The massive Thomas fire, which has burned through Ventura County for over a week and entered Santa Barbara County over the weekend, has now scorched 234,200 acres and is 20% contained, fire officials said Tuesday.
The fire, which began Dec. 4, grew about 2,500 acres overnight as gusting winds pushed the flames down the slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountains and closer to homes in Montecito, a wealthy enclave in Santa Barbara County. Fire crews saved some mountainside homes from flames that tore through nearby Toro and Romero canyons, and specially outfitted helicopters dumped water through the night.
So far, 2.4 million gallons of water and 1.2 million gallons of fire retardant have been used to fight the Thomas fire, the fifth largest in state history.
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The winds in Carpinteria were calm enough that firefighters intentionally set fire to some brush near homes to get rid of fuel that could feed an uncontrolled blaze if winds pick up later this week.
The burn operation led to dramatic flames engulfing the hills behind Carpinteria High School on Monday night.
“Firefighters can burn that fuel on their own terms,” said Matthew Chambers, an engineer with the Sequoia National Forest and a public information officer on the Thomas fire.
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He said hand crews and bulldozers are focusing on digging fire lines around the western front of the fire near Montecito.
Robin Willis wasn’t as calm about the incoming Thomas fire as her older brother. While her brother fielded phone calls and casually sprayed water on plants and trees at his El Bosque Drive residence in Montecito, Willis was across the street at her own home working at a frantic pace.
“They told me soaking under the eaves really helps,” said Willis, 68, as she directed a high-pressured stream of water from her garden hose to the underside of her backyard patio beams. “I’m going to get everything as wet as possible, and I don’t care how wet I get.”
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Willis and her brother, Charles Perkins, 70, live in the shadow of the Santa Ynez Mountains, where for a week the Thomas fire has slowly drawn nearer. On Monday, firefighters patrolled the roads above them, until air tankers swooped by and colored the south-facing hills red with fire retardant.
Willis lives in a mandatory evacuation zone, but neither she nor her brother plans on leaving.
“Our family has been here since the 1920s,” Willis said. “This is family, our genealogy. This is our roots.”
Robin Willis, of Montecito, hoses down the roof of her home as firefighters battle the massive Thomas fire.
(Joseph Serna / Los Angeles Times )
When a neighbor came by to talk, his voice trembled with emotion. He and Willis compared notes on the fire history in the area and rumors of looters.
Apparently, a caretaker at La Casa de Maria, an interfaith retreat center just up the road, chased off an intruder on Monday, the neighbor said. He heard that firefighters were letting the Thomas fire reach the old burn scars of previous blazes in hopes it would slow the fire’s progress.
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The neighbor said his biggest fear was his towering oaks igniting from a wayward ember then setting ablaze his home, which is made of wood. Willis reassured him that she’d help wet his house and the one next door just in case.
When the neighbor left, Willis returned to her watering. She’ll only leave if firefighters come knocking, she said.
“It’s your home. You do what you can do. If things happen where it doesn’t survive, you’ve got a conscience that you’ve done your best,” she said.
Perkins, her brother, was more sanguine about the situation. He and his wife spent Monday afternoon clearing out their home of valuable paintings and furniture. His eyes were bloodshot from the smoky air and the 14-hour drive from his cattle ranch on the Oregon border. He hadn’t had much sleep.
Perkins said he had been monitoring the Thomas fire since it ignited in Ventura County more than a week ago. He never thought it would reach the hills above Montecito, but as it got closer, he decided to head down to clear out the property and reassure his wife, who was waiting for him.
He had tried to charter a plane, but there was none available, he said, so he had to make the drive late Sunday. He wanted to stay there Monday night but opted to leave after speaking with firefighters who were going door to door to see who the holdouts were.
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“I promised them I wouldn’t be stupid,” he chuckled. He and his brother-in-law spent Tuesday morning setting up a network of sprinklers on the edge of his property and drenching the plants.
A short drive uphill and east of Willis’ home, crews with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were stationed on dirt roads, trail heads and the stone driveways of wealthy mansions. The Thomas fire moved closer to Montecito homes overnight, and now the roads were colored with flame retardant dropped Monday by air tankers.
Firefighters sped along the winding passes in ATVs, while others trekked up the roads on foot to scout out where the fire was moving. The blaze was burning up the backside of the canyons only a ridge or two away Tuesday morning, firefighters said.
