American entrepreneurs must be freed from excessive permitting requirements

• September 5, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris thinks U.S. Steel should not have the right to sell its business to Japan’s Nippon Steel. Previously, some Republican senators thought they too should have the ability to kill the deal between private companies. And it doesn’t stop there. During the pandemic, airlines had to get the government’s permission to hand out hand sanitizer to passengers. Energy projects are subjected to years of permitting processes. And, of course, in most places, Americans aren’t allowed to build what they want on their own property without subjecting themselves to government authorization.

Welcome to the permission-slip economy. It shouldn’t be this way.

Permitting reform isn’t just bureaucratic minutiae; it’s a critical, deeply moral issue for anyone who believes in free markets, individual liberty and economic progress. Our permitting regime is a web of red tape that stifles innovation, slows growth and leaves Americans poorer, less free and increasingly frustrated with a government more interested in regulating than enabling prosperity.

This isn’t some esoteric topic for policy wonks; it’s about the real, tangible effects of overregulation on Americans’ daily lives. Housing costs, job availability, energy prices and technological advancement all hinge on how our government handles permits. And right now, it’s failing miserably.

Take housing. Some areas like California and New York City face a crisis largely due to onerous permitting processes. Builders must navigate a Kafkaesque labyrinth of regulations just to break ground, assuming they are even allowed to build. These delays add years to construction and inflate costs by tens of thousands per unit.

This isn’t mere inconvenience; it’s a genuine disaster for middle- and low-income families priced out of the market. The American dream of homeownership is being strangled by red tape. Worse yet, Americans are priced out of lucrative labor markets because rents are so artificially inflated in job-rich cities.

But that’s just the beginning. Permitting processes are choking the energy sector. Important infrastructure — pipelines, wind farms, grid modernization — is being held up for years by endless environmental reviews, public comments and lawsuits. Now, two judges have signaled to developers that permits which took years to obtain could be canceled on a whim if subjected to pressure from the climate activists.

This isn’t just bad policy; it’s economic sabotage resulting in higher prices, less reliable supply, and missed opportunities for cleaner, more efficient energy.

What about other infrastructure? Roads, bridges and transit systems fail to get fixed when approval for repairs takes years or sometimes decades. An outdated, bloated process prioritizes procedure over results, making some projects obsolete before they begin. Meanwhile, the government wastes massive amounts of money on infrastructure subsidies when all we need is to allow people to build.

The free market thrives on innovation and speed, allowing swift responses to societal needs. The current system is its antithesis — slow, cumbersome and designed to prevent change rather than facilitate it.

It’s not just harming businesses; it’s harming everyone. Imagine what we could achieve with reform: affordable housing, more jobs, lower energy prices, modernized infrastructure. We could unleash a new wave of American innovation and growth. Yet these reforms are repeatedly blocked by bureaucrats protecting their turf, politicians appeasing special interests, or activists who believe halting progress is virtuous.

The time for permitting reform is now. Every delay means lost opportunity for Americans who deserve better: a government facilitating progress, not impeding it; a truly free market, not one shackled by bureaucracy; a future where prosperity trumps paperwork.

The good news is that there are many permitting reform ideas out there. Of course, in an ideal world, building and innovating should generally be permitted by default. Short of this, creating a “one-stop-shop” federal permitting agency to reduce redundancies — a single point of contact for applicants to coordinate between different agencies — should be a priority. This would be coupled with strict timelines for permit reviews, including a “shot clock” mechanism where permits are automatically approved if no decision is made by the deadline.

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Environmental reviews should be streamlined by radically reforming the National Environmental Policy Act process, setting page limits on environmental impact statements and allowing for more categorical exclusions for routine or low-impact projects. State-level reforms should be encouraged through federal incentives, and a “presumptive approval” system should be implemented for routine projects.

This isn’t just good policy; it’s a moral imperative. Permitting reform is about restoring a healthy power balance between government and individual and ensuring that America remains a place where innovation thrives, entrepreneurs succeed and opportunity is universal. It’s about reclaiming the principles that made this country great.

Veronique de Rugy is the George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

​ Orange County Register 

Analysis: 7 US House races shift on divided battlefield

• September 5, 2024

Nathan L. Gonzales | (TNS) CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON — The House battleground continues to take shape two months before Election Day. While a handful of the top Senate races have been engaged for months with torrents of television ads, most House races are just now doing the same. And with the uncertainty at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, the down-ballot fight was in a holding pattern for much of the summer.

Until his departure from the race on July 21, President Joe Biden was headed for defeat by former President Donald Trump and threatened to torpedo Democratic chances of winning the House and holding the Senate. Now, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee, the party’s congressional candidates have a better, albeit still slim, chance of holding the Senate and are firmly in the fight for the House majority.

The path to a majority has been slightly easier for Republicans throughout the cycle. While Democrats have needed to win nine of the 10 races rated as Toss-ups by Inside Elections to get to 218 (as long as they win all of the races rated as Solid, Likely, Lean and Tilt Democratic), Republicans needed to win just two rated as Toss-up.

The silver lining for Democrats has been that Biden finished ahead of Trump in nine of the 10 Toss-ups in 2020 in an era with minimal ticket-splitting. But Biden was on track to finish behind Trump in the Toss-up districts, as well as many in the Tilt and Lean categories and probably some in Likely Democratic. That was a death sentence to Democrats’ chances in the House and fueled the pressure for Biden to drop out of the race.

Now, public and private polling shows Harris is matching or exceeding Biden’s 2020 performance, pulling close in the presidential race and improving Democrats’ chances of gaining the four seats they need.

The seven recent rating changes are split nearly evenly between the two parties.

Democrats’ chances improved in four races: California’s 45th (GOP Rep. Michelle Steel) from Lean Republican to Tilt Republican, Nebraska’s 2nd (GOP Rep. Don Bacon) from Tilt Republican to Toss-up, Pennsylvania’s 17th (Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio) from Lean Democratic to Likely Democratic and Washington’s 8th (Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier) from Likely Democratic to Solid Democratic.

Republicans’ chances improved in three races: Michigan’s 8th (Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee’s open seat) from Tilt Democratic to Toss-up, New York’s 17th (GOP Rep. Mike Lawler) from Toss-up to Tilt Republican and Virginia’s 7th (Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s open seat) from Tilt Democratic to Toss-up.

The changes are a microcosm of the overall battle for the House. GOP incumbents such as Steel and Bacon are more vulnerable with Trump doing poorly in their districts, while Democrats are going to have a tough time defending open seats like the pair in Michigan and one in Virginia.

With the latest rating changes, the House battlefield comprises 82 districts (45 currently held by Democrats and 37 currently held by Republicans) and the path to 218 still looks easier for Republicans. They need to win just two of the dozen Toss-ups, while Democrats need to win 11 of 12. But that understates Democrats’ opportunity. If Harris continues to perform well at the top of the ticket, Democratic prospects will improve.

The next couple of weeks will bring more clarity to the fight for the House with a slew of private polling, as party strategists make critical campaign spending decisions, and some public polling. Inside Elections just released its third House battleground poll on Wednesday, in partnership with Noble Predictive Insights. The survey of Oregon’s 5th District follows polls in Michigan’s 7th and Ohio’s 9th districts.

