(Bumped. See also the video thread. And, feel free to post short diaries of your own if you have anything else to update. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Please see our new fire thread here.

As we all know, the Los Angeles and San Diego areas are getting hit by some horrific fires. The fires burning right now are in occupied areas. A number of our readers (including me) live near these burns.

Bloodmobiles will be at Qualcomm Stadium until 3:30pm today and at Qualcomm and Del Mar Fairgrounds tomorrow. Give if you can. Stay safe. And drop us a line here if you need anything.

Open Evacuation Centers in San Diego (partial): Qualcomm Stadium, PETCO Park, Steele Canyon High School, Campo Community Center, Mount Carmel High School, Santana High, Escondido High, San Marcos High School, Chula Vista High School, Mission Hills Church (Escondido), Grossmont High, Granite Hills High, new: Carlsbad High, Encinitas Senior Center, New Community Church in Vista, Faith Chapel in Spring Valley.
Google Map with Fire information.  

UPDATE: (8:36pm Lucas) Eastbound 76 is now closed at Melrose Drive in eastern Oceanside.  Fires have moved into Fairbanks Ranch and residents of Del Mar are being told to leave. Anyone unable to self-evacuate should call 858-704-3694.  New fire reported right now. Tierrasanta at Santo Rd. and 52. No details yet…totally new area. “Probably the worst time of day to see something like this.”

UPDATE: (8:29pm Lucas) 6 firefighters in critical condition around the corner from me at the UCSD Burn Center. Rice Canyon fire still 0% contained.  Also to reiterate- newest evacuation order includes coastal areas of Torrey Pines, Del Mar, and Solana Beach.  This fire is going all the way to the ocean and it's doing it soon apparently. UPDATED UPDATE: Cowles Mountain fire now fully controlled. I didn't even know there WAS a Cowles Mountain fire.

UPDATE: (8:13pm Lucas): 2,300 inmates being added to the firefighting per the Governor. 34 injuries now reported.  Firefighters are reporting losing valuable time due to people refusing to evacuate. PLEASE just go if directed.  Even if you think you'll be fine, other people won't be. 

UPDATE: (8:02pm Lucas): Proctor Valley Rd. has been breached between Chula Vista and Jamul.  Southeast of Lake Poway there are reports of multiple structures burning.  Lomas Serenas in Escondido has multiple houses burning- 320 home development.  

UPDATE: (7:59pm Lucas) Craigslist community section coming through in the clutch. 

UPDATE (7:43pm Lucas): LA update per comment at TBogg- Agua Dulce and Castai fires are arson. Who hates America again?

UPDATE (7:40pm Lucas): All wholesale from UT blog: Elderly are being evacuated from Del Mar Fairgrounds by ambulances from Orange and Riverside Counties. “Witch Creek Fire is now 145,000 acres and 0% contained. The cause is under investigation. 600 structures have been destroyed (500 residences, 50 outbuildings and 100 commercial properties). 300 structures have been damaged (250 residences, 75 commercial properties and 50 outbuildings). There has been 7 injuries to firefighters and 1 injury to a civilian. Communities threatened: San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Escondido, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe. Currently there are 89 engines, 9 fire crews, 10 dozers, 2 water tenders — about 625 firefighters. The ICP has been moved to Kit Carson Park (at Kit Carson Park and Bear Valley Parkway).”

UPDATE (7:25pm Lucas): Del Mar Polo Grounds under mandatory evacuation. West of Black Mountain Rd., South of Del Dios Hwy, North of  Sorrento Valley Road all the way to the ocean. Not good.

UPDATE (7:05pm Lucas): Mandatory evacuation order now for Bella Lago community in Chula Vista.

UPDATE (7:03pm Lucas): Reports coming in about price gouging and false evacuation orders. Good to see people banding together…assholes. 

