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California is in a water crisis, yet usage is way up. Officials are focused on the wrong problem, advocates say | CNN

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California is in a water crisis, yet usage is way up. Officials are focused on the wrong problem, advocates say | CNN




CNN
 — 

California is dealing with a disaster. Not solely are its reservoirs already at critically low ranges because of unrelenting drought, residents and companies throughout the state are additionally utilizing extra water now than they’ve in seven years, regardless of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to encourage simply the alternative.

Newsom has pleaded with residents and companies to cut back their water consumption by 15%. However in March, city water utilization was up by 19% in comparison with March 2020, the yr the present drought started. It was the best March water consumption since 2015, the State Water Assets Management Board reported earlier this week.

A part of the issue is that the urgency of the disaster isn’t breaking by to Californians. The messaging round water conservation varies throughout totally different authorities and jurisdictions, so folks don’t have a transparent concept of what applies to whom. They usually actually don’t have a tangible grasp on how a lot a 15% discount is with respect to their very own utilization.

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Kelsey Hinton, the communications director of Group Water Heart, a gaggle advocating for reasonably priced entry to wash water, mentioned that city communities — which usually get water from the state’s reservoirs — don’t appear to know the severity of the drought in the best way that rural communities do, the place water may actually cease flowing out of the faucet the second their groundwater reserves are depleted.

“In our work on daily basis, folks really feel how severe that is, and know that we must be working towards actual options to deal with ongoing drought,” Hinton informed CNN. “However then residing in Sacramento, you don’t see the identical urgency right here as a result of we’re not reliant on groundwater and scarce assets in the identical method that these communities are.”

However advocates say authorities officers are additionally specializing in the incorrect method. They are saying voluntary residential water cuts usually are not the answer, and that restrictions needs to be mandated for companies and industries that use the overwhelming majority of the state’s water.

“Company water abuse must be addressed or no different measures will matter,” mentioned Jessica Gable, a spokesperson for Meals & Water Watch.

“The notion in California proper now’s it’s no secret any longer that drought is linked with local weather change,” Gable informed CNN. “However there was no effort to curtail the industries which might be utilizing essentially the most water, that are coincidentally the industries which might be additionally sending out essentially the most emissions which might be fueling the local weather disaster.”

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Most of March’s spike in water utilization got here from water jurisdictions in Southern California. Utilization within the South Coast hydrologic area, which incorporates Los Angeles and San Diego County, was up 27% over March 2020, for instance, in keeping with knowledge supplied by the state’s water board. Solely the North Coast area saved water in March, chopping about 4.3% of its use.

Edward Ortiz, spokesperson for the State Water Assets Management Board, mentioned March was an enormous setback for the governor’s water targets.

“It is a regarding growth in our response to the drought as a state,” Ortiz informed CNN. “Making water conservation a lifestyle is a method Californians can reply to those situations. Saving water needs to be a observe regardless of the climate.”

He mentioned Californians “have to redouble efforts to preserve water inside and outdoors of our houses and companies.”

Final month, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California introduced its most extreme water restrictions for residents and companies within the counties round Los Angeles, with a purpose of slashing water use by not less than 35%. Starting June 1, out of doors water utilization might be restricted to someday per week.

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However group advocates say residents ponder whether large water customers are additionally confronted with the identical stress and painful selections to preserve – particularly, agriculture that requires a considerable amount of water (issues like almonds, alfalfa, avocado and tomatoes) or fracking, the place tens of tens of millions of gallons of water can be utilized to frack a single fossil gas effectively.

Gable mentioned that whereas each little bit issues, the repeated pleas for people to save lots of water can “appear out of contact at greatest and probably negligent,” provided that the industries that might drastically in the reduction of on the extreme quantity of water allotted to them are hardly ever held accountable.

Amanda Starbuck, analysis director with Meals & Water Watch, mentioned chopping again on residential water use is like telling folks recycling may save the planet. Whereas it’s a significant motion, she mentioned it’s not going to make a dent within the disaster at giant.

“It’s additionally sort of just a little bit demeaning accountable residential use for these crises,” Starbuck informed CNN. “It’s only a small sliver of the general consumption. It’s a a lot larger downside, and we actually want to start out bringing in these large industries which might be guzzling water throughout this time of drought.”

A spokesperson for Newsom’s workplace informed CNN that native water businesses have set new targets since March that ought to result in decrease utilization — together with the out of doors watering restriction — and extra selections are coming in entrance of the state board this month.

