latimes--2020-09-10--A Gucci family secret: Heiress alleges she was sexually abused from age 6 onward

For nearly a century , the Italian fashion house of Gucci has supplied the world ’ s affluent with the clothing and leather accessories to cultivate a beautiful , luxurious life .
Along the way , the family behind the fashion dynasty prospered , but saw its share of acrimony and scandal : infighting over inheritances , a murder-for-hire plot , federal tax charges , and for a time , Aldo Gucci ’ s secret second family .
One of Aldo Gucci ’ s granddaughters , Alexandra Zarini , this week spotlighted another horror in the family history with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Zarini , 35 , alleged that from the time she was 6 , her former stepfather , Joseph Ruffalo , sexually assaulted her at home in Beverly Hills — abuse that she typically knew was coming when she heard the ice clinking in his glass of scotch as he made his way toward her bedroom , according to court papers .
Zarini also accused her mother , Patricia Gucci , of enabling her now ex-husband ’ s alleged molestation , and singled out her grandmother , Bruna Palombo , for knowing about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ to keep quiet and cover them up , ” the lawsuit states .
The filing of the 21-page lawsuit was paired with a roll-out of the heiress ’ anti-child abuse nonprofit , the Alexandra Gucci Children ’ s Foundation , and although Zarini expects to be disinherited from her family ’ s fortune for proceeding with legal action , her attorney , Deborah Mallgrave , said any monetary award from the case would go toward the new nonprofit .
“ If you think this doesn ’ t happen here in Beverly Hills @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perpetrator still lives in California , spends time at the Bel-Air Country Club , and volunteers in your children ’ s hospitals , ” Zarini said in a video released by her lawyers .
“ This is not something that only happens to other families , other neighborhoods or other countries .
It is everywhere.
” Ruffalo , whose long career in the music industry saw him managing Prince and Earth , Wind & Fire , among other acts , could not be reached for comment .
His attorney , Richard P. Crane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the New York Times , which first reported on the lawsuit .
Crane told the newspaper that his client was not formally served with court papers nor was he familiar with its full allegations .
“ What he has been informed of , he vehemently and categorically denies .
While married to Alexandra ’ s mother , Mr. Ruffalo and his wife were greatly concerned about the mental well-being of Alexandra and took steps to address her instability .
Apparently , their efforts failed.
” Patricia Gucci , who resides in Switzerland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company , also could not be reached for comment .
She told the New York Times in a statement that her daughter disclosed Ruffalo ’ s conduct in 2007 , at a doctor ’ s office , and that she “ immediately initiated divorce proceedings.
” “ I am equally devastated by the allegations against me and her grandmother , which are completely false , ” Patricia Gucci told the newspaper .
The shadow of Aldo Gucci ’ s messy life looms large in the case .
He was the son of Gucci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former chairman of the Gucci clothing empire .
Aldo Gucci had three sons by marriage , but at a time when adultery was illegal in Italy , he began an affair with a much younger staffer , Bruna Palombo .
She secretly gave birth to his only daughter , Patricia , and over time , the second family became something of an open secret , with Patricia Gucci rising to a spot on the company ’ s board and Palombo remaining a beloved paramour .
The family was ousted and sold their shares @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsidiary of a French company .
Zarini ’ s first memories of abuse date to when she was 6 , about the same time that her grandfather died .
In the lawsuit , Zarini recounts that after she awoke in the night and sought comfort from her mother , Patricia Gucci allegedly invited her daughter into bed , which she shared with her naked then-boyfriend , Ruffalo .
After she fell asleep , Zarini awoke to her hands wrapped around Ruffalo ’ s genitals , and she was scared and confused , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ruffalo two years later , the abuse “ continued and escalated.
” Ruffalo , she alleged , “ would stumble down the hallway ” toward her bedroom , remove his bathrobe , climb into her bed , and touch her , and the lawsuit describes molestation that occurred “ on a somewhat regular basis throughout her childhood and as she became a young adult.
” Zarini framed her mother ’ s alleged physical abuse — striking her daughter in the face , pulling her by the hair — as setting the stage for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he ’ d intervene , isolate his stepdaughter , and allegedly assault her .
The mistreatment fueled mental health troubles : Zarini said she became obsessed with showering and bathing , scrubbing her skin raw ; pulled her hair out ; and attempted suicide while in high school .
When she was 16 , her grandmother , Bruna Palombo , asked Zarini directly if Ruffalo touched her inappropriately , according to the lawsuit .
After Zarini confided in her grandmother , Palombo “ stiffened and became obviously uncomfortable , ” then told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secret .
In later years , as Zarini considered reporting Ruffalo to the police , Palombo told her granddaughter that alerting authorities would be the “ ultimate betrayal , ” according to the court filing .
Mallgrave , her attorney , said the Gucci family was more concerned “ about publicity , image and money.
” She added , “ They were protecting other interests instead of protecting Alexa.
” Bringing a case from so long ago was not previously viable in California .
But a change in state law that took effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a three-year window to file cases that otherwise would have expired because of the statute of limitations .
Mallgrave said another factor drove her client to proceed with a case .
On occasion , Zarini would research Ruffalo online and see what he was up to .
She saw something that made her suspect her former stepfather was volunteering at a children ’ s hospital , and felt compelled to file a crime report with the Beverly Hills Police Department , which she did in 2019 .
That case remains open .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s curiosity , ” Mallgrave said of the internet sleuthing .
“ It ’ s a nagging feeling , that someone who sexually assaulted her and inflicted all these injuries is still out there free .
”

For nearly a century, the Italian fashion house of Gucci has supplied the world’s affluent with the clothing and leather accessories to cultivate a beautiful, luxurious life. Along the way, the family behind the fashion dynasty prospered but saw its share of acrimony and scandal: infighting over inheritances, a murder-for-hire plot, federal tax charges and, for a time, Aldo Gucci’s secret second family.
One of Aldo Gucci’s granddaughters, Alexandra Zarini, this week spotlighted another horror in the family history with a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Zarini, 35, alleged that from the time she was 6, her former stepfather, Joseph Ruffalo, sexually assaulted her at home in Beverly Hills — abuse that she typically knew was coming when she heard the ice clinking in his glass of scotch as he made his way toward her bedroom, according to court papers.
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Zarini also accused her mother, Patricia Gucci, of enabling her now ex-husband’s alleged molestation, and singled out her grandmother, Bruna Palombo, for knowing about the sexual assaults but instructing her granddaughter “to keep quiet and cover them up,” the lawsuit states.
The filing of the 21-page lawsuit was paired with a rollout of the heiress’ anti-child-abuse nonprofit, the Alexandra Gucci Children’s Foundation, and although Zarini expects to be disinherited from her family’s fortune for proceeding with legal action, her attorney, Deborah Mallgrave, said any monetary award from the case would go toward the new nonprofit.
“If you think this doesn’t happen here in Beverly Hills, then you should know that my perpetrator still lives in California, spends time at the Bel-Air Country Club, and volunteers in your children’s hospitals,” Zarini said in a video released by her lawyers. “This is not something that only happens to other families, other neighborhoods or other countries. It is everywhere.”
Ruffalo, whose long career in the music industry saw him managing Prince and Earth, Wind & Fire, among other acts, could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Richard P. Crane Jr., referred to a statement provided to the New York Times, which first reported on the lawsuit. Crane told the newspaper that his client was not formally served with court papers nor was he familiar with its full allegations.
“What he has been informed of, he vehemently and categorically denies. While married to Alexandra’s mother, Mr. Ruffalo and his wife were greatly concerned about the mental well-being of Alexandra and took steps to address her instability. Apparently, their efforts failed.”
Patricia Gucci, who resides in Switzerland and last year launched a high-end luggage company, also could not be reached for comment. She told the New York Times in a statement that her daughter disclosed Ruffalo’s conduct in 2007, at a doctor’s office, and that she “immediately initiated divorce proceedings.”
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“I am equally devastated by the allegations against me and her grandmother, which are completely false,” Patricia Gucci told the newspaper.
The shadow of Aldo Gucci’s messy life looms large in the case. He was the son of Gucci’s founder, Guccio Gucci, and the former chairman of the Gucci clothing empire. Aldo Gucci had three sons by marriage, but at a time when adultery was illegal in Italy, he began an affair with a much younger staffer, Bruna Palombo. She secretly gave birth to his only daughter, Patricia, and over time, the second family became something of an open secret, with Patricia Gucci rising to a spot on the company’s board and Palombo remaining a beloved paramour. The family was ousted and sold their shares, and today, Gucci is a subsidiary of a French company.
Zarini’s first memories of abuse date to when she was 6, about the same time that her grandfather died. In the lawsuit, Zarini recounts that after she awoke in the night and sought comfort from her mother, Patricia Gucci allegedly invited her daughter into bed, which she shared with her naked then-boyfriend, Ruffalo. After she fell asleep, Zarini awoke to her hands wrapped around Ruffalo’s genitals, and she was scared and confused, the suit states.
When her mother married Ruffalo two years later, the abuse “continued and escalated.” Ruffalo, she alleged, “would stumble down the hallway” toward her bedroom, remove his bathrobe, climb into her bed, and touch her, and the lawsuit describes molestation that occurred “on a somewhat regular basis throughout her childhood and as she became a young adult.”
Zarini framed her mother’s alleged physical abuse — striking her daughter in the face, pulling her by the hair — as setting the stage for Ruffalo’s “rescue,” where he’d intervene, isolate his stepdaughter, and allegedly assault her.
The mistreatment fueled mental health troubles: Zarini said she became obsessed with showering and bathing, scrubbing her skin raw; pulled her hair out; and attempted suicide while in high school.
When she was 16, her grandmother, Bruna Palombo, asked Zarini directly if Ruffalo touched her inappropriately, according to the lawsuit. After Zarini confided in her grandmother, Palombo “stiffened and became obviously uncomfortable,” then told her granddaughter to keep the matter a secret.
In later years, as Zarini considered reporting Ruffalo to the police, Palombo told her granddaughter that alerting authorities would be the “ultimate betrayal,” according to the court filing.
Mallgrave, her attorney, said the Gucci family was more concerned “about publicity, image and money.” She added, “They were protecting other interests instead of protecting Alexa.”
Bringing a case from so long ago was not previously viable in California. But a change in state law that took effect this year, AB 218, provided a three-year window to file cases that otherwise would have expired because of the statute of limitations.
Mallgrave said another factor drove her client to proceed with a case. On occasion, Zarini would research Ruffalo online and see what he was up to. She saw something that made her suspect her former stepfather was volunteering at a children’s hospital, and felt compelled to file a crime report with the Beverly Hills Police Department, which she did in 2019. That case remains open.
“It’s a not-uncommon survivor’s curiosity,” Mallgrave said of the internet sleuthing. “It’s a nagging feeling, that someone who sexually assaulted her and inflicted all these injuries is still out there free.”


