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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/stanford-university\">Stanford\u003c/a> Medicine has paused gender-related surgical procedures for patients under 19, a move that the health system said aims to protect both patients and providers as federal oversight of gender-affirming care intensifies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was not a decision we made lightly,” Stanford Medicine said in a statement on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford has not disclosed how many gender-affirming surgeries it has performed on minors or how many patients may be affected by the pause, which took effect June 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While surgeries for minors are on hold, other services that the Stanford LGBTQ+ Health Program offers, including hormone therapy, behavioral health support, voice training and primary care, are expected to remain available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal pressure on gender-affirming care has mounted since President Trump in January signed an executive order titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation\u003c/a>.” It asserts that “medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children … through a series of irreversible medical interventions,” and directs agencies to “not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so‑called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cms.gov/files/document/hospital-oversight-letter-generic.pdf\">letter\u003c/a> to hospitals requesting detailed information about how they treat gender dysphoria in minors. The letter asks institutions to report on consent protocols, outcome tracking (including detransition or regret), and financial data tied to these procedures.[aside postID=news_12041770 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/TrumpTransAthletesGetty-1020x638.jpg']Medical associations, including the\u003ca href=\"https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/25340/AAP-reaffirms-gender-affirming-care-policy\"> American Academy of Pediatrics\u003c/a> and the\u003ca href=\"https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-states-stop-interfering-health-care-transgender-children\"> American Medical Association\u003c/a>, maintain that gender-affirming care, including surgery in some cases, is medically necessary and can be life-saving for transgender youth. However, critics have questioned the strength of long-term data and raised concerns about the potential irreversibility of certain interventions — concerns echoed in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://opa.hhs.gov/gender-dysphoria-report\">report\u003c/a> commissioned by the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The decision effectively allows similar laws to remain in place or take effect in more than two dozen other states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past year alone, Kansas, South Carolina, Wyoming and New Hampshire have added new restrictions, joining a broader conservative effort to roll back access to trans health care for minors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, California has taken steps to protect medical services for trans youth. In 2022, the state passed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929233/california-becomes-first-sanctuary-state-for-transgender-youth-seeking-medical-care\">sanctuary law\u003c/a> shielding families and providers who travel to California for gender-affirming care from legal action under out-of-state bans. Medi-Cal, the state’s public insurance program, covers puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for minors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in February, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned hospitals that denying or pausing care for trans youth based on political pressure could violate state law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Medical associations, including the\u003ca href=\"https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/25340/AAP-reaffirms-gender-affirming-care-policy\"> American Academy of Pediatrics\u003c/a> and the\u003ca href=\"https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-states-stop-interfering-health-care-transgender-children\"> American Medical Association\u003c/a>, maintain that gender-affirming care, including surgery in some cases, is medically necessary and can be life-saving for transgender youth. However, critics have questioned the strength of long-term data and raised concerns about the potential irreversibility of certain interventions — concerns echoed in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://opa.hhs.gov/gender-dysphoria-report\">report\u003c/a> commissioned by the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The decision effectively allows similar laws to remain in place or take effect in more than two dozen other states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past year alone, Kansas, South Carolina, Wyoming and New Hampshire have added new restrictions, joining a broader conservative effort to roll back access to trans health care for minors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, California has taken steps to protect medical services for trans youth. In 2022, the state passed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929233/california-becomes-first-sanctuary-state-for-transgender-youth-seeking-medical-care\">sanctuary law\u003c/a> shielding families and providers who travel to California for gender-affirming care from legal action under out-of-state bans. Medi-Cal, the state’s public insurance program, covers puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for minors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in February, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned hospitals that denying or pausing care for trans youth based on political pressure could violate state law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "A New Camera, Built in the Bay Area, Brings the Mysteries of the Universe Into Focus",
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"content": "\u003cp>In a packed Menlo Park auditorium, astronomers, physicists and engineers leaned forward in anticipation. On a screen in front of them, the universe came into view — captured by a telescope a hemisphere away, using a car-sized digital camera built in their own backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pictures elicit gasps, oohs and applause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of these objects have never been seen by people before,” said Željko Ivezić, an astrophysicist and lead for the construction and design of the telescope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the images, a section of the southern night sky \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/cosmic-treasure-chest\">captured\u003c/a> in mind-boggling detail, holds speckled points of light sprayed over a dark background, with bursts of light and chains of spiral galaxies. Another \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/swarm-asteroids\">showed \u003c/a>more than 2,000 newly discovered asteroids found during just one week of observation. Another \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/trifid-lagoon\">revealed \u003c/a>two nebulae, giant clouds of pink and orange gas and dust where new stars are born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of these photographs were made possible by a telescope which sits atop a mountain in north central Chile — the Vera C. Rubin telescope — arguably the most powerful in the world. Nestled together with the telescope is a digital camera assembled over a decade at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, or SLAC, a national laboratory in Menlo Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997458\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón in Chile at sunset. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Travis Lange, camera project manager, began building the one-of-a-kind device in 2014 and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992526/worlds-largest-digital-camera-built-in-the-bay-area-to-illuminate-mysteries-of-space\">completed it last May\u003c/a>. At 3,200 megapixels, the machine is the Guinness World Records holder for the largest digital camera. Lange beamed, speaking about its performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a challenge to get this thing built,” he said. “There’s no backup. We didn’t have a prototype.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most minute detail could cause malfunction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Getting all those different systems to function correctly, it took a lot,” Lange said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To share the first images, he added, felt “amazing.”[aside postID=science_1992526 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/05/2019_1126_LSST_Raft_14_Installation_Orrell-34567-1020x680.jpg']“Everybody on this project really put in a lot of passion,” Lange said. “Seeing these images for the first time is just one of the greatest joys, I mean it’s really incredible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the telescope embarks on its 10-year mission, its operators are focusing on four main science areas: completing a census of the solar system; studying the Milky Way’s structure and formation; chronicling the changing sky and gathering data that can be used to study dark matter and dark energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will be using this legacy dataset for years and years to come. It’s an absolute gold mine for astronomers to use across the world,” said Phil Marshall, deputy director of operations for Rubin Observatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll be able to answer questions like, how did our Milky Way form? How did it develop? We’ll be looking for new discoveries in the solar system, new discoveries and the changing night sky,” Marshall said. “And we’ll be able to measure the properties of this mysterious dark energy that’s causing the accelerating expansion of the universe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The camera, telescope and observatory were jointly funded by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nsf.gov/\">National Science Foundation\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.gov/science/office-science\">Department of Energy’s Office of Science\u003c/a>, with the NSF funding the construction of the observatory and the DOE funding the construction of the camera. Each was a several-hundred-million-dollar investment. The project’s annual operational cost is about $70 million a year, split evenly between the two funders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1225\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED-768x470.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED-1536x941.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image shows another small section of the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster. Visible are two prominent spiral galaxies (lower right), three merging galaxies (upper right), several groups of distant galaxies, many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and more. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It is unclear how secure their ongoing funding is. When asked about the budgetary outlook, several Rubin scientists expressed appreciation for funding received so far and said they didn’t want to speculate about the future, referring further questions to the agencies themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data from the telescope and camera will be available to the public through the \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/\">Rubin Observatory website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The observatory’s name honors Vera C. Rubin, the pioneering astronomer whose work studying the rotation of galaxies revealed the first observational evidence of dark matter — the mysterious, invisible mass that holds our galaxy together but eludes direct detection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, a telescope bearing her name is ready to deepen our understanding of this and other universal mysteries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Over the next decade, the Vera C. Rubin observatory, equipped with a giant camera built at SLAC in Menlo Park, will find billions of new stars, galaxies and asteroids, and shed light on dark matter and dark energy. \r\n",
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"description": "Over the next decade, the Vera C. Rubin observatory, equipped with a giant camera built at SLAC in Menlo Park, will find billions of new stars, galaxies and asteroids, and shed light on dark matter and dark energy. \r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In a packed Menlo Park auditorium, astronomers, physicists and engineers leaned forward in anticipation. On a screen in front of them, the universe came into view — captured by a telescope a hemisphere away, using a car-sized digital camera built in their own backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pictures elicit gasps, oohs and applause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of these objects have never been seen by people before,” said Željko Ivezić, an astrophysicist and lead for the construction and design of the telescope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the images, a section of the southern night sky \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/cosmic-treasure-chest\">captured\u003c/a> in mind-boggling detail, holds speckled points of light sprayed over a dark background, with bursts of light and chains of spiral galaxies. Another \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/swarm-asteroids\">showed \u003c/a>more than 2,000 newly discovered asteroids found during just one week of observation. Another \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/trifid-lagoon\">revealed \u003c/a>two nebulae, giant clouds of pink and orange gas and dust where new stars are born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of these photographs were made possible by a telescope which sits atop a mountain in north central Chile — the Vera C. Rubin telescope — arguably the most powerful in the world. Nestled together with the telescope is a digital camera assembled over a decade at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, or SLAC, a national laboratory in Menlo Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997458\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-RUBIN-SUNSET-PACHON_VRUBIN_DUSK_2-CC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón in Chile at sunset. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Travis Lange, camera project manager, began building the one-of-a-kind device in 2014 and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992526/worlds-largest-digital-camera-built-in-the-bay-area-to-illuminate-mysteries-of-space\">completed it last May\u003c/a>. At 3,200 megapixels, the machine is the Guinness World Records holder for the largest digital camera. Lange beamed, speaking about its performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a challenge to get this thing built,” he said. “There’s no backup. We didn’t have a prototype.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most minute detail could cause malfunction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Getting all those different systems to function correctly, it took a lot,” Lange said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To share the first images, he added, felt “amazing.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Everybody on this project really put in a lot of passion,” Lange said. “Seeing these images for the first time is just one of the greatest joys, I mean it’s really incredible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the telescope embarks on its 10-year mission, its operators are focusing on four main science areas: completing a census of the solar system; studying the Milky Way’s structure and formation; chronicling the changing sky and gathering data that can be used to study dark matter and dark energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will be using this legacy dataset for years and years to come. It’s an absolute gold mine for astronomers to use across the world,” said Phil Marshall, deputy director of operations for Rubin Observatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll be able to answer questions like, how did our Milky Way form? How did it develop? We’ll be looking for new discoveries in the solar system, new discoveries and the changing night sky,” Marshall said. “And we’ll be able to measure the properties of this mysterious dark energy that’s causing the accelerating expansion of the universe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The camera, telescope and observatory were jointly funded by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nsf.gov/\">National Science Foundation\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.gov/science/office-science\">Department of Energy’s Office of Science\u003c/a>, with the NSF funding the construction of the observatory and the DOE funding the construction of the camera. Each was a several-hundred-million-dollar investment. The project’s annual operational cost is about $70 million a year, split evenly between the two funders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1225\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED-768x470.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/NSF-DOE-Rubin-Virgo-cluster-2-Im3crop2_KQED-1536x941.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image shows another small section of the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster. Visible are two prominent spiral galaxies (lower right), three merging galaxies (upper right), several groups of distant galaxies, many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and more. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It is unclear how secure their ongoing funding is. When asked about the budgetary outlook, several Rubin scientists expressed appreciation for funding received so far and said they didn’t want to speculate about the future, referring further questions to the agencies themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data from the telescope and camera will be available to the public through the \u003ca href=\"https://rubinobservatory.org/\">Rubin Observatory website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The observatory’s name honors Vera C. Rubin, the pioneering astronomer whose work studying the rotation of galaxies revealed the first observational evidence of dark matter — the mysterious, invisible mass that holds our galaxy together but eludes direct detection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, a telescope bearing her name is ready to deepen our understanding of this and other universal mysteries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "why-is-the-bay-area-so-chilly-compared-to-inland-california-blame-karl",
"title": "Why Is the Bay Area So Chilly Compared to Inland California? Blame ‘Karl’",
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"content": "\u003cp>Just one look at a heat map of California reveals a stark divide heading into the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997397/when-does-summer-solstice-start-events-meaning\">start of summer\u003c/a>: along the coast and in the Bay Area, mostly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043771/san-franciscos-summer-fog-is-sticking-around-and-creeping-further-inland\">cooler temperatures\u003c/a>, and in inland areas, near triple-digit heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This difference has lit up climate scientist Daniel Swain’s email inbox with messages from people claiming “meteorologists are lying” about the warm weather across the state, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the disparity people are noticing comes down to “California’s dramatic microclimates” and the fact that weather in your city “can be quite unrepresentative of conditions elsewhere,” wrote Swain, a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and UCLA climate scientist, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.threads.com/@weather.west/post/DK-EaaQsluX?xmt=AQF0UKr_86P7PuJ9UiekKpEZFMQvOTbDBtNoUkBSYDzBrA\">post on Threads\u003c/a>. While temperatures in places like Sacramento are already warm, meteorologists told KQED that the weather in the Bay Area over the last month or so is quite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11682511/why-san-francisco-gets-so-windy-and-foggy-in-the-summer\">typical for this time of year\u003c/a>, and it’ll only be a matter of weeks before temperatures begin to spike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This difference in temperature between the Bay Area and inland California stems from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11682511/why-san-francisco-gets-so-windy-and-foggy-in-the-summer\">marine layer\u003c/a>, which coastal Californians are accustomed to seeing ebb and flow daily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now the marine layer’s deep and it’s keeping things on the cooler side,” said Brian Garcia, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office. “This highlights how lucky we are to live in paradise. We have a great temperature range right along the coast and in areas influenced by the marine layer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_420020\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420020\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071.jpg\" alt=\"Fog encroaching on the Bay Area, as seen from Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fog encroaching on the Bay Area, as seen from Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, residents often gauge whether it’s jacket weather by how far the marine layer — or as they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11682057/how-the-bay-areas-fog-came-to-be-named-karl\">lovingly, or not so lovingly, call “Karl”\u003c/a> — is moving over Mount Sutro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re experiencing here in the Bay Area so far, this late spring and early summer, is pretty darn near average,” Garcia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how does the marine layer work?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The marine layer along the coast is a natural phenomenon where cool, moist air from the Pacific Ocean moves toward land. It’s often accompanied by fog and clouds that creep inland. This process takes place as the Pacific’s deep, cold water cools the air above it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past few weeks, “slightly stronger than normal sea breezes” have pushed this cold, moist air over the Bay Area, said Jan Null, a meteorologist who founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.ggweather.com/\">Golden Gate Weather Service\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Null said the reason it’s so hot in interior California is because a massive area of high pressure over the Southwest is blocking cooler ocean air from moving inland. This high pressure compresses air downward and in the process heats it up, leading to high temperatures.[aside postID=science_1997397 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/GETTYIMAGES-2177822620-KQED.jpg']For example, the highest temperature in San Francisco over the first 18 days of June was \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=mtr\">72 degrees\u003c/a>. In Sacramento, daytime temperatures were above 80 degrees, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=sto\">five days exceeding 90 degrees\u003c/a>, according to National Weather Service data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Null said the big difference between the Bay Area and the Central Valley is that farther inland, conditions don’t cool off as much overnight, which he said is normal but is becoming more regular due in part to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can see those trend lines gradually inching up,” he said. “Any given year is going to have climate change DNA in it. The frequency of these events is going up. But to try and identify any single event, it wouldn’t stand up in court.