Sunday, October 26, 2025

County Reports First West Nile Virus Death on Heels of Pasadena’s First Human Case of 2025

Los Angeles County health officials on Friday, Oct. 24, confirmed the first local death of the year due to West Nile virus, days after Pasadena recorded its first human case of the virus since 2022.

The fatality involved a San Fernando Valley resident who died of neurological illness caused by severe West Nile virus, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. No additional details about the individual were released.

According to the Pasadena Public Health Department, the city’s first human case of West Nile virus for 2025 was confirmed on Oct. 9. It marked Pasadena’s first reported infection since 2022. Pasadena operates its own health department and reports cases independently from Los Angeles County.

While no positive mosquito samples have been detected in Pasadena this year, the virus has been found in nearby San Gabriel Valley communities. The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District began detecting virus activity in July through surveillance traps. Positive mosquito samples were collected in El Monte (July 22),

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Feds to Monitor Polling Places in Los Angeles County on November 4

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to monitor polling sites in five California counties — including Los Angeles and Orange — during the Nov. 4 election in which voters will decide whether to approve a temporary statewide redistricting aimed at adding more Democrat representation in Congress.

Monitors will also be stationed in Riverside,  Fresno and Kern counties. The DOJ will also monitor polling places in Passaic County, New Jersey.

“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”

DOJ officials said the monitoring effort is designed “to ensure transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal law.”

The announcement came days after the California Republican Party requested that polling places be monitored in select counties due to “reports of irregularities”

Saturday, October 25, 2025

25-Year-Old Man Reported Missing in Altadena

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs’ Department’s Missing Persons Detail Saturday are asking for the public’s assistance in locating an at-risk 25-year-old man who was last seen in Altadena.

Luis Fernando Hoyos was last seen Friday at 10:50 a.m. on the 400 block of Figueroa Drive between Lincoln and Olive avenues, the Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.

Hoyos is Latino, 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, has scruffy brown hair and brown eyes, the LASD said. He has a black beard, a black mole on his right cheek and a Pokemon tattoo on his left foot.

Authorities say Hoyos drives a 2002 gray Acura TL with California license plate Number 9TWS506.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts was asked to call the Sheriff’s Missing Persons Detail at 323-890-5500. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call 1-800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppersla.org.

Friday, October 24, 2025

Eaton Fire Survivors Face Budget Cuts, Class Size Spikes at Pasadena Unified Schools

Nearly ten months after the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena, displaced families are confronting a second crisis: teacher transfers that have ballooned some class sizes and affected the staffing of specialized programs at the very schools serving fire survivors.

A coalition of parents from five Northwest Pasadena schools submitted a resolution Thursday night demanding a three-year moratorium on involuntary teacher reassignments and class size increases. But their plea collided with harsh fiscal reality — the district must cut $30-35 million from its budget, and Los Angeles County Office of Education officials warned the school board that any action restricting staffing flexibility could trigger a state takeover.

“9,000 homes vanished overnight, and every day I take my kids a different way to school so I don’t have to drive down Lincoln and look at the shell of what used to be in our neighborhood,” said Matt Schneider, a Jackson Elementary parent representing the coalition. “The last thing we should be doing as a public school district is talking about what we can do to get away with less for our kids.”

Friday, October 24, 2025

Deshmukh Named New General Manager of Metropolitan Water District

By ANDRÉ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has selected Shivaji Deshmukh as the agency’s next general manager.

Deshmukh, who currently serves as general manager for Inland Empire Utilities Agency, one of Metropolitan’s 26 member agencies, will officially assume leadership of Metropolitan Water District on Jan. 1. He is set to begin a transition period with outgoing General Manager Adel Hagekhalil Upadhyay on Nov. 3, to ensure a smooth change in leadership.

A longtime figure in Southern California water policy, Deshmukh has been an active participant in the Member Agency Managers Group, which advises Metropolitan Water District’s board on regional water issues.

Metropolitan Water District serves as a water wholesaler, and about two-thirds of Pasadena’s water comes from it. This is a supplemental supply, as Pasadena also relies on its own local sources.

The City, one of Metropolitan’s founding member agencies, congratulated Deshmukh on his appointment, stating that it “looks forward to meeting him in the future.”

Friday, October 24, 2025

Voting Centers Now Open for Nov. 4 Special Election

By ANDRÉ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Local voters can now cast their ballots early in the Nov. 4 statewide special election.