Inside Elections’ House projection is still a range of a Democratic gain of five seats to a Republican gain of five seats, with control contained within. That means every seat will matter, and it could be weeks before we know which party controls the chamber because of multiple competitive races in California, New York and Pennsylvania, where it can take a while to count ballots.

Moved toward Democrats

California’s 45th (Michelle Steel, R) from Lean Republican to Tilt Republican
Nebraska’s 2nd (Don Bacon, R) from Tilt Republican to Toss-up
Pennsylvania’s 17th (Chris Deluzio, D) from Lean Democratic to Likely Democratic
Washington’s 8th (Kim Schrier, D) from Likely Democratic to Solid Democratic

Moved toward Republicans

Michigan’s 8th (Open; Dan Kildee, D) from Tilt Democratic to Toss-up
New York’s 17th (Mike Lawler, R) from Toss-up to Tilt Republican
Virginia’s 7th (Open; Abigail Spanberger, D) from Tilt Democratic to Toss-up

_____

Nathan L. Gonzales is an elections analyst with CQ Roll Call.

___

©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Stagecoach 2025: Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs top the bill

• September 5, 2024

Stagecoach Country Music Festival, after teasing fans the past few days on its social media pages, has revealed the lineup for its 2025 bill.

For its 17th year, the three-day fest will be headlined by Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs.

Stagecoach will return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 25-27, 2024 following back-to-back weekends of its sister Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Friday will be topped by Bryan, along with Brothers Osborne, Lana Del Rey, Carly Pearce, Whiskey Myers, Sierra Ferrell, Dylan Scott, Tucker Wetmore, Nikki Lane, 49 Winchester, Bryan Martin, Drake Milligan, Alana Springsteen, Tigirlily Gold, Tanner Usrey, Avery Anna, Drew Parker, John Morgan, Noeline Hofmann, Abi Carter and Mae Estes. Jelly Roll’s headlining night on Saturday will also show performances from Sturgill Simpson, Nelly, Ashley McBryde, Shaboozey, Koe Wetzel, Dylan Gossett, Niko Moon, Tommy James & The Shondells, Dasha, Crystal Gayle, Louie TheSinger, George Birge, Annie Bosko, Tiera Kennedy, The Castellowsand more.

Combs, who debuted at the festival back in 2022, will close the event on Sunday with Midland, Sammy Hagar, Flatland Cavalry, Scotty McCreery, Goo Goo Dolls, Tracy Lawrence, Conner Smith, Chayce Beckham, Austin Snell, Treaty Oak Revival, The Bacon Brothers, Alexandra Kay, among others.

Returning headliner Combs shared his excitement in a recent press release saying, “Super pumped to be coming back to headline Stagecoach. It was one of the most memorable parts of the year when we did it in 2022, so really glad they’re having us back for round 2. We’re gonna have a blast.”

First time headliner Jelly Roll also said, “Last year I got to play Stagecoach for the first time and it was incredible. And I didn’t just get to play. I got to hang out as a fan of artists I love and take my daughter to see some of the best entertainers in our format. Coming back to headline Stagecoach this year is a dream, but I’ll be attending as a fan this year as well, so get ready. See you in April.”

Additionally, EDM superstar Diplo will take over Late Night in Palomino for after-party performances in which rapper T-Pain, rockers Creed and the iconic boy band of the ’90s, Backstreet Boys, will perform. Diplo is also set to curate the talent inside the Honky Tonk Dance Hall once again.

Restaurateur and TV personality Guy Fieri will be back with his Stagecoach Smokehouse, too. There will be new chefs, pit bosses and barbecue vendors, as well as cooking demos with special guests and more. For a fourth year, Compton Cowboys will also be bringing in their horses and showing off the skills they’ve learned at Richland Farms in Compton.

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Passes go on sale starting at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at stagecoachfestival.com.

Three-day general admission passes start at $579; three-day Rhinestone Saloon passes start at $974; three-day Desert Diamind VIP packages start at $4,023.85; Gold Rush VIP packages stat at $2586.35; corral reserved pit passes start at $1,199; corral standing pit passes start at $1,999. Various shuttle packages, RV and tent camping options are also available on the official Stagecoach website.

​ Orange County Register 

Netflix wants to shrink your favorite TV show’s carbon footprint

• September 5, 2024

Michelle Ma | Bloomberg News (TNS)

There’s a soft, afternoon glow suffusing an intimate scene between the plucky protagonist and her wood-chopping, flannel-shirted love interest’s mother on the Vancouver set of the Netflix Inc. show, “Virgin River.” A soapy drama centered on a nurse practitioner in a small, northern California town, “Virgin River” is the kind of show that reliably delivers buried secrets, thwarted villains and reunited lovers. That fake sunlight— the combined power of two massive 18,000-watt lights running on a giant battery — is how Netflix wants to clean up the dirty business of Hollywood productions.

On most film and television sets, illumination is powered by loud, clunking diesel generators. “Virgin River” is one of a number of Netflix’s productions replacing generators and fossil fuel-based transportation with greener alternatives. In Atlanta, “Stranger Things” is dabbling with solar-powered trailers, and just outside London, “Bridgerton” has tested a hydrogen power unit.

It’s all part of Netflix’s plan to cut its emissions roughly in half by 2030. Yet, Netflix’s progress has been marginal in the three years since it began focusing on sustainability in 2020.

Its emissions in 2022 increased compared to 2019, the year the company chose as its baseline year. (Emissions dropped dramatically in 2023, the company’s latest reported year, but that was largely attributed to work stoppages during the Hollywood strikes.)

“Part of it is that we don’t have direct operational control,” says Emma Stewart, whose job as sustainability officer includes driving down emissions. Focusing on film and TV production is key, since those activities are typically responsible for over half the company’s emissions. Aside from one studio in Albuquerque, Netflix generally doesn’t own any of the equipment or studio space for its productions. (In that studio, the company has invested in geothermal water loops, solar and battery storage systems and EV fast chargers.) While the company could mandate emissions-reducing behavior from its vendors, landlords and productions, Stewart believes “creating carrots that we think are as big as sticks” is a better approach.

From left to right: Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington during their wedding scene in Season 3 of “Bridgerton.” (Liam Daniel/Netflix/TNS)

Since its black and white beginnings, the film industry has spawned a thriving but distributed global ecosystem of local vendors who supply its specialty gear: lights, cameras, trucks, cables and generators. Getting all of these disparate units to change how they do business is not an easy task, even with big carrots.

If Netflix persuaded its suppliers to buy low-emissions equipment, it could prompt an industry-wide change. Netflix’s emissions are broadly in line with its industry peers, and its challenges are the same. The same shops that rent lights, portable power sources and vehicles tend to service productions across the various studios, and so more green tech for Netflix means more all around. And if the company succeeds in communicating to the makers of this equipment that a buyer exists, that would help de-risk the investment and encourage more adoption industry-wide.

Doing so would be a considerable feat. Though the entertainment industry’s carbon footprint is generally small compared to more emissions-intensive sectors like technology and aviation, its societal influence is arguably greater. Hollywood’s mark on culture and norms is one that can’t be overstated and could inspire a larger shift in how corporations at large prioritize sustainability.

