Newsom visits Oroville Dam | ‘College Corps’ offers financial aid | Abortion services strained

By Sarah Bohannon,

Andre Byik, Angel Huracha, Alec Stutson , Adia White

Published April 20, 2022 at 8:35 AM PDT

The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Wednesday, April 20.

Gov. Newsom visits Oroville Dam amid ongoing drought

Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the Oroville Dam Tuesday to talk about the ongoing drought and the state's plans to address it. He gave the update inside the Edward Hyatt Power Plant, about 670 feet below the top of the Oroville Dam.

Newsom said he chose the location, in part, to highlight a key piece of the state’s critical infrastructure. Lake Oroville holds water that serves about 27 million Californians.

“It's in that spirit that we're here, because that's the kind of innovation. That's the kind of work that we need to advance today to address the weather whiplash that we're now experiencing," Newsom said.

Newsom noted the hydropower plant is currently operating at 50% capacity due to low levels in the lake. Last summer, for the first time in history, the plant was forced to shut down due to critically low levels.

Details were scarce on the state’s next steps. Newsom pointed to the $5.2 billion allocated for drought relief last year, and says his office is working to secure more funding from the state Legislature.

— Alec Stutson, NSPR

DWR turns to tech to forecast snowmelt

While speaking at the Oroville Dam with Gov. Newsom on Tuesday, state officials also highlighted new technology the state is using to help understand the severity of California’s drought.

Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources, said the state is using technology to forecast how much snowpack will turn into water — down to the inch.

“That will really help us understand better as climate creates warming temperatures and our snowpack retreats further up the slope of the Sierra, how much water is there and then how best to manage that water,” she said.

Nemeth said in 2021, the Feather River Canyon, which feeds Lake Oroville, was one of the driest spots in the state. Lake Oroville is an essential part of the State Water Project, which supports 750,000 acres of irrigated agriculture.

— CapRadio Staff

Demand for abortion services rises in California as other states impose restrictions

California residents may see increased wait times and costs for abortion services due to restrictions in other states.

Jodi Hicks, president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said the organization is already seeing rising demand at Planned Parenthood centers across the state.

“It will not just be people in other states that will suffer increased wait times, increased costs or worse,” she said. “Californians could too because, as we know, the need for abortion services does not disappear just because an extreme politician puts a ban in place.”

Hicks said centers here have seen an average of 80 out-of-state patients a month since Texas imposed new abortion restrictions. She said hundreds of new abortion restrictions have been introduced in 40 states as of the start of this year with more on the way.

— Alex Hall and KQED Staff, The California Report

State tests ‘College Corps’ program to help students pay for college

The state has a new pilot program called Californians for All College Corps. The program is intended to help young people pay for school in exchange for a year of volunteer service. Josh Fryday, California’s chief service officer, said the program will be deploying 6,500 students to work in the community over the next two years.

"Which makes this program the size of the entire Peace Corps," Fryday said.

Selected students will get up to $10,000 for completing a year of service. The program is also the first opportunity for California Dream Act students to earn support for college through a state service program. Applications will be accepted through the end of each school’s current school year.