This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Cairo Jondu here at the LA Times Studios.

Let's take a look at today's headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

Weeks after the devastating fires, many in Altadena and Pacific Palisades still don't

have clean drinking water.

Noah Haggri reports that local water utilities are struggling to restore service.

Infrastructure was destroyed, toxic smoke contaminated pipes, and testing for dangerous chemicals like

benzene is slow. Larger agencies have teams and labs to speed up the process,

but Altadena's small, locally owned water companies are working with limited

resources. Now crews are racing to rebuild, repressurized pipes, and make sure the water is safe.

But for residents, the way for clean water still continues to drag on.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is facing a wave of lawsuits over the Palisades Fire

and has hired a top law firm at rates up to

$1900 for hour under a $10 million three-year contract. Matt Hamilton and

David Zinizer report that residents who lost their homes blame the DWP for dry

fire hydrants and an empty reservoir, claiming the the water system worsened the fire's destruction.

The DWP says only one-fifth of hydrants lost pressure

and that delays in fixing the reservoir

were due to city regulations.

With thousands of claims expected,

this legal battle is just beginning.

California is ground zero for the H5N1 bird flu outbreak. But there's worry that some crucial communities aren't being monitored.

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