Over 400 Arrested in Newport Beach

Newport Beach police said Monday they arrested 402 people during Fourth of July celebrations after thousands of young people flooded the Balboa Peninsula.

Officers were called around 7 p.m. Saturday as crowds lit fireworks and fought, and the scene escalated when some threw fireworks at police. One officer was struck by a mortar, and a Pavilions grocery store was looted.

The city said 350 officers and personnel from 17 regional law enforcement agencies responded, closing beaches and declaring an unlawful assembly in the area of 26th Street and the beach. Crews logged 102 emergency calls and 10 fires, and 44 people were taken to hospitals.

The 402 arrests far exceeded the 60 recorded over the same holiday stretch last year. Police Chief Dave Miner credited months of planning, and the city said it will weigh new steps before future holiday celebrations.

Missing Fresno Man Found Alive

A 70-year-old Fresno man missing for six days after a fishing trip was found alive in rugged wilderness about 20 miles northeast of Pine Flat Lake on the Fourth of July.

Rondy Packard Sr. left his Pinedale home to go fishing the morning of June 28 and never returned, prompting an appeal for help and a search by his family and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. A resident had spotted his pickup on Trimmer Springs Road.

A volunteer Air Squadron member spotted his truck, and search crews found Packard near the vehicle. A California Highway Patrol helicopter hoisted him out of the rugged terrain for treatment.

Packard suffered no major injuries, rescuers said. Investigators are still trying to learn how he ended up stranded in the remote wilderness for nearly a week.

California Crews Deploy to Colorado Fire

California is sending fire crews to Colorado to help fight the Aspen Acres Fire, which has burned more than 91,500 acres about 150 miles south of Denver.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California would deploy 15 fire engines and 53 personnel across three strike teams, marking the first time CAL FIRE has sent resources to Colorado under the National Association of State Foresters state-to-state partnership. The crews left July 4 and are expected to remain for up to 14 days.

The fire was reported June 29 near the Aspen Acres Campground in the San Isabel mountains. As of Monday, it was 12% contained, with more than 1,100 personnel assigned, and evacuations remained in effect across multiple counties.

Colorado crews aided California during the 2024 Park Fire and the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires. CAL FIRE says the deployment won’t reduce firefighting capacity at home, with reserve engines and full staffing kept in place.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Folsom: California State Parks warned of elevated E. coli levels at three Folsom Lake sites, including Nimbus Flats and Black Miners Bar. Officials advise visitors not to drink the water and to shower after entering it. (More)

➤ Nevada County: Corrections officials are searching for Miguel Banuelos, 49, who walked away from the Washington Ridge Conservation Camp west of Lake Tahoe on the Fourth of July. Staff discovered he was missing during a 2 p.m. count. (More)

➤ San Francisco: A rider’s video appears to show a Waymo robotaxi rolling through an exploding firework on the Fourth of July, with smoke curling around the car and a passenger asking, “Are we on fire, dude?” The passengers were unharmed. (See Video)

➤ Lake Tahoe: The morning after the fireworks, 446 volunteers with Keep Tahoe Blue cleaned six beaches and hauled off 1,330 pounds of litter by noon, a total that came in below the usual Fifth of July haul. (Read Story)

Enjoy reading The California Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ Santa Cruz: Three climbers fell 30 to 40 feet after an unauthorized rope snapped at Davenport Beach late Saturday, leaving three others stranded partway up the cliff. One person was critically hurt as rescuers worked through heavy fog. (More)

➤ Clovis: Fresno County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Santi was killed Saturday after an illegal firework startled him, sending him over a fence and into the path of a driver who fled near Shaw and Helm avenues. The 5-year-old Belgian Malinois had served four years. (More)

➤ Madera: Valley Children’s Healthcare plans to build a 73,000-square-foot ambulatory pavilion on its Madera campus to expand specialty care and improve access for patients and families. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027 and take about two years. (More)

Enjoy reading The California Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ Southern California: A heat advisory runs today through Thursday as inland areas climb into the 90s and low 100s, with parts of the Antelope Valley reaching up to 104 degrees. Residents are urged to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged sun exposure. (More)

➤ East Los Angeles: Four people, including a woman and a juvenile bystander, were wounded after a gunman opened fire during an argument near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue around 9:40 p.m. Sunday after Mexico’s World Cup loss to England. The shooter remains at large. (More)

➤ Oceanside: A federal search warrant alleges three men identifying themselves as “skinheads” carried out two racially motivated attacks near Oceanside Pier in June 2025, seriously injuring three victims. Investigators are seeking potential hate crime and civil rights charges, but no one has been charged. (More)