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“We’re hopeful these actions will considerably contribute to the state’s general water discount targets as out of doors watering is among the greatest single customers of water,” the spokesperson mentioned in an announcement.

The spokesperson additionally pointed to further funding for water resiliency the governor introduced in his price range proposal on Friday. That funding is a part of $47 billion slated to deal with the impacts of the local weather disaster within the state.

“With the infusion of further funding, we can extra successfully attain Californians about the necessity to preserve together with the largest water saving actions they’ll take, and assist native water districts in responding to the drought emergency,” the spokesperson mentioned.

Whereas a lot of the water dialog is concentrated on city utilization, Hinton mentioned rural communities stay with day-to-day nervousness that the water will cease flowing.

“The larger story, not less than for us, is once we are in the midst of drought like this, it’s not simply shorter showers and stopping out of doors water use for our households,” Hinton informed CNN. “Our households are nervous that their water is simply going to cease working all collectively.”

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These are communities that don’t depend on reservoirs — the place a lot of the main target has been for reaching critically low ranges — however as an alternative use non-public groundwater wells.

The massive concern is that in extraordinarily dry situations, the state’s groundwater ranges sink whereas extra is pulled up for agriculture and different makes use of.

“The urgency is there with the households we work with, as a result of they know what’s occurred earlier than,” she mentioned. “We now have people who’ve had wells dry up for the reason that final drought and have nonetheless not been capable of afford to deepen them or get linked to a long-term resolution.”

Blistering warmth waves, worsening drought and damaging wildfires have plagued the West in recent times. As these vivid pictures of local weather disaster play out, Hinton believes the state must prioritize the water wants of people over business.

“Local weather change has made drought a actuality for us ceaselessly, and now, that is one thing that we have now to take care of as a state,” Hinton mentioned. “And the extra that we will settle for that and be proactive, the much less we’re going to be consistently reacting to those conditions of total communities going dry or of city areas having to chop water to this quantity as a result of we’ve already overused what was accessible to us.”

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California

California drivers warned of spike in vehicle hostage scams

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California drivers warned of spike in vehicle hostage scams


Authorities are warning California drivers about a rise in vehicle hostage scams, where scammers demand money to release towed or impounded cars.

Why It Matters

The scam has become prevalent in Southern California, and the Department’s Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force has investigated multiple cases, including one that has resulted in the arraignment and charges against 16 Southern California residents. This task force investigation found the auto fraud ring allegedly conspired together to create fraudulent insurance claims to illegally collect over $216,932.

A masked man tries to open the door of a car with a screwdriver.

Sipa/AP

What To Know

The California Department of Insurance has issued a public service announcement warning drivers across the state of a rise in vehicle hostage scams.

According to the department, some tow truck companies are targeting car accident victims by towing their vehicles—often without clear consent—and then demanding excessive fees for their release.

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The announcement warned that tow trucks may show up at crash scenes immediately after an accident. Scammers then often offer to tow the vehicle to a body shop, only for the driver to later be forced to pay inflated fees—often not covered by insurance—in order to retrieve their car.

So far, 16 people have been charged in connection with vehicle hostage scams following an investigation by CDI’s Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force. The alleged scheme involved falsifying insurance claims to illegally collect nearly $217,000.

Officials said the same ring was charged in a similar scheme where vehicles were taken under false pretenses and delivered to California Collision in San Bernardino.

The CDI’s investigation began in November 2022 after it was discovered that a non-sworn California Highway Patrol employee, Rosa Isela Santistevan, was unlawfully selling collision report information. This led to the discovery of an organized fraud ring led by Andre Angelo Reyes, who purchased personal data from Santistevan and used it to scam victims. The scheme involved sending tow trucks to steal vehicles, which were then held hostage at Certified Auto in Buena Park, demanding cash payments for their release.

In addition to the vehicle hostage scam, the ring was found to have engaged in other fraudulent activities, including collusive collisions. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has also charged members of the ring, including Reyes and Diana Villa Pineda, with tax evasion.

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What People Are Saying

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said: “This type of scam is preying on drivers at their most vulnerable moments—immediately after an accident—when they should be focused on their safety and next steps, not fighting to get their vehicle back. Our department is committed to protecting Californians from fraud, and this PSA is an important step in ensuring drivers know the warning signs and how to protect themselves. If you suspect you’ve been targeted, report it immediately. Together, we can put an end to these predatory practices and hold bad actors accountable.”