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John Bain and Brandon Baker try to stop a fire from burning a stranger’s home in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A brush fire moving with the wind sends embers all over residential neighborhoods north of Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A family packs up and evacuates as a brush fire gets closer to their home in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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John Bain and his friends, all from Camarillo, came to help as brush fires move quickly through residential neighborhoods in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Strangers band together to help put out a palm tree on fire and stop it from burning homes.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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The Hawaiian Gardens apartments burn in Ventura.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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Residents help with the fire attack on Buena Vista Street in Ventura.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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Residents watch the Thomas fire on Prospect Street in Ventura.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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Firefighters are deployed to battle the fire in a Ventura neighborhood.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A chimney is all that stands of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Remnants of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A home burns on a hillside overlooking Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Palms are consumed in the Thomas fire.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )
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Emma Jacobson, 19, center, gets a hug from a neighbor after her family home was destroyed by fire in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Olivia Jacobson, 16, wipes tears as she looks at her family’s home, destroyed by the brush fire on Island View Drive in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Aerial view of the Thomas fire in Ventura County.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Noah Alarcon carries a cage with the family cat while evacuating from Casitas Springs.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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Smoke from the Thomas fire crosses over Lake Casitas near Ojai.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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A Ventura County firefighter battles a blaze on Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Ventura County Firefighter Aaron Cohen catches his breath after fighting to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Aerial view of homes burned to the ground in the Thomas fire in Ventura County.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )
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A home between Via Baja and Foothill Road burns in Ventura.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Leon and husband Johnny Leon watch as firefighters fight to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Chino Valley firefighters fight to save a home along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Embers continue to burn at sunset Tuesday in a home on Ridgecrest Court at Scenic Way in the Clearpoint neighborhood of Ventura.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes)
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A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters try to protect homes from the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Edward Aguilar runs through the flames of the Thomas Fire to save his cats at his mobile home along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs in Ventura County.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Jeff Lipscomb, left, Gabriel Lipscomb, 17, center, and Rachel Lipscomb, 11, look for items to recover from their burned home in Ventura.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A traffic collision temporarily clogged lanes on the northbound 101 Freeway between Solimar and Faria Beaches as the Thomas fire burned in the hills.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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The Thomas fire burns towards the 101 Freeway and homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Fire personnel keep an eye on the Thomas fire on Toland Road near Santa Paula.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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A train on the Rincon coast passes a burning hillside from the Thomas fire.
(Michael Owen Baker / For the Times)
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The Thomas fire burns along the 101 Freeway north of Ventura on Wednesday evening.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighter battles the Thomas fire in the town of La Conchita early Thursday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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A resident cries as the Thomas fire approaches the town of La Conchita early Thursday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Burned palm trees are left standing between the 101 Freeway and Faria Beach as the Thomas fire reaches the Pacific Ocean.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters battle Thursday to protect the resort city of Ojai from encroaching flames.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Casey Rodriquez helps a friend move belongings after the Thomas Fire destroyed most of an apartment building on North Kalarama in Ventura.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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A burnt-out bus near Maripoca Highway.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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The Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A huge plume of smoke rises north of Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura pier, as the Thomas fire threatens parts of Carpenteria and Montecito.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif. on Friday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Residents react as they watch the Thomas Fire burn in the hills above La Conchita at 5 am Thursday moning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Mary McEwen and husband Dan Bellaart prepare to evacuate their home on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito as the Thomas fire burns.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Carpenteria resident Chris Gayner, right, photographs a plane in the hills of Carpenteria.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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From left, residents Michael Desjardins, his neighbor Patty Rodriguez, daughter Mikayla, wife Veronica, mother in law Amanda Buzin, and son Mikey keep an eye on the Thomas fire in Carpenteria.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Mary McEwen cheers as she sees fire crews make their way up a hill past her home on Toro Canyon Rd. in Montecito.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Dan Bellaart and wife Mary McEwen comfort each other in the backyard of their home that includes an avocado ranch on 9 acres of land on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito, as the Thomas fire burns in the background.