Put dog lovers against bird lovers to a match and guess who wins in the Bay Area? Despite this region’s love of the outdoors, love for Rover proves stronger. Dog power has become a major force in the debate over a national parks department proposal to restrict pooch access to beaches and parks. The local bird lobby has yet to squawk as loudly. [San Francisco Examiner]
Small business advocates protested outside San Francisco city hall Monday morning to oppose an effort to restrict the distribution of the Yellow Pages phone books. The participants said they rely on the phone books to advertise their services. Board of Supervisors president David Chu introduced the measure last month in an effort to reduce city waste. Residents and businesses would receive the Yellow Pages only after being asked if they wanted one. [Read more -SFAppeal]
California has led the nation in its vehicle fuel efficiency standards, and it’s been in the process of developing new, tighter restrictions to meet the state’s climate change law, AB 32. But House Republicans are attempting to thwart that effort with a bill that would revoke the EPA’s authority to grant California the federal waivers it needs. A California Air Resources Board spokesman said the move is a violation of state’s rights and could eliminate a 25 percent cut to fuel consumption nationwide. [Read more - San Francisco Chronicle]
A young man was swept away from the bank of the Klamath River by Friday’s tsunami and is presumed dead, making him the first California death from a tsunami in more than 40 years. Around the Bay Area, 18 boats sank in the Santa Cruz Harbor, which is expected to remain closed for the coming week as $17 million worth of damages is cleaned up. The Berkeley Marina suffered comparatively little upset, but docks and pilings were broken. [Read more - NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Berkeleyside]
For a great read about the new Whole Foods in the Haight, check out writer Rachael Levin’s funny struggle with putting her foodie money where her mouth is and supporting local markets versus the gleaming, comparatively cheap bounty sold at Whole Zoo, as she calls it. [Read more - The Bold Italic]
KQED’s Forum will discuss the relief effort underway in Japan. Among the panel of guests are Brad Alexander, spokesman for the California Emergency Management Agency, and Ross Stein, geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. [Hear more - KQED]
California’s big plans to build a canal flowing water around the Delta and down to Southern California is facing challenges from a little-known water agency whose members own more than half the acreage in the Delta. Landowners from the North Delta Water Agency say a canal may infringe on their rights to freshwater for crop production. Thirty years ago the state’s Department of Water Resources signed a contract with the agency agreeing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would be managed to support their farming, or at least not harm it. [Read more - The Sacramento Bee]
Oakland Local has compiled a list of local and national organizations providing relief funds to people in Japan effected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant meltdowns. If you’re looking to help, check here. [Read more - Oakland Local]
The popular Sunday Streets events have added a new location: North Beach and Chinatown. The San Francisco program closes streets to cars for part of a day making room for community activities, including biking, information booths, and street performances. The Sunday Streets season begins this week with festivities along the Embarcadero between Mission Bay and Fisherman’s Wharf. [Read more - The San Francisco Examiner]
As conditions at nuclear reactors in Japan continue to deteriorate, one obvious question for we West Coaster is the potential danger for radioactive fallout to travel across the jet stream. So far, authorities are downgrading the potential that the West Coast of North America is in danger. A spokesman for the California Department of Public Health said “at present there is no danger to California” and a monitoring system is in place to detect levels. Washington State is also monitoring air for radiation and said even in the event of a significant release, radiation would be so diluted before reaching [...]
New data on cockfighting in California has revealed that in 34 of the state’s 58 counties law enforcement was called regarding the illegal practice, and that some 20,000 fighting birds were found, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Seven Bay Area counties were among those listed: Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, Alameda,...
Read more »
Tags: bay area counties, cockfighting
Posted in Living, The Daily Catch | No Comments »
For all you Mad Men lovers, U.S. PIRG releases this promotional video on mass transit.
It’s been a point of maddening frustration for scientists and environmentalists that as the predictions on global warming grow more dire, the public seems...
Read more »
It’s been a long, cold rainy winter this year in California. But it could get worse — much worse. The USGS warned this past...
Read more »
Listen to WOW reporter Alison Hawkes’ radio story about the greening of Treasure Island, which aired on KQED’s California Watch.
Read more »
We're camping out at public meetings, traipsing through parks, and sticking our noses into green tech research to bring you relevant local stories that matter.
WOW is produced by two local environmental journalists for you, our eco-savvy readers. We'd love to hear what you want from this site.
