Latest news with #Gallegos
Los Angeles Times
28-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Wildfire victims want to rebuild with natural materials. Some say L.A. County is making it onerous
After Ana Gallego's son shot her in the leg outside her ranch-style home in Altadena, law enforcement plowed through three walls with two small tanks and threw tear gas canisters in every window in the hopes of flushing out the suspect. The 2012 skirmish ended in his suicide. Gallegos, now 74, survived, but the recovery process was long. It took about five years for her leg to heal, and to remodel her 1,700-square-foot house. Then, in January this year, the Eaton fire took the house again. It was not insured. Early on Jan. 8, Gallegos' son-in-law, Luis Hernandez, drove up to the house they evacuated in the wee hours and broke the news: Everything was gone. He began crying. 'If it's going to be rebuilt, I would like it to be rebuilt in a way that matches nature and has good energy,' Gallegos recalled telling architect Aaron Olko. 'Because I want to live in peace from here on, if it's possible.' Olko's team mentioned the possibility of rebuilding using earthen blocks in a presentation. The idea resonated, reminding her of monasteries she'd once visited on a trip to France. Her 45-year-old daughter, Ehrica Hernandez — who also lived in the Altadena home — pointed to a pragmatic factor: 'It doesn't catch fire.' But the family's rebuilding plan hit a snag. Due to 'regulatory hurdles,' Olko said in a late June email, they opted for traditional light wood frame construction. In the wake of the Eaton fire — which decimated at least 6,000 single-family homes, condos and other dwellings — interest in building with natural materials has spiked. Proponents of building with materials derived from sources like clay, straw and hemp say they're fire-resistant, carbon-friendly and nontoxic when scorched. It's an alluring promise for Los Angeles residents who lost their homes and want to rebuild in a way that avoids future calamity and lowers their home's contributions to greenhouse gases that can fuel more wildfires. Los Angeles County officials have echoed enthusiasm about the potential for such materials, and encouraged residents to bring their ideas to the county department that oversees building and safety. However, some architects and engineers say the process for getting approval to build with earthen and so-called bio-based materials is too uncertain to recommend to clients without significant time and money to gamble with. Architect Ben Loescher and engineer Anthony Dente felt discouraged following a May 13 meeting that included officials from the Los Angeles County Public Works Department, which is among the departments that permits new construction in unincorporated areas of the county. Loescher co-founded Adobeisnotsoftware, which seeks to advance adobe construction in California through education and advocacy. Dente runs Berkeley-based Verdant Structural Engineers, which specializes in sustainable projects using both conventional and natural materials. Loescher and Dente had hoped to discuss the possibility of rebuilding homes in the Altadena area with earthen materials that aren't clearly adopted in the state residential building code. That includes adobe and cob, a material made from clay, sand and straw. The Public Works Department says it will consider projects with out-of-the-ordinary building materials — as long as they comply with any code requirements including energy efficiency, fire resistance and lateral forces. 'We are not opposed at all to using alternate building materials,' said Luis Ramirez, a deputy director at the Public Works Department. 'We just want to make sure that it is done in a way that is safe and that will ensure that life and safety aren't compromised by the use of materials that may not have been tested properly for that specific use.' According to Loescher and Dente, county officials told them at the May meeting that the department lacked the resources to review proposals using such materials unless they came backed by expensive reports — which include testing and evaluation — typically done for mass-manufactured products. The requirement would make the rebuilds nearly impossible, they said. Lisette Guzman, a spokesperson for the Public Works Department, later told The Times that it would also accept testing and evaluation from accredited universities. She denied that a lack of funding was stymying the approval process. Guzman's statements appeared to contradict what Loescher and Dente were told. When they reached out for an explanation, Erik Rodriguez, a senior civil engineer with the department, wrote in a June 11 email that his communication during the May meeting 'could have been clearer.' 