Push to protect ‘urban oasis’: San Bruno Mountain eyed for preservation

“Monday night, the Daly City Council unanimously endorsed the county’s effort to make the mountain a priority for conservation that will include privately-owned Daly City parcels that will be dedicated to the county for conservation.

Daly City Councilman David Canepa said the endorsement is an important first step in protecting open space.

Additional funding will help pave new trails and walkways to increase access to San Bruno Mountain, part of which is a state and county park.”

Read more here:  http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2015-02-12/push-to-protect-urban-oasis-san-bruno-mountain-eyed-for-preservation/1776425138276.html

Californians use 22 percent less water, but more cuts loom

FILE – In this Feb. 4 2014 file photo, a warning buoy sits on the dry, cracked bed of Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, Calif. State officials reported Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, that residents in drought-stricken California met Gov. Jerry Brown’s call to slash water use by 20 percent for the first time in December, when water use fell by 22 percent compared to the same month in 2013. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

December’s rains enabled Californians to finally meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for a 20-percent reduction in monthly water consumption, but more restrictions loom as the state adapts to long-term drought conditions.

California is by no means out of trouble, despite a survey released Tuesday that showed an unusually rainy month helped residents cut water use by 22 percent statewide from December 2013 levels.

The Sierra Nevada snowpack that supplies a third of California’s water is 75 percent below its historical average, and for the first time in recorded history, there was no measurable rainfall in downtown San Francisco in January, when winter rains usually come.

Read more: http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/bnews/2015-02-03/californians-use-22-percent-less-water-but-more-cuts-loom/1776425137736.html