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☆ San Francisco Mayor Lays Out Strategy to Jump-Start Downtown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jim Carlton | Peter Grant | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is aiming to beef up the law-enforcement presence downtown through more foot patrols. SAN FRANCISCO—Mayor London Breed rolled out her plan Thursday to revitalize the moribund downtown office market, the latest city to announce steps to recover from an exodus of workers during the pandemic. Ms. Breed’s “Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future” includes a mix of tax incentives and a renewed focus on cleaning up the streets.

☆ Decision on Cuts to Colorado River Usage Delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Many farms in the West, along with some residential areas, rely on water from the Colorado River for their survival. The Interior Department said Tuesday it remains committed to working with seven Western states to cut their use of the shrinking Colorado River, despite their failure to come up with an agreement on how to do so by a federally requested deadline of Jan. 31. Six of the seven states—Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, but not California—on Monday submitted a possible framework for an agreement that would call for voluntary cuts and conservation totaling between 2 million acre-feet and 4 million acre-feet annually. An acre-foot is roughly the amount of water used by one family for a year.

☆ California to Provide More Water to Farmers and Residents After Recent Storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The recent deluge of rain in California will mean increased water deliveries to cities and agricultural regions after years of cutbacks caused by the long-running drought. The California Department of Water Resources said Thursday it expects to deliver 30% of the water supplies requested by agencies that serve 27 million people and nearly a million acres of farmland.

☆ California Storms Leave Billions of Dollars in Damage to Businesses, Homes and Infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ANTIOCH, Calif.—Paradise Skate Roller Rink was preparing to host a New Year’s Eve bash when floodwaters poured in from a nearby creek, destroying the wooden floor and leaving the decades-old business in this San Francisco Bay Area suburb out of commission for months. “Mother Nature could have been a little nicer, but I think she has a head of her own,” general manager Bob Bruce said earlier this week, walking carefully on the warped floor as dozens of beach balls intended to drop at midnight Jan. 1 remained suspended in a ceiling net.

☆ California Storms Expected to Return Late Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

California got a brief break early Sunday from its recent parade of storms that have dumped copious amounts of moisture across the state since Christmas before another was forecast to arrive late in the day with potential for more flooding and related problems. The next storm is forecast to be a long-duration event with lower precipitation amounts than the previous storms, most of which are characterized as atmospheric rivers because they direct so much rainfall over a concentrated region, said Colby Goatley, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Still, he said flood watches remain in effect for much of Northern California, where rainfall records have been broken in some cities.

☆ California Prepares for More Storms Late Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ California Storms Destroy a Wharf and Threaten a Way of Life in Beach Town of Capitola
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CAPITOLA, Calif.—The storms that have battered California for the past three weeks have caused floods, mudslides, and blackouts across the state, but few communities have felt their power more than ones such as the oceanside village of Capitola, where an 800-foot wharf that serves as its biggest tourist attraction was torn in half. “We’re used to these storms—the big waves, the swells, the flooding—but this was just heightened,” 45-year-old resident Chad Muller said earlier this week, soon after the Jan. 5 confluence of high tides and giant waves damaged about two dozen homes and businesses.

☆ Watch: Thousands of Flights Delayed After FAA System Outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

California Beach Towns Contend With Damage as More Storms Loom Waves whipped up by “atmospheric rivers” rolling through California have caused damage in beach towns such as Aptos and Capitola. WSJ’s Jim Carlton reports from the community, where locals are picking up the pieces and bracing for more storms. Photos: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

☆ Northern California Battered Again With Heavy Rain, Snow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Northern California was battered again Wednesday with heavy rain, as a relentless barrage of rain and snow continued. A series of storms since Christmas has hammered California, causing between $31 billion and $34 billion worth of damage and lost economic output, said Jonathan Porter , the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that the storms would continue through Jan. 18.

☆ California Battered Again by Heavy Rains as Flooding Risk Rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Heavy rains from California’s fifth storm since Christmas pushed through the state Monday, raising the risk of floods and landslides in the already saturated state. Another storm rolled in on Sunday night as the state was still cleaning up from previous storms that Gov. Gavin Newsom said had killed 12 people. The storms have been generated by “atmospheric rivers,” or plumes of moisture that forecasters said would unleash trillions of gallons of rainfall.

