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PG&E admits more equipment failures near two Contra Costa fires -- Pacific Gas & Electric has told state regulators its equipment malfunctioned near two fires that broke out in Contra Costa County on Sunday afternoon amid strong, steady winds. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ Amy Graff and Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

Daylight reveals flattened homes as Kincade Fire surges toward 2017 disaster areas -- More than four days after it ignited, the wind-driven Kincade Fire surged through Sonoma County early Monday morning, burning new homes and other structures as it moved south through rugged terrain toward neighborhoods on the north edge of Santa Rosa that were ravaged by the deadly Tubbs Fire of 2017. Jill Tucker, Sarah Ravani, Erin Allday and Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Melody Gutierrez, Julia Wick, Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/19

Extreme winds that stoked fires across the region die down — for now -- The fierce, dry winds that spread the Kincade Fire and prompted preemptive power shutoffs across Northern California have eased and are expected to disappear late Monday morning, but gusts are expected to return Tuesday and continue into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

PG&E begins restoring power for all areas affected by weekend shutoff -- Pacific Gas and Electric issued an “all clear” for all customers affected by a current power shutoff around 9 a.m. Monday morning, meaning nearly 6,000 workers for the utility can begin inspecting equipment and restoring power to the nearly 960,000 customers affected by the outage. Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/19

Getty fire off 405 Freeway in L.A. destroys several homes; thousands flee -- A wind-driven brush fire was threatening thousands of homes in Brentwood and other hillside communities on the west side of Los Angeles, burning homes and prompting widespread evacuations on Monday. Hannah Fry, Brittny Mejia, Matthew Ormseth, Louis Sahagun, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

As crews gain upper hand in Tick fire near Santa Clarita, coming winds create fresh worry -- Firefighters continue to make progress against the Tick fire in Santa Clarita, boosting containment to 78% by Monday morning. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Fire licks the edges of Getty Center, but the art is safe, the museum says -- As water-dropping helicopters buzzed above the center Monday, Lisa Lapin, the museum’s vice president of communications, said she was on site with Getty President James Cuno, Chief Operating Officer Steven A. Olsen and security and facilities personnel. They had not been asked to evacuate, Lapin said, and they didn’t expect that to happen. Jessica Gelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Kincade fire stokes anxiety and a frightening sense of déjà vu among weary residents -- As the Kincade fire continued to rage on Sunday, destroying at least 94 structures and forcing the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people, residents wrestled with anxiety, uncertainty and a frightening sense of déjà vu of wildfires past. Many fled in the pitch darkness of night amid howling winds after Pacific Gas & Electric Co. blackouts left more than 2 million people across the region without power. Shelters were filled to capacity with fire refugees who worried about when they would be allowed back to their homes, jobs or schools. Melody Gutierrez, Anita Chabria, Laura Newberry, Rong-Gong Lin II and Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Skelton: Let’s face it: Preventing and fighting wildfires means utility customers will have to pay more -- One silver lining has emerged from California’s horrific wildfires: The state and utilities are finally focused on preventing and fighting these infernos. It’s long overdue, of course. It took an outraged public to light a fire under the politicians. And they pounded the utilities. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Getty fire rains smoke and ash on Los Angeles Basin, creating hazardous air -- Areas around the Sepulveda Pass, Brentwood and Mandeville Canyon as well as points west were breathing smoke as ash rained down from the fire, which had burned several homes by 8 a.m. and had caused evacuations of more than 3,000 homes. Ruben Vives, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Getty fire: Housekeepers, gardener go to work despite the flames -- When she left her house about 6 a.m., Carmen Solano didn’t know a brush fire had erupted near the neighborhood where she worked. So she left for her job, with coffee and pan in hand. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Getty fire: Westside residents grab their ‘apocalypse bag’ and race to outrun flames -- Rhonda Taylor got back to her Palisades home around 1 a.m. Monday and was getting ready for bed when she saw images of a fire on the TV. Taylor assumed it was burning somewhere in the Valley, and even if it was closer, she reasoned, the blaze that broke out in the Palisades last week hadn’t prompted an evacuation of her neighborhood. She fell asleep. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Getty fire: Students make harrowing escape from Mount St. Mary’s University as flames approach -- Then, around 2:30 a.m., resident assistants banged on the door of Rodriguez’s dorm. Everyone needed to gather their things and evacuate, they said. Rodriguez grabbed her laptop, phone, camera and chargers, stuffed her backpack with snacks and water, and left her dorm in pajamas. The sky was blood red: “Really, really red and orange — pretty but a little freaky, too,” she recalled. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Northern California fire and power crisis could last for days as powerful winds persist -- The utility said it could take until Wednesday to inspect the affected lines — by foot, helicopter and drone — and restore power to its customers. At the same time, it warned that a new round of Diablo winds on Tuesday could prolong the blackouts and prompt new ones. Anita Chabria, Melody Gutierrez, Maura Dolan, Joe Mozingo in the Los Angeles Times$ Martha Ross, Maggie Angst, Ali Tadayon and Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/28/19