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters note it’s just a matter of time before the marine layer weakens and the larger area of high pressure squishes it, causing parts of the Bay Area to heat up. Garcia said the weather service’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/\">Climate Prediction Center\u003c/a> forecasts a higher probability of above-normal temperatures in the region for July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the time we get to mid-late July, it looks like things are going to start to cook, especially across the East Bay and interior locations as the marine layer gets squashed,” Garcia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garcia said he wouldn’t be surprised if, sometime in July or August, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994685/san-jose-just-had-its-hottest-week-ever-a-harbinger-of-things-to-come\">heat waves and high temperature records \u003c/a>are broken in the Bay Area, like they were last year. He also expects fire danger to ramp up in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The forecaster suggests that Bay Area residents prepare for the heat and increased wildfire risk by locating cooling centers ahead of time, updating their air conditioners, determining evacuation routes early and ensuring pets have a cool place to sleep, because “heat is an insidious beast and it can sneak up on you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When everything’s said and done, it wouldn’t shock me at all that the climate scientists come out after with an analysis that we will have had the hottest summer on record for the globe again in the summer months for the Northern Hemisphere,” Garcia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Just one look at a heat map of California reveals a stark divide heading into the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997397/when-does-summer-solstice-start-events-meaning\">start of summer\u003c/a>: along the coast and in the Bay Area, mostly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043771/san-franciscos-summer-fog-is-sticking-around-and-creeping-further-inland\">cooler temperatures\u003c/a>, and in inland areas, near triple-digit heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This difference has lit up climate scientist Daniel Swain’s email inbox with messages from people claiming “meteorologists are lying” about the warm weather across the state, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the disparity people are noticing comes down to “California’s dramatic microclimates” and the fact that weather in your city “can be quite unrepresentative of conditions elsewhere,” wrote Swain, a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and UCLA climate scientist, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.threads.com/@weather.west/post/DK-EaaQsluX?xmt=AQF0UKr_86P7PuJ9UiekKpEZFMQvOTbDBtNoUkBSYDzBrA\">post on Threads\u003c/a>. While temperatures in places like Sacramento are already warm, meteorologists told KQED that the weather in the Bay Area over the last month or so is quite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11682511/why-san-francisco-gets-so-windy-and-foggy-in-the-summer\">typical for this time of year\u003c/a>, and it’ll only be a matter of weeks before temperatures begin to spike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This difference in temperature between the Bay Area and inland California stems from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11682511/why-san-francisco-gets-so-windy-and-foggy-in-the-summer\">marine layer\u003c/a>, which coastal Californians are accustomed to seeing ebb and flow daily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now the marine layer’s deep and it’s keeping things on the cooler side,” said Brian Garcia, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office. “This highlights how lucky we are to live in paradise. We have a great temperature range right along the coast and in areas influenced by the marine layer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_420020\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420020\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071.jpg\" alt=\"Fog encroaching on the Bay Area, as seen from Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/12/RS8458_IMG_4071-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fog encroaching on the Bay Area, as seen from Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. \u003ccite>(Craig Miller/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, residents often gauge whether it’s jacket weather by how far the marine layer — or as they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11682057/how-the-bay-areas-fog-came-to-be-named-karl\">lovingly, or not so lovingly, call “Karl”\u003c/a> — is moving over Mount Sutro.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re experiencing here in the Bay Area so far, this late spring and early summer, is pretty darn near average,” Garcia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how does the marine layer work?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The marine layer along the coast is a natural phenomenon where cool, moist air from the Pacific Ocean moves toward land. It’s often accompanied by fog and clouds that creep inland. This process takes place as the Pacific’s deep, cold water cools the air above it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past few weeks, “slightly stronger than normal sea breezes” have pushed this cold, moist air over the Bay Area, said Jan Null, a meteorologist who founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.ggweather.com/\">Golden Gate Weather Service\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Null said the reason it’s so hot in interior California is because a massive area of high pressure over the Southwest is blocking cooler ocean air from moving inland. This high pressure compresses air downward and in the process heats it up, leading to high temperatures.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For example, the highest temperature in San Francisco over the first 18 days of June was \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=mtr\">72 degrees\u003c/a>. In Sacramento, daytime temperatures were above 80 degrees, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=sto\">five days exceeding 90 degrees\u003c/a>, according to National Weather Service data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Null said the big difference between the Bay Area and the Central Valley is that farther inland, conditions don’t cool off as much overnight, which he said is normal but is becoming more regular due in part to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can see those trend lines gradually inching up,” he said. “Any given year is going to have climate change DNA in it. The frequency of these events is going up. But to try and identify any single event, it wouldn’t stand up in court.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forecasters note it’s just a matter of time before the marine layer weakens and the larger area of high pressure squishes it, causing parts of the Bay Area to heat up. Garcia said the weather service’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/\">Climate Prediction Center\u003c/a> forecasts a higher probability of above-normal temperatures in the region for July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the time we get to mid-late July, it looks like things are going to start to cook, especially across the East Bay and interior locations as the marine layer gets squashed,” Garcia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Garcia said he wouldn’t be surprised if, sometime in July or August, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994685/san-jose-just-had-its-hottest-week-ever-a-harbinger-of-things-to-come\">heat waves and high temperature records \u003c/a>are broken in the Bay Area, like they were last year. He also expects fire danger to ramp up in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The forecaster suggests that Bay Area residents prepare for the heat and increased wildfire risk by locating cooling centers ahead of time, updating their air conditioners, determining evacuation routes early and ensuring pets have a cool place to sleep, because “heat is an insidious beast and it can sneak up on you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When everything’s said and done, it wouldn’t shock me at all that the climate scientists come out after with an analysis that we will have had the hottest summer on record for the globe again in the summer months for the Northern Hemisphere,” Garcia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A new, large-scale study linking cannabis consumption with increased risk of heart attacks and strokes has prompted Bay Area researchers to call for heightened clinical screening and regulation of the legal marijuana market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://press.psprings.co.uk/heart/june/heart325429.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The meta analysis (PDF)\u003c/a>, published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal’s \u003ci>Heart\u003c/i>, compiled research results from 24 studies published over six years and found cannabis users face a 20% higher risk of stroke, 29% higher risk of heart attack, and double the risk of cardiovascular death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With legalization came a false perception that cannabis might be a safe, natural wellness product, and that if you take it for pain or for sleep, there’s no risk,” said Dr. Lynn Silver, a pediatrician and researcher at the nonprofit Public Health Institute in Oakland. “That’s just not the case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers evaluated published studies that mostly excluded people who use tobacco, minimizing a common confounding factor in isolating cardiovascular risk of cannabis, but they were imprecise in measuring how people consumed cannabis and how often. While research suggests smoking pot may present more severe health problems than ingesting it, more studies are needed to clarify how to attribute risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11993601 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/07/RS28656_GettyImages-91997107-qut-1180x787.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The growing body of scientific evidence raises concerns and is enough to warrant more clinical screening for cannabis use among “patients presenting with serious cardiovascular disorders,” the study authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silver and Stanton Glantz, a retired UCSF professor and renowned tobacco researcher, went even further in \u003ca href=\"http://press.psprings.co.uk/heart/june/heart326169.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an editorial published alongside the study (PDF)\u003c/a>, arguing that doctors should screen and educate all patients about the health risks, particularly in light of the fact that cannabis use among 35–50-year-olds — the age range when cardiovascular disease begins to develop — has tripled since 2008.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rate of adults who use cannabis daily is now on par with those who drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Before we were seeing a wisp of smoke that there was cardiovascular risk,” Silver said. “That became a cloud of smoke. Now we’re starting to see signs of a wildfire of a more serious problem, with pretty consistent evidence emerging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Addressing cannabis consumption should not only become part of the medical framework for how clinicians prevent heart disease and stroke, Silver and Glantz wrote, but preventing heart disease and stroke should also be part of how states regulate cannabis markets. They called for health warning labels on cannabis products, restrictions on marketing, and limits on product potency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today regulation is focused on establishing the legal market with woeful neglect of minimizing health risks,” they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A new, large-scale study linking cannabis consumption with increased risk of heart attacks and strokes has prompted Bay Area researchers to call for heightened clinical screening and regulation of the legal marijuana market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://press.psprings.co.uk/heart/june/heart325429.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The meta analysis (PDF)\u003c/a>, published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal’s \u003ci>Heart\u003c/i>, compiled research results from 24 studies published over six years and found cannabis users face a 20% higher risk of stroke, 29% higher risk of heart attack, and double the risk of cardiovascular death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With legalization came a false perception that cannabis might be a safe, natural wellness product, and that if you take it for pain or for sleep, there’s no risk,” said Dr. Lynn Silver, a pediatrician and researcher at the nonprofit Public Health Institute in Oakland. “That’s just not the case.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers evaluated published studies that mostly excluded people who use tobacco, minimizing a common confounding factor in isolating cardiovascular risk of cannabis, but they were imprecise in measuring how people consumed cannabis and how often. While research suggests smoking pot may present more severe health problems than ingesting it, more studies are needed to clarify how to attribute risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The growing body of scientific evidence raises concerns and is enough to warrant more clinical screening for cannabis use among “patients presenting with serious cardiovascular disorders,” the study authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Silver and Stanton Glantz, a retired UCSF professor and renowned tobacco researcher, went even further in \u003ca href=\"http://press.psprings.co.uk/heart/june/heart326169.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an editorial published alongside the study (PDF)\u003c/a>, arguing that doctors should screen and educate all patients about the health risks, particularly in light of the fact that cannabis use among 35–50-year-olds — the age range when cardiovascular disease begins to develop — has tripled since 2008.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rate of adults who use cannabis daily is now on par with those who drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Before we were seeing a wisp of smoke that there was cardiovascular risk,” Silver said. “That became a cloud of smoke. Now we’re starting to see signs of a wildfire of a more serious problem, with pretty consistent evidence emerging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Addressing cannabis consumption should not only become part of the medical framework for how clinicians prevent heart disease and stroke, Silver and Glantz wrote, but preventing heart disease and stroke should also be part of how states regulate cannabis markets. They called for health warning labels on cannabis products, restrictions on marketing, and limits on product potency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today regulation is focused on establishing the legal market with woeful neglect of minimizing health risks,” they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "When Is the Summer Solstice? Plus, Science Events to Celebrate",
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"content": "\u003cp>Every June, the Northern Hemisphere reaches a celestial milestone: the summer solstice. It’s the longest day of the year and the official start of \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/education/multimedia/infographic/infographic-meteorological-and-astronomical-seasons\">astronomical summer\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what causes this seasonal shift, and why does the sun behave so differently on this day? Keep reading for all you need to know about the summer solstice, why it happens, and summer solstice events happening in the Bay Area where you can mark the occasion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#summer-solstice-events-Bay-Area\">Summer solstice events near you in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is the meaning of ‘the summer solstice’?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The solstice — and our seasons — owe it all to the way Earth tilts, in comparison to its planetary siblings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our planet rotates on a tilted axis, about 23.5 degrees off vertical — while “normally, planets should orbit with their axis straight, so they rotate in the same way that they revolve around the Sun.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.fraknoi.com/about-me/\">Andrew Fraknoi\u003c/a>, instructor at the Fromm Institute of the University of San Francisco, told KQED by email.[aside postID=science_1997307 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/WhalesBubblesGetty.jpg']So what happened to the Earth that explains this difference? “Astronomers now think that our planet got hit by another world, very early in the history of the solar system,” wrote Fraknoi. “And, like many accident victims, it couldn’t straighten out again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Due to this tilt, as Earth orbits the Sun, different parts of the globe receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year. This tilt is the reason for our seasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere leans most directly toward the sun. That means more direct sunlight and the longest stretch of daylight hours — up to 15 hours overall — for the year. Near the North Pole, the sun doesn’t set at all — a phenomenon known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/midnight-sun-facts-where-and-when-to-see\">midnight sun\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere in regions inside the Antarctic Circle, it’s the exact opposite. At this time, they experience their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995303/winter-solstice-planet-oppositions-meteor-showers-and-more\">winter solstice\u003c/a>, during which the South Pole experiences a \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/polar-night.html\">polar night\u003c/a>, when the sun does not rise above the horizon for at least 24 consecutive hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When does this year’s summer solstice start?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This year in the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html\">the summer solstice starts\u003c/a> on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 7:42 p.m. P.S.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html\">Check where the summer solstice will begin\u003c/a> in your region.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why does the date of the summer solstice change each year?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You might notice the solstice doesn’t fall on the same day each year. That’s because our calendar system doesn’t perfectly match Earth’s orbit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Gregorian calendar has 365 days, but the Earth actually takes about 365.25 days to orbit the Sun. That extra quarter-day is why we have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991493/why-do-we-have-a-leap-year-anyway-the-science-behind-it-explained#:~:text=Every%20four%20years%2C%20an%20extra,same%20calendar%20days%20every%20year\">leap years\u003c/a> — and why the solstice shifts between June 20 and June 21.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How long does summer last, exactly?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It depends on how you define “summer.” There are two main ways to mark the seasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Astronomical summer\u003c/strong> starts at the summer solstice and ends at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/september-equinox.html\">fall equinox\u003c/a> — usually around Sept. 22 or 23. \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/education/multimedia/infographic/infographic-meteorological-and-astronomical-seasons\">Astronomical seasons\u003c/a> are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Meteorological summer\u003c/strong>, which weather scientists use, runs from June 1 to Aug. 31. \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/education/multimedia/infographic/infographic-meteorological-and-astronomical-seasons\">Meteorological seasons\u003c/a> are much more closely tied to the calendar system, and divide the seasons into quarters in the year.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Because Earth moves in an elliptical orbit and not a perfect circle, seasons aren’t all the same length around the world. According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/\">timeanddate.com\u003c/a>, Northern Hemisphere summer averages 93.6 days, while Southern Hemisphere summer lasts about 89 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997473\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 4800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"4800\" height=\"2700\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01.png 4800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-2000x1125.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-2048x1152.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4800px) 100vw, 4800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle and help scientists track climate and weather trends. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Education)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>How far is the Earth from the sun?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, Earth is actually at its furthest from the sun. This point, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html\">aphelion\u003c/a>, occurs a couple of weeks after the solstice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, aphelion will fall on July 3, when Earth will be about 94.5 million miles from the sun, \u003ca href=\"http://timeanddate.com\">according to timeanddate.com.\u003c/a> The opposite — \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html\">perihelion\u003c/a> — happens in early January, when Earth is closest to the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the difference in distance doesn’t significantly affect seasons. It’s the tilt, not the distance, that drives our weather changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Is the summer solstice the hottest day of the year?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>No: even though the solstice brings the most daylight, it’s not usually the hottest day. That’s due to seasonal lag — the time it takes for Earth’s land and oceans to absorb and release heat, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/summer-solstice-and-seasonal-lag\">Royal Meteorological Society\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our planet’s water-covered surface (about 70%) soaks up energy slowly, meaning peak summer temperatures typically arrive in July or August. Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://wmo.int/media/news/july-sets-new-temperature-records\">the hottest day globally was July 22\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The summer solstice isn’t just a marker for the longest day of the year — it’s an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/15343/summer-solstice-shifting-spring\">ecological cue and a reminder that our climate is shifting\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, researchers believed that these extended hours of daylight helped plants schedule growth. A \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40455992/\">new study\u003c/a> has shown that while the day of the summer solstice may serve as a key cue for plant growth and reproduction, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1087004\">climate change may disrupt this timing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where can I find science and outdoor events celebrating the \u003ca id=\"summer-solstice-events-Bay-Area\">\u003c/a>summer solstice in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://lawrencehallofscience.org/events/summer-solstice-celebration/\">Summer Solstice Celebration:\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 21, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/paint-sip-solstice-stars-a-summer-sky-celebration/\">Paint & Sip: Solstice Stars:\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> June 19, 6:30–8:30 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/hike-sip-easy-moderate-june-21/\">Hike & Sip: Solstice Stargazing:\u003c/a> June 21, 6–9:30 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/community-science/solstice-sea-star-search\">Solstice Sea Star Search:\u003c/a> Happening throughout June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search/detail/51932?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true\">Solstice Sunrise Hike at Coyote Hills Regional Park:\u003c/a> June 21, 8–10 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Every June, the Northern Hemisphere reaches a celestial milestone: the summer solstice. It’s the longest day of the year and the official start of \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/education/multimedia/infographic/infographic-meteorological-and-astronomical-seasons\">astronomical summer\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what causes this seasonal shift, and why does the sun behave so differently on this day? Keep reading for all you need to know about the summer solstice, why it happens, and summer solstice events happening in the Bay Area where you can mark the occasion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#summer-solstice-events-Bay-Area\">Summer solstice events near you in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is the meaning of ‘the summer solstice’?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The solstice — and our seasons — owe it all to the way Earth tilts, in comparison to its planetary siblings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our planet rotates on a tilted axis, about 23.5 degrees off vertical — while “normally, planets should orbit with their axis straight, so they rotate in the same way that they revolve around the Sun.