State Water Resources Control Board
Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board; former western director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, based in San Francisco; former regional administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency (1993-2001); former public-interest environmental lawyer and one of the founders of Heal the Bay
California's Biggest Lake, More Toxic than Ever In 1905, levees broke on the Colorado River, and the water flowed into the lowest point in the United States to become the Salton Sea . California's largest inland body of water has become a magnet for fish, migratory birds and tourists, but it's also a receptacle for agricultural water runoff. Now, the drought is making it smaller, leaving behind a dust-bowl of toxic chemicals. We hear more about this potential disaster and plans to avert it.
Governor Brown Issues Statewide Water Restrictions Governor Brown today stood on dry grass where there's normally five feet of snow and announced a set of mandatory water restrictions after four years of drought. The new restrictions were immediately criticized by the group Food and Water Watch, as well as others, for letting big agriculture and the oil industry off the hook. Felicia Marcus is Chair of the Governor's Water Resources Control Board. Governor Brown delivers remarks on the drought and new mandatory water restrictions Photo: California Department of Water Resources
Obama's Green Team and the California Connection All that federal money in Barack Obama's recovery plan will be funneled through state and local officials. The President-elect has reached out to California for ideas and major appointments, saying this state leads the nation on energy and the environment. Mayor Villaraigosa will have a critical role in the flow of federal money. His biggest job will be to speed up local bureaucrats whose slogan is, "saying no never gets you in trouble." But two other Californians will play even more significant roles in the cabinet and the White House.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?