Latest news with #TimMcOsker
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘We feared the worst': 31 construction workers rescued after LA tunnel collapse
Thirty-one construction workers inside a huge industrial tunnel in Los Angeles made it to safety after a portion of it collapsed Wednesday evening, an outcome officials called a blessing after they initially feared much worse. The cave-in appears to have occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles (8km) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles in, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which is in charge of the nearly $700m project. The workers were about 400ft (121 meters) underground. Authorities were still investigating the cause, Chee said. The workers scrambled over loose soil more than 12ft high to reach the tunnel boring machine and then were transported back to the opening. Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None of those rescued had major injuries, authorities said. Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls and then her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked. 'It was sad and scary,' she said in Spanish. 'We feared the worst.' After an hour, she managed to get through to one brother who told her they had to squeeze through a tight space to get out. 'My brother was crying,' she said. 'He told me he thought he was going to die underground.' LA city council member Tim McOsker praised the workers for keeping cool heads. 'This is a highly technical, difficult project. And they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to secure themselves,' he said. 'Thank goodness for the good people that were down in the tunnel.' The mayor, Karen Bass, said at a news conference that she met with some of the workers. 'I know when we raced down here I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy. Instead, what we found was victory,' Bass said. 'All of the men that were in that tunnel, rescued, up, safe.' The tunnel is being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way. The structure is 18ft wide and will be 7 miles long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles county to the Pacific Ocean. Work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe, authorities said.
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘We feared the worst': 31 construction workers rescued after LA tunnel collapse
Thirty-one construction workers inside a huge industrial tunnel in Los Angeles made it to safety after a portion of it collapsed Wednesday evening, an outcome officials called a blessing after they initially feared much worse. The cave-in appears to have occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles (8km) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles in, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which is in charge of the nearly $700m project. The workers were about 400ft (121 meters) underground. Authorities were still investigating the cause, Chee said. The workers scrambled over loose soil more than 12ft high to reach the tunnel boring machine and then were transported back to the opening. Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None of those rescued had major injuries, authorities said. Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls and then her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked. 'It was sad and scary,' she said in Spanish. 'We feared the worst.' After an hour, she managed to get through to one brother who told her they had to squeeze through a tight space to get out. 'My brother was crying,' she said. 'He told me he thought he was going to die underground.' LA city council member Tim McOsker praised the workers for keeping cool heads. 'This is a highly technical, difficult project. And they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to secure themselves,' he said. 'Thank goodness for the good people that were down in the tunnel.' The mayor, Karen Bass, said at a news conference that she met with some of the workers. 'I know when we raced down here I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy. Instead, what we found was victory,' Bass said. 'All of the men that were in that tunnel, rescued, up, safe.' The tunnel is being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way. The structure is 18ft wide and will be 7 miles long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles county to the Pacific Ocean. Work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe, authorities said.
Fox News
10-07-2025
- General
- Fox News
Construction workers reach safety after Los Angeles industrial tunnel partially collapses: ‘Everyone is safe'
Officials are breathing a sigh of relief after more than 30 construction workers in an industrial tunnel in Los Angeles reached safety after it partially collapsed. The cave-in occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles from the entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles in. The workers, who were about 400 feet underground, scrambled over loose soil more than 12 feet high to reach the tunnel boring machine and then were transported back to the opening. Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None of those rescued had major injuries, authorities said. "Everyone is safe. Thank you to L.A.'s first responders and to the people throughout our city who work every day to make L.A. better," Los Angles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X. Speaking at a news conference, Bass said she had met with some of the workers. "All of the men that were in that tunnel: rescued up, safe. We had an opportunity to speak with them. We had an opportunity to make sure they were able to reach their family members," Bass said. "Their family members knew they were safe. There were many anxious family members who were here waiting to make sure that their relatives were okay. We spoke with the paramedics while the paramedics examined the men as they came up. And I just have to tell you that we're all blessed today in Los Angeles." Bass praised first responders as Los Angeles' "true heroes." LA City Councilmember Tim McOsker praised the workers for keeping cool heads. "This is a highly technical, difficult project. And they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to secure themselves," he said. "Thank goodness for the good people that were down in the tunnel." The tunnel, being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way, is 18 feet wide and will be 7 miles long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles County to the Pacific Ocean. The $700 million project is being overseen by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. The cause of the collapse is under investigation. Authorities said work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe.
