Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Pasadena Assemblymember’s Wildfire Recovery Bills Clear Senate Committee

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Three bills help California wildfire victims with housing, mental health and community stability

Three wildfire recovery bills authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) advanced Friday through the state Senate Appropriations Committee, moving closer to a floor vote in the coming weeks.

“These bills represent meaningful advances in our recovery efforts,” Harabedian said in a statement. “From aligning all levels of government in rebuilding housing to protecting our proud history of homeownership and ensuring that victims of unimaginable disasters get the help they need, I am proud to continue fighting for an accelerated and survivor-led comeback for our community.”

The measures include:

AB 239, which creates a State-Led Disaster Housing Task Force to coordinate federal, state and local recovery efforts. A State Disaster Housing Coordinator would oversee rebuilding, provide accountability and report to lawmakers on progress and challenges.

AB 797, the Community Stabilization Act, which allows nonprofits to use Community Reinvestment Act funds to buy homes in disaster zones at fair market value.

Monday, September 1, 2025

Under A Blazing Sun, Altadena Town & Country Club Begins Its Next Chapter

By EDDIE RIVERA

The mood was part homecoming, part rally for the future

Under a blazing late-August sun, with temperatures pushing toward triple digits, as many as 700 members and guests streamed into the Altadena Town & Country Club on Saturday for what organizers called “a new beginning.” For the first time since the devastating January 7 Eaton Fire reduced the historic clubhouse to ashes, the club’s tennis courts, pickleball courts and swimming pool were once again filled with life.

The clubhouse itself is gone, has been reduced an empty lot, with only portions of its walls remaining, as a wooden staircase through an opening in a fence led guests to the party.

But the mood was part homecoming, part rally for the future.

Families fanned themselves under umbrellas while children raced straight to the sparkling pool, squealing as they leapt into the water. Guests were treated to lunch from Pie ‘n Burger and local taco trucks — a detail that Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger was quick to praise.

Monday, September 1, 2025

Classic Cars Will Still Need A Smog Test In California After Lawmakers Reject Jay Leno Bill

By Ryan Sabalow, CALMATTERS

Jay Leno’s star power wasn’t enough to persuade a California legislative committee to pass a measure to allow owners of classic cars like him to be exempted from the state’s rigorous smog-check requirements.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday blocked Bakersfield Republican Sen. Shannon Grove’s Senate Bill 712 from advancing for a full vote. Leno had testified in support of the measure in Sacramento earlier this year.

The committee’s members and its powerful Democratic chairperson, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland, did not provide a reason for killing the bill during Friday’s hearing, which quickly and with little fanfare announced the fate of 260 other bills that had been placed on the committee’s so-called “suspense file.” Seventy other bills also were killed without explanation.

The Senate and Assembly’s appropriations committees, which both met Friday and rejected hundreds of bills, are supposed to be the gatekeepers for bills proposing to spend taxpayer money.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Senator Pérez Condemns Detention of Pasadena Resident Rami Othmane Following His Release, Calls for Immigration Reform

California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) issued a sharp rebuke of federal immigration authorities following the release of Pasadena resident Rami Othmane, who was detained for nearly two weeks in downtown Los Angeles.

Othmane, a classical Arabic musician and longtime U.S. resident originally from Tunisia, was apprehended by masked ICE agents on July 13 while driving to a grocery store in Pasadena. His wife, Dr. Wafaa Alrashid — Chief Medical Officer at Huntington Hospital — purportedly witnessed the arrest via FaceTime.

Othmane was held for 13 days in a federal detention facility, where he was reportedly denied basic hygiene and provided only snacks instead of full meals. He was released on August 7 but remains under surveillance with an ankle monitor.

“This President and the federal administration have no human compassion,” Pérez said in a statement. “Mr. Othmane has no criminal record and is a valuable member of our community. The indiscriminate and violent immigration enforcement is cruel and misguided.”

Media reports indicate Othmane has lived in the United States since 2015,

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Altadena Baptist Church to Host Hope and Healing Event at Site of Fire-Ravaged Sanctuary

Today’s gathering will feature worship, lunch, and art to foster healing and hope

In a poignant act of remembrance and resilience, Altadena Baptist Church will hold its “Coming Home! Altadena Dreams” event on August 31 at the original site of its sanctuary, which was destroyed in the Eaton Fire nearly eight months ago. The gathering will feature a worship service, community lunch, and collaborative art installation aimed at fostering healing and hope.

