Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Edison Offers Direct Payments to Wildfire Survivors But Criticism Mounts

Southern California Edison launched a voluntary compensation program on Wednesday for survivors of the deadly Eaton Fire, promising payments within months while facing accusations that its offers fall short of what victims deserve and surrender too much control to the utility itself.

The program, announced October 29, comes nearly ten months after the January 7 wildfire that killed 19 people and destroyed 9,414 structures in Altadena and surrounding areas of Los Angeles County. The fire burned 14,021 acres before being declared fully contained on January 31.

The compensation initiative arrives as Edison confronts multiple lawsuits, including one filed in September by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking more than $40 million for fire suppression costs and environmental damages.

Los Angeles County, Pasadena and Sierra Madre filed separate suits in March seeking hundreds of millions of dollars for infrastructure damage and emergency response costs.

The utility’s overt acknowledgment of potential responsibility came just one day before the program’s launch.

On October 28,

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

LA County Wins Dismissal of Former Probation Chief’s Retaliation Suit

A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by the former Los Angeles County Probation Department chief, in which the plaintiff alleged he was terminated for coming forward about staffing shortages.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Shultz heard arguments in the county’s motion to dismiss plaintiff Adolfo Gonzales’ case on Tuesday, then took the case under submission before ruling on Wednesday that there are no triable issues.

Gonzales was fired in March 2023. In his lawsuit brought 11 months later, Gonzales contends he “candidly reported to … (Board of State and Community Corrections) inspectors” that there were staffing shortages in the Probation Department that violated state regulations and mandates.

Thereafter, the BSCC issued an audit report critical of juvenile halls based, in part, on the disclosures Gonzales made to the BSCC, which demanded corrective action to be taken to address violations caused by staffing shortages and which ultimately prompted Gonzales’ firing, the suit stated.

However, in their court papers, county attorneys argued that during Gonzales’

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

California Sues Trump Over Food Stamps

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

California is one of 23 states suing President Donald Trump’s administration trying to force it to use emergency money to cover food benefits for millions of poor families during the federal government shutdown, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday.

More than five million Californians rely on the program each month, known in California as CalFresh, nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and colloquially as food stamps.

The federally-funded benefits amount to about $1 billion delivered to Californians’ electronic benefits cards each month to spend on groceries; the program lowers the state’s poverty rate by 3 percent, state Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson said Tuesday. The average family receiving CalFresh gets $330 a month.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated it wouldn’t send the money for November as the federal government remained shut down, an about-face from prior department plans — and prior government shutdowns. Congress hasn’t passed a bill funding the federal government,

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Victory Bell on the Line as Pasadena’s Turkey Tussle Returns to Rose Bowl

The 78th Turkey Tussle between John Muir High School and Pasadena High School kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rose Bowl, continuing a citywide tradition that has shaped generations of local families since 1947.

The annual football rivalry, hosted by Pasadena Unified School District, pits the Mustangs against the Bulldogs in a contest for the Victory Bell, the official trophy since 1955. According to district officials and alumni, the event remains a cornerstone of Pasadena’s public school identity.

“This game connects generations,” PUSD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco has said. “It reminds me of some college games I’ve attended — the energy, the pride, the history.”

John Muir enters the matchup undefeated in Pacific League play at 7-0-1, while Pasadena High trails at 5-1, according to MaxPreps standings.

The rivalry’s historical balance has shifted in recent years. Muir leads the all-time series 46-20-2, per the Great American Rivalry Series. Pasadena’s 2022 win ended an 18-year drought, but Muir reclaimed the Bell with dominant victories in 2023 and 2024.

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Pasadena Unified Confirms School Meals Will Continue Should Any Federal SNAP Disruption Occur

The Pasadena Unified School District will continue serving breakfast, lunch, and supper to students enrolled in its schools and after-school programs, even as federal food assistance faces a potential shutdown.

In an email statement issued to the local public school community, PUSD addressed concerns stemming from national reports that approximately 42 million Americans—one in eight people nationwide—will not receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits starting Nov. 1 if the federal government shutdown continues. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the funding lapse would mark the first such disruption in the program’s 60-year history.

“We recognize that the potential gap will cause significant challenges for some of our most vulnerable children and families,” the district said. “We are providing information about local resources.”

PUSD confirmed that its meal services remain unaffected. Thousands of students across Pasadena schools will continue receiving breakfast and lunch during the school day, and supper through after-school programs.

The district also partners with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s BackPack Program.

