August 2: Firefighters continue to fight the Apple fire that burned 20,000 acres in Cherry Valley and surrounding areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, destroying one home and leading to the evacuation of thousands more.
A slow exposure of the camera shows the movement of the Apple fire in the San Bernardino National Forest.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
August 3: Los Angeles City Councilor Jose Huizar pleads not guilty to bribery, money laundering and a host of other charges, his first public response to allegations in the corruption investigation since prosecutors began, guaranteeing the plea of guilt of others in case.
August 3: While California faces a flood of unemployment insurance claims amid the pandemic, some state officials who process claims say they are hampered by outdated technology, bureaucratic bureaucracy and a lack of trained and experienced personnel.
August 7th to 16th: More than 400,000 people, most without face masks and who do not follow the social distance guidelines, participate in activities related to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.
Motorcyclists pedal down Main Street during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD
(Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images)
August 11th: Joe Biden announces Sen. Kamala Harris, of California, as his candidate for vice presidency, the first black woman to appear on the presidential ticket of a major party.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, at a campaign event in Wilmington, Del.
(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)
August 11th: The Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences announce the cancellation of all autumn sports. The ACC and SEC conferences say they still plan to play football; on August 12, Big 12 announces that it will play.
August 13: Plans are announced by the U.S. Postal Service to remove hundreds of high-volume mail processing machines from postal facilities across the country.
August 16th: Storms trigger hundreds of wildfires in California, leading to evacuations while a record-breaking heat wave overwhelms the state’s power grid.
August 16th: The SCU Lightning Complex fires begin, affecting several counties in the Bay Area. Nearly 400,000 hectares were burned, making it the third largest forest fire in California’s history.
August 16th: The August complex fire begins in northern California; on September 9, it becomes the largest fire in California history, burning over 1 million acres.
Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home while the LNU lightning complex rips through Vacaville, California.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
August 16th: Death Valley reaches 130 degrees, considered the highest temperature on Earth in almost a century.
August 16th: Spurred on by concerns that President Trump is trying to disembowel the United States postal service to help him win re-election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls House members back to Washington to pass a bill that aims to reverse administration cuts that could undermine widespread postal voting.
August 17: The fires at the LNU Lightning Complex begin and last for several weeks, burning more than 350,000 acres in several wine counties, including Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Lake and Yolo.
Firefighters respond to a structural fire along Riverdale Boulevard during the fire at the CZU Lightning Complex.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
August 17th to 20th: The Democratic National Convention is held in Milwaukee, with events happening virtually. Democrats formally chose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as their nominees for the 2020 presidential ticket.
Supporters cheer on their cars when Joe Biden and his wife Jill are seen on a large monitor during the Democratic National Convention in Wilmington, Del.
(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)
August 18: NBCUniversal expels longtime Universal executive Ron Meyer after learning that he made secret payments to a woman to cover up an old case – a secret that Meyer said he turned into a snowball in an extortion plot.
August 19th: Apple becomes the first American company valued at more than $ 2 trillion.
August 20th: Former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon is arrested and charged with fraud in a private fund-raising campaign to build a border wall.
Former chief strategist for President Trump, Stephen K. Bannon, leaves the federal court after pleading not guilty to charges of stealing donors for a private online fundraising scheme to build a wall on the southern border.
(Craig Ruttle / Associated Press)
August 20th: Forest fires surrounding the bay area and other parts of the state kill at least five people, destroy more than 500 structures and burn hundreds of square kilometers as evacuations expand.
August 21: A Sacramento County judge sentences the Golden State killer, Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., 74, to life without parole for killing 13 people and raping 50 in a series of raids that have terrorized the state for decades.
August 23rd: Protests erupt in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the murder of Jacob Blake, 29, by a police officer.
August 24 to 27: The Republican National Convention is held in Charlotte, NC and Washington. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are formally nominated as the Republican Party’s presidential ticket for 2020.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive on the southern lawn of the White House for the final night of the Republican National Convention.
(Evan Vucci / Associated Press)
August 25th: Two people are shot and killed during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin; a suspect is arrested. Soon after, professional athletes start boycotting their sports to protest Jacob Blake’s shot.
August 28: Actor Chadwick Boseman dies at 43 after an undisclosed battle with colon cancer.