Edison Equipment Sparked Deadly Eaton Fire

Los Angeles County fire investigators concluded Tuesday that an out-of-service Southern California Edison tower caused the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which killed 19 people in the Altadena area.

After an 18-month investigation, the county’s Arson Fire Investigation Unit and Cal Fire found that electrical arcing on the idle tower dropped burning material into dry brush, igniting the blaze within 12 seconds amid high winds.

The fire destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses and took nearly a month to extinguish, scorching 22 square miles across Altadena, Pasadena, and surrounding communities.

Edison, which had said its equipment was likely associated with the fire’s ignition, said it is reviewing the report and has taken its potential role seriously from the start.

In separate lawsuits, the utility has argued that Los Angeles County delayed evacuation warnings, noting 18 of the 19 victims lived in west Altadena, and blamed local water agencies for insufficient water supplies. The county declined to comment on the court filings.

Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s Course

A Downey man was arrested at President Trump’s golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes on Sunday, two days before Trump was set to headline a fundraiser there.

Federal agents spotted Jeanine John Taele, 38, walking the grounds and taking photos and videos, appearing to monitor security-planning activities, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Deputies found a magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in his pocket and a loaded pistol in his vehicle. They later searched his home with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and recovered an allegedly modified AR-style rifle, body armor, high-capacity magazines, and notebooks containing what investigators described as “concerning statements.”

Taele was already under investigation in a separate El Segundo robbery case. He was held on $250,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 26 and more charges possible.

Investigators said they have identified no credible threat to the community. Taele was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and possessing prohibited ammunition.

In-N-Out Shooting Touches California

Two people with California ties were among three people killed Saturday when a gunman opened fire at a newly opened In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho.

In-N-Out, the California-born chain, had sent an all-star team of California employees to help train staff at the new Twin Falls store.

Ashley Garibay, 23, a Stockton In-N-Out employee, was one of that team. Christopher Claunch, 59, a longtime Idaho resident who grew up in the Santa Clarita area, was also killed.

A 24-year-old West Covina woman on the same training team survived but fled without her phone, leaving her family frantic until she reached them from a friend’s phone.

Among the seven wounded was Austin James, a Sacramento-area native and former police officer, critically hurt after running toward the gunman without drawing his own weapon.

An off-duty state trooper and an armed citizen returned fire, likely saving lives. The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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➤ Richmond: Kennedy High School will remain closed after preliminary testing detected tetrachloroethylene (PCE) vapor beneath the campus. State regulators said there’s no immediate health risk, but the district closed the campus out of caution pending more testing before students return. (More)

➤ Sacramento: Attorney General Rob Bonta and more than 20 other state attorneys general sued the Trump administration Monday, alleging expanded oversight of a needy-families aid program amounts to “mass surveillance.” Federal officials say the changes are routine. (See Details)

➤ Elk Grove: A 22-year-old man was arrested Monday after deputies found him on the roof of a Safeway on Elk Grove Florin Road. Authorities said Ruben Duran was booked on charges of trespassing and resisting a peace officer and was already on felony probation with an outstanding felony warrant. (See Details)

➤ Cottonwood: A Washington state man, Javier Zamora, was sentenced to six years and four months after K-9 Silas alerted deputies during an Interstate 5 traffic stop, leading to the discovery of more than 51 pounds of methamphetamine and $11,000 in cash. (See Details)

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➤ Tulare: Assembly Republicans ousted Minority Leader Heath Flora on Monday and elected Alexandra Macedo to replace him, with David Tangipa as minority whip. Flora’s removal followed backlash over his vote for a bill allowing some local governments to seek higher sales taxes and reports that he was facing two state ethics investigations into campaign spending. (See Details)

➤ Big Sur: Monterey County will post no-parking signs along Highway 1 near Bixby Bridge in the coming days, ahead of Monterey Car Week, after tourists stopping to photograph the bridge created safety hazards. (See Details)

➤ Fresno: Testimony began Monday in the juvenile trial of a teenage girl accused of driving the getaway car in the fatal shooting of Caleb Quick outside a Clovis McDonald’s. Friends who witnessed the killing took the stand. A judge, not a jury, will decide the case. (More)

➤ Yosemite: New fire and smoking restrictions take effect Friday in non-designated areas below 8,000 feet as fire danger climbs, barring wood and charcoal fires, including twig stoves, outside designated campgrounds, and picnic areas. (More)

➤ Also Yosemite: Rangers are warning visitors not to sit or camp under black oak trees during “Summer Branch Drop” season, when seemingly healthy trees can suddenly shed large limbs on hot, calm afternoons, often 3 to 12 feet from the trunk. (More)

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➤ Chino Hills: Jianquan Bo, 66, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder in last week’s kidnapping and killing of businessman Shukur Aikebaer. Prosecutors allege Bo participated in the kidnapping that led to the fatal shooting by his brother, who was killed by deputies during a traffic stop. (See Details)