Netflix is not alone in struggling to meet its lofty climate ambitions. At the beginning of the decade, major corporations across the globe voluntarily started setting climate goals to great fanfare. As 2030 looms closer, companies have started to backslide. Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. have seen their emissions shoot up amid the rise of energy-intensive artificial intelligence, making their climate targets harder to reach. Shell Plc, BP Plc and Amazon.com Inc. have all scaled back or dropped parts of their climate goals.

Some companies that haven’t dialed back their ambitions use questionable methods to appear sustainable while they continue emitting. Netflix relies on tools like renewable energy certificates (RECs) and carbon credits of contested value to claim sustainability while it slowly scales up efforts like those taking place on the “Virgin River” set. Studies have shown that those efforts do more for greenwashing than getting the world closer to net zero.

Netflix is testing whether it’s possible to grow audiences and ambitions while cutting greenhouse gases. What it’s revealing is that prioritizing aggressive revenue growth and maintaining its spot as the world’s top streamer make it hard to reach its climate goals; its sustainability efforts take a backseat to the will and vision of Netflix’s creatives, who literally run the show.

“Getting the shot is still paramount, and that’s often not an environmentally efficient or responsible way to approach it,” says Hunter Vaughan, a University of Cambridge researcher and the author of Hollywood’s Dirtiest Secret: The Hidden Environmental Costs of the Movies. “Without challenging these ideological foundations, the real positive change isn’t going to happen.”

It’s hard to overstate the scope of Netflix’s growth and influence. Since its start in 1997 as a DVD mailer, it has reshaped the entertainment industry. Today, Netflix accounts for about 8% of TV viewing in the U.S.; it’s a leading network in most of the world’s major markets. The company estimates its audience numbers at over a half a billion. It’s on track for almost $40 billion in sales this year.

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As the company strives to make hits and please investors, Stewart has to cut emissions, overhaul onset norms and encourage a tech transition. Stewart joined the company in 2020, when Netflix started its sustainability work. Since that time, Netflix has had two years of regular business activity, unimpeded by a global pandemic or industry-wide strikes. Those circumstances resulted in artificially-lowered emissions. During the normal years, 2021 and 2022, Netflix increased its Scope 1 and 2 emissions (that’s emissions directly related to its business or energy consumed by its operations), compared to 2019. Carbon-cutting progress has been outpaced by the company’s growth.

“The number of productions changes from one year to the next,” Stewart says. The company’s goal is to “decouple [the] number of productions from our company-wide carbon footprint.”

What that means is that, in an ideal world, even as the number of productions go up, emissions go down. “We’re definitely not there yet,” Stewart says.

Unlike the consumer goods business, growth for streaming companies doesn’t have to depend on the number of things produced, points out Albert Lin, a professor at the University of California, Davis’ School of Law who specializes in environmental law. A content company can theoretically gain more subscribers without increasing the number of shows. “You could also imagine growing slowly but better,” he says.

Of course, arguing for slow growth is a hard case to make to investors of any company, and it’s unlikely that Netflix or any other Hollywood studio will seriously consider this strategy. For now, the streaming giant is focused on the individual changes it can make on each production.

On the set of “Virgin River,” while everyone else is mostly oblivious to the energy transition taking place around them, Jeff Harvey is in the heat of it.

Harvey is “Virgin River’s” rigging gaffer, which means he oversees all the power and lighting. But now, he’s more like a logistics manager. He writes up a “battle plan” that includes where every battery has to go, when it has to be there and what it needs to power, factoring in charging time. “We spend a little less time on setting up, and I spend more time on the front end organizing,” Harvey says.

For Rob Fairbridge, whose role as transportation coordinator involves managing a fleet of vehicles, integrating electric cars and trucks on set has involved new daily hurdles. He test-drives each new vehicle for two weeks before production begins to anticipate his drivers’ pain points. A car will charge more slowly when it’s nearly done, so drivers need to factor that extra time into consideration. Electric trucks typically have a lower clearance than gas-powered trucks because the batteries are often located on the bottom of the vehicle, so drivers have to consider that when entering or exiting certain driveways to avoid bottoming out. And a lesson learned the hard way: Sometimes the manufacturer’s listed range is much higher than reality.

Back at the production’s basecamp, or where trucks and trailers are parked in between sets, Fairbridge’s drivers are eating lunch. It’s a quiet break before they have to drive all the equipment to another location in Burnaby, a neighboring Vancouver suburb, where they’ll be filming that afternoon. These are mostly union crews more used to diesel trucks and gas stations than chargers and Teslas, Fairbridge says. That means he’s added another role to his list of responsibilities: driver therapist. He spends a lot of one-on-one time now coaching them through broken chargers and range anxiety.

“It’s not something we can shove down their throats,” Fairbridge says. “It’s got to be a gradual change.”

Their anxiety is not unfounded. One time, Harvey’s batteries went down for about 12 minutes after filming ran long. “It all crashed and burned,” he recalls. They quickly brought in a diesel generator and got the lights back up, but every minute of filming lost is money down the drain.

Crews face a huge supply problem. The city of Vancouver, where the show is filmed, only has seven of the largest production-ready batteries, and as many as 50 productions are filming in the city at any given time. In order to secure the greener equipment and get ahead of competition, Netflix reserved all the clean tech it needed to start filming Season 6 of “Virgin River” months before production began, a highly unusual move. The week prior, another local production called Harvey and “begged” him to spare them one of his batteries. He acquiesced only because he had reserved more than he needed.

A behind-the-scenes photo of “Stranger Things” from the third season, shot in metro Atlanta. Shown are Shawn Levy, Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard. (Tina Rowden/Netflix/TNS)

There’s a reason this equipment is hard to find. For vendors, investing in a battery, solar panel or EV is taking an expensive leap of faith that it will be embraced by production crews.

Bhugesh “Ben” Patel runs a transportation company called BI Production Works based in Madison, Georgia, serving Atlanta-area film and television shows, including Netflix productions like “Stranger Things.” He also has fleets in New York, California, New Mexico and Texas and overall has invested over $30 million so far to convert BI’s trailers to run on solar power rather than diesel generators, as well as $100 million in manufacturing new solar trailers.

Building a solar-powered trailer costs over 50% more than it would an equivalent diesel trailer, Patel says, but he offers the trailers at a competitive price, so that he’ll get the first call from studios looking to go green. Plus, these trailers require less maintenance than their fossil fuel-powered predecessors.

What works in Vancouver or Atlanta, though, might not work elsewhere. British Columbia has plenty of renewable energy, particularly hydropower, and the local government has offered a slew of green film incentives, such as discounted location fees for productions that use clean energy. In New York, solar trailers don’t work as well because of cloudy days and sunlight-blocking high-rise buildings, so Patel’s trailers there are typically paired with backup generators.

The payback period for a trailer is about seven to 10 years, so it’s a risky investment. He was willing to make it because the studios, including Netflix, made it clear to him they were willing to use his equipment.

“Because it’s new technology, people have to accept it,” Patel says. “It’s been a slow start, no question about that.”

Though it’s the most visible, decarbonizing film and TV production has been a small piece of Netflix’s emissions reduction work. Electric or hybrid vehicles and clean mobile power– like batteries and hydrogen systems– made up 5% of the company’s overall avoided emissions in 2022, and 2% in 2023.

The bulk of Netflix’s emissions reductions came from purchasing renewable energy, either through its landlords or from local utilities directly through the utilities’ green tariff programs. It’s not as clear-cut as it might seem.

