California News

California Firefighters Work to Contain Large Forest Fire

BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — California’s weather moderated Monday after a long siege of extreme heat but firefighters still faced the difficult task of trying to contain a large forest fire in rugged coastal mountains south of Big Sur. The …

California Urges Power Conservation Amid Heat Wave

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s power grid operator called for voluntary energy conservation on Thursday as the state sweltered under a heat wave that has blanketed the West and brought dangerously high temperatures to many areas. The California Independent System …

California Farmers Told Drought Could Cut Off Their Water

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Central California farmers were warned Tuesday that they could face water cutoffs this summer as the state deals with a drought that already has curtailed federal and state irrigation supplies. The State Water Resources …

Brutal Heatwave to Descend on U.S. West, Prompting Fire Warnings

LOS ANGELES — A heatwave already punishing parts of the U.S. Southwest on Monday was expected to move into California this week, prompting the forecasters to warn of health and fire dangers. A high-pressure ridge that built over southwestern deserts …

Farmers Says Zesty.ai Wildfire Risk Assessments to Bring 30,000 New Homeowners’ Policies

Farmers Insurance announced Monday that California regulators have approved its plan to assess wildfire risk by using a tool that combines artificial intelligence with high-resolution aerial photography. The carrier said the Z-Fire risk scoring model developed by Zesty.ai is expected …

Report: California Encourages Rebuilding in Fire-Prone Areas

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California state and local officials are encouraging rebuilding in areas destroyed by wildfires at a time when people should be redirected away from those areas if the state wants to reduce the economic and human impact …

Regulators Withdraw Controversial California Work Mask Rules

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s workplace regulators have withdrawn a controversial pending mask regulation while they consider a rule that more closely aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise that the state will fully reopen from the pandemic on Tuesday. The …

California’s Epic Drought Is Parching Reservoirs and Worrying Farmers

There is dry, and then there is desiccated. As any movie fan knows from the classic film Chinatown, California is an infamously thirsty place. But this year, even by its own standards, the state is shockingly, scarily parched. So far …

As Drought Intensifies, California Seeing More Wildfires

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California sinks deeper into drought it already has had more than 900 additional wildfires than at this point in 2020, which was a record-breaking year that saw more than 4% of the state’s land scorched …

California Readies To Prevent Blackouts, But Threats Remain

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top energy regulators on Tuesday said the state is better prepared to avoid last summer’s rotating blackouts, but they cautioned the power grid of the nation’s most populous state is still vulnerable to extreme heat …