Grizzly Island fire scorches 2,300 acres, sends smoke across Bay -- The Suisun Fire Protection District has managed to control the fire’s perimeters, Ryan said, but officials expect it to burn for a “number of days.” No structures are threatened, and there have been no reports of injuries. But the fire is considered the root cause of the plumes blanketing the East Bay and upping unhealthy air levels. Fiona Kelliher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/28/19

Intentional blackouts of this magnitude are unprecedented in California history -- Never before in California history have more than 2 million people gone five days without electrical power because of the intentional safety policy of a utility. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Like a Category 2 hurricane: Fire-fueling wind gusts top 100 mph in California -- The National Weather Service and PG&E reported multiple instances of wind gusts exceeding 100 mph over the weekend in Northern California, including in the immediate area of the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/19

 

George Gascon to challenge Jackie Lacey for L.A. County top prosecutor, in pivotal D.A. race -- Former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon said Monday that he will challenge Jackie Lacey to become Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor next year in a race that many see as the most important test yet between alternative approaches to crime and punishment and more traditional law enforcement tactics. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

California just pushed back school start times — you weren’t dreaming. Now what? -- California school bells will soon ring later, the better to let adolescents get desperately needed shuteye. How will that work? Adults are still working it out. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 10/28/19

LAX bans Uber, Lyft and taxi pickups at the curb. See how the new system works -- The days of stepping into an Uber, Lyft or taxi curbside at Los Angeles International Airport are over. Starting Tuesday at 3 a.m., travelers leaving LAX will be required to board a shuttle or walk to a waiting area east of Terminal 1 to hire a car. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Jerry Brown to testify to Congress, rebutting Trump’s criticism of California -- Former Gov. Jerry Brown will testify before Congress on Tuesday about the damage the Trump administration’s plans to roll back auto emission standards could do to California, setting up another confrontation between the state’s political leadership and the president. Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Fox: Fire and Blackouts: How Does Government Respond? -- With the devastating fires and difficult widespread blackouts plaguing California the state’s investor owned utilities are in a world of trouble. No solution will be easy to the projected decade of darkness offered by the head of Pacific Gas & Electric before the problem is fixed. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/28/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Kincade Fire’s wrath: Wineries, homes burn as flames race for Healdsburg, Windsor -- After four days of destruction, the Kincade Fire went from bad to worse, Sunday: A growing legion of firefighters lost ground on containment, homes and wineries burned to the ground, and a growing number of Sonoma County residents fled, only to flee again when the fire followed. Kurtis Alexander, Peter Fimrite, Megan Cassidy and Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Colleen Shalby, Melody Gutierrez, Rong-Gong Lin II, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Julia Prodis Sulek, Joseph Geha, Casey Tolan, Maggie Angst and Thomas Peele in the San Jose Mercury$ Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, Sam Stanton, and Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/19