☆ California’s Torrential Rains Don’t Mean the Drought Is Over
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One of the wettest two-week periods on record in California brought much-needed water to its reservoirs and snow to its mountains, but researchers and officials said it would take several more winter storms to make a dent in the drought that has sapped reservoirs, fallowed farmland and forced homeowners to let lawns turn brown. California has been drenched in the past few weeks by heavy rains and, at higher elevations, snow, caused by an atmospheric river, a flowing column of condensed water vapor in the atmosphere that produces significant levels of rain and snow. Swaths of the state received 15 or more inches of rain over the past two weeks, according to the National Weather Service.

☆ With Christmas Plans in Doubt From Winter Storm, Travelers Battle Delays, Cancellations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Jim Carlton | Jacob Passy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Salvaging holiday plans may take herculean efforts for the many travelers stranded as a powerful winter storm wreaks havoc across the country. More than 4,000 flights in and out of U.S. airports have been canceled on Friday and some 5,500 further flights have been delayed, according to data from FlightAware. These disruptions come on the heels of roughly 2,700 flights canceled on Thursday.

☆ Cities Look to Get Homeless People Inside as Temperatures Plummet
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Denver Coliseum offers cots to help homeless people escape outdoor temperatures that have dropped to as low as minus 8 degrees. Cities from coast to coast rushed Thursday to move homeless people off the streets as a broad cold front began to sweep across the U.S. In Colorado, officials on Wednesday opened the Denver Coliseum as a 24-hour warming center. Temperatures dived to minus 8 degrees Thursday morning, down from 50 on Wednesday. In addition to the 6,888 people tallied in a federal homeless count this year, Denver has had to contend with the arrival of more than 1,400 migrants who recently illegally entered the U.S. seeking asylum.

☆ 6.4-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Northern California, Leaving Two Dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jim Carlton | Jon Kamp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Earthquake damage could be seen Tuesday at the old Humboldt Creamery building in Loleta, Calif.A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck along a sparsely populated section of Northern California’s coast early Tuesday, leaving two people dead, about a dozen injured and widespread damage and power outages in Humboldt County, home to some 136,000 people. Officials from the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services said Tuesday afternoon the two victims, aged 72 and 83, died of medical emergencies believed to be tied to the quake, including an apparent heart attack.

☆ Suspect in Paul Pelosi Attack Spoke of ‘Evil in Washington’ in Police Interview
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SAN FRANCISCO—A suspect in the beating attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s husband was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges including attempted murder, assault and elder abuse, after a hearing which included the playing of a police interview where he spoke of an “evil in Washington.”Superior Court Judge Stephen Murphy set Dec. 28 date for David DePape , 42, to be formally arraigned on the charges, which also include burglary, false imprisonment and threatening family members of public officials. He is being held without bail in the Oct. 28 attack, which left 82-year-old Paul Pelosi seriously injured from a hammer blow that fractured his skull in two places.

☆ Lawsuits Cloud Efforts to Complete Suicide-Prevention Net Under Golden Gate Bridge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, at least 1,800 people have leapt to their deaths there, according to a nonprofit group. SAN FRANCISCO—A project to hang a net under the Golden Gate Bridge to prevent people from jumping to their death has hit another delay, much to the consternation of those trying to cut down on suicides there. The net concept was initially approved by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District in 2008, but crews only began installing it five years ago, at which point it was expected to be completed by January 2021.

BUCKEYE, Ariz.—Earth movers were grading the scraped desert in this city 40 miles west of Phoenix one day last month in preparation for construction of the first 1,100 homes in a master-planned community called Teravalis. Developer Howard Hughes Corp. last year spent $600 million to buy 37,000 acres in a valley flanked by two mountain ranges. It plans to build 100,000 homes over the next half-century, along with 55 million square feet of offices and other commercial real estate—the largest such project in state history, according to the developer.

