California
California fires updates: Sunday, Feb. 2
Pacific Coast Highway reopening delayed
Amid a disagreement between city and county officials, plans to remove all checkpoints for access to the Palisades community along Pacific Coast Highway have been delayed until Monday, when Los Angeles police will transfer responsibility for patrolling the area to the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard, Mayor Karen Bass announced.
LOS ANGELES – Rebuilding efforts continue across Southern California as the Jan. 2025 Los Angeles wildfires have finally been contained.
This comes as both Eaton and Palisades fires have both reached 100% containment.
Follow FOX 11’s live blog with the latest updates provided on the Jan. 2025 fires in SoCal:
Malibu mayor criticizes PCH reopening confusion
1:45 p.m.: Mayor Doug Stewart released the following statement in response to confusion over the reopening of the Pacific Coast Highway:
“As of 8 a.m. today, February 2, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu and the unincorporated areas is open to regular traffic, with one lane in each direction. Like Supervisor Horvath, we were surprised by last night’s announcement from the City of Los Angeles delaying the reopening – only to now learn that while neighborhood turn-offs have checkpoints, PCH itself remains fully open.
What was the purpose of this late-night decision if it was not going to be enforced? Our residents are trying to reclaim some sense of normalcy, and our businesses are trying to bring back employees who need to get to work. These last-minute, uncoordinated decisions create unnecessary confusion and disruption.
We urge the City of Los Angeles to work collaboratively with all affected jurisdictions in the future to ensure clarity, consistency, and thoughtful communication. Our communities have a hard enough road ahead – these moments require coordination and leadership, not confusion. Malibu remains focused on recovery and ensuring our residents and businesses have the stability they need.”
No Burn Order extended
11:45 a.m.: A ban on indoor and outdoor wood burning has been extended through Monday for the region due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area.
The residential ban affects all those in the South Coast Air Basin, including the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and all of Orange County.
State deploys resources ahead of storm
10:30 a.m.: A storm system is expected to bring widespread rain and gusty winds to Southern California beginning Tuesday, raising fears of possible debris flows in recent burn areas.
SUGGESTED: ‘Pineapple Express’ among trio of atmospheric river events impacting California for days
State deploys resources ahead of storms
Gov. Newsom deployed resources across 25 counties ahead of a powerful winter storm.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is cleaning drainage facilities and debris basins, installing additional k-rails near homes and providing sandbags at vulnerable sites.
“The peak of the event will be from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning,” the NWS said, adding that the chance of rain and the rainfall intensity will decrease Wednesday afternoon and evening. Another bout of rain is expected either Thursday or Friday, with dry skies returning by Saturday.
PCH reopening delayed
9:30 a.m.: Amid a disagreement between city and county officials, plans to remove all checkpoints for access to the Palisades community along Pacific Coast Highway have been delayed until Monday, when the LAPD will transfer responsibility for patrolling the area to the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard.
SUGGESTED: PCH reopening delayed, checkpoints to remain in place
The Eaton Fire
The Eaton Fire was first reported on Tuesday, Jan. 7 near Altadena and Midwick drives.
Some residents did not survive the flames and at least 7,000 structures were destroyed.
Authorities have implemented a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all areas that remain under mandatory evacuation orders in the Altadena area. This comes after more than 30 looting arrests were made by the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
What caused the Eaton Fire?
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but they were fueled by extreme drought conditions, combined with the supersized Santa Ana winds that whipped flames and embers at 100 mph – much faster than usual.
A lawsuit filed Monday claims Southern California Edison equipment sparked the Eaton Fire.
The lawsuit alleges that Southern California Edison failed to comply with essential electrical and fire safety standards, including failing to maintain power lines and overgrown vegetation.
The Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire broke out on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 7 as parts of Southern California were hit by powerful Santa Ana winds – the strongest to hit the area in over a decade, officials said. The piercing winds not only intensified the spread of the fire, it also prevented helicopters and planes from dumping water or fire retardant onto the burning scene as it was too dangerous to fly during the first day of the massive fire.
The fire extended well over 23,000 acres in seven days, destroying homes and businesses across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The fire also forced evacuations across parts of LA County, including Bel-Air, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
The fire also destroyed the Pacific Palisades Charter High School and other schools in the fire’s path.
What caused the Palisades Fire?
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, a popular hiking destination, Skull Rock – an area north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades – is at the center of an investigation “as a possible starting point for the Palisades fire.”
Meanwhile, local authorities have announced multiple rounds of arrests taking place from the Palisades Fire scenes, but none of which are explicitly related to the cause of the fire. Over the weekend, there was an announcement of a man arrested for impersonating a firefighter. The alleged “fake firefighter” was accused of trying to break into one of the evacuated homes.
Other people have also been accused of arson across Southern California.
The Source: Information for this story is from the National Weather Service.
