L.A. Times - Environment

With the start of the new year, Californians will pay a new fee every time they buy a product with a nonremovable battery — whether it's a power tool, a PlayStation or even a singing greeting card.

Rain continued to fall Sunday with the heaviest precipitation expected in the afternoon and evening. Forecasters say dry conditions will return later in the week.

The Chinese automaker BYD sold 2.26 million electric vehicles in 2025, surpassing Tesla as the world's top EV seller.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the advisory will be in effect until "at least 4 p.m. Monday" because of increased bacteria levels.

The redwood wars are long over. Pacific Lumber is no more, but the company town it built endures in Humboldt County. Can it find a new life as a hidden real estate gem?

Residents of the Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates received notices saying debris removal will finally begin on Jan. 2, after months of waiting and uncertainty. Not everyone trusts it will actually happen.

Multiple animals have been killed by a mountain lion in the Monterey County hamlet of Corral de Tierra. State authorities are asking residents to lock up pets and secure livestock.

Prominent Imperial Valley farmer Michael Abatti, charged with killing his estranged wife, was extradited to Arizona on Tuesday, where bail has been set at $5.5 million.

A lawsuit filed Dec. 23 provides 75 examples of building plans seemingly in violation of fire safety regulations designed to improve evacuations and firefighter access.

Rain will pick up Wednesday morning, with the heaviest downpours forecast from Wednesday night into Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The California Department of Water Resources' first snow survey of the season revealed that statewide snowpack is 71% of average for December.

State regulators ordered Southern California Edison to identify fire risks on its unused transmission lines like the century-old equipment suspected of igniting the Eaton wildfire.

Charlton "Chuck" Bonham is leaving the top post at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at the end of the month to join the Nature Conservancy. He departs as the state contends with mounting human-wildlife conflict and disputes over water policy.

The public and politicians in both parties saw the urgency 50 years ago and enacted the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. They're working and paying off.

We reviewed thousands of pages of Army Corps of Engineering quality assurance reports for the January fire soil cleanup. The results were startling.