Los Angeles, Ca
Residents blast city leaders for fire at vacant West Hollywood home
![Residents blast city leaders for fire at vacant West Hollywood home Residents blast city leaders for fire at vacant West Hollywood home](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/WeHo-Fire-1.png?w=900)
Residents in a West Hollywood neighborhood are demanding answers and action from city officials after a massive fire on Thanksgiving Night destroyed a vacant home that’s been the subject of repeated complaints about squatters and trespassers.
The dilapidated and vacant home on North Sierra Bonita Avenue, which is surrounded by apartment buildings, erupted in flames on Nov. 23 jarring neighbors from gatherings with their loved ones.
Fortunately, fire officials said no one was injured during the blaze, and while the fire has sent shockwaves through the nearby community, some of the residents tell KTLA that the property was a public safety hazard waiting to happen and that’s why they’re fuming.
At a West Hollywood City Council meeting on Monday, many residents were speaking their minds.
“The landlord did not secure his property,” one speaker said.
“I wish that WeHoans who ask the city for help could actually get it,” another told the council.
Neighbors say they’ve been complaining about trespassing, suspicious activity, garbage and debris piling up at the vacant house for more than a year, even telling city leaders they feared a fire could break out.
Just weeks later, that’s what happened.
“It’s literally like we’ve been held hostage by this one developer that has several properties in the area that are not being taken care of, they’re not being developed,” Stefanie LaHart told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe.
LaHart, who started a website chronicling the vacant property before, during and after the fire, said the Thanksgiving Night blaze damaged a nearby apartment building, displacing two people who live next door, adding that she’s thankful the disaster wasn’t worse.
“We’ve been calling for help and begging for help and nobody’s doing anything,” LaHart explained.
City leaders said they are doing something and listening to residents. One councilmember wants to review the history of complaints and the ensuing government response.
Others want to be quickly informed of all the enforcement tools and authority at their disposal.
“The city installed and is paying directly for 24-hour security with our Block-by-Block Ambassadors to be out there,” West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Erickson told KTLA. “We’re also reassessing all of our vacant properties.”
Officials added that they are working with both neighbors of these types of properties and the landlords.
The city council plans to reinstate a “problem properties task force,” combining public safety, public information and code enforcement personnel. There was also discussion about the ability to declare vacant property a “public nuisance” and place a lien on it, among other measures.
In the meantime, the vacant property on North Sierra Bonita, sometimes referred to by neighbors as the “hell house,” has been red tagged and should be demolished soon.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA
![Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/Pacific-Park%C2%B9s-Ferris-Wheel-2024-Summer-Games-American-Flag-Photo-Image-by-@dougbasscomedy.jpg?w=900)
The iconic Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will light up nightly during the Paris Olympics to cheer on Team USA beginning Friday.
The nightly light display will feature the five colored rings to symbolize the Olympic rings, a 90-foot-tall waving American flag to celebrate Team USA, a French flag for the current host country and the American flag to represent the games returning to the United States, specifically Los Angeles in 2028.
The Ferris wheel will be lit up from sunset until 12:30 a.m.
The Pacific Wheel is the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, featuring 174,000 LED lights mounted on its 40 spokes and two hubs. The wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment, according to a news release.
Visitors can visit the theme park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to catch a ride on the nine-story carnival ride, which takes riders to heights of more than 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean.
If you can’t make it out to the Santa Monica Pier yourself, Pacific Park offers an online stream of the Ferris wheel.
Los Angeles, Ca
Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana
![Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/Santa-Ana-skateboard-assault.png?w=900)
Police asked the public for help this week in their search for a man who attacked a Target security guard with a skateboard in Santa Ana last month.
The altercation occurred on June 10, when the security guard asked a trespassing suspect to leave the store located at 1441 W. 17th Street, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
“The suspect struck the victim multiple times with his skateboard, causing injuries, and then fled the store,” the Police Department stated in a post on Instagram.
Video embedded on the post shows the suspect swinging a skateboard at the guard and then running out of the store.
The attacker was described as a White man between 18 and 25 years old. He had a thin build, curly blonde hair, and was wearing a black sweatshirt, light-colored shirt, blue plaid shorts, black socks and black shoes.
Anyone with information was asked to call police at 714-245-8441.
Los Angeles, Ca
'Macy Fire' in Riverside County triggers mandatory evacuation orders
!['Macy Fire' in Riverside County triggers mandatory evacuation orders 'Macy Fire' in Riverside County triggers mandatory evacuation orders](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/Macy-Fire-11.png?w=900)
Fire crews in Riverside County were battling a fast-moving wildfire Thursday night that prompted officials to issue mandatory evacuations.
The “Macy Fire” was first reported around 5:45 p.m. near the intersection of Orange and Macy streets in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Lake Elsinore, according to a Riverside County Fire Department post on X, formerly, Twitter.
Fire officials said the approximately 50-acre brushfire was burning at a rapid rate of spread and that additional equipment and crews had been requested.
Just before 7 p.m., flames were able to jump Highway 74, prompting officials with the California Highway Patrol to shut down both directions of the highway between San Juan Capistrano and Lake Elsinore, City News Service reported.
In an update at 8:30 p.m., officials reported that the fire had grown to 134 acres and was 0% contained.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for all properties:
- South of Grand Avenue
- East of Fairview Street
- West of Highway 74
Elsinore High School, located at 21800 Canyon Driver in Wildomar, was serving as a temporary evacuation center, officials said.
A photojournalist with Inland News, a news video service, reported that at least three structures have been destroyed by the flames. KTLA has not yet confirmed that information with RCFD.
A night-flying helicopter, according to CNS, was requested to make water drops to help crews on the ground. Firefighting aircraft restricted to daylight hours were forced to leave the area.
So far, no injuries have been reported. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
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