Billionaire developer Rick Caruso will not run for Los Angeles mayor or California governor, after months of speculation that he would seek one of the two posts.
Caruso, who had been teasing a possible run for months, made his decision Friday, saying it came after “many heartfelt conversations” with his family.
“Though my name will not be on a ballot, my work continues,” Caruso said on X. “Public service does not require a title. It is, and always will be, my calling.”
Caruso’s plans were the talk of political circles for many months. Recently, he seemed to confirm that he would seek one of the two positions.
When asked by a reporter on Jan. 7 if it was possible he would not run for any position, Caruso responded: “That option is pretty much off the table now.”
Caruso said he will focus on his nonprofit, Steadfast LA, which brings industry leaders together to help with the Palisades fire recovery.
The 66-year-old developer behind popular L.A. malls like the Grove and the Americana at Brand spent $100 million of his own fortune against Karen Bass in 2022, outspending her 11 to 1 in his failed bid. But Bass beat him by nearly 10 percentage points.
Caruso served as president of the L.A. Police Commission in the 2000s and helped the city hire William Bratton as police chief. He was appointed to the Department of Water and Power board in 1984, at age 26 — the youngest commissioner in city history at the time.
Caruso has steadily critiqued the mayor online and in public appearances since 2022, seemingly honing and refining his argument for voters to reject the incumbent, whom he has described as incompetent.
“Her record is so bad,” Caruso said at a town hall he hosted at the Americana on Nov. 3.
Caruso’s decision not to run for mayor solidifies the 2026 field against Bass. Former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner is running a moderate campaign, with arguments about Bass’ response to the Palisades fire and quality of life concerns that are similar to Caruso’s. The developer’s entry could have thrown a wrench into Beutner’s campaign.
Bass also faces a challenge from her left with Rae Huang, a community organizer and reverend, announcing a run for mayor in November.
Most recently, the entry of former reality star and Palisades fire victim Spencer Pratt has added new intrigue to the race.
Bass’ campaign declined to comment on Caruso’s decision.
As for governor, some voters in deep blue pockets of the state may have rejected Caruso, a former Republican who registered as a Democrat in 2022 and has faced questions over his past party registration.
Still, the developer, who has made public safety and quality of life issues his main talking points, might have attracted California voters unhappy with the current crop of gubernatorial candidates.
No single candidate has dominated the field, while some potential contenders, including Sen. Alex Padilla and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, have announced they’re not running.
As he weighed a bid for governor in the last year, Caruso traveled multiple times to Sacramento and around the state to meet with labor leaders, community groups and politicians.
“My guess is he did polling and he did not see a path forward,” said Sara Sadhwani, a professor of politics at Pomona College.
“Had he jumped into either race and lost, it would have made the prospects of elected office even further away,” she said.
By Marisa Kendall and Ben Christopher, CalMatters
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has threatened many times to withhold state homelessness funds from cities and counties that aren’t doing enough to get people off the streets.
This year, those threats seem more real than ever.
Newsom’s administration and the Legislature are adding new strings to that money, which they hope will help address one of the state’s most obvious policy failures: Despite California’s large recent investments in homelessness, encampments are still rampant on city streets. But cities and counties already are chafing under the tightening requirements, which they worry will make it harder to access crucial state funds without directly improving conditions on the street.
To access state Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention money, cities and counties are being pressured to enact a policy regulating homeless encampments that passes state muster – a potential challenge in a state where local jurisdictions’ rules on encampments vary greatly, and many localities have no policy at all. The state also wants localities to get a “prohousing designation” – a special status awarded to places that go above and beyond to build housing. It’s a distinction that only 60 of California’s 541 cities and counties (home to just 15% of the state population) have achieved so far.
Newsom, the Legislature, local officials and other stakeholders likely will spend the next several months fighting about those terms, and hashing out the conditions for the $500 million in homelessness funding proposed in this year’s budget.
Until those details are resolved, exactly what standard cities and counties will be held to – and what will happen to those that don’t comply – is unclear. But one thing is clear: The state is done freely handing out cash.
Some counties are already feeling the heat. They report increased scrutiny as they apply for the homelessness funds already approved in the 2024-25 budget (which, thanks to lengthy bureaucratic delays, have just been made available.)
“They’re holding the counties’ feet to the fire,” said Megan Van Sant, senior program manager with the Mendocino County Department of Social Services.
Newsom’s administration and legislators in favor of the new accountability measures say cities and counties for too long have been scooping up state funds without proving that they’re using them wisely. The new message to locals is clear, said Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democrat from La Palma in Orange County: “The state has been moving forward, not only with the investment in dollars, but also with legislation. Now it is your time to show that if you want these dollars…you have to show us what you’re doing.”
But the new requirements may make it more burdensome to access crucial homelessness funds.
