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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • New hub offers healthcare, showers and more
    A person wearing a backwards cap and holding a clipboard stands with another person under an umbrella in front of a building which says "Skid Row Care (Campus)"
    The entrance to the new Skid Row Care Campus, the first county program to formally incorporate input from homeless people.

    Topline:

    Los Angeles County administrators say the new Skid Row Care Campus in downtown L.A. is the nation's first community-designed homeless services campus. The 36,000-square-foot site, which opened in May, provides showers, laundry, medical care and housing referrals for the community's unsheltered population.

    Why here? The primary clientele are the more than 1,800 unsheltered people living on the neighborhood’s streets who — despite the large concentration of homeless programs in the area — have access to few public restrooms and public gathering spaces. Although it's only been open a few months, the center appears popular. But some nearby business owners complain of more drug activity on the street since the facility opened.

    How it's funded: The care campus is funded with nearly $26 million a year in local, state, federal and private dollars over the next two years. The campus is the result of an initiative called the Skid Row Action Plan, a $280 million effort to expand services and housing funded by L.A. County, the city of L.A. and the state.

    Harm reduction focus: The new campus includes so-called “harm-reduction” programs that focus on keeping drug users safe and alive, including by providing clean needles, safe smoking supplies and overdose reversal medication.

    Read on ... to hear from people who have used the care campus' services and about the controversy surrounding harm reduction.

    Floyd Howard Jr. calls it his comfort zone — a canopy-covered courtyard in the heart of Skid Row where he can charge his phone, smoke a cigarette and catch up with friends.

    Listen 0:43
    At Skid Row Care Campus, homeless residents chart their own path to services

    It's also the centerpiece of what Los Angeles County administrators say is the nation's first community-designed homeless services campus.

    The Skid Row Care Campus opened in May on a 36,000-square-foot site in downtown Los Angeles. It’s the first county program to formally incorporate input from people living in Skid Row, according to officials, including so-called “harm-reduction” programs that focus on keeping drug users safe and alive.

    “It was imperative that the plan be designed by the community to repair the harm done by decades of plans that did not involve people who live in Skid Row,” said Molly Rysman with L.A. County’s Department of Health Services.

    The care campus is funded with nearly $26 million a year in local, state, federal and private dollars over the next two years. About 2,000 people visit the new campus each day, according to Homeless Healthcare L.A., the main nonprofit staffing the campus.

    Although it's only been open a few months, the center appears popular with unhoused Angelenos who desperately need a place to rest. Last month, one woman visited the campus for her first shower in months, she said, after receiving a buprenorphine injection to help her stop using fentanyl.

    But some nearby business owners complain of more drug activity on the street since the facility opened.

    Howard, a longtime Skid Row resident, said he visits the campus often to pick up the testing strips he uses to check his crystal methamphetamine supply for fentanyl.

    Sometimes, he drops by for art classes or acupuncture treatment.

    “It’s like a safe haven,” he said.

    Centering the community

    The site, at 422 S. Crocker St., provides a range of services, including showers, laundry, medical care and housing referrals. Booths line the south side of the plaza, where a rotating cast of representatives from the county’s three health departments provide pop-up services to connect people with addiction treatment or case management.

    The primary clientele are the more than 1,800 unsheltered people living on the neighborhood’s streets who — despite the large concentration of homeless programs in the area — have access to few public restrooms and public gathering spaces.

    The campus is the result of an initiative called the Skid Row Action Plan, a $280 million effort to expand services and housing funded by L.A. County, the city of L.A. and the state.

    L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis launched the initiative in 2022 to address historic racism and disinvestment in the neighborhood, where the majority of the unhoused population is Black.

    “Engaging the community was not just important; it was essential,” said Solis, whose district includes Skid Row. “Their voices must guide the path forward. Real transformation can only be led by those who live this reality every day.”

    A committee of 10 current and former Skid Row residents collaborated with government agencies in 2023 to come up with recommendations for the plan in 2023. That group, known as the Skid Row Action Plan Resident Advisory Committee, recommended the new campus.

    They said they wanted a fun community space where they could connect with services and a place where drug users can pick up harm reduction supplies, such as clean needles or pipes, overdose reversal medication and drug testing strips.

