Death toll from Palisades and Eaton fires climbs to 24. What we know about those killed (LIVE UPDATES)
LAT's STAFF:"The number of confirmed deaths from the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires jumped to 24 on Sunday evening.
Eight of the fire victims died in the Palisades fire and 16 in the Eaton fire in Altadena, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner."
Weather service issues its most severe fire warning for L.A. as winds pick up
LAT's STAFF: "The most serious red flag fire weather warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting before dawn Tuesday, underlining the continuing threat in a region weary after nearly a week of firestorms.
The ominous “particularly dangerous situation” warning was first issued by the local National Weather Service office in October 2020, and then in December 2020 — and then not again until 2024."
READ MORE -- L.A. fires: ‘Particularly dangerous situation’ looms ahead of Santa Ana winds -- The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS; No rainfall in sight for California. Here’s how long dry weather will last -- The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS
Could better brush clearance have helped slow the spread of the Palisades fire?
LAT's ALEX WIGGLESWORTH: "The allegations flew as fast as the flames. The Palisades fire raging through the coastal mountains of Los Angeles, rich and powerful critics said, wouldn’t have been quite so devastating had authorities done a better job of clearing hillside brush.
“We knew the winds were coming. We knew that there was brush that needed to be cleared 20 years ago,” Rick Caruso, the developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, told The Times. “This fire could have been mitigated — maybe not prevented.”"
READ MORE: What caused the Palisades fire? A beloved hiking trail may hold answers -- LAT's RICHARD WINTON, NOAH GOLDBERG; Power lines? Old embers? Arson? Investigators, experts, amateurs look for cause of L.A. fires -- LAT's KEVIN RECTOR, IAN JAMES; Was the Palisades Fire started by a rekindling of a blaze from New Year’s Day? -- The Chronicle's MATTHIAS GAFNI, JULIE JOHNSON
Garry South: Political Strategist (ORAL HISTORY)
Capitol Weekly: "Garry South has been one of California’s top political strategists for three decades. He’s handled local, state and federal campaigns, served in the White House, advised governors and presidents, and usually – but not always – emerges victorious in the end.
The Montana-born South has been involved in politics since he was a teen-ager. Unlike many political pros, the blunt-spoken South calls a spade a spade, as you’ll quickly see in this interview. He’s also a consummate opposition researcher, perhaps the best in California, and he is as quick to spot flaws in his own clients as he is in his opponents."
The Micheli Minute for January 13, 2025
CHRIS MICHELI in Capitol Weekly: "Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento."
LAT's DAVID G. SAVAGE: "The Supreme Court dealt a major setback to the oil industry on Monday, refusing to block lawsuits from California and other blue states that seek billions of dollars in damages for the impact of climate change.
Without a comment or dissent, the justices turned down closely watched appeals from Sunoco, Shell and other energy producers."
The Chronicle's JESSICA ROY: "There are two types of people when it comes to food: The ones who throw things away the second it seems like the vibes are off, and the ones who say, “Don’t throw that away! I’ll eat it!”
Many people in the former camp — without naming names, there is one in my household, and it’s not me — believe the sell-by, use-by and best-by dates on food packaging all mean the same thing, and that meaning is “this food turns into poisonous radioactive waste on this date.”"
As wildfires burn, a corruption probe left the Senate’s insurance committee chair vacant
CALMatters' RYAN SABALOW: "As fires rage through Southern California and exacerbate the state’s insurance crisis, the California Senate has no one in charge of its Insurance Committee due to questions surrounding a federal corruption investigation.
Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire said he is waiting to hear from federal prosecutors about Sen. Susan Rubio, who’s been questioned in a federal corruption probe, before making a decision about reappointing her to her previous position as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee."
Former finance director takes helm as Sacramento city manager. Who is Leyne Milstein?
Sac Bee's ISHANI DESAI: "There was one person former City Manager John Shirey sought to understand a Sacramento beset by economic downturns in 2011.
Coffers scarcely contained enough money to pay staff. Fire departments operated with skeleton crews. An unprecedented 80 police officers were laid off. Reserves were nearly nonexistent."
Trump will test immigrant protections in Sacramento — one of first sanctuary cities in US
Sac Bee's MATHEW MIRANDA: "Decades before sanctuary cities became a vigorous partisan debate, Sacramento declared itself as one of the first in America.
