California
California to mandate statewide water restrictions up to nearly 40% in some cities
Some cities may be forced to cut water use by 40% over the next 15 years.
How pumping water in San Joaquin Valley has casued subsidence problem
Learn about the severe subsidence problem in California’s San Joaquin Valley, its impact on water quality, and the regional economic consequences.
The State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday approved a policy that could force some municipal water suppliers to reduce the amount of water they provide by close to 40% over the next 15 years.
If suppliers and their customers don’t reduce water use, the districts could be fined up to $10,000 a day. Districts can reduce customer water use by mandating restrictions, raising rates on high-volume water users, or encouraging low-flow appliances.
“Our climate has changed. Our uses should match the hydrology that we’re now facing,” Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the state water board, said in a statement.
Suppliers must make a first round of water cuts by 2025, with additional cuts mandated in 2030, 2035, and 2040.
Most of the most extensive required cuts are all in California’s Central Valley, ranging from the City of Redding (39% cut by 2040 and 21% by 2025) in the north to Visalia’s California Water Service Company (22% cut in 25 years). Smaller Central Valley cities will face mandatory reductions, too: Tulare County town Exeter, with a population of 10,000, will face a 39% cut by 2040. The Central Valley’s largest city, Fresno, will face a 21% cut by 2040 and cuts 4% by 2025.
The parched Coachella Valley in Southern California also will face steep mandatory reductions. Desert Water Agency, based in Palm Springs, will have to cut its water supply by 32% by 2040 and 24% by 2025.
In the high desert, water districts in Victorville, Hesperia, and Adelanto will have to cut water use from 18% to 23% by 2040
Not all cities in California will face drastic cuts, though. Salinas’ California Water Service Company will only face a 1% cut by 2040, while the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will face no reductions.
Some environmentalist groups say the mandated water cutbacks don’t go far enough.
“The regulation does not meet the moment of growing water scarcity in California,” Mark Gold, director of water scarcity solutions and environmental health for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “A strong regulation will exist in 2040, but that’s 15 years from now and there’s going to be a heck of a lot of water scarcity over that period.”
How California is forcing regions to cut back on water use
In April, for the first time in California history, state officials cracked down on the overpumping of groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley by putting Kings County water districts on probation for failing to protect the region’s underground water supply. The unprecedented decision was the first step that could lead to millions in fines for overpumping groundwater or the state taking over the districts. In adjacent Tulare County, one of the largest agriculture-producing counties in the world, the State Water Resources Control Board is threatening similar action if the Kaweah subbasin users don’t cut back on groundwater pumping.
The State Water Resources Control Board repeatedly warned both counties that their groundwater management plans are deficient because they fail to stop dried-up wells, contaminated water, and sinking earth worsened by overpumping.
Recently, the Imperial Irrigation District in Southern California proposed a plan to pay farmers not to grow hay during the year’s hottest months. The plan is just one step to conserve water from the stressed Colorado River.
Tips on saving water
Below are some tips for you and your family to save water from the California Public Utilities Commission
- Install water-saving devices, such as low-flow showerheads and high-efficiency toilets,
- Take shorter showers, reduce the time by 1-2 minutes, and save 5 gallons.
- Turn the water off while brushing your teeth. Save 3 gallons.
- Fix leaky faucets. Save up to 20 gallons per day.
- Wash a full load of laundry. Save 15 to 50 gallons per load.
- Don’t use a hose to clean your driveway. Sweeping with a broom can save as much as 100 gallons of water.
- Water your yard before 8 a.m. because watering early reduces evaporation.
- Make the switch from lawn to low-water-use landscaping. Outdoor watering accounts for 50 to 70% of all household water use.
California
First look: Space Shuttle Endeavour in ready-to-launch position at California Science Center
LOS ANGELES – This fall, space fans will get to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour like never before in its new permanent home at the California Science Center in the Exposition Park area.
What we know:
The new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center officially opens on November 13.
Also, an introductory film includes footage from Endeavour’s final launch before being retired in 2011.
“We felt from the beginning this is the most impressive way to see the space shuttle and it gives people views that almost no one ever got a chance to see,” said Jeff Rudolph, President & CEO of the California Science Center.
What they’re saying:
Since 2012, Los Angeles has been home to the Space Shuttle Endeavour. It has been on display horizontally at the California Science Center.
But the vision was always to have it on display upright.
“It’s really exciting and everyone who sees it is in awe and that’s really what we were trying to do was create that real sense of emotional high and inspire people to learn more,” said Rudolph.
