[M T]

I am not a mod (IANAM) nor have I ever had access to their discussions.  My opinion would be that discussions about actions and their consequences are reasonable unless they devolve into contentious debates.   So, if I say that banning flavored tobacco products reduces underage tobacco use, that seems fine to me (IANAM), until someone argues vehemently that this restricts one's freedom to use those products.

I appreciated ADPinWDC's post with the descriptions of similar situations some 30 years ago (1993 Kinneloa Fire, 5500 acres, 196 structures) around Altadena.
Likewise, I had forgotten the details of the 2018 Woolsey Fire that burned the same general area as the Palisades fire, burning 97,000 acres, destroying 1643 structures.

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.  I'm curios whether those who live outside the So Cal area have similar or different experiences with the alerts system on their phones.  I'd be especially interested in hearing from anyone who lives in a region where the alert system is viewed positively.  I also wonder whether there's a way to run tests of the alert system so their are fewer errors during times of crisis.  Sort of like the tests of the emergency broadcast system that appeared on television in the old days when I watched TV.  Those tests were mildly annoying, but if they were helpful in getting the system working properly (a fact to which I cannot attest), then they were worth it, and something similar might be appropriate for cell phone alerts.

Dear Curios (ah, AI and spelling correctors....), my impression of the alerts in the general Stanford area:  
We don't get many Amber/Silver alerts.  Less than 10 a year (6-ish?).  I haven't turned them off, but the initial sound is very jarring, and is, IMO, a hazard itself.   If I'm going to be out, I might look at them, but what's the likelihood that any of us that look at it might spot that white Honda with license XYZ12345?   It seems almost like a Prop 65 warning (ubiquitous in Calif. but of no practical use).

In the last couple of years, we're now getting earthquake/tsunami warnings.  For the recent tsunami warning, I was in the Sierras so it seemed a waste of time.  I believe I remember the initial test of the earthquake warning system was a fiasco, followed soon by a warning that went to too many.  Personally, I don't mind those flubs.

Coincidentally, at my work, they sent out such a warning yesterday to all staff (for me, about 6 devices/sources) over a non-essential event (an entry gate failure).  Annoying.

We all remember the TV & Radio interruptions "BEEEEP BEEEP BEEEP  This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.  This is only a test.  If this had been a real emergency..."

[M T]

I am not a mod (IANAM) nor have I ever had access to their discussions.  My opinion would be that discussions about actions and their consequences are reasonable unless they devolve into contentious debates.   So, if I say that banning flavored tobacco products reduces underage tobacco use, that seems fine to me (IANAM), until someone argues vehemently that this restricts one's freedom to use those products.

I appreciated ADPinWDC's post with the descriptions of similar situations some 30 years ago (1993 Kinneloa Fire, 5500 acres, 196 structures) around Altadena.
Likewise, I had forgotten the details of the 2018 Woolsey Fire that burned the same general area as the Palisades fire, burning 97,000 acres, destroying 1643 structures.

---

.  I'm curios whether those who live outside the So Cal area have similar or different experiences with the alerts system on their phones.  I'd be especially interested in hearing from anyone who lives in a region where the alert system is viewed positively.  I also wonder whether there's a way to run tests of the alert system so their are fewer errors during times of crisis.  Sort of like the tests of the emergency broadcast system that appeared on television in the old days when I watched TV.  Those tests were mildly annoying, but if they were helpful in getting the system working properly (a fact to which I cannot attest), then they were worth it, and something similar might be appropriate for cell phone alerts.

Dear Curios (ah, AI and spelling correctors....), my impression of the alerts in the general Stanford area:  
We don't get many Amber/Silver alerts.  Less than 10 a year (6-ish?).  I haven't turned them off, but the initial sound is very jarring, and is, IMO, a hazard itself.   If I'm going to be out, I might look at them, but what's the likelihood that any of us that look at it might spot that white Honda with license XYZ12345?   It seems almost like a Prop 65 warning (ubiquitous in Calif. but of no practical use).

In the last couple of years, we're now getting earthquake/tsunami warnings.  For the recent tsunami warning, I was in the Sierras so it seemed a waste of time.  I believe I remember the initial test of the earthquake warning system was a fiasco, followed soon by a warning that went to too many.  Personally, I don't mind those flubs.

Coincidentally, at my work, they sent out such a warning yesterday to all staff (for me, about 6 devices/sources) over a non-essential event (an entry gate failure).  Annoying.

We all remember the TV & Radio interruptions "BEEEEP BEEEP BEEEP  This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.  This is only a test.  If this had been a real emergency..."