@JosephSerna

Ex-wildfire & breaking news reporter now deputy editor, Fast Break @latimes. Previous @TheDailyPilot @SignalTribune @Daily49er. @csulb @sfsu @Orangecoast grad.

 Los Angeles
latimes.com/
Joined September 2011
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712Media
'That was fun.' As L.A. burned, online gamblers bet on how much the fires would destroy @Hannahnfry reports latimes.com/california/story…

'That was fun.' As L.A. burned, online gamblers bet on how much the fires would destroy

While Southern California was burning in January 2025, people online were placing money on potential outcomes. Experts say the possibility of making money on disasters can create dangerous incentives.

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This clumsy green beetle is buzzing all over L.A. It might just crash into your face @lila_seidman reports latimes.com/environment/stor…

This clumsy green beetle is buzzing all over L.A. It might just crash into your face

Big, green and notoriously bad at flying, figeater beetles are taking over Los Angeles this month. Here’s why the clumsy insects are thriving.

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Noah Goldberg@Noah__GoldbergAug 17
The California Post has edited its article that cited the Median Strategies poll and completely changed the article — while not issuing any correction. The article is now just about a bogus poll while it used to be an article citing the poll's numbers... nypost.com/2026/08/13/us-new…

Karen Bass team demands 'full force of law' over bogus poll

A new poll shows a massive 85% of Spencer Pratt’s former voters now backing Bass.

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Noah Goldberg@Noah__GoldbergAug 17
NEW: I reached out repeatedly last week to Median Strategies, asking to speak with their head of polling. After reaching out repeatedly, they told me they were discontinuing their polling operation, then they admitted their poll was fake. latimes.com/california/story…

Poll showing Bass leading Raman by double digits was bogus, company says

The bogus poll — which the company claimed was a social media experiment — also showed Bass picking up support from most voters who supported Spencer Pratt in the mayoral primary.

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Poll showing Bass leading Raman by double digits was bogus, company says latimes.com/california/story…

Poll showing Bass leading Raman by double digits was bogus, company says

The bogus poll — which the company claimed was a social media experiment — also showed Bass picking up support from most voters who supported Spencer Pratt in the mayoral primary.

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Jackie, arguably the world's most famous bald eagle, dies after weeks of treatment, @lila_seidman reports latimes.com/environment/stor…

Jackie, arguably the world's most famous bald eagle, dies after mysterious illness

Jackie and her mate, Shadow, delighted millions of viewers as stars of a nonstop livestream of their nest, perched high in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake.

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Tony Briscoe@_TonyBriscoeJul 14
Anger grows in Boyle Heights as warehouse fire leaves stench, flies and vermin in its wake latimes.com/environment/stor…

Anger grows in Boyle Heights as warehouse fire leaves stench, flies and vermin in its wake

Boyle Heights activists are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to order a mandatory evacuation of the neighborhood, saying a recent warehouse fire has poisoned the air.

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Los Angeles Times
@latimesJul 10
A year before the Boyle Heights warehouse fire, Lineage representatives asked City Hall about removing an emergency shutdown switch from the solar panels on the roof of the cold storage building. Now the solar panels have become a focus of the fire latimes.com/california/story…

Safety concerns over solar panels were raised a year before massive Boyle Heights fire

The rooftop solar panels that a cold storage company says may be the cause of the Boyle Heights warehouse fire were the subject of a request for change at City Hall, records reviewed by The Times and...

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Los Angeles Times
@latimesJul 9
Ventura teen who fled officers the wrong way on the freeway is charged with two felonies latimes.com/california/story…

Ventura teen who fled officers the wrong way on the freeway is charged with two felonies

A Ventura juvenile allegedly speeding 60 mph on an electric motorcycle on the wrong side of the highway has been charged with a pair of felonies, authorities announced Tuesday.

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Peacemaker slain in Fourth of July shooting: 'Bravery cost him his own life' reports @latvives latimes.com/california/story…

Peacemaker slain in Fourth of July shooting: 'Bravery cost him his own life'

Three people were killed in separate shootings in Compton, including a former aide for a California lawmaker and a university student.

