Fire Erupts on Offshore Rig

All 26 workers were evacuated from a fire on Platform Habitat, an offshore natural-gas rig about 8 miles off Carpinteria, on Monday morning.

The fire began around 7 a.m. during decommissioning work on the inactive platform. The U.S. Coast Guard said a gas leak is believed to have ignited. Crews closed a safety valve to halt the leak, and two workers were treated for minor injuries.

Santa Barbara and Ventura County fire departments, the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, and the Coast Guard fought the fire from boats. Heavy fog grounded aircraft, and responders reported the fire extinguished by about 11:40 a.m.

Platform Habitat was built in 1981, operated by DCOR LLC, and has been undergoing decommissioning since its federal lease expired in 2016. The cause remains under investigation.

Operation Volcano Nets 42 Arrests

A yearlong Riverside County investigation into the online distribution of child sexual abuse material has identified more than 500 suspected distributors and led to 42 arrests, the District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The probe, dubbed “Operation Volcano,” ran from March 2025 through March 2026 and tracked unique IP addresses tied to peer-to-peer networks, the DA’s office said. Investigators served 46 residential search warrants across the Inland Empire.

Most arrestees were men ages 21 to 62, authorities said. The group included a child psychologist, a naturopathic doctor, a retired law-enforcement employee, a hospital chief technology officer, a local government planning director, and three registered sex offenders.

The Riverside County Child Exploitation Team led the sting alongside O.U.R. Rescue, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego and Los Angeles Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, and the California Highway Patrol. Investigations are ongoing.

County Sues Meta over Scam Ads

Santa Clara County filed a civil suit Monday against Meta, alleging the Menlo Park-based tech giant knowingly profits from fraudulent ads on its platforms.

The complaint, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court on behalf of all California residents, claims Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp track roughly 15 billion fraudulent ads and generate about $7 billion a year for Meta. County Counsel Tony LoPresti said Meta’s platforms have “become a preferred hunting ground for scammers.”

County officials cite internal Meta documents first reported by Reuters that they say show Meta charging scammers premium prices to run flagged ads and throttling anti-scam efforts when projected to cost too much in revenue.

Meta said it will fight the suit, saying the claims rely on Reuters reporting that “distorts our motives” and noting it removed more than 159 million scam ads last year.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Tehama County: Sheriff’s deputies seized about 50 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly $12,000 in cash during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Cottonwood after a K9 alerted to the vehicle. Javier Mendoza-Zamora, 48, of Washington state, was booked on multiple felony charges. (See Details)

➤ San Francisco-based OpenAI is facing a federal lawsuit from the widow of a Florida State University shooting victim, who alleges ChatGPT advised the gunman on location, timing, and weapons. OpenAI denied wrongdoing, saying the chatbot provided only information freely available online. (More)

➤ Vallejo: A 50-year-old man was killed on eastbound Interstate 80 early Saturday after a dispute with his Lyft driver, the California Highway Patrol said. After the driver pulled over near Tennessee Street and exited the vehicle, the passenger chased him on foot and was struck by a black Audi sedan. (More)

➤ Oakland: The typical home value in Oakland fell 11.4% over the past year to about $716,000, marking one of the steepest declines in the country, according to Zillow. Nearby San Francisco saw a 2% gain, partly driven by the AI sector. (More)

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

➤ Stockton: The City Council’s Legislation Committee is studying possible local rent regulations and tenant protections as housing costs rise. Chair Mario Enriquez said he wants to explore a rent stabilization board, while the California Apartment Association opposes adding new local rules beyond existing state law. (More)

➤ Fresno: Two people died Monday after a fire inside an underground utility vault being used as a homeless encampment in downtown Fresno, officials said. The rescue operation forced power shutoffs in the area. The cause remains under investigation. (More)

➤ Madera County: A new 7-Eleven at Highway 99 and Avenue 17, equipped with EV chargers and commercial diesel lanes, sold for a record $12.18 million for a single-tenant 7-Eleven in California, brokerage Hanley Investment Group said. (More)

➤ Templeton: A California Highway Patrol officer was doused in red fire retardant after a Cal Fire air tanker flew over a ridge and released retardant onto him and his motorcycle over the weekend. CHP called wildfire response “unpredictable, messy, and occasionally stylish.” (See Video)

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

➤ Chula Vista: Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of Larry Millete, 44, who is accused of killing his wife, Maya Millete, who disappeared in January 2021 and has never been found. Attorneys will work to seat 12 jurors and six alternates for a trial expected to last about three months. (More)