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.fraknoi.com/about-me/\">Andrew Fraknoi\u003c/a>, instructor at the Fromm Institute of the University of San Francisco, told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>So what happened to the Earth that explains this difference? “Astronomers now think that our planet got hit by another world, very early in the history of the solar system,” wrote Fraknoi. “And, like many accident victims, it couldn’t straighten out again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Due to this tilt, as Earth orbits the Sun, different parts of the globe receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year. This tilt is the reason for our seasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere leans most directly toward the sun. That means more direct sunlight and the longest stretch of daylight hours — up to 15 hours overall — for the year. Near the North Pole, the sun doesn’t set at all — a phenomenon known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/midnight-sun-facts-where-and-when-to-see\">midnight sun\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere in regions inside the Antarctic Circle, it’s the exact opposite. At this time, they experience their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995303/winter-solstice-planet-oppositions-meteor-showers-and-more\">winter solstice\u003c/a>, during which the South Pole experiences a \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/polar-night.html\">polar night\u003c/a>, when the sun does not rise above the horizon for at least 24 consecutive hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When does this year’s summer solstice start?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This year in the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html\">the summer solstice starts\u003c/a> on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 7:42 p.m. P.S.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html\">Check where the summer solstice will begin\u003c/a> in your region.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why does the date of the summer solstice change each year?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You might notice the solstice doesn’t fall on the same day each year. That’s because our calendar system doesn’t perfectly match Earth’s orbit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Gregorian calendar has 365 days, but the Earth actually takes about 365.25 days to orbit the Sun. That extra quarter-day is why we have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1991493/why-do-we-have-a-leap-year-anyway-the-science-behind-it-explained#:~:text=Every%20four%20years%2C%20an%20extra,same%20calendar%20days%20every%20year\">leap years\u003c/a> — and why the solstice shifts between June 20 and June 21.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How long does summer last, exactly?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It depends on how you define “summer.” There are two main ways to mark the seasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Astronomical summer\u003c/strong> starts at the summer solstice and ends at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/september-equinox.html\">fall equinox\u003c/a> — usually around Sept. 22 or 23. \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/education/multimedia/infographic/infographic-meteorological-and-astronomical-seasons\">Astronomical seasons\u003c/a> are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Meteorological summer\u003c/strong>, which weather scientists use, runs from June 1 to Aug. 31. \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/education/multimedia/infographic/infographic-meteorological-and-astronomical-seasons\">Meteorological seasons\u003c/a> are much more closely tied to the calendar system, and divide the seasons into quarters in the year.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Because Earth moves in an elliptical orbit and not a perfect circle, seasons aren’t all the same length around the world. According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/\">timeanddate.com\u003c/a>, Northern Hemisphere summer averages 93.6 days, while Southern Hemisphere summer lasts about 89 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997473\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 4800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"4800\" height=\"2700\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01.png 4800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-2000x1125.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/ChangingSeasons_NH_01-2048x1152.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4800px) 100vw, 4800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle and help scientists track climate and weather trends. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Education)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>How far is the Earth from the sun?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, Earth is actually at its furthest from the sun. This point, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html\">aphelion\u003c/a>, occurs a couple of weeks after the solstice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, aphelion will fall on July 3, when Earth will be about 94.5 million miles from the sun, \u003ca href=\"http://timeanddate.com\">according to timeanddate.com.\u003c/a> The opposite — \u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html\">perihelion\u003c/a> — happens in early January, when Earth is closest to the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the difference in distance doesn’t significantly affect seasons. It’s the tilt, not the distance, that drives our weather changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Is the summer solstice the hottest day of the year?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>No: even though the solstice brings the most daylight, it’s not usually the hottest day. That’s due to seasonal lag — the time it takes for Earth’s land and oceans to absorb and release heat, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/summer-solstice-and-seasonal-lag\">Royal Meteorological Society\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our planet’s water-covered surface (about 70%) soaks up energy slowly, meaning peak summer temperatures typically arrive in July or August. Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://wmo.int/media/news/july-sets-new-temperature-records\">the hottest day globally was July 22\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The summer solstice isn’t just a marker for the longest day of the year — it’s an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/15343/summer-solstice-shifting-spring\">ecological cue and a reminder that our climate is shifting\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, researchers believed that these extended hours of daylight helped plants schedule growth. A \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40455992/\">new study\u003c/a> has shown that while the day of the summer solstice may serve as a key cue for plant growth and reproduction, \u003ca href=\"https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1087004\">climate change may disrupt this timing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where can I find science and outdoor events celebrating the \u003ca id=\"summer-solstice-events-Bay-Area\">\u003c/a>summer solstice in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://lawrencehallofscience.org/events/summer-solstice-celebration/\">Summer Solstice Celebration:\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 21, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/paint-sip-solstice-stars-a-summer-sky-celebration/\">Paint & Sip: Solstice Stars:\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> June 19, 6:30–8:30 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/hike-sip-easy-moderate-june-21/\">Hike & Sip: Solstice Stargazing:\u003c/a> June 21, 6–9:30 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/community-science/solstice-sea-star-search\">Solstice Sea Star Search:\u003c/a> Happening throughout June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search/detail/51932?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true\">Solstice Sunrise Hike at Coyote Hills Regional Park:\u003c/a> June 21, 8–10 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "la-wildfire-survivors-urge-regulators-to-share-results-of-state-farm-investigation",
"title": "LA Wildfire Survivors Urge Regulators to Share Results of State Farm Investigation",
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"headTitle": "LA Wildfire Survivors Urge Regulators to Share Results of State Farm Investigation | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has launched a formal investigation into State Farm, following mounting complaints about the company’s handling of claims from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\">Eaton and Palisades wildfires\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move, \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2025/release043-2025.cfm\">announced this week\u003c/a>, follows months of pressure from policyholders and advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joy Chen, a former Los Angeles deputy mayor and leader of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.efsurvivors.net/\">Eaton Fire Survivors Network\u003c/a>, said the announcement is a relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that an investigation is finally underway and long overdue is an important milestone. It should never have been that hard,” Chen said. “But it is a testament to the power of survivor voices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Insurance will be conducting an investigation called a “market conduct examination.” It is a tool used when there is a large number of consumer complaints, which can determine if an insurer has followed laws and regulations guiding how they should fairly handle claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997389\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1997389 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">What remains of The Fox’s Restaurant in downtown Altadena, after the Eaton Fire swept through the area northeast of Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“While there are national standards for insurance claims handling, they can be vague and inconsistently applied, especially during large-scale, climate-driven disasters,” Commissioner Lara said in a statement announcing the investigation. “These issues create unnecessary stress, prolong recovery, and erode trust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results of the investigation will help determine if reforms are needed, according to the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen said she noticed a troubling pattern on the Discord channels that the Eaton Fire Survivors set up to allow Altadena neighbors to share information and support. The group has over 50 moderated channels, she said, and half of those are dedicated to insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back in February, we set up a separate channel for each insurance carrier. And late March, early April, I noticed something that was really shocking,” Chen said.[aside postID=news_12031375 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-58-1020x595.jpg']“Whether a family was on the road to recovery, like my family, or not, depended largely on which insurance carrier they were with. And these are all families who paid faithfully their premiums for years or decades. And State Farm was the worst of the worst.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She collected nearly 400 complaints and summarized their contents \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67f5687fc4ea480d5d201fe5/t/68230c33dd9666630629967e/1747127348967/EFSN+Package+for+Commissioner+Lara+051225.pdf\">in a letter\u003c/a> (PDF) to Commissioner Lara, which was sent last month. Common complaints included frequent reassignments of adjusters on a claim, with little continuity in record keeping, refusal to test contaminated homes, low-balled estimates of damage and non-payment of living costs. The pattern, she said, added up to systemic tactics to discourage policyholders from pursuing claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, the department of insurance was just about to allow State Farm to move forward with an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996777/california-clears-state-farm-hike-rates-next-month-after-massive-la-fire-losses\">emergency rate hike\u003c/a>. Chen’s group urged a delay in the rate decision until Lara investigated whether State Farm was fulfilling its contracts with policyholders. She said over 600 people signed the letter, and survivor complaints have continued to flow into her inbox.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, State Farm is pursuing another rate increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen’s group is urging Commissioner Lara to make public the results of the investigation, including whether State Farm complies with the law, before considering further rate adjustments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Insurance did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As California regulators launch an investigation into State Farm’s handling of Eaton and Palisades fire claims, policyholders call for transparency before the insurer’s next rate hike is considered.",
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"title": "LA Wildfire Survivors Urge Regulators to Share Results of State Farm Investigation | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has launched a formal investigation into State Farm, following mounting complaints about the company’s handling of claims from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\">Eaton and Palisades wildfires\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move, \u003ca href=\"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2025/release043-2025.cfm\">announced this week\u003c/a>, follows months of pressure from policyholders and advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joy Chen, a former Los Angeles deputy mayor and leader of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.efsurvivors.net/\">Eaton Fire Survivors Network\u003c/a>, said the announcement is a relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that an investigation is finally underway and long overdue is an important milestone. It should never have been that hard,” Chen said. “But it is a testament to the power of survivor voices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Department of Insurance will be conducting an investigation called a “market conduct examination.” It is a tool used when there is a large number of consumer complaints, which can determine if an insurer has followed laws and regulations guiding how they should fairly handle claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997389\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1997389 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-073_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">What remains of The Fox’s Restaurant in downtown Altadena, after the Eaton Fire swept through the area northeast of Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“While there are national standards for insurance claims handling, they can be vague and inconsistently applied, especially during large-scale, climate-driven disasters,” Commissioner Lara said in a statement announcing the investigation. “These issues create unnecessary stress, prolong recovery, and erode trust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results of the investigation will help determine if reforms are needed, according to the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen said she noticed a troubling pattern on the Discord channels that the Eaton Fire Survivors set up to allow Altadena neighbors to share information and support. The group has over 50 moderated channels, she said, and half of those are dedicated to insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back in February, we set up a separate channel for each insurance carrier. And late March, early April, I noticed something that was really shocking,” Chen said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Whether a family was on the road to recovery, like my family, or not, depended largely on which insurance carrier they were with. And these are all families who paid faithfully their premiums for years or decades. And State Farm was the worst of the worst.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She collected nearly 400 complaints and summarized their contents \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67f5687fc4ea480d5d201fe5/t/68230c33dd9666630629967e/1747127348967/EFSN+Package+for+Commissioner+Lara+051225.pdf\">in a letter\u003c/a> (PDF) to Commissioner Lara, which was sent last month. Common complaints included frequent reassignments of adjusters on a claim, with little continuity in record keeping, refusal to test contaminated homes, low-balled estimates of damage and non-payment of living costs. The pattern, she said, added up to systemic tactics to discourage policyholders from pursuing claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, the department of insurance was just about to allow State Farm to move forward with an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996777/california-clears-state-farm-hike-rates-next-month-after-massive-la-fire-losses\">emergency rate hike\u003c/a>. Chen’s group urged a delay in the rate decision until Lara investigated whether State Farm was fulfilling its contracts with policyholders. She said over 600 people signed the letter, and survivor complaints have continued to flow into her inbox.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, State Farm is pursuing another rate increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen’s group is urging Commissioner Lara to make public the results of the investigation, including whether State Farm complies with the law, before considering further rate adjustments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Insurance did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-faces-rough-fire-season-as-us-forest-service-work-becomes-more-politicized",
"title": "California Faces Rough Fire Season as US Forest Service Work Becomes More Politicized",
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"headTitle": "California Faces Rough Fire Season as US Forest Service Work Becomes More Politicized | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>It has become a yearly tradition. At some point in the spring, before the chaos of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/wildfires\">fire season\u003c/a>, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service sends staff a letter. In it, they share their goals and intentions for the next few months. For the public, it’s a window into the agency’s plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the brink of fire season, the stakes are high for the state. Forecasters predict \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf\">worse-than-normal\u003c/a> conditions, especially in Northern California and the mountains. The Trump administration has a track record of politicizing fires, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/07/trump-california-funding/\">threatening to withhold aid\u003c/a>, and taking aim at the state’s governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A well-functioning Forest Service — one able to balance firefighting and restoration — is crucial for Californians. Many residents live within or close to the Forest Service or other federal public land. Much of the state’s best-loved areas are also on or near these lands: Tahoe, Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and the Coastal Ranges. Most of the state’s drinking water filters down from the forests. And all of the state’s air can be polluted from out-of-control fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some fire experts worry this year’s letter from the chief signals a repeat of past mistakes, as it emphasizes putting fires out, instead of learning to better use and live with fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is critical that we suppress fires as swiftly as possible to minimize the amount of fireline exposure and be ready for the next ignition,” Chief Tom Schultz’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/leadership/wildfire-letter-intent-2025\">letter\u003c/a>, released May 21, states. “This means employing direct attack tactics when and where feasible to minimize fire size and time to containment when safe and practicable to do so.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997343\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1997343 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A technician holds a drip torch used to ignite grasses during a prescribed burn on private property in Penn Valley, a small, rural community in Nevada County, California, on June 22, 2023. The burn aims to reduce the brush and grasses that fuel megafires, while also helping to restore native plants to the region. \u003ccite>(Erin Baldassari/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many people may find this comforting. Indeed, the agency has embraced full suppression throughout its history, especially when resources are drained. However, that embrace makes scientists and those who work for fire-resiliant forests concerned. They believe that what feels safe in the short term makes conditions more dangerous in the long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The all-fires-are-bad-all-the-time mindset largely got us into our current fire catastrophes, they say, because we decided to wage an unwinnable battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[It] didn’t work,” said Brent Skaggs, a retired fire management officer who worked for USFS for 36 years. “We didn’t realize fire is a natural part of the ecosystem. So we decided to go to war against a natural cycle. And we’re getting beat up pretty bad about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Going back to 10 a.m.? Probably not\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Between the 1930s and 1970s, the Forest Service had a blanket policy stating that all fires — whether many miles away from the nearest road, burning just before the winter rains, or 10 feet away from the ranger station — should be extinguished before 10 a.m. the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a one-size-fits-all policy — one that ignored the fact that some fires aren’t a threat to people and are helpful to the land they burn. Instead, all fires were demonized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that partisans on both sides will think that we’re going back to the 10 a.m. policy — universal suppression,” said Stephen Pyne, a renowned fire historian, emeritus professor at Arizona State University, and former firefighter. “The 10 a.m. policy had one thing. You had it out by 10 o’clock. There are no qualifications. There are no nuances, there are no exceptions. And that’s not what this letter is. This letter is full of wiggle room.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997345\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 933px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1997345 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"933\" height=\"1022\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim.jpg 933w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim-160x175.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim-768x841.