Julie Johnson

California is drafting new rules for wildfire smoke cleanup. Are home insurers calling the shots? A state-led task force assembled to issue smoke damage guidelines includes technical experts who have spent years helping insurers dispute consumers’ smoke-damage claims.

NEW: The CA Department of Insurance promised to craft "science-based" for smoke damage to make homes safe after fires.

But a @sfchronicle.com investigation found the committee writing the rules is slanted towards insurers' handpicked experts, raising concerns about survivors' safety.

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Major S.F. Bay cleanup of long-defunct gas plant sites begins near Fisherman’s Wharf PG&E has begun removing contaminated mud in San Francisco Bay left behind from a long-defunct manufacturing plant, aiming to clean 10 acres between Piers 39 and 43.5.

Major S.F. Bay cleanup of long-defunct gas plant sites begins near Fisherman’s Wharf—The cleanup, which began in June after a decade of planning, is expected to continue… www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s... @jjreport.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

A major California highway is sliding toward the sea. There is no quick fix In California’s far north, an audacious feat of highway engineering is crumbling toward the ocean. The fix is expected to cost upward of $3 billion.

A major California highway is sliding toward the sea. There is no quick fix—Finally, this summer, the state announced a proposed solution: Dig the longest tunnel in state history. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a... @jjreport.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

A major California highway is sliding toward the sea. There is no quick fix In California’s far north, an audacious feat of highway engineering is crumbling toward the ocean. The fix is expected to cost upward of $3 billion.

What's a reasonable price tag to keep an entire California county -- even a tiny one -- connected to the rest of the state?
www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

Ah, I see it now. My tween is exploring a post-Dadaist form of chaos

Dozens of Northern California immigrants abruptly summoned to ICE office for weekend check-ins Several dozen people reported to the Stockton office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday afternoon after receiving summons, immigrant advocates said.

BREAKING: Dozens of Northern California immigrants abruptly summoned to ICE office for weekend check-ins www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Meet the Bay Area pastor shot in the face with pepper ball at Coast Guard Island protest The Rev. Jorge Bautista was shot in the face by a pepper ball fired by a federal agent and became the face of a Bay Area protest over a looming federal immigration crackdown.

Rev. Jorge Bautista, a pastor at the College Heights United Church of Christ in San Mateo, felt called to join a prayer vigil in opposition to Trumps' immigration crackdown.

He later found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

From @stjbs.bsky.social

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Immigration enforcement ‘surge’ called off for rest of Bay Area Federal officials have called off a planned immigration enforcement action for the entire Bay Area.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Lurie speaking now: SF is on the rise. Detailing convo w DJT last night

“Militarized enforcement on our streets will not help”

Trump calls off planned federal ‘surge’ in S.F. but plans for Bay Area immigration crackdown unclear President Donald Trump said Thursday that he called off the planned federal deployment to the city after speaking with Mayor Daniel Lurie.

www.sfchronicle.com/us-world/art...

Protest of Bay Area immigration crackdown met with apparent stun grenades at Coast Guard base Law enforcement officials deployed what appeared to be stun grenades to break up a group of protesters attempting to block traffic to Coast Guard Island.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Exclusive: Major federal immigration operation headed to San Francisco Bay Area The Trump administration has dispatched more than 100 federal agents, including from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to Coast Guard Base Alameda and they’ll begin to arrive Thursday.

BREAKING via @mgafni.bsky.social
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Nory Doesn’t Go to School Here Anymore

absolutely heartbreaking www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...

'It's effectively a bailout': Edison benefits from fine print in Newsom’s last-minute utility legislation Fine print in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s last-minute utility legislation shifts Eaton fire costs to customers

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Marc Benioff wants troops in S.F.? There’s a path back to sanity, and it’s close to home Marc Benioff called for the National Guard in S.F. The city doesn’t need the military on its streets. It needs the Salesforce founder to follow his grandfather’s example, Peter Hartlaub...

Blew up my weekend to write this “Marc Benioff come-to-your-senses challenge.”

I’ve rarely shared my opinions about politics in the Chronicle beyond some LGBTQ+ & bike/pedestrian safety things but Jesus he wants the military on S.F. streets what the hell?

www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m...

