Every 30 years since 1900, a new generation of Southern Californians faced a distinct water challenge. The first three generations met that challenge by developing a new imported water source and transporting it to Southern California. The last generation used new tools to use water more efficiently and maximize the value of the existing resources. The challenge for this generation will be dealing with a need to face the impacts of climate change and modernize an aging system while managing in a shrinking economic environment.

Briefs and replies are piling up in the Kern River case pending review by the state Supreme Court. The court agreed to look at an appellate decision that tossed out an 2023 court order to keep water flowing in the river through Bakersfield. There are two central questions in this fray: Can a Fish and Game statute be applied as it’s written under the state constitution? And who has the burden to prove that either way?

California and 14 other states are suing the federal government to reverse a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation that reduced the number of diseases children should be inoculated against from 17 to 11, calling it a departure from standard medical advice that ignored federal laws.

A federal judge in Virginia rejected the Justice Department’s request to search through a Washington Post reporter’s electronic devices as part of a national security leak investigation, ruling that the court would instead be responsible for conducting the search.