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 933px) 100vw, 933px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Pyne, a renowned fire historian, emeritus professor at Arizona State University, and former firefighter, is pictured second from right during a prescribed burn in 1978, when he was a part of the North Rim Longshots at Grand Canyon National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Stephen Pyne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pyne sees important differences between full suppression and what Shultz wrote. While the letter does emphasize suppression, it is also full of nuance. It opens up by talking about the need to prioritize safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Putting firefighter safety first often means not directly engaging with the fire, but instead creating a zone of unburnable dirt in the path of the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schultz’s letter also allows for managed fire where possible. Managed fire is when a fire that starts naturally is allowed to burn, provided it doesn’t pose a threat to people or structures. Crews are assigned to keep an eye on it, so it can be put out if it does become dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter allows the forest service to continue using boundaries like rivers, ridgelines, roads or fire breaks to contain and manage fires. Many fire experts believe this is a crucial strategy for allowing more beneficial fires in the Western U.S. It can allow a naturally ignited wildfire to act as a prescribed fire, without having to do the paperwork necessary to light it. However, this strategy has increasingly been in the crosshairs of some politicians, including the governors of \u003ca href=\"https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Gov_Gianforte_Lights_Up_Forest_Service_for_Not_Fighting_Fires\">Montana\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/p/montana-senator-and-idaho-governor\">Idaho\u003c/a> and Rep. Tom McClintock from California District 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shultz’s letter also asks more Forest Service personnel to become qualified to fight fires. The voluntary buyouts and layoffs executed by DOGE earlier this year depleted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029182/federal-policy-turmoil-threatens-californias-wildfire-prevention-efforts\">ranks of staff\u003c/a> who can step in and help in a pinch. On June 6, the Forest Service said that people who resigned but have Red Cards — are qualified to be assigned to a fire — \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/sustain/deferred-resignation-program-participants-guidance-supporting\">can assist this season\u003c/a> even though they’re technically on administrative leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before the current administration, the Forest Service workforce was weakened by years of underpay and difficult working conditions. In California, many federal firefighters have gone to work for the state’s firefighting agency, CalFire, because the \u003ca href=\"https://www.grassrootswildlandfirefighters.com/pay-disparity-cal-fire\">pay is far better\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12042383 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CanadaWildfireGetty-1020x680.jpg']Having fewer staff generally pushes agencies towards full suppression, and away from strategies like managed fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Craig Thomas, of the Fire Restoration Group, a nonprofit seeking to return fire to its pre-settlement ecological role, found plenty to like about the letter but was disappointed by its primary focus on suppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s only half the story,” Thomas said. “We need to fight it, sure, but we need to put the same intensity into lighting it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shultz is allowing for prescribed fires, but only through a very conservative approach. Many fire experts, including Thomas, Skaggs and Pyne, would like to see it be more lenient and science-based.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They see some current attitudes towards fire as being so overly cautious that it’s ultimately dangerous. It’s focusing on fire as an emergency instead of a force to live with. It’s like spending lots of money on emergency healthcare but not giving people vaccinations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly Martin, a retired chief of fire and aviation at Yosemite National Park, said with shifting political winds, she expected the agency to take a very aggressive suppression stance this summer. “We know that the use of good fire on the landscape and the use of [managed] wildfire … is now taking a backseat to the suppression intent this summer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, she added, this shows a failure to learn from past mistakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it sets us up for what basically becomes an untenable, unworkable situation this year because this is the same strategy that we’ve had for many, many decades,” Martin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Wildfires just keep getting bigger and bigger and more dangerous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Good times at the U.S. Forest Service are gone. What happened?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Forest Service was once seen as a gold-standard \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Forest+Ranger%3A+A+Study+in+Administrative+Behavior\">model government agency\u003c/a>. Of course, it was relatively easy to be successful when it had fewer mandates than today and they were easier to achieve. There were more big trees to log for timber sales. Fires were easier to put out when the legacy of suppression, logging and human-caused climate change from burning gas and oil hadn’t yet caught up with America’s forests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that changed after 1960, when Congress told the agency to try to balance interests that inherently compete: recreation, logging, grazing, mining, wildlife, watersheds and wilderness protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so, it was basically torn apart. Criticized on all counts. There was no way it could succeed,” Pyne said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1978931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1978931\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a hard hat, wearing heavy brown pants, a gold shirt and work gloves, is on the side of a two-lane highway with smoky air obscuring trees in the distance. He has just tossed a large branch toward a pile of branches as part of clearing vegetation during a controlled burn.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-800x543.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-1536x1043.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A U.S. Forest Service forestry technician removes vegetation during a controlled burn along Highway 89 in the Christmas Valley area near South Lake Tahoe in September 2021. \u003ccite>(Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After being hailed as a model agency, the Forest Service is increasingly \u003ca href=\"https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/america-decay\">pointed to as dysfunctional\u003c/a>, balancing contradictory mandates and lacking a clear way to make decisions. There are those who think what’s needed for the USFS to right the ship is simply a return to the days of the 10 a.m. rule and a robust timber harvest. But neither are considered desirable or realistic by most experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a mild fire removes duff, brush and small burnable fuels, it leaves large tree trunks. Logging removes the large stuff and leaves the small.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Logging is not a solution to fire,” Pyne said. “Logging and fire do opposite things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, President Trump has conflated declining timber sales with increased fire risk. In March, he issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-expansion-of-american-timber-production/\">an executive order\u003c/a> requesting the expansion of timber harvests, and the agency responded in May with an \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/leadership/introducing-national-active-management-strategy\">outline\u003c/a> of how it will try to meet the order’s demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fires that burn forests and fires that burn cities are different\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If wildfires during the past decade have been bad, fires that have destroyed towns and neighborhoods have been even worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pyne said this has led to a fresh demonization of fire, particularly in the wake of the L.A. Fires. He sees the public confusing urban conflagrations that burn blocks of houses with wildland fires that burn in undeveloped lands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997349\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997349\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Buildings are destroyed along Fair Oaks Avenue 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>“It’s a confusion that advances certain partisan interests,” Pyne said. “You get people alarmed. ‘We’re in the midst of an emergency! Our cities, Los Angeles, for heaven’s sake, are burning up. We’ve got to get rid of all the checks and balances. We’re going to clear out all the fuel that’s a threat.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This can lead to a bait-and-switch misdirection, especially by people who yearn for increased timber sales. However, Pyne said, “the primary way to protect these communities is to harden them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pyne said if he were writing the chief’s letter, he would make it clear that we have an urban fire problem that needs to be addressed by urban fire services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not addressing this difference opens up the agency to even more criticism, especially if other towns burn this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the fire seasons have gotten more intense and everything connected with federal agencies has gotten more political and polarized, they’ve had to try to anticipate and clarify what they can do, hope to do, and to assuage a lot of different conflicting groups,” Pyne said. Many of these groups — whether politicians, business interests or conservationists — don’t want to compromise over their goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And the agency is expected to somehow achieve that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As California braces for fire season, experts see signals — and shortcomings — in the Forest Service Chief’s annual letter. ",
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"title": "California Faces Rough Fire Season as US Forest Service Work Becomes More Politicized | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It has become a yearly tradition. At some point in the spring, before the chaos of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/wildfires\">fire season\u003c/a>, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service sends staff a letter. In it, they share their goals and intentions for the next few months. For the public, it’s a window into the agency’s plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the brink of fire season, the stakes are high for the state. Forecasters predict \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf\">worse-than-normal\u003c/a> conditions, especially in Northern California and the mountains. The Trump administration has a track record of politicizing fires, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/07/trump-california-funding/\">threatening to withhold aid\u003c/a>, and taking aim at the state’s governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A well-functioning Forest Service — one able to balance firefighting and restoration — is crucial for Californians. Many residents live within or close to the Forest Service or other federal public land. Much of the state’s best-loved areas are also on or near these lands: Tahoe, Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and the Coastal Ranges. Most of the state’s drinking water filters down from the forests. And all of the state’s air can be polluted from out-of-control fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some fire experts worry this year’s letter from the chief signals a repeat of past mistakes, as it emphasizes putting fires out, instead of learning to better use and live with fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is critical that we suppress fires as swiftly as possible to minimize the amount of fireline exposure and be ready for the next ignition,” Chief Tom Schultz’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/leadership/wildfire-letter-intent-2025\">letter\u003c/a>, released May 21, states. “This means employing direct attack tactics when and where feasible to minimize fire size and time to containment when safe and practicable to do so.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997343\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1997343 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-Burn_Penn-Valley_Nevada-County05_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A technician holds a drip torch used to ignite grasses during a prescribed burn on private property in Penn Valley, a small, rural community in Nevada County, California, on June 22, 2023. The burn aims to reduce the brush and grasses that fuel megafires, while also helping to restore native plants to the region. \u003ccite>(Erin Baldassari/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many people may find this comforting. Indeed, the agency has embraced full suppression throughout its history, especially when resources are drained. However, that embrace makes scientists and those who work for fire-resiliant forests concerned. They believe that what feels safe in the short term makes conditions more dangerous in the long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The all-fires-are-bad-all-the-time mindset largely got us into our current fire catastrophes, they say, because we decided to wage an unwinnable battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[It] didn’t work,” said Brent Skaggs, a retired fire management officer who worked for USFS for 36 years. “We didn’t realize fire is a natural part of the ecosystem. So we decided to go to war against a natural cycle. And we’re getting beat up pretty bad about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Going back to 10 a.m.? Probably not\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Between the 1930s and 1970s, the Forest Service had a blanket policy stating that all fires — whether many miles away from the nearest road, burning just before the winter rains, or 10 feet away from the ranger station — should be extinguished before 10 a.m. the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a one-size-fits-all policy — one that ignored the fact that some fires aren’t a threat to people and are helpful to the land they burn. Instead, all fires were demonized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that partisans on both sides will think that we’re going back to the 10 a.m. policy — universal suppression,” said Stephen Pyne, a renowned fire historian, emeritus professor at Arizona State University, and former firefighter. “The 10 a.m. policy had one thing. You had it out by 10 o’clock. There are no qualifications. There are no nuances, there are no exceptions. And that’s not what this letter is. This letter is full of wiggle room.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997345\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 933px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1997345 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"933\" height=\"1022\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim.jpg 933w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim-160x175.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Prescribed-fire-North-Rim-768x841.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 933px) 100vw, 933px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Pyne, a renowned fire historian, emeritus professor at Arizona State University, and former firefighter, is pictured second from right during a prescribed burn in 1978, when he was a part of the North Rim Longshots at Grand Canyon National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Stephen Pyne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pyne sees important differences between full suppression and what Shultz wrote. While the letter does emphasize suppression, it is also full of nuance. It opens up by talking about the need to prioritize safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Putting firefighter safety first often means not directly engaging with the fire, but instead creating a zone of unburnable dirt in the path of the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schultz’s letter also allows for managed fire where possible. Managed fire is when a fire that starts naturally is allowed to burn, provided it doesn’t pose a threat to people or structures. Crews are assigned to keep an eye on it, so it can be put out if it does become dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The letter allows the forest service to continue using boundaries like rivers, ridgelines, roads or fire breaks to contain and manage fires. Many fire experts believe this is a crucial strategy for allowing more beneficial fires in the Western U.S. It can allow a naturally ignited wildfire to act as a prescribed fire, without having to do the paperwork necessary to light it. However, this strategy has increasingly been in the crosshairs of some politicians, including the governors of \u003ca href=\"https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Gov_Gianforte_Lights_Up_Forest_Service_for_Not_Fighting_Fires\">Montana\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/p/montana-senator-and-idaho-governor\">Idaho\u003c/a> and Rep. Tom McClintock from California District 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shultz’s letter also asks more Forest Service personnel to become qualified to fight fires. The voluntary buyouts and layoffs executed by DOGE earlier this year depleted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029182/federal-policy-turmoil-threatens-californias-wildfire-prevention-efforts\">ranks of staff\u003c/a> who can step in and help in a pinch. On June 6, the Forest Service said that people who resigned but have Red Cards — are qualified to be assigned to a fire — \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/sustain/deferred-resignation-program-participants-guidance-supporting\">can assist this season\u003c/a> even though they’re technically on administrative leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before the current administration, the Forest Service workforce was weakened by years of underpay and difficult working conditions. In California, many federal firefighters have gone to work for the state’s firefighting agency, CalFire, because the \u003ca href=\"https://www.grassrootswildlandfirefighters.com/pay-disparity-cal-fire\">pay is far better\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Having fewer staff generally pushes agencies towards full suppression, and away from strategies like managed fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Craig Thomas, of the Fire Restoration Group, a nonprofit seeking to return fire to its pre-settlement ecological role, found plenty to like about the letter but was disappointed by its primary focus on suppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s only half the story,” Thomas said. “We need to fight it, sure, but we need to put the same intensity into lighting it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shultz is allowing for prescribed fires, but only through a very conservative approach. Many fire experts, including Thomas, Skaggs and Pyne, would like to see it be more lenient and science-based.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They see some current attitudes towards fire as being so overly cautious that it’s ultimately dangerous. It’s focusing on fire as an emergency instead of a force to live with. It’s like spending lots of money on emergency healthcare but not giving people vaccinations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly Martin, a retired chief of fire and aviation at Yosemite National Park, said with shifting political winds, she expected the agency to take a very aggressive suppression stance this summer. “We know that the use of good fire on the landscape and the use of [managed] wildfire … is now taking a backseat to the suppression intent this summer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, she added, this shows a failure to learn from past mistakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it sets us up for what basically becomes an untenable, unworkable situation this year because this is the same strategy that we’ve had for many, many decades,” Martin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Wildfires just keep getting bigger and bigger and more dangerous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Good times at the U.S. Forest Service are gone. What happened?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Forest Service was once seen as a gold-standard \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Forest+Ranger%3A+A+Study+in+Administrative+Behavior\">model government agency\u003c/a>. Of course, it was relatively easy to be successful when it had fewer mandates than today and they were easier to achieve. There were more big trees to log for timber sales. Fires were easier to put out when the legacy of suppression, logging and human-caused climate change from burning gas and oil hadn’t yet caught up with America’s forests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that changed after 1960, when Congress told the agency to try to balance interests that inherently compete: recreation, logging, grazing, mining, wildlife, watersheds and wilderness protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so, it was basically torn apart. Criticized on all counts. There was no way it could succeed,” Pyne said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1978931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1978931\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a hard hat, wearing heavy brown pants, a gold shirt and work gloves, is on the side of a two-lane highway with smoky air obscuring trees in the distance. He has just tossed a large branch toward a pile of branches as part of clearing vegetation during a controlled burn.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-800x543.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/RS54892_GettyImages-1338215530-qut-1536x1043.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A U.S. Forest Service forestry technician removes vegetation during a controlled burn along Highway 89 in the Christmas Valley area near South Lake Tahoe in September 2021. \u003ccite>(Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After being hailed as a model agency, the Forest Service is increasingly \u003ca href=\"https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/america-decay\">pointed to as dysfunctional\u003c/a>, balancing contradictory mandates and lacking a clear way to make decisions. There are those who think what’s needed for the USFS to right the ship is simply a return to the days of the 10 a.m. rule and a robust timber harvest. But neither are considered desirable or realistic by most experts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a mild fire removes duff, brush and small burnable fuels, it leaves large tree trunks. Logging removes the large stuff and leaves the small.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Logging is not a solution to fire,” Pyne said. “Logging and fire do opposite things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, President Trump has conflated declining timber sales with increased fire risk. In March, he issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-expansion-of-american-timber-production/\">an executive order\u003c/a> requesting the expansion of timber harvests, and the agency responded in May with an \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/leadership/introducing-national-active-management-strategy\">outline\u003c/a> of how it will try to meet the order’s demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Fires that burn forests and fires that burn cities are different\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If wildfires during the past decade have been bad, fires that have destroyed towns and neighborhoods have been even worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pyne said this has led to a fresh demonization of fire, particularly in the wake of the L.A. Fires. He sees the public confusing urban conflagrations that burn blocks of houses with wildland fires that burn in undeveloped lands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997349\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997349\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/240109-CAWindStorm-048_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Buildings are destroyed along Fair Oaks Avenue 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>“It’s a confusion that advances certain partisan interests,” Pyne said. “You get people alarmed. ‘We’re in the midst of an emergency! Our cities, Los Angeles, for heaven’s sake, are burning up. We’ve got to get rid of all the checks and balances. We’re going to clear out all the fuel that’s a threat.