The Brief

From January to February, Southern California went from quite dry to overwhelmingly wet, as a series of storms dropped more than a year’s worth of water in just a few weeks, loading up the L.A. River.

Given that our dry months are coming up, just how much of that stormwater were we able to hold on to? And could we be doing better?

A man walks his dog on the edge of the Los Angeles River, carrying stormwater downstream in February 2024.

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Damian Dovarganes

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AP

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How we capture water

The main way that we capture stormwater is by letting it soak into the Earth and travel through the soil into underground reservoirs.

Back in the day, this would happen all across places like the L.A. Basin, but as we paved over much of the area, we lost much of our ability to sequester rainfall.

That’s where spreading grounds, like those in the San Fernando Valley (seen below), come in.

They're huge open areas of gravel and sand where we divert stormwater without destroying nearby neighborhoods. That water then sits in giant pools and percolates downward over time.

Given that roughly a third of L.A. County’s water comes from underground reservoirs each year, it’s important that we keep on filling them.

“We have two missions. One is to protect communities and to capture as much of that water and keep it from being wasted in the ocean,” said Sterling Klippel, assistant deputy director of L.A. County’s Department of Public Works.

There are 27 spreading grounds throughout the county and 14 major dams that can hold water back and slowly release it during dry periods onto those same grounds when our flood channels aren’t being inundated.

When the water is released, it’s often diverted with the help of giant inflatable dams.

Inflatable dams are used to divert water to spreading grounds.

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Orange County Water District

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How fast the water percolates depends on both the media it’s flowing through and how much sediment is in the water. Brown-looking stormwater has a lot of silt in it, which can slow down absorption rates. Crews go in with heavy equipment during the spring and summer to scrape the spreading grounds clean ahead of the next rainy season.

This year L.A. County has sequestered roughly 100,000 acre-feet of stormwater, about half of what they typically capture during an average year. Last year they captured more than 600,000 acre-feet, or roughly enough water for half of the population of the county. For reference, one acre foot is about the equivalent of a football field flooded with about a foot of water.

L.A. County is able to capture more than 90% of the water that falls in the San Gabriel watershed above the spreading grounds.

A partially inflated dam that's holding back some water, while allowing other water to run over.

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Orange County Water District

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The Orange County Water District utilizes a similar system. Drive down the 91 Freeway and you’ll see what looks like a bunch of lakes. They’re actually part of their portfolio of 26 recharge facilities that’ve been built across 1,500 acres over the past 70 years.

They’re able to capture about 220 million gallons of water a day, according to John Kennedy, general manager of the water district.

Can we do more?

Building additional spreading grounds is tough, as we're quite limited on space here.

“The L.A. Basin is very dense and property values are sky high. So unfortunately, doing the spreading grounds and dams around the city is going to be nearly impossible just because of the high price tag,” said Art Castro, manager of the Watershed Management Group at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Some spreading grounds, like those in Pacoima, are being dug out — but there’s a limit to how deep you can go.

LADWP is considering other options as it works towards the goal of capturing 150,000 acre-feet per year by 2035. They currently capture roughly 83,700 acre-feet.

Vertical storm drains are one consideration. They are 150-foot-deep holes lined with permeable pipe that are allowed to fill with water and drain into the surrounding soil.

LADWP is also looking at utilizing subterranean stormwater capture at an estimated 20 parks throughout the city. That project is currently in the design phase.

What about at the home level?

Yes, you can help fill our underground aquifers from your front yard.

A key feature of the lawn elimination programs here in California is making sure that you put in some sort of water retention feature, like a swale. It's basically a trough that slows down water and lets it soak into the ground, rather than running into the street.

We might no longer have tens of thousands of acres of unpaved farmland throughout the region, but given that 70% of land use is private property here in L.A., widespread use of swales in our yards could make a difference.

We have a winner in the bidding war for Warner Bros-Discovery.

Netflix is in final talks to buy Warner's film and TV studios, plus its streaming assets and some debt, in a deal worth nearly $83 billion.

In a statement Friday, Netflix said the two entertainment giants had "entered into a definitive agreement under which Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO." The announcement caps what had been a closely watched bidding war in Hollywood that involved top competitor Paramount.

“Our mission has always been to entertain the world,” Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, said in a statement. “By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies — from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends — with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we'll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling.”

The deal would give Netflix one of Hollywood's most valuable libraries, including the Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and the DC Comics properties.

The Directors Guild of America told Variety that the deal "raises significant concerns."

“The news that Netflix had secured exclusive rights to negotiate for WBD raises significant concerns for the DGA,” the guild said. “We believe that a vibrant, competitive industry — one that fosters creativity and encourages genuine competition for talent — is essential to safeguarding the careers and creative rights of directors and their teams."

For its part, Netflix said in it's statement that it "expects to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations and build on its strengths, including theatrical releases for films."

The deal still has to clear regulatory and other hurdles, and would likely take around a year to close.

Breezy conditions will linger today for L.A. County mountains, but otherwise, expect a mild weather day. Come Sunday, temperatures will rise significantly continuing into next week.

Temperatures in the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley will range from 67 to 73 degrees.

In Orange County, inland and coastal areas will stay in the 64- to 70-degree range.

