California

==Infrastructure==
===Energy===
{{Main|Energy in California}}
{{further|Solar power in California|Wind power in California}}
{{see also|History of oil in California through 1930|Plug-in electric vehicles in California}}
[[File:Moss Landing Power Plant p1270026.jpg|thumb|left|[[Moss Landing Power Plant]], located on the coast of [[Monterey Bay]]]]
Because it is the most populous state in the United States, California is one of the country's largest users of energy. The state has extensive hydro-electric energy generation facilities, however, moving water is the single largest energy use in the state. Also, due to high energy rates, conservation mandates, mild weather in the largest population centers and strong [[environmental movement]], its ''per capita'' energy use is one of the smallest of any state in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mufson |first=Steven |date=February 17, 2007 |title=In Energy Conservation, Calif. Sees Light |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021602274.html |access-date=February 28, 2010}}</ref> Due to the high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other state, primarily hydroelectric power from states in the Pacific Northwest (via [[Path 15]] and [[Path 66]]) and coal- and natural gas-fired production from the desert Southwest via [[Path 46]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 20, 2011 |title=California—U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=CA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229175513/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=CA |archive-date=December 29, 2010 |access-date=October 28, 2011 |publisher=Tonto.eia.doe.gov}}</ref>

The [[California oil and gas industry|state's crude oil and natural gas deposits]] are located in the Central Valley and [[Offshore oil and gas in California|along the coast]], including the large [[Midway-Sunset Oil Field]]. Natural gas-fired [[List of power stations in California|power plants]] typically account for more than one-half of state electricity generation.

[[File:Ho 000155 170593 515241 4578 (35974057893) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Ivanpah Solar Power Facility]], located in the [[Mojave Desert]]]]

As a result of the state's strong environmental movement, California has some of the most aggressive [[Renewable energy in California|renewable energy]] goals in the United States. Senate Bill SB 1020 (the Clean Energy, Jobs and Affordability Act of 2022) commits the state to running its operations on clean, renewable energy resources by 2035, and SB 1203 also requires the state to achieve net-zero operations for all agencies. Currently, several [[Solar power in California|solar power plants]] such as the [[Solar Energy Generating Systems]] facility are located in the [[Mojave Desert]]. [[Wind power in California|California's wind farms]] include [[Altamont Pass Wind Farm|Altamont Pass]], [[San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm|San Gorgonio Pass]], and [[Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm|Tehachapi Pass]]. The Tehachapi area is also where the [[Tehachapi Energy Storage Project]] is located.<ref name="International2">{{Cite web |last=Edison International |title=SCE Unveils Largest Battery Energy Storage Project in North America |url=https://newsroom.edison.com/releases/sce-unveils-largest-battery-energy-storage-project-in-north-america |access-date=May 10, 2020 |website=Edison International}}</ref> Several dams across the state provide [[Hydroelectricity|hydro-electric power]]. It would be possible to convert the total supply to 100% renewable energy, including heating, cooling and mobility, by 2050.<ref>[[Mark Z. Jacobson]] et al.: ''A roadmap for repowering California for all purposes with wind, water, and sunlight''. In: ''[[Energy (journal)|Energy]]'' 73 (2014), 875–889, {{doi|10.1016/j.energy.2014.06.099}}.</ref>

California has one major [[nuclear power]] plant ([[Diablo Canyon Power Plant|Diablo Canyon]]) in operation. The [[San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station|San Onofre nuclear plant]] was shut down in 2013. More than 1,700{{spaces}}tons of [[radioactive waste]] are stored at San Onofre,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 28, 2018 |title=How a nuclear stalemate left radioactive waste stranded on a California beach |work=The Verge |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/28/17765538/san-onofre-nuclear-generating-station-radioactive-spent-fuel-waste-yucca-mountain}}</ref> and sit on the coast where there is a record of past [[tsunami]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Kate |date=November 19, 2019 |title=Opinion: California's San Onofre nuclear plant is a Chernobyl waiting to happen |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-11-19/san-onofre-nuclear-plant-waste-radioactive}}</ref> Voters [[Anti-nuclear movement in California|banned the approval of new nuclear power plants]] since the late 1970s because of concerns over [[High-level radioactive waste management|radioactive waste disposal]].<ref name="Doyle 2009">{{Cite news |last=Doyle |first=Jim |date=March 9, 2009 |title=Nuclear power industry sees opening for revival |page=A-1 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/08/MN3H16ANEN.DTL |access-date=January 29, 2010}}</ref>{{refn|Minnesota also has a moratorium on construction of nuclear power plants, which has been in place since 1994.<ref name="Minnesota Nuclear Moratorium">{{cite news |last1=Richert |first1=Catharine |last2=Brown |first2=Gretchen |title=Why nuclear energy is a political minefield in Minnesota |url=https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2023/11/13/why-nuclear-energy-is-a-political-minefield-in-minnesota |access-date=26 March 2024 |work=MPR News |date=13 November 2023}}</ref>|group="note"}} In addition, several cities such as Oakland, [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] and [[Davis, California|Davis]] have declared themselves as [[nuclear-free zone]]s.

