Category: Los Angeles

A ridge of high pressure will bring another round of well-above-average temperatures and gusty Santa Ana winds to Southern California on Thursday before a storm system arrives with a chance of rain this weekend. Afternoon highs in the valleys are expected to climb into the 80s and possibly near 90 with lower to mid-80s forecast for areas along the coasts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Santa Ana winds are also expected to pick up Thursday with peak gusts between 30 and 50 mph over our local mountain and foothill areas, according to the National Weather Service. Despite the warm weather and gusty winds, the Weather Service announced only “minimal fire weather risk” thanks to our recent rains. (KTLA) “Ultimately this is our last day of warm weather before we start to see some big changes coming in the forecast. Big changes in terms of a cool down,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said. A big drop in temperatures and increased cloud cover is expected beginning on Friday. “A series of storms will move through the area starting Friday night with a chance of rain off and

The cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe are considering a proposal to consolidate their public transit systems. To this day, Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) and Guadalupe Flyer operate individually, but they serve overlapping communities. Recently, Guadalupe reported several operating challenges, such as increased regulatory demands, which prompted discussions on integrating transit services. Now that a proposal has been advanced, staff will look for the best approach to consolidate services between the cities. So far, benefits include efficient operations, staff and funding and improved rider experience. The public will also be allowed to participate by providing feedback before a recommendation is passed onto the City Councils.

Before the Santa Maria-Bonita School District board meeting Wednesday evening, around 100 teachers, parents, and students gathered to call for safety for immigrant students and their families. “Our goal as educators is to make the community aware and our students aware that we are here for every student from all walks of life, regardless of their income, their religion, their race, and their citizenship status,” said Jose Rodriguez, a school district U.S. history teacher. “We are here to educate every student, who walks through our doors.” The teachers at the rally said that since the election, students have been coming to them, concerned for their safety. “I’ve had students ask me, ‘Could I be deported for this reason or for that reason? If my aunt was pulled over for a speeding ticket, should they be concerned about going to court?'” said Rodriguez. “No learning will happen if they’re cognitively distracted by something such as: Is my family going to be there when I get home, and am I OK here is someone coming to get me,” said Kristen Lohr, the president of Santa Maria Elementary

The Sony Open Golf event scheduled for Saturday on NBC4 has been moved to COZI TV due to coverage of the Los Angeles County wildfires.

New bail was set Monday for the owners of a scrap metal company that’s been linked to explosions and hazardous materials in the Watts neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Matthew Weisenberg, one of the owners of the Atlas Metal Company, was held on $1 million as of Monday afternoon while the bail for Gary Weisenberg, another owner, was set at $100,000. The Weisenbergs were detained last week after a judge ordered the pair to be back in custody after violating a pre-trial release agreement made with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.  Watts Mar 11 LA seeks $1M bail for Watts business owners accused of causing metal explosions Watts Aug 15, 2024 Watts residents appear in court demanding production stop at metal recycling plant Following a decades-long dispute with Jordan High School for allegedly allowing explosions and causing hazardous material like shrapnel and metal debris to rain down on the public school campus, the owners were indicted in September for an Aug. 12 explosion, one of at least two blasts in two decades.  Before their trial begins, a judge allowed the Weisenbergs to be

The Newport Beach Police Department will increase enforcement of drivers illegally passing stopped school buses through June 6. The “Illegal Passing of Stopped School Buses — High Visibility Enforcement Pilot Participation” campaign began on Monday, according to the Newport Beach Police Department. “The safety of our children is our top priority,” Sgt. Sabrina Fabbri said in a statement. “Drivers who disregard the law and pass a school bus are putting young lives at grave risk.” The department urged drivers to be extremely cautious and vigilant around school buses, warning that violators can be fined up to $500, have their licenses suspended be jailed. Three main rules police advised drivers to follow are: — Slow down and prepare to stop whenever a school bus displays flashing yellow lights, indicating that the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children; — Coming to a complete stop when driving in either direction at least 20 feet from the bus whenever the red lights begin flashing and when the stop arm extends; and, — Do not proceed until the red lights stop flashing and the stop arm

