California
California faces flood and landslide risk after wildfire devastation
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood watch for recently burned areas in Southern California from Sunday at 4 p.m. to Monday at 4 p.m.
The watch covers several major burn scars, including the Eaton, Palisades, Franklin, Hughes, and Bridge fire areas, amid increasing concern about potential debris flows.
Newsweek has reached out to the NWS via email for comment on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Southern California faces its first significant rain of the winter following a series of devastating wildfires that have left the region vulnerable to flooding.
The Palisades fire, now 81 percent contained, has burned more than 23,400 acres, destroyed 6,809 structures and claimed 11 lives.
The Eaton fire has proven even more destructive, burning over 14,000 acres, destroying 9,418 structures, and resulting in 17 fatalities despite reaching 95 percent containment.
The Hughes fire, while smaller at 10,400 acres and 87 percent containment, adds to the region’s vulnerable burn areas.
What To Know
According to the NWS, rainfall totals will vary significantly across the region, with mountain areas receiving up to two inches while other areas may see as little as a quarter inch.
Regular rainfall rates will typically range from one-tenth to one-quarter inch per hour, though isolated areas could experience rates up to three-quarters of an inch per hour—sufficient to trigger debris flows in burn areas.
The probability of significant flash flooding and debris flows in the most vulnerable areas has doubled from the initial forecast, now standing at 10 percent to 20 percent.
Additional hazards include possible thunderstorms, small hail, and wind gusts reaching 60 mph in the Antelope Valley foothills.
What Is Debris Flow?
Debris flows represent the most dangerous form of landslides, consisting of powerful mixtures of mud, rocks, boulders, trees, and sometimes even homes or vehicles, according to the NWS.
While often called mudslides or mudflows, debris flows pose a unique threat due to their devastating power. They can occur during intense rainfall after wildfires, requiring only a brief period of heavy rain—about half an inch in an hour—rather than prolonged precipitation.
Their unpredictable nature and rapid speed make them particularly hazardous, as they can outpace both pedestrians and vehicles.
Traditional protective measures like sandbags and retaining walls prove ineffective against these powerful flows, making evacuation the only reliable safety measure.
What People Are Saying
National Weather Service Office in Oxnard: “The threat is high enough to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
Ryan Kittell, National Weather Service Meteorologist told the LA Times: “They’re some of the freshest burn scars. They’re close to communities and/or vulnerable infrastructure. And the orientation of the terrain would favor those areas, in particular, having the higher chances, the higher potentials, for those higher totals and rainfall intensities.”
Alex Tardy, National Weather Service San Diego Meteorologist: “This is a slow-moving storm, so it’s going to be stubborn. It’s going to hang around. It’s going to send waves of moisture through Monday. So, I think that’s really going to add up to significant rain and snow.”
What Happens Next
The NWS urges residents to avoid recently burned areas during the high-risk period, particularly from Sunday afternoon through Monday.
Emergency preparedness recommendations include maintaining adequate supplies in case of road access disruption.
California
Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’
We are counting down to the California governor’s race. Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket.
In a one-on-one interview with Eyewitness News political reporter Josh Haskell, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors.”
Although he’s been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he’s not a politician — which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.
“President Trump, in one year, from 2025 when he took over, until now, did absolutely nothing to harm California. What’s harming California is 30 years of Democrat one-party rule that have created an environment here that no one can live in anymore. They’ve only been successful here in California because we vote D no matter what. You vote D or die. I mean, that’s it. Charles Manson would be elected in California if he was the only Democrat on the ballot,” Bianco said.
Bianco isn’t the only conservative Republican running for governor, and according to polling, he’s neck-and-neck with former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
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Leading in some polls in the wide-open California Governor’s race as the June primary creeps closer is Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
“Steve has no chance of winning in November. The Democrats know that I’m going to win in November, and so they have to do everything they can to keep me out of that,” Bianco said.
When asked about the affordability crisis in the state, Bianco said, “Almost the entire issue of affordability in California is because of regulation, excessive regulation imposed by government. Every single regulation can be signed away with the governor’s signature.”
