Latest news with #LosAngelesCountyPublicWorks
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former La Cañada Flintridge official charged with insurance fraud, embezzlement
A former La Cañada Flintridge assistant city manager is facing embezzlement and insurance fraud charges for allegedly stealing nearly $200,000 in proceeds from insurance claims paid to the city, Los Angeles County prosecutors said Thursday. Carl F. Alameda, 44, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to 11 felony counts of embezzlement and 23 counts of insurance fraud, according to prosecutors. If convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 33 years in state prison. Alameda could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday. Prosecutors allege that between 2016 and 2022, Alameda sent demand letters to insurance companies using city letterhead requesting reimbursement for accidents or property damage caused by insured drivers in La Cañada Flintridge. Authorities allege he falsified invoices and asked for payments to be sent to an address he provided. Alameda allegedly deposited checks totaling $193,086 from the insurance companies into his personal bank account, prosecutors said. "It is a major disservice and betrayal of trust when public officials place their own selfish interests over the communities they serve,' Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a prepared statement. 'It undermines faith in our government and sends the wrong message to the public that the people who are supposed to be working for you are corrupt and stealing from you.' La Cañada Flintridge officials first learned of the accusations from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department when they launched an investigation triggered by "suspicious checks" that were arriving at the Los Angeles County Public Works office, according to a city statement. Alameda was placed on leave and in April 2023 ended his employment with La Cañada Flintridge, according to the city. "The City has modified our internal controls to address the scenarios that allowed the alleged financial crimes to take place. Importantly, subsequent audits have thoroughly reviewed our strengthened financial controls," City Manager Dan Jordan said in a statement. Several months after leaving La Cañada Flintridge, Alameda took a job as assistant city manager in Ojai. He was placed on paid administrative leave from that city on Thursday, Ojai officials said. "The City is also conducting its own internal financial audit to ensure there was no financial misconduct through his role as Ojai Assistant City Manager and prior service as Acting City Manager," the city wrote in a prepared statement. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Altadena residents say county is failing to help them clear mounds of debris from recent storms
Some Altadena residents say that the recent mudslides and debris flows have only compounded onto issues they've already been dealing with, even since before the Eaton Fire in January. The plies of mud are an unfortunately common sight in the area after the series of storms that Southern California has faced in the last few weeks. Residents say it's been much longer than that time period, however, that they've been waiting for help from county leaders. "It's not sustainable," said Isabel Chan. "Every time it rains, we have to do this." Though she and her family live off of a privately owned road, the mud and debris flows that flood their property during almost every rainstorm come from public property just above the Altadena Crest Trail. As such, the Los Angeles County Public Works should be responsible for cleaning up the mess, and working to prevent further instances. They've asked on multiple occasions, but thus far have not received any help. "It was a lot of money to deal with insurance, all that stress, and then a month later this happened again," Chan said. She's one of many, including her neighbor Christine, who have had to deal with the issue on their own. "For my part, the debris removal was $4,000. For Christine, it was a lot more significant. Now we have to do this again." In the area behind the homes the path of mudflows and mudslides is much more evident, with a long path leading directly into the neighborhood below. People who live there say the county could level the trail in a way that allows future flows to divert towards county owned property, instead of their properties. They say that they've been raising the issue since well before the wildfires broke out in January. "There is a solution." said Christine. "Just do it. You know, simple as that." As they continue to wait, they're doing what they can to protect their homes, including lining sandbags, installing fencing and barriers and monitoring hillsides around their homes if anything goes wrong. "It's overwhelming stress," Chan said. Team Rubicon, a local volunteer group, has agreed to step up and help neighbors clear the mud as a long-term solution is sought.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What causes mudslides, and what can be done to lessen the danger?