What Happens Next

Drivers are urged to watch out for several warning signs, such as a tow truck arriving minutes after the accident, a driver insisting on a specific body shop, or asking you to sign documents before talking to your insurance company. If you suspect you may be a victim, it’s important to verify the tow with your insurance company or wait for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to confirm the tow truck’s legitimacy, the California Department of Insurance said.

The Department of Insurance encourages anyone who suspects they’ve been targeted by these scams to report it immediately. To report suspected fraud or learn more about how to protect yourself, drivers can contact the California Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 or visit insurance.ca.gov.



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Map: Where Landslides in California Quicken Their Pace

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Map: Where Landslides in California Quicken Their Pace


Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Data from Sept. 18 to Oct. 17, 2024

Along the sparkling coast of Southern California, a string of landslides creeping toward the sea has transformed the wealthy community of Rancho Palos Verdes into a disaster zone.

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New data from a NASA plane shows the widening threat of these slow-moving landslides, which have destabilized homes, businesses, and infrastructure like roads and utilities. Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory documented how the landslides have pushed westward, almost doubling in area since the state mapped them in 2007.

The landslides have also sped up in recent years. A month of aerial radar images taken by NASA in the fall revealed how land in the Palos Verdes Peninsula slid toward the ocean by as much as four inches each week between mid-September and mid-October. Before that, a city report showed more than a foot of weekly movement in July and August.

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Present boundary includes areas where landslides moved faster than one centimeter per week between Sept. 18 and Oct. 17, 2024.

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The mass of slides in Los Angeles County, known as the Greater Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, reactivated in 1956 after road construction destabilized the once-dormant slope. For decades, it slid just a few inches every year. But heavy rain in 2023 and early 2024 accelerated that movement, leading Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency, citing “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.”

Homes in Rancho Palos Verdes began collapsing in June and August of 2023. Streets have fissured. Walls have shifted and floors have cracked open to reveal the dynamic earth below. A downed power line related to the slides started a small brush fire in August. A $42 million buyout program helps property owners voluntarily sell and relocate, but homeowner insurance policies do not typically cover landslides.

A stretch of coastline where landslides meet the beach in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Loren Elliott for The New York Times

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Damage in a residential area of Rancho Palos Verdes in August.

Loren Elliott for The New York Times

Mitigating such a disaster is extremely expensive. By the end of this fiscal year, the city said it will have spent more than $35 million, almost 90 percent of its general fund operations budget, on addressing the landslide. That includes the installation of 11 wells that have worked to pump out 145 million gallons of groundwater that could further destabilize the slope. The investment has yielded results: The landslide slowed by about 3 percent on average between December and February thanks to the wells and a lack of rain, the city said.

Slow-moving slides are common around the world, and especially in California, where several hundred have been mapped in coastal mountain ranges. Normally moving at a sluggish pace, these slides can grind nearly to a halt during the dry summer months before a wet winter makes them crawl again.

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But last summer, the landslide complex in Rancho Palos Verdes exhibited strange behavior when it failed to slow. The best guess for why has to do with a very wet 2023, said Alexander Handwerger, a research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory who has studied the behavior of slow-moving landslides for well over a decade. Typically triggered tens of meters underground, they remain an ongoing area of research.

“Of all the things we know,” Dr. Handwerger said, “we know the least about what’s happening under the ground.”

Last week, other parts of Los Angeles County faced additional landslides, ones that move quickly, running at meters per second instead of centimeters per week. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles issued warnings for post-fire debris flows — a tangle of mud, rocks and trees that start on burn scars — ahead of heavy rainfall on Thursday. Los Angeles neighborhoods scorched by wildfires like the Eaton and Palisades fires last month faced some of the greatest dangers as those flows hit business and homes in Southern California.

But slower-moving landslides, like the ones in Rancho Palos Verdes, are more predictable. They ooze rather than race. They typically need a season of rain, rather than a single storm, to accelerate. And it’s extremely rare for them to suddenly collapse or slide in a catastrophic way.

It’s unclear what triggers that kind of sudden catastrophe, said Luke McGuire, an associate professor in geomorphology at the University of Arizona. He pointed to one of the few known examples of such an event, in 2017, when the Mud Creek Landslide in Big Sur gave way after eight years of stable sliding. More than 65 feet of rocks and dirt covered a quarter-mile of Highway 1, the scenic drive winding along the California coast.

