As I mentioned in a quick hit yesterday, the Secretary if State’s office has filed a lawsuit against voting machine company ES&S. The suit is seeking $15 million from the Omaha, NB for selling almost 1,000 uncertified voting machines to 5 counties in California.

The lawsuit alleges that the company sold 972 uncertified machines to Colusa, Marin, Merced and Solano counties, as well as the city and county of San Francisco.
The suit also calls for a $10,000 penalty per machine. Which would result in almost $2.9 million for San Francisco alone.

The SFGate is reporting that this this is the first time that the Secretary of State’s office has has to use this rule of the voting code.
The company is, of course, denying that any violations occurred. And charges that the suit would be detrimental to the voting rights of the disabled.

But Bowen responds with:

But Bowen said there is no ambiguity in the law.

“Changes … must be submitted to the secretary of state before a voting machine can be sold or used in California,” she said. “California law doesn’t ask the manufacturer to decide whether the changes are small or large or medium-size.”

California only learned about the changes when an ES&S representative inadvertently mentioned the new version of the AutoMARK in a telephone conference call with state election officials. The company never even mentioned to the state or the five counties that changes had been made to the machines that were shipped, Bowen said.

The city of San Francisco has previously filed suit against ES&S claiming that their machines had delayed certifying the vote in the November 6 elections.

Looks like the writers and the studios are going to be heading back to the table on November 26th.
The strike will continue as planned through next week. And the writers have not agreed to stop striking.
But if the story is true, this is absolutely positive news.

Nooses were found on the Cal State Fullerton campus this week. Attached to a display decrying intolerance.
Campus police are investigating the incident but they’re not referring to it as a crime. There does not appear to be much information about who placed the nooses.

Campus police say they are investigating last week’s incident as a “somewhat offensive” act but not a crime.

“It’s a freedom of speech area and it wasn’t directed toward any particular group,” said campus police Lt. Fred Molina. “But we want to find who’s doing this and why.”

“A somewhat offensive act.” Wow. I don’t even know where to begin with that. There are a few things that could have made it more offensive. But putting at least 4 (from the picture accompanying the article) nooses in front of an exhibit promoting tolerance is extremely offensive.
According to the article, this is the third such act across college campuses this year alone.

The campus community held a rally denouncing racism and intolerance on Wednesday.

Oh Wait.
Maybe not so much.

Just in time for the upcoming holiday season comes another unsubstantiated report of possible terrorist activity in the Los Angeles area. Where you ask? The mall. Yup. The malls.
According to an declassified report that was distributed today, Al Qaeda has been planning for two years to attack malls in Los Angeles and Chicago during the holiday season to disrupt the economy.
Both the FBI and Los Angeles police are playing down the warning, saying that these were unsubstantiated threats.

But FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said today, “There is no information to state this is a credible threat.”
He said the warning was distributed to assure that state and local law enforcement officials were aware of it.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and for any number of other reasons, raw intelligence is regularly shared within the intelligence and law enforcement communities — even when the value of the information is unknown,” Kolko said, adding that information sharing has become a crucial component of national security efforts since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

So who else rolled their eyes when they saw that story in the news?

The San Diego Union Tribune’s blog is reporting that Duke Cunningham briber Brent Wilkes has been found guilt on all 13 of the charges that were brought against him.
Reporter Greg Morgan has more details in this article.
Wilkes faces at least 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors contended that from 1997 to 2004 he showered Cunningham with gifts small and large. In all, they alleged, he leveraged $625,000 in cash bribes and tens of thousands more in gifts ranging from meals to computers in exchange for Cunningham’s influence in appropriating money and pressuring bureaucrats to award contracts to ADCS Inc., Wilkes’ company.

And I love this assertion:

Wilkes forcefully denied bribing Cunningham. He testified that his interactions with the congressman were legitimate and legal, and his activity was simply “business as usual” in the lobbying and appropriations culture in Washington, D.C.

