By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of CAL-FIRE

September 13, 2014 (Cleveland National Forest) – Over 200 homes are under evacuation orders in Silverado Canyon in Orange County due to the Silverado Fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest. The blaze, which started yesterday, has scorched over 1,500 acres. Other fires are also taking a heavy toll on federal public lands.

Firefighting resources are battling blazes in Yosemite National Park as well as Klamath, Sequoia, Lassen, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests. Fueled by tinder-dry conditions amid the worst drought in memory, the fires have collectively burned over a quarter of  a million acres—and it’s only September.

• Catching up with San Diego’s legislators (San Diego CityBeat)
• Report: Padres to be sold to group including local golf star (10 News)
• Survey: Islam is San Diego County’s fastest growing religion (UT San Diego)
• Could economics doom ailing California nuclear plant? (Sacramento Bee)
• Santee among cities getting park grants (UT San Diego)
• Padre dam board settles on five-year  plan (UT San Diego)  
  
• ‘Appalled’ at Costs, Residents Slam Helix Water District Rate Hike Plan

• California growers join greens to query frack safety (Reuters)
• Legislature approves high speed rail spending (SF Gate)
• Historic bridges of Yosemite Valley under siege (Sacramento Bee)
• Study: What makes Californians smile? (News Service .org)
• College tuition is political fodder, from the state Legislature to the presidential campaign trail (Sacramento Bee)
  
• Rising costs push California cities to fiscal brink