PG&E outages: Historic blackout under way, 1.3 million in Bay Area without power -- Millions of Californians had no power Sunday as Pacific Gas and Electric Co. implemented its largest-ever blackout to prevent wildfires during a fierce windstorm. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

Kincade Fire rips through Alexander Valley wineries — Soda Rock destroyed -- The surging Kincade Fire pushed through the natural firebreaks provided by vineyards Sunday morning, destroying one winery and damaging others in Sonoma County’s famed Alexander Valley wine-growing region. Alexei Koseff, Megan Cassidy, Esther Mobley and Paolo Lucchesi in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

‘Insane’ is how firefighters describe their night battling the Kincade Fire -- Firefighter Bryan Farrell knew not to call his wife when he and more than a dozen firefighters on five engines were trapped halfway down Pine Flats Road Sunday morning. The CalFire operations chief from Truckee and father of two school-age daughters learned early in his career not to worry her. Julia Prodis Sulek and Joseph Geha in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/28/19

School closures: Fire, smoke, power outages close Sonoma County districts, UC Berkeley and nearly all Marin sites -- All schools in Sonoma County will be shuttered Monday and Tuesday as the North Bay grapples with power outages and the raging Kincade Fire that continued to grow Sunday night. The item is in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

Gov. Newsom in crisis mode as California endures wildfires, power outages and winds -- Gov. Gavin Newsom sunk into a chair in the lobby of Novato Community Hospital, where he had just met with patients who were evacuated from nearby hospitals because of the Kincade fire. Newsom said he was impressed with the coordination among local, state and federal governments to ensure vulnerable residents in the path of the fire were taken care of. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

‘I Own This’: Gov. Newsom On California’s Wildfire Emergency, PG&E Power Shutoffs And More -- Newsom said in a statement that officials are deploying "every resource available" to respond to the wildfires, including a large blaze in Northern California's wine country driven by powerful winds. Randol White Capital Public Radio -- 10/28/19

California’s Governor Wants Berkshire to Bid for Bankrupt PG&E -- California Governor Gavin Newsom wants Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway to make a takeover bid for bankrupt utility giant PG&E Corp. If Berkshire is interested in buying the San Francisco-based power and natural gas company, now is the time to make an offer, Newsom said Saturday. Mark Chediak and Michael B Marois Bloomberg -- 10/28/19

Andrew Yang rips PG&E as ‘emblem of what’s gone wrong’ -- “But PG&E is an emblem,” Yang said. “We know exactly what their incentives are: Their incentives are to cut corners and try and make as much money as possible for their shareholders.” The crowd booed. “You cut corners long enough, and then we all pay the price,” Yang said. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

Twin fires cause evacuations in Vallejo, Crockett, closing part of I-80 -- Twin fires — one in Vallejo and the other just across the Carquinez Strait in Crockett — erupted Sunday morning, causing evacuations in the two counties and shutting down Interstate 80 and the Carquinez Bridge. Chris Preovolos, Matthias Gafni, Michael Lerseth and Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Rong-Gong Lin II, Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

With Massive Blackout Still in Place, PG&E Considers Yet Another Preemptive Outage -- With a sweeping power outage still in place across 38 California counties, PG&E said Sunday that it's preparing for yet another preemptive blackout because of a forecast of extremely windy weather beginning Tuesday. Dan Brekke KQED J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Martha Ross, Maggie Angst, Ali Tadayon and Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/28/19

Extreme fire risk in L.A. area this week as powerful Santa Ana winds return -- Los Angeles and Ventura counties are expected to see winds of 40 to 50 mph, with gusts reaching 60 mph. Gusts could reach 70 mph later in the week, the National Weather Service said. Angel Jennings, Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Tick fire crews prepare for new round of Santa Ana winds; 60 homes destroyed or damaged -- More than 500 firefighters worked Sunday clearing lines of vegetation around the Tick Fire in Canyon Country and Santa Clarita as assessment teams increased to 60 the number of homes damaged or destroyed in the blaze. The fire was 70 percent contained Sunday evening, up from 65 percent in the morning. Eric Licas, Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/28/19