NBC News
31-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
A Japanese village that helped develop California's fishing industry could become container storage
From the turn of the 20th century to the early 1940s, a human-made island in San Pedro Bay held a flourishing Japanese American fishing village that helped develop Southern California's mighty seafood industry. On Terminal Island, more than 3,000 first- and second-generation immigrant fishermen from Japan, the issei and nisei, pioneered innovative techniques, like 6-foot bamboo poles and live bait, to catch albacore tuna and sardines. Their wives cleaned and packaged their bounties in the canneries. Then, during World War II, the entire community was uprooted and the village razed. The only remnants of the enclave are a pair of vacant buildings on Tuna Street, now dwarfed by colorful stacks of shipping containers and large green cranes that cover the island. The buildings are now under threat of demolition to make room for more containers, leading surviving Terminal Islanders and their descendants — now well past retirement age — to come together to try to save the last tangible connection to a largely forgotten legacy. 'These buildings are an integral part of American history that should never be forgotten,' said Paul Boyea, a board member of the Terminal Islanders Association, a group of about 200 former residents and their kin. In the past few months, advocates have made significant progress in saving the structures. In February, Councilmember Tim McOsker introduced a motion to designate the buildings as historic-cultural monuments, a status that would provide additional safeguards against demolition. In June, L.A.'s Cultural Heritage Commission will review the motion and decide whether to advance it for a vote before the City Council. This month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the buildings on its annual list of the 11 most endangered historic sites in America. Former Terminal Islanders recall scenes of families praying at a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple, shopping at grocery stores, and watching movies and attending dances at Fisherman's Hall. Children practiced judo and played baseball. Boyea, 69, was born after the war and never lived on Terminal Island. But he said he's always felt a strong connection to the place where his mother was born, in 1919. His grandfather was a fishing fleet captain and president of the Japanese fishermen's association. The two buildings on Tuna Street, the commercial corridor of the Japanese village, housed the grocery A. Nakamura Co. and the dry goods store Nanka Shoten, both established more than a century ago. Efforts to preserve the buildings began two decades ago but gained momentum last May, when the Port of L.A., which owns a majority of the island, recommended demolishing them to create more storage space. Phillip Sanfield, the port's communications director, said that the department is working with Terminal Island advocates to hash out plans for the buildings and that no decision has yet been made. Terry Hara, president of the Terminal Islanders Association, described Tuna Street as the 'Broadway' of the Japanese fishing community. Hara's grandfather worked as a superintendent at a cannery, while his father and two uncles all became commercial fishermen. Terminal Island residents observed Japanese traditions, he said, holding mochi pounding celebrations on New Year's and dancing in kimonos at Girls' Day festivals. 'It was one big happy family,' said Hara, 67. 'Nobody locked their doors and families provided for one another when the need arose.' Geraldine Knatz, a maritime expert and co-author of 'Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge,' said Japanese residents made up roughly two-thirds of Terminal Island's population in the 1930s. The island, known in the early 20th century as 'L.A.'s Playground,' was also home to sizable numbers of artists, writers and lumber workers. 'It was a big, diverse community,' Knatz said. That all changed on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. The government quickly arrested hundreds of Japanese fishermen on suspicion that they were using fishing boats to spy for the Japanese military. They were sent to a federal prison; many didn't see their families for months. The following February, the remaining residents, mostly women and children, were given 48 hours to vacate the island. Around 800 Terminal Islanders were incarcerated in Manzanar concentration camp, and when they returned, almost the entire village had been bulldozed. With nowhere to live, many former residents resettled in Long Beach and the South Bay. 'The nisei didn't talk about incarceration because of the trauma,' Boyea said. In the 1970s, a group of survivors and descendants formed the Terminal Islanders Association to stay in touch through social events like annual picnics and New Year's celebrations. Later, members became involved in preservation and education efforts, partnering with the L..A Conservancy to set up a memorial in 2002 and now advocating for the restoration of the Tuna Street buildings. Preservationists and descendants of Terminal Island residents have suggested converting the buildings into a museum or an education center, or a general goods store for port workers on the island. 'These buildings could serve some kind of community function while still communicating their history in some way,' said Adam Scott Fine, chief executive of L.A. Conservancy. The number of surviving Terminal Island residents is dwindling. Less than two dozen are still alive, Hara said, including his mother, who is 100. As a descendent, he feels it's his obligation to honor the legacy they created. 'This is an American story, good or bad,' Hara said. 'We need to pass on the experience that took place to our children and grandchildren.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
To stave off layoffs, L.A. council members seek to cut police officer hiring
