s so moving and wonderful,” Vonshak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the numbers are stark. Vonshak has personally documented more than 15,000 dead newts over the years, while encountering only a handful of living creatures during daytime surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, these volunteer observations are actually helping inform how land management agencies like the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District — which oversees more than 70,000 acres and 250 miles of trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond — plan and manage land to balance public recreation and the protection of wildlife and sensitive habitats.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Newt passage’ efforts underway\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/\">Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District\u003c/a>, which oversees nearby Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, had planned new trail access in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/what-we-do/projects/beatty-parking-area-and-trail-connections\">Beatty Area\u003c/a>. After community scientists raised concerns about newt roadkill, the agency paused the project and funded a wildlife mortality study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When confronted by cars, newts often freeze rather than flee — a strategy shaped long before pavement. And the study found that nearly 40% of newts attempting to cross Alma Bridge Road in a single migration season were killed by vehicles: a rate that could drive local populations to extinction within decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That really spurred us into action,” said Ryan McCauley, public affairs specialist at Midpen. “Within our lifetime, we could see those local newt populations disappear.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000028\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California newt trying to cross Alma Bridge Road. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Annette Hertz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last month, Midpen’s board approved a compromise plan to balance recreation and wildlife protection. The agency committed $650,000 toward a pilot “Newt Passage” project, installing fencing and underground tunnels at the worst roadkill hotspot along Alma Bridge Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New trails in the Beatty Area will be seasonally closed during winter migration months, and Midpen will upgrade an existing parking area instead of building a new one in sensitive habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There can often be an inherent tension between open space access and natural resource protection,” McCauley said. “This project is a way to mitigate that tension.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newts deserve a ‘fighting chance,’ volunteers say\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While California newts spend most of their lives hidden in forests, winter rains trigger a hormonal shift that sends them back to the same ponds where they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some travel up to three miles, likely guided by smell. As they enter water, males transform for aquatic life, growing smooth skin, fin-like tails and gripping pads before returning to land months later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m37QR_4XNY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bright colors warn predators that newts carry \u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/stories/natures-toxic-avengers\">tetrodotoxin\u003c/a> on their skin and bodies, the same toxin found in pufferfish. But given that defense offers no protection against cars, roads have become among the greatest threats to a newt’s lifespan, which can be as long as 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Vonshak, the pilot project reflects years of persistence. “It was a difficult process to convince people that such a common animal might actually need our help,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to documenting roadkill, Newt Patrol now runs “assisted migration” nights, when volunteers head out after dark to help newts cross the road safely. Equipped with headlamps, buckets and clean hands, they gently move the animals in the direction they were already heading, making sure to be aware of any traffic themselves.[aside postID=science_1985496 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/11/GettyImages-534340452-1020x681.jpg']Similar efforts are underway farther north in Marin County, where the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chilenovalleynewtbrigade.org/\">Chileno Valley Newt Brigade\u003c/a> has operated for seven years. This volunteer-run group monitors a one-mile stretch of Chileno Valley Road near Laguna Lake, where newts must cross twice each breeding season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One year we saved 15,000 baby newts,” said the group’s founder, Sally Gale. Over time, the brigade has documented roughly 60,000 animals, including federally listed California red-legged frogs and western pond turtles, all of which volunteers list on \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2024-2025-chileno-valley-newt-brigade-winter\">iNaturalist\u003c/a>, an app used to identify, record and map observations of plants and animals all around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re creatures just like us, and they deserve a fighting chance,” Gale said. “It’s our responsibility to reduce harm to the living things we share this planet with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back near Lexington Reservoir, the first Midpen crossings are still years from completion, with construction anticipated to begin in 2028.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But advocates see the pilot project as a crucial start — and a model for protecting wildlife in landscapes increasingly shaped by roads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Vonshak, even small changes matter. Each night a newt makes it safely across the road is a reminder that the population still has a chance. “It’s wonderful because it’s not always about the dead things,” Vonshak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s also about the living ones,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Every winter, California newts risk their lives crossing Bay Area roads to breed. Now, volunteers — and land planners — are stepping in to save them.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On rainy winter nights in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a>, a quiet migration unfolds under the cover of dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/28273\">California newts\u003c/a> — those small, slow-moving amphibians with bright orange bellies — leave their upland habitats and head toward the ponds and reservoirs where they’ll breed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For thousands of years, this trek was uneventful. Today, it often ends beneath the tires of passing cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along Alma Bridge Road near Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, volunteers with a group called \u003ca href=\"https://www.bioblitz.club/newts\">Newt Patrol\u003c/a> have spent years documenting the toll. Since 2017, community scientists have recorded more than 36,000 dead newts on this single 4.2-mile stretch of road alone. In some early years, surveys averaged roughly 6,000 dead newts per season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They move very slow, and they’re kind of soft and squishy in a nice way. They’re just not adapted to roads,” said Merav Vonshak, an ecologist who organizes Newt Patrol.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000027\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000027\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1499\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/3_Newt-Patrol-Volunteers_resized-1536x1151.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers from Newt Patrol on their way to the assisted migration area. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Merav Vonshak)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This means that “every time I look at them, especially the live ones, it’s so moving and wonderful,” Vonshak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the numbers are stark. Vonshak has personally documented more than 15,000 dead newts over the years, while encountering only a handful of living creatures during daytime surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, these volunteer observations are actually helping inform how land management agencies like the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District — which oversees more than 70,000 acres and 250 miles of trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond — plan and manage land to balance public recreation and the protection of wildlife and sensitive habitats.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Newt passage’ efforts underway\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/\">Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District\u003c/a>, which oversees nearby Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, had planned new trail access in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/what-we-do/projects/beatty-parking-area-and-trail-connections\">Beatty Area\u003c/a>. After community scientists raised concerns about newt roadkill, the agency paused the project and funded a wildlife mortality study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When confronted by cars, newts often freeze rather than flee — a strategy shaped long before pavement. And the study found that nearly 40% of newts attempting to cross Alma Bridge Road in a single migration season were killed by vehicles: a rate that could drive local populations to extinction within decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That really spurred us into action,” said Ryan McCauley, public affairs specialist at Midpen. “Within our lifetime, we could see those local newt populations disappear.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000028\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/2_IMG_4293_resized-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A California newt trying to cross Alma Bridge Road. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Annette Hertz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last month, Midpen’s board approved a compromise plan to balance recreation and wildlife protection. The agency committed $650,000 toward a pilot “Newt Passage” project, installing fencing and underground tunnels at the worst roadkill hotspot along Alma Bridge Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New trails in the Beatty Area will be seasonally closed during winter migration months, and Midpen will upgrade an existing parking area instead of building a new one in sensitive habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There can often be an inherent tension between open space access and natural resource protection,” McCauley said. “This project is a way to mitigate that tension.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newts deserve a ‘fighting chance,’ volunteers say\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While California newts spend most of their lives hidden in forests, winter rains trigger a hormonal shift that sends them back to the same ponds where they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some travel up to three miles, likely guided by smell. As they enter water, males transform for aquatic life, growing smooth skin, fin-like tails and gripping pads before returning to land months later.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/5m37QR_4XNY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/5m37QR_4XNY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Bright colors warn predators that newts carry \u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/stories/natures-toxic-avengers\">tetrodotoxin\u003c/a> on their skin and bodies, the same toxin found in pufferfish. But given that defense offers no protection against cars, roads have become among the greatest threats to a newt’s lifespan, which can be as long as 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Vonshak, the pilot project reflects years of persistence. “It was a difficult process to convince people that such a common animal might actually need our help,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to documenting roadkill, Newt Patrol now runs “assisted migration” nights, when volunteers head out after dark to help newts cross the road safely. Equipped with headlamps, buckets and clean hands, they gently move the animals in the direction they were already heading, making sure to be aware of any traffic themselves.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Similar efforts are underway farther north in Marin County, where the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chilenovalleynewtbrigade.org/\">Chileno Valley Newt Brigade\u003c/a> has operated for seven years. This volunteer-run group monitors a one-mile stretch of Chileno Valley Road near Laguna Lake, where newts must cross twice each breeding season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One year we saved 15,000 baby newts,” said the group’s founder, Sally Gale. Over time, the brigade has documented roughly 60,000 animals, including federally listed California red-legged frogs and western pond turtles, all of which volunteers list on \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2024-2025-chileno-valley-newt-brigade-winter\">iNaturalist\u003c/a>, an app used to identify, record and map observations of plants and animals all around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re creatures just like us, and they deserve a fighting chance,” Gale said. “It’s our responsibility to reduce harm to the living things we share this planet with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back near Lexington Reservoir, the first Midpen crossings are still years from completion, with construction anticipated to begin in 2028.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But advocates see the pilot project as a crucial start — and a model for protecting wildlife in landscapes increasingly shaped by roads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Vonshak, even small changes matter. Each night a newt makes it safely across the road is a reminder that the population still has a chance. “It’s wonderful because it’s not always about the dead things,” Vonshak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s also about the living ones,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "winter-is-so-back-storms-are-on-the-way-for-the-bay-area-and-sierra-nevada",
"title": "Winter Is So Back. Storms Are on the Way for the Bay Area and Sierra Nevada",
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"headTitle": "Winter Is So Back. Storms Are on the Way for the Bay Area and Sierra Nevada | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Bay Area’s first false spring is coming to an end this week as two storms promise to bring much-needed rain across the region and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999949/californias-snowpack-is-shrinking-but-winter-isnt-over-yet\">snow\u003c/a> to the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>National Weather Service forecasters said the weather pattern will shift from shorts-and-hoodie weather with a first storm starting Tuesday. But it is just the beginning of what forecasters say appears to be the storm door opening for the foreseeable future, with rain and mountain snow that could last through mid-February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The jet stream is now pointing at California, and when that happens, it’s kind of like a highway for storms to move through,” said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday’s storm, dipping down from the Gulf of Alaska, could deliver as much as an inch of rain in coastal cities and 2 inches along the coastal range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flynn said the first round of rain will last through midday Wednesday and will be mostly beneficial after weeks of dry weather. But he said the brief storm will bring strong winds, colder temperatures and a chance of thunderstorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco City Hall is reflected in a rain puddle at Civic Center Plaza on Nov. 13, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’ll be a stormy, nasty day Tuesday, and then Wednesday it’ll clear up,” Flynn said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters also expect the first storm to blanket the Sierra Nevada in snow, with up to a foot and a half of snow above 6,000 feet and up to 2 feet at the highest peaks. The storm could complicate mountain travel from Tuesday through midday Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A much colder, wetter and potentially longer storm will likely move over Northern California on Saturday, just in time for a three-day Valentine’s weekend.[aside postID=news_12071021 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260126-AI-WEATHER-01-KQED.jpg']“That next system really could help put us back on track, at least for our snowpack and water reservoir levels,” said Jeffrey Wood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters suggest this weekend’s storm could bring multiple feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada, but it’s too early to tell. The storm could linger into next week, with a potential third storm arriving later next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It does look like the storm track from the Pacific is finally opening up to bring snow back to the Sierra,” said Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Reno office. “Winter is finally coming back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deutschendorf recommends mountain travelers avoid the snowiest windows and pay close attention to road controls; they might miss out on skiing and instead be “stuck on the highway waiting for plows to come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, Flynn said the second storm will be a “little more tame,” but sustained rain, with about the same amount as Tuesday’s storm, could last Saturday through Tuesday or longer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t see any of the strong wind or big thunderstorm threat with the next system,” Flynn said. “It’s more well-behaved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A shift in the jet stream will bring much-needed winter storms to Northern California after weeks of dry weather, and forecasters say the storm door could be opening for the foreseeable future. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Bay Area’s first false spring is coming to an end this week as two storms promise to bring much-needed rain across the region and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999949/californias-snowpack-is-shrinking-but-winter-isnt-over-yet\">snow\u003c/a> to the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>National Weather Service forecasters said the weather pattern will shift from shorts-and-hoodie weather with a first storm starting Tuesday. But it is just the beginning of what forecasters say appears to be the storm door opening for the foreseeable future, with rain and mountain snow that could last through mid-February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The jet stream is now pointing at California, and when that happens, it’s kind of like a highway for storms to move through,” said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday’s storm, dipping down from the Gulf of Alaska, could deliver as much as an inch of rain in coastal cities and 2 inches along the coastal range.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flynn said the first round of rain will last through midday Wednesday and will be mostly beneficial after weeks of dry weather. But he said the brief storm will bring strong winds, colder temperatures and a chance of thunderstorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999992\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/20251113_RainFolo_GH-4_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco City Hall is reflected in a rain puddle at Civic Center Plaza on Nov. 13, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’ll be a stormy, nasty day Tuesday, and then Wednesday it’ll clear up,” Flynn said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters also expect the first storm to blanket the Sierra Nevada in snow, with up to a foot and a half of snow above 6,000 feet and up to 2 feet at the highest peaks. The storm could complicate mountain travel from Tuesday through midday Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A much colder, wetter and potentially longer storm will likely move over Northern California on Saturday, just in time for a three-day Valentine’s weekend.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“That next system really could help put us back on track, at least for our snowpack and water reservoir levels,” said Jeffrey Wood, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters suggest this weekend’s storm could bring multiple feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada, but it’s too early to tell. The storm could linger into next week, with a potential third storm arriving later next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It does look like the storm track from the Pacific is finally opening up to bring snow back to the Sierra,” said Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Reno office. “Winter is finally coming back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deutschendorf recommends mountain travelers avoid the snowiest windows and pay close attention to road controls; they might miss out on skiing and instead be “stuck on the highway waiting for plows to come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, Flynn said the second storm will be a “little more tame,” but sustained rain, with about the same amount as Tuesday’s storm, could last Saturday through Tuesday or longer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t see any of the strong wind or big thunderstorm threat with the next system,” Flynn said. “It’s more well-behaved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101884097/conservation-groups-work-to-save-western-monarch-as-population-dives\">Western monarch butterflies\u003c/a> once arrived on California’s coast by the millions, clustering in eucalyptus, pine and cypress groves from Mendocino to Baja California. This winter, volunteers counted fewer than 13,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 29th annual \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/\">Western Monarch Count\u003c/a>, conducted during the peak overwintering period in late November and early December, is the third lowest since monitoring began in 1997, following \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995508/monarch-butterflies-are-on-the-decline-in-california-heres-why\">another poor winter \u003c/a>and weak summer breeding. The three lowest tallies have occurred in the past six years — 1,901 monarchs in 2020, 9,119 in 2024 and \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/data/\">12,260 in 2025\u003c/a> — raising concerns about the long-term health of the western monarch migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1980s, western monarchs regularly numbered in the low millions. Today’s numbers are not surprising but a sign of a migration under sustained stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Western monarchs are in serious trouble. The migration is collapsing,” said Emma Pelton, a senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which carries out the annual count.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long-term research shows western monarch populations have declined by about 10% per year since the 1980s, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Milkweed — the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat — has disappeared from much of the West due to development and herbicides. Insecticides can poison monarchs directly or reduce the nectar plants that adults rely on. And climate change is intensifying heat waves, droughts and storms that disrupt the butterflies’ breeding and migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995511\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A monarch butterfly lands on a plant growing in the schoolyard at International Community School in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When populations get this small, they become far more vulnerable to both short-term stress and long-term pressures,” said Isis Howard, a conservation biologist with the Xerces Society who coordinates the count. “With low overwintering numbers becoming more common, monarchs have fewer chances to rebound from extreme weather or pesticide exposure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The loss of overwintering habitat adds another layer of risk. Since tracking began, more than 60 known monarch groves along California’s coast have been destroyed, according to Sarina Jepsen, director of the Xerces Society’s endangered species program. In just the past year, at least three active sites were significantly damaged by inappropriate tree removal, often tied to development, Jepsen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without adequate places for monarchs to overwinter, we will lose the migration,” she said.