Mountain lions are seeing a baby boom near Los Angeles
On Saturday, we published a story about the California legislature imposing a ban on a rat poison that has been found to kill mountain lions. In other good news for mountain lions in California, park rangers have reported a mountain lion baby boom that has occurred this summer in the Santa Monica Read More...
New Jersey enacts new law to help undocumented immigrants find jobs
California has long been the only state to have passed a blanket law to aid all undocumented immigrants, but now New Jersey has joined the state after Gov. Phil Murphy repealed key restrictions. The restrictions barred undocumented individuals from obtaining occupational and professional Read More...
California bill allows formerly incarcerated people to become firefighters
As wildfires continue to burn across the western United States, many have raised concerns about the exploitation of incarcerated individuals used to combat the blazes. Now, California has passed a bill that will allow formerly incarcerated individuals to pursue a career in firefighting after Read More...
California bans common rat poison that kills birds and mountain lions
A popular poison for killing rats has been banned by the California Legislature after the toxins commonly used in the poison were found in often lethal levels in birds of prey and predatory mammals. Assembly Bill 1788 bans the group of rat poisons known as “second generation anticoagulant Read More...
New California bill would mandate diversity on corporate boards
California legislation requires that most corporate boards in the state have at least three female members by the end of the year. Now, the progressive state is building upon this law with a newly passed bill that would require boards to also have at least one member from an underrepresented Read More...
A giant virtual power plant is coming to California to avoid blackouts
As energy blackouts become more common in California, a German energy company called Sonnen believes virtual power plants (VPPs) can solve the issue. Rather than rely on utility companies, virtual power plants involve connected sets of solar panels and batteries that produce and store energy Read More...
Doubling down on diesel: CA regulations will slash nitrogen oxide emissions
Last week, the California Air Resources Board unanimously passed new regulations to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. The new legislation, aimed at diesel trucks, will reduce NOx emissions by 90 percent. This is the equivalent of taking 16 million light-duty vehicles off the road. The new Read More...
Airbnb Open Homes connects wildfire evacuees with a free place to stay
More than 200,000 Californians have been displaced by the wildfires ravaging the state, but some are finding safety and shelter with the help of Airbnb. The vacation rental company is mobilizing its network of open properties to connect fire victims with urgently needed free shelter. The Read More...
Food brand KIND pledges to source bee-friendly almonds for their snacks
Bee pollination is essential to coaxing fruit from almond trees, with almond growers in the US renting about 1.5 million colonies of honeybees per year to produce about 80 percent of the world’s almonds. But between the stress of relocating, the increased exposure to disease from other Read More...
Phew! California’s 2,000-year-old redwoods survived the wildfires
With over 1 million acres torched and 12,000 buildings burnt down, the California wildfires have already been the worst in history. But just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, the wildfires started sweeping through California’s oldest state park: Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Park Read More...