Super Bowl: Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt, Matt Araiza making the most of 2nd chances

• February 7, 2025

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

NEW ORLEANS — There were moments not long ago when Kareem Hunt wondered whether he’d ever carry a football in an NFL game again.

There were times when Matt Araiza wondered whether he would ever punt one.

Yet through a combination of need and want, the Chiefs provided both players with an opportunity to continue – if not fully restart – their professional careers. And now, the returns of Hunt and Araiza has reached a championship ending, with both trying to help Kansas City win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title on Sunday.

“It does feel a little bit like redemption, honestly,” Hunt told The Associated Press on Thursday, the final day of a whirlwind week of interviews and media obligations before the game against the Eagles. “Like it’s a blessing, and it’s meant to be.”

Hunt and Araiza’s stories are similar but different, filled with unimaginable highs and uncomfortable lows.

Hunt actually began his career in Kansas City, chosen in the same draft class as Patrick Mahomes, who quickly became one of his best friends. He ran for more than 1,300 yards as a rookie for a franchise only beginning its ascent in the NFL, earning a Pro Bowl nod and finishing second to Alvin Kamara in voting for AP Rookie of the Year.

The following season, with Mahomes the new starter, Hunt was helping the Chiefs barrel toward the playoffs when a video surfaced in November 2018 of him kicking a woman in the hallway of a Cleveland hotel. No charges were filed when the woman stopped cooperating with authorities, but the Chiefs moved swiftly to distance themselves from their star running back.

Hunt eventually signed with the Browns, where he served an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy. He went on to run for more than 2,200 yards over five years in a backfield rotation for the Browns.

Then this past offseason, Hunt had surgery to repair a sports hernia that hampered him much of last year. The procedure was successful, but it scared many teams away, and Hunt was left sitting on his couch when the season began. It was not until the Chiefs lost Isiah Pacheco to an injury that Hunt picked up the phone and called Kansas City coach Andy Reid.

The two had stayed in touch, even discussing Hunt’s past at Mahomes’ wedding, and Reid was willing to give him a chance.

“Andy, you know, has a big heart, and he sees the best in everybody,” Hunt said. “He knows me as a person. He knows everybody. Like, he’s more of a father figure to me. A role model. Somebody you can look up to. So, I think he loves giving out second chances because he believes in us. And he knows that, you know, we’re capable of handling things.”

In the case of Araiza, who earned the nickname “Punt God” with his booming kicks at San Diego State, the Chiefs were searching for a replacement for Tommy Townsend when they decide to look into the legal problems that had shelved his career.

Araiza had just appeared in a preseason game for Buffalo in 2022 when a lawsuit was filed by a woman alleging he was involved in a gang rape of her at an off-campus party the prior year. Araiza and other players named in the lawsuit claimed that their encounters with her were consensual, and after a month-long investigation, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said that December that it would not file criminal charges against him.

Araiza ultimately filed a defamation suit against the accuser in July 2023. The parties agreed to drop their lawsuits in December 2023 with neither side admitting to any wrongdoing and no money changing hands.

“That was a long process there,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach acknowledged. “We go through the whole process with our entire intel and security team. When that came through there was pretty much a green light, and it was an opportunity for him. He probably should have been in the league maybe sooner than what he was.”

Araiza has rarely spoken about the case, preferring instead to move on with a career that was on the ropes. But he did admit in training camp that there were times he wondered whether he should begin pursuing another line of work.

“Honestly, it kept going back and forth in my mind,” he said, “but yeah, there was a lot of moments where I thought it was over.”

Turns out Hunt and Araiza were far from done.

Now, they have an opportunity to win a Super Bowl ring with a franchise that was willing to give them another chance.

“Just make sure that you keep your nose clean, right? That’s the important part,” Reid said, “and go play football. I think people deserve a second chance if they’ve done something to work on the first part of it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Palm Springs airport moves forward with $2.2 billion upgrade

• February 6, 2025

By Deborrah Brennan | CalMatters

Palm Springs International Airport is launching a $2.2 billion expansion, now that the Palm Springs City Council has approved a master plan for the project.

With its distinctive mid-century modern architecture and an airy, open design, the airport has been a city landmark since it opened in 1966. The master plan, approved Jan. 23, tries to preserve that character while adding new features and doubling the number of passengers per year.