    As a member of the advisory committee, Skid Row activist General Dogon said he pushed for the campus entrance to be staffed by “community ambassadors,” rather than private security guards.

    “Uniforms don't go good with homeless people,” said Dogon, an organizer with the L.A. Community Action Network. “We want everyday faces to be at the door, not some G.I. Joe in a uniform.”

    A man with dark brown skin tone and wearing black  stands in a crosswalk with his arms crossed.
    General Dogon observes an encampment sweep along a block of Skid Row.
    (
    Jules Hotz
    /
    CalMatters
    )

    L.A. County officials said input from members of the unhoused community is sometimes ignored, and they are not properly compensated for their efforts. So authorities said they wanted to take a different approach at the care campus.

    After the Skid Row Action plan started taking shape, the county hired an additional eight unhoused or formerly unhoused people to serve on resident councils for the Skid Row Care Campus. Each is paid a $10,000 consulting stipend and tasked with surveying other community members about what’s working and what isn’t. They also provide training and technical assistance for the campus’ programs.

    “I like the fact that it's focused from the ground up and not the top down,” said Dwight Wilson, a member of a resident council. “It wants to  incorporate the actual feeling of the people in the community that need the resources.”

    Even the name, “Skid Row Care Campus,” came from the community. It was suggested by Henriëtte Brouwers, associate director of the L.A. Poverty Department, a nonprofit arts organization and theater group that’s been in Skid Row since 1985.

    “ People often talk about Skid Row like it's a bad place; they don’t care to find out why it’s here,” Brouwers said. “But people recover when they build relationships, and you build relationships when you care about somebody.

    “I think if we want to end homelessness, we need to actually care.”

    An estimated 3,593 homeless people live in Skid Row, including those in homeless shelters, according to the region’s latest count. While the overall unhoused population in the neighborhood has declined by 27% since 2022, the remaining population faces greater health risks, according to survey data.

    About 41% of the people in Skid Row’s unhoused population have a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or post traumatic stress disorder. Roughly 31% deal with substance use disorder, and 26% claim a physical disability.

    To meet some of those needs at the Skid Row Care Campus, the nonprofit health agency John Wesley Community Health Institute runs an on-site clinic and a 48-bed board-and-care facility, which provides permanent housing to people who need help with basic activities like dressing or eating. It’s moving in residents this week, according to county officials.

    In several months, Skid Row’s first-ever methadone clinic will open here.

    Harm reduction 

    Many programs at the facility focus on harm reduction, a public health approach that recognizes addiction is a health condition and that some people aren’t going to immediately quit using drugs.

    Harm reduction interventions typically focus on minimizing the negative health effects of drug use.

    Public health officials and addiction experts say there is ample evidence these approaches not only save lives, but can also help people get into treatment or sobriety, connect them with other services or get them off the street.

    But harm reduction remains controversial. Some view these approaches as enabling illegal behavior.

    Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order encouraging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to give priority for housing grants to local agencies that enforce laws against open illicit drug use.

    Trump’s order directs his attorney general to ensure that federal substance use disorder grants do not fund harm reduction programs. It also directs HUD to require people with substance use disorders or serious mental illness to seek treatment before they participate in federal housing and homelessness assistance programs.

    Days before the executive order, a Trump-appointed HUD administrator told L.A. County officials at a meeting that he believed the region wasn’t doing enough enforcement and was critical of providing housing subsidies to people who use drugs, according to local officials who were there. L.A. County officials said it’s too early to tell what the actual effects of the new order will be.

    Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for unhoused Angelenos, according to the county Public Health Department. Skid Row is home to the largest homeless population in L.A. and the highest rates of drug overdose mortality.

    There are no designated safe-consumption sites — where people are allowed to use drugs under supervision — in California, although some exist in other parts of the country. A few years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a state bill that would have allowed them.

    On the street outside the Skid Row Care Campus, there are many signs that people are using illicit drugs. But they can’t use them inside the facility. The staff won’t allow it.

    Last month, when one woman hit her meth pipe while lounging on the patio, a staff member tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to put it away. She complied.

    The Skid Row Care Campus’ main harm reduction provider is Homeless Healthcare L.A., best known for its overdose response teams who roll through Skid Row in Jeeps to pass out supplies like clean smoking kits and naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

    “Harm reduction was created by people who use drugs,” said the nonprofit’s Aurora Morales. “And everything that we do reflects what they need.”

