Joseph Serna
Joseph Serna is a Metro reporter who has been with the Los Angeles Times since 2012. He previously worked for papers in Orange County and Signal Hill, a 2.2-square-mile city surrounded by Long Beach. He was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News for coverage of the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack and is a graduate of California’s community college and Cal State systems. He’s also a notoriously picky eater.
Recent Articles
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La Tuna fire, city's biggest by acreage, now 80% contained, officials say
A brush fire that triggered hundreds of evacuations in Glendale and Burbank as it tore across the Verdugo Mountains over the weekend was 80% contained Tuesday evening, Los Angeles fire officials said. The La Tuna fire, which began Friday afternoon amid a sweltering heat wave, shut down miles of...
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Bodies recovered from Kings River confirmed to be those of missing Thai students
Two bodies pulled from a mangled car that had been trapped for weeks in the middle of a treacherous Kings River gorge in Central California were confirmed to be those of two missing Thai students, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said. The bodies of University of South Florida exchange students...
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Kidnapped California woman found safe in Nevada; suspect considered armed and dangerous
After a four-day search, a California woman who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in Solvang has been found at a casino just outside Las Vegas, Henderson police said Tuesday. Virginia Paris, 55, of Lompoc was dropped off Monday night outside the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino in Henderson, Nev.,...
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More all-time heat records broken as California broils
California’s history-making heat wave set new all-time records for the second day in a row. Salinas and King City each reached all-time high temperatures, according to the National Weather Service, of 107 and 115 degrees respectively. Numerous records were set for the day Saturday, including in...
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Fast-moving wildfire destroys 5,000 acres; homes evacuated in L.A., Burbank
A fast-moving brush fire grew to 3,000 acres in the Verdugo Mountains on Saturday morning, threatening homes and keeping the 210 Freeway closed. Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze overnight and into the morning. At one point, the flames were spreading in four directions at once amid intense...
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San Francisco sets all-time heat record downtown at 106 degrees during state's hottest recorded summer
In almost 150 years of record keeping, it has never been as hot in San Francisco as it was on Friday. Amid a brutal heat wave that has broiled California for a week while intermittently knocking out power to thousands and fueling more than a dozen wildfires, downtown San Francisco hit 106 degrees....
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Record heat, lightning, fires, intense rain: California's extreme weather gets wilder
The heat wave that has gripped California for a week took a dramatic turn Thursday as lightning storms sparked brush fires, knocked out power to thousands and caused downpours across the region. Forecasters said the extreme weather will continue through the weekend, with some parts of Northern...
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Record heat wave brings lightning, brush fires and intense rain to Southern California
Already suffering under a heat wave, Southern California faced intense summer storms that moved in Thursday afternoon, bringing lightning strikes that set off brush fires as well as intense downpours. A 25-acre brush fire erupted near the 5 Freeway about 4:36 p.m. amid a lightning storm, said Fire...