'We'd be happy to meet to discuss your alternative material submission,' he wrote. It was a surprising, but welcome, turn of events for Loescher and Dente. For now, however, the path is 'still too nebulous to recommend for anyone but someone who has the ability to take some risks around time and cost,' Loescher said in an email. Until they work out exactly what tests and methodology are required, 'there's a good chance that they'll ask for something that hasn't been done (even if we don't think it is germane),' he said, adding that such a disagreement can be difficult and costly to address by the time it arises. Amid the devastation wrought by the Eaton fire — and the Palisades fire on the other side of the county — there's a sense that there might be an opportunity to build back in a way that accounts for modern realities: rising temperatures, fierce wildfires and technological advancements. L.A. County's building officials have a reputation for caution, but policymakers have signaled a willingness to explore trying something new. Anish Saraiya, director of Altadena's recovery for Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger's office, said in late May that the supervisor's goal is to give people options — though, he noted, the use of earthen materials so far had not been discussed in a substantive way. 'People who choose to utilize standard wood frame construction, fantastic. If you want to do modular, great,' he said. As for earthen materials, 'I think [Barger] would definitely support efforts to try to bring optionality to this community that's trying to rebuild and rebuild with an eye to resilience.' He said Barger was open to revisiting best practices, but deferred to the Public Works and Fire departments as the leading experts on fire resilience and home hardening. Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes coastal communities impacted by the Palisades fire, convened a blue ribbon commission to provide recommendations on how to rebuild with challenges posed by climate change in mind. Among the actions the commission calls for in a report released June 20 is the creation of a new local authority to oversee the rebuilding of fire-destroyed neighborhoods. 'I am open to all proposals that help fire-impacted communities rebuild quickly, safely and resiliently,' Horvath said in a statement. 'Earthen materials and other innovative, fire-resistant approaches may offer promising paths toward sustainability and long-term resilience.' Horvath and Barger in January co-authored a successful motion calling for the creation of a rebuilding resource guide with a focus on resiliency, which touts the fire-resistant benefits of using certain natural materials for siding and insulation. County officials have urged residents interested in using earthen or other natural materials to go to the one-stop permitting centers it has opened in the aftermath of the fires, or reach out to the Public Works Department directly for assistance. But the underlying process for reviewing and approving rebuilds using alternative materials has not changed following the fires. What residents who want to rebuild with materials like adobe are left with is, largely, confusion. On a warm day in late May, Marialyce Pedersen — a sustainable materials management professional who has been advocating for building with nature-based materials for more than two decades — was trying to decide on what would eventually rise from the rubble of what was once her three-bedroom, nearly century-old home in Altadena. Pedersen broke down her options while sitting on a pinkish firepit and curved bench made from cob. The firepit that incorporated clay dug from the Altadena foothills and straw from a local feed store is one of the few elements of the home that survived the Eaton blaze. Pedersen had connected with Loescher, the architect, and was getting fired up about the possibility of rebuilding with adobe. Then he conveyed the not-so-promising signals he got from L.A. County. 'I was like, 'OK, I want to do something pioneering and innovative and amazing, but I also really do need to rebuild my house.'' Pedersen said, 'And I can't be messing around with something.' She changed course and will now be going with a construction method known as straw bale, which typically entails stacking bales of straw to form walls that are coated with plaster. When densely packed, straw has proven resistant to flames — depriving fire of oxygen needed to thrive. Some liken it to a thick phone book. Unlike materials like cob, straw bale is adopted in the California residential building code. That means using it doesn't trigger the need for the alternative approval process. Dente's Verdant Structural Engineers was involved with getting straw bale approved as a building material and — along with advocates like Loescher — is pushing for the adoption of more nature-based materials into the code. The issue is urgency. Dente believes a fully updated code is likely 20 years — and millions of dollars in materials testing — away. 