The administration tried to fast-track Prop. 1 projects by smoothing some permitting and other hurdles, Newsom said during a news conference Wednesday. But he admitted there have been snags. “Some of that has been impacted by, candidly, tariffs, supply chain issues,” he said. “So there’s been some slippage in some of the projects. We’re deeply mindful and aware of that, but we’re just managing that on a daily basis.”
Newsom this week awarded the remaining $1.18 billion from Prop. 1 for new treatment beds and outpatient slots. In all, the bond has funded 177 projects, which are supposed to create 6,919 residential treatment beds (119 more than originally promised) and 27,561 outpatient treatment slots (861 more than promised). But those projects, though they have now been funded, have yet to come to fruition.
California farmers try to minimize effects of war as spring planting season begins
The war with Iran is doing collateral damage to the world economy. The conflict is driving up energy and fertilizer prices and threatening food shortages in poor countries.
Roughly a third of nitrogen fertilizer traded globally flows through the Strait of Hormuz. That waterway has been effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran almost two weeks ago.
Monterey County Resource Conservation District soil scientist Laura Murphy said farmers who use regenerative techniques may not feel the supply disruption as much. “You can ease out the shocks to this bigger global system if you reduce the complexity of the supply chains by reinvesting in your local soil and nutrient cycling system,” she said.
Murphy said practices like composting and cover cropping add nutrients to the soil, so it needs less fertilizer. While now staving off some of the economic effects of war, these practices are normally used to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there was no imminent threat to the state, despite a warning from the FBI that Iran could send drones to the West Coast in retaliation for war. Newsom said drone issues “have always been top of mind.” “We’ve been aware of that information. … It’s all about a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios,” the governor said Wednesday.
The FBI recently warned police departments that Iran could try to strike the state. “Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert said, according to ABC News.
“We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” the FBI said. Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco said they were monitoring world events for any risks to their cities. Both said they’re working closely with state and federal authorities.