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On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom welcomed Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden as they continue their four-day state visit to California.
During the visit, California and Sweden signed a letter of cooperation, or LOC, renewing a climate partnership between the two economies established in 2017.
California and Sweden are both taking aggressive climate action to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
The LOC outlines five years of cooperation between California and Sweden on zero-emissions transportation and infrastructure, local climate action, clean energy and climate-smart agriculture.
Governor Newsom and Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell signed the historic LOC at the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento.
The text of the LOC can be found here.
“California and Sweden have led the world in taking ambitious climate action, and now we’re partnering to do even more,” said Newsom. “From advancing zero-emissions technology to collaborating on our clean energy transition, our work together will benefit communities from Stockton to Stockholm.”
“As world-leaders in innovation, Sweden and California share a strong belief that innovation and international collaboration is the key to solve the challenges of the future. Today we take a clear step towards deepening our partnership,” Minister Forssell said.
California’s world-leading climate policies have led the state to exceed its 2020 climate target six years ahead of schedule, and created partnerships across the U.S. and around the world.
Last year, Gov. Newsom led a California delegation to China, where California signed five MOUs — with China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, and the municipalities of Beijing, and Shanghai.
The trip also resulted in a first-of-its-kind declaration by China and California to cooperate on subnational climate action, including aggressively cutting greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and developing clean energy technology.
Also in 2023, California signed a MOU with the Chinese province of Hainan, as well as with Australia.
In 2022 alone, California signed memorandums of cooperation with Canada, New Zealand and Japan, as well as memorandums of understanding with China and the Netherlands, to tackle the climate crisis.
The governor also joined with Washington, Oregon and British Columbia to recommit the region to climate action.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In celebration of National Children's Dental Health Month, the Lake County Office of Education announced its ongoing commitment to promoting good oral health habits through the Children's Oral Health Project.
February is National Children's Dental Health Month.
This year’s theme is "Healthy Habits for Healthy Smiles." This is a month-long observance that unites dental professionals, healthcare providers, oral health champions, and advocates in a collective effort to underscore the importance of good oral health and prevention for children and adults alike.
The Oral Health Project initiative is part of the Healthy Start program, which has been dedicated to the well-being of Lake County students for 18 years.
This initiative encompasses dental screenings, oral health education for students and their parents, referrals for dental treatment, as well as support in transportation and obtaining dental insurance.
During the 2022-2023 school year, the Healthy Start program reached 22 Lake County schools, conducting 2,764 dental screenings for Preschool-12th grade students. This underscores the program's dedication to proactively addressing the oral health needs of the community's youth.
“The future health and education of our families depend significantly on instilling and reinforcing positive dental habits early in life,” said Brock Falkenberg, Lake County Superintendent of Schools.
The LCOE Healthy Start program collaborates with esteemed partners, including Lakeview Health Clinic, Adventist Clearlake, Lake County Health Services, and Glowing Smiles Dental Hygiene practice, to implement the Children's Oral Health Project.
“Oral health is the gateway to overall health. A healthy smile is key to a happy and healthy life. I love what Healthy Start is doing to boost the well-being and confidence of our county's young people,” Lake County Board of Education President Melissa Kinsel said.
For more information about the Children's Oral Health Project and the LCOE Healthy Start program, visit www.lakecoe.org/HealthyStart.
“While this storm is not expected to be as fierce as the ones earlier in the month, the latest in the train of storms will be dangerous, posing several risks to people and property — including a renewed flood risk and gusty winds for some along the West Coast, and for central and northern California, it can bring severe thunderstorms and even an isolated tornado across parts of Northern and Central California on Monday and even across parts of Southern California on Tuesday. The storm has the potential to once again slow travel and activities, including business activities, in the state,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
Accuweather said that, comparing the impacts expected over the upcoming days to the storms that barreled into California from Feb. 3 to 5, forecasters are not expecting the risks to be as widespread due to one main factor: this storm will be losing energy as it approaches rather than strengthening.
Rainfall totals in inches for the 72-hour period ending at 2 a.m. Tuesday:
— Hidden Valley Lake: 4.61
— Indian Valley Reservoir: 2.77.
— Kelseyville: 5.20.
— Lake Pillsbury: 3.96.
— Lower Lake: 4.43.
— Lyons Valley: 3.31.
— Whispering Pines: 5.80.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for the week shows chances of rain through Monday.
Along with the rain, more high winds are in the forecast, causing concerns for more falling trees and power lines.
