Topline:
Containment of the massive Palisades Fire increased to 63% Tuesday as red flag conditions are expected to return.
Where things stand: The fire continues to spread across the Santa Monica Mountains, growing to more than 23,700 acres, according to CalFire.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Containment of the massive Palisades Fire increased to 63% Tuesday as red flag conditions are expected to return.
The death toll in the fire that devastated whole neighborhoods rose Tuesday to 11 people. Authorities continue to search the ruins with cadaver dogs.
As of Wednesday morning, sheriff's officials said in areas they patrol they are still investigating six missing people reports in the Palisades Fire.
LAPD officials said they've investigated 38 reports of missing people in the Palisades Fire, and 30 have been found safe. Authorities said they believe that of the eight still missing, three are "most likely" among the dead who have not yet been positively identified and five remain missing.
Roughly 5,000 structures are estimated to have been destroyed, about 700 damaged.
The Sheriff's Department said Thursday afternoon that some evacuation zones will be reopened to residents effective noon on Thursday, Jan. 16.
The following zones will be reopened to residents:
"Resident access will be through the intersections of Mulholland Highway/Old Topanga Canyon Road, Civic Center Way/Malibu Canyon Road, and Mulholland Drive/Topanga Canyon Road," according to the LASD update.
On Friday, some areas under evacuation orders were open for residents.
Orders reduced to warnings:
Areas reopened to only residents:
The sheriff's department said evacuees should have proof of residency when they try to re-enter and that only residents are currently allowed back in.
Here's what to know about returning home after a fire evacuation.
We have some respite from fire weather conditions through Saturday.
This week, L.A. Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the area, told LAist 89.3's AirTalk program that officials will be asking "some very hard questions about what happens and what we are going to do to ensure that something like this never happens again."
"Because frankly," she added, "much of what occurred — even though this was an unusual weather event — what's predictable? The Pacific Palisades is in the very high fire severity zone."
Firefighters have been injured, as have a significant number of residents who didn't evacuate in time, according to authorities. That's in addition to at least 11 reported deaths.
After days of 0% containment, that number moved to 6% a week ago. Last Friday, it was at 22%.
We should note that the estimate of more than 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed is still preliminary and could change. The case is the same for the number of deaths — it takes time to identify remains and L.A. County Fire Department noted there have been more than a dozen missing person reports in their jurisdictions in both the Eaton and Palisades fires.
CalFire also cautioned against believing inaccurate social media posts. One claimed that people can come to California to join clean up efforts, but authorities warned this is false.
L.A. County's medical examiner has confirmed 11 deaths in the Palisades Fire. One victim, Charles Mortimer, 84, died at a hospital.
Officials are mapping where homes and businesses have been lost.
Curfews are now in place for fire areas from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.
The L.A. County Sheriff's department said they have made at least 22 arrests for people violating those curfews in the Palisades and Eaton fire areas, mostly on suspicion of looting.
Authorities warn that anyone who violates the curfew is subject to arrest for a misdemeanor offense, and may face jail time, fines, or both, officials said.
" All these individuals were not supposed to be there, meaning they had no business being there ," said LA County Sheriff Robert Luna at a press conference Saturday morning. "You go out there and you violate this curfew, you are going to spend time in jail. You're not going to get cited and released."
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency Tuesday night. Newsom also proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Tuesday after meeting with fire officials in Pacific Palisades.
President Joe Biden approved a Presidential Major Emergency Declaration on Wednesday to support the response to the wildfires. He said on social media that he’s directed the Department of Defense to provide additional personnel, and ten Navy helicopters with water buckets are on the way.
Driven by strong winds, it turned into a nightmare scenario that many hoped would never come to pass: an unstoppable fire tearing through densely packed coastal neighborhoods positioned between steep mountains and the Pacific Ocean, with few ways in and out.
While the full extent of the damage is not yet known, it's clear that the storied coastal stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Monica and Malibu will never be the same. Long standing businesses, including the Reel Inn, a seafood restaurant located across the street from Topanga State Beach, have been destroyed.
The fire was reported around 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday and immediately began heading toward the community of Pacific Palisades, driven by 70 mph wind gusts. The fire grew from 10 acres to 200 acres in just minutes.
