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Airport Fire doubles in size in hours in Trabuco Canyon – NBC Los Angeles

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Airport Fire doubles in size in hours in Trabuco Canyon – NBC Los Angeles


The Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon exploded in size Tuesday to scorch nearly 20,000 acres at 0% containment largely due a “wind phenomenon,” officials said.

The Elsinore effect, which can cause erratic fire behavior as a result of steep mountains and precarious weather patterns, further fanned flames downhill.

“You will have up canyon winds that are normal during the day, and then around 2, 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the winds usually will become a down canyon wind in Lake Elsinore,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief Todd Hopkins explained in a news conference Tuesday.

Posing more threats to firefighters, the flames now entered the steep, hard-to-reach terrain.

“My understanding is the fire has jumped the Ortega Highway and is now working into Decker Canyon,” Brian Fennessy, Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said. “Anybody that knows anything about Decker Canyon and Riverside County knows that that is a very difficult place to fight fire.”

Despite firefighters’ overnight efforts, more than 3,000 homes were threatened by the wildfire, prompting additional mandatory evacuations in the area.

Two firefighters were recovering after suffering heat-related injuries, officials said.

How it started

The Airport Fire was reported at around 1:15 p.m. Monday on Trabuco Creek Road near an remote-controlled airplane airport, went from scorching 7 acres to over 2,000 acres within a few hours.

The wildfire was caused unintentionally by heavy equipment that workers were using to move boulders along Trabuco Creek Road, officials said. Despite workers’ effort to stop the spread with their fire extinguishers, the fire took off amid breezy, dry conditions. 

Evacuation orders, warnings

Additional mandatory evacuations were issued Tuesday for areas along Ortega Highway near Caspers Park, officials with the Orange County Fire Authority said. 

And more neighborhoods were under evacuation warnings, including Silverado Canyon and Modjeska Canyon.

See the map of areas under evacuation orders, warnings here.

As the heavy smoke from the fire has blanketed the area, neighbors scrambled to pack up and get to safety.

“I couldn’t think in that moment. I just grabbed my dog, and that’s it, Fernando Garcia said after leaving her home.

While the fire was burning away from the homes Tuesday, there is no word when people would be allowed to return.

“I hope they get a good handle on it today. I know they’ll have a lot of resources on it today because there are more homes around this way,” Laurie Nowocinski, who evacuated her Robinson Ranch home, said.

Road closures

The following roads were closed to the public as fire crews battled the flames.

  • Plano Trabuco and Joshua Drive
  • Plano Trabuco and Robinson Ranch
  • Antonio and Alas de Paz
  • Trabuco Canyon and Trabuco Creek
  • Santa Margarita and Antonio
  • Santiago Canyon Road and Live Oak Canyon Road

Shelters

A temporary shelter is set up at the Lake Forest Sports Park located at 28000 Vista Terrace in Lake Forest, available to provide assistance until 10 p.m. Monday.

A long-term care shelter was established at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center at 22232 El Paseo, Rancho Santa Margarita.



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How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles

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How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles


California driver’s license holders can now add their state ID to Apple Wallet on their IPhone and Apple Watch, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.

The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses. 

“With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.

Here’s how to add your ID to Apple Wallet

  1. Go to Apple Wallet
  2. Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
  3. Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
  4. Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
  5. Scan your face
  6. Take a picture
  7. Wait for verification from the California DMV.

But there’s a catch

The mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program is currently only limited to 1.5 million participants. 

If your license is expired or suspended, your mDL will be rejected.

Other factors that could impact your mDL applications are:

  • Wearing headwear
  • Not using plain background
  • Lack of consistent lighting
  • Other faces in the frame
  • Wearing sunglasses

More tips can be found here.

Last month, the state announced the DMV addition of Google Wallet as an option to hold driver’s licenses and identification cards. 



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New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles

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New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles


Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian will hand over the position Friday to Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson in a leadership shakeup for the 15-member panel.

First elected to in 2015, the 54-year-old Harris-Dawson represents Council District 8, where he won his first election with 62-percent of the vote in an area that includes Baldwin Hills, Chesterfield Square, Crenshaw, Jefferson Park and other communities.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Harris-Dawson won his bid for the top council post in May and vowed to focus on the city’s homeless crisis. The chair of the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee co-authored Prop HHH, which was a $1.2 million bond measure to provide permanent supportive housing.

The council voted 14-0 to name Harris-Dawson as Krekorian’s successor as president.

As president, Harris-Dawson will preside as chair over council meetings, have the power to assign council committees and handle parliamentary duties such as ruling motions in or out of order. He was elected president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down after he was charged in June 2023 with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.

Harris-Dawson is expected to serve as president through mid-December. Following November’s election and once new council members assume their offices, another election will be held to elect a council president for a new term.

Krekorian received an ovation Thursday at his final meeting as council president. The Council District 2 representative will leave the body in December due to term limits. Councilman Bob Blumenfield unveiled plans to rename two sites in honor of Krekorian — the Victory Valley Child Care Center at 6451 Saint Clair Ave., and the Valley Plaza Sports Fields at 6980 Whitsett Ave. in North Hollywood.

Krekorian, whose district includes east San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, was first elected to the council in late 2009. He was elected council president in the wake of a leaked audio recording of colleagues, including then-President Nury Martinez, that shook City Hall.

Martinez resigned in 2022 after being heard in a recorded racially charged conversation with two other council members and a county labor official discussing the council’s redistricting process. The recorded conversation included racist comments about a colleague’s young Black adopted son.

Krekorian stepped into the council presidency during the tumultuous time at City Hall.

“I couldn’t do the work for the next 79 days and I couldn’t do the work as council president, and I couldn’t have done the work as an Assembly member or anything else without the support, guidance and love that I’ve received from my wife, Tamar, for the last quarter of the century almost,” Krekorian said.

He also thanked his staff.

“To all my staff, I hope you noticed that a number of members of this council specifically recognized you and that’s because you do extraordinary work — not only for me, our constituents, but for the entire city of Los Angeles,” Krekorian said.





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Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles

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Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles


Residents impacted by the Airport Fire in Riverside County can visit a local assistance center in Lake Elsinore.

Residents seeking assistance with food, health care support and more are welcomed to visit the one-stop resource center located at the Lake Community Center. The center will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Public Health, Housing & Workforce Solutions and other local agencies will be joined by representatives from the California Office of Emergency Services and several nonprofit organizations to provide information on how to get financial, medical and related aid.

Residents seeking help also can click here.

On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency declaration, enabling the county to seek state and federal allocations for infrastructure repairs or improvements and general recovery of expenses stemming from the blaze.

As of Thursday, the Airport Fire was 41% contained at more than 23,500 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.

For information about Orange County recovery resources, click here.



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