Quick reads — Bidwell Mansion lawsuit moves forward as state seeks $38 million

Nearly two years after Bidwell Mansion burned, the legal fight over who should pay for the loss is moving forward.

California State Parks is suing Advantage Total Protection, the company hired to monitor the mansion's alarm system, and lawyers appeared in Butte County Superior Court on Wednesday for a status hearing.

In new court filings, the state says the company failed to test the alarms as required before an arsonist set the mansion on fire in 2024.

The state says in the documents that the fire alarm never went off, leading to the destruction of the mansion and artifacts "representing more than 150 years of California history."

The state is seeking at least $38 million dollars.

The alarm company denies the allegations.

Both sides say the case likely won’t be ready for trial before March 2028, according to the documents.

Another status hearing was set for Jan. 27.

A Paradise Unified School District employee who was wanted by authorities has been arrested and released on bail.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office says James Lopez is the district’s transportation director. He’s accused of bringing a firearm to work and using a district credit card without permission.

Lopez has also been accused of installing a hidden camera in his Palermo-area home where other people reportedly live, according to deputies. NSPR asked the district whether Lopez is still employed there but did not receive a response as of publication time.

Lopez is due in court for an arraignment on Nov. 20.

Cal Fire

A three-day long prescribed fire is set to begin Wednesday in Magalia.

Officials with Cal Fire say they are partnering with Butte County Fire Safe Council to burn more than 40 acres of land in the area between Rambling Way and Lake Paradise.

The project aims to reduce the amount of vegetation that could spark and feed a wildfire, according to Cal Fire. The prescribed burn is also part of a larger effort to treat 100,000 acres in California every year.

The burn is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 2.

Federal bill introduced to improve transit access in rural communities

A bill proposed by Congressman James Gallagher last week seeks to fund transportation options that would give rural areas across the country more flexibility than fixed routes, which is typical of urban mass transit.

Called the "Improving Rural Transportation Act," projects funded by this legislation could include ride-shares or van pooling services.

If passed, funding would be made available for communities with fewer than 200,000 people, and local and state partners would be expected to cover at least 20 percent of project costs.