While the struggle against nuclear energy and weapons has been a long one, it has been reinvigorated since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March of last year. The quake that set off the chain reaction ultimately resulted in a nuclear meltdown and the release of radiation into both the air and the Pacific Ocean. Traces of that radiation have been discovered in fish that have reached the west coast of the United States and in the atmosphere over the western hemisphere.
In addition to the nuclear weapons laboratories operated by the University of California, two stations generate nuclear waste in California; one at Diablo Canyon, the other at San Onofre. More than six months ago, a rupture in one of the generators prompted San Onofre's closure. Officials at first denied that any radiation had been released, but were soon forced to retract their claim, although they continue to minimize the damage the toxic radiation is causing. Southern California activists have pressured municipal officials and the public utilities commission to keep the waste-generating station closed and have been successful despite intense pressure from Southern California Edison, which profits from the station.
On August 20, the plant announced the layoffs of 730 workers, which is viewed as another step towards the plant's final closure and has awakened the possibility of a nuclear-free world.
From the newswire: San Onofre Layoffs: Latest Sign of Nuke Plant's Demise by Michael Steinberg
San Onofre Nuclear Waste Generating Station Lays Off Workers, Reopening Questioned