You're listening to KFI AM six forty wake Up Call with me Amy King on demand on the iHeartRadio.
App KFI hand KOST HD two, Los Angeles, Orange County. It's time for your morning wake up call.
Here's Amy King.
It's five o'clock, straight up. This is your wake up call for Monday, December ninth. Good morning, I'm Amy King. We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. Whether you're at home or in your car, or have us up on the iHeartRadio App. We're happy you're here. I hope you had a great weekend. I got some stuff done. I did get a Christmas tree. Very proud, very happy with that, he said. I gotta say, I like to go to
the Christmas tree lots. I love the whole feel of going to the small Christmas tree lots, but the trees are getting so darn expensive. I cheated this year. I went to Home Depot, but they had a really nice noble tree. So it's up, not decorated, but it's up, so that's good. Didn't get any shopping done. How are you guys doing on your shopping? Because we got sixteen days so technically, because you can't count Christmas as a data shop. Fifteen days, I have not made much headway.
Here's what's ahead on wake Up Call. Got a lot going on this morning. Thousands of Syrians have poured into the streets, firing off the laboratory gunfire as rebels took over Damascus over the weekend and President Bashar al Assad fled the country. Asad has been given asylum in Moscow. His family is with him. We're gonna be talking more about this, who's in control, what it means for the region, and a whole lot more with ABC's Jordana Miller. That's
coming up at five. Twenty five year old girl has been killed in an attack by her family's dogs in Kovina. Police she was attacked yesterday afternoon by a rottweiler and a Rottweiler mix in the backyard. They and two other dogs were removed from the home by animal control. Another family member had some minor injuries from the attack. Santa Ana Win's expected to blow into southern California, increasing the
risk of fire danger. A red flag warning for high danger will be in effect from ten am through Wednesday in the valleys and Riverside County mountains. When gusts above fifty miles per hour expected. The red flag warning is also an effect in Malibu and the Ventura County coast. In just a couple of minutes, we're going to be talking about a planned community being built not far from here, where kindness is king. In fact, kindness is a requirement
if you want to live there. And speaking of living there, there are now wolves living here in California again, and we're going to be talking to somebody from the Department of Fish and Wildlife to find out more about where they are, what they're doing, and how they are so important to a healthy ecosystem. Let's get started with some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Syrian rebels who toppled the regime of Vishar
Asad have freed prisoners from his notorious dungeons. Those freed include a writer who was sent to be executed yesterday. ABC's Andrew Dimbert says the rebels took Damascus over the weekend, ten days after they began their advance across the country.
Rebel fighters stormed the presidential palace in Damascus as people top symbols of the Assad regime across the country. Videos posted online show a group of men appearing to find Asad's extensive car collection, including high end Porsches and Ferraris.
Human rights groups, whistleblowers and former detainees say torture has been systematic in Syria and that secret executions have been reported at more than twenty sites run by Syrian intelligence.
A long last Thesad regime's fall.
President Biden calls the fall of the Assad regime a historic event. He says Asad's main support has come from Iran, Hesbola, and Russia, but that has shifted dramatically.
This regime brutalized and tortured and killed. There are hundreds of thousands of Vinis Syrians.
He says. There is now risk and uncertainty with the question of what comes next in Syria, but he says the US will work with partners and stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity. Rapper Jay Z has been accused in a federal lawsuit of raping a thirteen year old girl in New York.
Victim claims she was drugged and assaulted by both Diddy and jay Z while a third celebrity watched Jay Z vehemently denying the claim, writing, these allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint.
ABC's Alison Kossik says the lawsuit claims the assault happened in two thousand, when the girl was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards after party. The lawsuit was first filed in October against Combs and amend yesterday to include Jay Z, whose real name is Sean Carter. La County Sheriff Robert Luna and his deputies have helped spread some holiday cheered to five hundred disabled foster kids in their annual Holiday of Hope Bringing Joy to Foster Kids event.
