It's "All Hands on Deck" for El Niño Federal, state and local agencies are reminding home owners there's not much time until January, when massive storms are predicted from the El Niño condition in the Pacific Ocean. Kate Hutton, public Information Officer for the City of LA’s Emergency Management Department , says now’s the time to prepare.

Turning the Water Off…and On With years of reduced rain and snow now predicted, Mayor Eric Garcetti wants to reduce LA's dependence on imported water. He also wants to cut water usage by 20% in less than two years. But efficiency and conservation won't be enough. Garcetti says the City that once rejected what was called "toilet to tap" is now ready to recycle wastewater — like Orange County already does . Can LA capture the rain that does fall instead of washing it out to sea?

A Record Water Shortage and Red Flag Warnings Governor Brown has recognized this driest winter in California history by declaring a drought emergency . The Sierra snowpack is at 15% of its annual average, and that could leave Central Valley farmers with no allocations from water districts at all. Last week's Colby Fire above Glendora is a prime example of what dry winter weather means for fire danger and, by extension, air quality.

Santa Ana Winds and Cuts to Tree-trimming Budgets Thousands of trees have fallen since those high Santa Ana winds began last Wednesday night. Many still haven't been cleaned up. In the City of Los Angeles, the Urban Forestry staff was reduced last year from 230 to less than 100. That left every inspector responsible for 150,000 trees, and even in normal times it takes 24 to 48 hours to deal with just one fallen tree limb.

Water Conservation Measures Take Effect in Los Angeles On this Earth Day , Southern California is hotter and dryer than it's been for a while -- and all indicators suggest that's the way it's going to be for a long time to come. Grey water and gardening may well be part of our future. We hear about new ways to practice old habits and update what's being done to save water now by the LA Department of Water and Power.

Los Angeles Takes Another Serious Look at Water LA has become a megalopolis in an arid part of the country by importing water from the Owens Valley, Northern California and the Colorado River. But those supplies are beginning to dry up as demand is increasing. Mayor Villaraigosa wants to impose restrictions on water use, capture the rainwater that now flows out to sea and reclaim the waste water that now goes down the drain.

LA Demotes Its Iconic Palm Tree Only one kind of Palm tree is indigenous to Southern California.   Others, imported since the Spanish missions, were established in the 18th Century. Canary Island Date Palms are still so popular in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and the Arizona suburbs they can go for $20,000 when mature.   Most of the local palms were planted early in the 20th Century, and in preparation for the 1932 Olympic s. But now they are threatened by a deadly fungus--and by city planners who don't plan to replace them.