[aside postID=science_1999898 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/DL1215_promo_still8-672x372.jpg']There were, however, a few bright spots. Among the 249 sites where this winter’s count found monarchs, Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz County hosted the largest overwintering cluster, with about 2,500 butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers also deployed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999589/monarch-butterflies-now-wear-tiny-tags-for-scientists-to-track-them-in-real-time\">ultralight radio tags\u003c/a> at some sites to better understand how monarchs move within and between groves, data that could help improve habitat management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Howard said she wasn’t surprised by the low numbers, given weak signs from last summer’s breeding season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m always hoping for a bounce-back,” she said, “but I also know it’s going to take years of dedicated conservation action to see the long-term recovery we’re really looking for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That action, she added, can start close to home. Californians can help by avoiding pesticides, planting native milkweed and nectar-rich flowers, protecting overwintering groves and participating in community science projects like the Western Monarch Count or iNaturalist, which allows people to record and share their observations of plants and animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s an insect apocalypse underway, and monarchs aren’t even the worst off,” Howard said. “But we can change course. We need to act now, and everyone has a role to play.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101884097/conservation-groups-work-to-save-western-monarch-as-population-dives\">Western monarch butterflies\u003c/a> once arrived on California’s coast by the millions, clustering in eucalyptus, pine and cypress groves from Mendocino to Baja California. This winter, volunteers counted fewer than 13,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 29th annual \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/\">Western Monarch Count\u003c/a>, conducted during the peak overwintering period in late November and early December, is the third lowest since monitoring began in 1997, following \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995508/monarch-butterflies-are-on-the-decline-in-california-heres-why\">another poor winter \u003c/a>and weak summer breeding. The three lowest tallies have occurred in the past six years — 1,901 monarchs in 2020, 9,119 in 2024 and \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/data/\">12,260 in 2025\u003c/a> — raising concerns about the long-term health of the western monarch migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1980s, western monarchs regularly numbered in the low millions. Today’s numbers are not surprising but a sign of a migration under sustained stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Western monarchs are in serious trouble. The migration is collapsing,” said Emma Pelton, a senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which carries out the annual count.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long-term research shows western monarch populations have declined by about 10% per year since the 1980s, driven largely by habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Milkweed — the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat — has disappeared from much of the West due to development and herbicides. Insecticides can poison monarchs directly or reduce the nectar plants that adults rely on. And climate change is intensifying heat waves, droughts and storms that disrupt the butterflies’ breeding and migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995511\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/025_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A monarch butterfly lands on a plant growing in the schoolyard at International Community School in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When populations get this small, they become far more vulnerable to both short-term stress and long-term pressures,” said Isis Howard, a conservation biologist with the Xerces Society who coordinates the count. “With low overwintering numbers becoming more common, monarchs have fewer chances to rebound from extreme weather or pesticide exposure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The loss of overwintering habitat adds another layer of risk. Since tracking began, more than 60 known monarch groves along California’s coast have been destroyed, according to Sarina Jepsen, director of the Xerces Society’s endangered species program. In just the past year, at least three active sites were significantly damaged by inappropriate tree removal, often tied to development, Jepsen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without adequate places for monarchs to overwinter, we will lose the migration,” she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>There were, however, a few bright spots. Among the 249 sites where this winter’s count found monarchs, Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz County hosted the largest overwintering cluster, with about 2,500 butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers also deployed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999589/monarch-butterflies-now-wear-tiny-tags-for-scientists-to-track-them-in-real-time\">ultralight radio tags\u003c/a> at some sites to better understand how monarchs move within and between groves, data that could help improve habitat management.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Howard said she wasn’t surprised by the low numbers, given weak signs from last summer’s breeding season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m always hoping for a bounce-back,” she said, “but I also know it’s going to take years of dedicated conservation action to see the long-term recovery we’re really looking for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That action, she added, can start close to home. Californians can help by avoiding pesticides, planting native milkweed and nectar-rich flowers, protecting overwintering groves and participating in community science projects like the Western Monarch Count or iNaturalist, which allows people to record and share their observations of plants and animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s an insect apocalypse underway, and monarchs aren’t even the worst off,” Howard said. “But we can change course. We need to act now, and everyone has a role to play.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As state water officials surveyed the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Friday, California seems to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1978337/with-snowpack-in-decline-californias-weather-whiplash-could-mean-alternating-drought-and-flooding\">repeating last winter’s topsy-turvy weather whiplash\u003c/a> between super wet and dry conditions, raising worries about diminishing snow reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three weeks ago, the snowpack was glistening white after storm after storm hit the Sierra during a December drenched by atmospheric rivers. But most of January, historically California’s wettest month, has been virtually dry, and today the snowpack sits at just \u003ca href=\"https://snow.water.ca.gov/\">36% of the April 1 average\u003c/a>, which water leaders look to as the measuring stick for the state’s frozen reservoir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of the snowpack is a big deal because it accounts for about a third of the state’s water supply, which millions of people, cities and farms rely on the rest of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been in this position before, and we’ve caught up in the past,” said Andy Reising, manager of the state’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. “We don’t want to be going backwards at this time of year; we need more storms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue this winter, Reising said, is that big atmospheric rivers brought more rain than snow in late December and early January, especially at lower elevations. And then the temperatures warmed up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t seen this much liquid running under the snowpack at this time of year,” Reising said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999959\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999959\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Department of Water Resources (from right) Engineer Jacob Kollen, Hydrometerologist Angelique Fabbiani-Leon and Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Andy Reising take measurements during the second media snow survey of the 2026 season on Jan. 30, 2026, at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Andrew Nixon/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What may be occurring is a phenomenon known as weather whiplash. Warming temperatures are deepening California’s natural weather pattern, which bounces from wet to super-dry conditions that warmer temperatures can worsen. This can melt precious snow reservoirs early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re lucky that we got the fall and December that we did, because had this been the pattern all winter, we’d be in big trouble,” Daniel Swain, a University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist, said in his virtual office hours YouTube series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the snowpack across the Sierra Nevada is a tale of three realities. The northern part of the state is at 44% of normal, the Central Sierra at 59%, and the Southern Sierra at 77% for this time of year. Altogether, the state’s snowpack is at 59% of normal for this time of year.[aside postID=news_12064955 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/Sugar-Bowl-2-johnjackson3_2-5-2025_ME.png']“The good news for California, at least, is that the Southern and Central Sierra is doing, if not great, doing fine snowpack-wise right now, at least at higher elevations,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain said it’s still a little too early to tell if the rest of winter will ultimately be dry, but it would “take a miracle March and then some” to boost the snowpack ultimately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a snow drought emerges, it will have negative ramifications for both the state’s water supply and wildfire risk, although at the moment, reservoir levels are at about 70% of average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the reservoir perspective, we’ll be OK, but from a hydroclimate whiplash perspective, it’s quite possible that California could enter once again another wet-to-dry cycle as we go from spring into summer,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Swain said he is not yet banking on a dry rest of the winter. Even though forecasters suggest the next two weeks could further shrink the snowpack, “ what happens later in February and March is really going to tell that tale,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reising understands it’s too early to predict snow across the mountain range, but “having two weeks ahead of us that we know is unlikely to produce any more snowpack and precipitation, that doesn’t look good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State climatologist Mike Anderson said there are “hints” that the second half of February could bring rain. For now, he’s holding out hope that “the storm door opens enough to get wet conditions to return.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A strong start to winter has given way to weather extremes, with California’s snowpack shrinking as January remained dry.",
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"headline": "California’s Snowpack Is Shrinking, but Winter Isn’t Over Yet",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As state water officials surveyed the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Friday, California seems to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1978337/with-snowpack-in-decline-californias-weather-whiplash-could-mean-alternating-drought-and-flooding\">repeating last winter’s topsy-turvy weather whiplash\u003c/a> between super wet and dry conditions, raising worries about diminishing snow reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three weeks ago, the snowpack was glistening white after storm after storm hit the Sierra during a December drenched by atmospheric rivers. But most of January, historically California’s wettest month, has been virtually dry, and today the snowpack sits at just \u003ca href=\"https://snow.water.ca.gov/\">36% of the April 1 average\u003c/a>, which water leaders look to as the measuring stick for the state’s frozen reservoir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of the snowpack is a big deal because it accounts for about a third of the state’s water supply, which millions of people, cities and farms rely on the rest of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been in this position before, and we’ve caught up in the past,” said Andy Reising, manager of the state’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. “We don’t want to be going backwards at this time of year; we need more storms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue this winter, Reising said, is that big atmospheric rivers brought more rain than snow in late December and early January, especially at lower elevations. And then the temperatures warmed up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t seen this much liquid running under the snowpack at this time of year,” Reising said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999959\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999959\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Department of Water Resources (from right) Engineer Jacob Kollen, Hydrometerologist Angelique Fabbiani-Leon and Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Andy Reising take measurements during the second media snow survey of the 2026 season on Jan. 30, 2026, at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Andrew Nixon/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What may be occurring is a phenomenon known as weather whiplash. Warming temperatures are deepening California’s natural weather pattern, which bounces from wet to super-dry conditions that warmer temperatures can worsen. This can melt precious snow reservoirs early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re lucky that we got the fall and December that we did, because had this been the pattern all winter, we’d be in big trouble,” Daniel Swain, a University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist, said in his virtual office hours YouTube series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the snowpack across the Sierra Nevada is a tale of three realities. The northern part of the state is at 44% of normal, the Central Sierra at 59%, and the Southern Sierra at 77% for this time of year. Altogether, the state’s snowpack is at 59% of normal for this time of year.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The good news for California, at least, is that the Southern and Central Sierra is doing, if not great, doing fine snowpack-wise right now, at least at higher elevations,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain said it’s still a little too early to tell if the rest of winter will ultimately be dry, but it would “take a miracle March and then some” to boost the snowpack ultimately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a snow drought emerges, it will have negative ramifications for both the state’s water supply and wildfire risk, although at the moment, reservoir levels are at about 70% of average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the reservoir perspective, we’ll be OK, but from a hydroclimate whiplash perspective, it’s quite possible that California could enter once again another wet-to-dry cycle as we go from spring into summer,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Swain said he is not yet banking on a dry rest of the winter. Even though forecasters suggest the next two weeks could further shrink the snowpack, “ what happens later in February and March is really going to tell that tale,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reising understands it’s too early to predict snow across the mountain range, but “having two weeks ahead of us that we know is unlikely to produce any more snowpack and precipitation, that doesn’t look good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State climatologist Mike Anderson said there are “hints” that the second half of February could bring rain. For now, he’s holding out hope that “the storm door opens enough to get wet conditions to return.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "californias-gubernatorial-candidates-focus-on-affordability-at-climate-focused-forum",
"title": "California’s Gubernatorial Candidates Focus on Affordability at Climate-Focused Forum",
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"content": "\u003cp>California is dealing with a lot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999767/some-bay-area-climate-stories-were-watching-this-year\">climate-wise\u003c/a>. Wildfires destroyed\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\"> thousands of homes in L.A.\u003c/a> last year. Floods from storms and king tides \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999871/after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay\">swamped communities\u003c/a> across the state this winter. The Trump administration is attacking California’s ambitious policies aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036063/california-doubles-down-key-emissions-program-after-trump-calls-radical\">limiting carbon pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s next governor will have to deal with all of it. And the race to fill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shoes is on. He positioned himself as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999192/california-moves-to-fill-the-void-left-by-the-federal-government-on-the-world-stag\">climate leader,\u003c/a> overseeing the build-out of battery storage and passing regulations to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. However, advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">questioned that record\u003c/a> recently and criticized the administration for warming to the oil industry. There’s a whole field of candidates who want his job, including a new candidate who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071306/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-announces-run-for-california-governor\">entered the race on Thursday\u003c/a>, San José Mayor Matt Mahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of the California gubernatorial hopefuls — former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist and businessman Tom Steyer, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — debated their plans to address the impacts of climate change across the state during a \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/gubernatorial-forum/\">Tuesday evening forum\u003c/a> organized by California Environmental Voters, a nonprofit political advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discussed reducing fossil fuel production and consumption and investing in green energy such as solar, wind and battery storage. The candidates agreed on many things, including the need to meet climate goals while also reducing the cost of energy to Californians’ wallets. They also discussed how to lower energy prices and to develop electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one expressed outright support for Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as it is currently written, and some argued the state should consider ramping up other solutions like water recycling instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they pulled no punches in their criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that the federal government has doubled down on fossil fuels and rejected climate science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999939\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999939\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. The Urban League of the Bay Area hosted the forum. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The biggest challenge we have here is Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “[California pays] more taxes than any other state, yet the Trump administration is not sending it back to us in California. And so the first thing we have to do is fight like the dickens to make sure we’re getting our fair share.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell, who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, said he stands up to the Trump administration every day in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason my three little kids can’t play in the front yard is because of the death threats that he inspires against me,” Swalwell said. “I do not hide under the bed, and the way that I have gone after him and been a fighter in Congress is what I will do as governor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters invited the six top polling candidates, but only four agreed to participate.