It was held at the department's training facility in Whittier. The department has been providing support for foster kids who have had to endure abuse and neglect in the county since nineteen eighty five. It's five oh six on your Monday morning wake up call. You know how everybody talks about being kind, Well, there is a community being built that takes kindness to a whole new level. So let's say good morning to the general manager of a new
community called Silverwood. It's John o'hannian, John, I wanted to start with a press release you guys all put out. It's got my curiosity absolutely peaked. And here's what it says. Silverwood is a new DMB Master Planned community located in the Mojave River Valley. It's being built differently. There will be homes, community centers, schools, and parks, but most importantly, there will be kindness. John o'hannion, please tell us about Silverwood and what you mean by there will be kindness.
It's one of the things we really wanted to try to do is to create a sense of community, a feeling of small town California, kind of the way it used to be in California. And one of the principles that we all talked about is, let's have as a foundational element of a pledge of kindness that our residents are going to free each other respectfully with kindness. They're going to react together in a manner that is befitting a small town and how people know each other and
try to treat each other respectfully. And so that became a base tenant for us as we started developing the project. The first thing we did was we put together some ideas on what kindness means and what would represent in our unity, and we put together a pledge of kindness and we started off with all of our employees and our subcontractors are consultants. We talked to each of them about this concept and said, we want you to kind of get involved with us and this idea. Let's do
this together. Let's do something that's special. And it's really paid some dividends. It's been fun so far.
Well, I think it's really interesting too, John, because you said you mentioned contractors, and I'm like, I've dealt with some contractors who aren't exactly kind.
The contractors, surprisingly have really grabbed a hold of this. I hear they've been working together and cooperating and so it has translated into a more efficient workplace.
I love that. Okay, So I do want to talk about the community itself that you are planning. What's it going to look like.
It'll include when we finish it, fifteen over fifteen thousand homes, commercial, all the support services that would go with that. It's unique in that we're on a very large piece of property, close to one thousand acres, so we have a lot of open space. We have over one hundred and sixty six miles of trails and past sales within the community.
It's been designed as an active outdoor community. In that regard, we're doing three hundred and eighty some acres of parks, which is probably triple what is normal in a master plant community. And then we end up with over half of our acreage set aside as open space, So pretty unique master plant community. It will end up having five elementary schools, a high school, of middle school, you know, all the medical and support that would go along with
that as well. So it's a community that was viewed from the perspective of the future residents, not just from the perspective of the real estate development team.
But what's it like to live here?
What's it going to be like long term? And that again gets back that whole idea of a kindness initiative that we started with is how do we create an environment where people get a connection to the community, feel a closeness to it. It's a special place.
Okay, And what are residents required to do because they have to make the pledge before they buy property, right.
Yeah, we're going to include it in their packet. So when your your property information, when you come in and you learn, you're learning about the project. The pledge of kindness is part of that. So our community ambassadors, when you come out to the Welcome Center and you want to learn about the project and find out if it's a place you'd like to live, that's going to be one of the initial things we share with you. Okay, and this is our expectation.
Yeah, and then John, what happens if you end up getting a nasty neighbor and they break the kindness.
Rules, Well, that'll be an interesting one.
And we don't know. You know, it's not like that.
This is a contract that you sign and you're obligated to do it, and there's some remedies or damages associated with your being a nasty neighbor. But what I think is is it's aspirational. It sets us standard. It creates an environment that people are going to feel compelled to
cooperate in that regard. The same thing has to happen with all your organization documents like your HOA, your CCNRS, all these little pieces, they all have to have that same tenant running through them, and code of conduct for all the meetings and all the different things like that. We're developing all of that as part of our process and hopes of creating a situation where fear pressure keeps you from being a jerk.
Yes, I hope.
I love this idea. And the all important question is when are you going to start construction or did you already start construction? And when are what's going to be.
A restructed really Okay, we are franking.
