#central-valley

#central-valley

Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty Albert Angel for Sotheby's International Realty This house is in Mount Washington, a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the city known for its hilly streets and sweeping views of downtown Los Angeles.

For most people, Northern California calls to mind windswept beaches and towering Redwoods or perhaps the sunny slopes of the Sierra Nevadas.But between the green expanses of the Central Valley and the steep moutainsides that surround Lake Tahoe's deep blue waters lie the rolling hills of the Sierra Foothills, a lesser-visited region but one steeped in history.

Ask a water expert if California's drought is finally done, and the answers sound something like this:
"Yes and no." "Kind of.""Depends what you mean by drought."The state has been deluged by storms this winter, hit by 12 atmospheric rivers that have led to evacuation orders, rising rivers and broken levees.

Thousands of years ago during the last Ice Age, rivers flowed from giant glaciers in the Sierra Nevada down to the Central Valley, carving into rock and gouging channels at a time when the sea level was about 400 feet lower.When the glaciers retreated, meltwater coursed down and buried the river channels in sediment.

Standards for exposure to toxic chemicals at work, known as permissible exposure limits or PELs, have long been and still are vastly and indefensibly weaker than standards for environmental exposure to these same toxics.This disparity puts not only workers, but also their offspring at risk-especially where women of child-bearing age are a sizable part of the workforce.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Higher-income people are fleeing California to live in lower-tax states.For years, we denied that.Maybe it wasn't even happening.But it definitely is now.It's logical given our high taxes, high housing costs and high costs of living, period.And there's new evidence of it.

Image Point Mugu.Credit...Brent Stirton/Getty Images HOLLISTER The road to Pacheco State Park begins in this old Central Coast cowboy town, famous for its apricot farms.There is still a barnlike saloon in the quaint downtown, and then the road begins to wind through fields of yellow blooms of wild mustard and lush, light green hills dotted with majestic, gnarled oak trees.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Highs for much of Southern California will peak Saturday as the state braces for the warmest temperatures so far this year, but forecasters say the heat won't last long, with rainy, cooler weather on the horizon for next week.Much of the Southland can expect above-normal temperatures Friday through the weekend, but it won't reach any threshold for a significant heat wave, said Rose Schoenfeld, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

After two days of near-constant rain, the latest storm to drench Southern California is expected to exit the region Thursday evening, leaving the weekend dry and mostly sunny.Cloudy skies and some precipitation are expected to linger across the region on Thursday, bringing scattered showers and possibly some snowfall in mountain areas, according to the National Weather Service.

An atmospheric river storm bearing down on California will drop more rain and snow this week, sparking fresh concerns about additional flooding and snowmelt in the already soaked state.The storm, which originated near Hawaii, is expected to intensify Monday into Wednesday.It will create "considerable flooding impacts below 5,000 feet elevation across much of the California Coast and Central Valley and over the southern Sierra Nevada foothills," the National Weather Service said.

California was bracing for another round of rain beginning Monday as officials tried to assess the damage from severe flooding along the Central Coast and Central Valley, which left scores stranded and left whole blocks under water.Yet another atmospheric river will bring new flood concerns to Northern California beginning Monday and continuing through Tuesday night.

Latest Atmospheric River Batters Already Soaked California
Downed trees, widespread power outages, flooded roadways -- it was all part of the latest atmospheric river to hit California.At least two people died due to falling trees in the Bay Area on Tuesday.Farmlands Underwater Across Parts Of Central Valley
In Tulare County, where signs reading "pray for rain" line the highway, many communities are still underwater.

The Southern Sierra Nevada mountains are covered with the deepest snowpack in recorded history, and the rest of the range is not far behind.When all that snow melts, where will it go?You can read the answer in the landscape of the Central Valley.To the eye it is nearly flat, covered by layers of gravel, silt and clay washed from the mountains over the eons by rain and melting snow.

With back-to-back storms to hit California in the coming days, state officials are scrambling to make strategic releases from key reservoirs in hopes of preventing a repeat of the deadly flooding that killed nearly two dozen people in January.At least 10 rivers are forecast to overflow from the incoming "Pineapple Express" storm, which is expected to drop warm, heavy, snow-melting rain as it moves from the Central Coast toward the southern Sierra beginning Thursday night into Saturday.

After a series of atmospheric-river storms hit California in December and January, the state's two largest reservoirs are looking a lot fuller than they did a few months ago.Before-and-after satellite photos from NASA Earth Observatory show that those early-winter deluges were difference-makers.The photos don't take into account several February storms, including the epic snowfall over the weekend, which also are likely to help move the needle.

A gazillion gallons of stormwater have been rampaging down rivers into the sea.But that uncaptured bounty hasn't been "wasted.""Wasted water" being dumped in the ocean is an old cliché that resurfaces whenever there's a big storm in this weather-eccentric state - or during the inevitable dry periods when crops are thirsty and homeowners are told to shut off their lawn sprinklers.

At the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory in Donner Pass on Wednesday, snow was piled so high that lead scientist Andrew Schwartz no longer needed stairs to exit the second floor."We just walk directly out onto the snow!" Schwartz said.The nearly 11 feet of snow surrounding the lab was the deepest he'd seen so far this year.

A series of atmospheric river storms brought California heavy rains and an above-average snowpack across the Sierra Nevada, but experts say the state still needs many more storms to begin to emerge from drought.Snowpack across the Sierra Nevada now measures 174% of average for this time of year.But there are still three months left in the snow season, and the snow that has fallen to date remains just 64% of the April 1 average.

Flooding continued along several Central California rivers Saturday after this week's devastating storm, but emergency response officials are increasingly optimistic that the worst may be over for now.A new storm forecast for early next week was trending southward, away from the Central Valley and coastal areas that saw severe flooding in the 11th atmospheric river to hit the state this rainy season.

Winemakers and wine professionals are supporting one another in what is one of the worst catastrophes for Chile's wine industry.Twenty-four people have died in the wildfires, which started at the end of January and have burned through thousands of acres of forest, crops, vineyards and houses.To date, the still-spreading flames have destroyed more than 400 hectares of vines in Itata Valley and a few in Maule and Bio Bio.

Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a state of emergency for 13 California counties in response to the winter storms.San Bernardino County is covered by the Governor's declaration.There, residents in mountain communities are still trapped in their homes after more than seven feet of snow has fallen over the last few days.

The cost of a dozen large eggs in California has soared, averaging about $4.50, up from $2.35 at this time last year.And the prices for any food that uses eggs as an ingredient, such as mayonnaise and baked goods, are also climbing.What's going on?This is a time of radical challenges in the chicken business.

Sprawling Silicon Valley is known for its techie hangouts and deal-making hot spots, diverse restaurant scene and Michelin-starred standouts that range from Chez TJ in Mountain View to Manresa in Los Gatos.But any local foodie worth his salt (Himalayan pink, of course), knows that these five epicurean experiences are musts.

This time in eastern Contra Costa, with plans to build a new highway, State Route 239.Caltrans wants more more more
Induced demand.Sprawl.Global warming.State transportation officials come to meetings and talk about how they get it now; they can't just keep widening highways and laying more asphalt.

When the California Legislature reconvenes this week for a new biennial session it will have dozens of new faces and also dozens of old, unresolved issues.Housing shortages, inflation, homelessness and drought are among the larger ones, but none is more important than the state's crisis in public education.

Republican farmer John Duarte won an open congressional seat in the Central Valley, defeating Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray despite Democrats' strong voter registration advantage in the district.The Associated Press called the race Friday, though official results will take longer.The race was the final congressional contest in California to be called and adds to Republicans' slim majority in the House in the next Congress.