latimes--2020-09-11--Air quality nosedives across Southern California, with smoke forecast through the weekend

Southern California air quality took a nosedive Friday as smoke from wildfires up and down the state choked the region with unhealthy levels of lung-damaging pollution .
The worst pollution since the record-setting firestorm began last month has been in the Bay Area and the Central Valley , where millions have spent weeks exposed to air made unhealthful by wildfire smoke .
The smoke has been so thick in some areas that it ’ s been in the “ very unhealthy ” or even “ hazardous ” range on the Air Quality Index .
Southern California had been faring better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flowing over the entire West Coast and extending far out over the Pacific Ocean .
Things took a turn for the worse Friday , with levels of fine particle pollution — tiny , health-damaging soot particles known as PM2.5 — violating health standards across most of the Los Angeles Basin .
As of Friday afternoon , pollution was highest in areas of the San Gabriel Valley downwind of the Bobcat Fire , where PM2.5 was in the “ very unhealthy ” range .
Air quality was unhealthy across much of the Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and southeast L.A. County .
Smoke advisories will remain in effect throughout the day and likely into the weekend , said Philip Fine , deputy executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District .
Fine said the unpredictability of wildfires — including how long they will burn , how hot they will be and how much smoke they will create — make it difficult to forecast air quality beyond one or two days .
But , he said , air quality over the weekend will likely not be great .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , ” Fine said .
“ It looks like it ’ s overcast , but a lot of that is smoke from the Northern California and Oregon wildfires .
They have created a plume up and down the West coast that ’ s over a thousand miles wide.
” The plume is “ generally moving south , ” he said , although that can change at any moment .
“ If you ’ re looking at the air monitoring data in northern California and Oregon right now , I ’ ve never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Fine said .
“ Thankfully , we ’ re not experiencing it at that level down in Southern California , at least [ not ] as widespread.
” Yet poor air quality is being felt by many people in the areas near the Bobcat fire .
Smoke has contributed to the closure of eight parks in Los Angeles County : Eaton Canyon , Devil ’ s Punchbowl , Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park , Lario Staging Area , Marshall Canyon , Peck Road Water Conservation Park , San Dimas Canyon Natural Area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here is some general advice from the the and the • People with heart or lung disease ( including asthma ) , the elderly and children should take extra precautions , as they may be more likely to experience poor health if they breathe in wildfire smoke .
• Run your air conditioner if you have one .
Make sure it has a clean filter and that it is recirculating the indoor air to prevent bringing additional smoke inside .
• Create a clean air space in your home by using a portable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to your air conditioner .
Do this in one or more rooms with the doors and windows closed .
• Avoid using a whole-house fan or a swamp cooler with an outside air intake .
• Avoid using indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances , including fireplaces and candles .
• Do not rely on dust masks for protection .
Paper “ dust masks ” can block large particles such as sawdust but do not protect your lungs from the small particles or gases in wildfire smoke .
Disposable respirators such as N-95 or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are worn properly and have a tight fit .
As for the cloth masks many are relying on for COVID-19 protection , Fine said they ’ re not very effective for small particulate matter from wildfire smoke , though they may provide some relief from larger particles such as ash .
N95 masks are better , but not foolproof , he said .
“ The better thing to do , if you ’ re being exposed , if you ’ re feeling it in your lungs , if you see or smell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ is to try to stay indoors and avoid vigorous , physical activity outdoors , or even indoors in some cases.
” Extreme heat and fires have brought the worst air quality in decades to Southern California .
Fine said the confluence of so many wildfires and so much smoke is a rare combination , creating extreme conditions .
Lung-damaging ozone pollution in Los Angeles reached its highest levels in a generation and set records in other parts of Southern California during the blistering Labor Day weekend heat wave , air quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 185 parts per billion in downtown Los Angeles at midday Sunday , according to South Coast Air Quality Management District monitoring data .
It was the highest hourly reading in Southern California since 2003 and the highest in downtown L.A. in 26 years .

Ash- and smoke-filled air from the wildfires eerily shrouds the sun above Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove.
Southern California air quality took a nosedive Friday as smoke from wildfires up and down the state choked the region with unhealthy levels of lung-damaging pollution.
The worst pollution since the record-setting firestorm began last month has been in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, where millions have spent weeks exposed to air made unhealthful by wildfire smoke.
The smoke has been so thick in some areas that it’s been in the “very unhealthy” or even “hazardous” range on the Air Quality Index. Southern California had been faring better, despite the massive blanket of smoke flowing over the entire West Coast and extending far out over the Pacific Ocean.
Things took a turn for the worse Friday, with levels of fine particle pollution — tiny, health-damaging soot particles known as PM2.5 — violating health standards across most of the Los Angeles Basin.
As of Friday afternoon, pollution was highest in areas of the San Gabriel Valley downwind of the Bobcat Fire, where PM2.5 was in the “very unhealthy” range. Air quality was unhealthy across much of the Los Angeles area, including Central and South L.A. and southeast L.A. County.
Smoke advisories will remain in effect throughout the day and likely into the weekend, said Philip Fine, deputy executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
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Fine said the unpredictability of wildfires — including how long they will burn, how hot they will be and how much smoke they will create — make it difficult to forecast air quality beyond one or two days. But, he said, air quality over the weekend will likely not be great.
“Throughout Southern California, everybody is experiencing this,” Fine said. “It looks like it’s overcast, but a lot of that is smoke from the Northern California and Oregon wildfires. They have created a plume up and down the West coast that’s over a thousand miles wide.”
The plume is “generally moving south,” he said, although that can change at any moment.
“If you’re looking at the air monitoring data in northern California and Oregon right now, I’ve never seen anything that widespread and bad,” Fine said. “Thankfully, we’re not experiencing it at that level down in Southern California, at least [not] as widespread.”
Wildfire smoke continues to plague large portions of the Western U.S.
GeoColor imagery via GOES-West: https://t.co/BFrOg3IITN. pic.twitter.com/yOLHYVcJoK — CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) September 11, 2020
Yet poor air quality is being felt by many people in the areas near the Bobcat fire.
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Smoke has contributed to the closure of eight parks in Los Angeles County: Eaton Canyon, Devil’s Punchbowl, Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park, Lario Staging Area, Marshall Canyon, Peck Road Water Conservation Park, San Dimas Canyon Natural Area and Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area.
1 / 23 Brooks Hubbard with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes photos from the historic North Broadway Bridge over the Los Angeles River Tuesday morning as smoke and ash from the Bobcat fire cloak the area. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 23 Elijah Simpson practices shooting hoops against a backdrop of smokey skies from the Bobcat Fire at Angel’s Gate Park in the San Pedro on September 16, 2020. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 23 A helicopter fights the Bobcat fire burning dangerously close to Mt. Wilson Observatory. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 23 An aerial view of Dodger Stadium and the downtown Los Angeles skyline at sunset is obscured by smoke, ash and smog on Sept. 14. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 23 Visitors check their photos at Griffith Observatory with a smoky view of the Hollywood sign behind them. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 23 Two people get ready to surf as a hazy red sun sets off Hermosa Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 23 Smoke from the Bobcat fire burning in the Angeles National Forest blankets the Southland. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 23 An airplane flies through smoky skies in downtown Los Angeles. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 23 A smoky haze envelopes Santa Monica Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 23 Beachgoers walk along the shoreline in Laguna Beach beneath a hazy sky. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 23 A crow on a cypress tree in Garden Grove is silhouetted by a sun obscured by ash from Southland wildfires. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 23 The sky is gray over the Santa Monica Pier as a family plays in the breakwater. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 13 / 23 A man walks his dog past the historic lifeguard tower in Laguna Beach as the sun is obscured by smoke from wildfires. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 23 An upbeat message on the South Coast Cinemas marquee in Laguna Beach is dimmed by the smoky air. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) 15 / 23 Surfers near the Manhattan Beach Pier under a smoky sunset. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) 16 / 23 Gray skies over the Santa Monica Pier. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 17 / 23 A hazy sun is seen behind the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 23 Despite the unhealthful air quality, Fabian Ortez of Riverside enjoys an afternoon of fishing off the pier in Seal Beach. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 19 / 23 The Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 23 A bicyclist travels along the 1st Street Bridge as smoke hovers east of downtown Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 23 Haze from the Bobcat fire looms over Azusa as it burns in Angeles National Forest. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 23 The Los Angeles skyline is shrouded in smoke from the Bobcat fire as seen from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 23 Haze from the Bobcat fire looms over Kare Park in Irwindale. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Here is some general advice from the Air Quality Management District, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Tips:
Stay indoors, if possible.
Keep windows and doors closed.
Check local public health alerts and the Southern California air quality map.
and the Find an air-conditioned place, like a designated L.A. County Cooling Center.
People with heart or lung disease (including asthma), the elderly and children should take extra precautions, as they may be more likely to experience poor health if they breathe in wildfire smoke.
Avoid vigorous physical activity.
Run your air conditioner if you have one. Make sure it has a clean filter and that it is recirculating the indoor air to prevent bringing additional smoke inside.
Create a clean air space in your home by using a portable air cleaner instead of or in addition to your air conditioner. Do this in one or more rooms with the doors and windows closed.
Avoid using a whole-house fan or a swamp cooler with an outside air intake.
Avoid using indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances, including fireplaces and candles.
Do not rely on dust masks for protection. Paper “dust masks” can block large particles such as sawdust but do not protect your lungs from the small particles or gases in wildfire smoke. Disposable respirators such as N-95 or P-100 respirators can offer some protection if they are worn properly and have a tight fit.
Climate & Environment Your questions about air quality answered The air around Southern California feels like smoke soup because of wildfires. What does that mean for your health and daily routines?
As for the cloth masks many are relying on for COVID-19 protection, Fine said they’re not very effective for small particulate matter from wildfire smoke, though they may provide some relief from larger particles such as ash. N95 masks are better, but not foolproof, he said.
“The better thing to do, if you’re being exposed, if you’re feeling it in your lungs, if you see or smell smoke or ash,” he said, “is to try to stay indoors and avoid vigorous, physical activity outdoors, or even indoors in some cases.”
Extreme heat and fires have brought the worst air quality in decades to Southern California.
Fine said the confluence of so many wildfires and so much smoke is a rare combination, creating extreme conditions.
Lung-damaging ozone pollution in Los Angeles reached its highest levels in a generation and set records in other parts of Southern California during the blistering Labor Day weekend heat wave, air quality readings show.
Ozone pollution spiked to 185 parts per billion in downtown Los Angeles at midday Sunday, according to South Coast Air Quality Management District monitoring data. It was the highest hourly reading in Southern California since 2003 and the highest in downtown L.A. in 26 years.


