latimes--2020-08-19--Statewide power outages not anticipated Wednesday night, officials say

Officials with the California Independent System Operator announced that rotating power outages are not expected Wednesday night , crediting imported energy and wind production .
With California in the grip of one of its worst heat waves in years , power officials on had issued another statewide call Wednesday for the voluntary conservation of electricity and moved up the starting time by one hour in an effort to avoid rolling blackouts .
The California ISO , which runs the electric grid for most of the state , had asked residents to conserve energy from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or above , avoiding using fans and large appliances , turning off unnecessary lights , unplugging unused devices and closing all blinds and drapes .
The flex alert , originally set to begin at 3 p.m. , was moved up Wednesday morning .
On Tuesday evening , the ISO called off power outages that had been anticipated statewide , crediting conservation efforts by consumers for the second day in a row with averting rolling blackouts that were implemented Friday and Saturday nights .
Though statewide blackouts were avoided , heat-related equipment issues left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Wednesday , the L.A. Department of Water and Power was again faced with multiple outages across the city “ due to strain on the system because of high demand and high temperatures , ” the utility said on Twitter .
In a statement , the ISO said that , in addition to consumer conservation efforts , the grid had benefited from some imported energy and resources from wind plants .
“ Californians made tonight a success , ” said ISO President Steve Berberich .
“ Everyone pulled together and responded to our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in electricity supplies.
” On Monday , officials had warned of blackouts affecting as many as 3 million people , but officials ended up , saying improved weather conditions and conservation efforts reduced demand on the power grid .
The heat wave is expected to continue through Thursday .
On Tuesday , temperature records for the date fell across Southern California , including in Long Beach ( 100 degrees ) , Burbank ( 109 ) , UCLA ( 97 ) , Anaheim ( 105 ) , Santa Ana ( 106 ) and Woodland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also making life more difficult for firefighters , who are battling big blazes across the state , including near Lake Piru in Ventura County and in the Mojave National Preserve , where the Dome fire has burned more than 43,000 acres and destroyed swaths of Joshua trees .

At Woodley Park in Van Nuys, Blanca Celaya of Winnetka and her family enjoy the shade. She holds her 3-month-old son, Jason Celaya. Beyond are her daughter Celia Barinese and husband, Jaime Paiz. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
The scene at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro on Aug. 14, where a cooling breeze kept the shore comfortable. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Telles family of the San Fernando Valley enjoys the water of the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
At the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley, Mike Garcia of Norco and his children Jose, 7, and Monica, 10, employ multiple stay-cool techniques. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
DeAndre Michaels dips his toes in a fountain in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A cool breeze propels windsurfers across the shimmering waters off Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Tropical moisture moving onshore northwest of Santa Barbara on Aug. 15 brought lightning strikes but also rainbows. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Jacob Debreceni, 16, with friends Ismael Fuentes, left, and Kevin Lemus, cools off with the help of a backyard waterslide in Mira Loma, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
An employee of a hot dog stand works inside the eatery along the boardwalk in Santa Monica. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Beachgoers create a forest of umbrellas on the beach at Santa Monica. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Liz Saul reads a novel on her iPad in the comfort of an air mattress in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
People head to the beach in Venice amid the heat. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Friends and family rollick in a drainage pipe along the San Gabriel River. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Don and Sally Joaquin watch for lightning strikes on Aug. 16 in unincorporated Contra Costa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A chimney stands amid the rubble of a home destroyed in the River fire. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
Firefighters prepare to defend a home as flames from the River fire approach in Salinas on Aug. 17. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Aug. 16. Numerous lightning strikes sparked brush fires throughout the region. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
A funnel appears in a thick plume of smoke from the Loyalton fire in Lassen County, Calif., on Aug. 15. (Katelynn & Jordan Hewlett via Associated Press)
Matthew Giron, 8, frolics with friends and family near a drainage pipe along the San Gabriel River. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Original Snake Doctor, left, and Louis Benton play a game of chess in Leimert Park. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Watts residents pick out clothing during the Children Mending Hearts weekly food and clothing giveaway at the Watts Empowerment Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Jon Galapago takes a break from the heat in a hammock during a day of fishing at Lake Evans in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Benjamin Cole II shows son Barreth Cole, 5, a routine while joining members of Barry’s Bootcamp as they conduct a workout session at the Watts Empowerment Center. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
L.A. Rams rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis towels away sweat as temperatures soar at the Rams training facility in Thousand Oaks. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
After a day at the beach, Sebastian Grand, 11, left, Leo Grand, 13, and Constantin Condraschi, 12, of Orange County have pizza at a Slice of New York Pizza in Seal Beach. (Josie Norris / Los Angeles Times)
Lifeguard Michael Alfaro, wearing protective gear, works with 5-year-old Kaila Holliday during a swim lesson at Marie Kerr Pool in Palmdale. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
The Holser Fire burns through the night just east of Lake Piru, where actress Naya Rivera died in mid-July. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Officials with the California Independent System Operator announced that rotating power outages are not expected Wednesday night, crediting imported energy and wind production.
With California in the grip of one of its worst heat waves in years, power officials on had issued another statewide call Wednesday for the voluntary conservation of electricity and moved up the starting time by one hour in an effort to avoid rolling blackouts.
The California ISO, which runs the electric grid for most of the state, had asked residents to conserve energy from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. by setting air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees or above, avoiding using fans and large appliances, turning off unnecessary lights, unplugging unused devices and closing all blinds and drapes.
The flex alert, originally set to begin at 3 p.m., was moved up Wednesday morning.
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On Tuesday evening, the ISO called off power outages that had been anticipated statewide, crediting conservation efforts by consumers for the second day in a row with averting rolling blackouts that were implemented Friday and Saturday nights.
Though statewide blackouts were avoided, heat-related equipment issues left thousands without power in Los Angeles. On Wednesday, the L.A. Department of Water and Power was again faced with multiple outages across the city “due to strain on the system because of high demand and high temperatures,” the utility said on Twitter.
In a statement, the ISO said that, in addition to consumer conservation efforts, the grid had benefited from some imported energy and resources from wind plants.
“Californians made tonight a success,” said ISO President Steve Berberich. “Everyone pulled together and responded to our warning with action to avoid any interruption in electricity supplies.”
On Monday, officials had warned of blackouts affecting as many as 3 million people, but officials ended up canceling that warning , saying improved weather conditions and conservation efforts reduced demand on the power grid.
The Original Snake Doctor, left, and Louis Benton play chess in Leimert Park while enduring the Southland heat wave. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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The heat wave is expected to continue through Thursday. On Tuesday, temperature records for the date fell across Southern California, including in Long Beach (100 degrees), Burbank (109), UCLA (97), Anaheim (105), Santa Ana (106) and Woodland Hills (112).
The heat is also making life more difficult for firefighters, who are battling big blazes across the state, including near Lake Piru in Ventura County and in the Mojave National Preserve, where the Dome fire has burned more than 43,000 acres and destroyed swaths of Joshua trees.


latimes--2020-08-19--Firestorm in Bay Area grows quickly to 124,000 acres, now threatening 25,000 structures

A series of fires raging through five North Bay counties grew to more than 124,000 acres by Wednesday night , destroying more than 100 structures and threatening 25,000 others .
The firestorm was the largest of several fast-moving blazes in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California — many caused by intense lightning storms — that spread quickly overnight , burning homes and forcing thousands to flee .
The newest fires stretched from wine country to the Santa Cruz Mountains , moving with ferocious speed amid an intense heat wave that also has brought rolling blackouts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ air quality across the region .
Many of the fires were believed to have been caused by lightning strikes .
Northern and Central California began experiencing an unusually active sequence of largely dry lightning strikes Sunday morning , the most widespread and violent in recent memory in the Bay Area on one of the hottest nights in years , according to Daniel Swain , a climate scientist with UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research .
Over the last 72 hours , there have been some 10,849 lightning strikes throughout California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afternoon , 367 major fires were burning statewide , according to Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
“ This fire season has been very active and , not surprisingly , that activity has taken shape in a number of counties up and down the state , ” he said during a news briefing .
At this time last year , crews had responded to a total of 4,007 fires throughout the state , Newsom said .
They ’ ve already been dispatched to 6,754 this year .
More than 300,000 acres have burned statewide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
By comparison , California wildfires charred about 270,000 acres in 2019 , the smallest number since 2011 .
The rapid outbreak of new blazes has stretched the state ’ s firefighting resources to their limit .
Jeremy Rahn , the lead Cal Fire public information officer for the LNU Lightning Complex fires , said Wednesday that the state had already requested 375 additional fire engines as well as additional hand crews from out-of-state agencies , and hired “ nearly all available private firefighting ‘ call when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States.
” “ The size and complexity at which these incidents are burning is challenging all aspects of emergency response , ” he said during a media briefing .
“ Firefighting resources are depleted as new fires continue to ignite.
” Newsom , however , expressed confidence that California is prepared to rise to the challenge and thanked the leaders of other states — including Arizona , Nevada and Texas — for their pledges to send additional resources .
