In California: Drain the reservoir, feds say, and all the latest on coronavirus
The feds want a reservoir near San Jose drained by Oct. 1 over earthquake fears. The court tells Kern County one permit cannot cover 72,000 new oil wells. Plus, Vice President Mike Pence takes the reins on coronavirus in the U.S. as agencies across the state declare local emergencies.
It's Arlene Martínez with your news for Wednesday.
But first, a fire at the West Coast's largest oil refinery could mean higher gas prices at the pump.
In California has your daily news, features and interviews from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms and beyond. Click here to get this straight to your inbox.
Feds want Bay Area reservoir drained ASAP
Federal regulators are ordering a large reservoir south of San Jose be drained because of concerns that its dam may collapse in an earthquake, leading to a massive release of water that could flood much of Silicon Valley.
The demand comes on the heels of a nonexistent rainy season. Drought, anyone?
Local authorities agree the 240-foot-high earthen Anderson Dam is a risk but say emptying it threatens wildlife, habitat and residents downstream. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants the work to start no later than Oct.1.
Anderson Reservoir, also known as Anderson Lake, holds close to 90,000 acre-feet of water, accounting for more than half the district’s capacity of 170,000 acre-feet in all 10 of its reservoirs.
Your Golden State leaders at work
"A millennial’s dream": Resident opposition means a new housing complex in eastern Ventura County will feature primarily 400-square foot units. Mostly gone are the 560- and 800-square foot units so...sorry, families!
Not to pick on Simi Valley, but this is the same place that just denied a nursing home because of all that traffic and construction noise.
Isleton Fire Chief Scott Baroni repeatedly purchased products from a company that has faced allegations of overcharging small fire departments; expensive vehicle purchases avoided competitive bidding processes. Now, the tiny town is asking residents for more of their cash.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's answer to help low-income families get desperately needed childcare is to spend $10 million on creating a new state agency, leaving some to wonder if that's the best use of money and time as thousands are stuck on wait-lists for services.
"Childcare is outrageous here": People sound off on lack of paid leave, affordable child care.
72,000 oil wells cannot be approved under one permit, court rules
It used to be one approval cleared the way for 72,000 new oil wells in Kern County. Now, following a California appellate court ruling on Tuesday, each project will have to be looked at for its specific impact on air quality, drinking water, wildlife and other factors.
The Fifth District Court of Appeals, based in Fresno, ruled Kern County's ordinance ignored threats to public health from particulate soot, and impacts to drinking and agricultural water supplies, along with other deficiencies.
“This is a huge victory for our health and climate,” said Hollin Kretzmann, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, part of a coalition of groups that challenged the policy. She said the blanket approval was basically a "rubber-stamping" of all the oil well applications and related equipment.
Kern County officials and oil representatives did not immediately respond to request for comment.
What else we're talking about
The early birds got the predawn fireball, which streaked across the sky in California just before dawn on Wednesday.
An end to designer dogs? Palm Springs looks to limit "backyard breeding" of dogs and cats.
Snoop Dogg on his expletive-laden rant to Gayle King: "I let my emotions get the best of me."
The n-word, blackface, a Bob Marley costume, racist slurs: Students, staff and faculty gather to discuss a Thousand Oaks private university's racial climate.
Coronavirus: Everything to know about the virus on the verge of a pandemic
The spread of the new coronavirus, which has killed thousands of people and infected tens of thousands more across dozens of countries, may have started with something simple – a person buying food for dinner at an outdoor market.
Researchers theorize someone bought contaminated meat at a Wuhan market, ate it, got sick and infected others, creating a ripple effect around the world.
Health officials in the U.S. warned this week that the virus has met two of the three criteria of a pandemic: The coronavirus has caused sickness and death and sustained person-to-person transmission.
Since Jan. 20, cases of Covid-19 worldwide have surged to 81,280 across 41 countries, according to Johns Hopkins. The death toll stands at 2,770 as of Wednesday. All but 55 of the deaths have been in mainland China.
There were 57 cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. as of last count.
Reporters with USA Today put together this comprehensive guide on coronavirus: how it spreads, how you can prepare for it and how it's impacting economies worldwide.
More on the virus, across California and the nation:
San Francisco, along with Orange, Santa Clara and San Diego counties, have declared local health emergencies, which could allow for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments for costs related to planning and response.
The Port of Long Beach is seeing its lowest labor levels in years as fallout from the virus hits the global supply chain.
Nine Tulare County residents are being monitored as coronavirus response mounts.
A Riverside County resident who was a passenger on a cruise ship in Japan, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
After a trip to China, American man ends up at Point Mugu quarantine site.
President Trump names Vice President Mike Pence the government's point person on the coronavirus. Pence was criticized for his handling of another health emergency (AIDS) while governor of Indiana.
Have questions about the virus? Or reservoirs or purebred dogs? Don't hesitate to ask. I'm standing by, ready to answer questions to make your lives better. Reach me avmartinez@gannett.com or on Twitter @avmartinez.
In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Sacramento Bee, Associated Press, Long Beach Post, New York Times, EcoWatch.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Water, drought, oil wells, coronavirus, Snoop Dogg, purebred: Wed news
