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Biden issues disaster declaration for California counties over recent storms

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Biden issues disaster declaration for California counties over recent storms


President Joe Biden has issued a disaster declaration for Los Angeles County and other counties in California for the severe storms that struck the state earlier this year.

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The declaration issued Saturday orders “federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, tornadoes, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from January 31 to February 9, 2024,” according to the White House.

The declaration applies to Los Angeles County, Ventura County and the counties of Butte, Glenn, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Sutter.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair.

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“California has secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration thanks to @POTUS for early February storms,” Gov. Gavin Newsom posted Sunday morning on X. “This declaration brings in more resources for local communities across the state recovering from the widespread impacts of these storms.”

Andrew Grant of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was appointed to coordinate federal recovery operations in the affected areas.



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Meghan Markle filming Netflix show on California cannabis farm embroiled in controversy: report

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Meghan Markle filming Netflix show on California cannabis farm embroiled in controversy: report


One of the filming locations for Meghan Markle’s highly-anticipated cooking show is reportedly a cannabis farm marred by controversy.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, has been shooting the Netflix series in two California locations: a $5 million home in Montecito belonging to Tom and Sherrie Cipolla and a farm owned by the cannabis-supplying Van Wingerden family in the nearby seaside city of Carpinteria, the Daily Mail reported.

The Van Wingerdens are the area’s largest vendors of legally produced cannabis, according to the website.

Markle is filming part of her Netflix series on a farm owned by cannabis suppliers David and Cindy Van Wingerden. Farmlane
The farm is located in Carpinteria, Calif. Farmlane
Residents in the area have complained of the weed smell. Farmlane

Markle’s film location, dubbed Farmlane, is owned by David and Cindy Van Wingerden, who turned their flower farm into a marijuana mecca in 2015. They now sell cannabis flowers and pre-rolled cannabis joints.

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But the Van Wingerden family’s operation and other cannabis farms have had the neighborhood up in arms over the pungent weed fragrance contaminating the air.

Local Carpinteria residents filed 2,340 odor complaints from mid-2018 to 2022, according to the website.

In September, homeowners in the area filed a class-action lawsuit against two weed farms, unrelated to the Van Wingerden’s business, with claims that their property values had been severely damaged due to the “sewer-like” smells.

Production of the show is already well underway. AFP via Getty Images
News of the new show surfaced in March. Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds

“The neighborhood surrounding their property has a thick, heavy, strong stench of cannabis on a near daily basis,” the lawsuit states.

Angry citizens said their homes and clothes reeked of marijuana and that some people were experiencing breathing problems, headaches and nausea.

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Page Six confirmed in March that the former “Suits” actress would collaborate on a Martha Stewart-esque show tying into her newly launched lifestyle brand, Montecito Riviera Orchard.

The wife of Prince Harry has already debuted the first product of her cookware and home needs company with a jar of strawberry jam sent to her closest high-powered friends.

The show will tie into her new Montecito Rivera Orchard company. AFP via Getty Images
The lifestyle brand will sell cookware and other home goods. WireImage
The wife of Prince Harry has already debuted the first product of her new business. UK Press via Getty Images

An insider told Page Six Style at the time that the business would focus on home, garden, food and general lifestyle wares.

“She’s been working on this for over a year, and it’s all the things that are close to her heart — all the things she’s passionate about,” an industry source said.

A trademark application obtained by Page Six Style revealed that the company would sell cookbooks, an assortment of edible treats like jellies and spreads and tableware staples like cutlery, table linens, drinkware and more.

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EV market share sags in California, though EV sales are up

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EV market share sags in California, though EV sales are up


It’s a complicated time for the nation’s largest EV market. California EV sales increased in the first quarter of 2024, but market share still fell, according to a new quarterly report from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA).

The absolute number of EVs sold in California grew from 89,741 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 90,296 in the first quarter of 2024, the report found. But EV market share still decreased from 21.5% at the end of 2023 to 20.9% in Q1 2024. That’s because new-car registrations grew overall, with even more non-electric vehicles being sold. The rise of EV sales by volume rather than share is a trend that continues from the previous quarter.

