Timber Fire Threatens Highway 1

The Timber Fire above Big Sur grew to 2,989 acres Tuesday, threatening homes as crews worked to keep the fire from crossing Highway 1.

The fire broke out over the weekend in the Los Padres National Forest southeast of Loma Vista and remained just 5% contained Tuesday. Crews reported steep, rugged terrain slowing their access.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office ordered residents out of several zones east of Highway 1, including an area from Mule Canyon Creek to south of the Big Sur River Gorge, and issued warnings for neighboring areas.

Highway 1 remained open Tuesday morning, but officials urged the public to stay away from the area as evacuation orders affected landmarks including the Henry Miller Library.

Monterey County is posting current evacuation information, with an interactive map for residents unsure which zone they’re in.

California Fights Federal Coastal Review

Dozens of residents and lawmakers packed a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration public meeting in Santa Monica on Monday to oppose a federal review that could weaken California’s authority over its coastline.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ordered the review, accusing the Coastal Commission of ‘environmental extremism’ and saying California has obstructed federal priorities such as offshore oil drilling. The commission says it has opposed only 4% of the 3,700-plus federal projects it has reviewed since 1978.

The review, opened in May, covers the coastal activities California can weigh in under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, from offshore oil and pipelines to desalination and rocket launches.

NOAA is taking public comment through Aug. 22, with its final virtual meeting set for today before it issues its review.

Senators Target Wildfire Betting Markets

California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff and a group of Democratic colleagues are pressing federal regulators to rein in online markets that let people bet on wildfires.

The push follows reports that bettors staked more than $1.2 million on the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, roughly 10 times the amount wagered on a recent San Francisco Giants game.

Platforms like Polymarket let users bet on real-world events, from elections to weather to wildfires. In a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the senators warned the practice profits from disaster and could tempt people to commit arson.

They want the commission to set common-sense guardrails and have given it until Aug. 14 to respond.

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➤ East Bay: State Sen. Aisha Wahab and BART Director Melissa Hernandez are making final pitches ahead of the Aug. 18 special election to serve the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s House term, with both also vying for the full term. (More)

➤ Suisun City: The City Council held an emergency meeting Tuesday over a cyberattack that disrupted public safety and city systems, after receiving a demand from those responsible. The city had declared a state of emergency and rerouted 911 calls. (More)

➤ Lassen County: The Bug Fire, believed to be human-caused, has burned at least 44,304 acres across California and Nevada, with containment at 3%. Mandatory evacuations remained in place for parts of Washoe County, while officials reported no injuries or structure damage. (More)

➤ Shasta County: A visiting judge dismissed former Supervisor Patrick Jones’ lawsuit accusing District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett of using her staff for her 2022 re-election campaign, ruling Jones lacked standing. Bridgett said an independent investigation found no merit to the allegations. (More)

➤ San Francisco: A couple landscaping their Russian Hill backyard unearthed a buried sculpture they believe may be a lost work by renowned Art Deco artist Ralph Stackpole, and are trying to verify its origins. (Read Story)

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➤ Fresno: Suliana Caldwell, former operations manager of the Fresno Arts Council, was sentenced Monday to 33 months in federal prison for embezzling $1.8 million, wiring money to herself about 300 times over more than four years. (More)

➤ Porterville: Pilot Miles Elliott, 50, died Aug. 7 when the skycrane helicopter he was aboard crashed minutes after takeoff while supporting crews battling Utah’s Widemouth 2 Fire. Both pilots aboard were killed. He is survived by his wife and 9-year-old son. (More)

➤ Kern County: California’s first carbon-storage project is injecting carbon dioxide at the Elk Hills oil field west of Bakersfield, even though state regulators still haven’t finished safety rules lawmakers required by January 2025. An environmental lawsuit challenging the project remains pending. (See Report)

➤ Santa Barbara: Rescuers hoisted a dehydrated trail runner off the rugged Dragon’s Back ridge near Arlington Peak early Tuesday after an overnight search. He had set out from the Jesusita Trailhead, become dehydrated, and fallen asleep before crews’ calls woke him. (Read Story)

➤ Sierra Nevada: Jake Whisenant, a 30-year-old Mammoth Lakes climber known for record-setting speed ascents in Yosemite, died following a climbing-related incident in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness. The Tulare County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office ruled his death accidental. (More)

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➤ Cajon Pass: Burglars broke into a BNSF freight train around 6:30 p.m. Monday and opened fire on railway officers in San Bernardino County. No officers or crew were hurt, and no arrests have been made. (More)

