Ventura County Public Health Calls for Clean-up of Santa Susana Field Lab

[Note: here’s a story I wrote for Friday’s Ojai Valley News, about the decades-long controversy over cleaning up one of the most contaminated sites in the state, both chemically and with radionuclides.] Public Health Officer warns of dangers of not fully cleaning up Santa Susana Field Lab Editor’s Note: This content is being offered free,Continue reading “Ventura County Public Health Calls for Clean-up of Santa Susana Field Lab”

Mr Willis Goes to Washington

Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic began, a media attack on masking, epidemiology, and vaccination came in the form of a film called “Plandemic,” made by Ojai resident Mikki Willis, which dropped on May 4th, 2020. Spread by thousands of anti-vax and QAnon followers — according to a follow-up investigation by the Stanford Internet ObservatoryContinue reading “Mr Willis Goes to Washington”

Fire weather and climate change

In Ventura County this week, the local National Weather Service station in Oxnard has issued the following warnings: On Sunday, a Red Flag Warning (for high heats and offshore winds)For the week, a Critical Fire Weather warning (for high heat, low humidity)for the last three days, an Excessive Heat Warning Do these “fire weather”warnings seemContinue reading “Fire weather and climate change”

Megadrought in the Southwest: LA Times vs NYT

Let me point out how different the same study can look to different reporters in different arenas. Bettina Boxall, the Pulitzer Prize-winning LA Times reporter, looks at California in her big front-page story a week ago about long-term drought in California and SoCal, and finds little change in rainfall but substantial change in human behaviorContinue reading “Megadrought in the Southwest: LA Times vs NYT”

Another way to slice the county Covid data in CA

Yesterday I posted an interesting chart showing Ventura County at the bottom of a list of top 20 or so California counties for COVID-19 incidence and fatality rate. Today as a reporter I had the opportunity to speak to the designer of the web app, Dr. Chris Barker of UC Davis, about these numbers. HeContinue reading “Another way to slice the county Covid data in CA”