latimes--2020-09-11--Newsom signs bill intended to end discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions

Discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions will be outlawed under a new law signed by Gov .
Gavin Newsom late Friday evening .
The measure , Senate Bill 145 , will amend existing state law that allows judges to decide whether an adult convicted of having vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor should register as a sex offender in cases in which the minor is 14 years or older and the adult is not more than 10 years older than the minor .
Currently , adults who are convicted of having oral or anal sex with a minor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s sex offender registry .
SB 145 will eliminate automatic sex offender registration in those cases and give judges discretion to make that decision .
Newsom ’ s decision to sign the legislation promises to have both a state and national political impact .
Along with opposition from Republicans in the state Legislature , supporters of President Trump and far-right conspiracy theorists have seized on the bill in an attempt to use the measure as a political wedge issue and rallying cry , with some falsely claiming on social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chad Mayes , an independent from Yucca Valley , warned fellow lawmakers about the potential political consequences just moments before he voted in favor of SB 145 on Aug. 31 , the final night of the state legislative session .
“ This is one of those bills you will take a political hit for , ” said Mayes , who left the Republican Party in 2019 .
“ But we also know that it ’ s righteous and just .
This is the time to step up.
” The bill ’ s author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francisco ) , said the disparity in current state law that SB 145 will address is a remnant of California ’ s old anti-sodomy laws , many since repealed , that were intended to criminalize sex between gay men .
The intent of SB 145 , he said , is to address cases in which two people close in age — an 18-year-old and 17-year-old dating in high school , for example — are in a sexual relationship .
The 18-year-old can still be convicted of a sex offense but should not automatically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lifelong designation that is an impediment to finding employment , a place to live and other necessities of life , Wiener said .
“ We need to stop criminalizing teenagers for having sex , ” he said .
The vast majority of the criticism toward the bill was focused on a provision that has been in the state ’ s sex offender registry law for decades — the 10-year age gap between the minor and the adult .
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas recently accused California Democrats of believing “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” and Donald Trump Jr. used the bill to attack his father ’ s opponent in the presidential race , tweeting , “ Why are Joe Biden Democrats working in California to pander to the wishes of pedophiles and child rapists ?
” Nathan Ballard , who worked as an aide to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco , had said Newsom may have been wise to veto the legislation and recommend that state lawmakers change the provision with the 10-year age gap , given how the Republicans were weaponizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic political strategist and Cabinet secretary to then-Gov .
Jerry Brown , said sex offender registry laws discriminating against the LGBTQ community have been a long-standing problem in California , and she had urged Newsom to sign the bill into law despite the attacks .
Williamson said Newsom will probably come under fire , but she doubted signing the bill would harm him politically given his history of support for LGBTQ rights .
“ It ’ s the double-edged sword of leadership , ” she said .
Newsom has been an outspoken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor of San Francisco and directed the city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004 .
That defiant act became a catalyst for a nationwide political battle over the issue that ended when the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of LGBTQ people to marry in 2015 .
Newsom ’ s history-making decision faced opposition from the right and in his own party .
Republicans pounced on the issue , and some Democrats feared same-sex marriage would energize social conservatives during the 2004 election .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein ( D-Calif. ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partly to blame for John Kerry ’ s presidential loss .
Wiener said opponents have deliberately distorted what the legislation willdo in order to exploit anti-LGBTQ sentiment for their own political gain .
He noted that police chiefs and prosecutors supported the bill , something he said they would not do if it put children at risk .
Los Angeles County Dist .
Atty .
Jackie Lacey helped draft the bill , which wassupported by the California District Attorneys Assn.
, the California Police Chiefs Assn .
and the California Coalition Against Sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prosecutors to evaluate cases involving consensual sex acts between young people , regardless of their sexual orientation , on an individual basis .
I drafted this bill because I believe the law must be applied equally to ensure justice for all Californians , ” Lacey said in a written statement before the bill was signed by Newsom .
Among Wiener ’ s legislative colleagues , it was a Democrat , Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego , who delivered one of the most impassioned attacks on the bill .
“ I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mother , understand how sex between a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old could ever be consensual , how it could ever not be a registerable offense , ” Gonzalez said during debate on the bill on the Assembly floor Aug. 31 .
“ I challenge everybody : Give me a situation where a 24-year-old had sex with a 14-year-old , any kind of sex , and it wasn ’ t predatory.
” State Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove of Bakersfield also castigated the bill , posting on Facebook after it passed that California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over protecting our children.
” Wiener called those arguments grossly disingenuous .
He noted that the 10-year age difference provision in California ’ s sexual offender registry law has been on the books for decades and said that none of the lawmakers criticizing the bill have attempted to change the law to address judicial discretion in cases involving heterosexual sex with a minor .
“ If it ’ s been a problem , people would have heard about it .
You would have had district attorneys complaining about it , ” Wiener said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a problem until the gay people came forward and said please treat us the same way.
” Grove said she objects to the bill ’ s removing the provision in current state law mandating that adults convicted of having anal or oral sex with a minor — who might be 10 years younger than the adult — be added to the sex offender registry .
“ California shouldn ’ t go down that path , regardless of what type of sex it was , ” Grove said .
Wiener said that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his work on the legislation and that an adherent of QAnon , a fringe , pro-Trump conspiracy theory , published his home address in a social media post .
Wiener and others who voted for the legislation said weathering such attacks was worth it in order to change a law that they argue discriminates against LGBTQ people .
“ I ran for office to try to make positive change in the world , and that means sometimes you get attacked , and sometimes you get attacked viciously , ” said Wiener , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LGBTQ Caucus .
“ The LGTBQ community deserves equality and we can ’ t shy away from that .
And the Democratic Party needs to stand for something .
”

Discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions will be outlawed under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late Friday evening.
The measure, Senate Bill 145, will amend existing state law that allows judges to decide whether an adult convicted of having vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor should register as a sex offender in cases in which the minor is 14 years or older and the adult is not more than 10 years older than the minor.
Currently, adults who are convicted of having oral or anal sex with a minor under those circumstances are automatically added to the state’s sex offender registry. SB 145 will eliminate automatic sex offender registration in those cases and give judges discretion to make that decision.
Newsom’s decision to sign the legislation promises to have both a state and national political impact. Along with opposition from Republicans in the state Legislature, supporters of President Trump and far-right conspiracy theorists have seized on the bill in an attempt to use the measure as a political wedge issue and rallying cry, with some falsely claiming on social media that California is legalizing pedophilia.
Assemblyman Chad Mayes, an independent from Yucca Valley, warned fellow lawmakers about the potential political consequences just moments before he voted in favor of SB 145 on Aug. 31, the final night of the state legislative session.
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“This is one of those bills you will take a political hit for,” said Mayes, who left the Republican Party in 2019. “But we also know that it’s righteous and just. This is the time to step up.”
The bill’s author, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), said the disparity in current state law that SB 145 will address is a remnant of California’s old anti-sodomy laws, many since repealed, that were intended to criminalize sex between gay men.
The intent of SB 145, he said, is to address cases in which two people close in age — an 18-year-old and 17-year-old dating in high school, for example — are in a sexual relationship. The 18-year-old can still be convicted of a sex offense but should not automatically be registered as a sex offender, a lifelong designation that is an impediment to finding employment, a place to live and other necessities of life, Wiener said.
“It’s appalling that in 2020, California continues to discriminate against LGBTQ people, by mandating that LGBTQ young people be placed on the sex offender registry in situations where straight people aren’t required to be placed on the registry,” Wiener said in a statement Friday night. “SB 145 simply ends that discrimination by treating LGBTQ young people the exact same way that straight young people have been treated since 1944.”
The vast majority of the criticism toward the bill was focused on a provision that has been in the state’s sex offender registry law for decades — the 10-year age gap between the minor and the adult.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas recently accused California Democrats of believing “we need more adults having sex with children,” and Donald Trump Jr. used the bill to attack his father’s opponent in the presidential race, tweeting, “Why are Joe Biden Democrats working in California to pander to the wishes of pedophiles and child rapists?”
Nathan Ballard, who worked as an aide to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco, had said Newsom may have been wise to veto the legislation and recommend that state lawmakers change the provision with the 10-year age gap, given how the Republicans were weaponizing the issue politically.
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Dana Williamson, a Democratic political strategist and Cabinet secretary to then-Gov. Jerry Brown, said sex offender registry laws discriminating against the LGBTQ community have been a long-standing problem in California, and she had urged Newsom to sign the bill into law despite the attacks.
Williamson said Newsom will probably come under fire, but she doubted signing the bill would harm him politically given his history of support for LGBTQ rights.
“It’s the double-edged sword of leadership,” she said.
Newsom has been an outspoken champion of LGBTQ rights since he was mayor of San Francisco and directed the city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. That defiant act became a catalyst for a nationwide political battle over the issue that ended when the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of LGBTQ people to marry in 2015.
Newsom’s history-making decision faced opposition from the right and in his own party. Republicans pounced on the issue, and some Democrats feared same-sex marriage would energize social conservatives during the 2004 election. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said at the time that Newsom was partly to blame for John Kerry’s presidential loss.
Wiener said opponents have deliberately distorted what the legislation will do in order to exploit anti-LGBTQ sentiment for their own political gain. He noted that police chiefs and prosecutors supported the bill, something he said they would not do if it put children at risk.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey helped draft the bill, which was supported by the California District Attorneys Assn., the California Police Chiefs Assn. and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
“This bill allows judges and prosecutors to evaluate cases involving consensual sex acts between young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, on an individual basis. I drafted this bill because I believe the law must be applied equally to ensure justice for all Californians,” Lacey said in a written statement before the bill was signed by Newsom.
Among Wiener’s legislative colleagues, it was a Democrat, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego, who delivered one of the most impassioned attacks on the bill.
“I cannot, in my mind, as a mother, understand how sex between a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old could ever be consensual, how it could ever not be a registerable offense,” Gonzalez said during debate on the bill on the Assembly floor Aug. 31. “I challenge everybody: Give me a situation where a 24-year-old had sex with a 14-year-old, any kind of sex, and it wasn’t predatory.”
State Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove of Bakersfield also castigated the bill, posting on Facebook after it passed that California Democrats had “placed protecting sexual predators over protecting our children.”
Wiener called those arguments grossly disingenuous. He noted that the 10-year age difference provision in California’s sexual offender registry law has been on the books for decades and said that none of the lawmakers criticizing the bill have attempted to change the law to address judicial discretion in cases involving heterosexual sex with a minor.
“If it’s been a problem, people would have heard about it. You would have had district attorneys complaining about it,” Wiener said. “It didn’t become a problem until the gay people came forward and said please treat us the same way.”
Grove said she objects to the bill’s removing the provision in current state law mandating that adults convicted of having anal or oral sex with a minor — who might be 10 years younger than the adult — be added to the sex offender registry.
“California shouldn’t go down that path, regardless of what type of sex it was,” Grove said.
Wiener said that he’s received hundreds of death threats because of his work on the legislation and that an adherent of QAnon, a fringe, pro-Trump conspiracy theory, published his home address in a social media post.
Wiener and others who voted for the legislation said weathering such attacks was worth it in order to change a law that they argue discriminates against LGBTQ people.
“I ran for office to try to make positive change in the world, and that means sometimes you get attacked, and sometimes you get attacked viciously,” said Wiener, who is chairman of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. “The LGBTQ community deserves equality and we can’t shy away from that. And the Democratic Party needs to stand for something.”


latimes--2020-09-12--Los Angeles County reports 1,177 new COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths

Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday reported 1,177 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 more related deaths .
The report brings the county ’ s total number of cases to 253,176 and deaths to 6,197 , officials said .
The new data includes three new deaths each in Long Beach and Pasadena .
Among the new cases , 71 % were people younger than 50 , according to the Public Health Department .
Those ages 30 to 49 accounted for 35 % of the total , the most of any age group .
L.A. County Public Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be more vigilant .
“ We need the help of our younger county residents to slow the spread even more than we are doing now , so that we can move into lower tiers that allow for the reopening of more business sectors and schools , ” Ferrer said .
“ This means this is not the time for nonessential activities and social gatherings , but a time for distancing and avoiding close contact with people you don ’ t live with.
” Health officials urged all residents to minimize nonessential activities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that on-site dining and drinking outside the home are among the riskiest activities for COVID-19 transmission .
Of the 29 people whose deaths were reported Saturday , nine were older than 80 , eight were between 65 and 79 , three were between 50 and 64 , two were between 30 and 49 , and one was between 18 and 29 .
Nineteen had underlying health conditions , including six who were older than 80 .
Of all county COVID-19 deaths for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available , 51 % were Latino , 23 % white , 15 % Asian , 10 % Black and fewer than 1 % Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander .
The Public Health Department reported 877 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday , a third of them in the ICU .
Testing results are available for more than 2.44 million individuals , with 10 % testing positive .
Information on reopening protocols and safety measures is on the Public Health Department ’ s website .
The department also announced Saturday that due to unhealthy air caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some L.A. County COVID-19 testing sites will be closed through the weekend .
Testing was suspended Saturday at East L.A. College ( Monterey Park ) , Pomona Fairplex Gate 17 , San Gabriel Valley Airport ( El Monte ) and Montebello Civic Center .
Those sites , as well as College of the Canyons ( Santa Clarita ) , will remain closed Sunday .
Notification was being sent to residents who had appointments at those sites to reschedule .
Same-day and next-day appointments are still available at testing sites across L.A. County .

Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday reported 1,177 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 more related deaths.
The report brings the county’s total number of cases to 253,176 and deaths to 6,197, officials said. The new data includes three new deaths each in Long Beach and Pasadena.
Among the new cases, 71% were people younger than 50, according to the Public Health Department. Those ages 30 to 49 accounted for 35% of the total, the most of any age group.
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L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer called for the young to be more vigilant.
“We need the help of our younger county residents to slow the spread even more than we are doing now, so that we can move into lower tiers that allow for the reopening of more business sectors and schools,” Ferrer said. “This means this is not the time for nonessential activities and social gatherings, but a time for distancing and avoiding close contact with people you don’t live with.”
Health officials urged all residents to minimize nonessential activities such as dining out. They pointed to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that on-site dining and drinking outside the home are among the riskiest activities for COVID-19 transmission.
Of the 29 people whose deaths were reported Saturday, nine were older than 80, eight were between 65 and 79, three were between 50 and 64, two were between 30 and 49, and one was between 18 and 29. Nineteen had underlying health conditions, including six who were older than 80.
Of all county COVID-19 deaths for whom information about race and ethnicity is available, 51% were Latino, 23% white, 15% Asian, 10% Black and fewer than 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.
The Public Health Department reported 877 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday, a third of them in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 2.44 million individuals, with 10% testing positive.
Information on reopening protocols and safety measures is on the Public Health Department’s website.
The department also announced Saturday that due to unhealthy air caused by the region’s fires, some L.A. County COVID-19 testing sites will be closed through the weekend.
Testing was suspended Saturday at East L.A. College (Monterey Park), Pomona Fairplex Gate 17, San Gabriel Valley Airport (El Monte) and Montebello Civic Center. Those sites, as well as College of the Canyons (Santa Clarita), will remain closed Sunday.
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Notification was being sent to residents who had appointments at those sites to reschedule. Same-day and next-day appointments are still available at testing sites across L.A. County.