[aside postID=news_12071306 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/250312-MATT-MAHAN-ON-PB-MD-02-KQED-1.jpg']Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, said the candidate forum lacked bold ideas and proposals that voters, especially young people, are asking for to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters conversation, where are you gonna be bold?” Mahdavi said. “It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leah Stokes, a political science professor also at UC Santa Barbara, listened to the forum and said it was exciting to hear four democrats actually “prioritize climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether or not they do everything they say in this forum, if one of them becomes Governor, is an open question,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stokes said voters associate Newsom’s climate policies with the high cost of energy, and that’s one area where the candidates clearly tried to establish a contrast with their own ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The debate in many ways was less about the candidates debating each other and more about them debating Newsom’s record,” Stokes said. “He’s been a really big climate champion, and he certainly bills himself that way. But he’s also allowed electric utilities to consistently jack up rates, and that is creating an affordability crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Steyer — who ran for President on a climate-forward platform but has since leaned into an affordability message — was the boldest on climate action, but she did not think any of the candidates stole the limelight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999622\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Newsom’s got real charisma, and I don’t know if any of these candidates have that as much, which isn’t a criticism of them, but I think that’s part of why we’re not seeing a clear frontrunner,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters, an event sponsor, released \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/new-polling-shows-californians-want-a-governor-who-tackles-affordability-by-leading-on-clean-energy-environmental-protection-and-corporate-accountability/\">new polling\u003c/a> this week that showed 65% of voters want the price of electric vehicles to become more affordable. The largest proportion of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter acknowledged the Trump administration’s efforts to block California from requiring 100% of vehicles be zero-emission or electric by 2035, but said the state also has other issues when it comes to electric cars, like high monthly loan payments and a lack of charging infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has built charging stations, but we are not anywhere near where we need to be, and those charging stations are not necessarily located in all of the communities they need to be in in order for us to make progress,” Porter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999943\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999943\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steyer also hit on the affordability of electric vehicles, noting that “the job of the governor” is to make sure the price comes down by making affordable electric cars produced in places like China available to Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It may be complicated, but the facts are on the ground and by 2035, there’ll be $15,000 electric vehicles available,” Steyer said. “Mark my words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer was initially the only candidate who said he would take steps to hold the oil industry accountable for the climate impacts on this state, saying he would have polluters pay “100%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when moderator Sammy Roth, who writes the \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/\">Climate-Colored Goggles\u003c/a> Substack, pressed the candidates, they all agreed they would support \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997275/california-lawmakers-divided-over-polluters-pay-plan-to-combat-climate-crisis\">legislation\u003c/a> — which has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997654/as-fires-floods-rage-californias-push-to-make-big-oil-pay-stalls-for-now\">repeatedly failed\u003c/a> in California — to force oil companies to pay for damages from wildfires and severe storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1956280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1956280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire, burning in southern California on Sept. 23, 2009, near Moorpark, California. \u003ccite>(David McNew/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Clearly the window has shifted since all four supported it,” Mahdavi said. “But it did seem like we’re not gonna see too far a break from the status quo. And right now, people are not happy, especially younger voters, with the status quo. We do need an expanded ambition, but nobody really captured that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahdavi also said none of the candidates addressed how to support workers with what he called a “just transition,” which would be needed if the California oil industry were phased out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell told the story of visiting a business in Altadena and learning that a person’s home had burned down. If elected, he said he will hold utility companies accountable by making sure they invest in “disaster improvements that they have to make and that we socialize the idea of managed outages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew, but they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them,” Swalwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999945\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999945\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The candidates didn’t quite agree on funding climate solutions, either, especially since the Trump administration cut millions of dollars for climate-related projects and programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter suggested taxing AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AI has the potential to make society much more wealthy,” Porter said. “We need to capture that wealth to address not only the environmental consequences of data centers and of AI, but the longstanding environmental challenges that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer, a billionaire himself, alluded to taxing billionaires and closing tax loopholes as a solution, as did Becerra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was interesting to see a divide across the four,” Mahdavi said. “Then, when pushed directly on the idea of taxing billionaires, it was surprising to hear everybody agreed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is dealing with a lot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999767/some-bay-area-climate-stories-were-watching-this-year\">climate-wise\u003c/a>. Wildfires destroyed\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\"> thousands of homes in L.A.\u003c/a> last year. Floods from storms and king tides \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999871/after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay\">swamped communities\u003c/a> across the state this winter. The Trump administration is attacking California’s ambitious policies aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036063/california-doubles-down-key-emissions-program-after-trump-calls-radical\">limiting carbon pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s next governor will have to deal with all of it. And the race to fill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shoes is on. He positioned himself as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999192/california-moves-to-fill-the-void-left-by-the-federal-government-on-the-world-stag\">climate leader,\u003c/a> overseeing the build-out of battery storage and passing regulations to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. However, advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">questioned that record\u003c/a> recently and criticized the administration for warming to the oil industry. There’s a whole field of candidates who want his job, including a new candidate who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071306/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-announces-run-for-california-governor\">entered the race on Thursday\u003c/a>, San José Mayor Matt Mahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of the California gubernatorial hopefuls — former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist and businessman Tom Steyer, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — debated their plans to address the impacts of climate change across the state during a \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/gubernatorial-forum/\">Tuesday evening forum\u003c/a> organized by California Environmental Voters, a nonprofit political advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discussed reducing fossil fuel production and consumption and investing in green energy such as solar, wind and battery storage. The candidates agreed on many things, including the need to meet climate goals while also reducing the cost of energy to Californians’ wallets. They also discussed how to lower energy prices and to develop electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one expressed outright support for Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as it is currently written, and some argued the state should consider ramping up other solutions like water recycling instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they pulled no punches in their criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that the federal government has doubled down on fossil fuels and rejected climate science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999939\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999939\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. The Urban League of the Bay Area hosted the forum. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The biggest challenge we have here is Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “[California pays] more taxes than any other state, yet the Trump administration is not sending it back to us in California. And so the first thing we have to do is fight like the dickens to make sure we’re getting our fair share.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell, who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, said he stands up to the Trump administration every day in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason my three little kids can’t play in the front yard is because of the death threats that he inspires against me,” Swalwell said. “I do not hide under the bed, and the way that I have gone after him and been a fighter in Congress is what I will do as governor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters invited the six top polling candidates, but only four agreed to participate.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, said the candidate forum lacked bold ideas and proposals that voters, especially young people, are asking for to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters conversation, where are you gonna be bold?” Mahdavi said. “It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leah Stokes, a political science professor also at UC Santa Barbara, listened to the forum and said it was exciting to hear four democrats actually “prioritize climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether or not they do everything they say in this forum, if one of them becomes Governor, is an open question,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stokes said voters associate Newsom’s climate policies with the high cost of energy, and that’s one area where the candidates clearly tried to establish a contrast with their own ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The debate in many ways was less about the candidates debating each other and more about them debating Newsom’s record,” Stokes said. “He’s been a really big climate champion, and he certainly bills himself that way. But he’s also allowed electric utilities to consistently jack up rates, and that is creating an affordability crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Steyer — who ran for President on a climate-forward platform but has since leaned into an affordability message — was the boldest on climate action, but she did not think any of the candidates stole the limelight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999622\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Newsom’s got real charisma, and I don’t know if any of these candidates have that as much, which isn’t a criticism of them, but I think that’s part of why we’re not seeing a clear frontrunner,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters, an event sponsor, released \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/new-polling-shows-californians-want-a-governor-who-tackles-affordability-by-leading-on-clean-energy-environmental-protection-and-corporate-accountability/\">new polling\u003c/a> this week that showed 65% of voters want the price of electric vehicles to become more affordable. The largest proportion of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter acknowledged the Trump administration’s efforts to block California from requiring 100% of vehicles be zero-emission or electric by 2035, but said the state also has other issues when it comes to electric cars, like high monthly loan payments and a lack of charging infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has built charging stations, but we are not anywhere near where we need to be, and those charging stations are not necessarily located in all of the communities they need to be in in order for us to make progress,” Porter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999943\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999943\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steyer also hit on the affordability of electric vehicles, noting that “the job of the governor” is to make sure the price comes down by making affordable electric cars produced in places like China available to Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It may be complicated, but the facts are on the ground and by 2035, there’ll be $15,000 electric vehicles available,” Steyer said. “Mark my words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer was initially the only candidate who said he would take steps to hold the oil industry accountable for the climate impacts on this state, saying he would have polluters pay “100%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when moderator Sammy Roth, who writes the \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/\">Climate-Colored Goggles\u003c/a> Substack, pressed the candidates, they all agreed they would support \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997275/california-lawmakers-divided-over-polluters-pay-plan-to-combat-climate-crisis\">legislation\u003c/a> — which has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997654/as-fires-floods-rage-californias-push-to-make-big-oil-pay-stalls-for-now\">repeatedly failed\u003c/a> in California — to force oil companies to pay for damages from wildfires and severe storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1956280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1956280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire, burning in southern California on Sept. 23, 2009, near Moorpark, California. \u003ccite>(David McNew/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Clearly the window has shifted since all four supported it,” Mahdavi said. “But it did seem like we’re not gonna see too far a break from the status quo. And right now, people are not happy, especially younger voters, with the status quo. We do need an expanded ambition, but nobody really captured that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahdavi also said none of the candidates addressed how to support workers with what he called a “just transition,” which would be needed if the California oil industry were phased out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell told the story of visiting a business in Altadena and learning that a person’s home had burned down. If elected, he said he will hold utility companies accountable by making sure they invest in “disaster improvements that they have to make and that we socialize the idea of managed outages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew, but they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them,” Swalwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999945\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999945\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The candidates didn’t quite agree on funding climate solutions, either, especially since the Trump administration cut millions of dollars for climate-related projects and programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter suggested taxing AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AI has the potential to make society much more wealthy,” Porter said. “We need to capture that wealth to address not only the environmental consequences of data centers and of AI, but the longstanding environmental challenges that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer, a billionaire himself, alluded to taxing billionaires and closing tax loopholes as a solution, as did Becerra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was interesting to see a divide across the four,” Mahdavi said. “Then, when pushed directly on the idea of taxing billionaires, it was surprising to hear everybody agreed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the small \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/sierra-nevada\">Sierra\u003c/a> foothills community of Cameron Park, state officials, Cal Fire leaders, members of the insurance and construction industries, and a group of “El Dorado Roses” gathered around a yellow ceremonial ribbon. The Roses — mature women in Victorian dresses with large hats festooned in artificial flowers who serve as ambassadors for El Dorado County’s Chamber of Commerce — had come to celebrate the opening of new model homes for a unique neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 24 single-story homes planned for the Stone Canyon development in Cameron Park, now under construction and up for sale, will form Northern California’s first “wildfire-prepared neighborhood.” Developers and policymakers hope the designation from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety could offer a blueprint for building — and insuring — homes in an era of megafires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With insurance companies reluctant to insure fire-prone parts of California after a string of catastrophic blazes, state officials and builders are increasingly looking to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12024420/rebuilding-la-heres-what-fire-survivors-and-experts-say-is-key\">fire-hardened construction\u003c/a> to keep housing both insurable and habitable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire-hardened homes are the future of the state of California,” El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo said. He bemoaned the plight of Caldor Fire survivors in his district who find \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021019/la-fires-threaten-california-insurance-market-stability-housing-costs\">insurance difficult to obtain\u003c/a> — including himself. He said he now pays $10,000 a year for insurance that once cost $900.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The construction company leading the Stone Canyon project, KB Home, is betting that fire-prepared construction will attract buyers seeking peace of mind — and make it easier for them to obtain insurance. Nam Joe, Sacramento division president for KB Home, said buyers in the company’s first wildfire-prepared neighborhood, in fire-prone Escondido, enjoy more insurance options than owners of non-prepared homes nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999915\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999915\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roy Wright, president and CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, stands in front of a home built to fire-ready specifications he helped design. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Rachael Gauthier)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Walking around a model home at the Stone Canyon ribbon-cutting on Thursday, visitors’ feet crunched on small pebbles of crushed granite beside a circulating water fountain, paved stones, river rocks and drought-resistant plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is some of the most beautiful Zone 0 landscapes I’ve seen,” said Roy Wright, CEO of IBHS, as he detailed features of a model home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Zone 0” refers to the five-foot perimeter of crushed rock surrounding the entire house, designed to keep burning embers from collecting at the base of the walls.[aside postID=news_11833686 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/pexels-dids-1986996-1-1020x680-1.jpg']In examining homes that burned in last year’s L.A. fires, Wright said he and his team found that houses within range of fire had a 90% chance of damage or destruction if burnable material was within five feet of the home. They published their \u003ca href=\"https://ibhs.org/ibhs-news-releases/ibhs-findings-on-la-countys-palisades-and-eaton-fires/\">post-fire investigation\u003c/a> findings last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clearing flammable material within that perimeter is one of the most effective ways of hardening a home — and among the most accessible to homeowners. The practice is now the subject of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068943/after-devastating-la-fires-california-is-drafting-nations-toughest-rules-for-homes\">much-debated policy\u003c/a> under review by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for high fire-risk areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some homeowners associations have raised concerns that compliant homes will be unattractive or stripped of charm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there’s folks who have created an [inaccurate] narrative about what’s going to be required,” Wright said. “I think what we see here is something that really is survivable and beautiful at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The home’s backyard looks out onto mature oak woodland and wide green fields. Young trees, planted away from the house, line a fence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overhead, enclosed eaves stretch along the low edge of the Class A fire-resistant roof, designed to keep out embers blown in from a nearby wildfire. The windows are dual-paned and tempered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999914\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This newly-built model home in El Dorado County is designed to survive wildfires. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Rachael Gauthier)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“So if one of them was to break, the other could still survive,” Wright said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The house’s siding and shutters are made of fiber cement board, covered in stucco all the way to the base of the structure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The entire facade of this is non-combustible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>California is an expensive place to live. Are you feeling the pinch? \u003ca href=\"#Shareyourstory\">Share your story\u003c/a> with KQED by leaving us a voicemail at \u003ca href=\"tel:4155532115\">415-553-2115\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header\">clicking here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>A vinyl fence surrounds the house, but it is connected to the structure by a five-foot metal gate. That way, Wright explained, even if the vinyl fence were to catch fire, it wouldn’t act as a connective wick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wright stressed the importance of all the safety components working together, noting that when every home on a block adheres to fire-prepared standards, the entire neighborhood becomes safer. In this sense, wildfire resilience differs from other weather- and climate-related hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unlike rain, wind, hail, simply doing the upgrades to one home, while important, is not enough,” Wright said. “The adjacent properties begin to affect the wildfire risk of these homes. And so the collective action across the entire development is what fundamentally changes the risk profile of this place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even nearby homes built decades ago will benefit, as a fire moving through the surrounding oaklands is less likely to ignite one of the fire-ready homes and trigger a structure-to-structure conflagration.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Shareyourstory\">\u003c/a>California is expensive. Share your story of how you get by\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the small \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/sierra-nevada\">Sierra\u003c/a> foothills community of Cameron Park, state officials, Cal Fire leaders, members of the insurance and construction industries, and a group of “El Dorado Roses” gathered around a yellow ceremonial ribbon. The Roses — mature women in Victorian dresses with large hats festooned in artificial flowers who serve as ambassadors for El Dorado County’s Chamber of Commerce — had come to celebrate the opening of new model homes for a unique neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 24 single-story homes planned for the Stone Canyon development in Cameron Park, now under construction and up for sale, will form Northern California’s first “wildfire-prepared neighborhood.” Developers and policymakers hope the designation from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety could offer a blueprint for building — and insuring — homes in an era of megafires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With insurance companies reluctant to insure fire-prone parts of California after a string of catastrophic blazes, state officials and builders are increasingly looking to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12024420/rebuilding-la-heres-what-fire-survivors-and-experts-say-is-key\">fire-hardened construction\u003c/a> to keep housing both insurable and habitable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire-hardened homes are the future of the state of California,” El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo said. He bemoaned the plight of Caldor Fire survivors in his district who find \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021019/la-fires-threaten-california-insurance-market-stability-housing-costs\">insurance difficult to obtain\u003c/a> — including himself. He said he now pays $10,000 a year for insurance that once cost $900.