Monterey County Public Safety Articles

By 9pm on Friday night, Jan. 21, a vague, wine-colored glow was visible from as far north as Santa Cruz. Wildfire reports in Big Sur had been surfacing for almost two hours, but with poor cell phone and internet service,…

Cal Fire announced on Wednesday, Jan. 26 that Highway 1 in Big Sur is completely open again following a closure for the Colorado Fire. Officials also lifted fire-related evacuation orders.

The Colorado Fire, which has burned 700 acres as of Jan. 25, was sparked after hot embers from a "pile burn operation" were carried by strong winds onto nearby vegetation, Cal Fire's Monterey-San Benito Unit announced Jan. 25.

Though they are elected officials, county sheriffs have less accountability than any other law enforcement officials. Here's why, and what California is doing about it.

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.

California homicide spiked by 31 percent in 2020. The shocking increase has continued into 2021. Here are several theories that attempt to explain the state’s suddenly rising murder rate.

Omicron is a new variant of the COVID-causing coronavirus that has now arrived in California and is causing fears of a new pandemic wave. What is it? Why are people so worried? And what, if anything, is California doing to …

Monterey County’s 11 fire districts help protect a county with a long history of wildfires that dates back to the 1870s.

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

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

A new California law to lower speed limits, AB 43, is part of an overall effort, called ‘Vision Zero,’ to eliminate traffic deaths completely. Here’s what the law does, and why it can make a difference.

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.

The case remains stalled against the suspect behind the 2020 Dolan Fire, which scorched 125,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s Democratic legislators have enacted a sweeping new package of police reform legislation. Here’s what the new laws will accomplish, and why.

The state’s largest power utility faced new criminal charges Sept. 24, but PG&E has a long and disturbing history of causing wildfires. Why? And how can the company change?

Despite a history of wildfires in the area, the state wants to build nearly 150 new campsites in Auburn State Recreation Area in El Dorado and Placer counties.

Even as California’s wildfires grow more intense seemingly every year, insurers are cancelling policies for homeowners in the path of the fires.

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.

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.