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wave

California Citizens Encouraged To Avoid The Ocean As Large Waves Expected To Impact Shorelines 

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California residents are currently being urged to avoid shorelines and structures such as wharves and piers as 20 to 30 foot waves are expected to impact the northern Pacific coast throughout the rest of the week and into the New Year. 

The National Weather Service advisory came after the wharf in Santa Cruz experienced a 150 foot section collapsing from high waves earlier this week. Debris from multiple storms are also being blamed for the death of a resident in Santa Cruz county. 

The coast guard in southern California announced that it has suspended the search for two men who went missing after a fishing trip off the coast of Palos Verdes, NBC Los Angeles reported. They also suspended the search after finding wreckage from a boat that was believed to belong to the fishermen. 

“Inexperienced swimmers should stay out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions. Never turn your back on the ocean,” the NWS warned in the Bay Area.

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High surf and rip currents are being reported throughout the Los Angeles area. 

Santa Cruz also experiences three city workers falling into the ocean when a large section of a pier they were working on collapsed and floated away during a high surf this week. Luckily the workers survived with minor injuries. 

“Nearly 20 miles to the south, at Sunset State beach, California state parks and fire crews responded at around 11.30am on Monday about a man trapped under debris. The man was pronounced dead at a local hospital,” a spokesperson for the Santa Cruz county sheriff’s office said. 

“It’s total chaos. I just did a drive through the south side of town and the beaches are all tore up. It looks like a bomb went off,”  a Santa Cruz resident told the Los Angeles Times.

cigarettes

Supreme Court Rejects Tobacco Industry’s Bid To Remove Graphic Images On Cigarette Packs

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On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge from major tobacco companies to the Food and Drug Administration’s requirement to display graphic images as health warnings on cigarette packages. 

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In 2020, the FDA rules that cigarette packages and advertisements must include health warnings that take 50% of the area of the front and back panels of the packages and at least 20% of the area on top of cigarette ads. 

There are 11 text-and-image graphics that the FDA created. One example shows a human lung that reads “WARNING: Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in nonsmokers.”

Another shows a young boy holding an oxygen mask that states: “WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children.”

Major tobacco companies sued against this choice, arguing that the warnings run “afoul of the First Amendment and that the agency violated federal rulemaking procedures when it issued it,” according to Devan Cole of CNN.

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While a federal judge in Texas initially agreed with the companies and got rid of the rule, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision in favor of the FDA. 

The appeals court stated that the FDA’s rule “passes constitutional muster” citing a Supreme Court standard that allows the government to compel commercial speech as long as it’s “purely factual, uncontroversial, justified by a legitimate state interest, and not unduly burdensome.”

Lawyers for the tobacco companies stated that the illustrations “are designed to shock rather than inform, because the massive and inflammatory graphics go far beyond what would be necessary to communicate a simple factual message.”

The Biden administration said that the appeals court was correct in their ruling to revive and maintain the rule “because the warnings are reasonably related to the government’s interest in promoting public understanding of those risks (associated with tobacco) and are not unduly burdensome.”

flood

Nearly Entire Population Of California Remains Under Flood Alerts 

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Currently almost the entire population of California remains under flood alerts as the state has experienced major rain storms within the past few weeks with more on the horizon. Officials are urging people to try to stay off the roads in the early days of this week, according to reports. 

Southern California is still recovering from a large storm that had some areas see record-breaking rainfall and hundreds of dangerous mudslides. The storm’s forecasted for this week aren’t projected to be that severe, however, parts of California could see up to 5 inches of rain, and currently 37 million residents are under flood watches, according to CNN. 

The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles warned of flooding and a possibility of 2 to 5 inches of rain, with up to 10 inches expected in other areas such as Santa Lucias. The office posted online to “avoid flooded roadways and prepare your property for flooding.” 

The office also warned of mud or rock slides on canyon roads as well as an increased presence of debris in areas recently overwhelmed by wildfires. 

“Multiple rounds of moderate to heavy showers, and perhaps a couple of thunderstorms, are expected to affect the region from this evening through Wednesday morning.”

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Central California saw the first round of rain late Saturday afternoon with a second storm on Sunday moving more slowly. At one point this weekend, around 38 million people were under a flood watch. 

State Governor Gavin Newsom’s office announced on Sunday in a news release that they’ve activated the state’s operations center. 

“Our state is taking this next storm seriously, and we ask all Californians to take steps now to prepare.”

The Weather Prediction Center has issued excessive rain outlooks through Tuesday for many parts of both California and Nevada. Santa Barbara is currently at a Level 3 of 4 risk through the rest of the day, and Los Angeles is currently at a Level 2. 

For areas at higher elevations, the National Weather Service in Sacramento also warned of winter storms, effective through Wednesday morning. 

“Heaviest snowfall will be tonight into Monday morning. Sierra travel will be difficult with possible road closures, chain controls and reduced visibilities,” forecasters said on X.