The federal government’s decision to close California’s oldest and largest oyster farm over environmental concerns has the business community fuming. 

“This is going to be devastating to our families, our community and our county,” Lunny, who employs 30 people at the farm, told the Associated Press. “This is wrong beyond words, in our opinion.”

Other local oyster companies agree. Martin Seiler, retail manager at Tamales Bay Oyster Co., just outside the Point Reyes National Seashore, told The Daily that shutting down the largest farming operation in the state makes no sense. 

“One unintended consequence of this is that the price of oysters in California is going to go up,” Seiler said. “We want them in business. They’re the largest oyster operation in California and they supply us. There’s already a shortage here. Now we’ll have to import a lot more from Washington state.”

How awesome are California skylines? (Taken with Instagram)

Earlier this year, geologists discovered that a series of unusual earthquakes in Ohio was caused by wastewater disposal linked to fracking. And that makes some Los Angeles residents very nervous, since fracking is used a mere 10 miles from the city’s downtown and it sits atop one of the most active fault lines in the country.

Ground zero over the debate here is the Inglewood Oil Field, a dusty, 1,000-acre spread in the middle of Los Angeles, where oil companies are testing controversial new fracking techniques atop the Newport-Inglewood fault, capable of producing a magnitude-7.4 earthquake. And that sends worry through surrounding Los Angeles neighborhoods.

“The thought of them injecting water near fault lines near my house horrifies me,” Maren Neufeld, a resident of nearby Culver City, told The Daily. “This is Los Angeles. Why would they ever think that would be a good idea?”

Driving up California’s coast on its fabled Highway 1 is like traveling backward in time. So we planned you the perfect weekend road trip. Bring an extra memory stick — the breathtaking views just keep coming. 

Interesting news out of California: The LAPD is planning separate holding cells to protect cross-dressers and transsexuals.

Starting early next month, a Los Angeles women’s jail facility downtown will be outfitted with a 24-bed holding space exclusively for biologically male and female suspects who identify themselves as members of the opposite sex. It will be the first such segregated unit in the United States.

Advocates say transgender people, particularly men who dress and identify themselves as women, are at greater risk of being beaten or sexually assaulted when they are housed with the general population in lockups.

Congrats, California! You win the dubious honor of having the highest gas prices in the lower 48 states.

The city with the priciest gallon of gas yesterday was Santa Barbara, Calif., where the average price was $4.37, according to GasBuddy.com. The city with the cheapest fuel was Fort Collins, Colo., where the average gallon of regular was about $3.09.

Turns out if America were a high school, Hawaii would be prom queen and California wouldn’t even be able to find a date to the dance.

California dreamin’ has hit a 100-year low. According to the U.S. Census, only 20% of state residents moved in from another state last year. And for the first time since the early 1900s, more than half of California’s population was actually born in the Golden State.