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Experts say that the city of Rancho Palos Verdes probably will not experience that kind of sudden event. “You can never say never, but the likelihood that this would go into a catastrophic movement phase is quite low,” said Dave Petley, a landslide expert who collects global landslide data for the American Geophysical Union. “It’s likely it’ll continue to cause substantial property damage, but the risk of the thing suddenly sliding into the sea and taking everyone with it is not particularly high.”

A 2019 Nature study by Dr. Handwerger showed that the Mud Creek Landslide could have been triggered by a shift from drought to record rainfall. In a warming world, an increase in extreme rain events could cause more landslides to quicken, according to the study.

More precipitation could also cause more landslides to emerge from hibernation into slow-moving slides.

“Rainfall under climate change can wake a landslide back up,” Dr. Petley said, adding that a vast number of dormant landslides with this potential exist across the globe.

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California lawmaker moves to stop contractor ‘money grab'

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California lawmaker moves to stop contractor ‘money grab'


For months now, NBC Bay Area has responded to viewers’ heartbreaking complaints. They say they lost tens of thousands of dollars each when an ADU builder imploded and went bust. Now, a local lawmaker is proposing statewide change to prevent what he called a money grab. “It was your investigative reporting that flagged this for us,” said California Assemblyman Marc Berman, who represents the peninsula and part of San Jose. 

Backstory of the bust

The controversy hits home for Lara Zanzucchi in Martinez.

“It’s devastating, because you don’t know if you can finish your project,” she said. The backyard ADU for her mom is finally taking shape — albeit two years later than expected and about $40-thousand over budget. She points broadly as she stands inside the unfinished ADU. “Everything here is from the contractor that took me on when Anchored took my money and ran.”

‘Anchored’ is Anchored Tiny Homes, the business that many Bay Area homeowners tell us took big money up front, but then failed to deliver. Girija in Cupertino says Anchored took almost $32,000; Maria in Walnut Creek says she’s out $40,000; in Oakland, Alan says he’s out $80,000. The largest case we’ve seen is Steve Sonza in Rohnert Park. His family has nothing to show in their backyard for the $315,700 of their money that Anchored Tiny Homes got. “It’s clear the law was broken,” Sonza said.  

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We started investigating. Anchored tiny homes quickly closed its office and went belly up. The state contractor board recently revoked its license. “This is accountability,” said Katherine White with the CA Contractors State License Board. “This is the biggest step that CSLB can take.” 

$100M Business?

Anchored Tiny Homes’ former CEO boasted online that the builder was booming. “I can tell you right now, a $100 million dollar business,” said Colton Paulhus on his now defunct podcast.  

But now, Paulhus and his co-founder brother, Austin, have filed for bankruptcy. They’ve told the court their customers’ money is gone. Colton Paulhus told NBC Bay Area that Anchored was just a “failed, mismanaged growing business.” Their attorneys have declined to comment. 

Customers are frustrated. “It’s a sense of absolute violation,” Zanzucchi said. And recently, another ADU builder near L.A. also imploded.   

Asm. Berman saw the stories and is taking action. “I learned about it from your stories, and I really appreciate you doing that investigative reporting,” he said. “Sometimes, that’s how we find out about things.”

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Calls for change, answered

He says California law needs new teeth. So, he’s proposing a stiff new penalty for contractors who take too much money up front or collect progress payments without actually making progress. “Up to $10-thousand dollars per case,” he explained. “We want it to be a really severe penalty if people violate this. That’s righteous. we should have that.” 

Berman just filed a bill to add that new penalty to state law. He believes it should scare off bad guys and protect families like yours. “We don’t want to create any incentive for fly-by-night bad actors to say, ‘oh, here’s an opportunity for a massive money grab… we can just disappear or go bankrupt.’”   

The proposed reform to California law is too late for Anchored Tiny Homes’ customers, like Lara. “I recognize I won’t get my $40 thousand. it’s probably to the wind.” She’s encouraging Berman’s colleagues in the legislature to vote yes and for Governor Newsom to sign the contractor bill into law asap . 

“Without the law changing, they have free rein,” she said. 

Zanzucchi says she hopes the legislature also dramatically increases the bond contractors are required to carry – to protect consumers like you. Many anchored customers tell us they lost thousands, but will only get a few dollars from the bond… because it’s divided up over so many customers.

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A tip to our team launched our investigation. If you have a tip or a consumer complaint, snap the qr code on screen to fill out our consumer complaint form online.



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