UPDATE (6:53pm Lucas) Live footage of a bulldozer in Ramona literally pushing fire across an open plain.  Recent interview with a woman who evacuated from low-income housing commenting on how she would have no place to go- no other low-income options, they'll end up not being able to afford a new place period. UPDATED UPDATE (6:56) what was presumed to be a backfire is actually reaction to spot fires popping up all over Ramona breaching dozer lines.

UPDATE (6:33pm Lucas): 70 homes confirmed lost in Poway. Voluntary Evac in Carlsbad south of Airport Road. NBC Today Show and Nightly News will report from San Diego tomorrow.  U-T blog has been transferred to blogger to handle the volume. 

 UPDATE (5:52pm Lucas): Escondido has said residents who have been evacuated will not be allowed back for at least 24 hours.  Evacuation area is now south of 52 in the Scripps Ranch area.  Del Mar Fairgrounds have reached full capacity and is now closed.  El Camino High School in Oceanside is now open for evacuees.

UPDATE (5:45pm Lucas): MCAS Miramar is evacuating aircraft to other parts of California.  Mayor Cheryl Cox of Chula Vista: Voluntary evac still in effect, needs cots, air mattresses, sleeping bags at Chula Vista High.  Chula Vistans only- don't clog the highways.  Fires are continuing to approach through Otay Lakes towards Chula Vista.

UPDATE (5:25pm Julia): Just heard from the locals in Potrero that the deceased was wheelchair bound and thus was unable to esscape the fire.  Just awful.

UPDATE (5:00pm Lucas): At least 100 homes burned in Fallbrook.  Fire in the southeast appears to be moving northwest towards Chula Vista.  Mt. Helix evacuations and homes destroyed.

UPDATE (4:53pm Lucas): Insurance reps are setting up “one-stop-shopping” location for relief, probably but not definitely at Qualcomm.  

UPDATE (4:41pm Lucas): Qualcomm desperate for: Prepared Food, milk, ice, cots, blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, sunscreen, pet food, air mattresses, canopies for shade, paper towels, handi-wipes, toilet paper, paper plates, cups, utensils, pet food, disposable styrofoam coolers, cell phone chargers/batteries, cash. Can be dropped at Gate P at the stadium via Friars Rd. No homecooked food.

UPDATE (4:34pm Lucas): PETCO Park now open for evacuees.  Customs Enforcement is preparing to evacuate its Otay Mesa detention center.  Mesa Grande Indian Reservation evacuated.  Countywide request for horse trailers.  El Cajon evac centers: El Cajon Animal Shelter for household pets and small livestock. Westfield Parkway Mall for large livestock and RVs/Campers. New Home Depot location open for large livestock and RVs/Campers.

UPDATE (4:27pm Lucas): Rancho Bernardo threat has likely passed. Rancho Santa Fe still burning, Kearny Mesa still manned by firefighters.  At one point today downtown SD was protected by only one fire engine. No damage yet to Scripps Ranch. Out of Black Mountain area.  Still moving west, Firefighters will be out all night.  Text SDFIRE to 85183 for updates.  Evacuations going well, vital that people leave immediately when directed.

UPDATE (4:23pm Lucas): 45000 residents being evacuated from Rice fire; 6-10 structures lost, 1 minor firefighter injury.  Harris 20K+ acres. NE influence towards Otay Mesa and Lakes. San Marcos fire 100% contained.  Basecamp for Harris fire at Gillespie Field.  Witch Creek fire extensive movement through Escondido and City of San Diego, 20K+ acres, containment unknown. Mapping tomorrow.

UPDATE (Monday 4:07pm Lucas): “Many” structures destroyed in Rice Canyon fire, 2 injured, 0% containment, 750 acres, no estimate on containment.

UPDATE: (Monday 4:03pm Lucas) Governor Schwarzenegger pays surprise-ish visit to burn victims.  There are currently 18 victims being treated at the UCSD Burn Center in Hillcrest.  Fiesta Island has now opened to take 500 owners and big animals as of 4pm.

