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If you live in Los Angeles County, the phone rings, bustling, and a fire overall, just before 4:00 pm on January 9, so it has been issued an evacuation warning in your area. Masu.

I was calling a climate scientist (we explained that we must do it Coexist with fire When we want to live in Los Angeles) When I get an alert. In particular, I lived in about 15 miles from the closest flame, so it was a shock.

“Collect loved ones, pets, and supplies,” said the alert advised. After the panic, I looked outside the office window. There, I saw the smoke plums from Eaton far away. I immediately checked the evacuation map of the county. There is no warning zone near us.

So I continued the interview. As I finished, my phone was lit up again: “Ignore the last evacuation warning. It was only for Kenneth Fire.” The flame is near Woodland Hills and Carabasus. It was burning at the western end of San Fernando Valley.

“Well, someone has ruined,” said me and millions of fellow counties said all at once after sighing cheap Reliefef.

The next day, the county officials acknowledged this error.

“Our preliminary survey indicates that an accurate and correct target alert came from the Emergency Operation Center in LA County on Thursday, January 9th.” I said in a statement。 “However, after leaving the EOC, the alert was mistakenly sent to nearly 10 million residents of the entire county.”

These incorrect alarms caused panic, but that was not the only one who had bothered the Emergency alarm system in LA County while the last month’s fire was furious. The evacuation order was delayed a few hours due to the remaining fire raining in western West Altadena until January 7th.

I confirmed that all 17 people were dead on the fire I lived in western Altadena。

“When the flame erupted from Euton Canyon on January 7, the neighborhood of Altadena’s East Side received an evacuation order at 7:26 pm.” I wrote this week。 “However, the Westside residents did not receive orders until 3:25 am. It was a few hours after the fire began to burn the neighborhood.”

now Inquiries by local US House of RepresentativesRobert Garcia’s D-Long Beach aims to understand what happened.

The letter requested information was sent to officials in LA County, and, along with the Federal Emergency Administration Bureau, the Federal News Committee, and Genasys Inc., a contract was issued to issue an emergency warning of the county. More than 12 members of the LA Congress Representative signed the letter.

“In an emergency situation of life safety, a clear emergency warning message, which is appropriately timing and focused on the target, may mean the difference between life and death,” wrote the Democratic Party of the House of Representatives. Garcia office shares。 “However, after being sent to the wrong place many times, an unclear message can lead to fatigue caution and public trust erosion. Intense sadness, loss, dislocation. At the time, we are working on all the lessons of the past few weeks and promptly implementing reforms.

The letter does not mention the delay alert sent to some Altadena residents, but Garcia said that the issue would be part of the investigation in the Times.

“I don’t think this should underestimate how serious the disaster has been at the moment of a serious emergency,” Garcia told Jenny. “I know that other emergency situations will happen again … We use this system for more than just fire. Another emergency, natural disaster, and some kind of going out If you have a notification, the general public needs to know that the system is functioning correctly. “

The day after the wrong alert was sent, LA county officials announced They stopped the alert system managed by Genasys and switched to a system operated by the California Governor’s Emergency Service Bureau.

House surveys are not the only survey of work to scrutinize the reaction of fire.

Last month, Governor Gavin NEWSOM The pressure is lost or it runs dry In the Pacific Paris Sede and Altadena Why was the Santainz reservoir offline and empty? When the Parisade fire broke out.

Today’s top story

In California, demand for new electric vehicles is flattened.

• Apart from Tesla, which sells only EVS, other major manufacturers do not meet 35 % of the zero emission vehicles in the model year of 2026, as the president of California’s new car dealer ASS. One Brian Mars said.
• About one of the new sales of the dealer trade group was registered in 387,368 zero excretion vehicles registered in California in 2024, or one of the four new cars sold.
• This indicates only 1 % increase in the previous year, when EV sales rose 46 %. New car sales in California in 2024 were flat, 1.75 million vehicles.

What is USAID? And why do you want to end it?

• At that time, President John F. Kennedy established an international development organization during the Cold War.
• The mask explains an organization that distributes humanitarian assistance overseas as a “criminal organization.” President Trump agreed, saying, “It is operated by a large number of madman.” And we are giving them. “
• Musk and Trump moved at least temporarily to close it without involving the parliament. The Democratic Party says that the president lacks constitutional authority to eliminate USAID. But it’s not clear what he stops trying.

What is happening?

Gain unlimited access to Los Angelel Staims. Please subscribe to this。

• Trump’s lie is dragging democracy, journalism, climate, and columnist Sammy Ross I’m writing.
• The columnist wrote whether KARLA SOFIAGASCON first turned a historical Oscar into a historic Oscar nightmare. Mary McNamara。
• The second presidential position of Donald Trump will deliver the columnist one day a day. Jackie calms down I’m writing.

It’s a must -see this morning

“My house has become a graveyard.” In the ceasefire, Gazan discovers the dead from the tile RUB.。 Like thousands of family members in Gaza, 38 -year -old Samar Al Fara and her 17 -year -old son are trying to recover the body of a loved one buried under a tile RUB. Last month we reached between Israel and the extremist group Hamas.

Other essential reading

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Question to you: What are the advice that changed your life?

Lawanda Riley Writing: “I am not the savior. You love them, try them and get tired of themselves, but they have to work with you. “

Please email to EssentialCalifornia@latimes.comAnd your response may appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally … your photo of the day

Please show your favorite place in California! Please send a photo of a special California spot -Please tell us about nature or human work -and why they are important for you.

Today’s wonderful photo is from the Times photographer Robert Gottier “One day without immigration” in downtown Los Angeles.

Have a wonderful day from the essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, Reporter
Defne Karabatur, Fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multi -platform editor
Hunter Crauss, multi -platform editor
Christian Oorosco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, Deputy Metro Editor
Calim Dumer, the director of the newsletter

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