latimes--2020-09-12--Desperate search for missing in rural towns burned by firestorm

Every Wednesday afternoon , Mark Holder would get on the phone from his home in Tennessee and call his brother Larry Holder in Berry Creek in the mountains of Butte County .
Cell phone reception was spotty in the mountains so Larry , 61 , would drive about a mile away from his five-wheel trailer off Bay Ranch Road , near Village Market , and pull over on a turnout lane where he could get better service .
But there was no call this past week .
Now , Larry Holder is among the more than 20 people stlll missing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rural hamlets of this Northern California region , killing at least nine and destroying hundreds of structures .
Mark Holder , who lived in Berry Creek until last December , is still trying to get his head around the destruction but still holds out hope his brother is still alive .
“ One particular feature of my brother is that he is a survivor , ” he said .
As firefighters struggled to get a handle on multiple massive wildfires in Northern California on Saturday , a grim search was underway for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among more than a dozen people who were missing .
The true death toll from the fires likely won ’ t be known for days , officials cautioned , as heat and flames prevented authorities from entering some areas to search .
“ There are still some areas that they are looking into but they have not been able to get into due to the fire activity that ’ s going on , ” said Capt .
Bruno Baertschi , public information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ California wildfires have burned more than 3.2 million acres , an area larger than Connecticut , according to Cal Fire .
Nineteen people have died and more than 4,000 structures have been destroyed since mid-August .
More than 60,000 people have been forced from their homes .
The devastation prompted an announcement from the White House that President Trump will visit California on Monday to be briefed by emergency officials .
Many of the state ’ s dead and missing were in the area ravaged by the North Complex fire , which had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was 21 % contained as of Saturday morning .
The fire had been crawling for weeks through the Plumas National Forest and was more than half-contained Tuesday , when it jumped the Middle Fork of the Feather River and barreled into mountain communities in Butte County before residents could flee .
Among the dead were 16-year-old Josiah Williams , who was trying to drive out of the flames , and 77-year-old Millicent Catarancuic , who decided not to evacuate , authorities said .
Catarancuic ’ s partner , Philip Rubel , is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both of the victims .
“ They were all friends of mine , ” he said .
“ It ’ s unbelievable.
” For the past three days , Heather Kilgore , a friend of the family , has turned to Twitter to post photos of Larry Holder , described as stocky with long brown hair and a white burly goatee .
“ He has a lot of tattoos mostly of dragons , ” Holder said of his missing brother .
“ He has them all over on his arms , legs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have fled either on his mid-'90s black Harley Davidson or in a gray Chevrolet truck .
He said his brother , a truck hauler , suffered a brain injury from a traffic accident that has made it difficult for him to retain information sometimes .
It ’ s partly the reason he moved to Berry Creek .
He said his brother enjoyed being around nature and living alone .
When Mark Holder heard about the deaths of his former neighbors , he immediately thought about his brother .
“ Group of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealing with the same health issues.
” For now , the family has been waiting anxiously for any news about his whereabouts .
“ We were in touch with Butte County Sheriff ’ s Office and they ’ re searching today , ” Holder said .
“ It comes down to today.
” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Friday that he ’ s requested that urban search and rescue teams be deployed to help his department scour hamlets where the fire burned .
“ Right now , the areas we need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has asked us to wait to deploy those later when that is safe to be done , ” he said during a news briefing .
“ So we ’ re going to be evaluating that deployment starting on Monday.
” Deadly fires were also burning across other Western states .
In Oregon , fires had scorched more than 1 million acres and killed at least six people , including a 13-year-old boy who died in a car with his dog in his lap , according to an online fundraising page .
Family members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his grandmother , who also died .
Officials say they ’ re bracing for more bodies to be recovered .
“ We know we ’ re dealing with fire-related deaths and we ’ re preparing for a mass fatality incident based on what we know and the number of structures lost , ” Andrew Phelps , director of Oregon ’ s Office of Emergency Management , said Friday at a press briefing .
In Washington , fires burned more than 600,000 acres and resulted in the death of a 1-year-old boy , authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire was sparked by lightning Aug. 17 but mushroomed in size this week , forcing some 20,000 residents in Plumas , Butte and Yuba counties to evacuate .
Firefighters reported no significant growth in acreage overnight into Saturday as they worked to hem the blaze in by conducting firing operations .
“ We build containment lines to join parts of the fire or a fire ’ s edge to a road or river or something like that , ” said Sean Collins , public information officer for California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put a little bit of fire on the ground to enable it to create a buffer between that containment line or road and the main body of the fire.
” About 3,282 personnel were battling the fire .
Their fight was hampered by steep terrain and weather conditions that were causing the smoke to linger , preventing aircraft from dropping water , Collins said .
“ The smoke is being blown back over the fire which gives poor air quality to residents and firefighters and prevents aircraft from flying , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picking up from the west over the next couple of days , which should improve air quality and visibility.
” On the fire ’ s western flank , firefighters were scrambling to strengthen containment lines ahead of the shift in the winds , which they said could also pose problems .
“ Monday is obviously going to be one of our trigger points because we are going to see a change in the weather , ” Baertschi said .
“ The smoke may lift out and we ’ re going to get more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which could bring up fire activity.
” Fire officials had no estimate for when the fire would be contained .
“ We ’ ll be here continuing to work on this for some time , ” Baertschi said .
The North Complex fire is California ’ s deadliest so far this year and the 11th-deadliest in state history .
In addition , five deaths have been linked to the LNU Lightning Complex fire , which had burned 363,220 acres across the North Bay counties of Napa , Lake , Sonoma , Colusa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contained as of Saturday morning .
Two bodies were found earlier this week near Happy Camp , where about 150 homes were destroyed by the Slater fire , the Siskiyou County Sheriff ’ s Office said .
The fire has chewed through more than 122,000 acres in Siskiyou and Del Norte counties and across the border into Oregon .
One death has been confirmed in the CZU Lightning Complex fire , which has burned 86,509 acres and destroyed 1,490 structures in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties .
Tad Jones , 73 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community of Last Chance in the Santa Cruz mountains , the Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’ s Office said .
Authorities believe he was trying to escape the flames when he died .
The state ’ s death toll also includes a firefighter who died in a vehicle accident while battling the August Complex fire in the Mendocino National Forest last month , and a pilot who died in a helicopter crash in Fresno County while on a water-dropping mission for the Hills fire .
In Southern California , the Bobcat fire had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Forest and was 6 % contained as of Saturday morning .
The eastern and western flanks of the fire were entering into old burn scars , which tends to reduce the rate of spread , officials said , but other areas being charred hadn ’ t burned in 60 years .
Firefighters were continuing to focus on beefing up containment lines to the south to keep the fire from spreading down into foothill communities .
The El Dorado fire near Yucaipa had burned 14,043 acres and was 39 % contained as of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Valley fire near the Mexican border was at 17,665 acres and was 69 % contained , according to Cal Fire .
Poor air quality from the fires continued to choke residents throughout the region .
The Los Angeles Zoo announced it would close Sunday and Monday because of unhealthy air .
Zoo officials said they were monitoring animals who live outside and veterinary staff were prepared to respond if the air caused health issues .
Vives reported from Oroville , Calif. , and Wigglesworth reported from Los Angeles .
Rong-Gong Lin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Los Angeles contributed to this report .

