Spouting Off Blog

Brother in Arms

For the last three months, I’ve been yearning to blog or write an op-ed on AB 376, the state bill that would ban the sale of shark fins in California. I haven’t been more excited about a marine conservation bill in nearly a decade.  But…
Jonathan Gold

Mapping an Uncertain Future

With the world focused on the silly brinksmanship in Congress over the national debt ceiling, there hasn’t been enough focus on the ramifications of the recent California legislative redistricting process.  The final maps, created by an ind…
Redistricting CA logo

A Bloomin' Mess

Does the scene in this photo count as algal impairment under the Clean Water Act?  I’m just curious if the folks in Florida that are attempting to blow up the Clean Water Act over proposed nutrient standards would agree that this is impairment…
Algal bloom in China (photo: ChinaFotoPress / Getty Images)

This Decision Sucks…Literally

In a defeat for the health of our local oceans, the State Water Resources Control Board voted 2-1 Tuesday to grant LADWP an additional nine years to phase out harmful once-through cooling at its three coastal power plants. The Water Board voted for t…
Scattergood power plant

Knocked Out in Malibu!

The city of Malibu scored an absolute knockout Thursday in Round 3 of the battle for improved water quality at Surfrider, Malibu Lagoon, and nearby beaches. Watching Malibu City Attorney Christi Hogin close the done deal for weakened septic system re…
Boxing glove

Sweet Justice in Manhattan Beach

Major Corporate Interests Lose at the Supreme Court! A dream headline to be sure, but it wasn’t a U.S. Supreme Court decision. It was California’s Supreme Court that did the right thing Thursday. The court issued a unanimous opinion that Manhatta…
Gavel

Malibu Septics: Round Three

Round three on the great debate over what downtown Malibu will do with its sewage is scheduled for the Regional Water Board hearing this Thursday in the nearby beach city of Glendale.  Will the infamous Malibu smell waft into olfactory history?&…
RWCB Meeting

Waves of Pride

Now that my kids are older, my dream of sleeping in past 6 a.m. has become a reality on weekends for the first time in 18 years.  In my eyes, my 11-year-old daughter Natalie’s insistence in competing in the Regional Paddle Board Race this past…
Paddleboard racer

MPAs Get a Chance to Work

Yesterday, the California Department of Fish and Game boldly approved the official initiation of the Southern California Marine Protected Area (MPA) network. Despite the ongoing threat of litigation from fishing industry opponents, the Commission …
Point Dume

Malibu Septics: Round Two

Tonight, the Malibu City Council will vote to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and the state to move the civic center’s wastewater management into the 21st century. Malibu fought to become a city when L.A. County trie…
Malibu Lagoon