latimes--2020-09-09--Debate over California's affirmative action ban rages anew at UC as voters weigh repeal

Two months before California voters decide whether to again allow affirmative action , debate is heating up over how the 24-year state ban on it has affected Black and Latino students at the University of California .
Richard Sander , a UCLA economist and law professor , on Tuesday sharply challenged a recent UC Berkeley study that concluded Black and Latino California students experienced lower enrollment , graduation rates and subsequent wages following passage of Proposition 209 , which banned preferential treatment in public education and employment based on race , ethnicity or sex .
Sander said the study erroneously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by about 800 students per year after the ban took effect in 1998 .
Their freshman enrollment did fall in 1998 , Sander said , but began growing after that .
Graduation rates also increased , as did attainment of degrees in science , technology , engineering and math fields , he said .
Sander called the UC Berkeley paper “ worse than useless ” in its current form , speaking out at a press briefing organized by opponents of Proposition 16 , a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He has asserted that the ban was “ arguably the best thing that ever happened ” to racial minorities because it pushed UC campuses to heavily invest in their academic preparation and helped raise their graduation rates .
Zachary Bleemer , the UC Berkeley study ’ s author and research associate at the campus Center for Studies in Higher Education , said he stood by his work but declined to comment further .
He did the study for the UC Office of the President .
The debate comes amid mounting activism over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UC Board of Regents , amplifying the sweeping support within the university system to restore affirmative action .
Then-UC President Janet Napolitano , all 10 campus chancellors and the governing bodies for faculty , undergraduate and graduate students all expressed support for the repeal effort .
Opponents of affirmative action have staged weekly rallies , arguing that merit , not “ racial favoritism , ” should be used in college admissions .
The regents will revisit the issue at their board meeting next week when they discuss a new UC analysis on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the hiring of faculty , staff and contractors .
The analysis found that the proportion of UC spending for goods and services from minority-owned businesses has dropped from 10.2 % in fiscal year 1995 to 2.79 % today .
The analysis also details the myriad policy and program changes made by UC campuses to widen diversity without using race-based preferences — primarily by enrolling more students who are low-income and the first in their families to attend college .
But some of those programs depend on state funding , which has varied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also will vote on a proposal that would bar campuses from using race , ethnicity or gender quotas in admissions , contracting and employment .
The U.S. Supreme Court has banned the use of such quotas but has approved limited use of race in college admissions if doing so serves a “ compelling governmental interest ” and is narrowly tailored to further that interest .
Even if voters repeal the ban on affirmative action , UC officials say race and gender would potentially be only two of several factors that UC uses to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rigor of high school course loads , leadership activities and economic class .
Standardized test scores have been dropped as an admissions criteria for now under a recent court ruling .
Bleemer ’ s study out of UC Berkeley focused on the impact of Proposition 209 in the first two years after it took effect , tracking more than 200,000 UC applicants between 1996 and 1999 to see whether they were admitted , where they ultimately enrolled and their academic outcomes .
Bleemer also tracked the applicants ’ wage earnings through their early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only for freshmen and transfer students , showing their enrollment steadily grew from 1999 onward .
UC data for all undergraduates , however , show a more nuanced picture .
Overall Black undergraduate student enrollment , for instance , continued to drop until 2002 , when it began rising again , according to UC data .
The share of UC undergraduates who are Black held at 3 % until 2006 and has slowly increased to 4.1 % today .
Latino enrollment numbers have continuously grown since 1998 , but their share among UC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UC data , hitting a low point of 12.3 % before gradually increasing each year to 24.8 % in fall 2019 .
Today , Latino and white students are the UC system ’ s most underrepresented major demographic groups compared with their proportion among California high school graduates who meet UC admission requirements , according to data from UC and the California Department of Education .
Latinos , for instance , made up 44.7 % of that qualified pool but only about a quarter of UC undergraduates .
Whites made up 27 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21.4 % of UC undergraduates in fall 2019 .
Black students were at rough parity at 4.2 % of eligible students and 4.1 % of UC undergraduates .
Asian Americans were overrepresented , making up 19.9 % of the eligible pool and 33.5 % of UC students .
In a historic shift , however , Latinos surpassed Asian Americans for the first time to become the leading group of prospective freshmen admitted to UC for fall 2020 — part of the system ’ s largest and most diverse first-year class ever admitted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing that graduation rates of underrepresented minorities have slowly increased .
Bleemer ’ s study said after the affirmative action ban took effect , Black and Latino graduation rates worsened when measured against academically comparable Asian Americans and whites .
Sander said he and other researchers can not fully examine the veracity of Bleemer ’ s study because it used a massive database that the UC Office of the President will not publicly provide .
A request for the data was rejected by Pamela Brown , vice president of the UC Institutional Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Sander and other researchers in an Aug. 26 email , they contain “ sensitive , personally identifiable information.
” “ Why is [ UC ] , which is legally prohibited from engaging in political activity , allowing its confidential data to be used in an amateurish , inaccurate paper that has been prominently injected into a political debate , for what certainly looks [ like ] an attempt to influence the fate of Prop .
16 on the November ballot ?
” Sander asked .
“ It ’ s not hard to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ university is using its data as a political weapon , to be withheld from objective scholars who might report ‘ inconvenient truths.
’ ” In a statement , the university said Bleemer was given access to the data as an employee of UC ’ s Institutional Research and Academic Planning office and not through a public disclosure .
Federal law and the privacy rights of applicants and students prevent UC from publicly disclosing any “ highly personal and confidential data ” that is sought by Sander , the statement said , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit “ does not exist and would take UC staff months to compile.
” The California Public Records Act does not require organizations to create new records , it said .
Information about UC , including data on race and ethnicity , is available online at UC Infocenter .

An economist and law professor from UCLA, above, has sharply challenged a recent UC Berkeley study on the effects of an affirmative action ban.
Two months before California voters decide whether to again allow affirmative action, debate is heating up over how the 24-year state ban on it has affected Black and Latino students at the University of California.
Richard Sander, a UCLA economist and law professor, on Tuesday sharply challenged a recent UC Berkeley study that concluded Black and Latino California students experienced lower enrollment, graduation rates and subsequent wages following passage of Proposition 209, which banned preferential treatment in public education and employment based on race, ethnicity or sex.
Sander said the study erroneously claimed that enrollment of underrepresented minorities fell by about 800 students per year after the ban took effect in 1998. Their freshman enrollment did fall in 1998, Sander said, but began growing after that. Graduation rates also increased, as did attainment of degrees in science, technology, engineering and math fields, he said.
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Sander called the UC Berkeley paper “worse than useless” in its current form, speaking out at a press briefing organized by opponents of Proposition 16, a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot that would repeal the affirmative action ban. He has asserted that the ban was “arguably the best thing that ever happened” to racial minorities because it pushed UC campuses to heavily invest in their academic preparation and helped raise their graduation rates.
Zachary Bleemer, the UC Berkeley study’s author and research associate at the campus Center for Studies in Higher Education, said he stood by his work but declined to comment further. He did the study for the UC Office of the President.
The debate comes amid mounting activism over the repeal effort. In June, the UC Board of Regents unanimously supported a repeal of Proposition 209 , amplifying the sweeping support within the university system to restore affirmative action. Then-UC President Janet Napolitano, all 10 campus chancellors and the governing bodies for faculty, undergraduate and graduate students all expressed support for the repeal effort.
Opponents of affirmative action have staged weekly rallies, arguing that merit, not “racial favoritism,” should be used in college admissions.
The regents will revisit the issue at their board meeting next week when they discuss a new UC analysis on the impact of Proposition 209 on undergraduate admissions and the hiring of faculty, staff and contractors. The analysis found that the proportion of UC spending for goods and services from minority-owned businesses has dropped from 10.2% in fiscal year 1995 to 2.79% today.
The analysis also details the myriad policy and program changes made by UC campuses to widen diversity without using race-based preferences — primarily by enrolling more students who are low-income and the first in their families to attend college. But some of those programs depend on state funding, which has varied dramatically over the years.
The regents also will vote on a proposal that would bar campuses from using race, ethnicity or gender quotas in admissions, contracting and employment. The U.S. Supreme Court has banned the use of such quotas but has approved limited use of race in college admissions if doing so serves a “compelling governmental interest” and is narrowly tailored to further that interest.
Even if voters repeal the ban on affirmative action, UC officials say race and gender would potentially be only two of several factors that UC uses to evaluate applicants — including grades, the rigor of high school course loads, leadership activities and economic class. Standardized test scores have been dropped as an admissions criteria for now under a recent court ruling.
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Bleemer’s study out of UC Berkeley focused on the impact of Proposition 209 in the first two years after it took effect, tracking more than 200,000 UC applicants between 1996 and 1999 to see whether they were admitted, where they ultimately enrolled and their academic outcomes. Bleemer also tracked the applicants’ wage earnings through their early 30s.
Sander at UCLA presented data only for freshmen and transfer students, showing their enrollment steadily grew from 1999 onward.
UC data for all undergraduates, however, show a more nuanced picture.
Overall Black undergraduate student enrollment, for instance, continued to drop until 2002, when it began rising again, according to UC data. The share of UC undergraduates who are Black held at 3% until 2006 and has slowly increased to 4.1% today.
Latino enrollment numbers have continuously grown since 1998, but their share among UC undergraduates fell until 2000, according to UC data, hitting a low point of 12.3% before gradually increasing each year to 24.8% in fall 2019.
Today, Latino and white students are the UC system’s most underrepresented major demographic groups compared with their proportion among California high school graduates who meet UC admission requirements, according to data from UC and the California Department of Education.
Latinos, for instance, made up 44.7% of that qualified pool but only about a quarter of UC undergraduates. Whites made up 27% of those eligible for UC admission but 21.4% of UC undergraduates in fall 2019. Black students were at rough parity at 4.2% of eligible students and 4.1% of UC undergraduates. Asian Americans were overrepresented, making up 19.9% of the eligible pool and 33.5% of UC students.
In a historic shift, however, Latinos surpassed Asian Americans for the first time to become the leading group of prospective freshmen admitted to UC for fall 2020 — part of the system’s largest and most diverse first-year class ever admitted, according to preliminary data .
Sander also presented data showing that graduation rates of underrepresented minorities have slowly increased.
Bleemer’s study said after the affirmative action ban took effect, Black and Latino graduation rates worsened when measured against academically comparable Asian Americans and whites.
Sander said he and other researchers cannot fully examine the veracity of Bleemer’s study because it used a massive database that the UC Office of the President will not publicly provide.
A request for the data was rejected by Pamela Brown, vice president of the UC Institutional Research and Academic Planning office because, she told Sander and other researchers in an Aug. 26 email, they contain “sensitive, personally identifiable information.”
“Why is [UC], which is legally prohibited from engaging in political activity, allowing its confidential data to be used in an amateurish, inaccurate paper that has been prominently injected into a political debate, for what certainly looks [like] an attempt to influence the fate of Prop. 16 on the November ballot?” Sander asked. “It’s not hard to connect the dots and see that the university is using its data as a political weapon, to be withheld from objective scholars who might report ‘inconvenient truths.’”
In a statement, the university said Bleemer was given access to the data as an employee of UC’s Institutional Research and Academic Planning office and not through a public disclosure. Federal law and the privacy rights of applicants and students prevent UC from publicly disclosing any “highly personal and confidential data” that is sought by Sander, the statement said, and a data set he is requesting in a lawsuit “does not exist and would take UC staff months to compile.” The California Public Records Act does not require organizations to create new records, it said.
Information about UC, including data on race and ethnicity, is available online at UC Infocenter.


