Center News and Notes

U.S.-Mexico border walls expand further into remote and sensitive areas; federal judge favors salmon over ag interests; the ongoing sewer crisis on the Tijuana River; solar power over California agricultural fields? And more environmental stories…

Widely distributed but hard to disentangle, exotic elements are vital to green energy and military applications. For decades, China has dominated the dirty business of mining and processing rare earth ores. Two Mojave desert mines, one operating and…

In its early 20th century heyday, Allensworth, California was celebrated as a model of Black self-sufficiency; then came loss and a long decline. A new generation is bringing new ideas, new money, and ambitions for a model economic and environmental…

Valley fever, "the West’s Lyme disease,” gets less attention as cases rise – even while drastically undercounted. Climate change and land development are worsening the picture.

Hemmed in by aging infrastructure, water scarcity and ratepayer resistance, utility managers in Santa Cruz seek to balance maintaining equitable service and remaining solvent.