MacKenzie Elmer, journalist.
Climate, science and environment reporter at Voice of San Diego. Anthropocene gal. Scripps Institution of Oceanography grad.
More journalism, less bullshit.
- One of CA's biggest government-run electricity-buying orgs stockpiled over half a billion dollars in customer cash, but hasn't used it to lower rates. They raised rates this year. They blame an obligation to pay off SDG&E's contracts: voiceofsandiego.org/2026/02/02/e... @voiceofsandiego
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- trying to be a good citizen and pay for my parking at Balboa Park but the machine is broken. Don’t you come for me anyway, city of sd.
- The rain woke Brenda de La Mora at 2 a.m. She roused her husband to grab a rake and tend the storm drain near the flooding creek. Two years ago, the creek consumed hundreds of homes. So far, nothing's changed except that neighbors are triggered. voiceofsandiego.org/2026/01/05/e...
- Things look bad for the Colorado River, San Diego's main water lifeline. The river's source water, the Rocky Mountain snowpack, is at record lows. Colorado had its second warmest December since 1893. www.skyhinews.com/news/colorad...
- I just asked Scott Cameron, Trump’s top water boss at Bureau of Reclamation, why the federal government hasn’t done anything except set new deadlines which seem to be meaningless. He wouldn’t answer my question. #CRWUA2025 @crwua_2025
- Trump’s acting head of the Bureau of Reclamation warns Colorado River negotiators against suing each other: “Only certainty around litigation is a bunch of water lawyers will be able to put their children through grad school.” #CRWUA2025
- San Diego @SenStevePadilla introduces bill to update California's toxic hydrogen sulfide gas standards. People living next to the Tijuana River are consistently exposed to levels of the gas the EPA says is unsafe long term. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/12/08/s...
- Trump officials are at #crwua2025 this morning to give the quibbling states a stern talking to: Give your commissioners room to negotiate and compromise. If you can't, send us representatives who can - Andrea Travnicek, Assistant Secretary of the Interior. @voiceofsandiego
- I’m in Las Vegas covering negotiations  among users of the drought-stricken Colorado River. They aren’t going well…again. It’s almost like they want Trump to step in.  voiceofsandiego.org/2025/12/16/d... @voiceofsandiego.org
- Mexicali farmers will spill their Colorado River water — depriving coastal cities like Tijuana of drinking water — if @Claudiashein doesn’t cut a deal to compensate them for blocking their ability to sell it. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/12/16/m... #CRWUA2025 @voiceofsandiego.org
- Interesting reporting by @tammyxmurga on Supervisor @jim_desmond calling for recycling used nuclear fuel at SONGS in SoCal. www.kpbs.org/news/environ... @kpbs
- Another promising application of hydrogen sulfide: obliterating nail fungus! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- I spent a lot of time getting to know hydrogen sulfide, a dramatic gas which has caused near-planetary destruction but may also cure erectile dysfunction. Last year scientists sparked fear of its presence in the polluted Tijuana River valley. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/12/08/s...
- Toxic gas data from the Tijuana River shows the amount of hydrogen sulfide won’t kill anyone instantly, for which H2S is most famous. But there’s enough of the gas consistently circulating in South Bay that people’s health could be impacted longterm. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/12/08/s...
- This will be good: @sammyroth.bsky.social, @amywestervelt.bsky.social & @billmckibben.bsky.social talking climate reporting Wednesday @ 5. Register here: thirdact.org/events/news-...
- ICYMI, Jenna Ramiscal has this great piece on California’s hydrogen fuel paradox: North County Transit District trucks the fuel in from over 100 miles away to fuel its hydrogen-powered buses. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/11/25/n...
- Arizona will use taxpayer dollars to pay private companies to build desalination plants in California or Mexico. AZ would trade that investment for more supplies from the Colorado River. www.kawc.org/news/2025-11...
- More evidence of San Diego’s lack of public restrooms: A man just threw two planters onto the floor of a local Starbucks after being refused access to the bathroom, which is “for customers only.”
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- SDG&E's biggest union is enraged over non-union layoffs and buyouts of represented workers. "Over my dead body would SDG&E layoff or negatively impact one of our represented families,” said Nate Fairman of Local 465. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/11/03/s...
- Ratio utility billing victims are everywhere - wrote about this often third-party billing system used to mask extra costs on tenants back in 2023 voiceofsandiego.org/2023/04/26/r...
- Politico's Annie Snider has this great piece laying out how the impending fate of the drying Colorado River is the only water war the Trump Administration hasn't blown up. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
- Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert. She pushed for San Diego to stop paying its water bills to the Water Authority. “They’re not going to turn off our tap,” Von Wilpert said. “We can go to litigation over this. We can’t continue to rubberstamp.” voiceofsandiego.org/2025/10/29/m...
