Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem called the FBI "corrupt" and appeared to accuse the bureau of leaking plans for "large-scale" immigration enforcement plans in the Los Angeles area.

The LA Times published an article Friday that said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would lead the operation, focusing on those without legal status in the U.S. or who have pending orders of removal, according to an internal government document reviewed by the publication.

The document was reportedly circulated among some government officials last week. The Times also reported that a federal law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said LA FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officers and agents are being called in to assist.

Noem shared the article on X, taking a dig at the FBI.

LA FREEWAY BLOCKED BY ANTI-DEPORTATION PROTESTERS IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP'S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

"The FBI is so corrupt," Noem wrote. "We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law."

ICE sources told Fox News they do not know where Noem got the information or what she is basing it on.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

The FBI had no comment on the matter.

LARGEST LAPD UNION SLAMS ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST DIRECTIVES, SAYS ARRESTS ‘SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER’ IN ALTERCATIONS

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined "Fox Report" on Sunday, where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about leaks within the government.

"Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you," Bondi said. "It’s not going to stop our mission. It’s not going to stop the president’s mission to make America safe again."

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SENDS MESSAGE TO FAR-LEFT OFFICIALS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS: 'GAME ON'

She also said if people do not want to follow the law, the Department of Justice will prosecute them.

Bondi was then asked about an operation in Denver, Colorado, where individuals used bullhorns to let people know that ICE was coming, advising illegal immigrants of what they should and should not do if approached by agents.

In cases where people inform illegal immigrants that they are in danger, Bondi was asked if anything could or should be done to stop it.

"It very well could rise to the level of obstruction, and we will be looking at every single case where someone jeopardizes the lives of the great men and women in law enforcement, and they will be held accountable," Bondi said. "If you leak, if you do anything, like you said, if you come out with bullhorns that could jeopardize their lives, we will investigate it, and we will come after you."

President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls and women's sports Wednesday and vowed the order will also apply to border security for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

During Trump's ceremony at the White House to sign the executive order, he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028. 

Trump said he will instruct Noem "to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes try and get into the Games." 

Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said part of the motivation behind Trump's executive order would be to create a "pressure campaign" for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NCAA to follow and prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. 

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"He does expect the Olympic committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women’s sports," Leavitt said. "I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls.

"Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level of the White House. He expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order he will be signing today."

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

There was controversy surrounding gender eligibility at the Paris Olympics in July and August. 

Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won gold medals in women's boxing. Both athletes had previously been disqualified from international competitions for failing gender eligibility tests. However, the IOC and current President Thomas Bach voiced support for both athletes. The IOC also insisted that both athletes were biologically female. 

Before that, Laurel Hubbard, a transgender woman, competed in weightlifting for the New Zealand team, and Canadian soccer player Quinn came out as nonbinary and transgender in 2020.

With Bach preparing to leave office later this year, the IOC's next president could help carry out Trump's vision on the issue more cooperatively. 

Former British Olympic champion Sebastian Coe is a candidate to be the next IOC president and has suggested he will take action to prevent transgender inclusion in women's events. 

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Coe published a manifesto for his vision as IOC president as he campaigns for the position, and it stressed the importance of protecting female athletes.

Unlike Bach, Coe opposes transgender inclusion in the women's category and said he would explore a complete ban on transgender athletes in an interview with Sky News.

"We will have a very clear policy that will be unambiguous," Coe said. "We've been very clear in World Athletics that transgender athletes will not be competing in the female category at the elite level."

Coe is the current head of World Athletics, the governing body for international track and field competition. In 2023, the governing body tightened its regulations on transgender athletes to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category. That regulation also lowered the maximum testosterone level for eligible female competitors. 

Coe said if he becomes IOC president, the new Olympic policy on transgender inclusion will "probably" reflect the one he has established in World Athletics. Coe has also said the controversy surrounding Khelif and Yu-ting made him feel "uncomfortable."

NCAA PREZ SUGGESTS ONUS ON FEMALE ATHLETES TO USE OTHER FACILITIES IF UNCOMFORTABLE SHARING WITH TRANS PLAYERS

The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of winning medals because they lost to transgender athletes.

The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

"The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males," the report said.

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Two potential witnesses who say they ran into OJ Simpson on June 12, 1994 – the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were brutally hacked to death outside her upscale condo – are sharing their stories in a new docuseries decades after they were left out of the ensuing murder trial.

One, who later sued prosecutors for libel, could have placed Simpson within a mile of the crime scene after she said she narrowly missed crashing into his SUV. 

The other said he saw Simpson acting oddly and dumping a wrapped item in a trash can at Los Angeles's largest airport 30 minutes later.

Due to his fame as a football star, a TV sports commentator and actor, he was highly recognizable at the time.

FBI RELEASES HUNDREDS OF PAGES ON OJ SIMPSON MURDER INVESTIGATION

Both appear in Netflix's new docuseries, "American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson."

The first is Jill Shively, who lived in Santa Monica at the time and encountered Simpson in a traffic altercation around 11 p.m. on the night of the murders. 

Less than a mile from the crime scene, Shively told investigators she nearly crashed into a white Ford Bronco with no headlights on.

"I could see who it was and I knew it was a football player, but I wasn't sure who," she elaborated to People Wednesday. "He was yelling at another driver, ‘Move, move.’ I recognized his voice because I had just seen a Naked Gun movie. It was O.J. Simpson." 

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OJ SIMPSON PROSECUTOR MARCIA CLARK DISSECTS EVOLVING MEDIA'S IMPACT ON TRIALS AND TRUE CRIME

Shively testified before the grand jury, then sold her story to the tabloid TV show "Hard Copy" for $5,000, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Her then-boyfriend also allegedly told prosecutors that she was a "felony probationer" and not a credible witness. She sued him and county officials over the latter claim but was never called to the stand at trial. 

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The other is Skip Junis, who claimed to have seen Simpson arrive at Los Angeles International Airport around 11:30 p.m. the same evening.

PHOTOS: OJ SIMPSON THROUGH THE YEARS

As he was waiting to pick up his wife, he claimed, he saw Simpson get out of a limo with a duffle bag.

"O.J. went to a trash can and plopped the bag on top," Junis told People. "What was really peculiar is when he unzipped the bag, he pulled out a long item that was covered with a white rag or cloth and put it in the trash can."

A murder weapon was never found in connection with the case.

Simpson's lawyers had maintained that he was home at the time of the murders, waiting for a limo to LAX. He took a red-eye flight to Chicago for a golf outing but was asked to return to Los Angeles by police the next morning. 

Junis said he told police what he had seen but was not called to the witness stand during the trial.

"I think Marcia Clark forgot about me," he told the outlet, referring to the lead prosecutor on the case.

Clark declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. She also declined to appear in the docuseries, according to Netflix. 

Simpson had an elite team of attorneys known as the "Dream Team" that included Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Kardashian, Shawn Holley, Robert Shapiro and others. They ultimately convinced jurors of enough reasonable doubt to acquit Simpson in the murders.

