Local News
As wildfire cleanup crews surge to nearly 1,200 workers, concerns about safety grow
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s army of wildfire cleanup crews has grown to nearly 1,200 workers as it races to meet a 30-day deadline set by the White House, but the rushed nature of the endeavor and the histories of the companies involved have sparked concerns.
The operation underway in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades is now the largest hazardous waste removal effort in the EPA’s history, officials said.
“We’re not going to wait days or weeks or months to ramp up,” said Lee Zeldin, the EPA’s newly installed administrator, in a statement. “We have over a thousand personnel on the ground to aid Californians, and our local, state, and federal partners, in Los Angeles’s recovery.”
The team has completed the first phase of cleanup at 1,153, or about 8%, of the 13,575 residential parcels affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires, as of Thursday, Feb. 6, according to the EPA. The second phase, which the Army Corp of Engineers will carry out, cannot begin on a property until the EPA has completed its work at that location. About 7,000 households have opted into that program so far and it is expected to begin next week, according to the county.
Processing sites criticized
The EPA’s faster ramp-up hasn’t gone smoothly and the Feb. 25 deadline is fast approaching. Residents and local officials in the San Gabriel Valley, Malibu and the Pacific Palisades have criticized the EPA’s opaque selection of the state and federal lands being used to process the hazardous materials before it is transferred to final disposal facilities, both within and outside of California. Officials have promised there will be no long-term effects from the use of the sites and will conduct soil sampling before and after to ensure areas are restored to their original state.
On the coast, residents protested the use of land in Topanga State Park, before officials announced a decision to open a second site in a parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach, but that also drew the ire of locals.
Farther inland, the selection of Lario Park, a federally owned property in Irwindale, for materials from the Eaton fire brought similar rebuke. The site is adjacent to the San Gabriel River and requires trucks to haul debris more than 15 miles through six cities. Officials have questioned why a site closer to Altadena wasn’t chosen.
Harry Allen, the EPA’s on-scene coordinator, told the Azusa City Council that additional staging areas are being sought closer to the burn area now that emergency personnel no longer need those locations.
The EPA has stressed it is taking precautions at all of the sites by sealing materials inside containers and bags and by using water to keep dust down. Protective flooring and waterproof barriers will be used to contain the waste.
Concerns about contractors
The deluge of contractors that have descended into those areas to bolster the EPA’s ranks has drawn additional concerns. One resident at the Azusa City Council meeting this week reported that some trucks transporting hazardous materials did not appear to have proper covers.
Additionally, at least one subcontractor has been fined repeatedly by the EPA and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control in recent years for violations relating to the handling of hazardous materials, according to public records.
Azusa Mayor Robert Gonzales visited Lario Park as part of a delegation of local officials last week and saw license plates from Oregon, Colorado and Washington. There, he learned how the process will unfold firsthand, though he still feels as though local communities are being kept in the dark.
“We’ve been in the dark since step one,” he said. “We don’t know who their contractors are, we know nothing. It is frustrating.”
The cities haven’t been included in any of the decision-making, he said.
“They’re expediting as quickly as possible,” Gonzales said. “My concern is, are you expediting it so quickly that human error could become a factor?”
The EPA hired two contractors, Environmental Quality Management and Weston Solutions, for $50 million and $26 million, respectively, to assist with the disaster cleanup, according to a federal spending database. Both companies have long histories with the EPA, including work on Hurricane Katrina, the space shuttle Columbia disaster and, more recently, the wildfires in Lahaina in Hawaii.
History of violations
Those companies then subcontracted the work out to meet the EPA’s huge demand. During a Jan. 29 townhall in Duarte, a resident accused one subcontractor, Clean Harbors, of having a history of environmental violations.
In November, the DTSC finalized a $125,000 penalty against Clean Harbors for more than two years worth of violations relating to the improper storage of hazardous waste at a facility in Wilmington, near Long Beach.
During inspections from 2018 to 2020, the DTSC found Clean Harbors had exceeded the waste storage capacity for certain areas of the facility, stored waste in unpermitted areas and containers, and failed to upkeep protective layers on the floor meant to stop spills and leaks from seeping into the concrete.
