A roundup of the biggest news stories in California this week…
This July Was Death Valley’s Hottest Month in History
Death Valley National Park experienced the hottest month on record this July, with an average 24-hour temperature of 108.5°F. This beats the park’s previous record of 108.1°F set in 2018. The average high temperature during the record-breaking month was a sweltering 121.9°F (49.9°C) with the park experiencing nine days 125°F (51.7°C) or greater and only seven days that didn’t reach 120°F. The highest temperature came on July 7 when the weather station at Furnace Creek recorded 129.2°F (54°C).
“We just experienced the hottest month in history in the hottest place on Earth! Six of the 10 hottest summers have come in the past 10 years, which should serve as a wake up call,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “Record-breaking months like this one could become the norm as we continue to see global temperatures rise. Visitors to the park should plan ahead and come prepared to face extreme temperatures during the summer months.” (nps.gov/deva)
Chevron Moving HQ From Bay Area to Texas
The oil and gas company Chevron is moving its headquarters from the Bay Area city of San Ramon to Houston, Texas. Starting on Jan. 1, 2025, all corporate work will move to Houston, while employees supporting California operations will stay in San Ramon. A statement issued by the company cited affordability and a business-friendly environment among the reasons for the move to Texas. (SFGate.com)
CDPH Identifies Valley Fever Illness Among Attendees of Kern County Music Festival
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is notifying Californians of Valley fever cases possibly associated with an outdoor music festival near Bakersfield. To date, CDPH has identified five patients with Valley fever who attended the festival; three were hospitalized. The Lightning in a Bottle Festival was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. More than 20,000 people from several California counties and possibly from other states and countries attended the festival.
Valley fever is not contagious, meaning it cannot spread from one person or animal to another. Symptoms include cough, fever, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. Valley fever is an infectious disease caused by the Coccidioides fungus that grows in the soil and dirt in some areas of California. While most people exposed to this fungus do not develop Valley fever, the fungus can infect the lungs and cause respiratory symptoms, including cough, difficulty breathing, fever, and tiredness or fatigue. In rare cases, the Valley fever fungus can spread to other parts of the body and cause severe disease.
Valley fever is on the rise in California, with particularly high numbers of cases reported in 2023 and 2024 and is most common in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast areas of California.
CDPH recommends that people who visited Kern County and are experiencing respiratory infection symptoms that have not improved or are lasting longer than a week should visit a healthcare provider and ask about possible Valley fever. Be sure to mention attendance at the music festival or travel to Kern County where Valley fever is common. Attendees can also visit the CDPH Valley fever survey website for more information and to share details about any illness. (www.cdph.ca.gov)
California Wildlife Officer Academy Graduates Largest Class in History
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Officer Academy graduated and pinned badges on 54 new officers this week in Paradise, Butte County. This group represents the largest academy graduating class in CDFW history.
“One of the best days of the year for us is adding a graduating class of wildlife officers to CDFW’s Law Enforcement Division,” said Nathaniel Arnold, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement. “It is a pleasure to see 54 eager new officers ready to support our mission to protect California’s natural resources and provide public safety through effective and responsive law enforcement.”
The newly sworn peace officers will soon begin a Field Training Program where they will apply their academy training under the immediate supervision of seasoned field training officers. The wildlife officers will be deployed across the Law Enforcement Division’s programs: regular patrol, marine enforcement, investigation of petroleum spills and response, and cannabis enforcement, to name a few.
The Law Enforcement Division is hiring. For more information about becoming a wildlife officer, visit wildlife.ca.gov/Enforcement.
California Commemorates 50 Years of the Women, Infants and Children Program
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Since 1974, the WIC program has been essential in supporting the health and nutrition of families across the nation.
WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding and chestfeeding support, healthy foods and referrals to healthcare and other community services. California administers the largest WIC program in the country, serving nearly 1 million infants, children, and pregnant and postpartum individuals per month. In 2024, WIC served 6.7 million infants, children, and pregnant and postpartum individuals in all 50 states, 33 tribes, and 5 territories in more than 10,000 clinics.
WIC has been proven to help increase key nutrients in maternal and child diets, which leads to positive health outcomes such as healthy growth and development, improved birth outcomes, fewer preterm births and low birth weights, and more. To learn more about eligibility, visit CDPH’s How Can I Get WIC webpage. (www.cdph.ca.gov)
Recommended Reading:
- Yosemite’s Peregrine Falcons Are Rebounding Thanks to Unlikely Allies: Rock Climbers by Sarah Kuta for Smithsonian Magazine
- It’s Oil That Makes LA Boil by Jonathan Blake for Noema Magazine
