California
California wildfires live updates: night-time curfew ordered for parts of Los Angeles amid looting
Curfew order issued for Palisades and Eaton Fire evacuation zones
A curfew order has been established for the Palisades and Eaton fire areas in all mandatory evacuation zones, LA county sheriff Robert Luna said.
The curfew order is in effect between 6pm and 6am. The only people allowed in those areas are disaster workers.
“You cannot be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest,” Luna warned.
He said the curfew will be “strictly enforced” to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent burglaries or looting in the areas that residents have evacuated.
Anyone found in violation of the curfew will be subject to arrest for a misdemeanor offense and conviction may result in a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time, he said.
“We are not screwing around with this,” Luna warned. “ We don’t want anyone taking advantage of our residents that have already been victimized.”
Key events
Here are the key takeaways from the latest news conference by Los Angeles city and county officials on the wildfires.
A curfew order is in place between 6pm and 6am on all mandatory evacuation zones in the Palisades and Eaton areas. “You can’t not be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest,” LA sheriff Robert Luna said. The curfew’s purpose is to enhance public safety, protect property, and prevent any burglaries or looting in areas evacuated by residents, Luna said.
The Palisades fire, the largest of the five fires, currently stands at 8% contained. Firefighters were able to make overnight progress on the fire due to “favorable” overnight weather conditions. Wind gusts are expected to increase in daylight hours that will test containment lines. Red flag warnings continue in Los Angeles county through 6pm PT today.
The Eaton fire, north of Pasadena, has burned 13,956 acres and is 3% contained. About 4,000 to 5,000 structures may be damaged and destroyed by the fire, and 1,527 firefighting personnel have been assigned to the fire. The blaze pushed toward Mount Wilson on Thursday, but the observatory is “OK” and no buildings have been destroyed there.
The Hurst fire, just south of Santa Clarita, has spread to 771 acres and is 37% contained.
The Kenneth fire, in the San Fernando valley, has burned 1,000 acres and is 35% contained. All evacuation orders and warnings in LA county for the Kenneth fire have been lifted.
The Lidia fire is 75% contained. The causes of the fires are still under investigation.
The number of residents under evacuation orders have dipped to 153,000. Approximately 57,830 structures are deemed to be at risk. An additional 166,800 residents are under evacuation warnings.
A super scooper aircraft that was damaged by a drone flown by a civilian should be back in the air by Monday. “Flying a drone in the fire traffic area is not only dangerous but it’s illegal,” Los Angeles county fire chief Anthony Perron said, adding that those who fly them over the wildfire area will be prosecuted.
A man arrested on suspicion of attempting to light a fire in Woodland Hills yesterday will not be charged. Officers found there was not enough probable cause to arrest the person, Los Angeles police department assistant chief Dominic Choi said.
Officials apologized after evacuation order alerts were mistakenly sent on Thursday afternoon and again on Friday. LA county office of emergency management director Kevin McGowan said he could not “express how sorry I am” but implored residents not to disable the messages on their phones, adding: “Not receiving an alert can be a consequence of life and death.”
Airbnb said it has expanded its housing support to an additional 25,000 people who have been impacted by the fires.
The company partnered with 211 LA, a hub for local community members and organizations, earlier this week to offer free, temporary housing to individuals and families who lost their homes or were forced to evacuate. It said 6,500 people have already been offered access to emergency housing with Airbnb hosts, but that thousands more are still displaced.
“The situation is devastating, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to support the Los Angeles community,” it said in a statement.
An Altadena resident has described returning to her home to find it destroyed in the fire.
In a video posted by NewsNation’s Brian Entin, Fran said she “poured everything” into the house that she has lived with her husband and family for 26 years.
“We have nowhere to go,” she said. Pointing to the other destroyed houses on the street, she said her neighbors had sent their children – now in their 40s – to kindergarten together.
LA county fire chief Anthony Perrone said one of the county’s two super scooper aircraft had been taken out of commission for emergency repairs, after being damaged in a drone incursion at the Palisades fire on Thursday.
The aircraft should be back in the air by Monday, he said.
“Flying a drone in the fire traffic area is not only dangerous but it’s illegal,” he said, adding that those who fly them over the wildfire area will be prosecuted.
The LA county fire department earlier said that a SuperScooper Quebec 1, an aircraft specifically used for aerial firefighting, was grounded on Thursday after it was struck by a drone flown by a civilian. The collision caused wing damage to the aircraft, though no injuries were reported.
California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara said he had used his moratorium power to stop all non-renewals and cancellations by insurance companies for a year.