During the early hours of evacuations, some residents fleeing the fire were told by officers to abandon their cars and walk to safety.
Many were seen holding bags and pets as they made their way towards the ocean. Abandoned vehicles were then bulldozed to make room for emergency vehicles.
Total destruction in Malibu. These were beachfront homes on Pacific Coast Highway. #palisadesfire pic.twitter.com/DhQnJMmoUW
— Liz Kreutz (@LizKreutzNews) January 8, 2025
Evacuation zones are changing fast, so check out the most up to date, interactive map here.
Authorities on Tuesday announced certain areas would open for repopulation:
LA County Sheriff's Eaton Fire Update for Tuesday, January 21st, 2025: Repopulation and Safety Guidelines
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 21, 2025
LASD announced evacuation warnings have been lifted for the following evacuation zone communities impacted by the Eaton Fire, effective 12:00 P.M. on Tuesday, January 21st,… pic.twitter.com/ArKB0lIkfh
Officials are pleading with people to avoid the wildfire areas, especially if you don’t live there.
Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Rec Center, 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks
Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St, Canoga Park
Westwood Recreation Center: 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (accepts small animals)
Pasadena Convention Center: 300 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101
El Camino Real Charter High School: 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Pierce College: 6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91371 (accepts large animals)
Los Angeles Equestrian Center: 480 Riverside Dr, Burbank, CA 91506 (accepts large animals)
Agoura Animal Shelter: 29525 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (accepts small animals)
Santa Monica-Malibu USD has been closed since Thursday.
"We watch with all of you in disbelief the devastation and displacement caused by the Palisades fire, which continues to grow and evade containment," Superintendent Antonio Shelton wrote in a statement.
Nearly two dozen school districts are totally closed due to the wildfires — you can find a full list here.
The Los Angeles Unified School District also closed Thursday.
Palisades Charter Elementary School and Marquez Charter Elementary School were destroyed by the fire, an LAUSD spokesperson confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that Palisades High suffered significant damage due to the fire.
Many roads in the area are closed or restricted, including long stretched of Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Road. For the most recent information, check out Sigalert.com or this Los Angeles County Public Works map.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power replaced its boil water notice with a "Do Not Drink Notice" for the Palisades-area 90272 ZIP code and the area north of San Vicente Blvd. That means people in those areas should not drink or cook with tap water until the notice is lifted. Residents are still advised to limit water use to assist with firefighting efforts.
L.A. County Water Works District 29 has also issued a boil water advisory, according to L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. This includes the Sunset Mesa community from Topanga Beach and Coastline Drive, to Shore Heights Drive, and from Topanga Canyon Road to Carbon Canyon Road in Malibu. You can call (800) 475-4357 for more information.
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If you have to evacuate
If you have more time:
Things to consider
Navigating fire conditions
How to help yourself and others
Understanding how it got this bad
Topline:
The Supreme Court has ruled that Colorado's law banning conversion therapy "regulates speech based on viewpoint."
How we got here: At issue was the practice of an evangelical Christian, Kaley Chiles, a counselor who wants to provide talk therapy to teenagers seeking to discuss their sexual orientation or gender identity, including those hoping to "reduce or eliminate unwanted sexual attractions, change sexual behaviors, or grow in the experience of harmony with one's physical body," according to her complaint. Her lawyer argued that Colorado's law prevents voluntary conversations with minors seeking her help.
What majority ruling found: The majority opinion states, "the lower courts erred by failing to apply sufficiently rigorous First Amendment scrutiny. As applied to Ms. Chiles, Colorado's law regulates the content of her speech and goes further to prescribe what views she may and may not express, discriminating on the basis of viewpoint."
The dissent: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, pointing to precedent on states regulating health care professionals. "Stated simply, the majority has failed to appreciate the crucial context in which Chiles's constitutional claims have arisen," she wrote. "Chiles is not speaking in the ether; she is providing therapy to minors as a licensed healthcare professional."
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The Supreme Court has ruled that Colorado's law banning conversion therapy "regulates speech based on viewpoint."
At issue was the practice of an evangelical Christian, Kaley Chiles, a counselor who wants to provide talk therapy to teenagers seeking to discuss their sexual orientation or gender identity, including those hoping to "reduce or eliminate unwanted sexual attractions, change sexual behaviors, or grow in the experience of harmony with one's physical body," according to her complaint.
