What A Day - Welcome To The Hot Hell California

Episode Date: September 8, 2022

As millions of Californians were trying to stay cool amid a scorching heat wave on Tuesday, overwhelming demand for electricity nearly forced the state to impose rolling blackouts. Katherine Blunt, who covers renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, explains why California was so close to the brink.And in headlines: Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey secured the Democratic nomination for governor, Steve Bannon is expected to surrender to New York State prosecutors today, and Kim Kardashian is launching a private equity firm.Show Notes:LAist: “How To Survive This Week’s Extreme Heat Wave” – https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-to-survive-extreme-heat-wave-september-hot-weatherCalifornia Independent System Operator: Current & Forecasted Power Demand – https://www.caiso.com/TodaysOutlook/Pages/default.aspx#section-currentVote Save America: Fuck Bans Action Plan – https://votesaveamerica.com/roe/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Thursday, September 8th. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And I'm Travelle Anderson. And this is What A Day, the only podcast that comes pre-downloaded on the new iPhone 14. In the sense that if you tell us when you're going to go to the Apple store

to get your new phone, we will meet you outside and subscribe you to WOD on it. And we'll help you delete that YouTube album that you still have eight years later and don't remember how it got there. We're the real genius bar. On today's show, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon will face fraud charges in New York.

Plus, Kim Kardashian is starting her own true crime podcast. Interesting development there. But first, much of the West Coast is still in the grip of a scorching heat wave. Temperatures across California soared into record-breaking territory, and it doesn't look like things will begin to cool down for at least a few more days. This is all happening in the middle of a years-long drought, which is also fueling a handful of destructive and deadly wildfires in the state. But the heat itself is actually what is the biggest threat to Californians, right, Travelle?

Absolutely, and as millions of people were trying to stay cool on Tuesday, the state was on the verge of implementing rolling electrical blackouts. Fortunately, that did not happen, but it pushed the power grid to its limit. So I wanted to get a deeper understanding of what's been going on, because as of our record time,

Californians have been asked to conserve electricity for the eighth straight day. I spoke to Catherine Blunt. She's a reporter who covers renewable energy and utilities for The Wall Street Journal. I started by asking her why California was so close to the brink. It's worth keeping in mind how the power grid works. So levels of electricity supply and demand have to be in constant balance. If there's even a bit of a mismatch because of the way the system is calibrated, you risk system-wide failure that could take days to restore, even weeks. So if

demand threatens to exceed supply by any amount, the grid operator might call on utility companies to rotate outages among different communities to help bring those demand levels down. The reason we're seeing the strain right now, of course, is because it is hot across the West. People are using their air conditioning units. They are using more electricity generally. And that has boosted demand at a time when supplies for a number of different reasons are tight, creating this sort of very close call that we saw on Tuesday night. Yeah. Now, you've written extensively about the many, many issues, problems with California's electrical utility companies and the aging infrastructure.

We know that PG&E, one of the largest utilities in the U.S., they agreed to multi-billion dollar settlements after its equipment sparked more than 30 massive wildfires since 2017. I'm wondering what, if anything, is being done to keep the grid safe and up to date and hopefully not have some of these issues rise up. Right, right. So PG&E, as well as the state's other utilities, but especially PG&E, has been really working hard to try to address wildfire risk in recent years, the risk of its power line starting fires. It's made some improvements since a series of devastating fires in 2017 and 2018 that killed more than 100 people. It is working on that, working to improve the safety of the grid. But what we're talking about in terms of the risk of rolling blackouts, we're really talking about supply challenges. So all of the state's utilities right now are trying to bring online more clean

energy projects in the form of new wind and solar farms, as well as large batteries to store their output for use when production declines. One big challenge in California is that it's very reliant on solar power and has become more so in recent years. And when that solar power begins to drop off in the afternoon hours when demand is still high, that's when you begin to really see the supply crunch. So each of the utilities are working to bring new power generation and storage online as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we're dealing with a situation in which there are supply chain challenges. There are inflationary pressures. It's made it difficult to bring these projects online as quickly as is necessary to help

avert some of the supply crunches that we're likely to see for the next few summers. Yeah, and we obviously can't talk about this issue without mentioning climate change, right? The reason many of us would say we are having these extreme heats, there's concern that heat waves like this could be the new normal. And that very likely means even more demand for energy in the future. We know that California, as you already mentioned, has set some very ambitious carbon emission goals in the future. We know that California, as you already mentioned, has set some very ambitious carbon emission goals in the coming decades. So I'm wondering how can the state kind of thread that needle between this demand for new energy, right, while also recognizing what people kind of need in the meantime to live? Yeah, so there's been acknowledgement in terms of the

State Energy Commission, state regulatory body, and the grid operator that these next few summers of need in the meantime to live. Yeah, so there's been acknowledgement in terms of the state energy commission, state regulatory body, and the grid operator that these next few summers are going to be really challenging, in part because you are seeing more severe heat waves exacerbated by climate change. California is in a very severe state of drought, which has meant that hydroelectric power production has been constrained. Also, when it's really hot across the entire west, it's more difficult for California to import power on an emergency basis because other states are using it as well. So just recently, there's been all kinds of debate over what sort of generation needs to be preserved in the near term to carry us through the challenge that's expected to manifest for the next several summers. One thing is that the state has authorized the use of more gas fired generation to help get through these really acute periods of challenge. So there's been more emergency measures that have been taken.