California is “ putting everything we have on these fires , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the support of some of our partners in the Western United States , and for that , again , we ’ re very grateful.
” The LNU Lightning Complex , which has burned at least 124,000 acres , comprises several fires in Napa , Sonoma , Solano , Yolo and Lake counties .
The most serious fire in the complex is the Hennessey fire , which began Monday morning on the eastern edge of Lake Hennessey in Napa County and marched into Solano and Yolo counties Wednesday morning , forcing residents to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ structures .
As of Wednesday night , 105 structures had been destroyed , 70 more had been damaged and 25,000 were threatened , fire officials said .
Officials have ordered the evacuation of the western edge of Vacaville — a city of 100,000 residents about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento .
The Vacaville Fire District also ordered evacuations of Pleasants Valley Road , which lies west of the city , and the English Hills and Gibson Canyon Road areas north of the city .
A KPIX-TV reporter tweeted a video of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fire was also forcing the evacuations of some northern neighborhoods in the city of Fairfield west of Interstate 80 .
By Wednesday afternoon , the fire jumped Interstate 80 , forcing it to shut down in both directions between Fairfield and Vacaville .
The interstate reopened later Wednesday night .
Evacuation orders and warnings have also been also issued for a stretch of Highway 121 in the Vaca Mountains northeast of the city of Napa , and in the mountains about eight miles northeast of St. Helena .
On Wednesday night , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and included the communities of Angwin and Deer Park north of St. Helena .
Mandatory evacuations were also ordered Wednesday night for non-essential personnel at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield .
And in Lake County , residents living around Hidden Valley Lake and Jerusalem Valley were ordered to evacuate as well .
The LNU Lightning Complex ’ s fires in Sonoma County triggered evacuation warnings on both sides of the Russian River .
The Walbridge fire was burning north of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and the community of Guerneville on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian River , evacuation warnings were issued as a result of the Meyers fire .
Vegetation throughout the area is extremely dry and considered to be in severe drought , according to Cal Fire .
Officials said the Walbridge and Meyers fires were likely to push southeast Wednesday as they burned through timber and the coastal forests ’ understory .
The complex ’ s northern fires were burning through brush and oak woodland and heading south toward Mount Vaca earlier on Wednesday .
The fires have sent American Red Cross staff and county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrambling to prepare for evacuees , said Denise Everhart , the Red Cross ’ Pacific Division disaster executive .
The Red Cross has set up between 10 and 15 temporary evacuation points where residents ’ needs are assessed before they ’ re sent to a hotel or motel .
Everhart said that while more than 100 families were placed in rooms Tuesday night — some driving up to an hour away for lodging — it ’ s not a sustainable model if the evacuations continue to expand .
The LNU Lightning Complex fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Everhart said , explaining that historically , between 1 % and 3 % of evacuees go to shelters .
She sought to assuage any concerns that going to a shelter could put people at risk of the coronavirus .
“ We ’ ve put precautions in place , ” she said .
“ If you ’ re told to go , go .
We ’ re all working together to keep people safe .
...
The fire is the risk.
” Though emergency officials have opened multiple evacuation centers in Vacaville , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes in the middle of the night were setting up camp in parking lots instead of entering buildings .
Those with RVs had generators up and running and their front awnings open .
Others sat in folding chairs by their cars or in their front seats .
Still more had already checked into local hotels , where rooms were filling fast .
Shawnee Whaley and her 79-year-old mother , Sharon Whitaker , sat inside an evacuation center Wednesday afternoon wrapped in American Red Cross blankets .
Whaley said they had no warning that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they went to sleep Tuesday night .
But when Whaley was woken up by a phone call from a friend and saw that the power was out , she flung open her front door and “ saw the glow of the fire.
” She used a ladder to climb onto her roof and spotted flames approaching .
Barefoot and still wearing pajamas , she ran across the street to her mother ’ s trailer to wake her .
Whaley grabbed a mask and her glasses but forgot her wallet .
She left the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jitterbug , could hopefully escape .
Meanwhile , Lloyd Broughton , 78 , evacuated after a firetruck came up his road at 3 a.m .
He , his wife Anne , 73 , and daughter Kristine , 35 , gathered their seven rescue cats and packed two cars .
All three suffer from breathing problems and , with a heavy layer of ash falling , they were already coughing and having trouble , Kristine said .
While evacuating during a fire is always a stressful experience , it ’ s been made all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak — which has raised new fears among displaced residents who would normally pack into closely quartered emergency shelters and created new challenges for the agencies that operate them .
“ No one is ready for it , “ Broughton said of having to leave in the middle of a pandemic .
Another rapidly growing fire was burning in the mountains southwest of Silicon Valley , on the border of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties .
The CZU August Lightning Complex — which consists of 22 fires — has burned at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 22,000 people , officials said Wednesday night .
Evacuations were ordered around Big Basin Redwoods State Park , Año Nuevo State Park , Butano State Park and Pescadero Creek Park .
Other evacuations included the area around Bonny Doon .
Evacuations centers were set up at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville and at Pescadero High School .
At least 20 structures , likely single-family homes , have been destroyed , officials said during a Wednesday evening press conference .
In San Mateo County , the CZU August Lightning Complex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and La Honda .
In Santa Cruz County , structures have been lost in the Swanton Road area , and a Cal Fire station was being threatened by flames .
Firefighters expressed worry about the fire reaching the communities of Boulder Creek , Ben Lomond and Felton , located northwest of Santa Cruz .
The weather conditions for the next three days are grim , said Mark Brunton of Cal Fire .
“ That makes that threat very direct and very real , ” he said .
“ We ’ re doing everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property.
” Rita Mancera , the executive director of Puente , a community organization based in Pescadero , was at the evacuation center at Pescadero High School on Wednesday helping evacuees locate hotel rooms and provide logistics for pets and livestock .
Among those fleeing the CZU August Lightning Complex fires was Steve Cobb of Dearborn Park .
He evacuated his home Tuesday evening , with his wife , 14-year-old daughter , dog and two cats .
They packed into their camper , already stocked from a recent trip to Yosemite , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Dearborn Park 17 years ago and said that as a Bay Area native , he ’ s never witnessed anything like what he ’ s seen in the past few days .
“ Those storms were not ordinary , ” he said .
“ They were tropical ...
Constant flashes of light , crashing thunder and rain.
” Some residents looked for ways to help others threatened by the fire .
At home with his wife , three kids and 40-acres of hay farm , Jeff Moorehead of Vacaville put out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 6 a.m. inviting anyone with livestock to bring their animals to their place .
Eventually , Moorehead had about 25 new animals at his farm .
“ We got alpacas , miniature horses , a little bit of everything , ” he said with a chuckle .
Offering relief to animal owners has become a regular part of his response to local wildfires , he said .
In 2017 , he helped shuttle animals from the Atlas fire in Napa County to Vallejo in Solano County .
“ You have empathy for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the same empathy for people , ” he said .
On Tuesday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency in order to help California respond to the .
Newsom ’ s office said the state had secured assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to fires in Napa , Nevada and Monterey counties .
“ We are deploying every resource available to keep communities safe as California battles fires across the state during these extreme conditions , ” Newsom said .
“ California and its federal and local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the challenge and remain vigilant in the face of continued dangerous weather conditions.
” The rash of fires has also led to a spike in traffic to Cal Fire ’ s website , overloading it and intermittently crashing it , officials said .
Cal Fire personnel were working with their technology department Wednesday morning to try to handle the crush of visitors .
By Wednesday , another blaze , dubbed the Dolan fire , has grown to at least 2,500 acres and had prompted evacuations in Monterey County near Big Sur .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ actively burning in all directions , ” according to Los Padres National Forest officials .
Because of the fire , Highway 1 was been closed from Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Monterey County , officials said .
The River fire , also in Monterey County , burned through more than 15,000 acres in steep mountainous terrain south of Salinas and destroyed six structures and damaged two others , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
More than 2,750 structures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has prompted mandatory evacuations .
The River fire was spreading to the north , fanned by downsloping winds and getting closer to homes on Las Palmas Parkway south of Salinas , said Greg Bertelli , the Cal Fire deputy incident commander .
It was also spreading to the south .
Just south of the River fire is the Carmel fire , fanned by winds from the northwest pushing flames to the southeast , Bertelli said .
A cluster of fires is also burning in sparsely populated , mountainous terrain east of Silicon Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Central Valley .
This grouping , the SCU Lightning Complex fire , began early Sunday .
It has burned at least 102,000 acres in five counties — Alameda , Contra Costa , Santa Clara , Stanislaus and San Joaquin .
Officials have issued evacuation orders for all counties and established evacuation centers at Creekside Middle School in Patterson and the Milpitas Library .
Another blaze , which authorities named the 3-4 fire , was reported Wednesday morning southwest of Red Bank Road in Tehama County and has already burned 1,000 acres , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southwest , in Glenn County , the August Complex fire rapidly grew overnight into Wednesday morning , and by nightfall was at least 65,000 acres , threatening the tiny town of Elk Creek , according to the U.S. Forest Service .
