Gavin Newsom surveys California snowpack, unveiling water plan for an uncertain future
ARI PLACHTA, SacBee: "Surrounded by a blanket of snow, Gov. Gavin Newsom donned snowshoes Tuesday to observe officials surveying this year’s snowpack and unveil a new California water resources plan that factors in climate realities.
The snowpack across the state was measured at a little above average — a rarity after recent swings between extreme drought and last year’s record snowpack at double the historic average."
READ MORE: Amid above-average snowpack, Newsom urges focus on state water resilience and adaptation, IAN JAMES, LA Times.
SF homeless nonprofit blasted for misusing taxpayer funds
MAGGIE ANGST and ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH: "One of San Francisco’s largest providers of housing for formerly homeless people “misused” taxpayer funds, lacked key financial controls and engaged in other problematic practices that “heightened the risk of fraud,” according to a city report released Tuesday.
“(T)he breadth and magnitude of financial and compliance problems we found at HomeRise is concerning,” wrote Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting Inc., an independent firm the city hired to audit the nonprofit."
Taiwan’s Strongest Earthquake in 25 Years Kills at Least Nine
AUSTIN RAMZY and JOYU WANG, Wall Street Journal: "The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least nine people, left dozens trapped in a pair of coal mines, and damaged roads and buildings on the island’s east coast.
The quake, which was centered about 11 miles south of the city of Hualien, struck just before 8 a.m. local time with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. All of the deaths were recorded in Hualien County, with more than 900 injured in Hualien and other parts of Taiwan, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency reported.
This wealthy Bay Area town is the first in California to have its housing element revoked
J.K. DINEEN, Chronicle: "The Peninsula town of Portola Valley has become the first jurisdiction in California to have its housing plan revoked by state officials after the wealthy enclave failed to approve changes to allow for denser housing and more multi-family homes.
As long as the town doesn’t have a compliant blueprint for development, called a housing element, it will not be eligible for state grants for housing and transportation. The revocation also means that property owners looking to develop can receive permits without approvals from the Planning Commission or Town Council."
Highway 1 in crisis: What will it take for California to keep its iconic road from collapsing?
RACHEL SWAN, Chronicle: "Californians know Highway 1 for its peril and fragile beauty: a swoosh of road that winds along the coastline, mesmerizing drivers even as parts of it keep sliding into the Pacific Ocean.
The highway’s latest abrasion came over Easter weekend, when hammering rains caused a portion to collapse near Big Sur in Monterey County. The gash south of Rocky Creek Bridge resembled a giant bite mark in the southbound lane, forcing California Department of Transportation officials to close the section of roadway indefinitely."
READ MORE: Big Sur to be cut off again as damaged Highway 1 threatened by rain, GRACE TOOHEY and THOMAS CURWEN, LA Times
From New Zealand to Sacramento: CalPERS hires new investment executive after global search
MAYA MILLER, SacBee: "California’s state retiree pension fund has appointed a new chief investment officer. Following a worldwide search, the fund announced that New Zealander Stephen Gilmore will lead investment strategy at the California Public Employees Retirement System, the fund said in a statement released Tuesday.
Starting in July, Gilmore will manage a fund currently worth just under $495 billion. CalPERS will be the next stop in a nearly 40-year career for Gilmore. He most recently served as the chief investment officer of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, a government-owned fund valued at more than $43.5 billion."
Column: California’s income-based utility charge saga began with misuse of the state budget process
DAN WALTERS, CalMatters: "A year ago, California’s three big investor-owned electric power utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric – proposed new fixed charges on their residential customers that would vary by income.
Households making less than $69,000 a year would pay $20 to $34 a month, while those earning $69,000 to $180,000 would be charged $51 to $73. The charge would be $85 to $128 on customers with incomes over $180,000. Fixed utility charges separate from usage volume are nothing new. They offset costs for utility companies to maintain the power grid. However, basing utility charges on customer incomes would be a new step that touched off a spirited ideological debate that spread beyond the state’s borders.
Bay Area could see the coldest April day in years as temperatures begin to drop
ANTHONY EDWARDS, Chronicle: "Though it’s April, an unusually cold air mass is barreling toward California, and the Bay Area will begin to feel its effects Wednesday. Northwest winds are expected to increase as a cold front swings across Northern California in the afternoon. These chilly winds could gust up to 35 mph at the coast, through the Golden Gate, near the delta and in the Livermore Valley in the afternoon and evening.
Highs at the coast are forecast to drop a couple of degrees, to the upper 50s, but inland areas could be as much as 10 degrees cooler than Tuesday, in the lower to upper 60s. Overnight lows will crash as well, into the 40s in much of the region, but into the upper 30s in the interior North Bay.
As Paris Olympics near, Los Angeles officials worry about preparations for 2028
RACHEL URANGA, LA Times: "The steep financial cost of the 2028 Olympic Games is starting to come into closer focus in the run-up to the Paris Games, as Los Angeles planners are tabulating the billions of dollars that will be needed to prevent traffic jams and long waits for commuters.
Grand plans to build rail lines crisscrossing the region by the time the Games start have been dashed, and officials are trying to figure out how to pay more than $1 billion to run buses that will probably disappear after the Games."
Progressive Democrats say services, not penalties, will cut crime
YU STELLA YUE, CalMatters: "To counter recent legislation that would step up penalties on petty crimes, a group of progressive state lawmakers this morning offered a rival approach, focusing instead on more services for offenders and survivors of crimes.
They are backing a new legislative package — dubbed “#SmartSolutions” — to address retail theft, fentanyl abuse and support for crime survivors.