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This can lead to a bait-and-switch misdirection, especially by people who yearn for increased timber sales. However, Pyne said, “the primary way to protect these communities is to harden them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pyne said if he were writing the chief’s letter, he would make it clear that we have an urban fire problem that needs to be addressed by urban fire services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not addressing this difference opens up the agency to even more criticism, especially if other towns burn this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the fire seasons have gotten more intense and everything connected with federal agencies has gotten more political and polarized, they’ve had to try to anticipate and clarify what they can do, hope to do, and to assuage a lot of different conflicting groups,” Pyne said. Many of these groups — whether politicians, business interests or conservationists — don’t want to compromise over their goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And the agency is expected to somehow achieve that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Humpback whales may be trying to communicate with us, using bubbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time, scientists from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/\">SETI Institute\u003c/a> and UC Davis have documented humpback whales \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ4TAHpOW13/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5fdccdfe-f7fa-47d7-a128-3a6506f1ee37\">blowing large “vortex bubble rings”\u003c/a> that resemble “smoke” rings during calm, voluntary interactions with humans — behavior that appears unrelated to feeding, mating or defense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Humpback whales often exhibit inquisitive, friendly behavior towards boats and human swimmers,” said Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and UC Davis affiliate, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/press-release/whaleseti-curious-humpback-whales-approach-humans-and-blow-bubble-smoke-rings\">press release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team observed 12 separate bubble ring episodes involving 11 whales and 39 rings across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Researchers say the bubble rings differ from other whale behaviors involving bubbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While humpbacks commonly use bubble nets to trap prey and bubble trails during mating, these bubble rings seemed to occur only during relaxed, voluntary encounters with humans — not while hunting or competing for mates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuEBTbMtIY0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We did not see aggression, and the whales were approaching boats where people were present, and they were engaging in what we call kind of relaxed or slow movements,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Josephine-Hubbard-2\">Josephine Hubbard\u003c/a>, postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and co-author on the paper. “Often this was combined with a kind of slowly rolling around in the water … and then they produce a bubble ring right next to the boat with humans on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=science_1997157 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/20250530_SOUTHBAYOBSERVATORY_GC-31-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To better understand whether humans influenced the behavior, the team reviewed hundreds of hours of drone footage from other whale studies. They found no examples of these bubble “smoke” rings when humans weren’t present.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That suggests that perhaps they’re doing it only when humans are close by,” Hubbard said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.70026\">study\u003c/a>, published in Marine Mammal Science, is part of \u003ca href=\"https://bmccowanlab.com/current-research/humpback-whale-research/\">WhaleSETI\u003c/a> — a long-running research collaboration that explores nonhuman intelligence on Earth to help refine how we search for intelligence beyond it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It certainly seems like the humpback whale is playing,” said Dr. Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author on the paper. “It’s kind of like a dog inviting you to play when they put a ball in front of you and then frisk around it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doyle said that studying the structure of the rings themselves can offer insight into the whales’ nonhuman intelligence. He said that making a bubble ring is not simple and requires precise energy and control. “What is the technical intelligence required [for a humpback whale] to make a bubble ring?” Doyle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2128px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2128\" height=\"1241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i.jpg 2128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-2000x1166.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-768x448.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-2048x1194.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2128px) 100vw, 2128px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composite image of at least one bubble ring from each episode. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of SETI Institute)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators,” said co-lead author Dr. Fred Sharpe, UC Davis affiliate, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/press-release/whaleseti-curious-humpback-whales-approach-humans-and-blow-bubble-smoke-rings\">press release\u003c/a>. “Now, akin to a candidate signal, we show they are blowing bubble rings in our direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe our response, and/or engage in some form of communication.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The WhaleSETI team has been exploring marine mammal communication for years. In 2021, researchers published findings of a “conversation” with a humpback whale named \u003ca href=\"https://bmccowanlab.com/current-research/humpback-whale-research/\">Twain\u003c/a>, using recorded whale calls played through an underwater speaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, a separate study from the University of Southern Denmark investigated how baleen whales are able to \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/International/scientists-discover-whales-sing-water-shipping-noise-disrupt/story?id=107342344\">sing underwater\u003c/a>. Last year, researchers at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/podcasts-and-shows/unfold/whale-communication-aliens\">SETI Institute\u003c/a> found that the sounds whales make during bubble feeding events are used to communicate instructions to the group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bubble ring behavior adds a new layer to those findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In studying curious, communicative humpbacks, the researchers aren’t just decoding whale behavior. They’re building a roadmap for recognizing intelligent life, whether it’s swimming in our oceans or drifting somewhere among the stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Humpback whales may be trying to communicate with us, using bubbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time, scientists from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/\">SETI Institute\u003c/a> and UC Davis have documented humpback whales \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ4TAHpOW13/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=5fdccdfe-f7fa-47d7-a128-3a6506f1ee37\">blowing large “vortex bubble rings”\u003c/a> that resemble “smoke” rings during calm, voluntary interactions with humans — behavior that appears unrelated to feeding, mating or defense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Humpback whales often exhibit inquisitive, friendly behavior towards boats and human swimmers,” said Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and UC Davis affiliate, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/press-release/whaleseti-curious-humpback-whales-approach-humans-and-blow-bubble-smoke-rings\">press release\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team observed 12 separate bubble ring episodes involving 11 whales and 39 rings across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Researchers say the bubble rings differ from other whale behaviors involving bubbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While humpbacks commonly use bubble nets to trap prey and bubble trails during mating, these bubble rings seemed to occur only during relaxed, voluntary encounters with humans — not while hunting or competing for mates.\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/GuEBTbMtIY0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/GuEBTbMtIY0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“We did not see aggression, and the whales were approaching boats where people were present, and they were engaging in what we call kind of relaxed or slow movements,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Josephine-Hubbard-2\">Josephine Hubbard\u003c/a>, postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and co-author on the paper. “Often this was combined with a kind of slowly rolling around in the water … and then they produce a bubble ring right next to the boat with humans on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To better understand whether humans influenced the behavior, the team reviewed hundreds of hours of drone footage from other whale studies. They found no examples of these bubble “smoke” rings when humans weren’t present.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That suggests that perhaps they’re doing it only when humans are close by,” Hubbard said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.70026\">study\u003c/a>, published in Marine Mammal Science, is part of \u003ca href=\"https://bmccowanlab.com/current-research/humpback-whale-research/\">WhaleSETI\u003c/a> — a long-running research collaboration that explores nonhuman intelligence on Earth to help refine how we search for intelligence beyond it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It certainly seems like the humpback whale is playing,” said Dr. Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author on the paper. “It’s kind of like a dog inviting you to play when they put a ball in front of you and then frisk around it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doyle said that studying the structure of the rings themselves can offer insight into the whales’ nonhuman intelligence. He said that making a bubble ring is not simple and requires precise energy and control. “What is the technical intelligence required [for a humpback whale] to make a bubble ring?” Doyle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2128px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2128\" height=\"1241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i.jpg 2128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-2000x1166.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-768x448.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Composite-image-of-at-least-one-bubble-ring-from-each-episode.-Photo-attributions_-a-D.-Knaub-b-F.-Nicklen-c-D.-Perrine-d-W.-Davis-e-G.-Flipse-f-A.-Henry-g-M.-Gaughan-h-H.-Romanchik-i-2048x1194.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2128px) 100vw, 2128px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composite image of at least one bubble ring from each episode. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of SETI Institute)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators,” said co-lead author Dr. Fred Sharpe, UC Davis affiliate, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/press-release/whaleseti-curious-humpback-whales-approach-humans-and-blow-bubble-smoke-rings\">press release\u003c/a>. “Now, akin to a candidate signal, we show they are blowing bubble rings in our direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe our response, and/or engage in some form of communication.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The WhaleSETI team has been exploring marine mammal communication for years. In 2021, researchers published findings of a “conversation” with a humpback whale named \u003ca href=\"https://bmccowanlab.com/current-research/humpback-whale-research/\">Twain\u003c/a>, using recorded whale calls played through an underwater speaker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, a separate study from the University of Southern Denmark investigated how baleen whales are able to \u003ca href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/International/scientists-discover-whales-sing-water-shipping-noise-disrupt/story?id=107342344\">sing underwater\u003c/a>. Last year, researchers at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/podcasts-and-shows/unfold/whale-communication-aliens\">SETI Institute\u003c/a> found that the sounds whales make during bubble feeding events are used to communicate instructions to the group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bubble ring behavior adds a new layer to those findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In studying curious, communicative humpbacks, the researchers aren’t just decoding whale behavior. They’re building a roadmap for recognizing intelligent life, whether it’s swimming in our oceans or drifting somewhere among the stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>President Donald Trump signed three joint resolutions of Congress on Thursday, blocking \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039494/senate-weighs-repeal-of-california-clean-air-rules-raising-stakes-for-ev-market-and-public-health\">California’s electric vehicle sales mandates\u003c/a> and diesel engine rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Air Resources Board and 10 attorneys general representing other states immediately filed a lawsuit over the president’s actions, calling them an “unlawful” attack on the clean vehicle standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California lawmakers and environmental groups claim the administration’s actions undermine the state’s ability to protect the health of millions of residents and to keep human-caused climate change in check. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996968/senate-votes-block-californias-electric-vehicle-mandate#:~:text=Gavin%20Newsom%20and%20Attorney%20General%20Rob%20Bonta,two%20other%20clean%20air%20act%20rules%20Thursday.&text=California's%20rules%20would%20ban%20the%20sale%20of,makers%20to%20start%20selling%20more%20electric%20vehicles.\">They argue Congress does not have the authority\u003c/a> to legislate on the state’s waivers, echoing statements by two nonpartisan government entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We made a promise that if the President attempted to illegally interfere with our clean air standards, we’d hold him accountable in court,” said Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general. “What we’re seeing is a thinly veiled attempt by the President to retaliate against California for choosing progress over regression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom also signed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CRA-Response-EO-N-27-25_-bl-formatted-GGN-Signed-6-11-954pmFinal.pdf\">executive order\u003c/a> on Thursday, “doubling down on the state’s efforts to transition away from fossil fuels” by reaffirming the state’s commitment to “aggressively address the serious issue of air pollution in the state.” The order calls on the California Air Resources Board to develop new clean car regulations to replace those blocked by the Trump administration. It also requires state departments to purchase vehicles from manufacturers that still comply with California’s clean car regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996925\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996925\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom stands in front of a state flag during a press conference about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on April 16, 2025, at an almond farm in Ceres, California. \u003ccite>(Noah Berger/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We won’t let this illegal action by Trump and Republicans in the pockets of polluters stand in the way of commonsense policy to clean our air, protect the health of our kids and compete on the global stage,” Newsom said in a statement. Several House \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/climate/democrats-california-ban-electric-vehicles.html\">Democrats\u003c/a> joined Republicans in voting to block California’s waivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s rules would \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039494/senate-weighs-repeal-of-california-clean-air-rules-raising-stakes-for-ev-market-and-public-health\">ban the sale of new gas cars in the state\u003c/a> starting in 2035, reduce pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses, and require truck manufacturers to start selling more electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resolutions are a significant win for auto dealers and automakers, including General Motors and Toyota, who lobbied against California’s regulations.[aside postID=science_1997275 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-21-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']During a live-streamed press conference on Thursday, Trump called California’s clean air rules “a disaster for this country” and touted his actions as a “rescue of the U.S. auto industry from destruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives of the petroleum industry applauded the administration’s move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today’s historic signing is critical for protecting U.S. families, manufacturing workers, and our national security,” American Petroleum Institute president Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers president Chet Thompson wrote in a joint statement. “We thank President Trump for keeping his promise to American voters to end these extreme and restrictive policies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eric Sauer, CEO of the California Trucking Association, told KQED he thanks the Trump Administration for signing the resolutions, saying, “trucking companies across the country faced crushing economic consequences from unattainable and unachievable regulations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now look forward to a productive dialogue on setting and achieving realistic goals,” Sauer added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The majority of \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-graphs\">California’s\u003c/a> planet-warming emissions come from transportation, and the same is true \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\">nationwide\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994309\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-1536x1055.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-1920x1319.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vehicles travel along Interstate 80 on Jan. 16, 2024, in Berkeley.\u003cbr>Californians are breathing significantly less harmful vehicle pollution than 25 years ago, thanks to a 65% drop in PM2.5 exposure from cars, trucks and other vehicles, according to a new study by UC Berkeley, CalEPA and the University of Washington. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California has regulated its own vehicle pollution since the 1960s, before the Clean Air Act was signed into law in 1970. Due to the state’s historically horrendous air pollution, the federal government granted California the authority to set its own emissions standards, as long as they were stricter than federal rules. Those rules would then require approval from the EPA through waivers for final approval, and other states can adopt identical versions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clean air groups and environmental organizations ridiculed the rulings, saying the administration is weaponizing the Congressional Review Act, a mechanism used by Congress that requires a simple majority vote to overturn the EPA’s waivers. These organizations say that now 11 other states will lose their ability to match California’s efforts, and the U.S. will lose out on building its electric vehicle market to China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We suffer from the worst air pollution in this country and the federal government is making it harder to protect people,” said Adrian Martinez, an attorney with environmental group Earthjustice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mike Young, executive director of California Environmental Voters, wrote in a statement on Thursday that the actions show that the “President is siding with polluters over people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is planned chaos, orchestrated by big oil and corporate polluters to keep us locked into a dangerous, polluting vehicle market when we need bold action the most,” wrote Young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Mike Levin, Calif.-49, who represents most of San Diego’s North County and part of southern Orange County, wrote in a statement that the administration’s ruling could turn around decades of work to clean up “nonstop smog alerts” in Southern California and said “clean air shouldn’t be negotiable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not going back,” he said. “Not to the smog. Not to the asthma. And not to a future where polluters get to call the shots.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>President Donald Trump signed three joint resolutions of Congress on Thursday, blocking \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039494/senate-weighs-repeal-of-california-clean-air-rules-raising-stakes-for-ev-market-and-public-health\">California’s electric vehicle sales mandates\u003c/a> and diesel engine rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Air Resources Board and 10 attorneys general representing other states immediately filed a lawsuit over the president’s actions, calling them an “unlawful” attack on the clean vehicle standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California lawmakers and environmental groups claim the administration’s actions undermine the state’s ability to protect the health of millions of residents and to keep human-caused climate change in check. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996968/senate-votes-block-californias-electric-vehicle-mandate#:~:text=Gavin%20Newsom%20and%20Attorney%20General%20Rob%20Bonta,two%20other%20clean%20air%20act%20rules%20Thursday.&text=California's%20rules%20would%20ban%20the%20sale%20of,makers%20to%20start%20selling%20more%20electric%20vehicles.\">They argue Congress does not have the authority\u003c/a> to legislate on the state’s waivers, echoing statements by two nonpartisan government entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We made a promise that if the President attempted to illegally interfere with our clean air standards, we’d hold him accountable in court,” said Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general. “What we’re seeing is a thinly veiled attempt by the President to retaliate against California for choosing progress over regression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom also signed an \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CRA-Response-EO-N-27-25_-bl-formatted-GGN-Signed-6-11-954pmFinal.pdf\">executive order\u003c/a> on Thursday, “doubling down on the state’s efforts to transition away from fossil fuels” by reaffirming the state’s commitment to “aggressively address the serious issue of air pollution in the state.” The order calls on the California Air Resources Board to develop new clean car regulations to replace those blocked by the Trump administration. It also requires state departments to purchase vehicles from manufacturers that still comply with California’s clean car regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996925\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996925\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/GavinNewsom2025AP2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Gavin Newsom stands in front of a state flag during a press conference about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on April 16, 2025, at an almond farm in Ceres, California. \u003ccite>(Noah Berger/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We won’t let this illegal action by Trump and Republicans in the pockets of polluters stand in the way of commonsense policy to clean our air, protect the health of our kids and compete on the global stage,” Newsom said in a statement. Several House \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/climate/democrats-california-ban-electric-vehicles.html\">Democrats\u003c/a> joined Republicans in voting to block California’s waivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s rules would \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039494/senate-weighs-repeal-of-california-clean-air-rules-raising-stakes-for-ev-market-and-public-health\">ban the sale of new gas cars in the state\u003c/a> starting in 2035, reduce pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses, and require truck manufacturers to start selling more electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The resolutions are a significant win for auto dealers and automakers, including General Motors and Toyota, who lobbied against California’s regulations.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>During a live-streamed press conference on Thursday, Trump called California’s clean air rules “a disaster for this country” and touted his actions as a “rescue of the U.S. auto industry from destruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives of the petroleum industry applauded the administration’s move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Today’s historic signing is critical for protecting U.S. families, manufacturing workers, and our national security,” American Petroleum Institute president Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers president Chet Thompson wrote in a joint statement. “We thank President Trump for keeping his promise to American voters to end these extreme and restrictive policies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eric Sauer, CEO of the California Trucking Association, told KQED he thanks the Trump Administration for signing the resolutions, saying, “trucking companies across the country faced crushing economic consequences from unattainable and unachievable regulations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now look forward to a productive dialogue on setting and achieving realistic goals,” Sauer added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The majority of \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-graphs\">California’s\u003c/a> planet-warming emissions come from transportation, and the same is true \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\">nationwide\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1994309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1994309\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-1536x1055.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/09/BerkeleyPollutionGetty1-1920x1319.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vehicles travel along Interstate 80 on Jan. 16, 2024, in Berkeley.\u003cbr>Californians are breathing significantly less harmful vehicle pollution than 25 years ago, thanks to a 65% drop in PM2.5 exposure from cars, trucks and other vehicles, according to a new study by UC Berkeley, CalEPA and the University of Washington. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California has regulated its own vehicle pollution since the 1960s, before the Clean Air Act was signed into law in 1970. Due to the state’s historically horrendous air pollution, the federal government granted California the authority to set its own emissions standards, as long as they were stricter than federal rules. Those rules would then require approval from the EPA through waivers for final approval, and other states can adopt identical versions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clean air groups and environmental organizations ridiculed the rulings, saying the administration is weaponizing the Congressional Review Act, a mechanism used by Congress that requires a simple majority vote to overturn the EPA’s waivers. These organizations say that now 11 other states will lose their ability to match California’s efforts, and the U.S. will lose out on building its electric vehicle market to China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We suffer from the worst air pollution in this country and the federal government is making it harder to protect people,” said Adrian Martinez, an attorney with environmental group Earthjustice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mike Young, executive director of California Environmental Voters, wrote in a statement on Thursday that the actions show that the “President is siding with polluters over people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is planned chaos, orchestrated by big oil and corporate polluters to keep us locked into a dangerous, polluting vehicle market when we need bold action the most,” wrote Young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Mike Levin, Calif.-49, who represents most of San Diego’s North County and part of southern Orange County, wrote in a statement that the administration’s ruling could turn around decades of work to clean up “nonstop smog alerts” in Southern California and said “clean air shouldn’t be negotiable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not going back,” he said. “Not to the smog. Not to the asthma. And not to a future where polluters get to call the shots.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "this-oakland-block-tried-to-quit-fossil-fuels-heres-what-they-learned",
