In this afternoon's newscast:
Vistra battery plant reignites
A flare-up began around 6 a.m. Friday morning among some of the remaining batteries at the Vistra Corp. site in Moss Landing. North Monterey County Fire Chief Jess Cortez says that’s a known risk.
" Those always have been at 100% capacity energized," said Cortez. "Those batteries spontaneously ignited this morning."
Ron George with Vistra said the batteries retained their charge from more than 18 months ago but are not connected to anything.
"Until we are able to completely remediate the site, we will not get to a point where there is zero risk of a future flare-up," George said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is overseeing clean-up and a representative said they were prepared for flare-ups. Monterey County supervisor Glenn Church says he began hearing from residents shortly after the fire started.
" I'm deeply disappointed and frustrated that we're experiencing yet another fire at the Vistra facility on Moss Landing," he said.
Air quality monitors and drones will watch for smoke and hot spots. The fire department will remain on site but officials expect the fire to burn itself out over the next day or so.
A shelter-in-place order was issued for the area within one-third of a mile of the plant. That order has since been lifted.
Santa Ana bans city employees from deportation jobs
The Santa Ana City Council unanimously approved a new policy this week that bans city employees from taking on work that involves immigration enforcement.
Folks can still get side jobs or “moonlight” with agencies like the Department of Homeland Security or its contractors. But, those roles can’t include duties like detaining or deporting people.
The policy states that these actions could undermine community trust in local government and especially in the city’s police department. The city expects to grant final approval of the policy next month.
That story comes from our partner LAist.