latimes--2020-09-10--How the Postal Service helped shape a California town named Peanut

The people who lived in the rugged Northern California mountain hamlet called Salt Creek wanted their very own U.S. post office .
It was the early 1900s , and getting the mail had become such a chore for this speck of a town deep in forest , about 100 miles south , as the crow flies , of the Oregon border .
The journey to the nearest post office in Hayfork — a seven-mile horseback trail ride near the eponymous creek — could take several hours .
Besides , a bona fide post office would , quite literally , put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Salt Creek ’ s application was rejected by the U.S .
Postal Service , which asked for a single-word town name .
An exasperated local school teacher explained the dilemma while visiting the postmaster in nearby Weaverville , who was snacking on a sack of goobers .
“ The postmaster was gnawing on some peanuts , and he half-jokingly said , ‘ Let ’ s name it Peanut , ’ ” said Jim French , a board member for the Trinity County Historical Society .
The town got its post office , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a silly story , sure .
And , like a lot of local lore , it changes a bit depending on who ’ s telling it .
One thing is certain : a post office was involved .
And stories about the U.S .
Postal Service aren ’ t very fun nowadays .
More likely , they involve people not getting their mail , including vital prescriptions , rent checks and even Holocaust reparations ; the removal of blue collection boxes and sorting machines ; dead animals and rotting food piling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are broad concerns about the integrity of mail-in voting in November .
President Trump , who votes by mail in Florida , regularly and falsely claims that mail-in voting leads to rampant voter fraud .
Then there ’ s the story of the postmaster general du jour .
It involves no salty snacks — but there ’ s enough saltiness , anger and concern to go around .
Louis DeJoy , a former logistics executive and prominent donor to Trump and other Republicans , was served a congressional subpoena for records about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the job in May .
And California just joined several states in filing a preliminary injunction to immediately reverse the changes at the Postal Service while a related lawsuit moves forward .
The postmaster of postmasters is having a moment .
But for generations , local postmasters , and the now-besieged Postal Service , had many .
They held a lot of sway — and respect — especially in rural places , like Peanut , that wanted to come up in the world .
“ If your town had either a post office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were connected to the outside world , ” said Daniel Piazza , chief curator at the Smithsonian ’ s National Postal Museum .
“ If you had both , you had really made it.
” Around the turn of the 20th century , the names of post offices were often adopted as town names .
“ The post office , and the name of the post office , often precedes the incorporation of the town or village by many years , ” Piazza said .
“ It was more important to have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mayor and a city council and a city charter.
” This was especially true before free , at-home mail delivery became the norm in rural America .
Many assume it was telegraphs and the telephone that connected bygone rural communities to the rest of the world .
But in places like Peanut , it was the post office .
People could shop from the Sears Catalog or ship seeds or get letters from family members across the country .
The analogy today , Piazza said , is cellphone service and the internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but in many small towns , it ’ s still practically nonexistent .
Piazza said he understands why the Postal Service has , for years , considered closing or consolidating rural post offices , which are expensive for the financially-strapped agency to run .
But for those who don ’ t live in small towns , it ’ s hard to comprehend their importance , he said .
“ If you ask someone in a very rural area , it ’ s devastating — devastating — when the post office goes away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ask someone in an urban area with high-speed internet and Amazon Prime same-day delivery , maybe it ’ s not as important , except in the last five or six months where suddenly we ’ re all relying on social distancing.
” With the creation of so-called post roads , the Postal Service quite literally connected communities .
For many years , it had a whole bureau dedicated to making maps to chart out mail routes and determine where to establish post offices , Piazza said .
From 1850 to 1890 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tripled , from 18,417 to 62,401 , according to the agency .
In 1890 , the federal government created the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to standardize place names .
The Postal Service became the most visible federal agency to carry out the new rules — like dropping the final “ h ” in names that ended in “ burgh , ” and changing “ borough ” to “ boro.
” And , as in the case of little Peanut , née Salt Creek , avoiding names with two words .
Suffice to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people .
“ The folklore and legend of towns all over the U.S. is they blame their name on the post office , ” Piazza said .
“ They say , ‘ The post office didn ’ t like our name .
They changed our name.
’ It wasn ’ t really the post office ; it was the Board on Geographic Names , but as an agency of the federal government , the post office was obligated to enact their order , and it was up to the locals to raise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In Pie Town , N.M. — named after the vaunted apple pies sold at an early shop — legend has it that when the townsfolk applied for a post office in the 1920s , they initially faced opposition from the feds , who wanted something more conventional .
In Texas , one small town had six names rejected by the Postal Service in the late 1800s .
The residents , according to the Texas State Historical Assn.
, wrote back : “ Let the post office be nameless and be damned !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas .
In California , just across the county line from Peanut , the post office in Whiskeytown did not bear the community name for decades because the Postal Service wouldn ’ t allow it .
Many say it ’ s because “ whiskey ” was too risqué .
But Jay Thompson , a curator at the Shasta Historical Society , pins the blame on a mundane federal directive to avoid “ town ” in a post office name .
“ People jumped to the conclusion that it was because it was immoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embellish.
” The Whiskeytown post office burned in the 2018 Carr fire .
As for Peanut , one must look to A.L .
Paulsen , the postmaster of Weaverville from 1898 to 1914 .
In his telling , a visiting Salt Creek teacher asked him to suggest a name for the new post office after theirs was rejected .
“ I was enjoying a bag of peanuts and jokingly said : ‘ PEANUT ’ would be a good name , Joe , ” Paulsen recalled in an article for the Trinity County Historical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : ‘ They wouldn ’ t stand for that.
’ ” Paulsen searched the post office directory and found no other Peanut .
So , they sent an application to Washington .
“ I felt a twinge of regret ... but couldn ’ t help grinning , when I heard that the Postmaster General agreed with my ‘ NUTTY ’ choice , ” Paulsen wrote .
“ For that moment of doubtful fun , I received a deserved call-down from a good citizen of Peanut.
” French said the Peanut post office opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1908 and became the town ’ s social hub .
More than 100 people are said to have called Peanut home back then .
There was a school , a general store , a hotel .
Peanut , or what ’ s left of it , is located in what is now the Shasta-Trinity National Forest , along a narrow stretch of State Highway 3 .
It is easy to miss , with no road signs declaring it even exists .
In a different version of the Peanut origin story , Ralph Patton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the Los Angeles Times in 1968 that his father was part of a committee of men who met at the turn of the century to give the place a name .
With a postal directory in hand , they tried to find a name that was not already in use .
“ Pecan , Chestnut , Walnut — hell .
Even all the nuts were taken , ” Patton said .
“ Except peanut.
” Ralph ’ s grandson , Raymond Patton Jr. , grew up in Peanut .
He said his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tribe , had lived there since time immemorial , and his white ancestors have been there since the 1800s .
Patton Jr. 's father still owns a ranch in Peanut .
Patton Jr. , 48 , said his great-great grandmother , Sarah Patton , was sitting near a campfire in the 1890s when a man known as Old Mule Man bragged that he was going to homestead a piece of land in Peanut .
In the middle of the night , she got on her horse , rode 35 miles to the land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , beating him to it .
“ It ’ s special , ” Patton Jr. said of Peanut .
“ It feels like sacred ground.
” The post office was shut down in the early 1930s .
Eventually , it burned to the ground .
Once again , the nearest post office for Peanut ’ s handful of residents is in Hayfork .
French said there used to be at least 45 little post offices in vast Trinity County , which has 12,300 people spread across an area bigger than both the states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now are about a dozen post offices , he said , and it feels like “ they ’ re trying like the dickens to shut those down.
” Today , the town of Peanut is mostly a memory .
All that remain are a few barns and a wooden sign next to Highway 3 commemorating the long-gone Salt Creek School .
But there ’ s something else , a reminder of why communities have fought to get — and keep — their post offices .
That reminder can still be found on maps @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The people who lived in the rugged Northern California mountain hamlet called Salt Creek wanted their very own U.S. post office.
It was the early 1900s, and getting the mail had become such a chore for this speck of a town deep in forest, about 100 miles south, as the crow flies, of the Oregon border. The journey to the nearest post office in Hayfork — a seven-mile horseback trail ride near the eponymous creek — could take several hours.
