Sunday, May 31, 2026

Altadena Library’s Open Mic Night Returns to Callisto Tea House Monday

All ages and all genres welcome at the bring-your-own-talent night in the tea house’s intimate front room

The Altadena Library’s monthly Open Mic Night migrates to Callisto Tea House on Monday evening, an arrangement built on partnership between the library and one of the neighborhood’s best-loved gathering spots. All ages are welcome, all genres are fair game, and the audience is asked only to listen well.

Open Mic Night begins at 6 p.m. Performers can sign up to read a poem, share original songwriting, try out new stand-up material, or step up to the mic with whatever they have been working on. The collaboration between the library and Callisto has become a regular fixture in the Altadena Library’s calendar of programming hosted at community partners — a slate that also includes monthly crafting gatherings and tea-tasting sessions at the tea house.

Callisto Tea House specializes in loose-leaf teas and afternoon service in a small storefront along Altadena Drive. The room is well-suited to acoustic performance: low ceilings,

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Altadena’s Largest Mural Comes Out from Behind the Scaffolding Sunday

From Rails to Trails: Echo Mountain” — 85 feet of hand-painted history — unveils along the Altadena Crest Trail

Eighty-five feet long, roughly eight feet high, and entirely hand-painted: at 700 square feet, “From Rails to Trails: Echo Mountain” is the largest mural in Altadena’s history. On Sunday afternoon, the community will finally see it without scaffolding.

Created by Altadena-based muralist Austin Scott with the help of more than 80 community volunteers over 36 consecutive days, the mural traces the history of Mt. Lowe and the Mount Lowe Pacific Railway that once carried visitors into the San Gabriel Mountains. Illustrated animals, hidden details and local landmarks — the ruins of Echo Mountain Resort, Ye Alpine Tavern, Cobb Estate — run the length of the wall. Located along the Altadena Crest Trail near the base of the Sam Merrill Trail, the painting is visible to hikers passing the rebuilt home of resident Waleed Delawari, who commissioned the work after his family’s previous home was lost in the Eaton Fire.

Sunday, May 31, 2026

PUSD Board Recognizes Voces Unidas as Official Parent Group for Latino Families

Pasadena Unified School District trustees unanimously recognized Voces Unidas as an official district-affiliated parent group Thursday, giving the group official district recognition as a parent organization for Latino families who said they want stronger representation, clearer communication and a more organized role in district decision-making.

The Board of Education approved the group during its May 28 meeting after a presentation from parent leaders and district family engagement staff. The agenda described the item as a proposal to approve Voces Unidas as an official PUSD parent group intended to strengthen family engagement, communication and collaboration between families and the district in support of student success and district priorities.

Nancy Molina, representing the district’s Office of Family and Community Engagement with Shannon Mumolo, introduced Voces Unidas as a group of parents seeking to strengthen partnership, belonging and the voices of Latino families in PUSD. The group asked the board for recognition as an official district parent organization.

Diane Riveros, president of Voces Unidas, told the board the group was formed by Latino parents across PUSD to improve connection,

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Resource Fair for Fire-Displaced Artists Opens Today at Altadena Recovery Hub

Organizers say a March survey found creative workers still lack workspace, income stability and community connections 17 months after the Eaton Fire

A free resource fair for artists and creative workers displaced by the Eaton Fire opens today at The Collaboratory, the Altadena recovery hub where organizers say they will offer wellness services, art workshops, live performances and networking to a community still struggling nearly 17 months after the January 2025 disaster.

“Creative Workers Rising: A Resource Fair for Fire-Impacted Artists” runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 540 W. Woodbury Road, according to an Eventbrite listing by the Arts & Culture Coalition of Altadena, which organized the event with the Eaton Fire Collaborative. Admission is free. Registration is requested through Eventbrite.

The event grew out of findings from ACCA’s March 2026 Creative Worker Survey, which organizers say showed artists continue to lack financial support, stable income, creative workspace and community connections, according to a statement provided to the newsroom. Specific survey results,

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Altadena Musicians Holds Record Shop Event for Eaton Fire Survivors in Pasadena

The nonprofit has placed more than 1,500 instruments and 1,300 albums into the hands of wildfire survivors since January 2025

The nonprofit Altadena Musicians will hold a free Record Shop Open House and Record Drive on Saturday at 1 p.m. at its Pasadena venue, offering Eaton Fire survivors the chance to select vinyl records to replace collections destroyed when the January 2025 wildfire leveled more than 9,400 structures in Altadena.

The all-ages event at 1260 Lincoln Ave. #1300, Pasadena, CA 91103 features live music, food, vendors, and a record shopping session at the organization’s Backyard Party space, according to an announcement from the nonprofit. The organization has described the event as a “Record Shop Launch Party / Open House” on its Facebook page. NPR reported in January 2026 that a free record shop was already operating at the venue, suggesting Saturday’s event formalizes public access to that resource.

