| Some Worry Prop. 50 Would Mark the Last Ride for California's Horse-Haven | KQED |
| Life in Norco, a rural city of about 25,000 in Riverside County, is built around horses. Locals call it “Horsetown USA.” Just ask resident Don Pettinger, who rides his reddish-brown horse, “Rusty,” through his neighborhood — the sidewalks in Norco are horse trails.
“What does Norco stand for? It stands for the equestrian lifestyle … being able to get our horse and go ride,” he said.
Pettinger and many others in Norco worry they’ll lose their equestrian way of life if Proposition 50 passes. That’s because Norco would be shifted from a staunchly conservative district into one that’s solidly Democratic, urban and possibly unsympathetic to what Pettinger and others here hold dear.
“If we get a representative here who is representing Los Angeles or parts of Pomona or something like that, she’s not going to be used to our lifestyles, or whoever that Congress person is,” he said. “We need someone who knows who we are.” [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| Letter: LA Metro responds to criticism – San Gabriel Valley Tribune |
| Baruch Feigenbaum’s Oct. 25 op-ed offers a distorted and inaccurate view of LA Metro and LA County revealing the bias of an East Coast commentator whose organization consistently rejects most of the realities underpinning public transportation.
Between now and 2028, Metro is expanding the countywide rail network alongside the addition of more Bus Rapid Transit. Why? Because the combination works for passengers. [Article] |
| by , San Gabriel Valley Tribune. 2025-10-31 |
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| Vegetables take big leap in San Diego County's annual crops report | The Coast News Group |
| SAN DIEGO — The total value of San Diego County’s agricultural products rose by 1% over the past year to $1.67 billion, led by a vegetable boost, according to the Annual Crop Report released today. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| As Eaton Fire roared, Pasadena bus drivers headed to nursing homes to help | LAist |
| When bus driver Garrett Wright clocked in for work well before sunrise Jan. 8, his community was on fire.
His usual route through Pasadena was canceled.
But supervisors gave him a choice: go home or drive toward the flames.
“It wasn’t a thought,” Wright said. “Let’s go. I got the license, and I got the bus. I didn’t come here just to go back home.” [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| La Jolla Parks & Beaches group and new conservancy work to define their relationship – San Diego Union-Tribune |
| In a collective effort to streamline projects and repairs for public amenities in La Jolla’s coastal areas, the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board and the burgeoning La Jolla Coastal Conservancy are continuing to explore ways to work together.
Following a heated debate at Parks & Beaches’ September meeting, trustees heard from conservancy members on Oct. 28 about their vision for the groups working alongside each other.
Parks & Beaches President Bob Evans is the Coastal Conservancy’s executive director. LJP&B trustee Brenda Fake is the conservancy’s board chairwoman. [Article] |
| by , San Diego Union-Tribune. 2025-10-31 |
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| 27 moved indoors as 110 Freeway homeless camp cleanup begins – Daily News |
| Twenty-seven unhoused individuals were moved into temporary housing and care facilities as part of the first phase of a $6.3 million initiative to clear an encampment along a four-mile stretch of the 110 Freeway. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Daily News. 2025-10-31 |
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| Pasadena selling more than a dozen former Caltrans homes along failed 710 Freeway corridor | LAist |
| More than a dozen houses that were slated to be demolished as part of a failed effort to extend the 710 Freeway are now being sold by the city of Pasadena.
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| Sonoma County sheriff talks about what DHS told him and other county leaders about planned ICE activity - NewsBreak |
| Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram tells KRCB News he was told the county would be spared of large-scale immigration actions, for now, while the federal Dept. of Homeland Security focuses on more heavily populated areas [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| County due to hear city’s bid to annex land | News | avpress.com |
| The City of Lancaster’s effort to annex 7,153 acres of unincorporated Los Angeles County territory will move to the next step Tuesday, when the county Board of Supervisors considers a proposed joint resolution between the board and associated county agencies regarding a negotiated exchange of property tax revenue. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| Riverside County pilot program expands path to CSU campuses |
| Riverside County's effort to open more doors to college is paying off.
A first-of-its-kind partnership between the Riverside County Office of Education and the California State University system helped thousands of local seniors secure direct admission offers — boosting CSU applications and commitments across the county and even inspiring a statewide model.
Though detailed data for Coachella Valley seniors from the Class of 2025 is not yet available, early results point to real progress in building a stronger college-going culture across the county.
Also in this week's education roundup: California State University, San Bernardino's Written by Veterans will make an appearance at the Twentynine Palms Book Festival from Nov. 7-9. [Article] |
| by , Desert Sun. 2025-10-31 |
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| Is the citizen brigade that fought the Palisades fire too risky? - Los Angeles Times |
| When a column of smoke rose above Pacific Palisades on January 7, a couple dozen residents of the Santa Monica Mountains, instead of evacuating, jumped into their own fire engines. The Community Brigade raced door to door ordering residents to evacuate, stamped out spot fires and transported animals (including koi fish) to safety.
As the fire garnered national attention, Keegan Gibbs, the brigade’s director of operations, found himself talking to CNN, Vogue and the New York Times. Locals, galvanized by the events of January, began signing up in droves. The team of about 50 received hundreds of requests to join.