    On a recent afternoon, Floyd Howard Jr. folded squares of clean tin foil to be packed into kits for fentanyl smokers, as part of a campus work program.

    “People that smoke fentanyl, they use the foil to put their drug on and smoke it,” Howard said. “So it's safer to get this from them than to just use some off the ground or something that's not clean.”

    Howard added that he’s seen supplies like these save countless lives, including his own.

    “If it wasn't for these people, a lot of people would be dead,” he said. “I have a whole lot of people that I met downtown here that passed from overdose.”

    A man stands next to a woman who crouches on a sidewalk with two dogs and a backpack.
    An unhoused couple who go by “Porkchop” and “Angel” prepare to visit the Skid Row Care Campus to take their first showers in months. Both had recently taken long-acting injectable doses of buprenorphine to quit using fentanyl, after years of daily use.
    (
    Aaron Schrank
    /
    LAist
    )

    Building community

    The care campus sits beside the Umeya Apartments, a 175-unit supportive housing complex managed by the nonprofit Little Tokyo Service Center. Representatives say tenants will start moving in this month.

    Most of the site’s neighbors are also homeless services providers. But some business owners complain of increased loitering and drug use outside the campus gates.

    “ A lot of people don't want to come here anymore just because the street is so bad and they're scared,” said one representative from a nearby business, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “ They should be helping people get off drugs instead of helping them do drugs.”

    Morales of Homeless Healthcare L.A. said she’s working on partnerships with local businesses, including sending work program participants to clean up debris in alleyways.

    Many unhoused Skid Row residents say they’re frequently denied service and restroom access at local businesses. Some go days without a proper meal and weeks or even months without a shower.

    That’s why the care campus is a refuge.

    “ They cater to everybody, and they're not biased about anything,” said Lisa Parizo, a formerly unhoused Skid Row resident who visits the space daily. “If you come in with a dirty shirt, dirty pants, they don't care. They're not gonna give you any less attention.”

    It’s too early to tell how the care campus may transform this section of Skid Row.

    Months after opening, most people living on Skid Row’s streets still haven’t heard of the campus, said resident councilmember Dwight Wilson, whose responsibilities include evangelizing for the site.

    “I haven't run into too many people that have actually been there,” said Wilson. “I'm usually letting them know for the first time.”

    Wilson has been living in transitional housing in Skid Row for the past year, since getting out of prison. He saw a listing for this opportunity a few months ago and applied.

    He said he’s learned a lot about his neighborhood during the last few months on the job.

    “When I was sent down here, I was really upset,” Wilson said. “But actually being down here has been a very humbling experience for me. What I learned is that it is actually a community.”

  • Key deadline to remove food from warehouse
    A worker in safety remediation gear drives a cart right outside a warehouse that reads "Lineage."
    Workers continue to clear out the Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights.

    Topline:

    After missing the city’s Aug. 14 deadline to clear out the 88 million pounds of food from the burned Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights, the company faces another deadline today — and it’s unclear if they will meet it.

    More details: Lineage disputes the city’s timeline, saying it was given until Aug. 20 to remove the rotted food, under orders imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

    The backstory: As of Tuesday, Lineage reported that 97% of the food waste had been removed but had not confirmed that the work would be completed by the end of the day. The company said it has moved into the next phase of cleanup, which includes removing loose debris, power washing, disinfecting, detailing and deodorizing. That work is expected to be completed by Aug. 27, according to Lineage.

    Read on... for more on the deadline.

    This story first appeared on The LA Local.

    After missing the city’s Aug. 14 deadline to clear out the 88 million pounds of food from the burned Lineage warehouse in Boyle Heights, the company faces another deadline today — and it’s unclear if they will meet it.

    Lineage disputes the city’s timeline, saying it was given until Aug. 20 to remove the rotted food, under orders imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. 

    As of Tuesday, Lineage reported that 97% of the food waste had been removed but had not confirmed that the work would be completed by the end of the day. The company said it has moved into the next phase of cleanup, which includes removing loose debris, power washing, disinfecting, detailing and deodorizing. That work is expected to be completed by Aug. 27, according to Lineage.

