The closure affects sections of the trail between Yorba Ranch Road and Dominguez Ranch Road, city officials said in a post on X.

There is currently no estimated date for reopening, and repairs are expected to take several months. City officials said the collapse did not impact nearby homes.

The west side of the greenbelt remains open, though the public is advised to use caution when accessing the area.

Repair work will be coordinated by the County of Orange, owner and operator of the channel, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available, the city said.

Three such thefts, including two in the sheriff’s patrol area, have taken place in the county, said Gloria Orejel, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

“We have also received information indicating similar thefts have occurred in neighboring counties,” Orejel said. “We are working diligently to identify and apprehend those responsible.”

Orejel did not go into specifics so the investigation would not be compromised.

One of the victims is Brandon Hurtado. He told ABC/7 that his Toyota Tacoma was taken over the New Year’s holiday from White Ash Road in Devore, near San Bernardino. Surveillance images show a compact tow truck quickly maneuvering into position to hook up Hurtado’s truck.

Hurtado sounded the alarm to other vehicle owners.

“I hope they keep close attention to their cars more, because, you know, what I’ve been through. I don’t want them to go through that,” Hurtado told ABC/7.

“We acknowledge where we must do better,” said Jaime Moore during a LAFD’s Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6. “We take responsibility for making these improvements, and we’re fully committed to making sure that lessons learned from the Palisades fire result in meaningful and lasting change.”

Moore, during a 10-minute verbal report to the commissioners, said the mistakes taken by the department last year were not the fault of frontline firefighters but instead they “reflect leadership decisions, legacy systems and long-standing structural constraints that must evolve to meet today’s risk environment.”

Moore, who has worked for the department since 1995, was promoted to assistant chief in 2018 and later to deputy chief. He was sworn in as the department’s 20th fire chief in November.

He acknowledged that the department’s analysis of its response to the fire in a report was edited several times to “soften language and reduce explicit criticism of department leadership in that report. That editing occurred prior to my appointment as fire chief, and I can assure you that nothing of this sort will ever again happen while I am fire chief.”

That report was completed and released under interim chief Ronnie Villanueva in October, months after Mayor Karen Bass demoted then-Chief Kristin Crowley in February for, the mayor said, not planning properly and refusing to cooperate with investigators.

Crowley blamed city leadership for cutting the department’s budget and limiting it’s resources.

Just before the report was released, federal authorities announced the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, a former Pacific Palisades and Hollywood resident accused of intentionally starting the Lachman fire, which was ignited just after midnight on New Year’s Day a year ago, authorities said, and fought by firefighters who thought it was fully extinguished.

But it kicked up again on Jan. 7 amid intense winds, becoming the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of structures, mostly homes in the Pacific Palisades and in Malibu, and left 12 people dead before it was fully contained on Jan. 31.

“We cannot leave any stone unturned, and I am determined that we look at any and every issue to ensure that the right lessons are learned and the proper steps are taken to make sure that everything that needs to be improved is improved,” Chief Moore said.

“Please understand that the Palisades and Lachman fires were defining moments for this department,” he said. “They unfortunately exposed real limitations — limitations in system capacity during periods of extreme demand, including challenges related to staffing availability, resource placement and the speed at which conditions can change during wind-driven fire events.”

The agency has adjusted how it makes sure fires are completely out, including now using drones, the chief said: “These changes are now in place to help ensure this will never happen again.”

More changes are necessary, Moore said, as the department “cannot continue to rely on a system that is stretched thin on its best day and overwhelmed on its worst.”

Moore noted that 74% of the recommendations listed in the department’s analysis of its fire response have been implemented. They include revising how weather is interpreted when predicting fire behavior; how to deploy firefighters, fire engines and other resources earlier and more strategically; and how to better pull off-duty firefighters back onto duty. Also, the process of dispatching firefighters has been upgraded.

“This is about learning and not about assigning blame,” Commissioner Sharon Delugach said. “We believe that this is going to move us forward.”

At issue is the Quick Reaction Force, a partnership between OCFA, Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles and Ventura County fire departments dating back to 2022 that includes several helitankers and helicopters meant to quickly extinguish potentially dangerous fires before they can grow out of control.

