Say it ain't so: The stately Sequoia redwoods, the world's oldest living things, are being threatened by the Rim Fire, now 10 days old and barely 15 percent contained.
From the Chronicle's Kurtis Alexander: "The blaze is rapidly approaching two of Yosemite's three renowned sequoia sites, the Tuolumne and Merced groves, and firefighters are doing all they can to give the redwoods a leg up should fire strike."
"Normally we would say that fire is good for a sequoia grove. But a fire that is burning too hot is not healthy for any tree," said Tom Medema, Yosemite's chief of interpretation and education."
"The Rim Fire, which started Aug. 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest and has since crept into the national park, is fueled by bone-dry forest and is spreading unusually fast through the treetops. Medema said strict fire suppression policies of the past have left a surplus of fuel to burn and, as a result, made the Rim Fire burn with more intensity and heat."
While the Rim Fire is buring through the wilderness, it's also burning through the state budget.
From News10's John Myers: "State officials say that through late last week, firefighting costs have totaled some $44.5 million for just the first seven weeks of the new fiscal year. That's more than a quarter of the $172 million written into the spending plan signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on June 27."
"Whatever it takes, I'm going to make sure that the resources are deployed," said Brown in a news conference with firefighters Monday morning in Tuolumne City."
"The governor spoke on Sunday with President Obama regarding federal assistance in battling the Rim Fire that now encompasses more than 234 square miles of California wilderness."
It wasn't the shootout at the OK Corral, but it got pretty ugly: Gun-toting campers feuding over the playing of loud music -- and both shooters were sheriff's deputies.
From the LAT's Faturechi: "An apparent booze-fueled dispute over loud music between two groups at a Chino campground over the weekend escalated to the point where men from both sides drew guns and opened fire.No one was hurt, but the two alleged gunmen have plenty to explain."
"t turns out that the rival gun-toting campers were both Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies."
Athorities suspect the off-duty cops learned they were colleagues only after their campground showdown. Chino police officers were called to Prado Regional Park early Sunday morning. They arrested the deputies — Dejay Barber, 44, and Matthew Rincon, 24 — on suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm."
Yet another city employee in San Diego has come forward to accuse Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment, bringing the tally so far to 17. The woman has filed a claim against the city for not protecting her.
From the LAT's Tony Perry: "A longtime San Diego city employee filed a claim Monday accusing Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment and the city of failing "to protect and warn against Filner's predatory nature."
"Filner is set to resign at 5 p.m. Friday, but the city is obligated to provide him with a legal defense against any claims "made by current or former employees, city volunteers or city contractors," under the deal approved by the City Council that included the mayor's resignation."
"The agreement, however, maintained the city's right to sue Filner to recover any damages against the city arising from sexual harassment claims — except in the case of the lawsuit filed by Irene McCormack Jackson, Filner's former director of communications."
San Francisco-area drivers are no stranger to traffic jams, but the planned temporary closure of the Bay Bridge may wind up causing the mother of all traffic jams.
From the Mercury-News' Gary Richards: "The shutdown of the bridge, part of a $6.4 billion project to replace the eastern span, begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday and could last until 5 a.m. Tuesday. That's two days longer than in past years -- and includes two weekdays, Thursday and Friday, when thousands of drivers may be heading to work or preparing to get out of town for the last weekend of summer."
"The AAA predicts a 6 percent increase in the number of cars on state roads this weekend from a year ago. That's more than 3.9 million Californians traveling 50 miles or more from their homes."
"Taking the Bay Bridge out of the equation is mind-boggling," said longtime Bay Area traffic reporter Joe McConnell. "It could be chaos those two afternoons."
San Francisco officials recommend adding one to two hours to driving trips to the city while the bridge is closed. The big attraction will be the America's Cup races on San Francisco Bay. A likely headache will be the Critical Mass biking event that begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Justin Herman Plaza.
Meanwhile, for those following the ups and downs of the Calderon family in Sacramento, we've provided a timeline of political events covering 33 years.
From Capitol Weekly's Robert Thompson: "Starting with Charles Calderon, a member of the Calderon family has served in the California Legislature for more than 30 years. A June FBI raid on the Capitol offices of Sen. Ron Calderon drew increased public attention to the Calderons and the influence they wield in Sacramento and at home. Following is a timeline for the Calderon family members who have served in Sacramento. Much of the material was provided by the California Journal."
