California
White House announces first California marine sanctuary managed by Indigenous peoples
The Biden administration, members of Congress and native tribes will commemorate the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on Monday — the first such preserve in California to be managed in cooperation with Indigenous peoples.
The 4,543-square-mile sanctuary, located off California’s rugged Central Coast, would prohibit oil drilling and offer other protections to an area that encompasses numerous cultural resources, including the suspected remains of ancient, submerged villages.
The preserve could one day serve as the final puzzle piece of an effort to protect virtually all of California’s coast from the Channel Islands to Point Arena, north of the Bay Area.
“I am overwhelmed with pride for our community and just how much, how far we’ve been able to come in such a short time,” said Kenneth Kahn, chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “We’ve got a lot to celebrate.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is responsible for managing the preserve, but Indigenous tribes will directly advise the agency. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, which has territory overlapping with the sanctuary and is the only federally recognized Chumash tribe, has been designated as NOAA’s key Indigenous partner.
Some Indigenous leaders say NOAA’s tribal consultation process fell short, but most agree the sanctuary is a step forward for conservation of the ocean, which provides Californians food, a temperate climate and recreation. Humans, they say, have a responsibility to protect it.
“We’re accomplishing a lot of things here,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), who represents the swath of coast adjacent to the sanctuary and has championed the project since he was elected in 2017.
“It’s good for the environment, good for biodiversity, the ecosystem, the cultural resources, the marine life, but also protecting our region and coast from future offshore oil drilling.”
Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.
NOAA announced the designation last week, starting a 45-day countdown on the congressional calendar until it takes effect, during which Gov. Gavin Newsom has the power to veto it. Officials have no expectation he will do so, however.
Newsom’s administration have been involved in the designation process, and the sanctuary aligns with both Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative and Newsom’s 30×30 goal — both of which aim to conserve 30% of land and waters by 2030.
“There are still a lot of questions about how its going to work … I don’t have all the answers but we’re going to figure this out together,” said Paul Michel, regional policy coordinator for the West Coast at NOAA. “We need to get together, roll up our sleeves and get busy learning from each other.”
The proposal was first submitted in 2015 by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, a nonprofit organization focused on rekindling Chumash culture and heritage and raising public awareness. The proposal was submitted not long after the Obama administration started allowing the public to propose sanctuaries for the first time in decades.
In 2021 — after years of sitting on the shelf during the Trump administration — the Biden administration made the proposal a top priority.
But after NOAA publicly posted its initial detailed plan in 2023, progress hit a wall.
Many Indigenous and environmental leaders wanted the sanctuary to extend up to the Monterey Bay sanctuary, past the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
But offshore wind companies had long planned developing near the power plant, which provides an easy connection to the electrical grid since Diablo Canyon already sends 6% of the state’s power from the coast inland.
Eventually NOAA proposed a reduced sanctuary with the promise of considering expansions every five years during its required management plan review process, potentially absorbing the offshore wind waters once construction finishes.
The compromise, which the White House helped broker, aims to establish the sanctuary before the presidential election — allowing officials to work out the complex details later without jeopardizing the whole sanctuary.
A coyote runs through the sandy dunes of Surf Beach in Lompoc, which overlooks the newly designated Chumash Heritage Marine Sanctuary.
(Al Seib / For The Times)
Yet some say the government’s efforts to work side-by-side with Indigenous tribes has fallen short.
Haylee Bautista, ocean advocate with the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region — whose tribal territory overlaps with the sanctuary — said her tribe wasn’t made aware of the proposal until after an initial plan was already submitted to NOAA.
“We’ve voiced our concerns multiple times and submitted letters and the reciprocation hasn’t been great,” Bautista said.
“The ocean is a very sacred and important place to us, so the fact that they’re so quick to dismiss what we have to say about it … is just really disheartening.”
While the government has come a long way in recognizing the importance of Indigenous voices, they are often still an afterthought, she said.
Both the federal government and tribal leaders acknowledge that many lessons were learned during the first-of-its-kind process.
“We will continue to learn,” said Michel. “We’re in that process of developing relationships, hopefully some trust along the way. But we’re really at a starting point here with what we’ve heard so far and big hopes for where we could go.”
The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is lined with sandy beaches and rocky shores and is home to a multitude of seabirds and sea lions. Kelp forests — one of the most biodiverse ocean ecosystems on the planet and great at absorbing carbon — sit off the coast.
On the deep seafloor, rough volcanic terrain harbors corals, sponges and fish. The open ocean is home to whales, turtles and jellyfish.
Yet these vibrant ecosystems are facing threats from all sides.
Seawater along California’s Central Coast is becoming increasingly unlivable. The Santa Maria and Santa Ynez rivers — neither of which meet state water quality standards — discharge a mix of toxic chemicals, fertilizer, grease and dangerous bacteria.
Large cruise ships and industrial cargo vessels dump pollutants — including human sewage — directly into the waters. Passengers and crew on a single cruise ship can generate millions of gallons of waste per day.
