Yolo County Public Safety Digest

The Police Accountability Commission for the City of Davis considered use of facial recognition software by the Davis Police Department, noting concerns about reliability and potential harm to the community.

The Yolo County Administrator's office announced strategic appointments to enhance operations in several areas including climate action and sustainability and emergency services.

The City of Woodland is increasing fines for possession or use of illegal fireworks to $1,000 per device.

Woodland resident and Red Cross volunteer member of the local disaster action team acceptted the proclamation at the council meeting.

The City Council is poised to authorize a $400,000 three-year contract with the organization to continue its services that city staff reports has produced positive outcomes.

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.

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.

The Woodland Fire Department updated the City Council on its plans to relocate Fire Station 3 to the Willow Spring School site the city acquired in 2018.

Woodland’s County Fair Mall will close indefinitely due to a notice to vacate the Fire Department issued following its discovery of fire code violations in the mall’s fire suppression system.

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’s law that requires background checks when purchasing ammunition is back in place.

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.

A handful of super powerful tropical storms in the last decade and the prospect of more to come has a couple of experts proposing a new category of whopper hurricanes: Category 6.

Los Angeles County flood control network withstands punishing rains—for now.

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

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted to allow guns in local government buildings, defying California law.

An updated earthquake hazard map from USGS shows a high shaking risk in California.

Hundreds of San Diego homes and businesses were damaged or ruined in devastating floods after punishing rainfall fell on Jan. 22.

If you’re driving on Interstate 80, you might spot a billboard displaying an animal wildfire mascot. But it isn’t Smokey Bear. It’s Burnie the Bobcat, with a new slogan: Only you can decide our fiery future.

Our understanding and preparedness have come a long way since Southern California’s magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 1994. We’re still learning from that destructive temblor.

To force a vote on the ban of large-capacity magazines, House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Congressman Mike Thompson announced the filing of a discharge petition for the Keep Americans Safe Act.

An avalanche swept up skiers at Lake Tahoe’s largest ski resort on Jan. 10 as a 150-foot-wide sheet of snow slid down a mountain slope.

Michel Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, announced he will resign. The departure of Moore, who has been in the job since 2018, will spur the appointment of an interim chief and a nationwide search for his replacement, according to Mayor Karen Bass.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case related to whether cities and towns can ban camping on public property. The high court could overturn Martin v. Boise, a 2018 federal court decision that keeps western cities and counties from blocking public camping when sufficient shelter space is unavailable.

An avalanche was reported Jan. 11 at a resort near Lake Tahoe, one day after a major avalanche roared down an adjoining mountain, trapping several people and killing a 66-year-old man.

Cal State San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism found that hate crimes rose 12.9% between 2022 and 2023. The spike follows a particularly stark increase in crimes against Jewish people.

California correctional officers train like ‘they are going to war’ to work in state prisons. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to transform San Quentin could require a kinder approach.

Munition boxes, depth charges and smoke floats have been found 3,000 feet underwater off the coast of Los Angeles. More than 100 square miles of ocean might be contaminated.

Heavy snow is projected in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Previously, warmer storms had been bringing precipitation mainly to higher elevations in the Sierras.

California state law dictates that property owners are responsible for repairing damaged sidewalks. In Sacramento, this has left some owners facing bills of thousands of dollars or tax assessments from the city.

San Francisco police officers have been operating for more than a year with guidance from their chief that California’s vehicle code doesn’t provide authority for them to ticket driverless cars for infractions like speeding or running red lights. Officers are still encouraged to report relevant information about incidents.

A law passed by the California legislature in 2023 has gone into effect banning licensed gun holders from bringing their firearms to places like playgrounds, churches and casinos. The law faces an ongoing challenge in the federal court system.