Really? Were they? Maybe he’d like to spend some time telling prosecutors more about these practices.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has stated that the Buckweed fire, which burned 38,000 acres and 21 homes last week in Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita was started by a young boy playing with matches. The L.A. times is reporting that the boy has admitted to playing with matches. He’s been released to his parents. The Sheriff’s Department will not release his name, age or location. The case has also been referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.

“We have identified a juvenile boy as the person who started the fire,” said Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman. “Arson investigators interviewed the young man, and he acknowledged he had been playing with matches and
accidentally started a fire.”

emphasis in quote is mine.

Firefighters are still battling fires across the State and expect to have them contained by the end of the week. They’re being aided slightly by cooling temperatures and rising humidity. And as a closing admonition. Please be careful with matches. Store them out of reach of children.

I received this announcement today and am passing it on to any interested Los Angelenos.
From the release:
Day of the Dead Tired
Housekeeper pilgrimage and rally
A shared journey to recognize housekeepers’ sacrifices
Thursday October 25, 2007
Pilgrimage begins at 12:30pm
Rally begins at 4pm

Housekeepers are dead tired of their poor working conditions. A recent study shows that 91% of housekeepers in the US and Canada said that they have suffered work-related pain. Of those 91%, 61% reported that they take pain medication just to get through their daily quota. The pain has to stop NOW!
Together we will march and pray for the healing of housekeepers suffering chronic pain and debilitating injuries.

Schedule of events:
12:30pm – rally and begin pilgrimage at Loyola Marymount University (meet at the flag pole)
1:30pm – words of encouragement at Holy Nativity Episcopal Church (6700 W. 83rd Street)
2:30pm – music and snacks at Westchester Christina Church (8740 LaTijera Blvd.)
3:30pm – rally at Animo Lennox Leadership Charter High School (1155 W. Arbor Vitae)
5pm – rally at LAX Hilton (5711 W. Century Blvd.) and march to the Westin for prayer and healing service.

For more information, please contact Jessica Austin at [email protected] or 213-481-8530 x300

(For live radio coverage, listen live to KPBS. bumped. – promoted by David Dayen)

The old diary is getting full. So please update and add to this new thread. Also, thanks to flickr use vissago for some powerful photos. WE have a new thread here, please post there.  Thanks!

The Los Angeles County Public Health office has updated their 211 page to reflect resources to assist Southland Fires 2007. Here's the page from San Diego County San Diego County Fire information

Google Map with Fire information

KPBS Google Map of San Diego fires 

Blood donations are greatly needed. The San Diego Blood Bank will hold blood drives Tuesday at two wildfire emergency evacuation sites, Qualcomm Stadium and the Del Mar Fairgrounds, officials said. Both drives will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m

 Here are some phone numbers to get information:

Animal Evacuations: 818-991-0071
Arrowhead Schools 909-499-9900
Buckweed, Canyon Fire: 323-881-2411
Coronado Hills Fire: 619-590-3160
Grass Valley Fire: 909-383-5688
Harris, Rice, McCoy Fire: 619-590-3160
Irvine: 714-628-7085
Lake Forest 714-628-7085
Malibu: 310-456-2489
Orange County 800-540-8282
Ranch Fire: 626-574-5208
Riverside: 909.988.3650
Roca Fire: 951-940-6985
Santa Clarita Evacuations: 661-295-6366
Santiago Fire: 714-573-6200
Sedgewick Fire: 805-681-5546
Slide and Witch: Fire 619-590-3160
US Forest Line: 626-574-5208

(old information moved under the fold)

UPDATE (4:36pm Shayera) The LA Times is reporting a new fire appears to have broken out in Acton, in Antelope Valley. 15 acres have been burned so far and evacuations are in progress.

UPDATE (4:30pm David) One of the best reporters at the LA Times, Steve Lopez, is down in San Diego County, liveblogging with periodic updates.  Lopez is great at finding those personal stories, so this is well worth checking back on throughout the day.