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Carpinteria resident Jay Molnar, 55, mouth and nose protected against the smoke, views flames glowing in the hills above the city on Dec. 11, 2017.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Sacramento firefighters battle a blaze in Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Josh Acosta, superintendent with Fulton Hotshots looks for ways to fight fire consuming a structure threatening two homes high up Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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A motorcade passes on tHighway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, who died Thursday morning while battling the Thomas Fire.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Santa Paula City officials, Police and Firefighters salute from a bridge as a motorcade passes on the Santa Paula Freeway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Forest Service crews cut and clear dense brush for contingency lines off of East Camino Cielo in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Montecito and Santa Barbara to help stop the Thomas fire from advancing.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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A hotshot crew from Ojai marches towards their assignment to protect structures on East Mountain Drive in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters monitor the flames Saturday from a staging area near Parma Park in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Flames slowly make their way down a valley behind a home in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Flames whip around power lines as they move through Sycamore Canyon on Saturday, threatening structures in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Smoke billows over Santa Barbara as the Thomas Fire continues to threaten the area on Saturday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Bill Shubin, deputy fire chief of the Santa Rosa Fire Department checks on flames burning near homes north of East Mountain Drive in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A fire truck pulls responds to fires burning near homes on East Mountain Drive in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )
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Brian Good, from US Forest Service, leans forward against the wind, and holds up a Kestrel to measure wind speeds up to 50 mph on Gibraltar Road in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A plume of smoke moves south as winds as high as 50 mph blow down Gibraltar Road on the west fork of Cold Spring Trail in Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Flames and a big plume of smoke threaten homes on Gibraltar Road near Gibraltar Rock, outside Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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The sun rises as fire crews prepare for another day of fighting the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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An aircraft makes a water drop over a hot spot up in the mountain range at Gibraltar Rock near Montecito, Calif. on Sunday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Humboldt County firefighters Bobby Gray, left, hoses down smoldering flames inside a destroyed home, as Kellee Stoehr, right looks on, after the Thomas Fire burned in Montecito, Calif. on Sunday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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A home on Park Hill Lane was destroyed by the Thomas fire in Montecito, Calif.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )
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Humboldt County firefighters Lonnie Risling, left, and Jimmy McHaffie, right, spray down smoldering fire underneath the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., Sunday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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Fire crews help the Behrman family retrieve their family’s personal belongings out of their burned home, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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In the foreground of the ridges that were burned by the Thomas Fire, Rusty Smith stands outside his home that survived the flames that were kicked up by Saturday’s wind event and threatened his home in Flores Flats on Gibraltar Road, near Montecito.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Winds are expected to stay calm Tuesday, but weak sundowner winds that blow downhill toward the ocean are expected Friday, said Chambers, the public information officer.
The spread of the flames slowed Monday as winds calmed and the fire reached areas that had burned about a decade ago, reducing the available fuel. Winds are expected to slow, at least on the Ventura side, again on Tuesday and stay about the same for Santa Barbara County, according to forecasters.
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Firefighters have been taking advantage of the calmer winds this week, using aircraft to make drops and working on fire lines. While the blaze grew by more than 50,000 acres Sunday, chewing through steep slopes and canyons that haven’t burned for decade, it seemed to slow as firefighters began to gain a handle on the fire.
For Tuesday, Santa Barbara is looking at north to northeast winds sustained 8 to 15 mph, gusting up to 25 mph in the ridge tops. For the valleys, north to northeast winds of 4 to 8 mph were forecast, gusting up 15 mph.
On the Ventura side, winds will be northeast to east, sustained at 12 to 20 mph and gusting up to 30 mph. On Monday, Ventura had gusts up to 40 mph, and in the valleys, winds were 8 to 15 mph, gusting to 25 mph.
“Ventura went down quite a bit,” said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service. “It went down like 10 on the gusts. ...Ten miles an hour, that’s a lot — especially if they’re out there fighting the fires.”
Winds are likely to decline further Wednesday, Seto said.
Javier Panzar is a former assistant editor with the Los Angeles Times, where he oversaw audience engagement for the Environment, Health and Science department and, before that, its California section. He previously worked as a digital editor on the News Desk and as a reporter covering state and regional politics as well as breaking news in California. Panzar started at The Times as an intern and then a MetPro fellow in 2014. He was born and raised in Oakland. His reporting has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Seattle Times, the Orange County Register and UC Berkeley’s independent student newspaper, the Daily Californian.
Brittny Mejia is a Metro reporter covering federal courts for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote narrative pieces with a strong emphasis on the Latino community and others that make up the diversity of L.A. and California. Mejia was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021 in local reporting for her investigation with colleague Jack Dolan that exposed failures in Los Angeles County’s safety-net healthcare system that resulted in months-long wait times for patients, including some who died before getting appointments with specialists. She joined The Times in 2014.
