https://youtu.be/LofU0m8OsJ4 Every second counts during an emergency response emergency vehicles rely on drivers to do their part and clear the… See the most recent messages from LASD - Malibu/Lost Hills Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff, powered by Nixle Sign up to receive messages by email & text message The primary Mission of Parking Enforcement Detail (PED) is to ensure the residents of the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County are provided with expeditious vehicle movement to help alleviate parking congestion improve the availability of parking choices and to assist the communities in addressing all parking related matters apportion scarce parking spaces for all legitimate vehicles by insuring those who violate parking regulations are properly addressed through the California Vehicle Codes (CVC) the Los Angeles County Vehicle Codes (LACoVC) and other various municipal codes Each Los Angeles County Sheriff's Station has a Parking Enforcement unit Please visit the Stations page to find your local Sheriff's Station Station Locations Please visit the LA county Sheriff's Department Pay by web site Pay by web For more street services in LA County please report your problem here: Public Works Los Angeles County To contact the proper Sheriff's station for your parking concerns and to send an email request for service; first determine who services your address by entering the area location address and click the "Find" button including Ukrainians who live in the Conejo and San Fernando valleys are expected to gather Sunday at an Agoura Hills church to mark three years of war launching attacks that still devastate the country People who gather at the Ukrainian Christian Church will look at an exhibit of photos showing first responders trying to save lives They’ll listen to an American who fought and was injured in the war And they’ll observe a moment of silence during a candlelight vigil “It will be more to remember who died,” said Iryna Shifman, an event organizer and co-founder of the Globe 4 Ukraine nonprofit “Almost everyone knows someone who was killed in this war.” Shifman immigrated from Ukraine nearly 20 years ago She lives in Agoura Hills with her husband left Ukraine and came here in 2022 after the war began they still wait for the day they will be able to go home “Every day they ask to buy tickets for them to go back,” Shifman said The Sunday event is titled “Stand Together.” It will bring calls from Shifman and others to support Ukraine It will also likely reveal frustration at President Donald Trump who this week engaged in talks with Russian officials about the war without Ukrainian representation Trump also falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war “The walls of Democracy are falling apart.. expressing hope that the White House will support her homeland “We still believe that the principle of freedom Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: To see more stories like this, subscribe. Print • The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing now spans the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills but weather issues have pushed completion to sometime in 2026.• Builders plan to cover the crossing with “engineered” soil inoculated with local microbes early next year so more than 5,000 native shrubs and wildflowers can be planted.• But the crossing won’t be connected to the mainland until Stage 2 when many tons of earth must be moved to create a safe elevated passage over one of the state’s busiest freeways It doesn’t take a hawk eye to recognize that the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills is not your normal Caltrans project For one thing, there’s the color. Most Caltrans structures are the light gray of natural concrete. But to reduce reflectivity and help the crossing blend in more with the surrounding land, the new crossing’s 27 million pounds of concrete have been colored a shade dubbed “dusty mocha” by the project’s lead designer, Robert Rock, a landscape architect for Chicago-based Rock Design Associates The official name, however, is Federal Standard Color 595-33105, a hue “inspired,” Rock said, by the soil around the crossing that will eventually provide wildlife safe passage between the Santa Monica Mountains to the south and the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to the north when the project is completed. 9:23 a.m. Oct. 29, 2024An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Robert Rock works for Living Habitats. He now has his own firm, Rock Design Associates. It also incorrectly reported that Katherine Pakradouni was the founder of the project’s nursery. She was the former manager. When the project began in 2022, the end date was projected to be late 2025, but severe rain and heat the past two years caused delays that have pushed completion to sometime in 2026, said Rock. Weather extremes can wreak havoc on construction projects, especially when they involve so much concrete, he added. Concrete molds for new signage on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Nonetheless, there’s been plenty of progress. The crossing now spans the 101, and up on the deck — 21 feet and 8 inches above the freeway — there’s a marked difference from the noise on the ground, where the traffic is so loud it’s hard to have a shouted conversation (unless all you’re saying is “What?!”). On Oct. 16, Caltrans senior bridge engineer Darwin Vargas led a group to the top of the structure, promising serenity once we stepped on the deck. He was right. At the top, the deck looks like a moonscape, and the roar of rushing cars and trucks was barely discernible, thanks to the thick, 12-foot-tall sound walls on either side of the structure, which is slightly wider than an American football field and about three-quarters its length. It’s hard to tell as you’re driving underneath, but the crossing is slightly slanted, about two feet lower on the north end than the south to help drain off any moisture, because the last thing you want on a concrete structure is a lot of standing water. This space will be off-limits to humans once the crossing is completed, with locked gates to keep people out and discreet fencing to guide wildlife away from nearby homes into the wild hills beyond. The crossing is designed to feel like an extension of the hills and valleys in the area to re-create the seamless corridor that existed before the noisy, busy freeway made passage so dangerous. That quantity of soil is enough to cover three-quarters of an American football field in about 2.5 feet of soil, he said, but on the crossing, the “ground” will be higher in some places than others, contoured to mimic the dips and dents one might find on nearby hills. The engineered soil will also be inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi spores collected within five miles of