Monday, October 20, 2025

Los Angeles County to Consider Altadena Wildfire Recovery Financing District

Board of Supervisors will vote on expedited tax increment district to rebuild infrastructure destroyed in January’s devastating Eaton Fire

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will hold a public meeting Tuesday to consider establishing a disaster recovery financing district for Altadena, a mechanism designed to fund critical infrastructure repairs following the devastating January wildfires. The proposed Altadena Wildfire Recovery Infrastructure Financing District would utilize incremental property tax revenue to finance reconstruction projects without imposing new taxes or fees on property owners. 

The meeting is scheduled for October 21 at 9:30 a.m. in the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration Board Hearing Room, located at 500 West Temple Street in Los Angeles. Supervisors will consider adopting a Resolution of Intention to establish both the District and a Public Financing Authority to oversee its operations. 

The proposed District would finance infrastructure and related projects consistent with California Government Code Sections 62300 and 53398.50 et seq. The mechanism would facilitate construction of infrastructure improvements in unincorporated Altadena.

Monday, October 20, 2025

Webinar to Spotlight Black Altadena’s Recovery Nine Months After Eaton Fire

A virtual panel hosted Tuesday by USC’s Black Studies Center and Equity Research Institute will examine the lingering impact of the January 2025 Eaton Fire on Altadena’s Black community, which suffered disproportionate losses in one of California’s most destructive wildfires.

The event, titled “After the Fire: Voices from Black Altadena,” begins at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21 and features longtime Altadena resident Veronica Jones, president of the Altadena Historical Society; Dr. Hajar Yazdiha, Associate Professor of Sociology at USC and faculty affiliate of the USC Equity Research Institute, USC Black Studies Center, and the Rutgers Center for Security, Race, and Rights; and moderator Dr. Oneka LaBennett, director of the USC Black Studies Center.

The webinar is free with registration.

The panel will explore themes of recovery, resilience, and historical preservation, with a focus on the lived experiences of Black Altadena residents displaced or affected by the fire.

The Eaton Fire ignited Jan. 7 in Eaton Canyon and burned 14,021 acres, destroying 9,418 structures and damaging more than 1,000 others.

Monday, October 20, 2025

The Feds Want To Know More About The People On Food Stamps. How Newsom Responded

By Phoebe Huss, CALMATTERS

A law that allowed the sharing of limitless amounts of personal data across the state to find people eligible for CalFresh was rescinded this week.

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 593 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, that forbids state and local departments from sharing sensitive personal data to increase food stamp enrollment.

But only a year ago, it was Wicks who introduced that same data sharing initiative, to get more people enrolled in CalFresh, the state’s federally funded food assistance program. Her bill from last year, Assembly Bill 518, granted state and local public entities involved in education, crime, employment, and other areas the authority to override all state privacy laws to share data about people who could potentially get CalFresh.

CalFresh is funded by the federal government, run by the state Department of Social Services and administered locally. Over 1 in 5 Californians are food insecure.

Monday, October 20, 2025

California Voter Registration Deadline Closes Monday, But Same-Day Options Remain for Nov. 4 Special Election

Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, marks the final day for Californians to register to vote and receive a mail ballot for the Nov. 4 statewide special election, but residents who miss the deadline can still vote through the state’s Same Day Voter Registration system.

Known officially as Conditional Voter Registration, the system allows eligible voters to register and cast a provisional ballot from Oct. 21 through Election Day. Voters can complete the process at county elections offices, vote centers, or polling places. The process requires voters to fill out a paper or online registration form, receive a provisional ballot, cast it in a special provisional envelope, and have their eligibility verified by the county before the ballot is counted.

The special election centers on Proposition 50, a proposed constitutional amendment that would temporarily suspend California’s independent redistricting process in response to Texas’s partisan redistricting. If approved, the measure would authorize legislatively drawn congressional district maps for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. California would return to its Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2031.

Monday, October 20, 2025

Altadena Town Council to Weigh McDonald’s Rebuild, Public Health to Brief on Construction Hours

The Altadena Town Council will convene Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive. A livestream is listed on Pasadena Media’s YouTube channel.

The agenda opens with a flag salute led by Armen Balikyan-Bekian, roll call by Recording Secretary Kim Yu, and consideration of the evening’s agenda by Vice Chair Nic Arnzen. Officer reports follow from Chair Victoria Knapp, Vice Chair Arnzen, Recording Secretary Yu (including approval of the Sept. 16 minutes), Treasurer Milissa Marona and Corresponding Secretary Connor Cipolla.

Public-safety briefings are scheduled from the Altadena Sheriff’s Station (Captain Ethan Marquez), the California Highway Patrol (Officer Jeremy Keller) and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (Maria Grycan, Community Services Liaison, Division 3).

Community reports are listed from L.A. County Parks, East Foothill District (presented by Guillermo Portillo, Recreation Services Manager); the Eaton Fire Collaborative (Bree Jensen, Leadership Council Representative); ARRC/CORE ADU sample lot on Lincoln (Anders Corey); and Public Works on emergency preparedness (Josh Svensson, Principal Engineer).