    At a virtual community meeting last week, where L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announced that Lineage would not complete the work by Aug. 14, residents left frustrated by unanswered questions and what they called a lack of urgency from the city and Lineage to provide relief from lingering odors, pests and ongoing health concerns.

    Here’s what we know about what’s been done so far and what’s left.  

    What’s been cleaned up so far?

    The freezer extensively damaged by the June 17 fire has been cleared and much of the structure has been demolished. For the past few weeks, crews have been working to remove the rotting food from inside the remaining freezer. 

    As of Tuesday, Lineage reported that 97% of the food had been removed.

    It’s unclear how Lineage has been calculating the cleanup estimates. The offices of Bass, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis have not directly answered questions from Boyle Heights Beat about how or if the numbers have been independently verified or how officials will determine when the cleanup is complete.

    Bass acknowledged the issue last week, saying, “Lineage has said that they have removed 84% of all food waste in Freezer 1, but we cannot verify that.”

    The L.A. County Department of Public Health has been inspecting the warehouse daily and citing Lineage up to $2,000 per day for its unsanitary conditions and inadequate pest control. 

    Photos from the department’s most recent inspection on Tuesday show dozens of live and dead flies, decaying organic waste, sludge and food residue on the ground.

    Can Lineage meet the Aug. 20 deadline?

    Lineage’s reported cleanup pace has slowed over the last week, as they’ve said the remaining food is particularly challenging to remove. The company had previously been removing food at a pace of about 1% a day, but has slowed to less than 1% over most of the last week.

    Based on Lineage’s self-reported cleanup pace, removing the final 3% could take several more days. In a statement Tuesday, the company said it expected the bulk food cleanup to be completed in “the coming days.”

    Jurado said Wednesday that Lineage had not provided a definitive date for completing the food waste removal. 

    Will removing the food eliminate the smell?

    For many residents, the biggest question is how much longer the smell of rotting food will continue to disrupt their daily lives. Many have reported nausea and headaches due to the odors. 

    Lineage told Boyle Heights Beat that it expects conditions to improve as more food waste is removed because the waste is the primary source of odor. 

    The company said Phase 2 of the cleanup is underway and includes “extensive cleaning and decontamination of the site, including power washing, disinfecting, detailing and deodorizing.”

    Lineage is also conducting around-the-clock air monitoring at various locations around the site and sharing the results online.

    Lineage has not provided a specific timeline for when residents can expect the smell to end.

    An audience sits in metal chairs in a gym watching a screen with the projected video of a Zoom call featuring Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaking to the residents.
    Mayor Karen Bass gives Boyle Heights residents an update on the Lineage Warehouse cleanup at Lou Costello Jr Recreational Center on Aug. 13, 2026.
    (
    J.W. Hendricks
    /
    The LA Local
    )

    Why are there two deadlines? 

    The city’s Aug. 14 deadline was outlined in L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ executive directives issued on June 29, which called for the complete bulk food removal within 45 days. Bass reiterated that deadline during a community meeting last week, where she said it had become clear the company would not meet it.

    Lineage disputes that timeline, saying the Los Angeles Fire Department did not hand over the building until July 7, and that its applicable deadline is Aug. 20, in line with South Coast AQMD’s orders.

    What happens if Lineage misses South Coast AQMD’s deadline?

    If Lineage does not meet its Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 cleanup deadlines, South Coast AQMD will call for another hearing to determine the penalties it can impose. 

    The deadlines were first established after a public hearing on Aug. 5 and 6, when air regulators unanimously approved an abatement order to enforce stricter cleanup requirements for Lineage after receiving thousands of air quality complaints since early July. 

    What about the mayor’s Aug. 14 deadline?

    In response to Lineage missing the city’s 45-day deadline, Bass said she was preparing to call on city lawyers to pursue civil litigation and other legal options, including cost recovery and penalties.

    The mayor’s office did not respond to questions about whether the city has filed a lawsuit or taken other legal action since then.

    Residents say they’re fed up

    Tensions were high at Lou Costello Recreation Center last week, where about 40 residents watched Bass announce through Zoom that Lineage would not be meeting the city’s cleanup deadline.

    Those living closest to the warehouse shared that the differing timelines matter less than wanting actual relief and answers about when the work would be completed. 

