The Palisades Fire raged overnight in Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, destroying over 1,000 structures and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate; the Eaton Fire, on the east side of the LA, has also led to at least two deaths and many more evacuations. LA City Police Chief Jim McDonnell called it "a tragic time in our history here in Los Angeles." [CNN]While Santa Ana winds created horrible fire conditions in Southern California, we also had a night of gusty winds in the Bay Area that toppled trees and power lines. Trees came down blocking the southbound lanes of Highway 13 in Oakland, and crews were out early Wednesday dealing with a power pole leaning over a street in Alameda. [KTVU]Mayoral inauguration festivities kick off in a couple of hours in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, and later in Chinatown. [KTVU]BART was experiencing major delays early Wednesday on the SFO line due to an equipment problem, but is now recovering. [Bay City News]Sharing a map from 1609, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum used her Wednesday morning news conference to poke fun at Trump, showing how North America was called "Mexican America" before the English arrived, and suggesting that's what it should be called going forward. [New York Times]Warriors coach Steve Kerr's mother is among the tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents who have been evacuated amid the Palisades and Eaton fires. [KTVU]As a parting gift to California, President Biden just established the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in and around Medicine Lake, near Mount Shasta, a 224,000-acre volcanic landscaping that will now have added protections for its preservation. [SF Chronicle]Top image: A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire while it burns homes at Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire has grown to more than 2900-acres and is threatening homes in the coastal neighborhood amid intense Santa Ana Winds and dry conditions in Southern California. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)