“Our modernization efforts are about more than just improving infrastructure — it’s about creating an experience that embodies the unique spirit and hospitality of Palm Springs while supporting the continued growth of our economy and tourism industry,” Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte said.

The airport was built for about 1.5 million passengers per year, said airport spokesperson Jake Ingrassia. Passenger traffic jumped to 3.2 million in 2023 and 2024 and is expected to double to 6.4 million by 2042, as the region’s population and tourism industry expand, he said.

Palm Springs’ population grew 5% between 2021 and 2024, deHarte said, and tourism generates an estimated $9 billion per year in the Coachella Valley.

The airport master plan includes a slew of projects to accommodate the increased air traffic. The number of gates would nearly double from 18 to 32, and the airport would gain a north concourse, expand its baggage claim, build a rental car area and create a federal inspection station to accommodate the expansion of international routes.

Now the airport offers flights to and from Canadian airports that pre-process passengers traveling from the U.S., Ingrassia said. With the new station the airport could screen them itself.

“Getting a federal inspection station would allow us to be truly international by having that processing available here,” he said.

Those upgrades would make up the first phase of construction, estimated at $754 million. The second phase would add a south concourse, a rental car storage facility and airfield improvements, bringing the total cost to about $2.2 billion. Ingrassia said the final cost will depend on the design.

“We don’t want to see planes delayed on the tarmac, overcrowded terminals, or travelers frustrated by wait times,” deHarte said. “This project will deliver the experience our community and visitors deserve.”

Officials haven’t determined how to pay for it yet but could use private financing, federal grants or bond funding. The airport will do an environmental analysis over the next year and a half, begin construction in 2027 or 2028, and open the expanded terminals in the early 2030s, airport officials said.

“Investing in transportation infrastructure is key to attracting new businesses, creating jobs, and supporting tourism—vital components of our local economy,” said state Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, who represents the Coachella Valley. “This plan reaffirms Palm Springs as a premier destination and strengthens our region’s role as an economic hub.”

Air traffic at regional airports has taken a dive since the pandemic, as major airlines pulled the smaller jets that often serviced those routes, in favor of larger planes destined for urban airports, NPR reported.

But regional airports seek to attract passengers by expanding international routes. Ontario International Airport aims to compete with LAX with a new international terminal and possible flights to Europe and Japan, the San Bernardino Sun reported.

Palm Springs International Airport is trying to up its game while preserving its history. The central terminal, designed by famed modernist architect Donald Wexler, is included in the National Register of Historical Places.

“The hope is that the airport will remain within the same mid-century modern style and keep that unique charm that people have come to love,” Ingrassia said. 

​ Orange County Register 

Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel

• February 6, 2025

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JOSHUA GOODMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel, a close U.S. ally.

Neither the U.S. nor Israel are members of or recognize the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023. Thousands of Palestinians, including children, have been killed during the Israeli military’s response.

The order Trump signed accuses the ICC of engaging in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and of abusing its power by issuing “baseless arrest warrants” against Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel,” the order states, adding that the court had set a “dangerous precedent” with its actions against both countries.

Trump’s action came as Netanyahu was visiting Washington. He and Trump held talks Tuesday at the White House. Netanyahu spent some of Thursday meeting lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

The order says the U.S. will impose “tangible and significant consequences” on those responsible for the ICC’s “transgressions.” Actions may include blocking property and assets and not allowing ICC officials, employees and relatives to enter the United States.

Human rights activists said sanctioning court officials would have a chilling effect and run counter to U.S. interests in other conflict zones where the court is investigating.

“Victims of human rights abuses around the world turn to the International Criminal Court when they have nowhere else to go, and President Trump’s executive order will make it harder for them to find justice,” said Charlie Hogle, staff attorney with American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project. “The order also raises serious First Amendment concerns because it puts people in the United States at risk of harsh penalties for helping the court identify and investigate atrocities committed anywhere, by anyone.”

Hogle said the order “is an attack on both accountability and free speech.”

“You can disagree with the court and the way it operates, but this is beyond the pale,” Sarah Yager, Washington director of Human Rights Watch, said in an interview prior to the announcement.

