California Governor Expands State of Emergency to 11 More Storm-Battered Counties

A state of emergency declared in February for much of rain-soaked Southern California has been extended to 11 more counties by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also called for disaster assistance from the president. Mr. Newsom first declared a state of emergency Feb. 4 in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties due to severe winter storms, according to his proclamation. “The impacts from these winter storms caused significant damage to highways and roadways and widespread damage to public property,” the proclamation said. The storms mostly damaged public infrastructure, resulting in “significant” costs to state and local governments. The declaration helps speed up the delivery of vital supplies and resources, deployment of disaster responders, and the issuing of evacuation orders....