Sunday, December 14, 2025

Sunday, Altadena Nursery Concludes Tree Giveaway to Help Restore Canopy Lost in Eaton Fire

Plant Material, a California native plant nursery located at 3081 Lincoln Avenue in Altadena, will conclude its two-day tree giveaway on December 14, 2025, as part of its annual Winter Market. The event is aimed at helping restore the community’s tree canopy, more than half of which — and by some estimates as much as 70 percent — was destroyed in the Eaton Fire earlier this year.

Before January Eaton Fire, Altadena had approximately 28,000 trees; today, only about 10,000 remain after fire damage and debris removal.

Plant Material said it has secured about 1,000 native trees donated by its growing partners for the giveaway.

According to a December 5 announcement on the nursery’s website, residents affected by the fire were invited to register through a Google Form, which could take up to 24 hours to validate. Once approved, recipients could select up to two trees free of charge.

The inventory included Engelmann oak, coast live oak, canyon oak, California buckeye,

Sunday, December 14, 2025

Healing Through Vinyl: Altadena Musicians Host Fire Relief Concert Sunday

On Sunday, December 14, 2025, Pasadena’s Healing Force of the Universe record store and event space is scheduled to open its doors for a gathering that blends music, memory, and resilience. Billed as both the “Healing Force of the Universe Record Donation Show” and “Acoustic Holiday Singalong,” the event invites neighbors to restore what was lost in the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires earlier this year: not just instruments, but the vinyl collections that carried emotional ties across generations.

The concert is organized by musician and composer Brandon Jay—whose credits include Orange is the New Black and Weeds—founder of the nonprofit Altadena Musicians, alongside venue owner Austin Manuel. Jay and his wife, Gwendolyn Sanford, are themselves survivors of the Eaton Fire, which destroyed their Altadena home and studio and claimed approximately 150–200 instruments.

Jay, who performs under the solo moniker Quasar (sometimes listed as “Quazar”), will be joined by Pasadena pop-rock band Sanglorians, featuring fellow fire survivor and Ozma founding member Daniel Brummel,

Sunday, December 14, 2025

Altadena SBA Disaster Loan Center to Close Wednesday

In Altadena, the Small Business Administration outpost so important to Eaton Fire recovery is set to close this week. The SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center at the Altadena Community Center, along with a second location in Pacific Palisades, will permanently shut doors Wednesday, Dec. 17, according to the agency.

The Altadena site at 730 E. Altadena Drive has operated since June 2, 2025, after earlier centers in Pasadena and on West Woodbury Road closed. It has offered in?person help with disaster loan applications, portal access, and document submission for wildfire survivors. Hours before closure are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed weekends. The Pacific Palisades site at Ronald Reagan Palisades Post 283, 15247 La Cruz Drive, has kept weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended Saturday hours on Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.

The SBA said declining demand for walk?in services and a transition to online support prompted the decision. “When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers perform an important role by assisting small businesses and their communities,” Chris Stallings,

Saturday, December 13, 2025

No-Burn Order Extended Through Sunday for Much of Southern California

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a No-Burn Alert for 24 additional hours on Saturday, prohibiting wood burning in fireplaces and in all indoor or outdoor devices across four Los Angeles-area counties.

The alert is now in effect until at least midnight Sunday and 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.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Altadena Workshop to Aid Eaton Fire Survivors Moves to The Collaboratory

Survivors of the Eaton Fire will gather Saturday, Dec. 13, for a “Rebuilding & Recovery Workshop” hosted by Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County and the Restore the Legacy LA Coalition. The event runs from 11 a.m. to at least 4 p.m. The program is designed to provide financial, housing, and rebuilding support to residents affected by the January 2025 wildfire that devastated Altadena and nearby communities.

Organizers confirmed a critical location change: while initial announcements listed Pasadena Presbyterian Church on East Colorado Boulevard, the workshop will instead take place at The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road in Altadena. The updated venue information appears on NHS LA County’s official website.

