Newsom, Lawmakers Reach Wildfire Deal

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday dropped his push to reduce what utilities pay after their equipment sparks wildfires, agreeing instead to a narrower deal with legislative leaders.

The package, set for a vote next week as Senate Bill 492, would bar private equity firms from buying or financing wildfire claims and restrict bonuses for utility executives when their companies cause fatal fires. It also creates a “fast-pay” program for survivors’ claims.

Newsom had wanted utilities to pay less to insurers, survivors, and local governments, warning that rising costs threaten the state’s utilities and could raise electricity bills. Lawmakers refused, rejecting his bid to end insurers’ right to sue utilities to recoup claims.

Newsom called the deal partial and urged lawmakers to “finish the work” next year. Senate leader Monique Limón, a Santa Barbara Democrat, said the deal centers survivors while curbing Wall Street practices that raise costs. Nathan Click, a spokesperson for the utility-backed Wildfire Victims First, said California still needs structural reforms “to ensure a fair recovery system.”

Feds Weigh Yosemite Land Swap

The Trump administration is weighing a land swap that would give a Nevada developer a parcel inside Yosemite National Park to provide access for a private road serving its property outside the park.

Kingsbarn Realty Capital owns 83 acres just outside Yosemite and would trade equal-value land for the parcel. The Interior Department says no final decision has been made, and President Trump has not commented publicly.

Former Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher opposes the plan, calling it “basically illegal” and warning it could disturb wildlife like Pacific fishers and great gray owls. He said Congress declined to approve the transfer.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said national parks belong to no single administration, and his office is watching.

Big Sur Fire Grows to Third-Largest

The Timber Fire on the Big Sur coast has grown into California’s third-largest wildfire of the year, shutting a nearly 54-mile stretch of Highway 1 in Monterey County.

The fire, which started Aug. 8, had reached 24,601 acres and was 21% contained as of Saturday, with 661 structures threatened. A newer blaze, the Plaskett Fire, had grown to 8,241 acres with no containment.

At least one structure has been destroyed by the Plaskett Fire, and evacuation and shelter-in-place orders are in effect near the fires. Officials reported dry conditions, low humidity, and stronger winds at higher elevations as crews battled the fires in steep terrain.

The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is under an evacuation order and canceled the rest of its guest season. Officials have urged the public to stay away from the fire zone.

A Note from Cole, CEO of The Flyover

Dear Reader,

This week, The Flyover’s editions, including The California Flyover, passed six million readers combined.

Before anything else, thank you. A milestone like this belongs to the people who open our email every morning—that’s you.

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You know what’s on the other channel. Anchors telling you what to think before they’ve told you what happened. So-called “straight news” pages that read like opinion pages. The legacy media had one job, reporting the news, and somewhere along the way they decided their real job was converting you to their ideology.

The slant isn’t an accident, and it isn’t decided in front of you. It happens in rooms you’ll never see. Every so often the door cracks open: last fall, a leaked memo revealed that a legacy media outlet had spliced a presidential speech into something it never was. Two top executives resigned. That’s one leak from one room. The decisions that never leak? Those just become the evening news.

We run on the opposite principle: the truth survives the light. The facts arrive the way we found them. We don’t bend them toward a conclusion, and we don’t decide what you’re allowed to make of them. That’s your job.

We report what happened, not what to think about it.
We keep the spin out and trust you with the facts.
And The California Flyover stays free.

That was the deal at reader one. It’s the deal at six million. It’ll be the deal at sixty million.

Because here’s what I’ve learned this year, watching those newsrooms shrink and quietly walk away from their readers: a promise like ours doesn’t get broken all at once. It erodes, one compromise at a time, when an outlet stops answering to its readers.

We keep ours by staying answerable to you.

So on the week you made us six million strong, I’m asking you to put your name behind the promise. If news that plays it straight is something you want to see thrive, this is how you feed it.

