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California Beach Town's Vexing Problem: Sewage

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California Beach Town's Vexing Problem: Sewage


The “town awash in poop” is not a sought-after tourism slogan, but it’s how the New Republic describes the California surf town of Imperial Beach near San Diego. The problem for residents is that the description is an apt one. The poop in question comes from across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. The trouble began in 2017 when a sewage pipeline burst and sent feces and wastewater into the Tijuana River and eventually onto the shores of Imperial Beach. Since then, the town has had persistent sewage contamination with cascading effects on the local tourism economy. Sections of Imperial Beach have been closed to swimmers for more than 900 straight days, and bars and restaurants are struggling to survive.

It’s more than a matter of a one-off cleanup. The story explores the complicated cross-border factors at play, starting with Tijuana’s surging population (thanks in part to NAFTA) without the sewage infrastructure to handle it. Congress has provided $300 million to address US-Mexico pollution, but the sum is seen as nowhere near enough. In the meantime, Imperial Beach locals are getting sick. Local officials and organizations are working to address the crisis through various means, including legal action, community recycling programs, and collaboration with health departments. However, a comprehensive solution remains elusive. Read the full story. (Or check out other longforms.)

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Cannabis farm worker in California dies day after chaotic federal immigration raid

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Cannabis farm worker in California dies day after chaotic federal immigration raid


LOS ANGELES — A farmworker at a Southern California cannabis farm died after being injured during a chaotic immigration raid by federal officers, the United Farm Workers said Friday.

The labor union did not provide the name of the employee of Glass House Farms north of Los Angeles but confirmed that the worker plummeted some 30 feet.

“These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” UFW President Teresa Romero said in a statement to NBC News.

Immigration officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Federal agents lobbed less-lethal weapons and tear gas at protesters who gathered outside the Camarillo grow house Thursday while employees were being rounded up and arrested inside.

Officers pepper-sprayed a disabled U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and works as a security guard at the facility, the man’s wife told NBC News.

George Retes complied with federal officers when he arrived to check on friends and colleagues who might have been affected by the raids, but instead he was arrested on suspicion of assault, according to immigration officials. A hearing is scheduled Monday.

“He wasn’t even a protester,” Guadalupe Torres said of her husband, George Retes. “They smashed his window, and after they smashed his window, they pepper-sprayed him.”

Aerial footage from NBC Los Angeles showed farm equipment being loaded up into tow trucks and people standing around in handcuffs.

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At a cultivation center in Carpinteria owned by Glass House Farms, manager Edgar Rodriguez said federal officers assaulted and handcuffed him after he repeatedly asked them to identify themselves and provide a warrant.

Rodriguez was standing behind a window when 10 unidentified men in fatigues arrived Thursday morning in unmarked cars and one armored vehicle.

Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, said he asked the men several times to identify themselves and provide a reason for arriving heavily armed. The officers refused and responded by saying they were “not ICE” but did not specify which agency they were from.

One of the officers can be seen in video obtained exclusively by NBC News attempting to coax Rodriquez outside by telling him he wouldn’t be harmed.

“I’m just trying to talk to you. We’re not here for you,” the officer said in the video. “We have a federal warrant. We have a right to be here. Please come out.”

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“I got you,” the officer said as Rodriguez began to tentatively leave his post.



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OneRepublic co-founder Tim Myers announces run for California lieutenant governor to ‘fight back’ against Trump

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OneRepublic co-founder Tim Myers announces run for California lieutenant governor to ‘fight back’ against Trump


OneRepublic co-founder and former bassist Tim Myers announced his campaign for California lieutenant governor on Monday.

On his campaign website, he cited “a broken political system” and “Trump’s attacks on California” as reasons behind his decision. 

“He’ll bring a fresh, strong voice to the Lt. Governor’s office to fight back against the Trump administration’s attacks, take on the rigged system with commonsense solutions, and ensure every Californian has the opportunity to chase their dreams, can afford to make a living here, and feels safe,” his website reads.

Myers had previously announced a run for the U.S. House of Representatives in April.

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He explained his shift in campaigns in an Instagram post on Monday.

