Design and illustrations by Jade Cuevas
Good morning, fellow travelers. After a few weeks of offering virtual destinations and in light of California’s stay-home order lifting I’m back with some real-life ways to explore.
Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds and assistant travel editor Mary Forgione are reporting that national parks, hotels and restaurants are hustling to reopen after being surprised by the rollback of state COVID-19 rules.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, because Californians are still urged to stay within 120 miles of home. In the spirit of doing our part as travelers to limit the spread of the virus, have you discovered any safe nearby gems in the last few weeks?
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This is the Jan. 21, 2021, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
The last story I wrote before Donald Trump was elected president, four years and two months ago, was about the Obama administration’s claim that it had approved 60 renewable energy projects on public lands, capable of powering up to 5 million homes. I scrutinized those numbers, finding they dramatically overestimated the outgoing president’s accomplishments.
When Trump defeated Hillary Clinton a few days after the story published, I started to wonder if I had wasted my time.
• Dec 22, 2020 CAROLYN COLE / LOS ANGELES TIMES
On this edition of Your Call, we rebroadcast our conservation with Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Susanne Rust about Ecuador s Galapagos Islands, one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world.
The islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’, but COVID-19 has laid bare the vulnerability of an economic model that is 90% dependent upon tourism. The islands are also under threat by Chinese fishing fleets. Many vessels are designed to hold 1,000 tons a catch.
Guests:
51:56
On this edition of Your Call, we rebroadcast our conservation with Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Susanne Rust about Ecuador s Galapagos Islands, one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world.
The islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’, but COVID-19 has laid bare the vulnerability of an economic model that is 90% dependent upon tourism. The islands are also under threat by Chinese fishing fleets. Many vessels are designed to hold 1,000 tons a catch.
Guests:
Dr. Marla Valentine, illegal fishing and transparency analyst at Oceana
Web Resources:
NEWSOM’S Senate pick ahead? GINGRICH endorses Newsom recall FEINSTEIN’s dilemma JAY-Z’s new cannabis play: $50 joints
12/14/2020 09:10 AM EST
THE BUZZ IT’S COMING: Don’t be surprised if Gov. Gavin Newsom decides to deliver California’s Hanukkah/Christmas gift this week and roll out his choice for the Senate seat held by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
If the much-anticipated appointment comes, as some insiders expect, during the holiday period, when news is typically slow, it could provide Newsom with a buffer, turning the page on the narrative from the last few weeks (see: the French Laundry debacle) and giving the many who doubtless won’t agree with his choice time to vent and get over it. And then he can put the “annus horribilis” 2020 in the rearview mirror and get on with 2021.