Today on the show, we'll talk about a new report that says California's larger wildfires are due to climate change. We hear from a New York Times reporter about how Colorado farmers are cautiously growing hemp. In addition, New York is now offering parents low-interest loans to pay for childcare. Could that work in LA? Prison officials are questioning the motives of some of the hunger striking prisoners in California. Plus much more.
Report: California wildfires getting worse due to climate change
The Silver Fire near Banning is just the latest in a series of large wildfires burning throughout the state California, which has seen an increase in fire in recent years.
In fact, in just the past 10 years, California has seen three of the largest fire years on record. Now a new report by the state points to cause: climate change.
"The wildfires are getting worse, despite our ability to fight them better," said George Alexeeff, director of California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, on Take Two. "The connections with climate change have to do a lot with moisture content…The snow is melting sooner, and the summers are getting warmer so the fire season is starting earlier, and lasting longer due to the lack of moisture content."
RELATED: Map, fire stats and more: Full details at KPCC's Fire Tracker
In addition, the report says that coastal waters off California are getting more acidic, fall-run chinook salmon populations to the Sacramento River are on the decline and conifer forests on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada have moved to higher elevations over the past half century.
"The other contributor would be increase in infestation of insects such as beetles that weaken the trees," said Alexeeff. "An increase in temperature seems to increase infestations."
The findings are an update to a 2009 report that documented how a warming California is impacting the environment, wildlife and people.
Among the other known impacts:
- Butterflies in the Central Valley are emerging from hiding earlier in the spring.
- Glaciers in the Sierra Nevada have shrunk.
- Spring runoff from snowmelt has declined, affecting Central Valley farmers and hydroelectric plants that rely on snowmelt to produce power.
The 258-page report, which cost $282,000 to produce, was compiled from existing climate studies and released by an arm of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Officials hope it would spur the state and local governments to plan ahead and adapt to a hotter future.
Annual average temperatures across the state have risen by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, with the greatest warming seen in portions of the Central Valley and Southern California.
"If we look at agriculture, one of the issues is that the minimum temperature is going up more dramatically than the maximum temperature," said Alexeeff. "This affects what's called winter chill, which affects agriculture in terms of blossoming and pollination issues…That could have effects on our production."
Levels of carbon dioxide, methane and other heat-trapping gases in the state increased between 1990 and 2011. In recent years, there has been a slight drop—the result of industries and vehicles becoming more energy efficient, the report said.
"California has been a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emission and black carbon emissions," said Alexeeff. "I our report we show how we've done that in many ways by being more efficient on energy and a lot of the standards we put in place."
Still, despite efforts to reduce emissions, the report claims Californians can expect more heat waves, wildfires and higher sea levels as the state warms.
Climate Change Indicators Report 2013
With contributions from The Associated Press
Citrus psyllid forces quarantines in nine California counties
Quarantines are in effect in nine California counties now as the state's citrus industry braces for the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid.
Quarantines didn't stop the psyllid from establishing itself across Southern California, but with such high stakes, what else can farmers do?
For the California Report, Alice Daniel has more from Porterville in Tulare County.
Prison officials question motives of hunger striking inmates
The hunger strike by California prison inmates is now in its fifth week.
Inmates say they are protesting the use of solitary confinement, which they call inhumane. But corrections officials say some leaders of the protest head up violent prison gangs and aren't operating with the purest of motives.
With more is Michael Montgomery, who reports for the Center for Investigative Reporting.
'Dream 9' immigrant activists freed in Tucson
The nine activists taken into custody two weeks ago after crossing into the U-S from Mexico were freed Wednesday afternoon in Tucson. The Fronteras Desk's Michel Marizco was there and reports that they may be free for now but their legal troubles have just begun.
Banks sue City of Richmond over eminent domain plan
Late last month we told you about the Bay Area city of Richmond, a typical blue collar town hit hard by the housing crisis.
Richmond is still struggling with underwater mortgages and foreclosed homes, so city officials came up with a plan to use eminent domain to seize the mortgages and reduce the amount still owed by homeowners.
Now some major banks are suing the city, arguing that the plan is unconstitutional. Nick Timiraos, real estate reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins the show with more.
New York now offers daycare loans for parents. Could it work in LA?
House loans. Car loans. Student loans. Now parents in New York City are eligible for a new loan to pay for daycare or preschool.
So New York residents could start piling on the debt when their kids are barely out of diapers.
A pilot program, set up by City Council speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, will give 40 families a six-percent interest rate to finance up to $11,000 a year.
Given the cost of daycare in L.A., we thought we'd ask personal finance expert, L.A. resident, and mom Liz Weston whether it might be a good idea to bring here.
How auto companies carefully engineer the sound of your car
Next time you're in your car, pay attention to the various sounds your vehicle makes.
You might hear the hum of the engine, the in and out of the gas and brake pedals or the click of the turn signal. Well, it turns out that if you're driving a modern car, many of the sounds you hear inside your car are carefully engineered.
Tim Maly of Medium.com joins the show with more.
Sundance Film Festival comes to Los Angeles for 'Next Weekend'
If you haven't been fortunate enough to get to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival, you're in luck this weekend. Sundance is bringing an offshoot to Los Angeles for the first time starting tonight.
Dubbed "Next Weekend," the four-day festival is an extension of the Next section of the festival, featuring bold and adventurous films.
RELATED: Watch trailers for the short films at the festival on AudioVision
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Festival and Trevor Groth, Director of Programming, join the show with more.