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– Cole
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➤ Trinity County: The U.S. Justice Department is suing the Trinity Public Utilities District for more than $2 million over the 2020 Hobo Fire, which investigators say started when a rotted oak fell onto a power line. The utility hasn’t paid a $2.35 million Forest Service bill issued in 2021. (More)

➤ Point Reyes: Crews are disposing of up to 50 tons of dead squid from a fishing boat that ran aground at Point Reyes. The Coast Guard removed the vessel and safely extracted about 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel and 175 gallons of oil. The captain and four crew members were rescued. (See Details)

➤ Marin County: Officials are preparing for potentially severe winter storms as forecasts call for a strong El Niño. Crews are dredging two miles of Novato Creek, clearing about 600 storm drains, and reinforcing levees, while residents are being urged to prepare emergency kits and evacuation plans. (More)

➤ Bay Area: Three Bay Area residents were among four people killed when a small plane crashed into shallow water near Seldovia, Alaska. The victims were from Los Gatos and San Jose, and the pilot was from Anchorage. Federal investigators are looking into the cause. (See Details)

➤ Sacramento: A fire at the Folsom Boulevard Flea Market destroyed a video game collection built over 43 years. Shop owner Dave Smith estimates about 20,000 games worth roughly $500,000 were inside. The cause of the fire remains unknown. (See Details)

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➤ Central Valley: State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, is seeking dedicated state funding to shield Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties from cyberattacks, after tech leaders warned that AI is making such attacks faster and easier. She wants the region to consider creating its own cyber command center. (More)

➤ Fresno: An electric scooter’s lithium-ion battery exploded while charging and sparked a fire that gutted a central Fresno home on North Palm Avenue, displacing eight people. No one was hurt, and 32 firefighters knocked down the flames. (More)

➤ Santa Maria: A reported threatening social media post at Santa Maria High School marked the third potential school threat in northern Santa Barbara County in one week, unsettling parents and teachers. Police found no credible or immediate danger, though the investigation remains open. (More)

➤ Sierra Nevada: A four-person Mono County search and rescue team pulled off a more-than-15-hour rescue of a climber who got off route and ended up stranded on a 6-inch ledge near Mammoth Lakes, with thousands of feet of open air below him. (Read Story)

➤ Ceres: Fernando Jauregui, 30, who ran 8A Food Trucks, was convicted of defrauding more than 40 customers who paid for custom food trucks he never built, prosecutors said. He faces 20 years in prison and is set to be sentenced Oct. 30. (More)

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➤ San Diego: The state Senate unanimously passed a bill by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, directing state workplace safety officials to set safeguards for lifeguards, park rangers, and others exposed to Tijuana River Valley pollution. SB 1046 now heads to Gov. Newsom’s desk. (More)

➤ Pomona: Thirty-one live catfish turned up crossing the 57 Freeway, slowing traffic until officers, who quipped “Fish and CHiPs” online, corralled them. Animal control relocated 29 of the fish. Two did not survive. (See Photos)

➤ Downtown LA: Westbound Venice Boulevard near the Convention Center closes during the day for nine weekdays starting today, part of the $2.6 billion expansion project. Crews will work between the 110 Freeway and Figueroa Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and one eastbound lane stays open. (More)

➤ La Verne: A mother bear and her three cubs squeezed into a water storage tank near Claremont Wilderness Park and spent more than 12 hours trapped inside. One cub escaped on its own before crews cut a larger hole and lowered a ladder to free the others. Firefighters dubbed it “Operation Care Bear.” (See Video)

➤ Montclair: A truck loaded with about 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon, roughly 50,000 cans, was stolen in Montclair in what may be the biggest beer heist ever. Pabst gave the thief an 18-day, no-questions-asked window to return it. (More)

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➤ The Los Angeles Rams are bringing Aaron Donald out of retirement on a one-year, $20 million deal that can reach $30 million with incentives, according to multiple reports. Donald will join Myles Garrett on Los Angeles’ defensive front. (More)