A Heisman Trophy winner from USC nicknamed "Juice," Simpson went on to a stellar NFL career as a running back with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. But after briefly flirting with Hollywood stardom, he became the most prominent U.S. figure to face murder charges after the brutal double stabbing left Brown Simpson and Goldman dead at her Brentwood condo.

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The two victims were not believed to have been romantically involved. 

Although he was acquitted in that case, Simpson later lost a civil lawsuit connected to the deaths. Years later, at the age of 61, he took part in an armed robbery to steal some of his own memorabilia. He served the minimum nine years of a 33-year sentence before receiving parole.

Simpson died last April after a private cancer battle. Near the end of his life, he remained in Las Vegas and returned to the public eye on X, posting reactions to current events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Malibu man drove south this week to attend a ceremony honoring the El Segundo firefighters of Engine 31 C Platoon who assisted with the massively destructive Palisades Fire to personally thank them for saving his home. 

Dr. Anthony Nesburn told FOX 11 that he wouldn’t have missed the ceremony, sharing that not only were the firefighters able to spare his house, but they also left him a note in his mailbox. 

The note said that the house to the right of his was engulfed in flames and the fence separating the two homes was about to catch his on fire, "and we kept the fire from that door." 

He said he was so grateful for the letter, "because I did not know how the house survived." 

CALIFORNIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY AFTER HIS DRONE COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT FIGHTING PALISADES FIRE

It's an important bit of good news after Nesburn's wife died last year. He told FOX 11 he felt  she was watching over him as the fire raged. 

The note from firefighters also added, "We’re so sorry for the devastation your neighborhood has endured."  

Besides a charred side door, Nesburn’s home remains completely intact. Many of his neighbors, however, weren’t so lucky, and his son, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, also lost his. 

"That was one of our prouder moments being on the incident," El Segundo firefighter Matt Goodenough told FOX 11 of being able to protect Nesburn’s ocean view home. "There’s many houses we saved, but that one in particular was just one of those that we were proud to kind of put – I don’t know if you heard about the pink ribbon, but hanging the pink ribbon was an indication of a save." 

‘THE CROSS STILL STANDS’: CONGREGANTS OF ALTADENA CHURCH DESTROYED BY EATON FIRE LEAN ON FAITH AFTER LOSS

El Segundo firefighter Bryan Partlow said in the 20 years he’s been on the job, he’s never seen winds like they experienced during the Palisades Fire. 

"The winds were unbelievable," he said. "We already had an uphill battle." 

He added, "We go out there and we do the job. We handle the task, and we go back to the station, and we don’t normally talk about what we do. It’s a very humbling feeling." 

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Thousands of people have been left homeless by the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, further east, that both sparked last month and just recently have been 100% contained after weeks of battling them. 

The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire that burned a total of nearly 40,000 acres in the Los Angeles area have been 100% contained, fire officials said on Friday.

The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres on the west side of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire set 14,201 acres ablaze starting on Jan. 7, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The two major fires and several smaller ones created the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles County history, killing 28 people and damaging or destroying more than 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said.

CALIFORNIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY AFTER HIS DRONE COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT FIGHTING PALISADES FIRE

At the height of the fires, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, according to Los Angeles County officials.

Damage and economic losses are estimated at more than $250 billion, according to private forecaster AccuWeather.

Rain finally fell in Southern California in the past week, which aided firefighters in containing the fires but also increased the risk of flash floods and mudslides in the hills and the spread of toxic material left behind in the fire's devastation.

Full containment is largely symbolic at this point as fires still remain isolated in steep mountain terrain, fire officials said.

"It's more important when we say forward progress is stopped," Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart told Reuters.

Progress was stopped about a week after the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through the region.

LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE

Stewart said the rain was "more of a hindrance" because it led to mudslides and blocked roads first responders needed to access.

"Had this rain come two weeks ago, it might have been more helpful," Stewart said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, after President Donald Trump suggested he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional.

The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire.

"There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America," Chu told Inside California Politics.

"I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states, she continued. "I’ve never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don’t have a political party."

TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND

This comes after Trump said on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He said he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to be allowed to flow across the state.

"I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," Trump told reporters in North Carolina as he was touring hurricane recovery efforts in that state. "Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen."

Trump visited Los Angeles later on Friday to view damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents.

Chu said she wants Trump to tell the working-class victims of her district that they would only see aid to address the devastation if there are conditions.

"I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices," Chu said. "I want him to look, in fact, in the victim’s eyes and say that he wouldn’t provide aid unless there were conditions."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump's comments about conditional aid. The governor's office said several other states — including some won by Trump — do not generally require identification at the voting polls and that California residents must provide identification when they register to vote. Newsom's office also said the state pumps as much water as it could under policies from Trump’s first-term.

LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE

"Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong," Newsom's office said on X.

Republicans in Congress have suggested tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California’s fire-mitigation policies, but Democrats have argued against placing conditions on federal assistance to Southern California.

Tom Green has never been a fan of the glitz and glam of Hollywood. 

In a new interview with The New York Times, the comedian and actor, 53, opened up about his decision to move back home to his native country of Canada and explained why he enjoys the simpler things in life. 

"I’m not really a Hollywood guy," Green, who left Los Angeles in 2021, said. "I started to feel like I wasn’t being true to my authentic self." 

'HOME ALONE' STAR DANIEL STERN DITCHED HOLLYWOOD FOR QUIET LIFE ON A FARM

Green, who is promoting his new documentary, "This Is The Tom Green Documentary," said fans are going to get an inside view of what his day-to-day life entails these days. 

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"People are probably going to be surprised that I’m not, like, completely crazy," Green said. "There’s a sort of a wholesome heartwarming thing to this — that I have a close relationship with my family, that I love animals, that I enjoy doing a lot of things that a great many people in the world enjoy doing, like getting out into the woods." 

While Green, who lives on a farm, enjoys the quiet life, he's staying busy with an upcoming U.S. tour that combines stand-up comedy and music from his new country album, "Home to the Country."

Green isn't the only star to ditch Hollywood lately. 

Daniel Stern, best known for playing one of the Wet Bandits, Marv, in the classic 1990 holiday film "Home Alone," spends most of his time raising cattle and creating sculptures on his farm in Ventura, California.

"Hello, as you will come to discover, I live on a farm, and we grow tangerines here," Stern said in a TikTok video that has since gained a lot of attention. 

"I juice them up and then freeze them and give them away to my friends."

Rock star and actor Marilyn Mason is in the clear after a four-year probe into allegations of sex assault and domestic violence, according to Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office.

The 55-year-old Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, had already fended off similar accusations in civil lawsuits. He has always denied the allegations.

In a statement, Hochman cited two factors in the decision. First, the statute of limitations has expired on domestic violence allegations. Second, authorities said they could not prove sex assault beyond a reasonable doubt.