the crossing, the same spores added to the soils growing the 5,000-plus hyper-local native shrubs and wildflowers that will be planted on the crossing. The plants are considered “hyper-local” because they are grown from seeds that were collected within a five-mile radius of the structure, Rock said. Soil scientist Ted Hartsig at the special nursery growing native plants for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) “We’ve got to have the right microbes in order for these locally sourced seeds to flourish,” said Ted Hartsig, a soil scientist for the engineering company Olsson, one of many contractors working on the crossing. If all this sounds a little fiddly, well, just understand that it’s tough to mimic Mother Nature. Success is in the details, and there are more than a 100 people led by Rock trying to ensure that every detail is done correctly. After all the soil is in place, they plan to start planting early next spring, Rock said. The project has two nursery sites now: a seed bank near Paramount Ranch and the main nursery off Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, where thousands of seeds have been planted in tiny flats and then repotted to grow large enough to be planted. Native plants don’t need much water once they’re established in the ground, but growing in little pots that dry out quickly, that’s another matter, Campos said. During the highest heat, they had to water the plants twice a day to keep them alive, and they finally created a shaded area to protect tender seedlings from the heat. Most of the plants growing at the nursery will be planted on the structure next year: native shrubs such as white sage, California fuchsia, California buckwheat, sagebrush, purple sage, black sage, toyon and laurel sumac, along with a variety of native grasses. The hope is that the plants will be robust enough — thanks to the beneficial microbes — to crowd out the black mustard and other invasive plants growing nearby, Rock said. Once established, the plants shouldn’t need much water, but the crossing will have an irrigation system installed that can be activated to wet down the crossing in the event of a wildfire. Stage 2 involves creating a tunnel over Agoura Road to the south to create a gradual slope that will allow animals to wander off the crossing into the Santa Monica Mountains. To the north, a deep gash in the hill will also be filled with soil, to create a sloping entry from the Simi Hills onto the crossing. Soil scientist Ted Hartsig holds a handful of soil teeming with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi that will be used to inoculate the wildlife crossing growing media. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Those areas will have similar plantings along with native oaks and other native trees, which can’t be planted on the crossing because their roots run too deep, Rock said. The nursery is growing those plants from seed too. The plants have been moved to the growing area called the “seed bank” near Paramount Ranch, he said. The goal is to collect seeds from them until they’re ready to be moved to their permanent homes on the shoulders that link the crossing to the hills, which likely won’t be until 2026. Rock said they’re doing the planting in stages so the plants on the crossing have a year to get established before wildlife can reach them. Otherwise, the young plants could be nibbled to death by hungry travelers. The design work for Stage 2 is nearly completed, Rock said, but it will likely take a good part of 2025 to get the tunnel over Agoura Road completed. The shoulders will have to be filled in slowly, a little at a time on each side, said Vargas. Too much soil on one side could destabilize the structure, causing it to topple, he said, “which would be really, really sad.” Once the fill soil is in place, the builders will add a final layer of top soil, a rich mix that was dredged from the bottom of Malibu Lake 70 years ago and has been resting near Paramount Ranch ever since, teeming with the beneficial microbes so important to this project’s success. All that won’t happen for another year at least. On Oct. 16, the only animals on the structure were human, but high above, circling in the brilliant blue sky, a hawk was keeping tabs. Lifestyle Travel & Experiences Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map The $92-million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing continues to make progress in Agoura Hills A new aerial tour from Caltrans shows where construction now stands for the project, which will be the world's largest wildlife crossing when completed. The Los Angeles Times reports that ongoing work includes the assembly of wood forms and reinforcing rods to prepare for concrete pours Rebar is also in place for the sound walls which will wrap the sides of the bridge The more than 200-foot-long bridge, located at Liberty Canyon, will allow wildlife such as California's mountain lions to traverse from one side of the freeway to the other. The late P-22 famed for crossing both the 405 and 101 freeways to eventually reside in Griffith Park Chicago-based Rock Design Associates is designing the project which will also involve approximately 12 acres of ecological reconstruction Native plants will adorn the bridge to help it blend in with its surroundings Completion of the bridge is expected in 2026 Fundraising for the 101 crossing began in 2016, culminating in a groundbreaking for the bridge in 2022. Additional wildlife crossings could come to fruition in the near future in other corners of Southern California, with study underway for bridges above the I-5 and SR-14 freeways Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Threads / Instagram Construction crews will soon add a new layer to the Highway 101 wildlife crossing near Agoura Hills bacteria and microorganisms that call the area home The concrete structure will be covered in a horticultural soil specially designed for its weight and to support a local, native plant community, said Robert Rock, CEO and president of Rock Design Associates Experts say it could help save an isolated mountain lion population from extinction This spring, crews lifted dozens of heavy concrete beams in place to form the skeleton of the crossing They then started installing 12-foot-tall sound and light walls along the top The crossing itself and the walls are expected to be vegetated called it one of the "living layers" to make the crossing feel as natural as possible for the wildlife Plans call for a topography of dips and knolls to appeal to animals who want wide open views and others that need a more sheltered passage Detailed design plans lay out each small hill and tiny valley like a sort of complicated chess board The roughly 5,000 cubic yards of soil will range from just a foot deep in spots to as much as 4 feet deep in others Varied depths also allow