We're hoping to have our grand opening in the first quarter of twenty twenty five. We are full blow blowing and going right now building all of the road, streets and infrastructure that goes along with a.
Community like this.
Hopefully we'll be starting model homes and have those available. The goal is to have them available in March of twenty five.
Wow, that's so exciting and then eventually fifteen thousand homes in this new community and it's called Silverwood, and wouldn't it be nice? I love the whole reasoning behind it, you know, bringing us back to the way it used to be. I think we need a lot of that. And where can people find some more information about this, John.
Well, they can get our website Silverwood California dot com and register there and then you'll be on the main list and get all the kinds of information about the community you get on the website Silverwood California dot com. Also you can see some progress videos. We fly at drone fly it every month and post some videos of all our progress, and so it's kind of exciting to watch the progression as we get closer to launch.
All Right, maybe the first of many kind communities. John o'hanni, and thank you so much for your time today. Doesn't that sound like a cool place. It could either be a super cool place or a little bit more, a little bit like Stepford Wives, one of the two. But I think like just signing the pledge and saying I'm not going to be a jerk of a neighbor and that kind of stuff, because I don't know about you. I've had a couple of jerks of neighbors and I
would rather not have had that experience. Let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Five people have survived a boat fire near the port of La The thirty foot boat caught fire yesterday afternoon. La City Fire says the captain reported it started in the engine compartment. Firefighters were able to help people get off the boat. No injuries were reported.
The jury in the New York City subway chokehold case is set to resume deliberations today with the most serious of the charges off the table. The judge dismissed the second degree manslaughter charge against Marine veteran Daniel Penny on Friday after jurors said that they were deadlocked. Legal expert Brian Buckmeyer says that changes the case.
It's no longer a high level felony that Daniel Penny is facing, but in fact the lowest level felony of the state of New York homes.
He says there could be a plea deal as soon as today. Economists say any tariffs put on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico could cause major financial issues for the agriculture industry in California. A report in the La Time says if tariffs are imposed by President elect Trump's incoming administration, the retaliatory trade war that could happen could lead to as much as six billion dollars in losses for California.
President elect Trump has appointed his New York hush money case defense attorney, Alina Haba as his Counselor to the President. In Trump's first term, the position of counselor was held by Republican strategist Kellyan Conway. Rock and Roll Hall of famers Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks are teaming up to co headline a couple of shows in twenty twenty five. They're going to be performing in Detroit in March and at MetLife Stadium in New York in August, or at
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. I can't remember anyway, it's back east. Billy Joel's also co headlighting some show with Sting and Rod Stewart next year. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of the co headlining shows are here. In California, investigators trying to figure out what caused a huge fire that destroyed an Amazon warehouse early yesterday morning in South Almonte. The fire was reported around four am. The roof of
the building collapsed, the building was destroyed. There were reportedly a lot of lithium ion batteries and small electronics in the return warehouse. It's day six of the man hunt for the man who murdered the CEO of United Healthcare outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Authorities say they believe the man has left. The city Police are also saying they've identified the guy, but aren't saying yet who
it is. Pictures of the shooter are up along the Mexican and Canadian borders, and a fifty thousand dollars rewards been offered by the FBI, the NYPDS kicking and another ten thousand dollars reward. Yankees star outfielder Juan Soto was gone across town and has signed a record seven hundred and sixty five million dollar fifteen year deal with the New York Mets. He'd have the right to opt out of the contract after the twenty twenty nine season if the Mets didn't agree at that time to raise the
contract to eight hundred and five million dollars. Nice at six oh five, it's handled on the news. Jay Z could have just become wrapped up in the Sean Combs case. Bill's going to talk about that right now. Let's say good morning to ABC's Geordana Miller in Jerusalem. Geordana, people are dancing in the streets in Syria.
