Friday, January 17, 2025

State Insurance Commissioner and LA District Attorney Launch Anti-Fraud Initiative to Protect Wildfire Survivors

STAFF REPORT

Partnership aims to prevent scams targeting disaster victims through education and enforcement

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman have announced a joint effort to combat insurance fraud targeting wildfire survivors. The initiative, building on the Department’s record of fighting fraud, combines consumer education with enhanced prosecution to protect vulnerable disaster victims from fraudulent schemes.

“Scammers exploit vulnerable times, preying on survivors with false promises and fraudulent schemes,” said Commissioner Lara. “We’ve seen this in past wildfires. By partnering with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, we’re amplifying protections for wildfire victims and empowering consumers to protect themselves. My Department is committed to guiding you with resources to make informed decisions and avoid scams.”

Hochman was similarly aggressive.

“Our Office’s fraud-fighting prosecutors have a message for scammers: You will not get away with impersonating insurance companies in order to steal from wildfire victims in Los Angeles County,”

Friday, January 17, 2025

Pasadena Community Foundation Distributes $533,000 in Fire Relief Grants

STAFF REPORT

Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) announces its first round of Eaton Fire relief grants to 20 nonprofit partners in Altadena and Pasadena. The grants, totaling $533,000, are the first distribution from PCF’s Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund, which was created last week and has raised more than $4 million to date thanks to the incredible outpouring from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

PCF’s first round of funding will help nonprofits swiftly provide cash assistance, food, shelter, emergency childcare, and medical care to the community. “The situation in Altadena and north Pasadena is dire, with thousands of residents impacted by the loss of homes, workplaces, and community,” says Jeannine Bogaard, PCF’s Director of Community Impact. “We also know that the capacity of many nonprofits has been deeply impacted as their facilities, their leadership, and their staff have suffered losses.”

Jennifer DeVoll, PCF’s President & CEO, is working with local leaders to assess additional needs like temporary housing and mental health services.

Friday, January 17, 2025

Planning a Resilient Future

Editor’s Note: Eleven days after the Eaton Fire, Pasadena Now is taking a closer look at the lives of some of those who lost everything in the disaster, and talking with them about their lives before the fire, their current circumstances and their hopes for the future.

As part of this continuing occasional series, we talked to Altadena Town Council Member Dorothy Wong.

First there was the matter of the Cheney Gates.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Eaton Fire began to roar through swaths of Altadena and neighboring communities, in a historic life-changing 36 hours. For residents like Dorothy Wong, an Altadena Town Council member, the hours leading up to and following the fire’s outbreak were a harrowing mix of urgency, despair, and resolve.

“The story of Tuesday really started on Monday,” said Wong, sitting at a table near the FEMA Disaster Assistance Center at the PCC Community Education Center.

“We knew something significant was coming,” she recalled Wednesday,

Friday, January 17, 2025

Crews Forge Ahead With Complex Eaton Fire Recovery Operation; Death Roll Rises to 17

STAFF REPORT

Thursday afternoon fire officials reported significant progress containing the Eaton Fire while launching extensive recovery operations, with damage inspection teams documenting over 7,500 destroyed structures.

The fire, which has burned through steep terrain around Mount Wilson and Altadena, is now 65% contained with approximately 3,400 personnel working to control the 14,117-acre blaze.

The death toll rose to 17 and more evacuation orders lifted on the outskirts of the deadly burn area near Altadena and Pasadena.

There are 24 active missing-person cases from the Eaton Fire, Sheriff Robert Luna said.

“Crews continue to grow, direct and improve our hand line that’s all around this fire,” said Operation Section Chief Jed Gaines. “The total fire perimeter around this whole incident is just over 60 miles, so it’s taken some time, especially at the top of Mount Wilson, to get in some of these areas.”

Urban Search and Rescue teams have completed more than 8,800 home searches and over 1,100 miles of grid searches.

Friday, January 17, 2025

PUSD Mobilizes Major Mental Health Response for Students and Staff

STAFF REPORT

The Pasadena Unified School District is launching a comprehensive mental health support system as it prepares to reopen schools affected by the devastating Eaton Fire gradually. The District announced plans to deploy more than 50 licensed clinical social workers and counselors to assist traumatized students and staff members.

“The level of trauma is going to be really significant and there will be triggers,” said Dr. Julianne Reynoso, who oversees the District’s Student Wellness and Support Services.