latimes--2020-09-09--Dozens arrested as protesters and deputies clash in Dijon Kizzee demonstrations in L.A.

For days , protesters gathered outside the heavily guarded South Los Angeles sheriff ’ s station in tense but largely peaceful demonstrations to decry the deputies who shot and killed Dijon Kizzee last week in the nearby neighborhood of Westmont .
But over the Labor Day weekend , those demonstrations escalated to clashes , with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest .
The Sheriff ’ s Department said protesters initiated the confrontations by throwing rocks and bottles at deputies .
But activists said in interviews that the displays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not used less lethal options simply because protesters refused to leave , ” said Lt. John Satterfield .
“ It has always been in response to being attacked by , like I said , the rocks , the bottles , the frozen water bottles.
” The conflict continued Tuesday , when sheriff ’ s authorities declared an unlawful assembly around 8 p.m. at Normandie Avenue and Imperial Highway , giving protesters five minutes to disperse , before opening fire with some kind of less-lethal round and scattering the crowd north on Normandie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emery said 17 people were arrested on suspicion of failing to disperse .
He said some were carrying makeshift shields and wore gas masks , body armor and helmets — a lot of which was taken into evidence .
“ Once it gets dark , they start getting little more aggressive , ” Emery said of the protesters .
Cliff Smith , an organizer with the Coalition for Community Control Over the Police , said demonstrators on Saturday parked a flatbed truck with a sound system on the street in front of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barricade .
The rally , he said , was “ very calm and orderly ” as protesters listened to speakers that included Kizzee ’ s family .
Attendees were encouraged to bring bikes , roller skates and skateboards to highlight how Kizzee had been stopped by deputies while riding his bicycle .
Then , Smith said , the tone abruptly changed more than an hour in .
“ All of a sudden , for no reason I could understand , they shoot one tear gas canister toward the back of the stage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was nobody that was yelling at the sheriffs or throwing anything or provoking them .
I don ’ t think anyone was really paying attention to the sheriffs because the sound truck was on the street.
” Smith ’ s 7-year-old daughter had been standing by the truck and was hit by tear gas .
Smith said organizers then gave directions to clear the area and turned the rally into a march on Imperial Highway .
“ We were there to kind of protest how violent sheriffs are in this county , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter Los Angeles , which organized the demonstration Saturday afternoon .
“ We were there to protest it , but they demonstrated the truth of why we were there.
” A Sheriff ’ s Department spokesperson said some in the group started throwing rocks and bottles at deputies , and they responded with sting balls and pepper balls .
Deputies declared an unlawful assembly at 8 p.m. — which Abdullah disputed , saying no one heard an order to disperse — at which point the crowd had already dwindled .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Abdullah said .
She said one protester hit with a rubber bullet went to the hospital .
No one was arrested Saturday night , sheriff ’ s officials said .
A dozen people , however , were arrested the following night during more spontaneous protests in front of the station , including from people who were upset about Saturday ’ s clashes .
Most of the people arrested were from various cities in Southern California .
One was from San Francisco and another from Florida , the Sheriff ’ s Department said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among those arrested on suspicion of failing to disperse .
Castanon said that after deputies declared an unlawful assembly Sunday , she and others had continued to chant .
At one point , the protesters marched around the block .
As she was returning to her car , she was arrested and taken into custody .
“ It really did feel like a war zone , ” she said .
“ All they have is brutality for the people.
” Demonstrators gathered again Monday outside the South L.A. sheriff ’ s station chanting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ No cops , no prison , total abolition.
” Video from OnScene TV shows protesters running for cover as shots are heard and smoke fills the air .
When asked what prompted the deployment of the nonlethal rounds , Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez said Tuesday that an “ unlawful assembly was declared and dispersal orders were given.
” Satterfield said many protesters wore goggles , helmets and gas masks .
Some held makeshift shields .
They chanted about burning the “ precinct ” down — an indicator , he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area .
“ We call them stations out here , ” Satterfield said , noting that precinct is an East Coast term .
Six people were arrested Monday , he said , and no injuries were reported .
“ All three nights were fairly consistent .
People came out and exercised their 1st Amendment rights to protest , ” Satterfield said .
“ There came a tipping point where there was unlawful activity going on and it was declared an unlawful assembly , and then the crowd was asked to disperse.
” Kizzee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a struggle with deputies after they stopped him for allegedly riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle codes .
An attorney for Kizzee ’ s family said he was shot at 15 times .
Sheriff ’ s officials said deputies fired after Kizzee “ made a motion toward ” a gun that fell to the ground from a jacket he dropped .
An investigation is ongoing , officials said .
Times staff writers Matthew Ormseth and Hayley Smith contributed to this report .

