Friday, January 16, 2026

Altadena Library Director Asked to Join Statewide Board After Leading Fire Recovery

Nikki Winslow appointed to California Special Districts Association board, a year after guiding her institution through the Eaton Fire aftermath

A year after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, the library director who kept her doors open—and her community connected—has been appointed to a statewide leadership post.

Nikki Winslow, who has led the Altadena Library District since 2019, is now serving on the California Special Districts Association’s 18-member Board of Directors, representing the Southern Network. She and the board convened their first meeting of 2026 on Thursday, according to an announcement from CSDA.

The appointment comes just days after the one-year anniversary of the January 7, 2025, fire that destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena. Winslow’s library emerged from that disaster as a lifeline: the Main Library reopened March 4, 2025—less than two months after the fire—serving not only as a place to borrow books but as a hub for federal assistance, recovery resources, and community connection.

“Special districts truly are special,

Friday, January 16, 2026

A 50K Relay Returns to Raise Funds for Altadena and Palisades Recovery

Silver Lake Track Club’s second annual run raised over $50,000 last year

The run that raised $50,000 for wildfire relief last May is back. 

Silver Lake Track Club hosts its second annual Altadena to the Palisades Ultra-Marathon Relay on February 7, a 50-kilometer course connecting the two communities hit hardest by the January 2025 fires. Participants can run the full 31 miles, bike the route, form five-person relay teams, or complete any segment they choose. 

One year after the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures and killed 31 people, the relay serves as both a fundraiser and a physical link between neighborhoods still recovering. The route begins at Good Neighbor Bar in Altadena, passes through Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, Hollywood, and Santa Monica, and ends at Will Rogers Beach.

All proceeds will benefit four organizations working in fire-affected areas, according to organizers: My Tribe Rise, Greenline Housing Foundation, Altadena Mountain Rescue, and Malibu Search &

Friday, January 16, 2026

How Altadena Businesses are Trying to Recover from the Eaton Fire

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

A year after the Eaton Fire, some small business owners in Altadena are striving to rebuild, in some cases while also grappling with being displaced from homes that burned down or were severely damaged.

For others, such as Steve’s Pets Store owner Carrie Meyers, it’s just too much.

“People want me back,” Meyers said. “But I don’t know if we can survive up there. No one lives there … mentally I’m not there.”

Meyers said she had just received a delivery before the fire last January, so about 65 animals perished, including cats, rats, birds and a 40-year-old parrot. The store is now permanently closed, and its website shows a message from former employee Michael Mersola, who said he would miss it because “people would just (hang out) here, I swear it was Starbucks for animal lovers lol.”

Meanwhile, Carrie’s husband Ed is dealing with trying to rebuild their home, which burned down. He has dealt with a long insurance process with State Farm that has,

Friday, January 16, 2026

Pasadena Rep. Judy Chu Joins Effort to Impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem

Congresswoman cites deadly ICE shooting and cases involving her constituents

Rep. Judy Chu has joined more than 70 House Democrats in cosponsoring articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Pasadena congresswoman’s office.

The impeachment effort, led by Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois, accuses Noem of obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. The articles were filed one week after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

Chu, who represents California’s 28th Congressional District including Pasadena and Altadena, said in the statement that under Noem’s leadership ICE has operated without accountability. The congresswoman has been directly involved in immigration cases affecting her constituents, including successful interventions for residents detained by federal agents.

Last month, Chu intervened to help secure the release of Masuma Khan, a 64-year-old Altadena resident who was detained during a routine immigration check-in despite nearly 30 years in the United States.

Friday, January 16, 2026

West Hollywood Home Travels Overnight to Fire-Scarred Altadena Lot

A 1926 residence becomes the third house relocated through a project with 180 families waiting

A nearly 100-year-old house crept through downtown Los Angeles before dawn Friday, its sectioned pieces riding flatbed trucks past Los Angeles City Hall and through the sleeping streets of Lincoln Heights.

By daybreak, the four-bedroom West Hollywood home had reached its destination: a fire-scarred lot on West Pine Street in Altadena, where the Martinez family lost their residence of eight years in the Eaton Fire.

The overnight journey—the third completed through the Historic House Relocation Project—offers another test of whether an old practice can help rebuild a community where more than 9,000 structures were destroyed in January 2025.

With 180 families now on the project’s waitlist, demand is outpacing supply.

“It feels like a lifetime, but it also feels like yesterday,” David Martinez said of the fire that took his home. He and his wife Lauren have three children; the youngest was born just one month after the flames swept through.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Pasadena Rep. Chu Joins Effort to Impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem

Rep. Judy Chu has joined more than 70 House Democrats in cosponsoring articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Pasadena congresswoman’s office.