Altadena Musicians was founded by Brandon Jay, a music composer whose credits with wife Gwendolyn Sanford include “Weeds,”

Friday, May 29, 2026

Pasadena Opens 4-Day Voting Centers Ahead of June 2 Primary

Pasadena voters gain expanded access to ballot casting beginning May 30 as the city opens four-day voting centers ahead of the June 2 Primary Election

Voters will have expanded access to ballot casting beginning Saturday, May 30, as the city opens a network of four-day voting centers leading up to the June 2, 2026 Primary Election, according to a public agency notice from the City of Pasadena.

Officials said the centers will operate from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. May 30 through June 1, with extended hours of 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, June 2.

The four-day voting centers are located at American Legion Post 280, 179 North Vinedo Avenue; Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church, Derian Hall, 339 South Santa Anita Avenue; First United Methodist Church-Pasadena, 500 East Colorado Boulevard.; Jefferson Branch Library, Auditorium, 1500 East Villa Street; Octavia E. Butler Magnet, Gymnasium, 1505 North Marengo Avenue; Red Hen Press, Library Center, 1540 Lincoln Avenue; Robinson Park Recreation Center,

Friday, May 29, 2026

Pasadena Transit Waives Fares on Election Day to Get Voters to the Polls

The free service covers all bus routes and Dial-A-Ride paratransit, but paratransit users must book trips by Monday

Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride will offer free rides on Tuesday, June 2, Election Day for the Statewide Direct Primary Election, the city’s Department of Transportation announced this week.

The fare waiver, which eliminates the regular $0.75 base fare on all Pasadena Transit bus routes, joins a countywide pattern of free Election Day transit. Metro, LADOT, and Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus will also offer free fares on June 2, according to the city’s press release.

The free service extends to Pasadena’s paratransit system, which provides curb-to-curb rides for residents 60 and older and those with qualifying disabilities in Pasadena, Altadena, San Marino, and surrounding unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Most Pasadena polling places and ballot drop boxes fall within a quarter-mile of a Pasadena Transit bus stop, according to the Department of Transportation. The city has offered free Election Day transit in prior cycles,

Friday, May 29, 2026

Senate Unanimously Passes Altadena Woman’s Namesake Detention Oversight Bill

Legislation authored by Pasadena-area senator would authorize state inspections of private facilities and fines up to $25,000 per day

The California State Senate voted 39-0 to pass the Masuma Khan Justice Act, legislation named for a 64-year-old Altadena resident who was detained without critical medication at a private immigration facility last fall, according to a press release from the bill’s author, Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena).

SB 995 would create a statewide inspection framework for privately operated detention facilities, authorizing four state agencies to conduct periodic reviews and imposing civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation per day on operators that fail to meet health and safety standards. The bill now advances to the California State Assembly.

Khan, an immigrant from Bangladesh who has lived in the United States for nearly 30 years, was taken into custody during a routine check-in with immigration officials in October 2025, according to Sen. Pérez’s office. She was held at CoreCivic’s California City Detention Facility without access to medication for chronic asthma,

Friday, May 29, 2026

SGV Habitat for Humanity Honored for Altadena Rebuilding as Nonprofit Reaches 10-Home Milestone

The Monrovia-based nonprofit has completed or started construction on 10 homes since the Eaton Fire, with 25 funded and 100 targeted

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity has completed or begun construction on 10 homes in Altadena’s Eaton Fire burn scar, a rebuilding pace that earned the nonprofit a 2026 Nonprofit of the Year honor from Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) on May 20 in Sacramento.

The recognition, presented at a luncheon hosted by CalNonprofits on California Nonprofits Day, came 16 months after the January 7, 2025 fire destroyed more than 9,000 buildings in Altadena. SGV Habitat has committed to rebuild at least 25 homes with $4.55 million in grant funding from the Altadena Builds Back Foundation and aims to build 100 or more in the coming years, according to the organization’s website. More than 800 families have contacted the nonprofit about rebuilding, according to SGV Habitat.

The organization completed its first post-fire home on March 27, 2026, a residence on East Pine Street built for Kenneth and Carol Wood,

Friday, May 29, 2026

Latina Attorney Fighting for Eaton Fire Justice for Latino Community

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Local attorney says immigration status does not strip residents of their rights

In a press conference on Thursday, a local attorney said that immigration status does not take away the rights of Latino residents suffering after the Eaton Fire.

“Every single Latino family affected by the Eaton Fire deserves to know that Edison caused this fire and you may be entitled to compensation,” said Attorney Maribel Medina. “Whether you rent or own, whether you filed an insurance claim or didn’t know you could, whether you are documented or not, you still have rights, and it is my job to make sure you are fully informed. I have spent 30 years preparing for cases like this. This community is why.”

“This lawsuit is your power, your chance to fight back against the utility that burned down Altadena.”

More than a year after the Eaton Fire devastated the San Gabriel Valley, thousands of Latino families are still struggling: unsure of their rights,