The City Council approved resolution 85-973 in December 1985, proclaiming the city a safe haven for refugees and prohibiting city employees from asking about individuals’ immigration status. At the time, Sacramento joined seven fellow cities in the country to pass such a resolution."
Nearly all of LAUSD will reopen on Monday. Several Eaton fire-area districts remain closed
LAT's HOWARD BLUME: "Nearly all Los Angeles Unified campuses and offices will reopen on Monday after wind-fueled fires led to a districtwide shutdown, officials announced late Sunday afternoon.
The decision was reached after consideration of school readiness, weather forecasts, current outdoor conditions and cautiously encouraging levels of fire containment, said L.A. Unified schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho."
New law bans agriculture burning in California. There’s an alternative that helps air quality
Sac Bee's ROBERT RODRIGUEZ: "As new laws take effect for Californians this year, one rule affecting farmers stands out: the near-total ban of agriculture burning.
For more than a century, farmers have torched piles of aging or diseased trees, vines and other farming debris in open fields. The black, acrid smoke could be seen for miles. Burning was easy, cheap and effective."
Exclusive: CEO of California’s third-largest home insurer discusses consequences of L.A. fires
The Chronicle's MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "The ongoing Los Angeles wildfires are the pinnacle in a series of bad blazes that have plunged the state’s insurance market into a state of deep crisis.
But the CEO and president of the third-largest home insurance company in the state believes that California, and its wildfires, are still insurable."
Francis Ford Coppola’s Napa winery sues his ‘right-hand man’ for allegedly stealing wine tanks
The Chronicle's JESS LANDER: "Francis Ford Coppola and his famed Napa Valley winery Inglenook are embroiled in a complicated feud over allegedly stolen wine tanks.
In a lawsuit filed in Napa County Superior Court last July, Inglenook accused an independent contractor of stealing and selling 26 wine tanks; embezzling money; and sending fraudulent invoices. The complaint, seeking over $2 million in damages, also names a Napa Valley winery that purchased the wine tanks as a defendant. A case management hearing is scheduled for April 9."
This list shows 2025’s most competitive housing markets. The Bay Area is near the bottom
The Chronicle's CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Zillow’s predictions for this year’s most competitive housing markets in the United States is out — and the San Francisco metropolitan area is one spot away from coming in dead last.
The real estate brokerage ranked the 50 most populous U.S. metros based on projected home value changes and the speed of home sales. The company also accounted for expected shifts in the workforce, home construction and the number of owner-occupied households."
Harvard study suggests tactic for U.S. jails to reduce inmate deaths
LAT's KARI BLAKINGER, CONNOR SHEETS: "County jails may be able to improve access to medical care and lower death rates behind bars through healthcare accreditation, according to new research by Harvard University economists — but the process still leaves inmates frustrated by low standards of care.
The Harvard study shared with The Times looked at 44 midsize jails across the country and found those that earned accreditation from the nonprofit National Commission on Correctional Health Care saw a 93% lower monthly death rate than those that didn’t. Over the course of the study, that reduction could have saved about 15 lives, the researchers said in a preliminary draft of their work, which has not yet been peer-reviewed."
Voters approved a new crime law in California. Sacramento-area prosecutors quick to use it
Sac Bee's STEPHEN HOBBS: "Sacramento-area prosecutors have wasted no time using a new law that was approved by voters in November.
It was a key component of Proposition 36 and it toughens the punishment for possessing drugs, but also offers people a chance to go through a treatment program and have their charge dropped, instead of receiving a jail or prison sentence."
Arson trial awaits man accused of starting fourth-largest wildfire in California history
Sac Bee's ISHANI DESAI: "A man accused of igniting the Park Fire, the fourth-largest wildfire in California, is headed to trial later this year.
Ronnie Dean Stout II, 43, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday after he pleaded not guilty in August to arson of an inhabited structure or property in Butte Superior Court."
San Francisco traffic is getting worse. Here’s why
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN: "Traffic is rebounding as San Francisco workers continue their return to the office, and new studies show what many drivers would say through gritted teeth: that commutes to the city have become perceptibly slower.
But it’s not bad enough to lure people out of their cars."
Stuart Spencer, GOP strategist who helped Reagan become California governor, 40th president, dies
LAT"s MARK Z. BARABAK: "Stuart K. Spencer, a Republican strategist who took a washed-up movie actor named Ronald Reagan and helped make him California governor and, later, president — helping invent the modern political consulting business along the way — has died. He was 97.
Spencer died Sunday, according to his daughter, Karen."