The August Complex fire , which consists of at least 35 blazes , was caused by lightning strikes on Sunday in the Mendocino National Forest .
The western section of Glenn County has been placed under a mandatory evacuation order .
Smoke could be seen on Interstate 5 from Willows , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Bluff , the county seat of Tehama County .
In Marin County , the Woodward fire — more than 1,000 acres — was burning in the Point Reyes National Seashore west of Olema .
And in Fresno County , a firefighting helicopter crashed Wednesday morning while on a water-dropping mission for the 1,500-acre Hills fire , killing the pilot , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
The helicopter was privately owned and contracted with the state to help fight fires , and the crash sparked a brush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acres and is spreading toward the Hills fire , officials said .
The numerous fires are blanketing the Bay Area with smoke and ash , wreaking havoc on local air quality .
Those with lung disease , asthma or other respiratory conditions should be especially careful to avoid smoky air , as should older adults and young children , said Dr. Grant Colfax , San Francisco ’ s public health director .
“ The best thing you can do is to avoid outdoor air , ” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ also has issued smoke advisories through Wednesday afternoon for residents in the area of the Ranch 2 fire , which is burning near Azusa , as well as the Lake fire near Lake Hughes .
Firefighters are battling flames amid a that began late last week and has set record-high temperatures across California .
On Sunday , the mercury in Death Valley reached 130 degrees — possible the in almost 90 years .
Temperature records for the day were broken across California on Tuesday , with Woodland Hills hitting 112 , breaking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1949 ; Burbank reaching 109 degrees , shattering a record last set in 1986 , when the mercury hit 100 ; and Santa Ana , which hit 106 degrees , breaking a record last set in 2010 , when the high for the day was 95 .
Death Valley also hit a record high for the date , reaching 126 degrees , breaking the high of 125 set in 2001 .
Other spots that reached record temperatures for the day included Needles ( 118 ) , Barstow ( 113 ) , Paso Robles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , Merced ( 107 ) , Modesto ( 106 ) , Anaheim ( 105 ) , Gilroy ( 104 ) , El Cajon ( 102 ) , Long Beach ( 100 ) , UCLA ( 97 ) , Camarillo ( 95 ) , Oxnard ( 90 ) and Newport Beach ( 87 ) .
Riverside hit 108 , tying a record for the day last set in 1950 .
Lin reported from San Francisco , Chabria from Vacaville , Rust from Pescadero , and Money and Serna from Los Angeles .
Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributed to this report .

Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Anita Chabria, Joseph Serna, Taryn Luna, Susanne Rust, Leila Miller

Firefighter Ian Johnson watches as an air tanker drops retardant to keep the River fire from reaching a home in Salinas. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A home in the Sky Ranch community burns in the Carmel fire near Carmel Valley. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
A plume rises over a vineyard in unincorporated Napa County as the Hennessey fire burns. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Members of the Grizzly Firefighters fight the Carmel fire near Carmel Valley. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
Mobile homes burn at Spanish Flat Mobile Villa as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames consume a cabin at the Nichelini Family Winery in unincorporated Napa County as the Hennessey fire burns in Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Horses stand in an enclosure as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Seen in a long-exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside above Lake Berryessa as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Matt Nichols sprays water while trying to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Seen in a long-exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
An air tanker drops retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fire tears through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville on Wednesday. The highway was closed in both directions shortly afterward. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
The charred carcass of a cow rests beside a road in Vacaville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A firefighter walks through an area burned by the Hennessey fire along Solar Hills drive in Vacaville. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Flames from the the CZU August Lightning Complex fire approach a structure along Pine Flat Road in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The remains of a house burned by the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters from Eugene, Ore., walk beside an area burning along Pine Flat Road during the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in Felton. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
A plume of smoke billows over Healdsburg as the LNU Lightning Complex fire continues to burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa struck by the LNU Lightning Complex fire in unincorporated Napa County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Charles Chavira, left, and Thomas Henney watch a plume of smoke spread over Healdsburg as the LNU Lightning Complex fire continues to burn. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A crew cuts down foliage and trees near some structures in preparation in Boulder Creek. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Ben Lomond firefighters work on a blaze at The Sequoia Retreat Center during the CZU August Lightning Complex Fires on Friday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters keeps watch as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters respond to a structure fire along Riverdale Blvd. during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Smoke hangs low in the air at Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods are still on fire on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
The Big Basin Redwoods State Park Headquarters & Visitor Center which was built in 1936 was one of the structures lost to the blaze that tore through the state park. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Hand crews work on a hillside above the Boulder Creek Community Church as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
A house is engulfed with flame during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters watches as the fire line creeps up on Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning complex fire on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Burned vehicles and rubble from homes are left after the CZU Lightning Complex Fire tore through Sunday in Boulder Creek, Calif. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
Firefighters protect a home in the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn on Friday. The blaze forced thousands to flee and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Firefighters from Barstow tackle hotspots along Highway 9 during the CZU Lightning Complex fire Sunday in Boulder Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
A series of fires raging through five North Bay counties grew to more than 124,000 acres by Wednesday night, destroying more than 100 structures and threatening 25,000 others.
The firestorm was the largest of several fast-moving blazes in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California — many caused by intense lightning storms — that spread quickly overnight, burning homes and forcing thousands to flee.
The newest fires stretched from wine country to the Santa Cruz Mountains, moving with ferocious speed amid an intense heat wave that also has brought rolling blackouts. Smoke from the fires has caused terrible air quality across the region.
Many of the fires were believed to have been caused by lightning strikes. Northern and Central California began experiencing an unusually active sequence of largely dry lightning strikes Sunday morning, the most widespread and violent in recent memory in the Bay Area on one of the hottest nights in years, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
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VIDEO | 01:18 Thousands evacuate as more than 30 major fires burn across California The LNU Lighting Complex fire has burned more than 46,000 acres in Northern California.
Over the last 72 hours, there have been some 10,849 lightning strikes throughout California, state officials said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 367 major fires were burning statewide, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“This fire season has been very active and, not surprisingly, that activity has taken shape in a number of counties up and down the state,” he said during a news briefing.
At this time last year, crews had responded to a total of 4,007 fires throughout the state, Newsom said. They’ve already been dispatched to 6,754 this year.
More than 300,000 acres have burned statewide in 2020, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. By comparison, California wildfires charred about 270,000 acres in 2019, the smallest number since 2011.
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The rapid outbreak of new blazes has stretched the state’s firefighting resources to their limit.
Jeremy Rahn, the lead Cal Fire public information officer for the LNU Lightning Complex fires, said Wednesday that the state had already requested 375 additional fire engines as well as additional hand crews from out-of-state agencies, and hired “nearly all available private firefighting ‘call when needed’ aircraft in the western United States.”
“The size and complexity at which these incidents are burning is challenging all aspects of emergency response,” he said during a media briefing. “Firefighting resources are depleted as new fires continue to ignite.”
Newsom, however, expressed confidence that California is prepared to rise to the challenge and thanked the leaders of other states — including Arizona, Nevada and Texas — for their pledges to send additional resources.
California is “putting everything we have on these fires,” he said, and “we’re now getting the support of some of our partners in the Western United States, and for that, again, we’re very grateful.”
The LNU Lightning Complex, which has burned at least 124,000 acres, comprises several fires in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo and Lake counties.
The most serious fire in the complex is the Hennessey fire, which began Monday morning on the eastern edge of Lake Hennessey in Napa County and marched into Solano and Yolo counties Wednesday morning, forcing residents to flee overnight and burning homes and other structures.
As of Wednesday night, 105 structures had been destroyed, 70 more had been damaged and 25,000 were threatened, fire officials said.
Officials have ordered the evacuation of the western edge of Vacaville — a city of 100,000 residents about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento. The Vacaville Fire District also ordered evacuations of Pleasants Valley Road, which lies west of the city, and the English Hills and Gibson Canyon Road areas north of the city. A KPIX-TV reporter tweeted a video of a home burning off Pleasants Valley Road.
The fire was also forcing the evacuations of some northern neighborhoods in the city of Fairfield west of Interstate 80. By Wednesday afternoon, the fire jumped Interstate 80, forcing it to shut down in both directions between Fairfield and Vacaville. The interstate reopened later Wednesday night.
Evacuation orders and warnings have also been also issued for a stretch of Highway 121 in the Vaca Mountains northeast of the city of Napa, and in the mountains about eight miles northeast of St. Helena. On Wednesday night, evacuation orders extended closer to Napa Valley, and included the communities of Angwin and Deer Park north of St. Helena.
Mandatory evacuations were also ordered Wednesday night for non-essential personnel at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield.
And in Lake County, residents living around Hidden Valley Lake and Jerusalem Valley were ordered to evacuate as well.
The LNU Lightning Complex’s fires in Sonoma County triggered evacuation warnings on both sides of the Russian River. The Walbridge fire was burning north of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and the community of Guerneville on the Russian River. South of the Russian River, evacuation warnings were issued as a result of the Meyers fire.
Vegetation throughout the area is extremely dry and considered to be in severe drought, according to Cal Fire.