Propane gas burns at a home on Zink Rd. destroyed in the North Complex fire on Friday in Berry Creek.
Every Wednesday afternoon, Mark Holder would get on the phone from his home in Tennessee and call his brother Larry Holder in Berry Creek in the mountains of Butte County.
Cell phone reception was spotty in the mountains so Larry, 61, would drive about a mile away from his five-wheel trailer off Bay Ranch Road, near Village Market, and pull over on a turnout lane where he could get better service.
But there was no call this past week. Now, Larry Holder is among the more than 20 people still missing after the North Complex fire swept into the rural hamlets of this Northern California region, killing at least 12 and destroying hundreds of structures. Officials announced Saturday that the remains of three more people were found.
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Mark Holder, who lived in Berry Creek until December, is trying to get his head around the destruction but still holds out hope that his brother is alive.
1 / 42 Lance Georgeson of Mammoth Lakes paddleboards on Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 42 Thick smoke from multiple forest fires shrouds iconic El Capitan, right, and the walls of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 42 Benjamin Lewis takes a photo for a group of San Diego firefighters in Yosemite. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 42 A deer grazes in Cook’s Meadow as thick smoke shrouds the iconic landmarks of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds iconic Half Dome towering over Yosemite Valley in a view from Sentinel Bridge over the Merced River on Sept. 13. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 42 A Cal Fire truck passes a burned-out vehicle on Stringtown Road on Friday in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 42 Propane gas burns Friday at the ruins of a home on Zink Road in the Berry Creek area of Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 42 Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 42 A crew from Trinity River Conservation Camp, a prison facility, does mop-up work on Stringtown Road on Friday, the day after a flare-up in the area. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 42 Scorched cars in Brush Creek, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire as it threatens homes in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 13 / 42 Flames from the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 42 A horse in a field in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 42 Frank Martinez, left, and Rick Wolfe with their nine dogs in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 42 A fox pauses amid burned brush in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 42 A statue is singed in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 42 Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 42 Firefighters work to save a home in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 20 / 42 A burned truck in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 22 / 42 A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 23 / 42 A table stands outside the destroyed Cressman’s General Store in Fresno County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 24 / 42 A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along California 168, with the Creek fire in the background on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 42 The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as it approaches the Southern California Edison Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant on Sept. 6 in Big Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 42 Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew is silhouetted against a background of flames. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 42 The Creek fire burns along Huntington Lake Road on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 42 A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew battles the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation along California 168 as the Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 42 A firefighter works on the back-burn operation near Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 42 A duck swims in Shaver Lake as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez battles the Creek fire with a back burn. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 42 The sky glows orange around Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 42 Flames leap into the sky as fire engulfs trees near Shaver Lake. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 42 The Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 42 A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 42 Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“One particular feature of my brother is that he is a survivor,” he said.
As firefighters struggled to get a handle on multiple massive wildfires in Northern California on Saturday, a grim search was underway for survivors — and more likely remains — among the missing.
The true death toll likely won’t be known for days, officials cautioned, as heat and flames prevented authorities from entering some areas to search.
“There are still some areas that they are looking into but they have not been able to get into due to the fire activity that’s going on,” said Capt. Bruno Baertschi, public information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Since the start of the year, California wildfires have burned more than 3.2 million acres, an area larger than Connecticut, according to Cal Fire. Nineteen people have died and more than 4,000 structures have been destroyed since mid-August. More than 60,000 people have been forced from their homes.
The Creek Fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
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The devastation prompted an announcement from the White House that President Trump will visit California on Monday to be briefed by emergency officials.
Many of the state’s dead and missing were in the area ravaged by the North Complex fire, which had burned 252,313 acres across three counties and was 21% contained as of Saturday morning.
The fire had been crawling for weeks through the Plumas National Forest and was more than half-contained Tuesday, when it jumped the Middle Fork of the Feather River and barreled into mountain communities in Butte County before residents could flee.
Among the dead were Josiah Williams, 16, who was trying to drive out of the flames, and Millicent Catarancuic, 77, who decided not to evacuate, authorities said. Catarancuic’s partner, Philip Rubel, is also believed to have died.
Holder knew both of the victims.
“They were all friends of mine,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
For the past three days, Heather Kilgore, a friend of the family, has turned to Twitter to post photos of Larry Holder, described as stocky with long brown hair and a white burly goatee.
“He has a lot of tattoos, mostly of dragons,” Holder said of his missing brother. “He has them all over on his arms, legs and torso.”
Mark Holder said his brother would have fled either on his mid-’90s black Harley Davidson or in a gray Chevrolet truck.
An overturned car on Bald Rock Rd. in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Brush Creek. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
He said his brother, a truck hauler, suffered a brain injury from a traffic accident that has made it difficult for him to retain information sometimes. It’s partly the reason he moved to Berry Creek. He said his brother enjoyed being around nature and living alone.
When Mark Holder heard about the deaths of his former neighbors, he immediately thought about his brother.
“Group of people who lived in the same neighborhood and dealing with the same health issues.”
For now, the family has been waiting anxiously for any news about his whereabouts.
“We were in touch with Butte County Sheriff’s Office and they’re searching today,” Holder said. “It comes down to today.”
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Friday that he’s requested that urban search and rescue teams be deployed to help his department scour hamlets where the fire burned.
“Right now, the areas we need to search are too hot and Cal Fire has asked us to wait to deploy those later when that is safe to be done,” he said during a news briefing. “So we’re going to be evaluating that deployment starting on Monday.”
Deadly fires were also burning across other Western states.
In Oregon, fires had scorched more than 1 million acres and killed at least six people, including a 13-year-old boy who died in a car with his dog in his lap, according to an online fundraising page. Family members believe the child was trying to save his grandmother, who also died.
The Creek Fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Officials say they’re bracing for more bodies to be recovered.
“We know we’re dealing with fire-related deaths and we’re preparing for a mass fatality incident based on what we know and the number of structures lost,” Andrew Phelps, director of Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management, said Friday at a press briefing.
In Washington, fires burned more than 600,000 acres and resulted in the death of a 1-year-old boy, authorities said.
California’s North Complex fire was sparked by lightning Aug. 17 but mushroomed in size this week, forcing some 20,000 residents in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties to evacuate.
Firefighters reported no significant growth in acreage overnight into Saturday as they worked to hem the blaze in by conducting firing operations.
A charred mailbox in North Complex in Brush Creek. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
“We build containment lines to join parts of the fire or a fire’s edge to a road or river or something like that,” said Sean Collins, public information officer for California Interagency Incident Management Team 4. “And then from that we put a little bit of fire on the ground to enable it to create a buffer between that containment line or road and the main body of the fire.”
About 3,282 personnel were battling the fire. Their fight was hampered by steep terrain and weather conditions that were causing the smoke to linger, preventing aircraft from dropping water, Collins said.
“The smoke is being blown back over the fire which gives poor air quality to residents and firefighters and prevents aircraft from flying,” he said. “But the winds will be picking up from the west over the next couple of days, which should improve air quality and visibility.”
The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek Fire in Big Creek. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
On the fire’s western flank, firefighters were scrambling to strengthen containment lines ahead of the shift in the winds, which they said could also pose problems.
“Monday is obviously going to be one of our trigger points because we are going to see a change in the weather,” Baertschi said. “The smoke may lift out and we’re going to get more sun and heating onto the vegetation, which could bring up fire activity.”
Fire officials had no estimate for when the fire would be contained.
“We’ll be here continuing to work on this for some time,” Baertschi said.
The North Complex fire is California’s deadliest so far this year and the 11th-deadliest in state history.
The Creek Fire as it approaches Shaver Lake. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
In addition, five deaths have been linked to the LNU Lightning Complex fire, which had burned 363,220 acres across the North Bay counties of Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Colusa, Solano and Yolo and was 95% contained as of Saturday morning.
Two bodies were found earlier this week near Happy Camp, where about 150 homes were destroyed by the Slater fire, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said. The fire has chewed through more than 122,000 acres in Siskiyou and Del Norte counties and across the border into Oregon.
One death has been confirmed in the CZU Lightning Complex fire, which has burned 86,509 acres and destroyed 1,490 structures in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. Tad Jones, 73, was found last month in the remote community of Last Chance in the Santa Cruz mountains, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities believe he was trying to escape the flames when he died.
The state’s death toll also includes a firefighter who died in a vehicle accident while battling the August Complex fire in the Mendocino National Forest last month, and a pilot who died in a helicopter crash in Fresno County while on a water-dropping mission for the Hills fire.
Melted goggles on the ground alongside a burned out camp crew truck on Stringtown Rd. in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
In Southern California, the Bobcat fire had burned a 29,245-acre swath through the Angeles National Forest and was 6% contained as of Saturday morning.
The eastern and western flanks of the fire were entering into old burn scars, which tends to reduce the rate of spread, officials said, but other areas being charred hadn’t burned in 60 years. Firefighters were continuing to focus on beefing up containment lines to the south to keep the fire from spreading down into foothill communities.
The El Dorado fire near Yucaipa had burned 14,043 acres and was 39% contained as of Saturday morning. In San Diego County, the Valley fire near the Mexican border was at 17,665 acres and was 69% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Trinity River Conservation Camp crews work to mop up on Stringtown Rd. in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Poor air quality from the fires continued to choke residents throughout the region. The Los Angeles Zoo announced it would close Sunday and Monday because of unhealthy air. Zoo officials said they were monitoring animals who live outside and veterinary staff were prepared to respond if the air caused health issues.
Vives reported from Oroville, Calif., and Wigglesworth reported from Los Angeles. Rong-Gong Lin II in San Francisco and Doug Smith in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-12--Firefighters thought the California blaze was dying. Then it killed at least 9