➤ The San Francisco 49ers could have George Kittle back for their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. ESPN reports Kittle is expected to practice this week and still has a “legitimate chance” to play as he returns from a torn Achilles. (More)

➤ Shohei Ohtani remains without a timetable to return to the Dodgers’ rotation after lingering left knee and right bicep issues kept him from starting Sunday against Detroit. Los Angeles plans to reassess him after returning home before deciding when he will pitch again. (More)

➤ UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin said he “couldn’t be happier” with the Bruins’ roster after receiving more NIL support this offseason. UCLA added several transfers and international players while retaining Eric Dailey Jr., Trent Perry, and Xavier Booker. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | IndyCar | LLWS

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➤ Do you know what the 4 Warning Signs that your vision is Declining… Nearly 93 million Americans are considered at high risk for serious vision loss. (More)

➤ Trader Joe’s is opening two new San Diego County stores: one in Clairemont on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, where a Burlington Coat Factory is currently being remodeled, and San Marcos’ first-ever location, near CSU San Marcos. No opening dates have been announced. (More)

➤ Cocktails to-go could stay legal in California longer after lawmakers voted to extend through 2029 the pandemic-era program allowing restaurants and bars to sell sealed drinks to go. The bill is awaiting the governor’s decision, as Sacramento businesses and customers weigh the potential change. (More)

➤ College graduates with math and computer science degrees can earn nearly $140,000 in their first few years out of school in California, according to a higher education study. Computer engineering, nursing, and general engineering also ranked among the highest-paying fields. (See Report)

➤ State lawmakers reached a compromise to regulate the energy use of California’s data centers, aiming to shield consumers from rising electricity costs as the industry expands. Tech groups warned that additional regulations could push data center development out of state. (More)

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➤ A 101-year-old World War II veteran celebrated his birthday by skydiving in Davis for the second year in a row. Jimmy Hernandez made his first jump at 100 and says he hopes to do it again when he turns 102. (See Video)

➤ California Avocado Festival unveiled the poster for its 40th anniversary, a vintage travel-poster-style design by 24-year-old computer scientist Elektra Caffrey. The three-day Carpinteria event, “Peace, Love and Guacamole,” runs Oct. 2-4. (See Photo)

➤ A Santa Barbara woman is headed to Survivor after applying for the show for 25 years. Kristin Flickinger, 49, is one of 18 contestants competing for $1 million on season 51, which premieres Sept. 23. (Read Story)

➤ A rare purple gallinule has drawn hundreds of birdwatchers to San Joaquin Marsh in Irvine after what is believed to be Orange County’s first documented sighting of the species. The juvenile bird was first spotted Aug. 13 and is only the eighth reported in California since 1961. (Read Story)

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➤ Surgeon Warns About “Drunken Gut” Phenomenon. Former surgeon and gut expert Dr. Steven Gundry is shedding light on “Drunken Gut,” a phenomenon where poor gut conditions may cause the body to produce alcohol internally. If you struggle with bloating, fatigue, weight gain, or trouble concentrating, Gundry says these could be warning signs worth knowing. Check for the signs now ==>

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ One simple change to your eating habits could lower your risk of depression and dementia. It has nothing to do with what’s on your plate. (Hear Why)

➤ Canada is hiring away dozens of American researchers with a $362 million fund. The move opens a new front in the trade war. (Hear Details)

➤ A survival expert was dropped alone in the Arctic Circle with 10 tools, a camera, and grizzly bears for neighbors. His training began with boiling sea snails as a boy. (Hear Adventure)

Do you think you could survive on Survivor?

1. I’d win it all
2. I’d last a while
3. First one voted out
4. I’ll watch from the couch

Yesterday’s Results:

Would you support using wild horses to reduce vegetation that fuels wildfires in California?

1. Yes, let them graze: 83%
2. If research supports it: 12%
3. No, use other strategies: 5%

The Southern California city of Pomona is named for the ancient Roman goddess of what?

Show me the answer