That's right, because the rebels rebel offensive that began in the north a little more than ten days ago. In the stunning and swift offensive this rebel group, along with others the Kurds and some that are affiliated with the Islamic State, they have successfully toppled the regime of President Bashar al Assad. He is gone after more than two decades in power. He fled on Sunday. He's in Russia, where he's been given immunity by the Kremlin. No surprise there.
Russia was Assad's biggest backer for years, along with Iran, both Moscow and Tehran, helping Assad stay in power more than ten years after this uprising against Assad's power began.
But the rebels smartly watching how things have unfolded here in the Middle East over the last fourteen months and what's happening in Ukraine, and they saw a window in which they could launch a kind of surprise offensive and if they could move quickly enough, they figured Iran and Russia would not be in a position to help keep Asad in power this time around. And that's exactly what happened. Remember, Iran and Hsbala have suffered major, you know, setback because
of the war here against Israel. Israel's now signed a ceasefire with Hasbola, but they have been you know, really decimated over the last several months. And Iran had you know, tried to attack Israel that failed, and in Russia bogged down and it's war in Ukraine. So Asad was left really with nobody to help prop up his regime, which after more than a decade, it seems the fighters were you know, unwilling to stick up for this regime, uh
and they quickly surrendered and defected. And now people are celebrating in the streets because Asad was a brutal dictator. He helped to stay in power. He killed tens of thousands of his own civilians. He brutally toreured people in jails, he jailed his political opponents and any you know, there was no freedom of the press there. Journalists suffered, women suffered. So there's great celebrations across Syria that this regime, seen
as not only a dictatorship but corrupt, is gone. But a lot of questions about, you know, what's going to happen now these rebel groups are it is a varied group and they are going to have to work together if they're going to keep the state of Syria alive, if it won't descend and break down into separate fiefdoms. And it's unclear if this is going to be a radical Islamist government or possibly a more modern Arab country
after all of this, it's unclear. I don't think though, anybody really knows yet.
Yeah, I think I saw that the leader of the rebel group that overtook Damascus is actually labeled as a terrorist and his group a terrorist organization by the US. But he has, like you said, is he going to be more moderate because he's talking more moderately, like, hey, we have to work together. You know, it doesn't sound like he's not sounding like an extremist right now.
That's right. I mean, he's given a few interviews with international media, you know, trying to broadcast a more reformed or friendly version. But he is someone who was a member of al Qaeda, who is on America's list of terrorists. His organization is a breakoff from al Qaeda, and as you said, rightly listed as a terrorist organization. You know, we shouldn't be deceived by any kind of pr campaign
by Joliana. We have Joliani. We do not know yet how he will put together a transitional government, but what it will look like, if it will be inclusive, if it will be transparent or not. And so I think, like you know, President Biden said, it's a moment of justice for the people of Syria who lived under the oppressive regime of Aasha Assad, but it's also a moment of risks and danger.
Yeah. Well, and and then Jordana, does it appear that anyone from the outside is going to come help them try to figure out how to move forward or is it going to be hands off and just let them see how it comes together.
Well, I think that's a good a good question. It doesn't look like there's going to be anybody to come in and try to craft or help help the help the rubble leader for now. I mean, the UN and other organizations are saying they're gonna, you know, they're going to work with Juliani and see, you know what kind of government he puts he puts together. The Prime Minister is staying in place to help with that transition. But again,
I think there's a lot of questions from Jerusalem. You can see that Israel is taking a very aggressive stance and they are really preparing for the worst case scenario, which is that Syria descends into you know, a group of Islamist radical Islamists fiefdoms. We can see the Israelis have already taken the entirety of the what was once a demilitarized security buffer between Israel and Syria along the
goal On Heights in the north. That that buffer zone is about fifty miles long and about ten miles deep. These relies are already really moving even further into Syrian territory to fortify their northern border, and they're being very aggressive and open on their strikes inside Syria. They're going after regime military assets that they want to destroy before the rebels get their hands on them. That includes everything from aircraft, military bases, missiles, to residual chemical war weapons.
