The Brief

Topanga Canyon’s nightmare fire scenario begins in the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep at home.

As blustery Santa Ana winds blow in from the east, a spark from a powerline or a passing car drops onto dry brush, starting a fire along the edge of the San Fernando Valley. As the flames grow, emergency services send out alerts, waking up thousands of residents throughout the area, telling some to shelter in place and others to leave.

It’s an increasingly likely situation as our vegetation dries out and winds pick up, according to Drew Smith, fire behavior analyst with L.A. County Fire.

“I would not be surprised,” Smith told me as we stood atop a helipad looking across the Transverse Ranges. “We are training for that.”

Emergency plans divide the area in and near Topanga Canyon into 10 evacuation zones.

(

Courtesy Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness

)

With only a few arteries in and out of the canyon, Smith warns that a fast-moving wildfire could trap people on the canyon’s narrow roads, consuming everything in its path.

In a worst-case scenario, the fire explodes into a devastating tragedy akin to the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, which destroyed the town of Paradise, trapping people trying to escape. At least 85 people were killed.

“That’s one thing that keeps me up at night,” he said. “That worst-case scenario fire with our residents at home with limited options. It’s terrifying.”

Preparing for the worst-case scenario

A hilltop near the Eagle Rock fire road burns in Topanga Canyon State Park from the Palisades Fire on May 15, 2021 in Topanga, California.

(

Brian Feinzimer for LAist

)

It’s difficult to emphasize just how dangerous wind driven fires can be, especially where we were standing, near the top of Stunt Road, above Calabasas.

Looking out across the Santa Monica Mountains, you can see small communities tucked in between dense chaparral that hasn’t burned in 30 plus years. Meaning, there’s a whole lot energy ready to fuel fires that roll through.

If the Santa Ana winds are blowing, strong gusts can throw embers more than a mile ahead of a fire front, starting up spot fires all over.

And because of the steep and rocky terrain, firefighting hand crews and bulldozers might struggle to dig fire lines meant to help contain the fire.

Even with water drops from helicopters, containing a fire in nightmarish fall conditions can be all but impossible.

“We know that fire history tells us on a high risk day, if we don’t suppress a fire within the first 10 minutes, it has a high probability of extending to the Pacific,” Smith said.

Drew Smith is a fire behavior analyst with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

(

Jacob Margolis

/

LAist

)

Smith estimates that it'd take one of these worst case scenario fires about four hours to sweep westward, from the San Fernando Valley to the Pacific Ocean, destroying communities along the way. Just as we saw during the Woolsey Fire in 2018, which made its way 17 miles across L.A. to Malibu in less than 24 hours, destroying 1,600 structures and killing killing three.

"Don't get lured into a false sense of security because we've had a very passive fire season in Los Angeles County," said Smith. "Under the right conditions, we have a high potential for a devastating fire in the Santa Monica Mountains that hasn't seen fire frequency in 25 years."

Topanga isn't the sole community at risk, the threat really applies to those throughout the Santa Monicas.

A key staging area: 69 Bravo

The helipad Smith and I were standing on is called 69 Bravo, and it’ll likely be one of the most important staging areas for firefighters when one of these fires does break out.

It sits at about 2,600 feet above sea level, offering views of Newhall Pass on one side and the Pacific on the other. Below the pads are four 8,000 gallon water tanks that automatically refill, there to be drawn on by helicopters and fire trucks that are working to head off flames on their run to the ocean.

The 69 Bravo helipad sits at about 2,600 feet in the Santa Monica Mountains. It offers views of the Transverse Ranges, the San Fernando Valley and the Pacific Ocean. A critical spot for firefighters battling flames nearby.

(

Jacob Margolis

/

LAist

)

The four, 8,000 gallon tanks at 69 Bravo have open tops so that firetrucks and helicopters can draw directly from them. They automatically refill.

(

Jacob Margolis

/

LAist

)

You can see a live view here.

How do you know if conditions are ripe for an extreme fire?

It’s quite likely that many fires will be started – all by people – in the coming months. Though, each won’t become a Woolsey level event.

So how do you know if you should be worried?

Smith laid out some of the key conditions he looks for to figure out if a fire is going to move fast:

• Temperatures above 80 degrees
• Relative humidities in the single digits
• Live plants with moisture levels at 80% or less (they’re usually around 55% by the fall)
• Strong, gusty winds

If you want to keep it simple, look out for red flag warnings from the National Weather Service, which indicate that extreme fire behavior is possible.

Check out their Fire Weather Snooper, which presents data from weather stations that are entering or in red flag territory.

On average we get eight red flag events per year, according to Smith, and on average each lasts three days.

How you can prepare and respond

If you live in a high risk area like Topanga Canyon and a red flag event is on its way:

Unsure if you live in a high risk area? Check out the state's Fire Severity Zone map for your county.

