Thursday, September 18, 2025

LA County Reports First Human West Nile Virus Cases of 2025

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Public health officials Wednesday confirmed the first human cases of West Nile virus in Los Angeles County this year.

According to the county Department of Public Health, four people were hospitalized with the virus between late July and late August. The unidentified patients lived in the Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley and central Los Angeles areas.

“The first human cases of West Nile virus are an important reminder that we all need to take steps to prevent mosquito bites and mosquito breeding,” Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer, said in a statement. “Mosquitos thrive in hot weather, increasing the risk of bites and mosquito-borne diseases.”

Davis said people should take steps to reduce exposure to mosquitoes, such as using insect repellents, removing items that hold standing water where mosquitoes can breed, and install door and window screens to prevent the insects from entering homes.

The virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito.

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Southern California Edison Announces Community Workshops on Eaton Wildfire Compensation Program

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Southern California Edison on Wednesday announced a series of community workshops for its forthcoming Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program, a claims program the utility said is designed to provide direct payments and fast resolutions to eligible individuals and businesses impacted by the Eaton Fire. 

SCE said it would launch the compensation program later this fall for those who lost homes, businesses or rental properties in the fire. Claims would also cover total and partial structure loss, commercial property loss, business interruption, smoke and ash, physical injury and fatalities, the utility said.

The community workshops include two in-person and two virtual sessions scheduled through this month. During the workshops, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and comment on the draft program details. Registration information is available at sce.com/directclaimsupdates. 

“The resilience of community members continues to inspire us, yet it’s difficult to witness the challenges they face,” Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of Edison International, the utility’s parent company,

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Oct. 8 Application Shutoff Approaches for SBA Disaster Loans Following LA Wildfires

Businesses and nonprofits impacted by the Eaton Fire and other Los Angeles wildfires may qualify for up to $2 million in federal assistance

Businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, including the Eaton Fire, have until Oct. 8 to apply for up to $2 million in low-interest federal disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The disaster period began Jan. 7, and the loans are available to eligible entities in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties. Applicants may include small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, private nonprofits, agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and faith-based organizations that suffered economic losses directly related to the wildfires. Physical damage is not required to qualify.

“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery. These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster,” said Chris Stallings,

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Red Cross Honors Native American Leaders Who Rescued Families From Eaton Fire

Community leaders recognized for heroic rescues and sustained relief after Altadena disaster

The American Red Cross honored Pow Wow on Parade Foundation leaders Baltazar Fedalizo and Peter Roybal with the Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action on September 17, spotlighting their courageous rescue of families during the January Eaton Fire. Two others, Kenneth Devine and Theodore Seavers, were also recognized for lifesaving action as the fire, among Altadena’s deadliest, took 19 lives and left hundreds displaced.

The ceremony, running from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., underscored the award’s legacy, created in 1928 to acknowledge untrained Good Samaritans who save lives during emergencies—even without Red Cross training.

“It isn’t the award or recognition, it is the ability to give when it counts, not when it’s convenient, people died that night according to the papers 19 and counting,” said Baltazar Fedalizo, co-founder of Pow Wow on Parade. Fedalizo, an Army/Navy veteran of Chiricahua Apache descent and 2017 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, awoke by habit at 2 a.m.

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Government: Barger: Rent Relief Action Will Help Struggling Tenants

Supervisors expand rent relief for Eaton Fire survivors; program offers new lifeline for at-risk households in Altadena and portions of Pasadena

A newly expanded Los Angeles County emergency rent relief initiative is expected to benefit struggling households in Altadena, Pasadena affected by the Eaton Fire following unanimous approval Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

The program, which specifically targets survivors of the Eaton Fire and other residents facing eviction or housing instability, raises the individual rent relief cap from $5,000 to $15,000 and adds $10 million in funding. The action was announced in an official press release issued by Los Angeles County.

Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, said the amendments are designed to offer “real breathing room” to families rebuilding after recent disasters. “My goal is straightforward: to keep people in their homes and give them stability as they rebuild their lives,” Barger stated in the county’s announcement.

The expanded provisions will allow eligible residents to receive up to six months of rent assistance.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Film Review: When Altadena’s Walls Came Down

Eight months after the Eaton Fire destroyed her Altadena home and claimed the lives of 19 fellow Altadenans, award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner has premiered a documentary chronicling the community’s response to the disaster.