☆ Wildfire Season in U.S. West Ends With Fewer Blazes, Less Damage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One of the slowest wildfire seasons in years has come to an end in the West thanks to well-timed rain and cooler temperatures, bringing a reprieve to a region hit by numerous destructive blazes over the past several years. The break is giving firefighters an opportunity to focus on prevention efforts such as thinning forests that could lessen damage from wildfires in the future, according to officials.

☆ Candidates Who Questioned 2020 Election Factor in Swing-State Races
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jim Carlton | Zusha Elinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Republicans who stated without evidence that the 2020 presidential election was rigged lost secretary-of-state elections in two key battleground states and remained in tight races with Democrats in two other swing states Wednesday. Candidates who said the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump ran for secretary of state in 12 of 27 states this year, according to an analysis by States United Democracy Center, a bipartisan nonprofit group, turning normally low-key races for offices that oversee elections into closely watched contests.

☆ Yellowstone Gets New Road After Summer Flood Washes Highway Entrance Away
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jim Carlton | Photographs Janie Osborne For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Now, about four and a half months later, a new highway built on the former stage line has opened to the public. Known as the Old Gardiner Road, it previously consisted of a single lane with few guard rails and was used mainly by bicyclists and occasional four-wheel drive vehicles.

☆ Capitol Police Seek More Security for Lawmakers After Paul Pelosi Attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The police department tasked with guarding members of Congress said it would seek further resources to protect lawmakers in the wake of the attack against Paul Pelosi , the husband of the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at their home in San Francisco. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the department has conducted a review of security since Friday, when David DePape allegedly broke into the Pelosi residence and beat Mr. Pelosi with a hammer. Mrs. Pelosi was in Washington at the time of the attack, as was her security detail.

☆ Yellowstone Gets a Lifeline After Flood With Revamped Historic Road
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jim Carlton | Photographs Janie Osborne For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The communities north of Yellowstone National Park that were hurt by a significant flood in June have a new lifeline to the park by way of a 1879 stagecoach line. That flood, which federal officials described as a once-in-a-1,000-years event, caused the Yellowstone River to overflow and destroy sections of the park’s main highway entrance from the north. The shut-off of visitors in communities along that route in Park County, Mont., erased most of their summer business.

☆ Suspected Attacker of Speaker Pelosi’s Husband Dabbled in Nude Activism, Conspiracy Theories
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Jim Carlton | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

David DePape, seen in Berkeley, Calif., in a 2013 photo, is set to be arraigned Tuesday in connection with the attack on the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. SAN FRANCISCO— David DePape had been involved in nude activism, slept in a bus and espoused various conspiracy theories in recent years before his arrest on Friday for allegedly attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at their Pacific Heights mansion. Mr. DePape, 42, was in the San Francisco County Jail on Saturday, after being treated for unspecified injuries in the attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi , who underwent surgery for a skull fracture that police said was inflicted by a hammer. The Pelosi family said in a statement he is expected to fully recover.

☆ Nevada in Play for Republicans in Key Midterm Races Over Inflation Issue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jim Carlton | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAS VEGAS—Nevada Republicans stand in their strongest position in years, as polls show them with a solid chance to win multiple midterm races in a state where high prices on everything from gasoline to rent are driving voters away from Democrats. The state’s top Democrats, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Gov. Steve Sisolak , are essentially tied with their respective GOP challengers, Adam Laxalt and Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo , according to FiveThirtyEight’s poll averages. Multiple recent surveys of the state show the two Republicans with leads in the low single digits, and Ms. Cortez Masto is considered by strategists in both parties to be the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the 50-50 Senate.

SHASTA LAKE, Calif.—Few places are more critical to the water supply in California than this immense northern reservoir in the foothills of the Cascade Range. Fed by runoff from 14,163-foot Mount Shasta and other peaks, California’s largest reservoir opened in 1945 as part of the federal Central Valley Project, an elaborate system of man-made dams, pumps and aqueducts that aims to reduce flood risks and deliver water to farms and cities in the heart of the semiarid state.

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