Southern California

Oceanside’s City Council asked staffers this week for a study of ways the city can lead its own project to get more sand out of its clogged harbor and onto its eroded beaches. The city is growing increasingly concerned over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ failure to dredge the harbor this year, along with the federal agency’s inability to complete other projects that could beef up Oceanside’s beaches.

In the wake of the Cranston fire near Idyllwild, Caltrans has produced a video warning motorists of those dangers. Caltrans officials and the California Highway Patrol urge motorists not to drive on highways 243 and 74 during storms because of the danger of flash floods.

From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

A bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday, July 21, clears the way for two water districts to extend their systems to a neighborhood on the Wildomar-Menifee border that has been plagued by a poor quality, unreliable water supply.

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From the Associated Press:

On the same day the state approved mandatory outdoor watering restrictions with the threat of $500 fines, the Southern California couple received a letter from their city threatening a $500 penalty for not watering their brown lawn.

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From the Los Angeles Times, in a column by Patt Morrison:

Lucy Jones is the U.S. Geological Survey seismologist seconded by Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office to spend a year creating the city’s first seismic resilience plan. Her grandfather worked for William Mulholland’s DWP, and her great-great and great grandparents are buried in a cemetery on the San Andreas fault

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From the Los Angeles Times, in a commentary by Kerry Cavanaugh:

Dear Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,

Please bring back the “Drought Busters.”

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From the Los Angeles Times:

With Gov. Jerry Brown’s approval, California officials are reviving an ambitous plan to study dangerous earthquake faults and create zoning maps that could restrict development.

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