Good evening, SoCal. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
After a rather benign and mostly cloudy Friday with some hit-and-miss sprinkles, Saturday will see big changes.
Saturday will start out cloudy with fairly warm temperatures in the 50s. Light to moderate scattered showers are possible through the day.
Winds will begin gusting out of the south in the high desert with speeds in the 25 to 35 mph range. By afternoon and evening, winds in the mountains will gust in the 50 to 60 mph range. The coast, basins and valleys get the strong southerly winds (25-35 mph) in the afternoon and evening hours.
The cold front will trigger heavy rain and possible thunderstorms in Ventura County around 6 pm It will overspread all of LA County and the OC by 9 pm Between 9 pm and midnight, the heavy band of rain passes into San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties .
Tomorrow’s Highs
Get your 7-day forecast: LA West | LA East | San Fernando Valley/Ventura County | Orange County
Today’s Big Stories
1. CHP officers to conduct 3-day anti-DUI crackdown
An end-of-year crackdown targeting drunken and drug-impaired drivers in Los Angeles County will get underway Friday evening and continue into next week.
The California Highway Patrol will initiate its New Year’s “maximum enforcement period” at 6 pm, when all available officers deploy to catch impaired motorists, speeders and other traffic violators. The campaign will continue until late Monday night.
Officers from Los Angeles and Orange County CHP stations will be on Los Angeles and Orange County freeways, highways and unincorporated roads, looking to identify and stop suspects.
“Every year, people’s lives are impacted forever by making the decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Driving impaired is never worth it and certainly not the way to ring in the New Year. Always designate a sober driver.”
The 2021-22 New Year’s MEP netted 495 arrests statewide, compared with 709 arrests during the 2020-21 campaign, according to the CHP.
The agency said that 29 people died in crashes investigated by the agency during last year’s campaign.
2. Law agencies unite in sending sympathies following deputy’s slaying
Law enforcement agencies throughout the region united Friday in expressing sorrow over the slaying of a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy who was shot dead by a convicted felon during a traffic stop.
Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, was killed shortly before 2 pm Thursday in the 3900 block of Golden West Avenue, near Rathke Drive, less than a block from Rustic Lane Elementary School, which was not in session. The suspect died two hours later in a freeway gunfight with deputies.
“My heart goes out to the family, friends and colleagues of Deputy Isaiah Cordero,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “Deputy Cordero will forever be remembered for his extraordinary service protecting the people of California. I extend my sincere condolences to Deputy Cordero’s loved ones and the Riverside community.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department released a statement saying, “Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Deputy Cordero and our partners at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.”
gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff Friday in the slain deputy’s honor.
3. Woman sues Steven Tyler, alleging child sex assault in 1970s
A woman who has previously said Steven Tyler had an illicit sexual relationship with her when she was a teenager is now suing the Aerosmith frontman for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit brought by Julia Misley was filed Tuesday under a 2019 California law that gave adult victims of childhood sexual assault a three-year window to file lawsuits for decades-old instances of assault. Saturday is the deadline to file such claims.
The 65-year-old Misley, formerly known as Julia Holcomb, said in a statement that she wanted to seize “a new opportunity to take legal action against those that abused me in my youth.” The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault unless they publicly identify themselves.
While the lawsuit doesn’t name Tyler, Misley identified him by name in the statement issued through the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. She has also recounted her experiences with Tyler in prior interviews, and Tyler discussed a relationship with a teenage girl in two books, published in 2011 and 1997. The acknowledgments section of his memoir “Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?” thanks a “Julia Halcomb,” which Misley has said is a reference to her.
Representatives for Tyler did not immediately return requests for comment Friday.
The lawsuit alleges Tyler “used his role, status, and power as a well-known musician and rock star to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, sexually assault,” Misley over a period of three years. Some of the abuse occurred in Los Angeles County, the lawsuit said. As a result, she has suffered severe emotional injury as well as economic losses, the lawsuit said.
4. Southwest CEO apologizes, says he’s ‘confident’ in return to normal operations
In an interview with ABC News on Friday, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologized to passengers and employees for a wave of cancellations that left travelers stranded in the wake of a brutal winter storm, and promised to “make good” to those impacted.
The Dallas-based airline canceled thousands of flights each day this week in the aftermath of last week’s winter storm, including more than 2,300 flights on Thursday alone, far more than any other carrier.
Jordan called it an “unprecedented storm” for not just Southwest, but “for all airlines,” though he admitted that the weather “obviously impacted Southwest very differently.”
But Jordan struck an optimistic tone, saying that the airline was “off to a great start” on its full schedule of more than 3,900 flights on Friday. According to flight tracker FlightAware, Southwest has seen just 41 cancellations as of Friday morning, representing 1% of its schedule, along with 237 delays.
“I’m very confident that we’ll operate a really tight operation today,” Jordan said.
Southwest Airlines jets are parked at gates at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D Franklin)
5. Biden grants 6 pardons in year-end order: ‘America is a nation of second chances’
President Joe Biden on Friday granted full pardons to six individuals who “have served their sentences and have demonstrated a commitment to improving their communities and the lives of those around them,” a White House spokesperson said, wrapping up his second year in office with the flurry of actions on the penultimate day of the year.
The six individuals are Gary Parks Davis of Yuma, Arizona; Edward Lincoln De Coito III of Dublin, California; Vincente Ray Flores of Winters, California; Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas of Columbus, Ohio; Charlie Byrnes Jackson of Swansea, South Carolina and John Dix Nock III of St. Augustine, Florida.
A White House official noted in a statement that Biden believes “America is a nation of second chances,” adding in part: “The President remains committed to providing second chances to individuals who have demonstrated their rehabilitation — something that elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree our criminal justice system should offer.”
In Case You Missed It
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
When the 118th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, it will include a new record in terms of the number of women serving in the Senate and the House of Representatives at 149.
There will also be a record number of Latinas and Black women serving in the House, including newly elected Rep. Sydney Kamlager. She will represent California’s 37th District, which was previously represented by newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The former California state senator sat down with “Inside the Issues” host Alex Cohen to talk about this new role and her goals in office. She described her experience since winning the election as “surreal.”
Click the link above for more on this story.
Comments are closed.