Monterey County Local News: Public Safety


All Local Public Safety News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

Image caption: Many of Robert Kerbeck’s neighbors in Malibu Park lost their homes in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which left behind lots where only chimneys still stood.
Give Your Home a Fighting Chance in a Wildfire

California wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and more ferocious. ‘Malibu Burning’ author Robert Kerbeck shares simple steps you can take to protect your home.

Image caption: Flooding on the Salinas River in 2023 brought economic hardship to farmers and snarled traffic.
Disaster Prep: Alerts, Maps and Apps

Whether you’re on the Monterey Peninsula, in the Salinas Valley or Big Sur, keep these information resources handy on your smartphone.

Image caption: With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork

Fires, floods, earthquakes—California’s got it all. And CERT volunteers are ready to step in.

Image caption: Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners

As California insurance companies have revoked the fire policies of thousands of homeowners, the state has taken steps to get them covered again.

Image caption: Though it’s the most famous, the San Andreas Fault is just one of more than 500 active faults in California.
Battening Down for the Big One

Making it through the earthquake is the easy part. The hard part is surviving in the chaos that follows.

Image caption: Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era

The climate change era has created a whole new set of terms for a wide variety of storms and other weather phenomena. Here are some of the most important.

Image caption:
How Not to Feel the Burn

California residents can turn to these public and private entities to help prepare for wildfires and protect their property.

Image caption: There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained

Community service districts can do most anything a city government can do. Here’s how they work and how to start one.

Image caption: Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Image caption: California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Image caption: States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained

Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend laws and commandeer private property. Here’s why, and how it works.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

02/06/2025
Bird flu was detected in a stray cat in San Mateo County. Read on for more information.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

02/06/2025
A local backyard poultry flock has been confirmed by San Mateo County health officials to have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. Read on for more information.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

02/05/2025
Good. Because it's flu season and cases are surging. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/04/2025
Roughly a month after deadly wildfires erupted in Los Angeles County, killing at least 29 people, lawmakers in the state Senate have introduced a proposal to bolster Cal Fire staffing, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is meeting with President Donald Trump over disaster aid.

KSQD logo From KSQD...

02/02/2025
Image for display with article titled Engineer and Fire Captain Patrick Durham on Battery Safety and the Moss Landing Fire

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from our smartphones to electric vehicles, but they also come with risks. In this episode of Talk of the Bay, Meilin Obinata sits down with Patrick Durham, a mechanical engineer and firefighter, to dive deep into lithium battery safety, fire prevention, and risk management.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

01/31/2025
Image for display with article titled Supervisors Demand Investigation Into Vistra Fire

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday joined several other local elected officials and residents demanding answers into the causes of the Jan. 16 fire at the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo From Salinas Valley Tribune...

01/30/2025
Image for display with article titled Greenfield Firefighters Assist With Palisades Fire Response

Firefighters from Greenfield Fire Department patrolled and extinguished hot spots off Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles County last week.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

01/30/2025
Image for display with article titled Vistra Donates $450K in Gift Cards for Residents Impacted by Moss Landing Fire Evacuations.

People who were forced to evacuate due to the Vistra battery plant fire in Moss Landing can now apply for $750 gift cards to help with expenses.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/30/2025
Insurance companies have paid out $4.2 billion in claims so far to survivors of the Los Angeles County fires, the state Insurance Department said Thursday.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

01/29/2025
Image for display with article titled Two Weeks After Vistra Battery Plant Fire in Moss Landing, Residents Are Still Seeking Answers.

While the lithium ion battery-induced fire at the Vistra power plant in Moss Landing is no longer burning, nearby residents still have burning questions about what kind of pollution they may have been exposed to, particularly those who experienced symptoms such as headaches, nosebleeds and a metallic taste in their mouths.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/29/2025
In the wake of the fire earlier this month at Vistra Corporation’s Moss Landing Power Plant and Energy Storage Facility, the California Public Utilities Commission has proposed new standards for battery energy storage facilities.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

01/28/2025
Image for display with article titled Study Shows ‘Heavy Concentrations’ of Heavy Metals in Soil After Moss Landing Fire

One day after a group of Santa Cruz County residents collected soil samples from the areas impacted by the Jan. 16 battery storage facility fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant to test for heavy metals, a San Jose State University Professor released the results of a study confirming their suspicions.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/28/2025
HUGE FLAMES BLAZED through the roof of the industrial building. Billowing smoke rose slowly to a plume and moved inland. Teresa Villaruz and her family watched from their car on Highway 1.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

01/24/2025
Image for display with article titled CDFA Issues Recall for Schoch Family Farmstead’s Raw Milk.

Consumers of Schoch Family Farmstead's bottled raw cow milk are urged to dispose of half-gallon (64-ounce) glass jugs marked with the code date "BEST BY 01/24" due to bacterial contamination, according to a recall issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

01/24/2025
Image for display with article titled Critics Decry Pesticide Rule as Too Lenient: ‘Why Use It?’

The Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) held a public hearing Jan. 16 at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas to address a new draft regulation for Telone, a pesticide also known by the chemical name 1,3-dichloropropene.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

01/24/2025
Damages in the ongoing Southern California wildfires are topping $250 billion, on track for the costliest disaster in US history. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

01/24/2025
Read on for details of what's next at the end of the first phase of the Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout project in Marina.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

01/23/2025
Image for display with article titled ‘Seahawk’ Battery Storage Facility Slated for Watsonville Draws Concern

A new battery storage facility slated for a lot on the outskirts of Watsonville has some residents on edge after a Jan. 16 fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, which sent a thick column of black smoke into the air and closed Highway 1 and several schools.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

01/23/2025
Image for display with article titled Addis Announces New Proposed Bill on Battery Plants, Church Gives Update on Vistra Cleanup.

Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, and Monterey County District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church held a press conference in Moss Landing today, Jan. 23 with a twofold purpose: for Addis to talk about a bill she introduced Jan. 22, and for Church to give an update from the county's perspective.