Officials said the Walbridge and Meyers fires were likely to push southeast Wednesday as they burned through timber and the coastal forests’ understory.
The complex’s northern fires were burning through brush and oak woodland and heading south toward Mount Vaca earlier on Wednesday.
California Lake fire raises concern as wildfire season heats up The explosive growth of the Lake fire in Los Angeles County has raised worries about the fall fire season
The fires have sent American Red Cross staff and county workers from across the Northern California region scrambling to prepare for evacuees, said Denise Everhart, the Red Cross’ Pacific Division disaster executive.
The Red Cross has set up between 10 and 15 temporary evacuation points where residents’ needs are assessed before they’re sent to a hotel or motel. Everhart said that while more than 100 families were placed in rooms Tuesday night — some driving up to an hour away for lodging — it’s not a sustainable model if the evacuations continue to expand.
The LNU Lightning Complex fire may trigger up to 35,000 more evacuations, Everhart said, explaining that historically, between 1% and 3% of evacuees go to shelters.
She sought to assuage any concerns that going to a shelter could put people at risk of the coronavirus.
“We’ve put precautions in place,” she said. “If you’re told to go, go. We’re all working together to keep people safe. ... The fire is the risk.”
Though emergency officials have opened multiple evacuation centers in Vacaville, many of those forced to leave their homes in the middle of the night were setting up camp in parking lots instead of entering buildings.
Those with RVs had generators up and running and their front awnings open. Others sat in folding chairs by their cars or in their front seats. Still more had already checked into local hotels, where rooms were filling fast.
Shawnee Whaley and her 79-year-old mother, Sharon Whitaker, sat inside an evacuation center Wednesday afternoon wrapped in American Red Cross blankets.
Whaley said they had no warning that the fire might be a threat when they went to sleep Tuesday night. But when Whaley was woken up by a phone call from a friend and saw that the power was out, she flung open her front door and “saw the glow of the fire.” She used a ladder to climb onto her roof and spotted flames approaching.
Barefoot and still wearing pajamas, she ran across the street to her mother’s trailer to wake her. Whaley grabbed a mask and her glasses but forgot her wallet. She left the front door open so her cat, Jitterbug, could hopefully escape.
Meanwhile, Lloyd Broughton, 78, evacuated after a firetruck came up his road at 3 a.m. He, his wife Anne, 73, and daughter Kristine, 35, gathered their seven rescue cats and packed two cars.
All three suffer from breathing problems and, with a heavy layer of ash falling, they were already coughing and having trouble, Kristine said.
While evacuating during a fire is always a stressful experience, it’s been made all the more so because of the coronavirus outbreak — which has raised new fears among displaced residents who would normally pack into closely quartered emergency shelters and created new challenges for the agencies that operate them.
“No one is ready for it,“ Broughton said of having to leave in the middle of a pandemic.
Numerous fires have broken out across the region since the lightning event a couple of day ago. Below is a snapshot of the fires currently burning in our area as well as a new start that was just detected along the Big Sur coast. #cawx #CAfires pic.twitter.com/36huYclMLE — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) August 19, 2020
Another rapidly growing fire was burning in the mountains southwest of Silicon Valley, on the border of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. The CZU August Lightning Complex fire — which consists of 22 fires — has burned at least 25,000 acres and forced the evacuation of more than 22,000 people, officials said Wednesday night.
Evacuations were ordered around Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Año Nuevo State Park, Butano State Park and Pescadero Creek Park. Other evacuations included the area around Bonny Doon. Evacuations centers were set up at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville and at Pescadero High School.
At least 20 structures, likely single-family homes, have been destroyed, officials said during a Wednesday evening press conference. In San Mateo County, the CZU August Lightning Complex fire was threatening the communities of Pescadero and La Honda. In Santa Cruz County, structures have been lost in the Swanton Road area, and a Cal Fire station was being threatened by flames.
Firefighters expressed worry about the fire reaching the communities of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Felton, located northwest of Santa Cruz. The weather conditions for the next three days are grim, said Mark Brunton of Cal Fire.
“That makes that threat very direct and very real,” he said. “We’re doing everything we possibly can to protect life and property.”
Rita Mancera, the executive director of Puente, a community organization based in Pescadero, was at the evacuation center at Pescadero High School on Wednesday helping evacuees locate hotel rooms and provide logistics for pets and livestock.
Among those fleeing the CZU August Lightning Complex fire was Steve Cobb of Dearborn Park. He evacuated his home Tuesday evening, with his wife, 14-year-old daughter, dog and two cats. They packed into their camper, already stocked from a recent trip to Yosemite, and headed to the beach.
Cobb moved to Dearborn Park 17 years ago and said that as a Bay Area native, he’s never witnessed anything like what he’s seen in the last few days.
“Those storms were not ordinary,” he said. “They were tropical... Constant flashes of light, crashing thunder and rain.”
Some residents looked for ways to help others threatened by the fire.
At home with his wife, three kids and 40-acres of hay farm, Jeff Moorehead of Vacaville put out a message on a local Facebook group at about 6 a.m. inviting anyone with livestock to bring their animals to their place. Eventually, Moorehead had about 25 new animals at his farm.
“We got alpacas, miniature horses, a little bit of everything,” he said with a chuckle.
Offering relief to animal owners has become a regular part of his response to local wildfires, he said. In 2017, he helped shuttle animals from the Atlas fire in Napa County to Vallejo in Solano County.
“You have empathy for animals a lot of times and you have the same empathy for people,” he said.
Latest evacuation zones. Bonny Doon south of Ice Cream Grade, to include Pine Flat Road South is now under an evacuation order. (Zones CRZ7, CRZ8). Areas adjacent to the Bonny Doon and San Lorenzo Valley - Prepare to evacuate. - Aug 19, 7:00 am #LNULightningComplexfire #zonehaven pic.twitter.com/I42ZjArVMD — Zonehaven (@ZonehavenInc) August 19, 2020
On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency in order to help California respond to the outbreak of fires .
Newsom’s office said the state had secured assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to fires in Napa, Nevada and Monterey counties.
“We are deploying every resource available to keep communities safe as California battles fires across the state during these extreme conditions,” Newsom said. “California and its federal and local partners are working in lockstep to meet the challenge and remain vigilant in the face of continued dangerous weather conditions.”
The rash of fires has also led to a spike in traffic to Cal Fire’s website, overloading it and intermittently crashing it, officials said. Cal Fire personnel were working with their technology department Wednesday morning to try to handle the crush of visitors.
By Wednesday, another blaze, dubbed the Dolan fire, has grown to at least 2,500 acres and had prompted evacuations in Monterey County near Big Sur.
As of Wednesday morning, the fire was “actively burning in all directions,” according to Los Padres National Forest officials. Because of the fire, Highway 1 was been closed from Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Monterey County, officials said.
The River fire, also in Monterey County, burned through more than 15,000 acres in steep mountainous terrain south of Salinas and destroyed six structures and damaged two others, according to Cal Fire. More than 2,750 structures remain threatened by the blaze, which has prompted mandatory evacuations.
The River fire was spreading to the north, fanned by downsloping winds and getting closer to homes on Las Palmas Parkway south of Salinas, said Greg Bertelli, the Cal Fire deputy incident commander. It was also spreading to the south.
Just south of the River fire is the Carmel fire, fanned by winds from the northwest pushing flames to the southeast, Bertelli said.
A cluster of fires is also burning in sparsely populated, mountainous terrain east of Silicon Valley and the East Bay and west of the Central Valley. This grouping, the SCU Lightning Complex fire, began early Sunday. It has burned at least 102,000 acres in five counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and San Joaquin. Officials have issued evacuation orders for all counties and established evacuation centers at Creekside Middle School in Patterson and the Milpitas Library.
Authorities reported 5% containment on that fire Wednesday night.
Another blaze, which authorities named the 3-4 fire, was reported Wednesday morning southwest of Red Bank Road in Tehama County and has already burned 1,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
To the southwest, in Glenn County, the August Complex fire rapidly grew overnight into Wednesday morning, and by nightfall was at least 65,000 acres, threatening the tiny town of Elk Creek, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The August Complex fire, which consists of at least 35 blazes, was caused by lightning strikes on Sunday in the Mendocino National Forest.
The western section of Glenn County has been placed under a mandatory evacuation order. Smoke could be seen on Interstate 5 from Willows, the county seat of Glenn County, to Red Bluff, the county seat of Tehama County.
In Marin County, the Woodward fire — more than 1,000 acres — was burning in the Point Reyes National Seashore west of Olema.
And in Fresno County, a firefighting helicopter crashed Wednesday morning while on a water-dropping mission for the 1,500-acre Hills fire, killing the pilot, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The helicopter was privately owned and contracted with the state to help fight fires, and the crash sparked a brush fire that has grown to about 50 acres and is spreading toward the Hills fire, officials said.
The numerous fires are blanketing the Bay Area with smoke and ash, wreaking havoc on local air quality.
Those with lung disease, asthma or other respiratory conditions should be especially careful to avoid smoky air, as should older adults and young children, said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s public health director.