Seven offshore drilling rigs stand in the vicinity, with three permanently shuttered, and four temporarily out of operation. They are each connected to shore by miles of oil-carrying pipeline, and spills have fouled the sea multiple times since the area was first developed in the 1970s.
In 1997, a Freeport-McMoRan pipeline ruptured, releasing thousands of gallons of oil, killing hundreds of seabirds. In 2015, an ExxonMobil pipeline spilled over a hundred thousands gallons of crude oil into the ocean.
As greenhouse gas emissions warm the sea, ocean oxygen levels decrease, suffocating wildlife. The sea also absorbs carbon dioxide, acidifying the water, which breaks down essential minerals that organisms need to grow their shells and skeletons.
“It is our responsibility to protect the ocean and to give back to it and to keep it healthy and keep it clean,” said Bautista, to provide “the people of the water — so all of the animals and plants that live under the water … a space where they can thrive.”
Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara will help study the ecosystem, checking in on its vital signs and getting to know it better. Chumash groups will also monitor the area and provide NOAA with advice on how to best care for it.
The agency can then use its might, vested by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, to put regulations into action.
They’ll all work to create educational programs to engage the public. The Santa Inez Band of Chumash Indians is even opening their own museum as early as the end of the year, in which they hope to eventually incorporate lessons from the sanctuary.
“It is a bit of an experiment,” Michel said. “It will adapt and grow and evolve over time through collaborative co-stewardship.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25677371/Switch_PokemonSwordPokemonShield_ExpansionPass_screen_06.jpg "Pokémon developer faces major data leak")
Time to ‘fall back’ means it’s also time to check those smoke alarms
The same time to set your clocks back for daylight saving time is a great time to assure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in order.
Get ready to “fall back” California. The day when we get to throw the covers over our head and relish in that extra hour of sweet slumber is upon us.
Time to say goodbye to daylight saving time and replace dining alfresco beneath the fading golden twilight with eating our dinner indoors with all the lights on.
In 2024, the end of daylight saving time and beginning of standard time is on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m.
Earlier this year, daylight saving time began at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10.
We gain an hour in November (as opposed to losing an hour in the spring) to make for more daylight in the winter mornings.
How did daylight saving time begin?
Initially known as “war time,” according to the U.S. Department of Defense, daylight saving time was first introduced in the United States in 1918 under the Standard Time Act as a measure to save on fuel costs during the First World War by adding an extra hour of sunlight to the day, according to the Library of Congress.
The U.S. abandoned daylight saving time at the federal level after the end of World War I, seeing no financial need, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
States that wanted to continue observe the daylight saving locally had the option to do so.
How was the length of daylight saving time set?
In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, standardizing the length of daylight saving time.
The Department of Transportation said daylight saving time saves energy, prevents traffic injuries and reduces crime.
The DOT oversees time zones and the uniform observance of daylight saving time because the railroad industry first instituted time standards.
Has the end of daylight saving time changed?
No, you are not remembering incorrectly, the end of daylight saving time has shifted.
Originally, daylight saving time began on the last Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday of October, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In 2005, Congress amended the Uniform Time Act to expand daylight saving time to the period in effect today.
Now daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November, according to the Congressional Research Service.
This move was for energy-saving purposes.
A Department of Energy study following the amendment’s implementation found the extra four weeks of daylight saving time saved around 0.5% in total electricity daily in the U.S., equaling energy savings of 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours annually.
Will California ever get rid of daylight saving time?
There is a move among the state legislature to get rid of daylight saving time and keep standard time all year round.
Assembly Bill 1776: Year-round standard time was introduced by Assemblymember Tri Ta of Orange County earlier this year in January.
“Changing clocks twice a year is not only frustrating, but it’s dangerous for drivers and contributes to our state’s mental and physical health crises every year. When voters passed Proposition 7 overwhelmingly in 2018, they did not expect the Legislature to stall the will of the voters by refusing to take up this important measure,” said Assemblyman Ta, in a statement at the time.
In 2018, Proposition 7 passed in California with nearly 60% of the vote, calling on the Legislature to end twice-yearly time changes. According to several studies, time changes are linked to increases in vehicle accidents, seasonal depression, and other severe health issues, the statement continued.
The bill would require the state and all political subdivisions of the state to observe year-round standard time.
If the bill passed, it would put California in keeping with other states and U.S. territories that do not adhere to daylight saving time: Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation), Hawaii and territories Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
California
Investigation underway after man tried to enter Trump California rally perimeter with guns in vehicle
Federal authorities are investigating after a man with guns in his vehicle was arrested Saturday after he was stopped at a checkpoint near a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump.
The Justice Department said Sunday that the Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the incident in Coachella, California, about a quarter-mile from the rally venue.
“The U.S. Secret Service assesses that the incident did not impact protective operations and former President Trump was not in any danger,” Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for Central California, said in a statement. “While no federal arrest has been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing.”