PROSECUTOR TO ‘REVIEW’ MARILYN MANSON RAPE ALLEGATIONS AFTER VICTIM CALLS OUT DA WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION

"We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation," the DA's office said in a statement. "While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault."

Hochman's predecessor, George Gascon, announced in October that he was reviewing the investigation after Manson accuser Esme Bianco, who played Ros on "Game of Thrones," went public with allegations that the embattled prosecutor had "mishandled" her case from the start and sat on it for two years without making a decision on whether to file charges.

Bianco sued Manson in 2021, alleging violent sexual assault, trafficking and abuse. Through an attorney, the rock star denied the allegations as "provably false." The sides settled out of court in 2023.

MARILYN MANSON 'IMMEDIATELY' DROPPED FROM RECORD LABEL FOLLOWING ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

Court documents show that another Manson accuser dropped her own case and claimed that Bianco and Evan Rachel Wood manipulated her into leveling false accusations against him, according to a source close to the legal team.

Manson has also been accused of sexual and physical abuse by actress Evan Rachel Wood, his former fiancée, as well as other women, including one who was 16 at the time of her alleged assault. Some of the claims have already been tossed out in court.

Unrelated legal troubles also led to a 20-hour sentence of community service in New Hampshire after he allegedly blew his nose on a videographer.

Bianco had endorsed Hochman on the campaign trail.

MARILYN MANSON ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING MINOR IN 1990S IN NEW LAWSUIT

The DA's office said it was acknowledging and commending Manson's accusers regardless of the outcome. The attention on the case helped lead to an extension of the statute of limitations for domestic abuse locally and in other parts of the country.

"Due to their efforts, victims of domestic violence have a greater voice in our criminal justice system and prosecutorial offices around the country have improved tools to hold domestic violence abusers accountable for their actions," the DA's office said.

Tiger Woods' famed annual golfing event, The Genesis Invitational, is being moved from Los Angeles to San Diego after the devastating wildfires damaged the original course. 

The PGA announced Friday the event will move 123 miles south to Torrey Pines Golf Course in the La Jolla neighborhood in San Diego, the site of this week's Farmers Insurance Open.

Woods says the event will be a platform to help fire victims.

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"We are grateful to the City of San Diego and Torrey Pines for hosting the 2025 Genesis Invitational, and to everyone who has reached out in support of the tournament," Woods said in a statement. "While Riviera remains the home of The Genesis Invitational, we look forward to playing on another championship caliber golf course this year and using the tournament to support those affected by the fires in the Los Angeles area."

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GOLF COURSE'S CLUBHOUSE BURNS DOWN AMID WILDFIRES: 'WE WILL COME BACK STRONGER'

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan also expressed gratitude.

"Our thanks to Tiger Woods, TGR Live and Genesis for their leadership in these efforts," Monahan said.  "We are grateful to Farmers Insurance, [San Diego Mayor] Todd Gloria and the City of San Diego and the Century Club for extending the invitation to relocate The Genesis Invitational to Torrey Pines."

"Highlighting the resilience of Los Angeles and the need for continued support for the ongoing recovery efforts is what our collective teams are working towards with the playing of The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines," Monahan added in his statement.

The Riviera Country Club, where the event was originally supposed to be played, was not destroyed by the fires. However, it is dealing with power and water issues, and the tournament is being moved out of respect to fire victims.

The Genesis Invitational is expected to return to The Riviera Country Club in 2026. 

"The devastation that is ongoing with the LA fires is such a tragedy and being from California, it hits home," Woods said in a statement shared on his social media platforms. "My heart is with those who have suffered unimaginable loss. Thank you to the incredible heroes that are the first responders helping to contain and save the community of Los Angeles."

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EXCLUSIVE– Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong has made waves with his changes to the historically left-leaning newspaper, speaking in a new interview to Fox News Digital about why he quashed the editorial board's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, how his staff is reacting to his changes and why he wants to appeal to Americans who don't reside in the liberal echo chamber. 

Soon-Shiong’s paper was attacked from the left last year after the editorial board did not endorse a presidential candidate for the first time since 2008. Soon-Shiong said he was not surprised by the backlash, which included high-profile staff resignations and the cancelation of thousands of subscriptions.

"I knew I'd get pushback. If you want to lead, you have to lead, so we took that position," Soon-Shiong told Fox News Digital. 

"Competence matters," he added. "And, you know, did we feel as a group that she was a competent leader?" 

LOS ANGELES TIMES OWNER ANNOUNCES PAPER WILL HAVE A NEW EDITORIAL BOARD SOON SO 'ALL VOICES ARE HEARD'

Soon-Shiong said he did not – and has yet to – see the "prepackaged endorsement" for Harris that he scrapped, and he was not aware it had been written when the decision was made to not endorse a candidate. 

"I worried [the endorsement] would actually express that she was maybe the most consequential vice president in the history of the United States, which may be the opinion of some people and may be laughed at by other people," Soon-Shiong said. 

"I thought, ‘Look, we can't do that.' We have to actually provide what we call factual basis for anything we’re going to actually endorse," he added. "It doesn't mean we don't endorse, but that's not the basis of how we would endorse."

The decision came down just weeks before the 2024 election. Shortly after the LA Times, Gannett, the publishing giant that owns USA Today and hundreds of other newspapers, and the Washington Post also opted not to endorse for president last year. Like the Post, the LA Times had only ever endorsed Democrats for president.

BILL MAHER MOCKS NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENT UPROAR AT WAPO, LA TIMES: 'IT'S CHARMING THAT THEY THINK IT MATTERS'

While the Washington Post under Jeff Bezos won't endorse presidential candidates going forward, Soon-Shiong said the LA Times has not ruled out future presidential endorsements. He said the Times plays an important role in local elections, but he didn’t want the paper to serve as an "echo chamber" for liberal readers.

"We really need to be informed, honest, transparent, truthful, so that when anybody reads that, there's a basis for that endorsement," he said, adding, "Somebody had to stand up and take the heat, and I did. I'll probably still continue to take some heat. But I think it's important."

Soon-Shiong, an accomplished medical researcher and transplant surgeon, said he doesn’t regret the decision and feels the California wildfires have emphasized the importance of "competent leadership." He spoke out on X earlier this month about regretting the newspaper's backing of Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

"I really wanted to make sure that we are a trusted source for all Americans," Soon-Shiong said. "Clearly, California is blue, very blue. When our opinion pages were so one-sided, and these are just opinions, I wanted to make sure that everybody had a chance to voice their own opinion. And more importantly, opinion based on facts, not on speculation."

CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR SCOTT JENNINGS JOINS LA TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD AMID PAPER SHAKE-UP

One major change he's made was bringing conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings on to the paper's editorial board, which infuriated some liberal media scribes, and he's planning to bring on more moderate and conservative voices to balance out the roster's liberal lean.