“The best thing you can do is to avoid outdoor air,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District also has issued smoke advisories through Wednesday afternoon for residents in the area of the Ranch 2 fire, which is burning near Azusa, as well as the Lake fire near Lake Hughes.
Firefighters are battling flames amid a heat wave that began late last week and has set record-high temperatures across California. On Sunday, the mercury in Death Valley reached 130 degrees — possibly the highest temperature reading on Earth in almost 90 years.
Temperature records for the day were broken across California on Tuesday, with Woodland Hills hitting 112, breaking a record last set for Aug. 18 in 1949; Burbank reaching 109 degrees, shattering a record last set in 1986, when the mercury hit 100; and Santa Ana, which hit 106 degrees, breaking a record last set in 2010, when the high for the day was 95.
Death Valley also hit a record high for the date, reaching 126 degrees, breaking the high of 125 set in 2001.
Other spots that reached record temperatures for the day included Needles (118), Barstow (113), Paso Robles (111), Sacramento (109), Merced (107), Modesto (106), Anaheim (105), Gilroy (104), El Cajon (102), Long Beach (100), UCLA (97), Camarillo (95), Oxnard (90) and Newport Beach (87). Riverside hit 108, tying a record for the day last set in 1950.
Lin reported from San Francisco, Chabria from Vacaville, Rust from Pescadero, and Money and Serna from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Leila Miller and Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-08-20--Plan to strengthen California's police use of force rules blocked in Sacramento

A bill to toughen penalties for police officers who do not intervene when witnessing a fellow officer use excessive force was sidelined in the California Legislature on Thursday , a setback that supporters said is particularly frustrating given momentum this year for police reforms following nationwide outcry over the killing of George Floyd .
Assembly Bill 1022 by Assemblyman Chris Holden ( D-Pasadena ) would have made a member of law enforcement an accessory to a crime if the officer was found to be capable of stopping an incident of excessive force by another officer and failed to do so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a definition of “ necessary ” use of deadly force , going beyond a hotly debated policing law signed by Gov .
Gavin Newsom last year that strengthened an earlier “ reasonable ” use of force standard .
“ I ’ m still processing it , ” Holden said shortly after his bill failed passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee during a biannual hearing in which bills can be shelved without a roll-call vote or any public explanation .
“ For God ’ s sake , we had the [ state ] Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the top cop in the state .
He saw this as a reasonable and appropriate bill.
” The legislation would have required officers to be fired if they were found to have used excessive force resulting in great bodily injury or death , or failed to intercede in such an incident .
The proposed law would also have required officers to report any incident of excessive force .
Holden ’ s bill was among a handful of police reform measures proposed in the state Capitol this year .
A bill by Assemblyman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state Department of Justice to investigate all officer-involved shooting deaths of unarmed citizens passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday , as did AB 1196 by Assemblyman Mike Gipson ( D-Carson ) to ban the use of chokeholds by officers .
Both of those bills now face votes in the full Senate during the final days of the legislative session , which ends Aug. 31 .
The same Senate committee on Thursday held AB 1599 by Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham ( R-Templeton ) to require investigations of officer misconduct to be completed even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agency .
The mixed results on police reform bills this year come after many supporters of the legislation said they believed there was momentum from weeks of protests across the country following Floyd ’ s death on May 25 .
A video showing Floyd , a Black man , pleading “ I can ’ t breathe ” as his neck was pinned under the knee of Minneapolis Police Department Officer Derek Chauvin was seen around the world .
Two autopsies concluded Floyd ’ s death was a homicide and Chauvin has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in the incident — Thomas Lane , Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — have been charged as accomplices .
All four officers were fired .
Opponents of Holden ’ s bill , particularly law enforcement groups , said it went too far and threatened to penalize officers making split-second decisions .
“ Oftentimes , when an officer is not the first , or even the second person to arrive on the scene , they will observe actions being taken with a suspect without knowing what led up to the actions they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Research Assn .
of California , the state ’ s largest law enforcement labor organization .
Law enforcement groups also said the bill came too quickly after last year ’ s use of force law , Bill AB 392 , which created new standards for when officers can use deadly force .
“ AB 1022 would have inadvertently undone the progress made by California ’ s historic use-of-force legislation last year , ” PORAC President Brian Marvel said in a statement .
“ Public safety laws , rules and regulations are incredibly complex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together with our elected leaders to take a thoughtful , well-informed and holistic approach to these issues as we seek to better position California ’ s officers to best serve our communities.
” Like police reform bills this year , AB 392 was prompted by national protests against deadly police shootings of unarmed Black men , including Stephon Clark in 2018 .
Clark was fatally shot following a chase that ended in his grandmother ’ s Sacramento-area backyard after police said they mistook his cellphone for a gun .
The officers who shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Holden said the Legislature has to do more to ensure police officers are held accountable .
He said he will pursue legislation next year similar to his now-failed bill .
“ I think it ’ s one thing for everyone to see what happened to George Floyd and say how awful that is , and it ’ s another to take steps to ensure that never happens again , ” Holden said .
“ I ’ m very disappointed .
”

Protestors are arrested by Los Angeles police in front of City Hall as they demonstrate in downtown on May 30.
A bill to toughen penalties for police officers who do not intervene when witnessing a fellow officer use excessive force was sidelined in the California Legislature on Thursday, a setback that supporters said is particularly frustrating given momentum this year for police reforms following nationwide outcry over the killing of George Floyd.
Assembly Bill 1022 by Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) would have made a member of law enforcement an accessory to a crime if the officer was found to be capable of stopping an incident of excessive force by another officer and failed to do so. The bill would have also codified a definition of “necessary” use of deadly force, going beyond a hotly debated policing law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year that strengthened an earlier “reasonable” use of force standard.
“I’m still processing it,” Holden said shortly after his bill failed passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee during a biannual hearing in which bills can be shelved without a roll-call vote or any public explanation. “For God’s sake, we had the [state] attorney general endorse this bill. He’s the top cop in the state. He saw this as a reasonable and appropriate bill.”
The legislation would have required officers to be fired if they were found to have used excessive force resulting in great bodily injury or death, or failed to intercede in such an incident. The proposed law would also have required officers to report any incident of excessive force.
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Holden’s bill was among a handful of police reform measures proposed in the state Capitol this year. A bill by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) to require the state Department of Justice to investigate all officer-involved shooting deaths of unarmed citizens passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, as did AB 1196 by Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson) to ban the use of chokeholds by officers.
Both of those bills now face votes in the full Senate during the final days of the legislative session, which ends Aug. 31.
The same Senate committee on Thursday held AB 1599 by Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) to require investigations of officer misconduct to be completed even in the event that the officer leaves the agency.
The mixed results on police reform bills this year come after many supporters of the legislation said they believed there was momentum from weeks of protests across the country following Floyd’s death on May 25.
A video showing Floyd, a Black man, pleading “I can’t breathe” as his neck was pinned under the knee of Minneapolis Police Department Officer Derek Chauvin was seen around the world. Two autopsies concluded Floyd’s death was a homicide and Chauvin has been charged with murder. Three other officers involved in the incident — Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — have been charged as accomplices. All four officers were fired.
Opponents of Holden’s bill, particularly law enforcement groups, said it went too far and threatened to penalize officers making split-second decisions.
“Oftentimes, when an officer is not the first, or even the second person to arrive on the scene, they will observe actions being taken with a suspect without knowing what led up to the actions they are observing,” said the Peace Officers Research Assn. of California, the state’s largest law enforcement labor organization.
Law enforcement groups also said the bill came too quickly after last year’s use of force law, AB 392, which created new standards for when officers can use deadly force.
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“AB 1022 would have inadvertently undone the progress made by California’s historic use-of-force legislation last year,” PORAC President Brian Marvel said in a statement. “Public safety laws, rules and regulations are incredibly complex, and we look forward to working together with our elected leaders to take a thoughtful, well-informed and holistic approach to these issues as we seek to better position California’s officers to best serve our communities.”
Like police reform bills this year, AB 392 was prompted by national protests against deadly police shootings of unarmed Black men, including Stephon Clark in 2018.
Clark was fatally shot following a chase that ended in his grandmother’s Sacramento-area backyard after police said they mistook his cellphone for a gun. The officers who shot Clark did not face criminal charges.
Holden said the Legislature has to do more to ensure police officers are held accountable. He said he will pursue legislation next year similar to his now-failed bill.
“I think it’s one thing for everyone to see what happened to George Floyd and say how awful that is, and it’s another to take steps to ensure that never happens again,” Holden said. “I’m very disappointed.”


latimes--2020-08-20--Compton Executioners sheriff gang lied about guns and hosted inking parties, deputy says

At the Compton sheriff ’ s station , it ’ s called a ghost gun : a weapon a deputy says he spots on a suspect but that is never found when colleagues respond to the scene and search for it .
That ’ s because the call-out is based on a lie .
The deputy didn ’ t actually see a gun , but his suspect could turn out to be armed and an arrest or recovered firearm could pad his reputation .
It ’ s the kind of behavior that plays out regularly at the station , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five years and recounted other sensational allegations in a recent deposition obtained by The Times in a federal civil rights lawsuit .
