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Your morning catch-up: The scope of wildfire failures, L.A.’s fragile food system and more big stories. The January Los Angeles firestorms, which leveled communities on a scale few thought was possible, have left pointed questions and a clamoring for answers that has only grown louder with time. You're reading the Essential California newsletter L.A. Times reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the morning. By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. Enter email address Altadena is haunted by the long delays in evacuating a section of the city where all but one of the 19 deaths occurred. The evacuation orders came a stunning six hours after the Eaton fire started. For Pacific Palisades, the focus has been on the failure to fully deploy firefighters on the morning of historic winds and the inability of firefighters to extinguish a Jan. 1 fire that later roared back to life as the Palisades fire. Why didn’t the fire brass listen? It’s been a year of troubling revelations, but those in the last few weeks have been particularly damning. Times investigations uncovered more missteps. In both the Palisades and Eaton fires, firefighters on the ground raised urgent alarms and appeared to have been ignored by their bosses. The Palisades fire was a restart of a small blaze that broke out six days earlier. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it was fully extinguished. And last month, officials went on at length about how difficult — if not impossible — it would have been to know the Jan. 1 fire was still smoldering. But Paul Pringle and Alene Tchekmedyian revealed that some officials inside the LAFD had grave worries the fire was not out. One firefighter at the Lachman fire warned a battalion chief that the ground was still smoldering and rocks remained hot to the touch, according to text messages the Times reporters reviewed. Despite this, LAFD brass ordered them to pack up and leave the scene. “And the rest is history,” one firefighter later wrote in a text. None of this was mentioned in federal or local reports, which seemed to downplay LAFD responsibility for the restart. This was not the only new revelation that the Jan. 1 fire was not out after officials said it was. The Times’ Jenny Jarvie and Noah Haggerty reviewed a video shot by a hiker that shows whiffs of smoke coming from the area on Jan. 2 — after firefighters left. “It’s still smoldering,” he’s heard saying. A midnight call: Altadena’s last chance? New reporting out of Altadena has a troubling echo. The Eaton fire began just before 6:30 p.m., and in the first few hours, officials issued evacuations for multiple neighborhoods. But as The Times revealed in January, the evacuation orders stopped hours before west Altadena got its first evacuation order at 3:25 a.m. By then, huge swaths of Altadena were burning, including on the west side. L.A. County fire officials have been vague about what caused this deadly delay. Now, The Times’ Grace Toohey and Terry Castleman are reporting that, around midnight, several Los Angeles County firefighters on the ground suggested to incident commanders that the rest of the nearby foothill communities, from Altadena west into La Cañada Flintridge, be evacuated. But for unknown reasons, county commanders did not issue more evacuation orders for three more hours. By then, it was too late for some. All but one of the 19 people who died in the Eaton fire were found in west Altadena. Getting answers … if you can The unprecedented destruction of the January fires has rightly left the public demanding answers. Has there been some Monday-morning quarterbacking? Maybe. Did the hurricane-strength winds make some losses all but inevitable? Very likely. But it’s notable that the official “after action” reports produced by both city and county officials have been heavy on recommendations, reforms and plans for more spending and light on assigning blame. In fact, the firm the county hired to investigate the Eaton fire said the county specifically asked that it not delve into specific wrongdoing. A Times review of “after-action” reports from previous L.A. fires found this approach is common — and perhaps one reason some of the same failures are repeated. Art Botterell, a former senior emergency services coordinator for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, calls them “groundhog day” reports. “If you ask yourself a very simple question — ‘Whose responsibility was this?’ — you won’t find anybody sticking their hand up,” he told Jarvie. Today’s top stories California Republicans reel after Prop. 50 vote Coachella Valley Republicans fear alienation after Tuesday’s election. Proposition 50 redraws California congressional districts to favor Democrats, potentially ending Republican representation in parts of the conservative Coachella Valley. Local GOP leaders blame the California Republican Party for failing to raise enough money to counter the proposition’s message and protect their dwindling influence. The SNAP funding mess The delay in federal funding to SNAP has led to long lines at food banks and slow business at outdoor produce stands that allow customers to pay with their benefit cards. Though California started replenishing recipients’ food-aid debit accounts late last week, the crisis shines a light on L.A.’s fragile food system. A USC study found that 25% of L.A. County residents experienced food insecurity in 2024 and that the rate among low-income people was even higher — 41%. LAPD officers and domestic violence An LAPD sergeant testified at a recent disciplinary hearing that the department did not begin fully disclosing domestic abuse allegations against officers until more than year after it was required by state law. A law passed in 2021 made domestic violence one of nine categories of “serious misconduct” that can trigger a ban from police work. An LAPD spokesperson said in 2024 the department “adopted a new standard of reporting all allegations of domestic battery, regardless of severity.” More big stories Senate approves first step toward ending the government shutdown. Trump says Americans will receive a $2,000 tariff dividend. Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were charged with betting on pitches. U.S. Atty. Joseph Nocella Jr. said the athletes “betrayed America’s pastime.” BBC News leaders resigned after the broadcaster’s editing of a Trump speech was called misleading. Firefighters freed a person stuck under E Line train. UC reached a contract agreement with 21,000 employees, averting a strike. Newsom prevailed on Proposition 50. But columnist Mark Z. Barabak says the White House is still a big reach. Speaking of Newsom, columnist Anita Chabria says the best way for him to stay relevant is to become FDR. Columnist Gustavo Arellano happens to be in Chicago, where residents mounted a community-wide defense against Trump’s deportation machine. This morning’s must read Latin Grammy-winning Puerto Rican filmmaker Kacho López Mari talks his most memorable music videos, including for Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee and Calle 13. Other great reads We broke down that USC fake punt play that has everyone up in arms. A Lake Tahoe skating rink got a visit from an unusual local — a black bear named Charlie For your downtime Going out Exploring L.A.: The best things to do, see and eat with teens in L.A. Shopping: The new House of Dior in Beverly Hills is a reminder: In-person shopping will always be superior. Nightlife: Can this cozy DJ bar bring crowds back to DTLA? Staying in Takeout: Here are 26 Los Angeles restaurants to order Thanksgiving takeout from this year. Recipe: Fall is the best season for cheese. Here are 7 of our cheesiest recipes. ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games. Question of the day: What’s one special dish your family makes for Thanksgiving? Telma Dorcey says: “My family and I are ditching the turkey, the stuffing for delicious ‘Cocido’ over white rice and ‘picado de rabano.’ Cocido is a traditional Guatemalan soup with large chunks of beef, and large chunks of vegetables like yellow squash, chayote squash, yucca, carrots and corn on the cob and flavored with cilantro.” Bob from Slymar says: “My grandmother from Germany makes mashed turnips.” Yum! And finally ... the photo of the day Today’s great image is from photographer Kit Karzen of the inside of a stylish L.A. apartment designed so its occupants never have to worry about pet hair again. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Shelby Grad, deputy managing editor Jim Rainey, staff reporter Hugo Martin, assistant editor Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter Karim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