A special presentation by Los Angeles County Public Health Branch Director Charlene Contreras will address a county survey on extending construction hours.

Monday, October 20, 2025

Kaiser Permanente Strike Ended and Employees Return to Work

CITY NEWS SERVICE

More than 30,000 unionized Kaiser Permanente employees were expected to return to work Monday after a five-day strike in California, Oregon and Hawaii by registered nurses and other health professionals ended Sunday, with Kaiser and union officials agreeing to resume bargaining this week. Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California regional headquarters is located in Pasadena.

Kaiser said its facilities were resuming normal operations.

“We are deeply grateful to our front-line care teams who leaned in to ensure the continuity of outstanding patient care last week. Our facilities were staffed by physicians, experienced managers, and trained staff, along with nearly 6,000 contracted nurses, clinicians, and others who worked with us during the strike,” Kaiser said in a statement Sunday morning.

The talks will resume Wednesday and Thursday with a focus on economic issues, and a return to the national bargaining table was scheduled for Oct. 28 to 29.

“While the Alliance has publicly emphasized staffing and other concerns,

Monday, October 20, 2025

Altadena Woman Convicted in 2007 Fatal Shooting Returns to Court Monday for Possible Resentencing

Dean seeks relief under California’s revised murder laws; hearing set in downtown Los Angeles

A hearing is scheduled Monday morning in downtown Los Angeles for Mesha Arshaz Dean, the woman convicted of fatally shooting Monroe “Monty” Miles Jr. on an Altadena street in 2007 during a confrontation over his 4-year-old nephew.

Dean, now approximately 43, is set to appear at 8:30 a.m. in Department 110 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, located at 210 W. Temple St. The proceeding will be presided over by Judge Lisa B. Lench, who chairs the Commission on Judicial Performance and has served on the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2001.

Dean was sentenced in 2012 to 49 years and four months to life in prison after a jury convicted her of second-degree murder, kidnapping and child endangerment. The shooting occurred on March 18, 2007, at 4023 Canyon Dell Drive in Altadena, where Miles, 32, was caring for his nephew while the child’s father was out of town.

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Altadena Health Fair Offers Free Screenings Saturday Amid Ongoing Recovery from Eaton Fire

Local residents will have access to free medical services Saturday during a health fair hosted at the Altadena Main Library.

The event, formally titled “Nurses Unified for Altadena: Healing Altadena Together,” runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 600 E. Mariposa St. and is organized by The Nurses Pub in partnership with The Pink Journey Foundation and the Altadena Library. It aims to provide health screenings and consultations to residents affected by the January wildfire, regardless of insurance status.

According to a statement from The Nurses Pub, the fair will include blood pressure and glucose checks, general wellness consultations, and access to more than 30 local health exhibitors. Complimentary lunch and live jazz performances by the Vaughn Fahie Jazz Ensemble are scheduled throughout the day, along with raffles and wellness-themed giveaways.

Free mammography screenings will be available to women aged 40 and older who are asymptomatic and have not had a mammogram in the past year. The Pink Journey Foundation’s “Rolling with Hope”

Friday, October 17, 2025

California’s Chronic Deficit Looms Again As Newsom Prepares His Last State Budget

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

It seems like just yesterday that Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators enacted a state budget that papered over a $20 billion gap between income and outgo while blaming President Donald Trump for their fiscal dilemma.

It was, in fact, less than four months ago that Newsom signed the $321 billion, 2025-26 budget, saying, “As we confront Donald Trump’s economic sabotage, this budget agreement proves California won’t just hold the line — we’ll go even further. It’s balanced, it maintains substantial reserves, and it’s focused on supporting Californians — slashing red tape and catapulting housing and infrastructure development, preserving essential healthcare services, funds universal pre-K, and cuts taxes for veterans.”

Trump, however, had nothing to do with what state officials have described as a “structural deficit,” meaning that spending encased in current law outstrips revenue expectations. Rather, it stems from what officialdom later acknowledged as a $165 billion error in revenue projections in 2022 that fueled Newsom’s boast of having a $97.5 billion surplus.

Friday, October 17, 2025

Community Canvas Project Invites Residents to Create Collaborative Art

The collaborative installation will feature 4-by-4-inch canvases contributed by residents and friends in Altadena

The Pasadena Village Community Canvas Project will host a free public art event Friday, Oct. 24, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Village Office Community Room, 236 West Mountain Street #113. Open to all, the event has limited capacity for 28 participants and is free of charge.

Organized by ALTA (AltaArts Collective), the initiative invites residents and friends in Altadena to contribute 4-by-4-inch canvas artworks with a depth/profile of 1 inch or less toward a growing installation that will eventually be displayed permanently at a local business or institution in Altadena. Participants may create their art on-site using provided supplies or submit their own canvases. Canvases can also be picked up from ALTA during its community events.

The project’s vision is “to create magnificent canvas-covered walls that can be showcased at events,” with canvases added over time to form a completed masterpiece. ALTA will catalog all submitted artwork and host a formal unveiling event in the future.