UPDATE (4:29pm Robert) Mandatory evacuation order lifted for Del Mar. But as Terry notes in the comments, the Del Mar fairgrounds needs masks, eyewash and diabetic testing supplies. Also, pillows, blankets, and air mattresses are in demand. Mothers with babies using the Fair Grounds as a shelter need diapers and baby wipes. They can't take more large animals but they need hay. All 2000 stables are full.

UPDATE (4:11pm Robert) The SoCal Metropolitan Water District says there has been a record 652 million gallon spike in water demand, as pumps are working overtime to provide firefighters with water to fight the flames. Further evidence of the effects of climate change on the landscape…

UPDATE (4:05pm Robert) As Terry notes in the comments, ALL San Diego County schools, public and private, are closed for the remainder of the week. Meanwhile, in the San Bernardino mountains, evacuations are now in effect from Crestline to Big Bear Dam, as the flames move eastward.

 

UPDATE (3:46pm David) I'm slightly unnerved by this, although I understand the need to keep traffic flows moving in an orderly fashion.

 

At about 2:15 p.m., two Jeeps filled with National Guardsmen stopped briefly at the corner of Twin Peaks and Robert Rio roads in Poway. Two National Guardsmen hopped out, and took positions on either side of Robert Rio, decked out in camouflage and holding M-16s.

The Jeeps rumbled on north up Twin Peaks Road, and a block away, two more National Guardsmen jumped out. The troops stopped motorists trying to ride into the side streets.

UPDATE (3:27pm Shayera): hekebolos mentions that Ron Shepston who lives in Silverado Canyon in Orange County is possibly in the path of the Santiago fire. Ron is, as you know, running for Congress in CA-42.

 UPDATE (3:18pm Shayera): Remember Glenn Beck's hateful words from yesterday? Here's what his spokesman had to say today in response to our outrage: A spokesman for Beck expressed surprise that bloggers are seizing on this quotation as an example of incivility. “To most rational people, unfortunately still means unfortunately,” Chris Balfe, the show's producer, tells On Deadline through a spokesman.

UPDATE (2:44pm Shayera): The L.A. Times is reporting that 4 people who were evacuated to Qualcomm staium have died, This brings the total dead to 6. 

UPDATE (2:04pm Lucas): Easterly winds are pushing the Harris Fire away from Northwest Chula Vista and Bonita. Personally good news for me, better news for a lot of folks who were closer to harm's way there.

UPDATE (2:01pm Lucas): Poomacha fire up to 23,000 acres and headed for Palomar Mountain.  President Bush will visit San Diego County on Thursday. quote from UT blog “Alpha Project is distributing masks, food, and water to hundreds of homeless people wandering the streets without direction and shelter.”

UPDATE (1:38pm Lucas): Mandatory evacuation notice for everyone in the La Jolla Reservation area.  Evacuees are told NOT to go to Palomar Mtn. Evac Center.  Go to Borrego Springs.  Encinitas mandatory evacuation of Olivenhain east of Rancho Santa Fe Road and north of El Camino Del Norte, although there are no fires inside the city. Encinitas Senior and Community Center is open for evacuees.

UPDATE (1:29pm Lucas) Poomacha fire has burned 20,000 acres and is expected to merge with the Witch Fire at some point today.  The 76 corridor is being evacuated.

UPDATE (1:19pm Lucas): Reverse 911 evacuation calls have been issued to 1,095 Harmony Grove households as fires south and west of Escondido move on from Mt. Israel.

UPDATE (1:03pm Robert) Voluntary evacuations now in Highland, which is in the flatlands next to San Bernardino as the Grass Valley/Slide fires come down the mountain. SBD Sheriffs plead for mountain residents to evacuate: “You're interfering. You're risking our lives.” 100 buildings lost in Running Springs/Fredalba.