So a time to celebrate, but also be cautious because this is going to be very fragile and potentially a dangerous time and we'll be watching and appreciate. I appreciate the update. It's very helpful. Thank you, Jordana. We'll talk to you soon.
Talk soon, all right. Ye.
A red flag warning set to take effect this morning for the La in Ventura County Mountains as well as much of the Inland Empire. The National Weather Service has sant Anna wins will peak at thirty to forty miles per hour Tonight into tomorrow could see gusts up to fifty miles per hour. Meteorologist David Munyon says that combined with low humidity, is going to increase.
Fire risks when you have that really dry air that comes down with the winds, and then the strong wind that can help fan the flames of any fires that want to start, and then all the ground is an air so dry.
The red flag warnings will be in effect through Wednesday. Burbank Congressman Adam Schiff is set to be sworn in as California's newest US Senator, He said to fill the rest of Diane Feinstein's term. She died in September of last year. In January, he will begin the full six year term which he was elected to last month. Shift resigned his House seat last week. The health insurance industry is facing a national backlash following the murder of United
Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York. Northern California Democratic Congressman Rocana says while there's no justification for violence, the industry needs to change.
Why shouldn't we have a rule that if a doctor prescribes something and if Medicare traditional Medicare is going to cover it, then private RUS companies should be forced to cover it.
He says, the US should be moving towards medicare for all. A tree lighting ceremony build as an evening of healing and reflection has honored the memory of children who were murdered in La County. This ceremony at the Sheriff's South La station was held last night, with surviving members handing personalized or hanging rather personalized ornaments on the tree as a tribute to their lost loved ones. Hey want to say thanks real quick because the numbers are still going
up from Pastathan twenty twenty four. Your generosity is astounding. We've got the newest totals from Saturday night. We should have finals later today because we're waiting for some numbers from Smart and Final and Wendy's. But as of Saturday night, you guys donated one million, one hundred forty two, three hundred and seventy seven dollars, all of that money going right to Katerina's Club Defeed Kids twenty five thousand meals, A week and how much pasta and sauce eighty nine
thousand five pounds. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Couldn't do Katerinas Club without you. President biden Is called the collapse of the Assad government a moment of historic opportunity for the people of Syria. A coalition of rebels captured the Syrian capital of Damascus over the weekend, and Assad left the country. He's been given asylum along with his
family in Moscow. Police have arrested a twenty two year old man from San Diego who they say led him on or led them on a chase from Irvine to Newport Beach. Irvine police say the guy jumped out of the car into a kayak and rode out to a boat in the Newport Beach Harbor. The guy eventually surrendered and was taken from the boat to the hospital because of self inflicted injuries. Malana Too is still making waves, wrapping up racking up fifty two million dollars in its
second weekend in theaters. It sales into first place again. Wickett took in another almost thirty five million dollars to take second place at six oh five its handle on the news. A passenger on a flight in Mexico. Apparently really wanted to get to the US because he tried to hijack his flight at five point fifty. The pack is back. We got wolves again in California. We're going to be talking to the state gray wolf coordinator find out where they are and what they're up to. Right now,
let's say good morning to ABC's Steve Roberts. Good morning, Steve, Hey, good morning Amy. So President elect Trump has been largely out of the spotlight since the election, kind of hold up in mar A Lago, but he did give his first network interview since the election on a competing network yesterday. One of the main topics, of course, illegal immigration, is he sticking to his campaign stance that deportation starts on day one.