➤ San Diego: Families of sailors aboard the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed in the Iran conflict, describe food and supply shortages, no hot water, and grueling shifts during a 250-plus-day deployment that has included a record stretch at sea. The Navy says the ship remains “fully capable.” (More)

➤ Manhattan Beach: Police arrested a man found living in a resident’s garage after food kept disappearing from a refrigerator there. Officers discovered the uninvited guest when they responded, though it’s unclear how long he had been living there. (More)

➤ Ventura County: William Ly, 26, of Simi Valley, was arrested on suspicion of stealing more than $97,000 from an 89-year-old man in more than 80 cryptocurrency transactions after befriending him and helping reset the password to his Coinbase account. (More)

➤ Sun Valley: A new tiny-home village opened Monday at the Sun Valley Metrolink station, offering 84 units and 208 beds for unhoused residents as part of Mayor Karen Bass’ plan for 500-plus tiny homes across Los Angeles. (More)

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➤ UCLA football hired former NFL quarterback Derek Carr as a special adviser to first-year head coach Bob Chesney. The four-time Pro Bowler will work with the Bruins’ quarterbacks. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, UCLA women’s basketball incoming freshman Somto Okafor was named MVP of the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket after leading Spain to the gold medal. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 15.3 points in just 22.2 minutes per game. (More)

➤ Fresno State signed a five-year deal with The Wonderful Company that will put brand logos on jerseys across all 18 athletic programs. It’s the largest corporate partnership in Bulldog Athletics history. (More)

➤ The Golden State Warriors will open the NBA season on Oct. 21 against the Los Angeles Lakers in an ESPN doubleheader—the first game of the Lakers’ post-LeBron era. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis | Soccer

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➤ Diablo Canyon, California’s only nuclear power plant, is set to close in 2030 after Gov. Gavin Newsom left any extension to his successor. His remarks came days after state and local officials urged lawmakers to keep the PG&E plant running. (More)

➤ Home sales in Fresno County are ticking up year-over-year after 2025 marked a 30-year low for home sales, a Realtor.com economist says, as sellers price homes lower from the start. Affordability still slows younger buyers. (More)

➤ An ex-Google product manager, Tucker Bryant, drew thousands of questions to ChatTJB, his AI-style art project where answers come from him instead of artificial intelligence. The flood eventually forced him to pause the service and begin testing volunteer responders. (Read Story)

➤ A national vibrancy survey ranked San Jose 29th of 34 major cities and San Francisco near the bottom, but local leaders say the 2025 data misses a recent boost from the Super Bowl, World Cup and new downtown entertainment zones. (More)

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Did you know the color of your urine may reveal clues about your blood sugar health that an A1C test might not show? A new university study has raised questions about a surprising factor that could affect how the body manages blood sugar.

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➤ A Santa Cruz teen lifeguard, 16-year-old Ryder Williams, was honored by the cast of the Baywatch reboot after his first-ever rescue went viral. He pulled a 10-year-old boy from rip currents at Seabright State Beach last month. (Read Story)

➤ As AI reshapes Silicon Valley, a growing community of hobbyists is keeping vintage computers alive. Tinkerers like Seattle software engineer Josh Dersch, who owns more than 200 vintage computers and devices, gathered at the Vintage Computer Festival in Mountain View. (Read Story)

➤ The Perseid meteor shower will peak over Southern California tonight into early Thursday, with a new moon creating ideal viewing conditions. NASA says dark-sky locations could see up to 50–100 meteors per hour, with the best viewing between midnight and dawn. (More)

➤ Dodger Stadium will trade baseball for golf Dec. 4–6, when Upper Deck Golf returns to let players tee off from the ballpark’s upper decks toward custom greens on the field. Registration opens Sept. 25. (More)

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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:

➤ New research reveals the dangerous driving mistake 78% of Americans don’t believe they’re making. (Hear Mistake)

➤ Federal rules may soon let parents grow their children’s savings with pretax paycheck dollars, and employers could match. (Hear Details)

➤ After 1,666 days in a Russian prison, a US Marine veteran’s story just took a dramatic turn. (Listen Now)

What’s the best thing you’ve ever found by accident?

1. Cash or valuables
2. An old keepsake
3. Something historic
4. Still waiting on that
5. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

Hundreds of bald Californians gathered in Glendale for a celebration of the bald community. How do you feel about hair loss?

1. Doesn’t bother me: 24%
2. Full head of hair here: 22%
3. Embrace it: 20%
4. Still fighting it: 18%
5. Other: 16%

Long before it was known as Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara Valley went by a far more romantic nickname, earned from the endless orchards of prunes, apricots, and cherries that once blanketed the region. What was that nickname?

Show me the answer