Manola Secaira

Sacramento

Environment and Climate Change Reporter at CapRadio

Environment and Climate Change Reporter at KXJZ-FM (Sacramento, CA)

I write about the environment and climate change for @CapRadioNews // 🏳️‍🌈🇬🇹

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Articles

Newsom’s budget revision includes using Prop 4 funding to backfill the general fund

1 week ago | kalw.org | Manola Secaira

Governor Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision leans on a voter-approved climate bond measure to make up for its deficit. The $10 billion measure was approved by voters with the passage of Proposition 4 last year. It’s meant to fund projects like wildfire prevention and boosting access to clean drinking water. Newsom’s proposal accounts for a $12 billion shortfall. As part of addressing it, he proposed pulling over $300 million from Prop 4 and using it to backfill the state’s general fund.
Why a local group wants to make the Central Valley’s giant garter snake a state symbol

1 week ago | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

It’s not always easy getting the average person obsessed with snakes. They’re often an object of fear. But some enthusiasts want to change that — like Michael Starkey. He’s the founder of the Sacramento-based conservation nonprofit Save the Snakes. He gets it. It’s true that some snakes are venomous, so the fear isn’t totally unjustified. Sometimes, that makes the work of conserving them a little complicated.
Shooting in Davis leaves 3 injured

1 month ago | capradio.org | Manola Secaira |Andrew Nixon

A shooting in Davis Saturday afternoon left two teenagers and a 24-year-old injured. A spokesperson with the Davis Police Department said the people who were shot are currently in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting happened on the day of UC Davis’s annual Picnic Day. The official festivities occur on the university’s campus with unofficial events occurring throughout Davis, and attract thousands of students and community members.
CalRecycle begins enforcement on plastic foam foodware ban

1 month ago | ijpr.org | Manola Secaira

A law passed in 2022 required producers of plastic foam foodware to demonstrate a 25% recycling rate to continue using the material by 2025. Since that target was not met, CalRecycle says these producers are now prohibited from selling or distributing it.
CalRecycle begins enforcement on plastic foam foodware ban

1 month ago | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

California is beginning to enforce its ban on foodware made from expanded polystyrene, commonly known as plastic foam or Styrofoam. A law passed in 2022 required producers of plastic foam foodware to demonstrate a 25% recycling rate to continue using the material by 2025. Since that target was not met, CalRecycle says these producers are now prohibited from selling or distributing it.
Meet the ringtail, one of California’s cutest and most elusive native animals

2 months ago | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

EnvironmentSacramento Region Listen Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin. It’s likely you’ve never seen a ringtail. The nocturnal animal might be native to California but it’s elusive, preferring rural environments, and is chronically understudied. That’s even true for the experts. Kristyn Schulte, a biologist with Sacramento City College, has seen plenty of ringtails that she’s captured as part of her research.
Why birders travel from all over to see Sacramento’s yellow-billed magpie

2 months ago | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

Yellow-billed magpies are only found in parts of Northern and Central California. That’s why birders from all over the country, and even beyond, come to the Sacramento region to spot the magpie in its natural habitat. Dan Airola, a member of Sacramento’s Audubon Society and retired wildlife biologist, has been conducting a survey of yellow-billed magpies since 2020. He’s published numerous papers on the bird. This year, his population survey was spread over 15 sites throughout Sacramento County.
Sacramento-area rice fields could hold a key to helping struggling salmon runs

Feb 26, 2025 | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

In the winter, rice fields in the Sacramento region are flooded with water. It’s a common method to prepare the field for new growth. With the help of a program led by California Trout, some farmers have opted to start flushing that water into the Sacramento River as a way to aid winter-run Chinook salmon. Researchers have found that this water is rich with zooplankton (sometimes referred to as “bugs”), which is a main source of food for young salmon.
‘It’s a tool, it’s an ally’: Why an Indigenous-led burning group wants to change California’s relationship to fire

Feb 3, 2025 | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

Kayley Walker is no stranger to fire. It’s a force that’s painted all parts of her life — like as a kid, when she’d watch her grandfather light piles of dried sticks and brush at the family ranch. That’s a good memory for Walker, and one she counts among her first experiences with fire in an Indigenous context. But that relationship became more complex in 2017 when, as a teenager, she saw her home consumed by a blaze during the Tubbs Fire.
Radclyffe’s, a new queer cocktail bar and restaurant, opens in Sacramento

Jan 28, 2025 | capradio.org | Manola Secaira

This story was featured in our SacramenKnow newsletter. Sign up to get updates about what’s happening in the region in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. When Bear Dive opened in 2020, it quickly became an iconic queer bar in Sacramento. Even so, its name — which is a reference to a type of gay man — sometimes caused confusion.