for a more diverse planting palette Seeds were collected within 5 miles of the crossing bush sunflowers and dozens of other plants have been cultivated in the project's Calabasas nursery What is next for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing?Before the soil a spokesperson for the California Department of Transportation allowing moisture to flow into perforated pipes Waterproofing also is being placed on a narrow strip on the outside of the sound and light walls The design calls for plants to grow along the inside and outside of the walls essentially masking the concrete underneath The soil likely will be installed early in the new year The spot near Liberty Canyon is one of the few places left in the area that has natural habitat on both sides of the 101 The land is also publicly owned and protected from development Crossings can reduce collisions with wildlife but also add connections to other areas and reduce isolation Plants will get years to become established as construction continues Caltrans officials expect work on the first phase which includes the bridge over the freeway The agency has yet to seek bids for the second phase of construction which will include extending the crossing over Agoura Road and filling in the slopes leading to open space on either side it's going to be difficult to keep wildlife off of it," Rock said C. A. Rasmussen Inc., of Valencia, received a $23 million contract to complete the first phase of construction. More than $100 million in a mix of public funds, private grants and donations have been raised to pay for costs For live webcams and more information about the crossing, go to 101wildlifecrossing.org Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260 We're excited to partner with Tribe Physical Therapy & Performance for a free Runners Workshop if you're looking to start a new running regimen in the new year or just have a general curiousity for all things running participants can expect to learn practical strategies to reduce risk of injury review the main "runners injuries," and learn exercises to strengthen your hips This 1 hour workshop will be held at Fleet Feet Agoura We will begin promptly at 10AM and conclude at 11AM Nati will stick around to answer any additional questions you may have RSVP Here! See the latest from Fleet Feet Agoura Hills 2024 at 6:00 pm PT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The city of Agoura Hills reported the Ramirez Fire on X at 4:31 p.m Saturday and said it was near the Ventura (101) Freeway and Agoura Road on Ladyface Mountain CA — Los Angeles County firefighters stopped the forward progress of a five-acre brush fire Saturday in Agoura Hills amid a Red Flag Warning for strong winds in the Santa Monica Mountains and San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys The city of Agoura Hills reported the Ramirez Fire on X at 4:31 p.m the city reported firefighters were holding the fire at about five acres and that helicopters were making good progress with water drops Forward progress of the fire was reported stopped at 5:21 p.m with fire units expected to remain to mop up power was not shut off and no evacuations were ordered Fleet Feet Agoura Hills is partnering with Asics to introduce the new Novablast 5 and kick off 2025 in style!  Join us on Wednesday, January 29th at 6:30PM, at Naughty Pine Brewing Co. to demo a pair You will have the option to choose between a 5k route or a 5 mile route though feel free to run any distance that suits your needs.  Asics will have free themed t-shirts for the first 50 participants who arrive be prepared to enjoy 1 free beverage and 1 food item Stick around after the event to relax with Restore Hyperwellness as they will be on-site providing complimentary compression services and special membership offers we will be raffling several exciting prizes...including a chance or two to win a pair of the coveted Novablast 5 RSVP! he may one day lead Agoura Hills’ biggest parade of the year Emhoff is the spouse of Vice President Kamala Harris who is vying to become the first woman president of the United States She's set to formally accept her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention that launches Monday in Chicago is expected to speak to a primetime audience during the convention he’ll become the nation’s first first gentleman He would also be the first Jewish spouse of a president Emhoff would be the only Agoura High Charger ever wed to arguably most powerful person in the world “We’re tickled pink about it,” said Illece Buckley Weber Buckley has this idea about Reyes Adobe Days She wants Emhoff to be part of the annual parade one year “We would love him to be the grand marshal,” she said already the nation’s first second gentleman He campaigns in support of Harris in appearances ranging from Los Angeles to Eau Claire speaking out against antisemitism while fighting for gender equity and reproductive rights The high-powered entertainment lawyer made headlines for saying “that’s all he’s got?” after former President Donald Trump criticized his wife He was in the news again after acknowledging an affair during his first marriage His family moved to Westlake Village when he was 16 He enrolled at Agoura High School during his junior year and graduated in 1982 The yearbook shows he was part of the school newspaper His senior photo reveals him with curly hair Though a school employee declined to share another yearbook photo for fear it would be embarrassing she said it showed Emhoff leading a conga line during a vice versa dance the dance flips the tables with girls asking boys to be their dates Bill Gillette hung out in the same circles as Emhoff They took several of the same classes at Agoura High both graduated in ’82 and ended up at Cal State Northridge “He’s way smarter than I am,” Gillette said with a laugh Gillette drove Emhoff and two others friends in a Nissan Sentra that lacked air-conditioning They motored to Las Vegas to celebrate New Year’s Eve He remembers him being supportive and comfortable with a complementary role “He’s the ultimate wingman,” Gillette said Emhoff graduated from Northridge in 1987 and earned a law degree from USC three years later representing clients including NFL athletes He and Harris met when she was California's attorney general Harris' best friend helped arrange a blind date Their first contact came when Emhoff texted her from a Lakers game She's a sports fan too but roots for the Golden State Warriors They married less than a year later at the Santa Barbara Courthouse in 2014 won gold in the long jump in the Paris Olympics earlier this month Other former Chargers include actress Heather Graham and musicians Rob Bourdon Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson who formed the band Linkin Park Deborah Klein Lopez invited Emhoff to be part of the ground-breaking ceremony for the