The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Monday, March 21.
State water officials announce cutbacks due to ongoing drought
State water officials announced they will be cutting back on water allocations for contractors of the State Water Project, according to The Associated Press. The AP reports the State Water Project provides water for about 27 million people as well as to large areas of farmland. Officials said Friday they'll only give 5% of requested water supplies to those who rely on the project.
The news comes as California is bracing for another year of drought and a dry spring.
— Adia White, NSPR
Dixie Fire: Sheriff explores video security in Greenville
Law enforcement officials in Plumas County are exploring video surveillance options in Greenville. The move comes as the county sheriff, Todd Johns, said he expects property crime will increase as the community begins to rebuild following last year’s destructive Dixie Fire.
“We’ve seen it in every area that’s been burned out,” Johns said Saturday at a fire recovery meeting in Greenville. “When contractors start showing up and bringing their equipment in — lumber and stuff — we just know it’s going to happen.”
The sheriff said he was in discussions with a private contractor about the possibility of putting up cameras at multiple locations in the town.
— Andre Byik, NSPR
Newsom proposes $100M in funding for California tribes
Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday announced a budget proposal to allocate $100 million in funding to California tribes for climate change and environmental initiatives.
Newsom said the proposed funding could be used for projects that advance environmental goals that align with the state’s. Under the proposal, this could include tribes buying back ancestral lands for conservation. Newsom referred to the proposed funding as a step toward righting past harms and a “down payment” to that commitment.
“We know that California native peoples have always had interdependent relations with the lands, waters, everything that now makes up the state of California,” Newsom said. “Unfortunately, we also know that the state has had a role in violently disrupting those relations. And of course, in the mistreatment of California's lands and waters as well.”
Under the proposal, the California Natural Resources Agency would manage and distribute the funds.
— Adia White, NSPR
Audit finds state underestimated housing needs in some communities
California has underestimated the number of housing units some communities should build, according to a recent report from the California State Auditor.
According to the auditor, mistakes in the estimates led the Sacramento region to plan for nearly 2,500 fewer housing units than it should have and shorted the Santa Barbara region by more than 1,300 units.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development is responsible for producing these figures, but the department failed to consider key factors such as housing lost in wildfires and how much housing is needed in areas with lots of jobs. It also failed on occasion to verify underlying data submitted by local communities.
— CapRadio Staff
UC Davis researchers are using ultrasounds to help save endangered abalone
Abalone are near extinction, but UC Davis researchers think they can help turn that around with the help of an old medical tool used in hospitals for decades: ultrasounds.
Red abalone used to flourish along California's coastline but are now endangered due to a number of factors. Researchers are using ultrasounds to quickly detect when abalone are ready to spawn. That information is then passed onto aquaculture scientists who manage abalone reproduction in captivity. Read the full story.
— CapRadio Staff
Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.In other news
- A dive back in time with Diamond Match Company: “Today, the land where the Diamond Match factory once stood is mostly empty with overgrown rubble amidst Chico’s farms and the Barber Neighborhood; the only remaining buildings are its engineering department and a small storage facility.” — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Small businesses in Shasta County need more federal COVID-19 relief, Redding Chamber says: “Jake Mangas, president of the 900-member business advocacy, lobbied Shasta County and city of Redding leaders for businesses to get a share of the more than $52 million in federal pandemic recovery money coming to the two North State government agencies.” — Redding Record Searchlight
- Redding police’s use of military equipment, including their armored vehicle, could change under new state law: “Under a state law that takes effect May 1, 2022, law enforcement must follow new rules for using military equipment, like the Redding Police Department’s $300,000 Lenco Bearcat ‘Rescue’ Vehicle.” — Shasta Scout
- [Plumas] supervisors split on chamber funding: “The $50,000 requested would be used to undertake a marketing campaign to address the image of Plumas County as one big burn scar.” — Plumas News
- Leaders, scientists discuss wildfire resilience and recovery at SNC WIP Summit: “After back-to-back devastating wildfire seasons, this year’s annual Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program Summit brought together California’s top leaders, scientists and community and tribal leaders to discuss wildfire recovery strategies that can help communities and landscapes not only recover from recent fires, but also become more resilient to major disturbances in the future.” — Lassen County Times
- Tehama Tomorrow launches petition drive for supervisor reform: “A petition drive regarding unaddressed areas within the Tehama County Board of Supervisors has emerged from Tehama Tomorrow, a non-partisan Political Action Committee based in Tehama County.” — Red Bluff Daily News
- Stephon Clark’s family is still seeking justice four years later: “Four years ago, Stephon Clark was shot and killed by Sacramento police in Meadowview, and the demonstrators filled the streets with shouts of ‘Say his name.’ Now, every year on the anniversary of his death, the Clark family remembers his life and calls for justice for all families who’ve lost loved ones to police violence.” — CapRadio
- California owes community clinics millions for COVID vaccines: “The clinics, which serve California’s poorest and most vulnerable residents, may be owed as much as $408 million for the 6.1 million vaccinations they have administered to patients.” — CalMatters
- Will BA.2 cause another COVID surge in the U.S.? Here’s what Dr. Fauci said: “Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday predicted the BA.2 coronavirus subvariant rampaging in parts of the world will spark an upswing in U.S. infections, but he played down any likelihood of another surge.” — San Francisco Chronicle
- Bok Kai Temple gets credit in Pixar’s new movie ‘Turning Red’: “Pixar came to Marysville last April and met with the temple’s care takers, the Soon family, who gave them a tour of the facility.” — The Appeal Democrat
In case you missed it
- Yurok tribal justice works to create database of missing Indigenous people — NSPR (Headlines, March 18)
- NOAA climate outlook indicates California will see dry spring — CapRadio (Headlines, March 18)
- Shasta County man arrested after sheriff's deputies find dead man lying in driveway — Redding Record Searchlight
- Big new California reservoir on track for $2.2B federal loan — The Associated Press
- How serious is California’s water crisis and what’s causing it? — Shasta Scout
- Pile burning begins near Antelope Lake; be prepared for smoky conditions — Plumas News
- Sierra Nevada brewery reopens for tours, tastings — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Tehama County approves 3 property liens following marijuana violations — Red Bluff Daily News
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