Barger sounds wildfire alarm as extreme heat hits
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R – Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, portions of the San Gabriel Valley) is sounding the alarm on elevated wildfire conditions forecast across Los Angeles County this week, as the National Weather Service warns of dangerously high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation through tomorrow.
In anticipation of the dangerous conditions, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has augmented staffing and pre-deployed additional firefighting resources, including 15 fire engines, four water tenders, four hand crews, two bulldozers, and additional Fire Dispatch personnel.
Barger, whose Fifth District includes the county’s foothill communities and rural North County areas that face some of the region’s highest wildfire risk, said early preparation is the difference between containment and catastrophe.
“When wildfire conditions intensify, preparation can make all the difference,” said Barger. “I appreciate Fire Chief Anthony Marrone and the Los Angeles County Fire Department for taking a proactive approach by positioning personnel and equipment before conditions worsen. Their focus on readiness helps ensure our communities are protected and emergency resources are ready to respond when they’re needed most.”
Barger also urged residents to remain weather-aware, avoid activities that could spark a fire and follow guidance from public safety officials throughout the heat event.
“The Los Angeles County Fire Department is doing its part, and we all have a role to play in preventing wildfires,” said Barger. “A little extra caution during periods of extreme heat can go a long way toward protecting our neighborhoods.”
Horvath rallies Hollywood unions, backs Bonta merger lawsuit
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath (D – Western Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley, including Pacoima, Panorama City, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Calabasas, Malibu, Sylmar) met last week with leaders of the Entertainment Union Coalition to discuss the urgent challenges facing Los Angeles’ film and television industry.
Horvath also introduced a motion at yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to support California Attorney General Rob Bonta‘s lawsuit challenging the proposed $110 billion Warner Bros.-Paramount merger.
“Hollywood and our entertainment industry is too important for Los Angeles County to simply hope someone else will save it,” said Horvath. “Local leaders have an obligation and responsibility in ensuring that we remain the creative capital of the world. That means partnering with labor and studios, pushing for smarter incentives, modernizing how productions work with government, and fighting for the hundreds of thousands of workers and small businesses whose livelihoods depend on a thriving entertainment economy.”
The roundtable, led by Teamsters At-Large Vice President and Motion Picture Division Director Lindsay Dougherty, brought together representatives from unions spanning film, television, music, and live production to discuss expanding production incentives, streamlining permitting, protecting entertainment workers, and strengthening Los Angeles County’s long-term competitiveness as the entertainment capital of the world.
Horvath reaffirmed her support for California’s expanded Film and Television Tax Credit Program and highlighted legislative efforts to expand credits for post-production and commercial production.
Mitchell rolls free Beach Bus to Willowbrook for Freedom Summer
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell (D – Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Compton) has launched the second year of her Freedom Summer Program at George Washington Carver Park in the unincorporated Willowbrook community, offering more than eight weeks of free workshops and activities designed to help residents build skills, explore new experiences, and access healthy food and community resources through early September.
New this year is a free Beach Bus running every Saturday at 9 a.m. from Carver Park to Dockweiler Beach through September 5, returning at 3 p.m. — giving families without transportation direct access to Los Angeles County’s coastline at no cost.
“Freedom is realized when every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Mitchell. “That’s why we’re investing in programs that nourish minds, strengthen families, open doors to new careers, and connect residents with resources that improve their quality of life.”
The program extends the impact of Mitchell’s annual Juneteenth Celebration and Resource Fair, which kicked it off, and includes flag football and life skills for youth with the Willowbrook Inclusion Network every Monday and Tuesday through August 3, and multimedia production classes with Heart and Soul every Wednesday through August 12.
Additional programs include a STEAM, creativity and mentorship program with Unearth and Empower every Tuesday and Friday through August 20; a Script-to-Screen program with Kids in Spotlight — which provides stipends to all participants — every Monday and Friday through August 8; and a pop-up farmers market with Food Access LA every Thursday through August 27.
Ocean Days with Black Surfers Collective is on the last Saturday of each month through September 26; and digital literacy classes for seniors and justice-system-impacted residents with Delete the Divide every Tuesday and Thursday through July 23.
Residents can sign up and learn more at mitchell.lacounty.gov/freedom-summer.
Umberg: State Bar botched the bar exam
State Sen. Thomas Umberg (D – South Whittier, Orange County), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the California State Auditor’s findings on the botched February 2025 Bar Exam confirm what failed applicants already knew — that the State Bar’s rushed planning, poor vendor vetting and inadequate oversight turned a cost-cutting exercise into a $5.7 million fiasco.
The State Auditor released its audit last week, finding that the State Bar’s failed administration of the February 2025 exam resulted from a vendor relationship that was inadequately vetted and poorly overseen, costing the organization $5.7 million — plus millions more in lost revenue and potential legal costs — against a backdrop of promises that the change would save money.
“The State Auditor’s findings confirm what February 2025 Bar Exam applicants already knew: the State Bar’s failed administration of the exam was the result of rushed planning, poor oversight, and a failure to adequately vet its vendors,” said Umberg. “What was supposed to save money instead cost the State Bar a staggering $5.7 million, with millions more in lost revenue and potential legal costs. The State Bar failed to put the necessary safeguards in place on its own, so the Legislature did.”
Umberg authored SB 47 specifically to require the independent audit that produced this week’s findings.
He is now calling on the State Bar to fully implement the auditor’s recommendations to prevent future applicants from facing a similar failure.
