This evening: SoCal winter rains break records, with another storm on the way

Plus Scotia's battle to survive as California's last company town and what you need to know this evening  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­   ADVERTISEMENT January 2, 2026 | View in browser This Evening's Big Stories Southern California winter rains break records, with another storm on the way A storm is expected to bring rain and snow to the Los Angeles area this weekend, with gusty winds and possible flooding possible in burn scar areas, forecasters said. Read More ADVERTISEMENT Billionaire tax proposal sparks soul-searching for Californians Economists say a tax on California's wealthiest residents could be the only way to pay for needed healthcare services in the state. Read More California rolls out sweeping new laws for 2026, from cellphone limits in schools to a ban on cat declawing A slew of new laws in California have gone into effect, including a ban on law enforcement officers wearing masks, cuts to the cost of insulin and a requirement for landlords to provide refrigerators. Read More ADVERTISEMENT Tesla dethroned as the world's top EV maker The Chinese automaker BYD sold 2.26 million electric vehicles in 2025, surpassing Tesla as the world's top EV seller. Read More California homeowners could qualify for grants for new roofs and fire safety The Safe Homes grant program is designed to help low- and middle-income homeowners with fire mitigation. Read More Keep up with California Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe Now Tommy Lee Jones' daughter reportedly found dead at San Francisco hotel on New Year's Day Victoria Jones, daughter of actor Tommy Lee Jones, was reportedly found dead at a San Francisco hotel Jan. 1. The emergency call was for a suspected overdose. Read More Elon Musk company bot apologizes for sharing sexualized images of children Grok published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests. Read More Inside John Mayer's takeover of a Hollywood music mecca After purchasing Henson Studios for $44 million, John Mayer and the filmmaker McG have renamed the place Chaplin Studios. Their goal, they say, is to preserve the historic complex on La Brea Avenue. Read More AI is scoring college essays and conducting interviews, a new layer in admissions stress Applicants are not supposed to use AI to write college essays. But colleges are using AI to help assess applications. At Caltech, that includes holding interviews. Read More From timber wars to cannabis crash: Scotia's battle to survive as California's last company town The redwood wars are long over. Pacific Lumber is no more, but the company town it built endures in Humboldt County. Can it find a new life as a hidden real estate gem? Read More ADVERTISEMENT Thank you for reading This Evening's Big Stories from the Los Angeles Times Sign up for more L.A. Times newsletters. Sign Up You received this email because you opted to receive email communications from L.A. Times. Unsubscribe | Manage marketing email preferences | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell My Personal Information | CA Notice of Collection Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. Place an ad or classified. Copyright © 2026, Los Angeles Times 2300 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, CA 90245 1-800-LA-TIMES latimes.com