Demonstrations over the fatal shooting of Dijon Kizzee by L.A. County sheriff’s deputies have turned chaotic, with deputies arresting dozens.
Dozens arrested as protesters and deputies clash in Dijon Kizzee demonstrations in L.A.
For days, protesters gathered outside the heavily guarded South Los Angeles sheriff’s station in tense but largely peaceful demonstrations to decry the deputies who shot and killed Dijon Kizzee last week in the nearby neighborhood of Westmont.
But over the Labor Day weekend, those demonstrations escalated to clashes, with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest.
The Sheriff’s Department said protesters initiated the confrontations by throwing rocks and bottles at deputies. But activists said in interviews that the displays of force were unprovoked.
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“Deputies have not used less lethal options simply because protesters refused to leave,” said Lt. John Satterfield. “It has always been in response to being attacked by, like I said, the rocks, the bottles, the frozen water bottles.”
The conflict continued Tuesday, when sheriff’s authorities declared an unlawful assembly around 8 p.m. at Normandie Avenue and Imperial Highway, giving protesters five minutes to disperse, before opening fire with some kind of less-lethal round and scattering the crowd north on Normandie, a protester said.
Lt. Glenn Emery said 17 people were arrested on suspicion of failing to disperse. He said some were carrying makeshift shields and wore gas masks, body armor and helmets — a lot of which was taken into evidence.
“Once it gets dark, they start getting little more aggressive,” Emery said of the protesters.
1 / 24 Demonstrators gather Tuesday near the corner of Imperial Highway and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles, where Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies declared an unlawful assembly.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 2 / 24 A few people were taken into custody Tuesday after the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department declared an unlawful assembly and moved toward a crowd that gathered near the corner of Imperial Highway and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 3 / 24 Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies watch a crowd that gathered Tuesday near the corner of Imperial Highway and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) 4 / 24 Revolution Club LA caravans Tuesday throughout a South Los Angeles neighborhood protesting the shooting of Dijon Kizzee. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 5 / 24 Rima Williams, cousin of Dijon Kizzee, on Tuesday places a lighted candle at the memorial where Kizzee was shot along the 1300 block of West 109th Place in Los Angeles. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 6 / 24 Lucha Bright, left, of Revolution Club LA, caravans Tuesday with other members throughout a South Los Angeles neighborhood protesting the shooting of Dijon Kizzee. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times) 7 / 24 The family of Dijon Kizzee gathers Saturday with protesters in front of the South Los Angeles sheriff’s station to demand justice for Dijon Kizzee. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) 8 / 24 Protesters gather Saturday in front of the South Los Angeles sheriff’s station to demand justice for Dijon Kizzee. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) 9 / 24 People block northbound Interstate 110 on Saturday during a protest of the fatal shooting of Dijon Kizzee in Los Angeles. (Josie Norris/Los Angeles Times) 10 / 24 People look out their window as a crowd walks past Saturday to honor Dijon Kizzee along West Imperial Highway in Los Angeles. (Josie Norris/Los Angeles Times) 11 / 24 Protesters gather Saturday in front of the South Los Angeles sheriff’s station to demand justice for Dijon Kizzee. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) 12 / 24 On Aug. 31, residents confront L.A. County sheriff’s deputies after the Kizzee shooting in the South L.A. neighborhood of Westmont. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 24 Family and friends of Dijon Kizzee stand near the site of the shooting on Aug. 31. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 14 / 24 Residents face off with L.A. County sheriff’s deputies hours after officers fatally shot Kizzee, a Black man, in South Los Angeles. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 24 A resident looks on as protesters gather on Budlong Avenue hours after the Aug. 31 shooting. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 24 The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said Kizzee had fled officers and struck one of them during a pursuit. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 24 Protesters confront sheriff’s deputies on Budlong Avenue in South Los Angeles on Aug. 31. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 24 The Aug. 31 confrontation lasted into the night and grew tense. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 24 Protesters maintain a vigil on Budlong Avenue hours after the fatal shooting. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) 20 / 24 A sheriff’s deputy at the scene of the fatal deputy-involved shooting. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 24 A sheriff’s deputy at the scene of the Aug. 31 protests. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 24 A helicopter circles above Budlong Avenue during the Aug. 31 protest. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 24 Protesters gather on Budlong Avenue hours after the fatal shooting. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 24 A sheriff’s deputy at the scene on the night of the shooting. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Cliff Smith, an organizer with the Coalition for Community Control Over the Police, said demonstrators on Saturday parked a flatbed truck with a sound system on the street in front of the station, which had set up a barricade. The rally, he said, was “very calm and orderly” as protesters listened to speakers that included Kizzee’s family.
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Attendees were encouraged to bring bikes, roller skates and skateboards to highlight how Kizzee had been stopped by deputies while riding his bicycle.
Then, Smith said, the tone abruptly changed more than an hour in.
“All of a sudden, for no reason I could understand, they shoot one tear gas canister toward the back of the stage,” he said of deputies. “There was nobody that was yelling at the sheriffs or throwing anything or provoking them. I don’t think anyone was really paying attention to the sheriffs because the sound truck was on the street.”
Smith’s 7-year-old daughter had been standing by the truck and was hit by tear gas. Smith said organizers then gave directions to clear the area and turned the rally into a march on Imperial Highway.
“We were there to kind of protest how violent sheriffs are in this county,” said Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, which organized the demonstration Saturday afternoon. “We were there to protest it, but they demonstrated the truth of why we were there.”
Residents film a few people being taken into custody Tuesday in Los Angeles. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
A Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said some in the group started throwing rocks and bottles at deputies, and they responded with sting balls and pepper balls. Deputies declared an unlawful assembly at 8 p.m. — which Abdullah disputed, saying no one heard an order to disperse — at which point the crowd had already dwindled.
“They never declared an unlawful assembly,” Abdullah said. She said one protester hit with a rubber bullet went to the hospital.
No one was arrested Saturday night, sheriff’s officials said.
A dozen people, however, were arrested the following night during more spontaneous protests in front of the station, including from people who were upset about Saturday’s clashes. Most of the people arrested were from various cities in Southern California. One was from San Francisco and another from Florida, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Lisa Castanon, 31, was among those arrested on suspicion of failing to disperse.
Castanon said that after deputies declared an unlawful assembly Sunday, she and others had continued to chant. At one point, the protesters marched around the block. As she was returning to her car, she was arrested and taken into custody.
A few people were taken into custody Tuesday after the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declared an unlawful assembly near Imperial Highway and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
“It really did feel like a war zone,” she said. “All they have is brutality for the people.”
Demonstrators gathered again Monday outside the South L.A. sheriff’s station chanting: “No justice, no peace” and “No cops, no prison, total abolition.”
Video from OnScene TV shows protesters running for cover as shots are heard and smoke fills the air. When asked what prompted the deployment of the nonlethal rounds, Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez said Tuesday that an “unlawful assembly was declared and dispersal orders were given.”
Satterfield said many protesters wore goggles, helmets and gas masks. Some held makeshift shields. They chanted about burning the “precinct” down — an indicator, he said, that they were not from the L.A. area.
“We call them stations out here,” Satterfield said, noting that precinct is an East Coast term. Six people were arrested Monday, he said, and no injuries were reported.
“All three nights were fairly consistent. People came out and exercised their 1st Amendment rights to protest,” Satterfield said. “There came a tipping point where there was unlawful activity going on and it was declared an unlawful assembly, and then the crowd was asked to disperse.”
Kizzee, 29, was killed Aug. 31 during a struggle with deputies after they stopped him for allegedly riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle codes. An attorney for Kizzee’s family said he was shot at 15 times. Sheriff’s officials said deputies fired after Kizzee “made a motion toward” a gun that fell to the ground from a jacket he dropped. An investigation is ongoing, officials said.
Times staff writers Matthew Ormseth and Hayley Smith contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-09--In Point Reyes, all ears are tuned to local radio, a beacon amid the fog of fire

With evacuation warnings still in place , smoke from back-burn fires drifted out of the oaks and pines above the tiny town of Point Reyes Station in Marin County on Friday , mixing with thick coastal fog until the two were indistinguishable to most people .
But Amanda Eichstaedt , general manager of KWMR , the local public radio station , easily saw the difference .
Like most topics related to this quixotic town of about 400 that abuts the West Coast ’ s only National Seashore , she was happy to share her knowledge — with everyone in about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people totally rely on the radio , ” she said of this Arcadian territory , where cellphone reception is spotty on a good day .
Since fire broke out here after an afternoon lightning strike on Aug. 18 , Eichstaedt has turned the one-studio station into a vital source of information for the remote outpost and the rural towns that surround it .
In a place where local news is otherwise a once-weekly paper or a conversation at the post office or local market , the radio station has long been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Across California , stations like KWMR fill a vital vacuum during crises , especially fast-moving wildfires .
With their local knowledge — from where exactly back roads are located to quick access to the fire chief — these broadcasters are increasingly finding themselves to be crucial authorities in the toughest moments , when power is out , danger is high and a radio wavelength floating through the air is a lifeline .
Since it was founded in the late 1990s , KWMR has “ been a really important part of our community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a local historian who has been interviewed on the station many times .
“ But it is especially noteworthy during times like this .
...
They are the ones you can go to for information.
” But the COVID-19 pandemic upended how the shoestring station operates , and this wildfire season has left Eichstaedt and her program manager , Jeff Manson , running it nearly alone , “ flying on adrenaline , ” he said — the last two standing in a complex endeavor that usually has six staffers and 90 volunteers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cramped broadcasting studio , with its shared microphone and poor ventilation , no one but Manson and Eichstaedt are allowed inside .
“ By mid-March , everything about the way we ran the radio station had turned on its head , ” said Manson , a musician and self-taught audio engineer who began his job in January .
It ’ s his first experience as a reporter .
“ Fire compounded with pandemic with now being in a public information role , it ’ s exciting , ” he said .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the scanner , getting the information straight , because we are in a time of so much speculation.
” KWMR has been running updates every half-hour on the nearby Woodward fire , which burned nearly 5,000 acres before being contained , even as Eichstaedt and her skeleton crew evacuated their own homes .
Manson ’ s wife , he said , has a “ strong flight instinct , ” and had their two children ready to go the first night smoke appeared at their coastal home .
Though the Woodward fire was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , its effects here were felt by nearly all of the 14,000 residents who make up what locals call the “ west county , ” of Marin .
Its an area that encompasses seven unincorporated towns and some of the most pristine protected land in the state , dotted with expensive homes , artisanal farmers , aging hippies , Latino service workers , off-the-gridders , Tesla-driving visitors from the Bay Area and herds of wild tule elk .
The station ’ s role in local emergencies started with its inception 21 years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major wildfire in the area , but grew when January floods in 2005 cut off the roads connecting the network of small towns that dot the forested hills and rolling pastures .
KWMR was running an informal system of people with emergency radios in the area , linked by nine repeaters , a combination of a receiver and transmitter that bounced the signal through the mountains .
It was the most reliable communication in the area , so much so that the local fire chief asked to be part of it .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radio operator had been trapped elsewhere , leaving its residents stranded without information .
Eichstaedt had just moved into Olema , a picturesque village of little more than a few streets , to run a bed and breakfast with her future husband .
When the water subsided , she made her way to KWMR and asked for a radio of her own — and fell in love with the place at first sight .
She remembers walking in the cramped second-story office , with its racks of CDs and walls of memorabilia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
This is so cool.
” Eichstaedt was interested in radio in college , but it wasn ’ t until she was settled in Point Reyes that she had time for it .
She launched a volunteer show about localism and , later , a late-night music show .
Eventually , she was hired and created a popular country music show , “ Bakersfield and Beyond , ” and took over day-to-day operations .
Although the station has handled its share of crises , mostly more fires and floods , Eichstaedt said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the pandemic started .
Each week , the local representative from the Board of Supervisors comes on to talk about how government is handling the coronavirus , as does a county health officer .
And she ’ s become “ like BFFs ” with the county public information officer , she said , which has allowed the station access to information quickly .
“ That ’ s been huge ... our relationship with the first responders in the area , ” added Manson .
Manson said that , as the months drag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accustomed to the constant tsunami of information .
“ There is a weird parallel between COVID and a wildfire in a way in that they are these dynamic situations but they are slow moving also , ” Manson said .
“ Stuff isn ’ t changing hour to hour , and yet people are really hungry for information.
” He has been spending a lot of time inside their “ emergency operations ” center , a space about the size of a guest bathroom that also doubles as the facility ’ s kitchen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dish rack of bowls and coffee mugs is a bank of scanners that the duo monitor nearly constantly .
When a siren wails on the main street , both stop to check cellphone apps and the broadcast channels to see if it ’ s just a routine call , or one people will need to know about .
He and Eichstaedt have learned if they don ’ t put out facts , small-town gossip will take over .
“ People sort of fill that gap on social media by making stuff up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you and me , some of these text threads I am on , these people are nuts.
” Eichstaedt said that even some journalists had gotten it wrong , hampered by their lack of local knowledge .
Shortly after evacuation orders first went into effect for the recent fire , Eichstaedt said a television station broadcasting from the Bay Area made a mistake between a mandatory evacuation order and an evacuation warning .
As rumors began to run rampant on social media , Eichstaedt was able to text the information officer for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite the challenges , Eichstaedt and Manson have also kept up a full slate of programming , helping their volunteers MacGyver in-home studios from on-hand equipment .
Those shows run the gamut — locals reading books on air for an hour solid , talks about dreamcatchers , as well as a morning show between two female relatives with what Manson describes as anarchist views .
Manson also started a program called “ Quarantine Dreams ” that solicits work — poems , thoughts , requests — from listeners .
With bars and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s seen that show fill a need .
“ I was surprised how much a program like that can actually foster a sense of community , ” Manson said .
“ Especially with the pandemic , I think it ’ s really given us the opportunity to see the purpose radio can serve.
” Though the fire is nearly 100 % contained , the duo are still on high alert .
Tuesday , winds picked up , raising tensions across Northern California and reminding those living in wildfire areas that the dry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manson and Eichstaedt , that means this pandemonium will likely remain their foreseeable future .
“ I ’ m either going to cry or keep going , ” Eichstaedt said .
“ It ’ s strange times .
”