It does seem to be and unfortunately, and many of his assumptions and many of his policies are based on false assumptions. Okay, I mean, he says his justification is a we got to deport them because they commit crimes. But in fact, sure there are some tragic, isolated examples of immigrants causing crimes, but on balance, native foreign Americans commit crimes a much greater rate than immigrants it's a
false assumption. And the second false assumption, which in some ways they even more damaging, is that somehow immigrants are bad for the economy. The fact is they're good for the economy. And there are isolated examples of school systems being strained. You see that in the LA area sometimes that's certainly true, and the local facilities being strained. But on balance, every economist who's every study this issue says immigrants are good for the economy. They take jobs Americans
don't want do, they pay taxes, they create businesses. And you've got to remember in America, like most industrialized countries, have very low birth rates these days, and who is going to take these jobs of retiring Trumpet voters. The fact is, in many cases it's going to be hardworking, younger immigrants, and countries that don't have immigrants, like Japan,
are suffering enormously. One of the reasons why the United States has one of the most vibrant economies in the world is because we have so many immigrants, and so in many ways, the danger here, the threat here is that if Tunk does carry out his policies, the people who are going to suffer economically from his policies the people who voted for him.
Okay, So, Steve, I have a question for you, because you're talking about immigrants, and of course we know that immigrants are great. We love immigrants. But he's talking about illegal immigrants and says he's going to go after the ones who have committed crimes, that that's who they're going after first, that's the priority.
Yeah, okay, that's fair enough. I mean, every person in this country, immigrant or not, to be subject to the rule of law. You commit crime, you should be penalized for it. I don't think anybody has a problem with that. But when you're talking about eleven million undocumented immigrants, you're talking about people who've been here for a generation. You're talking about people who have run businesses. You're talking about people who are part of the economy in many California towns.
You think about the Central Valley of California. If you took undocumented immigrants out of the agriculture business, what would happen tomorrow? The agriculture business in California would be in desperate shape.
Half of about half of workers in California's agriculture Department or agriculture industry are estimated to be illegal immigrants.
At least you talk about the construction industry, you talk about the healthcare industry. And by the way, in addition to that, many of those eleven million undocumenteds have children who were born in America four million at least, there are at least four million children born to these immigrants. That means you have two choices. If you deport the undocumented parents, you're ripping families upon right, or you deport the whole family, which is something Trump's talking about. That
means you're deporting people who are American citizens. So it's not just an economic question, it's in many ways a moral question and the practical question. It's easy to get up there and say we're going to throw out everybody who broke the law, but people in California know that
it's not nearly that easy. These immigrants. Yes, at one point they broke the law by coming here illegally, but the reality is, the practical reality is they are hardworking, tax paying members of many communities throughout California and absolutely vital to the economic well building those communities in the whole state.
Well, it's going to be interesting to watch and see what happens and I watch part of the interview too, and he said he does have to be careful because if public sentiment turns against him, because right now it seems like, you know, people are more supporting, like saying, yeah, we do need to do something about this. But if he starts doing things that separate families and stuff, he said, they'll turn against us.
And look, Amy, folks in California know the Donald count were in a very American figure. Throughout our history, there have been spasms of anti immigrant feelings in this country. In the eighteen eighties, it was directed at Chinese immigrants in the West who were barred from owning property. Everybody
remembers that. There's read in California about the nineteen forties in the incarceration of more than one hundred thousand loyal Japanese American citizens, at the point where Ronald Reagan as president dying a bill apologizing to those citizens for the unfair incarceration and providing financial reparations. So this has happened over and over again in our history, where presidents arise and play on these fears of foreigners, and it happened
in the nineteen forties in California. That's happening.
Yeah, well, in each situation I think too. I mean, like there are differences, and with this one, we're specifically talking about illegal immigrants, not legal immigrants, So there is some difference there.
There is. But as I point out, you can say that they're illegal, and that is a fair fact, but they're also after twenty years or whatever. It is deeply embedded in American many of these communities. And by the way, it's also true that Trump has opposed a lot of legal immigrants. He opposes refugees who come that's a legal process, asylum seekers, that's a legal process. There's something called TPA
Temporary protect TPS, temporary protected status. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Venezuelans and others are in this country as a result of affording the protection from both political violence and weather related disasters in their home countries. So it's not just that he opposes illegals. There are a lot of legal processes that heats against as well.
