California is in hot water as El Niño 2026 officially arrives.
Environmental news from last week: Crazy surf pounded the coast for several days, leading to several rescues and some tragic deaths as several people were swept out to sea. And the NOAA announced on Thursday that El Niño has officially arrived. What does that mean? Check out the SF Gate article linked below to learn more.
The big government news is: All California government entities, including school districts, cities and counties, are finalizing their 2026-2027 budgets for the new fiscal year beginning July 1. There are eye-watering amounts of money being discussed. For instance, the Manteca Unified School District in San Joaquin County is proposing a $485 million budget for the coming year.
Speaking of Manteca: Red-light cameras at five intersections in the city have resulted in 7,310 warnings and citations being issued in the 141 days since the cameras were activated. For the first month, warnings only were sent, with citations being issued thereafter. The fine for running a red light is $490, so the city has already collected several hundred thousand dollars from the program. Slow down, folks!
And thus slowed, let’s mosey on to The News:
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