Is California’s ski season deadlier than usual? Here’s why we don’t know
A deadly ski season in California raises urgent questions. Why doesn’t the state track resort injuries or deaths, and who’s protecting people on the slopes?
Rachel's Latest Articles
‘Little death bombs’: Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests. Who’s cleaning them up?
Even after legalization, illicit cannabis grows continue to pollute California’s public lands. And the contamination, new research shows, lingers.
No deal on the Colorado River despite Trump administration deadline
The federal government has often set deadlines on the Colorado River, but in recent years has rarely enforced them. Negotiations among California and the six other basin states will now continue into next year, as Arizona ramps up its rhetoric and calls for a firmer hand from the Trump Administration in the talks.
Key player in California’s water wars embraces controversial pact
The State Water Resources Control Board advance a controversial, Newsom-backed agreement in a new proposal, which qualifies as a major development in the long-running debate about delta water use.
A new invader threatens California water supplies. Can the state stop its spread?
Officials are shoring up water systems infiltrated by the golden mussel. Dogs and human inspectors are checking boats at some lakes, but a patchwork of oversight leaves many lakes unprotected. “There’s just too many boats and too many people out there,” one warden said.
California water agency under investigation for discriminating against tribes, people of color
A discrimination complaint filed by Native American tribes and environmental justice groups alleges that California has failed to protect water quality in the Bay-Delta. The EPA is investigating.
Four in a row: California drought likely to continue
After its driest three-year stretch on record, California braces for another year with below-average snow and rain. Conditions are shaping up to be a “recipe for drought.”