Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- A new poll reveals what SoCal residents want after the devastation caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires.
- Water officials knew that opening dams to meet President Trump’s wishes was ill-advised. Here’s why it happened anyway.
- The Ozempic workout? Here’s how gyms and trainers are catering to a new group of exercisers.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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After the wildfires, a new poll provides insights into Los Angeles’ future
The devastating wildfires that left entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles County in ash-covered ruins has sparked an avalanche of online punditry about what steps should be taken to prevent another deadly tragedy.
But what do everyday residents think about the region’s future?
This morning we’re going to look at a new poll that give us an idea about how registered voters are feeling in the aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires and what they would like to see happen as the area recovers.
The poll comes from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and is co-sponsored by The Times. It was conducted online in English and Spanish from Feb. 17 to Feb. 26, more than a month after the fires broke out.
Here are some takeaways.
There is overwhelming support for stronger building codes and restrictions in high-risk areas
Eighty percent of voters polled backed tougher building codes that would make homes more fire resistant — even if it jacks up costs, my colleague Liam Dillon reports.
And 70% of those surveyed said they wanted more regulations to curb home construction in areas vulnerable to fires.
Both moves would directly affect homeowners in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods, but voters polled in those communities also backed the tougher measures by wide margins.
Support for stronger building codes clocked in at 85% from people polled in the Palisades fire zone and 82% in the Eaton fire zone.
For homebuilding limits in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones, 65% and 61% were respectively in favor.
To compensate for stronger rules on fire-prone areas, county voters favored building more homes in higher-density urban areas, with 55% in support and 30% opposed.
Residents want to boost fire protection funding, even it if increases taxes
Nearly two-thirds of voters polled wanted to provide greater funding for city and county fire departments even if that meant raising taxes.
But voters were more divided about the idea of creating a tax structure that would require people living in high-risk areas to pay more for public services, with 46% in support and 43% opposed.
“Right now, the priority for Los Angeles residents is fire protection,” said Mark DiCamillo, poll director at UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. “If they’re going to support tax hikes, that’s the area.”
Many Los Angeles residents have little confidence in Mayor Karen Bass’ handling of recovery efforts
Just over half of city residents polled said they had “not much” or only “a little” confidence in Bass’ ability to guide Los Angeles through its recovery, my colleague Julia Wick reports.
And about 40% said they thought Bass did a poor or very poor job in responding to the fires, which erupted while she was on a diplomatic mission to Ghana.
The image of Bass in another country while flames engulfed homes resulted in a swift and severe backlash. In defending her decision to leave the country, the mayor accused former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley of failing to warn her of the potential danger.
But the city’s Emergency Management Department sent weather advisories to the mayor’s staff before Bass boarded a plane for Africa, according to emails obtained by my colleagues Dakota Smith and David Zahniser.
Deputy Mayor Zach Seidl told my colleagues that none of the staffers informed Bass of a weather advisory sent on Jan. 3, just days before the Palisades fire broke out.
Most Los Angeles County residents don’t plan to move
Less than 1 in 4 Los Angeles County residents is considering moving out of the area because of the fires, my colleague Laura J. Nelson reports. And less than 1 in 10 residents is seriously weighing whether to relocate.
The poll found a majority of residents are satisfied with their quality of life (57%). But the survey found some residents faced wide-ranging and long-lasting effects on their physical and mental health.
Nearly 4 in 10 county residents said their health, or the health of a family member, had been harmed by wildfire smoke. And when it comes to mental health, 3 in 10 residents said they’d experienced high levels of additional stress because of the fires.
Today’s top stories
Water officials knew that opening dams to meet Trump’s wishes was ill-advised
- Trump said he intended to increase the flow of water to the Los Angeles area after the devastating wildfires. But that idea clashed with inconvenient realities.
- L.A. water managers said they already had ample water on hand for firefighting. And federal officials charged with carrying out the president’s order knew that the state — not the federal government — controls the aqueducts and pump stations that deliver water to Southern California’s cities.
- “It was cavalier and an extremely high-risk decision, and wasteful,” said Ann Willis, California regional director of American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental organization.
California joins 19 Democratic states in a lawsuit to stop massive Education Department layoffs
- The complaint alleges staff reductions that Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced this week are a “reckless” attempt to follow through on President Trump’s desire to close the department by making it unable to carry out work mandated by Congress.
- The suit asks a judge to order a stop to the layoffs, which are to take effect March 21. The staff reduction would leave 2,183 workers at the department, down from 4,133 in January.
What else is going on
- California businesses are reeling from Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs.
- The cost of undocumented healthcare in California is billions over estimates, pressuring Democrats to consider cuts.
- ‘Like a big old bomb’: A damaging tornado travels a mile through Pico Rivera.
- Fear and loathing grip L.A. hotels as Trump deportation threats loom.
- Surgery at a UC hospital went shockingly wrong, leading to leg amputation, a lawsuit says.
- Bird flu-infected San Bernardino County dairy cows may have a concerning new mutation.
- Fired federal workers can fight their dismissals, but there’s a catch.
- Tech stocks keep tumbling this year. Here’s why.
- In a flash of nationalism, Mexico bans the planting of genetically modified corn.
- Trump threatens a retaliatory 200% tariff on European wine after the EU proposes an American whiskey tariff.
- A false report of a shooter at Claremont college is SoCal’s second ‘swatting’ call in 48 hours.
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Commentary and opinions
- Trimming the fat from the federal budget shouldn’t hurt the most vulnerable this much, writes columnist LZ Granderson.
This morning’s must reads
As baby great whites cruise among California surfers, science finds (almost) nothing to fear. Researchers have learned that these groups of young great whites use the beaches of Southern California and northern Baja California as nurseries, moving up and down the coastline with the seasons, in search of warm water. They feed on the abundant stingrays — the true wildlife threat for beachgoers in the Southland — but otherwise mind their own business.
Other must reads
- ‘I haven’t given my Japanese side its due’: Dave Roberts reflects ahead of the Dodgers’ Tokyo opener.
- Preparing for the worst: What to do about the residence you left behind.
- The De Los SXSW showcase drove home Latino community values, Times staff reporter Cerys Davies writes.
- Is Charley Crockett country music’s next big 40-year-old thing?
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your downtime
Going out
- 🏋🏾♀️The Ozempic workout? How gyms and trainers are catering to a new group of exercisers.
- 🪴After developers gentrified her old neighborhood, a cherished plant shop owner starts fresh.
- 🍽️Michelin adds 15 restaurants to its California guide. Nearly half are in Los Angeles.
Staying in
- 📕The author of ‘Red Scare’ lets past political hysteria teach us about the present.
- 👨🍳 Here’s a recipe for Curtis Stone’s Italian pork sausage rolls.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What’s one of your favorite books to read when there’s bad weather?
Maria Borbon writes: “‘Lovely One’ by Ketanji Brown Jackson.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … your photo of the day
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Today’s photo is from Times contributor Ringo Chiu at Glencannon Drive in Pico Rivera after a tornado touched down in the area Thursday morning.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew J. Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.