Due to concerns statewide about the strength of these latest storms, Gov. Newsom preemptively activated the State Operations Center in Mather to help coordinate state, local and federal response.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — This month’s storms have pushed Clear Lake into the “full” range.
The lake is considered full at 7.56 feet Rumsey, the special measure for Clear Lake.
It topped that measure just after 10 p.m. Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey’s gauge on Clear Lake at Lakeport.
The USGS measurements show the lake rose to 7.90 feet Rumsey shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday.
The lake reaches the “action” stage at 8 feet Rumsey and flood stage at 9 feet Rumsey, the USGS reported.
Last year, it took the lake until March 14 to reach the full level, and from there it topped out at 8.38 feet Rumsey on March 21 before receding.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to
Why does a leap year have 366 days? Does the Earth move slower every four years? – Aarush, age 8, Milpitas, California
You may be used to hearing that it takes the Earth 365 days to make a full lap, but that journey actually lasts about 365 and a quarter days. Leap years help to keep the 12-month calendar matched up with Earth’s movement around the Sun.
After four years, those leftover hours add up to a whole day. In a leap year, we add this extra day to the month of February, making it 29 days long instead of the usual 28.
The idea of an annual catch-up dates back to ancient Rome, where people had a calendar with 355 days instead of 365 because it was based on cycles and phases of the Moon. They noticed that their calendar was getting out of sync with the seasons, so they began adding an extra month, which they called Mercedonius, every two years to catch up with the missing days.
In the year 45 B.C.E., Roman emperor Julius Caesar introduced a solar calendar, based on one developed in Egypt. Every four years, February received an extra day to keep the calendar in line with the Earth’s journey around the Sun. In honor of Caesar, this system is still known as the Julian calendar.
But that wasn’t the last tweak. As time went on, people realized that the Earth’s journey wasn’t exactly 365.25 days – it actually took 365.24219 days, which is about 11 minutes less. So adding a whole day every four years was actually a little more correction than was needed.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII signed an order that made a small adjustment. There would still be a leap year every four years, except in “century” years – years divisible by 100, like 1700 or 2100 – unless they were also divisible by 400. It might sound a bit like a puzzle, but this adjustment made the calendar even more accurate – and from that point on, it was known as the Gregorian calendar.
What if we didn’t have leap years?
If the calendar didn’t make that small correction every four years, it would gradually fall out of alignment with the seasons. Over centuries, this could lead to the solstices and equinoxes occurring at different times than expected. Winter weather might develop in what the calendar showed as summer, and farmers could become confused about when to plant their seeds.
Other calendars around the world have their own ways of keeping time. The Jewish calendar, which is regulated by both the Moon and the Sun, is like a big puzzle with a 19-year cycle. Every now and then, it adds a leap month to make sure that special celebrations happen at just the right time.
The Islamic calendar is even more unique. It follows the phases of the Moon and doesn’t add extra days. Since a lunar year is only about 355 days long, key dates on the Islamic calendar move 10 to 11 days earlier each year on the solar calendar.
For example, Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. In 2024, it will run from March 11 to April 9; in 2025, it will occur from March 1-29; and in 2026, it will be celebrated from Feb. 18 to March 19.
Learning from the planets
Astronomy originated as a way to make sense of our daily lives, linking the events around us to celestial phenomena. The concept of leap years exemplifies how, from early ages, humans found order in conditions that seemed chaotic.
Simple, unsophisticated but effective tools, born from creative ideas of ancient astronomers and visionaries, provided the first glimpses into understanding the nature that envelops us. Some ancient methods, such as astrometry and lists of astronomical objects, persist even today, revealing the timeless essence of our quest to understand nature.
People who do research in physics and astronomy, the field that I study, are inherently curious about the workings of the universe and our origins. This work is exciting, and also extremely humbling; it constantly shows that in the grand scheme, our lives occupy a mere second in the vast expanse of space and time – even in leap years when we add that extra day.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
Bhagya Subrayan, PhD Student in Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The storm is anticipated to be brief but intense.
Lake County is under a flood watch and high wind warning through Tuesday morning.
Gov. Newsom has activated the State Operations Center in Mather to help coordinate state, local and federal response to the storm.
"Already this year, severe storms have proven to be deadly up and down California,” Newsom said. “Our state is taking this next storm seriously, and we ask all Californians to take steps now to prepare."
The governor also directed the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, to strategically preposition swift water rescue crews and other rescue personnel and equipment in multiple counties to be able to respond if needed.
According to the National Weather Service, this storm could bring significant rainfall and snow throughout much of the state, as well as potential for thunderstorms, debris flows and mudslides.