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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Residents raise red flags as flood-stricken town teeters on edge of disaster: 'Had to use rain boots to walk around in my kitchen'
Residents raise red flags as flood-stricken town teeters on edge of disaster: 'Had to use rain boots to walk around in my kitchen' Rising sea levels are a major concern for many coastal communities, with widespread risks that can extend across vast regions and entire states. One example of an at-risk area is Pescadero, a small farming community on the California coast. What's happening? In Part 3 of a series on sea level rise from Bay Area-based public radio station KALW, an emergency and disaster preparedness reporter looked at how flooding is affecting an unincorporated town in San Mateo County. Although Pescadero's residents have been dealing with flooding for decades, as the mid-July audio episode demonstrates, the issue is worsening and highlighting disturbing socioeconomic divides. The town is situated on a floodplain, making its residents and businesses especially vulnerable. Home to large immigrant and agricultural communities, these populations can be disproportionately impacted. "Last January, the water was so high that I had to use rain boots to walk around in my kitchen," flower farmer Maria Juana Zavala Rizo shared. "I prepared dinner with my boots." Reporter Wren Farrell took a tour of the area with nonprofit leader Irma Rodriguez Mitton, whose organization is involved with community responses to climate change. Together, they observed some homes being raised off the ground to prevent future flooding. "If you're a property owner with means and you can raise your home. That's great. That's one home raised out of the floodplain," Rodriguez Mitton told KALW. "But the community isn't raised out of the floodplain." Why is this concerning? Marginalized communities can be disproportionately impacted by flooding and other extreme weather events. As flooding increases in frequency and intensity due to rising global temperatures, these communities can be repeatedly hit with dangerous conditions, life-changing home damage, and financial hardship. Dealing with these persistent worries can also take a toll on residents' mental well-being. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. With great emotion, farmer Zavala told KALW that river waters had "entered [her] home during the rainy season for the past 28 years." She attended a Board of Supervisors meeting in 2023 to tell local officials about the ongoing challenges, which have included disruptions to road access and emergency response times. "Since that meeting," the public radio station reported, Zavala's landlord "installed cinder block walls in the lower parts of the home to keep the water out." Her house doesn't flood anymore. What's being done to protect towns from flooding? In California, the Resource Conservation District is working with property owners to facilitate floodplain restoration and sediment management, according to KALW. Coordinated efforts are underway across multiple agencies to prepare for droughts, heavy storms, and rising sea levels. Meanwhile, innovators have been developing the concept of "sponge cities" to absorb rainwater with parks, gardens, and other natural infrastructure. These techniques are already being implemented in cities like Los Angeles and Pittsburgh to mitigate urban flood risks. Individuals can enhance their personal storm resilience by taking steps to disaster-proof their homes and generate grid-independent power from cleaner energy sources. Installing solar panels with backup battery storage can help homeowners withstand grid outages caused by extreme weather. When prospective customers compare installer quotes using EnergySage's free online tool, they can save up to $10,000 on the upfront costs of going solar — reducing, in the process, the heat-trapping gases that can drive rising global temperatures and exacerbate floods. Meanwhile, as the recent storytelling from Pescadero residents makes clear, officials and advocates must collaborate to ensure that not only homeowners but property owners in general are supported in taking local actions that protect all residents. That means landlords too must be expected to deploy effective solutions equitably. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
San Francisco Chronicle
30-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alameda County adopts $1 billion plan to address homelessness after years of delay
More than four years after Alameda County voters narrowly approved a sales tax measure to address the area's growing homelessness crisis, the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday adopted a plan for allocating more than $1 billion over the coming years. The board's unanimous vote comes after a prolonged legal battle that, until recently, had prevented the county from spending any of the new tax revenue to address one of the region's most pressing issues. Alameda County's homeless population grew 18% from 2019 to 2024, when it reached an estimated 9,450 people, according to the latest homelessness census. Over that same five years, the number of people living unsheltered across the county, including in tents, vehicles and other makeshift shelters, nearly doubled from 1,710 to 3,107. Oakland is home to more than half of the county's homeless population. Supervisor Elisa Márquez said Wednesday that she was eager to support the county's spending plan for Measure W, but urged residents to demand more accountability from their local leaders as well. 'I need everyone here who has all that passion about Measure W funding to go back to your cities and ask them what they're doing,' Márquez said. 