wildlife bridge being built over Highway 101 wants to invite him to the bridge's opening ceremony after the project's planned completion in 2026 He came to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks in June speaking about gender pay equity in a panel held at the campus training facility used by the professional women’s soccer team Angel City FC “He talked about being from right around the corner,” said team co-investor Lorrie Fair Allen She met Emhoff on a delegation to New Zealand for last year’s World Cup Emhoff stirs complicated emotions for some senior rabbi of Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks He’s never met the nation’s second gentleman but feels a connection That part of the bond simultaneously excites Averbach and makes him hold his breath He cited the tendency for people to unfurl a widespread blanket of blame and use Jews as scapegoats “During COVID we got things in the mail that blamed Jews.” Averbach's anxious about the election's repercussions but expressed hope people look beyond race and religion Other former Chargers focus on the history Emhoff could achieve Gillette imagines his former classmate in rooms once used by Abraham Lincoln “He’s going to be living in the White House.. SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: To see more stories like this, subscribe 2025 at 7:57 pm PT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A man walks his dog on the edge of the Los Angeles River CA — The most powerful storm of the season is barrelling toward Los Angeles prompting city and county leaders to issue a widespread flood watch and evacuation orders and warnings for communities afflicted by recent wildfires All of Los Angeles County is on flood watch from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening as the storm is expected to drop as much as four inches of rain in some parts of the Los Angeles "The time period of greatest concern is overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning Rainfall amounts are predicted to be from 1-2 inches on the coasts and valleys and 2-4 inches in the foothills and mountain areas," Los Angeles Emergency Management Department warned especially if you are in an area impacted by the recent wildfires." Residents living in the burn areas of the Eaton Sunset and Hurst fires are particularly susceptible to flooding and mudslides and should be prepared to evacuate the Los Angeles Fire Department officials warned The evacuation orders will be in effect from 7 a.m Residents under evacuation orders and high risk areas will be visited at home by Los Angeles Police Department officers Residents in the evacuation warning zones may choose to leave preemptively or be prepared to leave on a moment's notice Fire officials said the following burn areas were "especially susceptible to heavy rain": Sunset Fire: East and south of Runyon Canyon; Hurst Fire: Olive Lane in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park; Caltrans will close a segment of Pacific Coast Highway to residents and businesses in burn scar areas at noon Wednesday Army Corps of Engineers contractors will be allowed to pass It's not yet clear when PCH will reopen to residents and businesses Caltrans and other officials will reassess the situation Thursday to determine if the highway can reopen to residents and businesses with passes by Friday for morning commute LA County Public Works crews have prepared debris basins and reinforced drainage systems to reduce flood risk particularly in recent burn areas including Eaton the storm could still bring moderate debris and mudflows to burn areas potentially blocking streets and threatening structures depending on their location and the local terrain," the department said LA County Public Works has activated 24/7 storm patrols and remains fully mobilized," officials added County's Mudflow Advice Hotline can be reached at 800-933-0930 the county advised residents to visit READY.LACounty.gov rainfall was expected to range from one-third to two-thirds of an inch from the coast to the mountains with local amounts exceeding one inch in the mountains A cold front will move over the area overnight Wednesday into early Thursday "Lighter precipitation will develop on Wednesday with the most likely time for more widespread and heavier precipitation with the cold front for late Wednesday night into Thursday morning," the NWS said This system will also likely be the biggest snow maker of the season with 1 to 2 feet of snow forecast for higher elevations "Steady rain will turn to showers Thursday The snow levels will drop to around 3,000 ft and a few inches of snow is possible over the Grapevine and other lower elevations passes," the NWS said gusty southwest to west winds will develop Wednesday night and continue through Thursday night with daytime highs dropping to around 60 degrees in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday and around 55 on Thursday and Friday Overnight lows will generally be in the 40s and lower 50s but will drop into the 30s on Thursday and Friday in the mountains and the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley A weaker storm system moving inland to the north on Friday could keep some showers going into Friday night things dry out and warm up for the weekend The Los Angeles Emergency Management Department urges residents to prepare ahead of time by: City News Service contributed to this report Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. 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Print Dozens of people gathered outside the Calabasas Landfill in Agoura Hills on Saturday morning to protest plans to dump up to 5,000 tons of debris per day as part of a massive cleanup operation following the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires last month 2025An earlier version of this story said that the Badlands Sanitary Landfill and Lamb Canyon Landfill in Riverside County were among the sites that would be receiving fire debris in the second phase of cleanup These two landfills are not accepting fire debris The protest comes as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week began the second phase of cleanup from the Eaton and Palisades fires which destroyed more than 9,400 structures in Altadena The Calabasas Landfill is one of at least seven nonhazardous waste landfills in Southern California approved to accept waste — including chimneys hazardous trees and fire debris and ash — from this latest cleanup phase the county last week approved a waiver extending the landfill’s hours of operation and increasing the daily tonnage limit from 3,500 tons per day to 5,000 The demonstration came a day after the Calabasas City Council sent a letter to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors expressing its “strong opposition” to any fire debris being transported to and disposed of at the landfill