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in California}}
{{see also|History of rail transportation in California}}
[[File:GoldenGateBridge-001.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], is one of the most famous bridges in the world.]]

====Highways====
California's vast terrain is connected by [[California Freeway and Expressway System|an extensive system]] of [[controlled-access highways]] ('freeways'), [[limited-access road]]s ('expressways'), and [[State highways in California|highways]]. California is known for its [[car culture]], giving California's cities a reputation for severe [[traffic congestion]]. Construction and maintenance of state roads and statewide transportation planning are primarily the responsibility of the [[California Department of Transportation]], nicknamed "Caltrans". The rapidly growing population of the state is straining all of its transportation networks, and California has some of the worst roads in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mieszkowski |first=Katharine |date=September 2, 2010 |title=California Is Tops in Worst Roads—Pulse of the Bay |url=http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/read-while-you-are-waiting-traffic-clear |access-date=April 22, 2011 |publisher=The Bay Citizen |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722041103/http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/read-while-you-are-waiting-traffic-clear/ }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 9, 2007 |title=A bridge too far gone |newspaper=The Economist |url=http://www.economist.com/node/9621456}}</ref> The [[Reason Foundation]]'s 19th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems ranked California's highways the third-worst of any state, with Alaska second, and Rhode Island first.<ref>{{Cite web |title=19th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984–2008) |url=http://reason.org/files/19th_annual_highway_report.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://reason.org/files/19th_annual_highway_report.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |website=Reason.org}}</ref>

[[File:San Francisco Bay Ferry Hydrus May 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|[[San Francisco Bay Ferry]] is a public [[water taxi]] system in the [[Bay Area]].]]

The state has been a pioneer in road construction. One of the state's more visible landmarks, the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], was the [[List of longest suspension bridge spans|longest suspension bridge main span]] in the world at {{convert|4200|ft|m}} between 1937 (when it opened) and 1964. With its orange paint and panoramic views of the bay, this highway bridge is a popular tourist attraction and also accommodates pedestrians and bicyclists. The [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge]] (often abbreviated the "Bay Bridge"), completed in 1936, transports about 280,000 vehicles per day on two-decks. Its two sections meet at [[Yerba Buena Island]] through the world's largest diameter transportation bore tunnel, at {{convert|76|ft}} wide by {{convert|58|ft}} high.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The San Francisco—Oakland Bay Bridge Facts at a glance |url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/tollbridge/SFOBB/Sfobbfacts.html |access-date=April 5, 2012 |publisher=[[California Department of Transportation]]}}</ref> The [[Arroyo Seco Parkway]], connecting Los Angeles and [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], opened in 1940 as the first freeway in the Western United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pool |first=Bob |date=June 25, 2010 |title=Pasadena Freeway getting a new look and a new name |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/25/local/la-me-parkway-20100625 |access-date=April 5, 2012}}</ref> It was later extended south to the [[Four Level Interchange]] in downtown Los Angeles, regarded as the first [[stack interchange]] ever built.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2011 |title=L.A.'s Famous Four-Level Freeway Interchange, 'The Stack', Turns 58 |url=http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/la-as-subject/navigating-the-stack-the-four-level-turns-58.html |access-date=April 5, 2012 |publisher=[[KCET]]}}</ref>

The [[California Highway Patrol]] is the largest statewide police agency in the United States in employment with more than 10,000 employees. They are responsible for providing any police-sanctioned service to anyone on California's state-maintained highways and on state property.

By the end of 2021, 30,610,058 people in California held a [[California Department of Motor Vehicles]]-issued [[driver's license]]s or [[Identity documents in the United States|state identification card]], and there were 36,229,205 [[Vehicle registration|registered vehicles]], including 25,643,076 automobiles, 853,368 motorcycles, 8,981,787 trucks and trailers, and 121,716 miscellaneous vehicles (including historical vehicles and farm equipment).<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=State of California—Department of Motor Vehicles|title=Statistics for Publication, January through December 2021|url=https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/department-of-motor-vehicles-statistics-pdf/}}</ref>

====Air travel====
[[File:TheThemeBuildingLosAngeles (cropped2).jpg|thumb|left|[[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles Intl. Airport]] (LAX) is the [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|4th busiest airport in the world]].]]
[[Los Angeles International Airport]] (LAX), [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|the 4th busiest airport in the world in 2018]], and [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO), [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|the 25th busiest airport in the world in 2018]], are major hubs for trans-Pacific and transcontinental traffic. There are about a dozen important commercial airports and many more [[general aviation]] [[List of airports in California|airports]] throughout the state.