Exactly what the expiration of OCFA’s part of the program means — and whether OCFA can still rejoin the partnership — is unclear.

Outgoing OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy — who was instrumental in the creation of the partnership — publicly criticized what he claimed was the OCFA board of directors’ failure to vote on renewing the contract before it expired on Jan. 1.

In a statement reported by CBS News — but which OCFA did not provide to SCNG — Fennessy indicated he was “extremely disappointed” at the expiration of the contract with the Quick Reaction Force, which he described as “the world’s first 24/7 nocturnal wildfire aerial task force” and “the most effective asset in the history of wildland firefighting.”

Fennessy retired from OCFA at the turn of the new year, after tentatively accepting a position with the newly created United States Wildland Fire Service.

OCFA Board Chair Phil Bacerra denied that he and the other elected officials on the board intentionally allowed the contract with the Quick Reaction Force program to lapse. Bacerra, a Santa Ana councilman, said in previous years the contract was discussed by their budget and finance committee before being considered by the full board of directors. But Bacerra said this year, OCFA staff pulled the item off their November agendas, despite the board not traditionally holding meetings in December due to the difficulty in reaching a quorum during the holidays.

“I will be meeting with Acting Fire Chief TJ McGovern soon to discuss any potential upcoming actions to be considered by the OCFA Board of Directors regarding the Quick Reaction Force item,” Bacerra said in a statement.

Asked about his predecessor’s statement, McGovern — who took over as Acting Fire Chief of OCFA on Jan. 2 — said he had nothing to add to Fennessy’s comments about the Quick Reaction Force.

But McGovern noted that OCFA has its own four-aircraft fleet — including two 1,000-gallon dropping Firehawk helicopters added in 2024 — that is used in conjunction with the department’s air operations division and their on-the-ground firefighters and hand crews to “provide a high-quality response that keeps our communities well protected during wildfires.”

“Moving forward, my focus will remain on continuity of operations, firefighter safety, transparency, and ensuring our personnel are fully equipped, trained, and supported to uphold and enhance the high standards of service expected and warranted across OCFA’s 23 cities and unincorporated areas of Orange County,” McGovern said.

Meanwhile, there was no immediate indication that any parts of the Quick Reaction Force fleet would be moved out of Southern California. Officials with SCE — which provides funding for the program — said there are ongoing contracts with the Los Angeles and Ventura county fire departments related to the Quick Reaction Force. Without an OCFA contract, those two other fire agencies would decide how to use the helicopters.

“These assets remain available across our entire service area,” said Scott Johnson, an Edison spokesman. “From an Edison standpoint, we have a wildfire mitigation plan.”

Fire agencies across Southern California and beyond operate under a variety of mutual aid agreements in which resources — including helicopters — are commonly shared in the face of dangerous or fast-moving wildfires to try to extinguish the blazes before they can grow out of control or threaten life or property.

Building security contacted the Irvine Police Department to report two people spotted on camera entering the building, police said. Officers arrived and found two suspects hiding inside, and took both men into custody.

Footage of the suspects shows them, clad in hoodies and masks, climbing over a wall and once inside the store, grabbing bags from the shelves. The two men are seen holding multiple leather handbags in each of their hands, trying to leave. They open the door, but change their minds.

They quickly turn around and dash up the stairs to another level of the building, where they were cornered by police and handcuffed.

The handbags, valued at around $100,000, were returned to the victim, police said.

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U.S. District Judge James Selna sentenced Jesus Angel Reyna to 189 months behind bars and ordered him to pay $6,948.24 in restitution for funeral expenses to the victim’s parents.

Reyna met with the victim near her home in Anaheim on Oct. 28, 2022, and sold her several pills laced with fentanyl, federal prosecutors said in a sentencing brief. The woman took the pills two days later and died, prosecutors said.

Reyna had dealt drugs to the woman on prior occasions, prosecutors said.

Reyna was arrested Feb. 21, 2023, while dealing drugs in a parking lot of his apartment in Anaheim, prosecutors said. A search of his apartment netted 680 grams of methamphetamine, 457 grams of cocaine, 7.30 grams of MDMA and 23 grams of Xanax, prosecutors said.