➤ Los Angeles: Wednesday’s televised mayoral forum was canceled after Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman both withdrew ahead of the June 2 primary. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt had already declined to participate. (More)

➤ Ontario: A month after an arson fire destroyed a Kimberly-Clark warehouse, nearby residents say the 1.2 million-square-foot site is still smoldering and sending smoke into neighborhoods. Suspect Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated arson. (More)

➤ Glendale is urging residents to check whether they have uncashed checks or unclaimed deposits going back more than three years before the money is transferred to city accounts. Claims can be filed through the city’s website through June 30. (See Details)

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

➤ UC Irvine fell to Hawaii in the NCAA men’s volleyball championship, ending their season one win short of a national title. (More)

➤ LeBron James said he’s uncertain about his NBA future after the Lakers were swept by the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. (More)

➤ USC and Notre Dame are in active discussions to bring back their football rivalry. The nearly 100-year-old series is set to pause after 2026 after the two sides failed to agree on scheduling terms following USC’s move to the Big Ten. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | MLB | WNBA | NCAAB | Soccer

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Homeowners are sitting on record levels of equity — averaging about $315,000 — and many are using HELOCs to consolidate debt, fund renovations, or cover major expenses. But lender rates and fees can vary significantly. That’s why we created a simple HELOC matching tool that helps you find the right provider in under a minute. (LEARN MORE)

➤ Five Guys is closing four California locations—in Whittier, City of Industry, Merced, and Hanford—citing financial hardship in state filings. The closures will reportedly eliminate 55 jobs, and affected workers do not have transfer rights to other stores. (See Details)

➤ Blue Diamond, the world’s largest almond cooperative, pegged California’s 2026 crop at 2.69 billion pounds. State and federal water allocations sit at 30% and 20%, weak Sierra snowpack is limiting runoff, and orchard removals are accelerating in Fresno, Kern, and Madera counties. (See Report)

➤ Korbel rolled out a limited-edition Brut bottle with a new label for America’s 250th anniversary, paired with a Fourth of July sweepstakes for a trip to New York’s Sail 4th boat parade. The Sonoma County winery has been producing California sparkling wine in Guerneville since 1882. (See Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ SpaceX is expected to go public in June, but most investors won’t get direct IPO access. That’s why the Trading Tips Research Team created a free report highlighting seven publicly traded space stocks positioned to benefit from a potential $1.5 trillion SpaceX valuation. Discover the companies with real revenue, catalysts, and upside potential before the IPO.  

*By clicking this link you agree to receive emails from Trading Tips and our affiliates. You can opt out at any time. – Privacy Policy

Flying together with our sponsor

Lithium prices are up 2X+ since last summer, and Morgan Stanley forecasts an 80,000-ton shortage in 2026. In other words, those with a reliable supply are sitting pretty.

So it’s a big deal that EnergyX just commissioned the single biggest lithium production facility of its kind in the United States.

EnergyX’s patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods at 500X the speed of evaporation ponds. With this facility, they’re preparing to produce it at scale.

They’ve got nearly 150,000 acres of lithium-rich land spread across the Americas, including the rights to up to 9.8M tons in Chile alone.

➤ Steve Jobs is featured on California’s new American Innovation $1 coin, part of the U.S. Mint’s 2026 Semiquincentennial series. The design shows a young Jobs seated before oak-covered hills with the inscription “Make something wonderful.” The coins will be sold in rolls of 25 for $61, with larger bags of 100 also available. (More)

➤ The 60th annual Kingsburg Swedish Festival kicks off Thursday in Fresno County, running through Saturday with Swedish pancakes, split-pea soup, a smorgasbord dinner, an ABBA tribute band, a Saturday parade, and the Double Horse Trot race. (See Details)

➤ A busload of beagles arrived in the Bay Area on Sunday after a roughly 2,000-mile trip from a Wisconsin research facility. Northern California Beagle Rescue says about 50 dogs from the Ridglan Farms rescue will be placed in homes around San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. (See Video)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Your Joints Can Still Rebuild After 50. Most people accept joint pain as normal aging—but research says otherwise. A Tufts study found adults over 49 actually regrew knee cartilage using one natural peptide. By middle age, collagen drops by half. This helps your body rebuild what’s lost. Learn More

Have you ever adopted a rescue dog?

1. Yes, have one now
2. Yes, in the past
3. Not yet, thinking about it
4. I’m a cat person
5. No
6. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

How often do you work overtime?

1. I’m retired: 38%
2. Almost every week: 17%
3. Rarely: 16%
4. Never: 15%
5. A few times a month: 14%

California produces approximately what percentage of the world’s almonds?

Show me the answer