“My primary concern at this very moment is to ensure that wildfire survivors receive the insurance benefits to which they are entitled to as soon as possible,” he said.
“Now is the time for you to focus on your family and on your health. The last thing you should be worrying about is your insurance.”
He said legislation will be introduced to include businesses in the moratorium. LA county district attorney Nathan Hochman said anyone who is determined to be intentionally setting fires will be arrested for arson, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law.
Anyone who violates the curfew order will be arrested and prosecuted, he said.
He described looting as a “despicable crime”. “For the people who have already been arrested, please know this is not going to end well,” he said.
He also warned anyone who is thinking of sending a drone up in the area that “you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be punished to the full extent of the law.”
On the subject of scams, he said his team had already begun seeing people being targeted in GoFundMe scams, and warned that there will be insurance and government benefit scams targeting people who have been affected by the fires. “My message to the public is: Beware these scammers. Do not let them take advantage of you,” he said.
More than 200 officers have been deployed to maintain law and order in areas impacted by the fires, assistant Los Angeles police department chief Dominic Choi said.
He said there was a “zero tolerance” policy towards those who are taking advantage of the situation.
“Anybody caught looting or committing crimes in the affected areas will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Assistant Los Angeles police department chief Dominic Choi said an arrest was made late Thursday afternoon after residents reported seeing a person trying to light a fire in Woodland Hills. That suspect was taken into custody and interviewed, he said.
Officers later determined there was not enough probably cause to arrest the person on arson or suspicion of arson, he said. The investigation is ongoing.
A curfew order has been established for the Palisades and Eaton fire areas in all mandatory evacuation zones, LA county sheriff Robert Luna said. The curfew order is in effect between 6pm and 6am. The only people allowed in those areas are disaster workers.
“You cannot be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest,” Luna warned.
He said the curfew will be “strictly enforced” to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent burglaries or looting in the areas that residents have evacuated.
Anyone found in violation of the curfew will be subject to arrest for a misdemeanor offense and conviction may result in a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time, he said.
“We are not screwing around with this,” Luna warned. “ We don’t want anyone taking advantage of our residents that have already been victimized.” Approximately 153,000 residents are currently under evacuation orders and another 166,800 residents are under evacuation warnings, LA county sheriff Robert Luna said.
About 57,830 structures are at risk, he said.
The Hurst fire has been updated to 771 acres and is at 37% containment, LA city fire chief Kristin Crowley said. All evacuation orders and warnings for the fire have been lifted, she said.
The Kenneth fire’s forward progress has also been stopped with 35% contained, she said.
All evacuation orders and warnings within the Los Angeles city have been lifted, she said.
LA city fire chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades fire stands at 20,438 acres with 8% containment.
More than 3,000 personnel worked overnight to strengthen containment lines and addressed multiple spot fires in and around the Topanga Canyon area, she said. Wind gusts are expected to increase in daylight hours that will test containment lines, she said.
The Kenneth fire, which erupted on Thursday at the border of the Ventura and Los Angeles counties, has been stopped, LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone said.
The fire is currently at 1,000 acres and 35% containment, he said.
The National Weather Service has predicted that the Red Flag warning will continue through Friday or through 6pm, LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone said.
He noted that his team’s priority is to prepare for the next Red Flag event that is predicted to begin on Monday.
LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone said the Eaton fire made a push on Thursday afternoon toward the historic Mount Wilson.
The observatory is OK and no buildings have been destroyed at Mount Wilson, he said.
However a firefighter did suffer a “significant fall injury” at the Eaton fire and remains hospitalized. The cause of the Eaton fire remains unknown, Marrone said.
LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone said the Eaton fire has burned 13,956 acres and is at 3% containment.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 structures are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed due to the fire, he said.
More than 1,500 firefighting personnel have been assigned to the Eaton fire, he said.
LA county supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the fires have continued to have an impact on the air quality throughout the region.
A smoke advisory has been extended through Friday to limit exposure, she said.
“Please remain indoors as much as possible. Avoid outdoor physical activity and run your air conditioner or air purifier if you have one.”
Summary of the day so far
One person arrested for suspected looting, says LAPD chief
Curfew order issued for Palisades and Eaton Fire evacuation zones
More than 150,000 LA County residents remain under evacuation orders
Palisades fire stands at more than 20,000 acres and is 8% contained
Kenneth fire has been stopped, says official
Eaton fire stands at nearly 14,000 acres and is 3% contained
California
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California
California governor race heats up with uncertainty and potential surprises
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) As the race for California’s next governor intensifies, uncertainty looms with the primary election just six months away.
