California

California has been hammered with rain. It may not be enough to reverse its drought.

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2023

California has been hammered with rain. It may not be enough to reverse its drought.

California counts on a system of about 1,400 human-made floor reservoirs and 1000’s upon 1000’s of miles of levees to handle floor water. About two dozen massive reservoirs are accountable for greater than half of the general storage.

The reservoirs are designed not solely to retailer water, but additionally to handle streamflows in the course of the durations of heavy rainfall or snowmelt so downstream communities don’t flood.

“We’re on this fixed pressure,” Mount mentioned. “You wish to seize each drop you may. Nevertheless, these are multipurpose dams — in addition they should do flood management. To do flood management, you need dams as empty as attainable.”

And with local weather change, each moist and dry climate patterns are rising extra.

“With the hotter local weather we’ve had the final decade or so, we’re seeing usually much less snowpack than we’re used to, and we’re seeing it soften off sooner, and we’re seeing extra evaporation off the watersheds,” mentioned Jay Lund, the vice director of watershed sciences on the College of California, Davis.

Human-caused warming has elevated the chance and severity of drought, resulting in water shortages, extra wildfire threat and low streamflows that endanger wildlife, in line with analysis revealed within the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences

A hotter ambiance additionally permits the atmospheric river storms, that are accountable for as a lot as 50% of precipitation in some elements of California, to convey extra water.

“They get bigger, which helps them, once they cross over a location, to last more,” mentioned Marty Ralph, the director of the Middle for Western Climate and Extremes on the Scripps Establishment of Oceanography, whose analysis means that the overwhelming majority of flooding in Western states is because of such storm cycles and that local weather change will enhance the severity of flood injury.

In the course of the current storms, excessive drought has buffered some impacts of intense rainfall with loads of area within the state’s largest reservoirs, which have withered below drought.

Lake Oroville has a capability of about 3.5 million acre-feet. Earlier than the collection of atmospheric rivers, it was storing lower than 1 million acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is roughly equal to half an Olympic-size swimming pool.)

Because the starting of December and the arrival of the storms, water ranges have risen by about 650,000 acre-feet, Molly White, the water operations supervisor for California’s State Water Mission, mentioned Tuesday. Three extra forecast storms are anticipated to boost ranges by 400,000 to 500,000 extra acre-feet.

“Our two greatest reservoirs, Shasta and Oroville, have been empty,” Mount mentioned. “That’s drastically decreasing the downstream impacts of all this precipitation.”

However smaller reservoirs have been unable to retailer all of the runoff. Folsom Lake, Lake Mendocino and Millerton Lake are amongst reservoirs which have had managed releases, sending water downstream that might really feel valuable this summer time however is a burden now.

A lot of California’s reservoir infrastructure was designed many years in the past, when local weather change wasn’t a urgent concern and climate forecasting was much less highly effective. A few of it’s in poor situation.

As of final spring, state dam inspectors rated 112 California dams as “lower than passable,” and that meant that 41 reservoirs have been lowered in capability. The issues price California about 350,000 acre-feet yearly, in line with the state’s water provide technique.

Warming winters have California’s snowpack on a daunting course. If international greenhouse gasoline emissions don’t drop, the Sierra Nevada may have “episodic low-to-no snowpack” winters by the late 2040s, which means greater than half of a mountain basin’s snow is gone for 5 consecutive years.

In the meantime, the state continues to rack up groundwater deficits. Within the Central Valley, Californians extract about 2 million acre-feet greater than what returns to the bottom, on common, yearly, Lund mentioned.

The state is exploring a slew of potential options.

Most dam operators are certain to observe guidelines developed when a lot of these dams have been constructed within the Nineteen Fifties, the Nineteen Sixties and the Seventies and when climate forecasting was poor.

“Virtually all reservoirs don’t enable the usage of forecasts,” mentioned Jeanine Jones, the drought supervisor on the state Division of Water Assets.

That’s starting to alter.

A brand new strategy, referred to as Forecast-Knowledgeable Reservoir Operations, permits dam operators to make use of climate instruments to assist decide how a lot water it saves or releases.

