L.A. banks billions of gallons of water in San Gabriels

About six billion gallons of water poured into San Gabriel Mountain reservoirs during last week’s storm, according to the L.A. County Public Works. That was the largest single deposit of water into local storage facilities in more than two years. It’s enough water to supply more than 150,000 people for a year. Some of the county’s dams are now mostly filled, and water from those dams will help restock underground aquifers. The bad news is the region and state are still far below seasonal rainfall averages. Even with the big storm, state officials say the crucial Sierra snowpack is just a third of what it should be.

“Vaping” is about to get a lot more restricted in Los Angeles. The City Council has voted unanimously to ban the use of e-cigarettes inside bars, nightclubs, restaurants and e

verywhere else you’re not allowed to smoke regular cigarettes. You can still use e-cigarettes at vaping lounges and stores though. Users of the battery-powered devices inhale a nicotine-laced vapor. They’ve been marketed as a way to help quit smoking. But detractors say they are far from safe.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is wrapping up a three-day visit to Mexico – his first foreign trip since taking office last year. Garcetti has been meeting with government officials and Mexican business leaders about strengthening trade ties. . At the top of his wish list: more Mexican cruise ships stopping or originating at the port of L.A. Garcetti’s paternal grandfather was born in Mexico.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is defending its decision to suspend a search for a

missing mountain biker who was later found dead in the Cleveland National Forest. Officials say fog, thunderstorms and heavy rain on Saturday made it too dangerous to send out rescuers in search of 34-year-old Andres Martin. His wife says Martin died of hypothermia. She’s accused the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department of a lack of compassion.

The U.S. Mint won’t be able to get its hands on a cache of 19th Century gold coins dug up by a Northern California couple on their property. The feds investigated whether the coins were

stolen from the San Francisco Mint in 1901 – but no link was found. The Saddle Ridge Hoard, as it’s being called, is worth an estimated $10 million and may be the largest buried treasure ever unearthed in the U.S. The L.A. Times reports that the chief clerk at the San Francisco Mint was convicted in the 1901 theft of 250 $20 coins. The coins were never recovered.