Topline:
Crews have continued making steady progress in containing the Franklin Fire in Malibu after red flag conditions subsided last week.
What we know so far: The Franklin Fire started shortly before 11 p.m. last Monday near Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary, according to L.A. County Fire officials. It's currently 89% contained.
Keep reading... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Crews have continued making steady progress in containing the Franklin Fire in Malibu after red flag conditions subsided. But with hazardous fire weather this week, officials are warning that the flames could flare back up.
People are being urged to prepare for evacuations and power outages with moderate Santa Ana winds, dry vegetation, and low humidity expected. A fire weather warning is in effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from 3 p.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The city of Malibu has asked residents to call 911 if they see smoke, and to check on their elderly or disabled neighbors. Several circuits may have been shutoff Tuesday evening by Southern California Edison, according to the city of Malibu, with more power safety shut offs being considered for roughly 15,000 L.A. County customers.
As of Wednesday, the fire has grown to 4,037 acres, but containment had increased to 89%, officials reported. Fire crews were aided by higher humidity levels, slight precipitation, and calmer conditions.
So far, officials said 20 structures have been destroyed, with another 28 damaged, about half of which were homes.
All evacuation warnings have been lifted as of Monday, and the 6,300 people forced from their homes were able to return as of Friday evening, when the evacuation orders were downgraded. Malibu schools are also reopening this week.
Jan Smutz, fire behavior analyst with CalFire, said at a news conference Friday evening that the likelihood of an increase in fire activity continues to go down, but we’re not out of the woods just yet, especially with Santa Ana wind conditions expected to return Tuesday through Thursday.
“ We're going to remain vigilant and continue working until all those heat sources have been extinguished,” he said.
The Franklin Fire started shortly before 11 p.m. last Monday near Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary, according to L.A. County Fire officials. City officials said the fire sparked about three miles north of Pacific Coast Highway, and that the cause was not immediately clear.
At around 3 a.m. last Tuesday, Malibu officials reported that the fire had spread south over PCH, threatening structures by Malibu Pier, Malibu Road, Malibu Knolls and Sweetwater Mesa. The threat stretched to Serra, Civic Center, and other central Malibu neighborhoods by Tuesday evening.
As the fire advanced, Pepperdine University officials told anyone on campus at 1 a.m. to relocate to the campus center or library to shelter in place. Later Tuesday, officials said the worst of the fire had moved on and lifted the shelter-in-place order around 7:30 a.m.
City Hall reopened at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, according to Marianne Riggins, mayor pro tem for Malibu. A community meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, which will be livestreamed here. You can submit questions on comments in person, or by emailing citycouncil@malibucity.org.
An air quality alert was issued until 7 p.m. last Thursday, and CalOSHA reminded employers that they’re required to protect their workers by adjusting practices and providing N-95 masks. You can find more information in English here and in Spanish here.
As of Thursday morning, power had been restored to Malibu.
Residents were also asked to stop outdoor irrigation to conserve water and make sure there’s enough resources for firefighters.
“Fire season is not a season,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference last Tuesday. “It's year round in the state of California.”
No evacuation orders were in place as of Friday evening, and all evacuation warnings were lifted Monday morning, according to the city of Malibu.
All residents can return to their homes, but you may need a photo ID to access certain roads.
These areas have been thoroughly inspected and deemed safe, according to the city of Malibu, but people are being urged to remain cautious. For example, keep children and pets away from ash, and use N-95 masks during clean-up.
You can find tips for what to do when you return home after a fire in English here, and in Spanish here. You can also find soot and smoke cleaning tips in English here, and in Spanish here. And some suggestions for managing mental health and stress after an emergency in English here, and in Spanish here.
The following roads are open to residents with proper ID only:
Please note: Pacific Coast Highway is now fully open with traffic moving in both directions.
A Local Assistance Center opened at Malibu City Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m., according to the city. Representatives from various agencies, city departments, the Red Cross, and AT&T were available to assist residents.
SoCal Edison has an assistance program for customers experiencing an extended outage. The special rates can be tapped at participating hotels within 20 miles of an outage. Those hotels are listed here.