He pleaded guilty Sept. 2 to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute it and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it.

The Register staff contributed to this story.

Spectrum, which on Dec. 24 noted similar damage to lines in Chino Hills, is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible.

Such acts of vandalism against communications providers are surging nationwide, according to an industry report.

Saturday’s vandalism affected customers “in the thousands,” said Dennis Johnson, a Spectrum spokesman, in Eastvale, Riverside and parts of Jurupa Valley including Mira Loma and Rubidoux. Customers in portions of Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County also suffered outages. Service has since been restored, Johnson said.

He also noted that if someone was looking for copper in the Spectrum cables, as the company believes, they went away disappointed, as those cables do not contain copper.

Some other communications providers, however, do have cables containing copper, which can be recycled for $1.50 to $4 per pound, depending on its grade.

At an industry summit in October, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said, a report revealed that between June 2024 and June 2025, there were 15,540 vandalisms of communications cables nationwide, disrupting service for more than 9.5 million customers.

Almost 10,000 such incidents were reported in the first half of 2025 alone, the report said, cutting people off from commerce, education, health care, and public safety. Homes, businesses, federal buildings, military bases, hospitals, schools and 911 dispatch centers were affected.

An industry report called for stronger laws, increased prosecution of theft and vandalism, stricter scrap metal regulations and better security measures to deter repeat offenders.

The vandalism of communication cables comes on top of thefts of copper from locations including street lights, pipes, heating and air conditioning units, cell towers and utility substations. Copper thieves have also targeted Los Angeles’ Sixth Street Viaduct, known as the “Ribbon of Light,” by stealing wiring.

As a result, the lights gradually went dark about a year after the $582 million bridge opened in July 2022, LA Department of Public Works spokeswoman Mary Nemick wrote in an email.

The Bureau of Engineering is working with the Bureau of Street Lighting, the bridge designer and lighting design experts to harden the lights to significantly decrease theft without affecting the aesthetic of the bridge, Nemick wrote.

“The commitment is to have the new system in place for the (2028 Summer) Olympics, if not sooner,” Nemick wrote.

Spectrum asks anyone with information on the damage to its cables to call Spectrum at 833-404-8477 or local law enforcement.

As a part-time instructor at the fire academies at Mt. San Antonio College and Rio Hondo College, Flores, who is also a firefighter and paramedic, noticed students falling asleep in classes because they were balancing jobs and caretaking roles with the full-time program. Flores also understood those challenges, as he worked in Santa Fe Springs while attending a fire academy part time in Inglewood at night before becoming a firefighter.

Flores and Robles felt inspired to create a program that would help those interested in a career as a firefighter, EMT or paramedic focus on their education without worrying about paying for tuition or supporting their loved ones financially.

In 2020, they created the OC Bomberos, after the Spanish word for firefighters, and have provided more than 40 scholarships to help community members afford college fire academy courses and paramedic or EMT training. The value of the scholarship has varied each year, but in 2025 nine candidates were awarded $1,000 scholarships.

Recipients can put the scholarship money towards whatever they need while they’re in these full-time programs, Robles said, whether that’s tuition, rent, books or other necessities.

Paramedic school programs can total as much as $13,000, EMT school is around $2,500 and a basic college fire academy can cost about $6,000, said Robles, a fire apparatus engineer.

“You can see how someone who wants to be a firefighter, who has the desire to be a firefighter, but has financial obligations at home,” Robles said, “might not have the opportunity to pursue their dream career because of the financial burden.”

Robles was five or six years old when he marveled at the fire engines and the courage of the new recruits at his uncle’s fire academy graduation as they showed off their skills by running a drill to extinguish a car fire. He also remembers his mom’s face, wondering how she would afford a uniform that cost several hundred dollars, so that he could join the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s explorer program for young people interested in fire service.

“She wrote the check and figured it out later, and I still don’t know how she paid for it,” Robles said. “She didn’t put that burden on me, she just handled it, but I knew how difficult it was and I was very appreciative.”

