Support for public ownership of electric utilities is growing in California, where investor-owned utilities are under intense scrutiny for causing deadly wildfires and charging some of the nation’s highest electricity rates. Adding to these challenges, utilities must make significant clean energy investments to achieve the state’s goal of a net zero carbon economy by 2045, while providing affordable and reliable electricity. Proponents of public power argue that the investor-owned utility model conflicts with these social priorities.

The Colorado River — a vital water source for 40 million people in the Southwest — is seriously imperiled by overallocation and the effects of climate change. The need to swiftly reform the use of Colorado River water is clear. That’s why NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) along with a coalition of Waterkeepers and other local advocacy groups are asking the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to utilize its legal authority to stop the waste of Colorado River water in Lower Basin states, including California.  

Three members of the UCLA School of Law faculty are featured in an essay that appears in the opinion section of The New York Times, which recounts the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. Ann Carlson, Ingrid Eagly, and Jon Michaels are among the 35 legal experts from around the country whom the Times quotes on matters ranging from the firings at independent agencies to President Trump’s clashes with the judiciary.

Air regulators today face complex challenges but also have enormous opportunities. This brief discusses a set of air regulatory tools that can help empower states and local air districts to do more to reduce harms caused by air pollution to communities.