UPDATE (12:57pm Lucas): Checking the most recent updates to the KPBS map, earlier evacuation areas in much of Spring Valley, Bonita, and points north to SDSU are gone.  Evacuation areas immediately east of Hillsdale and Grossmont and Southeast of Lakeside are snug against the south side of I-8 covering Harbison Canyon, Crest, and west Alpine as earlier noted.

UPDATE (12:46pm Lucas): Witch Creek Fire has jumped northwest from Del Dios to the Mount Israel Community. The Ramona waterpump has failed due to power outage, correction power failure has knocked out a water pump in Ramona, knocking out all water pressure- trying to bring in generators.  Boil water in the area indefinitely, water pressure expected to begin coming online this evening.  Councilman Maienschein and staff has toured the Rancho Bernardo area and will be posting a comprehensive list of damaged and destroyed homes soon on the SanDiego.gov website.

UPDATE (12:33pm Lucas): Still only one confirmed death. 22 civilians, 21 firefighters injured. 241,000 acres burned. City of Poway reopening: South of Twin Peaks Road, East of Community Rd to Tierra Bonita in North and Donard to South, West of Ipava (corrected) and West and North of Poway Drive.

UPDATE (12:25pm Lucas) Poomacha fire is established itself on Palomar Mountain, 3,000 acres burned so far.  CalFire team on the way.  Winds throughout the region are swirling making direction tough to deal with.  Aircraft fighting Harris Fire.  Structure losses overnight in Deerborn Valley. San Miguel Peak still has emergency transmitter equipment in tact.  11 major fires burning in SoCal, 8 threatening structures. 25 air tankers in SoCal including DC-10. C-130s requested from military, may arrive late today. 40 helicopters- federal, forest service, DLM, calfire, park service, others. 6 military helicopters. Two Seahawks, 4 Blackhawks.

UPDATE (12:18pm Lucas) Breaking reports of two new fires burning independently on Camp Pendleton

UPDATE (12:16pm Lucas) Residents allowed to return to their homes in Del Mar Heights (South of Via de la Valle, West of 5, North of Torrey Pines Beach) and in Scripps Ranch (South of Beeler Canyon Rd, West of Sycamore Canyon Rd, East of 15 and North of MCAS Miramar).

UPDATE (12:07pm Lucas) Reverse 911 evacuation notices are going out to 924 more homes in Valley Center and Palomar Mountain area. Mission Hills High School has room for 200, Calvin Christian High School can take 100.  Palomar Observatory remains the recommended evac center for Valley Center and Palomar Mtn. areas.

UPDATE (12:00pm Lucas): Bush is blah blahing right now about the fires.  Looking at the KPBS map, evacuation areas ahead of the Harris Fire now include wide swaths of Spring Valley and Bonita but (news to me at least) extends north through parts of Encanto and Lemon Grove up College Avenue all the way to SDSU and near I-8. Wow.

 

UPDATE (11:46am Shayera): The L.A. Times is reporting a second death in the Santa Clarita area. No details have been released.

UPDATE (11:39am Lucas): National Guard Troops are being deployed to Qualcomm and Del Mar Fairgrounds to aid in the evacuation of the elderly out of the fire and smoke.  650 fire crews from throughout the state are now battling fire in Fallbrook, information is difficult to come by from the region.

UPDATE (11:33am Shayera): Reports are saying there is a fire broken out in the Newhall area. It appears to have broken out overnight. As of the time of the report 12 acres had been burned. The fire is being reffered to as the Meadow Ridge incident.

UPDATE (11:25am Lucas): KPBS in San Diego went off the air overnight when its broadcasting antenna was knocked out by fire on Mount San Miguel.  They have moved to 94.9fm for continuing coverage locally.