Besides, a bona fide post office would, quite literally, put the community on the map.
But Salt Creek’s application was rejected by the U.S. Postal Service, which asked for a single-word town name. An exasperated local school teacher explained the dilemma while visiting the postmaster in nearby Weaverville, who was snacking on a sack of goobers.
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“The postmaster was gnawing on some peanuts, and he half-jokingly said, ‘Let’s name it Peanut,’” said Jim French, a board member for the Trinity County Historical Society.
The town got its post office, and thus was born Peanut, Calif.
The small post office in Hayfork, Calif., in Trinity County, is now the closest one for residents of Peanut. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
It’s a silly story, sure. And, like a lot of local lore, it changes a bit depending on who’s telling it. One thing is certain: a post office was involved.
And stories about the U.S. Postal Service aren’t very fun nowadays.
More likely, they involve people not getting their mail, including vital prescriptions, rent checks and even Holocaust reparations; the removal of blue collection boxes and sorting machines; dead animals and rotting food piling up in packages at mail facilities.
There are broad concerns about the integrity of mail-in voting in November. President Trump, who votes by mail in Florida, regularly and falsely claims that mail-in voting leads to rampant voter fraud.
Then there’s the story of the postmaster general du jour. It involves no salty snacks — but there’s enough saltiness, anger and concern to go around.
Advertisement
Louis DeJoy, a former logistics executive and prominent donor to Trump and other Republicans, was served a congressional subpoena for records about the mail delays and his appointment to the job in May. And California just joined several states in filing a preliminary injunction to immediately reverse the changes at the Postal Service while a related lawsuit moves forward.
The post office in Junction City, Calif., in Trinity County, is inside a general store, like many rural post offices. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
The postmaster of postmasters is having a moment. But for generations, local postmasters, and the now-besieged Postal Service, had many. They held a lot of sway — and respect — especially in rural places, like Peanut, that wanted to come up in the world.
“If your town had either a post office or a railroad station, then you were connected to the outside world,” said Daniel Piazza, chief curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. “If you had both, you had really made it.”
Around the turn of the 20th century, the names of post offices were often adopted as town names.
“The post office, and the name of the post office, often precedes the incorporation of the town or village by many years,” Piazza said. “It was more important to have a post office than it was to have a mayor and a city council and a city charter.”
This was especially true before free, at-home mail delivery became the norm in rural America.
Advertisement
“If you ask someone in a very rural area, it’s devastating — devastating — when the post office goes away.” — Daniel Piazza, chief curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
Many assume it was telegraphs and the telephone that connected bygone rural communities to the rest of the world. But in places like Peanut, it was the post office. People could shop from the Sears Catalog or ship seeds or get letters from family members across the country.
The analogy today, Piazza said, is cellphone service and the internet. People assume it’s everywhere, but in many small towns, it’s still practically nonexistent.
State Highway 3 runs through what used to be the Northern California community of Peanut. Today, all that remains are a few barns. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Piazza said he understands why the Postal Service has, for years, considered closing or consolidating rural post offices, which are expensive for the financially-strapped agency to run. But for those who don’t live in small towns, it’s hard to comprehend their importance, he said.
“If you ask someone in a very rural area, it’s devastating — devastating — when the post office goes away,” he said. “If you ask someone in an urban area with high-speed internet and Amazon Prime same-day delivery, maybe it’s not as important, except in the last five or six months where suddenly we’re all relying on social distancing.”
Advertisement
With the creation of so-called post roads, the Postal Service quite literally connected communities. For many years, it had a whole bureau dedicated to making maps to chart out mail routes and determine where to establish post offices, Piazza said.
A rare 1930s postmark from the long-gone post office in Peanut. (Trinity County Historical Society)
From 1850 to 1890, the number of post offices more than tripled, from 18,417 to 62,401, according to the agency.
In 1890, the federal government created the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to standardize place names. The Postal Service became the most visible federal agency to carry out the new rules — like dropping the final “h” in names that ended in “burgh,” and changing “borough” to “boro.”
And, as in the case of little Peanut, née Salt Creek, avoiding names with two words. Suffice to say, the rules upset a lot of people.
“The folklore and legend of towns all over the U.S. is they blame their name on the post office,” Piazza said. “They say, ‘The post office didn’t like our name. They changed our name.’ It wasn’t really the post office; it was the Board on Geographic Names, but as an agency of the federal government, the post office was obligated to enact their order, and it was up to the locals to raise a stink and get their name changed.”
In Pie Town, N.M. — named after the vaunted apple pies sold at an early shop — legend has it that when the townsfolk applied for a post office in the 1920s, they initially faced opposition from the feds, who wanted something more conventional.
A sign next to State Highway 3 in Peanut commemorates Salt Creek School. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
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In Texas, one small town had six names rejected by the Postal Service in the late 1800s. The residents, according to the Texas State Historical Assn., wrote back: “Let the post office be nameless and be damned!” The town officially became Nameless, Texas.
In California, just across the county line from Peanut, the post office in Whiskeytown did not bear the community name for decades because the Postal Service wouldn’t allow it.
Many say it’s because “whiskey” was too risqué. But Jay Thompson, a curator at the Shasta Historical Society, pins the blame on a mundane federal directive to avoid “town” in a post office name.
“People jumped to the conclusion that it was because it was immoral,” Thompson said. “People embellish.”
The Whiskeytown post office burned in the 2018 Carr fire.
“It’s special. It feels like sacred ground.” — Raymond Patton Jr., on Peanut, where he grew up
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As for Peanut, one must look to A.L. Paulsen, the postmaster of Weaverville from 1898 to 1914. In his telling, a visiting Salt Creek teacher asked him to suggest a name for the new post office after theirs was rejected.
“I was enjoying a bag of peanuts and jokingly said: ‘PEANUT’ would be a good name, Joe,” Paulsen recalled in an article for the Trinity County Historical Society. “Seriously, Joe remarked: ‘They wouldn’t stand for that.’”
Paulsen searched the post office directory and found no other Peanut. So, they sent an application to Washington.
“I felt a twinge of regret ... but couldn’t help grinning, when I heard that the Postmaster General agreed with my ‘NUTTY’ choice,” Paulsen wrote. “For that moment of doubtful fun, I received a deserved call-down from a good citizen of Peanut.”
French said the Peanut post office opened on a family’s ranch in 1908 and became the town’s social hub. More than 100 people are said to have called Peanut home back then. There was a school, a general store, a hotel.
Peanut, Calif., sits 100 miles south of the Oregon border, as the crow flies.
(Los Angeles Times)
Peanut, or what’s left of it, is located in what is now the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, along a narrow stretch of State Highway 3. It is easy to miss, with no road signs declaring it even exists.
Advertisement
In a different version of the Peanut origin story, Ralph Patton, a rancher and lifelong Peanutter, told the Los Angeles Times in 1968 that his father was part of a committee of men who met at the turn of the century to give the place a name. With a postal directory in hand, they tried to find a name that was not already in use.
“Pecan, Chestnut, Walnut — hell. Even all the nuts were taken,” Patton said. “Except peanut.”
Ralph’s grandson, Raymond Patton Jr., grew up in Peanut. He said his Native American ancestors, of the Wintu tribe, had lived there since time immemorial, and his white ancestors have been there since the 1800s. Patton Jr.’s father still owns a ranch in Peanut.
Patton Jr., 48, said his great-great grandmother, Sarah Patton, was sitting near a campfire in the 1890s when a man known as Old Mule Man bragged that he was going to homestead a piece of land in Peanut. In the middle of the night, she got on her horse, rode 35 miles to the land office in Weaverville and filed a claim, beating him to it.
“It’s special,” Patton Jr. said of Peanut. “It feels like sacred ground.”
The post office was shut down in the early 1930s. Eventually, it burned to the ground. Once again, the nearest post office for Peanut’s handful of residents is in Hayfork.
Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling
from the Los Angeles Times. More stories
French said there used to be at least 45 little post offices in vast Trinity County, which has 12,300 people spread across an area bigger than both the states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
There now are about a dozen post offices, he said, and it feels like “they’re trying like the dickens to shut those down.”
Today, the town of Peanut is mostly a memory. All that remain are a few barns and a wooden sign next to Highway 3 commemorating the long-gone Salt Creek School.
But there’s something else, a reminder of why communities have fought to get — and keep — their post offices. That reminder can still be found on maps: the name Peanut, California.


latimes--2020-09-10--Column: Forget a special legislative session. California lawmakers first need to get their act toget

Column: Forget a special legislative session. California lawmakers first need to get their act together

