August 9, 2018
VOL. 31, No. 78
LARGEST WILDFIRE IN CALIFORNIA’S HISTORY: USC Names Wanda Austin TRUMP BLAMES GOVERNOR BROWN Acting President By Francis Taylor and Yahoo News
By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
USC trustee Wanda Austin, an alumna and former president of the Aerospace Corp., will serve as interim president while trustees complete a search for C.L. Max Nikias’ successor. (USC) USC appointed Wanda Austin, an alumna and retired aerospace executive as interim president and laid out a detailed plan for selecting a permanent leader Tuesday, ending speculation about whether outgoing President C.L. Max Nikias might remain in the post, who has been embattled over his administration’s handling of a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing patients. The trustees also approved the formation of a search committee and the hiring of search firm Isaacson, Miller to coordinate the selection of a successor. A second search company, Heidrick & Struggles, will also advise trustees. “Our goal is to complete this search within four to six months,”
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Firefighters try to control a back burn as the Carr Fire continues to spread toward the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, Calif., on July 31. (Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
As brave men and women firefighters battle the largest wildfire in our state’s history, with the expansion of the Mendocino Complex Fire that has claimed 290,692 acres, destroyed over 75 homes and forced thousands to evacuate; instead of offering consoling words of encouragement and support, Trump tweeted that California’s environmental policies are preventing firefighters from accessing enough water to stop the state’s wildfires. His irresponsible and ill-informed theory has been roundly
dismissed by experts and state officials. Seven other major wildfires are burning in California, from Shasta County to San Bernardino County, at the same time, fueled by windy conditions and record-high temperatures. Trump made the dubious claim that “readily available water” is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean for environmental reasons and blamed California Gov. Jerry Brown in a series of tweets. “California wildfires are being mag-
nified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire from spreading!”Trump tweeted on Monday. Scott McLean, a deputy chief at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), outright rejected the assertion that firefighters do not have enough water to handle the current wild-
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L.A. SCHOOLS FALL SHORT ON SAFETY MEASURES, NEW REPORT WARNS By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor After the mass shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Los Angeles school officials reassured parents that much had been done to keep local schools safe. California had tougher gun laws, after all, and the school district paid close attention to students’ mental health. But a new report issued Monday by a panel convened to take a close look offers some cause for concern, flagging inconsistent campus safety measures, thinly spread mental health staff and inadequate coordination between the school district and other public agencies. A 21-member group was organized soon after the shooting that killed 17 in
Parkland, Fla. It took a wide-ranging look at safety efforts on and off campus, including gun control, more secure routes to and from school, and work to unify law enforcement approaches in neighborhoods. The panel recommended establishing a school district safety director distinct from the district’s school police chief, who already works with other law-enforcement agencies, and the district’s head of mental health services, who also has established connections with outside agencies. The Los Angeles Unified School District has held itself out as a leader in school safety — and that may be ac-
SEE INGLEWOOD CITY COUNCIL LIVE ON WWW.INGLEWOODTODAY.COM
curate. But the nation’s second-largest school system still has significant vulnerabilities, the report 7
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