California’s Ban on Gas Powered Cars | Klamath River McKinney Fire Recovery | Comedian Keith Lowell Jensen at The Sofia

California announces an ambitious plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Residents of Klamath River in Siskiyou County share how they’re recovering from the McKinney Fire, which destroyed most of their town. Comedian Keith Lowell Jensen joins us ahead of his comedy special at The Sofia in downtown Sacramento. 

Ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars

A historic and extremely bold step to combat climate change. That's some of the praise from supporters of the California Air Resources Board's move to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. The board's decision is a final step in an executive order from Gov. Newsom issued two years ago, which is an aggressive move to shift the state away from its dependence on fossil fuels for daily transportation. According to the state, pollution from tailpipes account for more than half of California's greenhouse gas emissions. The decision is also expected to have a big ripple effect across the nation. But it also drew sharp criticism and raised questions about how this ambitious goal will be implemented. The state's power grid operator asked electric car owners to hold off charging their cars during flex alerts leading some to question if the state's grid can sustain an influx of EVs. Others view the move as California once again setting a lofty climate goal it may very well fall short of. To dive deeper, we've invited Professor David Rapson, an economist at UC Davis, to join us. 

Klamath River's recovery from the McKinney Fire

For more than 70 years, the nucleus for the community of Klamath River was the community hall, a town of just 190 residents about 30 miles south of the Oregon border in Siskiyou County. From weddings to celebrations of life, school plays, monthly breakfasts, and fundraisers to benefit generations of the town, the Klamath River Community Hall connected people of this large in physical size, but sparsely populated area solidify strong bonds. But sadly, after some 80 years in existence, the Klamath River Community Hall is among most of the homes and buildings in the town that are "no more." The McKinney Fire, the largest and deadliest fire in California this year, destroyed one hundred eighty-five homes and buildings. But despite the tremendous loss, this community is returning to where the hall once stood to endure and lean on each other as they embark on rebuilding and healing that countless wildfire communities have come to learn firsthand. Insight invited two members from the community who are leading this effort. Missy Aronson is a volunteer with the Klamath River Community Hall and coordinating its efforts to connect fire survivors with resources. Janet Jones is Fire Chief of Klamath River's volunteer fire department / and part of the initial response to the McKinney Fire.  

For those interested in helping the Klamath River Community Hall in their recovery efforts, you can donate on the Klamath River Community Hall Facebook Page or through a GoFundMe page they've established to help their community. Check donations can also be mailed to the Klamath River Community Hall at P.O. Box 6, Klamath River, CA, 96050.

Comedian Keith Lowell Jensen

Sacramento comedian Keith Lowell Jensen is performing at The Sofia theater this Saturday night. Keith, who has toured worldwide, shares stories of his various run-ins with the law over the years. Sometimes he's gotten arrested, sometimes, he's been let go, and sometimes, he's been roughed up. Oh, and sometimes (times four) he's landed in the drunk tank and the stories from there are quite interesting. Keith's latest show is called "What I was Arrested For," and Insight learned how he used his sense of humor at times to get out of trouble, for the most part.