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The construction company leading the Stone Canyon project, KB Home, is betting that fire-prepared construction will attract buyers seeking peace of mind — and make it easier for them to obtain insurance. Nam Joe, Sacramento division president for KB Home, said buyers in the company’s first wildfire-prepared neighborhood, in fire-prone Escondido, enjoy more insurance options than owners of non-prepared homes nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999915\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999915\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-04-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roy Wright, president and CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, stands in front of a home built to fire-ready specifications he helped design. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Rachael Gauthier)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Walking around a model home at the Stone Canyon ribbon-cutting on Thursday, visitors’ feet crunched on small pebbles of crushed granite beside a circulating water fountain, paved stones, river rocks and drought-resistant plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is some of the most beautiful Zone 0 landscapes I’ve seen,” said Roy Wright, CEO of IBHS, as he detailed features of a model home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Zone 0” refers to the five-foot perimeter of crushed rock surrounding the entire house, designed to keep burning embers from collecting at the base of the walls.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In examining homes that burned in last year’s L.A. fires, Wright said he and his team found that houses within range of fire had a 90% chance of damage or destruction if burnable material was within five feet of the home. They published their \u003ca href=\"https://ibhs.org/ibhs-news-releases/ibhs-findings-on-la-countys-palisades-and-eaton-fires/\">post-fire investigation\u003c/a> findings last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clearing flammable material within that perimeter is one of the most effective ways of hardening a home — and among the most accessible to homeowners. The practice is now the subject of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068943/after-devastating-la-fires-california-is-drafting-nations-toughest-rules-for-homes\">much-debated policy\u003c/a> under review by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for high fire-risk areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some homeowners associations have raised concerns that compliant homes will be unattractive or stripped of charm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there’s folks who have created an [inaccurate] narrative about what’s going to be required,” Wright said. “I think what we see here is something that really is survivable and beautiful at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The home’s backyard looks out onto mature oak woodland and wide green fields. Young trees, planted away from the house, line a fence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overhead, enclosed eaves stretch along the low edge of the Class A fire-resistant roof, designed to keep out embers blown in from a nearby wildfire. The windows are dual-paned and tempered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999914\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260123-Insurance-Home-03-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This newly-built model home in El Dorado County is designed to survive wildfires. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Rachael Gauthier)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“So if one of them was to break, the other could still survive,” Wright said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The house’s siding and shutters are made of fiber cement board, covered in stucco all the way to the base of the structure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The entire facade of this is non-combustible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>California is an expensive place to live. Are you feeling the pinch? \u003ca href=\"#Shareyourstory\">Share your story\u003c/a> with KQED by leaving us a voicemail at \u003ca href=\"tel:4155532115\">415-553-2115\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header\">clicking here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>A vinyl fence surrounds the house, but it is connected to the structure by a five-foot metal gate. That way, Wright explained, even if the vinyl fence were to catch fire, it wouldn’t act as a connective wick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wright stressed the importance of all the safety components working together, noting that when every home on a block adheres to fire-prepared standards, the entire neighborhood becomes safer. In this sense, wildfire resilience differs from other weather- and climate-related hazards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unlike rain, wind, hail, simply doing the upgrades to one home, while important, is not enough,” Wright said. “The adjacent properties begin to affect the wildfire risk of these homes. And so the collective action across the entire development is what fundamentally changes the risk profile of this place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even nearby homes built decades ago will benefit, as a fire moving through the surrounding oaklands is less likely to ignite one of the fire-ready homes and trigger a structure-to-structure conflagration.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Shareyourstory\">\u003c/a>California is expensive. Share your story of how you get by\u003c/h2>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe\n src='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header?embedded=true'\n title='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5v6Atf-zIWjJr8ZXgyOmDSRVu2kSdv4_RdPTIWLdBmnVoXg/viewform?usp=header'\n width='760' height='500'\n frameborder='0'\n marginheight='0' marginwidth='0'>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068644/marin-county-looked-like-a-lagoon-after-king-tides-heavy-rain\">first Saturday\u003c/a> of the year was Derek Bentley’s worst nightmare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was throwing a football in the backyard of his Sausalito home with his jersey-clad sons during a break in the morning’s light rain — mentally preparing to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks — when his phone buzzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a video from the landlord at his karate studio, and he watched in horror as water from San Francisco Bay poured through weak points in an asphalt levee and rushed into the studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were on that high for the big game, but then we were brought down,” Bentley said. “I immediately jumped in the car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But floodwaters had filled Highway 101, snarling traffic and blocking Bentley’s route. The karate master was gobsmacked. Over two decades as a teacher at Taylor’s House of Karate, a studio owned and operated by his family, he has witnessed countless storms more severe than that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999815\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley walks through areas of Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, that had flooded along with the surrounding area during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the road to his studio flooded, but it had been over a decade since water entered the building. This time, conditions aligned perfectly, catching residents and officials by surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A king tide, already the highest of the year, rose higher than normal as it encountered soils saturated from earlier storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So when Saturday’s minor winter storm created a stronger-than-expected tidal surge, water overtopped levees, flooded city streets and surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses, like Bentley’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999878\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooding near the Highway 101 Sausalito/Mill Valley exit in Sausalito on Dec. 4, 2025, during a king tide event. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists have long warned that when storms ride on top of high tides, bayside Marin County will flood and cause chaos, especially in low-lying areas like San Rafael. The city is situated along a narrow strip of land between the mountains and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flooding experts predict that the changing climate will turn today’s king tides into the everyday tides of the future. They want Marin County to learn from the recent disaster and to install better pumps, engineer new seawalls and even pilot out-of-the-box ideas like floating homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope the flooding is a wake-up call because what’s at stake is people’s lives,” said Kristina Hill, a professor in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999816\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley, head teacher, stands in Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The karate studio and surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A few hours later, Bentley surveyed the damage to his studio and said he felt “destroyed” by what he saw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brackish water had come up from the floor, pushing up the blue mats where students tumbled and refined their craft. The concrete floor was now exposed, where his landlord helped rip up the soaked carpet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the people I work with, but this is the first time that I’m now questioning, like, can we stay here?” Bentley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>San Rafael ‘can flood up to 4 feet’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood is one of Marin County’s and the Bay Area’s most flood-prone communities. San Rafael Creek originates in the hills and flows through the city, pouring into a tidal canal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s flatlands are shaped like a bowl, protected by makeshift levees — some constructed with plywood, cement or asphalt — and pumps that are already struggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This neighborhood, built primarily on wetlands and fill, regularly floods during king tides. Large parts of it are below sea level, and the community is sinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999819\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The San Rafael canal district is the most at risk because once saltwater comes over that edge, it enters the bowl, and it can flood up to four feet,” Hill said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has experienced about 8 inches of sea level rise over the past century. The bay could rise by about a foot by midcentury and more than 6 feet by the end of the century — thanks mainly to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a foot of sea level rise, tidal flooding will “become not just impacts that occur once or twice a year, but something that could be a more daily occurrence,” said Michelle Hummel, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, who is working on a federal project examining San Rafael’s flood risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991936/marin-county-approves-contract-to-prepare-for-rising-seas-and-extreme-storms\">Marin County,\u003c/a> along with local cities and \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/science/1997869/the-bay-is-rising-and-marins-most-traveled-roads-are-in-its-way\">transportation agencies\u003c/a>, has extensively studied the high tide flood risk. But despite a California mandate that every jurisdiction on the bay and coast \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984830/california-mandates-coastal-cities-plan-for-future-sea-level-rise\">develop\u003c/a> plans to address sea level rise by 2034, none in Marin County has done so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1999817 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sandbags sit in front of businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kate Hagemann, a climate adaptation resilience planner with San Rafael, said the city is studying solutions and will eventually develop a formal plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/documents/sea-level-rise-feasibility-study-2025/\">sea level rise feasibility study\u003c/a> in December that said land subsidence “will hasten the relative sea level rise felt locally” and that, in some areas, it is happening “several times faster than sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This area will flood predictably in the next 25 years,” Hagemann said. “If you have more than 10,000 people living below the bay, there needs to be something really robust, strong, waterproof and professionally maintained to keep people safe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hosting a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/sGoNCxklQwfP1Xg2fvhAHyJ1PV?domain=cityofsanrafael.org\">public webinar\u003c/a> on its study on Jan. 26 so “the community can choose collectively how to respond,” Hagemann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We should be ready to live in a bathtub’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael is evaluating the feasibility of three potential fixes: installing a gate at the mouth of San Rafael Creek, building a sea wall along the canal, or redeveloping it. The city estimates that each solution could cost up to $2 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of these options [are] a silver bullet, and they all have very real concerns that we need to address before moving forward,” Hagemann said.[aside postID=science_1999345 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/004_KQED_BayviewBloodTesting_02252022_qed-1020x680.jpg']Hill worries a gate would trap pollution in the creek and harm native plant and fish species. A sea wall would harden the canal, be complex to maintain and could be at risk of failure as seas rise, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redeveloping the canal would require the city, county or private developer to buy some or all of the 86 properties that border the canal, knock the buildings down, and have engineers build a taller barrier before rebuilding on top of it. Hill hopes it could be an earthen levee that future generations could transform for their own benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill also proposed that San Rafael consider out-of-the-box ideas the Dutch have already “tested and proven,” such as floating homes. To float buildings, the city could dig large ponds and flood them. Developers could build multi-story complexes that float, like those in \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220202-floating-homes-the-benefits-of-living-on-water\">Amsterdam\u003c/a>, or are being planned in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dezeen.com/2025/05/23/largest-floating-housing-development-europe-rotterdam-mast/\">Rotterdam\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be ready to live in a bathtub,” Hill said. “Then I think we’re in business and will have a way to live for 100 years and preserve the city’s tax base.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We don’t know how to make that fear go away’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During winter months, king tides often disrupt life for people who live and work in San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood. At least five people reported to Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for residents, that floodwaters reached up to 10 inches deep in their apartments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Omar Carrera, the group’s chief executive officer, said many people are nervous to report the damage because they’re undocumented. If landlords forced them to relocate, even temporarily, they’re unsure if they could find an affordable place to live in Marin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999820\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, after the area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They’re coming to us to see if we can help them with furniture, clothing, and cars that have been damaged, but they don’t want us to get involved with their property managers,” Carrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrera moved to San Rafael more than two decades ago, and said this conversation about flood planning is getting old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Inaction is not acceptable anymore,” Carrera said. “It’s time for us to have the complicated conversation we have been ignoring for a long time, and to put humans at the center of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Herz lives on a San Rafael street with water on two sides. The flood turned his home into an island and spilled into his garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Herz sits near his home in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area around his home experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I was running from window to window, going: ‘Oh my god. Oh, my god. It’s still coming,’” Herz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience forced him to think about whether his blue-and-white two-story home next to a marina could be underwater in the coming decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was the first time I felt scared,” Herz said. “It’s not a good feeling to see water coming at your property and to know that you can’t do anything to stop it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But something good did come out of the flood. Herz and neighbors are banding together to ask the city for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all scared, and we don’t know how to make that fear go away,” Herz said. “What will make all of us feel better is to inform ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The severity of recent floods caught San Rafael by surprise, and scientists say the city must address sea level rise or it will be underwater in the coming decades. ",
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"title": "After King Tides Swamp Marin, San Rafael Weighs Billion-Dollar Defenses Against the Bay | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068644/marin-county-looked-like-a-lagoon-after-king-tides-heavy-rain\">first Saturday\u003c/a> of the year was Derek Bentley’s worst nightmare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was throwing a football in the backyard of his Sausalito home with his jersey-clad sons during a break in the morning’s light rain — mentally preparing to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks — when his phone buzzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a video from the landlord at his karate studio, and he watched in horror as water from San Francisco Bay poured through weak points in an asphalt levee and rushed into the studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were on that high for the big game, but then we were brought down,” Bentley said. “I immediately jumped in the car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But floodwaters had filled Highway 101, snarling traffic and blocking Bentley’s route. The karate master was gobsmacked. Over two decades as a teacher at Taylor’s House of Karate, a studio owned and operated by his family, he has witnessed countless storms more severe than that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999815\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley walks through areas of Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, that had flooded along with the surrounding area during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the road to his studio flooded, but it had been over a decade since water entered the building. This time, conditions aligned perfectly, catching residents and officials by surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A king tide, already the highest of the year, rose higher than normal as it encountered soils saturated from earlier storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So when Saturday’s minor winter storm created a stronger-than-expected tidal surge, water overtopped levees, flooded city streets and surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses, like Bentley’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999878\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999878\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251204-KingTide-30-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooding near the Highway 101 Sausalito/Mill Valley exit in Sausalito on Dec. 4, 2025, during a king tide event. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Climate scientists have long warned that when storms ride on top of high tides, bayside Marin County will flood and cause chaos, especially in low-lying areas like San Rafael. The city is situated along a narrow strip of land between the mountains and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flooding experts predict that the changing climate will turn today’s king tides into the everyday tides of the future. They want Marin County to learn from the recent disaster and to install better pumps, engineer new seawalls and even pilot out-of-the-box ideas like floating homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope the flooding is a wake-up call because what’s at stake is people’s lives,” said Kristina Hill, a professor in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999816\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Derek Bentley, head teacher, stands in Taylor’s House of Karate in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The karate studio and surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A few hours later, Bentley surveyed the damage to his studio and said he felt “destroyed” by what he saw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brackish water had come up from the floor, pushing up the blue mats where students tumbled and refined their craft. The concrete floor was now exposed, where his landlord helped rip up the soaked carpet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the people I work with, but this is the first time that I’m now questioning, like, can we stay here?” Bentley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>San Rafael ‘can flood up to 4 feet’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood is one of Marin County’s and the Bay Area’s most flood-prone communities. San Rafael Creek originates in the hills and flows through the city, pouring into a tidal canal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s flatlands are shaped like a bowl, protected by makeshift levees — some constructed with plywood, cement or asphalt — and pumps that are already struggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This neighborhood, built primarily on wetlands and fill, regularly floods during king tides. Large parts of it are below sea level, and the community is sinking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999819\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The San Rafael canal district is the most at risk because once saltwater comes over that edge, it enters the bowl, and it can flood up to four feet,” Hill said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has experienced about 8 inches of sea level rise over the past century. The bay could rise by about a foot by midcentury and more than 6 feet by the end of the century — thanks mainly to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a foot of sea level rise, tidal flooding will “become not just impacts that occur once or twice a year, but something that could be a more daily occurrence,” said Michelle Hummel, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, who is working on a federal project examining San Rafael’s flood risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991936/marin-county-approves-contract-to-prepare-for-rising-seas-and-extreme-storms\">Marin County,\u003c/a> along with local cities and \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/science/1997869/the-bay-is-rising-and-marins-most-traveled-roads-are-in-its-way\">transportation agencies\u003c/a>, has extensively studied the high tide flood risk. But despite a California mandate that every jurisdiction on the bay and coast \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984830/california-mandates-coastal-cities-plan-for-future-sea-level-rise\">develop\u003c/a> plans to address sea level rise by 2034, none in Marin County has done so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1999817 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-14-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sandbags sit in front of businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The surrounding area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kate Hagemann, a climate adaptation resilience planner with San Rafael, said the city is studying solutions and will eventually develop a formal plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city published a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/documents/sea-level-rise-feasibility-study-2025/\">sea level rise feasibility study\u003c/a> in December that said land subsidence “will hasten the relative sea level rise felt locally” and that, in some areas, it is happening “several times faster than sea level rise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This area will flood predictably in the next 25 years,” Hagemann said. “If you have more than 10,000 people living below the bay, there needs to be something really robust, strong, waterproof and professionally maintained to keep people safe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hosting a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/sGoNCxklQwfP1Xg2fvhAHyJ1PV?domain=cityofsanrafael.org\">public webinar\u003c/a> on its study on Jan. 26 so “the community can choose collectively how to respond,” Hagemann said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We should be ready to live in a bathtub’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Rafael is evaluating the feasibility of three potential fixes: installing a gate at the mouth of San Rafael Creek, building a sea wall along the canal, or redeveloping it. The city estimates that each solution could cost up to $2 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of these options [are] a silver bullet, and they all have very real concerns that we need to address before moving forward,” Hagemann said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Hill worries a gate would trap pollution in the creek and harm native plant and fish species. A sea wall would harden the canal, be complex to maintain and could be at risk of failure as seas rise, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redeveloping the canal would require the city, county or private developer to buy some or all of the 86 properties that border the canal, knock the buildings down, and have engineers build a taller barrier before rebuilding on top of it. Hill hopes it could be an earthen levee that future generations could transform for their own benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hill also proposed that San Rafael consider out-of-the-box ideas the Dutch have already “tested and proven,” such as floating homes. To float buildings, the city could dig large ponds and flood them. Developers could build multi-story complexes that float, like those in \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220202-floating-homes-the-benefits-of-living-on-water\">Amsterdam\u003c/a>, or are being planned in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dezeen.com/2025/05/23/largest-floating-housing-development-europe-rotterdam-mast/\">Rotterdam\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be ready to live in a bathtub,” Hill said. “Then I think we’re in business and will have a way to live for 100 years and preserve the city’s tax base.