In a bit of political deja vu, opponents (many from his own party) who once derailed Gov. Jerry Brown's Peripheral Canal waterway plan have lined up to defeat his latest proposal for meeting the state's future water needs.
"Brown has staked much on a $24-billion plan to resolve California's decades-long fight over moving water from the north, where most of the state's rain and snow falls, to thirsty cities and farms in the south and the Central Valley," writes Evan Halper. "Winning would break a stalemate that has bedeviled the state for more than a generation and reverse one of the biggest defeats Brown suffered decades ago during his previous stint as governor."
"But his project cannot move forward without the federal government's blessing. And in the trenches of the federal bureaucracy, his adversaries have proved tenacious and powerful."
"Brown has looked to Southern California Democrats as a counterweight," adds Halper. "Their millions of constituents could see dry taps should the state's current water system fail. But most legislators from the south have little experience with water policy, and they don't hear much from voters on the issue."
FULL STORY: California Gov. Brown struggles to shore up support for water plan
Sierra Nevada Snowpack at 500-Year Low
Unusually scarce precipitation last winter has left little snow on the mountains, endangering a key California water reserve.
Northern California Farmers Decry $14 Billion Water Plan
Norimitsu Onishi reports on the major rift caused by a proposed plan for twin 35-mile tunnels to take water from the Sacramento River to large corporate farms and densely populated regions in Central and Southern California.
Framing California's Water Infrastructure Challenges
Jeff Kightlinger of the Metropolitan Water District and Phil Isenberg of the Delta Stewardship Council illustrate the state of California's water delivery system today. As population grows and infrastructure ages, an onerous task lies ahead.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo
Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.
Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.
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