Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters, as well as investigations and accountability.
Published April 1, 2024 5:00 AM
Water is released on the main spillway at Lake Oroville on June 15, 2023 in Oroville, California when it reached 100 percent capacity. As of March 28, 2024, the reservoir was at 124 percent its historical average or 87% capacity.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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Topline:
We've had slightly above average snowfall across the Sierra Nevada and it's looking like we’ll be able to fulfill local water needs, but we’re potentially one dry year away from slipping back into drought.
Look east: Areas along the Eastern border of California didn’t receive sufficient rain and are close to experiencing drought conditions. Also, because we've over drafted groundwater, wells may come up dry for some people this year.
Water restrictions: It’s not likely we’ll see water restrictions this year, though behaviors around lower water use have shifted over the past decade plus.
The long haul: Given the severity of drought over the past decade, there are ongoing soil moisture and groundwater overdraft problems that won’t resolve anytime soon. Higher temperatures due to climate change are upping the water requirements across our landscapes.
The start of April means that California’s rainy season is coming to an end. Things are looking pretty good this year, but there are some caveats.
The snowpack across the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River Basin — both critical stores of water — is hovering slightly above average, though it’s nowhere near what we saw last winter.
For comparison, in 2023, the State Water Project (SWP) was able to fulfill 100% of water requests made by municipalities across California. This year, the SWP announced a 30% allocation.
“Last year there was so much water we were looking for every place we could to store some water,” said John Yarbrough, assistant deputy director for the SWP.
Flooded Central Valley farmland along the Tule River in Tulare County during a winter storm near Corcoran on March 21, 2023.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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AFP via Getty Images
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A slow start to the rainy season across the Sierra could lead to decreased runoff as the dry ground beneath the snowpack sucks up what it can when everything starts to melt.
Runoff is also dependent on the weather to come. Rainstorms can cause snow to melt faster than anticipated, leading to lower snow levels during the dry months. And high temperatures increase evaporative demand across landscapes, leaving less water for plants, animals and us.
Authorities have been encouraging residents to replace their lawns.
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Robyn Beck
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AFP via Getty Images
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Will there be water restrictions?
It’s looking unlikely, as our reservoirs are quite full and we’ve had a good showing of snow.
“We pulled back on restrictions last year, however, we're telling people to use their common sense,” said Adel Hagekhalil, CEO of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
The public agency will neither be drawing from or putting water into storage, though that’ll change if the allocation increases. According to Hagekhalil, the MWD has enough water to help Southern California get through the next three years.
“Let's not be fooled by a year of rain or two years of rain. This climate whiplash is amongst us, and we're going to see these hotter and drier days coming,” he said.
Some places still struggling to recover from the drought
One consistent message I heard when reaching out for this piece was just how bad of a position the 2020-2023 drought put us in.
“It's really hard with that magnitude of dryness to make up for it with just a few wet years,” said Michael Anderson, state climatologist with the Department of Water Resources.
In this before-and-after composite image, a comparison of water levels at Lake Oroville. June 15, 2023 when it was at 100% capacity, versus July 22, 2021, when it was at 28% capacity.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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If you recall, locations like Las Virgenes Municipal Water District in Western Los Angeles County nearly ran out of water. And though Lake Mead got some water last year, levels are still below those seen in 2020.
Groundwater supplies are still stressed, and wells could go dry in some parts of the state — particularly along the Eastern border, which hasn’t seen nearly as much rain as places like Los Angeles.
Landscapes covered in diseased and dead trees (the result of drought), aren’t going to look like they did anytime soon.
Dead trees in the Sierra Nevada have become a wildfire issue.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture
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“If you look at the soil moisture data, it does indicate that there are still some long term lingering concerns that may or may not ever go away, given the warmer planet that we live on plus the human demands on the water supply as well,” said Brad Rippey, meteorologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and contributing author to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Short-term surface based drought could come back following one miserably dry year. Longer term, deeper drought impacting groundwater and reservoir storage would take a few dry years to return.