This is the only display of its kind and it can’t be duplicated. The orange tank attached to the shuttle is the last mission-ready one in existence.
“I think what we’ve done is present something that is going to be a truly life-changing and transformative experience for education,” said Kenneth Phillips, Curator for Aerospace Sciences at the California Science Center.
Visitors will also be able to see inside the space craft that carried astronauts to space 25 times, including Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to go to space and now-Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
When the exhibit opens to the public in November, visitors will be able to ride up an elevator alongside the space shuttle and view it from the top.
“That’s the view that nobody but the crew saw. That was a very special vantage point. Nobody got to do that,” said Phillips.
What’s next:
The California Science Center expects the exhibit to be popular. Tickets will go on sale well before the opening.
Redwood Valley, Calif. — A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Northern California on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was centered 7 miles north of Redwood Valley in Mendocino County, north of Ukiah, and east of Highway 101. It had a depth of 5.0 miles.
A ShakeAlert notification went off on many people’s phones moments before the earthquake hit at 8:10 a.m., initially forecasted as a 6.1 magnitude quake by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and downgraded moments later.
People across Northern California felt the quake. Reports came in from as far away as Eureka, Redding, Sacramento, and the Bay Area. Most people reported light to moderate rolling and shaking.
Since the initial quake, several aftershocks have hit the same area. Three smaller quakes between 2.6-2.7 magnitude were detected in the same area between 8:17 a.m. and 9:06 a.m., and are expected to continue.
So far, there have not been any reports of major damage or injuries.
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California
DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history
Laura Ingraham: Fraudsters beware!
The Department of Justice announces the largest healthcare fraud takedown in U.S. history, charging 455 defendants across 45 states. They allegedly stole $6.5 billion from Medicare and Medicaid through wound care schemes and other fraudulent claims. Some funds were used for luxury homes and vehicles like a $135,000 Maserati.
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Federal authorities on Tuesday charged 10 Southern California defendants in a series of healthcare fraud schemes, including one case involving nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and another that allegedly defrauded Medicare out of approximately $27 million.
The charges were part of the Justice Department’s broader “2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,” which resulted in charges against 455 defendants nationwide in schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the operation as “the greatest combined federal and state effort in combating healthcare fraud in history.”
“Fraudsters can no longer rip off American taxpayers,” Blanche said during a news conference announcing the initiative. “If you seek to harm or cheat Americans, we will find you, seize any assets and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI ADDS 2 FUGITIVES TO ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST AMID HISTORIC $6.5B HEALTHCARE TAKEDOWN: PATEL
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference announcing what federal officials described as the largest healthcare fraud takedown in U.S. history, resulting in charges against 455 defendants nationwide. (Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)
In the Central District of California, federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against 10 defendants accused of defrauding government-funded healthcare programs or abusing their positions as medical professionals to illegally prescribe controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said five individuals were arrested in the greater Los Angeles area for allegedly participating in a scheme that involved submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs.
Among those charged was Christina Mareik, 61, also known as Christina Marie Sanchez Hernandez, of Whittier.
HOSPICE FRAUD USES STOLEN IDENTITIES FOR FAKE PATIENTS
The Justice Department announced charges against 10 Southern California defendants in connection with multiple healthcare fraud schemes. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors allege Mareik helped facilitate fraudulent prescriptions that generated nearly $270 million in claims to Medi-Cal, which ultimately paid out more than $178 million.
According to prosecutors, the claims involved expensive drugs containing low-cost generic ingredients that were either not medically necessary or were never provided to the purported recipients.
Authorities said Mareik also sent thousands of fraudulent prescriptions to a co-conspirator and caused the submission of fraudulent prescriptions under her own name.
LOS ANGELES HOSPICE FRAUD REACHES BILLIONS AS MEDICARE PROVIDERS SCAM FEDERAL SYSTEM WITH FAKE COMPANIES
Federal prosecutors allege Southern California defendants participated in schemes that defrauded Medicare and Medi-Cal of hundreds of millions of dollars. (Department of Justice)
Mareik was arrested June 17 and charged with healthcare fraud.
The charges also include a San Fernando Valley man accused of operating hospice care companies that fraudulently billed Medicare approximately $27 million, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also charged Oren David Shachar, 59, of Van Nuys; Abraham Shin, 66, of Corona; and Jeannie Choi, 57, of Torrance.
The three defendants face a 16-count indictment alleging they conspired to defraud Medicare out of approximately $27 million.
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The charges include conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, aggravated identity theft, monetary transactions involving criminally derived property exceeding $10,000, and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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