A8
NATION
East Oregonian
Saturday, October 26, 2019
California utility admits it may have ignited blaze
By ROBERT JABLON AND
JOCELYN GECKER
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — California’s
biggest utility admitted its electri-
cal equipment may have ignited
a destructive wildfi re spreading
through the state’s wine country
Friday, despite blackouts imposed
across the region to prevent blazes.
The disclosure came as fi refi ght-
ers battled fl ames in both Northern
California and Southern California:
the fi re amid Sonoma County’s vine-
yards, and a wind-whipped blaze that
destroyed homes near Los Angeles.
The fi re near the Northern Cal-
ifornia town of Geyserville burned
at least 49 buildings and 34 square
miles, and prompted evacuation
orders for some 2,000 people.
It was driven by the strong winds
that had prompted Pacifi c Gas &
Electric to impose sweeping black-
outs affecting a half-million people
in Northern California and Central
California. Power was restored to
most people by Thursday evening,
PG&E said.
PG&E resorted to shut-offs
after equipment malfunctions and
trees blowing into power lines were
blamed for sparking several blazes
in recent years that killed scores of
people, burned thousands of homes
and ran up billions of dollars in
claims that drove the utility into
bankruptcy.
However, PG&E said Thurs-
day it didn’t turn off a 230,000-volt
transmission line near Geyserville
that malfunctioned minutes before
the fi re erupted. The utility reported
fi nding a “broken jumper” wire on
a transmission tower on Wednesday
night.
PG&E CEO Bill Johnson said it
was too soon to know if the faulty
equipment sparked the fi re. He said
the tower had been inspected four
times in the past two years and
appeared to have been in excellent
condition.
Investors were leery, though, and
PG&E stock fell more than 20%
during the day.
In shutting off the electricity,
PG&E cut power to the distribution
lines that supply homes, but not to
its long-distance transmission lines.
Meanwhile,
an
estimated
AP Photo/David Crane
Firefi ghters put out hot spots on a house burned in the Tick Fire in Canyon
County, Calif., early Friday.
50,000 people were under evac-
uation orders in the Santa Clarita
area north of Los Angeles as hot,
dry Santa Ana winds howling at
up to 50 mph drove the fl ames into
neighborhoods.
The cause of the fi re was
unknown, but Southern California
Edison said it had cut off power to
the area fi ve hours before it broke
out Thursday afternoon.
At least six homes were burned,
and offi cials said the number was
expected to rise as they took a more
thorough look.
“I’m literally seeing sticks and
fi re of what used to be our home,”
Alejandro Corrales said.
She said the fi re also took her
mother’s ashes, other belongings
and possibly a pen full of pet sheep.
“Everything in the house is
gone,” Corrales said.
Firefi ghters on the ground and in
the air struggled to protect homes
surrounded by trees and brush as
the fi re grew to 4,300 acres.
Some residents tried to fi ght the
blaze with garden hoses. People
rushed to rescue dozens of horses,
donkeys, goats, a pig and an emu.
High winds were expected to
taper off by late afternoon. South-
ern California Edison, which shut
off electricity to more than 31,000
customers on Thursday, said it was
considering additional power cuts
to more than 386,000.
The Los Angeles school district
closed all its schools in the San Fer-
nando Valley, citing poor air quality
and other safety concerns.
While the high winds in North-
ern California had died down by
Friday, they were expected to pick
up over the weekend with gusts of
40 to 60 mph in many places, and
PG&E warned it may black out an
even larger region.
PG&E chief meteorologist Scott
Strenfel said Northern California
could be in for the strongest off-
shore winds in years.
Most states not giving driver’s license data to Washington
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — An effort
by the U.S. Census Bureau to col-
lect state driver’s license records as
part of President Donald Trump’s
order to gather citizenship infor-
mation has been a bust so far.
As of Wednesday, the vast
majority of state motor vehicle
agencies had not agreed to share
their records with the bureau,
according to an Associated Press
survey of the 50 states. The effort
over the past couple of months
has alarmed civil rights groups,
which see it as part of a backdoor
move by the Trump administra-
tion to reduce the political power
of minorities.
