California Policy and Politics Wednesday

‘Not out of the woods yet’: Extreme red flag warnings are back in effect for L.A. area -- The most extreme level of a red flag fire warning, a “particularly dangerous situation,” returned to parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday morning. The time period of highest risk will take place from just before sunrise through midday. Rong-Gong Lin II, Hannah Fry, Nathan Solis, Grace Toohey and Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

L.A. fire officials could have put engines in the Palisades before the fire broke out. They didn’t -- As the Los Angeles Fire Department faced extraordinary warnings of life-threatening winds, top commanders decided not to assign for emergency deployment roughly 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of water-carrying engines in advance of the fire that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades and continues to burn, interviews and internal LAFD records show. Paul Pringle, Alene Tchekmedyian and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Edison under scrutiny for Eaton fire. Who pays liability will be ‘new frontier’ for California -- The L.A.-area fires may pose the first big test of California’s wildfire fund, which was set up in 2019 to protect utilities from bankruptcy. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

L.A.-based Farmers tops survey of big California home insurers that decline the most claims -- Three of California’s largest home insurance companies declined nearly half of their claims in 2023, well above the national average, according to a ratings agency report reviewed by The Times. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

The Armed Homeowners Defying the Rules of L.A.’s Burn Zones -- In the still-smoldering neighborhoods of Altadena, where fires destroyed more than 2,700 structures, about 80 people have defied orders to evacuate, staying behind to protect what is left of their properties from looters and more fires after losing faith in authorities. Sean McLain, Dan Frosch and Joe Flint in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/15/25

L.A. County fire death toll rises to 25 -- The latest death was recorded in Altadena. Of the confirmed deaths, 16 were related to the Eaton fire and nine to the Palisades fire, according to an update from the L.A. County medical examiner. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

L.A. fires have added another concern for potential EV buyers: power outages -- You’ve plugged your electric vehicle into your home charger and hit the sack. Overnight, high winds topple a power line. Your charger blacks out. Then, a report of a fire, followed by an evacuation order. Your battery’s only charged to 25%. And it’s your only car. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

‘Literally off the charts’: LA’s critically dry conditions stun scientists as fires rage -- Key moisture measurements are only 2% to 5% of average, leaving dusty soils. And the recent swing from wet to dry is among the most extreme on record. This combination of climatic conditions crossed into a danger zone, priming much of Southern California for wind-whipped fires. Alastair Bland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Inside the dramatic air attack that saved Brentwood and Encino from the surging Palisades fire -- On Friday afternoon, the winds across the Santa Monica Mountains suddenly shifted, and the Palisades fire pushed north and east, making a run in two different directions: toward Encino and Brentwood. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

The Extraordinary Defense of the Getty Museum Against the L.A. Fires -- Under siege by Los Angeles wildfires, the J. Paul Getty Museum is emerging as a near-miraculous beacon of disaster preparedness. Behind the scenes, it’s taking a small army to defend. Kelly Crow in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/15/25

Barabak: He lost everything in a wildfire. Here’s one city councilman’s practical advice -- City Councilman Jeff Okrepkie, who survived the Tubbs fire that destroyed his Santa Rosa neighborhood, wants to help others. He offers tips, starting with what to grab if you’re forced to evacuate, and how to proceed if you choose to rebuild a lost home. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Could San Francisco be devastated by wildfire? These neighborhoods are at highest risk -- The only part of the city designated by Cal Fire as “high risk” is a portion of the city’s Crocker Amazon neighborhood, according to the city’s latest fire hazard map, which was released in 2008. Maggie Angst, Tara Duggan, Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

Karen Bass

‘There’s just a pile-on’: How Karen Bass lost control of the wildfire narrative -- The Los Angeles mayor, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom, has become the main target of outrage about the Los Angeles wildfires. Melanie Mason Politico -- 1/15/25

Mayor Karen Bass was at embassy cocktail party in Ghana as Palisades fire exploded -- Bass has faced widespread outrage over her whereabouts after returning to Los Angeles from Ghana on Wednesday, 24 hours after fires ignited. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Aftermath

L.A. City Council passes dozens of measures to aid recovery from catastrophic fires -- In a rapid-fire series of votes, the council adopted measures to speed the arrival of federal emergency funds, assess the potential for post-fire mudslides and establish new safeguards against price gouging and evictions, particularly for pet owners and those who evacuated. One of the measures seeks to commission an independent “after-action” report on the city’s and county’s emergency responses to the fires. Tony Barboza and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Some L.A. residents displaced by fires allege rent gouging: ‘Utter anger and disgust’ -- With thousands of structures destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires, many displaced residents are looking for short-term rental homes while they figure out how to rebuild their lives. What they’re finding, some tenant advocates say, are unfairly high prices. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

L.A. County to create fund for wildfire victims -- As fire victims flood GoFundMe for help with rebuilding, the L.A. County government will create its own fund for residents who lost their livelihoods or whose homes or businesses were reduced to rubble by devastating wildfires. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

L.A. City Council seeks transparency on empty reservoir, dry fire hydrants -- The Los Angeles City Council member representing the Westside, including much of the area decimated by the Palisades fire, called on the city’s water utility Tuesday to explain why firefighters ran out of water early in last week’s epic firefight and why a key reservoir was offline. Matt Hamilton, Ian James and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Shattered in the Fire: A Historic Black Haven -- For Black residents, Altadena represented something more than suburban living. It was a foothold in generational prosperity. Corina Knoll in the New York Times$ -- 1/15/25

The L.A. fires skipped over this historic avenue. Neighbors credit ‘trees of God’ -- A towering river of green flows through Altadena and marks where the Eaton firestorm inexplicably blew by and left rows of homes untouched. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