wildlife corridors and other sensitive locations state and federal officials to explore other disposal options including redirecting waste to low-population areas outside the state “The City Council is compelled to echo public sentiment that the urgency of the recovery phase and efforts to remediate one disaster is laying the foundation for future public health and environmental catastrophes that will affect Calabasas residents,” city leaders wrote The council has directed the Calabasas city attorney to seek injunctive relief at the state or federal level The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began the first phase of the fire debris cleanup Jan removing hazardous materials such as paint lithium ion batteries and asbestos from the burned areas An Environmental Protection Agency crew member combs through the ruins of homes burned in the Palisades fire (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The agency is transporting hazardous materials to temporary staging areas: Lario Park in Irwindale and the Altadena Golf Course for debris from the Eaton fire and the former Topanga Ranch Motel and Will Rogers State Beach for the Palisades fire secured and packaged for transport to permitted disposal facilities Residents and leaders from L.A. County’s foothill communities have raised concerns about the health and environmental risks that could be posed by the Lario Park site Irwindale and Baldwin Park last month expressing their joint opposition to the use of the site The EPA said it would take steps to ensure safety at the Lario Park site the use of a water truck to suppress dust and emissions and continued environmental testing of the site after it closes The fire ash and debris collected during the second phase of cleanup will be carted into lined trucks and driven to approved landfills — which El Sobrante Landfill in Corona and Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar The cleanup will include thousands of contractors from the Army Corps and private firms working to dispose of as much as 4.5 million tons of fire debris The demonstration Saturday was organized by Protect Calabasas which also plans to seek an injunction to halt dumping of fire debris at the landfill while the issue moves through the courts Law enforcement officers arrived about 30 minutes into the protest to prevent the group from blocking traffic near the landfill according to participant Kelly Rapf Martino The group later marched down Lost Hills Road holding signs with hand-scrawled slogans like No toxic dumping in Calabasas!” and eventually arriving at a nearby Erewhon market “We are very concerned about the microscopic particles that are in the ash and debris being dumped into a landfill in a residential community,” said Martino a mother of two and member of Protect Calabasas who lives in a neighborhood at the base of the landfill She said she is especially concerned about harmful asbestos particles potentially ending up at the dump Brian Sawser from the Army Corps during the Calabasas City Council meeting Wednesday He explained that before beginning the cleanup process the Army Corps would walk the ground of every property looking for any visible hazardous materials and then chip test every house for asbestos they would abate the entire site according to state and federal regulations and remove any asbestos-containing materials which would then go a waste stream not headed for the Calabasas Landfill he could not be 100% certain that hazardous materials would not end up in the landfill saying: “I taught probability and statistics at West Point so I’m going to be hard-pressed to be 100% certain in anything.” Members of Protect Calabasas are calling on residents to protest outside of the landfill again Monday morning when trucks hauling fire debris could start arriving “We are just a bunch of moms looking to protect our kids not wanting this to become some huge thing in 20 years when a bunch of kids are sick and we have to sue for damages,” Martino said “We’re trying to stop that before that happens.” This article is part of The Times’ equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic divide. Rebecca Plevin reports on equity for the Los Angeles Times. Before joining The Times, she was an editor at the Fresno Bee, where she oversaw the bilingual Central Valley News Collaborative. She previously reported on immigration for the Desert Sun in Palm Springs and covered healthcare for public radio station KPCC-FM (89.3) in Pasadena. She grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and earned her journalism degree from Northwestern University. California Sports Climate & Environment 2025: An earlier version of this story said that the Badlands Sanitary Landfill and Lamb Canyon Landfill in Riverside County were among the sites that would be receiving fire debris in the second phase of cleanup Two chains are opening restaurants in Moorpark: WaBa Grill and Mountain Mike's Pizza Both chains have other sites in Ventura County longtime Ladyface Brewery and its on-site eatery Tavern Tomoko closed Dec Mountain Mike’s Pizza will open soon at The Village at Moorpark Shopping Center, according to a banner on the building at 754 New Los Angeles Ave. and the chain's website, mountainmikespizza.com A representative couldn't be reached for comment The Moorpark site will be the second Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Ventura County Pizzas at the mountain-themed restaurant vary from an all-meat combo called Pikes Peak to a vegetarian one Other pizzas offer variations on pepperoni The chain, which began in 1978 in Palo Alto, has 300 locations across the western U.S., according to its website The rice bowl chain will be at LA Spring Shopping Center Boparai co-owns a WaBa Grill that opened in 2019 on Channel Islands Boulevard in Oxnard and another launched in 2022 on East Daily Drive in Camarillo The new WaBa Grill will be located in an 1,858-square-foot space previously occupied by Sprint, according to a staff report for the Moorpark Planning Commission There will be seating for more than 40 customers The space is bigger than the Oxnard and Camarillo restaurants The Moorpark location will be the ninth WaBa Grill in Ventura County. Boparai said he doesn't co-own the six other restaurants, which, according to locations.wabagrillcom include two others in Oxnard and sites in Simi Valley The chain’s rice bowls feature grilled meat such as steak along with fresh vegetables and organic tofu Tavern Tomoko closeLongtime Agoura Hills business Ladyface Brewery and its on-site restaurant The business celebrated its final months with special events such as a farewell party Dec. 14, according to owner Pete Lee and his team's post on Facebook Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie helped to launch the craft-beer scene in Los Angeles and Ventura counties when it opened in 2009 in an Agoura Hills shopping center bought the combination brewery and restaurant from its founder Tavern Tomoko served Japanese dishes, cooked over hot coals, and American gastropub fare such as burgers, as well as cocktails with Japanese versions of whisky, bourbon and gin, according to the menus at www.taverntomoko.com Ladyface produced a variety of India pale ales and a Japanese pale ale called "Anime." “This journey has been filled with countless memories laughter and cherished moments that we will hold dear forever,” Lee and his team wrote in their Facebook post announcing the closure Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232 Grabbin Stuffies and Stealin Hearts since January 4th This sweet girl has been overlooked long enough She’s ready to take her stuffies home with you she could do well with another calmer dog.  