Earlier this week , the North Complex fire was a dying giant that was more than half-contained , not the monster it would become .
Firefighters thought a river , one crew of firefighters and one incomplete line of bare earth might keep the Northern California fire from racing toward communities like Berry Creek , officials said .
At the time , firefighters said they had few options , so everyone hoped for the best .
Then the fire exploded , traveling with astounding speed into Butte County mountain communities , killing at least nine people with a dozen still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When the winds came , the firefighters were quickly overwhelmed .
There this fire and the fast-moving inferno that burned down much of Paradise two years ago , killing more than 80 .
Like the Camp fire in 2018 , which jumped the Feather River ’ s north fork and charged into Paradise in 2018 , powerful wind gusts of up to 50 mph carried embers from a wildfire over the Feather River , this time east over its scenic middle fork , and into the brittle conifer crowns on the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There , the winds were funneled parallel to the steep canyon walls , creating a blowtorch-like effect that blasted the burgeoning spot fire into an untamable beast that crews were helpless to stop as it raced toward several Butte County hamlets .
In both cases , some residents said they did not receive warnings to evacuate and ultimately chose to stay or were unable to leave .
There were also differences .
The Camp Fire burned into Paradise just hours after being sparked by power equipment .
Its path sent it straight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents .
The North Complex fire burned for some time in remote forest land before making its run .
The path sent it into a more rural , less densely populated area of Butte County .
The North Complex spot fire became a crown fire , the most intense type of forest fire there is because of a combination of its unpredictable behavior , extreme heat and speed .
All crews can do is get out of its way as it scorches trees and plants in its path from top to bottom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The spot fire was located about 10 a.m. Tuesday and was 500 acres by 10:30 a.m. and 1,000 acres soon after , said fire public information officer Sean Collins .
Firefighters had been banking on the weather continuing to work in their favor the day the fire exploded back to life after jumping the water at a horseshoe bend .
For weeks , the North Complex fire had trudged along as three separate fires , then two as one went out on its own .
The twin blazes for days slowly crawled toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ river as a heavy layer of smoke kept the fire ’ s activity low and firefighters exploited the opportunity to shore up defenses on its northern , southern and western flanks .
But a part of the fire ’ s eastern flank nearest the river was an open question .
Although the smoke had kept the fire down , it was having the same effect on aircraft , eliminating the chance to cake the area in retardant or attack hot spots with water-dropping helicopters .
Firefighters relied on drones with infrared cameras to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Tuesday , an operations sections chief on the fire , Jake Cagle , laid out how tenuous the situation was on Facebook during the fire ’ s morning update .
The video was posted online at 10:02 a.m. , after the fire had already jumped the river .
Much of the eastern side was contained but there was a chunk of the fire that was still burning hot and “ backing down ” the hills toward the river , a phrase for when a fire is slowly going downhill rather than racing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there that we see , ” Cagle said , before noting that should the fire jump the river , there was a Canadian crew on the other side to monitor it .
The map also showed a distant “ contingency line , ” some earth scraped bare as a last line of defense to stop a ground fire .
But Cagle also hinted at firefighters ’ lack of options , should things go sour .
“ We ’ re expecting 45 mph gusts down those canyons , so if something were to establish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety of our resources so the plan here is to not get too committed , because this is extremely steep , ” he told viewers .
“ If it ’ s something they can pick up with air assets and utilize those air assets , we will.
” But , he continued , “ Air assets after 30 mph winds , it ’ s unsafe to fly those aircraft .
So if we are getting 45 mph out here , we may not be able to utilize those aircraft .
So we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fire behavior analysts , he said , “ don ’ t see the huge potential for it to come out of here.
” Collins elaborated on firefighters ’ thinking going into that Tuesday morning .
“ Pretty much the river was being used as a break , ” Collins said .
“ The smoke , potential winds , we just wanted to leave the fire to come down , as it were , prior to the wind shift ... the fire conditions in the area were looking favorable , and all the effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we could get to and protecting the towns of Quincy , Bucks Lake , Haskins Valley and Meadow Valley.
” Ultimately , the Canadian crew were helpless to stop the fire once it jumped the river and it easily passed the only unfinished contingency line set up to hold it back from Berry Creek and nearby towns .
“ As the crowns burn , all those pine needles are forced in front of the fire , causing further spot fires in front of the fire and they kind of simultaneously grow together and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
That afternoon , just as evacuations were underway in Berry Creek , firefighters posted an update with a much more urgent message .
“ About 10 a.m. , it did come across the middle fork and with 45 mph [ winds ] it got into the crowns , it ’ s still making a crown run , ” Cagle told viewers .
“ About every 30 minutes , it ’ s burning a 1,000-acre run ... we ’ re projecting this is going to hit Oroville .
Check those websites and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area to be evacuated ... it makes it easier for us to do our job if you listen to those evacuations.
” Incident records and interviews by The Times found that the protection of those in harm ’ s way was hindered by evacuation orders that came by surprise , went unheeded and were impaired by a power outage .
Pacific Gas & Electric shut down its community resource center in Berry Creek about 2:30 p.m. because of the incoming fire , about an hour before residents there were told to leave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we could , given the resources and time that we have , ” said Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea , who has the grim job of overseeing the search for bodies .
“ That said , as I have said many , many times before , there is no way to guarantee 100 % saturation of your message , ” he added .
“ There ’ s no way to guarantee perfection .
It ’ s particularly difficult when we ’ re dealing with communities in remote and rural areas that are hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage.
” Times staff writer Paige St. John contributed to this report from Butte County .