Soon-Shiong told Fox News Digital he was sick of seeing opinions about "speculative statements" written in a way that could appear as facts to the average reader. In November, Soon-Shiong wrote about the importance of sharing different opinions to promote media trust in the wake of President Donald Trump's victory.

Not to say it's been easy. The LA Times has not been immune to industry headwinds, laying off 115 people last year on the heels of eight-figure financial losses in 2023.

Soon-Shiong said it’s been a "struggle" to get the staff to buy into his vision of a paper that caters to readers on both sides of the political spectrum.

"Change is difficult, right? I respect that, and I have empathy for that," he said. 

"I think the strength of our paper is going to be investigative reporting and really going after the facts on the reporting side," Soon-Shiong added.

WILDFIRE DISASTER PROVES WHY 'COMPETENCE,' NOT PARTY, MATTERS IN ELECTING LEADERS: L.A. TIMES OWNER

He has visions to improve the outlet's coverage by having it evolve as a media platform, and the LA Times has won plaudits for its on-the-ground reporting on the devastating fires that continue to affect the region.

To achieve his goal to be a trusted resource for all Americans means grappling with the LA Times' historical ideological lean.

"We were and we are, if we're honest with ourselves, the editorial team and the reporting has been left, the opinion side has been left," he said. "Now within the news, sometimes it's opinions scattered into the news and so that gets confusing because the news is supposedly just facts." 

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"Every American's allowed to have a voice," he added. "But there should be really one set of facts. And that's the news."

Last month, his own paper published an interview with him and reported that "many Times reporters and editors rejected the notion that they inject opinion into their news reporting, saying they long labored to be impartial arbiters."

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have sued the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power after losing their home in the Palisades Fire.

According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the reality stars are alleging "inverse condemnation," a legal concept that allows property owners to seek compensation when the government damages property.

"The Hills" alums filed the suit with 20 other property owners Jan. 21, blaming the City of Los Angeles and the utility company for causing damage to their homes.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

The document cited reports that the Santa Ynez Reservoir was emptied Jan. 7 before the Palisades Fire. The Santa Ynez Reservoir is close to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles. 

Pratt, Montag and the other plaintiffs accuse LADWP of making "the conscious decision to operate the water supply system with the reservoir drained and unusable as a ‘cost-saving’ measure."

"With the Santa Ynez Reservoir effectively out of commission, hydrants in Pacific Palisades failed after three tanks each holding one million gallons of water went dry within a span of 12 hours," the complaint said.

The document noted that the system, built by the City of Los Angeles and LADWP, "failed," causing the plaintiffs to lose their homes.

"On information and belief, the Palisades Fire was an inescapable and unavoidable consequence of the water supply system servicing areas in and around Pacific Palisades as it was planned and constructed," the complaint states. 

"The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a substantial factor in causing Plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged in this Complaint."

LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: ANNA FARIS LOSES PACIFIC PALISADES HOME, MOLLY SIMS WEEPS OVER 'DEVASTATED' COMMUNITY

The LADWP shared a press release saying the Santa Ynez Reservoir needed to be emptied "to meet safe drinking water regulations and that repair work was slowed by the city charter’s competitive bidding process."

According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are seeking an amount in damages that will be determined at trial. 

"Plaintiffs have suffered real and personal property damage, personal injuries, loss of use of their homes, loss of income, business interruption, and emotional distress and seek fair compensation for themselves in this case caused by Defendants.

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"Plaintiffs are entitled to recover all litigation costs and expenses with regard to the compensation for damage to properties, including attorney’s fees, expert fees, consulting fees and litigation costs."

Pratt and Montag have been outspoken since losing their home in the LA fires earlier this month. 

The couple sat down with "Good Morning America" and spoke about the shock of their loss.

"Spencer was like, ‘Grab anything you want to keep,’ and I was like, ‘How do you choose?’ My brain actually stopped working because I was so overwhelmed with so many things you can’t replace. So, I grabbed my kids’ teddy bears," Montag said through tears.

Pratt added, "The worst was … our kids’ room. That is so magical. We do story time every night. It’s such our routine. So much love is in there. Our son’s bed started burning in the shape of a heart. The fire just started as a heart. I was like, ‘This is out of body, insane.’"

The couple said their home and possessions were uninsured and noted they were among many Southern California residents who were dropped from their insurance policies.

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As Montag explained to the outlet, "We were ‘house poor’ as they call it. We have a house, and everything else is a hustle, is a grind. So, we’re definitely counting every dollar that we make."

Representatives for Montag and Pratt did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

President Trump is taking on defiant sanctuary cities as he seeks to fulfill a vital campaign pledge to mass deport illegal immigrants while blue city leaders dig in their heels, resisting any form of assistance to federal authorities that could lead to migrants' removal. 

Tom Homan, Trump's designated border czar, has promised to unveil a series of "game-changing" executive orders that have prompted sanctuary cities to cement their statuses as safe havens for migrants.

The cities, from Chicago to San Diego, have doubled down by reaffirming local ordinances to prohibit local law enforcement from assisting federal authorities in immigration removal operations.

President Trump put illegal immigration front and center in his inaugural address on Monday, promising: "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came." 

TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Los Angeles, in November following Trump's election win, formalized policies prohibiting city resources from being used to support federal deportation efforts and further solidifying its stance as a sanctuary city. 

San Diego's board of supervisors passed a similar policy that prohibits county agencies from working with federal immigration authorities. California's history as a shelter for migrants was cemented in 2017 after former Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation making California a sanctuary state. 

During Trump's first term, he cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities. The Biden administration restored the grants in 2021, Reuters reported.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a vocal critic of the state's immigration policies, told Fox News Digital that he hopes to see "America return to the rule of law."

"I will fight to secure our border and oppose any handouts or incentives that encourage illegal immigration," he said. "We must put Americans first and uphold the integrity of our nation."

BLUE STATE COUNTY IGNORES ICE DETAINERS AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston made headlines after saying he would go to jail over his opposition to Trump’s mass deportation plan, sharing that he predicted a "Tiananmen Square moment" if federal immigration officials attempted to do their job.

"More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there," Johnston said in the interview with Denverite. "It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants."

But in a subsequent interview with 9News, he walked back those comments.

"Would I have taken it back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn't have used that image," Johnston said. "That's the image I hope we can avoid. What I was trying to say is this is an outcome I hope we can avoid in this country. I think none of us want that."

But he said he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is "illegal or immoral or un-American" in the city — including the use of military force — and was then asked if he was prepared to go to jail for standing in the way of policies enacted by the administration.

"Yeah, I'm not afraid of that, and I'm also not seeking that," Johnston said. "I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people how to solve hard problems."

Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of migrants arriving in the city under former President Biden's administration, and Johnston has slashed city services to house and feed migrants.

TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’ 

On Sunday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's opposition rang loud and clear when he vowed to oppose Trump's plans.