In August, the bureau began
requesting fi ve years worth of
driver’s license records, promis-
ing the information would be kept
confi dential. The effort began
after the U.S. Supreme Court
rejected the Trump administra-
tion’s plan to add a citizenship
question to the 2020 census, and
the president instead ordered cit-
izenship data compiled through
federal and state administrative
records.
At least 13 states have refused
to share the driver’s license data,
17 are still deciding what to do,
and 17 haven’t yet received a
request, according to the AP sur-
vey. Three states didn’t respond to
multiple AP queries.
Republican and Democratic
states alike have said no, citing pri-
vacy concerns and prohibitions in
state law.
“Philosophically, we believe
the information in the database
doesn’t belong to us. It belongs
to the people who it pertains to,”
Maine Secretary of State Matthew
Dunlap said. “It’s not ours to give
away.”
Two of the biggest states, Cal-
ifornia and New York, haven’t
received requests yet. Three more
of the top fi ve most populous
states — Texas, Florida and Penn-
sylvania — are deciding how to
respond.
Census Bureau offi cials had no
immediate comment.
Many states got calls or emails
similar to one from a Census
Bureau offi cial asking an Arkan-
sas Driver Services offi cial if she
had time to discuss the bureau’s
“new and exciting project.”
Scott Hardin, a spokesman for
the Arkansas agency, said: “We
are currently working to deter-
mine whether the requested infor-
mation is eligible for release.”
Utah offi cials turned down the
request because state law says per-
sonal data can be shared only for
public safety reasons, said Marissa
Cote, a spokeswoman for the
Department of Public Safety in the
Republican-leaning state.
Democratic-leaning
Nevada
also declined.
HOW STATES RESPONDED
An eff ort by the U.S. Census Bureau to collect state driver’s license
records as part of President Donald Trump’s order to gather citizenship
information has been a bust so far. Survey results as of Wednesday:
received
Michigan, Not received
Minnesota, Not re-
ceived
Mississippi, Didn’t
answer AP query
Missouri, Undecided
Montana, Not received
Nebraska, Undecided
Nevada, No
New Hampshire, Didn’t
answer AP query
New Jersey, No
New Mexico, No
New York, Not received
North Carolina, Unde-
cided
North Dakota, Not
received
Ohio, Not received
Oklahoma, Not
Alabama, No
Alaska, No
Arizona, Not received
Arkansas, Undecided
California, Not received
Colorado, Undecided
Connecticut, No
Delaware, Undecided
Florida, Undecided
Georgia, Undecided
Hawaii, Not received
Idaho, No
Illinois, No
Indiana, No
Iowa, Undecided
Kansas, Undecided
Kentucky, Undecided
Louisiana, No
Maine, No
Maryland, Undecided
Massachusetts, Not
received
Oregon, No
Pennsylvania, Unde-
cided
Rhode Island, Not
received
South Carolina, Not
received
South Dakota, Unde-
cided
Tennessee, Undecided
Texas, Undecided
Utah, No
Vermont, Not received
Virginia, Not received
Washington, Not
received
West Virginia, Didn’t
answer AP query
Wisconsin, Not received
Wyoming, Undecided
NEW 2019 HIGHLANDERS IN STOCK
$
5000
OFF MSRP
Select new 2019 Toyota Highlander gas models in
stock. STK# 19H514. New 2019 Toyota Higlander
XLE V6 AWD. MSRP $42,044 , sale price $36,851
after $2500 TFS rebate and $2500 Rogers Discount.
On approved credit. Plus tax, title and $75 dealer
doc fee. Offer expires October 31, 2019.
NEW 2019 RAV4’S IN STOCK
$
2000
OFF MSRP
Select new 2019 Toyota RAV4 gas models in stock. STK# 19H771.
New 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure AWD. MSRP $39,565, sale price
$37,565 after $1000 TFS rebate and $1000 Rogers Discount. On
approved credit. Plus tax, title and $75 dealer doc fee. Offer expires
October 31, 2019.
NEW 2019 TACOMA
DOUBLE CABS IN STOCK
$
3000
OFF MSRP
Select new 2019 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab models in stock. STK# 19H638. New
2019 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD TRD Double Cab. MSRP $38,118, sale price
$34,672 after $1500 TFS rebate and $1946 Rogers Discount. On approved credit.
Plus tax, title and $75 dealer doc fee. Offer expires October 31, 2019.