In 2022, several hundred people attended the OC Bomberos’ inaugural cornhole tournament to raise money for scholarships. From there, OC Bomberos continued to grow, becoming a nonprofit, bringing on two other Orange County firefighters to help run the operation alongside their full-time jobs and raising $15,000 at the 2025 cornhole tournament.

Scholarship recipients have gone on to work for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Cal Fire, Faulk Ambulance, the Los Angeles City Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service.

In 2025, Kekoa Lau became the first scholarship recipient to be hired as a firefighter with the OCFA. Until then, Robles and Flores imagined what it would be like when the program grew to the point that someone they mentored would eventually work alongside them.

“It’s really cool to see that full circle,” Robles said, “of them interested in the fire service but not sure how to get involved to now riding on the fire engine with us.”

The scholarship helped Lau attend the Rio Hondo College Fire Academy while handling outside expenses. Students attend the fire academy Monday through Friday from about 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., so Lau had to leave his full-time job as an ambulance officer, he said.

Before moving to Southern California, Lau juggled jobs in construction, restaurants and a local pharmacy in Hawaii while taking his sister to and from preschool. He didn’t see himself moving forward in any of those paths, but a mentor helped him realize that he needed to find his passion. A family friend who is a firefighter advised him to become an EMT and work in an ambulance to gain experience before joining the fire service.

He moved in with his mom in Southern California, started an EMT program and became an ambulance officer, which helped him meet firefighters in Orange County and get connected with the OC Bomberos. The scholarship he was awarded helped him attend the Rio Hondo College Fire Academy at least a semester earlier than he would’ve been able to afford otherwise, he said.

As the fire academy finished up, the OC Bomberos were there to help Lau navigate the hiring process. They held mock panel interviews to prepare Lau and other future firefighters to present themselves, their qualifications and their passion for fire service in 30 minutes. Lau took their feedback and recorded his interviews to work on his responses and cut out filler words.

The program goes beyond scholarships, matching teens and young adults with mentors and providing them with more information on opportunities like the OCFA fire cadet program, where they can learn more about careers in fire service. Once members are old enough to apply for academies and jobs, the OC Bomberos help them with test prep and scheduling ride-alongs and meetings with local departments.

Since Lau joined OCFA, the OC Bomberos continue to reach out. They’ve encouraged him to talk with them if he needs help or advice, and checked in on him as he starts his firefighting career.

When Lau learned he’d been accepted into OCFA’s fire academy, he broke down and called his family friend, his mom and all of his mentors in OC Bomberos to share the news. It was serendipitous, he said, to learn he’d be joining the fire authority whose members inspired him and helped him become a firefighter in the first place.

“Everyone grows up wanting to be a superhero and having that superhero they wish they were,” Lau said. “When you get told that the Avengers are recruiting you and those are your superheroes, … it was a feeling unlike any other.”

Since he’s been on the job, Lau said he feels trust from community members and sees their relief when firefighters arrive at a scene. It inspires him to build on the work of firefighters who came before him and continue to serve the community.

“That’s what our job is,” he said. “We’ve got to bring peace to the chaos.”

Once he finishes his first year, Lau said he hopes to get involved with OC Bomberos and help more people find their passion in firefighting.

“Drier weather is expected Tuesday night through late in the week, with cold nights for many areas Wednesday night through Friday,” National Weather Service forecasters said.

In the Inland Empire, rain is expected to continue in some locations Monday. At March Air Reserve Base near Riverside and Moreno Valley, there’s a slight chance of showers Monday with partly sunny weather otherwise and a high expected of 59 degrees. Showers are likely Monday morning in Murrieta, where the high was expected to reach 61 degrees.

There will be a slimmer chance for showers across the Inland Empire on Tuesday. In San Bernardino and Riverside, sunny skies are expected as early as Wednesday.

In Los Angeles, partly sunny weather was forecast for the Van Nuys Airport area on Monday, with a high near 63. There’s a chance of rain there Tuesday with sunny weather forecast Wednesday and Thursday.

In Long Beach, similar partly sunny weather was forecast for Monday with a high near 62. A slight chance of rain was forecast there Tuesday with sunny weather expected Wednesday and Thursday.