Her lawyer argued that Colorado's law prevents voluntary conversations with minors seeking her help.
The majority opinion states, "the lower courts erred by failing to apply sufficiently rigorous First Amendment scrutiny."
"As applied to Ms. Chiles, Colorado's law regulates the content of her speech and goes further to prescribe what views she may and may not express, discriminating on the basis of viewpoint," the opinion says.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, pointing to precedent on states regulating health care professionals. "Stated simply, the majority has failed to appreciate the crucial context in which Chiles's constitutional claims have arisen," she wrote. "Chiles is not speaking in the ether; she is providing therapy to minors as a licensed healthcare professional."
The court heard arguments on the case in October and appeared to lean toward the therapist at the time.
The case involved a new wrinkle on "conversion therapy." It's generally defined as a treatment used to change a person's attraction to same-sex individuals and to similarly cure gender dysphoria. In whatever form, the therapy has been forcefully repudiated by every major medical organization in the country on the grounds that it doesn't work and often leads to depression and suicidal thoughts in minors.
But during arguments in the fall, Chiles' lawyer, James Campbell, told the justices that the way his client wishes to practice conversion therapy involves no physical restraints or coercion of any kind. Rather, he said her practice involves only talk therapy.
"Ms. Chiles is being silenced. The kids and families who want help — this kind of help that she offers — are being left without any support," he asserted.
The outcome of the case could mean a rollback on conversion therapy bans across the country.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
For the first time in decades, California and some cities will not celebrate disgraced union leader César Chavez today, and instead will uplift all farmworkers for “Farmworkers Day.”
Background: The move to rewrite and rename the holiday came after a New York Times investigation uncovered allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted at least two girls and a woman, including fellow union leader Dolores Huerta.
Read on … for what community members think should happen next.
Tuesday is the first time in over 25 years that California and many cities in Southern California will not be celebrating disgraced union leader César Chavez.
Scores of local governments in Southern California have rewritten the holiday and renamed it to “Farmworkers Day,” including Los Angeles County, which heard from Asian American communities across the region. Many who spoke during last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting said they wanted to see farmworkers and other union leaders centered in those conversations.
The move to rename the last days of March came after a New York Times investigation uncovered allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted at least two girls and a woman, including fellow union leader Dolores Huerta.
Chavez was head of the United Farm Workers union and is widely recognized by Latinos and other communities as one of the most influential labor leaders in American history.
One man’s actions do not define this movement, Nina Cabardo of the Pilipino Workers Center wrote in a letter of support for the changes. As local leaders tackle the renaming and redefining of Farmworkers Day, she added, it’s also time for another “long-time injustice” to be rectified.
“This is also the time for Filipino farmworkers and Filipino farmworker leaders' real roles in the farmworker movement to be truthfully uplifted,” Cabardo said. “Leaders like Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, Pete Velasco, Lorraine Agtang and Luciano Crespo.”
Chavez’s legacy had been complicated for years before the explosive investigation, according to Alexandro José Gradilla, associate professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at Cal State Fullerton.
“People have, in the last 20, 30 years, already been de-centering César Chavez from the 60s and social movements of the farmworkers. It’s because of the history of sabotaging the Filipino workers, the history of being openly and virulently anti-immigrant,” Gradilla told LAist. “So, I don't have to go back and delete or scrub or erase in my PowerPoints any hero worship or adulation of Chavez. That I think has already been done.”
This is a reminder, Gradilla added, that power corrupts.
“Anybody who is put in this position of being viewed as a hero, who is given untapped power, whether they are a person of color, queer, a woman, we are all in danger of falling into that trap,” Gradilla said. “That's the more important lesson that we cannot submit to this cult of personality that can happen. And apparently, in the case of the farm worker movement, that did happen.”
Many community members who spoke during public comment at last week’s L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting were in support of the holiday name change. But many also think the work to de-center Chavez shouldn’t end there.
Community members have also called on leaders to remember the names of the Filipino workers who drove the farmworkers union toward success.
Aquilina Soriano Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, said inspiration from the farmworker movement catalyzed the organization.