As L.A. considers rebuilding, here’s what people say they’re willing to change -- For those who plan to rebuild, a natural question has emerged: What can be done differently to prevent the sort of destruction that has killed at least 24 people, leveled thousands of structures and inflicted untold billions in damage? Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 1/15/25

Walters: Disaster-prone California should adopt a preventive approach, rather than a reactive one -- As horrific as they may be, the wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles neighborhoods, destroying homes and businesses and killing dozens of people, are certainly not unprecedented. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 1/15/25

Economic Toll of Los Angeles Fires Goes Far Beyond Destroyed Homes -- The ongoing disaster will affect residents’ health, local industries, public budgets and the cost of housing for years to come. Lydia DePillis in the New York Times$ -- 1/15/25

Can fire-torn L.A. handle the World Cup, Super Bowl and Summer Olympics? -- Supporters say the World Cup, Super Bowl and Olympics will boost morale and the economy. Critics worry that time and resources spent on sports over next three years will detract from rebuilding. David Wharton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Workplace

Livelihoods taken in an instant when Altadena residents lost both businesses and homes -- Carrie Meyers’ home burned to the ground last week when the Eaton fire erupted. So did the North Lake Avenue pet shop she bought from her uncle more than 20 years ago. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

These gardeners, housekeepers, nannies kept Pacific Palisades going. Fire took their jobs -- Carol Mayorga and Manfredo Salazar spent more time in Pacific Palisades than they did their own South Los Angeles neighborhood. It was their bank account. It paid their mortgage. Brittny Mejia and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Kim Kardashian wants inmate firefighter raises. A California lawmaker agrees -- Prisoners battling the Los Angeles-area wildfires earn as little as $30 for a 24-hour shift. Lindsey Holden Politico -- 1/15/25

DEI

Why Costco Isn’t Joining the Backlash Against DEI -- In a steady parade of companies retreating from their diversity efforts, Costco Wholesale is standing out by holding fast. Ahead of its annual meeting next week, the warehouse retailer has urged its shareholders to reject a proposal to assess the risks that its diversity initiatives pose to the company’s stock price. Sarah Nassauer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/15/25

Homeless

How the LA fires could exacerbate California’s homelessness crisis -- But it’s not just people whose homes burn down that feel the pain. Renters in undamaged buildings get evicted because their landlord raises rents to take advantage of refugees’ desperation — or because the landlord lost another home in the fire and needs to move into their rental unit. Marisa Kendall in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

Schools

Scores of L.A. teachers lose homes; students from 2 burned-down L.A. schools to resume class -- Students from two burned-down Los Angeles elementary schools will resume classes Wednesday in new locations in neighborhoods near fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades as employee unions estimate that at least 150 district staff, including many teachers, have lost their homes. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

LA colleges move classes online, offer services to students affected by fire -- After the LA fires prompted several colleges and universities to close or move to remote operations last week, several are resuming from winter break this week with online instruction and resources for students, employees and surrounding communities. Delilah Brumer, Camelia Heins, Khadeejah Khan and Victoria Mejicanos CalMatters -- 1/15/25

Breathe

What threats lurk in the smoke and ash of L.A.-area fires? New health warnings -- Experts say that wildfire smoke is unsafe for everyone and that all area residents should be worried about the potential health effects from this pollutant. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

Toxics

Even after L.A.’s fires burn out, toxic threats will linger -- As people in Los Angeles return to their devastated neighborhoods, now marked with burn scars and ruins, toxic hazards will persist long after the fires have been put out and the smoke has settled. Amudalat Ajasa and Ruby Mellen in the Washington Post$ -- 1/15/25

Water

$20 billion Delta tunnel plan wins endorsement from Silicon Valley’s largest water agency -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $20 billion plan to build a massive, 45-mile long tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to make it easier to move water from Northern California to Southern California won the endorsement of Silicon Valley’s largest water agency on Tuesday. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/15/25

Alcohol

‘Any alcohol use’ can cause cancer, contentious federal study finds -- A controversial federal study with the power to influence public health guidelines has concluded that alcohol consumption even at “low levels” is associated with a higher risk of death. Esther Mobley, Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

New Health Laws

How new California laws taking effect this month could affect your health and medical care -- With supermajorities in both houses, Democrats in the California Legislature passed — and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed — laws taking effect this year that will erase medical debt from credit reports, allow public health officials to inspect immigrant detention centers, and require health insurance companies to cover fertility services such as in vitro fertilization. Christine Mai-Duc KFF Health News in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

California insulin

Newsom committed California to making its own insulin. It’s at least a year behind his schedule -- Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 signed a law allowing California to manufacture its own insulin, an effort to bring down the cost of the drug. The project is years away from delivering medicine to anyone, although prices have fallen for other reasons. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 1/15/25

Street

Aryan Brotherhood on trial: Prison gang leaders ordered 5 L.A. County murders, feds say -- Prosecutors say they have traced seven homicides — two behind bars, five on the streets of Los Angeles County — to three alleged leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/25

POTUS 47

Trump has long threatened to withhold California fire aid. Now Republicans in Congress are, too -- House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans say they believe approval of wildfire aid to California to assist with devastating fires in Los Angeles County should be contingent on policy changes. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25

GOP Rep. Young Kim asks President-elect Trump to focus on wildfire aid first, politics second -- While Republicans eye conditions for future federal aid to California grappling with catastrophic wildfires, at least one GOP House member implored President-elect Donald Trump directly to focus on helping residents first and worry about the politics part later. Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register -- 1/15/25

Trump wants to use WWII authority for deportations. Japanese Americans want to stop him -- The Alien Enemies Act was last used to incarcerate people of Japanese ancestry. President-elect Donald Trump said he’d use it to deport migrants. Olivia Cruz Mayeda in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/25