Longer power outages were reported in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, where winds of almost hurricane force downed power lines in the morning near Pinon Hill and Phelan near Victorville, cutting power to 3,500 residents, said Steve Hansen of Southern California Edison.
Scattered thundershowers were forecast for this morning, and even cooler air behind the storm front was expected to drop high temperatures to the upper 40s along the coast, said Rick Dittmann of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times. Snow levels were expected to drop to about 2,000 feet in Southern California mountains, Dittmann said.
Cold weather prompted Los Angeles city officials Friday to open recreation centers and National Guard armories as temporary shelters for the homeless.
More Seek Shelter
At the Weingart Center at 6th and San Pedro streets, more than 500 homeless people sought shelter Friday and by late Saturday the number seeking a dry place to sleep had increased by about a third, said Frank Valencia, the housing supervisor.
"I got 20 more beds to give out and then I'm going to have to start putting people on the bus (to another shelter)," he said.
Although rain forced a cancellation of Takeshita's Santa Ana visit, he is scheduled to visit a Los Angeles retirement home catering to Japanese-Americans today and meet with former President Reagan on Monday afternoon before departing for Japan.
Takeshita arrived in Los Angeles Friday night after a Washington meeting with President Bush.
Sakioka's farm had been selected for the Takeshita's visit as an example of the contributions of Japanese Americans in Southern California.