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We don’t know how to make that fear go away’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During winter months, king tides often disrupt life for people who live and work in San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood. At least five people reported to Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for residents, that floodwaters reached up to 10 inches deep in their apartments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Omar Carrera, the group’s chief executive officer, said many people are nervous to report the damage because they’re undocumented. If landlords forced them to relocate, even temporarily, they’re unsure if they could find an affordable place to live in Marin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999820\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999820\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-35-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Businesses near San Rafael Creek in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026, after the area experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They’re coming to us to see if we can help them with furniture, clothing, and cars that have been damaged, but they don’t want us to get involved with their property managers,” Carrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrera moved to San Rafael more than two decades ago, and said this conversation about flood planning is getting old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Inaction is not acceptable anymore,” Carrera said. “It’s time for us to have the complicated conversation we have been ignoring for a long time, and to put humans at the center of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Herz lives on a San Rafael street with water on two sides. The flood turned his home into an island and spilled into his garage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260112-MARINFLOODING-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Herz sits near his home in San Rafael on Jan. 12, 2026. The area around his home experienced flooding during a series of king tides and winter storms earlier in the month. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I was running from window to window, going: ‘Oh my god. Oh, my god. It’s still coming,’” Herz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience forced him to think about whether his blue-and-white two-story home next to a marina could be underwater in the coming decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was the first time I felt scared,” Herz said. “It’s not a good feeling to see water coming at your property and to know that you can’t do anything to stop it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But something good did come out of the flood. Herz and neighbors are banding together to ask the city for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all scared, and we don’t know how to make that fear go away,” Herz said. “What will make all of us feel better is to inform ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "maidu-tribes-reignite-ancestral-fire-stewardship-in-the-sierra-foothills",
"title": "Maidu Tribes Reignite Ancestral Fire Stewardship in the Sierra Foothills",
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"headTitle": "Maidu Tribes Reignite Ancestral Fire Stewardship in the Sierra Foothills | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Magan Herrera stood in the middle of a sloping meadow this fall, wearing a hard hat, sturdy boots, and a yellow fire-resistant jacket framing her pregnant belly. The meadow, in the midst of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sierra-nevada\">Sierra\u003c/a> foothills, may once have been a Maidu basket weaver’s garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deer grass juts from the ground in bunches — good habitat for grazing animals and material for the tribe’s baskets. The meadow also holds yerba santa, an evergreen shrub used to treat colds, and manzanita, with its brilliant green leaves identical on both sides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For thousands of years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1973196/the-karuk-used-fire-to-manage-the-forest-for-centuries-now-they-want-to-do-that-again\">native people used fire\u003c/a> to tend this land in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933052/the-burn-scars-of-the-sierra-foothills-tell-a-story-and-offer-lessons\">Sierra foothills\u003c/a>, in what is now known as Butte County, spurring growth of the plants they wanted, knocking back the ones they didn’t and constraining the lightning-ignited wildfires that burned the area every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then came Western settlement, firefighters suppressing the flames, and conifers tangling thickly together. Eventually, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887158/in-california-restoring-our-relationship-with-fire-is-possible\">conditions grew ripe\u003c/a> for the ferocious, wind-driven flames of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998245/the-summer-that-changed-california-forever\">North Complex Fire and Bear Fire\u003c/a>, which consumed nearly everything along nearby Berry Creek and killed 11 people in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Herrera, who is part of the Maidu tribe, surveyed the meadow, she saw the promise of a place her people could, once again, rely on for generations to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999159\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999159\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magan Herrera of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My hope is for our people to use this land so that everybody will have everything that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To steward the land, she was helping to lead a planned burn. Maidu people from five local tribal groups participated: Berry Creek Rancheria, Mechoopa, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley. It’s the first time in living memory that they’ve come together to burn, Herrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The loss of indigenous fire stewardship and the corresponding Western settler obsession with suppressing all fire have fueled our current era of devastating megafires. Returning fire stewardship to indigenous communities helps restore the land and people’s souls. This is the spirit embodied in the November meadow burn. The land will be safer from future wildfires and tended according to the traditions of the Maidu ancestors who lived here for generations.[aside postID=science_1998787 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240110-CAWindStorm-007_qed.jpg']Fire, in this region of Northern California between Interstate 5 and the Sierra Nevada, is a defining problem of life. For native people like the Maidu, it is also a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The burn was formally a training, with the goal of enabling the Berry Creek Maidu to reestablish their traditional relationship with fire. But it was more than that. Jedediah Brown, the tribe’s historic preservation officer, described it as “a homecoming, a return of fire to the land and the people. […] Through the continuation of this work, the relationship between fire, people, and place is renewed in the way our ancestors intended.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before burning the meadow, Herrera urged everyone to think about those who would gather materials in the coming months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to be a place where our people can gather food, fibers and medicines,” she said. “We want to make sure all of that stuff stays really clean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basket weavers often hold materials in their mouths, and it’s long been a challenge to find plants free of fuel or herbicides. Here, the tribe can tend its garden as it chooses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burners didn’t use drip torches, which plop lit gasoline on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fires burn as part of a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Instead, in the months prior to the burn, Herrera trained a crew of Maidu women in traditional ecological knowledge — “my girls,” she calls them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My girls harvested a lot of sticks,” she said, picking up one of the many bundles set aside for the burn. She held a lighter to the long twigs. “You light the stick, and the leaves start falling exactly like a drip torch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90 people came to the burn from all over Northern California. More than a dozen agencies and organizations — including resource conservation districts, prescribed burn associations and fire safe councils — partnered to make the training possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some tribes, like the Karuk and Yurok along the Klamath River, have robust fire programs built over decades of working to reclaim intentional fire from agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire, the reclamation in Berry Creek — formally the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California — is in early stages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999161\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999161\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Maidu tribe of Butte County-Berry Creek, Mechoopda, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley set out to begin a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ability to practice their culture and revitalize traditions will provide the Berry Creek Maidu “a strong connection with their land in a way that helps to overcome the past traumas, including the traumas of the North Complex fire,” said Don Hankins, an indigenous fire expert and professor at California State University, Chico, who did not attend the Berry Creek burn but knows others who did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restoration, he said, can help the tribe feel ownership and responsibility “to shape their future with fire so that they don’t have to go through that again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hankins, who is a California Plains Miwok traditional cultural practitioner, writes about the stories that indigenous people tell of devastating “first fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And the fires we’re experiencing today are no different,” Hankins said. “Those stories tell us, after that happened, people learned to take care of the land. And so we’re at that time, this is the opportunity when there’s a fire footprint, even though there’s been devastation, the only good choice, I think, is to step back in and learn to steward [with fire] again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999162\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999162\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the CAL-TREX prescribed burn bundle fuels and set them alight in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The intense 2020 fires burned through thick forests and uncovered Berry Creek Maidu ancestral village sites and gathering grounds, allowing the tribe to care for those places again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looked to [our cultural monitors] like everything was laid where our ancestors had left it,” Herrera said. “Just like if you walked into an abandoned house and there’s a pair of glasses and a newspaper and half a cup of tea. Like somebody just got up and left.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 60-acre parcel, which used to host village sites, is part of that story. It was home to their ancestors for many thousands of years. But the land had been held privately for generations, and the tribes accessed it only recently, when it came up for sale and they collectively purchased it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The morning after the meadow burn, Brown, the cultural preservation officer, walked a short distance away. Leaves, acorns and pebbles crunched under his feet. He stopped at a small rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999158\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999158\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jedediah Brown of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is a village site. The old name for it is Piube. It means ‘rooted food,’” Brown said. “We now call it Hyhcetim kumbali, ‘the place to know’ or ‘the learning place.’ Because it’s like our school now, our classroom. We learn every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the North Complex fire, Brown and other volunteers cleaned up the burned land, tending to it on the weekends over the course of three years. In that time, many acquired first aid and chainsaw certification, allowing them to safely remove burned trees at risk of falling on people — a big but necessary task to make events like this training day possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They uncovered a broad, flat rock with about 60 circular cups carved into the surface, each roughly the diameter of a coffee mug. Brown’s ancestors processed acorns for food in this bedrock mortar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tribe still uses acorns heavily. The day of the meadow burn, tribal members served acorn soup to all participants. Its pleasant, mild flavor was so popular that their entire batch disappeared, to their own surprise. Volunteers helped gather acorns underneath black oak trees — it was only fair to help replenish the stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999157\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the prescribed burn listen to a weather and safety briefing in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After a full day of burning and a dinner of venison, corn and mashed potatoes hosted by tribal members in an indoor gym, Herrera reflected on the progress and her hopes for the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t even believe that today happened,” she said. Herrera organized the volunteers into groups with tribal names and became emotional listening to volunteers calling “out their squads in Maidu because the land here recognizes the language, it’s been spoken to it since time immemorial. I think that put a lot of intention down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we were lighting the fires, every bunch of deer grass got hit with just the right gust of wind [to light it], every single time,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a good day’s work. She looked down at her abundant belly. Herrera expects her second child, a son, in February. She will develop her weaving skills as she waits, crafting both a new life and a basket to hold him, made of willow, oak and wild roses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The basket’s backboard will grow from the land she burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Amongst the ponderosa pines in California’s Butte County, Maidu women light fires not to destroy but to heal — restoring an ancient garden, and themselves. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Magan Herrera stood in the middle of a sloping meadow this fall, wearing a hard hat, sturdy boots, and a yellow fire-resistant jacket framing her pregnant belly. The meadow, in the midst of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sierra-nevada\">Sierra\u003c/a> foothills, may once have been a Maidu basket weaver’s garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deer grass juts from the ground in bunches — good habitat for grazing animals and material for the tribe’s baskets. The meadow also holds yerba santa, an evergreen shrub used to treat colds, and manzanita, with its brilliant green leaves identical on both sides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For thousands of years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1973196/the-karuk-used-fire-to-manage-the-forest-for-centuries-now-they-want-to-do-that-again\">native people used fire\u003c/a> to tend this land in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11933052/the-burn-scars-of-the-sierra-foothills-tell-a-story-and-offer-lessons\">Sierra foothills\u003c/a>, in what is now known as Butte County, spurring growth of the plants they wanted, knocking back the ones they didn’t and constraining the lightning-ignited wildfires that burned the area every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then came Western settlement, firefighters suppressing the flames, and conifers tangling thickly together. Eventually, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887158/in-california-restoring-our-relationship-with-fire-is-possible\">conditions grew ripe\u003c/a> for the ferocious, wind-driven flames of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998245/the-summer-that-changed-california-forever\">North Complex Fire and Bear Fire\u003c/a>, which consumed nearly everything along nearby Berry Creek and killed 11 people in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Herrera, who is part of the Maidu tribe, surveyed the meadow, she saw the promise of a place her people could, once again, rely on for generations to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999159\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999159\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_91_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magan Herrera of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My hope is for our people to use this land so that everybody will have everything that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To steward the land, she was helping to lead a planned burn. Maidu people from five local tribal groups participated: Berry Creek Rancheria, Mechoopa, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley. It’s the first time in living memory that they’ve come together to burn, Herrera said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The loss of indigenous fire stewardship and the corresponding Western settler obsession with suppressing all fire have fueled our current era of devastating megafires. Returning fire stewardship to indigenous communities helps restore the land and people’s souls. This is the spirit embodied in the November meadow burn. The land will be safer from future wildfires and tended according to the traditions of the Maidu ancestors who lived here for generations.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Fire, in this region of Northern California between Interstate 5 and the Sierra Nevada, is a defining problem of life. For native people like the Maidu, it is also a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The burn was formally a training, with the goal of enabling the Berry Creek Maidu to reestablish their traditional relationship with fire. But it was more than that. Jedediah Brown, the tribe’s historic preservation officer, described it as “a homecoming, a return of fire to the land and the people. […] Through the continuation of this work, the relationship between fire, people, and place is renewed in the way our ancestors intended.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before burning the meadow, Herrera urged everyone to think about those who would gather materials in the coming months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to be a place where our people can gather food, fibers and medicines,” she said. “We want to make sure all of that stuff stays really clean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Basket weavers often hold materials in their mouths, and it’s long been a challenge to find plants free of fuel or herbicides. Here, the tribe can tend its garden as it chooses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burners didn’t use drip torches, which plop lit gasoline on the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999164\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999164\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_203_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fires burn as part of a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Instead, in the months prior to the burn, Herrera trained a crew of Maidu women in traditional ecological knowledge — “my girls,” she calls them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My girls harvested a lot of sticks,” she said, picking up one of the many bundles set aside for the burn. She held a lighter to the long twigs. “You light the stick, and the leaves start falling exactly like a drip torch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 90 people came to the burn from all over Northern California. More than a dozen agencies and organizations — including resource conservation districts, prescribed burn associations and fire safe councils — partnered to make the training possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some tribes, like the Karuk and Yurok along the Klamath River, have robust fire programs built over decades of working to reclaim intentional fire from agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire, the reclamation in Berry Creek — formally the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California — is in early stages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999161\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999161\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_177_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Maidu tribe of Butte County-Berry Creek, Mechoopda, Mooretown, Enterprise and Konkow Valley set out to begin a CAL-TREX prescribed burn in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ability to practice their culture and revitalize traditions will provide the Berry Creek Maidu “a strong connection with their land in a way that helps to overcome the past traumas, including the traumas of the North Complex fire,” said Don Hankins, an indigenous fire expert and professor at California State University, Chico, who did not attend the Berry Creek burn but knows others who did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restoration, he said, can help the tribe feel ownership and responsibility “to shape their future with fire so that they don’t have to go through that again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hankins, who is a California Plains Miwok traditional cultural practitioner, writes about the stories that indigenous people tell of devastating “first fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And the fires we’re experiencing today are no different,” Hankins said. “Those stories tell us, after that happened, people learned to take care of the land. And so we’re at that time, this is the opportunity when there’s a fire footprint, even though there’s been devastation, the only good choice, I think, is to step back in and learn to steward [with fire] again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999162\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999162\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_190_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the CAL-TREX prescribed burn bundle fuels and set them alight in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The intense 2020 fires burned through thick forests and uncovered Berry Creek Maidu ancestral village sites and gathering grounds, allowing the tribe to care for those places again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looked to [our cultural monitors] like everything was laid where our ancestors had left it,” Herrera said. “Just like if you walked into an abandoned house and there’s a pair of glasses and a newspaper and half a cup of tea. Like somebody just got up and left.