Friday, July 18, 2025

LA County Eyes First-of-Its-Kind Cooling Ordinance for Rentals Amid Rising Heat Risks

The ordinance would allow flexible compliance methods and protect tenants from heat-related vulnerabilities

Los Angeles County Supervisors are preparing to vote on a groundbreaking ordinance that would require landlords to maintain rental units at or below 82°F. The proposed measure—scheduled for a Board vote next month—would apply to homes in unincorporated areas and cities that adopt the County’s code, according to LAist.

The ordinance, if approved, would take effect in September, with enforcement delayed until 2027 to allow time for landlord compliance. Investigations would be triggered by tenant complaints through the Rental Housing Habitability Program, which inspects rental units in unincorporated Los Angeles County every four years, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported.

While it does not mandate air conditioning, the proposal allows landlords flexibility to meet the required temperature using heat pumps, insulation, shade structures, and cool roofs, so long as indoor temperatures stay at or below the threshold.

This approach differs from cities such as Palm Springs,

Friday, July 18, 2025

Scratch Financial Teams Up With CareVet to Upgrade Vet Bill Payment Systems Nationwide

Pasadena company will integrate its payment technology into 200+ animal hospitals

Scratch Financial, a Pasadena-based company that builds payment systems for vet bills, announced Thursday it will integrate its technology into more than 200 CareVet animal hospitals across 35 states.

The deal means pet owners visiting CareVet locations will have more flexible payment options, while clinic staff can process bills faster and with fewer administrative headaches. Scratch’s platform offers customized payment plans and tools that simplify financial workflows — making vet visits easier for both clinics and pet parents.

“We are thrilled to partner with Scratch to bring their advanced integrated payment processing solutions to our veterinary practices,” said Tim Kaufmann, CareVet’s director of revenue and pricing.

Katy Honda, Scratch’s senior vice president of commercial partnerships, praised CareVet’s commitment to helping veterinary teams. “We at Scratch are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their hospitals and look forward to continuing to build with them in partnership,” she said.

Friday, July 18, 2025

California Home Sales Rebound in June; Altadena and Pacific Palisades Markets Still Reel From Wildfires

Statewide recovery contrasts with severe sales and price drops in fire-affected neighborhoods

California’s housing market showed signs of life in June, reversing three straight months of sales declines, according to the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.). Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family homes reached a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 264,260 units, up 4.0 percent from May but down 0.3 percent from June 2024.

June’s statewide median home price fell slightly to $899,560, a 0.1 percent drop from both the prior month and year. C.A.R. noted the decline did not match the historical average June gain of 0.8 percent, suggesting that “non-seasonal factors such as market uncertainty and elevated mortgage rates had a negative lingering effect on housing demand and home prices.”

“With more properties on the market and price growth flattening, conditions have become more favorable for prospective buyers who have been waiting on the sidelines to re-enter the market and take advantage of increased negotiating power,” said C.A.R.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Pasadena Forum to Explore Affordable Housing Options for Fire Survivors

Event will feature nonprofits and organizations offering lower-cost rebuilding solutions

Homeowners in Pasadena and Altadena considering rebuilding after the Eaton fire can learn about affordable housing solutions at an upcoming forum in Pasadena.

The event will take place Tuesday, July 22, from 1-3 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly Street. All ages are welcome to attend.

The forum will feature several organizations offering lower-cost rebuilding options for fire survivors.

The Foothill Catalog Foundation, a nonprofit, will present more than 30 design concepts. The organization is dedicated to helping fire survivors rebuild and save money, and emphasizes additional savings when rebuilding together.

Representatives from cityLAB-UCLA will discuss modular housing options and explain how combining traditional construction with modular building can save time and money.

Habitat for Humanity will focus on affordability and sustainability in rebuilding efforts. Representatives will be available to answer questions.

Sunset Mesa Collective will present their approach of using a single point of contact.

Friday, July 18, 2025

50 Local Women Entrepreneurs Whose Business Were Damaged by Wildfire Receive Grants and Fresh Hope

By EDDIE RIVERA

Selected women-owned businesses received $25,000 recovery grants, from GoFundMe.org, Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media Impact Foundation, and Pasadena City College’s Women’s Business Center

On a sparkling late summer afternoon at the Pasadena Museum of History, with the historic Fenyes Mansion serving as backdrop, fifty women entrepreneurs stepped into the spotlight Wednesday to celebrate resilience, recovery, and new beginnings.

They were gathered not just as survivors of the devastating January wildfires that swept through Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and nearby foothill communities, but as small business owners determined to rebuild their lives and neighborhoods. Each of them received $25,000 recovery grants, made possible by GoFundMe.org and Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media Impact Foundation, in partnership with Pasadena City College’s Women’s Business Center.

