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EPA looking to shut down 2 cesspools at L.A. County mobile home park

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has filed a complaint against the operator of a mobile home park in Acton, alleging that the park is using two large unlawful cesspools to collect untreated raw sewage.The complaint identifies Eric Hauck as the operator of Cactus Creek Mobile Home Park in Acton. He's also identified as a trustee of Acton Holding Trust.The EPA alleges that Hauck has two illegal cesspools on the property, despite large capacity cesspools being banned by the environmental agency more than 15 years ago.Cesspools, according to the EPA, collect and discharge waterborne pollutants like untreated raw sewage into the ground. The practice of using cesspools can lead to disease-causing pathogens to be introduced to local water sources, including groundwater, lakes, streams and oceans.They were banned by the EPA in April 2005 under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Underground Injection Control program.EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said ...

LAPD asking for public's help regarding killing of man in North Hollywood

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department are asking for the public’s help in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the person or persons involved in the killing of a 44-year-old man in North Hollywood.  The incident occurred on Mar. 12, at around 1:20 a.m., when officers responded to the 7200 block of Bellaire Avenue on reports of a traffic collision.  When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the victim, identified as Artak Agababyan, in the driver’s seat of a newer model white Jeep Wrangler.  Agababyan was suffering from a "sharp-force injury" to his upper body, LAPD said in a news release.  Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and Agababyan was declared dead at the scene.  Authorities have no suspect information at this time.  Valley Bureau Homicide detectives are asking anyone who may have observed activity in the area of Raymer Street, between Coldwater Canyon and Bellaire Avenue, to come forward. ...

California bill aims to provide more protection for employees facing layoffs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

Amid mass layoffs in the tech industry, a new California bill aims to give impacted workers better advance notice.The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), would require California employers to alert employees of mass layoffs 90 days before they happen and prohibit employers from forcing employees to sign their rights away in exchange for severance pay.Twitter, for example, allowed employees to receive severance pay if they signed notices that prohibited them from speaking out against or suing the company, owner Elon Musk, or Twitter management, the Los Angeles Times reported. California lawmaker proposes bill to limit the risk of homelessness for state renters “Innovative industries like tech are a critical part of our state’s economy, and we know that tech companies start here and grow here because of our highly skilled workforce,” Haney said in a statement.  “This bill is about protecting that workforce, from the engineers to the janitors, and ma...

Victim identified in Los Angeles hit-and-run; driver still at large

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

Authorities continue to search for a driver who allegedly plowed into two pedestrians in Pico Rivera late Sunday night, killing one of them, and then fled the scene.The crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. near the intersection of Rooks and Rose Hills roads, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Two women were walking southbound on the curb of Rooks Road when they were struck by a vehicle traveling in the same direction. The driver took off, continuing south and out of view, officials said.Los Angeles County firefighters responded and provided life-saving measures, but one of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Coroner identified her as Yesenia Sanchez, 36, of Los Angeles.The other victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.No further details about the incident, including information about the suspect vehicle, were released.Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Pico Rivera sheriff’s station at 562-949-2...

Flood fighters race to plug 360-foot levee breach along Pajaro River as next storm roars closer

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

PAJARO – Dump trucks stuffed with potato-sized rocks and half-ton boulders lined up along a strawberry field here Monday, all racing against time – and another oncoming storm – to help fill a destructive break in the Pajaro River.Truck drivers made 120-mile round trips to quarries in Cupertino and Greenfield that normally shut down at 3:30 p.m. but promised to stay open into the night.“My dispatcher told me, ‘You better pack a lunch,’” said Todd Mosley, waiting for his turn to empty his truck and help plug another section of what the day before was a 360-foot wide breach.By midday Monday, boulders had filled in about 100 feet. The rest was an open spigot of muddy water, still flowing freely into the streets of the nearby Pajaro. It was too late to save the town from rising waters that have plagued it before. The quest now is to keep the river from doing even more damage.State water department workers start repairing the failed Pajaro River levee in Pajaro, California on Monday, Marc...

Court upholds most of Prop 22 in win for Uber, Lyft

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

By Kellen Browning | New York TimesA California appeals court said on Monday that Proposition 22, the ballot measure passed by state voters in 2020 that classified Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, should remain state law.The decision by three appeals court judges overturned the ruling last year by a California Superior Court judge, who said the proposition was “unenforceable.” It was a victory for companies like Uber, which use gig drivers to transport passengers and deliver food, but do not pay costs that an employer would have to. Those costs can include drivers’ unemployment insurance, health insurance and business expenses.Still, the appeals court ruling was not the final say. The Service Employees International Union, which, along with several drivers, filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition 22 in early 2021, is expected to appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court, which would then have several months to decide whether to hea...

Warriors optimistic Gary Payton II could return at some point this season

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II took an important step in his recovery from a core muscle injury in the last week. Payton recently returned to various non-contact, on-court activities, including shooting, and his workload is expected to intensify in the coming days, the Warriors announced Monday. Payton has yet to play for Golden State since the reigning champs acquired him in a four-team deal at the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but the most recent update has given the team increased hope that he could be back at some point this season, coach Steve Kerr said. Payton, who admitted to playing through abdominal pain earlier this season after having offseason surgery to repair a core muscle injury, has been “doing well,” according to Kerr. “There’s definitely hope and optimism that he’ll be able to play at some point,” Kerr said. Payton, a key rotational piece in last year’s title run, could help provide a defensive lift as they’re amid a t...

Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse undercuts key engine of Bay Area economy

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has stripped the Bay Area’s startup industry — a key driver of the region’s economy — of a crucial source of funding that for decades has fueled innovation and growth.  “The failure of Silicon Valley Bank leaves an enormous void,” said Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a business-backed policy and advocacy organization. “Looking at their role in lending to startups, where funding wasn’t otherwise available, this has driven economic growth here for 40 years.”The startup-focused institution headquartered in Santa Clara imploded Friday after a bank run sparked by news of losses in its investments. The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation shut the bank down and appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver to hold its assets for future sale.Before it went under, Silicon Valley Bank said it provided banking services for nearly half Am...

Maine lobster industry groups sue Monterey aquarium

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

By Patrick Whittle | Associated PressPORTLAND, Maine — A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state.Industry groups including Maine Lobstermen’s Association are suing the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California for defamation, arguing in a lawsuit filed Monday that their prized catch shouldn’t be on a “red list” published by Seafood Watch, a conservation program it operates.Last year, Seafood Watch put lobster from the U.S. and Canada on its list of seafood to avoid due to the threat posed to rare whales by entanglement in fishing gear used to harvest American lobster, the species that makes up most of the U.S. lobster market.Endangered North American right whales number only about 340 and they’ve declined in recent years.But the lobster industry is arguing to the U.S. District Court in Maine that the aquarium&...

Teen rescued from suspected sex trafficker in San Pablo

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:40:20 GMT

PINOLE, Calif. (KRON) -- A man was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking of a minor in San Pablo Wednesday, according to the Pinole Police Department. Two students arrested for knives on campus days after fatal student stabbing at MHS After midnight on Wednesday, PPD received a report that a 16-year-old runaway was possibly being sex trafficked by a man in at a house in Pinole. Officers went to the house, but they were not able to find the minor. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KRON4 Breaking News SIGN UP NOW The Criminal Investigation Division was able to find the minor at a house in San Pablo. The minor was at the house with an 18-year-old man. Investigators interviewed the minor with the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office Human Trafficking...