Like Israel, the U.S. is not among the court’s 124 members and has long harbored suspicions that a “Global Court” of unelected judges could arbitrarily prosecute U.S officials. A 2002 law authorizes the Pentagon to liberate any American or U.S. ally held by the court. In 2020, Trump sanctioned chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, over her decision to open an inquiry into war crimes committed by all sides, including the U.S., in Afghanistan.

However, those sanctions were lifted under President Joe Biden and the U.S. began to tepidly cooperate with the tribunal — especially after Khan in 2023 charged Russian President Vladimir Putin with war crimes in Ukraine.

Driving that turnaround was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who organized meetings in Washington, New York and Europe between Khan and GOP lawmakers who have been among the court’s fiercest critics.

Now, Graham says he feels betrayed by Khan — and is vowing to crush the court as well as the economy of any country that tries to enforce the arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

“This is a rogue court. This is a kangaroo court,” Graham said in an interview in December. “There are places where the court makes perfect sense. Russia is a failed state. People fall out of windows. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined they would go after Israel, which has one of the most independent legal systems on the planet.”

“The legal theory they’re using against Israel has no limits and we’re next,” he added.

Biden had called the warrants an abomination and Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, has accused the court of having an antisemitic bias.

Any sanctions could cripple the court by making it harder for its investigators to travel and by compromising U.S.-developed technology to safeguard evidence. The court last year suffered a major cyberattack that left employees unable to access files for weeks.

Some European countries are pushing back. The Netherlands, in a statement late last year, called on other ICC members “to cooperate to mitigate risks of these possible sanctions, so that the court can continue to carry out its work and fulfil its mandate.”

Goodman reported from Miami.

​ Orange County Register 

Kaiser back in hot seat over mental health care, but it’s not just a KP issue

• February 6, 2025

By Bernard J. Wolfson | KFF Health News

For more than a decade, Kaiser Permanente has been under the microscope for shortcomings in mental health care, even as it is held in high esteem on the medical side.

In 2013, California regulators fined the insurer $4 million for failing to reduce wait times, giving patients inaccurate information, and improperly tracking appointment data. And in 2023, KP agreed to pay $50 million, the largest penalty ever levied by the state’s Department of Managed Health Care, for failing to provide timely care, maintain a sufficient number of mental health providers, and oversee its providers effectively.

Now, Kaiser Permanente is back in the hot seat as mental health workers in Southern California wage a strike that’s in its fourth month. KP therapists and union representatives accuse the HMO giant of saddling workers with excessive caseloads and often forcing patients to wait twice as long as the state allows for follow-up appointments. They say that the staff is burned out and that this work environment makes it hard to recruit clinicians, exacerbating the staffing problem.

KP rebuffs these claims, saying the union is parading out old problems, seeking to create “an inaccurate and outdated perception” of KP’s care. They say the union’s pay demands are “in direct contrast to our commitment to providing quality, affordable care.”

Kaiser Permanente — the largest commercial health plan in California, with about 9 million members — is far from alone in struggling to provide adequate mental health care. A pandemic-induced shortage of healthcare workers has created obstacles for all health plans in recent years, on top of a preexisting scarcity. Moreover, many therapists decline to contract with insurers. And lingering bias in the healthcare system against mental health services — and patients — may also be at play.

Federal and state laws require health plans to provide mental health care on par with medical care. But many people who have sought therapy can vouch that those measures, known as mental health parity laws, do not seem to be followed consistently. You can spend hours or even days calling every therapist allegedly in your insurance company’s network and come away empty-handed.

Secret-shopper surveys of 4,300 randomly selected outpatient providers listed as accepting new patients showed that “an alarming proportion” of them were unresponsive or unreachable, according to a federal government report issued last month. And while that was true for medical providers, it was consistently worse for mental health and substance abuse care, according to the report.

In California, state regulators have been conducting behavioral health care investigations of the insurance companies they regulate to help identify the extent and causes of delays in care.

So far, the DMHC has investigated nine health plans (not including KP) and found dozens of violations related to appointment availability, timely access, quality of care, and patient appeals, department spokesperson Rachel Arrezola says. The agency also has identified numerous “barriers” that do not necessarily break the law but may make it more difficult for patients to get care, she says.

Mark Peterson, a professor at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, notes that the open-ended nature of therapy can conflict with health plans’ focus on their bottom lines. “It may be once a week, it may be more than once a week and go on for years,” Peterson says.