“This is much more than a mixer,” said Lizzy Okoro Davidson, director of the Women’s Business Center. “This gathering says a lot about who we are as a community and where we’re headed.”

From ice cream shops to home-based childcare providers,

Friday, July 18, 2025

Local Lawmakers Press Trump Administration Over Delayed Senior Jobs Funding

Thousands of low-income older Americans left without pay as federal program faces uncertainty

Forty-two members of Congress are demanding the Trump administration immediately release federal funding for a senior employment program that has left thousands of low-income older Americans without paychecks. 

Pasadena Rep. Judy Chu and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington led colleagues in a letter to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Budget Director Russell Vought addressing delayed funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program. 

The program provides job training and paychecks to low-income seniors while they perform community service. In 2022, more than 42,000 seniors contributed over 20.4 million hours of community service through the program. 

The Department of Labor published funding guidance for state and territorial grantees on July 1, the start of the program year. But the agency has not released similar guidance for national grantees and provided no timeline for publication. 

National grantees in California, Washington, Indiana, North Carolina and Oklahoma have been affected by the delay. 

Friday, July 18, 2025

Pentagon Ends National Guard Deployment in Los Angeles

STAFF REPORT

The Pentagon has ended the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, cutting nearly in half the military presence sent to the city in response to protests over federal immigration enforcement actions.

Approximately 4,000 Guard members and 700 Marines have been stationed in the region since early to mid-June.

The reason for the abrupt end to the 60-day deployment was not initially disclosed by the Pentagon, though a spokesperson cited a decline in lawlessness as contributing to the decision; there was also no indication of how long the remaining personnel would stay.

Last week, a judge barred ICE officers from racially profiling

people during immigration actions and mandated access to attorneys for immigrants detained by the agency.

Three people from Pasadena detained at a Pasadena bus stop are plaintiffs in the case.

The Trump administration is appealing that ruling.

Late last month, military commanders requested the return of 200 troops to assist with wildfire duties as California entered peak fire season,

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Pasadena NAACP Leads Nationwide Push to End Adultification Bias Against Black Girls

Resolution gains national NAACP backing as local branch calls for immediate reform in education and law enforcement

The NAACP Pasadena Branch is spearheading a national campaign to eliminate adultification bias against Black girls in K–12 schools and the juvenile justice system. The initiative is anchored in a resolution first presented at the California-Hawaii State NAACP Convention and recently endorsed at the NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, which carried the theme “The Fierce Urgency of Now.”

Adultification refers to a form of bias in which Black children—especially Black girls—are systematically perceived and treated by adults as older, less innocent, and more mature than their actual age would suggest.

In this light, police, teachers and community members blame Black youth and hold them accountable as adults for behaviors that would be excused and considered childish in non-Black children.

The resolution aims to affirm the humanity, childhood, and dignity of Black girls while demanding institutional accountability.

“This resolution is not just symbolic—it is an urgent call to action that now carries the support of the Pasadena NAACP,

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Altadena Library Hosts Therapeutic Storytelling Event to Aid Fire Recovery

The Altadena Library District will host “Bringing Comfort Through Stories,” a therapeutic storytelling event designed to support community healing after the Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena. Scheduled for July 19 at 3 p.m., the event leverages storytelling as a healing tool for a community experiencing profound loss.

“We want the library District to be a symbol of hope and recovery for our community,” said Nikki Winslow, District Director of the Altadena Library District, which reopened in March after a two-month closure due to the fire.

The Eaton Fire destroyed nearly 60% of residential structures in Altadena. In response, initiatives like “Altadena Rising” have emerged as platforms for healing through storytelling.

“What began as an emergency response to document fire damage has evolved into something more meaningful – a platform for community healing. We recognize that sharing stories is a crucial first step in processing loss and grief,” according to the Altadena Rising volunteer documentation team.

The event draws on bibliotherapy principles, a creative arts therapy that uses storytelling to support mental health.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

New California Budget Papers Over $20 Billion Deficit, Ignores Day of Reckoning

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

When Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders were drafting a more-or-less final 2025-26 state budget last month, they were closing what they described as a $12 billion deficit, a number that the state’s media repeatedly cited.

It was the wrong number; it minimizes the state’s chronic gap between income and outgo, as the state’s official budget summary released this week confirms.

The budget projects that the state will receive $208.6 billion in general fund revenues during the fiscal year that began on July 1, but it will spend $228.4 billion, a gap just shy of $20 billion.

The $12 billion figure stems from counting a $7.1 billion diversion from one of the state’s reserve accounts as revenue — an assumption that violates common sense as well as any legitimate accounting scenario.

The more accurate figure of $20 billion is important because it squares with projections by Newsom’s Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office that California has what’s called a “structural deficit” in the range of $10 billion to $20 billion a year.