Latest news with #SalvadorHernandez
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: What good are laws on cellphone use while driving if no one enforces them?
To the editor: Staff writer Salvador Hernandez's piece on drivers utilizing cell maps on their phones warns us of consequences should a driver be caught holding their device ('Holding your cellphone while driving for navigation is illegal, California court rules,' June 5). Unfortunately, many still use their cellphones while driving in lieu of Bluetooth earbuds. Others, I have witnessed, will stop at nothing to continue to text as they are driving. Police continue to look the other way, cell maps or not. Besides, I have noticed a cop or two on their phones, so if there's no enforcement by officers, then by whose standards is anyone breaking the law? Liz Brown, West Hills
Los Angeles Times
28-03-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
What to know about L.A. fires' toxic slow burn
Good morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day. The flames were extinguished nearly two months ago, but the long-term public health effects from the Palisades and Eaton fires will be a slow burn. As the devastating blazes consumed homes, businesses, cars and more, they also torched the hazardous chemicals and metal those properties contained. Toxic ash — which may include cancer-causing arsenic and brain-damaging lead — filled the air and settled into the soil in and around the burn zones. As health experts and local leaders work to determine the exposure levels of first responders and affected communities, they're contending with the pressures of rebuilding quickly and a controversial decision by federal officials. Tested firefighters had elevated toxins in their systems Researchers shared early results from what's expected to be a ten-year study into the L.A. fires. The team, which includes scientists and researchers from Harvard, UCLA, UC Davis and USC, took blood samples from 20 firefighters from Northern California who traveled to help contain both blazes. The results showed that the firefighters 'had levels of lead and mercury in their blood that was significantly higher than what health experts consider to be safe,' Times reporter Salvador Hernandez wrote this week. The Northern California crews also had lead and mercury in their systems at levels three and five times higher, respectively, than a control group of firefighters who fought a forest fire alone, Dr. Kari Nadeau, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Salvador. 'Researchers are still looking to expand the number of firefighters in the study, as well as the range of toxins they may have been exposed to,' Salvador reported. 'Nevertheless, even these limited and preliminary findings bolster a growing worry among firefighters that the L.A. fires may have exposed them to metals and chemicals with long-term health effects.' Dave Gillotte, a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and president of the Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014, told Salvador that firefighters could face long-term health impacts similar to what 9/11 first responders have suffered in the decades after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Fears of toxic soil meet rush to rebuild The rebuilding effort in Altadena and L.A.'s Pacific Palisades neighborhood is underway. But the optics of resilience are at odds with calls for caution among health experts and some elected officials concerned that the federal operation to get dangerous materials out of the ground has been rushed or inadequate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is managing the initial cleanup effort, but sparked controversy last month when they announced that federal agencies won't test the soil after clearing debris and removing a 6-inch layer of topsoil on affected properties. As my colleague Tony Briscoe explained, that decision '[breaks] with a long-standing practice that was intended to ensure that homes and schools don't still contain excessive levels of harmful chemicals after environmental disasters such as a wildfire.' 'FEMA encouraged state and local officials to pay for soil testing, if they believe it's necessary,' Tony noted. 'So far, no state or local plans for soil testing have been unveiled.' A group of eight federal lawmakers from California are challenging the agency's decision. 'FEMA's refusal to test for toxins in the soil after wildfire cleanup in Los Angeles County is unacceptable,' U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) said in a statement. 'Families deserve to know their homes are safe and free of dangerous chemicals. This … risks exposing entire communities to long-term health threats.' Some residents are also concerned that L.A. city and county officials' decision to not require soil testing when issuing most rebuilding permits increases the risk that residents and workers will be exposed to toxic chemicals. The Los Angeles Unified School District meanwhile said they are paying out of pocket for soil testing on their three campuses damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire. One rebuilding expert told Tony a lack of testing could impact property owners' ability to hire contractors, especially if the process is left to thousands of individuals. In the middle of a neighborhood that survived the fire, a cleanup operation brings fear RFK Jr. makes sweeping cuts in federal health programs, including the CDC and the FDA What else is going on Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here. A pediatrician's dilemma: Should a practice kick out unvaccinated kids? 'Dismissal' policies were once discouraged, both because pediatricians have a duty to care for all their young patients, and because some anti-vaccine parents can be convinced over time to change their minds. But in 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics came up with new guidance: Vaccines against preventable diseases like the measles were so important that if, after repeated attempts, a pediatrician couldn't convince a parent to get their child immunized, a practice could righteously kick them out. Other must reads How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Going out Staying in April Fools' Day is next week and we want to hear from us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter. Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they're important to you. Today's great photo is from Times photographer Robert Gauthier, who photographed an aerial view of the Dodgers' offseason renovations to their home clubhouse. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Ryan Fonseca, reporterAndrew Campa, Sunday reporterKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorHunter Clauss, multiplatform editorStephanie Chavez, deputy metro editorKarim Doumar, head of newsletters Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Los Angeles Times