Mudslides are dangerous torrents that are usually referred to by geologists and first responders as debris flows. They have been particularly lethal in parts of California where landscape, climate, weather and geology can combine to make them more likely. California has worked to add tools to protect against mudslides, including pinpointing hot spots, creating basins and placing nets to capture falling debris before it hits homes. Why is California prone to mudslides? See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. California has relatively young mountains from a geology standpoint, meaning much of its steep terrain is still in motion and covered in loose rocks and soil that can be sloughed off easily, especially when the ground is wet, according to geologists. Severe drought can be a problem, too. Experts say that when hard rains fall on extremely dry and hard-packed soil, it can rush downhill and pick up energy, carrying soil and debris away. And wildfires — an increasing problem across the West — can leave hillsides with little to no vegetation to hold the soil in place. What are the most vulnerable areas? The areas most at risk are on or near hillsides that have burned in recent years, with little or no vegetation left to hold soil in place. Burning vegetation and soil on a slope more than doubles the rate of water runoff, according to the California Department of Conservation, and there have been severe events over the years. On Jan. 9, 2018, intense rain fell on a weeks-old wildfire burn scar in the mountains above Montecito on the Santa Barbara County coast, unleashing huge torrents that tore through the community, killing 23 people and destroying or damaging hundreds of homes. In 1934 a storm over the Southern California mountains unleashed runoff so intense that 30 people were killed, more than 480 homes were destroyed. And on Christmas Day in 2003, rain over fire-scarred mountains unleashed a debris flow that killed 16 people who had gathered at a church facility in a canyon. What can be done to protect communities? One of the best ways to manage landslides is with debris basins — pits carved out of the landscape to catch material flowing downhill that the U.S. Geological Survey says can reach speeds exceeding 35 mph (56 kph). Often located at the mouths of canyons, the basins collect debris while allowing water to continue downstream, according to Los Angeles County Public Works. This prevents blockages of the storm drain system but requires the removal of sediment from the basins, something that can take days or months depending on their size. But basins, which can require a lot of land, can also disrupt the natural ecosystem and lead to beaches needing to be replenished by collecting sediment that flows out of the canyons, according to experts. They're also costly — Santa Barbara County spent $20 million on a new basin after 2018 — and must be emptied occasionally or they can be overwhelmed by new landslides or mudslides. After the 2018 mudslides hit Montecito, the Los Angeles Times reported that debris basins above the community were undersized and hadn't been sufficiently emptied. The community raised millions to address the problem, hiring an engineering company to map the canyons and install debris nets. The California Department of Conservation runs a geological and landslide mapping team that seeks to identify hot spots, and continually updates its map so local communities can make decisions including potential evacuations. Experts say agencies use a variety of tools to gauge the likelihood of landslides in a given area, including terrain maps and lidar – pulsed light from lasers to penetrate foliage to see the ground. Then they can watch for early warnings, such as changes over time in photos taken from the air, or from satellites, or in data from GPS monitoring stations, tilt meters and or other on-site instrumentation. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
What causes mudslides, and what can be done to lessen the danger?
Mudslides are dangerous torrents that are usually referred to by geologists and first responders as debris flows. They have been particularly lethal in parts of California where landscape, climate, weather and geology can combine to make them more likely. California has worked to add tools to protect against mudslides, including pinpointing hot spots, creating basins and placing nets to capture falling debris before it hits homes. Why is California prone to mudslides? California has relatively young mountains from a geology standpoint, meaning much of its steep terrain is still in motion and covered in loose rocks and soil that can be sloughed off easily, especially when the ground is wet, according to geologists. Severe drought can be a problem, too. Experts say that when hard rains fall on extremely dry and hard-packed soil, it can rush downhill and pick up energy, carrying soil and debris away. And wildfires — an increasing problem across the West — can leave hillsides with little to no vegetation to hold the soil in place. What are the most vulnerable areas? The areas most at risk are on or near hillsides that have burned in recent years, with little or no vegetation left to hold soil in place. Burning vegetation and soil on a slope more than doubles the rate of water runoff, according to the California Department of Conservation, and there have been severe events over the years. On Jan. 9, 2018, intense rain fell on a weeks-old wildfire burn scar in the mountains above Montecito on the Santa Barbara County coast, unleashing huge torrents that tore through the community, killing 23 people and destroying or damaging hundreds of homes. In 1934 a storm over the Southern California mountains unleashed runoff so intense that 30 people were killed, more than 480 homes were destroyed. And on Christmas Day in 2003, rain over fire-scarred mountains unleashed a debris flow that killed 16 people who had gathered at a church facility in a canyon. What can be done to protect communities? One of the best ways to manage landslides is with debris basins — pits carved out of the landscape to catch material flowing downhill that the U.S. Geological Survey says can reach speeds exceeding 35 mph (56 kph). Often located at the mouths of canyons, the basins collect debris while allowing water to continue downstream, according to Los Angeles County Public Works. This prevents blockages of the storm drain system but requires the removal of sediment from the basins, something that can take days or months depending on their size. But basins, which can require a lot of land, can also disrupt the natural ecosystem and lead to beaches needing to be replenished by collecting sediment that flows out of the canyons, according to experts. They're also costly — Santa Barbara County spent $20 million on a new basin after 2018 — and must be emptied occasionally or they can be overwhelmed by new landslides or mudslides. After the 2018 mudslides hit Montecito, the Los Angeles Times reported that debris basins above the community were undersized and hadn't been sufficiently emptied. The community raised millions to address the problem, hiring an engineering company to map the canyons and install debris nets. The California Department of Conservation runs a geological and landslide mapping team that seeks to identify hot spots, and continually updates its map so local communities can make decisions including potential evacuations. Experts say agencies use a variety of tools to gauge the likelihood of landslides in a given area, including terrain maps and lidar – pulsed light from lasers to penetrate foliage to see the ground. Then they can watch for early warnings, such as changes over time in photos taken from the air, or from satellites, or in data from GPS monitoring stations, tilt meters and or other on-site instrumentation. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
13-02-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
What causes mudslides, and what can be done to lessen the danger?