The Boys and Girls Club of Malibu is offering free counseling services and emotional support to those impacted by the fire. You can find more information here, by calling (310) 457-6801 ext. 7414, or by emailing wellnessinfo@bgcmalibu.org.
Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle, and Malibu High Schools reopened Monday after being closed for nearly a week. The campuses were spared from any damage.
But Webster Elementary School, which officials previously said suffered “significant damage”, remains closed for cleaning and repairs. The campus is expected to reopen on Jan. 6, after winter break.
Webster students and staff will temporarily relocate to Malibu Elementary School in the meantime, starting on Tuesday, Dec. 17, for those that are ready to return to in-person learning.
Parking restrictions on Grayfox Street will be temporarily lifted, except for Fernhill Drive to the elementary school’s entrance, which will be used for pickup and drop-off. The schools will also stagger those pickup and drop-off times for Webster and Malibu Elementary students to ease traffic congestion.
“Upon return to school, we understand that some families will still be dealing with the aftermath of this distressing event, including a few of our families who have lost homes or have damage,” Antonio Shelton, superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, said in a statement to families and staff last Thursday.
Topline:
The FBI seized about 15 drones flying near SoFi Stadium and L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Friday and Saturday for violating temporary flight restrictions.
Why it matters: "No Drone Zones" have been put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration on match days at World Cup stadiums and venues hosting official fan festivals.
The restrictions: Drones are prohibited at SoFi within a three-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level. They are also banned at the Coliseum for the official fan festival within a one-nautical-mile radius and up to 1,000 feet above ground level.
The FBI seized about 15 drones near SoFi Stadium and L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Friday and Saturday for violating temporary flight restrictions, Amir Ehsaei, special agent in charge of counterterrorism and crisis response at the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, told LAist. Multiple operators were cited.
Stadiums hosting World Cup games and official fan festival venues are designated as "No Drone Zones" by the Federal Aviation Administration on match days.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drones violating the temporary flight restrictions," Ehsaei said.
He said drone detection teams are deployed at all SoFi games. "We will be out at other places depending on the nature — the size, the scope — [and] different intelligence that we'll get based on threat assessments."
Drones are prohibited at SoFi within a three-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level. They are also banned at the Coliseum for the official fan festival within a one-nautical-mile radius and up to 1,000 feet above ground level.
Violators could face fines of up to $100,000 and federal criminal charges.
Topline:
Residents in East LA are weighing the promise of a new Metro E Line extension with concerns over construction disruptions, small-business impacts and whether more outreach is needed about the project.
What is the project: The 4.7-mile extension of the Metro E Line would connect East Los Angeles to Montebello with four new stations. The project would relocate the existing Atlantic and Pomona station underground, and include a mix of underground, aerial and street-level track transit.
Read on ... for more about the pros and cons locals see for the extension.
Residents in East LA are weighing the promise of a new Metro E Line extension with concerns over construction disruptions, small-business impacts and whether more outreach is needed about the project.
The 4.7-mile extension of the Metro E Line would connect East Los Angeles to Montebello with four new stations. The project would relocate the existing Atlantic and Pomona station underground and include a mix of underground, aerial and street-level track transit.
The $7.9 billion project is expected to open for service between 2035 and 2037, according to Metro.
Construction will begin in 2029 and last approximately eight to 10 years, pending full funding approval. It’s part of a wider plan to connect the E Line to the city of Whittier, though officials say the work will be built in two phases due to funding constraints.
While officials say the project is intended to reduce traffic congestion and ease pressure on local roads, residents at a recent community meeting focused more on the immediate impact and communication.
“Thirty days for comment on a complex issue like this is ridiculous. … We need better outreach,” said East LA resident Clara Solis about a 30-day public comment period ending June 26.
Solis and others also raised concerns about how construction could affect traffic and disrupt local commerce, pointing to past transit projects.
“How is this going to impact the businesses? When the Gold Line went through, a lot of our businesses really suffered economically. We want to see a presentation on that. You should have a presentation just on how it’s going to impact the businesses,” Solis added.