"Chicago stands strong: regardless of the circumstances, our commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering," Johnson wrote in a social media post on Sunday. "We will continue to fight for the justice and safety of all who call this place home."

Johnson's statement came after he assured the city would continue to comply with the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS THROUGHOUT US ON ‘DAY ONE’ 

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reiterated Boston's status as a sanctuary city following Trump's election, saying that she doesn't want migrants to "retreat into the shadows."

"The last thing we want is for people who are part of our economy, part of our school system, part of our community and the fabric of our city, to feel that all of a sudden they have to retreat into the shadows," Wu said during an interview on WCVB's On The Record.

Like many sanctuary cities, Boston passed legislation prohibiting local law enforcement from asking people about their immigration status or sharing information with ICE. The Boston Trust Act was signed into law in 2014 under Mayor Marty Walsh, and amendments were made in 2019.

"The Boston Trust Act puts strict prohibitions on local law enforcement from being pulled into becoming the enforcement arm for the whims of whatever the sort of approach of the federal immigration law might be," Wu said during an interview on WGBH. 

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has echoed the Boston mayor's sentiment, saying that the Massachusetts State Police would "absolutely not" assist in immigration enforcement. 

MAJOR BLUE CITY MAYOR SILENT AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT USES SHELTER FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

WATCH TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR ON DEPORTATION PLANS:

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday night that Trump’s team is planning an immigration raid in Chicago to begin on Tuesday morning, citing four sources familiar with the planning. Between 100 and 200 officers will be there to carry out the operation, which will last all week, the Journal reported. 

Trump's incoming border czar Tom Homan promised large-scale raids as part of Trump's crackdown on immigration.

"We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens, that’s what’s going to happen," Homan said Friday on Fox News' "Jesse Waters Primetime." "What we’re telling ICE: You’re going to go enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem."

"There are going to be big raids all across the country," Homan continued. "Chicago is just one in many places. If we got 24 field offices across the country on Tuesday, you can expect ICE." 

WATCH:

While there are key sanctuary cities that are intent on dissuading Trump's policy plan, there are pockets of cities and states intent on assisting Trump.

In Colorado, Douglas County's board of commissioners approved a resolution in support of Trump’s mass deportation plan. The unanimous vote confirmed the county, which is neighboring the sanctuary city of Denver, as a "non-sanctuary county."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"We are going to follow and adhere to federal immigration law," Douglas County Chairperson Abe Laydon told Fox News Digital. "We will continue to support the U.S. Constitution and follow federal immigration law."

"We want to empower our local law enforcement, our sheriff's office, and communicate with federal immigration officials, to get information and keep people safe in our community," he said. "The three of us, as the board of county commissioners, are going to hold the line in Douglas County and ensure that our community stays safe."

In the border state of Texas, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered the administration a tract of more than 1,400 acres to stage its mass deportation operation.

Her letter to Trump, obtained by Fox News Digital, says her office is "fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor's offices in Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and Denver.

Fox News' Michael Dorgan and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

The tragedies of Los Angeles’ recent fires are suffocating and impossible to wrap my mind around as a born-and-raised California mom who evacuated our forever home at 4 a.m. on Jan. 8. 

I’m heartbroken. I’m livid. I’m praying. I’m guilty of emerging unscathed (so far). I’m vigilantly searching for answers while preparing for the next round of "Particularly Dangerous Event" winds. My own kids are asking me terrifying questions, and I’m answering with a faked "everything will be OK for everyone" confidence that only parents know how to do. 

How did California leadership fail families so egregiously? They traded the time-tested value of responsibility for empty trends of "diversity, equity and inclusion."

I don’t believe in politicizing tragedies – especially of this magnitude – but unfortunately, some tragedies are exacerbated by political motives and actions (or rather, inactions). With some estimates of damages to be upwards of $250 billion and 24 innocent people dead as of this writing, NOW is the time for us to be vigilant in asking questions and planning solutions for our children’s future. 

CALIFORNIA’S POLITICIANS DIDN’T START THE FIRES. THEY MADE THEM WORSE

I’ll recap just some of California and Los Angeles’ documented priorities for taxpaying citizens over the last several years: 

IN LA, YOU CAN SMELL THE SMOKE AND FEEL THE RAGE. CALIFORNIA CAN CHANGE. IT STARTS NOW

Were fires inevitable given the conditions? Of course. But, a lack of responsibility from leaders partnered with DEI-driven priorities failed to mitigate carnage – as shamelessly showcased by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and even the guy who allegedly oversaw the county-wide emergency alert system when it repeatedly alerted 10 million people to "Evacuate Now" by mistake. ("I’m so sorry, I messed up," I heard him say on the radio. At least he admitted it, unlike others.) 

My own teens have a better sense of responsibility and impending consequences than our elected and appointed officials. According to credible reports, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power previously drained the city’s second-largest reservoir near Pacific Palisades and failed to notify county or city fire departments. 

Mayor Karen Bass abandoned the city under her watch and traveled to Africa despite National Weather Service warnings of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions on Jan. 3. 

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Years of budget cuts in areas that warrant priority – including Newsom reportedly slashing over $100 million from fire preparedness in 2024 – continue to deplete resources and exacerbate potential decimation, like we’re experiencing now. 

Major fires are not unexpected in California. By all evidence, our leaders at the top are making irresponsible choices not rooted in hindsight, current events or fact-based projections. As a mom who constantly reminds my kids to think ahead, I am infuriated.

As parents, we can hold leaders accountable in public forums and call on our representatives to revisit and reverse failing policies. But, more importantly, we must raise our children to understand the seriousness of responsibility, value merit and fear consequences. 

The "there’s no wrong or right" parenting mentality has got to stop. The "you do you" philosophy in schools must end. The obsession with abandoning merit-based standards and skills in education and the workplace – to check boxes based on sexuality, gender and perceived inequalities – must die. Responsibility and accountability are the bedrock for maintaining a free, functioning, and safe society. (It’s one of our foundational principles for creating PragerU Kids.)

California leadership failed families. Blatant irresponsibility and DEI-focused priorities are now proven accomplices to physical, mental and spiritual destruction for hundreds of thousands – with no end in sight. Not on this California mom’s watch. Teach the kids before it’s too late. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JILL SIMONIAN

As wildfires wreaked devastation across Los Angeles, the city official in charge of the fire department was out of the picture – placed on administrative leave in December while he remains under investigation for an alleged bomb threat against City Hall earlier this year.

LA Deputy Mayor Brian Williams’ Pasadena, California home was raided by the FBI last month in connection to the investigation of a bomb threat which was made against City Hall in September. The Los Angeles Police Department referred the case to the FBI after it determined Williams was likely the "source of the threat," FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.  

"Due to the department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI," the LAPD said in a statement at the time. "The FBI remains the investigating agency."

Embattled Mayor Karen Bass' office said Williams was placed on administrative leave immediately after the FBI notified the mayor of the search. That happened three weeks before the fires erupted in Los Angeles County, scorching nearly four square miles of urban area, according to the Associated Press.