"title": "This Oakland Block Tried to Quit Fossil Fuels. Here’s What They Learned",
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"headTitle": "This Oakland Block Tried to Quit Fossil Fuels. Here’s What They Learned | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Just before the 2019 holiday season, musician Isaac Zones got an \u003ca href=\"https://citris-uc.org/oakland-ecoblock-looking-for-interested-neighborhoods/\">email\u003c/a>, forwarded from a friend. It asked, “Do you and your neighbors want to save money on your energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and survive the next power outage?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His answer was, well, yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically, I read it as like free solar for everybody on my block,” Zones said. Zones lives on an East Oakland street lined with century-old single-family Victorians, mid-century, boxy apartment buildings and everything in between.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984963/electric-avenue-one-oakland-blocks-improbable-journey-to-ditch-gas\">The initiative, headed by researchers at UC Berkeley, invited entire neighborhoods to apply for major upgrades\u003c/a>: energy- and water-efficient appliances, insulation and solar panels, along with a shared back-up battery and microgrid to protect the street from power blackouts. All for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In return, the researchers would get to test out a theory: would retrofitting buildings together, all at once, save money by buying in bulk? Would it save time for a contractor to walk from one job across the street to another? Would people even want to sign up?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project would tackle a significant but overlooked issue: the planet-warming pollution that comes from buildings and the energy they use. In the U.S., that’s roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/commercial-and-residential-sector-emissions\">one-third\u003c/a> of all emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A way to cut that pollution is to wean buildings off fossil fuels like natural gas and swap out gas appliances for electric ones. But doing this home by home and business by business is expensive and slow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995537\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995537\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Therese Peffer, a researcher from UC Berkeley’s California Institute for Energy and Environment CITRIS Climate initiative, helps neighbors plant trees on a block in Oakland on Jan. 26, 2025. The block is part of EcoBlock, a collaborative project bringing together academics, professionals, government agencies, utilities, private donors and residents. The initiative aims to help an entire city block reduce emissions through insulation upgrades, electric appliances and solar panels. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So researchers at UC Berkeley’s California Institute for Energy and Environment set out to study if there was another way to slash pollution from buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They felt there was already enough attention on how to construct new buildings for a warmer world. “New construction is easy, right? It’s sexy and it’s fun, but it’s not where the biggest problem is,” said Therese Peffer, who heads the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we’re going to try to really combat climate change, it is looking at the existing buildings in this country,” Peffer said — the millions of offices, warehouses, restaurants and homes we already have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, Peffer and her colleagues at UC Berkeley got a \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/CEC-500-2020-009-AP.pdf\">$5 million grant\u003c/a> from the state of California to test out a new, block-scale approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Isaac Zones was ready to sign his block up as the guinea pig.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Getting neighbors on board\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Isaac Zones and his wife, Vivian Santana Pacheco, had always cared about the environment, but their passion grew after they had their child, now in elementary school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want this world to be a habitable one for him,” Santana Pacheco said. “Already, I feel like we’re behind, and that I’m not doing enough. This feels more tangible than showing up to a protest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983903\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1983903\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Issac Zones (left) and Vivian Santana-Pacheco (right) stand for a portrait in front of their electric vehicle in Oakland, California, on Aug. 11, 2023. The couple is a part of a group of neighbors in Oakland that are beginning to electrify their home appliances. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pair went door to door, selling neighbors on the project, called “EcoBlock.” The task wasn’t unfamiliar: they’d gone door-knocking after moving to the block almost a decade ago. But that time it was to invite people out for a block party, which has since become an annual tradition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking neighbors to come out for a beer is different than asking them to overhaul their largest asset, but Santana Pacheco and Zones had a lot of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some residents were immediately game: they wanted air conditioning to deal with California’s increasing heat waves, and they valued how the project prioritized a low and middle-income neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Santana Pacheco and Zones convinced 15 out of the 25 properties on the block to sign on.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The holdouts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>So, who didn’t want to be part of EcoBlock?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steve Johnson lives in a white Victorian that’s been in his family for almost 100 years. He’s a retired contractor and spent decades remodeling his home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m 70 years old. I just didn’t want to go through a lot of new construction all over again because I really don’t need it,” Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995170\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995170\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steven Johnson stands in his kitchen in Oakland on Nov. 13, 2024. Johnson decided against participating in the EcoBlock project. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>His energy bills are incredibly low already, and he thinks there are other ways to tackle planet-warming pollution; things like aviation fuel and shipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, he isn’t ready to give up all fossil fuels just yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just can’t imagine not cooking on gas. And the whole EcoBlock wanted to take away the gas,” Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was a major goal of the project — weaning homes off natural gas, which is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane#:~:text=Methane%20is%20the%20second%20most,trapping%20heat%20in%20the%20atmosphere.\">powerful climate pollutant\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other people who opted out of the project had done unpermitted work on their homes, and feared they’d get in trouble with the city. And some people felt distrustful of an outside institution leading the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EcoBlock faced other hurdles: a pandemic, supply chain issues and inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As prices rose, the project shrank. Instead of an all-electric utopia, EcoBlock would mostly address the biggest sources of a home’s pollution: heating and cooling.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Workers, workers everywhere\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finally, in 2024, construction began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suddenly, there were workers everywhere, blowing insulation into walls, replacing HVAC systems and installing solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had this joke on the block: who’s getting the porta party in front of their house? That’s how we know who’s getting construction done,” Zones said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995169\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995169\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Salalai Vongsy, a contractor with Eco Performance Builders, works in Jesse Hassinger’s home in Oakland on Nov. 13, 2024, as part of the EcoBlock project. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, five-and-a-half years after the block signed on, the work is almost done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors are reveling in their new comforts: new heating and cooling, insulation, bathroom fans to improve air circulation, solar panels, new roofs to support them and more. The block has also had a facelift, with chunks of sidewalk concrete ripped up and trees and native plants put in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several more ambitious aspects of the project were scrapped along the way due to funding and feasibility limitations: a shared back-up battery, a community microgrid and a shared electric vehicle and charger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But residents ultimately seem grateful for their upgrades and for having an outside entity coordinate all the details for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Did it work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Now that the first EcoBlock is near completion: Did Therese Peffer and her colleagues’ theory work? Is upgrading a whole block faster and cheaper than going house by house?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peffer’s takeaway: yes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here is why, and what they’ve learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995320\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1995320 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nick Corlett stands next to a newly installed heat pump at his home in Oakland on Nov. 13, 2024, as part of the EcoBlock project. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Costs\u003c/strong>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>This pilot project was far more expensive than future ones. \u003c/strong>The EcoBlock pilot cost $8 million, funded by a state grant and a private donor. But that included the cost of all kinds of experts, and parts of the project that were designed but never used.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">Peffer thinks the next attempt would cost just a third of that, and go much faster. “It takes that first time of kicking the tires and trying to break things to kind of lay that pathway for the next one,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Buying in bulk saves money.\u003c/strong> Peffer estimates EcoBlock saved 10-20% on bulk purchases of equipment like appliances, wires and electric panels. They were also able to get more competitive bids from contractors, because multiple homes needed work.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Return on investment for energy efficiency for low-income residents faces an unexpected hurdle.\u003c/strong> Many low-income residents have discounted energy rates and/or relatively low energy use, which means the timeline for the return on investment for energy efficiency improvements can be prohibitively long, according to the California Energy Commission.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003col start=\"2\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Proximity of buildings helps, but being on the same street might not be so important.\u003c/strong> The project contractor, Keith O’Hara, who heads Eco Performance Builders, said his crews saved time by being able to use the last few hours of a day to cross a street and start on a new project, or simply to help another crew carry a heavy appliance. But if a full block isn’t attempting to remove all gas appliances from their homes with the goal of removing a gas main beneath their road, they don’t necessarily need to be on the same block. “I just think it’s really hard to get all those people on the block to agree,” O’Hara said.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=science_1996563 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/250321-VIRTUALPOWERPLANT-04-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">Instead, O’Hara said, homes could be in the same general area as one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003col start=\"3\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>You don’t need to overhaul everything. \u003c/strong>While this project had lofty goals, Peffer thinks future EcoBlocks could focus on smaller, more manageable upgrades. “Maybe it’s bulk purchasing. Like, ‘I want an induction stove, do you want an induction stove? Let’s go in together and see if we can get a 10% discount,’” she said.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>It all hinges on the neighbors. \u003c/strong>Neighbors are crucial to the success of a project like this in several ways:\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>The neighbors need to be committed.\u003c/strong> EcoBlock attempted to do these upgrades on a different Oakland block at first, one that did not raise its hand for the project, and that attempt ended in failure. But having a block volunteer made for much greater buy-in and patience when obstacles came up.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>It helps to have a neighborhood where there is already some sense of camaraderie.\u003c/strong> Because Santana Pacheco and Zones had built ties through an annual block party, they’d already established a baseline of trust among neighbors, which “made it easier for folks to take a leap of faith and not get completely discouraged through all the ups and downs,” Zones reflected.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">If you don’t have a sense of trust among your neighbors, the first step is to build that: share fruit from your backyard tree, host a gathering or start a group chat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>The best publicist for a project like this is your neighbor.\u003c/strong> Because your neighbor can better understand your specific interests, they may speak your language or have some other cultural similarity.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">“Also because we are sticking it out and probably have as much to lose as they do,” Santana Pacheco said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Friends and neighbors plant trees on their block in Oakland on Jan. 26, 2025. The block is part of EcoBlock, a collaborative project bringing together academics, professionals, government agencies, utilities, private donors and residents. The initiative aims to help an entire city block reduce emissions through insulation upgrades, electric appliances and solar panels. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Group projects help increase buy-in.\u003c/strong> One of the major project funders, the California Energy Commission, reported that aspects of the project, which brought the block together, such as planned tree plantings, increased engagement.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The final EcoBlock solar panels are slated to turn on in the fall. After gathering data about costs and electricity use for some time, Peffer and her team will have more detailed lessons to share, including guides for other blocks to use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, though, it is the desire people have to build community that has stuck with residents and researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s “something about tapping into a community and strengthening the real relationships with good people, not the Facebook relationships or Instagram or whatever,” Peffer said. “The door to door, the face to face, the people that pass you day to day on the street.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Zones, the project has meant a lot as he considers how to tackle climate change, which often feels overwhelming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So much of it seems like a string of losses. And this felt like a victory of some kind,” Zones said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Just before the 2019 holiday season, musician Isaac Zones got an \u003ca href=\"https://citris-uc.org/oakland-ecoblock-looking-for-interested-neighborhoods/\">email\u003c/a>, forwarded from a friend. It asked, “Do you and your neighbors want to save money on your energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and survive the next power outage?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His answer was, well, yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically, I read it as like free solar for everybody on my block,” Zones said. Zones lives on an East Oakland street lined with century-old single-family Victorians, mid-century, boxy apartment buildings and everything in between.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1984963/electric-avenue-one-oakland-blocks-improbable-journey-to-ditch-gas\">The initiative, headed by researchers at UC Berkeley, invited entire neighborhoods to apply for major upgrades\u003c/a>: energy- and water-efficient appliances, insulation and solar panels, along with a shared back-up battery and microgrid to protect the street from power blackouts. All for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In return, the researchers would get to test out a theory: would retrofitting buildings together, all at once, save money by buying in bulk? Would it save time for a contractor to walk from one job across the street to another? Would people even want to sign up?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project would tackle a significant but overlooked issue: the planet-warming pollution that comes from buildings and the energy they use. In the U.S., that’s roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/commercial-and-residential-sector-emissions\">one-third\u003c/a> of all emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A way to cut that pollution is to wean buildings off fossil fuels like natural gas and swap out gas appliances for electric ones. But doing this home by home and business by business is expensive and slow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995537\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995537\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-16-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Therese Peffer, a researcher from UC Berkeley’s California Institute for Energy and Environment CITRIS Climate initiative, helps neighbors plant trees on a block in Oakland on Jan. 26, 2025. The block is part of EcoBlock, a collaborative project bringing together academics, professionals, government agencies, utilities, private donors and residents. The initiative aims to help an entire city block reduce emissions through insulation upgrades, electric appliances and solar panels. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So researchers at UC Berkeley’s California Institute for Energy and Environment set out to study if there was another way to slash pollution from buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They felt there was already enough attention on how to construct new buildings for a warmer world. “New construction is easy, right? It’s sexy and it’s fun, but it’s not where the biggest problem is,” said Therese Peffer, who heads the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we’re going to try to really combat climate change, it is looking at the existing buildings in this country,” Peffer said — the millions of offices, warehouses, restaurants and homes we already have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, Peffer and her colleagues at UC Berkeley got a \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/CEC-500-2020-009-AP.pdf\">$5 million grant\u003c/a> from the state of California to test out a new, block-scale approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Isaac Zones was ready to sign his block up as the guinea pig.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Getting neighbors on board\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Isaac Zones and his wife, Vivian Santana Pacheco, had always cared about the environment, but their passion grew after they had their child, now in elementary school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want this world to be a habitable one for him,” Santana Pacheco said. “Already, I feel like we’re behind, and that I’m not doing enough. This feels more tangible than showing up to a protest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983903\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1983903\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/RS67844_20230810-BlossomStreet-13-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Issac Zones (left) and Vivian Santana-Pacheco (right) stand for a portrait in front of their electric vehicle in Oakland, California, on Aug. 11, 2023. The couple is a part of a group of neighbors in Oakland that are beginning to electrify their home appliances. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The pair went door to door, selling neighbors on the project, called “EcoBlock.” The task wasn’t unfamiliar: they’d gone door-knocking after moving to the block almost a decade ago. But that time it was to invite people out for a block party, which has since become an annual tradition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking neighbors to come out for a beer is different than asking them to overhaul their largest asset, but Santana Pacheco and Zones had a lot of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some residents were immediately game: they wanted air conditioning to deal with California’s increasing heat waves, and they valued how the project prioritized a low and middle-income neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Santana Pacheco and Zones convinced 15 out of the 25 properties on the block to sign on.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The holdouts\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>So, who didn’t want to be part of EcoBlock?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steve Johnson lives in a white Victorian that’s been in his family for almost 100 years. He’s a retired contractor and spent decades remodeling his home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m 70 years old. I just didn’t want to go through a lot of new construction all over again because I really don’t need it,” Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995170\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995170\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-63-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steven Johnson stands in his kitchen in Oakland on Nov. 13, 2024. Johnson decided against participating in the EcoBlock project. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>His energy bills are incredibly low already, and he thinks there are other ways to tackle planet-warming pollution; things like aviation fuel and shipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, he isn’t ready to give up all fossil fuels just yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just can’t imagine not cooking on gas. And the whole EcoBlock wanted to take away the gas,” Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was a major goal of the project — weaning homes off natural gas, which is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane#:~:text=Methane%20is%20the%20second%20most,trapping%20heat%20in%20the%20atmosphere.\">powerful climate pollutant\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other people who opted out of the project had done unpermitted work on their homes, and feared they’d get in trouble with the city. And some people felt distrustful of an outside institution leading the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EcoBlock faced other hurdles: a pandemic, supply chain issues and inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As prices rose, the project shrank. Instead of an all-electric utopia, EcoBlock would mostly address the biggest sources of a home’s pollution: heating and cooling.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Workers, workers everywhere\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finally, in 2024, construction began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suddenly, there were workers everywhere, blowing insulation into walls, replacing HVAC systems and installing solar panels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had this joke on the block: who’s getting the porta party in front of their house? That’s how we know who’s getting construction done,” Zones said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995169\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995169\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/241113-ECOBLOCKFOLLOWUP-59-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Salalai Vongsy, a contractor with Eco Performance Builders, works in Jesse Hassinger’s home in Oakland on Nov. 13, 2024, as part of the EcoBlock project. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, five-and-a-half years after the block signed on, the work is almost done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neighbors are reveling in their new comforts: new heating and cooling, insulation, bathroom fans to improve air circulation, solar panels, new roofs to support them and more. The block has also had a facelift, with chunks of sidewalk concrete ripped up and trees and native plants put in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several more ambitious aspects of the project were scrapped along the way due to funding and feasibility limitations: a shared back-up battery, a community microgrid and a shared electric vehicle and charger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But residents ultimately seem grateful for their upgrades and for having an outside entity coordinate all the details for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Did it work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Now that the first EcoBlock is near completion: Did Therese Peffer and her colleagues’ theory work? Is upgrading a whole block faster and cheaper than going house by house?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peffer’s takeaway: yes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here is why, and what they’ve learned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995320\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1995320 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/12/241113-EcoBlockFollowup-11-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nick Corlett stands next to a newly installed heat pump at his home in Oakland on Nov. 13, 2024, as part of the EcoBlock project. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Costs\u003c/strong>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>This pilot project was far more expensive than future ones. \u003c/strong>The EcoBlock pilot cost $8 million, funded by a state grant and a private donor. But that included the cost of all kinds of experts, and parts of the project that were designed but never used.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">Peffer thinks the next attempt would cost just a third of that, and go much faster. “It takes that first time of kicking the tires and trying to break things to kind of lay that pathway for the next one,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Buying in bulk saves money.\u003c/strong> Peffer estimates EcoBlock saved 10-20% on bulk purchases of equipment like appliances, wires and electric panels. They were also able to get more competitive bids from contractors, because multiple homes needed work.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Return on investment for energy efficiency for low-income residents faces an unexpected hurdle.\u003c/strong> Many low-income residents have discounted energy rates and/or relatively low energy use, which means the timeline for the return on investment for energy efficiency improvements can be prohibitively long, according to the California Energy Commission.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003col start=\"2\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Proximity of buildings helps, but being on the same street might not be so important.\u003c/strong> The project contractor, Keith O’Hara, who heads Eco Performance Builders, said his crews saved time by being able to use the last few hours of a day to cross a street and start on a new project, or simply to help another crew carry a heavy appliance. But if a full block isn’t attempting to remove all gas appliances from their homes with the goal of removing a gas main beneath their road, they don’t necessarily need to be on the same block. “I just think it’s really hard to get all those people on the block to agree,” O’Hara said.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">Instead, O’Hara said, homes could be in the same general area as one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003col start=\"3\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>You don’t need to overhaul everything. \u003c/strong>While this project had lofty goals, Peffer thinks future EcoBlocks could focus on smaller, more manageable upgrades. “Maybe it’s bulk purchasing. Like, ‘I want an induction stove, do you want an induction stove? Let’s go in together and see if we can get a 10% discount,’” she said.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>It all hinges on the neighbors. \u003c/strong>Neighbors are crucial to the success of a project like this in several ways:\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>The neighbors need to be committed.\u003c/strong> EcoBlock attempted to do these upgrades on a different Oakland block at first, one that did not raise its hand for the project, and that attempt ended in failure. But having a block volunteer made for much greater buy-in and patience when obstacles came up.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>It helps to have a neighborhood where there is already some sense of camaraderie.\u003c/strong> Because Santana Pacheco and Zones had built ties through an annual block party, they’d already established a baseline of trust among neighbors, which “made it easier for folks to take a leap of faith and not get completely discouraged through all the ups and downs,” Zones reflected.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">If you don’t have a sense of trust among your neighbors, the first step is to build that: share fruit from your backyard tree, host a gathering or start a group chat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>The best publicist for a project like this is your neighbor.\u003c/strong> Because your neighbor can better understand your specific interests, they may speak your language or have some other cultural similarity.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px\">“Also because we are sticking it out and probably have as much to lose as they do,” Santana Pacheco said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/250126-EcoBlock-04-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Friends and neighbors plant trees on their block in Oakland on Jan. 26, 2025. The block is part of EcoBlock, a collaborative project bringing together academics, professionals, government agencies, utilities, private donors and residents. The initiative aims to help an entire city block reduce emissions through insulation upgrades, electric appliances and solar panels. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Group projects help increase buy-in.\u003c/strong> One of the major project funders, the California Energy Commission, reported that aspects of the project, which brought the block together, such as planned tree plantings, increased engagement.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The final EcoBlock solar panels are slated to turn on in the fall. After gathering data about costs and electricity use for some time, Peffer and her team will have more detailed lessons to share, including guides for other blocks to use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, though, it is the desire people have to build community that has stuck with residents and researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s “something about tapping into a community and strengthening the real relationships with good people, not the Facebook relationships or Instagram or whatever,” Peffer said. “The door to door, the face to face, the people that pass you day to day on the street.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Zones, the project has meant a lot as he considers how to tackle climate change, which often feels overwhelming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So much of it seems like a string of losses. And this felt like a victory of some kind,” Zones said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Shiva Mishek loves to win. And the co-chair of the Richmond Progressive Alliance is not afraid of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">stiff competition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, as chief of staff for Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez, she helped lead \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000170/richmond-drops-bid-for-chevron-refinery-tax-in-550-million-deal-with-company\">a campaign\u003c/a> to convince voters to approve a ballot tax measure that would impose an oil-refining tax on Chevron, which processes hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil each day in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company threatened to sue, and the city only ditched the ballot measure after Chevron agreed to pay $550 million over a decade to compensate the community for the effects of pollution. Martinez called the settlement a historic victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peering through an opening of a tree-lined fence on Castro Street earlier this month, Mishek, wearing a grey T-shirt and high-waisted jeans, said: “It’s very hard to turn down a deal like this,” even if the Richmond resident had wanted more from the company. “Half a billion dollars is pennies,” for big corporations, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s touch is all around \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/chevron-refinery\">Richmond\u003c/a>. Oil tanks on hills loom over the community. Trains split the city. The company played a pivotal role in helping the city become an industrial powerhouse, stimulating the West Contra Costa County economy to the tune of approximately $1 billion each year, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/chevrons-impact-in-west-contra-costa-county/\">report\u003c/a> commissioned by the company. But advocates claim that having a refinery in town comes with significant health implications, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">higher rates of asthma\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s so insidious about environmental harm is it’s often invisible,” Mishek said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997209\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997209\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Chevron Richmond Refinery in Richmond on June 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A group of California Senate and Assembly lawmakers have now proposed a similar plan — the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb684\">Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025\u003c/a> — that would require companies to pay the state money retroactively for their oil production between 1990 and 2024, to address the damages they argue Californians are facing now and in the future as a result. Climate policy experts said that if the bill passes, it will become entangled in legal battles. The legislation already faces fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers and a slew of influential groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, the State Building Construction Trades Council and the oil industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western States Petroleum Association, in an email, called it “a misguided proposal to retroactively punish companies for providing a legal product that was, and remains, critical to our state’s economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marie Choi, communications director at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, which helped spearhead the ballot measure in Richmond, said state lawmakers should look to the campaign in that city — where organizers leveraged local support — as a guide as they pursue the controversial policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a reason that Chevron came to the table, settled and didn’t even want to see this go on the ballot because there was overwhelming support in the community,” she said. “For lawmakers in Sacramento who are inundated with oil lobbyists, it can be hard to remember that it is very much the reality of how people feel on the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997206\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997206\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marie Choi, communications director for Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), sits at Kaleidoscope Coffee in Richmond on June 3, 2025. APEN is a grassroots organization that advocates for environmental justice and the rights of lower-income Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘Protecting all of California’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For bill author Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Panorama City, the policy is a personal matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>January’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/la-fires\">devastating Los Angeles fires\u003c/a> destroyed thousands of homes and caused other damages that will \u003ca href=\"https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/about/centers/ucla-anderson-forecast/economic-impact-los-angeles-wildfires\">cost north of $100 billion\u003c/a>, according to early estimates. It was like climate change smacking her district across the face, she said.[aside postID=news_12006203 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/017_Richmond_ChevronRefinery_01132022_qed-1020x680.jpg']“You pay for that, and I pay for that,” Menjivar said. “If we don’t do something to increase the revenues for these kinds of catastrophes, we’re going to be falling even more behind on being able to combat or be responsive or be preventative for the next kind of catastrophe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maya Golden-Krasner has lived in a hotel since the Eaton Fire contaminated her family’s home with lead and ash. As deputy climate director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which sponsored the bill, she believes the act is essential for California because the Trump administration is actively defunding policies that protect people during climate disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t know if we are going to have money from the federal government to deal with disasters in the future,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If passed, the bill requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to determine which California companies could be responsible for more than a billion metric tons of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere over the last three decades. Regulators would then conduct a climate cost study to determine the amount each business would need to contribute to a new fund within the state treasury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997203\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiva Mishek, a Richmond resident and community organizer, at the Richmond Progressive Alliance offices in Richmond on May 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They throw in tens of millions of dollars just for lobbying,” Menjivar said. “If they’re putting so much money into that, I know they can afford this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar laws have been passed in \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/06/01/g-s1-2359/vermont-first-state-oil-companies-pay-climate-change-damages\">Vermont\u003c/a> and New York that require fossil fuel companies to pay for the damages caused by human-caused climate change through funds to support adaptation projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-San Luis Obispo, would like the fees collected to help harden homes in areas of the state prone to wildfires, prepare cities in her district for flooding and create living-wage green jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The majority of California’s population lives at the coast and needs to know that they’re gonna be able to keep their homes safe and that their children are gonna grow up in a world that is not experiencing such extreme weather events,” Addis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘A misguided attempt’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California proposal has emerged at a time when oil companies are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039505/a-bay-area-refinery-town-contemplates-future-without-big-oil\">set to close two refineries\u003c/a> in the state and the Trump administration is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035274/the-future-of-oil-drilling-off-californias-coast-could-be-at-stake-in-a-hearing-today\">attempting to revive oil drilling off the West Coast\u003c/a>. At the same time, gas prices are high compared to their historical average at \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\">$4.76\u003c/a> a gallon, according to AAA, but still below the roughly five bucks Californians paid at the pump on average last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron officials told KQED in an email that if the bill were to pass, it “would exacerbate a hostile business environment,” undermine the state’s energy production, increase energy costs and “threaten the reliability of fuel supplies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997210\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997210\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lauritzen Canal, a shipping waterway that is part of the larger Port of Richmond, in Richmond, on June 3, 2025. The canal is part of the United Heckathorn Superfund site, designated for cleanup due to hazardous contamination from past industrial use. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, urged lawmakers at the bill’s introduction to reject the legislation, claiming it will hurt commuters in her district who travel hundreds of miles every week for work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To say that this bill will not raise gas prices is not only absurd, it’s downright irresponsible and the definition of gas lighting,” Valladares said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A coalition of more than two dozen industry groups and associations opposes the bill and said it “would likely worsen California’s affordability crisis for the state’s consumers and businesses,” in a joint press release. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/people/165813\">Jon Kendrick\u003c/a>, a lobbyist with the California Chamber of Commerce, called the bill a “job killer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By retroactively punishing decades-old lawful emissions that largely occurred outside of the state, we disincentivize businesses from actually coming to California,” he said at the bill’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/258686?t=84&f=a5b79bd1f2ae14737818d6d529d90fe1\">introduction\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill “does nothing for working people,” said Martin Rodriguez, who represents thousands of people with Ironworkers Local 433. “It’s a misguided attempt to punish an industry that our whole economy is based [on].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997205\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interstate 80 runs through the city of Richmond on May 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘Long legal battles’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Opponents also argue that companies have already paid a tax on these emissions through the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040286/how-california-cap-and-trade-works-and-how-newsom-wants-to-change-it\">cap-and-trade program\u003c/a>, money the state spends on climate projects. They want the state to focus on extending the program, which Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed doing in his updated budget proposal. The program has generated \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/05/07/state-invests-nearly-33-billion-in-cap-and-trade-dollars-to-make-communities-cleaner-and-healthier/\">$33 billion\u003c/a> through seasonal auctions that enable businesses to purchase allowances for emitting greenhouse gases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By holding polluters accountable, we’re sending billions of dollars back to communities and back to people’s wallets through credits on utility bills,” Newsom said in a press\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/05/07/state-invests-nearly-33-billion-in-cap-and-trade-dollars-to-make-communities-cleaner-and-healthier/#:~:text=SACRAMENTO%20%E2%80%93%20Governor%20Gavin%20Newsom%20today,Air%20Resources%20Board%20(CARB).\"> release\u003c/a> dated May 7.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there is the question of the bill’s legality. Severin Borenstein, a UC Berkeley economics professor, questions whether California could compel companies to pay retroactively, especially since the state’s cap-and-trade program already taxes them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Legally, that would be problematic,” he said. “If we go down this route of going back 30 years and penalizing companies, that’s likely to lead to long legal battles and more bad publicity for the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Borenstein believes a price on carbon emissions nationally “would be much more impactful” than California’s proposal, but it would face extreme pushback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiva Mishek, a Richmond resident and community organizer, looks through protest signs at the Richmond Progressive Alliance offices in Richmond on May 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s important to have a feel for what is going to move the ball forward politically and what might cause so much blowback that it could undermine the pursuit of a lower carbon future,” Borenstein said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in Richmond, Shiva Mishek sipped Earl Grey tea in her beige orderly kitchen, pondering how the state can learn from Richmond’s half-billion-dollar settlement. She said she is still torn over it and worries about the city’s future. And those oil tanks on the hills are a constant reminder that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a win because she sees the city as overburdened by the refinery’s operations and has “a lot of climate adaptation needs that are urgent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In Richmond, the lesson is that it’s important to stay clear-eyed on what the needs are and to keep our eye on the prize,” Mishek said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As California lawmakers consider a controversial 'polluters pay' bill, advocates argue they should model the effort after the city of Richmond, where leaders tapped into community support for a similar policy. Chevron agreed to pay $550 million to Richmond to compensate the residents for the effects of pollution.",
