Lauren Sommer

As Santa Rosa begins rebuilding from the wildfires, the city will have to address the alarming trend of sprawl in to fire-prone areas. It's a little-discussed aspect of the state's housing crisis.

More than a decade ago, after Hurricane Katrina, the federal government tightened flood protection standards. But a lot of communities are still having a hard time meeting them.

To some, it's a chance for the state to cement its environmental leadership as the Trump administration rolls back Obama-era climate change programs.

On a sunny day, California gets up to 40 percent of its energy from solar power. Monday's total eclipse isn't just a scientific spectacle, it's a major concern for the state's power grid.

After devastating floods, California is looking to spend billions on dams and levees. Some are calling for a new approach to flood control, one that mimics nature instead of trying to contain it.

California officials have said they will not back off the fuel efficiency standards established under Obama, despite the Trump administration's plan to revisit those standards.

Dams and levees across California are straining to handle winter storms. The state's water system was designed a century ago, before climate change was an issue. Now, the system is being rethought.

California Gov. Jerry Brown is vowing to lead the nation on climate change, as the Trump administration pulls back. But Trump's EPA could get in California's way over tougher car rules.

Scientists say more low-intensity wildfires are needed to clear out overgrown forests to help prevent bigger fires. Deciding where and when to let fires burn is tricky.

After years of drought and dropping water levels, the Colorado River is reaching a crisis point. Communities at each end of the river are looking at a variety of measures, from storage to sharing.

A deadly fungus is devastating frog populations around the world. In California, scientists are racing to find a way to immunize one species, mountain yellow-legged frogs, against the fungus.

In California's Joshua Tree National Park, scientists say the quirky trees are in trouble. The National Park Service is looking for ways to save them for future visitors to experience.

California's last nuclear power plant will close by 2025 under a proposal announced Tuesday. Safety concerns are the main reason, but the Diablo Canyon plant produces enough power for 1.7 million homes. There's now a plan to replace the energy with renewables.

California has so much solar energy that some days, there's too much. One solution is to join forces across state borders. But in the West, that's sparking some not-so-neighborly opposition.

Voters in the San Francisco Bay Area will vote in June on a proposed property tax which would be used to restore wetlands to protect against rising sea levels. The tax is not based on property value.

Tesla is building what it says is the world's largest battery factory. The scale is expected to drive down the cost of electric cars and batteries that homeowners can use to store surplus solar power.

Renewable energy is taking off across the nation, but storing the energy is still a problem that is challenging companies to innovate, with solutions ranging from molten salt to ice.

Batteries can store energy for later, but companies are looking for cheaper alternatives. Three reporters examine technologies that employ air, salt and ice.

Why are some California reservoirs releasing water even though the state is going through an extreme drought? Turns out it's to prevent an even bigger disaster. But the strategy may change soon.

As homeowners embrace solar, utilities are making less money, and that's shaking up their business model. Companies in California and Georgia are handling the growth in dramatically different ways.