➤ San Diego: With a heat spike expected midweek, Cal Fire says it has reached peak staffing across all 42 county fire stations, with nearly 1,000 personnel ready to respond. A captain warned that dry brush has left “the entire county” at risk of wildfire. (More)

Enjoy reading The California Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ Four Dodgers were voted into the National League’s starting lineup for the All-Star Game. Shohei Ohtani led all National League players in fan voting as the starting designated hitter, joined by Freddie Freeman at first base, Max Muncy at third base, and Andy Pages in the outfield. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, the Giants landed two All-Star selections in second baseman Luis Arraez, who is hitting .326, and pitcher Logan Webb. The Angels’ Mike Trout earned his 12th All-Star selection, and the Padres’ Mason Miller was selected as a reserve. (See Rosters)

➤ USC pitcher Andrew Johnson was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, the first Trojan to earn the honor since Ian Kennedy in 2005. (More)

➤ Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. made his major league debut Sunday just hours after learning that his sister and stepmother were found dead following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela. The Dodger Stadium crowd gave him a loud ovation during his first at-bat. (More) 

➤ Lakers forward Rui Hachimura agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal with the Clippers after turning down offers from several teams to remain in Los Angeles. He shot 44.3% from three last season and averaged 17.5 points in the playoffs. (More) 

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Big AC companies are panicking over this new cooling invention that helps Americans stay cool for less. Stop suffering from extreme temperatures and high electric bills. Get instant cooling in summer and cozy warmth in winter with CoolCove. Learn More

➤ Luxury resort plans for the Dunes in Marina could bring the city 200 to 300 jobs and $2 million to $4 million a year in tax revenue, according to a staff report. The City Council is getting its first look at the proposed 150-room hotel. (More)

➤ Federal regulators have proposed ending a 1973 ban on supersonic flight over land, a change that could one day cut Los Angeles-to-New York trips to about three hours. Full passenger service is still years away, pending additional rulemaking and aircraft approvals. (More)

➤ Mount Shasta is pushing back against rumors of a data center at the shuttered Crystal Geyser bottling plant. Officials say there’s no active proposal, and any future project would require Siskiyou County approval. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Reclaim your backyard by zapping 15,000 mosquitos in 1 night with the Zap Zone Defender. This powerful anti-mosquito device is transforming backyards by silently eliminating thousands of mosquitoes overnight, without chemicals or noise.

Flying together with our sponsor

Delete your personal data

Scams start with your personal data being sold. Data brokers are profiting from your home address, SSN, phone number, and other personal information that doesn’t belong to them. Incogni scrubs your personal info from the web. Simple as. It takes 3 minutes to set up, tackles 420+ data brokers and people-search sites, and there’s a 30-day money back guarantee. Protect your data, your time, and your sanity. Get Incogni today and never look back.

Use code FLYOVER today for a 55% annual plan discount →

➤ The Huntington in San Marino expects a rare double bloom of its Titan Arums, better known as corpse flowers, in the coming weeks. One plant, Odora, last bloomed in 2024, while the other will bloom publicly for the first time. Each foul-smelling bloom lasts just 24 to 48 hours. (More)

➤ Del Mar opens its summer thoroughbred season Friday, July 17, when the seaside track north of San Diego hosts its traditional Opening Day celebration, complete with the famous Hats Contest. Gates open at 11:30 a.m., and the first race is at 2 p.m. (More)

➤ Car culture gets a loving look back in a feature on how Southern California’s hot rods, custom rides, and cruising scene became an enduring piece of Americana, right alongside baseball and apple pie. The Beach Boys sang its praises in Little Deuce Coupe. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Take the guesswork out of monitoring your blood pressure at home with the Vital Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor. Designed for convenience and ease of use, it provides fast readings from your wrist, making it simple to track your numbers, stay informed, and support your health routine from the comfort of home.  (LEARN MORE)

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Skip the expensive creams, because here are five sure-fire remedies to calm sunburned skin and speed recovery. (Hear Details)

➤ Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin heads to a Utah courtroom this week, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. (Hear Episode)

➤ China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine into the South Pacific, inside a decades-old nuclear-free zone. (Listen Now)

What’s your favorite Beach Boys tune?

1. Good Vibrations
2. California Girls
3. Little Deuce Coupe
4. Surfin’ U.S.A.
5. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
6. None
7. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

Are you a comic book fan?

1. I loved them as a kid: 26%
2. Not really: 26%
3. Yes, I read them regularly: 16%
4. Occasionally: 16%
5. I prefer the movies/shows: 16%

When the Del Mar racetrack near San Diego opened in 1937, which crooner and movie star co-founded the track and personally greeted the first fans at the gate?

Show me the answer