Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
A storm system hitting the Central Coast on Wednesday, Oct. 21, brings a rare 2–4% tornado probability near Big Sur, waterspout risk and debris-flow danger near the Timber and Plaskett fire burn scars, prompting urgent safety warnings for Monterey County residents.
Public Safety
A low-pressure system arriving Tuesday evening is expected to bring up to three-quarters of an inch of rain to Monterey County through Thursday, with the National Weather Service warning of debris-flow risk near the Timber and Plaskett fire burn scars south of Big Sur and hazardous surf along the coast.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously declared a local emergency Oct. 13 to prepare for a potentially historic El Niño winter, suspending state permitting rules to speed creek and channel clearing and freeing up additional funds for storm response.
Public Safety
View MoreDistrict Attorney Jeannine Pacioni is alerting Monterey County residents to three active fraud schemes, including fake county planning invoices, financial scams targeting seniors and home title fraud, and urging reports to the office's Fraud Hotline.
Public Safety
View MoreCommunity advocates say the Baby Angelita investigation has deepened distrust of Monterey County law enforcement among Indigenous Mixteco residents, after the Sheriff's Office initially labeled a 14-year-old sexual assault victim a murder suspect.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Monterey Police Department's latest case log recorded 10 incidents and three arrests over three days, including a domestic violence arrest on Monte Vista Drive and a DUI near Camino Aguajito.
Public Safety
View MoreUpdated climate models project 150% to 200% of normal winter rainfall across coastal California, including the Monterey region, as NOAA classifies the 2026-2027 El Niño in its most extreme category.
Public Safety
View MoreThe National Weather Service issued a Beach Hazards Statement and Coastal Flood Advisory for the Monterey Bay area through early next week, warning of breaking waves up to 16 feet, sneaker waves, rip currents and coastal flooding in low-lying areas.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted all remaining evacuation orders and warnings for the Timber Fire on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as the nearly two-month blaze reached 90% containment at 25,352 acres; the separate Plaskett Fire is now 100% contained.
Public Safety
View MoreMonterey County prosecutors charged Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, with two felonies and two misdemeanors in connection with the Baby Angelita investigation, alleging she used forged documents to put her 14-year-old daughter to work and kept the girl out of school.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Monterey County Sheriff's Office confirmed Sunday that a 14-year-old girl was rescued in Mexico and her father, Sergio Galvez Perez, was arrested during the operation. Galvez Perez faces three felony counts in Monterey County Superior Court connected to the Baby Angelita investigation.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Timber Fire jumped 29 percentage points in containment over the weekend, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation warnings for 11 zones, while the nearby Plaskett Fire reached 99% containment with command transferring back to Los Padres National Forest.
Public Safety
View MoreThe Pacific Grove Police Department's weekly media log for Sept. 19-26 recorded 22 incidents, including a death investigation on Lincoln Avenue, a DUI arrest on Asilomar Avenue, a domestic battery report and phone harassment charges.
Public Safety
View MoreHighway 1 reopened Monday through Big Sur between mile markers 11.1 and 19.0, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation warnings for five Plaskett Fire zones while downgrading three others from orders to warnings.
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