With evacuation warnings still in place, smoke from back-burn fires drifted out of the oaks and pines above the tiny town of Point Reyes Station in Marin County on Friday, mixing with thick coastal fog until the two were indistinguishable to most people.
But Amanda Eichstaedt, general manager of KWMR, the local public radio station, easily saw the difference. Like most topics related to this quixotic town of about 400 that abuts the West Coast’s only National Seashore, she was happy to share her knowledge — with everyone in about a 20-mile radius.
“We know that people totally rely on the radio,” she said of this Arcadian territory, where cellphone reception is spotty on a good day.
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Since fire broke out here after an afternoon lightning strike on Aug. 18, Eichstaedt has turned the one-studio station into a vital source of information for the remote outpost and the rural towns that surround it. In a place where local news is otherwise a once-weekly paper or a conversation at the post office or local market, the radio station has long been a trusted source of knowledge when emergencies hit.
Across California, stations like KWMR fill a vital vacuum during crises, especially fast-moving wildfires. With their local knowledge — from where exactly back roads are located to quick access to the fire chief — these broadcasters are increasingly finding themselves to be crucial authorities in the toughest moments, when power is out, danger is high and a radio wavelength floating through the air is a lifeline.
Since it was founded in the late 1990s, KWMR has “been a really important part of our community life,” said Dewey Livingston, a local historian who has been interviewed on the station many times. “But it is especially noteworthy during times like this. ... They are the ones you can go to for information.”
Amanda Eichstaedt, general manager at public radio station KWMR in Point Reyes Station. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
But the COVID-19 pandemic upended how the shoestring station operates, and this wildfire season has left Eichstaedt and her program manager, Jeff Manson, running it nearly alone, “flying on adrenaline,” he said — the last two standing in a complex endeavor that usually has six staffers and 90 volunteers to help. Because there is only one cramped broadcasting studio, with its shared microphone and poor ventilation, no one but Manson and Eichstaedt are allowed inside.
“By mid-March, everything about the way we ran the radio station had turned on its head,” said Manson, a musician and self-taught audio engineer who began his job in January. It’s his first experience as a reporter.
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“Fire compounded with pandemic with now being in a public information role, it’s exciting,” he said. “It feels really good to be here listening to the scanner, getting the information straight, because we are in a time of so much speculation.”
Jeff Manson is one of two staffers working during the pandemic at the public radio station in Point Reyes Station. (Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Times)
KWMR has been running updates every half-hour on the nearby Woodward fire, which burned nearly 5,000 acres before being contained, even as Eichstaedt and her skeleton crew evacuated their own homes. Manson’s wife, he said, has a “strong flight instinct,” and had their two children ready to go the first night smoke appeared at their coastal home.
Though the Woodward fire was small compared with others burning in California, its effects here were felt by nearly all of the 14,000 residents who make up what locals call the “west county,” of Marin. Its an area that encompasses seven unincorporated towns and some of the most pristine protected land in the state, dotted with expensive homes, artisanal farmers, aging hippies, Latino service workers, off-the-gridders, Tesla-driving visitors from the Bay Area and herds of wild tule elk.
The station’s role in local emergencies started with its inception 21 years ago, a few years after the last major wildfire in the area, but grew when January floods in 2005 cut off the roads connecting the network of small towns that dot the forested hills and rolling pastures.
KWMR was running an informal system of people with emergency radios in the area, linked by nine repeaters, a combination of a receiver and transmitter that bounced the signal through the mountains. It was the most reliable communication in the area, so much so that the local fire chief asked to be part of it.
But in the village of Olema, the radio operator had been trapped elsewhere, leaving its residents stranded without information.
Eichstaedt had just moved into Olema, a picturesque village of little more than a few streets, to run a bed and breakfast with her future husband. When the water subsided, she made her way to KWMR and asked for a radio of her own — and fell in love with the place at first sight. She remembers walking in the cramped second-story office, with its racks of CDs and walls of memorabilia, and thinking, “What the hell? This is so cool.”
Eichstaedt was interested in radio in college, but it wasn’t until she was settled in Point Reyes that she had time for it. She launched a volunteer show about localism and, later, a late-night music show. Eventually, she was hired and created a popular country music show, “Bakersfield and Beyond,” and took over day-to-day operations.
Although the station has handled its share of crises, mostly more fires and floods, Eichstaedt said the community had embraced its mission even more since the pandemic started. Each week, the local representative from the Board of Supervisors comes on to talk about how government is handling the coronavirus, as does a county health officer. And she’s become “like BFFs” with the county public information officer, she said, which has allowed the station access to information quickly.
“That’s been huge ... our relationship with the first responders in the area,” added Manson.
Manson said that, as the months drag on, he’s becoming more accustomed to the constant tsunami of information.
“There is a weird parallel between COVID and a wildfire in a way in that they are these dynamic situations but they are slow moving also,” Manson said. “Stuff isn’t changing hour to hour, and yet people are really hungry for information.”
He has been spending a lot of time inside their “emergency operations” center, a space about the size of a guest bathroom that also doubles as the facility’s kitchen. Crammed alongside boxes containing tablecloths and a dish rack of bowls and coffee mugs is a bank of scanners that the duo monitor nearly constantly. When a siren wails on the main street, both stop to check cellphone apps and the broadcast channels to see if it’s just a routine call, or one people will need to know about.
He and Eichstaedt have learned if they don’t put out facts, small-town gossip will take over.
“People sort of fill that gap on social media by making stuff up,” Manson said. “ Just between you and me, some of these text threads I am on, these people are nuts.”
Eichstaedt said that even some journalists had gotten it wrong, hampered by their lack of local knowledge.
Shortly after evacuation orders first went into effect for the recent fire, Eichstaedt said a television station broadcasting from the Bay Area made a mistake between a mandatory evacuation order and an evacuation warning. As rumors began to run rampant on social media, Eichstaedt was able to text the information officer for the correct details and start pushing them out.
Despite the challenges, Eichstaedt and Manson have also kept up a full slate of programming, helping their volunteers MacGyver in-home studios from on-hand equipment. Those shows run the gamut — locals reading books on air for an hour solid, talks about dreamcatchers, as well as a morning show between two female relatives with what Manson describes as anarchist views.
Manson also started a program called “Quarantine Dreams” that solicits work — poems, thoughts, requests — from listeners. With bars and other gathering spots largely shut down, he’s seen that show fill a need.
“I was surprised how much a program like that can actually foster a sense of community,” Manson said. “Especially with the pandemic, I think it’s really given us the opportunity to see the purpose radio can serve.”
Though the fire is nearly 100% contained, the duo are still on high alert. Tuesday, winds picked up, raising tensions across Northern California and reminding those living in wildfire areas that the dry season was far from over. For Manson and Eichstaedt, that means this pandemonium will likely remain their foreseeable future.
“I’m either going to cry or keep going,” Eichstaedt said. “It’s strange times.”


