 | | Smoke from wildfires burning east of Los Angeles dimmed the sunrise on Monday, seen from Pasadena.John Antczak/Associated Press |
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As of Monday morning, Cal Fire reported that eight people have died and more than two million acres have burned across the state this year, destroying more than 3,300 structures and narrowly edging out a 2018 record for most acres burned in a single year. More than 14,000 firefighters were still out battling the blazes. |
One of the larger blazes to erupt in recent days, the Creek Fire, grew quickly enough that 200 campers and visitors in the Mammoth Pool Reservoir area had to be rescued by helicopter — another cruel reminder that the fires are an increasingly unavoidable part of our reality, even if the outdoors are our only respite from the pandemic and punishing heat. |
This year, many of the biggest fires have been sparked by lightning and have been made difficult to contain by historic heat waves, which have become more severe as climate change drives the state’s swings between weather extremes. |
Of course, that doesn’t mean humans aren’t responsible for igniting fires. Case in point: The El Dorado Fire near Yucaipa, which the authorities said was sparked on Saturday morning by a pyrotechnic stunt at a gender-reveal party. (It wasn’t even the first time a gender-reveal party has gone similarly awry.) |
And last year, Pacific Gas & Electric preemptively cut off power to millions of people in a chaotic effort to stop their equipment from starting dangerous wildfires, as they’ve done in the past. |
[Read about how prescribed burns could be the only way to curb the damage from wildfires.] |
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that more blackouts were likely in coming days, as meteorologists warned of hot, dry, windy weather. |
In the Bay Area, the National Weather Service tweeted that temperatures were above 90 degrees at 1:30 a.m. on Monday — a troubling sign that the heat this year hasn’t dissipated overnight, which would make the heat waves less dangerous. For millions of Californians, the oppressive heat is mixing with oppressive lingering smoke and worries about Covid-19. |
- A plan to modernize the nation’s energy systems so that power could flow more efficiently across the country — which would help California in times like now, when energy demand is peaking — was short-circuited by Trump administration appointees. [The Atlantic]
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If you missed it, here’s more about how poor planning left California short of electricity during the last heat wave. [The New York Times] |
- Here are updates on the Creek Fire. [The Fresno Bee | Visalia Times-Delta]
- The Valley Fire in San Diego County continued to chew through rugged terrain on Monday afternoon, making it difficult for firefighters to work. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
- Evacuations prompted by the El Dorado Fire have spread into Riverside County. [The Riverside Press-Enterprise]
- The recent Dome Fire left behind mass Joshua tree carnage. It’s a dark signal about the plant’s odds of survival in a climate-change-ravaged future. [The Desert Sun]
- Gender-reveal party mishaps have sparked fires and resulted in a plane crash. Here’s more about what gender-reveal parties are and about the mayhem they’ve caused. [The New York Times]
- Want to know about air quality in your area? Here’s how to read the state’s air quality index. [The New York Times]
- Here are safety tips for coping with the heat. [The New York Times]
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Here’s what else to know today |
 | | Census volunteers at a back-to-school resource fair in August in Sylmar, north of Los Angeles.Etienne Laurent/EPA, via Shutterstock |
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- The census was winding down in places where the count was considered done — over the objections of advocates and experts who said stopping the effort now would result in a flawed count. But a federal judge in California halted that wind-down for now. [The New York Times]
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Read more about why the pandemic has complicated an already daunting task for advocates pushing for an accurate California count. [The New York Times] |
- Get a look inside the “Democracy factory” — the businesses that are making it possible to vote by mail. [California Sunday]
- Jacob Blake, like Rodney King, is a rare survivor at the center of protests over racist and violent policing. He’s begun to speak out. [The New York Times]
- Christian musicians and fans, plus a state Republican leader, Senator Shannon Grove, were among thousands who packed together without masks outside the Capitol in Sacramento, in violation of Covid-19 rules, in record-breaking heat. The event was one of a series that have been billed as protests against pandemic restrictions. [The Sacramento Bee]
- Mayor London Breed of San Francisco ordered parking lots at Ocean Beach to close after more than 1,000 people gathered there to celebrate Burning Man, which was canceled in an effort to avoid spreading the coronavirus. [CBS Bay Area]
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- A Black Lives Matter protest march closed down the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
- Beverly Soon Tofu, an icon of Los Angeles’s Koreatown and a trailblazing Korean restaurant, will close because of the pandemic. [Eater Los Angeles]
- Residents along a Santa Rosa mail carrier’s route put together a celebration for his retirement. It was cute. [The Press Democrat]
- “Bill and Ted are two California slackers with very good heads of hair and big heavy metal dreams.” Two of my Gen X colleagues explained “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” to two of my Gen Z colleagues. As a peak millennial, I am fine being excluded from this narrative. (Although I do treasure Keanu Reeves.) [The New York Times]
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Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan. |
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley. |
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