LA DEPUTY MAYOR PLACED ON LEAVE AFTER FBI RAIDS HOME FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING BOMB THREAT

The Palisades and Eaton Fires are still burning, though heroic efforts by firefighters and calming winds have greatly reduced the rate of spread. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 12,000 buildings and homes destroyed in the blazes. The fires are likely to be among the most destructive in California history, the state fire agency CalFire said.

When the first flames ignited, Bass, 71, was overseas on a diplomatic mission to Ghana. She was part of a delegation President Biden sent to the African nation for the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She hurried home on a military plane soon after news of the fire emergency reached her, but she did not return to Los Angeles for a full 24 hours after disaster struck.

LA MAYOR KAREN BASS POSED FOR PHOTOS AT A COCKTAIL PARTY AS PALISADES FIRE EXPLODED

Her initial absence has prompted harsh criticism from LA residents, who are questioning Bass' leadership amid the crisis. In that context, her decision to put Williams on administrative leave is also under fresh scrutiny.

The Los Angeles mayor's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Bass appointed Williams to be deputy mayor in February 2023 and charged him with overseeing public safety in the city.

EX-OBAMA STAFFER AND LIBERAL PODCASTER SLAMS LA MAYOR FOR BEING OVERSEAS DURING WILDFIRES

Williams was placed in charge of the city's police department, fire department, the Port of Los Angeles Police, the Los Angeles World Airport Police and the city's Emergency Management Department, local news station KABC reported. Williams previously served seven years as the executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission. 

He also served as deputy mayor under Mayor James Hahn, during which time he oversaw the Department of Transportation, Public Works and Information Technology Agency.

Williams' attorney Dmitry Gorin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Gorin previously released a statement denying that his client had anything to do with the bomb threat made against City Hall.

"Mr. Williams strongly maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the allegations. Importantly, he has not been arrested, nor charged, and will continue cooperating with the investigation through attorneys. He has a lengthy career of public service and is presumed innocent of these allegations. We urge the public to allow the investigation process to play out and not to prejudge the facts of this case before they are known," Gorin said last month.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. 

There were many things that preceded the "nonsensical" response from Los Angeles and California state leaders to the devastating wildfires that continue to blaze across the region, according to historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson.

"To mitigate you have to know what went wrong, and there were short-term and long-term problems," Davis, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday interview. "And I don't think climate change played a role, at least a non-immediate role."

Davis described the situation as a "woke green hydrogen bomb" — from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during the critical first 24 hours of the inferno to empty fire hydrants, a dysfunctional reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's support of the billions of dollars earmarked to address it.

LA COUNCILWOMAN WHOSE DISTRICT RAVAGED BY WILDFIRES LOOKS TO HOLD LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR EMPTY RESERVOIRS

"It's a very fragile system," Hanson said. "What Gavin Newsom did not do is he did not take the allotted money and build the reservoirs that would have accommodated the increased population. Number two, that water that is being pumped across the [Sacramento-San Joaquin River] Delta, he let go out into the bay under the demands of environmentalists. He said in his defense that the reservoirs are full. That's not true. If you look at the biggest one, it's only 75% full, and we are in a semi-drought right now."

Newsom told NBC News in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday, "The reservoirs are completely full — the state reservoirs here in Southern California. That mis- and disinformation, I don’t think, advantages or aids any of us."

But as of Tuesday, Shasta Lake, California's largest reservoir, was at 77% capacity, holding approximately 3.52 million acre-feet of water out of its total capacity of 4.55 million acre-feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

California's existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, and many were built in the mid-20th century. 

In 2014, Golden State voters passed Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state's water storage capacity through building new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. Yet as of January, no new reservoirs have been completed under Prop. 1. 

In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean as the state struggles to properly store water, multiple California agencies said. 

"There was a roughly 120 million gallon reservoir that could have been used because they only had three million in reserve — that would have probably made the difference," Hanson said. "That had been idle for almost a year, and it was because the cover was torn. It was just nonsensical."

The out-of-order reservoir Hanson referred to, known as the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades, has been closed for repairs since February due to a tear in its covering, which was designed to maintain the water quality, the Los Angeles Times first reported Tuesday. 

FIRST HEARING IN 'TRUMP-PROOF' CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SESSION CANCELED AS CHAIRMAN'S DISTRICT HIT BY WILDFIRES

Hanson has a Central Valley farm that relies on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he explained. 

In California’s Central Valley, farming water typically comes from the Sierra, mainly through the San Joaquin River system, which is supported by major dams like Shaver, Huntington and Pine Flat. That water is often released into the Sacramento River, which flows into the Delta. Despite increasing demand, no new dams have been built on the San Joaquin system in decades. 

On the west side of the valley, water comes from snowmelt in northern California’s Cascade Range and northern Sierra, filling larger reservoirs like Oroville and Folsom. These reservoirs were designed to store water during wet years, ensuring a steady supply in average years and a backup for drought years. 

However, California has faced a prolonged dry spell, with little rain or snow in recent weeks, causing reservoir levels to drop.

"So when Gavin Newsom says, well, 'they're full,' they're not all full, but they're descending at a rapid rate, because he will not stop the releases to the ocean," Hanson said. "They're still going on, as you and I speak, and they're not pumping 100% of it to the aqueduct, which serves agriculture in Los Angeles."

During an interview with NBC earlier this week, Newsom claimed the reservoirs were full. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsom's office said he was referring to the state-managed reservoirs in Southern California.

Newsom, meanwhile, has shifted the blame to local management and ordered an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. 

"We need answers to how that happened," Newsom wrote to the department's director and the director of Los Angeles County Public Works on Jan. 10, regarding reports of lost water supply. 

'DEVASTATING': CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT

For his part, Newsom also proposed allocating at least $2.5 billion in additional funding to bolster California's emergency response and recovery efforts in Los Angeles, his office announced on Monday. 

The proposed funding would support recovery and cleanup operations, enhance wildfire preparedness and assist in reopening schools closed due to the fires. The funding would come from the state's Disaster Response Emergency Operations Account, with $1.5 billion coming from speeding up the use of climate bond funds for immediate use, according to his office. 

There has been a slight increase in containment for the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Los Angeles County, according to a Wednesday night update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 

The Palisades fire, the larger of the two at 23,713 acres burned as of Wednesday, is at 21% containment after its ignition in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood more than a week ago, according to the department. 

The Eaton Fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area was at 45% containment as of Wednesday night. Both fires broke out on Jan. 7. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Bass spokesperson Zack Seidl said, "Mayor Bass is leading our city through one of the worst crises in our history. Hurricane-force winds and unseasonably dry conditions drove these firestorms – misinformation surrounding this crisis has been staggering. Mayor Bass issued a sweeping executive order to clear the way to rebuild homes fast and that will do everything she can to get Angelenos back home. She has secured the federal, state, and local resources we need to continue fighting these fires and is moving forward on an all-of-the-above plan for recovery."

