Crooked Bough News Round-up

— CDC to slash infectious-disease funding for states; California impact uncertain

 

at 3/26/25 8:16pm

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified the California Department of Public Health it is suspending grants it had provided to support the state's infectious-disease response during the COVID-19 pandemic.

— California now has more EV charging ports than gas nozzles

 

at 3/26/25 5:55pm

The huge growth in charging ports indicates the increasing number of zero-emission vehicles on California roads. But the milestone also comes as the Trump administration has moved to deprioritize shifting away from gasoline-powered cars.

— Trump administration cuts to NOAA threaten efforts to save sea lions from toxic plankton

 

at 3/26/25 4:00am

Domoic acid outbreak killing and sickening marine mammals and birds along Southern California coast.

— Swimming pools in Eaton fire burn area could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, officials warn

 

at 3/25/25 4:00am

Vector control officials are warning that swimming pools in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades could turn into breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

— New fire maps increase hazard zones in L.A. and Southern California by 3.5 million acres

 

at 3/24/25 5:03pm

Cal Fire's new maps for Southern California added 3.5 million acres into fire-hazard zones, increasing the acreage in the highest hazard zone by 26%.

— 'Feral, almost demonic': Surge in poisoned sea lions threatens SoCal beachgoers, burdens rescuers

 

at 3/24/25 10:48am

Domoic acid poisoning is stranding marine mammals as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness.

— California banned polystyrene. So why is it still on store shelves?

 

at 3/22/25 4:00am

Expanded polystyrene foam, the white fluffy plastic in styrofoam, was banned in food service ware on Jan. 1. But shoppers in CA say its still on the shelves.

— Musk tells Tesla employees to hold on to their stock amid protests

 

at 3/21/25 2:51pm

In an all-hands company meeting broadcast on X, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk urged employees to hold on to their shares, which have fallen in value by 34% year to date.

— Treasured California dairies to close. Point Reyes locals say it's conservation gone mad

 

at 3/21/25 4:00am

Environmentalists are celebrating a legal settlement that will close historic family dairies they say are degrading Point Reyes National Seashore. Locals say the settlement shows no understanding of this place and its people.

— Meet the EPA's new regional administrator in charge of California (and the rest of the Pacific Southwest)

 

at 3/21/25 4:00am

Cook's appointment comes as the state and region grapple with worsening climate issues such as extreme heat, devastating wildfires and a water crisis on the Colorado River.

— New desalination technology being tested in California could lower costs of tapping seawater

 

at 3/21/25 4:00am

A new desalination technology is undergoing testing in Southern California. Water managers hope it will offer an environmentally friendly way of tapping the Pacific Ocean.

— 1,000 park workers who were fired in DOGE cuts are reinstated

 

at 3/20/25 1:51pm

Of the 1,000 workers who heard that they would be able to return to their jobs, several included workers from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Channel Islands National Park.

— New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm; human flu may offer immunity

 

at 3/19/25 4:00am

A new strain of bird flu — H7N9 — is detected in at a poultry farm; scientists learn that past human flu exposure may provide some immunity to H5N1.

— Trump vows to immediately ramp up U.S. production of 'beautiful, clean coal'

 

at 3/18/25 6:51pm

'I am authorizing my Administration to immediately begin producing Energy with BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL,' Trump wrote in a post on social media on Monday.

— Pasadena-based Tetra Tech's stock falls after Trump's USAID cuts

 

at 3/18/25 4:00am

The Pasadena-based company, which provides consulting and engineering services, was awarded multibillion-dollar USAID contracts last year, but the Trump administration has been slashing foreign aid.

— Musk team targets nearly two dozen environmental offices for closure in California

 

at 3/18/25 4:00am

The closures by the Trump administration's DOGE team include offices belonging to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey.

— California bill would restore wetlands protections in wake of Supreme Court ruling

 

at 3/18/25 4:00am

A Supreme Court ruling placed limits on federal protections for many streams and wetlands. A bill in California's Legislature seeks to restore safeguards.

— Confusion clouds the fate of two new California monuments

 

at 3/16/25 1:25pm

The status of Chuckwalla National Monument, near Joshua Tree National Park, and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in Northern California remain unclear.

— Bird flu mutation associated with increased disease severity found in two cats

 

at 3/15/25 4:01am

Scientists say a concerning genetic mutation has appeared in H5N1 bird flu infected cats living in a New Jersey suburb of New York City

— California, Arizona and Nevada all agree: The Trump administration needs to fix a key Colorado River dam

 

at 3/15/25 4:00am

California, Arizona and Nevada are urging the Trump administration to change course on the Colorado River. The states are calling for fixing infrastructure problems at Glen Canyon Dam.

— How the EPA's environmental about-face could upend California's climate efforts

 

at 3/14/25 3:04pm

The agency's plan to repeal or weaken more than two dozen environmental regulations could deliver a direct blow to causes close to the heart of Californians — including air and water quality standards, electric vehicle initiatives and efforts to curb planet-harming greenhouse gas emissions.

As of 3/27/25 3:13am. Last new 3/26/25 10:04pm.