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 60-acre parcel, which used to host village sites, is part of that story. It was home to their ancestors for many thousands of years. But the land had been held privately for generations, and the tribes accessed it only recently, when it came up for sale and they collectively purchased it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The morning after the meadow burn, Brown, the cultural preservation officer, walked a short distance away. Leaves, acorns and pebbles crunched under his feet. He stopped at a small rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999158\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999158\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_68_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jedediah Brown of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This is a village site. The old name for it is Piube. It means ‘rooted food,’” Brown said. “We now call it Hyhcetim kumbali, ‘the place to know’ or ‘the learning place.’ Because it’s like our school now, our classroom. We learn every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the North Complex fire, Brown and other volunteers cleaned up the burned land, tending to it on the weekends over the course of three years. In that time, many acquired first aid and chainsaw certification, allowing them to safely remove burned trees at risk of falling on people — a big but necessary task to make events like this training day possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They uncovered a broad, flat rock with about 60 circular cups carved into the surface, each roughly the diameter of a coffee mug. Brown’s ancestors processed acorns for food in this bedrock mortar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tribe still uses acorns heavily. The day of the meadow burn, tribal members served acorn soup to all participants. Its pleasant, mild flavor was so popular that their entire batch disappeared, to their own surprise. Volunteers helped gather acorns underneath black oak trees — it was only fair to help replenish the stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999157\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/KQED_PRESCRIBED-BURN_AT_01_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in the prescribed burn listen to a weather and safety briefing in Berry Creek on Nov. 4, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andri Tambunan for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After a full day of burning and a dinner of venison, corn and mashed potatoes hosted by tribal members in an indoor gym, Herrera reflected on the progress and her hopes for the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can’t even believe that today happened,” she said. Herrera organized the volunteers into groups with tribal names and became emotional listening to volunteers calling “out their squads in Maidu because the land here recognizes the language, it’s been spoken to it since time immemorial. I think that put a lot of intention down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we were lighting the fires, every bunch of deer grass got hit with just the right gust of wind [to light it], every single time,” she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a good day’s work. She looked down at her abundant belly. Herrera expects her second child, a son, in February. She will develop her weaving skills as she waits, crafting both a new life and a basket to hold him, made of willow, oak and wild roses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The basket’s backboard will grow from the land she burned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Bay Area Climate Stories We’re Watching This Year",
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"content": "\u003cp>This past year saw rollback after rollback in the fight to curb planet-warming emissions nationally, and the federal government even threw up roadblocks for goals \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> had set for itself, such as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997300/trump-blocks-californias-ev-rules-state-sues-in-response\">phase-out of the sale of new gas-powered cars\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congress \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999095/want-to-electrify-your-home-buy-a-heat-pump-its-go-time\">reversed critical components\u003c/a> of Biden-era climate legislation, and the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency moved to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910796/trump-epa-makes-major-moves-to-repeal-climate-regulation\">repeal the agency’s landmark “endangerment finding\u003c/a>,” which states that greenhouse gases hurt public health and is the basis for federal regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But California has long led the nation in its work to cut pollution and adapt to climate change, and this year, in which environmental leaders were on the defensive, was no different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As 2026 unfolds, KQED’s climate team will be watching and documenting the progress on — and consequences of — the warming planet here in our corner of the world. Here’s what we’ll be looking out for, and sharing with you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>California’s next governor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom is in full swing. Newsom’s administration has touted his climate leadership, which has led to California’s historic build-out of \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/11/13/governor-newsom-announces-californias-record-growth-in-battery-storage-and-clean-energy-leadership-at-cop30/\">battery storage\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055461/california-lawmakers-reach-last-minute-deals-on-climate-energy\">landmark program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions\u003c/a>, newly renamed cap-and-invest — in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some environmental advocates and experts are \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">second-guessing his climate record\u003c/a>, including his support of legislation streamlining approval of new oil and gas wells, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/National-Newsom-Sign-On.pdf\">not advocating\u003c/a> for legislation that aims to hold industries accountable for fossil fuel-driven climate disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999777\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999777\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom, above right, speaks during his State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Sacramento, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Whoever replaces him will have the opportunity to move the state forward on climate issues — wildfires, energy, drought, sea level rise, and curbing fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some candidates\u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article313926785.html\"> proposed breaking up\u003c/a> California’s investor-owned utilities like PG&E, an idea that’s gaining traction after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912529/san-francisco-blackouts-raise-concerns-about-pge-and-robotaxis\">blackout\u003c/a> across San Francisco lasted for several days and impacted thousands of people around Christmas.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>(Electricity) bills bills bills\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Residential electricity rates for Pacific Gas and Electric, the backbone of the Bay Area’s energy ecosystem, \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2025/4950/Residential-Electricity-Rates-010725.pdf\">increased by 47% from 2019 to 2023\u003c/a>, not adjusting for inflation, according to the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of that increase is a result of more intense and frequent wildfires. Customers are paying for both past disasters and preparing the grid for future calamities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996817\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PG&E work crew replaces a utility pole and installs an electrical transformer in the 1300 block of Marie Avenue in Antioch, California, on Oct. 14, 2021. \u003ccite>(Joyce Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The increase in electricity costs presents more than just an affordability challenge; it conflicts with state goals to move away from natural gas in order to reduce emissions. It’s a big ask to encourage people to swap out a gas furnace for an electric heat pump if it means a higher overall utility bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, we’ll be watching how legislators, regulators and utilities propose ways to lasso runaway electricity bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wildfires and home insurance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Climate-fueled disasters are not only boosting energy prices, but they’re causing home insurance \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/publications/costs-of-climate-change#:~:text=Californians%20exposed%20to%20wildfire%20smoke,due%20to%20heat%2Drelated%20illness.\">costs to soar\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer for stabilizing these costs can’t continually be higher and higher price tags: eventually, those hikes will outpace our ability to pay. At some point, Californians will need to meaningfully reduce the risk from wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998770\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998770\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The remains of a house in Altadena, California, after the Eaton Fire swept through the area northeast of Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Strategies like a defensible space code stating that nothing easily flammable should be within 5 feet of the perimeter of a house, known as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/dspace\">Zone 0\u003c/a>,” are meant to bend down that climate risk curve, yet there is plenty of popular opposition to this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What will happen this year, as places like Berkeley, where certain neighborhoods have decided to be early adopters?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Energy innovation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>2025 saw an explosion of interest around energy innovation to bring down electricity bills, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997918/forget-rooftops-bay-area-residents-are-plugging-solar-into-the-wall\">a technology called plug-in solar\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The systems are small, portable solar arrays — with just a few panels — that anyone can set up and plug right into a standard outlet. They promise minimal upfront costs and time, with the benefit of immediately offsetting your electricity bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997028\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rupert Mayer tests the newly installed solar panels at Matthew Milner’s home in Kensington on May 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/small-plug-in-solar-panels-gain-traction-as-an-affordable-way-to-cut-electricity-bills\">consumers are eager to adopt these kinds of technologies\u003c/a>, regulation and safety standards aren’t there just yet. In California, these systems must be registered with a customer’s utility through the same process as rooftop solar, which adds time and cost to the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>States like Utah have passed legislation allowing the use of this technology once a safety standard has been created and the system meets those regulations. Similar legislation has been introduced in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Rising tides\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Around San Francisco Bay, a story is unfolding on the rim of the shoreline. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016813/bay-area-now-has-first-ever-regional-sea-level-rise-plan\">regional plan to develop protections against rising seas\u003c/a> for every city, county and open space along the shoreline will be in full motion this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bcdc.ca.gov/\">state agency\u003c/a> running the plan have a big feat ahead of them: to convince and guide each of the more than 50 cities and counties that line the bay to develop plans to address sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999775\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999775\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Water flows onto the sidewalk during a high king tide at Pier 14 along the Embarcadero in San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cities are already signing on, and more could soon follow, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018103/king-tides-foreshadow-far-wetter-future-sf-shoreline\">including San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State scientists predict more than a foot of bay rise by 2050 and over 6 feet by the end of the century in the worst case. This could threaten property and safety, with the cost of inaction exceeding \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023-07/SLR_Framework_Final_Report.pdf\">$230 billion\u003c/a> — making it a critical issue for the Bay Area’s future.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Climate on the local ballot\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Franciscans won’t just vote on climate at the state level: environmental issues will be on the ballot locally, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seat for San Francisco’s District 10 supervisor representing the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood will be open as Shamann Walton terms out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979614/for-these-black-bayview-hunters-point-residents-reparations-include-safeguarding-against-rising-toxic-contamination\">neighborhood\u003c/a> has dealt with environmental pollution from the cleanup of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Whoever takes Walton’s place will inherit the issue, as scientists are increasingly concerned that the pollution may spread as rising seas push groundwater and buried contamination up.[aside postID=news_12069094 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP.jpg']City officials have more aggressively criticized \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991758/u-s-navy-acknowledges-rising-toxic-groundwater-threat-at-sf-superfund-site\">the Navy\u003c/a> about the cleanup recently after the agency waited 11 months before disclosing to residents that it had detected airborne radioactive material at the shipyard. The Navy \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999631/navy-apologizes-for-11-month-delay-in-reporting-radioactive-material-at-hunters-point\">later apologized\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seat for the San Francisco District 4 supervisor representing the Sunset neighborhood will also be open, and the race will \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067992/sunset-supervisor-to-back-ballot-measure-to-put-cars-back-on-the-great-highway\">likely be contentious\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At issue is the closing of a portion of the Great Highway to cars, which sparked a successful recall of former Supervisor Joel Engardio, who backed the closure. While overall city residents voted to make this chunk of road into a park, a majority of Sunset residents voted in the opposite direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists predict that as seas rise, the ocean will eat away at the road either way. The Sunset’s new supervisor will have an opportunity to shape the future of this precarious shoreline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Current Supervisor Alan Wong unveiled a draft ballot measure last week that would have San Franciscans vote on reopening the Great Highway to cars during weekdays, saying that traffic injuries in his district have doubled since the highway closed. This plan would first need broader support from his colleagues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea is bound to meet resistance from those who have come to love the park, more than half the city that voted to turn it into a recreation space and scientists who would like to see the highway become a better buffer to rising tides and intensifying storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disappearing tailpipes?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This time last year, California had a goal to end the sale of new gas cars 10 years later in 2035. That goal is still on the books, but by May of last year, Congress attempted to block the state from enforcing it. California sued, and the issue remains in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the legal fight plays out, state \u003ca href=\"https://www.eenews.net/articles/california-reconsidering-2035-electric-vehicle-sales-mandate/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">officials\u003c/a> have said they are reconsidering that 2035 deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "While action on climate change has faced an assault at the federal level, Bay Area leaders fight for progress, from managing rising tides to limiting wildfire risk.",
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"title": "Bay Area Climate Stories We’re Watching This Year | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This past year saw rollback after rollback in the fight to curb planet-warming emissions nationally, and the federal government even threw up roadblocks for goals \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> had set for itself, such as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997300/trump-blocks-californias-ev-rules-state-sues-in-response\">phase-out of the sale of new gas-powered cars\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congress \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999095/want-to-electrify-your-home-buy-a-heat-pump-its-go-time\">reversed critical components\u003c/a> of Biden-era climate legislation, and the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency moved to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910796/trump-epa-makes-major-moves-to-repeal-climate-regulation\">repeal the agency’s landmark “endangerment finding\u003c/a>,” which states that greenhouse gases hurt public health and is the basis for federal regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But California has long led the nation in its work to cut pollution and adapt to climate change, and this year, in which environmental leaders were on the defensive, was no different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As 2026 unfolds, KQED’s climate team will be watching and documenting the progress on — and consequences of — the warming planet here in our corner of the world. Here’s what we’ll be looking out for, and sharing with you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>California’s next governor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom is in full swing. Newsom’s administration has touted his climate leadership, which has led to California’s historic build-out of \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/11/13/governor-newsom-announces-californias-record-growth-in-battery-storage-and-clean-energy-leadership-at-cop30/\">battery storage\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055461/california-lawmakers-reach-last-minute-deals-on-climate-energy\">landmark program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions\u003c/a>, newly renamed cap-and-invest — in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some environmental advocates and experts are \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">second-guessing his climate record\u003c/a>, including his support of legislation streamlining approval of new oil and gas wells, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/National-Newsom-Sign-On.pdf\">not advocating\u003c/a> for legislation that aims to hold industries accountable for fossil fuel-driven climate disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999777\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999777\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/GavinNewsomStateoftheState2026AP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom, above right, speaks during his State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Sacramento, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Whoever replaces him will have the opportunity to move the state forward on climate issues — wildfires, energy, drought, sea level rise, and curbing fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some candidates\u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article313926785.html\"> proposed breaking up\u003c/a> California’s investor-owned utilities like PG&E, an idea that’s gaining traction after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912529/san-francisco-blackouts-raise-concerns-about-pge-and-robotaxis\">blackout\u003c/a> across San Francisco lasted for several days and impacted thousands of people around Christmas.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>(Electricity) bills bills bills\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Residential electricity rates for Pacific Gas and Electric, the backbone of the Bay Area’s energy ecosystem, \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2025/4950/Residential-Electricity-Rates-010725.pdf\">increased by 47% from 2019 to 2023\u003c/a>, not adjusting for inflation, according to the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of that increase is a result of more intense and frequent wildfires. Customers are paying for both past disasters and preparing the grid for future calamities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996817\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/PGE-trucks-5_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A PG&E work crew replaces a utility pole and installs an electrical transformer in the 1300 block of Marie Avenue in Antioch, California, on Oct. 14, 2021. \u003ccite>(Joyce Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The increase in electricity costs presents more than just an affordability challenge; it conflicts with state goals to move away from natural gas in order to reduce emissions. It’s a big ask to encourage people to swap out a gas furnace for an electric heat pump if it means a higher overall utility bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, we’ll be watching how legislators, regulators and utilities propose ways to lasso runaway electricity bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wildfires and home insurance\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Climate-fueled disasters are not only boosting energy prices, but they’re causing home insurance \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/publications/costs-of-climate-change#:~:text=Californians%20exposed%20to%20wildfire%20smoke,due%20to%20heat%2Drelated%20illness.