“ We are a strong organization of strong Filipino domestic workers, immigrant workers,” Versoza said. “We support the inclusion of the community-driven process that centers survivors, and we need to make sure that we rectify that Filipinos are also uplifted in this process, so we honor everyone who should be honored as the Farm Workers movement.”
Celeste Friedman of the Asian Civil Rights League said history has omitted key components and figures of the farmworker movement.
“While César Chavez is widely recognized, the movement itself was ignited in 1965 by Filipino farm workers led by Larry Itliong and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee,” Friedman said. “They initiated the Delano grape strike. Organized, mobilized, and took the first risk. Yet their contributions have been largely underrepresented in our textbooks, public commemorations, and collective memory.”
When the truth of the full history fails to be acknowledged, Friedman added, future generations are denied the richness of solidarity between the Filipino and Latino communities.
Mayra Castañeda, a member of the SEIU United Healthcare Workers, said the name change better reflects the legacy of farmworkers.
“Establishing Farmworkers Day is an opportunity to uplift the collective contributions of farm workers across generations, many of whom remain invisible despite the essential work they do every day,” Castañeda said. “It also helps educate future generations about the ongoing struggles for labor rights, equity and the respect in the field.”
L.A. County officials will report back to the board in the coming weeks with more on renaming streets, buildings, monuments and programs that bear Chavez’s name.
Topline:
In the aftermath of the sexual abuse allegations against César Chavez, farmworker communities are reeling — especially in Central California, which became the cradle of the farm labor movement.
The cradle of the farmworkers movement: The city of Delano was home to the first headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, which Chavez cofounded in the 1960s and has been lobbying for reforms to farm labor ever since. He's long been considered a local hero. Some in Delano are pushing for statues and murals memorializing Chavez to be taken down. The Delano Joint Union High School District voted last week to rename Cesar E. Chavez High School. And city leaders are likely to discuss renaming the city's Cesar Chavez Park in a city council meeting in early April.
Resistance to change: "Everything that we want to take into account, for how does accountability look like at the Delano level, will be on the table," said city councilmember Bryan Osorio. But he's not certain the city council will vote to make changes, because there's a lot of resistance there. Chavez's union helped transform conditions for farmworkers – including higher pay, work breaks, and even bathrooms, which weren't guaranteed in the fields. That changed people's lives. And that's why, Osorio says, many are struggling with the allegations against Chavez. Some even feel angry at his accusers.
DELANO, Calif. — A few hours north of Los Angeles, the small city of Delano is surrounded by miles and miles of grapevines, orange groves and almond orchards. According to Monike Reynozo, everyone here either works in those fields, or knows someone who does.
"This is what drives and fuels our city," she said.
Reynozo works for a youth advocacy group known as Loud For Tomorrow, but she said her parents were farmworkers, and their parents before them.
On a recent spring morning, she's walking down an alley to a brightly colored mural that covers the side of a building in the center of town. It shows people in sun hats harvesting fruit, and a little girl proudly holding a bunch of plump, purple grapes.
"It really showcases some of our local farm labor movement leaders as well as the diverse faces of Delano," she said.
One of the most prominent faces on the mural is César Chavez, who lived in Delano for nine years. The city was also home to the first headquarters of the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, which he cofounded in the 1960s and has been lobbying for reforms to farm labor ever since. He's long been considered a local hero.
But earlier this month the New York Times published a bombshell investigation alleging the late civil rights leader sexually abused young girls in the 1970s, and raped his longtime ally and co-leader in the farmworkers labor movement, Dolores Huerta in the 1960s. The investigation came out nearly two weeks before Chavez's birthday – March 31 – which has long been a holiday in many places. And in the aftermath of the allegations, some states, including California, have scrambled to rename the day. Meanwhile, farmworker communities are reeling – especially in Central California, which became the cradle of the farm labor movement.
As Reynozo looks up at his portrait, she says the allegations against him are heartbreaking. He was one of her role models. But she thinks this mural – and the farmworker narrative – don't need him anymore.
"He's just one individual amongst, you know, thousands of people who have been fighting for this and continue to fight for it," she said.
Across California, statues of Chavez are being torn down and elected officials are moving to erase his name from public spaces.