'Every city has to be part of the solution, and until that happens, we're going to continue to have this conversation.' Voters in November 2020 passed a 10-year, half-cent sales tax, known as Measure W, to fund housing and programs related to homelessness, behavioral health care, job training and other essential county services. Collection of the new tax began in July 2021, but the county was unable to spend any funds for several years due to a lawsuit filed by the Alameda County Taxpayers Association challenging the validity of the measure. In April, a judge sided with the county and finally enabled the county to begin releasing funds. The measure is projected to raise a total of more than $1.8 billion. The county has collected $810 million to date and anticipates an additional $1 billion in revenue through June 2031, when the sales tax expires. Of the funds raised to date, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors previously approved $350 million for capital acquisition, $30 million for 250 new interim housing units, $10 million for housing subsidies, $4.5 million for new staffing and $6.5 million food security and senior services. Under the plan approved Wednesday, they will also set aside $170 million of the existing funds raised for a reserve to protect against economic uncertainty and provide financial stability to any programs that might face federal or state funding cuts. Of the remaining $238.5 million previously accrued and funds raised by the tax moving forward, 80% will go toward the county's 'Home Together Fund.' That fund, which is expected to collect $136 million annually, will focus on preventing homelessness and increasing access to homeless shelters and housing. The new funds will mark a notable increase in the county's ability to address its homeless crisis as it currently spends about $219 million annually on services for its unhoused residents. The rest of the money will go into an 'essential county services fund,' which will help to maintain critical county infrastructure and programs related to food security, senior support and services for immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups affected by federal policy changes and funding cuts. The county anticipates that the fund will receive about $34 million annually. For the second time in two weeks, dozens of residents and stakeholders came to a special board meeting to offer their feedback about the county's allocation plan. While many expressed their enthusiasm for the unprecedented influx of new funding, they also voiced concerns about several aspects of the proposal. Several questioned the need for a $170 million reserve while others advocated that 90% or more of the overall funds be dedicated for homeless services. A handful of speakers also opposed a $15 million emergency stabilization fund that officials planned to set up to help nonprofit affordable housing providers that were struggling financially due to eviction moratoriums put in place during the pandemic. 'Measure W should be used for what it was voted for — housing and homelessness services, mental health and support services,' said Carmen Jovel of the East Bay Community Law Center. Jovel added that it was 'alarming' that the county planned to use any funds from the measure to help landlords rather than those suffering from homelessness. Vivian Wan, executive director of the affordable housing nonprofit Abode Services, argued that the stabilization fund would assist the agency to serve more unhoused people. "We want to build more supportive housing. We want to help end the homelessness in this community, and we can't do so if we're not (financially) healthy,' she said. The Board of Supervisors did not make a decision on whether or how to move forward with the proposed $15 million emergency stabilization fund and instead punted it to a future meeting.
30-07-2025
- Politics
Los Angeles County seeks ordinance preventing law enforcement from concealing their identities
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles County leaders want to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty, a response to recent immigration raids during which some federal agents refused to identify themselves or covered their faces. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4—0, with one abstention, to direct county counsel to draft an ordinance that bars officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks, with limited exceptions such as for medical protection or during undercover operations. Officers would also be required to visibly display identification and agency affiliation while out in public. Since early June, immigration agents have swarmed Southern California, arresting hundreds of people and prompting protests against the federal raids and the subsequent deployment of the National Guard and Marines. About half the Guard troops and all the Marines were pulled out of LA in recent weeks. Supervisor Janice Hahn, who co-authored the motion, said the raids carried out by the Trump administration have sparked fear and residents have a right to know who is stopping, questioning or detaining them. 'Across the county, people are being pulled out of their cars, beaten, and ripped from their families by men in tactical gear with balaclavas, no badges, and no names," Hahn said. 'That's not how law enforcement in a democracy should operate.' Hahn conceded that it is unclear if the county will be able to enforce the law when it comes to actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. 'Ultimately, it might have to be decided by a court,' she said. Legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky said Tuesday that a court could have to decide if the ordinance is interfering with the ability of officers to carry out their duties. 'They key is that it has to apply to all law enforcement. It can't just apply to federal law enforcement,' said Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley. Administration officials have defended the practice of officers wearing masks, saying immigration agents have faced harassment as they have gone about their enforcement. Officials said agents are hiding their identities for their safety to avoid things like death threats and doxing, where someone's personal information is released without their permission on the internet. 'I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is,' ICE acting director Todd Lyons said last month. In the state legislature, a pending measure would ban local, state, and federal police from covering their faces while conducting operations in California. And a similar bill has been introduced into the U.S. Congress by Democratic senators Alex Padilla, of California, and Cory Booker, of New Jersey. Chemerinsky said the advantage of federal legislation is that it would 'clearly be constitutional' because Congress has the power to regulate how federal law enforcement operates. County counsel has 60 days to submit the draft ordinance to the board for approval. Supervisor Hilda Solis, the measure's other co-author, said local officials must set expectations about how law enforcement should conduct themselves while in the county. 