In today's newscast:
San Benito County extends BESS moratorium
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to adopt a new temporary moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in unincorporated areas. The urgency ordinance passed on Tuesday cited public health and safety concerns.
It extends a 45-day moratorium approved on March 10 for another 45 days. The county says they’ve used the moratorium to update parts of their countywide safety plans related to evacuations, emergency response, and hazardous materials.
California prepares to share data on drivers with a national database
State authorities say they are required to share the data to comply with the Real ID Act, which sets standards for what kind of identification is accepted at federal facilities like airports. Khari Johnson, with our news partner CalMatters, reported opponents are calling the move a "betrayal."
Critics say sharing detailed information about driver's license holders could put more than a million undocumented people at risk. According to information shared with advocates at a briefing between the California Department of Motor Vehicles and office of Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month, if officials don’t share the data there’s concern the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could refuse to accept California licenses and IDs at their Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.
The state plans to provide the data to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), a trade group led by Department of Motor Vehicles officials across the country. AAMVA has assured California that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol won’t have access to the database, but advocates are questioning how likely it is a non-profit group would be able to fend off requests from federal immigration agencies.
