Sandy Fire Threatens Simi Valley

A wind-driven brush fire in Ventura County grew to 1,386 acres Monday night with 5% containment, forcing evacuations across Simi Valley and nearby communities.

The Sandy Fire broke out around 10:45 a.m. Monday near Sandy Avenue, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. One home on Trickling Brook Court was destroyed, along with two cars at the property.

More than 750 firefighters continue battling the flames from the ground and air, using water-dropping helicopters as gusty Santa Ana winds persist. Evacuation warnings remain in effect for parts of Chatsworth, West Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and Agoura Hills, with temporary shelters open for residents and animals.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said California secured a federal grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support the response. Simi Valley police said the fire may have started when a tractor struck a rock. The cause is still under investigation.

Air quality alerts continue across the region as smoke drifts into surrounding communities, and Simi Valley schools remain closed while officials monitor conditions.

Mosque Guard Hailed as Hero

The security guard killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego has been identified as Amin Abdullah, a father of eight whose actions police say helped save lives during Monday’s shooting.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, launched a fundraiser that had raised more than $2 million by Tuesday afternoon. The fundraising page described Abdullah as “the first face of that community to anyone who came through the door—and the last line of defense when it mattered most.”

Law enforcement officials identified 17-year-old Cain Clark as one of the two gunmen. Police said his mother called officers earlier Monday reporting her suicidal son had taken her car and several firearms. License plate readers later tracked the vehicle, and officers initially feared Fashion Valley mall could be a target.

Investigators are examining reported anti-Muslim writings, including a suicide note referencing racial pride and hate-related messages found on one of the weapons used in the attack. Chief Scott Wahl said authorities had no prior specific threat tied to the Islamic Center before the shooting.

Mark Fuhrman Dies at 74

Mark Fuhrman, the former Los Angeles Police Department detective whose discovery of a bloody glove and recorded use of racial slurs became central to the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died at 74.

Fuhrman died May 12 in Kootenai County, Idaho, the chief deputy coroner confirmed Monday. He had reportedly battled an aggressive form of cancer. The coroner’s office said no further details would be released.

One of the first two detectives sent to investigate the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, Fuhrman reported finding the bloody glove at Simpson’s Rockingham estate. His credibility was badly damaged after the defense produced recordings of him using racial slurs.

Fuhrman pleaded no contest to perjury in 1996, the only criminal conviction directly tied to the case. He retired to Sandpoint, Idaho, where he built a second career as a true-crime author and television and radio commentator.

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➤ Sacramento: California’s campaign finance watchdog is investigating Tom Steyer’s gubernatorial campaign over allegations that paid influencer posts were not properly disclosed. Campaign filings show a $10,000 payment to influencer Isaiah “Zaydante” Washington, while Steyer says the campaign publicly disclosed payments to creators as required. (See Details)

➤ Shasta County: A second internal investigation released Monday found a “preponderance of evidence” that Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis threatened staff, fostered a hostile workplace, and retaliated against employees who participated in earlier probes. (See Details)

➤ Bay Area: Hundreds of gas stations have closed in recent years as owners face costly state-mandated upgrades to underground fuel tanks designed to prevent leaks and groundwater contamination. California required all remaining single-walled tanks to be replaced by the end of 2025, a process some station owners say can cost millions of dollars. (More)

➤ Stockton: The fire department is temporarily relocating crews and equipment from Fire Station 3 to Station 2 while HVAC and structural repairs are completed at the East First Street facility. (More)

➤ Santa Cruz: The city posted one of the nation’s largest one-year population drops, falling 1.3% between July 2024 and July 2025, according to new U.S. Census estimates. Officials point to the area’s affordability crisis as the main driver. Santa Cruz County also recorded the steepest population decline of any California county with more than 100,000 residents. (See Details)

➤ Kings County: A big rig hauling cheese went into a culvert and flipped onto its side early Tuesday on Highway 41 at Grangeville Boulevard near Lemoore, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver suffered minor injuries, and no other vehicles were involved. (See Details)

➤ Clovis: The California Interscholastic Federation will continue its pilot entry program at the State Track and Field Championships, allowing additional cisgender female athletes to qualify in events where transgender athletes are competing. Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce opposes the policy. (See Details)