30-01-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
What we know about Edison and the Eaton fire
Good morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day. Southern California Edison is under familiar scrutiny as investigators work to determine whether the utility's equipment sparked the deadly Eaton fire earlier this month. Edison provides power for millions of residents in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and a dozen other counties in the Golden State. The company has been found at fault for a few major wildfires in Southern California in recent years, including the 2017 Thomas fire and 2018's Woolsey fire. Now, facing multiple lawsuits from homeowners and a temporary restraining order, Edison has revealed more information about its equipment as investigators focus on an electrical transmission tower that may hold answers. Residents reported seeing flames at the base of the tower perched above Eaton Canyon, visible in photos and videos shared online. Two days after the fire started, the utility company reported that an early analysis showed 'no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire.' But this week, SCE told state regulators that power lines over Eaton Canyon saw a surge in current just before the fire was first reported. The utility stated that a fault in a line about five miles away sent the increased current across its lines over Eaton Canyon. 'That equipment is now part of an expanded court order for Edison to preserve data and hardware that could shed some light as to what exactly caused the deadly blaze,' Times reporter Salvador Hernandez wrote this week. Critics say the delay in reporting the surge to investigators only raises more questions. 'They had a duty to tell the regulator,' Loretta Lynch, former president of the California Public Utilities Commission, told Salvador. 'They either didn't know, which should strike fear in the heart of every Californian that the utility didn't know that their system failed, or they did know, and the question is why didn't they say.' Edison wants ratepayers to cover the cost of damages for its role in previous wildfires. The state Public Utilities Commission is meeting today (Thursday) and will consider Edison's request to bill its customers to cover the cost of the $1.6 billion in damages it paid to victims of the deadly 2017 Thomas fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The commission will hear a similar request from Edison at a later meeting to allow it to charge ratepayers for the $5.4 billion in damages it paid out after being found liable for the 2018 Woolsey fire in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. 'If both measures are approved, Edison customers will have a roughly 2% surcharge on their bills for the next 30 years, according to regulatory documents,' The Times' Melody Petersen explained. 'That means the average monthly bill for a residential customer, now $177, would rise to $181.' Edison's equipment ignited both wildfires, investigations found. Edison also violated multiple state safety regulations and impeded investigations, according to utility regulators. More recently, federal officials have accused Edison of withholding evidence that implicated its equipment as the cause of 2017's Creek fire. The company has denied the accusation and that it was responsible for that 2017 blaze. What about the Palisades fire? The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is leading the investigation into what caused the deadly fire in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, but it appears to be more of a mystery at this point. The probe has centered on a popular hiking trail where the blaze is believed to have started on the morning of Jan. 7. 'Investigators have scoured each part of the trail and hillside, breaking it down into a grid,' my colleagues Richard Winton and Hannah Fry reported this week. 'They have examined 250 leads, obtained 90 hours of relevant video and conducted 50 interviews.' Sources with knowledge of the probe told Richard and Hannah that the fire appears to have human origins, and they have two leading theories. Theory one: The fire was a reignition of a small brush fire that started on New Year's Eve and was knocked down in the same general area. Fire officials believe that earlier blaze was sparked by holiday fireworks. Theory two: The fire was entirely separate and started on Jan. 7 in a so-far unknown way. 'The ATF is seeking to issue a report on the cause of the fire in about 60 days,' they wrote. 'That would be considerably faster than for the deadly August 2023 fire on the Hawaiian island of Maui, which took a year. But that may depend on whether more sophisticated tests are needed back at the bureau's Maryland fire lab.' Waymo is getting ready to tackle Los Angeles' freeways. How have the robotaxis fared so far? Immigration arrests in churches? Some clergy say not so fast A Trump executive order seeks to defund providers of gender transition care for youth What else is going on Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here. Your next great bottle of wine might come from this under-the-radar California region. The Santa Cruz Mountain range has long been a region for growing Burgundy grape varieties but fell off the radar in recent decades. Now, a new generation of winemakers is leading a revolution that's helping to redefine California wine. Other must reads How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Going out Staying in Bronwyn Jamrok writes: 'It wasn't nominated, but I think 'Sing Sing' was the best movie of the year. It was inspiring, relatable, realistic, and beautiful. I think many Americans will have a hard time relating to many of the best picture nominees, and it's too bad that the Academy won't draw more viewers in with this is gorgeous human story. It's also too bad that 'Sing Sing' wasn't widely distributed. My fingers are crossed for Colman Domingo to win best actor.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. On Jan. 30, 1972, the front page of the Los Angeles Times featured a story about California becoming one of the first states to adopt the use of street signs with symbols instead of words. Their introduction on freeways and local streets was part of a changeover to the simplified international method of symbol signing. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Ryan Fonseca, reporterDefne Karabatur, fellowAndrew Campa, Sunday reporterKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorHunter Clauss, multiplatform editorChristian Orozco, assistant editorStephanie Chavez, deputy metro editorKarim Doumar, head of newsletters Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