East LA resident Kristie Hernandez said community outreach for the project should also extend to people who do not necessarily live within the immediate 200-foot project radius.
“We need to understand that folks who don’t necessarily live within that close proximity also frequent that area when they drive,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez advocated for a 90-day public comment window and also called for presentations on underground infrastructure, especially in the wake of the East LA pipeline that was punctured during construction work in late May.
“We do not want that to happen again,” she said.
Lucia Martinez spoke favorably about the extension plans, considering that she relies on buses to get around East LA to do her shopping. She said she looks forward to using the Metro to travel to the Citadel as well as to the hospital in Pasadena.
“As an older woman who became aware of this project, I think it is amazing because I am someone who does not drive,” she said.
LA Documenter Rafael Cazzorla contributed reporting for this story. LA Documenters trains and pays LA residents to take notes at local government meetings around Los Angeles. You can find meeting notes and audio at losangeles.documenters.org
Topline:
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S. And that has many dermatologists cheering.
Why it matters: The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol, and it has several advantages over the chemical sunscreen ingredients previously available in the U.S., says Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The backstory: In the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics, as they're classified in Europe. That means ingredients need to undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before they can be approved for use in the U.S.
Read on ... for four key things to know about this coming change.
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S. And that has many dermatologists cheering.
"This is a very big deal," says Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol, and it has several advantages over the chemical sunscreen ingredients previously available in the U.S., Rogers says.
"It hits like really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers," Rogers says.
Here's what you need to know about this new ingredient and how it could lead to better sunscreens sold stateside.
Rogers says in general, you want to use sunscreens that are broad spectrum, meaning they protect against both UVA rays — the longer wavelengths that cause premature aging and wrinkles — and UVB rays, which lead to sunburns. Both types of UV rays can cause skin cancer.
She says the sunscreens currently sold in the U.S. do an excellent job of protecting against UVB rays, but the chemical UV filters available in sunscreens in the U.S. until now aren't as good at blocking out UVA rays.
In general, chemical sunscreens sold in the U.S. rely on an ingredient called avobenzone to block out UVA rays, says Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist who teaches at the University of Cincinnati.
But avobenzone by itself isn't photo stable, meaning its protection can start to break down rapidly when exposed to sunlight. And as avobenzone breaks down, it can release molecules that lead to skin irritation, says Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, or EWG.
By contrast, bemotrizinol offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays all on its own, and it is photo stable, so it breaks down more slowly, offering better protection, Rogers says.
"So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left," Rogers says. However, she says you should still reapply sunscreen every two hours.
Bemotrizinol has been widely used in European and Asian sunscreens for decades. But it has taken 20 years for the FDA to approve its use in this country.
That's because in the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics, as they're classified in Europe. That means ingredients need to undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before they can be approved for use in the U.S.
"It's really expensive and time consuming," Dobos says. The European company DSM-Firmenich spent at least $18 million over more than two decades in its push to gain FDA approval for bemotrizinol.
However, all that testing means bemotrizinol has more safety data to back it up than any other chemical sunscreen ingredient currently approved in the U.S., says Friedman of EWG.
"This ingredient is exciting because we have that data to support its safety," Friedman says.
Friedman says animal testing showed bemotrizinol doesn't lead to concerns like reproductive harm, while clinical testing on humans found that it does not irritate the skin, even after repeated application over time, "which is hopefully how people are using sunscreens."
And because bemotrizinol's molecules are larger, it's not readily absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream, she says.
That's important, because studies have shown that some of the other chemical sunscreen UV filters sold in the U.S. can be absorbed in the bloodstream, prompting calls for more safety data and leading to a backlash against sunscreen on social media fueled by misinformation. Rogers says that trend is concerning because skin cancer is the most common form of cancer.
"We just need to have sunscreen that people will use, that they'll trust," Rogers says. "And this ingredient is going to allow that to happen. And that is very exciting."
And bemotrizinol is also considered to be non-irritating, Friedman says. That should be welcome news to people who've been put off by chemical sunscreens in the past.
