Thursday, January 22, 2026

State Politics: Lobbyists and Lawmakers Mingle Over Luxury Tequila, Shrimp and Cigars at Capital Party

By Yue Stella Yu, CALMATTERS

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor stood at the free tequila bar.

The Inglewood Democrat had asked for three glasses of Patrón El Alto, “the pinnacle of luxury” priced at roughly $150 a bottle. She kept one glass, leaving the other two for her staffers.

Her aides had been rubbing elbows with a lobbyist for AT&T and hurrying him to the bar for a drink. The lobbyist had been chit-chatting with a CalMatters reporter. But when McKinnor arrived to give him a hug and whispered in his ear, the chit-chatting stopped altogether. The lobbyist and the lawmaker know each other well: For two years, McKinnor was the author of an AT&T-sponsored bill to phase out most landlines the company is required to maintain in California. The bill died each time, but McKinnor has promised to bring it back this year.

The signature event at the beginning of each year of legislative action is one of many political extravaganzas at which lawmakers and their staff are invited to mingle with special interests.

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Pasadena School Board to Consider Launching Study on Potential School Closures

District also set to adopt state-mandated equity metrics for evaluating consolidations as enrollment decline continues

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education will meet Thursday evening and consider commissioning a comprehensive study on potential school closures and consolidations, a significant step that could reshape the District’s footprint as it grapples with years of declining enrollment.

The Board is scheduled to vote on a consulting services agreement with Total School Solutions, a firm that would conduct what agenda documents describe as a “comprehensive school closure/consolidation study.” The proposal comes as the District continues to face pressure from shrinking student populations, a trend affecting many California school districts.

In a related action item, the Board will consider adopting Resolution 2857, which would establish equity impact analysis metrics required under Assembly Bill 1912 (Education Code 41329) to guide evaluation of any future school closures or consolidations. The state legislation mandates that districts considering such actions must demonstrate conformance with specific equity metrics before proceeding.

Thursday, January 22, 2026

County Board of Supervisors to Review Eaton Fire Emergency Contracts in Meeting With Direct Impact on Altadena Recovery

Bi-weekly report on emergency response spending comes as fire-damaged community continues cleanup and rebuilding efforts

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will convene Tuesday, Jan. 27 to review ongoing emergency contracts related to the Eaton Fire and other January 2025 blazes, a recurring agenda item with direct implications for Altadena residents still navigating the aftermath of the devastating wildfire.

The meeting, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles, includes two separate bi-weekly emergency contracts reports—one from the Department of Internal Services and one from the Department of Public Works—documenting actions taken under emergency authority granted by the Board on January 28, 2025.

Emergency Contracts Under Review

According to agenda documents, the Board will review emergency actions taken by the Director of Internal Services and the Director of Public Works to respond to and recover from what the County terms the “January 2025 Windstorm and Critical Fire Events,” which include the Palisades Fire,

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Beloved Nonprofit Thrift Shop Damaged in Eaton Fire to Reopen Saturday, Renewing Support for Women’s Education

[Updated]  After a year-long closure caused by extensive smoke damage from the Eaton Fire, the Daz-E Shop, a nonprofit thrift store dedicated to funding scholarships for Southern California women, is preparing to reopen its doors and welcome the community back.

The fire forced the shop to close on January 7, 2025, disrupting both local commerce and a vital source of educational funding for women. Following months of restoration, the organization is returning to its space and is planning a celebratory grand reopening in the coming weeks.

In addition to resuming its core mission of supporting women’s scholarships, the Daz-E Shop is awarding ten special scholarships for Altadena women whose education was impacted by the Eaton Fire, extending its commitment to recovery and resilience.

“We are incredibly grateful to the community that stood with us during this long year,” said Marge McNaught, President of the Daz-E Shop Board of Directors. “This reopening is not just about a store. It’s about resuming service to our valued customers and restoring opportunity,

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Kaiser Nurses Plan Candlelight Vigil at Pasadena Headquarters Ahead of Open-Ended Strike

The union representing 31,000 healthcare workers says Kaiser has refused to return to the bargaining table; Kaiser disputes that account

Kaiser Permanente nurses and healthcare workers will gather outside the company’s Southern California headquarters here Saturday evening, holding candles two days before they begin an open-ended strike.

The gathering at 393 E. Walnut St., Kaiser Permanente’s regional headquarters, is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and precedes a walkout set to begin Monday that could become the largest healthcare strike of 2026. At issue are wages, staffing levels, and whether Kaiser Permanente or the union is responsible for stalled contract negotiations.

The union representing 31,000 Kaiser Permanente workers in California and Hawaii says the healthcare giant has refused to return to the bargaining table since December.