    “I want them to get rid of this already,” said Maria Guzman, who brought her energy bill to the meeting, hoping to show city staff how much it’s gone up in the past two months. “They need to take care of it and do it as soon as possible.”

    Boyle Heights Beat Senior reporter Alejandra Molina contributed to this story.

  • Sponsored message
  • Bass and Raman face off on homelessness, housing
    A woman with brown skin and short, light brown hair is behind a lectern. She is wearing a bright blue suit and wearing glasses. To the right of the image, a woman with brown skin and long dark brown hair is behind a separate lectern and microphone. She is wearing a light gray suit.
    Incumbent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (left) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (right) appear at a debate hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association.

    Topline:

    The two candidates for Los Angeles mayor, incumbent Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman, traded sharp jabs Wednesday night over homelessness, housing and police hiring in the first debate of the general election season.

    Why it matters: The debate, hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, came as both campaigns began ramping up door-to-door canvassing in a race that’s expected to be close.

    The issues: During the debate, Raman said Bass had not made enough progress on the No. 1 issue facing Los Angeles: homelessness. Bass countered that her Inside Safe program has brought thousands of people off of the streets. The candidates also sparred over housing policy, with Raman saying the city needed more density in housing to address a severe shortage.

    Read on ... for details on the candidates' positions on each topic and pointed comments on each others' record in local office.

    The two candidates for Los Angeles mayor, incumbent Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman, traded sharp jabs Wednesday night over homelessness, housing and police hiring in the first debate of the general election season.

    The debate, hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, came as both campaigns began ramping up door-to-door canvassing in a race that’s expected to be close.

    Bass, who was elected mayor in 2022, finished five points ahead of Raman in June but is considered vulnerable with unfavorable ratings at 57% in a poll taken before the primary.

    Homelessness

    During the debate, Raman, who represents Council District 4, said Bass had not made enough progress on the No. 1 issue facing Los Angeles: homelessness.

    “You’ve been the mayor for four years and the results have not changed — the results are visible on our streets,” Raman said.

    The latest homeless count showed unsheltered homelessness rose 8% from January 2025 to January 2026. The increase followed a two-year drop of 17.5%.

    Bass countered that her Inside Safe program has brought thousands of people off of the streets and pointed out that Raman was head of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee until recently and therefore shared responsibility for the city’s progress on the issue.

    “She has been the point person for homelessness — a very powerful position that she declared as powerful when she lost it,” Bass said.

    Raman touted a 49% drop in unsheltered homelessness in her council district, which stretches from Silver Lake to Sherman Oaks.

    Bass claimed Inside Safe was largely responsible for the drop.

    If elected, Raman promised to conduct an audit of homelessness spending in her first six months of office and said she would fully staff a new Bureau of Homelessness Oversight to hold the city accountable for its spending on the issue.

    Auditors have also flagged major problems with the handling of tax dollars by the regional L.A. Homeless Services Authority. The failures stem from poor bookkeeping and accounting of taxpayer money at the agency, which spent over $800 million in public funds last fiscal year.

    Raman also promised to lobby L.A. County more forcefully than Bass for mental health, drug abuse and other social services for the unhoused.

    Housing

    The two also sparred over housing policy, with Raman saying the city needed more density in housing to address a severe shortage.

    “This is a massive problem for the future of Los Angeles,” Raman said. “Let’s have a Planning Department that does the work to build these units, zone for these units.”

    Raman said the city is “not zoned for more housing,” adding that’s why the state has stepped in with mandates for more dense housing in cities and counties across California.

    Raman supported the law.

    Bass opposed it.

    “I do not support Sacramento telling us what to do,” Bass said. “The best way to build is to reach agreement with communities.”

    Bass has billed herself as someone who would do more to preserve residential neighborhoods in the city and protect them from density. She added that 42,000 units of affordable housing were in the pipeline.

    Policing

    The two also tangled over the hiring of police officers.

    Bass pointed to a 2020 social media post by Raman that declared “defund the police.”

    “She’s irresponsible in what she talks about,” Bass said.

    Raman returned the verbal jab, arguing that Bass was irresponsible for backing a big raise for police officers in 2023.

    “This is about fiscal management of public tax dollars,” Raman said. "This contract gave raises to the [Police Department] that our city couldn't afford and we suffered as a result.

