Illegal Dumping Cleanup: Vallejo won a $100,000 CalRecycle grant to remove illegally dumped, stockpiled tires from public roads, rights-of-way, vacant lots, and other high-risk community sites, with tires hauled to approved end-use facilities. Water Stress & Costs: Federal officials ordered major Colorado River water cuts affecting California, Nevada, and Arizona, while Southern California households face potential rate hikes of about 30% by 2030 as Golden State Water seeks higher charges. Climate Extremes Planning: With “Super El Niño” expected, Vail Resorts announced western U.S. and California opening dates and plans to ramp up snowmaking. AI Safety Push: OpenAI urged California to strengthen SB 53 with added safeguards like monitoring during training/evaluation and stronger cybersecurity protections. Refinery Worker Safety: California lawmakers are considering SB 966 to codify refinery-worker protections amid ongoing disputes over safety rules. Urban Nature Gains: Metropolitan’s turf-replacement program helped plant 4,000 trees in Southern California, adding canopy and cooling benefits. Wildlife Habitat Protection: West Coyote Hills’ Phase 2 acquisition is nearing completion, with a remaining $20 million funding gap to permanently protect habitat in Orange and Los Angeles counties. EV Reality Check: A new piece argues EV critics are often repeating outdated claims about reliability, upfront costs, and environmental impacts.