California AG Bonta warns more than 200 hotels and landlords of price gouging complaints in wake of fires

LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent more than 200 letters to landlords and hotels warning them that they’ve been accused of wildfire-related price gouging, his office announced Friday.

“The price gouging that we’re seeing and hearing about needs to stop now,” Bonta said in a release. “These letters are just one of many tools my office is using to stop this illegal activity. May they serve as declaration that we are taking swift action, and we will not stop until the price gouging does.”

Online listings have shown landlords jacking up prices 50% or more above what advertised rents were prior to last week’s fires, far in excess of the 10% increases allowed under the law. Activist groups have cobbled together spreadsheets of alleged violators and pressed authorities to take action.

The letters notify recipients that they’re subject to a price gouging complaint and place them on notice of the law’s provisions and penalties for violating it. In addition to the letters, Bonta noted that his office has active criminal investigations into price gouging.

—Los Angeles Times

Mayorkas fears the threats ahead: ‘I don’t think the American public understands the breadth’

WASHINGTON — With just four days left of the Biden administration, art still hangs in Alejandro Mayorkas’ office in the far reaches of southeast Washington, where a tall window alcove overlooks a snowy capital. Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security are beginning to turn in their badges. An emotional farewell for the secretary, held at headquarters earlier in the week, brought many on his staff to tears.

Across the department’s sprawling campus, at the former site of St. Elizabeth’s mental hospital, political staff are taking stock of what they accomplished. Some are plotting escapes to warmer climates in an effort to distract themselves from the coming change. Career officials are bracing for a policy whirlwind.

Mayorkas is reflecting, as well, on what he described in one of his final interviews as an incalculable onslaught of homeland security threats that relentlessly challenged the outgoing administration and will be inherited by the next.

“I don’t think the American public understands the breadth and diversity of the challenges this department confronts and overcomes,” Mayorkas said. The incoming administration of President Donald Trump will face three primary “threat vectors,” Mayorkas said, including the threats of foreign terrorism that first gave rise to the department after Sept. 11, 2001.

—McClatchy Washington Bureau

Yosemite is one of the deadliest national parks in the US and there’s one main reason

Yosemite National Park is a popular place to take in picturesque views and marvelous waterfalls, as well as enjoy a variety of outdoor adventures, including hiking. But did you know Yosemite also is considered one of the deadliest national parks in the United States?

According to data collected from personal injury firm Malloy Law Offices, the national park in Central California ranks as the third deadliest national park in the country with 125 fatal incidents from 2014 to 2023. Of those fatal incidents, 42 were related to falling.

“Yosemite’s rocky landscapes can deceive even the most experienced hikers,” attorney Seann Malloy said. “Staying cautious and properly equipped is essential, particularly near ledges and waterfalls.”

The data, which stems from public records and reports from the National Park Service (NPS), shows each national park’s fatal incidents from 2014 to 2023 and tracks incidents such as drownings, motor vehicle accidents, and medical emergencies within park boundaries.

—The Sacramento Bee

Russia and Iran draw closer with new pact before Trump returns

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian signed a new strategic cooperation pact as the two countries brace for the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House.

The comprehensive strategic partnership agreement inked at a Kremlin ceremony on Friday seeks to deepen political and economic ties between Russia and Iran as they grapple with sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.

“It’s important because it allows us to add fresh momentum practically to the whole range of our cooperation,” Putin said in televised comments at the start of the meeting. He described the accord as a “breakthrough” in relations at a joint press conference with Pezeshkian after the summit.

“Today’s agreement has opened a new era in the relationship between Iran and Russia,” Pezeshkian said. With Iran facing a domestic energy crisis and unable to meet record levels of demand for natural gas and electricity, Putin held out the prospect of energy from Russia, though he offered no timetable.

—Bloomberg News