“All The Walls Came Down,” a 39-minute Interloper Films production, is screening daily at Laemmle Glendale through Sept. 19. The film, which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival on Aug. 31, has drawn sold-out weekend audiences, post-screening Q&A sessions, and community gatherings.

Yale-educated Timoner, a two-time Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, said the project was driven by her desire to “transmute the experience to turn it into something that might be a positive.” The documentary explores how residents mobilized in the absence of effective emergency services, offering a portrait of resilience and grassroots recovery.

Producer Maggie Contreras, Eli Timon, and Elle Schneider joined Timoner in the production. Schneider began filming immediately after returning to her fire-ravaged home, capturing raw footage that anchors the film’s emotional core.

Timoner frames All The Walls Came Down as a transformation story: a private catastrophe that becomes a public instrument.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Pasadena Run Club Becomes Lifeline for Eaton Fire Survivors

After the deadly Eaton Fire displaced dozens of residents across Altadena and Pasadena in early January, the Pasadena Run Club has emerged as a vital support network for survivors, including its own members.

At least 12 club members lost their homes in the blaze, according to CBS News confirmed. Many initially sheltered in cars or with relatives before the club mobilized to meet urgent needs. Co-founders Ronnie Ferraz and Lidia Garcia led daily coordination efforts, checking on food, clothing, and lodging for newly affected members.

“Every day, we would learn that there was somebody new affected by the fire,” Ferraz said in an interview with CBS News. “Do they have food? Do they have clothes? Like, what do they need?”

The club’s grassroots response included supply drives and volunteer housing offers. The group has transformed from fitness collective to community lifeline.

Garcia, who co-founded the club alongside Ferraz, played a central role in coordinating aid and maintaining contact with displaced members,

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Pasadena Unified Spotlights Student Honors, Heritage Month Events, and Looming Fiscal Challenges

Email to families highlights academic achievements and warns of fiscal realities while previewing cultural celebrations

In an email to families Monday evening, Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco highlighted academic achievements and upcoming cultural events while warning of difficult financial decisions ahead.

Blanco opened her message by acknowledging recent national events that have weighed on students and communities. She said the District remains committed to creating safe, supportive spaces where students can learn restorative practices and engage in respectful dialogue.

Student and School Highlights

Five Pasadena High School seniors — Maria Karapetyan, Jacob Monson, Zachary Nash, Zalea Nunes, and Megan Sinclair — were named 2025 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, putting them in the running for scholarships to be awarded next spring.

Pasadena schools will celebrate Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, with classroom activities and a culminating Latino Heritage Festival set for Oct. 11. In addition, high school students will take part in California High School Voter Education Weeks through Sept.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

California’s Insurer Of Last Resort Would Face More Scrutiny Under Bill Heading To Newsom’s Desk

By Levi Sumagaysay and Nadia Lathan, CALMATTERS

In the closing days of the legislative year, California lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill that is meant to toughen scrutiny of the state’s embattled fire insurer of last result by insisting that two of their leaders join its governing committee.

Assembly Bill 234 would put the state’s two top lawmakers — currently Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas — on the governing committee of the FAIR Plan, the insurer that’s mandated by law to sell policies to homeowners who can’t get them from other insurance companies. But the lawmakers or their representatives would be non-voting members of the committee, raising concerns about the bill’s effectiveness.

The FAIR Plan, which is an alliance of insurers that do business in the state, has grown to more than 610,000 policies as of June, a 154% increase since September 2021. It has become one of the largest insurers in California as other insurance companies have canceled or stopped issuing new policies here,

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

California’s Sky-High Living Costs Afford It The Nation’s Highest Poverty Label — Again

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Last year’s presidential election underscored, particularly to Democrats, that the costs of living were a major factor in the outcome.

Inflation had increased sharply during Joe Biden’s presidency, and voters’ angst about rising prices worked against Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to succeed him in the White House.

Not surprisingly, therefore, when the California Legislature opened its 2025 session, its dominant Democrats declared that they would focus on taming the state’s notoriously high costs for housing, fuel, utilities and other necessities of modern life.

The session ended last week and as it did, by happenstance, the Census Bureau reported that California once again has the nation’s highest “supplemental” rate of poverty when its living costs are included in calculations over a three-year period.

California’s rate, 17.7%, means that nearly 7 million of its residents are impoverished, 5 percentage points higher than the national rate and tied with Louisiana.