Environment

The LA fires have left domestic workers and day laborers jobless. They may soon be hired for wildfire cleanup work, where they can be exposed to ash and other toxins.

As wildfires rage on in Los Angeles, California lawmakers are rushing to offer ideas for wildfire response and prevention. Few, however, have provided specifics on how they would work — and how the state could afford them.

Key moisture measurements are only 2% to 5% of average, leaving dusty soils. And the recent swing from wet to dry is among the most extreme on record. This combination of climatic conditions crossed into a danger zone, priming much of Southern California for wind-whipped fires.

Because Trump is unlikely to approve them, California has no choice but to abandon its groundbreaking rules for zero-emission trucks and cleaner locomotives.

The fires sweeping across Los Angeles County for the past week have burned more than 50,000 acres, an area roughly equivalent to 2,200 Alcatraz Islands or 500 Disneylands, or larger than Washington, D.C. An arid fall and winter has dried out vegetation after two wetter-than-average years, providing fuel as a windstorm, with hurricane-force gusts topping […]

CalMatters photographers captured the devastation as fierce Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions propelled multiple wildfires across Los Angeles County.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's invitation to the president-elect says Californians deserve to see them work together to address the devastation of the Los Angeles fires. Donald Trump has threatened to block disaster relief to California, and he soon will have the power to at least slow-walk aid.

State prisoners have long been a part of California's firefighting force. Hundreds of them now are deployed in Los Angeles County.

The federal government typically covers 75% of rebuilding costs after a major disaster. President-elect Trump has threatened to withhold firefighting money from California.

President-elect Donald Trump faulted California water policies for the devastating wildfires that are burning in Los Angeles County. The fires started because of fierce winds and extremely dry conditions.