A green tariff program allows larger utility customers to pay for renewable energy from a specific project like a solar farm. Though details may differ state to state and utility to utility, the goal is to help customers meet their energy goals and for utilities to reduce the financial risks associated with building new projects. Stewart says Netflix pays a premium to opt into renewable energy.

Despite their aims, some green tariff programs don’t actually result in meaningful emissions reductions; rather, they just shift around the ability to claim ownership of the energy. Experts have found that they sometimes fail to accelerate clean energy development, as well.

The efficacy of the program depends on the age of the asset it’s attached to and where it’s located. If the project is recently built or not yet online, investing in that green tariff could be a credible claim of emissions reduction. If the project is an existing clean energy plant that opened more than three years ago, “that is essentially having no positive impact on decarbonization,” says Killian Daly, executive director of EnergyTag, a nonprofit focused on electricity accounting standards.

Additionally, a number of US states have adopted clean-energy standards requiring a certain percentage of utilities’ electricity be carbon-free. So if a company participates in a green tariff program in one of those states, it’s possible that the renewable energy being procured would have been built regardless of the investment, and so the green tariff attached to that project is also rendered meaningless.

“Since Netflix currently only owns one studio property globally, and is a relatively small electricity user in any location, we don’t typically invest in onsite renewable energy projects, instead paying a premium to opt into certain utility green tariff programs,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email.

For the rest of its emissions that it isn’t able to avoid or reduce, Netflix purchases carbon credits. The company bought more than a million credits in 2021 and 2022; last year, it was a little over 800,000. It’s been widely documented that many credits advertise positive climate impacts that never materialize. “We won’t pretend that this entire market is perfect, nor is any market perfect, but what it requires is good oversight, good guidelines and principles and accountability,” Stewart says.

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The company also does the same with non-renewable electricity that it uses by purchasing renewable energy credits, or RECs. These tools come into play when a company buys certificates from clean power providers instead of switching power sources. Companies use RECs to claim 100% clean power, despite skepticism from environmental critics. These credit purchases often have lower impact because, similar to low-quality green tariff programs, they don’t always result in bringing new renewable energy to the grid.

“Unbundled RECs are not what we’d like to be procuring forever,” Stewart says, while pointing out that Netflix has few options to change energy supplies at rented facilities it doesn’t own. The company is weighing alternatives like power purchase agreements made directly with renewable developers; it also invests in a type of REC aimed at supporting projects in developing countries.

“We’re continuing to evaluate what might make sense,” Stewart says.

For Netflix to increase the credibility of its claim of supporting global net-zero goals, there’s much more it could do. For one, it could invest in more durable carbon removal technologies, like machines that remove carbon from the air, says UC Davis’ Lin. It’s something that other large companies like Stripe, Alphabet and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have invested millions into already. Purchasing credits from companies that offer these types of removal are “much more expensive, but [offer] greater certainty with regards to the actual storage and permanence of carbon removal,” he says. Although Netflix doesn’t disclose how much it pays for its credits, the kinds of projects it’s investing in are typically cheaper by an order of magnitude compared to higher quality carbon removal credits.

Taking responsibility for more streaming-related emissions is another step Netflix could take. Currently, its carbon accounting excludes the emissions associated with video streaming on its site, as well as the electricity used by devices to watch its content. Stewart says that Netflix looks to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for guidance on how to account for indirect internet- and device-related emissions, and it doesn’t specify exactly how the entertainment sector is supposed to treat those emissions, so it chooses not to include them.

But some experts believe that Netflix should count those emissions.

“It’s a generous omission of accountability,” says Vaughan, who points to the large share of global bandwidth that content providers like Netflix hold, which one report puts at nearly 15% of global downstream internet traffic.

Netflix recognizes that more needs to be done to accelerate the adoption of green tech on sets. The company is making investments to try to boost the green equipment supply chain for its productions. Netflix, Walt Disney Co. and nonprofit RMI started the Clean Mobile Power Initiative last year. The program gives startups access to a $100,000 convertible note (a loan that is repaid with equity in the company rather than principal and interest), as well as introductions to potential investors and “sandbox days” on the studios’ sets, where they can test out their equipment. It also helps train union members on the new technology. It launched with 10 startups, ranging from a mobile nanogrid developer to a green hydrogen supplier, to help get their technology production-ready. The 18-month accelerator is still in its early days, and so it’s too early to see program results, says RMI’s Caroline Winslow, who helps run the program.

Another on-set action that would result in meaningful emissions reductions is setting a carbon budget for each show, capping both the number of productions as well as how much each production is allowed to emit. Currently, producers can be forced to cut a helicopter shot due to financial constraints; with a carbon budget, they would have to nix it if it’s too emission-intensive.

But at Netflix, the will of the creative side supersedes such priorities. “We really like to be creator-led,” Stewart says.

While Netflix has experimented with mandates on a few productions, it’s more interested today in coaxing sustainable change on-set through financial incentives, she says. Productions that want to incorporate sustainable swaps are given a “sustainability allowance” that can be used towards sustainable swaps like batteries and electric vehicles and can’t be reallocated to other parts of the budget.

Vaughan believes that more mandates would force a positive shift within the industry’s culture. “Creativity flourishes under constraints,” he says.

After already having swapped diesel for batteries and added more time for EV charging, production workers might embrace new rules.

“I don’t mind change,” says Fairbridge, the transportation coordinator on Virgin River, whose reality is a constant juggle of new restrictions. “And I think the world is going that direction.”

—With assistance from Ben Elgin and Lucas Shaw.

©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

The best dinnerware sets to elevate your table setting

• September 5, 2024

Which dinnerware set is best?

Dinnerware is an essential part of every kitchen. It allows you to enjoy your meals to the fullest. The best dinnerware set not only provides functionality for the dinner table or wherever you may dine but also aesthetics and personalization.

This Mikasa 40-Piece Set is an elegant and comprehensive set that champions quality material and longevity. However, the right dinnerware set caters to personal needs, varying in look, durability and price.

What to know before you buy a dinnerware set

Dinnerware set pieces

The basic dinnerware set consists of four pieces: dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl and mug. The dinner plate is the largest item, designed for your main course. The salad plate is a matching smaller piece that may be used for salads or other appetizers. While most salad plates are flat, some may be slightly depressed.

Soup bowls tend to be small, similar to salad plates but have steeper sides. Lastly, a mug serves as a generic beverage vessel, though tends to be geared toward coffee or tea. In some cases, the mug may be omitted from the collection, resulting in a three-piece set.

Number of settings

Settings refer to the number of people each collection serves. You typically have the option of buying a single setting for a lone person, a four-person setting for the average household or an eight- or 12-person setting for more elaborate affairs.

Unfortunately, most collections don’t feature odd numbers, so to ensure everyone’s eating is matched, you’ll have to purchase more than you may need.

Size and shape

Consider size and shape, because not all dinnerware sets are crafted equally. Larger options push aesthetics as much as functionally, as they look to highlight your meal, while smaller sets are best for those with more compact kitchens, cabinets and cupboards.

Dinnerware sets may vary in shape. Keep in mind that circular items tend to be less efficient when it comes to storage than square or rectangular pieces. Note not just the length or diameter but the depth as well, which will influence stacking in a cabinet.