Well. It's gonna be a wild ride for sure, Steve, and we appreciate your insight and information and look forward to talking to you again. All right, let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. A man is behind bars after allegedly walking into a movie theater now the Apple Valley carrying an airsoft rifle and wearing a bulletproof tactical vest. He was arrested at a cinemark late yesterday afternoon. Officers
quickly evacuated the building and found the guy. The man lives in Victorville. He also had misdemeanor warrants out for his arrest. A five year old girl in Coven has been killed by two of her family's dogs. The girl was attacked yesterday. She died at the hospital. Investigator say the dogs that killed her are a ten year old Rottweler and a six year old Rottweler mix. Two other dogs have also been removed from the home. Speaking of dogs but a positive story, Sugar the Surfing Dog has
made it into the Surfing Hall of Fame. Sugar has won five World Champion titles and another five Huntington Beach Surf City Dog Championships in her thirteen year career. Sugar's paws were immortalized in cement on a Huntington Beach sidewalk during her induction ceremony last month. Two CHP officers are recovering in the hospital after being crashed into as they responded to another crash in Pomona. Police are trying to figure out what led to the crash on the seventy
one Freeway near Rio Rancho Road early yesterday. They haven't said if the driver of the car that crashed into them is going to face charges. The roof of an Amazon return warehouse has collapsed in a massive fire in Almonte. The fire broke out early yesterday morning. Authority say there were a lot of lithium ion batteries inside the building that could have fueled the flames. The cause of the fire still being investigated. The Oregon Ducks are headed to
the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. They'll be playing eh, we don't know yet. The number one ranked Ducks will play the winner of the Tennessee, Ohio state playoff game on December twenty first. The winner will be looking to end Oregon's undefeated season on New Year's Day. Right now, we're going to check in with the state gray wolf coordinator with California's Department of Fish and Wildlife, Axl Honeycut Good morning.
Axel, Yes, good morning.
So thanks for taking a few minutes to talk to us today. We found this news out last week and I was like, we got to talk to somebody about this because the packs are back. Tell us what's going on with gray wolves in California.
Oh yeah, So gray wolves have been back in California since twenty fifteen. There's been packs consistently in the state, and as of last month, we were able to announce officially two new packs, making it currently we have nine packs.
In the state.
Okay, so when you talk about a pack, is that like one or two or is it ten or how many wolves are we talking about?
Yeah, it varies. So one of the new packs is just two animals. It's two adults, but they have been in one spot consistently for over six months now, so we call that a pack. But we also call a pack two animals that also have pups and breed. And you know, generally some of our packs, you know, they will have one or two litters, you know, two years of worth of reproduction. So some of our larger packs can be up to fifteen or sixteen animals as well.
Okay, so I want to back up just a little bit, because wolves were pretty much wiped out in California And when did that happen? And then you mentioned that they started showing up again in twenty fifteen, but so what happened to them?
Yeah?
So wolves, you know, existed across the western US, you know, over one hundred years ago in quite large numbers, but we pretty much systematically removed wolves across the western US and across most of North America. And in California, that last wolf for the last wolf on record was in Laston County in nineteen twenty four, So we had not had a wolf officially in the state since nineteen twenty four up until twenty eleven when a single wolf came
down from Oregon, famously R. Seven. So that was the first wolf to step foot in the state that we have on records since then.
Okay, So then my question, Axel is so R seven comes down in twenty fifteen or that's when you first note see him or track him. Did he go back up north and go get a mate and come back south or did another one just come back down on their own.
Yeah, so he came down in twenty eleven and he went back. He didn't stay. So it wasn't till twenty fifteen that two wolves came down on their own again and formed the Shasta Pack, which was our first pack in contemporary times, the northern slopes of out Shasta. So that was two wolves that came down from Oregon. And since then we've had a number of wolves come down from Oregon and formed or help form different packs. And now that we have quite a large population by itself,
over the years we've had more and more packs. We're seeing that more of the packs are coming from wolves that are born within California. So since twenty fifteen, we've confirmed at least one hundred a little over one hundred pups have been born in California since twenty fifteen.