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Governor Newsom Predeploys Firefighting Resources Southern California Ahead of Dangerous Fire Weather

With gusty, dry winds expected to develop in Southern California mid-week and temperatures soaring, Governor Gavin Newsom has directed the state’s first responders to take early, proactive steps to protect communities. In advance of the coming weather, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) approved the predeployment of 129 personnel and resources to Los Angeles and Ventura counties ahead of critical fire weather driven by high winds, high heat, and low humidity.

This predeployment includes 10 fire engines, three water tenders, three helicopters, three hand crews, and three dispatchers with 107 support personnel. Additional engines and staff will be added based on local needs.

CAL FIRE also remains at peak staffing at all units within the impacted region and has full use of both state-owned air assets and exclusive use aircraft to rapidly attack any new fires that may start.

Pasadena is predicted to experience only moderate winds, however the temperature will soar to 96 degrees and humidity will drop. A heat advisory has been declared until 7 p.m.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Barger Cites Insurance Delays, System Gaps in Altadena Rebuild Effort

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger acknowledged Monday that major obstacles remain in the effort to rebuild Altadena following last year’s devastating Eaton Fire — citing both financial hardship among homeowners and bureaucratic delays within the county’s own permitting system.

Speaking at a weekly community meeting, Barger outlined what she called two main hurdles to recovery: financial strain and a “rebuilding ecosystem” that has not kept pace with residents’ needs.

“Too many families are still waiting for payouts delayed or disputed, leaving them stranded,” she said. “Insurance companies must do better and be held accountable for the harm their delays are causing.”

According to the official, more than 2,100 rebuilding applications have been submitted to Los Angeles County since the fire, but only about 28% have received building permits, and just 251 homes are actively being rebuilt.

The largest bottleneck, she noted, occurs between the submission of full building plans and the county’s permit approvals.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Hearing Today for Pasadena Man Convicted of Killing Aunt in Altadena, Leaving Bound Body in Bathtub

A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8:30 a.m. in Los Angeles in the case of Nathan Charles Sheard, a Pasadena man convicted in the 1999 beating death of his aunt, Gertrude Mills, whose body was found bound in a bathtub in her Altadena home.

The proceeding will take place in Department 114 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, located at 210 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, on the 11th floor in Room 11-305.

Court records show Sheard was convicted in connection with Mills’ killing, which occurred more than two decades ago in Altadena. Mills was 72 years old at the time of her death.

The California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Seven, filed an unpublished opinion in People v. Sheard (B308523) on Dec. 13, 2021, remanding the case for further proceedings involving Sheard and co-defendant David Emanuel Talmadge.

The appellate ruling followed earlier convictions and returned the matter to Los Angeles County Superior Court for continued review.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Scientists Explore How Stellar Storms Could Make or Break Life on Distant Planets

Arizona State researcher to discuss emerging field linking space weather to exoplanet habitability

The same stellar forces that paint Earth’s auroras may determine whether distant worlds can support life.

Prof. Evgenya Shkolnik of Arizona State University will examine this possibility on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena. Her talk explores exospace weather, a new field studying how stellar activity affects planets beyond our solar system.

Space weather shapes planetary atmospheres throughout the cosmos. Its effects appear in auroras and comet tails. It gradually strips away atmospheric layers.

Scientists are just beginning to understand its impact on exoplanets.

Stellar flares, particle winds and coronal mass ejections could reshape exoplanet climates. They may drive atmospheric escape. These forces might even determine if a planet can sustain life.

The field sits at the crossroads of heliophysics, stellar physics, planetary science and astrobiology.

Prof. Shkolnik leads the SPARCS mission, a cereal-box-sized space telescope that monitors flares and sunspot activity on low-mass stars.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

LA County Moves To Limit License Plate Tracking, Citing CalMatters Report

By Phoebe Huss and Khari Johnson, CALMATTERS

Drivers in Los Angeles County have a powerful new privacy advocate after the Board of Supervisors pushed to restrict how their license plates are scanned by law enforcement.

The board recently voted to ask the Sheriff’s Department to more stringently regulate its use of the license plate data it collects through high-tech camera systems mounted on patrol cars and above roads. The measure it approved cited reporting from CalMatters that roughly a dozen police and sheriff’s departments throughout Southern California shared such data with federal immigration agencies.

The September motion requests that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which operates independently from the supervisors, conduct yearly privacy training for deputies with access to license plate cameras and that the data not be used for non-criminal immigration enforcement.

It also requests the department delete plate sightings after 60 days unless they are flagged on criminal lists.

The Sheriff’s Department “welcomes” the motion and plans to review its practices and policies,