San Joaquin County Local News: Public Safety


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

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Disaster Prep: Alerts, Maps and Apps

When disaster strikes, you’ll need to have these information resources available 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: 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

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: 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.

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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.

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.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

05/07/2024
More than 6,000 residents live outside the targeted 5-minute accident, fire and police response-time zone in southwest Manteca.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

04/29/2024
The Lathrop Police Department announced the hiring of Gabrielle Johnson as a new Community Services Officer.

California Local Pin Marker From LodiNews...

04/18/2024
A CalTrans project to improve traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety on a stretch of Kettleman Lane is set to begin on April 29 and will be completed by June.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

04/17/2024
At a promotion and induction ceremony on April 29, the The Ripon Consolidated Fire District will be swearing in new fire chief Eric DeHart.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

04/11/2024
Image for display with article titled Backers of California Homeless Camp Ban Cite ‘Successful’ San Diego Law. But Is It?

A new bill would make it illegal for homeless residents to camp in certain places, such as near schools, throughout California. Its authors say such a ban has had great success in San Diego. But a closer look at that city paints a more nuanced picture.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

04/11/2024
In their April 9 meeting, the Ripon City Council discussed hosting a public workshop about the East Main Traffic Signal Project.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

04/03/2024
Manteca Fire responded to 168 fires in Ripon, providing coverage in cases when the single available fire engine and team were engaged.

Local News Matters Stockton logo From Local News Matters Stockton...

04/01/2024
Image for display with article titled Stockton Downtown to Get ‘Complete Streets’ Makeover; Two Public Meetings Scheduled

The city of Stockton on Wednesday will host the first of two open house meetings for the community to discuss planned safety improvements on two streets.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

04/01/2024
Ripon Consolidated Fire District is seeking a parcel tax increase to fund the hiring of six firefighters.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

03/27/2024
Intended to reduce fire danger as summer approaches, the City of Manteca’s annual Weed Abatement Program begins May 1, enforcing the City’s weed ordinance requiring grass and weeds be under 6 inches in height.

California Local Pin Marker From LodiNews...

03/23/2024
Citing recent traffic deaths, residents ask for traffic safety measure including more stop signs at intersections.

California Local Pin Marker From Manteca Bulletin...

03/19/2024
CalTrans has reached out to inhabitants of the homeless encampments on the Main Street and 120 Bypass interchange and has begun work to clean up the area and secure it from future camping.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

03/02/2024
A tornado stuck Kings county briefly, and another touched down in Madera county, as favorable conditions came together during a powerful winter storm which swept the region.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

03/01/2024
A report of a 12 month study which ended in February indicates almost half of those cited for drug usage were not residents of the city, leading to questions about city approaches to drug addiction.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

02/08/2024
Image for display with article titled Why Are Tech Billionaires Apologizing? Lawmakers Now Calling for Regulation of Social Media

CEOs of Instagram, Snapchat tell parents at Senate hearing they’re sorry for deaths of children.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

02/08/2024
Sacramento, known for its tree-filled landscape, faces unique challenges in intense weather. The convergence of high winds with large trees poses significant risks to people and urban infrastructure.

California Local Pin Marker From LodiNews...

02/07/2024
Heritage District residents asked the Lodi City Council why street and infrastructure improvements have not been considered in their neighborhood.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

02/06/2024
Atmospheric rivers are well-known weather phenomena along the West Coast. But the intensity of recent atmospheric rivers is almost certainly affected by human-caused climate change.

California Local Pin Marker From San Joaquin Valley Sun...

02/06/2024
California’s law that requires background checks when purchasing ammunition is back in place.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

02/05/2024
The storm fed off of unusually warm waters as it grew. It also reached “bomb cyclone” status as it neared California.
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