California
California program to lease land under freeways faces scrutiny after major I-10 freeway fire
By JULIE WATSON and AMY TAXIN | Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The area under an elevated Los Angeles freeway that burned last weekend was a kind of open-air warehouse with businesses storing everything from wood pallets to cardboard boxes to hand sanitizer on lots leased by the state through a little-known program that now is under scrutiny.
The blaze Saturday burned about 100 support columns, forcing the closure of a vital mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown that is used by hundreds of thousands of people daily. It could take crews working around the clock between three and five weeks to repair the freeway, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Newsom said the state would reassess the practice of leasing land under roads to bring in money for mass transportation projects.
Details of that program remain opaque. Newsom’s office directed questions about whether the state has any regular inspection protocols to state transportation officials. The California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, did not respond to questions about inspections or provide information about how many properties the state leases.
State Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, who represents part of downtown Los Angeles, said officials should disclose how many sites are leased under the program, the terms of contracts, how much money the program generates and how the state ensures companies comply with the contract requirements.
“Some of those actions could have prevented what we now see happened underneath the 10,” Santiago said.
Apex Development Inc. has leased the land under Interstate 10 since 2008. One condition of Apex’s contract stipulated it not allow flammable or hazardous materials to be stored there.
The fire that spread quickly over 8 acres (3 hectares) was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials and other items being stored under the freeway in an industrial neighborhood. No injuries were reported but at least 16 homeless people living in an encampment there were taken to shelters.
No arrests have been made and Newsom has said investigators are trying to determine if more than one person was involved in what officials said was likely arson.
Prior to the fire, state officials filed a lawsuit against Apex saying the company stopped paying rent last year and owes $78,000.
The lawsuit also says Apex was subleasing to six other companies. That can be legal if the company received permission from state and federal regulators but Apex did not, Newsom said.
Apex has confirmed the litigation but has not answered other questions through a lawyer.
Owners of two of the companies that subleased the property said they had warned of fire danger and other hazards related to homeless people living under the freeway. Luis Cartagena of Eagle Wood Services said he decided to stop using the space for his wood pallet business more than a year ago because he was losing so much to theft.
“Since day one there was a lot of homeless people there, drug dealing, prostitution and there was a lot of theft,” he said. “I couldn’t leave anything.”
Rudy Serafin said he’s been leasing space under I-10 from Apex since 2009. He uses it to store supplies for businesses in the garment district including hangars, boxes and bags. He also stores office supplies including hand sanitizer, which is flammable.
He estimates he lost $800,000. “I don’t know what I am going to do. I am 49 years old. I have no other resources. This is my livelihood. This is what I feed my kids with,” he said.
Serafin said he’s been unable to get insurance for his business because of concerns about homeless people using cooking fires in the area. He said he and other businesses called the city repeatedly to request a cleanup of the encampment. The city removed homeless people from the space once, and then encampments quickly returned, he said.
The city didn’t respond to a request for comment about whether they had received complaints or removed people from the site. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday warned against assumptions that homeless people had started the blaze.
Serafin said he and other contractors received a notice from the state transportation agency in May saying Apex wasn’t paying its rent. Serafin and other business owners then decided to stop paying Apex, but then lost access to their properties. They resumed paying and tried to work directly with Caltrans but the agency’s lawyer said he couldn’t negotiate with them, Serafin said.
Serafin said he signed a contract with Apex back in 2009 but could no longer find it.
The danger of storing flammable materials under elevated interstates has drawn the scrutiny of federal investigators in the past. After a 2017 fire collapsed a section of Interstate 85 in Atlanta, the National Transportation Safety Board criticized the Georgia Department of Transportation’s decision to store construction materials beneath the bridge without assessing the fire risk. The department said it immediately changed storage practices.
California Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said investigators have identified where Saturday’s fire started and what caused it after sorting through the rubble for evidence, but did not specify what they found. He had no information on a suspect and said investigators are talking to witnesses, including homeless people and nearby business owners.
An estimated 300,000 vehicles use the stretch of freeway daily, which runs east-west across the heart of the metropolis and connects with other major freeways. The city has been urging people to avoid the area, take buses and trains, or work from home.
___
Taxin reported from Orange County, California. Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California, Christopher Weber and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles, Jeff McMurray in Chicago, and Anisha Frizzell in Atlanta contributed to this report.
California
Lagoon Valley is the Northern California’s first “conservation community” in Vacaville, developers say
Roughly halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento sits a new housing community that developers call the first “conservation community” in Northern California.
The Lagoon Valley development in Vacaville is opening in phases, with homes up for sale now in multiple neighborhoods, promising a host of new amenities along the way.
About 150 homes have been built, but the development is approved for just over 1,000. Construction will continue over the next five years.
Curt Johansen, director of development in California for Seattle-based Triad Development, says his vision was to build a first-of-its-kind community in Solano County. The project is about 20 years in the making.
“Over 30 years ago, the city of Vacaville approved a project here that was, I would call it, unsustainable. It didn’t actually take into consideration the sensitivities of this beautiful valley and all of the nature that’s going on here,” Johansen said.
The land was once slated for office space and a massive strip mall. That proposal was met with pushback and even petitions from the community to shut it down.
“It was going to be a 7-million-square-foot office complex, basically. We were contacted by the city and they requested we take a look at it, see if we could do something better,” Johansen said.
Johansen said their mission is to protect the environmental treasure that many Solano County neighbors have fought to preserve for decades.
“We decided to take 85% of the land and forever protect it in open space and recreation, and then that means the built environment is very small. People know that all this open space that surrounds them is going to be there forever,” Johansen said.
The idea of a conservation community is that you prioritize first where you will not build, putting the integrity of the land and the surrounding natural environment first.
Lagoon Valley has preserved more than 1,300 acres of wild open land and also created a new wildlife wetland preserve.
Johansen called it a different and unconventional approach.
“Conventional development says, let’s put houses wherever we can because that’s going to make the most money. This is much more of a triple-bottom-line concept, where we have to balance the environmental sensitivities, the social needs, as well as the housing needs. The idea is to start with areas that just should never be built up. That’s what we did. Then eventually, the 15% left became where the neighborhoods would go,” Johansen said.
Johansen says there are only about 40 conservation communities nationwide. He traveled to study what made them special, and also went to Northern Europe for influence on sustainable, walkable living.
A huge focus for ‘conservation living’ starts with climate resiliency, protecting against fire and flood.
“The community is designed to have buffers designed for flood protection in that we have 156 acre-feet of storage included throughout the Valley for water that comes out of all the watersheds around us. And what that does is it helps hold the water, slowly let it out, because historically, the city has had a lot of flooding problems downstream from here. It’s a huge watershed area, and so we’re managing all of that storm drainage on site and slowly letting it out to protect downstream owners. On wildfires, we’ve set this up so that the perimeter is very defensible. It’s not your usual 100-foot type perimeter. We do 600-700 feet of irrigated areas to protect against wildfires,” Johansen said.
Another part of the model is resource conservation. Every home is equipped with solar panels.
“The homes are built to exceed California standards for energy conservation. That’s really important,” said Johansen. “We went the extra step, and we actually required them to dual pipe all the homes to reclaim greywater. So all of the homes have the ability to actually irrigate their entire yards with greywater reclaimed from their own showers the day before.”
So, where does the water come from?
“We have our own water system here. We actually get the potable supply from the city, but we built our own 2.7 million-gallon storage reservoir just for Lagoon Valley,” Johansen said.
With homes for sale and new neighbors already moving in, on tap next are the places to play and recreate in what is designed to be a walkable, bike-friendly community.
“We didn’t want this to be just a sort of a bedroom community, even with all its beauty and the wildlife habitat. We wanted it to actually be a place where people had things they needed here,” Johansen said.
Next to be built are new public and private parks and an 18-hole championship golf course.
They are also constructing a town center that will be home to local shops and restaurants, along with an organic farm for neighbors to grow their own produce.
In the event center, which broke ground last month, developers are building sports courts, pools, a fitness center and meeting spaces.
Johansen, when asked if a large development like this slaps Bay Area urban sprawl on a small town, says he does not want to make Solano County something it is not.
“There’s no doubt about it. Solano is a Bay Area county. It may be the farthest out, but what I like about it is the north end of the Bay Area, Solano, Napa and Sonoma, they all still have a lot of agriculture, and that’s hard to find,” Johansen said. “Preserving open space and agriculture is so important. There’s a mindset in the north end of the Bay Area about that and so we felt like our conservation mentality fits nicely,” Johansen said.
Their priority is to preserve the region’s agricultural integrity while solving a big problem.
“We need more housing. We have a housing crisis. We know that right, there’s no reason why more and more communities can’t be done to scale so that they’re big enough to provide some housing, but at the same time, they’re preserving that whole ethic of what the region is about,” Johansen said.
In the new community, the price points range from affordable housing to a higher-end gated community.
Homes are on sale now.
Here’s a list of 2025 Día de los Muertos events around Southern California. Share your Día de los Muertos celebrations with #abc7eyewitness!
Día de los Muertos Family Day
October 8, 12 p.m.