A recent Emerson College poll shows Republican Chad Bianco leading by a narrow margin of one point, while 31% of voters remain undecided.
“The field remains wide open,” said Tal Eslick, owner of Vista Consulting. “There’s a half dozen credible Democrats in the race. There’s really a couple – two – namely Republicans.”
Eslick noted that Bianco’s lead is more reflective of the crowded Democratic field than a shift toward Republicans statewide.
California governor race heats up with uncertainty and potential surprises (Photo: AdobeStock)
He suggested a “black horse candidate” could still emerge, possibly from Hollywood or outside politics.
With rising energy and gas prices, affordability is expected to be a key issue for voters.
California governor race heats up with uncertainty and potential surprises (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada, File)
“I think that you could also see voters vote with their pockets,” Eslick said, highlighting the potential for a non-traditional candidate to gain traction.
California
California threatens Tesla with 30-day suspension of sales license for deceptive self-driving claims
SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators are threatening to suspend Tesla’s license to sell its electric cars in the state early next year unless the automaker tones down its marketing tactics for its self-driving features after a judge concluded the Elon Musk-led company has been misleading consumers about the technology’s capabilities.
The potential 30-day blackout of Tesla’s California sales is the primary punishment being recommended to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles in a decision released late Tuesday. The ruling by Administrative Law Judge Juliet Cox determined that Tesla had for years engaged in deceptive marketing practices by using the terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” to promote the autonomous technology available in many of its cars.
After presiding over five days of hearings held in Oakland, California in July, Cox also recommended suspending Tesla’s license to manufacture cars at its plant in Fremont, California. But California regulators aren’t going to impose that part of the judge’s proposed penalty.
Tesla will have a 90-day window to make changes that more clearly convey the limits of its self-driving technology to avoid having its California sales license suspended. After California regulators filed its action against Tesla in 2023, the Austin, Texas, company already made one significant change by putting in wording that made it clear its Full Self-Driving package still required supervision by a human driver while it’s deployed.
“Tesla can take simple steps to pause this decision and permanently resolve this issue — steps autonomous vehicle companies and other automakers have been able to achieve,” said Steve Gordon, the director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The automaker has already been plagued by a global downturn in demand that began during a backlash to Musk’s high-profile role overseeing cuts in the U.S. government budget overseeing the Department of Government that President Donald Trump created in his administration. Increased competition and an older lineup of vehicles also weighed on Tesla sales, although the company did revamp its Model Y, the world’s bestselling vehicle, and unveil less-expensive versions of the Model Y and Model X.
Although Musk left Washington after a falling out with Trump, the fallout has continued to weigh on Tesla’s auto sales, which had decreased by 9% from 2024 through the first nine months of this year.
Despite the slump and the threatened sales suspension in California, Tesla’s stock price touched an all-time high $495.28 during Wednesday’s early trading before backtracking later to fall below $470. Despite that reversal, Tesla’s shares are still worth slightly more than they were before Musk’s ill-fated stint in the Trump administration — a “somewhat successful” assignment he recently said he wouldn’t take on again.
The performance of Tesla’s stock against the backdrop of eroding auto sales reflects the increasing emphasis that investors are placing on Musk’s efforts to develop artificial intelligence technology to implant into humanoid robots and a fleet of self-driving Teslas that will operate as robotaxis across the U.S.
Musk has been promising Tesla’s self-driving technology would fulfill his robotaxi vision for years without delivering on the promise, but the company finally began testing the concept in Austin earlier this year, albeit with a human supervisor in the car to take over if something went awry. Just a few days ago, Musk disclosed Tesla had started tests of its robotaxis without a safety monitor in the vehicle.
California regulators are far from the first critic to accuse Tesla of exaggerating the capabilities of its self-driving technology in a potentially dangerous manner. The company has steadfastly insisted that information contained in its vehicle’s owner’s manual on its website have made it clear that its self-driving technology still requires human supervision, even while releasing a 2020 video depicting one of its cars purportedly driving on its own. The video, cited as evidence against Tesla in the decision recommending a suspension of the company’s California sales license, remained on its website for nearly four years.
Tesla has been targeted in a variety of lawsuits alleging its mischaracterizations about self-driving technology have lulled humans into a false of security that have resulted in lethal accidents. The company has settled or prevailed in several cases, but earlier this year a Miami jury held Tesla partly responsible for a lethal crash in Florida that occurred while Autopilot was deployed and ordered the automaker to pay more than $240 million in damages.
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