Misleading claims and falsehoods about water and firefighting resources – including from President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire backer Elon Musk – distracted from the unprecedented conditions that left Los Angeles primed for the most destructive fire in its history.
Los Angeles fires January 2025
Posted inPolitics & Policy
L.A. fires underscore how much California has to lose if Trump withholds disaster aid
The federal government typically covers 75% of rebuilding costs after a major disaster. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to withhold firefighting money from California.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County firefighters help battle raging Palisades blaze
Cal Fire firefighters from the San Mateo-Santa Cruz and Santa Clara units have traveled to Los Angeles County to fight the Palisades fire, which started Tuesday morning and had burned nearly 16,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon. Cal Fire CZU Unit Chief Jed Wilson said local fire risk is currently low, and that the personnel remaining at area stations should be adequate with the current risk level.
Posted inLatest News
Too wet and too dry: The enormous north-south gap in California’s rain
Some Northern California cities have been soaked with almost twice their average rainfall, while southern cities are bone-dry. This season’s huge — possibly unprecedented — disparity works in favor of the state’s water supplies.