For insurers, he says, the question is, “How do you put an appropriate limit on that?”

And the unwillingness of many therapists to accept insurance companies’ payment rates, or to abide by their restrictions, often leads them to decline participation in health plan networks and charge higher rates. That, Peterson says, makes therapy financially inaccessible for a lot of people seeking it.

Even if you have some coverage for therapy outside your health plan network, your insurer will pay only a percentage of the rate that it recognizes as legitimate. “If your therapist is charging $300 an hour, and your insurance company only recognizes $150 an hour, and they only pay 50% of what they recognize, now you’ve got a quarter coverage of your therapy,” Peterson says.

Since Kaiser Permanente is a closed system and patients don’t get reimbursed for care outside the network, access problems for its patients can be “highly pronounced,” Peterson adds.

In California, KP has accounted for over $54 million of the $55.7 million in mental-health-related fines the DMHC has levied on insurers in the past two decades. That includes the $50 million fine imposed in 2023, which was part of a settlement in which KP agreed to fix deficiencies the department found and to invest an additional $150 million in projects intended to enhance access to mental health care, not just for KP members, around California.

Officials at the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents some 2,400 KP mental health workers in the ongoing Southern California contract talks, say the HMO could easily invest enough to become a paragon of high-quality mental health care if it wanted to.

Greg Tegenkamp, the lead union negotiator, says KP could “lead the way to do the right thing.”

Kaiser Permanente says it already is doing the right thing, even as it acknowledges past shortcomings. In a recent statement, it said it has invested over $1 billion in new treatment spaces and more mental health providers since 2020.

“We’ve grown our workforce and increased our network of skilled therapists so that any Kaiser Permanente member who needs an appointment is able to get timely, high-quality, clinically appropriate care,” the company says.

In addition to higher wages and lower patient loads, workers want more time to complete follow-up tasks outside sessions and the reinstatement of a pension that was eliminated for those hired in Southern California after 2014.

Kaiser Permanente says that it already pays its mental health workers in Southern California about 18% above the market rate and that the current proposal would raise pay even more. KP recently raised its proposed wage increase by a modest amount, according to union officials.

KP refutes reports from workers about long wait times for patients seeking mental health appointments. It says the average wait time is 48 hours for urgent appointments and six business days for nonurgent ones, “which is better than the state’s requirement” of no more than 10 days.

But workers say KP patients still face long delays for follow-up appointments.

“It’s really hard for our patients to get regular, frequent appointments,” says Kassaundra Gutierrez-Thompson, a KP therapist in Southern California who is on strike. Gutierrez-Thompson says she’s seen it from both sides, since she is also a patient who sees a KP psychiatrist for depression and recently faced a big rescheduling delay after one of her appointments was canceled without notice.

As a provider, Gutierrez-Thompson says, she and her colleagues are expected to see patients “back-to-back-to-back.” She says some of her colleagues developed urinary tract infections when they couldn’t get to the bathroom. One even started wearing adult diapers, she says.

“The working conditions are like a factory,” Gutierrez-Thompson says. “We do such human work, but they would love for us to be robots with no needs and just see patients all day.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

Subscribe to KFF Health News’ free Morning Briefing.

​ Orange County Register 

Final Orange County girls soccer Top 10: Santa Margarita finishes No. 1

• February 6, 2025

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FINAL ORANGE COUNTY GIRLS SOCCER TOP 10 

(Records through Wednesday, Feb. 5)

1. Santa Margarita (13-1-2): The Eagles defeated JSerra 1-0 on Monday to claim a third consecutive Trinity League title. Up next: the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs. The postseason pairings in girls soccer will be released Saturday at 10 a.m.

Previous ranking: 1

2. Los Alamitos (13-5-3): Colorado-bound Vivi Zacarias had a goal and an assist as the Griffins captured the Sunset League title with a 2-0 win against Newport Harbor on Wednesday. Los Alamitos appears headed back to the Open Division playoffs after going 8-0 in the Sunset League.

Previous ranking: 4

3. JSerra (12-6-2): The Lions lost sophomore forward Bria Johnson to a season-ending knee injury from a late tackle by Santa Margarita that drew a red card, JSerra coach Anjel Brown said Wednesday. JSerra placed second in the Trinity League and seems like an Open Division candidate despite its youth and injuries.