====Railroads====
[[File:Pacific Surfliner @ San Clemente CA..jpg|thumb|right|[[Amtrak California]]'s ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'' in [[San Clemente, California|San Clemente]], on the [[Orange Coast]]]]
[[Inter-city rail]] travel is provided by [[Amtrak California]]; the three routes, the ''[[Capitol Corridor]]'', ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'', and ''[[San Joaquin (train)|San Joaquin]]'', are funded by Caltrans. These services are the busiest intercity rail lines in the United States outside the [[Northeast Corridor]] and ridership is continuing to set records. The routes are becoming increasingly popular over flying, especially on the LAX-SFO route.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=January 8, 2011 |title=Calif. Amtrak ridership rising on state trains |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/05/BAMU1GU16Q.DTL}}</ref> Integrated [[Rapid transit|subway]] and [[light rail]] networks are found in Los Angeles ([[Los Angeles Metro Rail]]) and San Francisco ([[Muni Metro]]). Light rail systems are also found in San Jose ([[VTA light rail]]), San Diego ([[San Diego Trolley]]), Sacramento ([[Sacramento RT Light Rail]]), and Northern San Diego County ([[Sprinter (rail service)|Sprinter]]). Furthermore, [[commuter rail]] networks serve the San Francisco Bay Area ([[Altamont Corridor Express]], [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]], [[Caltrain]], [[Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit]]), Greater Los Angeles ([[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]]), and San Diego County ([[Coaster (rail service)|Coaster]]).

The [[California High-Speed Rail Authority]] was authorized in 1996 by the state legislature to plan a [[California High-Speed Rail]] system to put before the voters. The plan they devised, [[2008 California Proposition 1A]], connecting all the major population centers in the state, was approved by the voters at the November 2008 general election.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=August 17, 2010 |title=Plan for high-speed rail system released |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/08/BAV6140IK5.DTL}}</ref> The first phase of construction was begun in 2015, and the first segment {{convert|171|mi}} long, is planned to be put into operation by the end of 2030. Planning and work on the rest of the system is continuing, with funding for completing it is an ongoing issue.<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Project Update Report |url=https://hsr.ca.gov/about/project-update-reports/2023-project-update-report/ |publisher=California High-Speed Rail Authority |access-date=September 6, 2023}}</ref> California's 2023 integrated passenger rail master plan includes a high speed rail system.<ref>[https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/rail-mass-transportation/documents/california-state-rail-plan/20230309-casrp-public-dor-guidance.pdf"California State Rail Modernization Plan 2023 Draft"]''Caltrans'' March 2023</ref>

====Busses====
Nearly all counties operate [[bus]] lines, and many cities operate their own city bus lines as well. Intercity bus travel is provided by [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], and [[Amtrak Thruway]].

===Water===
{{Main|Water in California}}
[[File:Aerial view of Shasta Dam and Shasta Lake (2019).jpg|thumb|left|[[Lake Shasta]], in the [[Shasta Cascade]] region, is California's largest reservoir.]]
California's interconnected water system is the world's largest, managing over {{convert|40000000|acre.ft|km3|lk=in}} of water per year, centered on six main systems of aqueducts and infrastructure projects.<ref>Hundley, N. (2001). The great thirst: Californians and water. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press.</ref> Water use and conservation in California is a politically divisive issue, as the state experiences periodic droughts and has to balance the demands of its large agricultural and urban sectors, especially in the arid southern portion of the state. The state's widespread redistribution of water also invites the frequent scorn of environmentalists.

The [[California Water Wars]], a conflict between Los Angeles and the Owens Valley over water rights, is one of the most well-known examples of the struggle to secure adequate water supplies.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reisner, Marc |title=Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water |date=1993 |publisher=Penguin}}</ref> Former California Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] said: "We've been in crisis for quite some time because we're now 38{{spaces}}million people and not anymore 18{{spaces}}million people like we were in the late 60s. So it developed into a battle between environmentalists and farmers and between the south and the north and between rural and urban. And everyone has been fighting for the last four decades about water."<ref>"[http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-6014897.html Why California Is Running Dry]". CBS News. December 27, 2009.</ref>