There were no tickets sold with all six numbers in Monday evening’s drawing of the multi-state Powerball lottery, pushing the estimated jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing to $416 million. One ticket each with five numbers, but missing the Powerball number, were sold in Colorado and Pennsylvania and are both worth $1 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game. The numbers drawn Monday were 11, 18, 23, 38, 60 and the Powerball number was 9. The estimated jackpot was $398 million. The drawing was the 25th since the last time a ticket with all six numbers was sold. The odds of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number is 1 in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The overall chance of winning a prize is 1 in 24.9. The Powerball game is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Authorities are searching for the scammers who targeted Eaton fire victims by fraudulently towing their cars and demanding excessive fees to reclaim them. In the initial days of the Eaton fire, between Jan. 7-10, fake tow companies claiming to be contracted by the city of Altadena would tow the vehicles of evacuated victims under false pretenses before forcing them to pay high fees to retrieve their cars. Some of the stolen cars were stored in Riverside or San Bernardino County. David Gueringer, an Altadena resident, lost his garage and guest home to the Eaton fire that ignited on Jan. 7. “I went to sleep thinking we had really dodged the worst of the fire and been fortunate in that way,” Gueringer said. While his home was evacuated, Gueringer received a call from a towing company claiming to be working with the city. They had offered to tow away vehicles left in the fire zone for safety reasons, including Gueringer’s Chevy Tahoe SUV and Prius sedan. David Gueringer, an Altadena resident, was targeted by tow truck scammers who towed his vehicles and demanded excessive fees to

Police are searching for a woman who escaped with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a Target store in Orange County.  The theft occurred earlier in February at a Target at 3300 S. Bristol St. in Santa Ana, according to the Santa Ana Police Department. Surveillance video captured the suspect browsing store shelves as she grabbed a large amount of beauty products and clothing before placing them into a shopping cart.  Police are searching for a woman who escaped with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a Target store in Santa Ana in February 2025. (Santa Ana Police Department) Police are searching for a woman who escaped with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a Target store in Santa Ana in February 2025. (Santa Ana Police Department) Police are searching for a woman who escaped with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a Target store in Santa Ana in February 2025. (Santa Ana Police Department) Police are searching for a woman who escaped with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a Target store in Santa Ana in February 2025. (Santa

For the first time since firing Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristen Crowley, Mayor Karen Bass took questions in a press conference Wednesday – pushing her to address the fallout. While the press conference was held to discuss the city’s rebuilding and recovery efforts following the Palisades and Eaton fires, the questions quickly steered right into the controversy over Crowley’s dismissal. Crowley was fired on Feb. 21 in a sudden announcement from Bass, who said Crowley’s removal after the Palisades Fire and other blazes in January was in the “best interests of Los Angeles‘ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department.” The mayor’s decision has since drawn criticism from the public as well as City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who accused Bass of “misrepresenting the facts” surrounding Crowley’s firing. For example, earlier this week, United Firefighters of L.A. President Freddy Escobar claimed there weren’t enough working engines on the morning of the fire. However, the mayor refuted that claim on Wednesday morning to KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos, saying that there were 40 fire engines in working order that were not used.

Nearly 60,000 University of California workers walked off the job Wednesday as a multi-day strike began over wages, staffing shortages and working conditions. Two different labor unions are leading the strikes — around 37,000 UC service and patient care workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME) will hold a two-day strike, with picketing taking place at all 10 UC campuses and at UC medical facilities statewide. Nearly 20,000 UC healthcare, research and technical workers represented by the University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119 (UPTE-CWA) will hold a three-day strike. The overlapping strikes could have significant consequences for patients and affect operations at hospitals, clinics and research facilities. AFSCME’s contract with the university expired in 2024 and negotiations on a new deal have been ongoing for the past year. UPTE-CWA’s contract expired at the end of October 2024, and negotiations have been ongoing for eight months, according to the union. “We want a fair contract,” said Jesse Hernandez, a UC worker on strike. “That’s all we’re asking for — nothing more, nothing less.” Members of University Professional and

