Thank Newsom’s childhood pet — an otter — for helping protect California land and waters

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday to protect nearly a third of California’s land and coastal waters at a walnut farm in Winters, Calif. SACRAMENTO — Now we get it: Gov. Gavin Newsom was first inspired to fight climate change and protect the environment by his childhood pet — Potter, the river otter. Some of us thought Gov. Jerry Brown was a bit strange. But he didn’t cozy up to a river otter as a little kid. Nor was Brown particularly concerned about insects — at least that we know about. Newsom was and is. Newsom told reporters about his early introduction to environmental causes last week while unveiling yet another executive order — this one to protect 30% of California’s land and coastal waters in their semi-natural state by 2030. Not only would that help threatened animals, fish and wildlands, the governor said, but it would also slow global warming by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Give Newsom credit. It’s a noble and lofty goal. And probably achievable. Too bad a forward-looking governor didn’t commit to that a century ago, before California became overrun with people, sickened by pollution and set ablaze by flammable wildlands. […]

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