Previous ranking: 2

4. Orange Lutheran (8-4-1): The Lancers finished the Trinity League strong with wins against Santa Margarita and Mater Dei to take third place. In a 2-1 win against the Eagles, junior Joey Birbeck, who is committed to Boise State, scored twice. In a 4-0 win against Mater Dei, freshman standout Karis Buehler netted two goals. Orange Lutheran will be seeking an at-large playoff entry Saturday.

Previous ranking: 6

5. Newport Harbor (15-4-3): The Sunset League runner-up could be part of the Open Division conversation after outscoring opponents 56-15.

Previous ranking: 3

6. Edison (12-7-3): Freshman Jaylen Maroney scored on a free kick in the 28th minute and junior goalie Tatum Trout recorded the shutout as the Chargers defeated Huntington Beach 1-0 in the third-place match in the Sunset League tournament.

Previous ranking: 8

7. Huntington Beach (13-4-4): The Oilers finished fourth in the Sunset League tournament but earned an automatic playoff bid from the challenging league.

Previous ranking: 5

8. Mater Dei (9-6-4): The Monarchs, who went 1-4-1 in the Trinity League, will be seeking an at-large berth for the postseason.

Previous ranking: 7

9. Troy (11-2-1): In the Warriors’ first season under coach Benjamin Rogers, they won the Crestview League with a 6-0-2 record.

Previous raking: 9

10. Rosary (9-4-4): The Royals claimed the Pacific Coast League for their first league crown since 1999. The Royals went 6-0-2 in league. Junior Amaya Faison recently posted a hat trick against Laguna Beach.

Previous ranking: 10

Please send girls soccer news to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram

​ Orange County Register 

Aquarium of the Pacific releases new marine species report card

• February 6, 2025

If you’ve ever wondered how Southern California’s native marine species are faring, but weren’t quite sure how to find out — Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific has a new resource to help.

The aquarium on Thursday, Feb. 6, celebrated the launch of its inaugural Marine Species Report Card, which documents the well-being of local ocean creatures as they continue grappling with numerous challenges impacting their native habitat.

“There are report cards, usually around water quality and beach characteristics up and down the coast,” Jennie Dean, the Aquarium’s vice president of education and conservation, said Thursday. “But the same did not exist for species. This is an opportunity to share things in similar ways to those report cards — but focus on the nature side exclusively.”

The report card, which currently contains information about the population trends for 30 different marine species — including mammals, birds, invertebrates, kelp, white abalone and California sea lions — has been under development since 2023.

Researchers, scientists and government agencies from across the state contributed to the creation of the aquarium’s report card.

“It is spearheaded by the Aquarium of the Pacific, but fueled by contributors from across the state,” Dean said. “We have other institutions, nonprofits, academic institutions whose staff participated and served as experts in this initiative.”

Besides population trends, the report also features information about the species and the threats they face.

“(The report card is) also fueled by data, and the data doesn’t come from the Aquarium of the Pacific,” Dean said. “It comes from state agencies, federal agencies, community science initiatives, etcetera, across the state — it’s reflecting the assets and wealth of the entire scientific community, more broadly than the aquarium.”

The new report card is a much-needed resource to keep the scientific community apprised of population trends, conservation needs and the biodiversity of the ecosystem, aquarium officials said.

“Knowing which species need intervention requires knowledge of their population,” said Peter Kareiva, Aquarium of the Pacific president and CEO. “If we know a species is declining, we might be able to take action before it is too late.”

One marine species included on the list, for example, is bull kelp — an unassuming, yet integral, facet of California’s ocean ecosystem.

The expansive underwater forests provide protection for vulnerable sea creatures and many of them rely on bull kelp as a food source. Bull kelp is also a vital asset for people, providing plentiful oxygen production and coastal protection from erosion and other damage caused by waves.

California’s kelp forests were once abundant, but have faced decimation in recent years. Since 2014, more than 95% of Northern California’s bull kelp forests have been destroyed — a result of numerous ongoing challenges, including rising ocean temperatures and an explosion in the sea urchin population.

The Marine Species Report Card features the plight of bull kelp, information about how to contribute to conservation efforts, and more — but it also includes resources about the success stories for other marine species.