In a pilot undertaking at Lake Mendocino, the technique has allowed dam operators to avoid wasting as a lot as 20% extra water as spring approaches, mentioned Don Seymour, the deputy chief engineer on the Sonoma County Water Company.

Seymour mentioned the technique helped the company keep away from draining Lake Mendocino fully in 2021. The U.S. Military Corps of Engineers and different teams are exploring methods to develop the strategy to different reservoirs dominated by atmospheric rivers, which may develop provide.

Constructing new reservoirs isn’t sensible.

“We’ve constructed reservoirs in all the nice locations,” Mount mentioned. “The financial price of reservoirs is extraordinarily excessive.”

In the meantime, city areas, together with Los Angeles County, are pursuing new stormwater harvesting initiatives. Voters in 2018 permitted about $300 million in new taxes for initiatives like capturing stormwater and recharging groundwater.

“In case you can harvest that stormwater, pump it underground into basins or retailer it by reservoirs or pure engineering means like wetlands, the higher you do this, the extra geared up you’ll be in dry durations,” mentioned David Feldman, a professor of city planning and public coverage on the College of California Irvine.

California legislators in 2014 handed the Sustainable Groundwater Administration Act, which requires native companies to succeed in groundwater sustainability by 2042.

Some areas, such because the Chino Basin and Kern County, have developed packages to pump and recharge groundwater for future use.

“It doesn’t matter what we do on the infrastructure aspect, we’ve to cut back calls for for water,” Lund mentioned.

Source link

California

10 of 15 Southern California industries slow their hiring pace

Published

2 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

10 of 15 Southern California industries slow their hiring pace

Southern California’s bosses added 80,700 workers in the past year to a record 8.06 million jobs – but that hiring pace is roughly half of the pre-pandemic job market’s gains.

My trusty spreadsheet – filled with state job figures for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties – compared employment changes for the region and 15 industries in the year ended in October with the average yearly hiring pace before coronavirus upended the economy.

Yes, there have never been more Southern Californians employed. However, the recent hirings that created the all-time high staffing are far below the average job creation of 159,600 a year in 2015-19.

This is one of many signals of cooler business trends. It’s a chill significantly tied to the Federal Reserve’s attempts to slow what was once an overheated economy.

But Southern California bosses have another challenge – a shortage of workers. The region’s workforce, a measure of labor supply, is basically flat comparing 2024 to 2015-19. Fewer choices of workers have added difficulty for local businesses trying to meet their staffing needs.

Think of that when you learn that among the 15 Southern California business sectors tracked – hiring in 10 industries is below pre-pandemic years compared with five industries with improvements.

The downs

First, contemplate the 10 industries where the hiring pace has weakened, ranked by the size of the decline …

Professional-business services: 1.14 million workers in October – down 4,600 in a year vs. 24,100 annual gains in 2015-19. This net downturn of 28,700 jobs is unnerving because this white-collar work typically pays above-average salaries.

Construction: 378,700 workers – down 3,100 in a year vs. 16,200 annual gains in 2015-19. A building slowdown due to lofty mortgage rates created this 19,300 reversal.

Logistics-utilities: 820,800 workers – up 6,800 in a year vs. 25,800 annual gains in 2015-19. What’s at least a temporary oversupply of warehouses in the region may be behind this 19,000 slowdown.

Manufacturing: 558,400 workers – down 15,300 in a year vs. 4,100 annual cuts in 2015-19. This 11,200 drop is continued losses of local factory work tied to high cost of doing business in the region.

Fast-food restaurants: 359,400 workers – up 3,400 in a year vs. 12,400 annual gains in 2015-19. Weaker consumer spending and a hike in the industry’s minimum wage contribute to this 9,000 drop.

Hotels/entertainment/recreation: 268,300 workers – up 3,400 in a year vs. 9,600 annual gains in 2015-19. This 6,200 cooling reflects worker shortages.

Full-service eateries/food service: 339,100 workers – up 1,600 in a year vs. 6,600 annual gains in 2015-19. Inflation making shoppers pickier is part of this 5,000 cooling.

Information: 214,200 workers – down 100 in a year vs. 3,700 annual gains in 2015-19. Weakness in tech businesses and Hollywood productions created the 3,800 net downturn.