Listen to our podcast

How did wildfire risks get so bad? What can you do to stay safe? We have answers in our 2022 podcast, "The Big Burn," from LAist Studios.

Listen 29:04

Apple

Spotify

Jacob and retired L.A. County Fire Captain Derek Bart answer your burning questions.

The Big Burn: The Advice Episode

Jacob and retired L.A. County Fire Captain Derek Bart answer your burning questions.

Subscribe

• Apple
• Spotify

Only one president in U.S. history has gone before Congress during a State of the Union address and said that the state of the union was "not good."

It wasn't President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

It was Gerald Ford in 1975 with the country facing similar economic problems to today's, including high prices. People continue to say that prices and the cost of living are their top concerns, and they blame Trump's policies, particularly his tariffs, for making things worse.

But Trump ignored those economic warts, instead boasting that "our nation is back" and that it had achieved a "turnaround for the ages."

It all amounted to a fairly standard Trump speech. It hit familiar notes on immigration and culture, was wide-ranging and record-setting — the longest spoken State of the Union address in recent history at 1 hour and 48 minutes — and had a usual amount of Trump showmanship.

Here are five takeaways from what Trump had to say in this midterm election year:

1. Trump ignored the difficulties people are facing with the economy.

Voters have been saying for a long time that prices and the cost of living are their top concerns. It's largely what has landed Trump and the Republican Party in a precarious position ahead of this year's midterm elections.

And yet, Trump largely ignored the economic hardships many are feeling. He gave a rosy outlook, touting the stock market and lower gas prices. But the reality is, it's just not how voters are feeling, and Trump did not have an "I feel your pain" moment in this speech.

Trump's approval ratings are at or near record lows, and voters are blaming his policies, particularly his tariffs, for making things worse. In this speech, he doubled down on those tariffs. With the Supreme Court justices sitting just feet away, he criticized their ruling last week that many of his tariffs were illegal. He said he had come up with "alternative" legal justifications for keeping them in place.

2. Trump's midterm message is … not new

There was no novel political message from the president in this speech. Trump talked a lot about his political hobby horses: the woes of immigration, crime and the culture wars. He tried to hit a reset button on immigration, focusing on border security and crimes committed replete with gory anecdotal details.

It's a tactic that's long been employed by Trump, the GOP and conservative media to advocate against immigration, particularly when data doesn't back up allegations of higher levels of crime committed by those in the country without legal status.

Trump's message worked in 2024, but two very important things have changed: (1) he owns the economy now, and people don't feel great about it and (2) he has a record now on immigration. And while people have said in polling that they are in favor of deportations, they're not happy with how his administration has gone about them — especially since most of those rounded up have no criminal record — and after two Americans were killed by federal officers in Minnesota in January.

3. There was no legislative agenda.

State of the Union addresses can sometimes descend into laundry lists of things the president wants Congress to accomplish.

Not this speech.

There were only about half a dozen specific things Trump asked Congress to do:

• "Codify" Trump's attempts to lower drug prices, though it's unclear how.
• Pass the "Stop Insider Trading Act" that would restrict the Wall Street trading of members of Congress and their spouses.
• Pass what Trump is calling the "Delilah Law" that would ban commercial licenses for immigrants in the country without legal status.
• Restore funding for the Department of Homeland Security. After the killing of the two Americans in Minnesota, Democrats refused to authorize new funding for DHS, leading to a partial government shutdown. 
• Pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote. Proven instances of fraud, including by noncitizens, are very rare, but Trump claims there is "rampant" cheating. It's something he has used to justify his 2020 election loss, and it's a claim he could use to cast doubt on this year's outcome — if Republicans lose.
  

While those are certainly consequential, they don't add up to a major legislative push. That's not surprising, though, since Trump has spent the better part of the last year trying to consolidate power in the White House.

4. The Democratic response had a wide range.

State of the Union speeches have turned from staid to raucous in the past 16 years. Outbursts and protests have become more common. That was certainly the case Tuesday night. Some Democrats boycotted. Others, like Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, shouted at the president about things she found outrageous during the speech. Rep. Al Green of Texas carried a sign that read, "Black people aren't apes," a reference to a Trump social media post featuring a video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. For the second year in a row, Green was removed from the chamber.

Then there was Abigail Spanberger, the governor of Virginia, who had the task of delivering the official Democratic response. Channeling the campaign message that got her elected in November, she focused on the economy. Trump, by not addressing the difficulties people are feeling about the economy, gave Spanberger an opening, and she took it.

She hammered home a sharp message that many Democratic candidates in swing districts will likely aim to emulate. It has a good chance of success, as Democrats look to flip only a handful of seats to take control of the House, and midterm elections are not kind to the party in power — especially when the president is unpopular.