Faced with a projected $1-billion shortfall, a key committee of the Los Angeles City Council moved forward Thursday with a plan to reduce the number of police officers and cancel Mayor Karen Bass' plan for creating a homelessness unit within the fire department. The council's five-member budget committee voiced initial support for a slowdown in hiring that would leave the Los Angeles Police Department with about 8,400 officers by June 30, 2026, down from more than 8,700 this year and about 10,000 in 2020. The move, if approved by the full City Council later this month, would be part of a much larger effort to restore positions targeted for elimination in the mayor's $14-billion proposed budget. The slowdown in police hiring would leave the LAPD with its lowest level of sworn staffing since 1995. But it would help save the jobs of 133 specialized civilian employees whose work includes processing DNA rape kits, analyzing fingerprints and taking photos of crime scenes. Councilmember Tim McOsker, who sits on the budget committee, called the decision difficult, painful and regrettable — but also necessary to preserve the investigative work done by the civilian staffers. If the city can protect those 133 specialists, reducing the number of officers may be a "pill that is worth swallowing," said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, another budget committee member. "These are people that do all this incredibly important work for public safety, but they're not sworn officers," Blumenfield said. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents more than 8,700 officers, quickly voiced alarm about a reduction in sworn staffing. The union accused City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, whose office helps prepare the budget, of seeking to "defund the LAPD to a point where it will literally endanger officers and our residents." "It's hard to take the City seriously when they are sitting on a nearly $15-billion investment portfolio that could reasonably be used to alleviate the current budget crisis," the union's board said in a statement. "City leaders need to sharpen their pencils and stop trying to gut staffing at the LAPD." Clara Karger, a Bass spokesperson, said the mayor will continue engaging with the budget committee as it finalizes its spending proposals. "The Mayor continues to support the increases in LAPD hiring and the LAFD budget," Karger said in a statement, "and looks forward to seeing the final recommendations of the Committee as it advances to the full Council." Bass' proposed budget, released last month, calls for laying off about 1,600 civilian workers, including more than 400 at the LAPD. The job cuts would affect an array of agencies, including those responsible for trash removal, transportation programs and street light maintenance. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who heads the budget committee, warned at the beginning of Thursday's daylong meeting that she and her colleagues won't be able to save every job. "The reality is there is not a way to restore every position proposed for layoff. There just isn't," she said. "Our job today is to make the very difficult trade-offs we believe are most critical — trade-offs that reflect this council's values, strengthen the delivery of core services and set the city on a path toward fiscal solvency." The proposals taken up by the committee are by no means a done deal. Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, the council's top policy advisor, will come back to the committee next week with a full menu of strategies for cutting costs while preserving as many services as possible. From there, the committee will send its recommendations to the full council, which must approve the budget by the end of May. The city is facing its most significant budget crisis in about 15 years, caused largely by rising personnel costs, soaring legal payouts and a slowdown in the local economy. While the committee has been searching for ways to shield basic services from cuts, city negotiators have been trying to secure concessions, such as postponing scheduled pay raises, from the unions that represent public workers. The salary increases are expected to add about $250 million to this year's budget, and so far, no deals have been struck. On Thursday, two of the largest cost-saving measures taken up by the committee were related to public safety. The committee proposed slashing the number of LAPD recruits planned for the coming fiscal year to 240 from 480. Because the department is expected to lose 530 officers through resignations and retirements, that would result in an overall decrease in sworn staffing. The committee also took steps to kill Bass' proposal for adding 67 positions to the fire department to address issues stemming from the homelessness crisis. She had called for the hiring of 50 new firefighters and the creation of new street medicine teams — a rare example of investment during an otherwise gloomy fiscal year. Critics contend there are less expensive ways to deploy street medicine teams than assigning the work to firefighters. Although such an expansion might have made sense in a normal budget year, it is difficult to support when city leaders are contending with sweeping reductions, Yaroslavsky said. "I'm personally not prepared to lay off existing city employees who provide core city services ... so that we can start new programs," she said. The committee also called for a reduction of up to $10 million to Bass' Inside Safe program, which moves homeless residents into hotels, motels and other types of interim housing. As part of those cuts, council members are planning to require that some homeless people take on a roommate when they move into city-funded motels or other types of interim housing. Yaroslavsky said she hoped the planned reduction to Inside Safe would save jobs in the planning, public works and police departments. Council members are also hoping to transfer workers targeted for layoffs into vacant positions at agencies that are separate from the general fund, which pays for basic city services. Those agencies include the harbor, airports and the Department of Water and Power. 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.