    ”We cut street lighting, we cut pothole repair — we have more potholes on our streets than we did before," she continued. “We do less graffiti removal than we did before.”

    Bass has said the raises were necessary to recruit new officers and keep current officers from leaving the department.

    Raman also criticized Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s response to federal immigration raids, noting he refused to enforce a state law that largely prohibited federal agents from wearing masks. The council member said she didn’t believe the chief’s response to ICE raids “met the moment,” stopping short of saying whether she would seek to remove him.

    Supporting business

    Bass and Raman also fought over whether the city had sufficiently supported the entertainment industry.

    “We need a tax credit and advocacy in Sacramento for the kind of tax credit that Georgia has, that’s the same as New Jersey has that’s taking jobs away from here,” Raman said.

    Bass said she appointed a film czar to fight for such policies and criticized Raman for doing nothing on the issue.

    “You have been on the City Council for six years,” Bass said. “You’ve been at City Hall twice as long as I have. I realize you want to pitch yourself as somebody from the outside. But where were you? You’ve introduced no motion for the entertainment industry.”

    Bass said Raman would not be a good mayor because she lacks support from any of her colleagues on the City Council.

    “She has no support from the council members because nobody can work with her,” Bass said.

    Raman said she works well with colleagues and that Bass had locked up their endorsements before she made her last-minute entry into the race.

  • Media, military mistakenly held at gunpoint
    A rocket launches from a pad, engulfed in flame and smoke, near a building painted with an American flag
    FILE: A spy satellite launches in 2022 from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara. Members of the media invited to invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility, along with two military members, were briefly detained Monday at gunpoint at the base.

    Topline:

    Five news reporters and two members of the military who were invited to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base were briefly detained at gunpoint by security officers who thought they were gate crashers, according to local news reports.

    What we know: The incident happened Monday ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, and both outlets published articles detailing the detainment.

    Why did it happen? Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs spokesperson called the incident a breakdown in communication, noting the base "is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts.”

    Five news reporters and two members of the military who were invited to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California were briefly detained at gunpoint by security officers who thought they were gate crashers, according to local news reports.

    The incident happened Monday ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara, Calif. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, and both outlets published articles detailing the detainment.

    In a statement to Noozhawk, a Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs spokesperson called the incident a breakdown in communication.

    “Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts,” the statement said. “Every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise. While we recognize this may have been unsettling, the security of the base and its personnel is our priority.”

    The reporters and military members were part of a convoy being escorted onto the base by uniformed public affairs staff in a government minivan when they were suddenly ordered out of their vehicles with their hands up, according to news reports.

    Officers pointed guns, sirens were sounded and barricades went up at the gate entrance, KEYT reported.

    The two military members assigned to the base — one enlisted and one a junior officer — were handcuffed and placed in base vehicles, while the civilians were ordered to sit on a curb, Noozhawk reported.

    The reporters for outlets also including KSBY-TV and the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record were held for more than 30 minutes, causing them to miss the event. All were let go without further incident.

    “We respect the military’s need to provide security for the base,” Tom Bolton, Noozhawk’s editor in chief, said in a statement Wednesday. “But clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn.”

    Bolton said he hopes to have a conversation with base leadership later this week to review what happened in the hopes of preventing a similar occurrence in the future.

  • California sets tough regulations around homes

    Topline:

    As severe wildfires burn across the Western U.S., California has adopted the toughest rules in the country to help protect communities from burning. Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas will be required to limit plants within five feet of their house, a protective measure that wildfire experts say can help prevent homes from igniting.

    Why now: Research shows that dry, dense vegetation around buildings can cause wildfires to spread. In extreme conditions, high winds carry a deluge of tiny, burning embers far beyond the fire itself. When those embers get caught in vegetation, they can ignite, spreading flames to nearby buildings and homes.
    The details: Wednesday's vote by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection comes after years of debate and delays. The state originally considered rules that would have restricted all vegetation within five feet of a house, aside from well-maintained trees. That generated pushback from some communities, concerned about losing greenery in their gardens and the cost of yard maintenance.

    Read on ... for more about the state's new Zone Zero regulations and what happens next.