What to look for in a quality dinnerware set

Material

Material influences longevity, weight, ease of cleaning and overall quality. The most common materials used for dinnerware are stoneware, porcelain and bone china.

Stoneware is popular for its aesthetic and durability. It tends to be thick and sturdy and allows for the imprinting of various colors and textures.
Porcelain is a finer ceramic that is typically white in color. It’s also rather expensive.
Bone china is used in the most elegant and expensive dinnerware. It may be plain or ornately decorated and comes with a lengthy lifespan.

Color and design

Dinnerware sets can match your style and personal style with various colors, patterns and other designs available. Basic solid colors are most common and are useful for a variety of occasions. Those with ornate or complex designs and patterns tend to be reversed for more formal affairs.

Extra components

More elaborate sets include extra pieces and additional useful dining components, such as an added plate, bowl or saucer for your mug. Large sets may also offer serveware.

Versatility

Depending on the material, some dinnerware may be safe for use in the dishwasher, microwave, oven or freezer. Some may be suitable up to a certain temperature, so check the limitations and work within them.

How much you can expect to spend on a dinnerware set

You can typically expect to pay between $15 and $30 per setting, with a slight price break when you buy a larger set. Material and design will influence price, with high-end options costing up to $40 per serving.

Dinnerware set FAQ

What’s the difference between dinnerware, serveware and flatware?

A. Dinnerware involves the plates and bowls that an individual eats from directly. Serveware, meanwhile, is more communal. These are the bowls and plates where the meal in its entirety is placed; each individual serves their own portion from the serveware. Lastly, flatware comprises the utensils you eat with; your knife, spoon and fork.

How do I store and care for my dinnerware?

A. Quality dinnerware is an investment, and it’s important to employ best care practices. While most materials are dishwasher-friendly, they are still subject to the quality of your dishwasher; chemicals can wear down the material over time, while any moving items within the unit can damage the surface. As such, it’s recommended to wash high-end dinnerware by hand. Similarly, high-quality material should also be dried by hand and stored delicately. Be mindful when stacking so as not to chip any material.

Dinnerware that is used regularly can be stored in a convenient cupboard, while fine China used for special occasions may require a special storage cabinet where it is less exposed.

What’s the best dinnerware set to buy?

Top dinnerware set

Mikasa Delray Bone China

What you need to know: This elegant dinnerware set provides long-lasting quality and aesthetics for a variety of occasions.

What you’ll love: Bone China is durable and sophisticated; a white aesthetic suits semi-casual and formal affairs alike. It serves eight and is safe in an oven, microwave and dishwasher.

What you should consider: It’s a bit expensive, and the lack of color may also be off-putting to some people.

Top dinnerware set for the money

Amazon Basics 18-piece Set

What you need to know: This simple, yet versatile dinnerware set for six people comes at an affordable price.

What you’ll love: It’s made of light and enduring porcelain. Its minimalist modern design is suitable for casual meals. It’s also safe for your dishwasher, freezer and microwave.

What you should consider: It does not include matching mugs.

Worth checking out

Fiesta Four-piece Setting

What you need to know: This single-serving ceramic dinnerware set has a rustic look and reliable construction.

What you’ll love: This farmhouse-style, four-piece dinnerware set is made of glazed ceramic. It’s also available in a variety of muted colors to match your personality and decor. It resists chips and is safe for your oven, microwave and dishwasher.

What you should consider: It’s a bit expensive for a single setting.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

​ Orange County Register 

The best dinnerware sets to elevate your table setting

• September 5, 2024

Which dinnerware set is best?

Dinnerware is an essential part of every kitchen. It allows you to enjoy your meals to the fullest. The best dinnerware set not only provides functionality for the dinner table or wherever you may dine but also aesthetics and personalization.

This Mikasa 40-Piece Set is an elegant and comprehensive set that champions quality material and longevity. However, the right dinnerware set caters to personal needs, varying in look, durability and price.

What to know before you buy a dinnerware set

Dinnerware set pieces

The basic dinnerware set consists of four pieces: dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl and mug. The dinner plate is the largest item, designed for your main course. The salad plate is a matching smaller piece that may be used for salads or other appetizers. While most salad plates are flat, some may be slightly depressed.

Soup bowls tend to be small, similar to salad plates but have steeper sides. Lastly, a mug serves as a generic beverage vessel, though tends to be geared toward coffee or tea. In some cases, the mug may be omitted from the collection, resulting in a three-piece set.

Number of settings

Settings refer to the number of people each collection serves. You typically have the option of buying a single setting for a lone person, a four-person setting for the average household or an eight- or 12-person setting for more elaborate affairs.

Unfortunately, most collections don’t feature odd numbers, so to ensure everyone’s eating is matched, you’ll have to purchase more than you may need.

Size and shape

Consider size and shape, because not all dinnerware sets are crafted equally. Larger options push aesthetics as much as functionally, as they look to highlight your meal, while smaller sets are best for those with more compact kitchens, cabinets and cupboards.

Dinnerware sets may vary in shape. Keep in mind that circular items tend to be less efficient when it comes to storage than square or rectangular pieces. Note not just the length or diameter but the depth as well, which will influence stacking in a cabinet.

What to look for in a quality dinnerware set

Material

Material influences longevity, weight, ease of cleaning and overall quality. The most common materials used for dinnerware are stoneware, porcelain and bone china.

Stoneware is popular for its aesthetic and durability. It tends to be thick and sturdy and allows for the imprinting of various colors and textures.
Porcelain is a finer ceramic that is typically white in color. It’s also rather expensive.
Bone china is used in the most elegant and expensive dinnerware. It may be plain or ornately decorated and comes with a lengthy lifespan.

Color and design

Dinnerware sets can match your style and personal style with various colors, patterns and other designs available. Basic solid colors are most common and are useful for a variety of occasions. Those with ornate or complex designs and patterns tend to be reversed for more formal affairs.

Extra components

More elaborate sets include extra pieces and additional useful dining components, such as an added plate, bowl or saucer for your mug. Large sets may also offer serveware.

Versatility

Depending on the material, some dinnerware may be safe for use in the dishwasher, microwave, oven or freezer. Some may be suitable up to a certain temperature, so check the limitations and work within them.

How much you can expect to spend on a dinnerware set

You can typically expect to pay between $15 and $30 per setting, with a slight price break when you buy a larger set. Material and design will influence price, with high-end options costing up to $40 per serving.

Dinnerware set FAQ

What’s the difference between dinnerware, serveware and flatware?

A. Dinnerware involves the plates and bowls that an individual eats from directly. Serveware, meanwhile, is more communal. These are the bowls and plates where the meal in its entirety is placed; each individual serves their own portion from the serveware. Lastly, flatware comprises the utensils you eat with; your knife, spoon and fork.

How do I store and care for my dinnerware?

A. Quality dinnerware is an investment, and it’s important to employ best care practices. While most materials are dishwasher-friendly, they are still subject to the quality of your dishwasher; chemicals can wear down the material over time, while any moving items within the unit can damage the surface. As such, it’s recommended to wash high-end dinnerware by hand. Similarly, high-quality material should also be dried by hand and stored delicately. Be mindful when stacking so as not to chip any material.

Dinnerware that is used regularly can be stored in a convenient cupboard, while fine China used for special occasions may require a special storage cabinet where it is less exposed.

