Weekly Green: January 5, 2015

In recent headlines:

• Gov. Jerry Brown takes fourth oath; targets climate change;
• Heavyweight Response to Local Fracking Bans
• Don't let chilly ending fool you; California was toasty in 2014;
• Names of Yosemite’s sacred sites threatened by trademark spat;
• ... and much more!

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TOP NEWS

Gov. Jerry Brown takes fourth oath; targets climate change
Forty years after first taking the oath as governor of California, Democrat Jerry Brown was sworn in to an historic fourth term Monday, proposing sweeping changes to address global climate change while offering a measured approach to targeting the state’s long-term financial liabilities.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article5448294.html

Heavyweight Response to Local Fracking Bans
While the details vary — some municipalities have voted for outright bans, and others for multiyear suspensions of fracking — energy companies in city after city argue that they have a right to extract underground minerals, and that the drilling bans amount to voter-approved theft. They also say state agencies, not individual communities, are the ones with the power to set oil and gas rules.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/us/heavyweight-response-to-local-fracking-bans.html

Don't let chilly ending fool you; California was toasty in 2014
A cold snap this week brought snow and freezing temperatures to much of California during the final days of the year, but for the most part 2014 was hot.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-2014-was-hot-20150102-story.html

Names of Yosemite’s sacred sites threatened by trademark spat
Just the mention of the Ahwahnee Hotel can conjure up the grandeur of Yosemite Valley. And talk of Curry Village hints at the sweet scents and sights of the high country.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Names-of-Yosemite-s-sacred-sites-threatened-by-5989558.php

THE YEAR PAST VS THE YEAR AHEAD

Transcript: Gov. Jerry Brown's inaugural address
Today, Jerry Brown was sworn in for a record 4th term as Governor of California. Environmental issues appear to be a key priority for the Governor's new term, as made clear in today's inaugural address.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-brown-speech-text-20150105-story.html#page=1

Jerry Brown swearing-in, State of State launch new year of California politics
With the exception of a one-day ceremony elevating new members of the Legislature, the Capitol has been quiet for the last few months. Today it will be reanimated as we mark the ascendance of new statewide officials and the launch of a fresh legislative session.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article5367192.html#storylink=cpy

Gov. Jerry Brown touts California turnaround, bold future in historic fourth inaugural address
In his fourth and final inaugural address, Brown called on the Legislature to work with him to reinvest in California's infrastructure and aim even more aggressively to combat climate change -- a problem Brown said cannot be ignored.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_27260925/gov-jerry-brown-touts-california-turnaround-bold-future

The Most Important New California Laws of 2015
New year, new rules. More than 900 new laws are hitting the books in 2015. Here’s our annual list of the most important and/or interesting, as picked by KQED news, science, health, and politics and government editors.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/01/01/the-most-important-new-california-laws-of-2015

Viewer’s Guide to California Politics in 2015
There’s no crystal ball that can predict the best and biggest political stories in California for the new year, but there are some signs out there of what’s ahead — from Capitol clashes to the chess match of 2016 campaigns and beyond.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/01/03-viewers-guide-to-california-politics-in-2015/

NRDC: The Year in Sustainable Food: Much Progress, and More Work to Be Done
The movement for a clean, sustainable food supply built up quite a head of steam in 2014. Many of this year’s happenings had me and my colleagues at NRDC cheering; some had us shaking our heads—and rolling up our sleeves. Here’s our look back at the year in food.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/year-sustainable-food-much-progress-and-more-work-be-done

CALIFORNIA NEWS

December rains stoke big flows in Bay Area waterfalls
Falls on Mount Diablo and in Santa Cruz Mountains are among those flowing strong after three years of drought.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_27257052/december-rains-stoke-big-flows-bay-area-waterfalls?source=rss

After two-year delay, construction on California's bullet train is set to start
California's bullet-train agency will officially start construction in Fresno this week on the first 29-mile segment of the system, a symbol of the significant progress the $68-billion project has made against persistent political and legal opposition.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-bullet-construction-start-20150105-story.html#page=1

How smart glass windows slash energy bills
Based in Milpitas, View is part of a burgeoning market for “dynamic glass,” a market that according to Navigant Research could be worth $899 million worldwide by 2022. And the company’s windows could help California achieve one of its most ambitious energy goals — creating buildings that produce most of their own power.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/How-smart-glass-windows-slash-energy-bills-5984083.php

Walters: California often follows social activism at local level
California voters apparently will decide whether single-use plastic bags commonly used for groceries and other consumer goods should be banned.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article5367390.html

Bird carcasses along Pacific shore baffle biologists
The carcasses of thousands of small birds called Cassin's auklets have been washing ashore over the last few months from Northern California up to the north coast of Washington.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-na-dead-birds-20150103-story.html

Warm Temps Mean Less Snow for the Sierra
December’s storms boosted water levels in state reservoirs, but unusually warm temperatures meant rain instead of snow for parts of the Sierra Nevada.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/12/30/warm-temps-mean-less-snow-for-the-sierra/

Sierra Nevada snowpack levels are greater than a year ago
Measurements of Sierra Nevada snowpack on Tuesday showed more snow than surveyors recorded a year ago. But state water officials said it was far from enough to signal a potential end to California's continuing drought.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27230041/sierra-snow-one-third-normal-despite-storms

Southern California snow visible from space
NASA's Modis satellite took this image Thursday of the snow that fell across Southern California and Baja California earlier this week. The snow-capped mountains of San Diego's East County are clearly visible in the shot, which was distributed by the National Weather Service.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/02/snow-eastcounty-NASA/

Tom Steyer was biggest of mega-donors, analysis shows
During the 2014 midterm elections, no one spent political cash like Tom Steyer, the Democratic hedge fund billionaire from San Francisco who has tried to make climate change a paramount issue in American politics.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-tom-steyer-top-political-donor-20141230-story.html

Radiation from Fukushima is reaching the West Coast — but you don’t need to freak out
The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi crisis was the worst nuclear disaster in decades, and people in Japan are still living with its consequences.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/29/radiation-from-fukushima-is-reaching-the-west-coast-but-you-dont-need-to-freak-out/

San Jose's foam food container ban hitting nearly all the restaurants now
More than a year after San Jose officials voted to become the largest city in the state -- and perhaps the nation --- to dump Styrofoam containers, the ban finally goes into effect for most smaller restaurants on January 1st.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_27224555/san-joses-foam-food-container-ban-hitting-nearly

How A San Diego Scientist Helped Shape The Pope’s Climate Change Plans
Climate change will be high on the Catholic Church's agenda in the coming year, and a San Diego scientist played a role in convincing Pope Francis to take up the issue. In 2015, the pope will reportedly issue an edict calling on the world's estimated 1.2 billion Catholics to take action on climate change.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/dec/29/how-san-diego-scientist-helped-shape-popes-climate/

NATIONAL & GLOBAL NEWS

Interior Secretary: Local Fracking Bans Are ‘Wrong Way To Go’
President Obama’s chief custodian of federal lands says local and regional bans on fracking are taking regulation of oil and gas recovery in the wrong direction.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2015/01/02/interior-secretary-local-fracking-bans-are-wrong-way-to-go/

Pope Francis’s edict on climate change
In 2015, the pope will issue a lengthy message on the subject to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, give an address to the UN general assembly and call a summit of the world’s main religions.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/27/pope-francis-edict-climate-change-us-rightwing

Senate energy panel to vote on bill approving Keystone
The Thursday vote will pave the way for the bill to come up quickly on the Senate floor.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/senate-energy-panel-keystone-113934.html

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