This was the ideal time — politically and policy-wise — for the Legislature and the governor to authorize loads of extra spending on wildfire prevention and helping victims .
But they botched it .
The people ’ s representatives couldn ’ t get their act together amid internal turmoil to agree on a stripped-down $ 500-million wildfire appropriation before they were forced by law to adjourn the two-year legislative session at midnight Aug. 31 .
The shelved wildfire bill was just one of several very important measures that were victimized by legislators fractured by rivalries and bitterness , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic and infernos to exert his political muscle in the Legislature .
Other major bills that were scuttled — some even without a vote — involved housing production , police reform and broadband expansion for schoolchildren forced to attend classes from home .
It was the most discombobulated end of a legislative session — putting it politely — in the memory of everyone I talked to .
It certainly was for me , and I ’ ve covered dozens .
“ It was a hard year — the worst year I can remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ( D-San Diego ) , a former Assembly speaker .
“ The pandemic didn ’ t help.
” What happened ?
Many things , according to legislators and aides , some of whom asked for anonymity because they feared offending colleagues .
Start with COVID-19 .
Because the Legislature tried to follow state public health guidelines , lawmakers couldn ’ t “ work ” the chamber floors as they normally do , persuading and dealing .
No face-to-face camaraderie — not even mask-to-mask .
Physical distancing was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even allowed .
All that made for difficult legislating .
There has always been tension between the Assembly and Senate , but the bad blood was abnormally poisonous this time .
Many believe it started when the two houses couldn ’ t agree on uniform rules for remote debating and voting on bills .
The Senate allowed for remote participation in floor action over Zoom .
In fact , Democrats forced it on Republicans because one GOP member tested positive for the coronavirus .
The Assembly leadership wouldn ’ t allow Zoom participation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be at high risk for COVID-19 .
None wound up voting by proxy .
Lack of agreement on how to protect against the virus is what set off Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ( D-Lakewood ) and Atkins on their separate ways , ending in bitterness between two leaders who used to be close allies .
Rendon was accused by Atkins and other senators of “ running out the clock ” on the last night , preventing several major Senate bills from being voted on by the Assembly until it was too late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ midnight deadline .
One such bill was Atkins ’ housing measure that would have allowed duplexes to be built on lots zoned for single-family homes .
It wasn ’ t debated in the Assembly until late on the final night and didn ’ t pass that house until shortly before midnight .
There was no time left for the Senate to approve the Assembly ’ s amendments .
I asked Atkins whether she thought Rendon had purposely run out the clock .
“ I do , ” she replied .
“ Clearly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate ] at 11:57 p.m. , I don ’ t know how else I ’ m supposed to take it.
” She cited other bills that got similar treatments .
Rendon told me : “ The argument that we were running out the clock is preposterous .
It ’ s absurd.
” When chaos began on the final night , the speaker says , he asked the Senate for a list of priority bills to expedite .
And Atkins ’ housing bill wasn ’ t on it .
“ That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s internal gamesmanship .
He knew it was important .
I consider everybody ’ s bill important.
” Especially one from the Senate leader .
The speaker shouldn ’ t have to look at a list to know that a pro tem ’ s bill is a high priority .
Another senator told me Atkins didn ’ t put her bill on the priority list because she doesn ’ t like to “ bigfoot ” colleagues .
And that segues into another reason things didn ’ t get done as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Gov .
Gavin Newsom — and their senior aides — avoid playing old-fashioned political hardball .
Maybe they don ’ t know how .
Or maybe they feel it ’ s beneath them .
But it ’ s required for success .
Threatening , coercing , trading favors — it ’ s all part of winning American politics .
Many past legislative leaders , governors and their staffs excelled at it .
Forcing Senate Republicans into home-confined Zoom voting also greatly slowed floor action .
Atkins accuses Republicans of delay tactics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it with the state ablaze north and south and dense smoke polluting the skies .
Newsom and Senate Democrats had agreed to spend $ 500 million for such things as cooling centers , emergency shelters , warning systems , home-hardening projects and forest cleanup .
The governor would have had to set a bad precedent by using his emergency power to waive a state law that requires amendments to be in print 72 hours before a bill can be voted on for final passage .
But under these horrific fire conditions , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 500 million out of the general fund without budget hearings doesn ’ t seem very democratic , ” the speaker says .
Senators counter that the speaker was irked because he wasn ’ t in on the deal with the governor .
Some lawmakers think Newsom should call a special legislative session to pass wildfire and housing legislation .
The governor should forget about it until after the pandemic and legislators get their acts back together .

A the end of a chaotic session in the California Legislature amid the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators failed to smooth over internal turmoil to act on important legislation, columnist George Skelton writes.
This was the ideal time — politically and policy-wise — for the Legislature and the governor to authorize loads of extra spending on wildfire prevention and helping victims. But they botched it.
Shame on them.
The people’s representatives couldn’t get their act together amid internal turmoil to agree on a stripped-down $500-million wildfire appropriation before they were forced by law to adjourn the two-year legislative session at midnight Aug. 31.
The shelved wildfire bill was just one of several very important measures that were victimized by legislators fractured by rivalries and bitterness, and a governor apparently spread too thin managing a pandemic and infernos to exert his political muscle in the Legislature.
Other major bills that were scuttled — some even without a vote — involved housing production, police reform and broadband expansion for schoolchildren forced to attend classes from home.
It was the most discombobulated end of a legislative session — putting it politely — in the memory of everyone I talked to. It certainly was for me, and I’ve covered dozens.
Advertisement
“It was a hard year — the worst year I can remember to get things done,” says Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), a former Assembly speaker. “The pandemic didn’t help.”
What happened? Many things, according to legislators and aides, some of whom asked for anonymity because they feared offending colleagues.
Start with COVID-19. Because the Legislature tried to follow state public health guidelines, lawmakers couldn’t “work” the chamber floors as they normally do, persuading and dealing.
No face-to-face camaraderie — not even mask-to-mask. Physical distancing was strictly observed. Seatmates weren’t even allowed. All that made for difficult legislating.
There has always been tension between the Assembly and Senate, but the bad blood was abnormally poisonous this time. Many believe it started when the two houses couldn’t agree on uniform rules for remote debating and voting on bills.
Advertisement
The Senate allowed for remote participation in floor action over Zoom. In fact, Democrats forced it on Republicans because one GOP member tested positive for the coronavirus. The Assembly leadership wouldn’t allow Zoom participation but permitted proxy voting for lawmakers considered to be at high risk for COVID-19. None wound up voting by proxy.
Lack of agreement on how to protect against the virus is what set off Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Atkins on their separate ways, ending in bitterness between two leaders who used to be close allies.
Rendon was accused by Atkins and other senators of “running out the clock” on the last night, preventing several major Senate bills from being voted on by the Assembly until it was too late for them to be passed before the midnight deadline.
California In bringing her baby to vote, Buffy Wicks spotlights the mistreatment of working moms Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) leaped from rookie legislator to rising star literally overnight after bringing her newborn baby to the Assembly floor when she was denied the ability to vote remotely.
One such bill was Atkins’ housing measure that would have allowed duplexes to be built on lots zoned for single-family homes. It wasn’t debated in the Assembly until late on the final night and didn’t pass that house until shortly before midnight. There was no time left for the Senate to approve the Assembly’s amendments.
I asked Atkins whether she thought Rendon had purposely run out the clock.
“I do,” she replied. “Clearly, sending the bill back over [to the Senate] at 11:57 p.m., I don’t know how else I’m supposed to take it.”
She cited other bills that got similar treatments.
Rendon told me: “The argument that we were running out the clock is preposterous. It’s absurd.”
When chaos began on the final night, the speaker says, he asked the Senate for a list of priority bills to expedite. And Atkins’ housing bill wasn’t on it.
“That’s just crazy,” Atkins says. “It’s internal gamesmanship. He knew it was important. I consider everybody’s bill important.”
Especially one from the Senate leader. The speaker shouldn’t have to look at a list to know that a pro tem’s bill is a high priority.
Another senator told me Atkins didn’t put her bill on the priority list because she doesn’t like to “bigfoot” colleagues. And that segues into another reason things didn’t get done as they should have.
Both legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom — and their senior aides — avoid playing old-fashioned political hardball. Maybe they don’t know how. Or maybe they feel it’s beneath them. But it’s required for success.
Threatening, coercing, trading favors — it’s all part of winning American politics. Many past legislative leaders, governors and their staffs excelled at it.
Forcing Senate Republicans into home-confined Zoom voting also greatly slowed floor action. Atkins accuses Republicans of delay tactics.
Back to the wildfire bill:
This was the perfect time to pass it with the state ablaze north and south and dense smoke polluting the skies. Newsom and Senate Democrats had agreed to spend $500 million for such things as cooling centers, emergency shelters, warning systems, home-hardening projects and forest cleanup.
The governor would have had to set a bad precedent by using his emergency power to waive a state law that requires amendments to be in print 72 hours before a bill can be voted on for final passage. But under these horrific fire conditions, who would protest?
Rendon quashed the proposal, however.
“For me, $500 million out of the general fund without budget hearings doesn’t seem very democratic,” the speaker says.
Senators counter that the speaker was irked because he wasn’t in on the deal with the governor.
Some lawmakers think Newsom should call a special legislative session to pass wildfire and housing legislation.
The governor should forget about it until after the pandemic and legislators get their acts back together.


latimes--2020-09-09--'No going back' to racist past, L.A. civic leaders say of post-COVID future

