California

"Restrictions on water pumping that helps supply Southern California, intended to protect California's delta smelt, will be relaxed through June."

"California Gov. Jerry Brown's decisions regarding environmental and energy issues will affect public and private spending and public health for the foreseeable future."

"Residents believed they could stop Vulcan Materials Co. from shifting its operations within the city's foothills. But in a special election, voters gave the go-ahead."

"The next California wilderness fights will stretch from the desert to the Delta, in a dicey new political environment."

"A massive California rain event -- one expected to occur once every 200 years -- would far surpass destruction caused by a "Big One" earthquake, causing more than $700 billion in damage and hobbling the state's economy for decades, federal scientists are warning."

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday a new study by the largest toxic waste dump in the West showed its level of cancer-causing chemicals was too low to harm the health of a nearby community where an unusually high number of babies have been born with serious birth defects."

As part of a settlement, air filters will be installed in the schools of five communities around the Port of Los Angeles, where almost 22% of children suffer from asthma, compared to a rate of 14.2 percent nationwide.