“ In reality , they ’ ve never seen the gun , ” L.A. County Sheriff ’ s Deputy Austreberto Gonzalez said under oath .
“ And then at the end when their containments are set up , you know , the gun is never recovered .
You know , they ’ ll call it a day and say , ‘ Thank you for rolling .
We ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was never recovered.
” Gonzalez says the scheme is employed in Compton by tattooed deputies who call themselves the Executioners , the clandestine gang many believe runs the station .
His allegations add to a growing body of information about the Compton clique , one of several tattooed deputy groups within the Sheriff ’ s Department with names such as the Grim Reapers , Banditos and Jump Out Boys .
The Sheriff ’ s Department has been aware of the groups for decades but has struggled to crack down , despite repeated internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members are accused of misconduct .
Gonzalez ’ s statements were introduced in an excessive-force lawsuit filed against the Sheriff ’ s Department by Sheldon Lockett .
The judge hearing the case cited the evidence when tentatively deciding to advance the case for trial .
“ Accepting the deputy ’ s testimony , there is evidence that the clique existed in Compton and that it routinely violated the rights of suspects , ” Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Walsh said in his ruling .
“ The testimony also establishes that the command staff at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only did not stop it but it encouraged the behavior and placed its members in positions of authority where they could help other members.
” The Sheriff ’ s Department said the FBI is now involved in an investigation of the Executioners .
In his deposition , Gonzalez identified Miguel Vega , the Compton station deputy who killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado in a shooting in June that sparked weeks of protests , and his partner , Chris Hernandez , as prospective members of the Executioners .
Their attorneys said Wednesday that those allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have one single tattoo on his body , much less a deputy gang tattoo , ” his attorney Adam Marangell said .
“ He doesn ’ t have one nor does he plan on getting one.
” The Sheriff ’ s Department said in a statement that it had not yet received the transcript of Gonzalez ’ s testimony .
“ Once we do , counsel will review and we can respond appropriately , ” a spokesman said .
County attorneys have argued that Gonzalez ’ s testimony about the Executioners was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he ’ s not in the group and has no personal knowledge about it .
Lockett alleges he was targeted by deputies “ chasing ink ” when he was beaten and falsely arrested for attempted murder in 2016 , his attorneys said .
He sued in 2018 .
Deputies that day pulled up to Lockett outside his godmother ’ s home and jumped out of their car with their guns drawn because they said he matched the description of a shooting suspect .
Lockett froze , then ran .
The deputies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Lockett had a gun , which he says was a lie .
No gun was found .
They chased him until they found him hiding in a backyard , where Lockett says he surrendered .
Even so , he says , Aldama punched him in the head five times while hurling the N-word .
He alleged that one of the deputies rammed the end of a police baton into his eye socket , which caused permanent damage , and that he was kicked in the back of the head .
The county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and other gun charges and spent eight months in jail .
In August , prosecutors dropped charges because of insufficient evidence and after a witness testified that she was mistaken when she identified him , according to a district attorney ’ s office spokeswoman .
After the arrest , Lockett ’ s mother filed a complaint to the Sheriff ’ s Department .
“ They did nothing , ” Lockett ’ s attorney John Sweeney said during a hearing this week .
Instead , he says , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home in retaliation .
About seven months after Lockett ’ s arrest and three weeks after charges were dropped , Aldama and Orrego shot and killed Donta Taylor , 31 , during a foot chase .
Deputies said Taylor had a handgun , but no weapon was found .
“ Had that been investigated ... Donta Taylor would still be alive , ” Sweeney said .
“ This was nothing more than a sport kill and an attempt to getting into this gang .
And instead of being prosecuted , what happened ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aldama admitted under oath to having a tattoo on his calf depicting a skull with a rifle and a military-style helmet emerging from flames .
The letters “ CPT , ” for Compton , appear on the helmet .
Aldama said he was one of as many as 20 deputies selected to get the same tattoo after “ working hard ” by making arrests and answering calls .
He denied being part of a club .
L.A. County settled a lawsuit brought by Taylor ’ s family for $ 7 million .
Deputies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which are accused of using violent and aggressive tactics similar to those of criminal street gangs , have cost taxpayers $ 55 million in settlements and payouts in incidents that date to the 1990s , according to county records obtained by The Times .
Walsh said three Compton deputies , including Aldama and Orrego , have denied in other court proceedings that they were part of a clique and attributed their matching tattoos to “ serendipity.
” The depositions of those three deputies are under seal , but Lockett ’ s attorney Steven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that their tattoos are numbered .
In their depositions , Glickman said Aldama testified that his tattoo ’ s No .
38 was a nod to his first gun ; Orrego ’ s said his tattoo , which was covered up , was never numbered and he got it in solidarity with Aldama , his friend who had cancer ; and Deputy Rogelio Benzor ’ s tattoo has a No .
40 , which he explained as a reference to his retirement in 2040 .
The county had argued that Lockett ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a clique and show that the county knew about it .
“ Obviously , these rogue officers are not going to simply admit that they had formed an unlawful group bent on assaulting minorities , ” the judge wrote .
“ And , presumably , the clique would not be issuing membership cards , or taking minutes at membership meetings , or doing anything else that normal , lawful organizations do .
Thus , it would seem impossible for a plaintiff to find tangible evidence to prove that the officers were lying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group.
” Just last week , Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he was moving to discipline 26 employees with firings or suspensions for their roles in a fight at an off-duty East L.A. station party at Kennedy Hall , a nearby event space , where deputies say they were attacked by inked members of the Banditos , who allegedly wielded power at the station .
But he denied that gangs exist within the Sheriff ’ s Department .
“ There is zero evidence of three or more deputies engaged in criminal activity with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commit crime , ” Villanueva said .
Two deputies who said they were assaulted and knocked unconscious are among those facing discipline for policy violations that include failing to report the Kennedy Hall incident to superiors , their attorney Vincent Miller said .
“ My guys are in trouble for not reporting the Banditos to the Banditos , ” Miller said , adding that his clients did report the incident right away to a lieutenant they trusted .
Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the deputies who Miller says attacked his clients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some employees at the East L.A. station were acting as so-called shot callers , controlling scheduling and events at the station , Cmdr .
April Tardy said , using a term often used to describe top leaders in prisons and gangs .
At the Compton station , the Executioners ruled the station using a similar structure , Gonzalez testified .
About 15 to 20 deputies are Executioners , he said , and at least a handful more are prospective members who are “ chasing ink.
” He said “ it ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are inked each year — women and Black people aren ’ t allowed .
A vast majority of members and prospects , he said , have been involved in high-profile shootings or beatings .
After a shooting , members will have a party at a bar and call it a “ 998 debrief , ” referencing the code for a deputy-involved shooting .
Some say it ’ s to celebrate that a deputy survived , he said .
But oftentimes , Gonzalez said , after the party , the deputy and their partner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d never been invited to nor attended one .
“ I think it is some type of reward , ” Gonzalez testified .
He added later : “ So we call it ink chasers because they ’ re out there trying to show the rest of the members , the rest of the inked members that , you know , they ’ re worthy of that tattoo.
” He said in the deposition that Jaime Juarez , a deputy he identified as the Executioners ’ shot caller , carried out a work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to install a member as scheduling deputy .
The powerful position , which Juarez had previously held , controls scheduling , days off and overtime , Gonzalez said .
“ There was nobody being arrested .
Very minimal arrests were being done at that time , ” Gonzalez said of the work slowdown .
“ We have a booking line .
We would hardly ever see a unit in the booking line with , you know — you know , with suspects in their back seats .
It was so obvious that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that.
” The Times has requested arrest records from the Compton station to determine whether such a slowdown occurred .
Juarez did not respond to a request for comment .
In 2017 , Gonzalez said , the Compton station captain at the time had turned to that deputy to boost arrest statistics after the captain was reprimanded for low numbers at the station .
Monthly arrests per deputy more than doubled and that captain was eventually promoted , he said .
Gonzalez testified that he faced blowback earlier this year after anonymously reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bureau for assaulting a fellow deputy .
After Gonzalez made his report , graffiti appeared at the station calling him a rat .
He was warned by another deputy to be careful .
“ They know it was you , ” Gonzalez recalled being told .
He filed a legal claim against the county in June alleging retaliation .
One deputy told Gonzalez he didn ’ t want to partner with him out of fear of getting “ screwed with , ” he said .
Gonzalez testified that he feared for his safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that I now call them a gang because that ’ s what gangs do .
They beat up other people , ” he said.
`` I call that a gang .
Their focus is not the station , their focus is not the department , and their focus is not their job .
Their focus is their group .
”

At the Compton sheriff’s station, it’s called a ghost gun: a weapon a deputy says he spots on a suspect but that is never found when colleagues respond to the scene and search for it.
That’s because the call-out is based on a lie. The deputy didn’t actually see a gun, but his suspect could turn out to be armed and an arrest or recovered firearm could pad his reputation.
