2 Things to Keep in Mind as Earth Day Approaches

Earth Day is Wednesday, and besides spending part of that day in Irvine with Magic Johnson, here are some things to keep in mind as that day nears:

*The California League of Conservation Voters warns that the state's Republican leadership is trying to exploit the budget crisis to roll back key environmental laws. This may be fool-hardy as the league points to a new statewide survey that shows two-thirds of voters believe solving the state's money problems should not come at the expense of environmental laws. Nearly half of the voters believe those laws are tough enough but should be enforced.

*The Community Action Partnership of Orange County, in collaboration with the Obama OC Organization and state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), gets a jump on Earth Day with an event aimed at educating families to conserve energy and thereby lower their utility costs. The event--which along with other local efforts to get low-income families to conserve is partially funded by federal stimulus dollars--runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 1098 N. Euclid St., Anaheim. Call host Giovanii Jorquera at (714) 558-4400 for more information.