Cannabis plants at Vibe Cultivators, an indoor growing facility and dispensary in Sacramento, Calif., are about 2 weeks away from harvest. California's cannabis regulator inspects facilities like this regularly in an effort to keep contaminants out of the weed supply. Preston Gannaway for NPR hide caption
Abdulwahab Omira, 28, stands in front of his destroyed family home in Damascus, Syria. Omira and his family fled Syria's civil war in 2012 when he was a teenager. Now a U.S. citizen and a graduate student at Stanford, Omira recently returned to his home country to look for ways the tech industry could help rebuild it. Abdulwahab Omira hide caption
California Flats is a 2900 acre plot of land in central California that's covered in solar panels. The extra energy generated from all that solar flows straight into batteries right on site. Hearst Corporation, California Flats Solar-plus-Storage Project hide caption
An aerial view shows the long-depleted Colorado River (L) as it flows between California (R) and Arizona, and an irrigation ditch (R) carrying river water toward Quechan tribal land on May 26, 2023 near Winterhaven, Calif. Mario Tama/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption
Sogol Moshfegh in her rental home in Monrovia, Calif., on Jan. 27. She says that after their insurance company decided not to renew their policy, they got coverage through their mortgage company. But it covers much less than their old policy. Zaydee Sanchez for NPR hide caption
Rubble from the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which burned down in the Eaton fire. Getty Images hide caption
An urban search and rescue team from Mexico combs through the ruins of a beachfront house searching for victims in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Arevon's California Flats project Arevon Energy hide caption
A helicopter drops water on Mandeville Canyon as the Palisades Fire rages Saturday in Los Angeles. Eric Thayer/AP hide caption
Cedric Meadows (left), director of outreach, and Anthony Conley, director of support services, at the nonprofit shelter Covenant House California. Elise Hu/NPR hide caption
Firefighters tend to people after a plane crashed through the roof of a building near Fullerton airport on Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. Jeff Gritchen/AP/The Orange County Register hide caption
Trucks move past cargo containers at a port in Bayonne, N.J., in 2021. The state is adopting California's Advanced Clean Trucks rules, which require at least 7% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission for model year 2025. Dealers are petitioning for a delay, so far unsuccessfully. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
The U.S. Supreme Court Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption
People watch the waves come in at Ocean Beach in San Francisco after an earthquake was felt widely across Northern California on Thursday. Haven Daley/AP hide caption
The California Department of Insurance says detectives found this bear costume at the home of the suspects accused of orchestrating fake bear attacks on their vehicles. California Department of Insurance hide caption
A firefighter prepares to douse flames while battling the Mountain Fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
Children gather at the sign for one of the farm worker communities. Library of Congress hide caption
The Los Angeles Times newspaper headquarters is shown in El Segundo, Calif., Jan. 23, 2024. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption
FILE -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB1046, a hotly contested measure that would have been the nation's strictest AI safety law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption
California is banning single-use plastic bags at grocery stores and other retailers, after an earlier ban was blamed for making the waste problem worse. Here, a worker pulls a plastic bag from a conveyor belt as she sorts through materials at a recycling center in San Francisco. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
John Brundahl (left), production superintendent, Todd Colvin, chief water systems operator, and Mark Toy, general manager, run the PFAS treatment plant at the Yorba Linda Water District in Orange County, Calif. Pien Huang/NPR hide caption
U.S. Vice President Harris speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 22 in Chicago. Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images hide caption
Juan Rodriguez and his cousin Orlando Flores check on their 2-acre agave field in Vacaville, Calif., on June 26. Their crop was planted two years ago and will be ready to harvest in another five years or so. Manola Secaira/CapRadio hide caption
The sun rises, shedding light onto an oak grove along the western edge of Dos Rios. Geloy Concepcion for NPR hide caption