Propane gas burns at a home on Zink Road destroyed in the North Complex fire on Friday in Butte County, north of San Francisco.
Earlier this week, the North Complex fire was a dying giant that was more than half-contained, not the monster it would become.
Firefighters thought a river, one crew of firefighters and one incomplete line of bare earth might keep the Northern California fire from racing toward communities like Berry Creek, officials said.
At the time, firefighters said they had few options, so everyone hoped for the best.
Then the fire exploded, traveling with astounding speed into Butte County mountain communities, killing at least 12 people with more than 20 still missing, and destroying hundreds of structures.
When the winds came, the firefighters were quickly overwhelmed.
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There are troubling parallels between this fire and the fast-moving inferno that burned down much of Paradise two years ago, killing more than 80.
1 / 42 Lance Georgeson of Mammoth Lakes paddleboards on Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 42 Thick smoke from multiple forest fires shrouds iconic El Capitan, right, and the walls of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 42 Benjamin Lewis takes a photo for a group of San Diego firefighters in Yosemite. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 42 A deer grazes in Cook’s Meadow as thick smoke shrouds the iconic landmarks of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds iconic Half Dome towering over Yosemite Valley in a view from Sentinel Bridge over the Merced River on Sept. 13. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 42 A Cal Fire truck passes a burned-out vehicle on Stringtown Road on Friday in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 42 Propane gas burns Friday at the ruins of a home on Zink Road in the Berry Creek area of Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 42 Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 42 A crew from Trinity River Conservation Camp, a prison facility, does mop-up work on Stringtown Road on Friday, the day after a flare-up in the area. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 42 Scorched cars in Brush Creek, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire as it threatens homes in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 13 / 42 Flames from the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 42 A horse in a field in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 42 Frank Martinez, left, and Rick Wolfe with their nine dogs in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 42 A fox pauses amid burned brush in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 42 A statue is singed in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 42 Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 42 Firefighters work to save a home in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 20 / 42 A burned truck in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 22 / 42 A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 23 / 42 A table stands outside the destroyed Cressman’s General Store in Fresno County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 24 / 42 A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along California 168, with the Creek fire in the background on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 42 The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as it approaches the Southern California Edison Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant on Sept. 6 in Big Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 42 Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew is silhouetted against a background of flames. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 42 The Creek fire burns along Huntington Lake Road on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 42 A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew battles the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation along California 168 as the Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 42 A firefighter works on the back-burn operation near Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 42 A duck swims in Shaver Lake as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez battles the Creek fire with a back burn. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 42 The sky glows orange around Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 42 Flames leap into the sky as fire engulfs trees near Shaver Lake. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 42 The Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 42 A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 42 Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Like the Camp fire in 2018, which jumped the Feather River’s north fork and charged into Paradise in 2018, powerful wind gusts of up to 50 mph carried embers from a wildfire over the Feather River, this time east over its scenic middle fork, and into the brittle conifer crowns on the other side, south of Last Chance Creek.
There, the winds were funneled parallel to the steep canyon walls, creating a blowtorch-like effect that blasted the burgeoning spot fire into an untamable beast that crews were helpless to stop as it raced toward several Butte County hamlets.
In both cases, some residents said they did not receive warnings to evacuate and ultimately chose to stay or were unable to leave.
There were also differences. The Camp Fire burned into Paradise just hours after being sparked by power equipment. Its path sent it straight into a city of more than 20,000 residents. The North Complex fire burned for some time in remote forest land before making its run. The path sent it into a more rural, less densely populated area of Butte County.
The North Complex spot fire became a crown fire, the most intense type of forest fire there is because of a combination of its unpredictable behavior, extreme heat and speed. All crews can do is get out of its way as it scorches trees and plants in its path from top to bottom, leaving woody skeletons in its wake. The spot fire was located about 10 a.m. Tuesday and was 500 acres by 10:30 a.m. and 1,000 acres soon after, said fire public information officer Sean Collins.
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Firefighters conduct a back burn operation along CA-168 during the Creek Fire as it approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters had been banking on the weather continuing to work in their favor the day the fire exploded back to life after jumping the water at a horseshoe bend.
For weeks, the North Complex fire had trudged along as three separate fires, then two as one went out on its own. The twin blazes for days slowly crawled toward each other in the wilderness along the river as a heavy layer of smoke kept the fire’s activity low and firefighters exploited the opportunity to shore up defenses on its northern, southern and western flanks.
But a part of the fire’s eastern flank nearest the river was an open question. Although the smoke had kept the fire down, it was having the same effect on aircraft, eliminating the chance to cake the area in retardant or attack hot spots with water-dropping helicopters. Firefighters relied on drones with infrared cameras to pinpoint where the flames were going.
On Tuesday, an operations sections chief on the fire, Jake Cagle, laid out how tenuous the situation was on Facebook during the fire’s morning update. The video was posted online at 10:02 a.m., after the fire had already jumped the river.
An overturned car on Bald Rock Rd. in the aftermath of the Bear fire. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Much of the eastern side was contained but there was a chunk of the fire that was still burning hot and “backing down” the hills toward the river, a phrase for when a fire is slowly going downhill rather than racing quickly uphill.
“No issues through there that we see,” Cagle said, before noting that should the fire jump the river, there was a Canadian crew on the other side to monitor it. The map also showed a distant “contingency line,” some earth scraped bare as a last line of defense to stop a ground fire.
But Cagle also hinted at firefighters’ lack of options, should things go sour.
“We’re expecting 45 mph gusts down those canyons, so if something were to establish, we have to look at the safety of our resources so the plan here is to not get too committed, because this is extremely steep,” he told viewers. “If it’s something they can pick up with air assets and utilize those air assets, we will.”
A charred mailbox in the the North Complex fire in Brush Creek. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
But, he continued, “Air assets after 30 mph winds, it’s unsafe to fly those aircraft. So if we are getting 45 mph out here, we may not be able to utilize those aircraft. So we’ll see how that goes today.”
Fire behavior analysts, he said, “don’t see the huge potential for it to come out of here.”
They were wrong.
Collins elaborated on firefighters’ thinking going into that Tuesday morning.
“Pretty much the river was being used as a break,” Collins said. “The smoke, potential winds, we just wanted to leave the fire to come down, as it were, prior to the wind shift... the fire conditions in the area were looking favorable, and all the effort was being utilized on the areas that we could get to and protecting the towns of Quincy, Bucks Lake, Haskins Valley and Meadow Valley.”
Melted goggles on the ground alongside a burned out camp crew truck on Stringtown Rd. in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Ultimately, the Canadian crew were helpless to stop the fire once it jumped the river and it easily passed the only unfinished contingency line set up to hold it back from Berry Creek and nearby towns.
“As the crowns burn, all those pine needles are forced in front of the fire, causing further spot fires in front of the fire and they kind of simultaneously grow together and continue that flaming front,” Collins said.
That afternoon, just as evacuations were underway in Berry Creek, firefighters posted an update with a much more urgent message.
“About 10 a.m., it did come across the middle fork and with 45 mph [winds] it got into the crowns, it’s still making a crown run,” Cagle told viewers. “About every 30 minutes, it’s burning a 1,000-acre run... we’re projecting this is going to hit Oroville. Check those websites and please if you’re in that area to be evacuated... it makes it easier for us to do our job if you listen to those evacuations.”
Incident records and interviews by The Times found that the protection of those in harm’s way was hindered by evacuation orders that came by surprise, went unheeded and were impaired by a power outage. Pacific Gas & Electric shut down its community resource center in Berry Creek about 2:30 p.m. because of the incoming fire, about an hour before residents there were told to leave.
Trinity River Conservation Camp crews work to mop up on Stringtown Rd in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
“We did the best job that we could, given the resources and time that we have,” said Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea, who has the grim job of overseeing the search for bodies.
“That said, as I have said many, many times before, there is no way to guarantee 100% saturation of your message,” he added. “There’s no way to guarantee perfection. It’s particularly difficult when we’re dealing with communities in remote and rural areas that are hard to get to and sometimes have spotty coverage.”
Times staff writer Paige St. John contributed to this report from Butte County.


latimes--2020-09-12--Chemical spill in Compton area spurs hundreds of complaints of lingering gas-like odors

Air quality officials have cited a land developer and contractor over a chemical spill in the Compton area that has generated hundreds of complaints of lingering gas-like odors across a large area of Los Angeles and Orange counties .
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued citations Friday alleging that developer Bridge Point Gardena Land LLC and contractor OFRS Inc. caused a public nuisance in violation of rules governing the release of air contaminants .
The air district said the spill occurred Thursday at a job site in an empty lot and was caused by an attempt to move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pungent chemical odorant added to natural gas to help with leak detection .
Fire officials said the site was an abandoned oil field near South Main Street and Rosecrans Avenue in an unincorporated area near Compton .
The South Coast district said it has received more than 220 odor complaints from residents and schools in more than a dozen communities , including parts of Los Angeles , Compton , Carson , Paramount , Lakewood and Long Beach and as far away as Anaheim , more than 15 miles east of the spill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” according to a South Coast air district news release .
“ It is also potent — a few drops can cause odors that carry for significant distances.
” For people in the area , the foul odors came on top of poor air quality from wildfire smoke that has blanketed much of the state .
Jason Sanchez , 23 , a Cal State Fullerton student who lives in Norwalk , said he smelled a “ strong , gas-like odor ” almost all day Friday .
When the windows were open , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the knob turned a little on a stove on accident , or opened the oven , letting that gas smell run out.
” A phone message and email to OFRS on Saturday was not immediately returned .
Bridge Point Gardena Land could not immediately be reached for comment on the violation notices , which can result in civil penalties , or a lawsuit if no settlement is reached .
Firefighters responded to a reported gas leak at 11:20 a.m. Thursday , but instead found a small spill of mercaptan that sent a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area and areas downwind to the east , ” Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt .
Ron Haralson said in a news release .
Haralson said “ the smell is not a gas leak and poses no fire or health concern , ” but that as a precaution , nearby residents may want to remain indoors until the lingering odors dissipate .
He said the spill has been stopped and that the tank containing mercaptan is scheduled to be removed Monday .
Air district inspectors who were dispatched to the site detected strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimate the amount of it that spilled .
They used hand-held monitors and detected no natural gas , but collected samples that were taken to a lab for analysis .
Mercaptan was one of the chemicals released during a months-long Aliso Canyon methane gas leak in late 2015 and early 2016 that sickened and displaced thousands in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Porter Ranch and surrounding communities .