    As severe wildfires burn across the Western U.S., California has adopted the toughest rules in the country to help protect communities from burning. Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas will be required to limit plants within five feet of their house, a protective measure that wildfire experts say can help prevent homes from igniting.
    Research shows that dry, dense vegetation around buildings can cause wildfires to spread. In extreme conditions, high winds carry a deluge of tiny, burning embers far beyond the fire itself. When those embers get caught in vegetation, they can ignite, spreading flames to nearby buildings and homes.
    Wednesday's vote by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection comes after years of debate and delays. The state originally considered rules that would have restricted all vegetation within five feet of a house, aside from well-maintained trees. That generated pushback from some communities, concerned about losing greenery in their gardens and the cost of yard maintenance.
    California regulators ultimately struck a compromise about plants allowed within the five-foot zone, known as Zone Zero. Lawns, flowers and non-woody plants up to 18 inches tall will be allowed, unless they are located directly under the roofline of a house. Trees will be allowed, though branches must be trimmed five feet away from a structure. The rules will apply to new construction right away, but will be phased in for existing structures, affecting almost 2 million homes in high-risk areas.

    State regulators say the rules reflect the new reality of more extreme wildfires, driven in part by rising temperatures from climate change. More than 57,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed in California in the last decade, according to state regulators.

    "California's faced an existential crisis that has affected our health, that has affected our finances related to our ability to buy and sell homes, to insure homes and has put us in a very precarious place," testified Yana Valachovic of the University of California Cooperative Extension at Wednesday's hearing, who also advised the state on the new rules.

    Growing tensions across Western states

    California's debate reflects growing tensions across the Western U.S. about how communities should prepare for wildfires. Wildfire experts warn even fires that start in open, wildland areas can quickly become urban fires, destroying thousands of homes in neighborhoods that residents never thought were at risk, like in the 2025 Los Angeles fires. This summer, more than 800 homes were destroyed in Spokane, Wash., by three wildfires that burned through dense neighborhoods.
    Across several states, homeowners in public meetings have said wildfire regulations threaten private property rights, reduce urban wildlife habitat and require costly maintenance.
    "You are about to approve a set of regulations that will cost millions of California homeowners tens of billions of dollars," testified Dave Lefkowitz, president of the Mandeville Canyon Association, a community group in the Los Angeles hills. "The math is insuperable."

    Vegetation management rules were recently defeated in both Oregon and Washington after strong public pushback, including misinformation that spread online. Some community groups wanted regulators to wait for more scientific research on wildfire spread.

    Research shows plants can increase risk

    In experiments, researchers have shown that even green plants can ignite in the dry, windy conditions of an extreme wildfire. Analyses of past California wildfires have also shown that homes with vegetation predominantly within 6 feet of the exterior walls were at higher risk of being lost. Managing vegetation also creates "defensible space" for firefighters, providing better access for defending a structure.

    California has long been at the forefront of wildfire policy, pioneering regulations that other states have adopted. For almost 20 years, California's wildfire building codes have required homes to use fire-resistant materials for construction. A handful of other states recently adopted similar codes. Research shows that while there are no guarantees a house will survive a fire, protections are strongest when homeowners address both building materials and vegetation. Even in some of the most severe wildfires in recent years, some homes made it through.
    California regulators say the widespread regulations are needed because voluntary measures don't provide enough protection. Communities are safest when all homeowners comply, since one home with dense, dry vegetation can spread fire to its neighbors. Insurance companies in California are also required to provide discounts to homeowners that make their homes more fire-resistant.

    New rules depend on inspections

    While California's new rules provide more flexibility for homeowners, some wildfire experts say they don't go far enough, given that any combustible material next to a house could pose a risk. The new vegetation rules will be enforced by local fire departments and state agencies that do home inspections every year. Those inspectors will bear the brunt of educating homeowners and ensuring compliance.
    "I want the board to understand what this compromise asks of local inspection programs," Todd Lando of the Central Marin Fire Department testified at the hearing. "A clean Zone Zero is a five-minute inspection with one question: Is anything combustible within five feet? Easy for the homeowner to understand and take action on." Lando says the new rules will involve more conditional judgements by inspectors, opening up debate with homeowners that could affect compliance.

    California regulators say inspectors will focus on educating homeowners at first, before compliance becomes mandatory. For existing homes, the new vegetation rules will go into effect in 2029 at the earliest.

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