What’s the best dinnerware set to buy?

Top dinnerware set

Mikasa Delray Bone China

What you need to know: This elegant dinnerware set provides long-lasting quality and aesthetics for a variety of occasions.

What you’ll love: Bone China is durable and sophisticated; a white aesthetic suits semi-casual and formal affairs alike. It serves eight and is safe in an oven, microwave and dishwasher.

What you should consider: It’s a bit expensive, and the lack of color may also be off-putting to some people.

Top dinnerware set for the money

Amazon Basics 18-piece Set

What you need to know: This simple, yet versatile dinnerware set for six people comes at an affordable price.

What you’ll love: It’s made of light and enduring porcelain. Its minimalist modern design is suitable for casual meals. It’s also safe for your dishwasher, freezer and microwave.

What you should consider: It does not include matching mugs.

Worth checking out

Fiesta Four-piece Setting

What you need to know: This single-serving ceramic dinnerware set has a rustic look and reliable construction.

What you’ll love: This farmhouse-style, four-piece dinnerware set is made of glazed ceramic. It’s also available in a variety of muted colors to match your personality and decor. It resists chips and is safe for your oven, microwave and dishwasher.

What you should consider: It’s a bit expensive for a single setting.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

​ Orange County Register 

9 cool eats for beating the heat in Orange County

• September 5, 2024

Resistance is futile: As the sun fires up its flares (temperatures are expected to reach a sizzling 100-plus inland and in the mid-90s along the coast), avoid toiling away at the stove or jiggering a cross breeze inside your home. Instead, head to one of these nine spots that proudly max out their AC and prepare chilled dishes so you don’t have to. From savory cold-poached chicken to velvety soft serve, here are a handful of spots to retreat from the heat while you eat.

Blue Scoop Creamery (Brea, Yorba Linda): Kim and Chris Rhodes’ Southern-style ice cream shop offers house-made flavors like Twin Mint, PB Situation (peanut butter ice cream with chocolate and peanut butter-covered feuilletine flakes), peppermint stick, movie munchies (loaded with cinema house snacks), Grape Nuts, blueberry and vegan-friendly almond chip. 391 S. State College Blvd., Brea; 5105 Richfield Rd, Yorba Linda.

Cha Redefine (Costa Mesa): Celebrating its five-year anniversary with buy-one-get-one on all drinks this weekend at its Costa Mesa location inside the Collage Culinary Experience, from Sept. 6 until Sept. 8, South Coast Plaza’s first real boba shop offers a bevy of beverages made with fresh fruit (sans powders or syrups) and premium teas. Cha Redefine also recently launched a new set of drinks featuring drinkable mochi. Other cool menu highlights include a peach milk tea made with blended peaches, tea and milk and; matcha soft serve; and Sri Lankan ceylon tea soft serve. 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

SEE ALSO: Taco Bell comes out with Baja Blast gelato

Cali Dumpling (Orange): While ordering some dumplings at Cal Dumpling’s new brick-and-mortar space, be sure to grab the Banana Mint Lemonade. An odd yet satisfying flavor pairing. 149 N. Glassell St., Orange.

Kim Rhodes, co-owner of Blue Scoop Creamery in Brea, holds an ice cream sundae, on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2025. It is the second location of the company. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Filo Dessert Co. (Orange): Mo Abusham’s new space in Old Towne Orange offers some of the county’s best booza, a resin-based ice cream noted for its stretchy texture. While Filo features dozens of flavors (all of which are made in-house) I recommend the exceedingly refreshing lemon-mint or the caramel-spicey Biscoff cookie. 227 E. Chapman Ave., Orange.

Hello Kitty Grand Cafe (Irvine): Head to the Irvine Spectrum for some Dole Whip soft serve (a blend of pineapple and vanilla soft serve) that comes to you in a downright darling Hello Kitty cup. 860 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine.

Lucky Dog Gelato (San Clemente): Don’t worry; I didn’t forget human’s best-friend: In addition to gelatos (mint stracciatella and black sesame are my personal picks) and sorbettos (kiwi lime or mixed berry are just two ideal dead-of-summer flavors), this award-winning gelato pitstop in San Clemente also makes dogelato, a canine-friendly ice cream suitable for your overheated pooch. 1008 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente.

In addition to award-winning gelato, Lucky Dog Gelato in San Clemente makes dogelato, canine-safe ice cream. (Photo by Brock Keeling/SCNG)

Marché Moderne (Newport Beach): This thrice James Beard Award-nominated spot along Pacific Coast Highway offers a menu staple sure to satiated sun-kissed diners: Hamachi Crudo, which is so popular that it’s been on the menu since Marché Moderne opened. Silky slices of sushi grade hamachi are paired with a yuzu-jalapeño sorbet, lemon oil and cilantro. 7862 Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

SEE ALSO: The best thing we ate at Southern California restaurants in August

Mayfield (San Juan Capistrano): A seasonal melons and prosciutto dish uses melons plucked from Weiser Farms and speck imported from Northern Italy. The simple yet flavor-packed sweet and savory dish is topped with extra virgin olive oil, basil and Aleppo pepper and Marcona almonds. (Bonus: You can take the train to Mayfield, located a few steps from the platform, should you not want to fire up your gas guzzler.) 31761 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano.

Hamachi crudo with mango yuzu sorbet at Marché Moderne in Newport Beach. (Photo courtesy of Marché Moderne)

Paradise Dynasty (Costa Mesa): The dumpling and noodle joint in South Coast Plaza now has a new cold-poached chicken dish served with a spicy Sichuan dipping sauce with lettuce wraps. Another ideal dish during the summer months is the chilled silken tofu in soy vinaigrette and topped with crispy onion. 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa

Related Articles

Remicone (Stanton): Remicone, a South Korean soft serve concept, just opened at Rodeo 39 Public Market. The shop serves up fun and playful twists on a classic treat, with whimsical toppings that include fresh spun cotton candy to pop rocks and dried strawberry to red bean paste and boba. 12885 Beach Blvd., Stanton.

Yoshiharu Ramen (Laguna Niguel, Orange): Japanese ramen restaurant, with locations in Laguna Niguel and Orange, features a chilled ramen, also known as hiyashi chuka. For a post-ramen treat, don’t miss out on equally refreshing macaron ice cream sandwiches (in flavors like pistachio, matcha, strawberry and more) or mochi ice cream.  32341 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel; 1891 Tustin St, Orange

​ Orange County Register 

More heat, more people: Danger in inland California

• September 5, 2024

On a recent sunny afternoon in Lancaster, Cassandra Hughes looked for a place to cool down. She set up a lawn chair in the shade at the edge of a park and spent the afternoon with a coloring book, listening to hip-hop music.

Reaching a high of 97 degrees, this August day was pleasant by Lancaster standards — a breeze offered temporary relief. But just the week before, during a brutal heat wave, the high hit 109. For Hughes, the Mojave Desert city has been a dramatic change from the mild weather in El Segundo, the coastal city where she lived before moving in April.

Hughes, a retired nurse, is among the Californians who are moving inland in search of affordable housing and more space. But it comes at a price: dangerous heat driven by climate change, accompanied by sky-high electric bills.