There's been measures that are kind of unpopular in the form of more gas generation in a state that's trying to reduce its reliance on that. But it seems to be that there's agreement among decision makers that this is what's necessary here in the short term. Gotcha. And you already mentioned this, but we know that this isn't just a California problem. The grid in Texas also struggled during a heat wave there this summer. I believe they also had issues back in the winter. So I'm wondering, how does all of this create continuing problems for the rest of the country? What we're experiencing, what Texas is experiencing, how does this all come together to be something that we

need to address on a larger scale? Yeah, so there's a certain body that oversees the reliability of the grid nationally. And earlier this year, I came out with a report that said that there are a number of different regions that are at risk of having electricity supply shortages, especially during periods of extreme heat, like we're seeing, because demand levels threaten to surge beyond available supply during certain hours, especially during hours of the day in which maybe you can't rely on solar production quite as much. Or you have this issue in which there's very little wind generation. That's not saying that renewable technology is bad or that it doesn't work. We just need more technology to augment it and make it available at all times of day. Because right now, grid operators are having

more of a challenge in making sure that the supplies are always there exactly as they anticipate. So there's a lot of work underway to try to fix this, but it is emerging as a greater challenge that grid operators across the country are trying to address. Gotcha. So since this is something that many of us will have to live with, what can we do to prepare for outages and stay safe in the heat? Yeah. So one of the reasons that California was able to avert rolling blockouts on Tuesdays, there was a lot of voluntary conservation, which goes to show that the communication on the part of the state was pretty effective in telling people to try to limit their use best they can in the hours that were challenging, which is 4pm and

9pm. So I think the question is kind of knowing what's using most of your electricity, kind of knowing how to reduce reliance for short periods of time. Well, of course, keeping in mind health and safety, right? Because if you have a medical condition that requires you to have a certain temperature, of course, like respond to the best of your ability. And then as it relates to outages, certain people have adopted solar panels with batteries that can maybe help keep the lights on when there are outages. Some have resorted to backup generators. Those are some options, but I think it's more about having an emergency plan in place. If you have to go without power for a few hours, you'll be able to function best you can. That was my conversation with Catherine Blunt,

reporter for The Wall Street Journal. We'll be keeping an eye on this in the coming days. And if you are out there, please stay cool and stay safe. We'll be back after some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. Canadian authorities said yesterday that Miles Sanderson, the second suspect in the mass stabbings that left 10 people dead and 18 others injured in Saskatchewan, has died. Officials said he died of self-inflicted wounds after a confrontation with police. This comes after his brother and fellow suspect Damian Sanderson was found dead

on Monday. A motive has not yet been determined, but Miles Sanderson was on parole for assault and robbery and had 59 prior convictions. A federal judge in Texas ruled on Wednesday that employers do not have to cover HIV prevention drugs in their health care plans. The lawsuit was filed by, you guessed it, a group of conservative Christian business owners who argued that the Affordable Care Act's requirements to cover drugs like PrEP conflicts with their faith and forces them to subsidize quote-unquote

homosexual behavior. The judge in the case agreed with them and even said that it's unconstitutional for the federal government to decide what kind of preventative care is protected by the Affordable Care Act. Wednesday's ruling hands a huge win to conservatives who have fought to use religious freedom to block or roll back protections for the LGBTQ plus community. But legal experts worry that the decision could also bolster more right wing attacks on sexual and reproductive health care nationwide.

Health care that millions of Americans depend on their employers to provide because we lived in this fucked up system where we not only rely on our jobs for our paychecks to be able to live, but also for our health care to be able to survive. But the federal government will likely appeal this ruling. We hope that they do. And we hope that they're successful. They're always so concerned with the wrong homosexual behavior. Like, that they do and we hope that they're successful. They're always so concerned with the wrong homosexual behavior. Like they worry about what we do when they need

to be worried about what's going on in their own church houses. But I'm on my business, Priyanka. Way too much to say there. In some good gay news, though, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey secured the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday. She will now go head to head with her Trump endorsed Republican opponent Jeff Deal for the title in November. And if Healey wins the race, she will become the first woman to be elected governor in Massachusetts state history and the first openly lesbian governor in the United States. Her opponent, Trump-endorsed Republican, we don't need to say more, but also spells his name, Jeff, like Geoff, which, sorry, don't trust you.