'Which we are doing and don't want to shy away from, but we're in a climate crisis right now,' he said. Bumps in the road have already emerged. California earlier this year rejected citizen-led proposals to adopt cob, hemp-lime and light straw clay in its code, and recently rejected a petition to reconsider. That's why he and Loescher are focused on navigating Los Angeles County's process for considering alternative materials. If they crack it, it could offer a pathway now. Ben Stapleton — an appointee on Horvath's blue ribbon commission and executive director of U.S. Green Building Council California, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable building practices — pointed to a statistic that buildings represent nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Earthen and other natural materials emit relatively less greenhouse gases over their lifecycle, from extraction and transportation to assembly and disposal. Some, such as hempcrete — made by mixing the inner woody core of the hemp plant and a lime-based binder — are carbon sinks. They improve a home's insulation and energy efficiency, he added. Still, the commission did not recommend widespread use of the materials in post-fire rebuilding. 'There's a lot of strong arguments for using these materials,' Stapleton said. 'I just don't think the market is ready to deliver homes [constructed with these materials] at scale, especially in a situation like this.' He believes there first needs to be increased education among architects, engineers and permitting officials about them. The relative lack of familiarity with the materials could add challenges or slow down the rebuilding process, he suggested — which would be problematic given the urgency and dramatic scope of the effort. Karen Bagnard's late-1940s stucco home was incinerated — along with a lifetime of artwork she created, which featured mermaids and other fantastical beings — by the Eaton fire. Her two daughters, who are leading the rebuild, initially seemed firm in their preference for a home made of conventional materials. Bagnard, 80, wasn't convinced. Natural building seemed wise to her. Shrinking one's carbon footprint made sense. And then there were the potential ills of a conventional approach, like fumes spewed by laminate flooring. But she figured her daughters (and grandson) would live in the home for longer than her. She was torn but inclined to follow their wishes. Last Sunday, though, the family took a second tour of an adobe home in South Pasadena. It appeared to sway Bagnard's kids' hearts. On Monday, Bagnard emailed to say it looked like her family would be moving forward with adobe after all.
Los Angeles Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
SoCal Cup Hosts Largest Boys Volleyball Tournament of the Year at Los Angeles Convention Center
Tournament Brings 665 Youth Volleyball Teams to Los Angeles Convention Center The SoCal Cup, the leading series of national boys volleyball events, brought its massive 'The Showcase' tournament to the Los Angeles Convention Center this past Father's Day weekend, resulting in the largest SoCal Cup event so far this year. Owned and operated by AIM Sports Group, the three-day event drew 665 boys club volleyball teams across various age groups (12U through 18U) from all over the U.S. and beyond, driven to compete for what has become the ultimate bragging right in the sport. The SoCal Cup hosts three annual national events: this past week's SoCal Cup Showcase, the SoCal Cup Winter Formal event in December and the SoCal Cup Open Championship in January. SoCal Cup also operates regional league tournaments throughout the year. The Showcase event, which filled the Los Angeles Convention Center, drew a crowd of about 65,000 across the three-day event, made up of a multi-generational audience of athletes, families and spectators. With attendee well-being top of mind, AIM took extra security and safety precautions in collaboration with LAPD and the L.A. Convention Center to make sure the event was safe and seamless and that local and visiting clubs and their supporters were comfortable. 'Our SoCal Cup events continue to expand year over year, nurturing the exponential growth of boys volleyball as a sport,' said AIM Sports Group Founder John Gallegos. 'We anticipate continued interest with the Olympic Games coming to L.A. in less than three years. Our mix of providing the highest-level competition, innovative technology and a genuinely entertaining experience for fans is a recipe designed to elevate youth sports for generations to come.' Gallegos shared that AIM Sports Group is doubling down on supporting boys volleyball (and beyond) by investing in tech innovations focused on enhancing the day-to-day experience for athletes, athlete families, coaches and clubs. 