Spot on thread here from my reporting partner @jjreport.bsky.social.

LAFD brass publicly slammed our report of rekindling early on. And now have ignored it altogether in after-action report. That is precisely where lessons are to be learned for future CA and LA wildfires.

And, stunningly, the LAFD's official "after action" report -- issued the same day the ATF announced the fire's cause -- fails to mention the connection between the two fires. It offered no reflections on the department's failure to prevent the fire from rekindling. lafd.org/sites/defaul...

After Palisades fire failures, L.A. promises to beef up staffing during high-risk fire weather Challenges faced during the Palisades fire included an ineffective process for recalling off-duty firefighters, and top fire officials with little experience handling a major incident.

However, questions remain about why the Los Angeles Fire Department didn't station crews at the Lachman fire scar when forecasters issued urgent warnings about historically dangerous fire weather. www.latimes.com/california/s...

A burned Bible and ChatGPT messages: Chilling details of the case against man charged with starting Palisades Fire Investigators allege Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht lit a fire early New Year’s Day that was extinguished but smoldering and rekindled days later.

This week, Pac Palisades residents finally have an answer. The ATF detailed its conclusion the Palisades Fire was a "holdover" fire from the earlier New Year's Day Lachman Fire. And prosecutors announced they'd arrested a man suspected of igniting it. www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...

Exclusive footage: Deadly Palisades Fire may have grown from this Jan. 1 blaze Video obtained by the Chronicle shows the January wildfire in Los Angeles may have grown from earlier blaze.

Then, @mgafni.bsky.social acquired surveillance video showing the similar origins of both wildfires. Other major fires (Oakland, Lahaina) erupted from earlier fires. @ryangabrielson.bsky.social urged us to again ask: Could the Palisades Fire have been another?
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...

Another Pacific Palisades resident, Don Griffin, took photos of both fire origins from his backyard. He said that he too was struck by the coincidence. Neighbors had complained about fireworks in the past and wondered if NYE blasts were to blame.

Pac Palisades resident Ari Sallus was among early 911 callers to report that NYE fire. He walked the burn scar on Jan. 2 and said he was surprised to see no firefighters there. Six days later, he and his family lost their home in the Palisades Fire.

Was an L.A. fire started by the rekindling of a blaze from New Year’s Day? Firefighters stopped a 9-acre fire from burning into Pacific Palisades before dawn on New...

In a Jan. 11 story, we reported on this possibility. We interviewed fire behavior experts and residents. LAFD said they didn't use heat detection devices to ensure it was out, though experts told us embers can smolder underground for a long time.
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...

In January while reporting on the Palisades Fire, @mgafni.bsky.social and I heard from fire survivors about a coincidence. The Palisades Fire started in the same spot as a fire that burned less than a week earlier on New Year's Day. They wondered if the two fires might be connected 🧵

These Napa wineries lost millions in a wildfire. Can they find someone to blame — and pay for it? These wineries just lost their second grape crop in five years to a wildfire in Napa Valley. This time, they hope to sue for damages.

www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...

A burned Bible and ChatGPT messages: Chilling details of the case against man charged with starting Palisades Fire Investigators allege Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht lit a fire early New Year’s Day that was extinguished but smoldering and rekindled days later.

Investigators allege Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht lit a fire early New Year’s Day that was extinguished but smoldering and rekindled days later.

A burned bible and ChatGPT messages: Chilling details of the case against man charged with starting Palisades Fire Investigators allege Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht lit a fire early New Year’s Day that was extinguished but smoldering and rekindled days later.

Chilling details of what led up to suspected Palisades Fire arsonist lighting hillside on fire.

With @jjreport.bsky.social

www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...

‘All the trees are dead’: An ancient California forest has been wiped out Old growth forests across the West are at risk of disappearing within 50 years. The Teakettle Experimental Forest is a tragic example in California.

Yes! www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

‘All the trees are dead’: An ancient California forest has been wiped out Old growth forests across the West are at risk of disappearing within 50 years. The Teakettle Experimental Forest is a tragic example in California.

A California wildfire wiped out this little-known ancient forest of massive trees just before major fire-prevention work was set to begin.

“I am sad because this old-growth forest is no more. I am angry because this outcome was a choice.”

www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...

FASCINATING