Early in the spring , before the coronavirus shutdowns , Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer met with an influential group of philanthropic and civic leaders to foretell the coming crisis .
Members of the group , called the Civic Alliance , saw dire implications for the “ low income and marginalized communities of color ” that are the focus of their work , said Fred Ali , president and chief executive of the Weingart Foundation .
“ Our suspicion was that the impact we were going to see from this crisis was going to be disproportionate on those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ali said .
That warning precipitated months of Friday Zoom sessions involving representatives from major nonprofits , public officials and academics from UCLA and USC .
Launched with a focus on COVID recovery , their examination grew to embrace everything that ails Los Angeles seen through the lens of racism .
“ Going back to the Los Angeles of the past is not progress , ” they declare in a report released Wednesday .
“ We propose dismantling those structures and prioritizing how resources will be directed in order to achieve a more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on racial equity.
” The report , a novel-length and heavily footnoted volume called “ No Going Back , ” is part academic treatise and part manifesto , painting a dark picture of racial and economic inequity and recommending a sweeping overhaul of the systems that it holds responsible .
In 15 chapters , supported by dozens of charts and scores of bullet points , “ No Going Back ” documents inequities in almost every aspect of public life and offers prescriptions that might have seemed unthinkable only months earlier , before a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killings of Black people by police forced a rethinking of what was imaginable .
The recommendations range from the generic : “ Apply a racial equity lens to all budget decisions , ” to the specific and radical : “ Lower the voting age to 16 '' in local elections .
The report proposes increases in public spending on rental assistance , housing construction , mental health and youth services through such measures as statewide single-payer healthcare funding , with subsidies for immigrants who lack legal residency and cash assistance to low-income workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It proposes the formation of a public utility to provide internet access to all and a new centralized regional agency to manage the housing delivery system and hold government agencies responsible for meeting homeless housing targets .
To pay for all that , it proposes reform of the property tax system established by Proposition 13 , new real estate transfer taxes and emergency bonding authority .
It also advocates for huge increases in federal supports such as Section 8 rental vouchers .
Conceived as a project to prepare for the impact of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan for their recovery , Committee for Greater LA , as the group called itself , broadened its view as news reports of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor and other Black people being killed by police spawned a nationwide protest movement .
“ Public consciousness has shifted , ” the report proclaimed .
“ We should hold no affection for a system that has long stripped assets from communities through discrimination and redlining rather than built them up through public and private investment.
” While the report embraces a panorama of solutions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does not identify specific actions to achieve them .
“ A huge piece of this is about a civic conversation , ” said committee member Sarah Dusseault , a Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority commissioner .
“ What does a bold future look like ?
“ A lot of the mid- to longer-term action items really require more of a civic conversation that we ’ re trying to spark , with racial equity at its core , with accountability at its core , ” Dusseault said .
The report echoes earlier examinations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles society that have erupted into past violence .
Nearly 30 years after the Christopher Commission faulted the Los Angeles Police Department in its probe of the 1992 riots following not-guilty verdicts in the beating of Rodney King , the new report found broad evidence of continued racial bias in policing .
“ There is no return to a system that over‐policed , over‐incarcerated , and under‐delivered , ” it said .
And , more than 50 years after the Kerner Commission concluded that white racism — not black anger — was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riots , it concluded that Black and other minority communities continue to be victimized by systemic racism evidenced by disparities in health , income and education and rates of homelessness and incarceration .
“ Police brutality is just the tip of a racist iceberg that extends to systems of education , the economy , and healthcare , ” it said .
But following both events , “ reports were written and plans were launched to deal with the under‐investment that gave rise to unrest — but little fundamentally changed , particularly for Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ So what might be different this time ?
” They cited three factors that could make a difference this time — “ the profundity of the moment ” as Black Lives Matter protests continue , a growing recognition that “ the current levels of inequality and racial disparity threaten public health in the short run and prosperity in the long run ” and the growing strength of community organizations to “ propel a seismic change for the better , ” among them the 10 organizations that funded the study , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For all its breadth , “ No Going Back ” makes no attempt to prioritize its recommendations either by urgency , importance or difficulty .
“ This was not intended as a specific to-do list for every level of government , ” said committee Chairman Miguel Santana , a former high-level administrator in both the county and city .
“ We hope that any candidate for office , whether for mayor or City Council or Congress or the state legislature , would embrace the thesis that the current systems are simply not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of costly workarounds — such as the state picking up the bill for emergency room visits — required by the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from social services systems .
The report found that 18 % of Los Angeles County residents , including 200,000 children , are either undocumented or living with a family member who is , disqualifying them for federal coronavirus relief funds .
“ We rely on their workforce for the food we eat , for keeping facilities clean , and for taking care of our children , ” Santana said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include this sector of our society into full membership of what it means to be a Californian.
” The report ’ s conclusions rest on research by Manuel Pastor , director of the USC Equity Research Institute , and Gary Segura , dean of UCLA ’ s Luskin School of Public Affairs , who were its primary authors .
The two researchers and their teams traced current inequities to the lack of effective reforms after the Watts riots , “ white flight ” that led to further segregation of South L.A. , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de-industrialization on Black Angelenos , followed by the impacts of the Great Recession .
From 1970 to 2010 , income of Black families remained close to two-thirds that of white families , but dropped to just 54 % in 2018 , they said .
Overlaying those disparities on the COVID-19 pandemic , they found that Black and Latino workers were far more likely than white workers to work in high-risk jobs classified as essential and far less likely to have a computer and high-speed internet at home to participate in schoolwork while in-school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not laid out a road map for implementing their proposals , members of the committee have vowed to continue pushing their agenda , said Ali of the Weingart Foundation .
The next steps will be to set priorities , build an organization and sort out how to pursue advocacy that is inherently political , Ali said .
“ To get some of this done it does take politics , ” Ali said .
“ For some of us running foundations there are some things we can do and some things we can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to act .
”

Early in the spring, before the coronavirus shutdowns, Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer met with an influential group of philanthropic and civic leaders to foretell the coming crisis.
Members of the group, called the Civic Alliance, saw dire implications for the “low income and marginalized communities of color” that are the focus of their work, said Fred Ali, president and chief executive of the Weingart Foundation.
For the record: An earlier version of this article said that 18% of Los Angeles County residents are either undocumented or living with a family member who is, disqualifying them for federal coronavirus relief funds. While that is true for the vast majority, there are some who still qualify for the funds.
“Our suspicion was that the impact we were going to see from this crisis was going to be disproportionate on those communities we most care about,” Ali said.
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There is no return to a system that over‐policed, over‐incarcerated, and under‐delivered. — “No Going Back,” a report on racial inequity in Los Angeles
That warning precipitated months of Friday Zoom sessions involving representatives from major nonprofits, public officials and academics from UCLA and USC. Launched with a focus on COVID recovery, their examination grew to embrace everything that ails Los Angeles seen through the lens of racism.
“Going back to the Los Angeles of the past is not progress,” they declare in a report released Wednesday. “We propose dismantling those structures and prioritizing how resources will be directed in order to achieve a more accountable Los Angeles driven by outcomes centered on racial equity.”
People on a freeway ramp during a protest over the killing of Dijon Kizzee. (Josie Norris / Los Angeles Times)
The report, a novel-length and heavily footnoted volume called “No Going Back,” is part academic treatise and part manifesto, painting a dark picture of racial and economic inequity and recommending a sweeping overhaul of the systems that it holds responsible.
In 15 chapters, supported by dozens of charts and scores of bullet points, “No Going Back” documents inequities in almost every aspect of public life and offers prescriptions that might have seemed unthinkable only months earlier, before a deadly pandemic and public outrage over the killings of Black people by police forced a rethinking of what was imaginable.
Advertisement
The recommendations range from the generic: “Apply a racial equity lens to all budget decisions,” to the specific and radical: “Lower the voting age to 16” in local elections.
The report proposes increases in public spending on rental assistance, housing construction, mental health and youth services through such measures as statewide single-payer healthcare funding, with subsidies for immigrants who lack legal residency and cash assistance to low-income workers and those who have lost work.
It proposes the formation of a public utility to provide internet access to all and a new centralized regional agency to manage the housing delivery system and hold government agencies responsible for meeting homeless housing targets.
To pay for all that, it proposes reform of the property tax system established by Proposition 13, new real estate transfer taxes and emergency bonding authority. It also advocates for huge increases in federal supports such as Section 8 rental vouchers.
Conceived as a project to prepare for the impact of the coronavirus on low-income communities of color and plan for their recovery, Committee for Greater LA, as the group called itself, broadened its view as news reports of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people being killed by police spawned a nationwide protest movement.
California Across L.A., Black Lives Matter murals appear like billboards for justice The Black Lives Matter movement has inspired murals honoring Black lives and people killed by police brutality. But time poses a threat to the art.
“Public consciousness has shifted,” the report proclaimed. “We should hold no affection for a system that has long stripped assets from communities through discrimination and redlining rather than built them up through public and private investment.”
While the report embraces a panorama of solutions that would each be a huge undertaking, it does not identify specific actions to achieve them.
“A huge piece of this is about a civic conversation,” said committee member Sarah Dusseault, a Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority commissioner. “What does a bold future look like?
“A lot of the mid- to longer-term action items really require more of a civic conversation that we’re trying to spark, with racial equity at its core, with accountability at its core,” Dusseault said.
The report echoes earlier examinations of the racial and ethnic stresses in Los Angeles society that have erupted into past violence.
The 1992 riots in Los Angeles. (Kirk Mckoy / Los Angeles Times)
Nearly 30 years after the Christopher Commission faulted the Los Angeles Police Department in its probe of the 1992 riots following not-guilty verdicts in the beating of Rodney King, the new report found broad evidence of continued racial bias in policing.
“There is no return to a system that over‐policed, over‐incarcerated, and under‐delivered,” it said.
And, more than 50 years after the Kerner Commission concluded that white racism — not black anger — was the underlying cause of the 1965 Watts riots, it concluded that Black and other minority communities continue to be victimized by systemic racism evidenced by disparities in health, income and education and rates of homelessness and incarceration.
“Police brutality is just the tip of a racist iceberg that extends to systems of education, the economy, and healthcare,” it said.
But following both events, “reports were written and plans were launched to deal with the under‐investment that gave rise to unrest — but little fundamentally changed, particularly for Black Angelenos,” the authors said. “So what might be different this time?”
They cited three factors that could make a difference this time — “the profundity of the moment” as Black Lives Matter protests continue, a growing recognition that “the current levels of inequality and racial disparity threaten public health in the short run and prosperity in the long run” and the growing strength of community organizations to “propel a seismic change for the better,” among them the 10 organizations that funded the study, including the California Community Foundation and California Wellness Foundation.
For all its breadth, “No Going Back” makes no attempt to prioritize its recommendations either by urgency, importance or difficulty.
“This was not intended as a specific to-do list for every level of government,” said committee Chairman Miguel Santana, a former high-level administrator in both the county and city. “We hope that any candidate for office, whether for mayor or City Council or Congress or the state legislature, would embrace the thesis that the current systems are simply not working.”
Santana pointed to the patchwork of costly workarounds — such as the state picking up the bill for emergency room visits — required by the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from social services systems.
The report found that 18% of Los Angeles County residents, including 200,000 children, are either undocumented or living with a family member who is, disqualifying most of them for federal coronavirus relief funds.
“We rely on their workforce for the food we eat, for keeping facilities clean, and for taking care of our children,” Santana said. “We believe we should fully include this sector of our society into full membership of what it means to be a Californian.”
The report’s conclusions rest on research by Manuel Pastor, director of the USC Equity Research Institute, and Gary Segura, dean of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, who were its primary authors.
The two researchers and their teams traced current inequities to the lack of effective reforms after the Watts riots, “white flight” that led to further segregation of South L.A., the disproportionate effect of the county’s de-industrialization on Black Angelenos, followed by the impacts of the Great Recession.
From 1970 to 2010, income of Black families remained close to two-thirds that of white families, but dropped to just 54% in 2018, they said.
Overlaying those disparities on the COVID-19 pandemic, they found that Black and Latino workers were far more likely than white workers to work in high-risk jobs classified as essential and far less likely to have a computer and high-speed internet at home to participate in schoolwork while in-school teaching is prohibited.
Though they have not laid out a road map for implementing their proposals, members of the committee have vowed to continue pushing their agenda, said Ali of the Weingart Foundation.
The next steps will be to set priorities, build an organization and sort out how to pursue advocacy that is inherently political , Ali said.
“To get some of this done it does take politics,” Ali said. “For some of us running foundations there are some things we can do and some things we cannot do. But we can empower others to act.”