• California Fire Tracker -- This interactive map developed in The San Francisco Chronicle newsroom provides information on wildfires burning across California via the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/19

How did the California Dream become hot, dry dystopia? -- Ferocious wildfires. Triple-digit wind gusts. A hundred-thousand residents forced from their homes. Two million without power. Just another October Sunday in Northern California? Faced with a warming climate and an aging infrastructure, Californians are conceding that this may be the “new normal.” Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/28/19 -- 10/28/19

 

California Rep. Katie Hill resigns amid ethics probe -- Freshman Rep. Katie Hill, a rising Democratic star in the House, announced her resignation Sunday amid an ethics probe, saying explicit private photos of her with a campaign staffer had been “weaponized” by her husband and political operatives. Laurie Kellman Associated Press Sarah D. Wire, Christine Mai-Duc, Jennifer Haberkorn in the Los Angeles Times$ Michelle Ye Hee Lee in the Washington Post$ -- 10/28/19

George Gascon likely to enter L.A. County district attorney’s race on Monday -- Former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon is widely expected to announce his bid to become Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor Monday morning during a news briefing slated to take place outside one of the county’s largest jail facilities. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

Walters: Slanting ballot measure titles -- Article II Section 10(d) of California’s constitution is brief, to wit: “Prior to circulation of an initiative or referendum petition for signatures, a copy shall be submitted to the attorney general who shall prepare a title and summary of the measure as provided by law.” That sounds like a routine ministerial chore and for decades, under attorneys general of both parties, it was just that. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/28/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Second chance for major ruling on pension cuts -- A case that could result in the state Supreme Court reviewing the California Rule, which has overturned several voter-approved public pension cuts, is fully briefed and ready to be scheduled for oral arguments. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 10/28/19

Schnur: International trade is important to California. But it needs to be done right -- Across the United States, anxious voters look for ways to withdraw from the rest of the world. But as isolationist sentiments grow elsewhere, California’s political and policy leaders recognize the economic benefits of increased international trade. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/19

Education 

California Teachers Association posts membership decline of about 15,000 -- But the decline appears to be largely the result of the “disaffiliation” this past spring of the California Faculty Association from the CTA. The association represents faculty and other staff at the California State University system and had been affiliated with the CTA for decades and thus were automatically CTA members. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 10/28/19

The value of social and emotional learning; Q&A with Tim Shriver -- Shriver is the chairman of the Special Olympics, which his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, started a half-century ago. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 10/28/19

Environment 

When your house is surrounded by massive warehouses -- The noise, the air pollution and the trucks are a daily reality for the dozens of working-class, mostly Latino residents of Rose Avenue in south Fontana. They have been surrounded by warehouses in the last five years as the Inland Empire has been transformed into a national logistics hub, with local officials jockeying to roll out the red carpet for the industry. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/19

POTUS 45  

‘Lock him up’ chant greets Trump at World Series -- The stadium greeted him with boos and chants of “Lock him up!” — a nod to the motto his supporters used against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Rishika Dugyala Politico Maura Judkis and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 10/28/19

In impeachment inquiry, Republican lawmakers ask questions about whistleblower, loyalty to Trump and conspiracy theories -- Republican lawmakers have used the congressional impeachment inquiry to gather information on a CIA employee who filed a whistleblower complaint, press witnesses on their loyalty to President Trump and advance conspiratorial claims that Ukraine was involved in the 2016 election, according to current and former officials involved in the proceedings. Greg Miller and Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 10/28/19

Beltway 

Pelosi says Trump notified Russians of Baghdadi raid before telling congressional leaders -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday called on the White House to brief lawmakers on the raid that targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, noting that President Trump had informed Russia of the military operation before telling congressional leadership. Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/28/19

 

-- Sunday Updates 

Kincade Fire’s wrath: Wineries, homes burn as flames race for Healdsburg, Windsor -- The ferocious winds that turned the massive Kincade Fire into a blast furnace overnight eased slightly Sunday morning, prompting thousands of firefighters to attack the fast-spreading flames that ßare threatening to roar through Sonoma County’s tourist towns toward the Pacific Ocean. Kurtis Alexander, Alexei Koseff and Demian Bulwa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/27/19