Saturday’s program will provide survivors with step-by-step guidance on how to finance rebuilding, including access to mortgage relief and grant programs. Attendees will receive advice on selecting architects and contractors, with experts available to explain vetting and bid processes. Free estate planning services, including living trusts and wills, will be offered to fire survivors.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Anthem Blue Cross Provides $1.5 Million for Wildfire Recovery in Los Angeles County, With Altadena and Pasadena Support

Anthem Blue Cross is providing $1.5 million to two Los Angeles-based organizations — Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) and The Salvation Army Southern California Division — to accelerate long-term recovery and rebuilding for families most affected by the January 2025 wildfires, the company said Friday.

The funding is part of Anthem and its philanthropic arm, the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation’s, $10 million wildfire relief initiative launched in January 2025 to help communities respond, recover and rebuild. Anthem said it was the first health plan to initiate a multi-million-dollar commitment to support local communities impacted by these wildfires.

“As families are still navigating the long road from crisis to stability after the devastating January wildfires, we are proud to continue supporting efforts to focus on what is needed to get families back into safe, stable homes,” said Beth Andersen, president of Anthem California’s commercial health plans.

The Salvation Army Southern California Division received $500,000 to support families impacted by the Eaton Fire.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Unemployment Rate Holds Steady in LA County

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 5.7% in September, the most recent quarterly reporting period, the same rate as August, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The 5.7% rate was down from 6.1% in September 2024.

Statewide, California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.6% in September, up from 5.5% in August, and from 5.5% in September 2024. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4.4% in September, 4.3% in August, and 4.1% a year ago.

Total non-farm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 5,900 jobs between August and September to reach nearly 4.6 million.

The government sector led the way by adding 11,400 jobs.

Friday, December 12, 2025

CA Leaders Look Away As Road Deaths Skyrocket

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

Over the past decade, the number of people dying on California’s roads have shot up dramatically. Nearly 40,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been injured.

And California’s leaders have done little about it.

CalMatters investigative reporters Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler have spent the year detailing how the state allows dangerous drivers to stay on the road, with deadly consequences. In the latest installment of their License to Kill series today, they write:

Year after year, officials with the power to do something about it — the governor, legislators, the courts, the Department of Motor Vehicles — have failed to act. 

The silence, in the face of a threat that endangers nearly every Californian, is damning.

Colin Campbell, a writer and director in Los Angeles, lost his two teenage children after a repeat drunk driver slammed into his Prius on the way to the family’s new home in Joshua Tree.

Friday, December 12, 2025

Trump’s New Order Against AI Regulation Hits California Especially Hard

By Khari Johnson, CALMATTERS

President Trump signed an executive order today to discourage state governments from regulating artificial intelligence and urge Congress to pass a law preempting such regulations.

The order is likely to hit hardest in California, which since 2016 has passed more laws to regulate artificial intelligence than any other state, according to a Stanford report from earlier this year. California is also home to the world’s leading AI companies, including Anthropic, Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI.

Trump’s order would require the heads of the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Department of Justice to challenge state AI laws. It also calls for the development of model AI legislation to preempt or supersede state law unless those laws address children’s safety, data center infrastructure, state government use or AI, or other yet-to-be-determined areas.

For states that continue to regulate AI, the order instructs federal agencies to explore whether they can restrict grants to them, including by revoking funding known as Broadband Equity,

Friday, December 12, 2025

Pasadena School Board Certifies District as Fiscally Sound, Launches Revised School Consolidation Study

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education voted late Thursday night to certify District finances as “positive” and also agreed after a contentious discussion to undertake a long-term study process that could lead to some school closures.

The dual votes, which came during a four-hour meeting brimming with debate and public comment, represent the district’s final acts before the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) decides whether to accept PUSD’s recovery plans or to intervene directly into the district’s management.

The Board approved its First Interim Financial Report, declaring it will meet all financial obligations, and separately passed a heavily amended resolution to begin studying school consolidation—a direct response to county criticism that the district has failed to address its structural deficits.

This two-pronged strategy—projecting fiscal confidence while acknowledging the need for painful structural change—will now be scrutinized by LACOE, which has been monitoring PUSD’s deteriorating finances for months. The county agency will review the report and decide by late December whether the district’s plans are credible enough to stave off intervention.