“I worry that, one, we may leave more cities out,” said Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities, “and, two, that we may cause delays in the ability to get more people housed sooner, which I think is the goal.”
A tougher application process
Applying for state homelessness funds “absolutely” feels different now than it did last year, and the state is asking tougher questions, said Robert Ratner, director of Santa Cruz County’s Housing for Health program.
Fortunately, the county just approved an encampment policy in September, and has started working on getting a pro-housing designation, he said. But the state still returned the county’s application with plenty of notes.
“It has felt, at times, like the goal post keeps moving a little bit,” Ratner said.
The county’s application still hasn’t been approved, but it seems to be getting close, Ratner said.
In Mendocino County, the state appears to be holding funds hostage until the county can explain its plans to pass an encampment ordinance, said Van Sant. The county board of supervisors is working on such an ordinance, though it hasn’t come up for a vote yet.
But the state’s requirement puts Van Sant and her team in an awkward position. As housing administrators, they have no say in any rules the county passes that regulate or prohibit encampments on local streets.
“I wanted to stay out of it,” Van Sant said. “I still want to stay out of it. We’re housing providers. We try to figure out how to provide people housing. We don’t want to weigh in on enforcement. At all.”
This year, the requirements may get even stricter. Under the current rules, the state seems to be satisfied as long as a city or county can show how it plans to get a prohousing designation or pass an encampment policy. In the next round of funding, local leaders worry the state will withhold funds unless cities and counties have actually achieved those benchmarks.
It’s all about accountability
At issue is the state Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program, which provides the main source of state money cities and counties use to fight homelessness.
Though Newsom introduced the first round of funding, $650 million, as a “one-time” infusion of cash for local governments in 2019, it became a recurring feature of his administration’s strategy to reduce homelessness over the next five years.
For four years in a row, the state awarded $1 billion a year to be divvied up between counties, big cities and federally-recognized regional homelessness funding groups known as Continuums of Care. Each round of funding was described as “one-time.” Even so, at least a quarter of the money has gone to day-to-day operating programs, according to data collected by the state.
34-year-old man dies from semi-truck accident in southeast Kansas
WATCH: Kentucky’s postgame press conference after beating Tennessee
Louisiana football ends transfer portal period with more losses
Maine pauses issuance of undercover license plates after request from border security
Maryland and Virginia Youth Charities Shut Down After Candy Bar Fundraising Scheme – The MoCo Show
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Spanberger takes swipe at Trump admin, says Virginians worried about ‘recklessness coming out of Washington’
Thousands take part in ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests in Denmark
They quit their day jobs to bet on current events. A look inside the prediction market mania
IRS confirms Trump-ordered $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ for 1.45M troops is tax-free
Myanmar military-backed party leads after second round of election voting
-
Montana1 week agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Delaware1 week agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Virginia1 week agoVirginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB
-
Montana1 week ago‘It was apocalyptic’, woman tells Crans-Montana memorial service, as bar owner detained
-
Minnesota1 week agoICE arrests in Minnesota surge include numerous convicted child rapists, killers
-
Oklahoma6 days agoMissing 12-year-old Oklahoma boy found safe
-
Lifestyle3 days agoJulio Iglesias accused of sexual assault as Spanish prosecutors study the allegations
Last year, things changed. The budget lacked any extra cash for grant funds, and the state’s main homelessness program received no new money. Instead, the Legislature committed to spend $500 million — a 50% reduction from the last round of funding — in the coming fiscal year contingent on “clear accountability requirements.”
Those requirements for localities, spelled out in a follow-up budget bill signed into law last fall, include:
- Having a state-approved housing plan, known as a housing element
- Having a “Prohousing Designation” from state housing regulators
- Having local encampment policy “consistent with administration guidance”
- Ponying up some local funding to match the state contribution
- Demonstrating “progress” and “results” on housing and homelessness metrics
These new demands didn’t come out of left field. For several years now, “accountability” has been one of Newsom’s favorite words when discussing homelessness funding. “People have just had it,” he said in 2023. “We want to see these encampments cleaned up.” He has repeatedly threatened to withhold funds, and has gradually ramped up the strings attached to homelessness dollars.
But the current list represents an especially stringent set of requirements for locals hoping for a cut of what has been one of the state’s signature funding sources to combat homelessness.
Quirk-Silva noted that the current list of requirements is not final. She expects the administration to release additional legislative language in February. Legislators will fight over the details through the June budget deadline.
She expected particularly fierce pushback over any kind of “prohousing designation” requirement.
Revoking funds from areas of the state that lack such a designation would be “penalizing service providers for something that is outside of their control,” said Monica Davalos, a policy analyst with the California Budget and Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wishes the state would focus on more concrete measures of success, such as the number of people housed using state dollars, instead of things like a “prohousing” stamp.
“We’re making this way too complicated,” he said.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
