Erin Stone

California

Climate Reporter at LAist

climate emergency reporter at NPR-affiliate @LAist (formerly known as KPCC). prev: @azcentral @sfchronicle @Dallas_Observer @mwtnews. ✉️ [email protected]

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Articles

Testing finds high lead levels in Eaton and Palisades fire burn zones

5 days ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

The L.A. County Department of Public Health has found high levels of lead in the soil of properties that burned during January’s fires and have now been cleared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The county initiated the testing after the Army Corps said it would not do the testing itself, breaking with a longstanding practice of the federal government doing that work. Army Corps officials said removing up to 6 inches of topsoil would be enough to eliminate hazardous chemicals.
Vibe check: This new Pasadena bakery is blowing up on TikTok

5 days ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

There’s a new bakery on the block, and it’s blowing up on TikTok. soft opened in Pasadena last week, and lines have been out the door since. The place has gained tens of thousands of followers on and , with many patrons following the baking journey of owner on social media over the years. And now they’re excited to taste her pastries in real life. Joanna Cabrera made the trek from South L.A. to the Colorado Boulevard spot on a recent morning.
As toxic algae harms more marine life, LA County looks to develop a long-term plan

1 week ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion Tuesday to help address a growing crisis of toxic algae sickening and killing sea life. Over the last three months, hundreds of pelicans, sea lions, dolphins — and even some whales — have been sickened or killed by domoic acid poisoning, a toxin that occurs naturally in certain types of algae. Experts say it’s likely Southern California’s worst toxic algae outbreak ever.
LA County declares hepatitis A outbreak

1 week ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

Public health officials say cases of hepatitis A have more than tripled in L.A. County since 2023, prompting the county to declare an outbreak. Last year, 165 cases were identified; there have been 29 to date this year. Typically, the county sees 30 to 50 cases a year. Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that affects the liver.
Tens of thousands of LA County union workers are now on strike

2 weeks ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

LAist relies on reader donations to power our nonprofit newsroom. Support LAist by giving now . Tens of thousands of L.A. County workers have walked off the job and are now on strike. It is expected to last through Wednesday. The action comes as the county's largest union — SEIU Local 721, which represents more than 55,000 county workers in 36 of 38 departments — has been in contract negotiations with the county for months.
More than six years after the Woolsey Fire, the struggle to rebuild continues

2 weeks ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

LAist relies on reader donations to power our nonprofit newsroom. Support LAist by giving now . Before this year’s Eaton and Palisades fires, the Woolsey Fire was L.A. County’s most destructive. in 2018, it killed three people and burned more than 1,600 homes and businesses in L.A. and Ventura Counties. Six and a half years later, fewer than 40% of the 488 homes in Malibu that burned have been fully rebuilt, .
LA Mayor Karen Bass’ proposed budget would ax a landmark climate action office

2 weeks ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

LAist relies on reader donations to power our nonprofit newsroom. Support LAist by giving now . Facing a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is calling for major cuts to city resources that focus exclusively on addressing the local effects of climate change. • Eliminating the city’s landmark climate action office, called the , or CEMO. That includes potentially cutting the city’s first , who directs the office.
Utilities are planning to bury power lines after the LA fires. Should they?

3 weeks ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

LAist relies on reader donations to power our nonprofit newsroom. Support LAist by giving now . As the investigation into the cause of the Eaton Fire continues — potentially sparked by Southern California Edison transmission equipment — many people, from community members to officials to , have called for burying a lot more power lines. The cost, though, can be staggering. It’s estimated that burying power lines in the wake of the wildfires will soar past $860 million.
100 days after the LA fires, where do we stand?

3 weeks ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

LAist relies on reader donations to power our nonprofit newsroom. Support LAist by giving now . It’s been 100 days since the devastating L.A. fires decimated communities from Altadena to Pacific Palisades. At least 30 people died in the Eaton and Palisades fires, and more than 16,000 structures — mostly homes — burned, making them among the top 10 and top three fires in California history.
Wildlife is returning to the Altadena foothills after the Eaton Fire. Yes, that's a mountain lion

1 month ago | laist.com | Erin Stone

LAist relies on reader donations to power our nonprofit newsroom. Support LAist by giving now . Wildlife is returning to the areas burned by the Eaton Fire — and scientists are working to study their return to better understand how nature recovers after fire. Since July 2024, Kristen Ochoa and a group of volunteers and a biologist have been documenting wildlife in the Chaney Trail corridor, a wilderness area northwest of Eaton Canyon, via a network of trail cameras and other methods.