latimes--2020-09-08--Bobcat fire keeps growing, and winds could push it into Monrovia, Arcadia and other foothill communi

Bobcat fire keeps growing, and winds could push it into Monrovia, Arcadia and other foothill communities

The Bobcat fire continued to burn unchecked Tuesday through the Angeles National Forest and officials warned that Santa Ana winds could cause the fire to threaten homes in several foothill communities .
At 0 % containment , the fire has burned more than 10,000 acres as of Tuesday night with red flag warnings issued due to the windy conditions .
“ The big worry is the weather model , which is forecasting a shift in the winds to Santa Ana winds , ” said Angeles National Forest representative John Clearwater , “ and there is a possibility of that fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire line is our foothill communities.
” Residents of Monrovia , located at the base of the forest , have already been placed on notice and are being urged to stay alert for official evacuation orders .
If an order is issued , the city said it would work in two phases , Phase 1 to include residents north of Hillcrest Boulevard north of Greystone Avenue , and Phase 2 to include residents between Hillcrest Foothill boulevards .
“ We have been told to plan for the fire to get worse and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ready if an evacuation order is issued , ” the city said in a statement .
“ Santa Ana winds can change the fire conditions incredibly quickly.
” Arcadia also said residents living Foothill Boulevard and east of Santa Anita Avenue should be prepared to evacuate .
The nearby cities of Duarte and Sierra Madre are also urging residents to remain vigilant .
Residents of Monrovia were on edge as fire trucks roamed the neighborhood .
Cliff Armstrong , a cable marketer , has lived in the Cloverleaf Canyon neighborhood for 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has never seen so many firefighters moving in and around the area before .
Earlier in the day , Armstrong was watching helicopters dip large buckets into a sawpit debris basin .
He saw firetrucks traveling up and down the street for the last two days .
“ I ’ ve never seen this level of preparation before , ” he said .
Residents such as Armstrong say if they ’ re forced to evacuate it would be the first time they will have to flee their homes .
Fires have come and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Station fire in 2009 .
Armstrong said he stayed behind , watering his home during that blaze .
“ I don ’ t think I ’ ll risk it this time , ” he said .
Neighbors have started packing up their cars and moving vehicles to the homes of friends living away from the mountains or in other cities .
They share tips with one another about how to best defend their homes from a fire .
Outside their homes , Armstrong and his neighbor talk about those efforts .
His neighbor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cushions around the patio and floor mats , anything that is combustible .
“ Oh , right , right .
Well , wait a minute , ” Armstrong said .
“ I have a garage full of toilet paper and paper towels because of the COVID thing , man , ” “ Remember it was hard to find ?
So I have a bunch of paper goods sitting in the garage.
” The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning through 8 p.m. Tuesday for the mountains and valleys of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bobcat fire started just after noon Sunday , and is one of two fires currently burning in the region .
The El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino National Forest has burned more than 10,000 acres and is roughly 16 % contained .
The Bobcat fire ’ s “ remote and rugged location ” has made it challenging to contain , Clearwater said , adding that establishing and reinforcing bulldozer lines around the fire is a top priority .
The Forest Service is now estimating its containment date as Oct. 15 .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ A lot of thought and preparation is going into how to mitigate and prevent that fire from moving into a position where it poses a serious risk.
” The Mt .
Wilson Observatory has a half-million-gallon , gravity-fed water tank filled and ready for battle should the Bobcat fire close in on the property , said the observatory ’ s director Tom Meneghini .
Three employees remain at the mountaintop location as a skeleton staff , ready to hand over the keys and fire hoses to firefighters if needed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third in as many months to pose a danger to the observatory , but the gravest threat in recent memory was the 2009 Station fire .
“ That took the cake , ” Meneghini said .
“ We had Arizona hotshots camped up there in the dome , living up there .
They were fighting defensively from the observatory .
We hope this isn ’ t a repeat.
” Conditions were calm Tuesday morning , as seen on observatory surveillance cameras , Meneghini said .
But Santa Ana winds forecast for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t know what that ’ s going to do , that ’ s the wild card in this whole thing , ” he said .
Fire risk is part of forest life — “ like gravity , there all the time , ” Meneghni said , He welcomed federal authorities ’ decision to close national forests in California during the current heat wave .
“ Given the heightened danger , I think it ’ s good .
I ’ m just kind of jaundiced on my fellow men being responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fires .
“ Privilege comes with responsibility ... and we are our own worst enemies .
”

Firefighters huddle along Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains to plan their attack on the Bobcat fire Tuesday.
The Bobcat fire continued to burn unchecked Tuesday through the Angeles National Forest and officials warned that Santa Ana winds could cause the fire to threaten homes in several foothill communities.
At 0% containment, the fire has burned more than 10,000 acres as of Tuesday night with red flag warnings issued due to the windy conditions.
“The big worry is the weather model, which is forecasting a shift in the winds to Santa Ana winds,” said Angeles National Forest representative John Clearwater, “and there is a possibility of that fire being pushed south. South of the fire line is our foothill communities.”
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Residents of Monrovia, located at the base of the forest, have already been placed on notice and are being urged to stay alert for official evacuation orders. If an order is issued, the city said it would work in two phases, Phase 1 to include residents north of Hillcrest Boulevard north of Greystone Avenue, and Phase 2 to include residents between Hillcrest Foothill boulevards.
“We have been told to plan for the fire to get worse and we are asking all residents to be prepared and ready if an evacuation order is issued,” the city said in a statement. “Santa Ana winds can change the fire conditions incredibly quickly.”
Arcadia also said residents living Foothill Boulevard and east of Santa Anita Avenue should be prepared to evacuate.
The nearby cities of Duarte and Sierra Madre are also urging residents to remain vigilant.
Residents of Monrovia were on edge as fire trucks roamed the neighborhood.
Cliff Armstrong, a cable marketer, has lived in the Cloverleaf Canyon neighborhood for 21 years. He said Tuesday that he has never seen so many firefighters moving in and around the area before.
Earlier in the day, Armstrong was watching helicopters dip large buckets into a sawpit debris basin. He saw firetrucks traveling up and down the street for the last two days.
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“I’ve never seen this level of preparation before,” he said.
Residents such as Armstrong say if they’re forced to evacuate it would be the first time they will have to flee their homes. Fires have come and gone through this area, including the Station fire in 2009.
Armstrong said he stayed behind, watering his home during that blaze.
“I don’t think I’ll risk it this time,” he said.
Neighbors have started packing up their cars and moving vehicles to the homes of friends living away from the mountains or in other cities. They share tips with one another about how to best defend their homes from a fire.
Outside their homes, Armstrong and his neighbor talk about those efforts. His neighbor tells him he’s removed all the cushions around the patio and floor mats, anything that is combustible.
“Oh, right, right. Well, wait a minute,” Armstrong said. “I have a garage full of toilet paper and paper towels because of the COVID thing, man,”
He chuckled.
“Remember it was hard to find? So I have a bunch of paper goods sitting in the garage.”
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning through 8 p.m. Tuesday for the mountains and valleys of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
California Aggressive winds feared as California battles biggest wildfire season Intense Diablo winds are forecast for parts of Northern California while Santa Ana winds are expected in Southern California.
The Bobcat fire started just after noon Sunday, and is one of two fires currently burning in the region. The El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino National Forest has burned more than 10,000 acres and is roughly 16% contained.
The Bobcat fire’s “remote and rugged location” has made it challenging to contain, Clearwater said, adding that establishing and reinforcing bulldozer lines around the fire is a top priority. The Forest Service is now estimating its containment date as Oct. 15.
“It is growing rapidly,” Clearwater said. “A lot of thought and preparation is going into how to mitigate and prevent that fire from moving into a position where it poses a serious risk.”
The Mt. Wilson Observatory has a half-million-gallon, gravity-fed water tank filled and ready for battle should the Bobcat fire close in on the property, said the observatory’s director Tom Meneghini.
Three employees remain at the mountaintop location as a skeleton staff, ready to hand over the keys and fire hoses to firefighters if needed, Meneghini said.
The Bobcat fire is the third in as many months to pose a danger to the observatory, but the gravest threat in recent memory was the 2009 Station fire.
“That took the cake,” Meneghini said. “We had Arizona hotshots camped up there in the dome, living up there. They were fighting defensively from the observatory. We hope this isn’t a repeat.”
Conditions were calm Tuesday morning, as seen on observatory surveillance cameras, Meneghini said. But Santa Ana winds forecast for the days ahead have him concerned.
“I don’t know what that’s going to do, that’s the wild card in this whole thing,” he said. Fire risk is part of forest life — “like gravity, there all the time,” Meneghni said, He welcomed federal authorities’ decision to close national forests in California during the current heat wave.
“Given the heightened danger, I think it’s good. I’m just kind of jaundiced on my fellow men being responsible for these conditions,” Meneghini said of the fires. “Privilege comes with responsibility ... and we are our own worst enemies.”