'The use of masks, tactical gear, and refusal to show identification is not only alarming and confusing, but erodes public trust and raises serious safety concerns,' Solis said.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Los Angeles County seeks ordinance preventing law enforcement from concealing their identities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County leaders want to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty, a response to recent immigration raids during which some federal agents refused to identify themselves or covered their faces. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4—0, with one abstention, to direct county counsel to draft an ordinance that bars officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks, with limited exceptions such as for medical protection or during undercover operations. Officers would also be required to visibly display identification and agency affiliation while out in public. Since early June, immigration agents have swarmed Southern California, arresting hundreds of people and prompting protests against the federal raids and the subsequent deployment of the National Guard and Marines. About half the Guard troops and all the Marines were pulled out of LA in recent weeks. Supervisor Janice Hahn, who co-authored the motion, said the raids carried out by the Trump administration have sparked fear and residents have a right to know who is stopping, questioning or detaining them. 'Across the county, people are being pulled out of their cars, beaten, and ripped from their families by men in tactical gear with balaclavas, no badges, and no names," Hahn said. 'That's not how law enforcement in a democracy should operate.' Hahn conceded that it is unclear if the county will be able to enforce the law when it comes to actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. 'Ultimately, it might have to be decided by a court,' she said. Legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky said Tuesday that a court could have to decide if the ordinance is interfering with the ability of officers to carry out their duties. 'They key is that it has to apply to all law enforcement. It can't just apply to federal law enforcement,' said Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley. Administration officials have defended the practice of officers wearing masks, saying immigration agents have faced harassment as they have gone about their enforcement. Officials said agents are hiding their identities for their safety to avoid things like death threats and doxing, where someone's personal information is released without their permission on the internet. 'I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is,' ICE acting director Todd Lyons said last month. In the state legislature, a pending measure would ban local, state, and federal police from covering their faces while conducting operations in California. And a similar bill has been introduced into the U.S. Congress by Democratic senators Alex Padilla, of California, and Cory Booker, of New Jersey. Chemerinsky said the advantage of federal legislation is that it would 'clearly be constitutional' because Congress has the power to regulate how federal law enforcement operates. County counsel has 60 days to submit the draft ordinance to the board for approval. Supervisor Hilda Solis, the measure's other co-author, said local officials must set expectations about how law enforcement should conduct themselves while in the county. 'The use of masks, tactical gear, and refusal to show identification is not only alarming and confusing, but erodes public trust and raises serious safety concerns,' Solis said. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
29-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
San Francisco gas ban could include homes, businesses undergoing renovations
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco may update the gas ban ordinance to include homes and businesses undergoing major renovations. The ordinance, backed by Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, would require buildings that fit the bill's criteria to convert all gas water heating, heating and cooling systems, and cooking appliances to electric. The amendment would apply to buildings undergoing major wall-to-ceiling renovations and load-bearing elements that support at least 30% of the property. Mandelman told CBS News Bay Area that the updated ordinance is necessary for a greener San Francisco. "I do think the climate crisis is real. The health impacts of natural gas and fossil fuels are real, and we can't ignore them," Mandelman said. "We have to address them." The city has been slowly phasing out natural gas since 2020, when the original ordinance was passed to reduce emissions. Since then, all new builds are required to use electrical appliances. "We can't say that every conversion of a building is going, or every major retrofit is going to involve that building going all electric, but it's pushing in that direction." Buildings with gas appliances protected under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act are exempt. Mandelman also said affordable housing units get a temporary exemption. Justin Spillman, a contractor for Ace Plumbing and Rooter, said he's seeing San Francisco's push for electric appliances unfold in real time. "They want their energy bills to go down. They want to get ahead of the curve when it comes to the changes that are happening in the emissions goals in the city." He said his company is getting more inquiries from people interested in making the switch. Geran Checkley, one of his clients, said he thinks the ordinance is a necessary one. "We already know we want to electrify our house for environmental and climate reasons, and for health and safety reasons," Geran said. But Checkley said the only drawback to the amendment is the price tag. Even with state and federal rebates, he estimated he'll pay thousands for this update. "I am a supporter of the effort to electrify our city. What I would also like to see is state and city changes that make it more efficient and cheaper." The city, state, and federal government offer rebates for electrifying homes and businesses, depending on the type of projects.