latimes--2020-09-09--3 dead as Northern California fires spread rapidly, burning through small town

California ’ s already record-setting fire season worsened considerably Wednesday as more than two dozen fires forced thousands of residents from their homes amid growing alarm about a new monster blaze that rapidly consumed more than 250,000 acres around Oroville and killed at least three people .
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea announced the deaths Wednesday evening .
He did not provide details about where the victims died but said the bodies were found in areas where the Bear fire , part of the massive North Complex , had swept through .
The remains of two people were found at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found elsewhere .
Honea said his agency and others had desperately tried over the last 24 hours to alert residents in mountain communities that the fire was headed in their direction and that they needed to evacuate .
In announcing the deaths , Honea said he was reminded of how , two years earlier , he had to disclose the toll of the Camp fire , which killed 85 people and is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history .
“ We can not underestimate what they can do to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people we love , ” he said .
Twenty-eight major wildfires burning statewide have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate , said Daniel Berlant , a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
Some 20,000 residents in Plumas , Butte and Yuba counties have been forced to flee from the North Complex fires , which exploded in size as “ topography , high winds and dry fuels aligned to produce unprecedented fire behavior , ” officials said Wednesday morning .
Overnight , the complex — which includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of about 2,000 acres an hour , according to federal firefighters handling the incident .
By Wednesday morning , it had consumed an additional 80,000 acres — bringing its total size to more than 254,000 acres , stunning fire officials with its speed and ferocity and extending its potential threat all the way to the towns of Paradise and Concow , which were devastated in the 2018 Camp fire .
Photos showed devastation in the tiny Butte County hamlet of Berry Creek , where many homes and other structures were destroyed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know the extent of the destruction in the town , which is north of the Oroville Dam .
Some witnesses said many buildings were lost .
Both towns are now under evacuation warnings , while evacuation orders have been issued for other areas around Lake Oroville .
Jay Kurth , incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service , said the agency was still working Wednesday morning to “ figure out where the fire footprint really is ” because of the extreme overnight activity .
Kurth added that weather conditions had improved with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winds , but he said the situation remained volatile .
“ Overall , the combination of hot , very dry and windy weather is a culmination of very critical conditions for the state , ” Brent Wachter , a predictive services meteorologist with the Forest Service , said in a video statement Wednesday .
Nearby , 3,000 residents were evacuated from the community of Loma Rica in Yuba County on Wednesday as the Willow fire grew to 1,000 acres , according to Cal Fire .
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. also worked Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power had been shut off in hopes of avoiding new fires potentially being sparked by downed power lines .
As of just after 11 a.m. , power had been restored to 30,000 customers , the utility said .
In light of the unprecedented fire conditions , the Forest Service announced that all national forests in California would be temporarily closed starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday .
The agency had already closed eight of the state ’ s national forests Monday but moved to shut the remaining 10 — Eldorado , Klamath , Lassen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Plumas , Shasta-Trinity , Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit — “ to protect the public and our firefighters , ” Regional Forester Randy Moore said .
“ We will keep [ closures ] in place until conditions improve and we are confident that national forest visitors can recreate safely , ” he added in a statement .
“ I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong winds in the forecast and red flag warnings in place for much of the state through Wednesday evening , fire officials warned that the challenging conditions present a risk not only of swelling existing fires — some of which already rank among the largest in California ’ s history — but also of giving a foothold to new ones .
“ Yesterday and overnight , firefighters had a significant battle on their hands as winds whipped a number of fires , allowing significant growth and extreme fire behavior , not only for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also in some of the major fires that have been burning , ” Berlant said .
The Dolan fire burning in Monterey County , for instance , has doubled in size this week — a frenetic growth rate one official attributed to the combination of strong winds , punishing temperatures and steep , rugged terrain .
That fire had burned through more than 93,000 acres and was 20 % contained as of Wednesday morning .
“ For wildland firefighters , we ’ ve been in an all-hands-on-deck situation for weeks now , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Pacific Northwest Team 2 , pointing to the number of significant fires burning up and down the West Coast .
He added : “ I ’ ve never seen anything like this in 20 years.
” Forecasters said winds remained relatively calm in the vicinity of the Bobcat fire , burning in the San Gabriel Mountains above Monrovia , and near the Creek fire in the Sierra foothills .
“ We didn ’ t have much wind overnight , ” Mike Wofford , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of Wednesday morning , Wofford said , winds were “ generally under 15 mph , ” though “ we could get some gusts , 20 to 30 mph , later this morning around the fire area.
” “ We ’ re getting some stronger winds now , but they ’ re mostly on the ridges higher up above where the fire is currently , ” he said about 7:30 a.m .
Though extreme winds have howled in some parts of the state , Wofford said , “ the [ Bobcat ] fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given its location — it wasn ’ t in an area that typically gets these strong winds.
” “ We ’ re just fortunate it wasn ’ t in one of those areas , ” he said .
Officials on Tuesday expanded the evacuation warning area for the Bobcat fire — warning residents of Monrovia , Arcadia , Sierra Madre , Bradbury , Altadena , Duarte and Pasadena that they should be prepared to leave quickly should the need arise .
That blaze has charred more than 11,400 acres and is still 0 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ generally speaking … most locations weren ’ t that windy the other day , ” said Colin McKellar , a weather service meteorologist in Hanford .
“ We ’ re getting kind of lucky in that sense , ” he said Wednesday .
“ The winds aren ’ t going to be that big of an issue.
” Forecasters also said it appeared that winds could weaken throughout the day .
“ We ’ re encouraged that the wind activity appears to be dying down … and the rest of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a wind perspective and a weather perspective , ” Gov .
Gavin Newsom said during a briefing Wednesday .
Still , the rash of new fires has been devastating .
The Creek fire alone has burned more than 163,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 360 structures as of Wednesday morning .
An additional 5,296 structures are threatened .
On Tuesday , officials issued new evacuation orders covering the Fresno County communities of Tollhouse , Burrough Valley and Cold Springs Rancheria .
The bulk of the firefighting efforts Wednesday were on the Creek fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foothill towns such as Prather , Auberry and Clovis in the flatland , where winds were light and ash rained down throughout the day .
The forest that surrounds them is filled with up to 2,000 tons of burnable timber per acre , most of it dead and dry from a bark beetle infestation that exploded in the Sierra Nevada during the drought that began in 2012 .
Crews are focusing on areas south of the fire , “ clearing roads in any communities not evacuated and making sure people can get out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire spokesman Chris Vestal said .
Relatively scant growth was reported on two other Southern California wildfires .
The El Dorado fire , near Yucaipa , was 11,479 acres and 19 % contained as of Wednesday , while the Valley fire , southeast of Alpine in San Diego County near the Mexican border , was 17,565 acres and 11 % contained , according to Cal Fire .
As of Wednesday , more than 14,000 firefighters were contending with 28 major wildfires , according to Cal Fire , and the agency had increased staffing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several areas .
So far this year , 7,657 fires statewide have scorched more than 2.5 million combined acres , Berlant said .
That ’ s an increase of more than 2,000 % over the number of acres burned by this time last year .
“ This year has already been a very destructive fire season , and it is nowhere close to being over , ” Berlant said .
Fire activity has been particularly prolific since Aug. 15 , which marked the start of a “ lightning siege ” that unleashed thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died during the weeks-long firestorm , and more than 3,400 structures have been destroyed .
“ This is a challenging year , ” Newsom said this week .
“ It ’ s historic in terms of magnitude , scope and consequence , and it also has required … a deep reservoir of resource.
” The numerous fires also have wreaked havoc on the region ’ s air quality .
The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning there was an “ unprecedented amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a record number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” obscuring the marine layer up and down the West Coast .
Satellite imagery posted by the agency showed a blanket of smoke over much of California and extending far out over the Pacific Ocean .
Air quality officials have issued a wildfire smoke advisory for much of Southern California through Wednesday evening , warning that “ meteorological conditions will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles , San Bernardino , Riverside and Orange Counties.
” According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District , the worst concentrations of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pollution particles known as PM2.5 , are expected in communities closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires — the latter of which is burning near Yucaipa .
The smoke that ’ s blanketing California ’ s entire Central Valley and Sierra foothills is also hurting firefighters ’ ability to defend against the oncoming flames .
The high-pressure system that ’ s brought record-breaking heat is also , with few exceptions , keeping smoke from the state ’ s myriad fires closer to the ground , creating a gray shroud that makes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the fires have been and where they are going , officials said .
“ One of the things we ’ ve seen statewide is with all the smoke , we can ’ t get a good assessment , ” said Vestal , the Creek fire spokesman .
Burning in extremely dry and steep terrain , flames carry the potential to spread their red-hot embers across football-field distances in seconds and miles in minutes — making situational awareness for the crews that battle them paramount .
“ It ’ s hard to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Vestal said .
“ We get to make some tactical decisions and the … chiefs can then order resources and figure out what exactly it is , where our values at risk are , if there ’ s any critical infrastructure , anything that needs extra protection .
It ’ s just a lot easier to see it from above and get that full , really comprehensive view of the incident .
”

