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2019 was a year of big stories, with L.A. Times features, coverage of breaking news events — and everything in between.
We’ve compiled our “most shared†stories of the year, as calculated by the most “shared†by readers of our Los Angeles Times Facebook page.
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#1
“Is it the 21st century in the largest city of a state that ranks among the world’s most robust economies, or did someone turn back the calendar a few hundred years?†That’s the question columnist Steve Lopez asked as he traversed L.A. for this column. It was our most shared post on Facebook this year.
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In early January — in the midst of California’s wildfire recovery efforts — President Trump tweeted that he’d ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency not to send more disaster funding to state officials “unless they get their act together, which is unlikely.†The ensuing story was the second most shared of the year.
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#3
This video released by the Mexican government shows the moment security forces captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a leader of the Sinaloa cartel and the son of Joaquin “El Chapo†Guzman, in the city of Culiacan.
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#4
In July, Southern California was rattled by two major earthquakes in less than two days. This story covered the second of the two — a 7.1 magnitude quake that struck near Ridgecrest.
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And just behind it on the list is the first, as a 6.4 magnitude quake struck about 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles, in the remote Searles Valley area. The earthquake ended a quiet period in the state’s seismic history.
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#6
For the first time since forecasters began recording data — at least 142 years — the mercury did not reach 70 degrees in downtown Los Angeles for the entire month of February.
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#7
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California was planning to sue the Trump administration over its declaration of a national emergency on the southern border with Mexico.
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#8
“Trump got tariff economics dead wrong, again, when he announced a $16-billion farm bailout Thursday in front of a delegation of farmers,†columnist Michael Hiltzik wrote.
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#9
A federal judge in Alaska declared that President Trump’s order revoking a sweeping ban on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans was illegal, putting 128 million acres of federal waters off limits to energy exploration.
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#10
Officials reported that the number of people living on the streets, in vehicles and in shelters increased by about 12% over last year. The annual point-in-time count put the number of homeless people just shy of 59,000 countywide. Within the city of Los Angeles, the number soared to more than 36,000, a 16% increase.
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#11
Jane Fonda was arrested in front of the U.S. Capitol as part of her efforts to join the fight against climate change. It went just as she’d planned.
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#12
Former U.S. Army nurse Ellan Levitsky loved her service in a field hospital in Normandy, France, just after the D-day landings, but will never forget the sound of young military men crying themselves to sleep. At 99, Levitsky returned to Normandy from the U.S. for the 75th anniversary of D-day.
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#13
It became official in March with a new map released by the U.S. Drought Monitor: California was 100% drought-free.
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#14
Germany, one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, will shut down all 84 of its coal-fired power plants over the next 19 years to meet its international commitments in the fight against climate change, a government commission said in January.
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#16
Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs had the opioids fentanyl and oxycodone along with alcohol in his system when he was found dead in his Texas hotel room July 1, according to a toxicology report.
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#17
Rand Abbott of Joshua Tree, Calif., took it upon himself to keep Joshua Tree National Park clean during the government shutdown. After a story highlighted his efforts, readers wrote in in appreciation.
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#18
“Step 1: Climb aboard. Step 2: Look up.†That’s how our Facebook page described the Great Basin Star Train, which takes guests into the remote mountainside for ideal views of the night sky.
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Park officials said Joshua Tree National Park would close to visitors for the duration of the government shutdown because of damage to the park. They later walked that back to say the park would reopen by week’s end.
Tessa A. Bangs and Jessica Martinez contributed to this story.