Come 2028, though, there could be a reckoning on the horizon for the Democratic Party on what it stands for and what direction it wants to take the country in a post-Trump world.

5. None of this will likely matter much politically because views of Trump are "baked in."

After the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll was released last week, pollster Lee Miringoff, who conducts the poll with his colleagues at Marist University, said Trump had an opportunity "to try and reset with the nation, but it's a tall order when views about him are so baked in."

Instead of trying to reach out beyond his base, he resorted to trying to bait Democrats, calling them "crazy" in an effort to position himself as "normal" on things like immigration, crime and transgender rights.

And he turned the address into a show. The gold-medal winning Olympic men's hockey team was there. So were veterans, who were decorated, live on-camera, with medals of honor.

Trump may have missed an opportunity to speak to voters' concerns, especially since presidents don't get that many opportunities to speak to the nation in prime time.

But, for Trump, no matter how things are going, the show must go on — and it will for roughly three more years.

Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly.
Copyright 2026 NPR

Another toasty day is on tap for Southern California as temperatures continue to rise all week long. The National Weather Service also says that it's going to be windy today. In L.A., wind gusts will reach 30 to 45 mph over the Santa Monica mountains, the Antelope Valley and even the I-5 corridor.

If you ask me, beach days during the winter are the most underrated and today's forecast proves my point. If you're heading to Santa Monica or hitting up other SoCal beaches, enjoy the 70- to 75-degree weather.

More inland, areas like downtown L.A., inland Orange County and even the Inland Empire will see highs from the upper 70s to the low 80s. Over in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, meanwhile, warmer temps await with highs up to 85 degrees. And the Coachella Valley will be the warmest of them all, where high temperatures will reach the low 90s.

Talk with us, color with us, or spin our wheel!

Share what’s important to you — we’ll spot your coffee!

These are some examples of what you might hear at an LAist Listens tabling event, where we talk with community members in person about what is top of mind in their community.

LAist is popping up in neighborhoods across SoCal to meet community members in person. We’re listening to your stories and insights and bringing them back to our newsroom to help improve and shape our news coverage. We may show up at a coffee shop, burger spot, flea market, or wherever people create community.

Why are we doing this? Connecting with communities is part of our mission. We always want to be sure our coverage reflects our communities’ perspectives, priorities and lived experiences. It makes our work better and more useful to you.

How it works

In December and January we went to Altadena several times to check in with residents on the recovery process after the Eaton Fire. We had long conversations with dozens of residents, shared resources like our guide to SoCal Edison’s payout plan, and made connections to bring more community-centered stories to our newsroom. One of those conversations shaped our coverage around the one-year anniversary of the fires.

We set up a table at Altadena’s Fair Oaks Burger and offered participants fries, coffee, or swag to thank them for speaking with us.

Where to find LAist next

We’re planning our next stops in Santa Ana and Inglewood, and we’re open to other cities or neighborhoods in the future. If you’re a local business or organization who is interested in having us meet and listen to your community, please send an email with your request to engagement@laist.com.

You can find upcoming dates of where we’ll be next and learn more about the community engagement team’s work at LAist.com/community.

Thousands of Southern California students have walked out of school to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants since January after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Some students have told LAist their teachers and principals supported their participation in the walkouts, for example, by allowing them to make protest signs in class. Others said their administrators shared confusing messages about potential discipline for leaving campus.

Broadly speaking, California law requires minors to attend school, but it also protects students’ rights to speak out.

 ”The fact that some students may have a controversial point of view that might make others upset, that's not a basis to restrict the speech under the education code,” said Peter Eliasberg, chief council with ACLU of Southern California.

LAist cannot offer legal counsel but created this guide to help students, families and educators better understand these rights. It’s based on:

• Information from Eliasberg and the ACLU of Southern California. 
• A February webinar hosted by Compton nonprofit Community Lawyers Inc., with the Law Offices of Hirji, Chau and Rodriguez. 

Tl;dr of best practices for students at protests

When preparing to walk out, you might consider the following:

• Have a clear civic and political purpose. 
• Walk out peacefully. Do not create additional disruptions for other students, vandalize school property or physically harm others.  
• Document the purpose of the walkout in writing but be cautious about recording video of participants who may not want to be identified. 
• Ask your principal for school and district policies related to student walkouts and free speech and compare them to district policy and state laws. 
• Request an excused absence for civic and political event (more on how to do this below).  

An overview of the (many) rules

The rules at your school are likely shaped by a larger organization, such as a school district or a charter network. Beyond that is California’s education code, a part of state law that is dedicated to schools.

Apart from that, you have federal policy, like the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Ideally, all of these sets of rules should agree with one another, but that’s not always the case, said Rosa Hirji, an educational, civil and disability rights attorney. Hirji said the information shared by school administrators also may not align with the policy of their school, district or California’s education law.