- Council passes 31% increase in water and wastewater rates over next two years. Citizens who spoke against the move stage promoters outside chambers after vote. @voiceofsandiego
- Council passes 31% increase in water and wastewater rates over next two years. Citizens who spoke against the move stage promoters outside chambers after vote. @voiceofsandiego
- San Diego City Council passes two-year water rate increase - 29% - with council members Lee, Moreno, Foster and Von Wilpert voting no. @voiceofsandiego
- Councilmember Whitburn says he won't support "four years" of water rate increases. That's different than what he said in September. He's asking whether PUD could do a 5 percent increase just for the coming year.
- “Our city is at risk of becoming an inhospitable desert only for the wealthy.” - an anti-water rate hike San Diegan to City Council
- Another public speaker is worried that Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is buying fluoride from China to “poison” the water system.
- This guy’s shirt says “crap in the pipe! Cost increase program. CIP?” He blamed city for cost overruns on Pure Water program, which was estimated at $1,800/AF. And is now upwards of $3,000k/AF.
- This guy, Bernie, made his own t-shirt to protest San Diego’s water rate increase that reads: “Unpure Water Project.” San Diego’s Pure Water project is a driver of the city’s large rate increase City Council is considering today.
- More parking fee news: San Diego Utilities Department floats charging for parking at city reservoirs (which are used like parks) as a way to generate more revenue while it faces potential huge setbacks should City Council fail to raise rates to pay for its system.
- Just gonna leave this little old story about how the Sports Arena/Midway is in a flood zone right here: voiceofsandiego.org/2020/08/19/n... @voiceofsandiego
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- The largest water seller in the nation, Metropolitan WD of SoCal, gets a new leader: Shivaji Deshmukh from the Inland Empire Utilities Agency. He replaces ousted Adel Hagekhalil. www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
- Will miss @sammyroth.bsky.social ‘s voice at the @latimes.com. He is a legend.
- Mayor Todd Gloria’s admin ousts climate and sustainability direction - The firing follows a pattern of weakening San Diego’s climate action activities. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/10/08/m... @voiceofsandiego
- Nick Serrano, chair of @sdcwa/@toddgloria’s deputy, says Metropolitan should pause its Pure Water wastewater recycling project. San Diego is building its own right now. But he says Met should take some of San Diego’s Colorado River supply instead. #politifest2025
- San Diego's public power company is offering to subsidize customers who install solar + batteries on their homes. There's a $55 million pot to draw from, all redistributed revenue from the energy bills San Diegan's pay. tinyurl.com/3xeaeybh via @uniontribune
- Sweetwater Authority, which already buys very little water from @sdcwa, is looking to get completely off the teat with a groundwater desalination project reports @voiceofsandiego.org @jimhinch voiceofsandiego.org/2025/10/01/s...
- Hearing a lot of concerns from San Diegans about the high cost of rent, electricity, water and childcare at City Council today. - If that speaks to you, join us for @voiceofsandiego.org Solutions Showdown this Saturday at #Politifest2025 voiceofsandiego.org/event/politi...
- Councilman Kent Lee throws shade at Mayor @toddgloria during water rate hike debate: “Time for administration to look to its leadership team and rebuild trust from the public…We need substantive change from the 11th floor and the responsibility for that must start from the top.”
- Amid handwringing at San Diego City Hall over next week’s vote to hike water rates, city analysts dropped a harrowing report revealing how easily the department that handles water and wastewater could collapse without them. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/09/26/s... @voiceofsandiego.org
- I’ll be live on @kpbs.org with fellow enviro journos Philip Salata and Tammy Murga live at noon talkin’ Tijuana River sewage crisis blues. Listen in:
- San Diego City Coucil's fee fatigue will likely overboil during Tuesday's vote to massively hike 💧+ 🚽 rates. Who will they blame? City staff are trying to protect Pure Water from their ire, pointing fingers at @sdcwa for mounting costs. Let's unpack that. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/09/24/c...
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- The Water Authority has to pay up for $35 million of yet-unmade drinkable ocean water. The longer it weights, the more that water will cost.  voiceofsandiego.org/2025/09/22/s... @voiceofsandiego
- This is a very cute move by the Pentagon. apnews.com/article/pent...
- Environment Report: Information about the Tijuana River sewage crisis is harder to get under Trump's pick to lead the @usibwc. That's frustrating and further obfuscates an already "turbid" issue. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/09/15/e... @voiceofsandiego.org
- Nobody will say whether 43 shipping containers of expired COVID-era PPE the county spent millions to store is sitting in a landfill. One non-profit says it was supposed to transport it for reuse in Mexico. voiceofsandiego.org/2025/09/15/c... @voiceofsandiego.org
- Very intertwined.