UPDATE: (Monday 3:56pm Lucas) Valley Oaks mobile home park has been completely destroyed.  Mandatory evac: West Alpine, West Eastlake, San Miguel Ranch areas and Rolling Hills Ranch areas.

UPDATE: (Monday 3:50PM Lucas) Check New map with partial info in pictoral form.  Carlsbad east of I-5, parts of Del Mar being evacuated.  El Toro in Orange County. is opening an Evac Center for Fallbrook.  Pendleton is receiving evacuees from Lakeside and Fallbrook.  Power has been fully restored from earlier outages.  Evac for DoD and Military personnel at 32nd Street Naval Base and Coronado.

UPDATE: (Monday 3:47pm Lucas) Chula Vista High School is receiving evacuees from the Otay Mesa and San Ysidro areas

UPDATE: Monday 2:51PM by Brian: Lots of news. The Rice fire has jumped I-15 at Highway 395, with the possibility of arson involved. Chula Vista is now under an optional evacuation order, and Scripps Ranch is entirely closed off, except to exit to the South on I-15. We'll try to time-stamp the updates for now on. There is also a report of a new fire in the Stevenson Ranch area. No real details as of right now.

UPDATE: Monday 3:05PM by Julia: Cell networks are down in SD, overloaded by the traffic.
(old updates over the flip)

UPDATE by Brian: Wow, this could end up being a disaster of historic proportions. Currently the majority of North San Diego is under an evacuation order from I-5 eastward, Nort of 56. Like Shayera said, stay safe and follow all suggestions of the firefighters. And, of course, our thoughts go out to the firefighters that have already been injured, and those currently battling the blazes. Constant updates at the U-T.

UPDATE by Julia: The lone death came from the tiny town of Potrero, they very same town that has been battling Blackwater.  One of the arguments against placing the training base there was the high risk of fire like the Cedar fire.  And now it is happening. 250,000 evacuated and climbing.

UPDATE by Lucas: Rancho Santa Fe is being evacuated as the winds shift and the fire heads in that direction.  Chula Vista in the southwest has activated its emergency plans as well.  Major Evacuation Centers are now set up at Qualcomm Stadium and the Del Mar Fairgrounds as well as smaller sites at schools and community centers throughout the county.  UPDATED UPDATE by Lucas: “Very good chance” that the fire will ultimately reach the coast.

UPDATE by Lucas: Live footage on the news of charred houses in Rancho Bernardo- lots of them.  Fires in Poway and southern Escondido.  Some areas of San Marcos are being reopened. Large animals are being evacuated to the Lakeside Rodeo (east county is horse country).  Del Mar Fairgrounds is only a temporary evac point, no overnight.  People will be sent elsewhere overnight.  Qualcomm Stadium is likely to be open for overnight.  I-15 north of 56 is still mostly closed.  21,000 are currently without power according to SDG&E.  Mira Mesa High School evac point is at capacity and thus closed to new people.  Parts of Leucadia and Lakeside are now under mandatory evacuation in addition to Rancho Santa Fe.

UPDATE by Lucas: North County Fire Chief says the Witch Fire will reach the coast.  Anyone downwind should start making plans to leave. UPDATED UPDATE by Lucas: Flames are in sight of Pomerado Hospital, cresting the hills to the east at about 11am.  Patients are being evacuated via schoolbus and mechanics are pulling firefighting equipment.

UPDATE by Lucas: Officials in Solana Beach are going door to door in some neighborhoods west of I-5 advocating voluntary evacuation.  First evacuations west of I-5. UPDATED UPDATE by Lucas: Evacuations have begun in Del Mar as well.

UPDATE by Lucas: San Diego Unified School District has now closed and will be closed tomorrow. Parents are asked to pick up their kids.

UPDATE by Lucas: Clear Channel radio is now back up after being knocked off. 10,000+ now at Qualcomm according to the U-T.  The Del Mar Racetrack's horse stalls are now full.  South Bay is currently doing alright, the fire has not yet burned into Chula Vista.