The bottom line is that we need to assume that next year will be dry, as erratic precipitation patterns and hotter temperatures are exacerbated by climate change.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 14: Max Muncy #13, Tommy Edman #25, Mookie Betts #50, Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on during a pitching change during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
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Sean M. Haffey
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
Milwaukee’s brilliant bullpen slammed the door late and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1982.
What happened: Shohei Ohtani’s first home run this postseason helped put the Dodgers ahead 4-0 in the second inning before the Brewers came back to complete a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions a year after getting swept by Los Angeles in the NLCS.
Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, Milwaukee’s brilliant bullpen slammed the door late and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1982.
No. 9 hitter David Hamilton’s two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz gave the Brewers a two-run cushion in the ninth. Hamilton had just four homers in the regular season.
“We got down early tonight and we were like, it’s going to be a great story,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “We’re going to come back and win this. Like, stay together, start chipping away. And that’s exactly what they did.”
Shohei Ohtani’s first home run this postseason helped put the Dodgers ahead 4-0 in the second inning before the Brewers came back to complete a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions a year after getting swept by Los Angeles in the NLCS.
Milwaukee became the first major league club to complete a postseason sweep after getting swept by that same opponent in the previous postseason.
“Playing with that chip on our shoulder,” Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby said. “You don’t ever know what to expect going into a series like that last year. You don’t know how bad it can be, and then it was as bad as it was. And we came out and we survived, and we came back this year, and those guys played their tails off.”
The Brewers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in their only other World Series appearance, when Milwaukee played in the American League.
With the score tied 4-all, Mitchell fell behind 0-2 before reliever Tanner Scott threw three straight balls for a full count. Mitchell’s 409-foot leadoff drive to center field — the first homer of his career on an 0-2 count — put the Brewers ahead for the first time. Mitchell also homered in their 6-2 victory Wednesday.null
“I’ve always dreamt of moments like these as a kid,” Mitchell said.
The Brewers’ bullpen coolly turned away multiple threats when the Dodgers had the potential tying run on base.
Winning pitcher JoJo Romero struck out Max Muncy with Kyle Tucker at third to end the sixth.
Ashby, who worked three scoreless innings for a save, struck out Ohtani swinging before Mookie Betts grounded out with Andy Pages at third to end the seventh. Will Smith doubled to right with one out in the eighth and was safe at third when the ball got away from Sal Frelick for an error before Ashby got Tucker to fly out and Teoscar Hernández to strike out.
The Brewers tied it in the fifth, when the Dodgers bullpen issued four walks and Milwaukee stole two bases. Hamilton’s single chased starter Tyler Glasnow and scored Frelick, who walked and stole second, to pull Milwaukee to 4-3.
Alex Vesia came in and promptly walked Brice Turang and William Contreras to load the bases. Vesia then walked NLCS MVP Jake Bauers with two outs to force in Hamilton with the tying run.
Glasnow retired his first 10 batters — six on strikeouts — before the Brewers got to him in the fourth. Turang walked, Contreras hit a ground-rule double and Bauers followed with another ground-rule double that closed Milwaukee to 4-2.
Ohtani broke out of his postseason slump with a three-run homer after Pages’ RBI single in the second. The four-time MVP released weeks of pent-up frustration by raising his arms and yelling and the crowd of 49,104 joined him in celebration.
Matthew Ballinger
is the senior editor for climate and environment coverage at LAist.
Published October 15, 2026 5:52 PM
The Henderson Fire sparked Thursday afternoon at Camp Pendleton.
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Alert California
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UC San Diego
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Topline:
Parts of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton have been ordered to evacuate, and the 5 Freeway has been closed in both directions as a wildfire burns in the area. The Henderson Fire had charred more than 1,100 acres as of 4:40 p.m.
What we know so far: The 5 Freeway was closed between Harbor Drive, near Oceanside, and Basilone Road, near the Orange County line. The Camp Pendleton Fire Department was fighting the fire, according to Cal Fire.
Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Parts of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton have been ordered to evacuate, and the 5 Freeway was briefly closed in both directions due to a wildfire in the area. The Henderson Fire had charred more than 1,118 acres as of 7 p.m.
CHP closed the 5 Freeway between Harbor Drive, near Oceanside, and Basilone Road, near the Orange County line, but began reopening the interstate just before 6 p.m.
