Rachel Becker / CalMatters

It’s California’s first big step toward regulating “forever chemicals,” which are ubiquitous in California and around the globe. The proposed goals — which aim to make the cancer risk negligible — are many times lower than federal guidelines for drinking water.

Extreme drought now grips 85% of California so the governor is seeking voluntary action. Newsom expanded the drought emergency to nine more counties, mostly along the Central Coast and in the Bay Area.

In a sign of worsening drought, the state on Tuesday warned about 4,300 users to stop diverting water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed, stretching from Fresno to the Oregon border.

Ninety percent of miles logged by Uber and Lyft drivers in California will have to be in electric vehicles by 2030 under a state mandate to be considered by lawmakers Thursday.

Rural, low-income Latino communities across California were hardest hit by the last drought and could see drinking water shortages again this year, as extreme drought spreads across the state, according to a report released by non-partisan advisors to California’s lawmakers.

The Russian River watershed is hard hit by lack of rainfall. The emergency order will allow state officials to relax some restrictions on reservoirs and assist endangered fish.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: California is in the grip of a severe drought. Again.Now the federal government is stepping in to help.

With counties moving to less-restrictive tiers and the state loosening visitation restrictions, hospitals are gradually allowing more visitors for non-COVID-19 patients. Some are moving immediately on new state recommendations, while others are weighing the risks.

Huge gaps exist in scientific knowledge, but California is about to set the world’s first health guidelines for microplastics in drinking water. Yet no one agrees how to test water for the tiny bits of plastic, or how dangerous they are.

An audit of California’s climate change program criticizes state officials for overestimating the benefits of its efforts to encourage Californians to drive cleaner vehicles.

Experts say the state’s cap and trade program may be insufficient in meeting ambitious climate goals. And environmentalists have called the program unfair to polluted communities.

The companies pledged to meet state greenhouse gas requirements, not Trump administration rollbacks. In exchange, they get more time to meet them.