UPDATE by Lucas: At least 8 different fires are currently burning throughout San Diego County.  All residents of Solana Beach have been advised to prepare for evacuation extending the earlier voluntary partial evacuation. Call has been put out for pre-packaged food, cots, bedding, sleeping bags, etc. for Qualcomm as people start looking towards spending the night.  Weather service is saying “reason to be optimistic on Wednesday.”  That's a long time from now.

UPDATE by Shayera: The Los Angeles County Health Official is issuing an alert due to the quality of the air: County issues health alert due to smoky air.

UPDATE by Lucas: SDSU has cancelled classes for the rest of the day and tomorrow. National Guard is now on standby. Miramar College is closed.  Community of Esmerelda in South County near San Ysidro is being closed down.

UPDATE by David: Here's a little something from America's asshole, Glenn Beck:

 

“I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.”

UPDATE by Lucas: Fallbrook evacuations are beginning now in the eastern half of the community.  Valley Center mandatory evacuations have begun in the Bear Valley area with Valley Center High School as the evacuation center.  Evacuation centers are starting to open ad hoc in El Cajon for people and livestock.

UPDATE by Lucas: San Ysidro High School, previously designated as an evacuation center, is being evacuated.  Scharzenneger press conference starting now.

UPDATE by Lucas: Office is closing now so I'm heading home to pack up just in case and then get back online in a bit for more updates.  Latest now is that Scripps Ranch is being told to pack up and leave and that there are new evacuations to the south in the Otay Mesa area.  Others can jump in with details for a while or I'll be back whenever I can.

 

Entertainment conglomerate NBC Universal is set to announce their departure from “beautiful Downtown Burbank. The company will be moving from their 34 acre lot in Burbank to a new facility closer to Universal City in Los Angeles. The lot they're planning to move to currently houses a parking lot and a Red Line subway station. The subway station will be retained in the new complex that is built.

I know this doesn't really have a lot to do with California politics, but some of my fondest memories are of watching repeats of “Laugh In” and hearing constant references to “beautiful Downtown Burbank.” And we've all watched The Tonight Show, which to this day originates from Burbank.

NBC Universal is planning quite a lot of expansion and the facility is supposed to be a green project. Conan O'Brien's version of The Tonight Show will originate from the new facility. Interesting times to come, I'm sure.

Homeless advocates have reached a significant settlement with the City of Los Angeles today.  According to the Los Angeles Times, The  City and homeless advocates have come to an agreement that would in effect void a 1968 law that prohibits people from sleeping on sidewalks.

The agreement will allow people to sleep on the sidewalks between 9 P.M. and 6 A.M. as long as they don't block access to doorways or driveways. The deal also says that the City can enforce the 1968 law if and only if 1,250 units of supportive housing for the homeless are built. City officials don't believe that will happen for at least three to five years.

While this is not an ideal situation for anyone, this agreement will hopefully spur the City to begin work on the housing units. And also hopefully stop criminalizing homelessness.

(Full disclosure: I am an employee of the City of Los Angeles. And my union was one of the unions involved in the negotiations. – promoted by shayera)

The Los Angeles Daily News is reporting that 6 unions, negotiating together have come to an amiable contract agreement. Details are found in the article A sweet deal for city unions.
Speaking as a City employee and as a member of one of the unions referenced in the article, I can not verify whether or not the details of the contract as stated by the paper are correct. I haven’t seen a copy of the proposal yet.
But what I wanted to highlight was that the negotiations encompass 22,000 employees across the City.

The civilian coalition in the recent talks included Service Employees International Union Local 721, representing 9,160 workers from custodians and trash-truck drivers to street-services employees.

It also represented 9,000 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 36 employees, including clerical workers, librarians, professional medical employees, Community Redevelopment Agency workers, and mostly part-time Recreation and Parks employees.

Other unions include the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 501; Laborers International Union Local 777; Los Angeles/Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council; and Teamsters Local 911.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles has a new head. Thomas P. O’Brien, who has been heading the department since 2005, appears to be a pretty popular selection with the rest of the office.

