Whistleblower alleges employee who regularly slept on the job held key role in Eaton Fire response

Whistleblower alleges employee who regularly slept on the job held key role in Eaton Fire response

An L.A. county employee who allegedly had “a long history of sleeping on the job” was in charge of emergency workers sending evacuation alerts during critical moments of the Eaton Fire, according to a whistleblower complaint filed with the county. The complaint was filed late last year by Nick Vaquero, an associate director in the county’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) since 2023. The county’s Chief Executive Office confirmed to LAist that it received the complaint. Vaquero reiterated the details of his written whistleblower complaint in interviews with LAist. He said he was speaking out now because he believes OEM’s leadership decisions about staffing during the emergency were shortsighted, and he was upset that his oral complaints to his bosses and to the team working on a major after-action report released in September were ignored. He filed his written whistleblower complaint in October. For more, we turn to Erin Stone, LAist climate and environment reporter who has been covering the aftermath of the L.A. fires with a focus on the shortcomings of emergency response.

With files from LAist. You can read Erin’s full piece here. AirTalk reached out to the Office of Emergency Management for comment, and was provided the following statement:

“Steve Lieberman had no responsibility for receiving or issuing evacuation alerts and warnings. Emergency alerts and warnings are issued based on decisions made by Unified Command in the field and relayed directly to the Office of Emergency Management Alert and Warning unit. It is unacceptable for any OEM employee in the midst of an emergency response to fall asleep. However, to be absolutely clear, Mr. Lieberman had no impact on the timing of alerts and warnings to Altadena. To take these allegations and suggest that this led to the tragic deaths of 19 Altadena residents is patently false and seems intended to recklessly escalate residents’ concerns. Nonetheless, as per County policy, we have forwarded all of Nick Vaquero’s claims for investigation. As these claims were submitted as part of a confidential personnel matter, we are unable to comment further.”

New details on Former OC Supervisor Andrew Do’s corruption emerge

A forensic audit released by Orange County on Monday found ex-Supervisor Andrew Do and his top aide had a longstanding pattern of misspending public money far beyond the scandal that led to federal corruption charges and landed Do in prison. The report released Monday was the first phase of a forensic audit the OC Board of Supervisors commissioned last fall into county contracts in the wake of LAist’s investigation of the Do meal money scheme and his corruption conviction. The audit is being conducted by the firm Weaver. The report details how Do and his chief of staff, Chris Wangsaporn, undermined procedures meant to prevent abuse of county money, while using their influence to steer taxpayer money to friends, family and businesses that quickly donated to his election campaigns — often with little information about the services being provided. “The pattern of contracts being awarded to vendors that contributed to former Supervisor Do’s political campaigns raises questions and concerns about potential ‘pay-to-play’ schemes,” the report states. For more on this, we turn to Nick Gerda, LAist watchdog correspondent who first broke the story of former O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do’s corruption.

With files from LAist.

TV Talk: ‘Dynasty,’ ‘The Madison,’ ‘Scarpetta’ and many more!

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching withMelanie McFarland, senior TV critic for Salon.com

TV SHOWS:

• Dynasty: The Murdochs [4 Part Limited Series] (Netflix)
• Twisted Yoga [3 Part Limited Series] (Apple TV+)
• The Madison [Season 1] (Paramount+)
• Scarpetta [Season 1] (Prime Video)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

How ‘Sinners’ paid homage to the blues and the man who helped the film achieve that

Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners received 16 Oscar nominations, making it the most nominated film of the ceremony’s history. One of those nominations is for the Best Original Song “I Lied To You.” Co-written and produced by Raphael Saadiq, the song is a powerful homage to history and the blues. Raphael Saadiq joins us this morning on AirTalk to talk about the song, his process, and the significance of the blues in music history.

Director Joachim Trier on his nine-time Oscar nominated film ‘Sentimental Value’

Writer-director Joachim Trier makes award-winning films that strike an emotional chord with audiences. Probably best known for his previous film The Worst Person in the World (2021), starring Renate Reinsve and co-written by Eskil Voght, Trier recreates that magic with his latest work Sentimental Value, about two sisters and their relationship with their estranged director father. Trier teamed up with Voght once again to co-write the screenplay and Reinsve plays the lead, marking the third film the director and actress have worked on together. Stellan Skarsgard stars alongside Reinsve as her character's father. Sentimental Value has nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. We speak with writer-director Joachim Trier about the film and why it has resonated so much with audiences.

How the Train Dreams’ director and cinematographer created its reflective mood

A quiet, meditative film about the Pacific Northwest’s logging and railroad industry at the turn of the 20th century is this year’s sleeper hit, accumulating four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier, played by Joel Edgerton, as he helps expand the nation’s railway system, clearing forests alongside nomadic characters. As the film progresses, the audience is transported to the changing landscape of the West, the visuals dreamy like sifting through memories. The film is an adaptation of the novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with Train Dreams’ director and co-writer Clint Bentley, who is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside co-writer Greg Kwedar, and the film’s director of photography, Adolpho Veloso, who is nominated for Best Achievement in Cinematography.

Train Dreams is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and Best Achievement in Music (Original Song).

Train Dreams is available to stream on Netflix.