The Camp Pendleton Fire Department was fighting the fire, according to Cal Fire.
The basics
Acreage: 1,118 acres as of Thursday afternoon
Containment: 0%
Structures destroyed: None reported
Deaths: None reported
Injuries: None reported
Evacuation orders
According to Cal Fire: "An evacuation order has been published for the Las Flores (41 Area). All affected personnel, please evacuate to Paige Field House, located in the 11 Area." A secondary evacuation point was set up at 21 Area gym, according to the Camp Pendleton Facebook page.
Road closures
5 Freeway between Basilone Road and Harbor Drive, but it was being reopened.
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Destiny Torres
covers all things SoCal, from breaking news to local government, with a focus on Orange County.
Published October 15, 2026 4:19 PM
A Costa Mesa woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year for registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in two elections has had her case dismissed
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Tiffany Ujiiye
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LAist
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Topline:
A Costa Mesa woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year for registering her dog to vote and casting ballots in two elections has had her case dismissed, according to the district attorney’s office Thursday. She won’t serve time but will have to pay for four anti-voter fraud billboards that feature her dog’s image.
Background: Laura Lee Yourex, 64, was charged with five felonies in 2025 for illegally registering her dog and casting ballots on its behalf. Yourex was facing up to six years in prison. In April, Yourex pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of knowingly registering a “non-existent person to vote,” and the DA’s office dismissed the remaining four felony charges against her. LAist did not immediately hear from Yourex’s lawyer.
More on the billboards:As part of the plea deal, Yourex was required to pay $1,500 for four anti-voter fraud billboards along the 55 and 22 freeways in Orange County for the Nov. 3 General Election. The billboards read, “Don’t be a dog. Voter Fraud is a Crime. If you can’t legally vote, don’t vote. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute.”
Laura Lee Yourex was required to pay $1,500 for four anti-voter fraud billboards along the 55 and 22 freeways in Orange County.
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Courtesy of the OC District Attorney's Office.
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Why this matters: The dog incident comes at a time of heightened debate over voter ID. In the General Election, Californians will be asked whether to require voters to show proof of ID at polling places and provide identification numbers on mail-in ballots. Currently, voters only need to provide an ID and Social Security number when they register to vote.
Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period.
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Kelsey Knight
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Unsplash
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Topline:
California’s wine industry is still trying to figure out how to adapt to a world with fewer alcohol drinkers, where even the most high-end wineries are fighting a losing battle. Because the state has more wine than people want to drink, some wineries are quietly selling their premium bottles under generic retail home brands like Costco’s Kirkland Signature or Kroger and Aldi labels.
Sales: Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing grape prices to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production.
“They have way too much of it, and they haven’t been able to sell it the last few years,” said Jess Lander, wine reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, during a conversation on AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news show.
Listen
15:51
How California wineries are dealing with a high-end bottle surplus
Bargain bottles: Lander has reported that bottles that typically cost around $150 are now, in some cases, going for less than $30 under a different brand label.
How to take advantage: Lander says if you’re looking to take advantage of the surplus bargain, look at the region on the bottle and then do a little experimenting with your palate.
Listen to the full conversation above: To learn more about the wine industry’s outlook and the effects on consumers.
Topline:
California’s wine industry is still trying to figure out how to adapt to a world with fewer alcohol drinkers, where even the most high-end wineries are fighting a losing battle. Because the state has more wine than people want to drink, some wineries are quietly selling their premium bottles under generic retail home brands like Costco’s Kirkland Signature or Kroger and Aldi labels.
Sales: Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing grape prices to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production.
“They have way too much of it, and they haven’t been able to sell it the last few years,” said Jess Lander, wine reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, during a conversation on AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news show.
Bargain bottles: Lander has reported that bottles that typically cost around $150 are now, in some cases, going for less than $30 under a different label.
How to take advantage: Lander says if you’re looking to take advantage of the surplus bargain, look at the region on the bottle and then do a little experimenting with your palate.
Listen to the full conversation above: To learn more about the wine industry’s outlook and the effects on consumers.