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report. 

Defiant and armed Los Angeles homeowners in the scorched Altadena community have taken to the streets to defend the homes that remain standing — even if those streets have been blocked off by a police line amid evacuation orders and raging wildfires, residents say.

Authorities have arrested at least a dozen individuals in connection with looting and arson, and prosecutors in Los Angeles and neighboring Orange County have asked the governor to order stiffer penalties for looters.

Ignoring evacuation orders, Mike Leroy and Billy Theodorakopoulos told Fox News Digital they were protecting their neighborhood against looters.

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

At first, they stayed behind to try and protect their homes with garden hoses, keeping their rooftops and yards as wet as they could and directly battling a garage fire that reached a car's gas tank. Firefighters joined them briefly, helping contain the flames, but then moved on to other emergencies.

They decided to stay and ward off looters.

2 MORE FIREBUGS CHARGED AS LA'S NEW TOUGH-ON-CRIME DA HEATS UP FIGHT AGAINST LOOTERS AND ARSONISTS

"We had one incident, early on," Leroy said. "But nothing afterwards. We've been seeing a lot of patrol, especially the past few nights."

He said they were taking a few hours of sleep between patrols and remaining on the lookout.

Theodorakopoulos' wife, Maggie, said she has taken to calling Altadena by a new name amid the chaos.

"Now I've renamed it ‘Texadena,’ since we're all walking around with our guns and stuff," she joked. 

Without power, the holdouts set up a makeshift camp with a solar-powered shower.

CALIFORNIA FIREBUG ARREST CAUGHT ON VIDEO AS POLICE WARN OF ARSONISTS

The pair said they were hoping more of their neighbors would join them.

"We need the neighbors to come home so that we can take a break," Theodorakopoulos said. "And No. 2, we need more vigilance… There's only six of us in a three-block radius to cover all this, and there's a lot more territory here."

Earlier this week, a local lawyer named Aaron Lubeley told The Wall Street Journal his well-off neighborhood suddenly felt grittier as friends from outside the perimeter dropped off supplies to holdouts like himself who were defying evacuation orders.

"We do feel like we’re in the Wild West," he told the paper. 

The fires have killed at least 24 people in just over a week. Authorities say they expect to discover more fatalities.

Compounding the issue are looters and arsonists. 

Evacuation orders are mandatory, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, while evacuation warnings are advisory. Authorities are urging residents to be packed and ready to move with their pets and important papers.

Fox News' Max Bacall contributed to this report.

Police arrested three people following two drone incidents as authorities report numerous encounters with aerial operations, potentially hampering lifesaving measures as wildfires rage throughout Southern California. 

As of Monday afternoon, charges had not been released. Two arrests stem from one drone incident, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. 

"If you do not have business in the evacuation areas, do not go there," Luna said in a press conference on Monday. "You are infringing upon the work that our first responders need to attend to."

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

Cal Fire told Fox News Digital that the department is unable to provide details regarding the incidents, citing a lack of insight into the Federal Aviation Administration’s investigations. 

The FAA directed Fox News Digital to local authorities for questions relating to the arrests. 

Last week, a civilian drone struck a Super Scooper plane, leaving a "fist-sized hole" in the wing and grounding the potentially life-saving aircraft for a few days.

LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: FIREFIGHTING PLANE GROUNDED FOR 3 DAYS AFTER DRONE STRIKE CAUSES ‘FIST SIZED HOLE’

"We are working with our public and private sector counterparts to try to identify the operator of that drone," said Akil Davis, FBI assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office. "But since that incident, we have had [more than 10] contacts with drone operators in which we have warned and fined in previous years."

PHOTOS: FBI releases new images of damaged Super Scooper aircraft 

The plane flies at low altitudes to scoop water from the ocean and douse wildfires, and is one of two aircraft on loan from Quebec. 

The Super Scooper has been repaired and is expected to return to the air on Tuesday, pending approval from the FAA. Authorities originally expected the aircraft to be back in commission by Monday.

The incident has resulted in authorities warning the public to refrain from flying drones within wildfire areas. Temporary flight restrictions have been placed above the wildfire zones and federal authorities have deployed ground teams to intercept pilots violating FAA restrictions.  

"The FAA has not authorized anyone unaffiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones in the TFRs," the FAA said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Forty-eight privately owned drones have been detected in wildfire zones, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Robert Harris said during a briefing on Saturday evening. 

FBI SEARCHING FOR OPERATOR OF PRIVATELY OWNED DRONE THAT PUNCHED HOLE IN CANADIAN FIREFIGHTING PLANE

The FAA has warned against the dangers of drone activity interfering with first responders. Aircraft battling wildfires often fly at low altitudes, which could result in encounters with drones, such as mid-air collisions or pilot distractions. Additionally, drones could lose connection and fall from the sky, potentially striking firefighters or civilians on the ground. 

Flying a drone in a wildfire zone could force first responders to ground aircraft, resulting in delays and threatening the safety of firefighters, civilians, and structures. 

"Drones are probably one of our most significant threats right now in law enforcement," Davis said.

Interfering with firefighting operations on public land is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison. The FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 if a drone pilot interferes with wildfire suppression or law enforcement efforts when temporary flight restrictions are in place. 

The FAA encourages the public to use their FAA Hotline web form to report any violations of Federal Aviation Regulations. 

Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. 

In Los Angeles right now, it’s not just acrid smoke that’s in the air. 

There’s fear, anxiety, and pain. When will they get these fires under control? What if the wind picks up? What if my neighborhood is next?

For those who have been evacuated: when can I go back? Why won’t they let me get my pet? Or my medicine?

MAPS SHOW EXTENT OF WILDFIRE DEVASTATION, HOMES DESTROYED

Worst of all, for those who have lost their home, or in the small but tragically growing number of cases, their loved ones, utter despair. And a sense that the people in charge are not responding with the urgency, energy -- or frankly, empathy -- we expect.

And that brings us to the other emotion that’s so palpable in L.A. today: rage.

Rage at a governor who, when confronted over the shocking revelations of dry fire hydrants and empty reservoirs, waved his arms around and said, "ask the local people."

Rage at the 'local person' -- Mayor Karen Bass – who, when confronted over her failure to prepare for this disaster, her failure to even be in town, simply froze on camera. A bizarre, pathetic two-minute silence instead of the strong leadership we need.

But these short term failures of preparation and response pale into relative insignificance compared to the long term failures that have brought us to this point.

LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: RETURNING SANTA ANA WINDS THREATEN TO EXPAND DEADLY BLAZES

In March, my new book, 'Califailure - Reversing the Ruin of America's Worst-Run State' will catalog the terrible combination of incompetence and ideological extremism that has left California at the top of every list you'd want to be the bottom of, and bottom of every list you'd want to be at the top of -- from the highest rate of poverty in the nation to the worst business climate; the highest housing costs and the lowest homeownership. Crime and homelessness out of control. All paid for with the highest taxes in America.