Trump picks Chavez-DeRemer for Labor sec. President-elect Donald Trump picks Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor secretary 02:12 Washington — Former GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination to lead the Labor Department under President Trump is all but certain to be advanced Thursday with the help of Democrats.  The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is set to vote Thursday morning to consider moving her nomination forward.  Facing opposition from Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican member of the committee, Chavez-DeRemer’s path to confirmation once appeared in doubt. Paul had said he would oppose her because of her previous support for pro-labor policies.  Chavez-DeRemer was one of only three Republicans who supported the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, in the last Congress, which did not advance past introduction. The bill would have made it easier for workers to unionize. During her confirmation hearing last week, the former lawmaker addressed her prior support for the bill, saying it was “imperfect” and she backs right-to-work laws, which allow workers to choose whether or not to join a union.  Without Paul, Chavez-DeRemer needs at

A Lompoc brewery is making some changes in an effort to grow with demand. In a social media post, Cold Coast Brewing Company says theyre shifting their license to operate as a tavern. The change will allow them to update brewing equipment, get another cold storage unit and, down the road, a canning line, so they can become stronger and be able to distribute. Tasting room manager Nathan Navarro says in the meantime, theyll be selling and serving beers from other breweries at their Ocean Avenue location. Navarro says the change is a positive one, giving people more options. He also is hoping more people find out about their brewery. That way, when we go back to brewing, they already know about us,” he said. Cold Coast Brewery has been able to brew more than 80 beers depending on available ingredients. Our flagships are usually the tropical IPA, cold classic, the double IPA. We are going to be keeping the cold classic, the tropical IPA, and our salty, our Salty Boy, which is, just a non-flavored seltzer that we put some syrup in and, like

Scammers are getting smarter, but you can stay one step ahead. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving the Tri-Counties, in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is hosting a free educational webinar on March 4 at 11 a.m. “Unmasking Impostor Scams: Key Strategies to Protect Yourself” is a webinar that will teach attendees how to spot and avoid scams, protect their identity, and safeguard their finances. Experts will share real-life case studies and provide practical tips to help businesses and consumers recognize red flags. Richard Copelan with the BBB said the event will be particularly useful for small business owners who are often targeted by fraudsters. You risk losing everything financially if scammers get ahold of your financial information, Copelan said. Theres also the issue of a data breach. A business could have its data held for ransom. I recently had a colleague go through that, and it was an absolute nightmare. Its shocking how much detail scammers can gather about you and your employees through a data breach. Registration is now open at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3972165420219669343. The webinar is free, but space is limited. WATCH:

Three people were killed in a fiery crash Wednesday involving four vehicles that closed multiple lanes of the Riverside (91) Freeway in Anaheim Hills. California Highway Patrol officers were called to the eastbound freeway and the Coal Canyon Road off-ramp around 12:50 a.m. Wednesday and found the victims and the vehicles, CHP Officer Sergio Rivera said. An Infiniti sedan was stopped in the No. 2 lane of the freeway for an unknown reason, causing a Honda to also stop before a Hyundai slammed into the rear of the Honda, which burst into flames, killing the three occupants, Rivera said. A Toyota passing by also sustained some minor damage, he added. The other drivers complained of pain, but otherwise there were no other serious injuries besides the three who were killed. It will take time for investigators to confirm the identities of those killed in the Honda, Rivera said. The CHP issued a Sigalert that closed all lanes of the 91 Freeway for several hours while they investigated the cause of the crash.

