California communities wiped out by wildfires over the last few years are stepping up to make a big deal out of “the most important office that nobody has ever heard of” – the California Insurance Commissioner. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/california-i...

California's Next Insurance Commissioner Could Reshape Disaster Coverage – KneeDeep Times

As climate risk grows, homeowners are facing insurance payout problems. Ben Allen and Jane Kim offer competing visions for how to tackle that crisis.

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With #midterm season comes the opportunity for California voters to weigh in on potential investments in climate policy and resilient infrastructure. #Election2026 Our latest newsletter breaks down what’s on the #ballot for #climate in the #BayArea: buff.ly/brJxzMA 🧵 1/5

Last month, volunteers with nonprofit I Heart Oakland Alameda Estuary removed about 4,600 pounds of trash from the shoreline near Jack London Square. Their finds included an abandoned couch, an entire TV, and a semiquincentennial American flag. #Oakland #Estuary 🧵 1/3

Last week, the #SantaAnaWinds swept wildfire across Southern California. The Bay Area has its own version: #DiabloWinds bring warm, dry air from the Central Valley every fall, raising #wildfire risk. This year, they have already triggered red flag warnings and safety power shutoffs. 🧵 1/2

"It’s an annual weather pattern that strikes fear in the heart of many a Bay Arean." The Diablo winds bring warm, dry air from inland California dramatically elevating wildfire risk. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/diablo-winds...

Diablo Winds Bring Annual Fire Risk to Bay Area – KneeDeep Times

As the hot Nevada air cools every fall, it gets pushed west to lower pressure areas over the Central Valley, where the wind heats up and dries out.

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"While no human alive today has ever seen an El Niño of this intensity before, scientists warn this winter is just a preview of a much warmer future." @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/bay-area-el-...

Bay Area Braces for Record-Breaking El Niño – KneeDeep Times

Record high water temperatures in the Pacific are expected to bring dangerous sea level rise, waves, and rain to the region this winter.

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This month, Diablo Winds raise wildfire concerns as the Bay Area braces for a record-breaking #ElNiño. Plus: an Oakland-Alameda #Estuary cleanup, a new North Bay collaborative for #EnvironmentalEducation, and research on how unhoused residents weather climate extremes. buff.ly/it8NBnl 🧵 1/6

Residents of North Fair Oaks, an unincorporated, majority-Hispanic community, say #SanMateoCounty is neglecting their #streettrees. After a petition in 2024 failed, more than 100 community members signed a new petition this summer asking the county to inspect irrigation and plant new trees. 🧵 1/3

A 20-acre strip of shoreline in #Berkeley is getting a makeover to improve public access and #ClimateResilience. New Voices Partnership, a cohort of community groups and local residents, worked with #LandscapeArchitecture firm WRT to shape the new park’s design. @wrtdesign.bsky.social 🧵 1/3

Our Fall 2026 paper #zine is out! The zine offers an easy introduction to KneeDeep and bite-sized #ClimateNews for the casual reader or busy professional. Subscribe to our quarterly zine and get copies for your boards, teachers, community centers, and students: buff.ly/xHS2ows

A new #California law could cut urban #water use by more than a fifth, according to Oakland think tank Pacific Institute. Starting in January 2027, drinkable water can no longer be used to irrigate “nonfunctional turf,” or areas of grass that aren’t used for recreational purposes. #WaterWise 🧵 1/3

Did you know that KneeDeep Times has news stories in Spanish? This month, our bilingual stories cover two #BayArea communities taking action to become more resilient to #climatechange. #Noticias Read all of our Spanish stories here: buff.ly/FNgeVxu 🧵 1/3

It's about time we stopped wasting clean water on patches of lawn that serve no purpose. Water conservation is key to our future. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/new-californ...

New State Law to Ban Potable Water Use on Nonfunctional Grass – KneeDeep Times

The law, which applies to grass that isn't used for recreational purposes, could cut urban water use across California by more than 20% says Oakland thinktank.

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In this month’s newsletter, Bay Area communities are taking the lead, from a co-op of farmworkers using traditional fire practices to restore vineyards to an unincorporated San Mateo community petitioning for tree canopy equity. buff.ly/ybhF50a 📷️: North Bay Jobs with Justice, WRT 🧵 1/6

When it’s 90°F outside, the asphalt on a school blacktop can reach 140°F. About a third of California kids attend #schools in heat islands with little tree cover to protect them. Now, students in the #BayArea are taking action to help cool their schools. #HeatIslands #ExtremeHeat 🧵 1/3

“The real value of nature-based solutions is not that they replace traditional infrastructure, but that they make it work better, last longer, and provide benefits concrete never will.” Jeremy Lowe, environmental scientist @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/bay-area-nat...