latimes--2020-09-10--Rarely have so many Californians been exposed to such gloomy, unhealthy air

Shrouded in near darkness , beneath a gloomy , orange sky , Fabian Rios worked to repair a fire hydrant late Wednesday morning .
Working alongside the headlights of his truck , the Bay Area utility employee said the lack of light wasn ’ t troubling him .
“ The real problem is the ash falling from the sky , ” said Rios , who works for the city of Mountain View and was wearing a surgical mask .
“ I am just getting covered.
” As fires rage up and down the West Coast , the skies over California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the air with ash and smoke in some regions , while snuffing out sunlight in others .
Rarely have so many Californians breathed such unhealthy air .
“ About half of the state ’ s population has been impacted by wildfire smoke levels exceeding air quality standards , ” said Melanie Turner , a California Air Resources Board spokeswoman , referring to tiny , lung-damaging pollution particles known as PM2.5 .
In parts of Southern California , soot fell like snow .
Air quality officials issued a wildfire smoke advisory for much of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles , San Bernardino , Riverside , and Orange Counties.
” People downwind of the Bear fire — including those in Paradise , site of a deadly 2018 blaze — suffered amid the smoke , with many unable to turn on air conditioners because of an intentional PG & E power outage .
And some of the state ’ s worst air quality came inside its most popular national park .
The AQI in Yosemite Valley hit nearly 400 by early afternoon , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Los Angeles .
“ What ’ s notable is that it ’ s everywhere , ” said Anthony Wexler , director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis .
“ So no matter which way the wind blows you ’ re getting hit by smoke and ash .
It ’ s pretty brutal.
” In the Bay Area , a marine layer from the Pacific protected lower elevations from the oppressive , sun-smothering smoke , leaving the air tolerably breathable .
But there were no views of the mountains from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a twilight-like dimness .
Street lamps along the peninsula ’ s El Camino Real brightened the road for noontime traffic , while hotels and restaurants in Palo Alto and Mountain View kept alight their marquee lights and entrance displays — lending a dinner-like atmosphere to their lunchtime patrons .
From Sacramento to the Bay Area to Monterey , motorists turned on their headlights to navigate the gloomy streets .
“ Today the sky is almost completely dark and orange brown due to smoke coming from the August and North fires which is above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Borrmann , a spokesman for the Bay Area air district .
“ So air quality is good in most places , but the sky looks dreadful due to the smoke filtering out the blue light spectrum and leaving us with orange only.
” Roger Gass , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service , said the smoke is keeping temperatures cool — 20 degrees lower than the weather service had anticipated for many parts of the Bay Area — and that coolness is keeping the smoke high , allowing the marine layer to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the sun burns the marine layer off during the day , pushing it offshore , ” said Gass .
But because the smoke is keeping temperatures so cool , the marine layer is staying put , and providing a buffer from the unhealthy smoke above .
At a briefing Wednesday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said he was stunned by the images he saw from his hometown .
“ The number of photographs that have been sent by family , friends this morning overwhelmed my inbox , ” Newsom said at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plumes blanketing the length of California and much of the West Coast on Wednesday , extending south to Cabo San Lucas and far out over the Pacific Ocean .
These big plumes combined with soot and smoke from more localized fires to torment millions of Californians , many eager to get outside after months of coronavirus shelter-in-place orders .
In Southern California , the worst concentrations of smoke were projected to concentrate in communities closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires , according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Northern California are not as high as they were during the 2018 Camp Fire , the smoke is persisting longer and over a widespread area of the state , according to the California Air Resources Board .
“ We have had other bad smoke years , ” said Turner , the CARB spokeswoman .
“ But we are seeing larger fires and more fires this year and that means a much higher population in both urban and rural areas that is exposed to dangerous smoke.
” Wildfire smoke consists of thousands of different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solids and in-between honey-like textures , Its composition varies significantly depending on what type of vegetation was burned and how recently .
Some of the most dangerous soot is the smallest .
The particles known as PM2.5 are less than 2.5 microns in diameter — about 1/30th the width of a human hair .
They are so tiny that they can be inhaled deeply into the lungs and pass into the bloodstream .
In the short term , wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes , nose and throat .
It can trigger asthma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of heart attacks and stroke .
At greatest risk are children , pregnant women , the elderly and people with asthma and other chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases , as well as outdoor workers who face higher levels of exposure .
Wildfire smoke is elevated across so much of the state right now that “ there ’ s a huge amount of concern about the health dangers , ” said Bonnie Holmes-Gen , chief of the California Air Resources Board ’ s health and exposure assessment branch .
“ We have so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of smoke.
” Research into past fires , she said , shows dramatic increases in emergency room visits for asthma attacks and other ailments during fire episodes .
“ We expect that is happening again , ” she said , urging people to take measures to protect themselves when there is wildfire smoke around them , and to stay inside and run an air filter if pollution levels are elevated .
Dar Mims , a meteorologist with CARB , said the foul air has lingered over Northern California for so long because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the air is more stagnant .
“ As these fires continue to burn they ’ re going to be at the whims of the wind shifts , ” said Mims , adding that the smoky skies will likely linger until a “ season-ender ” storm dampens the tinderbox conditions .
While air quality in much of Southern California has remained in the “ good ” to “ moderate ” level at the ground level , satellite imagery shows smoke higher up in the atmosphere over much of the region .
The district warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ash as “ larger particles settle out of the atmosphere.
” The siege of smoke across the west is the result of a historic number and acreage of active fires that have besieged the state since mid-August , when a rare dry lightning storm ignited a spate of fires along the state ’ s central coast .
Since then , a pair of historic heat waves , combined with shifting wind patterns , and increasingly blazing acreage has left the state — and much of the West Coast — covered in a thick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was how the National Weather Service ’ s Bay Area office described it .
It ’ s a word that has been used to describe many of the natural disasters that have befallen the state this past month — disasters fueled by a bigger force than isolated heatwaves and lightning storms , said Wexler .
“ Look around , we have a record number of wildfires , we have a record heatwave .
What ’ s the common theme , folks ?
It ’ s climate change , ” Wexler said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new stuff all the time , because we ’ re playing games with our planet.
” Some 6,000 feet above San Francisco Bay , at the top of Mount Hamilton , Elinor Gates , an astronomer at the University of California ’ s Lick Observatory , looked out at air thick with smoke and ash , the light an eerie , dark orange .
The observatory survived a fire that burned through three weeks ago , she said — adding to the apocalyptic scene she saw outside her window .
“ The trees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brown , ” she said .
“ It all lends to this sepia-like photographic quality ... like an old disaster photo.
” Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II , Anita Chabria , Maura Dolan and Phil Willon contributed to this report .

