Newsom declares emergency Tuesday amid wildfires, power shortages [Associated Press]
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency Tuesday over dozens of significant wildfires burning throughout California as the state’s power grid operator pleaded with residents and businesses to continue conserving energy to avoid rolling blackouts. … A fire in Napa County was burning close to remote grape-growing properties owned by Villa Del Lago Winery. “Our vineyard workers had to evacuate very quickly. And we heard this morning that there was zero containment, so that’s scary. It’s very steep, so I know it’s hard for firefighters to get up there,” said Dawn Phillips, who works in customer service for the winery.
Napa Valley: Hennessey Fire threatens region’s oldest historic winery [Bay Area News Group]
Hundreds of firefighters are currently battling three fast-moving vegetation fires raging across Napa County. But it is the Hennessey Fire, which started Monday at 6:40 a.m. in the 60 block of Hennessey Ridge Road in Napa, that is threatening a wine region already in peril as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. … According to Cal Fire, one building and two outhouses had been destroyed but another 205 structures are currently threatened, including Nichelini Family Winery, the region’s oldest family-owned and operated winery.
Frantic evacuations and rescues as fast-moving fire destroys homes overnight on march toward Vacaville [San Francisco Chronicle]
Flames swallowed dozens of homes and other structures early Wednesday as the fast-moving LNU Lightning Complex fire raced toward Vacaville from the northwest, prompting frantic evacuations and rescues and ensuring that California’s latest wildfire season will be another catastrophic one. … “We could see the glow up in the hills” shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday, said Boyd Clegg who owns 10-acre farm off English Hills Road, northwest of Vacaville. He watched with trepidation as flames licked over his field: People’s homes lay just behind the thick curtain of smoke.
Opinion: Blackouts reveal our power shortage [CalMatters]
… The blackouts clearly tell us that California has a power supply problem. It’s unacceptable that a state that with a world-class economy grounded in cutting edge technology has the unreliable electrical service of a third world country. … Our power supply problem stems largely from political policies aimed at phasing out hydrocarbon energy, such as natural gas-powered generators, shutting down nuclear plants and relying more on “renewables” such as solar panels and windmills.
North Coast reps grill PacifiCorp on Klamath dams removal, tribal chairs stress urgency [Eureka Times-Standard]
North Coast elected officials rang alarm bells Tuesday around what the region’s congressional representative called a “slow-walk” on the removal of four Klamath River dams that have threatened fish populations and led to pollution. … In an emotional, often confrontational panel Tuesday, the North Coast’s elected officials pressed a PacifiCorp higher-up to give concrete answers about the company’s willingness to go forward with dam removal.
Opinion: Without state help, Sacramento’s Cal Expo will become another coronavirus casualty [Sacramento Bee]
… Without assistance, Cal Expo may be gone forever and, along with it, the traditions and customs and yearly showcasing of innovation that hundreds of thousands of Californians have grown to love. …Timing is of the essence as Cal Expo is now on the brink of closure. We can ill-afford to lose this critical asset as we deal with a pandemic and other potential disasters such as wildfires. Cal Expo is not only vital to Sacramento and our region, but to the entire state.