The southern sea otter population, for example, has made quite a comeback in recent years. At their lowest population level, according to the aquarium’s vice president of animal care, Brett Long, there were just 32 of the mammals left in California — though their historical habitat spans the coastline from Mexico to Oregon.

There are now almost 3,000 southern sea otters, restricted to the Central California Coast, which has remained relatively steady for the past five or six years, Long said.

Their population is now increasing at a yearly rate of about 1.6%, according to the report card, though the otters have yet to crack the 3,000-mark.

Southern sea otters also haven’t been able to move beyond the Central Coast over the past 20 years, the report card said, a result of high shark bite mortality — and the loss of their favorite kelp habitat in the Northern California region.

“The possibility of seeing otters once again throughout all of California has inspired a vision of statewide recovery,” the report card said. “Because otters help maintain kelp ecosystems by holding urchins in check, any statewide recovery of otters that can be achieved may facilitate statewide recovery of kelp ecosystems.”

Though the report card currently only contains information on about 30 species, aquarium officials say they are hoping to add to that list over the coming years as additional data becomes available.

“In this report card, we looked at data starting in 1999 through 2024,” Dean said, “and not all species have that.”

One species not included in the report card because there wasn’t enough long-term data about its population rates, Dean said, is the leopard shark.

“That’s a pretty common species here in Southern California,” Dean said, “and so it would be wonderful if there were monitoring initiatives that would allow for that kind of species to be included in the future. There are plenty of other species that we could include.”

The aquarium’s report card, though, does feature information about ongoing conservation and species restoration initiatives.

A key goal of the report, Dean said, is to get the community more involved in science — and engaging with their local ecosystems.

“You don’t have to be involved because you have a PhD in fishery science; you can be involved because you care about what’s happening at Long Beach,” Dean said. “We really want the community to feel connected to the ocean and empowered that they can take actions that would sustain those populations in the future.”

There are plenty of ways to help, Dean said, ranging from participating in beach clean-ups to habitat restoration initiatives and taking care not to disturb wildlife when in nature.

To read the Marine Species Report Card and find out more about how to help, visit pacific.to/msrc.

​ Orange County Register 

Newsom tells forestry board to speed up rules for ’ember-free zones’

• February 6, 2025

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Feb. 6, called on the state Board of Forestry to speed up ember-free regulations ordered four years ago to help fire-proof homes.

A state law adopted in August of 2020 requires a “zone zero,” a 5-foot area surrounding homes in high fire hazard areas.

The new zone was added to the “defensible space” property owners are supposed to maintain around their homes. It’s designed to reduce wildfire ignitions by putting rock, brick or paving around structure perimeters and removing wood fences and vegetation that can wick wildfires into a house.

Also see: LA County wildfire losses seen as high as $164 billion, UCLA says

The law called on the state State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection draft regulations for how these ember-free zones should be implemented. 

Newsom said in a statement that he would sign an executive order directing the forestry board “to advance implementation” of those regulations.

However, board Executive Officer Edith Hannigan told the Southern California News Group it will take another six to nine months before those regulations will be put out for public comment.

“There are rules about how to write and approve promulgations,” Hannigan said.

More on fires: SoCal Edison found irregularity weeks later with power lines near Eaton fire origin

Fires that began on Jan. 7 consumed more than 38,000 acres in Los Angeles County, leaving 29 people dead and destroying more than 16,000 homes, buildings and other structures.

Under the latest proposal, existing homes would have three years to comply with the regulations, so it is not clear how many homes would have been saved, The Associated Press reported. But clearing the immediate area around homes likely would have made some difference, several experts said.

The ember-free law originally was set to take effect by Jan. 1, 2023, according to the AP.

Hannigan said she couldn’t comment on whether those rules could be accelerated because she hadn’t seen the governor’s executive order.

U.S. Rep Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who authored the “zone zero” measure while in the state Assembly, hailed the governor’s action.

“We passed this bill … several years ago, and nothing happened after that. That is extremely frustrating to me today,” Friedman told SCNG. “As we rebuild in these areas, we need to have this in place now, because it’s a no-brainer in an existing home to have an ember-resistant zone built into your landscape.”

