I'm currently covering the L.A. region and some of the big events that define it, from recovery after the Los Angeles fires to preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games. I also look at how Angelenos engage with the economy, their communities and the region.
Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report.
Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to implement a set of recommendations aimed at improving emergency alerts and evacuations in the aftermath ofduring the devastating fires. The report highlights fragmented communication with the public, antiquated and ineffective technology and severe understaffing in the county's Office of Emergency Management. Those failures — combined with historically strong winds in a region that hadn’t seen significant rain in about eight months — were magnified by multiple simultaneous fires that stretched overtaxed agencies, the report said. In a 5-0 vote, the board also directed the county chief executive to look into restructuring the Office of Emergency Management, one of the report’s key recommendations. "The Eaton and Palisades Fires were not isolated events — they were harbingers of a new era of climate-driven disasters," the motion from supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath reads in part."Los Angeles County must act now to modernize its emergency infrastructure."FOMO? We take you inside the sold-out Cake Picnic in Santa Monica The meeting offered a replay of the county's response in the hours and days after the fires that sparked Jan. 7. Consultants with the McChrystal Group, the contractor tasked by the county to produce the report, presented timelapse maps of the spread of both fires and the corresponding evacuation zones. The county sheriff and fire chief also addressed the board, painting a picture of agencies desperately in need of updated equipment and better communication to address L.A.'s next big disaster. Supervisor Holly Mitchell questioned how the county should prioritize the laundry list of costly changes the report calls for.Several other after-action reports, which typically come with lengthy lists of recommendations, are also in the works, supervisors heard Tuesday. Those reports’ topics will include evacuations of people with disabilities, as well as recovery and repopulation; plus state reports with detailed timelines of the fires and a comprehensive review of the response. The board's motion focuses specifically on the Office of Emergency Management, which currently runs out of the county CEO's office. OEM, as it is known, is responsible for planning for and responding to emergencies in the county, but it has a staff of just 37 people and no operating budget, according to the after-action report. San Diego County has 43 employees in a similar role, according to a comparison in the report. New York City has more than 200. The after-action report called L.A. County's emergency preparedness staffing “fundamentally inadequate" for its"complex emergency management needs.” The supervisors' motion directs the county CEO to produce a report on how to restructure OEM as its own county department, akin to the Fire Department or theAfter-action report finds 'outdated, unclear and contradictory' alerts hampered Eaton Fire evacuationsDespite three 911 calls, two homebound disabled men died in the Eaton Fire waiting for rescueThe 132-page report ran through the county's emergency response protocols and holes in its systems, but it was missing input from non-county agencies that helped with the fire response. The report's authors interviewed several county agencies, but other key agencies that were involved in fire response declined to participate, including the Los Angeles police and fire departments, the fire departments of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Erin Sutton, a partner with McChrystal Group, told the supervisors Tuesday that lack of participation limited the scope of the report.Barger and Horvath, who represent the districts affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires, were frustrated by that. "I am incredibly disappointed," Barger said, noting that the report was supposed to be a blueprint for the county."I feel that this report then is lacking in areas that would provide maybe answers to some of these questions.". That report found that the alert sent to nearly 10 million people across L.A. County on Jan. 9 was the result of a technological glitch.According to the report, there was a validated report of fire in west Altadena as early as 12:55 a.m on Jan. 8. L.A. County Fire personnel reported that the fire appeared to be moving west across Lake Avenue at 2:18 a.m. But evacuation orders in west Altadena weren't issued until 3:25 a.m., according to the report.The supervisors set rolling deadlines for the county CEO’s reports on the restructuring of the Office of Emergency Management, the first being in 60 days. That puts the initial reports back to the board into late November. As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone. Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us. We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community. Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.After-action report finds 'outdated, unclear and contradictory' alerts hampered Eaton Fire evacuations The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems.The list of venues for the 2028 LA Olympic Games has changed. Here's what you need to knowAs Black surfers return for competition and community in Huntington Beach, an LAist editor finds her wave 'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach.Jimmy Kimmel responds to suspension: 'To silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American’ Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk.After weeks of warm and muggy weather in SoCal, rain is coming, followed by a cool down Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain.Thousands of once-secret police records are now public. Here’s how you can use themLA’s legal cannabis owners say multi-million dollar program to give them a hand up, instead left ‘complete debt and devastation’
Eaton Fire La County Supervisors Office Of Emergency Management Palisades Fire West Altadena
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Travis County ESD 1 crew contains 18.5-acre wildfire in Bastrop CountyTravis County Emergency Services District 1 (ESD 1) crews responded to an 18.5-acre wildfire in Bastrop County on Monday.
Read more »
Woman violently arrested by Solano County sheriff’s deputies secures $17 million settlement with countyA woman who was knocked unconscious and arrested by two sheriff’s deputies in Northern California after stopping to change drivers during a family trip in 2020 has reached a $17 million settlement …
Read more »
LA County supervisors review after-action report on January wildfiresThe Board of Supervisors met Tuesday to discuss the after-action report on alert notifications and evacuation policies during the January wildfires.
Read more »
Justice Department Sues Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Over Concealed Carry Permit DelaysThe Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Robert Luna, alleging systematic delays in issuing concealed carry permits to law-abiding citizens, violating Second Amendment rights. The DOJ claims the LASD created a pattern of obstruction, with significant application backlogs and delays far exceeding California law requirements. The lawsuit follows an investigation launched in March.
Read more »
Justice Department files lawsuit against Los Angeles County Sheriff in support of gun owners seeking permitsThe lawsuit alleges the sheriff's department infringed on the Second Amendment rights of citizens who were seeking to obtain concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits.
Read more »
Los Dodgers sienten la urgencia de llevar otro título de la Serie Mundial a Los ÁngelesLos Dodgers llegan a la serie de comodines contra los Reds en una situación diferente a la que vivieron durante la Serie Mundial de 2024, pero las expectativas siguen siendo las mismas.
Read more »