Until now, Rogers says, the only sunscreen ingredient available in the U.S. that offered the aforementioned advantages of bemotrizinol — photo stable, non-irritating, minimally absorbed into the skin and with good broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays — was zinc oxide.
Both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are mineral UV filters. Both chemical sunscreens and mineral sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays from the sun. Mineral sunscreens also reflect some UV rays. The bigger difference is that mineral sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin, while chemical sunscreens get absorbed into the skin, Rogers says.
The downside of mineral sunscreens is that they can leave an unattractive white cast on the skin — think of lifeguards with white paste on their noses. "Particularly if you're a person of color, zinc is going to make you look pale, white or ashy, which really makes it hard to use on a regular basis," Rogers says.
Bemotrizinol, on the other hand, is transparent on the skin, and because it protects against both UVA and UVB rays on its own, it doesn't have to be mixed with as many other chemical filters and stabilizers to achieve broad spectrum protection, Dobos adds. She says that should lead to more aesthetically pleasing, less greasy sunscreen formulations in the near future.
"I think it's a real win for public health," Dobos says. "If we can make a sunscreen that consumers like to use and want to use and apply in the proper amounts, I think that's something that's really going to be a win for consumers."
DSM-Firmenich has exclusive rights to market bemotrizinol in the U.S. for 18 months. It will be sold under the brand name Parsol Shield. The company says the first sunscreen products containing the ingredient should start hitting American store shelves around September.
Topline:
The Justice Department yesterday approved Paramount's proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
How we got here: The decision came after the DOJ concluded its antitrust investigation into the pending merger. The department said in a statement that it found that the deal posed no threat to competition or consumers of film, broadcast television or streaming.
What's next: The decision clears the way for a merger of two rival Hollywood studio titans: Paramount, the owner of CBS, including CBS News, will swallow the much larger Warner, which includes HBO and CNN. But several states, including California, have raised antitrust concerns. The European Union is investigating as well.
The Justice Department on Friday approved Paramount's proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
After concluding its antitrust investigation into the pending merger, the department said in a statement that it found that the deal posed no threat to competition or consumers of film, broadcast television or streaming.
The decision clears the way for a merger of two rival Hollywood studio titans: Paramount, the owner of CBS, including CBS News, will swallow the much larger Warner, which includes HBO and CNN.
The DOJ''s Antitrust Division concluded that a union of two studio giants isn't anti-competitive because the streaming market has expanded the competition for conventional Hollywood studios, which includes Netflix, Apple and Amazon, as well as smaller streamers. The Justice Department's view is that, for the same reason, consumers won't lose out because there are plenty of other places to get entertainment.
Several states, including California, have raised antitrust concerns. The European Union is investigating as well.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who has been investigating the deal for antitrust violations, said in a post on social media following the Justice Department's approval: "The merger of Warner Bros and Paramount is not a done deal and remains under investigation by my office."
In a statement following the decision, Paramount described the deal as "pro-competitive," and would result in "a stronger company better positioned to compete against dominant technology platforms in an industry increasingly defined by intense competition for audiences, talent, technology, and investment."
The company said it planned to complete the merger as soon as possible, "delivering its benefits to consumers, creators, and the entertainment industry as a whole."
The consolidation will put media mogul David Ellison — son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison — at the helm of Warner Bros. studio as well as its cable and streaming properties, including CNN and HBO. The Ellison family took over Paramount and CBS last summer.
In the months leading up to the regulatory approval, critics in Hollywood feared the deal would consolidate an already concentrated media landscape and lead to fewer jobs and less creative content.
In April, thousands of directors, actors, writers and other industry talent — including Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal and Javier Bardem — signed an open letter opposing the merger.
The elder Ellison is also a financial backer and adviser to President Trump on artificial intelligence. Critics of recent changes at CBS under the Ellisons' control are concerned that, as they say has happened with CBS News, the acquisition would make CNN more friendly to Trump.
NPR's Carrie Johnson and Mandalit del Barco contributed to this story.
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