Los Angeles, Ca
Simi Valley School District cancels school Tuesday as Sandy Fire doubles in size
The Simi Valley Unified School District announced that all campuses will be closed Tuesday as the Sandy Fire burning in the Simi Hills has nearly doubled in size as of Monday evening.
The statement comes after multiple schools located in the foothills just north of the Sandy Fire were evacuated due to the wildfire Monday.
Simi Valley Unified initially released a statement saying all students were safe, but being kept indoors due to poor air quality caused by the fire. Sky5’s Rich Pricket reported that there was a long line of parents waiting to pick up their children at Hillside Middle School at 12:45 p.m.
At around 2 p.m. Monday, all students still present at Crestview Elementary School and Mountain View Elementary School were evacuated by bus to Simi Valley High School at 5400 Cochran Street.
“Many students had already been picked up by their families before the remaining were bused to Simi Valley High School,” a statement on the Simi Valley Unified School District website reads. “All families were notified.”
All seventh-period classes and afterschool events were also canceled at Hillside Middle School and Royal High School. These schools were not evacuated.
The school district took part in a meeting Monday afternoon, which included officials from the Simi Valley Police Department, Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District, the County of Ventura, and the Ventura County Fire Department. At the meeting, officials decided to cancel all classes tomorrow “out of an abundance of caution,” Simi Valley Unified School District Superintendent Hani Youssef said.
“With the knowledge that so many of our families are directly impacted by the Sandy Fire, ALL Simi Valley Unified School District schools and campuses will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19, for most staff and all students,” Youssef’s statement reads. “Only key leadership staff will be contacted to report to work for varied assignments. We hope that by providing this early information, our families will be able to make appropriate arrangements for childcare tomorrow.”
The closures include all on-campus afterschool programs. The school district will make a decision tomorrow whether or not classes will resume Wednesday.
As of 7:30 p.m. Monday, the Sandy Fire is 1,364 acres in size. The fire remains uncontained. More than 28,000 Simi Valley residents are under evacuation order due to the fire.
Los Angeles, Ca
Santa Monica kidnapping suspect in custody after early-morning pursuit, officer-involved shooting
Santa Monica Police Department officers took a kidnapping suspect into custody following a pursuit and officer-involved shooting early Monday morning, officials confirmed.
The incident began around 3:15 a.m. when SMPD personnel located a suspect wanted in connection with an ongoing kidnapping investigation. Authorities did not disclose where exactly the suspect was located but they did say the suspect was found somewhere in Los Angeles.
The suspect fled the area in a vehicle after being located by police and led them on a chase that eventually terminated in the 900 block of West 85th Street in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood, police said.
Upon the pursuit ending, an officer-involved shooting occurred, Santa Monica police said.
The suspect, who was not struck, was taken into custody, authorities added, further elaborating that no officers were injured.
“The adult victim had already been contacted by law enforcement and was not present during the pursuit or officer-involved shooting,” police said.
No further details regarding the ongoing investigation, including the suspect’s name, were released right away.
Alberto Mendez contributed to this report.
A 23-year-old man from Long Beach is in custody following a deadly hit-and-run crash in Riverside County Saturday.
The crash happened around 8:09 a.m. near the intersection of Dinah Shore Drive and George Montgomery Way in the city of Rancho Mirage, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies responded and found one of the involved drivers, 57-year-old Teresa Bowlin of Cathedral City, dead at the scene. The other driver, Tyler Conant of Long Beach, ran from the scene of the crash, according to the sheriff’s department.
“During the investigation, it was determined that Conant was under the influence of alcohol [at the time of the crash],” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
Conant was arrested and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for murder and felony hit-and-run.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Deputy Bret Meservey at (760) 836-1600.
Long Beach will hold a pride festival this weekend after the one they originally had scheduled was canceled.
Long Beach city officials said the celebration was nixed after the nonprofit that organizes it, Long Beach Pride, failed to submit the required information for an event permit.
It was supposed to start on Friday and last through Sunday.
“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the City did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city of Long Beach said in a statement. “With event programming scheduled to begin on May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.”
Officials noted that they were working to see if a “shortened event” could be held this weekend, and indeed, an agreement was reached to stage a one-day gathering on Sunday.
Billed as “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” and emceed by comedian and drag queen Jewels, it will still bring the city’s LGBTQ community together after Sunday morning’s Long Beach Pride Parade, which was not canceled.
“Long Beach Pride weekend is a culmination of celebrations put on by our community, including our many vibrant restaurants, bars and businesses, and that will never change,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a press release issued late Saturday night. “Along with the Pride Parade, we are proud to join the party with this new event that reaffirms what this City has always stood for: that every person belongs here.”
“The festival may have been canceled, but Long Beach drag artists don’t cancel joy,” added Jewels Long Beach.
The one-day “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” festival will take place at Bixby Park from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. A free event, it will include music by several performers and a drag show.
More information can be found here.
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