A plan to provide firefighters in Los Angeles and Orange counties almost limitless seawater to fight fires has been stalled for more than a decade, despite the ever-looming threat of mass fires fueled by quakes and high winds.
As fires across Los Angeles County start to wind down, health officials are warning about risks related to water systems in the area.
Southern California is in the midst of what the National Weather Service describes as a “remarkably dry rainy season,” with much of the region experiencing a record or near-record slow start.
Encinitas, Calif. — At today’s Olivenhain Municipal Water District board meeting, Matthew R. Hahn assumed the position of president of the Board of Directors. Mr. Hahn will serve as president for the 2025-2026 term.
Initially elected to the board in 2022, Mr. Hahn represents Division 4 of OMWD’s service area, which includes the 4S Ranch community. In addition to his duties as president, Mr. Hahn will also serve on OMWD’s Safety Committee, Customer Outreach and Conservation Committee, and Public Policy Committee.
Fires in and around Los Angeles continue to rage as gusting Santa Ana winds drive the flames through brush and into neighborhoods. Two major blazes, the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire, have combined burned almost 40,000 acres since last week. Another fire, the Auto Fire, erupted Monday evening in Ventura County. The fires have killed at least 24 people.
A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles’ massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women’s handbags” to fight the fires.
As massive fires continue to sweep through Los Angeles, firefighters are relying on local water infrastructure not designed for fires of this size, researchers say. Fires in California have grown more explosive because of climate change, which is largely driven by humans burning oil, gas and coal.
An engineer explained to NBC 7’s Alexis Rivas how the placement of homes — like those in the Pacific Palisades — can impact water pressure in hydrants. However, he said there is no fire hydrant system in the nation designed for what happened last week.
Silicon Valley’s largest water agency will vote Tuesday on whether to support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to spend $20 billion to build a massive, 45-mile long tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to make it easier to move water from Northern California to Southern California.
San Diego business and civic leader Mel Katz was seated today as San Diego County Water Authority’s newest representative on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Katz has served on the Water Authority’s board of directors since 2018, representing the city of Del Mar and served as chair from 2022 to 2024. Katz succeeds Tim Smith, who represented the Water Authority on Metropolitan’s 38-member board since January 2018.
Chair Emeritus Mel Katz is sworn in as the Water Authority’s new delegate to MWD
“Director Katz and I formed strong bonds of partnership and friendship between our agencies during his time as chair of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors. This will prove to be key to a new era of regionalism in water supply management encompassing all our member agencies including San Diego,” said Metropolitan board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. “Director Katz is bringing his skill as a consensus builder to Metropolitan for the benefit of all of Southern California and I heartedly welcome him on behalf of the board.”
Katz is the co-founder and executive officer of Manpower San Diego, a staffing services firm that has grown to become the largest Manpower franchise in the United States. He has a long resume of civic involvement, including serving as board chair of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego Workforce Partnership, San Diego Convention Center, American Cancer Society and the San Diego Library Commission.
Katz and his wife Linda were named Mr. and Mrs. San Diego in 2017 by San Diego Rotary for their extensive community leadership. The couple has three children and five grandchildren.
This item was written by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