State Of Affairs: City Manager salary, City Hall contracts and more
It's time for State of Affairs, our look at politics throughout California. To help us with that, we're joined by KPCC political reporter Alice Walton and politics editor Oscar Garza.
The city of Santa Ana has a new city manager and he's already making news, but maybe not for the right reasons. It turns out he will be one of the state's highest paid public employees with a compensation package that exceeds a half-million dollars.
Let's break down the numbers: His base salary is $315,000, he will get another $36,000 this year for housing, $7,500 in moving expenses and then sick days, vacation days and insurance benefits. A councilwoman says you get what you pay for and they wanted the best.
August is typically a pretty slow month at Los Angeles City Hall but that's not true this year, thanks a contract that's being negotiated with the Department of Water and Power's union. The boss of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers told the Daily News he wanted a deal by tomorrow, but the city council president told KPCC there's no way that's going to happen. Where do we go from here?
The Los Angeles City Council passes resolutions all the time. These are usually of little note has they are unenforceable, but yesterday something interesting happened. Councilman Bob Blumenfield asked his colleagues to support a state bill that was authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield. How can that be right? And what is this bill anyways?
Congress is in recess for the month and members use this time to hear from constituents on key issues. For this Congress, it's immigration, which the House will take up in earnest after Labor Day. How is the Southern California delegation seeking out voices?
The five-member LA County Board of Supervisors have huge districts and each member has a huge amount of power. Now there's some talk about some changes that could lead to a 6th district being added. Where is that coming from?
Community colleges overwhelmed by rising Latino student population
More and more Latinos are going to college. A recent study from the Pew Hispanic Center shows that for the first time Latinos have surpassed whites in college enrollment numbers and more than half of these students are enrolled in community colleges.
From the Fronteras Desk, Kate Sheehy profiles a school in Southern Nevada struggling to meet the needs of its Latino student body.
Gray Wolf population in Yellowstone boosting diet of Grizzly Bears
Back in June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. They say wolf populations have stabilized to the point that they no longer need protection.
Gray wolves were all but eradicated from most parts of the country by the mid-twentieth century. They were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park in 1995, and while wolves in the Northern Rockies region were removed from the endangered species list last year, they remain protected within the park.
Now, researchers are finding their presence there is having a surprising effect. In a roundabout way, the wolves of Yellowstone are giving a boost to the diets of Grizzly Bears. No, they're not eating them, but their food chains are related.
Here to make the link is Oregon State Professor Bill Ripple, who just published a study on this in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Colorado farmers cautiously experiment with growing hemp
The legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado has opened up new opportunities for farmers. Not to grow pot plants, but hemp, a related cannabis product that can be used in everything from cooking oils to clothing.
Hemp farms are starting to sprout up in Colorado and state agencies are scrambling to figure out how to regulate them and their products. Those against the crops argue there's no difference between hemp and pot and the cannabis plant is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government.
But farmers are already testing things out.
Jack Healy reported on this for the New York Times. He joins the show to explain.
Summer is over for kids in La Puente, as school districts keep moving up calendars
The calendar may still say it's summer, but kids across L.A. are dealing with the looming threat of school. That's because more public schools are beginning their academic year in August, rather than the Tuesday after Labor Day.
If you've wondered why summer seems to be getting shorter, KPCC's Jed Kim has the answer.
Dinner Party Download: Tracking happiness, traffic lights and a new Swiss anthem
Every week we get your weekend conversation starters with Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam, the hosts of the Dinner Party Download podcast and radio show.
On tap this week:
America's Happiest Places, Brought To You By Twitter
A University of Vermont study geotagged tweets, and the Huffington Post compiled a map showing happy or unhappy Americans are based on a positive-negative scale using 10,000 words and their frequency across the U.S. Almost all of the happiest cities were in California or Colorado, while the South was the saddest region with Louisiana being the saddest state. The happiest states are in the Rocky Mountains as well as Maine and Vermont, so maybe more exposure to nature has an effect as well?
Happy Birthday To The Traffic Light
Ninety-nine years ago this week, the first electronic traffic signal was placed on a corner in Cleveland, Ohio. It had four pairs of red and green lights, each mounted on a post. It was wired to a manually operated switch, and configured to make conflicting signals impossible. So while the streetcars and horse-drawn carriages that roamed the streets along with motor vehicles back then are almost all gone, the invention seems like a concept built to last.
Switzerland To Hold Contest For New National Anthem
Deciding that the old lyrics are outdated, the Swiss government has decided to hold a contest next year to create a new national anthem. The goal of the new lyrics are to include ideals in the Swiss constitution, like solidarity and democracy, and submissions will be judged by a jury of 25 members from all areas of Swiss life. The competition will run from January to June of 2014, and the winner will receive 10,000 swiss francs, a little over $10,000. Plus a shot at being a part of the nation's personal pride, at least until the next anthem change.
Is the Ramen Burger New York's next big food trend?
We introduced listeners to the Ramen Burger at the end of Wednesday's show, and the prime beef patty sandwiched between buns made of ramen noodles just won't go away.
The snack-turned-main course item made its debut at the Smorgasburg Festival in Brooklyn last weekend, featuring a secret sauce with scallions and arugula. Some people waited in line for hours just to sample the treat.
Keizo Shimamoto is an L.A.-born chef now working in New York, and he made over 100 burgers last weekend. This week, he took a quick pit stop from the kitchen to join the show with more on his new creation.