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"title": "California Lawmakers Divided Over Polluters' Pay Plan to Combat Climate Crisis | KQED",
"description": "As California lawmakers consider a controversial 'polluters pay' bill, advocates argue they should model the effort after the city of Richmond, where leaders tapped into community support for a similar policy. Chevron agreed to pay $550 million to Richmond to compensate the residents for the effects of pollution.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Shiva Mishek loves to win. And the co-chair of the Richmond Progressive Alliance is not afraid of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">stiff competition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, as chief of staff for Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez, she helped lead \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12000170/richmond-drops-bid-for-chevron-refinery-tax-in-550-million-deal-with-company\">a campaign\u003c/a> to convince voters to approve a ballot tax measure that would impose an oil-refining tax on Chevron, which processes hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil each day in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company threatened to sue, and the city only ditched the ballot measure after Chevron agreed to pay $550 million over a decade to compensate the community for the effects of pollution. Martinez called the settlement a historic victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peering through an opening of a tree-lined fence on Castro Street earlier this month, Mishek, wearing a grey T-shirt and high-waisted jeans, said: “It’s very hard to turn down a deal like this,” even if the Richmond resident had wanted more from the company. “Half a billion dollars is pennies,” for big corporations, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron’s touch is all around \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/chevron-refinery\">Richmond\u003c/a>. Oil tanks on hills loom over the community. Trains split the city. The company played a pivotal role in helping the city become an industrial powerhouse, stimulating the West Contra Costa County economy to the tune of approximately $1 billion each year, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/chevrons-impact-in-west-contra-costa-county/\">report\u003c/a> commissioned by the company. But advocates claim that having a refinery in town comes with significant health implications, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1992910/richmond-oil-refining-tax-on-chevron-a-major-polluter-moves-closer-to-ballot\">higher rates of asthma\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s so insidious about environmental harm is it’s often invisible,” Mishek said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997209\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997209\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-28-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Chevron Richmond Refinery in Richmond on June 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A group of California Senate and Assembly lawmakers have now proposed a similar plan — the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb684\">Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025\u003c/a> — that would require companies to pay the state money retroactively for their oil production between 1990 and 2024, to address the damages they argue Californians are facing now and in the future as a result. Climate policy experts said that if the bill passes, it will become entangled in legal battles. The legislation already faces fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers and a slew of influential groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, the State Building Construction Trades Council and the oil industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Western States Petroleum Association, in an email, called it “a misguided proposal to retroactively punish companies for providing a legal product that was, and remains, critical to our state’s economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marie Choi, communications director at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, which helped spearhead the ballot measure in Richmond, said state lawmakers should look to the campaign in that city — where organizers leveraged local support — as a guide as they pursue the controversial policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a reason that Chevron came to the table, settled and didn’t even want to see this go on the ballot because there was overwhelming support in the community,” she said. “For lawmakers in Sacramento who are inundated with oil lobbyists, it can be hard to remember that it is very much the reality of how people feel on the ground.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997206\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997206\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-01-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marie Choi, communications director for Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), sits at Kaleidoscope Coffee in Richmond on June 3, 2025. APEN is a grassroots organization that advocates for environmental justice and the rights of lower-income Asian immigrant and refugee communities in California. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘Protecting all of California’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For bill author Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Panorama City, the policy is a personal matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>January’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/la-fires\">devastating Los Angeles fires\u003c/a> destroyed thousands of homes and caused other damages that will \u003ca href=\"https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/about/centers/ucla-anderson-forecast/economic-impact-los-angeles-wildfires\">cost north of $100 billion\u003c/a>, according to early estimates. It was like climate change smacking her district across the face, she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“You pay for that, and I pay for that,” Menjivar said. “If we don’t do something to increase the revenues for these kinds of catastrophes, we’re going to be falling even more behind on being able to combat or be responsive or be preventative for the next kind of catastrophe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maya Golden-Krasner has lived in a hotel since the Eaton Fire contaminated her family’s home with lead and ash. As deputy climate director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which sponsored the bill, she believes the act is essential for California because the Trump administration is actively defunding policies that protect people during climate disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t know if we are going to have money from the federal government to deal with disasters in the future,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If passed, the bill requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to determine which California companies could be responsible for more than a billion metric tons of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere over the last three decades. Regulators would then conduct a climate cost study to determine the amount each business would need to contribute to a new fund within the state treasury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997203\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiva Mishek, a Richmond resident and community organizer, at the Richmond Progressive Alliance offices in Richmond on May 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They throw in tens of millions of dollars just for lobbying,” Menjivar said. “If they’re putting so much money into that, I know they can afford this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar laws have been passed in \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/06/01/g-s1-2359/vermont-first-state-oil-companies-pay-climate-change-damages\">Vermont\u003c/a> and New York that require fossil fuel companies to pay for the damages caused by human-caused climate change through funds to support adaptation projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-San Luis Obispo, would like the fees collected to help harden homes in areas of the state prone to wildfires, prepare cities in her district for flooding and create living-wage green jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The majority of California’s population lives at the coast and needs to know that they’re gonna be able to keep their homes safe and that their children are gonna grow up in a world that is not experiencing such extreme weather events,” Addis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘A misguided attempt’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California proposal has emerged at a time when oil companies are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039505/a-bay-area-refinery-town-contemplates-future-without-big-oil\">set to close two refineries\u003c/a> in the state and the Trump administration is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035274/the-future-of-oil-drilling-off-californias-coast-could-be-at-stake-in-a-hearing-today\">attempting to revive oil drilling off the West Coast\u003c/a>. At the same time, gas prices are high compared to their historical average at \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA\">$4.76\u003c/a> a gallon, according to AAA, but still below the roughly five bucks Californians paid at the pump on average last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chevron officials told KQED in an email that if the bill were to pass, it “would exacerbate a hostile business environment,” undermine the state’s energy production, increase energy costs and “threaten the reliability of fuel supplies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997210\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997210\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250603-POLLUTERSPAY-35-BL-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lauritzen Canal, a shipping waterway that is part of the larger Port of Richmond, in Richmond, on June 3, 2025. The canal is part of the United Heckathorn Superfund site, designated for cleanup due to hazardous contamination from past industrial use. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, urged lawmakers at the bill’s introduction to reject the legislation, claiming it will hurt commuters in her district who travel hundreds of miles every week for work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To say that this bill will not raise gas prices is not only absurd, it’s downright irresponsible and the definition of gas lighting,” Valladares said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A coalition of more than two dozen industry groups and associations opposes the bill and said it “would likely worsen California’s affordability crisis for the state’s consumers and businesses,” in a joint press release. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/people/165813\">Jon Kendrick\u003c/a>, a lobbyist with the California Chamber of Commerce, called the bill a “job killer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By retroactively punishing decades-old lawful emissions that largely occurred outside of the state, we disincentivize businesses from actually coming to California,” he said at the bill’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/258686?t=84&f=a5b79bd1f2ae14737818d6d529d90fe1\">introduction\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill “does nothing for working people,” said Martin Rodriguez, who represents thousands of people with Ironworkers Local 433. “It’s a misguided attempt to punish an industry that our whole economy is based [on].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997205\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-12-BL-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interstate 80 runs through the city of Richmond on May 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘Long legal battles’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Opponents also argue that companies have already paid a tax on these emissions through the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040286/how-california-cap-and-trade-works-and-how-newsom-wants-to-change-it\">cap-and-trade program\u003c/a>, money the state spends on climate projects. They want the state to focus on extending the program, which Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed doing in his updated budget proposal. The program has generated \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/05/07/state-invests-nearly-33-billion-in-cap-and-trade-dollars-to-make-communities-cleaner-and-healthier/\">$33 billion\u003c/a> through seasonal auctions that enable businesses to purchase allowances for emitting greenhouse gases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By holding polluters accountable, we’re sending billions of dollars back to communities and back to people’s wallets through credits on utility bills,” Newsom said in a press\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/05/07/state-invests-nearly-33-billion-in-cap-and-trade-dollars-to-make-communities-cleaner-and-healthier/#:~:text=SACRAMENTO%20%E2%80%93%20Governor%20Gavin%20Newsom%20today,Air%20Resources%20Board%20(CARB).\"> release\u003c/a> dated May 7.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there is the question of the bill’s legality. Severin Borenstein, a UC Berkeley economics professor, questions whether California could compel companies to pay retroactively, especially since the state’s cap-and-trade program already taxes them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Legally, that would be problematic,” he said. “If we go down this route of going back 30 years and penalizing companies, that’s likely to lead to long legal battles and more bad publicity for the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Borenstein believes a price on carbon emissions nationally “would be much more impactful” than California’s proposal, but it would face extreme pushback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/250529-POLLUTERSPAY-05-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiva Mishek, a Richmond resident and community organizer, looks through protest signs at the Richmond Progressive Alliance offices in Richmond on May 29, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s important to have a feel for what is going to move the ball forward politically and what might cause so much blowback that it could undermine the pursuit of a lower carbon future,” Borenstein said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in Richmond, Shiva Mishek sipped Earl Grey tea in her beige orderly kitchen, pondering how the state can learn from Richmond’s half-billion-dollar settlement. She said she is still torn over it and worries about the city’s future. And those oil tanks on the hills are a constant reminder that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a win because she sees the city as overburdened by the refinery’s operations and has “a lot of climate adaptation needs that are urgent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In Richmond, the lesson is that it’s important to stay clear-eyed on what the needs are and to keep our eye on the prize,” Mishek said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>At Las Piletas Ranch Preserve in San Luis Obispo County, a surprising botanical discovery may alter the conservation future of a rare purple California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wildflowers\">wildflower\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers there uncovered a population explosion of the \u003ca href=\"https://forestwatch.org/learn-explore/wildlife-plants/camatta-canyon-amole/\">Camatta Canyon amole\u003c/a> previously thought to exist in only two known locations, with an estimated 10,000 plants globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scientists identified more than 16,000 amoles just at Las Piletas, according to Scott Butterfield, a lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s land program in California, who helped with the discovery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Camatta Canyon amole is endemic to the La Panza Range, located along California’s Central Coast east of the small town of Santa Margarita. The plant typically grows on \u003ca href=\"https://calgeographic.com/geomorphography-the-geomorphology-word-of-the-day/mima-mounds/\">Mima mounds\u003c/a> — slight, dome-shaped rises in the soil common in California grasslands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unique soil formations are sometimes referred to as “soil pimples.” These mounds, along with their vernal pools — puddles of water that appear after rainfall, usually during the spring — create rare microhabitats that support unique plant life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997270\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1997270\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED.jpg 1333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once thought to number just 10,000 worldwide, the rare Camatta Canyon amole stunned researchers when over 16,000 were found at Las Piletas alone. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“At first, we thought they were inside the pools,” Butterfield explained. “But now, we’re seeing they actually thrive on the slopes of the mounds, not in the pool, not at the top, but that in-between space. That’s a really interesting and unexpected result.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 95% of the vernal pool habitat that used to be widespread across the dry, inland regions of California has been lost, primarily to development, said Kristen Nelson, rare plant program manager at California Native Plant Society, a collaborator on the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Protecting a species also means protecting its habitat. And in this case, protecting Camatta Canyon amole means protecting the comparably rare and unique vernal pool habitat in which it occurs,” Nelson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This discovery of this bulbous, striking plant comes as Las Piletas launches California’s first virtual fencing pilot project, using GPS-enabled collars on cattle to manage grazing patterns with conservation in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re very interested in grazing to support specific native vegetation,” Butterfield said. “Before we started this pilot, we wanted to know where these rare plants lived.”[aside postID=science_1997157 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/20250530_SOUTHBAYOBSERVATORY_GC-31-KQED-1020x680.jpg']This finding, made possible by LIDAR — a high-resolution remote sensing tool that uses lasers to create 3D maps of terrain — enables scientists to detect very subtle changes in topography. This kind of detail helps researchers understand where these plants grow and why, Butterfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timing of this finding might have been coincidental. After several years of drought, the region experienced a wet year, which was ideal for native wildflowers but unfavorable for the invasive grasses that usually outcompete them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We got kind of lucky,” Butterfield said. With such a large and concentrated population of these native flowers, Las Piletas could become a center for species recovery efforts. “If we can collect this seed and grow it in other suitable habitats, we could potentially get this species off the threatened list,” Butterfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As researchers analyze the findings and plan future grazing practices, the hope is not only to protect the Camatta Canyon amole but also to set a new standard for integrating technology, ecology and stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to protect this species and make sure that this species — an important part of overall biodiversity across the ranch and across the state — is going to exist in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Endemic to San Luis Obispo County, researchers are finding that these rare, purple native flowers, Cammata Canyon amole, have recently started blooming more frequently than ever.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Camatta Canyon amole is endemic to the La Panza Range, located along California’s Central Coast east of the small town of Santa Margarita. The plant typically grows on \u003ca href=\"https://calgeographic.com/geomorphography-the-geomorphology-word-of-the-day/mima-mounds/\">Mima mounds\u003c/a> — slight, dome-shaped rises in the soil common in California grasslands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unique soil formations are sometimes referred to as “soil pimples.” These mounds, along with their vernal pools — puddles of water that appear after rainfall, usually during the spring — create rare microhabitats that support unique plant life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997270\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1997270\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/06/Cammata-Canyon-Amole-03-KQED.jpg 1333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once thought to number just 10,000 worldwide, the rare Camatta Canyon amole stunned researchers when over 16,000 were found at Las Piletas alone. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“At first, we thought they were inside the pools,” Butterfield explained. “But now, we’re seeing they actually thrive on the slopes of the mounds, not in the pool, not at the top, but that in-between space. That’s a really interesting and unexpected result.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 95% of the vernal pool habitat that used to be widespread across the dry, inland regions of California has been lost, primarily to development, said Kristen Nelson, rare plant program manager at California Native Plant Society, a collaborator on the research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Protecting a species also means protecting its habitat. And in this case, protecting Camatta Canyon amole means protecting the comparably rare and unique vernal pool habitat in which it occurs,” Nelson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This discovery of this bulbous, striking plant comes as Las Piletas launches California’s first virtual fencing pilot project, using GPS-enabled collars on cattle to manage grazing patterns with conservation in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re very interested in grazing to support specific native vegetation,” Butterfield said. “Before we started this pilot, we wanted to know where these rare plants lived.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This finding, made possible by LIDAR — a high-resolution remote sensing tool that uses lasers to create 3D maps of terrain — enables scientists to detect very subtle changes in topography. This kind of detail helps researchers understand where these plants grow and why, Butterfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timing of this finding might have been coincidental. After several years of drought, the region experienced a wet year, which was ideal for native wildflowers but unfavorable for the invasive grasses that usually outcompete them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We got kind of lucky,” Butterfield said. With such a large and concentrated population of these native flowers, Las Piletas could become a center for species recovery efforts. “If we can collect this seed and grow it in other suitable habitats, we could potentially get this species off the threatened list,” Butterfield said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As researchers analyze the findings and plan future grazing practices, the hope is not only to protect the Camatta Canyon amole but also to set a new standard for integrating technology, ecology and stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re going to protect this species and make sure that this species — an important part of overall biodiversity across the ranch and across the state — is going to exist in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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},
"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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