Dam

A state audit released this week found 57 California dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of May, a number expected to rise as officials reevaluate aging infrastructure. Of these, 40 are rated high or extremely high hazard and cluster near densely populated areas including the Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The auditor warned these dams could collectively endanger up to 1.5 million people and cause more than $265 billion in economic damage if they failed, with the risk heightened by an approaching El Niño winter expected to bring heavy rain.

The report criticized the California Department of Water Resources for never using enforcement powers granted in 2017, after the Oroville spillway failure, despite referring 44 dam owners for violations. Most dam owners lack funds for repairs, which the audit estimates could cost $28 billion statewide, far outpacing recent funding infusions. The auditor urged lawmakers to set repair deadlines and expand condemnation authority. The Department of Water Resources said it disagrees with some findings but is reviewing recommendations as it prepares for the wet season.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed Senate Bill 373, requiring Michigan landlords who offer multiple rent payment methods to include at least one option free of extra fees. Any lease terms violating the rule are void. Sponsor Sen. Mary Cavanaugh, D-Redford Township, framed the measure as part of a wider effort to address housing affordability, citing data showing nearly 310,000 Michigan rental households qualify as extremely low income. A companion bill, Senate Bill 1052 from Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, clarifies that certain Medicare/Medicaid-sponsored incentive arrangements won't be treated as kickbacks or bribery.

The rent-fee law is among several Michigan stories in brief: three boaters were rescued after their catamaran capsized in Lake Michigan near Coloma; the state House advanced a dam-safety overhaul six years after the deadly Edenville and Sanford dam failures; GOP congressional candidate Thomas J. Smith declined a candidate forum invitation ahead of his race against Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet; and a Bay County teen shot during a home invasion now faces charges for firing at his mother's vehicle.