'We launched a preview of our AIM+ tech platform at The Showcase to test engagement and gather real-time feedback, and the response exceeded our expectations,' said Gallegos. 'This was a crucial step in validating our product-market fit. As AIM+ evolves, we see it becoming more than a product. It's a tech-forward media and content platform designed to shape the future of youth sports.' Gallegos noted that the AIM+ platform will be officially released and made available this fall. 'The level of competition displayed at this year's Showcase was at an all-time high,' added AIM Sports Group Executive Director of Volleyball Ali'i Keohohou. 'Having 665 club teams from across the country all playing under one roof, competing at the highest level, is a spectacle to behold. We continue to host the best teams in the country - competing in front of audiences that include many, if not all, Division 1 men's college programs.' Information sourced from AIM Sports. Learn more by contacting pwilliams@
Business Wire
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
SoCal Cup Hosts Largest Boys Volleyball Tournament of the Year at Los Angeles Convention Center
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The SoCal Cup, the leading series of national boys volleyball events, brought its massive 'The Showcase' tournament to the Los Angeles Convention Center this past Father's Day weekend, resulting in the largest SoCal Cup event so far this year. Our SoCal Cup events continue to expand year over year, nurturing the exponential growth of boys volleyball as a sport Owned and operated by AIM Sports Group, the three day event drew 665 boys club volleyball teams across various age groups (12U through 18U) from all over the US and beyond, driven to compete for what has become the ultimate bragging right in the sport. The SoCal Cup hosts three annual national events: this past week's SoCal Cup Showcase; the SoCal Cup Winter Formal event in December and the SoCal Cup Open Championship in January. SoCal Cup also operates regional league tournaments throughout the year. The Showcase event, which filled the Los Angeles Convention Center, drew a crowd of about 65,000 across the three day event, made up of a multi-generational audience of athletes, families, and spectators. With attendee well-being top of mind, AIM took extra security and safety precautions in collaboration with LAPD and the LA Convention Center to make sure the event was safe and seamless, and that local and visiting clubs and their supporters were comfortable. 'Our SoCal Cup events continue to expand year over year, nurturing the exponential growth of boys volleyball as a sport,' said AIM Sports Group Founder John Gallegos. 'We anticipate continued interest with the Olympic Games coming to LA in less than three years. Our mix of providing the highest-level competition; innovative technology; and a genuinely entertaining experience for fans, is a recipe designed to elevate youth sports for generations to come.' Gallegos shared that AIM Sports Group is doubling down on supporting boys volleyball (and beyond), by investing in tech innovations focused on enhancing the day-to-day experience for athletes, athlete families, coaches and clubs. 'We launched a preview of our AIM+ tech platform at The Showcase to test engagement and gather real-time feedback, and the response exceeded our expectations,' said Gallegos. 'This was a crucial step in validating our product-market fit. As AIM+ evolves, we see it becoming more than a product, it's a tech-forward media and content platform designed to shape the future of youth sports.' Gallegos noted that the AIM+ platform will be officially released and made available this fall. 'The level of competition displayed at this year's Showcase was at an all-time high,' added AIM Sports Group Executive Director of Volleyball Ali'i Keohohou. 'Having 665 club teams from across the country all playing under one roof, competing at the highest level, is a spectacle to behold. We continue to host the best teams in the country – competing in front of audiences that include many, if not all, Division 1 men's college programs.' Boys volleyball clubs that achieved bragging rights this year by winning their divisions included: 18 Open: MB Surf 18's 1 ASICS, MB Surf VBC, CA 18 Club: RCVA Boys 18 National, River City Volleyball Academy, VA 17 Open: C2 Attack Boys 17-1 Elite, C2 Attack VBC, TN 17 Club: PRVA 17 1, Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy, CA 16 Open: COAST 16-Ian & Dave, COAST VBC, CA 16 Club: Minas Tenis Clube 16 16 Classic: PAC 16 Noah, Pinnacle Athletic Club, CA 15 Open: Team Rockstar 15 Rockstar, Team Rockstar VBC, CA 15 Club: SD Beach 15GONZO, SD Beach Volleyball Club, CA 14 Open: Team Rockstar 14 Rockstar, Team Rockstar VBC, CA 14 Club: Bay to Bay 14-Premier, Bay to Bay Volleyball Club, CA 13 Open: MB Surf 13's 1 ASICS, MB Surf VBC, CA 12 Open: Borinquen Coqui 12 1, Club de Voleibol Borinquen Coqui, Puerto Rico Founded to provide elite competitive and developmental playing opportunities and training for young athletes, the SoCal Cup has grown exponentially over the last five years and is now the largest and best-attended youth volleyball tournament series in the country. Learn more at
