California

A map showing the state on the west coast of the USA.

### Appearances

"Pilot", "So Close, Yet So Far", "The Dog", "Not Fade Away", "Cobalt", "The Good Man"

**California** is a state in The United States of America. It's largest city, Los Angeles, is the main setting of Season 1 of Fear the Walking Dead.

## History

Starting around the early 1700's, many Spanish and Mexican people arrived in California and settled there, long before California became a member of the United States. As such, California retains a lot of Spanish and Mexican influences as can be seen from its place names. It became an American state in 1847, due to a treaty to end the American-Mexican war, becoming the 31st state.

The next year in 1848, California became much more popular when gold was discovered there, which attracted large amounts of people to settle there to seek wealth, fortune and opportunity.

In the early 1900's the state became even more popular as it had a large role in the film industry, paticularly the area of Hollywoodland (later simply named Hollywood) which created movies for the public to enjoy. It soon became the most populous state with the largest economy.

## Notable Locations

### Settlements

* Los Angeles
* San Diego
* San Francisco
* El Sereno (suburb of Los Angeles)
* Strands home
* Edwards Air Force Base
* Broke Jaw Ranch

## Notable Organisations

* Los Angels Police Department
* California Highway Patrol
* Center for Disease Control

## Pre-Apocalypse

Before the outbreak, things seemed to be 'business as usual' in California. However, there were reports of a "virus" circulating, which meant hospitals had to cope with an increase of people seeking flu shots. Videos and information emerged on certain websites showing people with a strange virus attacking people, however, only very few people saw this information-- one of whome was Tobias. There was also a newspaper report about a man who had attacked his family and was found eating the neightbours cat and had to be shot multiple times because he wouldn't go down.

Soon, an unknown radio station in Los Angeles was informing people to get their flu shots if they hadn't yet done so. People began to disappear and hospitals were very slowly becoming more overcrowded with sick patients. Madison Clark, during her drive home from work, witnessed a fence with half a dozen "Missing" papers and a park empty of children with a mysterious figure shambeling in the shadows.

That night, a man was involved in an automobile accident on a freeway and attacked two paramedics who were attending him. He was shot multiple times in the chest by members of the California Highway Patrol without much success, before one officer got a headshot. The footage (recorded from a helicopter and several cell phones) was leaked online to more popular websites, meaning many members of the public saw it and began to panic, resulting in many people decideding not to go to school/work that day.

Late the next morning, Art Costa, the Principal of Paul R. Williams High School, saw staff members watching the leaked video and told them he'd talk to the other schools about it. Soon enough, the district school board decided to have a half-day for every school in the district due to poor student attendance, and confused students began to pile onto the bus, going home. Madison's daughter Alicia arranges to meet her boyfriend at Venice Beach for a date, but he never shows up. He is attacked at his home and bitten.

     Alicia waits for him for a long time, at the strangly silent and nearly empty Venice Beach before she retreats home.

When Madison Clark and Travis Manawa decide to go east as they're worried about the illness, Travis decides to go get his ex-wife Liza Ortiz and his son, Christopher Manawa. Meanwhile, Chris was on a public bus in a neighborhood close to Downtown LA when a pedestrian jumped onto the bus and claimed the LAPD shot a homeless man for no reason. Travis and Liza negotiate downtown LA in search of their son. Roads and highways in and out of LA (and possibly all over California), began getting more congested as more people were becoming aware of the illness and tried to flee densely populated areas.

At least one member of the LAPD was seen to stock up on supplies such as food, gas and water, hinting that the emergency services knew, or at least suspected, what was happening. There were more broadcasts on media such as radio warning people that if they don't need to travel then don't but if they did, then proceed with caution, which made even more people worried.

    In downtown LA, the police were keeping the area around the deceased homeless man contained and secure. However, the units on scene were outnumbered by the angry people outraged and protesting over the police shooting a homeless man, which was broadcast on the news. When Travis and Liza find their son, one LAPD member shot an infected woman, causing protesters and witnesses to flee scene but also triggering a riot. Riot police were called in and people began to either continue causing violence or to flee the area.
The riots presumably lasted the majority of the night in, with Travis and his family finding shelter in Salazar's Cuts. Rioters ignored Police orders to clear the streets and to stop, making them easy targets to the infected. Airports were closed and flights were cancelled by the FAA (on orders from the CDC) in order to reduce the spreading of the illness. Power stations began to fail, causing mass blackouts in LA and other settlements in California. Mid-flight of Flight 462, Jake Powell, and perhaps other passengers witnessed lights going out in Phoenix, Arizona. According to an air attendant, the pilot was informed that lights were going out everywhere, including San Francisco.

As people in the Los Angeles area and other parts of the state panicked with infected relatives, hospitals began to be overrun with the dead and then be abandoned. One final state radio message was played, stating that California has declared a state of emergency along with other states and that the National Guard will be deployed.

## Post-Apocalypse

    As morning rose on California, many parts of the state were in ruins. Cities such as LA had gridlocked highways and burning neighborhoods and smoke rising from high rises. The National Guard was called in to set up safe zones in Los Angeles and (presumably) other cities. In Los Angeles, they set up twelve safe zones around the city, which went code names. One of these was in El Sereno, home to Travis and Madison. The National Guard also set up a medical center in a local community college. Its use was a base of operations for the Los Angeles District and to keep people who may have the virus locked up.

The National Guard did not share any information about the outside world to the residents in the safe zones. It was rumored that most people decided to go east, to Bakersfield and Las Vegas.

The previously had a center for the sick and needy at the Los Angeles Memorial Stadium, which hosted 2,000 citizens but which became overrun and they decided to lock it up, leaving the uninfected to be trapped with the infected.

The original plan by the national guard was for a "big push to take back the city" but it either never happened or it failed. One night, nine days after the safe zones had been set up, and in a desperate bit to get her son Nick back, Madison and the others managed to get lead the two thousand infected from the stadium to the medical center, which they overran, meaning military personnel had to evacuate elsewhere. They left behind a handful of doctors and researchers and even their own, showing how ruthless they are. They evacuated to Edwards Air Force Base, which was (and could still be) active and played a key role in Operation Colbalt; the bombings.

Eventually, when all hope was lost and Operation Cobalt was under way, the national guard fled the safe-zones and the military napalmed Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and possible other cities and settlements in California.

It is unknown how successful Operation Cobalt was in containing the outbreaks in California. The most major impact the operation had seems to be ecological. The Ranger at Shuteye Peak claims that the fires started by the bombing of the cities has set much of the forestry in the Yosemite National Part and the Serra Nevada Mountain Range ablaze, with both areas expected to be burned out in a week.

Currently, it is unknown what effect (if any) the outbreaks in southern California have had on the Mexican state of Baja California. Given their shared boarder, and the fact that San Diego and Tijuana were sister cities and shared a boarder crossing (considered the worlds busiest boarder crossing), it can be assumed that the outbreaks in California had a substantial impact on Baja.

When Ofelia Salazar and Nicholas Clark (separately) crossed from Mexico into The United States of America, it can be assumed they crossed into California instead of Arizona (which also boarders Baja California), as California is their home state and the boarder crossing between Baja California and California would be the nearest boarder crossing.

## ​Gallery

Los Angeles, California's largest and most populace city, burning after the military bombingMap of California showing major citiesThe Governor's declaration of an emergency