Air quality officials have cited a land developer and contractor over a chemical spill in the Compton area that has generated hundreds of complaints of lingering gas-like odors across a large area of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued citations Friday alleging that developer Bridge Point Gardena Land and contractor OFRS Inc. caused a public nuisance in violation of rules governing the release of air contaminants.
The air district said the spill occurred Thursday at a job site in an empty lot and was caused by an attempt to move a small storage tank containing mercaptan, a pungent chemical odorant added to natural gas to help with leak detection. Fire officials said the site was an abandoned oil field near South Main Street and Rosecrans Avenue in an unincorporated area near Compton.
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The South Coast district said it has received more than 220 odor complaints from residents and schools in more than a dozen communities, including parts of Los Angeles, Compton, Carson, Paramount, Lakewood and Long Beach and as far away as Anaheim, more than 15 miles east of the spill.
“Mercaptan is sulfur-based and foul-smelling,” according to a South Coast air district news release. “It is also potent — a few drops can cause odors that carry for significant distances.”
For people in the area, the foul odors came on top of poor air quality from wildfire smoke that has blanketed much of the state.
Jason Sanchez, 23, a Cal State Fullerton student who lives in Norwalk, said he smelled a “strong, gas-like odor” almost all day Friday. When the windows were open, “it was almost as if someone left the knob turned a little on a stove on accident, or opened the oven, letting that gas smell run out.”
OFRS was working to clear the site when it “encountered a small, disconnected steel vessel and, after a visual inspection and upon moving it, approximately two gallons of residual fluid released from a small hole,” Randy Balik, executive vice president of the Signal Hill-based company, said in an emailed statement. The fluid was mercaptan and “was not previously known to be on site.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience the odor resulting from the spill may have had on our neighbors and are working in concert with all pertinent departments, agencies and regulators to properly dispose of the material and eliminate the odor as soon as possible,” Balik said.
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Bridge Point Gardena Land could not be reached for comment.
The violation notices can result in civil penalties or a lawsuit if no settlement is reached.
Firefighters responded to a reported gas leak at 11:20 a.m. Thursday but instead found a small spill of mercaptan that sent a natural gas-like smell “permeating the immediate area and areas downwind to the east,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Ron Haralson said in a news release.
Haralson said that “the smell is not a gas leak and poses no fire or health concern,” but that as a precaution, nearby residents may want to remain indoors until the lingering odors dissipate. He said the spill has been stopped and the tank containing mercaptan is scheduled to be removed Monday.
Air district inspectors who were dispatched to the site detected strong mercaptan odors but were not able to estimate the amount that spilled. They used hand-held monitors and detected no natural gas but collected samples that were taken to a lab for analysis.
Mercaptan was one of the chemicals released during a months-long Aliso Canyon methane gas leak in late 2015 and early 2016 that sickened and displaced thousands in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Porter Ranch and surrounding communities.


latimes--2020-09-12--Trump will visit fire-ravaged California, White House says

President Trump will visit California on Monday to meet with emergency officials about the wildfires that are ravaging the state , the White House announced Saturday .
The president will be briefed on the fires in McClellan Park in Sacramento County , White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an emailed statement .
“ Since mid-August , President Trump and Governor Newsom have spoken by phone and the White House and FEMA have remained in constant contact with State and local officials throughout the response to these natural disasters , ” Deere said .
“ The President continues to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a locally-executed , state-managed , and federally-supported emergency response.
” California Gov .
Gavin Newsom said Friday that he talked on the phone with the president for nearly 30 minutes the day before about the state ’ s fires , emergency declarations and federal wildfire aid .
The governor credited Trump for being “ proactive ” in his efforts to provide assistance to the state .
Newsom also insisted that California will do more to fight climate change and took the Trump administration to task for its policies that reduce environmental protections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ month after the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security claimed in a political ad that Trump tried to withhold disaster relief money for California ’ s wildfires because voters in the state opposed him politically .
“ He told us to stop giving money to people whose houses had burned down from a wildfire because he was so rageful that people in the state of California didn ’ t support him and that politically it wasn ’ t a base for him , ” Miles Taylor , who left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ad .
The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency .
Taylor doesn ’ t say which wildfires he is referring to , but the group running the ad confirmed it was the Camp fire of 2018 , and Trump toured the devastation in Paradise that year .
Times staff writers Noah Bierman , Eli Stokols and Taryn Luna contributed to this report .

President Trump will visit California on Monday to meet with emergency officials about the wildfires that are ravaging the state, the White House announced Saturday.
The president will be briefed on the fires in McClellan Park in Sacramento County, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an emailed statement.
“Since mid-August, President Trump and Governor Newsom have spoken by phone and the White House and FEMA have remained in constant contact with State and local officials throughout the response to these natural disasters,” Deere said.
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“The President continues to support those who are battling raging wildfires in a locally-executed, state-managed, and federally-supported emergency response.”
1 / 42 Lance Georgeson of Mammoth Lakes paddleboards on Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 42 Thick smoke from multiple forest fires shrouds iconic El Capitan, right, and the walls of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 42 Benjamin Lewis takes a photo for a group of San Diego firefighters in Yosemite. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 42 A deer grazes in Cook’s Meadow as thick smoke shrouds the iconic landmarks of Yosemite Valley. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds iconic Half Dome towering over Yosemite Valley in a view from Sentinel Bridge over the Merced River on Sept. 13. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 42 Thick smoke shrouds Tenaya Lake on Sept. 13 in Yosemite National Park. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 42 A Cal Fire truck passes a burned-out vehicle on Stringtown Road on Friday in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 42 Propane gas burns Friday at the ruins of a home on Zink Road in the Berry Creek area of Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 42 Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 42 A crew from Trinity River Conservation Camp, a prison facility, does mop-up work on Stringtown Road on Friday, the day after a flare-up in the area. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 42 Scorched cars in Brush Creek, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire as it threatens homes in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 13 / 42 Flames from the Bear fire in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 42 A horse in a field in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 42 Frank Martinez, left, and Rick Wolfe with their nine dogs in Oroville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 42 A fox pauses amid burned brush in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 42 A statue is singed in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 42 Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 42 Firefighters work to save a home in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 20 / 42 A burned truck in Butte County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 42 A firefighter battles the Creek fire in Madera County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 22 / 42 A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 23 / 42 A table stands outside the destroyed Cressman’s General Store in Fresno County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 24 / 42 A vehicle streaks by as Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffery Shipman stands along California 168, with the Creek fire in the background on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 42 The Laguna Hotshots Crew out of the Cleveland National Forest battles the Creek fire as it approaches the Southern California Edison Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant on Sept. 6 in Big Creek, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 42 Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew is silhouetted against a background of flames. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 42 The Creek fire burns along Huntington Lake Road on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 42 A vehicle streaks along California 168 as the Creek fire creeps closer to Shaver Lake, Calif., on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 42 A member of the Laguna Hotshots Crew battles the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation along California 168 as the Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 42 A firefighter works on the back-burn operation near Shaver Lake Marina. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 42 A duck swims in Shaver Lake as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez battles the Creek fire with a back burn. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 42 The sky glows orange around Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 42 A firefighter conducts a back-burn operation amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 42 Flames leap into the sky as fire engulfs trees near Shaver Lake. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 42 The Creek fire approaches the Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 42 Firefighter Ricardo Gomez sets a back burn amid the Creek fire near Shaver Lake Marina on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 42 A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 42 Flames consume dry brush around Santa Barbara firefighters as they set a backfire along Oro Quincy Highway in the aftermath of the Bear fire in Oroville. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he talked on the phone with the president for nearly 30 minutes the day before about the state’s fires, emergency declarations and federal wildfire aid. The governor credited Trump for being “proactive” in his efforts to provide assistance to the state.
Newsom also insisted that California will do more to fight climate change and took the Trump administration to task for its policies that reduce environmental protections.
Trump’s visit comes nearly a month after the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security claimed in a political ad that Trump tried to withhold disaster relief money for California’s wildfires because voters in the state opposed him politically.
“He told us to stop giving money to people whose houses had burned down from a wildfire because he was so rageful that people in the state of California didn’t support him and that politically it wasn’t a base for him,” Miles Taylor, who left the Trump administration in 2019, says in the ad.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Taylor doesn’t say which wildfires he is referring to, but the group running the ad confirmed it was the Camp fire of 2018, and Trump toured the devastation in Paradise that year.
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Trump had drawn criticism last week for not acknowledging the massive fires engulfing millions of acres and forcing evacuations across three western states until a tweet Friday night expressing support for the firefighters battling them.
On Thursday, with half a million Oregon residents having fled their homes, the state’s Democratic Governor, Kate Brown, said she hadn’t been able to reach the president by phone.
The visit to inspect fire damage in California Monday will come at the end of a weekend campaign swing across Nevada and Arizona, holding outdoor rallies in defiance of state officials in Nevada who blocked his initial plans to hold rallies at airports in Reno and Las Vegas.
Adding the official stop to inspect fire damage also enables the president’s campaign to avoid having to reimburse the White House for the cost of the entire trip.
Times staff writers Noah Bierman and Taryn Luna contributed to this report.