Some in Delano are pushing for similar changes. The Delano Joint Union High School District voted last week to rename Cesar E. Chavez High School. And city leaders are likely to discuss renaming the city's Cesar Chavez Park in a city council meeting in early April.
"Everything that we want to take into account, for how does accountability look like at the Delano level, will be on the table," said city councilmember Bryan Osorio.
But he's not certain the city council will vote to make changes, because there's a lot of resistance here.
Chavez's union helped transform conditions for farmworkers – including higher pay, work breaks, and even bathrooms, which weren't guaranteed in the fields. That changed people's lives. And that's why, Osorio says, many are struggling with the allegations against Chavez. Some even feel angry at his accusers.
"This man was a huge part of Delano's history, is still part of Delano's history," Osorio said. "There's always going to be folks who are skeptical."
That includes Armando Pulido. He picks grapes in the nearby town of Earlimart. And like a lot of farmworkers in the area, he says he doesn't believe Chavez's accusers.
"I think everything is a lie, that they made up, because they came out with it now after Chavez died," he said in Spanish. "Why didn't they bring it up while he was alive?"
Dolores Huerta explained why she waited to come forward in an interview with Latino USA on March 19.
"When people say, why didn't you leave? Why didn't you tell people? Well, this is why, because I felt that my coming out and saying what occurred would have hurt the movement," she said.
The New York Times reported that some people had previously been made aware of abuse claims by two other women – Ana Murgia and Debra Rojas – and nothing came of it. They cited internal emails among union members about Murgia's claims going back over a decade. And they also said Rojas posted a message over ten years ago about Chavez's alleged abuse to a private Facebook group for longtime Chavez organizers and supporters – and "was accused by some who saw it or heard about it of jeopardizing all that had been accomplished." NPR has not independently confirmed these details.
Whether or not the city ultimately erases Chavez's name from public spaces, some think this is an opportunity to highlight other pivotal labor leaders – including Filipino organizer Larry Itliong.
Itliong, who was born in 1913, organized farmworkers for decades before Chavez and Huerta came along. And Filipino workers under Itliong's leadership started the 1965 Delano Grape Strike, which later led to the founding of the UFW.
"A lot of Filipinos, to this day, we always say: without Larry Itliong, there'd be no Cesar Chavez," said Rogelio "Roger" Gadiano, who was born in the Philippines and grew up in Delano.
Gadiano worked in the fields off and on from childhood into middle age. Today, he leads tours of local historical sites that were important to the early farm labor movement. That includes The Forty Acres, a sprawling site on the outskirts of town that held the UFW's first headquarters as well as a retirement village for aging Filipino farmworkers.
Gadiano wishes Itliong's story – and the story of Filipino farmworkers – were better known.
"We got buried in history," he said. "We were the spark, the ultimate spark."
Whatever happens with Chavez's legacy, Gadiano hopes this situation can lead to more informed conversations about farmworker history.
Copyright 2026 KVPR
Topline:
The finalists for the James Beard awards were announced this morning. Several LA chefs and restaurants advanced to this next stage, an impressive achievement given the stellar competition.
Who are the LA finalists?
Outstanding chef:
Gilberto Cetina of Holbox
Niki Nakayama of n/naka
Emerging chef:
Fátima Juárez of Komal
Best chef in California:
Dave Beran of Seline.
Best new restaurant:
Ki
Outstanding hospitality:
Providence
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program:
Kato
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service:
Jack Benchakul, endorffeine coffee bar
Why does it matter? The James Beard awards are often called the Oscars of the food world, and advancing to this stage will mean more attention.. and months of booked-up reservations.
The finalists for the James Beard Awards were announced this morning. Four Los Angeles chefs advanced to this next stage, while several restaurants also made it through, an impressive achievement given the stellar competition.
The James Beard awards are often called the Oscars of the food world, and advancing to this stage will mean more attention and months of booked-up reservations.
For restaurant goers, it's also a sign of the direction that American food culture is heading.
They are:
Outstanding chef: Gilberto Cetina of Holbox and Niki Nakayama of n/naka
Emerging chef: Fátima Juárez of Komal
Best chef in California: Dave Beran of Seline
Best new restaurant: Ki
Outstanding hospitality: Providence
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Kato
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Jack Benchakul, endorffeine coffee bar
The ultimate winners will be announced in June.