UPDATE (11:22am Lucas): official tally as of 11am in San Diego is 513,000 people under mandatory evacuation and 12,000 more under voluntary evacuation.  Mission Hills High School will remain open for evacuees for the next two days. Fire on the north side of Lake Hodges has reached the Del Dios community. Reports of houses burning in Quiet Hills and Lomas Serenas.

UPDATE (11:16am Robert) Santiago Fire in OC continues to menace the Portola Hills development but no homes have yet burned. OCFA is less confident about saving homes in Modjeska Canyon, concerned that they do not have enough hand crews or helicopters to fight in the backcountry. Animal shelters are available al El Toro HS, the OC animal shelter near The Block in ORange, and at the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. 

UPDATE (10:48 am Shayera): Los Angeles County Fire Department officials will hold community meetings in Malibu and Agoura Hills over the next two days to give residents updates on the status of the fires, road closures and evacuation sites.

The first meeting will be held at 7 tonight at Malibu High School, 30215 Morning View Drive. The second meeting will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center, 27040 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas.

 UPDATE (10:31am Lucas): Mandatory evacuation orders are being issued via reverse 911 to about 1200 homes in Fairbanks Ranch.  Evacuate to Encinitas Senior Center or Carlsbad High School.

UPDATE (10:23am Lucas): San Pasqual Academy suffered major damage. Poomacha fire has burned 40 homes on Rincon and La Jolla Reservations and some on Barona reservation.  Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento began delivering supplies early this morning.

UPDATE (9:45am Lucas): Comprehensive fire update via UT Blog:

The Harris Fire is 70, 000 acres and 5% contained.  Firefighters are looking for full control of this fire on November 4th. 250 residences have been damaged and 200 have been destroyed. 5 firefighters and 20 civilians have been burned and there was 1 civilian fatality. Currently we have 65 Engines, 9 fire crews, 2 dozers, 5 water tenders, 3 airtankers, 2 helicopters, 2 helitankers, (500 firefighters).

The Witch Fire is 164,000 acres and 1 percent contained. There have been 7 injuries to firefighters and to 2 civilians. Communities Threatened: San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Escondido, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe, Rincon, Wildcat Canyon. Currently there are 218 engines, 17 dozers, 14 fire crews, 17 water tenders (1492 firefighters). 500 residences destroyed – 250 damaged, 100 commercial properties destroyed – 75 damaged, 50 outbuildings destroyed – 50 damaged.

The Rice Fire is 6,100 acres and 0% contained, firefighters are looking for full containment on November 1st. 500 residences have been destroyed and 30 have been damaged. 1 Firefighter has been injured. Currently there are 55 engines, 6 fire crews, 1 dozer (170 firefighters). Fire is making major runs toward Fallbrook, and may burn in to Santa Margarita and Sandia Creek drainages. It is anticipated this fire will combine up with Rosa fire which started in Riverside. 

The Poomacha Fire is 1,000 acres and 0% contained. This fire is located at Highway 76 and Pauma Valley (Thomas Brother Map Page 409 E7). The fire originated in a structure and spread into the vegetation.  There has been 8 injuries to firefighters. There are 15 engines, 2 water tenders (60 firefighters). The fire started on the La Jolla Indian Reservation. The fire has spread into Valley Center and Yellow Brick Road areas. Law Enforcement has started the reverse 911 to initiate evacuations of entire Hwy 76 corridor.

The McCoy Fire is a U.S. Forest Service fire and is 300 acres and 50% contained, full containment is expected on the 23rd. 1 structure has been destroyed and there have been no reported injuries.

UPDATE (9:40am Lucas): UT Blog update on Witch Fire progress. 35 structures damanged in Rancho Santa Fe over night, mostly homes. Las Colinas neighborhood was burned through destroying several homes.  Now jumping the San Dieguito River and heading into Fairbanks Ranch. The fire line is San Dieguito Road with tanker planes dropping fire retardant.