La Plaza de Cultura y Artes
501 N Main St., Los Angeles
The dead come to life at LA Plaza! Watch performances that pay homage to the dead through music and dance.
díadelosmuertosfamilyday.com
Panteón Fest x Pipiripau
October 11, 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Heritage Square
715 South A Street, Oxnard
Celebrate our second annual Day of the Dead festival with a lineup of activities, including a desfilada procession, Aztec dance, musical performances, a theatrical play, and more!
panteonfestpipiripau.com
Downtown Día de los Muertos
Oct. 25 – Nov. 2
200 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles
Join at Gloria Molina Grand Park, which transforms into a space of remembrance, healing, and celebration with altars, art, music, and community gatherings.
downtowndíadelosmuertos.com
Día de los Muertos Festival
October 25 – Nov. 2
Olvera Street
A nine-day festival, with a nightly procession, community altars on display, and entertainment.
díadelosmuertosfestival.com
Día De Los Muertos at the Pier
Santa Monica Pier
November 1-2
Santa Monica Pier pays tribute to the cultural tradition of Día de los Muertos – Day of the Dead- with a two-day public art installation taking place from November 1st through November 2nd, 2025. The sixth annual Santa Monica Pier’s Día de los Muertos Celebration honors people, places, and ideas that are important to Santa Monican’s through free, family-friendly programming.
díadelosmuertoscelebration.com
Día y Noche de los Muertos
Nov. 1, three time slots: 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m ., and 9:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles
This all-day and night event will feature a children’s plaza, altars, art exhibitions, Aztecs, folk dances, performers, arts, and food!
díaynochedelosmuertos.com
Downey Dia de los Muertos Festival
Oct. 29
11111 Brookshire Ave, Downey
Now in its 10th year, Downey Dia de los Muertos features live music, ballet folklorico, Aztec dancers, car altar displays, papel picado, calaveras, face painting, food trucks, and more. No tickets required.
downeydíadelosmuertos.com
Día De Muertos Family Festival
Nov. 1, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Catalina Museum
26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia
Families and friends of all ages are invited to experience the colorful Mexican tradition celebrating life and death while honoring family members and friends who are no longer with us. Event features: Kids art project, local food vendors, tequila tasting, live music and performances, and the 2025 Barbie Signature Collection Dia de Muertos doll raffle.
catalinamuseum.org
Los Muertos 5k
Nov. 1
Historic Olvera Street
Downtown Los Angeles
Run and celebrate on the Day of the Dead. Tour historic Olvera Street and enjoy music along the course, beautiful finisher medals, and a post-race Dia de los Muertos celebration.
losmuertos5k.com
Riverside Day Of The Dead
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., through Sunday, Nov. 2, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Downtown Riverside
Market St. between University Ave. & 14th St.
Celebrate the 20-year anniversary in Riverside with art, altars, food, performers, lucha libre, and more!
riversidedayofthedead.com
Viva la Vida Santa Ana
Nov. 2, from 2 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Enjoy live performances, art making, face painting, and complimentary treats at the Bowers Museum.
mexicandayofthedeadbowersmuseum.com
If you know about a great local Día de los Muertos event, share it with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using #abc7eyewitness!
Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
Slash Your Risk of Dementia, Diabetes and More With This Popular Diet
Every moment pops in the nuclear thriller ‘A House of Dynamite’
Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August
Copilot on Windows can now create Office documents and connect to Gmail
Israel-Hamas ceasefire takes effect, IDF begins pulling back in Gaza
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Senate leaves Washington as government shutdown nears 3rd week, military pay at risk
Von der Leyen emerged ‘strengthened’ from motions of censure — for now
What we know about the charges against New York’s Attorney General Letitia James
Video: What a National Guard Deployment Means
Spanberger refuses to urge Jay Jones to exit race, dodges questions after ‘two bullets’ texts
-
Wisconsin22 hours agoAppleton Public Library wins 2025 Wisconsin Library of the Year award for distinguished service
-
Virginia22 hours ago
Match 13 Preview: #8 Virginia
-
West Virginia2 days agoWest Virginia eatery among Yelp’s “outrageous outdoor dining spots”
-
Vermont22 hours agoFeds: Springfield dealer ran his drug business from Vermont jail
-
North Carolina21 hours agoNorth Carolina state House member charged with sex crimes
-
Utah22 hours agoBookmark this link for The Southern Utah Tribune e-edition
-
Midwest14 hours agoWisconsin ski park faces lawsuit after allegedly firing employee for sharing Bible verses on social media
-
Business13 hours agoLos Angeles Times Media Group takes step to go public