“Making sure that we are trauma ready, not just in forms, we’ll make a difference in how we come back as a unified school District.”

The Los Angeles County Office of Education and teams from schools in Marin County will provide the additional mental health professionals, who will be stationed at campuses to work with both students and staff. The support team will arrive equipped with detailed scripts and resources to address the community’s needs.

The District is implementing a multi-tiered systems of support framework,

Friday, January 17, 2025

‘We Love Our Town Deeply’

BY ANDRE COLEMAN, MANAGING EDITOR

One week after losing their homes to a devastating fire driven by hellacious winds, Altadena residents now begin the long process of rebuilding their lives.

The Eaton Fire began on Jan. 7 and has killed 16 people and burned more than 14,000 acres and obliterated the community, leaving thousands displaced or homeless.

To make matters worse, now they face additional fears.

Many believe big developers and predatory realtors will prey on those who lack insurance and financial means to seize the land which will lead to changes in their beloved community.

“Altadenans from all over town are expressing concern about developers who are already contacting home and business owners about their properties,” said Monica Hubbard. “We love our town deeply. We are committed to restoring our town and finding ways to preserve the rich and highly-valued diversity of our community. Conversations are taking place about establishing a Community Land Trust and Community Co-Housing to help those who have lost everything,

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Man, 86, Goes Missing in Altadena

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Thursday sought the public’s help in locating an 86-year-old man who went missing in Altadena, authorities said.

Roosevelt Pullem, who was believed to have been displaced by the Eaton fire, was last in contact with his family on Friday near the 2800 block of Highview Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Pullem was described as 5-foot, 6-inch tall Black man weighing 165 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information that might lead to Pullem was asked to call the sheriff’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222- 8477.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

LA County Responds to Immigration Enforcement Concerns

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The L.A. County health department Thursday said it does not collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other immigration enforcement agencies.

The statement from the Department of Health Services — the second largest municipal health system in the nation — was issued in response to community concerns regarding potential ICE enforcement measures under incoming President Donald Trump.

“DHS is committed to providing high-quality, equitable and compassionate care to all, regardless of their immigration status,” the county agency said. “We want to assure our community that DHS, in compliance with California law, does not collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or any other immigration enforcement agencies.”

The statement continued, “This commitment is protected by the California Values Act (SB 54), which prohibits the use of county resources, including health care facilities which are designated as sensitive locations, for federal immigration enforcement activities. In alignment with this state law as well as L.A. County Board Policy,

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Pasadena Unified Announces Phased School Reopening Plan Amid Eaton Fire Recovery

STAFF REPORT

In the wake of the devastation caused by the Eaton Fire, Pasadena Unified School District has announced a phased reopening plan over a two-week period to ensure campuses are safe and ready to welcome students back.

The Eaton Fire significantly affected the District, with severe damage reported at five campuses: Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School, Franklin Elementary (closed in 2020), and three charter school sites—Edison, Loma Alta, and Noyes. More than 10,000 of PUSD’s 14,000 students were evacuated from their homes.

To restore a sense of normalcy and provide stability for students, campuses located further from the fire’s impact will reopen first, allowing the community to begin its path toward healing.

“We will reopen, we will rebuild, and we will rise,” Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco said. “Despite the challenges we face, our commitment to our students and families remains unwavering. We are dedicated to coming together, rebuilding, and ensuring the well-being and success of our community.”

Pasadena Unified’s Maintenance and Operations team,

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Southern California Wildfires Impact Caltech Community

By JULIA EHLERT NAIR, CALTECH

The Caltech community is responding to a natural disaster of historic scale as several wildfires continue to impact Southern California, including the Eaton fire and the Palisades fire. Many staff, faculty, postdocs, students, and their families have experienced significant losses: More than 250 individuals and families across campus and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have lost their homes to the fires, while more than 1,800 remain temporarily displaced due to evacuation orders; lack of working power, gas, and/or safe water; and other circumstances.

“Words seem inadequate to capture the scale of the devastation,” says Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum. “So many of our campus and JPL colleagues have seen their homes go up in flames, losing not only their possessions but the material links to their past. Even more have been uprooted, not knowing when and if they can return. The Caltech community has responded with compassion and generosity, seeking to help each other and working heroically to permit Caltech and JPL to resume their fundamental missions of learning and discovery.