CALIFORNIA DROUGHT - Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT Local [http://www.latimes.com/local/] L.A. Now California Education Politics Homicides EL NIÑO & THE CALIFORNIA DROUGHT L.A. Now Downtown L.A.'s five-year rain total is lowest ever recorded Joseph Serna Los Angeles has chalked up yet another dreary milestone in its growing almanac of drought. On Wednesday, experts at the National Weather Service confirmed that the last five years have been the driest ever documented in downtown L.A. since official record keeping began almost 140 years ago. Having... L.A. Now Pine fire continues to burn in wilderness area north of Ojai L.A. Now California has a lot more water than some think, new Stanford study suggests Another heat wave expected to hit region, hindering Kern County fire fight Kern County officials investigating possible third fatality in massive wildfire 23 dead in West Virginia floods as search and rescue continues Wildfire burns more than 30,000 acres, prompting state of emergency; 2 dead, 100 structures lost What drought? Many Californians no longer required to curb water use 50 to 60 homes burn in fast-moving brush fire in Kern County Red flag conditions ahead for Southern California amid several wildfires As the San Gabriel Complex fire keeps burning, some Duarte residents return home WEATHER GRAPHICS view more L.A. Now Latest forecast suggests 'Godzilla El Niño' may be coming to California LOCAL El Nino of 1997-98 Look up drought report cards for every water district How to prepare for a destructive El Niño winter Quiz: Test your knowledge of the California drought Local Deals view all deals Save 25% tickets to the Live & Dine LA Culinary Event at the Fairmont Hotel view offer Explore wine country with a winery tour + tastings and apps in Solvang. view offer Grab a drink and pull up a stool for Paint Nite at bars around LA! view offer MORE EL NIÑO & CALIFORNIA DROUGHT NEWS L.A. Now Cooler weather aids wildfire battle in Angeles National Forest and some evacuations are lifted Joseph Serna, Nina Agrawal and Hailey Branson-Potts Hundreds of Duarte residents who were evacuated this week as a pair of wildfires burned in the Angeles National Forest will be allowed to return home Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Improved weather conditions have aided firefighters battling the Reservoir and Fish fires in the San Gabriel... L.A. Now It will take years of wet weather before California recovers from drought, study finds Matt Stevens When forecasters last year warned of a massive El Niño, some Californians held out hope that a single extremely wet year could bust the state’s severe drought. But a study published Tuesday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, offered support for the... L.A. Now Twin fires burn more than 4,500 acres and trigger evacuations in San Gabriel Valley Veronica Rocha , Nina Agrawal and Matt Hamilton Two sprawling wildfires tore through at least 4,500 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains on Monday, and only a canyon prevented the blazes from merging into one massive inferno, fire officials said. The two brush fires broke out in Azusa and Duarte amid a blistering heat wave, forcing the evacuation of... L.A. Now 122 degrees: Palm Springs breaks record — and it could get hotter Ruben Vives, Ivan Penn, Nina Agrawal and Joseph Serna Every so often someone walks into the Palm Springs Visitors Center raring to burn through hiking trails like they're British adventurer and TV personality Bear Grylls. For those people, Ceej Juarez, who provides information about hiking trails in the Agua Caliente Indian reservation, has to be... L.A. Now Dangerous fires, extreme heat across Southern California Frank Shyong, Cindy Chang and Kate Mather A massive heat wave descended on Southern California on Sunday, bringing record-breaking temperatures and fueling fires throughout the region, including one in Silver Lake that threatened homes and forced the closure of the 2 Freeway for several hours. Temperatures hit triple-digits in several... L.A. Now Heat wave shatters temperature records across Southern California Matt Hamilton A sweltering heat wave baked Southern California on Sunday, bringing triple-digit temperatures to some areas and shattering records that in some cases held for decades. The National Weather Service issued a list of record-setting temperatures in cities across the Southland. Here’s a selection: ... L.A. Now Temperatures soar as Southern California's heat wave intensifies Ruben Vives High temperatures are expected to continue Sunday as Southern California’s heat wave intensifies, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters say the weather system that has been building over Southern California is strengthening and will cause temperatures to keep climbing higher. ... L.A. Now Forecast for Southern California: Hot this weekend, even hotter Monday Ruben Vives, Sarah Parvini A sweltering heat wave will broil Southern California this weekend and early next week, prompting heat alerts and excessive-heat watches for some areas, according to the National Weather Service. “It will be very hot,” said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the service. “People should limit their... CALIFORNIA Rare toads (presumably) love him; off-roaders do not Louis Sahagun Cantankerous outlaws and merciless nature are out to kill the arroyo toads of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Like an ecological John Wayne, Sam Sweet — a big man with a beard and ponytail who at one point in his controversial career packed a .44 magnum — has spent his life trying to protect... L.A. Now Scorching heat wave headed for Southern California this weekend Jason Song June gloom will give way to triple-digit temperatures by Monday as a heat wave envelopes Southern California over the weekend, forecasters say. It has been cool in the region so far this month. The average temperature in downtown Los Angeles has been 68 degrees. But the mercury will begin rising... L.A. Now Gloomy weather expected to continue through the weekend Soumya Karlamangla Fog and drizzle are forecast for much of Southern California through the weekend as a low-pressure system moves through the region, bringing with it a chance of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. Not strong enough to be considered a “cold front,” a “trough of low-pressure”... L.A. Now State water board drops record $1.5-million drought fine Bettina Boxall State water regulators Tuesday dismissed a record $1.5-million fine against a Northern California irrigation district accused of diverting water last year in violation of a drought order. The action is the latest twist in the state’s attempts to assert control over water diversions by agricultural... L.A. Now Water conservation has saved energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, study finds Joshua Emerson Smith As debate continues in San Diego County and around the state over how aggressively to conserve water amid a historic drought, a new study finds that reductions