iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

They used to give them away for free!

Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Moving things around in the office today and paused to admire one of my prized possessions. My Geosecs volumes. They don’t make them like they used to. Incredible science with gorgeous graphic design.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I’m a bit of a one trick pony on these issues, but when I am in Tuolumne Meadows, what I see is a need for fire to maintain the meadow and limit encroachment of conifers. Have they tried burning to maintain health? Or planting and RX fire?

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The report notes that the real challenge is to existing, older homes/communities. It highlight's the importance of zone 0 (5 ft around structures) as key to home survival in wind driven fires. While BOF did finalize zone 0 regs this year, they will not apply to existing structures until Aug of 2031.

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No single failure explains the devastation of the LA fires, report finds

“The problem is implementation and funding,” said Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program. “We can have the best plans in the world, but if we do not actually implement those plans, it will not matter.” calmatters.org/environment/...

calmatters.org

A 723-page review says the Palisades and Eaton fires overwhelmed a system never built for wind-driven conflagrations. So who is responsible for fixing it?

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And in case you were wondering, our climate adaptation strategy for the 1500 ft.², $2 million 1950s tract homes behind the levees in Birdland is totally solid. Walking distance to Proof Lab has its risks…

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Well, that is a high cost climate adaptation strategy in my family. We barely made it to the Greek Theatre last night to see Jack Johnson because of the flooding, but it was worth the trouble to be in that place with those people on a gorgeous California fall evening.

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When that Kelvin wave gets up here from Mexico, all hell is gonna break loose in my corner of the Bay Area.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Second day in a row that I have been stuck in blue sky, high tide gridlock in Marin County. Truly a taste of things to come. Highway entrance next to under construction affordable housing project is under several feet of water. Also underwater: the park-and-ride lot, the bike path and the bus stop.

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Today @gavinnewsom.bsky.social signed a whole series of wildfire prevention bills that cement his legacy on wildfire prevention. This California resident is very grateful. www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/29/g...

gov.ca.gov

Governor Newsom signs legislation to accelerate wildfire prevention projects, strengthen fire response, and harden communities against future disasters | Governor of California

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Watch Duty - Wildfire Maps & Alerts

Just noticed that there's an upcoming RX fire on Bolinas Lagoon. This coming Wednesday. So grateful to Fire Forward and All Hands Ecology for the work! share.watchduty.org/i/74181?ts=1...

share.watchduty.org

Real-time information about wildfire and firefighting efforts nearby

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Totally can be. Cleared a fault at the substation level = thousands of customers. Not a poles and wires thing, a substation thing. Or there was an issue with a sub-transmission line like a mylar balloon that cleared (because said balloon melted or blew off the line).

It's driven by circuit architecture (can seem pretty weird and random because it developed over time with the development of the city itself, particularly out in the avenues), and meter count. So that one green blob at 30th and Geary for that is a couple of blocks big is actually Washington HS.

David Bonowitz @dbonowitz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Looks like things are better than this according to PG&E But still not great.

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Reposted by Michael Wara

Sincere question: Does anyone understand this map? The 2 big red areas are parks -- essentially open space with very few residents (especially the lower one) -- divided into very few assessor's parcels. Do they calculate "customers affected" by square footage of the lot? I'm confused.

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Also, look at the outer Richmond that is not in the Presidio but is in red as well as the section by 9th and Lincoln outside of the park (ie south of Lincoln).

Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

A lot of people live in the Presidio. And a lot of people work there in office space. Assuming that map is accurate, there are a very large number of both residential and commercial customers in the dark.

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One of the best places to sit and have a snack while out on a hike in my neck of the woods. The porch at West Point Inn is pretty special.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

We were in Santa Barbara last weekend and took the scenic route home. That allowed me to see the Plasket and Timber Fires and to be totally blown away by the work that has gone in there. I cannot imagine how hard it is to cut line, by hand, on slopes like these. Woah.

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Yes. But across the street from a dozen 150kv chargers in Fairfield.

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Strong disagree. In-n-out is quintessentially SoCal.

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People have strong opinions about this issue. For those who don’t know me, I’m a NorCal person who loves SoCal too, including LA and even In-and-out on occasion. My kids don’t understand. Like when I was their age, they are diehard NorCal. I hope in time they will embrace the whole amazing place.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just went in to get my fries and Diet Coke at In-N-Out Burger while my car charges across the street. The most (southern) California thing about that place is that there is always a 30 car line in the drive thru and zero line at the counter. People are so weird. We need to study this.

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Hard pass on this El Niño as vision of late 2030s climate to be. I like nothing about it. Nothing at all.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Thank you Marin Fire and @calfirelnu.bsky.social for the fast and effective work yesterday evening! We appreciate all of your hard work!

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I think it’s fair to want more information. But also, this is a campaign presentation, not a detailed policy proposal.

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My sense is that Becerra is saying that we need to actually try to figure that out and find accordingly. And that the current situation is one where we aren’t trying hard enough to do what is cost effective and just effective.

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Protecting our Families & Communities from the Next Wildfire Disaster - Xavier Becerra

This is a super exciting signal for @xavierbecerra.bsky.social to take for California. We can bend the curve downwards on wildfire losses by investing in communities. www.xavierbecerra2026.com/priorities/p...

xavierbecerra2026.com

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Annie Dillard, Meditative Author of ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,’ Dies at 81

We lost a great one. Dillard’s books made a big difference in my life as a young person living in a world of concrete canyons. She made it bearable and her writing brought me and the love of my life together. I am so grateful for her work. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/b...

nytimes.com

Her Thoreau-like account of journeys in the woods, published when she was 28, was the first of many ruminations on life and nature, good and evil.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Anne is fantastic. Totally agree.

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

That time when you are doing an evening neighborhood event on wildfire and community preparedness and the godfather of home hardening science comes up to say hi at the end of the event. So cool to meet Steve Quarles in the flesh! @ibhs.org @ucanrfirenetwork.bsky.social

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Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This show is a must listen. I had to listen twice to understand. The issues are so radioactive that everybody is afraid to speak directly. But the bottom line has to be that we need to take care of the people that fight fire and steward the land. thehotshotwakeup.substack.com/p/the-system...

thehotshotwakeup.substack.com

“The System Is Broken.” Frustrations Inside The Forest Service Boil Over As Fire Supervisors Express Fundamental Concerns.

All while fire entrapments hit a 20 year record this season.

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The issues are certainly different in other states with rapidly growing WUI populations.

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Point is, the true challenge is retrofit of existing building stock and communities. Not the challenge of how and where to build new housing.

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At least in CA, the WUI expansion mostly occurred long ago. At the time, there was risk but they were lower. It was a risky thing to do back then. But we take risks all the time. But now the risks are much higher. At the same time, new builds are way way safer than the older (pre-2000) development.

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Please don’t pay attention to my war of choice that I am losing and that is putting the US into an unimaginable strategic crisis with our enemies. Look over here at my half baked illegal riffs instead.

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The “strategy” we have turns manageable risks into tail risk we cannot control. There are other options. But they take leadership at the highest level to provide the resources and political support to the people who will have to implement change. We have failed them on a bipartisan basis.

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