The San Francisco Bay Bridge and city skyline are obscured in orange smoke and haze.
Shrouded in near darkness, beneath a gloomy, orange sky, Fabian Rios worked to repair a fire hydrant late Wednesday morning.
Working alongside the headlights of his truck, the Bay Area utility employee said the lack of light wasn’t troubling him.
“The real problem is the ash falling from the sky,” said Rios, who works for the city of Mountain View and was wearing a surgical mask. “I am just getting covered.”
Advertisement
As fires rage up and down the West Coast, the skies over California have taken an apocalyptic turn — choking the air with ash and smoke in some regions, while snuffing out sunlight in others. Rarely have so many Californians breathed such unhealthy air.
“About half of the state’s population has been impacted by wildfire smoke levels exceeding air quality standards,” said Melanie Turner, a California Air Resources Board spokeswoman, referring to tiny, lung-damaging pollution particles known as PM2.5.
In parts of Southern California, soot fell like snow. Air quality officials issued a wildfire smoke advisory for much of the region, warning “meteorological conditions will bring smoke and ash into portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange Counties.”
People downwind of the Bear fire — including those in Paradise, site of a deadly 2018 blaze — suffered amid the smoke, with many unable to turn on air conditioners because of an intentional PG&E power outage.
And some of the state’s worst air quality came inside its most popular national park. The AQI in Yosemite Valley hit nearly 400 by early afternoon, about six times worse than the particle pollution in Los Angeles.
“What’s notable is that it’s everywhere,” said Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis. “So no matter which way the wind blows you’re getting hit by smoke and ash. It’s pretty brutal.”
Advertisement
In the Bay Area, a marine layer from the Pacific protected lower elevations from the oppressive, sun-smothering smoke, leaving the air tolerably breathable. But there were no views of the mountains from Mountain View. The skies darkened to a twilight-like dimness.
Street lamps along the peninsula’s El Camino Real brightened the road for noontime traffic, while hotels and restaurants in Palo Alto and Mountain View kept alight their marquee lights and entrance displays — lending a dinner-like atmosphere to their lunchtime patrons.
From Sacramento to the Bay Area to Monterey, motorists turned on their headlights to navigate the gloomy streets.
“Today the sky is almost completely dark and orange brown due to smoke coming from the August and North fires which is above the marine layer,” said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the Bay Area air district. “So air quality is good in most places, but the sky looks dreadful due to the smoke filtering out the blue light spectrum and leaving us with orange only.”
Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the smoke is keeping temperatures cool — 20 degrees lower than the weather service had anticipated for many parts of the Bay Area — and that coolness is keeping the smoke high, allowing the marine layer to remain over the region.
“Usually, the sun burns the marine layer off during the day, pushing it offshore,” said Gass.
But because the smoke is keeping temperatures so cool, the marine layer is staying put, and providing a buffer from the unhealthy smoke above.
At a briefing Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was stunned by the images he saw from his hometown. “The number of photographs that have been sent by family, friends this morning overwhelmed my inbox,” Newsom said at a briefing.
Federal satellite imagery showed massive plumes blanketing the length of California and much of the West Coast on Wednesday, extending south to Cabo San Lucas and far out over the Pacific Ocean.
On Sept. 8, 2020, the #GOESWest 🛰 focused in on the #OregonFires and #CaliforniaFires. We can not only see all the smoke they produce, but by combining Fire Temperature RGB with this GeoColor imagery, we can see the reddish glow of the hot spots where they originate. pic.twitter.com/RIBB5gOELf — NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 9, 2020
These big plumes combined with soot and smoke from more localized fires to torment millions of Californians, many eager to get outside after months of coronavirus shelter-in-place orders.
In Southern California, the worst concentrations of smoke were projected to concentrate in communities closest to the Bobcat and El Dorado fires, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
While the levels of fine-particle pollution in Northern California are not as high as they were during the 2018 Camp Fire, the smoke is persisting longer and over a widespread area of the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.
“We have had other bad smoke years,” said Turner, the CARB spokeswoman. “But we are seeing larger fires and more fires this year and that means a much higher population in both urban and rural areas that is exposed to dangerous smoke.”
Wildfire smoke consists of thousands of different compounds, including gases, liquids, solids and in-between honey-like textures, Its composition varies significantly depending on what type of vegetation was burned and how recently.
Some of the most dangerous soot is the smallest.
The particles known as PM2.5 are less than 2.5 microns in diameter — about 1/30th the width of a human hair. They are so tiny that they can be inhaled deeply into the lungs and pass into the bloodstream.
In the short term, wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. It can trigger asthma attacks as well as raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
At greatest risk are children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with asthma and other chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as outdoor workers who face higher levels of exposure.
Wildfire smoke is elevated across so much of the state right now that “there’s a huge amount of concern about the health dangers,” said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, chief of the California Air Resources Board’s health and exposure assessment branch. “We have so many people that are exposed to dangerous levels of smoke.”
Research into past fires, she said, shows dramatic increases in emergency room visits for asthma attacks and other ailments during fire episodes.
“We expect that is happening again,” she said, urging people to take measures to protect themselves when there is wildfire smoke around them, and to stay inside and run an air filter if pollution levels are elevated.
Dar Mims, a meteorologist with CARB, said the foul air has lingered over Northern California for so long because the fires arrived during the summer, when the air is more stagnant.
“As these fires continue to burn they’re going to be at the whims of the wind shifts,” said Mims, adding that the smoky skies will likely linger until a “season-ender” storm dampens the tinderbox conditions.
While air quality in much of Southern California has remained in the “good” to “moderate” level at the ground level, satellite imagery shows smoke higher up in the atmosphere over much of the region. The district warned the region could also see more falling ash as “larger particles settle out of the atmosphere.”
The siege of smoke across the west is the result of a historic number and acreage of active fires that have besieged the state since mid-August, when a rare dry lightning storm ignited a spate of fires along the state’s central coast.
Since then, a pair of historic heat waves, combined with shifting wind patterns, and increasingly blazing acreage has left the state — and much of the West Coast — covered in a thick, choking smoke. “Unprecedented” was how the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office described it.
It’s a word that has been used to describe many of the natural disasters that have befallen the state this past month — disasters fueled by a bigger force than isolated heatwaves and lightning storms, said Wexler.
“Look around, we have a record number of wildfires, we have a record heatwave. What’s the common theme, folks? It’s climate change,” Wexler said. “We’re going to be seeing new stuff all the time, because we’re playing games with our planet.”
Some 6,000 feet above San Francisco Bay, at the top of Mount Hamilton, Elinor Gates, an astronomer at the University of California’s Lick Observatory, looked out at air thick with smoke and ash, the light an eerie, dark orange.
The observatory survived a fire that burned through three weeks ago, she said — adding to the apocalyptic scene she saw outside her window.
“The trees are black and the leaves a sickly brown,” she said. “It all lends to this sepia-like photographic quality ... like an old disaster photo.”
Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Anita Chabria, Maura Dolan and Phil Willon contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-10--Monster firestorm brings death and devastation back to Butte County as California burns

Less than two years after the most destructive fire in California history tore through Paradise , the same region was under siege from a second monster firestorm that quickly grew to more than 250,000 acres , sweeping through mountain hamlets and killing at least three people .
On Wednesday night , Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea once again faced the grim task of announcing victims of the flames , just as he had for weeks after the destruction of the Camp fire .
Three bodies were found in the wake of the Bear fire , part of the massive North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nevada foothills before dawn Wednesday .
The multiple blazes caught crews and residents off guard as they leaped southwest towards towns in Butte County , including the community of Paradise , which was largely destroyed by the 2018 Camp fire that killed 85 people .
The fires staggered a county still grieving the earlier catastrophe and besieged a state with unprecedented wildfires burning from Mexico to the Oregon border .
“ We can not underestimate what they can do to the community and what they can do to the people we love , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advance , the North Complex fires , which had been burning since a barrage of lightning strikes hit the region Aug. 17 , grew by 80,000 acres overnight , forcing fire officials to divert thinly stretched resources to yet another disastrous blaze .
Across the state , 28 major wildfires have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate , said Daniel Berlant , a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
Fortunately for crews and residents in Southern California , Santa Ana winds were not as strong as forecast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles , San Bernardino and San Diego counties did not grow substantially .
But in Northern California , some 20,000 residents in Plumas , Butte and Yuba counties were forced to flee the North Complex fires , which exploded in size to 254,000 acres overnight .
Fire officials on that incident and the Creek fire to the south struggled to get an exact footprint of the flames because high pressure kept the intense smoke , now blanketing almost the entire state , close to the ground .
The gray shroud made it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water or surveil where the fires had been and where they were going .
“ One of the things we ’ ve seen statewide is with all the smoke , we can ’ t get a good assessment , ” said Chris Vestal , a spokesman for the Creek fire response in the Sierra National Forest .
Embers stormed across miles of rugged , dry terrain in minutes , sparking new fires and creating a high-speed , fast-morphing footprint difficult to read on the ground .
“ Right now it ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Vestal said , “ from a suppression standpoint and observation standpoint.
” When aircraft are in use , he said , fire commanders use “ those retardant lines to give us an actual idea of where we ’ re going to put our bulldozer lines.
” “ Being able to see it puts people in the most advantageous spots , ” Vestal said .
On Wednesday , crews on the Creek fire were left to work with ground tools in areas of better visibility , mostly on the southern flank , closest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Auberry and Clovis in the flatland , where winds were light .
Ash rained down throughout the day .
The forest that surrounds them carried up to 2,000 tons of burnable timber per acre , most of it dead and dry from a bark beetle infestation that grew quickly in the Sierra during a drought that began in 2012 .
Mark Van Aacken was surveying his community ’ s damage along Shaver Springs Road on Wednesday with the help of a local firefighter who helped him and a friend through the roadblock .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his neighbors than himself .
He knew his house was gone .
A firefighter showed him a photo the night before .
“ But still a picture doesn ’ t do it justice apparently , ” said Van Aacken , 40 .
“ Seeing it firsthand is kind of another situation .
I ’ m kind of bummed my wife isn ’ t with me to see it at the moment.
” Van Aacken and his wife moved to Auberry almost four years ago from Arizona to be closer to family in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their twin 7-year-old daughters in the great outdoors .
“ It ’ s been great , four-wheeling all the time … just being in the outdoors away from the city life , ” he said .
“ It ’ s always like camping — it ’ s the small town , you know ?
” The family has kept tabs on the state ’ s rash of fires over the last month and knew their area was at risk , so they evacuated as soon as Fresno County sheriff ’ s deputies knocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave .
“ I feel like we ’ ve just gotten away with it every year , ” Van Aacken said .
“ So I feel like we were a little relaxed about the fact that every tiny fire that came up they dropped so [ many resources ] on it we never thought it ’ d be that big an issue.
” His brother lost his home too .
But across the road , his father ’ s still stood .
“ We were just hoping at least one of the homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The North Complex fires are burning through similar , heavily wooded terrain .
The incident now stands as the ninth-largest wildfire in California history , one more dismal statistic in this record fire season ; the second , third and fourth largest were started by the same August lightning storm .
Photos showed devastation in the tiny Butte County hamlet of Berry Creek , where many homes and other structures were destroyed .
Officials said they don ’ t know the extent of the destruction in the town , which is north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service , said the agency was still working Wednesday morning to “ figure out where the fire footprint really is ” because of the extreme overnight activity .
Paradise and Concow were placed under evacuation warnings , and orders were issued for other areas around Lake Oroville .
Frank Martinez , 55 , lives in the Mount Ida neighborhood of Oroville , at the base of the mountains , and has numerous friends in Berry Creek .
Tuesday afternoon , as the Bear fire closed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozen relatives and friends fled their homes there and headed for Martinez ’ s 1.5-acre spread for refuge .
Martinez said that by that time , flames were already threatening a bridge on the evacuation route , backing up about 100 cars .
The caravan became separated , with some vehicles stuck on the road as Cal Fire worked to clear the passage .
Just hours after some of his friends reached his house , news came that Martinez might have to leave as well .
Around 10 p.m. , “ it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a switch ” and the wind became “ crazy bad , ” he said .
By 1 a.m. Wednesday , the evacuation warning for Martinez ’ s neighborhood had turned into an order , forcing him , his eight rescue dogs and other refugees to head into more urban areas of Oroville .
He has been told his house has been destroyed , he said Wednesday , “ but I can ’ t believe it until I see it.
” He knows of at least about 25 friends who lost homes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school , church and local bar also burned .
In 2017 , Martinez was informed that he had lost his home in the Wall fire , but that turned out not to be true , though flames came just two feet from his propane tank before firefighters beat them back , he said .
In 2018 , when the Camp fire destroyed the nearby town of Paradise , his Berry Creek friends again took shelter on his property .
Though 85 people died in the Camp fire , making it California ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are veterans of this , ” he said .
So , for his house , “ I am keeping my faith and I ’ m keeping my hope alive , ” he said .
“ Basically we don ’ t know until they lift the evacuation orders .
”