Miami Herald
10-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Texas Amber Alert for Missing Dallas Boy Canceled
Police said four-year-old Luciano Gallegos has been recovered after an Amber Alert was issued for his disappearance in Dallas, Texas, early on Tuesday morning. No further details were given. Newsweek has contacted the Dallas Police Department's public information office for more information. The original Amber Alert said Gallegos was taken by a 21-year-old man named Louis Ricker on Monday, June 9, and was last seen at 2900 Block of South Walton Walker Boulevard in Dallas, traveling southbound at around 11:30 p.m. in a White Mitsubishi Outlander. The Amber Alert system is used widely throughout the U.S., with 82 plans in place to help recover children after they have been determined missing, enabling some missing child reports to be resolved. The alerts can be issued on a state-wide or local scale and more than one child can be involved in the case. The system, which stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, dates back to 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters worked with the local police to develop a warning system to find abducted children, and later other states and communities soon set up their own plans. These alerts are broadcast through radio, TV, road signs, cellphones, and other data-enabled devices. The Amber Alert system is used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 27 other countries. By the end of 2024, 1,268 children had been recovered due to the activation of an Amber Alert, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which helps to distribute alerts to the public. This is a developing article. Updates to follow. Related Articles Amber Alert: Kidnapped Toddler, Mother 'Found Safe' in North CarolinaAbducted 8-Year-Old California Girl Found After Amber Alert IssuedAmber Alert Issued as 1-Year-Old Goes Missing in South DakotaAmber Alert Canceled for Missing 1-Year-Old From Washington State 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SAISD and Wall ISD set to review district boundaries.
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The San Angelo Independent School District will review district boundaries with Wall ISD in a special meeting on Monday June 9. SAISD School Board trustees to be administered oaths According to the school board's agendas report, during a routine property audit by the Tom Green County Appraisal District, inconsistencies in the school districts' property boundaries were discovered between SAISD and Wall ISD. It also said after a further investigation, it was revealed that the inconsistencies were in relation to current Texas Education Agency district boundary lines between the two districts. The board agenda report states that Walsh Gallegos was contacted to inquire about possible solutions to the boundary line inconsistencies. Gallegos researched the matter and provided both school districts and the appraisal district with a proposed option related to TEC Sec. 13.231Minor Boundary Adjustments by Agreement. Tex. Education Code – SUBCHAPTER F. OTHER BOUNDARY CHANGES Sec. 13.231. MINOR BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS BY AGREEMENT. (a) Two contiguous school districts may adjust their common boundary by agreement if, at the time the agreement is executed:(1) no child who resides in the territory that is transferred from one jurisdiction to the other is enrolled in a school of the district from which the territory is transferred; and(2) the taxable value of the territory that is transferred from one jurisdiction to the other does not exceed one-tenth of one percent of the total taxable value of all property in the school district from which the territory is transferred.(b) In this section, 'taxable value' has the meaning assigned by Section 403.302, Government Code. San Angelo elects new mayor, runoff for city council in June On May 19, 2025, the board of trustees approved a resolution delegating authority to thesuperintendent to negotiate a Minor Boundary Adjustment Agreement with Wall ISD and bring it back to the school board for consideration. It is reported that the approval of the MOU is the next step before sending all appropriate documents to the Texas Education Agency for consideration. The administration recommends approving an MOU with Wall ISD regarding an amendment to the school district's maps to correct a clerical error on the district's boundaries with Wall ISD,pursuant to the resolution approved by the Board at the May 19, 2025 meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