➤ Big Bear: Jackie, the famous bald eagle followed by millions on the Friends of Big Bear Valley nest cam, suffered a setback while recovering at the Ojai Raptor Center. Officials said Monday her anemia worsened, with her packed cell volume dropping to 13%, as veterinarians work to determine the cause. (More)

➤ La Jolla: An 18-year-old San Diego man says he was wrongly identified online as the person in a viral video kicking a sea lion at La Jolla Cove, prompting death threats after his home address was posted. He says he wasn’t there. Federal wildlife officials are investigating the alleged assault. (See Video)

➤ Malibu: Aerial footage over Point Dume captured the extent of coastal erosion after weekend high surf, prompting officials to close Westward Beach Road past the toll booth and the Point Dume lot indefinitely. Erosion beneath the roadway created drop-offs of up to 8 feet. (See Video)

➤ Calabasas: With the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 nearing completion, Caltrans is closing the northbound Liberty Canyon on-ramp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Aug. 7. The wildlife bridge is set to finish in December. (More)

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➤ Angel Stadium’s pitching mound drew a harsh review from Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who called it “awful” and “rock hard” after Sunday’s game against the Angels. After striking out 10 batters, Misiorowski said the mound posed an injury risk, particularly for taller pitchers like himself. (More)

➤ The San Diego Padres acquired left-hander Robbie Ray from the Giants right before the MLB trade deadline. The 2021 AL Cy Young winner owns a 3.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts this season. (More)

➤ LAFC co-owner Larry Berg was named the next MLS commissioner, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Berg will divest his ownership stake in the club through a league transition process. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | Tennis | Little League Softball World Series

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➤ The Motel Inn, credited as the world’s first motel when it opened in 1925, is up for sale in San Luis Obispo, with a fully entitled 83-room hotel plan ready to build on the 4.2-acre Highway 101 site. The listing agents haven’t set an asking price. (See Details)

➤ Another Planet Entertainment, which runs San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, has sued its renovation contractor, Alarcon Bohm, alleging faulty work that damaged the newly restored ceiling and excessive billing. The contractor says it’s still owed $4.7 million. The theatre remains open. (See Details)

➤ Spirit Halloween is opening more than a dozen stores across the Central Valley this season, including four in Fresno, moving into vacant storefronts like a former Orleans Furniture and Big Lots. Madera was left off the list, with the city suggesting fewer empty big-box spaces this year. (See List)

➤ New shark-tracking tech is headed to Bay Area waters soon: a 10-foot, solar-powered ocean robot that relays data to lifeguards and launches drones to spot sharks from above. Developed at Cal State Long Beach, it’s aimed at keeping swimmers safe for the 2028 LA Olympics. (See Video)

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➤ Highway 395, up the Eastern Sierra, is drawing fresh praise as California’s most scenic drive. The 133-mile Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway from Bishop to near Lake Tahoe threads past alpine lakes, forests, and peaks topping 10,000 feet, with Yosemite’s back door just off the route. (Read Story)

➤ Monterey Car Week gets an early start with The Exotics Network’s Road to Car Week, a two-day hypercar event Aug. 11-12 featuring a private track day at Sonoma Raceway followed by a police-escorted Highway 1 rally to Monterey. (Read Story)

➤ Monty Roberts, the Salinas-born horse trainer known worldwide as “the man who listens to horses,” died July 31 at his home in the Santa Ynez Valley at 91. His gentle training methods won a champion in Queen Elizabeth II and fueled his bestselling memoir, The Man Who Listens to Horses. (Read Story)

➤ Hedgerow Farms, tucked into the Sacramento Valley outside Winters, has spent roughly four decades growing only native California plants, hand-collecting seed from the wild, from Humboldt to Bakersfield, and raising more than 90 species for habitat restoration, erosion control, and pollinator plantings. (Read Story)

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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:

➤ One of the world’s richest investors swears by a rule critics call dangerously aggressive for retirees. (Hear Details)

➤ Rising costs are forcing a record number of young professionals back into their parents’ homes. (Hear Episode)

➤ The death of a young woman at a New York med spa is exposing a booming and largely unregulated industry. (Listen Now)

Which California scenic drive is at the top of your list?

1. Highway 1 through Big Sur
2. Pacific Coast Highway elsewhere
3. Highway 395 (Eastern Sierra)
4. Tioga Road (Highway 120)
5. Something else (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

A Bay Area cyclist linked all six San Jose Costco warehouses into one viral 50-mile ride. Would you take it on?

1. I’ll drive, thanks: 39%
2. Sign me up: 21%
3. Only for the hot dogs: 21%
4. Maybe half of it: 19%

Highway 395 climbs the Eastern Sierra past the town of Lone Pine, which sits at the foot of the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Can you name the peak?

Show me the answer