UPDATE (9:25am Lucas): Evacuation update for Coastal areas from UT blog: A mandatory evacuation is ordered for the following areas within the City of Del Mar: All areas east of Crest Road, San Dieguito Road, Oribia Road, Avenida Primavera (along Crest Road), Serpentine Drive, Gatun Street, Balboa Avenue, Zapo Street. Other areas of the city have not been issued a mandatory evacuation order. However, it is strongly suggested that all residents pack necessary belongings and be prepared to evacuate if a mandatory order is issued. Del Mar residents who are unable to self-evacuate should call 858-704-3694.

In Solana Beach; A voluntary evacuation is strongly recommended for the following areas within the City of Solana Beach: All areas east of Interstate 5 (I-5), Areas along the north border of the city, between I-5 and Highway 101.

UPDATE (9:23am Lucas): CalFire rep is talking about the Santa Ana winds starting to break down in some areas, allowing firefighters to get ahead of flames in places.  Poomacha Fire updated numbers: 800 acres burned, evacuees directed to Palomar Observatory.  Fire is burning north from Lake Hodges to the Quiet Hills area of Escondido with firefighters stationed at houses and helicopters making water drops. UCSD Medical Center is open despite some reports to the contrary.  As many as 1,000 houses now destroyed.  Fixed-wing tankers are in the air making drops on Harris and Witch Creek Fires.

UPDATE (9:10am Lucas): from DailyKos liveblog “Mayor Sanders is asking for licensed doctors and nurses to relieve current medical staff at Qualcomm Stadium. Licensed personnel willing to volunteer for an 8-10 hour shift are asked to report to Gate “A” at Qualcomm Stadium.”

UPDATE (8:55am Lucas) I-15 is now fully open in both directions in North County San Diego.

 UPDATE (8:45am David) I'm hearing Michael Chertoff speaking which scares the heck out of me.  The calvary is coming (Could they, um, not come)!  Word of a new fire in the Rancho Cucamonga area around the 210 and 215 Freeways. 

UPDATE (8:23am Lucas): SDG&E is requesting power conservation all day.  Several transmission lines are down and transformer explosions are a fire risk.  San Pascual Fire was started by exploding transformer.  Overtaxing the lines could lead to further failure.

UPDATE (8:20am Lucas): Witch Fire update from CalFire verbatim with breaks removed from UT Fireblog: “* 164,000 acres. One percent contained.
* Seven firefighters and one civilian have been injured. Two additonal injuries were reported this morning – it is unknown as yet if they were firefighters or civilians. 500 homes destroyed. 250 damaged. 100 commercial properties destroyed, 75 damaged.  50 outbuildings destroyed, 50 damaged. Winds are blowing south and south west at 10 t0 20 miles per hour. The temperature is 75 degrees, humidity is at 6 percent. The fire is passing through several communites including parts of San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos, Rincon, Wildcat Canyon and Rancho Santa Fe, said Cal Fire Capt. Don Camp. The fire is burning between Interstates 5 and 15 and is heading west towards the beach.

UPDATE (8:16am Lucas): Total Evacuees now at 500,000 throughout the county.  U-Haul is offering free storage for 30 days on a first come/first served basis.  Anyone with air mattresses, padding, blankets, sleeping bags- bedding is in shortest supply at Qualcomm and presumably elsewhere.  People were sleeping on the asphalt in the Qualcomm parking lot last night.

UPDATE (7:50am Lucas): Fire Stat updates. Rice Fire: 6100 acres burned, 1 injury, 500 homes burned, 30 damaged. Winds at 50mph, burning on both sides of I-15 towards Fallbrook, may merge with Riverside's Rosa Fire.  Fallbrook could be threatened in 12 hours, Fallbrook and Oceanside in 24 hours. 0% containment.  Harris Fire: 70,000 acres burned, 200 homes destroyed, 250 damaged, homes destroyed could reach 500.  Fire moving rapidly Southwest into Chula Vista/ Otay Lakes area. 5% contained.