… he is viewed as a hands-on manager who helped maintain morale and drove prosecutors at a time of disheartened staff and funding shortages.

His appointment also shores up credibility for the office at a time when the Justice Department is reeling under accusations that nine U.S. attorneys were fired for political reasons.

O’Brien replaces George S. Cardona, who replaced Debra Wong Yang. And it appears that O’Brien is being touted as a non-partisan appointee.

O’Brien is not known to be politically active or well-connected in Washington. Some legal observers have suggested the U.S. attorney scandal pushed Bush to pick O’Brien over more partisan candidates.

O’Brien has his work cut out for him. His district is the most populace in the country. And he’s also going to have to deal with personnel shortages related to a hiring freeze. The freeze has since been lifted but there are quite a few vacancies he’ll have to fill to bring the office up to full speed.
Here’s to hoping he’s one of the good guys and wishing him good luck.

This is more of a quickie, but I thought I’d get this out there for anyone interested and in the neighborhood.
From the Democratic Party if the San Fernando Valley newsletter:

United States Senator Dianne Feinstein will visit Santa Clarita to give a “Washington Report” on Tuesday, October 9, 2007. The Senator will speak at 12:00 noon during a luncheon at the Hyatt Valencia.

The City of Santa Clarita, the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Valley Industrial Association of Santa Clarita are co-hosting the luncheon for Senator Feinstein. She will be discussing issues pertinent to Santa Clarita, as well as larger national issues. This is Senator Feinstein’s first visit to Santa Clarita.

“It is an honor to this community that out of the 478 cities in California, Senator Feinstein is visiting Santa Clarita,” said Mayor Marsha McLean. “We are excited to have her here and look forward to her Washington Report.”

The luncheon cost is $40 per person and is open to the public. Check-in will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Valencia which is located at 24500 Town Center Drive.

Seating is limited. To RSVP, call the City of Santa Clarita at (661) 255-4900.

So if you’re in the area and have some free time on Tuesday, go give a listen.

The L.A. Times is staying on the dirty tricks story. And tonight they’ve got a story naming the guy behind the funding of the campaign:BREAKING NEWS: Giuliani fundraiser was mystery initiative backer

A close friend and major fundraiser of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has identified himself as the mystery financer of the proposed California initiative to apportion the state’s 55 electoral votes by congressional district instead of winner-take-all.

He is New York hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer. He said he provided the $175,000 to initially finance the petition drive to get the measure on the June 2008 ballot.

There’ll be more to come once the full article is published. Giuliani is claiming his campaign had nothing to do with it. And Howard Dean is demanding more answers.

The IRS has dropped its tax probe against All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. But the IRS also said in the letter that there are officials (unnamed) who considered the sermon in question to be illegal. The L.A. Times, in Pasadena church wants apology from IRS, takes a look at the case.

A quick review for people who might not have been following the story. In 2004, before the elections, All Saints pastor Rev. George F. Regas (who is no longer at All Saints) gave a sermon imagining if Jesus Christ was participating in a debate with the two presidential candidates. The sermon did not endorse either candidate but it did criticize the war. In June of 2005 the church received a letter from the IRS saying that it was possible the church was in violation of its tax exempt status because of that sermon. The IRS investigation had lasted almost two years. And in a letter dated September 10, 2007, All Saints was notified that the investigation was being dropped.

Paul L. Caron at Tax Prof Blog has been following the case and has many more details. All Saints has been fighting the case all along. And the Rev. J. Edwin Bacon Jr. has said that All Saints will continue to fight for clarification and an apology from the IRS. They are also asking that a Treasury Department official investigate whether the IRS had improper communications with the Justice Department in this matter.  All Saints is noted as being a liberal congregation. And there appears to be some evidence that this case was brought about for retaliatory reasons. Especially since, as we know,  conservative churches seem to have escaped the scrutiny that All Saints received.