Light snowpack in CA could boost wildfire season

Two people wearing blue jackets with windbreakers hold and look down at a federal snow sampler as a rei stands in the middle of a grassy field with a light blanket of snow on top. A brown cabin, pine trees and a hazy sky can be seen in the background.

The lack of snowfall this past winter has California fire officials preparing for potentially intense fire seasonRachel Becker of CalMatters reports.

State engineers conducted the annual April 1 snowpack measurement on Wednesday at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe. They reported that California’s late season snowpack was only 18% of the state average. In the northern mountains that feed California’s main reservoirs, snowpack was an even paltry 6 percent of average.

The grim numbers mark the second-worst snowpack on record, although in January the US Drought Monitor reported that the state was completely drought free — first in 25 years. However, much of the precipitation so far has been rain rather than snow, and last month’s heat wave has melted most of the remaining snow.

Experts warn that light snow could lead to an early fire season in the mountains. Jim Drennan, fire chief for South Lake Tahoe, said fire agencies in the Tahoe Basin can begin clearing fuels from forested areas.

Drennan: “It’s pretty weird here right now. It really seems like June conditions are more than March. People are already turning on their lawn sprinklers.”

Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuel management officer for Lake Valley Fire Protection, also urged residents to take precautions to prevent fires.

Homeowners can protect their homes by inspecting their yards for flammable materials, such as firewood, wooden fences, and even lawn furniture piled up on the sides of houses. Homeowners can also create defensible spaces that act as a buffer between their property and the surrounding wilderness.

The top GOP candidates for governor of California

Split photo into two separate photos. The photo on the left shows a man wearing a dark blue suit speaking in front of a podium. The photo on the right shows a man wearing a tan sheriff's uniform as he speaks in front of a podium. — Left to right: California gubernatorial candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. Photos by Fred Greaves for CalMatters and Gina Ferrazzi, Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

As frequent WhatMatters readers already know, California’s primary election system allows the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, to advance to the general election. That means if the Democratic field splits the liberal vote, the Republican challengers — former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — could both advance in the November election.

So who are these GOP candidates and how they differ from each other?

As Jeanne Kuang of CalMatters explains, both support President Donald Trump and deregulation, as well as reversing prison closures and increasing oil production in the state. Hilton, one of the top fundraisers in the race, has raised more than $6.6 million so far, beating Bianco by more than $2 million.

But despite their similarities, both openly criticized each other. Hilton attacked Bianco for having “too much baggage” associated with liberal causes, citing a video of Bianco kneeling during a Black Lives Matters protest in 2020. Meanwhile, Bianco, who is currently embroiled in a dispute with the state over withdrawal of ballot paperscriticized Hilton over a political crowdfunding startup Hilton co-founded that later rebranded itself to support Democrats.

Newsom gives state 4 months to figure out AI rules

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pauses at the podium with a hand to his chin during the State of the State address in the Capitol Hall, with an American flag and ornate lamps visible behind him. — Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 8, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Monday that puts safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence by government officials while encouraging the state to accelerate its use of the technology, CalMatters’ Khari Johnson writes.

The order requires state agencies to develop and set guidelines by August for government contracts with artificial intelligence companies related to the technology’s ability to generate illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material or content that violates civil liberties and surveillance protections.

But the order also directs the agencies to update State digital strategy to identify ways in which generative AI can “strengthen government transparency” and improve access to government services.

Newsom issued the order amid a dispute between the Trump administration and artificial intelligence company Anthropic. Last month, the US Department of Defense deemed the San Francisco-based company a supply chain risk, barring it from competing for certain military contracts. Anthropic disputes the designation.

Finally: we demand more pension benefits

Close-up of a man wearing a CHP police uniform with a straight-brimmed hat. In the background, more officers in the same uniform are out of focus but visible. — The California Highway Patrol swearing-in ceremony at the CHP Academy in Sacramento on September 13, 2024. Photo by Florence Middleton, CalMatters

The police and fire unions are pushing for the repeal of pension caps, including lowering the retirement age to 55 and increasing benefits. CalMatters’ Adam Ashton and Director of Video Strategy Robert Meeks have a video segment on the debate over the cost of civil servants’ pensions as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58pm weekdays on PBS SoCal.

California voices

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Newsom’s record in office has been less than stellar, but claims by a conservative source that he lives in an “empire of fraud” are typical sloppy journalism and political mudslinging.

CalMatters contributor Jim Newton: In an effort to neutralize what may be a real contender for mayor of Los Angeles, incumbent Karen Bass is trying to give a boost to Republican candidate Spencer Pratt instead directly aimed at fellow Democrat Nitya Raman.

At a time when the federal government reduces environmental protection, the state providing protection to its endangered mountain lions is a form of resistance, writes Tiffany Yapscience director for urban wildlands at the Center for Biological Diversity.

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