Records show the DTSC also fined Clean Harbors $52,000 for a facility in San Jose and $16,800 for another in the unincorporated community of Buttonwillow near Bakersfield in 2023.
Clean Harbors also has had its share of run-ins with federal regulators.
In 2021, the EPA reached a $25,000 settlement with the company for hazardous waste violations at a San Jose facility. The federal agency then hit Clean Harbors with another $270,412 penalty three years later for a Nebraska facility.
A Clean Harbors spokesperson and an attorney representing the company did not return requests for comment.
Another subcontractor, Patriot Environmental, was fined $10,640 by the DTSC for holding hazardous waste at a transfer facility for 141 days beyond the 10 days permissible under the law, according to a consent order.
Julia Giarmoleo, a spokesperson for the EPA, confirmed that both Clean Harbors and Patriot are subcontractors on the cleanup. However, neither is responsible for managing hazardous waste. The companies, like others involved, are providing manpower, she said.
If a company was fined in the past, Giarmoleo said, the EPA is “operating under the expectation that those violations were corrected.”
The amassed force is made up of about one EPA employee for every four contract workers, she said.
All contractors certified
All contractors and subcontractors are “certified to handle hazardous materials and hold other professional certifications specific to their job functions,” according to the EPA. Each attends a health and safety orientation and receives an overview of the standard operating procedure of the specific incident as well.
Anyone working on the clean-up effort is expected to follow federal standards and regulations. Ultimately, the EPA is the agency responsible for the hazardous materials removal and for ensuring all workers are operating to those standards, Giarmoleo said.
Zeldin, the new EPA administrator, was on the ground in Altadena on Thursday to talk to residents and officials and check on the progress on the cleanup efforts.
‘Lot of uncertainty’
Sam Kang, a Duarte councilmember, expressed his support for the recovery and said he understands the need for urgency, but he worries the rush will lead to mistakes that will impact the communities between Altadena and Lario Park as well as downstream if the river is impacted, he said.
Kang questioned whether sufficient training is possible in such a short time frame. He added that he is “baffled” by the EPA’s decision to work with a company fined for hazardous waste violations as recently as four months ago.
“This expansion is way too quick and they’re creating a lot of uncertainty for constituents,” Kang said. “Shouldn’t we take a little more time to clean it up safely, so we don’t jeopardize other people?”
The EPA’s quick standup of the site at Lario Park and the lack of communication with the neighboring municipalities in the beginning has shaken the confidence that some local leaders have in the agency, according to Gonzales, the Azusa mayor. He stressed that while the cities are opposed to the process, they still support the overall recovery efforts.
“You’re supposed to have confidence in the EPA because they’re the experts,” Gonzales said. “You want to believe that and you want to trust that, but they’re not getting out to a real good start here.
“There’s just a lot of mistrust now,” he added.
Staff writer David Wilson and correspondent Jarret Liotta contributed to this article.
LAS VEGAS — Rickea Jackson had the hot hand for the Sparks on Wednesday night.
Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Azura Stevens had 19 points and 10 rebounds and the Sparks scorched the nets early before holding on to beat the Las Vegas Aces, 97-89, on Wednesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
The Aces were without three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson for the final 11 minutes of the game after she left with 1:17 left in the third quarter with a head injury. She was accidentally hit in the face on a drive to the basket by Sparks forward Dearica Hamby.
Jackson shot 11 for 17 from the field, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 5 at the free-throw line to top her previous best of 25 points against Dallas last season.
Hamby scored 19 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists for the Sparks (4-7). Kelsey Plum had 13 points and nine assists in her second game in Las Vegas since being traded to the Sparks in the offseason.
The Sparks shot 56.9% from the field, including a 9-for-20 showing from 3-point range and outrebounded the Aces 38-28.
Jackie Young tied her career high with 34 points and Chelsea Gray made six 3-pointers and added 28 points for Las Vegas (4-4), which has lost two straight games. Wilson was 2 for 12 from the field and 9 for 10 at the free-throw line to finish with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots in 28 minutes.
Young, who added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals, scored 14 straight Las Vegas points in the second quarter.
A 3-pointer by Gray pulled Las Vegas within 60-56 with 3:11 left in the third quarter, but the Sparks scored seven of the next 10 points with Jackson’s three-point play giving the Sparks a 67-59 lead with 1:12 remaining.
The Sparks led 71-65 entering the fourth quarter but opened a 14-point lead before the midway point of the period. Hamby made back-to-back shots to start a 10-2 run and Jackson’s basket finished it to give the Sparks an 86-72 lead with 5:22 left.
The Aces made a charge and used a 3-pointer from Gray and a basket by Young to move within 93-87 with 1:44 left.
Plum put the game away with two free throws with 20.1 seconds left. Plum made all nine of her free throws.
The Sparks were especially hot over the first 14 minutes, making 15 of their first 18 field goal attempts (83.3%), including 7 of 8 from 3-point range, on their way to a 39-19 lead in the second quarter. Las Vegas responded with an 11-0 run to get back in the game.
The Sparks finished with 24 assists on their 33 field goals while going 22 for 27 from the free-throw line.
The Aces shot just 37.5% from field, including 9 for 35 from behind the arc. They went 26 for 29 from the free-throw line.
The Sparks improved to 2-2 in Commissioner’s Cup play, while the Aces dropped to 1-2.
Local News
‘ICE Out of OC’: In Santa Ana, roughly 300 people protest immigration raids as National Guard watches on
Roughly 300 people gathered Wednesday evening outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana to protest the ongoing mass immigration raids in Orange County.
The peaceful protest began shortly after 6 p.m. and soon tripled in size as people from all walks of life congregated in front of a road closure, occupied by at least six members of the California National Guard on North Birch and 4th Street. Chants such as “ICE Out of OC” and “Trump Out of OC” could be heard throughout the group as people held up various creative signs and carried Mexican and American flags.
Donned in a cowboy hat, Navy veteran Jason Martinez, 28, stood in front of the National Guard with an American flag that read “I’m More American.” His parents were both deported in 2011, a few years before his military enlistment in 2015. “I still think this country can be great,” said Martinez. “There’s no borders up in heaven, there shouldn’t be (borders) here either,” he added.
Several people holding megaphones urged the crowd to “keep things peaceful” as at least 15 officers from the Irvine Police Department, dressed in riot gear, stood back around the perimeter of the protest. One person carried a Salvadorian flag while another waved a joint American-Pride flag.
For 28-year-old former Santa Ana resident David Vasquez, the protest was an opportunity to show support for the broader immigrant community.
The Corona resident carried a large cardboard poster with historic images depicting the displacement and mistreatment of Hispanic immigrants in America. “These people never got justice,” he said. Vasquez added that his mother was undocumented and had picked fruits and vegetables as an agricultural worker in the 90s, often for little to no pay. At times, he said his mother’s employers would call ICE to “chase out” the workers to avoid paying them.
“It feels like the federal government is trying to be as dramatic as possible to elicit a response from people,” said 30-year-old Kelsey Leach from Orange. “It’s important to come out and nonviolently exercise our First Amendment rights.”
The sound of engines revving and cars honking in support echoed in the background.
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — Every time the Indiana Pacers have lost a game in the last three months, they have come back to win the next one.
Even in the NBA Finals – against a huge favorite who the Pacers now have in some trouble.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 27 points off the bench, Tyrese Haliburton finished with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Pacers retook the lead in the NBA Finals by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-107, in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
“This is the kind of team that we are,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We need everybody to be ready. It’s not always going to be exactly the same guys that are stepping up with scoring and stuff like that. But this is how we’ve got to do it.”
Pascal Siakam scored 21 for Indiana, which enjoyed a whopping 49-18 edge in bench points. The Pacers, who lost Game 2 in Oklahoma City, improved to 10-0 since mid-March in the game immediately following a loss.
“So many different guys chipped in,” Haliburton said.
Jalen Williams scored 26 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24 and Chet Holmgren had 20 for the Thunder, who led by five going into the fourth.
Game 4 is back in Indiana on Friday night.
“We had a lot of good stretches of the game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “But they had more good stretches than we did – and outplayed us over the course of 48 minutes.”
History says the Pacers are in control now; in the 41 previous NBA Finals that were tied at a game apiece, the Game 3 winner went on to hoist the trophy 33 times – an 80.5% clip.