➤ Fresno: Officer Jim Young is retiring from the police department after 27 years, ending his partnership with Zeus, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois that won 2024 Top Dog honors at the Las Vegas K-9 Trial. The pair specialized in explosives detection and suspect apprehension, and both are retiring together. (See Details)

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➤ Los Angeles: A Superior Court judge denied State Farm’s bid to dismiss two antitrust lawsuits accusing the carrier and more than a dozen other insurers of colluding to push policyholders onto California’s FAIR Plan ahead of the January 2025 wildfires. The U.S. Justice Department filed a brief challenging the insurers’ claim of antitrust immunity. (See Details)

➤ Laguna Beach: The city will begin enforcing an “umbrellas only” rule at city beaches on May 26, banning tents, canopies, and other large shade structures outside designated zones at Main Beach and Aliso Beach. Violators can face fines of up to $500. (See Details)

➤ Orange County’s latest homeless count found a 13.7% decline since 2024, including a 26.6% drop in unsheltered homelessness. Officials said 3,256 people were in shelters or transitional housing programs, outnumbering the 3,065 living on the streets. (See Details)

➤ Los Angeles: AI-generated videos depicting mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt as a superhero and Mayor Karen Bass as a villain are racking up millions of views online, created not by the Pratt campaign but by his supporters. Bass has called the videos a dangerous trend and raised concerns they could provoke violence. (See Details)

➤ FC Bayern Munich, a premier German soccer club, is opening its first permanent residential youth academy in the United States at San Diego’s Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. (More)

➤ Former Los Angeles Lakers player Rick Fox was appointed to the Bahamian Senate on Monday, just days after losing a bid for a legislative seat in the country’s general election. (More)

➤ Tennis legend Billie Jean King earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Cal State Los Angeles this week at age 82, 65 years after she first enrolled. (More)

➤ Angels shortstop Zach Neto hit a two-run walk-off home run to beat the Athletics 2-1 after teammate Adam Frazier broke up A’s starter J.T. Ginn’s no-hit bid in the ninth inning. (More)

➤ The Professional Women’s Hockey League awarded San Jose an expansion franchise Tuesday, the league’s first California team. The team will be the Bay Area’s third major women’s professional franchise, following Bay FC and the Golden State Valkyries. (See Details)

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

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➤ Meta will begin processing 8,000 layoffs today as tech companies surpass 113,000 job cuts in 2026, with many citing AI-related restructuring. California’s proposed SB 951 would require 90 days’ notice for AI-driven layoffs but has not passed. (See Details)

➤ Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, introduced legislation Tuesday that would require California to repay its $21 billion federal unemployment loan before spending federal funds on other programs. California is the only state that has not repaid its COVID-era borrowing, with the debt projected to top $23 billion by year’s end. (See Details)

➤ Calipatria’s city council voted last week to draft a five-year moratorium on data centers, becoming the first Imperial County municipality to consider blocking the industry. The move comes amid backlash over a proposed project that could become California’s largest data center. (See Details)

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➤ A wandering female wolf known as BEY03F has become the first confirmed wolf in Sequoia National Park in more than 100 years after traveling hundreds of miles across California. (See Details)

➤ The 56th Bishop Mule Days kicks off this week in the Eastern Sierra with six days of mule competitions, country music, and western traditions at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop. (See Details)

➤ SeaWorld San Diego launched a live cam from its Sea Otter Encounter habitat, streaming daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as resident otters Coco, Mocha, Chilly, Bennett, and Jane eat, splash through ice baths, and interact with each other. (See Details)

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The 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial dominated American television for more than eight months. Do you remember watching it?

1. Yes, I was glued to it
2. I followed it casually
3. Not really
4. I was too young
5. I don’t remember

Yesterday’s Results:

How do you eat corn on the cob?

1. Across like a typewriter: 29%
2. Around in circles: 17%
3. No pattern: 16%
4. Cut it off the cob: 14%
5. I don’t eat corn: 12%
6. Other: 12%

Every southern sea otter alive in California today descends from a single colony rediscovered in 1938 along the Big Sur coast, after the species was believed extinct from fur-trade hunting. Roughly how many otters made up that surviving colony?

Show me the answer