Okay, and then Axel, do they typically travel that far? Like, why why do you think that they left their Oregon habitat and headed south.
Yeah, they're looking for they're looking for mates. So those wolves in Oregon came from the wolves in Idaho and even Yellowstone National Park that were famously reintroduced in the nineteen nineties. So those wolves were reintroduced as part of the Endangered Species Act and the effort to you know, bring back wolves in the West, and those wolves quickly spread into Oregon and then spread across Oregon and now
they're in California. And the reason behind that is just that wolves disperse to try to find mates that they're not related to, and so those wolves that came from Oregon were seeking territories that were unoccupied by wolves, which California was not that occupied at all. So yeah, the wolves just continue to disperse into California and further into California looking for areas that there aren't wolves and hopefully
looking for mates. So they can travel quite large distances, and we have seen that with a number of wolves. One very famously that went down close to where you guys are yeh or ninety three in two thousand and one, came from Oregon, walked all the way down into Ventura County and then eventually to turn to Kern County, where unfortunately it was hit by a vehicle. But it just shows you that wolves can travel hundreds and hundreds of miles looking for mates.
Yeah, Okay, and actually mention the reintroduction of the wolves into Yellowstone because they'd been eradicated from there as well, if that's the right word. But it really did a lot for the ecosystem. I read a story about it was fascinating how they're saying introducing those predators back in kind of rebalances what life is supposed to be.
Yeah, there has been a lot, you know, there have been a number of articles and even documentaries on how
wolves famously changed rivers in Yellowstone. Some of that science has been since reevaluated, and you know, perhaps the actual effects are aren't as traumatic, but nevertheless, wolves, you know, do have a place in the ecosystem in Yellowstone and in California, and because they've been vacant for so long, with their return, there is going to be some you know, realignment of the interactions between different carnivores, the interactions the
interactions between wolves and the elk and deer on the landscape. So yeah, I mean, just a good example here in California is that we have quite large coyote numbers, and those coyote numbers are probably somewhat artificially inflated.
Because of the lack of wolves for them. Yeah, exactly.
So with wolves returning, we would expect both mountain line numbers and coyote numbers to sort of realign and you know, reach more natural levels with wolves coming back.
Yeah, I've always said if we got if people got out of the way, nature would take care of itself.
Yes, and that's that's a prime example here where we've been able to give wolves, you know, the an appropriate amount of state and federal protection, and with that that minimal amount of protection, they have come back and they're doing very well.
Good. Okay, ax Well, is there a place that people can get more information about the wolves and conservation efforts that kind of thing?
Yeah, so if they go to our website, you know, if you just look for the California Department Official Life online. We do have a gray Wolf page where we do post quarterly updates and we also continually update our pack map where you could see where wolves are across the state, and that's probably the best way to stay informed wolves in California.
Great. Thank you so much, Axel. I'm just fascinated by this, and again, I hope they don't cause it too many problems. But I'm I for one, am happy that the packs are back.
Yeah, meet me as well, And yeah, it does bring a lot of management challenges, but yeah, we're continuing to work with Californians who live with wolves and the livestocker live with wolves, but nevertheless, it is exciting to see wolves return.
All right.
State gray Wolf Coordinator Axel Honeycut with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, thanks so much for your time this morning. We appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
All I take care is that cool. We get out of the way, the wolves find their way back. It reminds me of the line from from Jurassic Park where they said life finds a way. This is KFI and KOST HD two Los Angeles, Orange County Southland weather from KFI morning fog and low clouds and sunny and windy in the valleys. In Ie, highs will be in the sixties at the beaches, around seventy for Metro La Inlando
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