Starting Saturday, the brigade, which has operated formally under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Fire Department since 2023, will begin training roughly 50 new recruits in a classroom they’ve co-opted at Pepperdine University — essentially doubling the brigade’s size. They hope to double it again next year.
Gibbs views the brigade’s high-profile firefighting as a “Trojan horse” to recruit citizens to help with the “real work” — home hardening and community wildfire preparedness. Yet some fire safety advocates argue there’s simply no need to engage in dramatic, high-risk operations in order to make a difference.
“There’s plenty that you as concerned citizens can do,” said David Barrett, executive director of the Los Angeles Regional Fire Safe Council (one of the many organizations that does wildfire preparedness work similar to the brigade, just without the firefighting part).
For the brigade, he said, “It’s terrific that you want to protect your community — How would you feel if your actions caused the death of a firefighter? What would happen if your vehicles clogged evacuation routes and people couldn’t get out? What if you forced firefighters to rescue you?”
Guerrilla-style fire brigades have a long history in the Santa Monica Mountains, where the old-school do-it-yourself ethos of ranchers still permeates, Gibbs, a lifelong resident, noted. But the 2018 Woolsey fire, which Gibbs and his longtime friend Tyler Hauptman fought with garden hoses and shovels, stirred a rising frustration among residents that they could not trust the Fire Department alone to save their homes.
So, after nearly five years of negotiations, the County agreed to formalize a brigade. In the agreement, the brigade gained significant access to Fire Department training and the authority to operate in emergency situations. Meanwhile, the Fire Department took meaningful control over the previously haphazard operations — the department could now reject or remove certain individuals from the brigade, dictate its role during emergencies and ensure its activities don’t interfere with professional operations. [Article] |
| by , Los Angeles Times. 2025-10-31 |
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| Orange County Auditor-Controller Launches New Website to Help Residents Claim Over $700 Million Available Unclaimed Property |
| Orange County’s Auditor-Controller, Andrew Hamilton, announced the launch of a new, user-friendly website designed to help Orange County residents search for and claim their share of more than $700 million available in unclaimed property held by the state. The new mapping tool was unveiled at a press conference held at the Old Orange County Courthouse, where Andrew and other leaders highlighted the importance of returning unclaimed money to rightful owners and their families. [Article] |
| by , Voice of OC. 2025-10-31 |
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| California Moves to Make Outdoor Dining Permanent, Streamline Restaurant Permitting - Yo! Venice! |
| California restaurants will soon have an easier time opening and operating under two new state laws that make outdoor dining permanent and streamline local permit approvals for restaurant improvements. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| Rabid bats are on the rise in parts of SoCal. Here's what you need to do | LAist |
| More bats have tested positive for rabies in Los Angeles and Riverside counties this year when compared to the previous year, according to public health officials.
Rabid bats are found regularly in Southern California. L.A. County officials announced Wednesday that 61 infected bats were reported between March and November of this year, about a third of which were found in Santa Clarita. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| Orange County’s Biggest Headlines as Fears of Widespread ICE Raids Heighten |
| Immigration advocates and some city officials are raising concerns that roving deportation raids are returning to Orange County – along with worries that citizens are getting wrapped up in the ICE sweeps. [Article] |
| by , Voice of OC. 2025-10-31 |
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| Gerrymandering would join San Diego's coastal and rural areas |
| Fredrich Bahrke moved to Lakeside 25 years ago, lured by the ranch-style homes that dot its open landscape and the slower pace of life in the town of 63,000.
“I’ve always been an out-in-the-country kind of boy. The rural life is more comfortable for me,” Bahrke said. [Article] |
| by , CalMatters. 2025-10-31 |
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| Edison is changing how it plans to pay Eaton Fire victims. What you need to know | LAist |
| Edison International on Wednesday announced a recovery compensation plan for victims of the Eaton Fire that company officials said would provide “fast payments and fair resolutions.” The announcement was made on LAist’s AirTalk daily news show. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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| Should San Diego pursue a vacation-home tax ballot measure? – San Diego Union-Tribune |
| Some San Diego elected officials are exploring a possible ballot measure that would ask city voters to levy an annual tax of $5,000 per bedroom on many vacation rentals and second homes.
Supporters say the tax would raise many millions in new revenue for the cash-strapped city, while simultaneously encouraging property owners to help ease the local housing crisis by renting out their second homes long-term.
Critics say the tax would hurt tourism and the broader local economy, punish locals who rely on vacation rental income and result in an overall drop in city revenue, rather than the jump supporters promise.
Taxing vacant homes in cities around the world has been a popular move by governments over the last five years, with mixed results. The San Diego ballot measure is still being studied, but could end up on the ballot by next summer. [Article] |
| by , San Diego Union-Tribune. 2025-10-31 |
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| County to move forward with plans to build cabins for homeless people in East County | KPBS Public Media |
| Right now, it’s just an empty Caltrans lot on the corner of Troy Street and Sweetwater Road in Lemon Grove. Drivers zoom past, paying little attention to the fenced space.
But it could end up being a lot more. [Article] |
| by , KPBS - San Diego. 2025-10-31 |
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| County leaders prepare for CalFresh absence, ask community for help | The Coast News Group |
| SAN DIEGO — County leaders on Thursday reminded CalFresh recipients that November benefits would not arrive Saturday and asked San Diegans to step up and help their neighbors. [Article] |
| by , . 2025-10-31 |
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