Northern California’s Kincade fire has wine country under siege; much of Santa Rosa evacuated -- Fueled by winds that topped 80 mph, the Kincade fire exploded overnight in Sonoma County, burning winery properties and pushing closer to Healdsburg as about 1 million homes and businesses across the region were thrown into darkness because of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. blackouts. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Sunday as high winds fueled fires across California. Anita Chabria, Taryn Luna, Maura Dolan, Teresa Watanabe, Luis Sinco in the Los Angeles Times$ Hannah Wiley and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/27/19

93 mph gusts and other eye-popping wind speeds fuel fire, power outages across Northern California -- Peak gusts overnight reached 87 mph at Mt. Saint Helena, 61 mph at Mount Diablo, 53 mph in Petaluma and 52 mph in the Santa Cruz mountains, according to the National Weather Service Bay Area. But the strongest winds recorded came at about 6 a.m. Sunday, when the weather service recorded a peak gust of 93 mph in the hills north of Healdsburg — one of the handful of towns now threatened by the Kincade fire. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/27/19

Firefighters try to keep Kincade fire from reaching Healdsburg and Windsor; 190,000 evacuated in Sonoma County -- The Kincade fire pushed to the edges of densely populated Healdsburg and Windsor Sunday morning, as an army of more than 3,000 firefighters battled to keep the blaze from torching those densely populated towns. Fearing the worst of the inferno is yet to come, officials have ordered a far-reaching evacuation, forcing more than a third of Sonoma County residents to leave their homes. Randi Rossmann in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 10/27/19

Evacuations underway as Vallejo fire erupts, jumps into Contra Costa County, homes and CSU Maritime threatened -- A fast-moving fire in Vallejo jumped the Carquinez Strait and was burning in both Solano and Contra Costa counties on Sunday morning, shutting down Interstate 80 near the Carquinez Bridge, forcing the evacuation of much of Crockett and threatening the CSU Maritime campus and area homes. Chris Preovolos, Matthias Gafni, Michael Lerseth and Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/27/19

Historic Soda Rock winery destroyed as Kincade fire has wine country under siege -- The Kincade fire had Sonoma County wine country under seige Sunday, burning buildings in the famed Alexander Valley and destroying the Soda Rock winery. Anita Chabria, Dakota Smith, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/19

More PG&E blackouts this week? It’s possible -- The blackouts may not be over for the week once the fast winds pummeling the Bay Area and other parts of California on Sunday subside. More offshore winds are expected to arrive on Tuesday, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. says they could also warrant power shut-offs so the utility’s electrical equipment does not start a fire. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/27/19

Evacuating disabled people from Kincade fire with power out, winds howling -- Heather Deghi oversees a care facility for disabled people in Windsor. When the Kincade fire broke out, she anticipated possible evacuations, similar to what she went through during the Tubbs fire just two years ago. When she got the word to leave, one of her first priorities was to keep those in her care calm. Her clients live with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among other mental illnesses. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/19

Santa Rosa under siege again: It feels like being on the Titanic twice, one resident says -- In darkness Sunday morning, Karen Kristensen was packing two cars for her 88-year-old mother, Beverly, and herself. Their Coffey Park neighborhood was ordered evacuated as the Kincade fire grew, and once again they were forced to outrun the flames. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/19

Fire weather forecast: High winds expected to last into Monday -- The high winds that pushed the destructive Kincade Fire in Sonoma County early Sunday have ebbed, but only slightly, the National Weather Service said. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/27/19

Fire evacuees say goodbye to homes. For some, it’s not the first time -- Ed and Claire Burdett started getting ready to leave their Healdsburg home as soon as the Kincade Fire broke out. They pulled out their go-bag list — 30 items that they would pack in the event of an evacuation. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/27/19