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Brittny Mejia@brittny_mejiaJun 26
We spoke with a juror outside of the courthouse following the verdict. She was voting "not guilty." When asked about the government’s plans to retry the case, she called it a “waste of our American dollars.”
F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli
@USAttyEssayliJun 26
The evidence is strong that Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for igniting the fire on January 1, 2025, which eventually became the Palisades fire. We fully intend to retry this case before a new jury and obtain guilty verdicts on all charged counts.
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Jury unconvinced Jonathan Rinderknecht is responsible for the Palisades fire. Feds claim he started a fire Jan. 1 which became the Palisades fire a week later. latimes.com/california/story…

Mistrial declared in Palisades fire arson case, a stunning blow to U.S. prosecutors

The decision comes after the jury deadlocked, leaving unresolved questions about who is responsible for the fire that killed 12 people and caused billions of dollars in losses.

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Brittny Mejia@brittny_mejiaJun 25
Jury returned another note in Palisades fire trial: "There is nothing the court can do to assist the jury in their deliberations. Additional instructions or rereading the testimony would not help in deliberations. Unfortunately we cannot reach a unanimous verdict."
Brittny Mejia@brittny_mejiaJun 25
Drama here. Jury sent a note saying they'd reached a unanimous verdict. Then they sent a second note: “We are at a standstill. We are unsure how to proceed.”
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eric sondheimer
@latsondheimerJun 25
The Forum is charging more than $400 for parking tonight. Another lot is more than $600. $65 for parking at Union Station. There’s a law about price gouging during disaster. What about for World Cup soccer?
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MY LATEST ⁦@latimes⁩ COLUMNA: Spencer Pratt could have been a real contender. His greatest enemy was himself. RT, porfas! latimes.com/california/story…

Commentary: Spencer Pratt could have been a real contender. His greatest enemy was himself

Spencer Pratt had a few things going for him when he launched an insurgent campaign to become Los Angeles' next mayor.

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Suzy Exposito@HexPositiveJun 3
Shout out to the burgeoning climate justice movement happening in the San Gabriel Valley! I edited this story about their organizing efforts leading up to the election: latimes.com/delos/story/2026…

New coalition decries 'parasite' data centers proposed in City of Industry

In the City of Industry, San Gabriel Valley residents join a growing nationwide movement against the creation of battery energy storage systems and data centers

latimes.com
More Perfect Union
@MorePerfectUSJun 3
Monterey Park in LA County is now the first city in the country where voters have banned data centers. At the ballot box residents overwhelmingly chose to ban data center construction, voting 86%-14% in favor of the indefinite moratorium.
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James Queally@JamesQueallyLATJun 3
Updates from my "L.A. Judge races are secretly crazy" story last month: Judge Draper (84, facing expulsion from the bench, banished to a "closet" since 2023) is in a near dead heat with his challenger. latimes.com/california/story…

'This is like the Russian mafia': L.A. judge elections see unusual drama

Judicial elections are normally sleepy affairs. But two L.A. County races have included claims about candidates being unfit for the bench, allegations of threats and questions about the lengths...

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Garden Grove gas leak: The aerospace company’s Orange County facility has undergone 4 inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 2018, which resulted in 10 violations, public records show. latimes.com/california/live/… @Hannahnfry

Garden Grove chemical crisis: Live evacuation maps, closures and updates

The vast majority of the 50,000 people evacuated because of a damaged chemical tank loaded with 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate at an aerospace plastics facility in Orange County began returning...

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Garden Grove gas leak: Evacuee, 71, said she started getting headaches on Thursday latimes.com/california/live/… by me for @latimes

Garden Grove chemical crisis: Live evacuation maps, closures and updates

The vast majority of the 50,000 people evacuated because of a damaged chemical tank loaded with 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate at an aerospace plastics facility in Orange County began returning...

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Tony Briscoe@_TonyBriscoeMay 22
Thousands of Orange County residents have been evacuated due to a leaking chemical tank near an aerospace facility. Law enforcement has acknowledged there's only two scenarios: ‘It fails, or it blows up.’ Report by @_ClaraHarter and @SalHernandez latimes.com/california/story…

Thousands evacuated around leaking Orange County chemical tank: ‘It fails, or it blows up’

Residents and several businesses in Garden Grove were evacuated as toxic chemicals spewed into the air from a leaking storage tank at an aerospace company.

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