Former bassist and co-founder of OneRepublic, Tim Myers, has officially announced his campagin to run for California lieutenant governor. Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Myers’ campaign website claims the political system is “broken” and the reason for his run is “Trump’s attacks on California.” Facebook / Tim Myers

“I’ve heard from neighbors and friends whose homes and small businesses were robbed. I’ve watched homelessness grow. I’ve seen backdoor deals and political corruption—not just from Trump and his billionaire allies in Washington, but right here in our own backyard in California. I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with protesters demanding change. But when I looked, I didn’t see our state politicians standing with us. And I realized: I can’t stay silent. I can’t stay on the sidelines,” his Instagram post read.

On TMZ Live Thursday, Myers went further and attacked his fellow lieutenant governor candidates for “not standing up” and using the position as a way to climb the political ladder.

“Every single candidate that’s running right now for lieutenant governor said they want to be governor someday and they’re climbing the political ladder,” Myers said.

Myers previously planned to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives prior to his announcement Monday on social media that he will be running for lieutenant governor in the state of California. Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for Hollywood Climate Summit

“You know the only ladder I care about is the working people here in California climbing up the ladder. They literally can’t afford to buy homes or pay for their rent or pay for groceries or put gas in their tank. So I think it’s honestly insulting for the candidates in this race to say they want to be governor someday. I am not focused on that.”

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The lieutenant governor election will be held in November.

Myers’ fellow OneRepublic co-founder, Ryan Tedder, came under his own political fire last month over his post defending President Donald Trump’s military parade that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.

“All politics & parties and righteous indignation aside it’s a super bummer that instead of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the USA ARMY and all those who have fought and died on our behalf… We’re protesting,” Tedder wrote on an Instagram story that was later deleted.

The post added, “I haven’t been a card carrying political member of either side in over 20 years & think at this point everything is absurd 99% of the time. But I’d like to say THANKYOU to all of the Army service members active and retired and those who have given their lives to protect our freedom…to protest.”

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California Could Flood Like Texas. But Thunderstorms Likely Won’t Be to Blame | KQED

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California Could Flood Like Texas. But Thunderstorms Likely Won’t Be to Blame | KQED


Like in Kerr County in Texas, most California localities don’t use sirens to alert the public about flooding, “because our flooding kind of builds and we can see what is coming in,” state climatologist Michael Anderson said. However, some do, like the Marin County communities of Fairfax, Ross and San Anselmo, which maintain flood horns or sirens that they sound when flooding is imminent. 

California relies heavily on the weather service for messaging about potential flooding from storms. For instance, last December, San Franciscans were startled awake by a blaring weather alert on their phones warning them of a potential tornado.

When it comes to flooding, the weather service issues watches, warnings and advisories. Flash flood warnings also have three different levels, ranging from the base level to catastrophic. Beyond the alerts, the weather service leans on traditional radio broadcasts, local authorities and news outlets to get the word out.

Garcia said the difference between a warning and an advisory is that a warning suggests “there could be trouble,” but an advisory means “the trouble is coming to you.” He recommends that all Bay Area residents sign up for text emergency alerts at alertthebay.org and pay attention to any “action statements” within the message.

“If the action statement says something like get to high ground immediately, that is a cue to take immediate action,” Garcia said. “Whether it’s moving to higher floors, going to the top of a hill, or moving yourself to higher ground.”

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Flooding from thunderstorms is possible in California

What distinguishes the Bay Area’s localized flash flooding events from those in Texas is the duration of the atmospheric river, its geographic location and the level of wetness in the system. Atmospheric rivers in California can last for days and arrive in a succession train, while thunderstorms last for a few hours at most.

“Texas can get these systems that consist of thunderstorms that don’t move very much over a period of time, producing an enormous amount of rainfall,” said John Monteverdi, emeritus professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University. “That’s different from the kind of flooding that happens when the Russian River floods, maybe once every two or three years.”

A Sebastopol resident encounters fellow paddlers in a canoe as he paddles in the floodwaters surrounding the market district, The Barlow, after the Russian River crested its banks on Feb. 28, 2019, in Sebastopol, California. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Still, a big flash-flood-producing thunderstorm in California isn’t entirely out of the picture and can occur during the summertime in the Sierra Nevada or the deserts across the southeastern part of the state.

“The kind of thing that happened in Texas could also happen in California,” said Nicholas Pinter, associate director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. “Anyone out hiking in confined, rugged topography needs to be aware that we have this risk of flash flooding in California, kind of similar to Texas.”

While the Texas thunderstorm covering a broad geographic area and producing a wall of water is “not typical of California,” the “wettest precipitation events are getting wetter” and in turn elevating flood risk, which is in line with the effects of human-caused climate change on storms in both states, said Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University.

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