Meet this wonderful husky mix and all her adoptable friends Care Center Hours:Monday-Saturday 11am-5pmClosed* on Sunday and holidays Firefighters are battling a brush fire in Agoura Hills according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department It was burning in the area of a previous blaze The area remains under a red flag warning due to weather bringing increased wildfire risks LA County Fire officials said there were no threats and no evacuations underway at that time On Friday The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity in Malibu and the Santa Monica Santa Monica Mountains from Friday to today The city also closed Charmlee Wilderness Park and Trancas Canyon Park for hazardous fire weather Southern California Edison (SCE) also implemented Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) on Malibu Canyon Ramirez Fire currently no threat to Topanga as this fire is quite a bit to the west of us We will monitor progress but won't be posting regular updates unless the situation changes Los Angeles County Fire is currently responding to a brush fire near the 101-freeway and Agoura Rd. on Ladyface Mountain. There are no immediate threats to structures at this time. We will continue to keep the community updated. pic.twitter.com/T5cTv7H37g This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Caltrans released a new drone video of the $92 million wildlife crossing taking shape over the 101 in Agoura Hills Have you driven past the construction recently Watch the video below to see the wildlife crossing at its current construction stage The video shows multiple angles of the construction with Agoura Hills traffic moving unobstructed in both directions as local populations are suffering from inbreeding and vehicle collisions Connections will be reestablished between key wildlife areas including the Santa Monica Mountains Renderings show the crossing blending in seamlessly with the surrounding landscape serving to aid an ecosystem that’s been severely degraded by human development Print A mountain lion was found dead Saturday morning on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills not far from a wildlife crossing being built to reduce the number of cougar fatalities The puma’s body was discovered about 5 a.m in the far right lane of the freeway near Liberty Canyon Road according to the California Highway Patrol Troopers moved the cougar to the shoulder of the highway and enlisted the help of California Fish and Wildlife which confirmed Saturday morning that it collected the mountain lion’s body for gathering DNA The cougar, which was not wearing a monitoring collar, was killed near the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a $92-million passageway that extends over the busy 10-lane freeway regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation It was likely hit by a car; she said there was fresh blood on the freeway She said not much else is yet known about the mountain lion The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is under construction in Agoura Hills on Saturday (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) “Obviously we have a solution coming but it didn’t come soon enough for this cat,” Pratt said “This is just another harsh reminder that this is the right place [for the crossing].” Construction of the wildlife passage began in 2022 It is considered the largest wildlife crossing in the world in a much-needed area where mountain lions are known to attempt to cross there are signs that other animals are using the crossing officials hope to begin adding soil and plants to the crossing so that it blends into the environment and creates a safe space for the animals Ten lanes of freeway traffic pass below the construction site of the $92-million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing on Saturday (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) In January a female mountain lion often seen patrolling the mountains in Orange County was killed after being struck by a vehicle on a road near the Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve had been tagged by researchers in 2021 when she was about 2 years old In January 2023, mountain lion P-81 was killed on Pacific Coast Highway, probably struck by a car, the National Park Service announced. The 4-year-old male cougar’s remains were collected on PCH near Las Posas Road in Ventura County Melissa Gomez is an enterprise reporter on the State Team who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2018. She reports on a range of news and issues, with a special focus on the Central Valley. She previously covered education and the 2020 presidential campaign at The Times. A native Floridian, she graduated from the University of Florida. Print A vision to provide safe passage for mountain lions above 10 lanes of whizzing traffic near Los Angeles faced a foe: time Genetically isolated pumas hemmed in by the 101 Freeway were showing birth defects and needed an outlet fast Wednesday saw the launch of California Wildlife Reconnected, an initiative dreamed up by Gov. Gavin Newsom, state agencies and nonprofits to leverage public and private resources to develop and swiftly implement a statewide plan for wildlife connectivity. “There’s been a growing awareness in California as we’re working to protect our nature, our biodiversity, that we can’t just restore and protect habitat; We actually have to build connectivity between habitat,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency, which hosted a news conference announcing the initiative. Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change evinced by an increase in state and federal investment “Sometimes that [public] funding can’t be allocated quickly enough to get these projects planned so that they can be up and running quickly,” Crowfoot said. “We know that we’re in a race against time regarding these climate impacts and other stressors on habitat.” (The initiative dovetails with the state’s goal to conserve 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030 Crowfoot described it as “a philanthropic effort to turbocharge the wildlife crossings movement.” Beth Pratt California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation who raised millions for the crossing over the 101 — the largest structure of its kind in the world — is one of the forces behind the public-private initiative Pratt founded the Wildlife Crossing Fund a nonprofit that aims to raise $500 million to match public funding to start knocking out projects in California and beyond Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg has pledged a $10-million matching grant One project slated to benefit from the initiative is a wildlife crossing geared toward mule deer migrating across Highway 395 near Mammoth — “a huge deer kill area,” Pratt said while on the California leg of a road trip intended to raise awareness for connectivity issues. She said the initiative is committed to funding final design and engineering, with the possibility of starting construction in 2027. New aerial footage shows the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing starting to take form over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills the initiative aims to build crossings for more minute critters too Pratt said they’ve hoping to get a Yosemite toad crossing at Tioga Pass similar to one already in place at Sonora Pass Funding is one major piece of the puzzle; planning is another California Wildlife Reconnected was modeled on a Florida effort that brought together elected officials nongovernmental organizations and business partners to create a statewide plan to create a wildlife corridor “We … have a responsibility to integrate planning for wildlife connectivity moving forward,” Crowfoot said finding that most barriers were related to state highways but that railways and canals also pose challenges U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California announced proposed federal legislation earlier this summer to support wildlife connectivity Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives All the hype around wildlife crossings is relatively new “It’s a really different flavor than it was, you know, I’d say even three years ago,” said Neal Sharma, senior manager of the Wildlife Conservation Network’s California Wildlife Program The nonprofit has pledged $1 million to the Wildlife Crossing Fund Part of the credit for galvanizing the movement is owed to a charismatic public figure — a late mountain lion known as P-22 P-22’s historic stint in Griffith Park, a wilderness area in Los Angeles, captured the hearts of residents and helped elevate the plight of pumas hemmed in by freeways and development. A mountain lion spotted at the edge of Griffith Park last month recalled the park’s former feline king, P-22. If the new cougar stays, he’ll face the same challenges as his predecessor. Lila Seidman is a reporter focused on California wildlife and the outdoors for the Los Angeles Times. Since joining The Times in 2020, she has investigated mental health policy and jumped on breaking news. A native Angeleno, Seidman holds a bachelor’s degree from Reed College and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University. a 2-year-old male husky with a goofy personality and a heart of gold active boy who would thrive with a family that lives an on-the-go lifestyle Come meet Maverick and his other adoptable friends today Ring camera video captures an untagged mountain lion in Agoura Hills Print While Peggy McClintick and wife Sally Tuchman slept an unexpected visitor prowled in their Agoura Hills yard McClintick checked her phone around 3:30 a.m last Thursday to find a notification that a person was detected by a security camera at her Agoura Hills home The camera had been triggered at 11:30 the night before; it could have been caused by someone in a nearby driveway She decided to check the footage anyway — and “completely freaked out.” Their Ring camera had captured video of a mountain lion leaping easily from a small yard covered with artificial turf onto a cement wall It jumps off and is swallowed by the night and they stayed awake the rest of the night going over the implications of what they had seen It’s not unusual for one of them to walk their roughly 20-pound goldendoodle It’s dark as they round the corner until a motion sensor light switches on “We feel like we have to now completely change our habits like we cannot take him out after dark on that side yard anymore,” Tuchman said this week just look at that spot that she was on and just absolutely panic,” she said “because it is so close to our everyday lives.” The couple refer to the cougar as “she” based on the video which they believe shows a female mountain lion McClintick and Tuchman’s home is less than a mile from an expansive urban wildlife crossing being built over the 101 Freeway in an effort to provide safe passage for cougars and other critters The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is intended to provide a genetic lifeline for isolated lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, which have shown defects from inbreeding and could face extinction without intervention. Jeremy Wolf, an Agoura Hills City Council member, said the recent video of the mountain lion instilled in him a sense of hope that the crossing would have a positive impact. “The main star showed up,” said Wolf, who has long been involved with the project. “They’re around there.” In about a year and a half, when the corridor is expected to be completed, “it will have a crossing to be able to get back and forth,” he added. “For it to be that close that soon, it filled me with hope and inspiration to really continue championing the project.” Last week, the final girder was installed on the crossing, completing the foundation and marking a construction milestone. The National Park Service, which has reviewed video footage of the sighting, is taking the claim seriously, according to spokesperson Ana Beatriz Cholo. Wolf alerted the National Park Service and the National Wildlife Federation about the sighting. McClintick and Tuchman reported it to the Cougar Conservancy. The lion does not appear to be wearing a collar or tag, indicating it’s not being tracked or studied by scientists. McClintick was Wolf’s music teacher growing up, and she sent him the mountain lion video — knowing his enthusiasm for the subject. McClintick said she and Tuchman see the crossing as a good thing, even as they recover from the shock of having a big cat so close to their living quarters. “We just feel we have to coexist, right?” she said. She didn’t think a wild animal would jump into their yard, however, which didn’t seem that easy to access, even for those with four muscular legs. It’s steep on the other side of the wall depicted in the video. “I was proven wrong,” she said. “I guess wild