A CalMatters analysis shows that many California cities with the biggest recent population booms are the same places that will experience the most high heat days — a potentially deadly confluence. The combination of a growing population and rising extreme heat will put more people at risk of illnesses and pose a challenge for unprepared local officials.

As greenhouse gasses warm the planet, more people around the globe are experiencing intensifying heat waves and higher temperatures. An international panel of climate scientists recently reported that it is “virtually certain” that “there has been increases in the intensity and duration of heatwaves and in the number of heatwave days at the global scale.”

CalMatters identified the California communities most at risk — the top 1% of the state’s more than 8,000 census tracts that have grown by more than 500 people in recent years and are expected to experience the most intensifying heat under climate change projections.

The results: Lancaster and Palmdale in Los Angeles County; Apple Valley, Victorville and Hesperia in San Bernardino County; Lake Elsinore and Murrieta in Riverside County; and the Central Valley cities of Visalia, Fresno, Clovis and Tulare.

By 2050, neighborhoods in those 11 inland cities are expected to experience 25 or more high heat days every year, according to data from researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Colorado Boulder and UC Berkeley. A high heat day is when an area’s maximum temperature exceeds the top 2% of its historic high — in other words, temperatures that soar above some of the highest levels ever recorded there this century. (The projections were based on an intermediate scenario for future planet-warming emissions.)

Many of these places facing this dangerous combination of worsening heat waves and growing populations are low-income, Latino communities.

“We are seeing much more rapid warming of inland areas that were already hotter to begin with,” said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.

“There’s an extreme contrast between the people who live within 5 to 10 miles of the beach and people who live as little as 20 miles inland,” he said. “It’s these inland areas where we see people who…are killed by this extreme heat or whose lives are at least made miserable.”

While temperatures are projected to rise across the state, neighborhoods along the coast will remain much more temperate.

San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Long Beach, for instance, are not projected to experience significantly more high heat days.

San Francisco will average six days a year in the 2050s exceeding 87 degrees, compared to four days in the 2020s. In contrast, Visalia will jump from 17 days exceeding 103 degrees to 32 — more than a full month.

Unlike the growing inland populations, the cooler coastal counties, — where more than two-thirds of Californians now live — are expected to lose about 1.3 million residents by 2050, according to the California Department of Finance.

High temperatures can be deadly, triggering heat strokes and heart attacks, and exacerbating asthma, diabetes, kidney failure and other illnesses, even some infectious diseases.

Cassandra Hughes sits in the shade in Lancaster on Aug. 15, 2024. The temperature that day reached 97 degrees — cooler than recent heat waves. She strategically cools her home to keep electric bills low.  “I have air conditioning, a swamp cooler and two fans,” she said. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

In California, extreme heat contributed to more than 5,000 hospitalizations and almost 10,600 emergency department visits over the past decade — and the health effects “fall disproportionately on already overburdened” Black people, Latinos and Native Americans, according to a recent state report.

City and county officials must grapple with how to protect residents who already are struggling to stay cool and pay their electric bills. Despite the warnings, many local governments have failed to respond.

A 2015 state law required municipalities to update their general plans, safety plans or hazard mitigation plans to include steps countering the effects of climate change, such as cooling roofs and pavement or urban greening projects.

But only about half of California’s 540 cities and counties had complied with new plans as of last year, according to the environmental nonprofit Climate Resolve.

Hellish reality?

An exodus from California’s coastal regions is a decades-long trend, said Eric McGhee, a policy director who researches California demographic changes at the Public Policy Institute of California. People are moving away from the coasts, especially the Los Angeles region and Bay Area, to elsewhere in California and other states.

About 104,000 people moved from the Bay Area to the Sacramento area, the Inland Empire and the San Joaquin Valley in 2021 and 2022, and about 95,000 moved from Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange County to those same inland regions, according to data collected from the Census.

McGhee said most people moving inland are low-income and middle-income Californians looking to expand their families, find cheaper housing and live comfortably — and they’re willing to sacrifice other privileges, like cool weather.

California is “becoming more expensive, more exclusive in the places that are least likely to experience extreme heat,” Swain said. As a result, he said, “the people who are most at risk of extreme heat” — those with limited financial resources — “are precisely the people experiencing extreme heat.”

The San Bernardino County city of Victorville — which is 55% Hispanic and has median incomes far below the state average — is among California’s fastest growing areas, adding more than 12,500 new residents between 2018 and 2022. Nearby Apple Valley and Hesperia grew by about 3,000 and 6,000 people, respectively, while Lancaster, Palmdale and Visalia added between about 10,000 and 12,000.  

In Victorville on an August day that reached 97 degrees, Eduardo Ceja wiped sweat from his forehead as he worked at Superior Grocers store, retrieving shopping carts.

The work is often grueling in this Mojave Desert town. He sometimes drinks five bottles of water to stay hydrated as he works, with the concrete parking lot radiating the heat back onto his skin. When he’s done pushing carts, he recovers in the air conditioned store.

Ceja, 20, moved to nearby Apple Valley about a year ago, around the same time the new grocery store opened. He used to sleep on his parents’ couch in the San Gabriel Valley town of Covina, east of Los Angeles, which is often more than 10 degrees cooler than Apple Valley on summer days. But he wanted a place to himself at a low cost, so now he pays $400 a month for a bedroom in his brother’s home.

Since he moved here, he’s observed many businesses, including his own employer, expand or open in Apple Valley.

“I notice a lot of people from L.A. are coming here,” he said. It makes sense to him. “Out here, the apartments have more space.”

Apple Valley Mayor Scott Nassif, who has lived there since 1959, said days over 100 degrees used to be rare. Now week-long heat waves above 110 degrees are commonplace. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

Apple Valley Mayor Scott Nassif has seen his desert town grow and get hotter over his lifetime. When he moved to the area in 1959, only a few thousand people lived there. Now it’s home to more than 75,000 people.

Nassif remembers only a few days that would reach above 100 degrees and multiple snowstorms in the winter. Now, snowstorms are rare, and week-long heat waves above 110 degrees are commonplace.

The extreme heat “is noticeable,” he said. “I don’t think there was a day under 100 in July.”

Nassif attributes the town’s growing population to its good schools, a semi-rural lifestyle and affordable housing for families.

In the high desert town of Hesperia, growth is evident. Banners advertising “New homes!” are posted throughout the town, luring potential buyers to tract home communities. Residents are cautiously eyeing a new development, called the Silverwood Community, that has recently broken ground.

The massive, 9,000-plus acre development is authorized for more than 15,000 new homes, according to its website. A video on its website coaxes potential buyers: “True believers know the California dream is within reach.”

An aerial view of the Silverwood Community, a housing development under construction in Hesperia, on Aug. 16, 2024. The development could include as many as 15,000 new homes to the desert city, which currently is home to about 100,000 people. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

Hesperia, which is almost two-thirds Hispanic and also has median incomes far below the state average, is anticipating continued growth as housing costs soar in other parts of California. Its planning includes rezoning some areas to allow for higher-density housing, which could bring more affordable housing, said Ryan Leonard, Hesperia’s principal planner.

“If people are willing to make a commute to San Bernardino, Riverside or Ontario — a 45-minute to an hour commute — they can afford to buy a home here when they might not be able to afford that same home down the hill,” Leonard said.

Summer electric bills soar to $500 or more

In the California towns at most risk of intensifying heat, people already are saddled with big power bills because of their reliance on air conditioning.