Luke Money, Anita Chabria, Tony Barboza, Joseph Serna, Matthew Ormseth

California’s already record-setting fire season worsened considerably Wednesday as more than two dozen fires forced thousands of residents from their homes amid growing alarm about a new monster blaze that rapidly consumed more than 250,000 acres around Oroville and killed at least three people.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea announced the deaths Wednesday evening. He did not provide details about where the victims died but said the bodies were found in areas where the Bear fire, part of the massive North Complex, had swept through.
For the record: A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of Creek fire response spokesman Chris Vestal as Vestel.
The remains of two people were found at one location; the third body was found elsewhere.
Honea said his agency and others had desperately tried over the last 24 hours to alert residents in mountain communities that the fire was headed in their direction and that they needed to evacuate.
In announcing the deaths, Honea said he was reminded of how, two years earlier, he had to disclose the toll of the Camp fire, which killed 85 people and is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.
“We cannot underestimate what they can do to the community and what they can do to the people we love,” he said.
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Twenty-eight major wildfires burning statewide have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Some 20,000 residents in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties have been forced to flee from the North Complex fires, which exploded in size as “topography, high winds and dry fuels aligned to produce unprecedented fire behavior,” officials said Wednesday morning.
Overnight, the complex — which includes the Bear fire — spread at a rate of about 2,000 acres an hour, according to federal firefighters handling the incident.
By Wednesday morning, it had consumed an additional 80,000 acres — bringing its total size to more than 254,000 acres, stunning fire officials with its speed and ferocity and extending its potential threat all the way to the towns of Paradise and Concow, which were devastated in the 2018 Camp fire.
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Photos showed devastation in the tiny Butte County hamlet of Berry Creek, where many homes and other structures were destroyed by flames. Officials said they don’t know the extent of the destruction in the town, which is north of the Oroville Dam. Some witnesses said many buildings were lost.
Both towns are now under evacuation warnings, while evacuation orders have been issued for other areas around Lake Oroville.
Jay Kurth, incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, said the agency was still working Wednesday morning to “figure out where the fire footprint really is” because of the extreme overnight activity.
Kurth added that weather conditions had improved with daybreak, including a softening of the winds, but he said the situation remained volatile.
“Overall, the combination of hot, very dry and windy weather is a culmination of very critical conditions for the state,” Brent Wachter, a predictive services meteorologist with the Forest Service, said in a video statement Wednesday.
Nearby, 3,000 residents were evacuated from the community of Loma Rica in Yuba County on Wednesday as the Willow fire grew to 1,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. also worked Wednesday to restore service to numerous communities whose power had been shut off in hopes of avoiding new fires potentially being sparked by downed power lines. As of just after 11 a.m., power had been restored to 30,000 customers, the utility said.
In light of the unprecedented fire conditions, the Forest Service announced that all national forests in California would be temporarily closed starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The agency had already closed eight of the state’s national forests Monday but moved to shut the remaining 10 — Eldorado, Klamath, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Six Rivers, Plumas, Shasta-Trinity, Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit — “to protect the public and our firefighters,” Regional Forester Randy Moore said.
“We will keep [closures] in place until conditions improve and we are confident that national forest visitors can recreate safely,” he added in a statement. “I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires.”
With the potential for more strong winds in the forecast and red flag warnings in place for much of the state through Wednesday evening, fire officials warned that the challenging conditions present a risk not only of swelling existing fires — some of which already rank among the largest in California’s history — but also of giving a foothold to new ones.
“Yesterday and overnight, firefighters had a significant battle on their hands as winds whipped a number of fires, allowing significant growth and extreme fire behavior, not only for a number of new fires, but also in some of the major fires that have been burning,” Berlant said.
The Dolan fire burning in Monterey County, for instance, has doubled in size this week — a frenetic growth rate one official attributed to the combination of strong winds, punishing temperatures and steep, rugged terrain.
Flames burn behind the Bidwell Bar Bridge at Lake Oroville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
That fire had burned through more than 93,000 acres and was 20% contained as of Wednesday morning.
“For wildland firefighters, we’ve been in an all-hands-on-deck situation for weeks now,” said Jacob Welsh, public information officer for Pacific Northwest Team 2, pointing to the number of significant fires burning up and down the West Coast.
He added: “I’ve never seen anything like this in 20 years.”
Forecasters said winds remained relatively calm in the vicinity of the Bobcat fire, burning in the San Gabriel Mountains above Monrovia, and near the Creek fire in the Sierra foothills.
California Firefighters hurt after being forced to deploy cocoon shelter in Dolan fire are ‘doing well’ Fourteen firefighters defending a ranger station in Los Padres National Forest had to deploy a shelter. Three of them were hospitalized.
“We didn’t have much wind overnight,” Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said of the Bobcat fire.
As of Wednesday morning, Wofford said, winds were “generally under 15 mph,” though “we could get some gusts, 20 to 30 mph, later this morning around the fire area.”
The smoldering remains of a structure are seen along Auberry Road in Fresno County, where the Creek fire burned through. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re getting some stronger winds now, but they’re mostly on the ridges higher up above where the fire is currently,” he said about 7:30 a.m.
Though extreme winds have howled in some parts of the state, Wofford said, “the [Bobcat] fire area was always a little bit questionable given its location — it wasn’t in an area that typically gets these strong winds.”
“We’re just fortunate it wasn’t in one of those areas,” he said.
Officials on Tuesday expanded the evacuation warning area for the Bobcat fire — warning residents of Monrovia, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Bradbury, Altadena, Duarte and Pasadena that they should be prepared to leave quickly should the need arise.
That blaze has charred more than 11,400 acres and is still 0% contained.
Regarding the Creek fire, “generally speaking … most locations weren’t that windy the other day,” said Colin McKellar, a weather service meteorologist in Hanford.
“We’re getting kind of lucky in that sense,” he said Wednesday. “The winds aren’t going to be that big of an issue.”
Forecasters also said it appeared that winds could weaken throughout the day.
Cars cross the Golden Gate Bridge under an eerie midday sky in San Francisco. (Harold Postic / AFP/Getty Images)
“We’re encouraged that the wind activity appears to be dying down … and the rest of the week looks a little more favorable from a wind perspective and a weather perspective,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a briefing Wednesday.
Still, the rash of new fires has been devastating.
The Creek fire alone has burned more than 163,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 360 structures as of Wednesday morning. An additional 5,296 structures are threatened.
On Tuesday, officials issued new evacuation orders covering the Fresno County communities of Tollhouse, Burrough Valley and Cold Springs Rancheria.
The bulk of the firefighting efforts Wednesday were on the Creek fire’s southern flank, closest to foothill towns such as Prather, Auberry and Clovis in the flatland, where winds were light and ash rained down throughout the day.
The forest that surrounds them is filled with up to 2,000 tons of burnable timber per acre, most of it dead and dry from a bark beetle infestation that exploded in the Sierra Nevada during the drought that began in 2012.
Crews are focusing on areas south of the fire, “clearing roads in any communities not evacuated and making sure people can get out if they’re evacuated,” fire spokesman Chris Vestal said.
Relatively scant growth was reported on two other Southern California wildfires.
The El Dorado fire, near Yucaipa, was 11,479 acres and 19% contained as of Wednesday, while the Valley fire, southeast of Alpine in San Diego County near the Mexican border, was 17,565 acres and 11% contained, according to Cal Fire.
An orange glow is seen over a darkened Howard Street in San Francisco. (Philip Pacheco / Getty Images)
As of Wednesday, more than 14,000 firefighters were contending with 28 major wildfires, according to Cal Fire, and the agency had increased staffing in preparation for critical fire weather in several areas.
So far this year, 7,657 fires statewide have scorched more than 2.5 million combined acres, Berlant said. That’s an increase of more than 2,000% over the number of acres burned by this time last year.
“This year has already been a very destructive fire season, and it is nowhere close to being over,” Berlant said.
Fire activity has been particularly prolific since Aug. 15, which marked the start of a “lightning siege” that unleashed thousands of lightning strikes statewide.
Eight people have died during the weeks-long firestorm, and more than 3,400 structures have been destroyed.
“This is a challenging year,” Newsom said this week. “It’s historic in terms of magnitude, scope and consequence, and it also has required … a deep reservoir of resource.”
The numerous fires also have wreaked havoc on the region’s air quality.
California Deep orange skies, ‘snowing’ ash as fire smoke swamps Bay Area From San Francisco to Yosemite, social media was filled with images of ominous red and orange skies as smoke from a variety of fires blocked the sun.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning there was an “unprecedented amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a record number of acres burn across California and the West,” obscuring the marine layer up and down the West Coast.
Satellite imagery posted by the agency showed a blanket of smoke over much of California and extending far out over the Pacific Ocean.
Air quality officials have issued a wildfire smoke advisory for much of Southern California through Wednesday evening, warning that “meteorological conditions will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties.”
The Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower are partially obscured by an orange smoky haze late Wednesday in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press )
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the worst concentrations of smoke, which contains tiny, lung-damaging pollution particles known as PM2.5, are expected in communities closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires — the latter of which is burning near Yucaipa.
The smoke that’s blanketing California’s entire Central Valley and Sierra foothills is also hurting firefighters’ ability to defend against the oncoming flames.
The high-pressure system that’s brought record-breaking heat is also, with few exceptions, keeping smoke from the state’s myriad fires closer to the ground, creating a gray shroud that makes it unsafe for pilots to fly and survey where the fires have been and where they are going, officials said.
“One of the things we’ve seen statewide is with all the smoke, we can’t get a good assessment,” said Vestal, the Creek fire spokesman.
Burning in extremely dry and steep terrain, flames carry the potential to spread their red-hot embers across football-field distances in seconds and miles in minutes — making situational awareness for the crews that battle them paramount.
“It’s hard to see that same vantage point from the ground,” Vestal said. “We get to make some tactical decisions and the … chiefs can then order resources and figure out what exactly it is, where our values at risk are, if there’s any critical infrastructure, anything that needs extra protection. It’s just a lot easier to see it from above and get that full, really comprehensive view of the incident.”