“Kaiser can end this whenever they choose by coming back to the table and bargaining in good faith,” said Charmaine S. Morales, a registered nurse and president of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Thursday is No-Burn Day for Pasadena and Much of Southern California

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a No-Burn Alert for Thursday, prohibiting wood burning in fireplaces and in all indoor or outdoor devices in Pasadena and across four Los Angeles-area counties.

The alert covers the South Coast Air Basin, including large areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, except the high desert and Coachella Valley.

“South Coast AQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is prohibited at any time on No-Burn Days,” the agency said.

Smoke from wood burning can cause health problems, according to the AQMD. Fine particulate matter called PM2.5 can get deep into the lungs to cause asthma attacks and other respiratory problems, increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service are exempt from the requirement. Gas and other non-wood burning fireplaces are also not restricted,

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Legislation to Remove Abandoned Powerlines Advances After Deadly Eaton Fire

The bill, authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee after bipartisan support in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee

A bill requiring the removal of abandoned and decommissioned powerlines, prompted by the deadly Eaton Fire in Altadena, cleared the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee last week with bipartisan support.

Senate Bill 742, authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), mandates investor-owned utilities to dismantle permanently abandoned lines and strengthens communication with local jurisdictions to improve emergency response and public safety.

“We will not give up on this issue. SB 742 is our continuing effort to prevent more deadly disasters like the Eaton Fire,” said Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena). “Investor-owned utility companies have failed to responsibly address abandoned lines, leaving them as potential safety threats in communities all over California.”

The Eaton Fire ignited Jan. 7 in Eaton Canyon, killing 19 people, burning 14,021 acres and destroying more than 9,000 structures.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Century-Old Stained Glass at Altadena’s Mountain View Mausoleum Faces Critical Deterioration

The Pasadena Cemetery Association seeks $125,000 to restore Judson Studios windows that survived the Eaton Fire but show signs of imminent failure

The stained glass windows that have washed the marble corridors of Mountain View Mausoleum in colored light for more than a century are in danger of falling from their frames.

That is the finding of a recent assessment by Judson Studios, the Los Angeles artisans who created the windows when the mausoleum was built in 1923. The studio found many panels at critical risk: glass pieces loose or broken, support bars shifted, lead cracked, glazing putty dried and separated from the stone frames. The horizontal panels known as laylights, bearing the constant pull of gravity, are bowing and separating. Without restoration, the century-old artistry could fail.

The Pasadena Cemetery Association, which operates the Altadena landmark, has launched a $125,000 fundraising campaign to address the damage. The mausoleum—designed by Cecil E. Bryan, a former apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright—survived the Eaton Fire that destroyed more than 9,000 structures across Altadena last January,

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation Now Accepting Grant Applications

Applications will be accepted from January 20 through February 20.

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2026 grant program. Since its inception in 1983, the Foundation has invested over $5.8 million in more than 800 Pasadena-area organizations. The grant awards in 2025 totaled a little over $200,000, which funded 21 organizations in the San Gabriel Valley.

The grants supported new and ongoing programs benefiting children, teens, adults and seniors. From nonprofits offering animal therapy to special needs children, to organizations providing technical skills to underserved students and dance therapy for seniors diagnosed with Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.

The 2026 grant cycle will be structured as follows — Tier 1: a one-year grant for $35,000, Tier 2: a one-year grant for $20,000 and Tier 3: several one-year grants, each up to $10,000. The Foundation requires applicants to include information on how their program will be delivered.

Eligible applicants are organizations with 501(c)(3) status,

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Adoptable Dogs Coming to Altadena Sheriff’s Station Friday

Pasadena Humane brings afternoon adoption event to the community

For Altadena residents thinking about adopting a dog, the dogs are coming to them.

Pasadena Humane, the nonprofit organization that provides animal control services for Altadena, will bring adoptable dogs to the Altadena Sheriff’s Station on Friday, January 24, for an “Adopt a Faithful Friend” event. The three-hour gathering, held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in front of the station offers community members a chance to meet dogs and begin the adoption process without making the trip to Pasadena Humane’s main shelter on Raymond Avenue.

Pasadena Humane provides animal care and control services for 11 communities, including Altadena.

All adoptions through Pasadena Humane include spay or neuter surgery, microchipping, and age-appropriate vaccinations, according to the organization. New adopters also receive a complimentary wellness exam with a partner veterinarian.

The event falls during Pasadena Humane’s “Dog Days of Winter” promotion, which runs through January 25 and offers $26 adoption fees for dogs 6 months and older.