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There are so many GoFundMe campaigns.You can scroll and scroll and scroll through the crowdfunding site’s list of verified campaigns that have been set up, often by friends and family, to support our fellow Angelenos who’ve had their lives turned upside down by the L.A. County wildfires.The volume is agonizing, but the steadily ascending dollar amounts are heartening. More than $100 million has been raised for families, communities, businesses and relief organizations as of Sunday afternoon, according to a GoFundMe spokesperson – which is a drop in a bucket that’s about the size of the ocean, isn’t it?Each campaign is a…

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System has $180 billion in unfunded liabilities as of its latest report. To try to reduce this debt, the nation’s largest pension system recently approved a plan to increase investment in private markets, doubling down on a strategy that has yet to deliver results and carries significant risks for taxpayers.Investing in the private market involves owning non-publicly traded assets, such as private loans, real estate, and private equity and venture capital business. CalPERS plans to increase its investments in private equity and private credit by 20% so that it represents 40% of its portfolio.This increase…

Former Carolina Hurricanes player Eric Staal, center, speaks during a ceremony to retire his No. 12 jersey prior an NHL hockey game against the Ducks in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) blocks a shot by Ducks’ Alex Killorn (17) with Hurricanes’ Sean Walker (26) nearby during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) Carolina Hurricanes’ Martin Necas (88) battles with Ducks’ Jackson LaCombe (2) for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C.,…

INGLEWOOD — Three minutes before tipoff in Denver, Clippers veteran Nicolas Batum finally put down his phone. The Clippers had a game to play against the Nuggets on Wednesday as devastating wildfires were raging back home in Los Angeles.He was back on his phone at halftime, checking on his wife and child, who reside in Simi Valley.“I never do that, but I checked at halftime if my wife and kid were OK,” Batum said Sunday. “But that was a weird timing.”The Clippers resume playing basketball Monday against the Miami Heat at the Intuit Dome as the fires, which began Tuesday,…

As of Sunday afternoon, the Lakers’ home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday evening at Crypto.com Arena was planned to be played as scheduled after the Lakers’ previous two home games had been postponed because of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.The Lakers’ Thursday home game against the Charlotte Hornets and Saturday matchup against the Spurs were postponed, with the league saying that the dates for the rescheduled games will be announced at a later time.The league also postponed the Clippers’ home game against the Hornets scheduled for Saturday at Intuit Dome because of the fires, which…

A look at how intense gusts rarely before seen in Southern California stoked blazes in urban areas in and around Los Angeles.Los Angeles has experienced one of its worst disasters as powerful Santa Ana winds, sometimes at hurricane strength, swept down the surrounding mountains and pushed wildfires into several neighborhoods starting Tuesday.Five blazes were sparked Tuesday and Wednesday: the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst and Lidia fires. The latter three were under 1,000 acres as of Sunday.With the winds so strong, there was little firefighters could do to control the flames.Jon Keeley, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and…

What we learned and what we heard after the Houston Texans bounced the Chargers from the AFC playoffs Saturday was crystal clear. The Chargers weren’t good enough on the day to defeat the Texans and advance to the next round. What comes next is what comes next.Coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz will speak with reporters Wednesday to address the past, the present and a future that appears to be very bright for the franchise despite a resounding 32-12 defeat Saturday. It’s assumed they’ll provide clarity on how they’ll approach trying to get the Chargers to the next…

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (14-3) at RAMS (10-7) When: Monday, 5 p.m. Where: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.) TV/Radio: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 225, 226 Line: Vikings by 2.5 Notable injury designations Vikings: OUT: OLB Patrick Jones II (knee); QUESTIONABLE: RB Cam Akers (illness), DL Taki Taimani (ankle). Rams: None. What’s at stake? Another game to play, a trip to the NFC divisional round, three wins away from a Super Bowl title. Who’s better? The Vikings have been the more consistent team throughout the season, ranking near the top of the NFL on both sides of the ball. The only reason they are the road team…

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Sunday, Jan. 12, temporarily setting aside California’s major environmental law that requires all building needs to pass through a rigorous vetting process.The order clears the decks for builders to jumpstart rebuilding homes and buildings throughout the areas impacted by the wildfires that have burned more than 39,000 acres throughout the Palisades, Eaton Canyon, Lidia, Sunset and Woodley areas of suburban Los Angeles.The order will help streamline permitting for reconstruction of properties. The fires so far have substantially damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 structures.Also see: Eaton, Palisades fires slow as containment grows, 16 dead;…

SACRAMENTO – A recent news story gave the anti-self-driving car pearl-clutchers some ammunition, although it was more comical than tragic. In West Hollywood last month, a goofy sidewalk-delivery robot collided with a robotaxi at around at 4 miles per hour. There obviously were no injuries and neither vehicle was damaged, although writers had a field day depicting this as a preview of the coming dystopian war between robots.Critics of autonomous vehicles, or AVs, can fixate on nonsense if they choose, but widespread legislative efforts to limit the development of these vehicles actually endangers us given that robots are much better…