in urban water use have saved significant amounts of electricity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis, published by UC Davis,... L.A. Now Drought sparks larger wildfires throughout California Veronica Rocha Firefighters are tackling larger and more aggressive wildfires as drought conditions continue for a fifth year in California, drying out swaths of forest land. Raging wildfires in Northern and Southern California kept firefighters busy over the weekend, pushing the number of acres burned so far... Michael Hiltzik California's drought: How Trump's blustering caricatured a genuine crisis Michael Hiltzik Of all the mistakes, misstatements, and assorted bloviations issuing from Donald Trump during the current presidential campaign, surely one of the leading head-scratchers is his May 27 assertion to the effect that “there is no drought” in California. Let’s consider a fuller quote from Trump’s appearance... L.A. Now Calabasas fire is 80% contained Garrett Therolf, Frank Shyong and Rosanna Xia A fire in the hills of Calabasas that broke out Saturday and prompted evacuations and burned more than 500 acres is 80% contained, officials said Sunday. The fire, which broke out shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday, damaged one home and destroyed one commercial building, fire officials said. Two firefighters... BUSINESS Do drought-related water restrictions take precedence over lease requirements? Donie Vanitzian QUESTION: I rent a house that’s located in a Torrance-area homeowner association. My landlord has referred to the rental agreement that I signed as the “standard real estate form” published by a trade association and used by real estate brokers. In that form there’s a paragraph stating: “Tenants... L.A. Now Southern California heat wave continues, but cooler temperatures are on the way Matt Stevens The three-day heat wave oppressing many of the inland valleys and foothills of Southern California is expected to let up on Sunday, but not before a brush fire caused some tense moments in the Temecula area Saturday, Since Thursday, a ridge of high pressure has warmed Southern California, prompting... NATION Will lethal Texas flooding stop? Not anytime soon Molly Hennessy-Fiske Scores of residents in this Houston suburb were evacuating as another round of storms descended on southeast Texas, driving floodwaters into roads and homes -- some for the third time in two months. Among those forced to flee when his home flooded was barber Irvineo Reyes, 83. “We never expected... Politics Bernie Sanders looks for success in an 'unbelievable' place: California's Central Valley Cathleen Decker The long road Bernie Sanders traveled Sunday took him past Buck Owens Boulevard and Merle Haggard Drive, past thousands of acres of grape vines and almond trees, past cattle barns and packing plants and banners declaring that “no water = no food.” This great expanse, the southern end of the Central... L.A. Now You can thank the drought for improved water quality at Southern California beaches Jason Song Water quality at Southern California beaches has shown marked improvement for the second year in a row in what experts say is a continuing byproduct of the severe drought that has cut polluted runoff into the Pacific Ocean. About 97% of Southern California beaches received an A or B grade for water... L.A. Now Northern California hit by more rain and snow Associated Press It's already late May. But parts of Northern California got another blast of rain and snow this weekend, helping the state's drought relief efforts. A spring storm dropped rain in parts of Northern California on Saturday afternoon, but it was less severe than the one a day earlier that dumped up... L.A. Now California board allows water districts to set their own conservation targets Matt Stevens For its first four years, the California drought spread its pain across most corners of the state. The great peaks of the Sierra Nevada were snow-deprived. Central Valley agricultural fields lay fallow. And the trademark green lawns of Southern California suburbia slowly turned brown. But this... CALIFORNIA Testy exchange over 'millionaires tax' to reduce homelessness exposes a rift among county supervisors Abby Sewell A majority bloc of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has split over how best to fund a wide-ranging plan to reduce homelessness. Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis — both labor-backed Democrats who are typically political allies — got into a heated exchange during two hearings last week... L.A. Now Protesters stage sit-in at Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility Kim Christensen About 20 environmental activists staged a sit-in Sunday afternoon at the entrance to the troubled Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in the San Fernando Valley, calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to keep it closed permanently. The Southern California Gas Co. facility has drawn national attention... BUSINESS State found lapses in infection control at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Melody Petersen After "super bug" outbreaks last year involving a hard-to-clean medical scope, state health inspectors descended on two of Los Angeles’ largest hospitals and found numerous safety violations that appeared to put far more patients at risk. At UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, the state declared... L.A. Now 2 found dead in Oxnard home Marc Olson A man and woman were found dead of gunshot wounds in an Oxnard home Saturday afternoon, police said. Oxnard police said Saul Lemus, 47, and Sinia Lemus, 35, were found dead in a residence on the 5400 block of Barrymore Drive. The deaths are being investigated as homicides, but no suspect has been... CALIFORNIA Why the Normandie Casino in Gardena may be hitting its limit Jason Song As a teenager some 30 years ago, Dan Natarelli said he would sneak into the Normandie Casino on Rosecrans Avenue in Gardena to play cards. If he wasn't winning, he'd simply leave and walk to one of the other five card houses nearby, hoping his luck would change. But when he was playing in a poker... L.A. Now Foster child says he was held in L.A. County juvenile hall for a month without charges Abby Sewell A Los Angeles County foster youth says he was held for a month without charges in a county juvenile hall and his social worker did not respond to calls seeking help. Eric Usher, 17, filed a claim in October against the county and his social worker and former probation officer, alleging false imprisonment... L.A. Now Why did El Niño miss SoCal? It's complicated, National Weather Service says Joseph Serna A mix of rising global temperatures, mysteriously warmed waters off Baja California and unusually far-reaching storms in the western Pacific Ocean conspired to block this year’s El Niño storms from hitting Southern California, the National Weather Service said this week. Despite plenty of indicators... Most Popular Local Sports Politics Comic-Con Entertainment Opinion Place An Ad 88°