Placer County Public Safety Digest

Hackers stole data this week from Blue Shield of California. Historically, this type of data has sometimes wound up for sale on what’s known as the dark web, the part of the internet not typically included in search engine results.

Two miles of public beach were closed in Laguna Beach following a spill of 94,500 gallons of sewage. Orange County is testing water to determine when the beach will be safe to reopen.

Seven times as many patients have been admitted to the trauma unit at UC San Diego Health since the Trump administration raised the height of the border wall to 30 feet in California. The hospital also notes that 23 people have died in falls from the wall since 2019.

Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.

Workers are in the final stages of a long, $217 million project: Install a protective barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge. Roughly 2,000 people have died by suicide jumping from the bridge since it opened in 1937.

Tustin Air Base was destroyed Nov. 7 in a raging fire that could last for days. Authorities said letting the 1942 hangar collapse was the only way to contain the fire.

The European Union has banned certain additives that are used in American candies and baked goods. California is on the cusp of prohibiting their sale by 2027.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified nearly 500 “zones” that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards. California topped all states with 51 total zones, followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida.

Incidents involving use of the systems, commonly known as drones, in firefighting airspace have led to the temporary suspension of critical aerial firefighting operations a half-dozen times so far this year.

Attila Colar went to prison for lying to the government. After California gave him another contract as a provider in a rehabilitation program, a federal jury convicted him of fraud for using the personal information of Bay Area parolees and others to collect government COVID funds.

After California lost over 4 million acres to fire in 2020, the state funded Task Force Rattlesnake, with National Guardsmen to assist Cal Fire.

“Today’s decision reflects the county’s commitment to safeguarding local communities and the infrastructure from the escalating threat of wildfires,” said Placer County District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson.

San Francisco isn’t going to take last week’s robotaxi decision by the California Public Utilities Commission lying down. Joined by the city's transit authority board, fire department and board of supervisors, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions on Wednesday to halt the unrestricted expansion of autonomous vehicles for commercial use.

Locally elected sheriffs manage California jails and are responsible for the safety of the inmates they hold. Record deaths in San Diego’s jail are shaping a plan for new statewide oversight.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make prisons a friendlier place for inmate families. An updated strip-search policy has some worried that families will face intrusive encounters during their visits.

Two recent reports on sexual harassment complaints filed against Cal State employees conclude inconsistent data collection makes it difficult to determine a reliable number.

The Biden administration’s app rule makes it harder for migrants to assert a right to asylum, advocates say. Lawsuits are sparking debate about immigration control, safety.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is scheduled to begin mechanical forest thinning and fuel reduction operations next week on approximately 208 acres along a powerline corridor.

Wildlife biologists for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife this morning safely immobilized a large female conflict bear responsible for at least 21 DNA-confirmed home break-ins and extensive property damage in the South Lake Tahoe area.

Caldor Fire survivors are taking on the federal government, claiming the U.S. Forest Service failed to protect Grizzly Flats when the Caldor Fire ignited in August of 2021 and destroyed more than 400 of the 600 homes in the mountain community.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors discussed several items during their quarterly Lake Tahoe meeting. Staff presented the Board with possibilities for the future of the former Tahoe City Fire Station.

There’s a possible rise of four invasive animals in California—another consequence from downpours last winter and spring. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services warned about a potential population surge due to storm-related flooding.

The Conservancy will remove hazards associated with lead-containing paint on the barn, while maintaining the 1860s-era barn’s historical integrity.

According to Edward Miller, President of the Board of Directors for Meeks Bay Fire, “There will be absolutely no difference in services, because right now, we’re being serviced by North Tahoe Fire. So, whether the engine, or the back of the turnout coat says Meeks Bay Fire or North Tahoe Fire, it’s still North Tahoe firefighters and paramedics.”

With fire season officially here, public service agencies gathered at Palisades Tahoe on July 19 to participate in a Tahoe Basin Critical Incident and Fire Preparedness training exercise.

Luis Yauri Oyola hopes one day to buy a tractor to start a business in Peru; he estimates that he is six years away from that goal, for which he will have spent more than a decade of his life living thousands of miles away from his family. He is on call 24/7 and doesn’t leave the job site except for necessities.

Placer County is experiencing a record number of West Nile virus detections in its mosquito and wild bird population.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors took the final step needed to launch a timber salvage project being jointly managed by the county and the U.S. Forest Service — improving public safety and preparing 2,636 acres of previously forested ground for replanting and restoration after last year’s devastating Mosquito Fire.

The California Tahoe Conservancy has awarded two grants totaling $4,627,000 to build partner capacity for forest and wildfire resilience projects across the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Beginning the week of July 10, NV Energy and partnering agencies will continue to implement measures to reduce wildfire and natural disaster risk throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin and Southern Nevada as part of the Natural Disaster Protection Plan.

As nights warm and droughts intensify, past models predicting fire behavior have become unreliable. So California is working with analysts and tapping into new technology to figure out how to attack wildfires. Gleaned from military satellites, drones and infrared mapping, the information is spat out in real time and triaged by a fire behavior analyst.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is scheduled to begin thinning trees by hand on July 10 on the south end of Prey Meadows north of Glenbrook on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe.