When is the rain — and snow — starting in Southern California, and how wet will we get?

• March 2, 2025

Forecasters are predicting a week of sporadic rain in Southern California, with light showers falling as soon as late Saturday or early Sunday.

“Cool and cloudy weather will likely persist with scattered rain showers possible (Saturday), then rain showers and low elevation snow likely for Sunday and Monday,” the National Weather Service said. “Another, potentially stronger, storm is on tap for Wednesday into Thursday. Gusty westerly winds are expected Sunday and Monday, and again Thursday,” the NWS added.

Forecasters lowered the likelihood of rain falling Saturday night to about 20%.

An extended period of gusty west to northwest winds were expected across the Antelope Valley into Monday night and possibly Tuesday.

RELATED: Cooling trend and rain is on the way across Southern California

Tuesday was expected to be dry, with winds subsiding, but another storm system will move into the region Wednesday and Thursday night. Early estimates suggest a quarter to half-inch of rain across the coast and valleys with up to a half-inch to one inch of rainfall in the foothills and mountains, according to the NWS.

Cooler daytime temperatures are also on the way next week, with highs in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, as well as the Orange County area in the upper 50s and low 60s throughout the week. Overnight lows will mostly be in the 40s and lower 50s.

A warming and drying trend is expected for next weekend, with highs possibly climbing into the low 80s in the valleys by next weekend.

Palm Springs was expected to stay dry most of the week, with rain in the forecast on Thursday. Hemet was predicted to see rain Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Coachella was expected to stay largely dry throughout the week.

San Bernardino and Riverside county metropolitan areas should see rain Sunday and Wednesday, with a chance on Thursday.

A winter weather advisory was in effect from 10 a.m. Sunday to 4 p.m. Monday for the Inland Empire mountains, and a wind advisory was in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday for the Riverside County mountains. West winds will strengthen late Sunday afternoon and evening, gusting as high as 60 mph over the mountains, into the deserts, and below the passes through Monday evening, the NWS said.

Gusts of up to 40 mph prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue a windblown dust advisory in the Coachella Valley effective from 4 a.m. Saturday until noon Monday.

Snow levels were estimated at about 6,000 feet Saturday morning and were expected to fall to 4,000 to 4,500 feet by Monday morning.

Saturday’s highs were in the mid-60s in the Riverside and San Bernardino metropolitan areas, 62 in the Temecula Valley and 81 in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs, according to the NWS.

Next week will bring cooler daytime temperatures to the San Bernardino and Riverside counties, with highs in metropolitan areas staying in the lower 60s and dropping to about 55 on Thursday.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Sunday, March 2, 2025

• March 2, 2025

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

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​ Orange County Register 

Laundromat dispute turns violent in La Mirada, 1 man shot

• March 2, 2025

A dispute at the La Mirada Laundromat led to a man being shot on Friday, Feb. 28, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Late Friday morning, deputies responded to the Mirada West shopping center on Valley View Avenue, Sgt. Aldana said. They found a man suffering from gunshot wounds.

The victim had reportedly gotten into an argument with another man over the use of a dryer. The suspect allegedly left the plaza but returned some time later with a friend.

According to authorities, the victim then pulled a knife, prompting the two men to run to a blue Ford Explorer to retrieve a firearm. The shooter fired multiple times, striking the victim in the arm at least twice, Aldana said.

Further details about the victim’s injuries and condition were not immediately available.

News video from the scene showed that gunfire also shattered a window at a nearby business.

The suspect fled the scene, and no arrests have been made.

​ Orange County Register 

Starbucks workers in Newport Beach seek to join union

• March 2, 2025

Starbucks workers at one of the coffee chain’s Newport Beach locations are seeking to become the latest to unionize.

Baristas at the Via Lido location filed a petition for a union election Saturday with the National Labor Relations Board, according to Starbucks Workers United.

They’re seeking to join 11,000 baristas at more than 550 locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia who’ve won their rights to unionize.

“We as humans have an obligation to people and planet to strive for equity, sustainability, liberation and justice for all people. Our efforts to bring our store together into this movement is how we stand for our right to the fruits of our labor. A better world is possible, and we will fight for it,” shift supervisor Mia Visconti said, according to the union.

Thousands of Starbucks workers walked off the job during last year’s Christmas period in what amounted to a five-day strike, including locations in Southern California.

The company has said it offers an average wage of more than $18 an hour and provides what it calls best-in-class benefits, including health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and stock grants.

“At Starbucks, our success starts and ends with our partners (employees),” the company said earlier this year in a statement to City News Service. “We respect our partners’ right to choose, through a fair and democratic process, to be represented by a union or not to be represented by a union, and will continue to work together to make Starbucks the best job in retail.”