latimes--2020-09-09--Bobcat Fire nearly doubles in size, but moves away from cities, towns near San Gabriel Mountains

Although the Bobcat Fire nearly doubled in size Wednesday , the blaze moved northeast and away from the cities and towns in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains that only a day earlier had been poised to evacuate .
By Wednesday evening , one of those communities , Arcadia , had lifted a voluntary evacuation warning , although fire officials warned that capricious Santa Ana winds could at any moment pick up and drive the flames in an unexpected direction .
The Bobcat Fire , which ignited Sunday above Azusa in the Angeles National Forest , has burned 19,796 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 7 p.m. Wednesday , officials said .
The cause of the fire remains under investigation .
Winds remained calm overnight and through the day Wednesday .
Although fire crews had feared Santa Ana gusts whipping the blaze toward the foothill cities , the winds that did blow Wednesday pushed the flames east , away from homes and structures , officials wrote in an evening update .
Although wind conditions appeared to have steadied Wednesday , officials warned that residents should have evacuation plans in place , organize their emergency evacuation supplies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vehicles should be fully fueled , facing out in driveways and ready to leave .
“ With these Santa Ana winds , you never know when they ’ re going to turn , ” said Linda Attalla , a representative of the Arcadia Fire Department .
“ Just be ready , and know if it gets down to it , you ’ re going to have a fireman beating on your door telling you to get moving.
” The fire is one of dozens burning across the state , including at least six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
Combined , the statewide fires have burned more than 2 million acres in what has been called the most destructive wildfire season on record in terms of acreage .
“ We do still have a red flag warning through this evening , ” McMorrow said Wednesday .
“ The winds are still a concern.
” Evacuations have been ordered for residents and Angeles National Forest visitors from Big Santa Anita Canyon , Mt .
Wilson , San Gabriel Canyon and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region remain closed .
Maria Taylor , another representative of the Arcadia Fire Department , said smoke and ash were contributing to unhealthy air quality .
She said the department is fully staffed , with all reserve engines ready should the fire escalate .
“ We are actively monitoring the situation , ” she said .
“ The main message that we have is get a plan , and plan ahead.
” Residents with large animals such as horses or cattle are being urged to begin moving those animals .
Limited accommodations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pomona for livestock and other large animals .
The Red Cross has set up a temporary evacuation point at Santa Anita racetrack .
At least three residents have accessed the facility , which is being used as a rest site for residents to gather and assess their needs and for the relief agency to present lodging options , said Red Cross Los Angeles communications officer Marium Mohiuddin .
More evacuees are expected , she said .
“ We are asking people to come there so we can help them get to more comfortable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Red Cross is working with nearby hotels and shelters to arrange potential accommodations .
“ Wildfires go fast , so just make sure you ’ re ready , ” she said .
Smoke advisories related to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires have been extended for most of Los Angeles County and parts of Orange , Riverside and San Bernardino counties , the South Coast Air Quality Management District said Tuesday night on Twitter .
Forecasts call for continued warm and dry weather , as well as gusty wind conditions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although “ diminishing winds are possible ” by Thursday , which may bring some relief .

Angeles National Forest firefighters Jessy Alvarez, left, and Gabriel Ayers get weather readings as the Bobcat fire burns along Highway 39.
Although the Bobcat fire nearly doubled in size Wednesday, the blaze moved northeast and away from the cities and towns in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains that only a day earlier had been poised to evacuate.
By Wednesday evening, one of those communities, Arcadia, had lifted a voluntary evacuation warning, although fire officials warned that capricious Santa Ana winds could at any moment pick up and drive the flames in an unexpected direction.
The Bobcat Fire, which ignited Sunday above Azusa in the Angeles National Forest, has burned 19,796 acres and was 0% contained as of 7 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
California Photos: Bobcat fire rages in the Angeles National Forest Fears of a significant spread of the Bobcat fire dissipated as Santa Ana winds failed to materialize, but foothill communities remain on high alert.
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Winds remained calm overnight and through the day Wednesday. Although fire crews had feared Santa Ana gusts whipping the blaze toward the foothill cities, the winds that did blow Wednesday pushed the flames east, away from homes and structures, officials wrote in an evening update.
Although wind conditions appeared to have steadied Wednesday, officials warned that residents should have evacuation plans in place, organize their emergency evacuation supplies and have essential personal belongings easily accessible. Vehicles should be fully fueled, facing out in driveways and ready to leave.
Ash falls on a parked car as the Bobcat fire burns in the distance Wednesday morning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“With these Santa Ana winds, you never know when they’re going to turn,” said Linda Attalla, a representative of the Arcadia Fire Department. “Just be ready, and know if it gets down to it, you’re going to have a fireman beating on your door telling you to get moving.”
The fire is one of dozens burning across the state, including at least six in Southern California, said Christine McMorrow, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Combined, the statewide fires have burned more than 2 million acres in what has been called the most destructive wildfire season on record in terms of acreage.
“We do still have a red flag warning through this evening,” McMorrow said Wednesday. “The winds are still a concern.”
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Evacuations have been ordered for residents and Angeles National Forest visitors from Big Santa Anita Canyon, Mt. Wilson, San Gabriel Canyon and Monrovia Canyon, and national forests in the region remain closed.
Maria Taylor, another representative of the Arcadia Fire Department, said smoke and ash were contributing to unhealthy air quality. She said the department is fully staffed, with all reserve engines ready should the fire escalate.
“We are actively monitoring the situation,” she said. “The main message that we have is get a plan, and plan ahead.”
Residents with large animals such as horses or cattle are being urged to begin moving those animals. Limited accommodations are available at the Fairplex fairground in Pomona for livestock and other large animals.
The Red Cross has set up a temporary evacuation point at Santa Anita racetrack. At least three residents have accessed the facility, which is being used as a rest site for residents to gather and assess their needs and for the relief agency to present lodging options, said Red Cross Los Angeles communications officer Marium Mohiuddin. More evacuees are expected, she said.
“We are asking people to come there so we can help them get to more comfortable places,” Mohiuddin said, noting that the Red Cross is working with nearby hotels and shelters to arrange potential accommodations.
“Wildfires go fast, so just make sure you’re ready,” she said.
Smoke advisories related to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires have been extended for most of Los Angeles County and parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said Tuesday night on Twitter.
Forecasts call for continued warm and dry weather, as well as gusty wind conditions, according to the National Weather Service, although “diminishing winds are possible” by Thursday, which may bring some relief.