Los Angeles Times reporter Hailey Branson-Potts Mark Potts. Oct. 26, 2025 6 AM PT

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Built the late 1800s as America’s most expensive lighthouse, this Northern California beacon has deterioratedd in isolation over the decades. A helicopter is the only safe way to access it. Preservationists have worked for three decades to restore the St. George Reef Lighthouse, but steep costs and extreme weather pose monumental restoration challenges.

Hailey Branson-Potts is a state reporter who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2011. She reports on a wide range of issues and people, with a special focus on rural communities. She grew up in the small town of Perry, Okla., and graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.