Vote by Mail ballots can either be returned by mail, no postage required, or deposited in any of the eight ballot drop box locations currently open across Pasadena, including one in front of City Hall. In addition, four in-person vote center sites — at Rosemont Pavilion, Villa-Parke Community Center, First United Methodist Church on Colorado Boulevard, and Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church — will open for four days beginning on Saturday, November 1.

Voters will decide on Proposition 50, a legislative constitutional amendment that would authorize temporary changes to California’s congressional district maps in response to Texas’s mid-cycle partisan redistricting.

Governor Gavin Newsom and state Democratic leaders say the measure is intended to counter Republican efforts in other states that redrew congressional maps to gain additional U.S. House seats. Newsom has framed Proposition 50 as a defense of national democracy and California’s role in it,

Friday, October 24, 2025

Altadena Cookie Co. Marks Grand Reopening With Ribbon Cutting

Community bakery celebrates resilience and renewal with public event in Altadena

Altadena Cookie Co. will celebrate its grand reopening on Tuesday, Oct. 28, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and press preview aimed at highlighting community recovery following the Eaton Fire. The event marks the debut of the bakery’s first brick-and-mortar location, providing a new gathering space in an historically underserved and recently fire-ravaged neighborhood.

“Everyone in the broad and diverse community of Altadena deserves a bit of joy. We are here to continue bringing it, one cookie at a time,” said owners, Jessica Christopher and Michelle Taylor, both of whom suffered personal loss in the fire.

The reopening is the culmination of more than two years of planning, dedication, and commitment to their town, they said.

The ribbon cutting, scheduled for 11:15 a.m., will include participation by local students from a neighborhood school and brief remarks from the owners.

Following the ceremony, attendees will be invited to tour the bakery’s kitchen and dining room while enjoying light refreshments.

Friday, October 24, 2025

Attorneys: Altadena Resident Detained and Held by ICE Denied Critical Medication

By EDDIE RIVERA

Masuma Khan, who has lived in Altadena for nearly three decades, was taken into custody at a scheduled check-in and is now being held without access to needed medication, her attorneys say

Masuma Khan, a longtime Altadena resident who has lived in the United States for nearly three decades, is facing imminent deportation after she was detained by federal immigration authorities during what her family and attorneys say was a routine check-in earlier this month. Khan—who is married to a US citizen, entered the country legally, and has no criminal record—is being held at the California City Detention Facility, where her advocates say she has been denied access to critical medication for multiple chronic health conditions.

Khan, 60, who holds a Bangladeshi passport, had appeared on October 6 for a scheduled passport and reporting appointment with immigration officials when she was unexpectedly taken into custody and told she would be removed from the country. Her legal team,

Friday, October 24, 2025

TEDxAltadena Event to Spotlight Post-Fire Resilience, Organizers Say

Local speakers and performers expected at Oct. 26 Altadena Library gathering, per event organizers

A TEDx event scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Altadena Main Library is planned that will feature speakers and performers focused on themes of resilience and recovery following the Eaton Fire, according to organizers Dr. Brent Musson and Dawn Musson (McClendon).

The event, formally titled “TEDxAltadena: Reclaim. Rebuild. Reimagine. — October 26 | Altadena Main Library,” is set to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include a free but ticketed overflow livestream experience and refreshments at Bob Lucas Library, organizers stated in a press release. Main-event tickets are sold out, according to the release.

Musson, a real-estate developer and TEDx licensee, and McClendon, a public servant, both described the event as a community response to the challenges Altadena residents faced after the fire. Both organizers are native to Altadena and Pasadena, according to the press release.

“After the fire, there was only so much we could do physically and financially,” McClendon said.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Williams Rebuild to Host Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Honoring Family’s Recovery After Eaton Fires

A local family’s journey to rebuild after the devastating Eaton Fires will be honored Thursday, Oct. 24, at a ribbon-cutting celebration hosted by Williams Rebuild, a post-disaster recovery firm with deep roots in Southern California’s wildfire recovery efforts. 

The event begins at 2 p.m. at 3508 N. Marengo Ave. in Altadena, where community members are invited to meet the family, hear their story of resilience, and celebrate the completion of their new home. 

Williams Rebuild, which offers a One-Stop Concierge Service designed to simplify the rebuilding process for families affected by wildfire loss, emphasizes compassion, transparency and commitment throughout the recovery journey. 

“The community is warmly invited to celebrate this inspiring story of recovery. Come meet the family, hear their story of resilience, and learn how we can support others as we honor their new beginning,” the company said in its event announcement. 

Founded by experienced homebuilders, Williams Rebuild specializes in guiding families through insurance complexities and delivering fire-resilient homes.