Now, with the catastrophe in Los Angeles, everyone can see how badly things have gone wrong.

Every aspect of the wildfire crisis was either caused by, or made much worse by, Democrat policies and Democrat politicians.

Of course they try to blame "climate change." But other places with similar climates and similar geography don't seem to suffer the same way.

In California, environmental extremism stopped action to manage what's known as the "fuel load" in our forests and chaparral. Thinning overgrown forests, clearing undergrowth and brush -- blocked by misguided Democrat policies.

Money that should have been spent on fire prevention was diverted to ideological obsessions that do nothing to reduce wildfire risk, like EVs.

We keep hearing about "drought" -- but in truth it's mostly man-made. We have all the water we need: we just don't collect it, store it and get it to the right places.

And underlying everything, the insane rules and regulations, the crazy nanny state, the endless armies of bureaucrats and busybodies making it impossible to get anything done, to build the housing and the infrastructure we need.

NEWSOM DEFENDS FIRE RESPONSE WITH FACT-CHECK SITE LINKING TO DEM PARTY FUNDRAISING PLATFORM

Their 'green' bureaucracy has even slowed down or blocked vital work like burying or insulating power lines that spark wildfires! How is that good for the environment?

It's time to stop all this nonsense. It's time for common sense policies and competent government.

That's what I'm focusing on. My California policy organization, Golden Together, has brought together leaders from business, the faith community, experts in firefighting and prevention, to develop positive, practical ideas for how we help people right now, and make sure we do the right things to help recover and rebuild quickly.

Pastor Jack Hibbs from Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills is mobilizing churches and places of worship to help displaced families and to support our brave (and exhausted) first responders.

We need to sweep away ridiculous rules hampering relief and recovery efforts -- for example, absurd 'climate' regulations that make it impossible to bring in emergency generators from out of state to provide power where supply has been disrupted.

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Let’s get rid of the bureaucracy that ties you up in knots of red tape. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants to "expedite" permitting for rebuilding homes. Great! Except: what exactly does he mean by "expedited"? Could it take over 120 days? For a permit to rebuild the exact house that was there before? It's all very unclear right now. But it should be instant!

After the Northridge earthquake in 1994, then-Gov. Pete Wilson -- a Republican -- tore up the rules and put in place clean-up and construction contracts that helped rebuild the Santa Monica freeway in 66 days.

I spoke with Gov. Wilson. We’ve included his suggestions in our policy recommendations, along with many practical ideas from homebuilders and entrepreneurs.

I’ve asked tech leaders in Silicon Valley to develop a plan for a new ‘Fire Force’ that will use AI, drones and autonomous firefighting vehicles to spot and extinguish potentially dangerous wildfires before they start.

All of this and more can be found in our policy document: Rescue, Reform, Rebuild.

It’s time for change in California, and this is the first step.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass previously told The New York Times in 2021 that she didn't plan to travel internationally when elected mayor of the city, as reported by the outlet on Sunday. 

Bass said in 2021 that should she win her election, "not only would I of course live here, but I also would not travel internationally — the only places I would go would be D.C., Sacramento, San Francisco and New York, in relation to L.A," the Times reported.

The mayor was traveling in Ghana as the fires ravaged Los Angeles last week, and upon her return, Bass ignored questions from reporters about her absence. 

Bass previously served in Congress, specifically on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and spent several years working on U.S. relations with Africa, according to the Times.

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The Times reported, "That pledge has been spectacularly broken."

Bass has traveled internationally four times since she became mayor, the Times reported, once to Mexico and three times to Paris for the Olympics. 

"Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning? And do you regret cutting the Fire Department budget by millions of dollars, Madame Mayor?" Sky News reporter David Blevins asked as Bass waited to deplane on Wednesday following her trip to Ghana.

"Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?" he added. 

Bass refused to acknowledge the reporter, continuing to ignore questions as she looked at the ground.

"No apology to them? Do you think you should have been visiting Ghana while this was unfolding back home?" he said. 

"The Mayor is laser focused on two things right now – keeping Angelenos safe and protecting property. She has secured the federal, state and local resources we need to continue fighting these fires and is moving forward on an all-of-the-above plan for recovery," Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

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Bass was also called out for a 2021 social media post calling out Sen. Ted Cruz for being away from his state while Texas dealt with a winter storm.

Bass told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday that she was communicating with people throughout her flight back to LA.

"I was on the phone, on the plane, almost every hour of the flight," she said. "So although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time. When my flight landed, I immediately went to the fire zone and saw what happened in Pacific Palisades."

Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX VIDEO: Police and residents of Azusa, California, a small city in Los Angeles County, teamed up Friday to stop a suspected arsonist in his tracks as at least three large wildfires threaten the region and winds are expected to pick up again.

With increased officers on patrol amid the wildfire emergency, Azusa Police Department Capt. Robert Landeros said the first responding officer arrived quickly to the scene at Pioneer Park around 11:30 p.m. after neighbors confronted the homeless suspect, who was still there when the first officer arrived.

"This was intentional," Landeros told Fox News Digital Monday. "Some of the neighbors confronted him, stopped him from setting an additional fire in the park."

Video shows an Azusa officer handcuffing a man just steps away from a billowing brush fire, which authorities say county firefighters quickly extinguished.

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Police have identified the suspect as 39-year-old Jose Carranza-Escobar, "a transient" whose last known address was also in Azusa. They said he admitted to starting the brush fire.

The arrest comes as firefighters continue to battle at least three active wildfires in Los Angeles County that have killed at least 24 and damaged thousands of homes and businesses.

Carranza was jailed on arson charges. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman was expected to hold a news briefing with more information about Carranza and fire-related looting arrests later Monday. 

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Landeros said that Azusa police and partner agencies, including Hochman's office, the county sheriff's office, arson investigators in neighboring departments and the California National Guard are taking a "zero-tolerance" approach to arson as high winds and the dry climate fuel raging wildfires across Southern California.

"Everybody’s out there," he said. "We’re watching. Even our citizens are."

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The foothills outside town are a high-risk fire area and also have homeless encampments, where fires have broken out before, he said.

"We're constantly conducting enforcement operations in that area," he said. "Residents are obviously on edge when there are major fires."

Strong winds are expected to return to the region this week which could fuel the existing fires as crews continue to fight them. They can both fan flames and knock down trees and branches that can burn.

"Azusa PD urges everyone to remain alert as fires continue to affect the county," Landeros said in a statement over the weekend. "We must be cautious of individuals who may enter our community with the intent to start fires."

Last week, another group of Los Angeles residents stopped a homeless man seen carrying a blowtorch. He was taken into custody, but police said they didn't have enough evidence to charge him with arson.

Video of that incident shows him holding a torch head and a yellow fuel tank before at least five residents surrounded him and tackled him to the ground.