The impeachment effort, led by Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois, accuses Noem of obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. The articles were filed one week after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis on January 7.

Chu, who represents California’s 28th Congressional District including Pasadena and Altadena, said in the statement that under Noem’s leadership ICE has operated without accountability. The congresswoman has been directly involved in immigration cases affecting her constituents, including successful interventions for residents detained by federal agents.

Last month, Chu intervened to help secure the release of Masuma Khan, a 64-year-old Altadena resident who was detained during a routine immigration check-in despite nearly 30 years in the United States. A federal judge ordered Khan’s release on November 5.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Congresswoman Chu Pushes EPA for Remediation Commitment, as Federal Soil Testing Begins in Altadena

FEMA reverses year-long refusal to fund testing, but agency says cleanup coverage remains ‘unlikely’ if contamination exceeds standards

One year after the Eaton Fire tore through this foothill community and destroyed more than 9,400 structures, the federal government will begin testing soil at 100 properties next week for lead contamination.

Rep. Judy Chu met this week with EPA Region 9 Acting Administrator Mike Martucci to discuss the newly approved testing program, funded by FEMA after the agency spent months refusing to pay for post-cleanup soil sampling. Chu said she welcomed the reversal but pushed Martucci on a question that has unsettled thousands of property owners considering whether to rebuild: If the testing finds hazardous lead levels, who pays to clean it up?

The answer, EPA officials told her, was “unlikely” to be the federal government.

“While significant progress has been made in our fire recovery, I was dismayed that FEMA and the EPA still refuse to commit to covering remediation if hazardous lead levels are found,”

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Teen Dating Violence Affects 1 in 10 Young People; L.A. County Launches Prevention Push After Azusa Tragedy

Roughly one in 12 adolescents nationwide experience physical dating violence, and one in 10 experience sexual dating violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—statistics that Los Angeles County supervisors cited Tuesday in proclaiming February 2026 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.

The proclamation, approved by the Board of Supervisors, follows a December 2024 tragedy in Azusa in which a teenager was killed by her ex-boyfriend just days before Christmas. That case prompted Board Chair Hilda L. Solis to direct the County to explore opportunities to expand support for victims of domestic and intimate partner violence.

“Every young person deserves to feel safe in their relationships and to know there is help when challenges arise,” said Solis, Chair and First District Supervisor, who co-authored the motion with Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “This proclamation reaffirms our dedication to providing youth with the resources, education, and support they need to recognize and prevent abuse.”

“Teen dating violence is far more common than most people realize,

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Buckle Up: President’s Mortgage Plan Tests a Fragile 2026 Economy

By EDDIE RIVERA

End-of-year snapshot suggested resilience, but not momentum, before policy curveball

As 2025 wound down, the U.S. economy managed an uneasy balancing act: solid enough to inspire confidence, but soft enough to keep anxiety simmering just below the surface. Holiday spending rose moderately, powered by e-commerce growth, along with rising consumer debt and the risk of a spending pullback in early 2026. Hiring was positive but weak, wages nudged higher, and unemployment dipped slightly—an end-of-year snapshot that suggested resilience, but not momentum. 

Then came the policy curveball. 

President Trump announced he would direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds, arguing the move would “drive mortgage rates down, monthly payments down, and make homeownership more affordable.” On its face, the pitch is politically potent: a promise of cheaper monthly payments at a moment when homeownership remains out of reach for many. 

But economists widely criticized the plan,

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Court Deadline Friday Forces Edison to Name Additional Defendants, Or Proceed Alone in Eaton Fire Case

One year after the Eaton Fire, tomorrow’s court deadline marks a turning point in the fight for accountability

Friday, January 16, is the last day Southern California Edison can name additional defendants in the sprawling litigation over the Eaton Fire—a deadline that forces the utility to finalize a legal strategy that will likely shape how thousands of survivors are compensated for one of California’s deadliest wildfires.

Eaton Fire survivors face a consequential choice. Edison’s compensation program offers expedited payments—reportedly, 82 claims paid so far out of more than 1,800 submitted—but accepting means forfeiting their right to sue.

The January 16 deadline, set by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura Seigle, will likely prevent Edison from lengthening the time frame for the case by adding cross-defendants later.

The utility has been pursuing what plaintiffs’ attorneys call a “spread theory”—an effort to identify other entities that may share responsibility for the disaster.

“If history is any indication, the trial date will push Edison to come to the table,”