California
California experiences slowest start to fire season in decades
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — Fire experts say we are experiencing the slowest start to fire season in decades in California.
“Now, we’ve had a slow start because of the precipitation, the fuels, they have that moisture content so we’re not responding to those readily available or receptive fuel beds, fires that we would typically have,” Capt. Chris Bruno, a spokesperson for CAL FIRE said.
All that heavy moisture the Bay Area got between January and March took us out of the drought.
But Capt. Bruno says it created an abundance of fuel and that fuel, like the tall brush lining the freeways, is just now starting to dry out.
MORE: What will CA’s wildfire season look like? Here’s when it’s expected to peak, what to know
“We still have the normal dry-out of vegetation that’s taking place this time of the year but now, it’s taking place on these larger potential incident fuel beds with the tall grass that you’ll see,” he said.
In Contra Costa County, fire officials say they usually start to see fires pop up in May, with June historically being their biggest month for fires.
“We have not seen any Red Flag fire days so far this year,” Aaron McAlister, Deputy Fire Chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Department said. “We have not had any Type 3 Incident Management deployments within our county of our East Bay Incident Management Team and we’ve also not sent resources out of county for wildland fires.”
But June has come and gone, with August upon us this week, McAlister says their biggest fire of the summer so far was only eight acres.
MORE: Experts predict Earth could see hottest year on record in next 5 years
That fire burned in the hills just outside of Martinez over the weekend and officials believe it was caused by a lawnmower.
Still, he says with triple-digit conditions on the way and no moisture in sight, what happened over the weekend, will likely continue until this area gets more rain.
“This is our peak season and from this point forward, until it rains, we’ve reached the critical fire season,” McAlister said.
Fire officials are also urging homeowners to only mow their lawns before noon, when the temperatures are lower and the moisture levels are higher.
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California
Over 100 horses at Southern California facility at risk of being displaced
More than 100 horses are in danger of being displaced, including some that are too old to be moved and would need to be euthanized, after the city of Lakewood announced it could no longer afford to run the beloved equestrian center.
The Lakewood Equestrian Center also houses miniature horses and some mules. Some of the horses are old and have been retired, while others are used for training and riding.
Taylor Cohen, who works as a first responder and boards her horse at the center, explained that horses provide people with the opportunity to relax and just love their animals.
Hearing news that the city plans to shutter the equestrian center, she said, was devastating.
“Having been a first responder [for] the last 18 years of my life, finding ways to manage the stress that you come into is huge,” Cohen explained. “There has to be other ways [to do that] besides going and seeing a therapist.”
Part of the land the equestrian center sits on is owned by the county. Another portion is owned by Southern California Edison.
The city has announced plans to wipe the equestrian center out and build a park with pickleball courts, though, according to Cohen and others, this comes with a huge problem.
“There’s nowhere for these horses to go,” she said. “Some of them won’t be able to be moved because of age or health issues. There’s actually no place around that will be able to board all these horses.”
Lakewood City Council halted their vote on the issue to give people more time to come up with a proposal for taking it over, but the facility needs at least $6 million in repairs and Edison is owed more than $40,000 on the lease, leaving some people who use the center at a loss.
“We have nowhere else to go,” Noah Grove, who boards his animals at the facility, told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw. “Huntington Beach Equestrian Center, their full and have a 35-horse waitlist. I’m actually from Huntington Beach. I drive 18 to 30 minutes to get here, depending on traffic, and I’m up here sometimes twice a day.”
Riders like Makella Mahan are hoping someone can grab the reins of the facility and save this haven for her and the horses.
“Honestly, all these beautiful horses would be out of a home, and I think that would be very sad,” she said.
For its part, city officials have said they don’t necessarily want to close the facility and are hoping to come up with a plan, along with the equestrian community, for making the center profitable or even getting it to break even.
California
New law requiring California bars to offer drink spiking drug test kits takes effect July 1 | CNN
CNN
—
A new law requiring many California bars and nightclubs to offer common date-rape drug test kits will take effect Tuesday, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The law, Assembly Bill 1013, requires approximately 2,400 establishments with a Type 48 license to have signage letting patrons know that drug testing kits are available.
Type 48 licenses are issued to bars and nightclubs and authorize the sale of beer, wine, and distilled spirits, according to the department.
The signage reads, “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here. Ask a staff member for details.”
The drug testing devices will either be offered for sale at a reasonable price or be given to customers for free, according to the department.
Devices could include test strips, stickers, or straws that can detect the presence of controlled substances in drinks.
California
California bars required to offer drug testing kits starting July 1
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