​ Orange County Register 

Rep. Cisneros slams ICE arrest of woman, son in El Monte

• March 2, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Covina, on Satufday criticized the arrest of an El Monte woman and her son by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Her family told NBC4 that Yolanda does not have a criminal record and that Johnathan’s unspecified crime occurred 12 years ago.

“These arrests are sickening, and I have grave concerns with how these arrests were reported to have been carried out by ICE,” Cisneros said in a statement. “The 31st District is home to many immigrant families who came to our country wanting to contribute to our communities and local economy. This El Monte family was simply trying to care for the youngest daughter and work to provide her with the healthcare treatments she needs. Stoking fear, targeting our community members, and ripping apart families is not an acceptable solution for our broken immigration system. We need humane comprehensive immigration reform that addresses bad actors, but still upholds our American values and helps bring immigrants who have been living in our country out of the shadows. My office will continue to monitor this situation.”

ICE officials released the following statement to NBC4:

“ICE is focused (on) public safety and national security threats first and foremost. However, any individual illegally present in the U.S. who is encountered during an immigration enforcement operation may be taken into custody and processed for removal as stated by law.”

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has followed through on his promise to increase enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws, carrying out deportation operations in multiple states focused primarily on undocumented immigrants accused of crimes.

A series of recent federal law enforcement actions in the Los Angeles area have caught the attention of local officials and immigrant-rights activists.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez spoke at the beginning of Friday morning’s council meeting to express concern about the activity.

“Colleagues, this morning we have been receiving reports from my district and from others about aggressive immigration raids and enforcement,” Hernandez said. “My team and I have been in contact with community members and rapid response organizers since early this morning. The stories we are hearing are heartbreaking and indefensible. When we fought to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city last year, it’s because this is what we feared. We feared for our neighbors, for our families for our children, families being ripped apart. We feared for people who would be targeted by weak-minded politicians who rely on ripping families apart.”

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Friday that the department was not assisting in any federal actions directed at illegal immigration.

“I want to be absolutely clear: The LAPD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement,” McDonnell said. “This has been the department’s policy since 1979, and it remains unchanged today.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Defense announced Saturday that the Pentagon is deploying a Stryker Brigade Combat Team and a General Support Aviation Battalion to the southwestern border to boost security. The units, equipped with wheeled vehicle and air capabilities, are set be employed in the coming weeks.

Each SBCT is a mechanized infantry force of approximately 4,400 soldiers.

“These forces will arrive in the coming weeks, and their deployment underscores the department’s unwavering dedication to working alongside the Department of Homeland Security to secure our southern border and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the United States under President Trump’s leadership,” Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell said.

​ Orange County Register 

Newsom proclaims state of emergency ahead of wildfire season

• March 2, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday “to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season.”

The proclamation will cut bureaucratic red tape, including suspending the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Act, that Newsom said was slowing down critical forest management projects.

“This year has already seen some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we’re only in March. Building on unprecedented work cutting red tape and making historic investments — we’re taking action with a state of emergency to fast-track critical wildfire projects even more,” Newsom said. “These are the forest management projects we need to protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we*re going to get them done.”

Saturday’s proclamation includes the following provisions:

— Suspends environmental regulations, including CEQA and the Coastal Act, as needed to expedite fuels reduction projects. Projects include vegetation and tree removal, adding fuel breaks, prescribed fire, and more.

— Allows non-state entities to conduct approved fuels reduction work with expedited and streamlined approval.

— Directs state agencies to submit recommendations for increasing the pace and scale of prescribed fire.

— Increases the California Vegetation Treatment Program’s efficiency and utilization, in order to continue promoting rapid environmental review for large wildfire risk reduction treatments.

Newsom is also asking Congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help Los Angeles recover from January’s wildfires, which many officials have described as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

At least 16,250 structures were destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which broke out Jan. 7 amid winds that topped 100 mph.

​ Orange County Register 

Israel’s military is told to prepare to defend a Druze community outside Syria’s capital

• March 2, 2025

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense ministry on Saturday said the military has been instructed to prepare to defend a Druze settlement in the suburbs of Damascus, asserting that the minority it has vowed to protect was “under attack” by Syrian forces.

The statement, citing an order from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, follows an Israeli warning last weekend that the forces of neighboring Syria’s new government and the insurgent group that led last year’s ouster of former President Bashar Assad should not enter the area south of Damascus.

Saturday’s statement indicates that Israeli forces could push farther into Syria as its new authorities try to consolidate control after more than a decade of civil war. Israeli forces recently set up posts in a buffer zone and on strategic Mt. Hermon nearby. There have been no major clashes between Israeli troops and Syria’s new forces.