A former top state oil regulator can proceed with retaliation claims in a lawsuit in which he says he was forced out by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for objecting to orders that he implement a law that was about to be placed on hold because of an industry-funded voter referendum. Former State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk alleges in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought in September 2023 that he was forced to resign a little more than a week after filing a whistleblower complaint with the state Department of Conservation that also raised concerns about the legality of a plan to halt all new drilling permits statewide without the proper authority. Judge Gail Killefer heard arguments on the Attorney General’s Office’s dismissal motion Friday, took the case under submission and issued her final ruling Tuesday. The judge did dismiss Ntuk’s causes of action for wrongful and constructive termination as well as whistleblower protection and state Labor Code violations. Ntuk is a former engineer with Chevron whose oil-field moratoriums and other actions drew strong criticism from oil and gas producers. The suit deals

It’s a new category of the ultra-rich: the Superbillionaire. According to The Wall Street Journal, there are now two dozen people in the world whose net worth is at least $50 billion. So, who’s on the list? Obviously, Elon Musk is on top. He has a net worth of about $419 billion, which is—wait for it—more than two million times as much as the typical American household. Also on the list is Jeff Bezos, who is worth $264 billion; Mark Zuckerberg, who is worth $221 billion and Google’s Sergey Brin, who is worth $160 billion. None of these names are a big surprise. The Wall Street Journal, though, notes that the ultra-rich in the 19th and 20th centuries were industrialists. We’re talking about the Carnegies and the Rockefellers: people who built railroads, steel plants and oil wells. ‘Economic blackout’ planned for Friday: What it aims to accomplish Today’s ultra-rich are basically all in the tech sector, and moreover they’re not building things. Their wealth affixed entirely to the stock price of their related companies, which means their wealth can vacillate by tens of billions of

Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who left a pedestrian in critical condition in Boyle Heights. On Feb. 5, the victim, a 49-year-old man, was crossing 1st Street, west of Fresno Street shortly before 9 p.m. As he crossed the road, an oncoming Honda Odyssey minivan struck the man, leaving him in critical condition. Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver in an older model Honda Odyssey who left a pedestrian in critical condition in Boyle Heights on Feb. 5, 2025. (Los Angeles Police Department) Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver in an older model Honda Odyssey who left a pedestrian in critical condition in Boyle Heights on Feb. 5, 2025. (Los Angeles Police Department) Surveillance footage from the Los Angeles Police Department showed the driver did not stop to check on the injured man and instead, continued speeding away. Paramedics transported the man to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition. The suspect’s vehicle is a silver, older model (1999-2004) Honda Odyssey. A reward of up to $25,000 is available to anyone who provides information leading to the suspect’s identification

A man from Orange County faces federal charges for allegedly biting the finger of an immigration officer who arrested him in downtown Los Angeles. It happened around 9:50 a.m. Tuesday at the United States Federal Building located at 300 North Los Angeles St., according to a partially redacted affidavit released by the United States Department of Justice. Maksim Zaitsev, 35, of Costa Mesa, was with his wife when he was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the courthouse on a warrant from the Department of Homeland Security. Zaitsev, a Russian national, had received a letter the previous week telling him to appear for a case review at the Los Angeles ICE office. The DOJ says that Zaitsev was detained and handcuffed when he arrived for his appointment. As the ICE agents walked him down a hallway to be taken for processing, Zaitsev allegedly became agitated and resisted, calling out to his wife as he dropped his weight to the ground. An Orange County man is accused of attempting to bite off an ICE officers finger during an arrest in downtown

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious — but preventable — respiratory disease since 2015. The school-aged child had been hospitalized and died Tuesday night amid the widespread outbreak, Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. Since it began last month, a rash of 124 cases has erupted across nine counties. The Texas Department of State Health Services and Lubbock health officials confirmed the death to The Associated Press. The child wasn’t identified but was treated at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, though the facility noted the patient didn’t live in Lubbock County. “This is a big deal,” Dr. Amy Thompson, a pediatrician and chief executive officer of Covenant Health, said Wednesday at a news conference. “We have known that we have measles in our community, and we are now seeing a very serious consequence.” In federal response, RFK Jr. appears to misstate several facts Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official and a vaccine critic, said Wednesday that the U.S.

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