Having those standards in place would have saved people money and would help lower people’s insurance costs, Friedman said, adding that creating an ember-free zone was based on fire-resiliency studies showing that 5 feet of non-combustible space can reduce a property’s fire risk.

“We know that embers are the major cause of home loss, and up to 90% of home ignitions occur because of embers coming from the outside,” Friedman said. “The most important thing is to protect ourselves and our families and our properties. So, making just a few changes to your landscape can make a huge difference.”

The main purpose of the guidelines is to educate homeowners about fire risks and how they can mitigate them, she said.

“It’s common sense, but a lot of homeowners don’t realize this, because we’ve never put these guidelines into place for people,” Friedman said.

Hannigan said that while her agency began working on the regulations soon after the law was passed, they still are in the pre-rule-making phase, adding that the rules are complex because of the cost of retrofitting homes to meet the ember-free standard.

“The board recognizes that there are costs associated with doing this work around homes and structures,” she said. “Right now, we’re focused on identifying options for financial assistance as well as education and outreach to help owners prepare and prioritize mitigations.”

Asked if the regulations could have been completed sooner, Hannigan — who plans to leave her post Feb. 14 — said, “There are always things that could have been done differently.”

“This should have been done years ago, and we see now why this is so important,” Friedman said. “One house that is a fire risk can put a whole neighborhood at risk, and we know that. So this is about giving people guidance. This is about, hopefully, educating people.”

On another matter, Newsom also called on California Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant to release updated fire maps adding 1.4 million acres to the two higher tiers of fire risk, subjecting homeowners in those areas to fire mitigation rules, the AP reported.

A spokesperson said in an email that the Fire Marshal’s Office recently implemented new maps for “state responsibility areas,” and has been updating maps for local areas.

“With the Governor’s action, we will begin providing maps immediately,” the spokesperson said.

​ Orange County Register 

Newly unsealed documents reveal more details of prosecutors’ evidence in 9/11 attacks

• February 6, 2025

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly unsealed documents give one of the most detailed views yet of the evidence gathered on the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, including how prosecutors allege he and others interacted with the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The summaries of evidence released Thursday include Mohammed’s own statements over the years, phone records and other documents alleging coordination between Mohammed and the hijackers, videos included in al-Qaida’s planning for the attacks and prosecutors’ summaries of government simulations of the flights of the four airliners that day. But few other details were given.

Also to be presented are the photos and death certificates of 2,976 people killed that day at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field, where the fourth airliner commandeered by the al-Qaida hijackers smashed into the ground after a revolt by passengers.

The newly revealed framework of military prosecutors’ potential case against Mohammed, who prosecutors say conceived of and executed much of al-Qaida’s attack, is contained in a plea agreement that the Defense Department is battling in court to roll back.

Mohammed and two co-defendants agreed in the plea deal with military prosecutors to plead guilty in the attack in return for life sentences.

The Associated Press, The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post, Fox News, NBC and Univision are suing to get the plea bargains unsealed. The summaries of the prosecution evidence were released Thursday in a partially redacted version of Mohammed’s agreement.

The evidence summaries point to the possibility of additional revelations about the attacks yet to come.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors, defense and the senior Pentagon official overseeing the cases at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, agreed to an unusual step — a hearing that would allow them to make public the evidence compiled against the three.

It appears designed to address complaints from families and others that a plea bargain typically would otherwise keep the evidence from fully being revealed.

Another unusual part of the deal mandated Mohammed to agree to answer questions from the families of victims.

Military prosecutors, defense attorneys and Guantanamo officials negotiated the deal over two years under government auspices. The negotiations were an attempt to bring a resolution to the 9/11 case, which has remained in pretrial hearings for more than two decades since the attacks.

Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin interceded to try to void the plea agreement after it was announced, saying that waiving the possibility of the death penalty in so grave an attack was a decision that defense secretaries should handle.

Federal court hearings in the Defense Department’s attempts to roll back the plea agreements are ongoing.

Legal arguments over whether the sustained torture that Mohammed and other 9/11 defendants underwent in CIA custody has rendered their statements in the case inadmissible and has slowed the case. So have repeated staffing changes at the Guantanamo court and the logistical difficulties of holding a trial in a courtroom a plane flight away from the U.S.

Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister contributed reporting from New York.

​ Orange County Register