animals do jump into your backyard.” World & Nation CA — James Ely was installed as Postmaster of Agoura Hills Postmaster General Louis DeJoy administered the Oath of Office to Ely alongside 49 other Postmasters throughout California “It is a great honor to serve Agoura Hills as your new Postmaster In my years with the United States Postal Service I have seen firsthand the role the Postal Service plays connecting neighbors and our community to the nation Our Post Office serves as a lifeline for our small businesses to reach customers no matter where they are “Under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s leadership and Delivering for America we are maintaining universal six-day mail delivery and spurring innovation to meet the needs of our modern customers,” said Ely “Postmaster” carries with it both a Noble Heritage and a Vital Responsibility the word Postmaster was referred as the one who provided post horses postmaster means “master of the posts the officer who has charge or direction of the posts.” William Penn established Pennsylvania’s first post office in 1683 the real beginnings of a postal system in the colonies dates from 1692 when Thomas Neale received a 21-year grant from the British Crown authorizing him to set up post roads in North America the British Government bought the rights to the North American postal service consolidated the postal service into one establishment The principal offices of the new British Postal Service were in London Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster at Philadelphia helped expand mail service from Canada to New York and instituted overnight delivery between Philadelphia and New York City Franklin was dismissed from office because of his efforts on behalf of the patriots When the Continental Congress met in May 1775 they named Franklin as postmaster general for the 13 American colonies Postmasters were appointed by the postmaster general postmasters were appointed by the president but this of course changed whenever a new party was elected with the signing of the Postal Reorganization Act that the patronage system was finally removed from the postal service once and for all Postmasters began being appointed on merit alone The act also permitted upward mobility for line employees allowing them to be promoted to the position of Postmaster there have been several famous individuals Abraham Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem Other notable individuals who served as postmaster included abolitionist John Brown The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage restore long-term financial sustainability dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands Copyright© 2025 United States Postal Service Gov. Gavin Newsom said construction crews are now more than halfway through installing the beams that form the crossing.AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- The wildlife crossing being built over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills is on track to open by early 2026. Ahead of National Infrastructure Week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that construction crews are now more than halfway through installing the beams that form the crossing. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is part of Newsom's infrastructure agenda to build more, faster. Last month, the first of 82 large concrete beams went up over the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon Road. The crossing will be one of the largest crossings of its kind in the world, stretching 210 feet over 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway. It aims to provide a connection between the population of mountain lions and other wildlife to the larger and more genetically diverse populations to the north. Print Caltrans will close half of the 101 Freeway starting next week in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills All lanes in one direction will be closed at a time according to the California Department of Transportation The lanes will be closed each night for five hours starting at 11:59 p.m The bridge will be the largest wildlife crossing of its kind and is aimed at saving a threatened population of mountain lions. Experts estimate that more than 500 mountain lions have been killed on California highways over the last eight years, a rate that scientists suggest may exceed the reproductive rate of the animals. who lived in the heart of Los Angeles for a decade and became the face of an international campaign to save California’s threatened puma population was euthanized because of injuries and long-term health concerns The lanes are expected to be closed for about two to three weeks in one direction before switching over to the lanes on the other direction The closures are expected to last a total of 30 to 45 days from the starting date Crews will be installing steel girders — long boxes of reinforced concrete — over the freeway in order to build the vegetated bridge The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing has a projected cost of $92 million, half of it raised from donors. Based in a suburb of Chicago, Tim Burke covers hardware stores and retailing. He enjoys reading, trying out coffee shops and taking walks by the ocean with his wife, Ann. The company currently owns and operates more than 155 stores in 12 states Westlake Ace Hardware announced it has signed a lease agreement to open a new store in Agoura Hills Agoura Hills is a town of 20,000 located in the Santa Monica Mountains region northwest of Los Angeles near Thousand Oaks The store will feature 14,000 square feet of retail space [When is it Time to Buy a Hardware Store? Find out HERE.] Renovations to the space will begin in the summer of 2024 with an anticipated soft opening by late 2024 “We are thrilled to show our new customers in Agoura Hills how we live the ‘Ace Helpful Promise’ every day through reliable service and the products they need to get their projects done right,” said Joe Jeffries president and CEO of Westlake Ace Hardware Westlake Ace currently owns and operates six locations in La Crescenta In addition to the new Agoura Hills location the hardware retailer reported that it plans to open stores in Glendale The new store will offer services such as key cutting and propane tank exchange; and Ace Hardware of Agoura Hills said it will also sell lawn and garden supplies The store will feature several specialty departments and store-within-a-store concepts selling brands such as: Benjamin Moore and Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines paints; Stihl Ego and Milwaukee outdoor power equipment; Milwaukee DeWalt and Craftsman power tools; and more Ace Hardware of Agoura Hills will be located in the Twin Oaks Shopping Center “We are excited to be joining this community as a friend a trusted neighbor and an employer,” said Jeffries.