Never trusted one, never will. That's all I needed to know. Coy Griffin, a New Mexico County Commissioner and proud founder of something called Cowboys for Trump, just became the first elected official to lose his job over his involvement in the January 6th insurrection. Okay, feels like I could have drawn that conclusion after seeing Cowboys for Trump. I knew exactly where this was going. Earlier this year,

Griffin was sentenced to two weeks in jail for trespassing on Capitol grounds during the riots. And on Wednesday, a district judge ruled that Griffin must be immediately removed from office and banned from holding office ever again. Fun fact, this is the first time that a court has removed someone from office for participating in an insurrection since 1869. And the 14th Amendment clearly states that insurrectionists cannot hold elected office. Just gonna put that one in my back pocket. Feels like it might be useful at some point in time, if not already. Absolutely. Moving on to some other right-wing lunatics in positions of power. A report released yesterday by the Anti-Defamation League analyzed leaked membership lists of the Oath Keepers militia and found hundreds of elected officials, military members, and law enforcement officials among their ranks.

Surprise, surprise. Members of the Oath Keepers have been accused of helping to plan the January 6th riots. But before that, they were just a run-of-the-mill paramilitary group that said the U.S. was preparing to take everyone's guns away and then put us in concentration camps. So, you know, super logical individuals there. Super run-of-the-mill. But I mean, you know, as we learned in the last headline, insurrectionists cannot hold elected office.

So it feels like we can do some cross-referencing, maybe like run that with the January 6th footage and, you know, you know what we got to do. Our work is cut out for us. Steve Bannon, a man who uses the teachings of Jimmy Buffett for evil, is expected to turn himself in today to state prosecutors in New York. He is facing a new criminal indictment in the state, and the details of it aren't known for sure, but the Washington Post says that it likely pertains to Bannon's participation in the con that built loyal MAGA Republicans out of $25 million for the private construction of a border wall, if anyone

remembers that time. Trump pardoned Bannon back in 2020 for his role in this scheme, but that pardon only applies to federal charges, not state ones. So really, we never thought we'd get to this day. Some of us were out here being like, it'll never happen. But it appears that we're getting closer and closer to that day i always find it interesting how these folks have me rooting for law enforcement rooting for prosecutors who would have thunk it we've been backed into a corner there's no other option some news about a long-awaited debate that will touch on politics as well as party trays of vegetables pennsylvania senate candidate john Fetterman told Politico yesterday that he will debate his Republican opponent and Oprah's only mistake, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Fetterman suggested the debate will take place in mid to late October. His participation in debates against Oz had been in question after Fetterman suffered a stroke in May that affected his auditory processing. Yeah, apparently Oprah not available to comment on Dr. Oz and his candidacy. after Fetterman suffered a stroke in May that affected his auditory processing. Yeah, apparently Oprah not available to comment on Dr. Oz and his candidacy. Listen, you can't expect her to get everything right. She is still human. This does feel like a big fuck up.

But Oprah, Oprah, we do love you. So I don't know if we'll let it slide, but maybe we just won't ever bring it up again. And lastly, some money moves from the Wolf of Calabasas herself, Kim Kardashian. She told the Wall Street Journal yesterday that she was teaming up with a prominent investor to launch Sky Partners, two Ks, Kim Kardashian, we all get it, a private equity firm that will focus on consumer products, luxury, and digital commerce. Sky will make its first investment before the end of the year. So start thinking of ideas. And it can't be a mobile game where Kim teaches you how to be famous because she has already

done that. Kim's second big announcement of the day was about her first podcast for Spotify, who she signed a deal with back in 2020 when they were just handing out deals left, right and center. Apparently mine got lost in the mail. It is called The System and it is a true crime podcast that fits with her fascination with the justice system. Kim is also set to host. I don't know if the world needed another true crime podcast, but we did it.

I'll listen to at least the first one. I'm intrigued. I want to know what will be happening here. So then you can listen and you can report back to us. I got to be scouting out our competition for a Webby here. Listen, I want one. This is my campaign. I'm launching it right here, right now.

And I just got to know what we're up against. You know what? I support you in that effort. Thank you. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. With the devastating floods in Pakistan and Jackson, Mississippi, and the recent anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Ida as their backdrop, the ladies of Hot Take discuss how colonialism impacts marginalized communities and forces them to bear the brunt of the climate crisis.

Listen to new episodes of Hot Take every Friday wherever you get your podcasts. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, pitch your business to Kim, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just the teachings of Jimmy Buffett like me, oh yeah, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'mvelle anderson i'm priyanka arabindi and take cold showers california listen half of you do that anyways for like biohacking purposes shit like that so

you're used to it the other half of you do it to work out so listen it's either for productivity or for your fitness journey either Either way, you guys can handle it. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Jazzy Marine and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers. Our head writer is John Milstein. and our executive producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.