A federal law enforcement official said there is no indication that there was an attempt to assassinate Trump.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference Sunday that the man in question was stopped around 5 p.m. local time Saturday at a checkpoint to enter the “inside perimeter” of security protecting the venue, where all vehicles were to be stopped, when a deputy noticed his SUV was disheveled inside and displayed “an obviously fake license plate.”
Deputies found two unregistered firearms — a shotgun and a loaded handgun — and “multiple boxes of ammunition,” Bianco said.
The venue is a ranch used for competition and practice by the Empire Polo Club, which gave its previous home venue, in adjacent Indio, to concert promoters behind the noted Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
The man who was stopped, identified as Vem Miller, said he was invited to the rally by another attendee and, at the same time, was permitted to attend as a journalist, Bianco said. Deputies found multiple fake identification cards, including passports, under different names in the SUV.
Miller, 49, of the Las Vegas area, was booked on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a large-capacity magazine of the type outlawed in California, according to Riverside County inmate records. Both are misdemeanors.
He was released before midnight, the records indicate. Bianco said further investigation about why he was trying to get to the venue on false pretenses is the purview of federal law enforcement.
A Secret Service official said in a statement: “We were contacted as it happened and Secret Service agents conducted a productive intelligence interview. It had no impact on the event and we are looking into the circumstances and the backgrounds of the individuals.”
An official familiar with the situation said Trump was not at the venue when the man was stopped.
Asked about the arrest, a Trump campaign official appeared unaware of the incident. When additional information was provided, there was no comment or response.
Trump, running as the Republican nominee for a second presidential term against Vice President Kamala Harris, was the subject of assassination attempts in July and September.
On July 13, a gunman hit Trump in the ear and fatally shot a man at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed. And on Sept. 15 at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from his home, a man suspected of being a would-be gunman was discovered hiding in bushes.
Bianco said the man who was stopped Saturday made it through an outer perimeter after “he gave all indications that he belonged there.” But he expressed confidence that the man did not have much chance of getting beyond the inner perimeter, especially with a story that included having gotten permission to attend from a third party, which he said was not realistic.
“You don’t get to give away passes to a rally for a former president,” said Bianco, who has declared his political support for Trump.
He said the entry process also included getting past metal detectors at a Secret Service pedestrian checkpoint at the entrance.
Bianco said the situation could have been much worse if fast-acting deputies had not stopped the man early in the process to enter the rally.
“I was completely confident that there was absolutely nothing going to happen inside that facility,” he said.
Bianco cited the allegedly fake license plate and what he described as the vehicle’s lack of paperwork, including registration, as indications the man may be affiliated with the anti-government sovereign citizens movement.
Miller was scheduled to appear in court on the weapons violations case in nearby Indio on Jan. 2.
Kelly O’Donnell, Jake Traylor, Andrew Blankstein and Tom Winter contributed.
In a series of bills signed into law on Sept. 27, the banana slug, Dungeness crab, and black abalone join a plethora of other wildlife in representing California. This recognition brings attention to these creatures’ roles in the ecosystem and in the lives of the people in Santa Cruz and across the state. “It’s a really good way to focus on things that are unique and beautiful for California,” says Assemblymember Gail Pellerin for the 28th Assembly District, who proposed the banana slug bill.
Originally Published:
Video: NASA Launches Mission to Study Jupiter’s Moon
Doctor's Simple Grocery List Shows Exactly What to Eat to Shrink Love Handles Quickly
New York Liberty found a key factor in Betnijah Laney-Hamilton for WNBA Finals win
NBA predictions: How bottom of the Eastern Conference will play out in 2024-25
A little mouse sets sail on a big adventure in 'The Ship in the Window'
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Harris doubles down with 'Indigenous Peoples' Day' post amid outrage over Columbus Day rhetoric
France’s Marine Le Pen questioned in court at EU embezzlement trial
Lilly Ledbetter, the activist who inspired fair pay act, dies at 86
Trends are good in the swing county GOP chair calls ‘Little Pennsylvania’: It’ll ‘be a repeat of ‘16’
Suspending right to asylum goes against EU law, Brussels tells Warsaw
-
Health1 week agoHealth, happiness and helping others are vital parts of free and responsible society, Founding Fathers taught
-
Sports1 week agoFreddie Freeman says his ankle sprain is worst injury he's ever tried to play through
-
News1 week agoLebanon says 50 medics killed in past three days as Israel extends its bombardment
-
Entertainment5 days agoHold my beer can: Museum says a worker thought unique art installation was trash
-
Entertainment6 days ago'The Office' star Jenna Fischer reveals private breast cancer battle: 'I am cancer free'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25673932/462754179_560996103109958_6880455562272353471_n.jpg "Meta suggests AI Northern Lights pics are as good as the real thing")
Technology2 days agoMeta suggests AI Northern Lights pics are as good as the real thing
-
Technology4 days agoScammers exploit grief with fake funeral streaming on Facebook
-
Lifestyle2 days agoIs the free speech debate dead? Plus, the devil! : It's Been a Minute