It’s the kind of behavior that plays out regularly at the station, according to a whistleblower who worked there for five years and recounted other sensational allegations in a recent deposition obtained by The Times in a federal civil rights lawsuit.
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“In reality, they’ve never seen the gun,” L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Austreberto Gonzalez said under oath. “And then at the end when their containments are set up, you know, the gun is never recovered. You know, they’ll call it a day and say, ‘Thank you for rolling. We’re going to call it,’ and a gun was never recovered.”
Gonzalez says the scheme is employed in Compton by tattooed deputies who call themselves the Executioners, the clandestine gang many say runs the station.
His allegations add to a growing body of information about the Compton clique, one of several tattooed deputy groups within the Sheriff’s Department with names such as the Grim Reapers, Banditos and Jump Out Boys.
The Sheriff’s Department has been aware of the groups for decades but has struggled to crack down, despite repeated internal and independent investigations and instances in which members are accused of misconduct.
Gonzalez’s statements were introduced in an excessive-force lawsuit filed against the Sheriff’s Department by Sheldon Lockett. The judge hearing the case cited the evidence when tentatively deciding to advance the case for trial.
“Accepting the deputy’s testimony, there is evidence that the clique existed in Compton and that it routinely violated the rights of suspects,” Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Walsh said in his ruling. “The testimony also establishes that the command staff at the station knew about it and not only did not stop it but it encouraged the behavior and placed its members in positions of authority where they could help other members.”
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The Sheriff’s Department said the FBI is now involved in an investigation of the Executioners. Following The Times’ reporting, Compton officials issued formal requests to the state and federal attorney generals to investigate allegations of pervasive civil rights violations.
In his deposition, Gonzalez identified Miguel Vega, the Compton station deputy who killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado in a shooting in June that sparked weeks of protests, and his partner, Chris Hernandez, as prospective members of the Executioners. Their attorneys said Wednesday that those allegations are false.
“Deputy Vega does not have one single tattoo on his body, much less a deputy gang tattoo,” his attorney Adam Marangell said. “He doesn’t have one, nor does he plan on getting one.”
The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that it had not yet received the transcript of Gonzalez’s testimony. “Once we do, counsel will review and we can respond appropriately,” a spokesman said. County attorneys have argued that Gonzalez’s testimony about the Executioners was nothing more than speculation and conjecture, as he’s not in the group and has no personal knowledge about it.
Lockett alleges he was targeted by deputies “chasing ink” when he was beaten and falsely arrested for attempted murder in 2016, his attorneys said. He sued in 2018.
Deputies that day pulled up to Lockett outside his godmother’s home and jumped out of their car with their guns drawn because they said he matched the description of a shooting suspect. Lockett froze, then ran. The deputies, Samuel Aldama and Mizrain Orrego, radioed that Lockett had a gun, which he says was a lie. No gun was found.
They chased him until they found him hiding in a backyard, where Lockett says he surrendered. Even so, he says, Aldama punched him in the head five times while using the N-word. He alleged that one of the deputies rammed the end of a police baton into his eye socket, which caused permanent damage, and that he was kicked in the back of the head. The county has denied the allegations.
Lockett was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and other gun charges and spent eight months in jail. In August, prosecutors dropped charges because of insufficient evidence and after a witness testified that she was mistaken when she identified him, according to a district attorney’s office spokeswoman.
After the arrest, Lockett’s mother filed a complaint to the Sheriff’s Department.
“They did nothing,” Lockett’s attorney John Sweeney said during a hearing this week. Instead, he says, they served a search warrant on her home in retaliation. Several months after Lockett’s arrest and three weeks after charges were dropped, Aldama and Orrego shot at and killed Donta Taylor, 31, during a foot chase. Deputies said Taylor had a handgun, but no weapon was found.
“Had that been investigated ... Donta Taylor would still be alive,” Sweeney said. “This was nothing more than a sport kill and an attempt to getting into this gang. And instead of being prosecuted, what happened? There were inking parties and celebrations.”
Aldama admitted under oath to having a tattoo on his calf depicting a skull with a rifle and a military-style helmet emerging from flames. The letters “CPT,” for Compton, appear on the helmet. Aldama said he was one of as many as 20 deputies selected to get the same tattoo after “working hard” by making arrests and answering calls. He denied being part of a club.
L.A. County settled a lawsuit brought by Taylor’s family for $7 million. Deputies with alleged ties to these cliques, which are accused of using violent and aggressive tactics similar to those of criminal street gangs, have cost taxpayers $55 million in settlements and payouts in incidents that date to the 1990s, according to county records obtained by The Times.
Walsh said three Compton deputies, including Aldama and Orrego, have denied in other court proceedings that they were part of a clique and attributed their matching tattoos to “serendipity.”
The depositions of those three deputies are under seal, but Lockett’s attorney Steven Glickman argued during a court hearing Thursday that their tattoos are numbered. In their depositions, Glickman said Aldama testified that his tattoo’s No. 38 was a nod to his first gun; Orrego’s said his tattoo, which was covered up, was never numbered and he got it in solidarity with Aldama, his friend who had cancer; and Deputy Rogelio Benzor’s tattoo has a No. 40, which he explained as a reference to his retirement in 2040.
The county had argued that Lockett’s attorneys failed to produce evidence that there was a clique and show that the county knew about it.
“Obviously, these rogue officers are not going to simply admit that they had formed an unlawful group bent on assaulting minorities,” the judge wrote. “And, presumably, the clique would not be issuing membership cards, or taking minutes at membership meetings, or doing anything else that normal, lawful organizations do. Thus, it would seem impossible for a plaintiff to find tangible evidence to prove that the officers were lying when they denied the existence of their group.”
Just last week, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he was moving to discipline 26 employees with firings or suspensions for their roles in a fight at an off-duty East L.A. station party at Kennedy Hall, a nearby event space, where deputies say they were attacked by inked members of the Banditos, who allegedly wielded power at the station. But he denied that gangs exist within the Sheriff’s Department.
“There is zero evidence of three or more deputies engaged in criminal activity with a unifying symbol whose primary purpose is to commit crime,” Villanueva said.
Two deputies who said they were assaulted and knocked unconscious are among those facing discipline for policy violations that include failing to report the Kennedy Hall incident to superiors, their attorney Vincent Miller said.
“My guys are in trouble for not reporting the Banditos to the Banditos,” Miller said, adding that his clients did report the incident right away to a lieutenant they trusted.
Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the deputies who Miller says attacked his clients. But an administrative investigation found that some employees at the East L.A. station were acting as so-called shot callers, controlling scheduling and events at the station, Cmdr. April Tardy said, using a term often used to describe top leaders in prisons and gangs.
In Compton, the Executioners ruled the station using a similar structure, Gonzalez testified. About 15 to 20 deputies are Executioners, he said, and at least a handful more are prospective members who are “chasing ink.” He said “it’s the word out” that only two deputies are inked each year — women and Black people aren’t allowed. A vast majority of members and prospects, he said, have been involved in high-profile shootings or beatings.
After a shooting, members will have a party at a bar and call it a “998 debrief,” referencing the code for a deputy-involved shooting. Some say it’s to celebrate that a deputy survived, he said. But often, Gonzalez said, after the party, the deputy and his partner will get inked. Gonzalez said he’d never been invited to nor attended one.
“I think it is some type of reward,” Gonzalez testified. He added later: “So we call it ‘ink chasers’ because they’re out there trying to show the rest of the members, the rest of the inked members that, you know, they’re worthy of that tattoo.”
Gonzalez, 42, joined the department as a deputy in 2008. He was investigated by Los Angeles police in 2012 on an allegation of sexual misconduct. The district attorney’s office declined to file charges. He said in his deposition that he was relieved of duty for the off-duty incident but that the allegation was unfounded and he was not disciplined.
Gonzalez’s attorney Alan Romero said that disclosing the allegation about his client “is totally irrelevant to the heroism of his coming forward to protect the public, and only serves to deter and frighten future whistleblowers from coming forward.”
“The L.A. Times would be sending a clear message: If you want to blow the whistle on public corruption, be warned that we will dig into your history and disclose any false allegations that [were] ever made against you.”
Gonzalez said in the deposition that Jaime Juarez, a deputy he identified as the Executioners’ shot caller, carried out a work slowdown last year when the acting captain refused to install a member as scheduling deputy. The powerful position, which Juarez had previously held, controls scheduling, days off and overtime, Gonzalez said.
“There was nobody being arrested. Very minimal arrests were being done at that time,” Gonzalez said of the work slowdown. “We have a booking line. We would hardly ever see a unit in the booking line with, you know — you know, with suspects in their back seats. It was so obvious that, you know, we all noticed that.”
The Times has requested arrest records from the Compton station to determine whether such a slowdown occurred. Juarez did not respond to a request for comment. Elizabeth Gibbons, an attorney representing Juarez, denied the allegations against him on Friday but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing Sheriff’s Department investigation.
In 2017, Gonzalez said, the Compton station captain at the time had turned to that deputy to boost arrest statistics after the captain was reprimanded for low numbers at the station. Monthly arrests per deputy more than doubled and that captain was eventually promoted, he said.