In Orange County, forecasters predict highs of 63 in Anaheim and Newport Beach on Monday and lows of 51 and 53 degrees, respectively. There’s a slight chance of showers before 10 a.m. in Anaheim with the rest of the day expected to be partly sunny, and in Newport Beach, forecasters expect partly sunny conditions during the day with a chance of rain overnight.

An off-shore low pressure system will bring a 15% to 20% chance of up to a tenth of an inch of rain, mainly in the afternoon, on Tuesday across Orange County.

On Wednesday, conditions will be dry. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-60s on Tuesday and Wednesday for most of Orange County outside of the mountain areas.

Also in Orange County, the Orange County Fire Authority said crews on Sunday afternoon rescued a man clinging to a section of a culvert in cold, fast-moving water in a storm channel at Bolsa Avenue and Goldenwest Street in Westminster.

Rescued from cold, fast-moving water in Westminster.

Firefighters responded this afternoon to a man clinging to a section of a culvert in cold, fast-moving water in a storm channel at Bolsa Avenue and Goldenwest Street. pic.twitter.com/zhbgNs3JoP

— OCFA (@OCFireAuthority) January 5, 2026

Evacuation warnings across neighborhoods in Los Angeles County — especially in recent burn scars — remained in effect Sunday and residents were advised to prepare in case orders to evacuate are necessary.

In addition, a L.A. County Department of Public Health advisory warning beach users “to avoid all water contact, especially near discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers due to potentially higher bacteria levels in these areas,” will be in effect until at least 4 p.m. Monday. “This includes any runoff that may flow onto or pond on the beach sand.”

Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro will remain closed until further notice following a Christmas Day sewage flow.

Hilda Solis, chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, said county departments were “actively monitoring conditions and stand ready to respond to emergencies as needed.”

Caltrans has issued an indefinite closure for the 3.6-mile stretch of Topanga Canyon Boulevard known to experience mudslides between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive, in the unincorporated Topanga area. The reopening of the roadway was “dependent on improved weather and road conditions,” the agency said.

The Palisades Fire recovery work zone on PCH from Sunset Boulevard to Carbon Beach Terrace will remain open, “with crews on standby to respond to any storm impacts,” Caltrans said.

State Route 2 was closed from 3.3 miles east of Newcomb’s Ranch in La Canada Flintridge to state Route 138 in the Angeles National Forest.

To check on an evacuation status for a neighborhood, residents can visit the genasys map.

Motorists were also advised to stay off the roads if possible and to exercise extreme caution if they do drive.

State and local officials have precautions in place for weather-related emergency response needs. Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to pre-position fire and rescue personnel and resources in areas most at risk for flooding, mud, and debris flows — including parts of Southern California, with a particular eye toward burn scar areas.

Staff writer Andrea Klick contributed to this story.

“We believe that Keith Porter Jr. was unjustly shot and killed by an overzealous off-duty ICE agent,” said Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope. “In a public statement, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Porter Jr. was an ‘active shooter.’ That claim is false and misleading.”

Ali cited witnesses who said Porter was firing a rifle into the air to celebrate the new year, not targeting any individual. “Multiple eyewitnesses are prepared to testify to these facts,” he said. “Despite this, Homeland Security has used the ‘active shooter’ narrative to justify the killing.”

Ali called for an independent investigation by the California Attorney General, as well as the immediate release of all body-camera footage, ballistic evidence and witness statements.

Officers had responded at 11:37 p.m. Wednesday to reports of a man firing shots in the air at an apartment complex in the 17701 block of Roscoe Boulevard and Amestoy Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The ICE officer, who has not yet been identified, also responded to the shooting and exchanged gunfire with the shooter, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“On December 31st, an off-duty ICE Officer bravely responded to an active shooter situation at his apartment complex. In order to protect his life and that of others, he was forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter,” the statement said. “Fortunately, our brave officer was not injured while protecting his community.”

The man shot by the ICE officer, whom Ali named as Porter, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The off-duty officer called the LAPD immediately to report the shooting, according to the statement. The LAPD was investigating the shooting, but did not identify the victim or provide further details.

Black Lives Matter Los Angeles announced on Facebook that a candlelight vigil will be held for Porter on Sunday, Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. at 17171 Roscoe Blvd. in Northridge.