Anita Chabria, Joseph Serna, Matthew Ormseth, Joe Mozingo

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)
A man stands on a dock at the Shaver Lake Marina as the Creek fire approaches on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Members of the Laguna Hotshots Crew walk down Huntington Lake Road to battle the Creek fire on Sept. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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)
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)
A plume rises from the Bear fire as it burns along Lake Oroville in Butte County. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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)
Melted goggles lie on the ground next to the burned-out truck on Stringtown Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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)
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)
Less than two years after the most destructive fire in California history tore through Paradise, the same region was under siege from a second monster firestorm that quickly grew to more than 250,000 acres, sweeping through mountain hamlets and killing at least three people.
On Wednesday night, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea once again faced the grim task of announcing victims of the flames, just as he had for weeks after the destruction of the Camp fire.
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Three bodies were found in the wake of the Bear fire, part of the massive North Complex blazes that raced through northern Sierra Nevada foothills before dawn Wednesday. The multiple blazes caught crews and residents off guard as they leaped southwest towards towns in Butte County, including the community of Paradise, which was largely destroyed by the 2018 Camp fire that killed 85 people.
The fires staggered a county still grieving the earlier catastrophe and besieged a state with unprecedented wildfires burning from Mexico to the Oregon border.
“We cannot underestimate what they can do to the community and what they can do to the people we love,” Honea said.
With the speedy advance, the North Complex fires, which had been burning since a barrage of lightning strikes hit the region Aug. 17, grew by 80,000 acres overnight, forcing fire officials to divert thinly stretched resources to yet another disastrous blaze.
Across the state, 28 major wildfires have prompted more than 64,000 people to evacuate, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Fortunately for crews and residents in Southern California, Santa Ana winds were not as strong as forecast, and three major fires burning in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties did not grow substantially.
But in Northern California, some 20,000 residents in Plumas, Butte and Yuba counties were forced to flee the North Complex fires, which exploded in size to 254,000 acres overnight.
Fire officials on that incident and the Creek fire to the south struggled to get an exact footprint of the flames because high pressure kept the intense smoke, now blanketing almost the entire state, close to the ground.
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The gray shroud made it unsafe for pilots to drop retardant and water or surveil where the fires had been and where they were going.
“One of the things we’ve seen statewide is with all the smoke, we can’t get a good assessment,” said Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the Creek fire response in the Sierra National Forest.
Embers stormed across miles of rugged, dry terrain in minutes, sparking new fires and creating a high-speed, fast-morphing footprint difficult to read on the ground.
“Right now it’s just a challenge without having air support,” Vestal said, “from a suppression standpoint and observation standpoint.”
When aircraft are in use, he said, fire commanders use “those retardant lines to give us an actual idea of where we’re going to put our bulldozer lines.”
“Being able to see it puts people in the most advantageous spots,” Vestal said.
California 3 dead as Northern California fires spread rapidly, burning through small town The Butte County sheriff announced the deaths of three people Wednesday as fires continue to rage through a region already devastated by the Camp fire two years earlier.
On Wednesday, crews on the Creek fire were left to work with ground tools in areas of better visibility, mostly on the southern flank, closest to foothill towns such as Prather, Auberry and Clovis in the flatland, where winds were light. Ash rained down throughout the day.
The forest that surrounds them carried up to 2,000 tons of burnable timber per acre, most of it dead and dry from a bark beetle infestation that grew quickly in the Sierra during a drought that began in 2012.
(For comparison’s sake, the fires in Southern California are churning through about 14 tons of chapparal and grass per acre, consuming a lighter, quicker-burning fuel than the conifers and oak trees of the Sierra.)
Mark Van Aacken was surveying his community’s damage along Shaver Springs Road on Wednesday with the help of a local firefighter who helped him and a friend through the roadblock. It was an intel mission more for his neighbors than himself. He knew his house was gone. A firefighter showed him a photo the night before.
“But still a picture doesn’t do it justice apparently,” said Van Aacken, 40. “Seeing it firsthand is kind of another situation. I’m kind of bummed my wife isn’t with me to see it at the moment.”
Van Aacken and his wife moved to Auberry almost four years ago from Arizona to be closer to family in the area and to settle down and raise their twin 7-year-old daughters in the great outdoors.
“It’s been great, four-wheeling all the time … just being in the outdoors away from the city life,” he said. “It’s always like camping — it’s the small town, you know?”
The family has kept tabs on the state’s rash of fires over the last month and knew their area was at risk, so they evacuated as soon as Fresno County sheriff’s deputies knocked on their door and told them to leave.
“I feel like we’ve just gotten away with it every year,” Van Aacken said. “So I feel like we were a little relaxed about the fact that every tiny fire that came up they dropped so [many resources] on it we never thought it’d be that big an issue.”
His brother lost his home too. But across the road, his father’s still stood.
“We were just hoping at least one of the homes was still standing,” he said.
The North Complex fires are burning through similar, heavily wooded terrain. The incident now stands as the ninth-largest wildfire in California history, one more dismal statistic in this record fire season; the second, third and fourth largest were started by the same August lightning storm.
Photos showed devastation in the tiny Butte County hamlet of Berry Creek, where many homes and other structures were destroyed. Officials said they don’t know the extent of the destruction in the town, which is north of the Oroville Dam.
Jay Kurth, incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, said the agency was still working Wednesday morning to “figure out where the fire footprint really is” because of the extreme overnight activity.
Paradise and Concow were placed under evacuation warnings, and orders were issued for other areas around Lake Oroville.
Frank Martinez, 55, lives in the Mount Ida neighborhood of Oroville, at the base of the mountains, and has numerous friends in Berry Creek. Tuesday afternoon, as the Bear fire closed in on that town, more than two dozen relatives and friends fled their homes there and headed for Martinez’s 1.5-acre spread for refuge. Martinez said that by that time, flames were already threatening a bridge on the evacuation route, backing up about 100 cars. The caravan became separated, with some vehicles stuck on the road as Cal Fire worked to clear the passage.
Just hours after some of his friends reached his house, news came that Martinez might have to leave as well. Around 10 p.m., “it was like all of the sudden someone turned on a switch” and the wind became “crazy bad,” he said.
By 1 a.m. Wednesday, the evacuation warning for Martinez’s neighborhood had turned into an order, forcing him, his eight rescue dogs and other refugees to head into more urban areas of Oroville. He has been told his house has been destroyed, he said Wednesday, “but I can’t believe it until I see it.” He knows of at least about 25 friends who lost homes in Berry Creek, and he said the school, church and local bar also burned.
In 2017, Martinez was informed that he had lost his home in the Wall fire, but that turned out not to be true, though flames came just two feet from his propane tank before firefighters beat them back, he said. In 2018, when the Camp fire destroyed the nearby town of Paradise, his Berry Creek friends again took shelter on his property. Though 85 people died in the Camp fire, making it California’s deadliest blaze, Berry Creek was spared. “We are veterans of this,” he said.
So, for his house, “I am keeping my faith and I’m keeping my hope alive,” he said. “Basically we don’t know until they lift the evacuation orders.”
Times staff writer Luke Money contributed to this report.