“You need to do your research and identify all of those things that you can do to protect yourself after the fact,” Hirji said. “Make sure that you disseminate that information amongst your peers and friends.”

California’s education code states students have the right to exercise freedom of speech and press, including by:

• Distributing printed materials
• Wearing buttons, badges or other symbols
• Expressing themselves in school publications

Hirji said schools cannot legally prevent students from expressing themselves, but they can make rules for when, how and where that free expression can occur. For example, a school may designate time at lunch for students to march and hold up signs with political messages.

But there are no protections for speech that incites students to create a “clear and present danger” of:

• Committing unlawful acts on campus
• Violating lawful school regulations 
• Disrupting the operation of the school

Does calling for a walkout constitute inciting students to break rules? Not necessarily, Hirji said.

“ The question is — is that advocacy or calling for the walkout so inflammatory that it provokes some kind of disturbance in the school environment?” Hirji said. What qualifies as a “disturbance” is must be defined in policy and is not simply the opinion of the administrator, she added.

Speech that is obscene, libelous or slanderous is not protected.

How can I get an excused absence for walking out?

There are limited circumstances when schools will grant a student an excused absence to participate in a walkout, even when parents are supportive of the action.

California allows middle and high school students one excused absence per school year for a civic or political event. Students must notify the school in advance of the absence. School administrators may grant more than one excused absence related to protests, but they are not required to do so.

Community Lawyers Inc. created a template for this notice that students can print and fill out.

Can I get suspended or expelled for walking out?

Students can't be suspended or expelled solely for walking out, but students can be marked tardy, truant or absent. Multiple incidents may lead to more severe discipline.

Let’s define these terms:

• Tardy means a student has arrived late to class. 
• Absent means a student is not present in class. 
• Truant means a student has missed more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse three or more times during the school year. 

Eliasberg said that missing class to attend a protest can’t be punished differently than any other kind of absence.

“The government can't say, 'Well, we think it's worse for you to go out and protest than it is for you to skip class,'” he said.

Truancy, tardiness or absence from school is not a basis for school suspension under California’s education code.

“So if a school district wants to engage in a disciplinary action against a student that walks out, they need to find another reason, another behavior that has occurred,” Hirji said.

For example:

• Causing, attempting or threatening physical injury or violence 
• Possessing weapons or drugs
• Stealing or damaging school property 
• Bullying, intimidating or sexual harassment 

California passed a law in 2023 that prohibits schools from suspending middle and high school students for “willful defiance,” which includes disrupting school activities or defying school personnel.

But there can be consequences for walking out

Once a student is considered truant, the school district is required to notify the student’s family, provide information about alternative educational programs, available mental health support and the right to meet with school staff to discuss the student's absences from school.

The penalties for truancy can escalate the more often a student is absent and may include:

• Attending makeup classes
• Referral to an attendance review board, a group of people whose goal it is to help get students back in school 
• Community service 

What should I do if I get in trouble for walking out?

Before a student can be suspended, they must be informed of the reason for the suspension and whether other means of correction were attempted, Hirji said. Examples of those other forms of correction include additional school, community service or communicating with a parent.

 ”School is not supposed to suspend you on your first offense,” Hirji said.

Hirji said the school should provide evidence of the offense allegedly committed and allow students to provide their version of events. This is due process.

Students may be able to appeal a suspension, which means asking the school to reconsider the punishment.

Where can I find my school district or charter network’s policy?

Here are examples of documents a school or district may have related to students' free speech and protest rights.

School board policies and administrative regulations

• What they are: rules approved by a school district’s elected board
• Where to find them: your local school board’s website

School safety plan

• What it is: a plan for each school and required by California law that addresses potential risks and emergencies.
• Where to find them: You may find it on a school’s website or request it directly from an administrator. 

However, schools and districts may have outdated policies that do not comply with existing law.

Hirji suggests comparing what a teacher, principal or other administrator says with the school, district and state’s rules.

Can the police get involved? 

In mid-February, the Los Angeles Police Department warned that protesting students may face legal consequences for violating a city law that bars minors from public places during school hours.

The city of L.A.’s daytime curfew law states it is unlawful for minors under 18 to be in public places when they would normally attend school. There are several exceptions, including for emergencies and minors accompanied by a parent or guardian.

At one point, LAPD was issuing thousands of tickets a year during curfew sweeps, but the agency agreed in 2011 to ease enforcement after pushback from civil rights attorneys, parents and community activists.

Hirji said students who have excused absences for civil and political reasons should not be subject to the daytime curfew law and suggests protesting students carry proof of their excused absence with them — for example, a copy of the letter or email provided to the school to excuse the absence.