For the L.A. County coast, expect highs from 64 to 72 degrees. For the valley communities, highs there will range from 68 to 74 degrees. In the Antelope Valley, highs will range from 60 to 65 degrees, but foothill communities will still see daytime highs in the upper 50s to around low 60s.

Beach hazards

High surf has come and gone, but now look out for high tides that could lead to pooling of water around walkways, parking lots or other low-lying areas near the ocean. These conditions will last until Saturday morning.

Eleven months after the January fires, childcare providers — especially those who operated businesses out of their homes — still are struggling to open up their doors.

“There were no state or federal funds provided to support families or providers connected to childcare,” said Cristina Alvarado, executive director of the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, at a recent legislative hearing. “Sadly, we will experience another disaster, another fire, another loss.”

The California Department of Social Services said as of this summer, 50 of 280 impacted childcare facilities remained closed. They stopped tracking the data in August.

Providers told lawmakers in October that they needed more support to survive in an already fragile childcare industry. Preschools have been closing in L.A. County. There also are not enough childcare providers, and those who are in business are chronically underpaid. A recent study out of Stanford found that most childcare workers struggle to afford basic needs.

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At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. LAist reporter Libby Rainey and early childhood senior reporter Elly Yu followed two women who ran childcare businesses out of their homes until the Eaton Fire destroyed them. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, they look at how these two childcare providers are rebuilding their lives and businesses, the catch-22 they found themselves in around government assistance, and the state of the child care industry at large.

Altadena childcare providers' struggle to rebuild raises questions about government disaster response

At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. LAist reporter Libby Rainey and early childhood senior reporter Elly Yu followed two women who ran childcare businesses out of their homes until the Eaton Fire destroyed them. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, they look at how these two childcare providers are rebuilding their lives and businesses, the catch-22 they found themselves in around government assistance, and the state of the child care industry at large.

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This means those childcare providers and the system as a whole are particularly vulnerable when a disaster strikes, like January's fires.

“ I lost my only source of income without a place to operate. I cannot work. I still had to pay my rent and my mortgage payment, as well as our living expenses such as food,” said Francisca Gunawardena, who lost her house and childcare business in the Eaton Fire. Nearly a year later, she still hasn't been able to re-open.

What was available for providers? 

Unlike during COVID, childcare providers didn’t receive dedicated relief money to recover from the fires. That left them to piece together federal support, state unemployment and private grants.

Providers who took care of children from low-income families and received state subsidies did receive payments from the state for 30 days after the fire. But that didn't get them very far. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office then directed childcare workers to an unemployment phone line.

Providers who looked for help from FEMA and other agencies sometimes found a bureaucratic maze. Felisa Wright, a childcare provider who lost her home and business in the Eaton Fire, spent months trying to get the agency's support. She encountered a series of catch-22s. She was rejected when applying for a small business loan because she didn't make enough money. But to start making money again, she needed to reopen her childcare center.

In a statement, the agency said, “FEMA makes every effort to ensure that everyone eligible for assistance receives the help they need to recover,” and its program for assisting individuals has provided over $150 million to about 35,000 households.

The office of state Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who co-chairs the select committee on childcare costs, said this fall that the committee will look at identifying legislation to help the childcare industry in times of natural disasters.

Providers say some kind of relief is necessary.

Hear the stories of two providers — Francisca Gunawardena and Felisa Wright — who both lost their homes and what their journeys reveal about recovery overall after the L.A. fires on the latest episode of Imperfect Paradise.

Payments from Southern California Edison — the utility whose equipment is believed to have started the Eaton Fire — could help some families rebuild their destroyed homes. But those payments also could land homeowners with a huge tax bill.

To address this problem, California Sen. Alex Padilla has introduced a bill that would make existing tax exemptions permanent for wildfire survivors.

Congress passed exemptions one year ago, but they’re set to expire at the end of 2025. Unless Congress approves new exemptions, homeowners who accept wildfire compensation next year could have their payouts taxed.

“When a fire survivor is wading through the ashes of their former home and thinking about how to rebuild their life, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they’re going to afford to pay taxes on any settlement they receive,” Padilla said Friday in a written statement.

Bill has bipartisan support 

The bill — co-sponsored by Republicans Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Tim Sheehy of Montana, along with Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon — would extend the existing protections under a bill passed in 2024. Padilla introduced that bill to refund federal income tax payments on wildfire payouts from the Butte, North Bay and Camp fires.

As fire-ravaged communities approach the one-year anniversary of a disaster that destroyed more than 13,000 homes, homeowners in and around Altadena are facing tough choices on whether to join the compensation program set up by SoCal Edison.

Taking a payout could be a faster route to obtaining funds to aid with rebuilding. But recipients will forfeit their right to sue SoCal Edison for potentially greater compensation.

The compensation program has faced criticism from some survivors who say the utility is lowballing families in need of faster payouts.

What about the Palisades? And state taxes?

Palisades Fire survivors have not been offered compensation funds because that fire began with an alleged arson, not from any utility equipment malfunctioning.

California lawmakers already have passed a law exempting wildfire settlement payouts from state income tax until 2030.

The bill, as currently written, would apply to any federally declared disaster stemming from a wildfire that happened after the start of 2015. Payouts eligible for tax exemption would include any compensation for losses, expenses or damages not already covered by insurance.