Personal services: 266,600 workers – up 500 in a year vs. 3,200 annual gains in 2015-19. Again, it is hard to find people to do this work. Thus, a 2,700 cooling.

Government: 1.03 million workers – up 11,600 in a year vs. 12,500 annual gains in 2015-19. This 900 dip is status quo.

The ups

Ponder the five industries where the hiring pace rose in the past year, ranked by the size of the gains …

Social assistance: 512,300 workers – up 28,200 in a year vs. 18,300 annual gains in 2015-19. The 9,900 addition comes as more folks need help at home for healthcare and child care.

Healthcare: 836,700 workers – up 30,100 in a year vs. 20,900 annual gains in 2015-19. The 9,200 growth parallels the region’s aging population and its need for medical services.

Retailing: 748,300 workers – up 8,300 in a year vs. 300 annual cuts in 2015-19. This somewhat surprising 8,600 improvement may be consumers tiring of online commerce and wanting to get out to shop.

Financial: 364,100 workers – up 4,400 in a year vs. 3,900 annual gains in 2015-19. The minor 500 improvement is a return to normalcy. Super-heated hiring came in the pandemic days thanks to a brief drop in mortgage rates to historic lows.

Private education: 215,700 workers – up 5,500 in a year vs. 5,100 annual gains in 2015-19. This 400 uptick reflects the growing interest in alternatives to public schooling.

Bottom line

While it’s rare for all industries to be growing at the same time – minus, say, just after an economic downturn – this 2024 edition of the winners vs. losers list raises an important issue.

It appears much of the past year’s job creation is coming from industries that historically pay meager wages. That’s an especially worrisome trend in high-cost Southern California.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

Source link

California

California Lottery Powerball, Daily 3 Midday winning numbers for Nov. 27, 2024

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

The California Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 27, 2024, results for each game:

Powerball

01-06-07-13-40, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 5

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Daily 3

Midday: 7-1-0

Evening: 4-9-6

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Daily Derby

1st:11 Money Bags-2nd:3 Hot Shot-3rd:8 Gorgeous George, Race Time: 1:47.44

Check Daily Derby payouts and previous drawings here.

Fantasy 5

03-10-12-29-33

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Daily 4

6-1-3-2

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

SuperLotto Plus

03-05-15-16-42, Mega Ball: 24

Check SuperLotto Plus payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Desert Sun producer. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

California

Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican rival in key California House seat

Published

18 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican rival in key California House seat

Democrat Derek Tran ousted Republican Michelle Steel in a southern California House district Wednesday that was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans a stronger voice on Capitol Hill.

Steel said in a statement: “Like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin.” When she captured the seat in 2020, Steel joined Washington state Democrat Marilyn Strickland and California Republican Young Kim as the first Korean American women elected to Congress.

Tran, a lawyer and worker rights advocate and the son of Vietnamese refugees, declared victory earlier this week. He said his win “is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our community. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, I understand firsthand the journey and sacrifices many families in our district have made for a better life.”

The contest is one of the last to be decided this year, with Republicans now holding 220 seats in the House, with Democrats at 214. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in California’s 13th district, where Democrat Adam Gray was leading Republican John Duarte by a couple of hundred votes.

Steel held an early edge after election day, but late-counted ballots pushed Tran over the top.

Steel filed a statement of candidacy on Monday with federal regulators, which would allow her to continue raising funds. It wasn’t immediately clear if she planned to seek a return to Congress.

In the campaign, Tran warned of Republican threats to abortion rights. Steel opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman, while not going so far as to support a federal ban. Tran also warned that Donald Trump’s return to the White House would put democracy at risk.

On Capitol Hill, Steel has been outspoken in resisting tax increases and says she stands strongly with Israel in its war with Hamas. “As our greatest ally in the Middle East, the United States must always stand with Israel,” she said. She advocates for more police funding and has spotlighted her efforts on domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The largest demographic in the district, which is anchored in Orange county, south-east of Los Angeles, is Asian Americans, and it includes the nation’s biggest Vietnamese community. Democrats hold a four-point registration edge.

Incomplete returns showed that Steel was winning in Orange county, the bulk of the district. Tran’s winning margin came from a small slice of the district in Los Angeles county, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one.

Source link