“It is a drug and alcohol addiction problem that, and a mental health problem,” he said about the homelessness crisis. “Every single bit of money that is going to these nonprofits that say ‘homeless,’ zero money. You’re getting absolutely nothing. I can’t tell you that we would end what we see in the homeless situation within a year, but I guarantee you we would never see it again after two years.”
When challenged on that prediction, pointing to how the state doesn’t have the facilities to treat the number of people living on our streets, Bianco responded, “We have been conditioned to believe that buildings take five years to build. It takes 90 days or less to build a house, but in California, it takes three to five years because the government won’t allow it. The regulations that are destroying this state are going to be removed with me as the governor.”
Bianco also said California jails shouldn’t have to play the role of treatment facilities.
Although he says he supports the Trump administration and wants the president’s endorsement, Bianco has been traveling the state — meeting not just with Republicans, but Democrats and independents as well. He says all of our state government officials have failed.
The primary election is June 2.
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A new poll shows there’s still no clear front-runner in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
California
PlayOn Sports fined $1.1 million by California watchdog over student data violations
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (FOX26) — California’s privacy watchdog has ordered PlayOn Sports to pay a $1.10 million fine and change how it handles consumer data after finding the company’s practices violated state law in ways that affected students and schools in the state.
The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued the decision following a settlement reached by CalPrivacy’s Enforcement Division.
The decision is the first by the board to address privacy violations involving students and California schools.
Schools across the country use PlayOn Sports’ GoFan platform to sell digital tickets to high school sporting events, theater performances, and homecoming and prom dances, with attendees presenting tickets at the door on their mobile phones.
Schools also use PlayOn Sports’ platforms for other sports-related activities, including attending games, streaming them online, and looking up statistics about teams and players.
In California, about 1,400 schools contract with PlayOn Sports for these services.
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GoFan is also the official ticketing platform for the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports.
According to the board’s decision, PlayOn Sports used tracking technologies to collect personal information and deliver targeted advertisements to ticketholders and others using its services.
The company allegedly required Californians to click “agree” to tracking technologies before they could use their tickets or view PlayOn Sports websites, without providing a sufficient opt-out option.
“Students trying to go to prom or a high school football game shouldn’t have to leave their privacy rights at the door,” said Michael Macko, CalPrivacy’s head of enforcement. “You couldn’t attend these events without showing your ticket, and you couldn’t show your ticket without being tracked for advertising. California’s privacy law does not work that way. Businesses must ensure they offer lawful ways for Californians to opt-out, particularly with captive audiences.”
The decision also describes students as a uniquely vulnerable population and warns that targeted advertising systems can subject students to profiling that can follow them for years, expose them to manipulative or harmful content, and develop sensitive inferences about their lives.
Instead of providing its own opt-out method, PlayOn Sports directed students and other users to opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative and the Digital Advertising Alliance, which the decision said violated the company’s responsibility to provide its own way for consumers to opt out. The company also allegedly failed to recognize opt-out preference signals and did not provide Californians with sufficient notice of its privacy practices.
“We are committed to making it as easy as possible for all Californians — from high school students to older adults, and everyone in between — to make the choice of whether they want to be tracked or not,” said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy’s executive director. “Californians can opt-out with covered businesses, and they can sign up for the newly launched DROP system to request that data brokers delete their personal information.”
Beyond the $1.10 million fine, the board’s order requires PlayOn Sports to conduct risk assessments, provide disclosures that are easy to read and understand, and implement proper opt-out methods.
The order also requires the company to comply with California’s privacy law prohibiting the selling or sharing of personal information of consumers between 13 and 16 without their affirmative opt-in consent.
California
California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:43AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) — A bill that would prevent police officers from moonlighting with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is advancing through the California State Assembly.
AB 1537 passed the State Assembly’s committee on public safety on Tuesday.
The bill also requires that officers report any offers for secondary employment related to immigration enforcement to their place of work.
Those failing to comply could face decertification as a peace officer in California.
The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, whose district includes Mar Vista, Ladera Heights, Mid-Wilshire and parts of South Los Angeles.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
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