2024 Tesla Model Y. – Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

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Tesla’s EV sales lead in California also continues to shrink, the report found. Tesla registrations were down 7.8% from the previous quarter, which itself saw a 9.8% decline in registrations for the once-California-based automaker.

Without a deeper dive into the trends, it might be argued that sagging Tesla sales, not sales of EVs of other brands, are what have caused the recent flattening for EVs in California and elsewhere. That’s because Legacy automakers are selling more plug-in vehicles, the report noted. Mercedes-Benz and BMW saw the highest increases in California in Q1, posting 3% and 2.4% gains, respectively.

2024 BMW iX

2024 BMW iX

EV sales through franchised dealerships also increased 14% in Q1, while direct sales—the model used by Tesla and some startup automakers—saw a 3% drop. Franchised dealerships account for 66% of “alternative powertrain types” in California, according to the CNCDA.

Even with EV sales rising in the rest of the country, California remains near a third of the nation’s EV sales. And even with this market-share hiccup, in the state, one of four new vehicles sold in California has a charge port—although some are plug-in hybrids rather than all-electric models.

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A look at beavers’ important role in California’s wildfire resistance

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A look at beavers’ important role in California’s wildfire resistance


SACRAMENTO — Nature’s firefighters might not be what you think.

Beavers. They’ve had a bad reputation. Many call them pests, but they’re far from it. They play such an important role in our ecosystem that their work can even curtail wildfires. Beavers are a keystone species, which means their existence benefits many types of plants and animals.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) is recognizing the role beavers play, implementing a beaver restoration program just last year to aid in drought and wildfire resistance.

“Beaver wetlands are uniquely resistant to the effects of drought and then subsequently to the effects of wildfire,” said Emily Fairfax, who is an assistant professor of geography.

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For generations, beavers have been classified as a nuisance. Hundreds of permits are sought after each year by landowners to allow them to kill beavers.

Their knack for engineering doesn’t always agree with human engineering. We like to build roads and houses. They like to flood everything and chew down wood.

“While that can be annoying, it’s that flooding and tree chewing that gives you those benefits like drought and fire resistance,” Fairfax said.

“As we build more and more in California, and in other states, we actually are eliminating wetlands and the beavers try to put them back in,” said wildlife rescuer Michele Dodge.

Without beavers, we could face total degradation of our riverscapes, causing more wildfires. In fact, research is showing their work is helping to prevent wildfires altogether, and that’s why the DFW is turning to beavers as a helpful tool.

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“I’ve been studying this the last ten years or so using satellite data and field visits to go out and find these places where beavers have been engineering and see whether or not they burn during wildfire,” Fairfax said. “Pretty much across the board, they’re not burning.”

Beavers create patches of fire refugia, places that either don’t burn at all or burn at a low intensity that’s actually helpful for a variety of plants and animals. The patches are fireproof in even our most intense fires like the Beckwourth and Dixie fires.

“You’re going to be seeing forests that have completely burned the pine trees from roots to tips. The soil is ash at this point and it’s silent cut to, and then you turn the corner and you’ll get to the beaver wetland and it’s completely different,” Fairfax said.

Even in Rancho Cordova, the beavers are helping the environment thrive. Their dams create a safe place for geese to nest and lay their eggs.

“It also creates a safe zone, so if there is a fire animals have a place to retreat,” Dodge said.

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In the beaver wetlands, you’ll find lush green landscapes full of life. Beavers like to spread the water around, essentially creating a safe haven from a wildfire. Now with the DFW’s restoration program, beavers have a place to go.

“I’m really excited they’ve done that,” Dodge said. “In the past, if somebody trapped beavers they were killed that was the only solution. Now all the sudden, fish and wildlife, we are creating places we want them released.”

The best part is we don’t have to pay these guys. They just do it for free because that’s what they’re naturally inclined to do. They’re nature’s tool against wildfires.



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