Guide to Nature-Based Infrastructure Around the Bay Area – KneeDeep Times

Regional leaders are testing eight types of climate adaptation and shoreline flood protection projects that work with nature instead of against it. Here's an overview.

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As the Bay Area confronts rising seas and stronger storms, local leaders are designing #climate solutions that work with #nature instead of against it. Read our latest newsletter: buff.ly/vyncSBG 🧵 1/4

In #SonomaCounty, the Attune program trains participants in #ClimateResilience, ancestral #LandStewardship, and #WildernessFirstAid rooted in community care. Hosted by Weaving Earth and the School for Inclement Weather, the year-long program offers far more than training for “greener jobs.” 🧵 1/3

Roseland, a neighborhood in #SantaRosa, is one of California’s most heat-burdened communities, largely due to its lack of #tree canopy. This month, residents gathered at a local park to learn how to monitor heat at home with pocket-sized temperature recorders. #UrbanHeatIsland 🧵 1/3

Last week, coastal advocates and lawmakers rallied at a #SantaMonica public hearing to protest #NOAA's unusual "performance review" of the California Coastal Management Program. They warned the review could threaten the state's authority over #coastal development and expand #oildrilling. 🧵 1/3

80 organizations collaborating on 909 projects to save Lake Tahoe from the impact of tourism, development and climate change. Tahoe has become “the Olympics of collaborative conservation.” Looking for environmental hope? Read this: @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/lake-tahoe-r...

How Tahoe’s Resilience Efforts Offer a Model for Other Regions – KneeDeep Times

Beach robots, boat inspections, forest thinning, and wetland restoration are among the projects helping the lake confront environmental threats.

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In this month’s newsletter, California nonprofits train the next generation of climate workers in restoration, #wildfire response, and community care. Plus: Lake Tahoe models collaborative #conservation, Californians protest #NOAA review, and #SantaRosa fights #extremeheat. buff.ly/YMHqbuf 🧵 1/6

During the pandemic, #Fairfield teen Sachi Bansal found herself stuck in an endless loop of screens and isolation. Then her dad suggested a hike. Now a KneeDeep Times reporting fellow, Bansal reflects on how Rockville Hills Regional Park helped her reconnect with the world and with herself. 🧵 1/3

Standard ink and toner cause chemical runoff in landfills and contaminate groundwater. The #risograph, a Japanese stencil duplication machine from the '80s, is a more #sustainable alternative: it uses vegetable-oil inks and runs on half the power of a typical laser printer. 🧵 1/2

As #NOAA reviews California's Coastal Management Program, KneeDeep Times sent videographer Alex McCutcheon to the #SanFrancisco Ferry Building to ask passersby what they think about expanding #offshoreoil drilling and development on the coast. #CaliforniaCoast #CoastalManagement #BayArea 🧵 1/2

NOAA is conducting an unusual performance review of California's Coastal Management Program, the state's main tool for regulating #coastaldevelopment. Coastal advocates say the review is tied to the federal government’s push to expand #offshoreoil drilling and spaceport infrastructure. 🧵 1/3

In 2018, there were fewer than 1,000 #OlympiaOysters left in #ElkhornSlough. Today, there are 50,000 oysters in the Slough, thanks to researchers at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, and @nature.org. Read the photo essay by Katie Rodriguez: buff.ly/XNyjpXG

A new study by @sfestuaryinstitute.bsky.social found that #raingardens are effective at filtering out #pollutants in #stormwater before it reaches the Bay, including removing 95%+ of 6PPD-quinone, a toxic tire chemical that threatens steelhead trout and coho salmon. 🧵 1/3

In this month’s newsletter, the resilience of Bay Area communities and ecosystems is a source of hope, from local youth becoming climate advocates to scientists working with tribes to bring back the Olympia oyster and rain gardens filtering out pollutants. buff.ly/8azeM2p 🧵 1/6

Last month, 21 #ContraCosta residents graduated from a six-month #climateleadership academy. At their graduation, the new advocates pitched climate solutions ranging from a #Superfund site cleanup to ceramic oyster reef balls to a kids' coloring book about #sealevelrise. 🧵 1/3