\">costs to soar\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer for stabilizing these costs can’t continually be higher and higher price tags: eventually, those hikes will outpace our ability to pay. At some point, Californians will need to meaningfully reduce the risk from wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998770\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998770\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/240109-CAWindStorm-076_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The remains of a house in Altadena, California, after the Eaton Fire swept through the area northeast of Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Strategies like a defensible space code stating that nothing easily flammable should be within 5 feet of the perimeter of a house, known as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/dspace\">Zone 0\u003c/a>,” are meant to bend down that climate risk curve, yet there is plenty of popular opposition to this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What will happen this year, as places like Berkeley, where certain neighborhoods have decided to be early adopters?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Energy innovation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>2025 saw an explosion of interest around energy innovation to bring down electricity bills, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997918/forget-rooftops-bay-area-residents-are-plugging-solar-into-the-wall\">a technology called plug-in solar\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The systems are small, portable solar arrays — with just a few panels — that anyone can set up and plug right into a standard outlet. They promise minimal upfront costs and time, with the benefit of immediately offsetting your electricity bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997028\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997028\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-08-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rupert Mayer tests the newly installed solar panels at Matthew Milner’s home in Kensington on May 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/small-plug-in-solar-panels-gain-traction-as-an-affordable-way-to-cut-electricity-bills\">consumers are eager to adopt these kinds of technologies\u003c/a>, regulation and safety standards aren’t there just yet. In California, these systems must be registered with a customer’s utility through the same process as rooftop solar, which adds time and cost to the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>States like Utah have passed legislation allowing the use of this technology once a safety standard has been created and the system meets those regulations. Similar legislation has been introduced in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Rising tides\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Around San Francisco Bay, a story is unfolding on the rim of the shoreline. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016813/bay-area-now-has-first-ever-regional-sea-level-rise-plan\">regional plan to develop protections against rising seas\u003c/a> for every city, county and open space along the shoreline will be in full motion this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bcdc.ca.gov/\">state agency\u003c/a> running the plan have a big feat ahead of them: to convince and guide each of the more than 50 cities and counties that line the bay to develop plans to address sea level rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999775\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999775\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/241213-PortFlood-74_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Water flows onto the sidewalk during a high king tide at Pier 14 along the Embarcadero in San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cities are already signing on, and more could soon follow, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018103/king-tides-foreshadow-far-wetter-future-sf-shoreline\">including San Francisco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State scientists predict more than a foot of bay rise by 2050 and over 6 feet by the end of the century in the worst case. This could threaten property and safety, with the cost of inaction exceeding \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023-07/SLR_Framework_Final_Report.pdf\">$230 billion\u003c/a> — making it a critical issue for the Bay Area’s future.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Climate on the local ballot\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Franciscans won’t just vote on climate at the state level: environmental issues will be on the ballot locally, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seat for San Francisco’s District 10 supervisor representing the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood will be open as Shamann Walton terms out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979614/for-these-black-bayview-hunters-point-residents-reparations-include-safeguarding-against-rising-toxic-contamination\">neighborhood\u003c/a> has dealt with environmental pollution from the cleanup of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Whoever takes Walton’s place will inherit the issue, as scientists are increasingly concerned that the pollution may spread as rising seas push groundwater and buried contamination up.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>City officials have more aggressively criticized \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991758/u-s-navy-acknowledges-rising-toxic-groundwater-threat-at-sf-superfund-site\">the Navy\u003c/a> about the cleanup recently after the agency waited 11 months before disclosing to residents that it had detected airborne radioactive material at the shipyard. The Navy \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999631/navy-apologizes-for-11-month-delay-in-reporting-radioactive-material-at-hunters-point\">later apologized\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seat for the San Francisco District 4 supervisor representing the Sunset neighborhood will also be open, and the race will \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067992/sunset-supervisor-to-back-ballot-measure-to-put-cars-back-on-the-great-highway\">likely be contentious\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At issue is the closing of a portion of the Great Highway to cars, which sparked a successful recall of former Supervisor Joel Engardio, who backed the closure. While overall city residents voted to make this chunk of road into a park, a majority of Sunset residents voted in the opposite direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists predict that as seas rise, the ocean will eat away at the road either way. The Sunset’s new supervisor will have an opportunity to shape the future of this precarious shoreline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Current Supervisor Alan Wong unveiled a draft ballot measure last week that would have San Franciscans vote on reopening the Great Highway to cars during weekdays, saying that traffic injuries in his district have doubled since the highway closed. This plan would first need broader support from his colleagues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea is bound to meet resistance from those who have come to love the park, more than half the city that voted to turn it into a recreation space and scientists who would like to see the highway become a better buffer to rising tides and intensifying storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disappearing tailpipes?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This time last year, California had a goal to end the sale of new gas cars 10 years later in 2035. That goal is still on the books, but by May of last year, Congress attempted to block the state from enforcing it. California sued, and the issue remains in court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the legal fight plays out, state \u003ca href=\"https://www.eenews.net/articles/california-reconsidering-2035-electric-vehicle-sales-mandate/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">officials\u003c/a> have said they are reconsidering that 2035 deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>2025 has been a year of upheaval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We saw a new administration in Washington take sweeping action to cut the work of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029795/california-scientists-left-adrift-mass-federal-layoffs-noaa\">federal scientists and researchers\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909572/how-president-trump-aims-to-dismantle-environmental-protections\"> gut environmental\u003c/a> and species protections. We saw the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026682/how-we-rebuild-la-recovers-from-wildfire\">destructive fires in California’s history\u003c/a> ravage areas of Los Angeles. We saw a protracted government shutdown and a state government more or less constantly at war with the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also saw people taking local action to improve land and communities they care about, and people reaching out to others – again and again – in the hopes of making their lives a little better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science\">KQED’s Science\u003c/a> and climate team has been here bringing you the stories you need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we wrap up this year, we’ve handpicked some of the stories that we find especially memorable, thought-provoking or that changed how we thought about something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999092\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999092\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikola Alexandre, of Shelterwood Collective, performs a burn at the property in Cazadero on Nov. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “They want to change the culture to make this place one that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ezra David Romero chose his Dec. 1 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13984173/shelterwood-collective-soloar-punk-farms-lgbtq-history-russian-river\">“A Queer Climate Movement Takes Root Along the Russian River” \u003c/a>profiling people caring for land in an area with a long queer legacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a big year of negative environmental news, with the Trump administration rolling back so much. I wrote dozens of those stories earlier this year. I wanted to do something that felt more regenerative, something focusing on positive news in the climate world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I kept meeting so many queer people in interviews, so I wondered if there were any interesting stories about queer people and climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I found these two groups who purchased land up in the Guerneville area and are sort of reinvigorating this idea that the Russian River area had all these queer communes, in the ’60s, ’70s, but in a climate conscious way. They want to make sure the Russian River remains a queer place — that’s only going to happen if there’s forest restoration there, because the area is prone to fires, and if the place is able to withstand the future floods, because in a warming climate atmospheric rivers will be wetter and make bigger floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so it’s cool to hear that they’re not just changing the land, but they want to change the culture to make this place a place that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997021\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997021\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew Milner (left) and Rupert Mayer work to install solar panels in Milner’s backyard in Kensington on May 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nLaura Klivans, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “This helped me see what trends look like in the beginning — things might start out like the Wild West — before larger entities can wrap their heads around procedures and make policy around it. ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura Klivans chose her Jul. 28 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997918/forget-rooftops-bay-area-residents-are-plugging-solar-into-the-wall\">“Forget Rooftops — Bay Area Residents Are Plugging Solar Into the Wall” \u003c/a>about an emerging climate solution: people installing solar panels on balconies or in their backyards to get clean energy, even if they don’t own their homes or have the capital to invest in traditional solar setups. Laura’s reporting captured the attention of regulators and PBS Newshour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw that I was informing some of the interested parties, important stakeholders in this matter, that this was even happening. Someone at the California Energy Commission wrote to me and said ‘We’re all passing this around the office today.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That felt great because a lot of my stories are on trends, solutions, events that have already happened or been established for a long time. That doesn’t do much to inform policy. But with this story, the people who have yet to write the policy are looking at my work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Using solar panels in this way isn’t really allowed in its current form. It was interesting to talk to so many people who were willing to go on the record with something that is emerging right now and not really sanctioned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like the work has more reach. And I think that’s why the post was so popular. I caught this wave of developing news.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997768\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997768\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Giovanni Figueroa, a mental health specialist with the Orange County Health Care Agency, writes a to-do list before meeting with a client at the Central Men’s & Women’s Jails in Orange County on July 7, 2025. \u003ccite>(David Rodriguez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>April Dembosky, health correspondent:\u003c/strong> “If you have a person whose illness makes them believe they’re not ill, how do you convince them to accept treatment?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>April Dembosky chose her July 17 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997759/he-relentlessly-drove-30000-miles-asking-one-question-do-you-want-help\">‘Do You Want Help?’: Inside Orange County’s Bet on Voluntary Mental Health Care\u003c/a>” looking at Orange County’s implementation of a new state program that seeks to help the people with serious mental illness, through radical patience and relentless outreach.[aside postID=news_12068387 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/04242019_measles-vaccination-california-legislature-qut.jpg']“Getting people with serious mental illness into treatment has been a historical problem and in recent years has resparked a vexing ethical debate: is treating people against their will an act of cruelty or compassion? California has been experimenting with new policies that make it easier to coerce people into treatment. ‘Care Court’ is one of those programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Orange County ’s healthcare leaders surprised me because, while they volunteered to be one of the first counties to implement the program, they are completely against forcing people into care. They believe we need to invest in long-term relationships if we want to see long-term results. Their approach is to coax, rather than coerce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went down there to see what this looks like and I met Giovanni Figueroa. He’s a social worker for the county who spends his days looking for and building trust with people with psychotic illness. He builds trust one bottle of water, one hamburger at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it can take six months or more before someone finally says, ‘OK, I’ll go see the doctor. OK, I’ll think about taking medication.’ He is incredibly patient and devoted to his clients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His approach looks completely different from any other I have ever seen in the healthcare system – which is basically ‘take it or leave it.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He continues to show up for people, over and over, no matter what. It’s not a quick fix by any means and time will tell if it ultimately works. But this story showed me a different way of doing things is possible. Giovanni is an inspiration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998532\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998532\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayakers paddle through Elkhorn Slough as a sea otter floats nearby. Conservationists warn that proposed rollbacks to Endangered Species Act protections could threaten the species’ recovery. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Mohamad, science engagement producer: \u003c/strong>“Watching otters float by, completely unaware of the decisions being made about their future, made the policy debate feel immediate and human.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Mohamad chose a piece she worked on with Ezra David Romero that published on Oct. 16, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998802/california-otters-could-face-new-threats-if-trump-weakens-law-for-endangered-animals\">“California Sea Otters Could Face New Threats if Trump Weakens Law for Endangered Animals.”\u003c/a> It’s about southern sea otters in Elkhorn Slough. The reporters kayaked to see otters up close for a s\u003ca class=\"hoverZoomLink\" title=\"\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQMy_WnjzuF/\">ocial video\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I expected to be a pretty straightforward wildlife comeback story ended up being something much bigger, a reminder of just how interconnected ecosystems are, and how fragile those connections can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve always thought of sea otters as these really charismatic animals — they’re adorable, and I knew they were important in a general conservation sense. But seeing them in the water, watching them float with their pups, and listening to scientists talk about what they actually do in this ecosystem shifted my thinking. The otters aren’t just surviving in Elkhorn Slough, they’re actively shaping it. By eating crabs, they help stabilize marsh banks, make space for eelgrass to grow, and even help the ecosystem store carbon. They’re influencing biodiversity, habitat health, and climate resilience all at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998311\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donald Sims rests under a tree with his belongings across from St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County in Oakland on Aug. 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lesley McClurg, health correspondent: \u003c/strong>“What happens to people living on the street when encampments are swept away?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her Sept. 15 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998435/the-hidden-health-risk-behind-bay-area-homeless-encampment-sweeps#:~:text=For%20people%20using%20illicit%20drugs,deaths%20in%20the%20next%20decade.\">“The Hidden Health Risk Behind Bay Area Homeless Encampment Sweeps”\u003c/a> Lesley McClurg investigated the unintentional health harms to unhoused people when authorities move them off the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A year ago the Supreme Court made it possible for communities to move people living on the street, even if there weren’t enough shelter beds to offer them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sweeps are sold as being good for public health. Officials tell the public, ‘Look, it’s not healthy for people to be defecating in the streets or for all the garbage to be there. And yet it endangers the people who are displaced. What we found, and what the studies show, is that displacing people does lead to a higher rate of overdoses, instability, and mental health issues. They’re in a much more precarious physical and mental position, which overall is going to hurt society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I spent about 10 hours on the streets talking to people.They all had understandable reasons for being there. It gave me a window into their lives that I didn’t have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teddy holds his fleece stuffed animal, Bunny, at the KQED offices in San Francisco on Jan. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton, science reporter:\u003c/strong> “There’s no ‘away’ to throw our stuff to, everything is connected and comes back to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danielle Venton chose her Mar. 25 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996394/cuddly-costly-unseen-dangers-fleece-kids-clothes-toys\">“Cuddly but Costly: The Unseen Dangers of Fleece in Kids Clothes and Toys”\u003c/a> where she tried to answer the question for herself, ‘Should I let my kid wear fleece and play with fleece toys?’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was interested in this question for practical reasons. I’m concerned about microplastic pollution coming from fleece and my son has a lot of beloved polyester stuffed animals and warm fleece jacket hand-me-downs. Should I let him have these things? If yes, how do I best care for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It opened my eyes to this new way of looking at consumption, the lifecycle of our products and the burden our bodies bear in this era where we are surrounded by plastic all the time. I was especially dismayed to learn that landfills often leak material they’re holding into groundwater and they give off pollution into the air as well. This made me question, ‘Can we ever truly throw something away?’ Instead I now feel more responsibility for the entire life cycle of a product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fortunately, reporting this piece made me somewhat less worried about the fleece in my home. And it cemented a game plan for how we [at home] wash it, treat it, we avoid the dryer and we always pass it on. But we do not purchase any new fleece items because there is far too much of it in the world already.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Stories That Stuck With Us This Year, Handpicked by the KQED Science Team | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>2025 has been a year of upheaval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We saw a new administration in Washington take sweeping action to cut the work of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029795/california-scientists-left-adrift-mass-federal-layoffs-noaa\">federal scientists and researchers\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909572/how-president-trump-aims-to-dismantle-environmental-protections\"> gut environmental\u003c/a> and species protections. We saw the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026682/how-we-rebuild-la-recovers-from-wildfire\">destructive fires in California’s history\u003c/a> ravage areas of Los Angeles. We saw a protracted government shutdown and a state government more or less constantly at war with the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also saw people taking local action to improve land and communities they care about, and people reaching out to others – again and again – in the hopes of making their lives a little better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science\">KQED’s Science\u003c/a> and climate team has been here bringing you the stories you need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we wrap up this year, we’ve handpicked some of the stories that we find especially memorable, thought-provoking or that changed how we thought about something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999092\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999092\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikola Alexandre, of Shelterwood Collective, performs a burn at the property in Cazadero on Nov. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “They want to change the culture to make this place one that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ezra David Romero chose his Dec. 1 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13984173/shelterwood-collective-soloar-punk-farms-lgbtq-history-russian-river\">“A Queer Climate Movement Takes Root Along the Russian River” \u003c/a>profiling people caring for land in an area with a long queer legacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a big year of negative environmental news, with the Trump administration rolling back so much. I wrote dozens of those stories earlier this year. I wanted to do something that felt more regenerative, something focusing on positive news in the climate world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I kept meeting so many queer people in interviews, so I wondered if there were any interesting stories about queer people and climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I found these two groups who purchased land up in the Guerneville area and are sort of reinvigorating this idea that the Russian River area had all these queer communes, in the ’60s, ’70s, but in a climate conscious way. They want to make sure the Russian River remains a queer place — that’s only going to happen if there’s forest restoration there, because the area is prone to fires, and if the place is able to withstand the future floods, because in a warming climate atmospheric rivers will be wetter and make bigger floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so it’s cool to hear that they’re not just changing the land, but they want to change the culture to make this place a place that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997021\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997021\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew Milner (left) and Rupert Mayer work to install solar panels in Milner’s backyard in Kensington on May 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nLaura Klivans, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “This helped me see what trends look like in the beginning — things might start out like the Wild West — before larger entities can wrap their heads around procedures and make policy around it. ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura Klivans chose her Jul. 28 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997918/forget-rooftops-bay-area-residents-are-plugging-solar-into-the-wall\">“Forget Rooftops — Bay Area Residents Are Plugging Solar Into the Wall” \u003c/a>about an emerging climate solution: people installing solar panels on balconies or in their backyards to get clean energy, even if they don’t own their homes or have the capital to invest in traditional solar setups. Laura’s reporting captured the attention of regulators and PBS Newshour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw that I was informing some of the interested parties, important stakeholders in this matter, that this was even happening. Someone at the California Energy Commission wrote to me and said ‘We’re all passing this around the office today.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That felt great because a lot of my stories are on trends, solutions, events that have already happened or been established for a long time. That doesn’t do much to inform policy. But with this story, the people who have yet to write the policy are looking at my work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Using solar panels in this way isn’t really allowed in its current form. It was interesting to talk to so many people who were willing to go on the record with something that is emerging right now and not really sanctioned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like the work has more reach. And I think that’s why the post was so popular. I caught this wave of developing news.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997768\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997768\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Giovanni Figueroa, a mental health specialist with the Orange County Health Care Agency, writes a to-do list before meeting with a client at the Central Men’s & Women’s Jails in Orange County on July 7, 2025. \u003ccite>(David Rodriguez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>April Dembosky, health correspondent:\u003c/strong> “If you have a person whose illness makes them believe they’re not ill, how do you convince them to accept treatment?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>April Dembosky chose her July 17 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997759/he-relentlessly-drove-30000-miles-asking-one-question-do-you-want-help\">‘Do You Want Help?’: Inside Orange County’s Bet on Voluntary Mental Health Care\u003c/a>” looking at Orange County’s implementation of a new state program that seeks to help the people with serious mental illness, through radical patience and relentless outreach.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Getting people with serious mental illness into treatment has been a historical problem and in recent years has resparked a vexing ethical debate: is treating people against their will an act of cruelty or compassion? California has been experimenting with new policies that make it easier to coerce people into treatment. ‘Care Court’ is one of those programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Orange County ’s healthcare leaders surprised me because, while they volunteered to be one of the first counties to implement the program, they are completely against forcing people into care. They believe we need to invest in long-term relationships if we want to see long-term results. Their approach is to coax, rather than coerce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went down there to see what this looks like and I met Giovanni Figueroa. He’s a social worker for the county who spends his days looking for and building trust with people with psychotic illness. He builds trust one bottle of water, one hamburger at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it can take six months or more before someone finally says, ‘OK, I’ll go see the doctor. OK, I’ll think about taking medication.’ He is incredibly patient and devoted to his clients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His approach looks completely different from any other I have ever seen in the healthcare system – which is basically ‘take it or leave it.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He continues to show up for people, over and over, no matter what. It’s not a quick fix by any means and time will tell if it ultimately works. But this story showed me a different way of doing things is possible. Giovanni is an inspiration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998532\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998532\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayakers paddle through Elkhorn Slough as a sea otter floats nearby. Conservationists warn that proposed rollbacks to Endangered Species Act protections could threaten the species’ recovery. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Mohamad, science engagement producer: \u003c/strong>“Watching otters float by, completely unaware of the decisions being made about their future, made the policy debate feel immediate and human.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Mohamad chose a piece she worked on with Ezra David Romero that published on Oct. 16, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998802/california-otters-could-face-new-threats-if-trump-weakens-law-for-endangered-animals\">“California Sea Otters Could Face New Threats if Trump Weakens Law for Endangered Animals.”\u003c/a> It’s about southern sea otters in Elkhorn Slough. The reporters kayaked to see otters up close for a s\u003ca class=\"hoverZoomLink\" title=\"\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQMy_WnjzuF/\">ocial video\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I expected to be a pretty straightforward wildlife comeback story ended up being something much bigger, a reminder of just how interconnected ecosystems are, and how fragile those connections can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve always thought of sea otters as these really charismatic animals — they’re adorable, and I knew they were important in a general conservation sense. But seeing them in the water, watching them float with their pups, and listening to scientists talk about what they actually do in this ecosystem shifted my thinking. The otters aren’t just surviving in Elkhorn Slough, they’re actively shaping it. By eating crabs, they help stabilize marsh banks, make space for eelgrass to grow, and even help the ecosystem store carbon. They’re influencing biodiversity, habitat health, and climate resilience all at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998311\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donald Sims rests under a tree with his belongings across from St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County in Oakland on Aug. 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lesley McClurg, health correspondent: \u003c/strong>“What happens to people living on the street when encampments are swept away?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her Sept. 15 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998435/the-hidden-health-risk-behind-bay-area-homeless-encampment-sweeps#:~:text=For%20people%20using%20illicit%20drugs,deaths%20in%20the%20next%20decade.\">“The Hidden Health Risk Behind Bay Area Homeless Encampment Sweeps”\u003c/a> Lesley McClurg investigated the unintentional health harms to unhoused people when authorities move them off the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A year ago the Supreme Court made it possible for communities to move people living on the street, even if there weren’t enough shelter beds to offer them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sweeps are sold as being good for public health. Officials tell the public, ‘Look, it’s not healthy for people to be defecating in the streets or for all the garbage to be there. And yet it endangers the people who are displaced. What we found, and what the studies show, is that displacing people does lead to a higher rate of overdoses, instability, and mental health issues. They’re in a much more precarious physical and mental position, which overall is going to hurt society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I spent about 10 hours on the streets talking to people.They all had understandable reasons for being there. It gave me a window into their lives that I didn’t have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teddy holds his fleece stuffed animal, Bunny, at the KQED offices in San Francisco on Jan. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton, science reporter:\u003c/strong> “There’s no ‘away’ to throw our stuff to, everything is connected and comes back to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danielle Venton chose her Mar. 25 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996394/cuddly-costly-unseen-dangers-fleece-kids-clothes-toys\">“Cuddly but Costly: The Unseen Dangers of Fleece in Kids Clothes and Toys”\u003c/a> where she tried to answer the question for herself, ‘Should I let my kid wear fleece and play with fleece toys?’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was interested in this question for practical reasons. I’m concerned about microplastic pollution coming from fleece and my son has a lot of beloved polyester stuffed animals and warm fleece jacket hand-me-downs. Should I let him have these things? If yes, how do I best care for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It opened my eyes to this new way of looking at consumption, the lifecycle of our products and the burden our bodies bear in this era where we are surrounded by plastic all the time. I was especially dismayed to learn that landfills often leak material they’re holding into groundwater and they give off pollution into the air as well. This made me question, ‘Can we ever truly throw something away?’ Instead I now feel more responsibility for the entire life cycle of a product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fortunately, reporting this piece made me somewhat less worried about the fleece in my home. And it cemented a game plan for how we [at home] wash it, treat it, we avoid the dryer and we always pass it on. But we do not purchase any new fleece items because there is far too much of it in the world already.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "3-storms-will-bring-much-needed-rain-to-bay-area-and-snow-in-the-sierras",
"title": "3 Storms Will Bring Much-Needed Rain to Bay Area and Snow in the Sierras",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Bay Area could get “a December’s worth of rain” over the next week, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999678/bay-area-you-just-might-have-yourself-a-soggy-rainy-christmas\">a rainy Christmas Day \u003c/a>and a Sierra Nevada \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066608/lake-tahoe-things-to-do-that-arent-skiing-or-snowboarding-weather-snow-sierra\">blanketed with white\u003c/a>, the National Weather Service said Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect a weeklong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric river\u003c/a> with three distinct storms to move over Northern California next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Merchant, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office, said the first wave of precipitation will begin Friday afternoon and last through Saturday, bringing much-needed rain after around six weeks of mostly dry conditions, especially in the North Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is just sort of setting the stage for potential problems later in the latter half of next week, which unfortunately does include Christmas Day,” Merchant said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second wave is set to crash over the Bay Area between Saturday and next Tuesday, potentially bringing 1 to 3 inches of rain in the North Bay and the possibility of flash flooding in low-lying areas. San Francisco could receive several inches by Sunday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters wrote in their daily weather \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=mtr&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD\">discussion\u003c/a> that they expect the heaviest rain on Sunday into Monday along the North Bay coast, Santa Cruz mountains and the Big Sur coast, with winds up to 40 mph and a 15% chance of thunderstorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" data-wp-editing=\"1\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The weather service has not yet issued a flood watch, warning or advisory. Flooding depends heavily on where the storm stalls or moves over the region, but meteorologists said urban areas and low-lying areas with poor drainage are most at risk. Flashy streams, such as Mark West Creek in Sonoma County, are also susceptible to flooding, especially as soils become saturated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect the third and potentially most potent wave to make landfall on Tuesday afternoon and last through next Friday. The storm is likely to bring moderate to heavy rain, which could cause larger rivers to flood late next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not going to be raining steadily for seven days straight or anything like that,” Merchant said. “But you will have to pay attention and know when these rounds of more impactful rainfall come through your area.”[aside postID=news_12066736 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/TuleFogGetty.jpg']While it is unclear where, or even if, the atmospheric river will stall over the Bay Area, these weather systems can act like a fire hose, absolutely drenching wherever they park. In recent history, they’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994168/the-pajaro-flood-forced-them-to-flee-californias-high-rents-forced-them-to-return\">caused significant flooding\u003c/a> from Guerneville to San Francisco to Watsonville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Merchant said the first two waves of rain are progressive and don’t look like they’ll stick around, but it is too early to say what the third storm will bring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By Thursday, that’s where we’re going to have a little more concern about possibly more widespread impacts like fallen trees and power lines,” Merchant said. “But to be honest, it’s too far out at this point to know exactly the timing of those impacts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of all the wind and rain, people should allow “more time to travel through our area basically over the next week,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the moment, the massive river in the sky headed towards us is building from Hawaii to the Pacific Coast. Weather experts measure the intensity of atmospheric rivers on a scale from 0 to 5. This system could reach a 3 across the North Bay and a 4 across the San Francisco peninsula and South Bay, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/arscale/\">atmospheric river-scale modeling\u003c/a> by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1984920 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/GettyImages-1482972333-scaled-e1766179697716.jpg\" alt=\"Snow storm falls on the Sierras.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1330\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow blows in the Sierra Nevada after yet another storm brought heavy snowfall, raising the snowpack on March 29, 2023, in Mammoth Lakes, California. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for the Sierra Nevada, forecasters said the first two waves will bring mostly rain at elevations lower than 8,000 feet. But they expect the snowline to drop to around 6,000 feet during the third system, starting Tuesday afternoon. Heavy snow will likely complicate travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking multiple feet of snow above pass level and even at pass level for the Christmas holiday,” said Scott Rowe, senior service hydrologist and meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The determination of whether mountain residents or visitors will have a white Christmas depends on elevation, Rowe said. People staying in cabins above 6,000 feet in elevation will likely see snow, while those staying below about 5,500 feet will likely experience rain all week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Bay Area could get “a December’s worth of rain” over the next week, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999678/bay-area-you-just-might-have-yourself-a-soggy-rainy-christmas\">a rainy Christmas Day \u003c/a>and a Sierra Nevada \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066608/lake-tahoe-things-to-do-that-arent-skiing-or-snowboarding-weather-snow-sierra\">blanketed with white\u003c/a>, the National Weather Service said Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect a weeklong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">atmospheric river\u003c/a> with three distinct storms to move over Northern California next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Merchant, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office, said the first wave of precipitation will begin Friday afternoon and last through Saturday, bringing much-needed rain after around six weeks of mostly dry conditions, especially in the North Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is just sort of setting the stage for potential problems later in the latter half of next week, which unfortunately does include Christmas Day,” Merchant said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second wave is set to crash over the Bay Area between Saturday and next Tuesday, potentially bringing 1 to 3 inches of rain in the North Bay and the possibility of flash flooding in low-lying areas. San Francisco could receive several inches by Sunday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters wrote in their daily weather \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=mtr&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD\">discussion\u003c/a> that they expect the heaviest rain on Sunday into Monday along the North Bay coast, Santa Cruz mountains and the Big Sur coast, with winds up to 40 mph and a 15% chance of thunderstorms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" data-wp-editing=\"1\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/007_SanFrancisco_AtmosphericRiver_12132021_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait at a Muni stop on Mission Street in the rain on Dec. 13, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The weather service has not yet issued a flood watch, warning or advisory. Flooding depends heavily on where the storm stalls or moves over the region, but meteorologists said urban areas and low-lying areas with poor drainage are most at risk. Flashy streams, such as Mark West Creek in Sonoma County, are also susceptible to flooding, especially as soils become saturated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters said they expect the third and potentially most potent wave to make landfall on Tuesday afternoon and last through next Friday. The storm is likely to bring moderate to heavy rain, which could cause larger rivers to flood late next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not going to be raining steadily for seven days straight or anything like that,” Merchant said. “But you will have to pay attention and know when these rounds of more impactful rainfall come through your area.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>While it is unclear where, or even if, the atmospheric river will stall over the Bay Area, these weather systems can act like a fire hose, absolutely drenching wherever they park. In recent history, they’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994168/the-pajaro-flood-forced-them-to-flee-californias-high-rents-forced-them-to-return\">caused significant flooding\u003c/a> from Guerneville to San Francisco to Watsonville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Merchant said the first two waves of rain are progressive and don’t look like they’ll stick around, but it is too early to say what the third storm will bring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By Thursday, that’s where we’re going to have a little more concern about possibly more widespread impacts like fallen trees and power lines,” Merchant said. “But to be honest, it’s too far out at this point to know exactly the timing of those impacts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of all the wind and rain, people should allow “more time to travel through our area basically over the next week,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the moment, the massive river in the sky headed towards us is building from Hawaii to the Pacific Coast. Weather experts measure the intensity of atmospheric rivers on a scale from 0 to 5. This system could reach a 3 across the North Bay and a 4 across the San Francisco peninsula and South Bay, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/arscale/\">atmospheric river-scale modeling\u003c/a> by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1984920 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/GettyImages-1482972333-scaled-e1766179697716.jpg\" alt=\"Snow storm falls on the Sierras.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1330\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow blows in the Sierra Nevada after yet another storm brought heavy snowfall, raising the snowpack on March 29, 2023, in Mammoth Lakes, California. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for the Sierra Nevada, forecasters said the first two waves will bring mostly rain at elevations lower than 8,000 feet. But they expect the snowline to drop to around 6,000 feet during the third system, starting Tuesday afternoon. Heavy snow will likely complicate travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking multiple feet of snow above pass level and even at pass level for the Christmas holiday,” said Scott Rowe, senior service hydrologist and meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The determination of whether mountain residents or visitors will have a white Christmas depends on elevation, Rowe said. People staying in cabins above 6,000 feet in elevation will likely see snow, while those staying below about 5,500 feet will likely experience rain all week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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