Gonzalez testified that he faced blowback earlier this year after anonymously reporting an Executioner to the Internal Affairs Bureau for assaulting a fellow deputy. After Gonzalez made his report, graffiti appeared at the station calling him a rat. He was warned by another deputy to be careful.
“They know it was you,” Gonzalez recalled being told. He filed a legal claim against the county in June alleging retaliation.
One deputy told Gonzalez he didn’t want to partner with him out of fear of getting “screwed with,” he said.
Gonzalez testified that he feared for his safety from the clique.
“I think that I now call them a gang because that’s what gangs do. They beat up other people,” he said. “ I call that a gang. Their focus is not the station, their focus is not the department, and their focus is not their job. Their focus is their group.”


latimes--2020-08-20--Police shooting death of Black man prompts protests in Pasadena

Following the police shooting of a Black man in Pasadena on Saturday night , protesters are demanding that city leaders hold law enforcement accountable for the man ’ s death , but authorities say the law — and police body-camera video — justify the shooting .
Standing atop an SUV outside Mayor Terry Tornek ’ s home on Wednesday night , Jasmine Richards , who heads the local Black Lives Matter chapter , led a group of protesters questioning the shooting death of Anthony McClain .
The 32-year-old was shot and killed during a traffic stop over the weekend .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ handgun while running from officers .
“ They think killing Black people is a joke , ” Richards said .
Police Chief John Perez said that multiple investigations will be conducted , but noted that video from one of the officer ’ s body cameras shows McClain had a gun in his hand .
A semiautomatic pistol was recovered at the scene of the shooting near La Pintoresca Park .
On Thursday , authorities released several videos as well as a photograph of the gun that was recovered .
The fatal encounter began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spotted a four-door Infinity that did not have a front license plate and pulled the vehicle over in the 1300 block of North Raymond Avenue .
Police determined the driver had a suspended license , Perez said , and officers ordered McClain and the driver to step out of the vehicle .
Video shows that McClain , however , fled on foot with what appears to be something shiny around his waistband .
In a description of the video , police said that it was a handgun and that in a slow-motion version @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his left hand as he runs away before turning his head back toward the pursuing officers .
“ You can see the weapon begin to turn with the body , ” Perez said .
But Caree Harper , the McClain family ’ s attorney , said what police saw on the video was a large metal belt buckle .
“ We believe the area that police say it was a weapon was , in fact , his Michael Kors belt , ” Harper said .
An officer who ran after McClain fired two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rib cage , police said .
McClain continued running for about 50 yards before tossing his weapon and collapsing about 20 yards later , Perez said .
He was taken to a nearby hospital , where he died from his injuries .
Police said an illegally assembled gun with different serial numbers was recovered nearby .
A witness told authorities McClain was seen tossing the weapon as he ran .
But the Police Department did not say Thursday whether they could forensically connect McClain to the weapon .
The officers involved in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the force , authorities said , and one of their body cameras did not work during the fatal encounter .
The department has pledged to identify the officers but has expressed concerns about their safety .
The law requires the names of law enforcement officials involved in fatal shootings be released but allows departments to withhold identities when a specific threat exists .
Perez said the shooting meets a state law enacted last year that changed California ’ s standard for the use of deadly force from “ reasonable ” to “ necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ imminent threat.
” The law allows officers to use deadly force to apprehend a fleeing person for any felony that threatens or results in death or serious bodily injury , and if the officer reasonably believes the person will cause death or serious bodily injury to another unless immediately apprehended .
In the aftermath of Saturday ’ s shooting , a crowd gathered at La Pintoresca Park , breaking through police tape surrounding the scene .
One man shouted and cursed at officers as protesters gathered nearby .
The outburst caused one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the man ’ s chest , dropping him to the ground , body cam video shows .
Police then discharged pepper spray at the angry , surging crowd , striking a 10-year-old , whose mother , in turn , pepper-sprayed an officer who tried to check on the child .
In the days since the shooting , protesters have gathered outside Tornek ’ s house as well as the home of Pasadena Councilman Victor Gordo to demand the release of body-cam video and security camera footage from the scene .
They also want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death .
The City Council next week will consider implementing a police oversight commission into the shooting , Tornek said .
But critics are calling for an independent police audit , citing previous questionable shooting deaths of Black men in Pasadena , including the 2012 killing of 19-year-old Kendrec McDade .
McDade was shot seven times after a 911 caller falsely reported that the Azusa High School graduate was carrying a gun when he and a friend stole a laptop .
The caller eventually pleaded guilty to falsely reporting a criminal offense , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleared Officers Jeff Newlen and Matthew Griffin of wrongdoing in the shooting .
A later independent report found that Pasadena police failed during their investigation to determine whether witnesses could corroborate or refute the officers ’ claims that McDade had been clutching at his waistband as he fled from their squad car before being shot .

Protesters are calling for a police investigation into the shooting death of a Black man over the weekend.
Following the police shooting of a Black man in Pasadena on Saturday night, protesters are demanding that city leaders hold law enforcement accountable for the man’s death, but authorities say the law — and police body-camera video — justify the shooting.
Standing atop an SUV outside Mayor Terry Tornek’s home on Wednesday night, Jasmine Richards, who heads the local Black Lives Matter chapter, led a group of protesters questioning the shooting death of Anthony McClain.
The 32-year-old was shot and killed during a traffic stop over the weekend. Police have said the man pulled a handgun while running from officers.
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“They think killing Black people is a joke,” Richards said.
Police Chief John Perez said that multiple investigations will be conducted, but noted that video from one of the officer’s body cameras shows McClain had a gun in his hand. A semiautomatic pistol was recovered at the scene of the shooting near La Pintoresca Park.
On Thursday, authorities released several videos as well as a photograph of the gun that was recovered.
VIDEO | 05:27 Pasadena Police Department releases footage of officer-involved shooting The Pasadena Police Department released footage of an officer-involved shooting that occurred Aug. 15, when Anthony McClain was killed during a traffic stop.
The fatal encounter began about 8 p.m. Saturday when two officers spotted a four-door Infinity that did not have a front license plate and pulled the vehicle over in the 1300 block of North Raymond Avenue. Police determined the driver had a suspended license, Perez said, and officers ordered McClain and the driver to step out of the vehicle.
Video shows that McClain, however, fled on foot with what appears to be something shiny around his waistband. In a description of the video, police said that it was a handgun and that in a slow-motion version, the object can be seen in his left hand as he runs away before turning his head back toward the pursuing officers.
“You can see the weapon begin to turn with the body,” Perez said.
But Caree Harper, the McClain family’s attorney, said what police saw on the video was a large metal belt buckle.
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“We believe the area that police say it was a weapon was, in fact, his Michael Kors belt,” Harper said.
An officer who ran after McClain fired two shots, striking him once near his rib cage, police said.
McClain continued running for about 50 yards before tossing his weapon and collapsing about 20 yards later, Perez said. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Police said an illegally assembled gun with different serial numbers was recovered nearby. A witness told authorities McClain was seen tossing the weapon as he ran. But the Police Department did not say Thursday whether they could forensically connect McClain to the weapon.
The officers involved in the shooting have less than five years on the force, authorities said, and one of their body cameras did not work during the fatal encounter.
The department has pledged to identify the officers but has expressed concerns about their safety. The law requires the names of law enforcement officials involved in fatal shootings be released but allows departments to withhold identities when a specific threat exists.
Perez said the shooting meets a state law enacted last year that changed California’s standard for the use of deadly force from “reasonable” to “necessary,” noting that McClain posed an “imminent threat.” The law allows officers to use deadly force to apprehend a fleeing person for any felony that threatens or results in death or serious bodily injury, and if the officer reasonably believes the person will cause death or serious bodily injury to another unless immediately apprehended.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting, a crowd gathered at La Pintoresca Park, breaking through police tape surrounding the scene. One man shouted and cursed at officers as protesters gathered nearby.
The outburst caused one officer to fire his stun gun into the man’s chest, dropping him to the ground, body cam video shows.
Police then discharged pepper spray at the angry, surging crowd, striking a 10-year-old, whose mother, in turn, pepper-sprayed an officer who tried to check on the child.
In the days since the shooting, protesters have gathered outside Tornek’s house as well as the home of Pasadena Councilman Victor Gordo to demand the release of body-cam video and security camera footage from the scene. They also want the officers charged in McClain’s death.
The City Council next week will consider implementing a police oversight commission into the shooting, Tornek said. But critics are calling for an independent police audit, citing previous questionable shooting deaths of Black men in Pasadena, including the 2012 killing of 19-year-old Kendrec McDade.
McDade was shot seven times after a 911 caller falsely reported that the Azusa High School graduate was carrying a gun when he and a friend stole a laptop. The caller eventually pleaded guilty to falsely reporting a criminal offense, and the district attorney’s office cleared Officers Jeff Newlen and Matthew Griffin of wrongdoing in the shooting.
A later independent report found that Pasadena police failed during their investigation to determine whether witnesses could corroborate or refute the officers’ claims that McDade had been clutching at his waistband as he fled from their squad car before being shot.