Mudslides are dangerous torrents that are usually referred to by geologists and first responders as debris flows. They have been particularly lethal in parts of California where landscape, climate, weather and geology can combine to make them more likely. California has worked to add tools to protect against mudslides, including pinpointing hot spots, creating basins and placing nets to capture falling debris before it hits homes. Why is California prone to mudslides? California has relatively young mountains from a geology standpoint, meaning much of its steep terrain is still in motion and covered in loose rocks and soil that can be sloughed off easily, especially when the ground is wet, according to geologists. Severe drought can be a problem, too. Experts say that when hard rains fall on extremely dry and hard-packed soil, it can rush downhill and pick up energy, carrying soil and debris away. And wildfires — an increasing problem across the West — can leave hillsides with little to no vegetation to hold the soil in place. What are the most vulnerable areas? The areas most at risk are on or near hillsides that have burned in recent years, with little or no vegetation left to hold soil in place. Burning vegetation and soil on a slope more than doubles the rate of water runoff, according to the California Department of Conservation, and there have been severe events over the years. On Jan. 9, 2018, intense rain fell on a weeks-old wildfire burn scar in the mountains above Montecito on the Santa Barbara County coast, unleashing huge torrents that tore through the community, killing 23 people and destroying or damaging hundreds of homes. In 1934 a storm over the Southern California mountains unleashed runoff so intense that 30 people were killed, more than 480 homes were destroyed. And on Christmas Day in 2003, rain over fire-scarred mountains unleashed a debris flow that killed 16 people who had gathered at a church facility in a canyon. What can be done to protect communities? One of the best ways to manage landslides is with debris basins — pits carved out of the landscape to catch material flowing downhill that the U.S. Geological Survey says can reach speeds exceeding 35 mph (56 kph). Often located at the mouths of canyons, the basins collect debris while allowing water to continue downstream, according to Los Angeles County Public Works. This prevents blockages of the storm drain system but requires the removal of sediment from the basins, something that can take days or months depending on their size. But basins, which can require a lot of land, can also disrupt the natural ecosystem and lead to beaches needing to be replenished by collecting sediment that flows out of the canyons, according to experts. They're also costly — Santa Barbara County spent $20 million on a new basin after 2018 — and must be emptied occasionally or they can be overwhelmed by new landslides or mudslides. After the 2018 mudslides hit Montecito, the Los Angeles Times reported that debris basins above the community were undersized and hadn't been sufficiently emptied. The community raised millions to address the problem, hiring an engineering company to map the canyons and install debris nets. The California Department of Conservation runs a geological and landslide mapping team that seeks to identify hot spots, and continually updates its map so local communities can make decisions including potential evacuations. Experts say agencies use a variety of tools to gauge the likelihood of landslides in a given area, including terrain maps and lidar – pulsed light from lasers to penetrate foliage to see the ground. Then they can watch for early warnings, such as changes over time in photos taken from the air, or from satellites, or in data from GPS monitoring stations, tilt meters and or other on-site instrumentation. ___