“We will not allow the terrorist regime of radical Islam in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us,” the statement said.

There was no immediate response from Syria’s government.

The Druze are a religious minority who live in southern Syria and in Israel’s Golan Heights, where they navigate their historically Syrian identity while living under Israeli rule.

Israel’s statement followed the outbreak of unrest Friday in the Druze settlement of Jaramana, when a member of the security forces entered and started shooting in the air, leading to an exchange of fire with local gunmen that left him dead.

On Saturday, gunmen came from the Damascus suburb of Mleiha to Jaramana, where they clashed with Druze gunmen. That left one Druze fighter dead and nine other people wounded, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor.

The Israeli warning last Sunday to Syrian forces and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main former rebel group, made clear that Israeli forces would stay in parts of southern Syria for an indefinite period.

“We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Sweida from the forces of the new regime,” that earlier statement said. “Likewise, we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria.”

After the fall of Assad in December, Israel seized the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory. The zone was set up under a 1974 ceasefire agreement. Syria’s new authorities and U.N. officials have called for Israel to withdraw.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government has been under pressure to protect Israelis living near border areas in the north as it tries to return residents of the north to their homes.

​ Orange County Register 

Lawyers sue to block Trump administration from sending 10 migrants to Guantanamo Bay

• March 2, 2025

By John Hanna | Associated Press

Civil rights attorneys sued the Trump administration Saturday to prevent it from transferring 10 migrants detained in the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, their second legal challenge in less than a month over plans for holding up to 30,000 immigrants there for deportation.

The latest federal lawsuit so far applies only to 10 men facing transfer to the naval base in Cuba, and their attorneys said the administration will not notify them of who will be transferred or when. Like a lawsuit the same attorneys filed earlier this month for access to migrants already detained there, the latest case was filed in Washington and is backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

At least 50 migrants have been transferred already to Guantanamo Bay, and the civil rights attorneys believe the number now may be about 200. They have said it is the first time in U.S. history that the government has detained non-citizens on civil immigration charges there. For decades, the naval base was primarily used to detain foreigners associated with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Trump has said Guantanamo Bay, also known as “Gitmo,” has space for up to 30,000 immigrants living in the U.S. and that he plans to send “the worst” or high-risk “criminal aliens” there. The administration has not released specific information on who is being transferred, so it is not clear what crimes they are accused of committing in the U.S. and whether they have been convicted in court, or merely charged or arrested.

“The purpose of this second Guantanamo lawsuit is to prevent more people from being illegally sent to this notorious prison, where the conditions have now been revealed to be inhumane,” said Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney and lead counsel on the case. “The lawsuit is not claiming they cannot be detained in U.S. facilities, but only that they cannot be sent to Guantanamo.”

The 10 men are from nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Venezuela, and their attorneys say they are neither high-risk criminals nor gang members. In a Jan. 29 executive order expanding operations at Guantanamo Bay, Trump said that one of his goals is to “dismantle criminal cartels.”

Their attorneys described their latest lawsuit as an emergency filing to halt imminent transfers and challenge the Trump administration’s plans. They contend that the transfers violate the men’s right to due legal process, guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The latest lawsuit also argues that federal immigration law bars the transfer of non-Cuban migrants from the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay and that the U.S. government has no authority to hold people outside its territory, and the naval base remains part of Cuba legally. The transfers are also described as arbitrary.

The men’s attorneys allege that many of the people who have been sent to Guantanamo Bay do not have serious criminal records or even any criminal history. Their first lawsuit, filed Feb. 12, said migrants sent to the naval base had “effectively disappeared into a black box” and couldn’t contact attorneys or family. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, one of the agencies sued, said they could reach attorneys by phone.

In another, separate federal lawsuit filed in New Mexico, a federal judge on Feb. 9 blocked the transfer of three immigrants from Venezuela being held in that state to Guantanamo Bay. Their attorneys said they had been falsely accused of being gang members.

The migrant detention center at Guantanamo operates separately from the U.S. military’s detention center and courtrooms for foreigners detained under President George W. Bush during what Bush called its war on terror. It once held nearly 800 people, but the number has dwindled to 15, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was assigned to Guantanamo when he was on active duty, has called it a “perfect place” to house migrants, and Trump has described the naval base as “a tough place to get out of.”

A United Nations investigator who visited the military detention center in 2023 said conditions had improved, but military detainees still faced near constant surveillance, forced removal from their cells and unjust use of restraints, resulting in “ongoing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law.” The U.S. said it disagreed “in significant respects” with her report.

​ Orange County Register