| California needs to dramatically increase its focus and spending on roads, storm drains, the electrical grid and other infrastructure systems to maintain its position as one of the world's dominant economic engines, according to a report from a civil engineering organization. |
| A shortfall of infrastructure improvements bedevils many states, but California received a C-minus grade from the California branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a notch below the cumulative C grade for the rest of the country. |
| Among the dispiriting findings that the engineering organization announced Wednesday at a Sacramento Press conference: |
| • Nearly 30% of the state's roads are in poor condition, higher than the national average of 22%. ASCE cited "increasing demand, inflation, declining gas tax revenues and the impacts of extreme weather conditions" for the multibillion-dollar backlog of repair jobs. California's roads received a D grade. |
| • More than 65% of California's bridges are older than their typical design life of 50 years, and 6% of them are in poor condition, in line with the national average. That produced a C-minus grade. |
| • More than 85% of water utilities rely on components older than their design life, leading to more than 105 billion gallons of water being lost per year from leaking pipes. Of the estimated $11.5 billion in needed repairs over the next five years, only $3.5 billion has thus far been planned. |
| • Stormwater facilities received a D grade, with the deficit of improvements so great that even when voters agree to pay more in taxes, it's not enough. For instance, Los Angeles County voters approved a parcel tax with Measure W in 2018, which will generate about $5.6 billion over the next 20 years. But the engineers said that achieving water quality objectives will cost more like $24 billion. |
| • The up-front costs of getting 100% of the state's electricity from clean sources, like wind and solar, will be high. To pay for modernizing the grid and transmission lines, the state cannot rely solely on ratepayers, the report says. Demand continues to increase because of the larger number of electric vehicles and the rapid growth of data centers. |
| • The San Francisco Bay Delta, which allows ocean-going vessels to reach ports in Stockton and West Sacramento, has experienced "dramatically increased shoaling" caused by the accumulation of sediment on the sea floor and needs work urgently to keep the waters navigable. The waters have gone without "substantive upgrades" for decades, provoking another D grade. |
| The civil engineering group saw slight improvements in some areas, but not enough to bring up the state's overall grade, which stood at C-minus in 2019. The grade "indicates that California's built environment is not equipped to keep pace with the needs of the largest economy and population in the U.S., particularly as diverse environmental challenges impact infrastructure systems." |
| ASCE has been sounding the alarm about America's declining infrastructure for decades. In 2005, it gave the nation's publicly owned structures a D grade overall. |
| In releasing its findings, the group noted that "California has some of the strictest environmental regulations in the U.S.," which it said were intended to preserve natural resources. It urged the state to "streamline permitting and adopt data-driven, risk-based approaches to accelerate infrastructure delivery and reduce costs." It also recommended finding "dedicated, long-term funding sources across sectors and support[ing] legislation that removes barriers to funding flexibility." |
Today's top stories |
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| Matthew Perry, shown in 2015, died from "acute effects of ketamine," officials said. (Brian Ach/Invision/AP) |
Matthew Perry's 'Dr. P' sentenced to prison |
- Salvador Plasencia, who supplied ketamine to "Friends" star Matthew Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor's death, was sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison.
- The former physician was known to Perry, who died in October 2023, as "Dr. P," according to court filings.
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Questions loom over California's insurance commissioner |
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California's concerns about Trump's environmental plans |
- The Trump administration is seeking to weaken environmental protections for threatened fish in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and pump more water to Central Valley farmlands.
- Letters obtained by The Times show Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration strongly criticizing the Trump administration plan.
- State officials have also objected to the plan, citing possible threats to native fish and a reduction of water to millions of Southern Californians.
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A Bay Area native says she was raised by her mom's killer. It took 40 years for an arrest |
- For years, renowned epidemiologist Alison Galvani suspected that she had spent part of her childhood raised by a killer.
- The San Mateo district attorney's office charged Galvani's father Patrick last week with murder for the 1982 killing of his wife, Nancy.
- The couple's daughter had long lobbied prosecutors to charge her father in the slaying.
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What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
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This morning's must reads |
| | | Times art directors commissioned L.A.-based artists impacted by the fires to create festive wrapping paper, phone and computer backgrounds perfect for the holiday season. | | | |
Other must reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| West Hollywood bar Roger Room has a fresh lineup of holiday cocktails. (Philip Guerette) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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Question of the day: What do you wear when you fly? |
| Eric Lucas said, "I always wear a jacket and slacks when I travel. It gets me much better treatment at the airport, on the plane, at the hotel, in restaurants. Is that elitist? Maybe. Please, go ahead and slop around in PJs, I'm laughing all the way up in first class." |
| Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
And finally ... from our archives |
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| The first edition of the Los Angeles Times was published 140 years ago. (Los Angeles Times) |
| On Dec. 4, 1881, the Los Angeles Times was first published under the name the Los Angeles Daily Times. The word "Daily" was removed from the title in October 1886 and the newspaper became the Los Angeles Times. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Andrew Campa, weekend reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
