In brief: Jeh Johnson confirmed as Homeland Security secretary

WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Jeh Johnson as the next secretary of Homeland Security on Monday, capping a smooth approval process for the high-profile post.

The former Pentagon general counsel will take office this week after a 78-16 vote, succeeding Janet Napolitano, who left in September to become president of the University of California system.

He is now charged with overseeing one of the federal government’s most unwieldy departments, which encompasses 22 disparate agencies, including those responsible for immigration, border security and airport security.

Big Sur fire forces evacuations

BIG SUR, Calif. – A wildfire burning Monday in the Big Sur area of California destroyed at least 15 homes and forced about 100 people to evacuate as it chewed through dry vegetation on its way toward the ocean. No injuries were reported.

The fire burned about 500 acres in the Pfeiffer Ridge area of Los Padres National Forest near state Highway 1, Los Padres National Forest spokesman Andrew Madsen said.

Officials were hopeful that they could contain the blaze this week.

“This is a completely wind-driven fire,” Madsen said.

Paint companies found liable

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A state judge on Monday ordered paint companies to pay 10 California cities and counties $1.1 billion to remove lead from millions of older homes.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg found that Conagra Grocery Products Co., NL Industries Inc. and the Sherwin-Williams Co. marketed paint they knew was harmful to children. Atlantic Richfield Co. and DuPont Co. were found not liable.

The industry has faced similar lawsuits across the country but has won most of them.

Kleinberg’s verdict came after a five-week trial without a jury. The companies have 15 days to object to the tentative ruling, which the judge can alter.

“There is a clear and present danger that needs to be addressed,” Kleinberg wrote in his 110-page decision. “The defendants sold lead paint with actual and constructive knowledge that it was harmful.”

Lead-based paints were barred from the U.S. market in 1978, but millions of homes painted before then still pose a health risk.

The industry argued that it never deliberately sold a harmful product and that the old paint is no longer a significant public health risk.

Bonnie Campbell, a spokeswoman for the companies, said the paint manufacturers will urge the judge to overturn his decision.

Pediatrics group slams raw milk

LOS ANGELES – The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday warned that pregnant women and children should not drink raw milk and said it supports a nationwide ban on the sale of raw milk because of the danger of bacterial illnesses.

The group’s statement said it supports federal health authorities “in endorsing the consumption of only pasteurized milk and milk products for pregnant women, infants and children.”

The academy also “endorses a ban on the sale of raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products throughout the United States, including the sale of certain raw milk cheeses, such as fresh cheese, soft cheeses and soft-ripened cheeses.”

Thirty states allow the sale of raw milk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits the interstate shipment of raw milk for human consumption, though it allows transport of some clearly labeled raw cheeses.

Advocates say raw milk is delicious and provides health benefits, including protection against asthma and lactose intolerance.