Advantage, Pacers.
It was back-and-forth much of the way. There were 15 ties; to put that in perspective, there were 13 ties in the five-game entirety of last year’s Finals between Boston and Dallas. The last time there was a Finals game with more ties: Game 1 between Cleveland and Golden State in 2018, which was knotted 17 times and included a 51-point effort from LeBron James before the Warriors held on in overtime.
TJ McConnell finished with 10 points, five assists and five steals for Indiana; since all those stats started being charted, nobody had ever come off the bench and done all that in an NBA Finals game.
“We just had guys make plays after plays,” Haliburton said. “Our bench was amazing.”
The Thunder were 61-2 when leading going into the fourth quarter in the regular season. They’re 1-2 when leading going into the fourth quarter in this series. Indiana – at home in an NBA Finals game for the first time in 25 years, with Caitlin Clark, Reggie Miller, Oscar Robertson and many other stars in the crowd – simply owned the final 12 minutes.
Oklahoma City, often playing against full-court pressure after allowing the Pacers to score, missed nine of its final 10 shots from the floor. That ugly stretch started after a Williams floater pulled the Thunder within a point of the Pacers with 5:58 remaining.
The Thunder’s only basket down the stretch was a midrange pull-up by Gilgeous-Alexander, but that was the league MVP’s only field goal in the fourth quarter. He was held to three points on 1-of-3 shooting with no assists in the final frame.
“They were aggressive,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Pacers’ defense. “I’m not sure how many points they had, but it felt like when they scored, we’re going against a set defense, and it’s always harder against a set defense.”
Indiana outscored OKC 32-18 in the fourth, holding the Thunder to 35% shooting with the game and control of the series on the line.
“There’s a lot of areas we can clean up,” Holmgren said. “Everybody who stepped out there can be better.”
FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Game 1, a loss on the opposition’s final shot. Game 2, an easy win. Game 3, another loss to fall behind in the series again.
This formula is not the one that would be considered optimal by the Thunder, especially in the NBA Finals. But if there is some consolation for the overall No. 1 seed in these playoffs, it’s this: the Thunder have been in this exact spot before and found a way to prevail.
That resiliency will be tested yet again.
“I thought it was an uncharacteristic night in a lot of ways for us,” Daigneault said. “We got to learn from it and then tap back into being who we are in Game 4. If we do that, I think we’ll have a much better chance to win.”
It was not very Thunder-like in Game 3. They blew a fourth quarter lead for the second time in the series and gave up 21 points off turnovers.
“We’ll watch it. It wasn’t all bad,” Daigneault said. “But we definitely have to play our style and impose our will for more of the 48 minutes if we want to come on the road and get a win.”
There are uncanny similarities between the first three games of this series and the first three games of the Western Conference semifinal matchup between Oklahoma City and Denver.
• In Game 1 of the West semifinals, Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left to give the Nuggets a win in Oklahoma City. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Haliburton hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a win in OKC.
• In Game 2 of the West semifinals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Thunder evened the series with an easy win.
• In Game 3 of the West semifinals, Denver – at home for the first time in that series – played from behind most of the night before fighting into overtime and eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Indiana – at home for the first time in the series – trailed for much of the first half before eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead.
The Thunder dug their way out of that hole against the Nuggets. And now, the same task awaits – with an NBA title at stake.
“I wouldn’t say that now is the time for emotions, to be thinking about how you’re feeling, emotional this, emotional that,” Holmgren said. “You kind of have to cut that out and look at the substance of what it is. We have a great opportunity here and the great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4.”
GUEST LIST
Clark – wearing a yellow T-shirt emblazoned with the famed “In 49 other states it’s just basketball. But this is Indiana” saying along with a finals logo – was seated with Indiana Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard for the game, in the same end of the court as the Pacers’ bench.
In addition to Hall of Famers Robertson and Miller, both seated near the court as well, former Pacers Mark Jackson, Dale Davis were also on hand. Former Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James and Alex Palou, the winner of this year’s Indianapolis 500, were also in the arena. Palou arrived for the game in a pace car from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was lit up in gold for the evening as a Pacers tribute.
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