For instance, households in Lancaster, Palmdale and Apple Valley pay on average $200 to $259 a month for electricity, compared to a $177 average in Southern California Edison’s service area, according to California Public Utilities Commission data as of May, 2023.

In summer months, average power use in these communities nearly triples compared to spring months, so some people’s bills can climb above $500.

And their bills are likely to grow as climate change intensifies heat waves and utility rates rise: Californians are paying about twice as much for electricity than a decade ago. The state’s rates are among the highest in the nation.

Diane Carlson moved to Palmdale, north of Los Angeles, 30 years ago. The housing was much cheaper and she wanted to move where her children could attend school near where they live.

Over the years, she’s felt the temperatures in Palmdale rise.

Carlson said her electric bill during the summers used to average about $500, a significant chunk of her household budget. About four years ago, though, she had solar panels installed on their home, which cut her bill in half.

“You can’t not run the air conditioner all day, even if you run it low,” she said. “You wouldn’t survive otherwise. The heat is too oppressive.”

With multiple days in the summer reaching at least 115 degrees, Carlson is conscious that there may be a future where Palmdale isn’t livable for her anymore.

“Will it get as hot as Death Valley?” she wondered.

Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth, reached record temperatures in July, averaging 108.5 degrees; the high was 121.9, tying a 1917 record.  In comparison, Palmdale by 2050 is projected to have 25 days where the maximum temperature exceeds 105, up from nine days in the 2010s.

Carlson said she’d consider moving to the East Coast, where she’s originally from. But she’d face hurricanes rather than the heat. It all comes down to making a decision: “Which negatives are you willing to deal with?” 

An infrared thermometer In Lancaster shows the  street surface temperature reached 137 degrees on Aug. 15, 2024.

Hughes, who lives in subsidized housing in Lancaster, said surviving the heat means constantly checking the weather forecast and strategically cooling her home to keep electricity costs low.  “I have air conditioning, a swamp cooler and two fans,” she said.

On a day when the temperature doesn’t reach triple digits, the air conditioner might stay off; she opens the windows and turns on the fans instead.

Local leaders say they know more must be done to protect their residents.

Lancaster opens cooling centers in libraries for residents who need respite from the heat. During heat waves, residents ride buses for free, and city programs provide water and other resources to homeless people.

“Is it adequate? Of course it’s not adequate,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “If you’ve got people who don’t read or don’t get a newspaper sitting in a sweltering apartment, the information is not getting to them and we know it.”

Parris said air conditioning is necessary for families to stay cool in the hot desert summers, but with utility costs so high, it’s becoming a luxury.

With that in mind, he said the city is prioritizing hydrogen energy, which could lower electric bills in the long-term. A new housing tract will be powered by solar panels and batteries that store power, backed up by hydrogen fuel cells, which will be cheaper than if the homes drew energy entirely from the grid, said Jason Caudl, head of Lancaster Energy.

Nassif, the Apple Valley mayor, said his town helps residents finance costly rooftop solar panels that can cut their power bills.

“Educating our public on how to save on their electric bills is a big thing, because you can’t live up here without air conditioning,” Nassif said.

Cooling centers aren’t enough

On a Saturday morning in Visalia, as temperatures climbed to 99 degrees, Maribel Jimenez brought her 2-year-old son to an indoor playground to beat the heat. She sat at a kid-sized table with her son, Mateo, as he played with toy screws and blocks.

Jimenez, 33, has lived in Visalia her whole life. She grew up on a dairy farm and remembers playing outdoors for hours in the summers. But things have changed. She can’t imagine letting her son play outdoors under the scorching sun. She worries he’s not getting the outdoor playtime he should be getting.

“It’s definitely gotten much hotter,” Jimenez said. “You can’t even have your kids outside. We want to take him out to the playground but it’s too hot. By the time it cools down in the evening, it’s his bedtime.”

Other times, she and her family go to the mall for walks, or anywhere where there’s air conditioning.

“As long as he’s out, he’s happy,” she said. “We try our best to protect him.”

Maribel Jimenez and Oscar Olmedo play with their son Mateo in the shade at the ImagineU Children’s Museum in Visalia on Aug. 17, 2024. They say they have trouble finding places where their son can cool off on hot summer days. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

The effects of extreme heat on the body can happen quickly and can affect people of all ages and health conditions. Once symptoms of heat stroke begin — increased heart rate and a change in mental status — cooling off within 30 minutes is crucial to survival, said Tomás Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health

Many municipalities react to extreme heat by following state or county rules, which often involve opening cooling centers in public places when temperatures rise above a certain level for multiple days in a row.

“You want people to be in a space where your body can control its core temperature,” Aragón said. “It’s safer to be in an air conditioned place (that) cools your body down. That’s what cooling centers are for. I tell people, go to the supermarket, go to the library, go to a cooling center, go and just let your body cool down.”

“It’s not just about preventing deaths and other terrible outcomes of heat waves … It’s really about having livable communities where kids can play outside and street vendors can run their businesses without risk of overexposure.”

Ali Frazzini, los angeles county’s Chief Sustainability office

But community advocates say cooling centers are ineffective because they’re underused. Many people are unaware of them, and others have no transportation to reach them.

“I think everyone is used to that being the answer for what we do when it gets extremely hot,” said Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Climate Resolve. “We need to expand our imagination to figure out other ways of taking care of people.”

Victorville has complied with the 2015 state law requiring plans to handle climate change, and Hesperia is in the process of updating its plans.

But Los Angeles County is an example of a local government that has gone above and beyond to comply, Parfrey said.

The county has updated its emergency preparedness plans and is in the early phases of developing a heat-specific plan for unincorporated areas, which will include urban greening and changes to the built environment to make neighborhoods cooler, said Ali Frazzini, policy director at the county’s Chief Sustainability office.

Families play in the water park area of Adventure Park to cool off in Visalia on Aug. 17, 2024. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

“It’s not just about preventing deaths and other terrible outcomes of heat waves, although that’s extremely important,” Frazzini said. “It’s really about having livable communities where kids can play outside and street vendors can run their businesses without risk of overexposure.”

Parfrey said the state plays a role, but “they’re not in charge of the roads or building codes or where you put a water fountain or how you build a local park. All of that has to be done at a local level.”

In 2022, the Newsom administration issued an Extreme Heat Action Plan outlining state steps to make California more resilient to extreme heat. That includes funding new community resilience centers where people can cool down as well as find resources or shelter during other emergencies, such as wildfires. It’s a model that some community advocates prefer over traditional cooling centers that are underutilized.

The state has granted almost $98 million for 24 projects so far, said Anna Jane Jones, who leads development of the centers for the state’s Strategic Growth Council.  

In Visalia, Jimenez said her family doesn’t have many options for cool spaces where her young son can be entertained.

At home, the family uses the air conditioner sparingly and keeps the blinds closed. During a heat wave, their power bill can climb to $250. If the bills were lower, she’d use the air conditioner all the time “We have to do what we have to do,” she said.

Jimenez and her husband have thought twice about expanding their family and have floated the idea of moving somewhere else, but many of the affordable options, like Texas or Arizona, are even hotter than Visalia.

“Global warming is a thing, and the heat isn’t getting any better anytime soon,” she said. “Everybody’s paying the price.”

​ Orange County Register