Today’s event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with songs, prayers, and testimonies reflecting on the January blaze that claimed 19 lives and destroyed 9,400 structures across Altadena.

Attendees will then share a free barbecue lunch at noon, followed by “Dream Altadena,” an art-making session from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The activities will take place on the lawn beside the gaping hole where the church once stood.

“This project is about more than art, it’s about collective healing,” said environmental muralist Ekaterina Sky, who will help lead the community mural initiative.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Extreme Fire Danger Prompts Full Flame Ban in Angeles National Forest

A full ban on open flames and spark-producing activities is now in effect across the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, directly affecting Pasadena-area trailheads and recreation zones.

The U.S. Forest Service issued Forest Order No. 05-01-25-15 in response to what it has classified as an “EXTREME” fire danger period, citing public safety and resource protection as primary concerns.

Local residents who frequent nearby forest access points such as Millard Canyon, Eaton Saddle, and Chantry Flat should expect increased enforcement and signage.

The Forest Service said that the elevated fire risk is driven by prolonged drought conditions, high temperatures, and dry vegetation throughout the San Gabriel Mountains.

The restrictions apply to all visitors, including those holding valid California Campfire Permits, who are explicitly not exempt under the new directive.

Violations may result in fines of up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, along with possible imprisonment for up to six months.

The order,

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Where Generations Gathered, a Club Rises From the Ashes

By THERESE EDU

A judge whose home burned in January’s Eaton Fire recently told the board president of the Altadena Town and Country Club that losing the club was just as devastating as losing her house. She wasn’t being overly dramatic. For 115 years, the club had been less country club than heart of the community — the place where Altadena held its proms, graduations, meetings, and weddings, where 120 people worked and thousands gathered.

On Sunday, nearly eight months after the fire reduced the clubhouse and cart barn to rubble, about 900 people are expected to head for the club’s “Grand-Reopening celebration.” Club organizers had expected 300, maybe 400 responses. They got a measure of what this place means to Altadena.

“I cannot tell you how many people have come up to me and said, oh, I had my high school graduation party here, or my daughter’s prom was here, my cousin got married,” said Rebecca Stokes, the club’s board president.

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Newsom Launches Task Force to Clear Homeless Encampments in LA, Other Cities

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday announced a new statewide task force that will prioritize clearing homeless encampments and expanding services in California’s 10 largest cities, including Los Angeles.

The State Action for Facilitation on Encampments, or SAFE Task Force, will coordinate expertise and programs across state agencies to address encampments. The goal is to work with local governments to move people from the streets into temporary shelter and ultimately permanent housing, according to the governor’s office.

“California has put in place a strong, comprehensive strategy for fighting the national homelessness and housing crises — and is outperforming the nation as a result in turning this issue around,” Newsom said in a statement.

“No one should live in a dangerous or unsanitary encampment, and we will continue our ongoing work to ensure that everyone has a safe place to call home,” he added.

The task force will begin operations within 30 days in areas such as Los Angeles,

Saturday, August 30, 2025

LA County Board Meetings to Offer Real-Time Translations in 70 Languages

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger Friday announced a new initiative to expand language access at board meetings and hearings through real-time translation and interpretation in more than 70 languages.

The service, powered by artificial intelligence, will be available on mobile phones and computers for residents attending meetings virtually or in person.

“Every resident has the right to engage with their local government,” Barger said in a statement. “This service is an important step and valuable resource to ensure that the diverse communities that make up our county can have their voices heard.”

The county previously used the AI technology during press conferences about January’s wildfires.

To use the service during board meetings, residents can take the following steps:

• Visit attend.wordly.ai/join/QHKT-4397;
• Click “attend” and select your preferred language; and
• Watch the automatic translated captions, listen to live-interpreted audio, and unmute the speaker icon.

“Expanding the language access capabilities underscores the need for making L.A.

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Pasadena Panel Blocks Trump Administration’s Bid to Deport Venezuelans

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A federal appeals court in Pasadena Friday blocked the Trump administration from canceling the temporary protected status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States, including a community in the Southland, who contend they are unable to safely return to their home country.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that maintained protections for Venezuelans while the case proceeds through court.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attempted to end the protections just days after taking office in January. However, a federal district court put her decision on hold pending a final resolution in the case, finding that the secretary’s decision appeared to be motivated by racial bias toward Venezuelans and violated the law governing temporary protections.

On Friday, the 9th Circuit denied the administration’s appeal of U.S. District Judge Ed Chen’s March ruling that found the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their claims.