The U.S. Forest Service firefighting air tanker fleet has been slowly dwindling for years. Last month, Sen. John McCain, Arizona, with support from California’s Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Florida’s Sen. Bill Nelson introduced a bill (S 3441) to direct the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force to transfer 14 excess C-27J Spartan…

Proposition 10 proposes to allow local governments to adopt rent control on any type of housing unit. The measure also would state that local governments’ rent control ordinances cannot abridge a “fair share of return” for landlords. Passage would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. The official ballot summary is as follows: •…

The Board of Supervisors appointed a subcommittee composed of supervisors Jeff Stone (3rd District) and Bob Buster (1st District) to review the ideas for a proposed vacation home rental ordinance. The ordinance under consideration would apply to and regulate vacation homes being rented out by individual owners, not by management companies that are already county regulated.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell announced last week that the agency will begin night helicopter wildfire suppression operations this season in Southern California. “The re-introduction of Forest Service night helicopter firefighting operations in Southern California further establishes the agency’s commitment to protect lives and property in the region,” said Tidwell in a press release….