Letter California annually imports some two million non-native American bullfrogs and 300,000 freshwater turtles for human consumption. All are diseased and/or parasitized, though it is illegal to sell such products. Released into local waters, the exotics prey upon and displace our native species.
The CalPERS' governing board during a meeting several years ago at the pension fund's headquarters. (Photo: CalPERS board)Calpensions: Twice in recent decades CalPERS fell below 100 percent of the funding needed for promised pensions, and twice CalPERS climbed back. But since a $100 billion investment loss in 2008, the CalPERS funding level has not recovered.
Pumpjacks in a Kern County oil field, November 2013. (Photo: Christopher Halloran)Oil and gas wells are deeply embedded in many California neighborhoods. Because we have no statewide limits on how close such wells can be to homes or schools, millions of Californians live within breathing distance of these polluting oil operations. That’s a huge concern — especially as hydraulic fracturing and other extreme oil extraction techniques spread across our state.