Friday, September 12, 2025

Special Board Meeting Reviews – But Doesn’t Resolve – Pasadena Unified’s Financial Quagmire

Meeting highlights accounting practices, structural deficits and pressure to act

At a special meeting Thursday evening, Pasadena Unified School District officials delivered their most sobering financial report to date: without immediate corrective measures, the district could face annual operating deficits exceeding $30 million.

Chief Business Officer Saman Bravo-Karimi presented unaudited figures for 2024–25, as required by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. On paper, the district appeared to finish the fiscal year in strong shape, reporting a $38.2 million surplus and an unrestricted ending balance of $106.8 million.

But that apparent cushion, officials said, evaporates once insurance proceeds and fire-related expenses are stripped out. Without those extraordinary items, the district posted a $27.3 million operating deficit and closed the year with $41.2 million in unrestricted reserves — down sharply from prior years. The comparable deficit in 2023–24 was $7.4 million.

“It’s the latter numbers that exclude those fire revenues and expenditures that give the truest picture of our financial status,” Bravo-Karimi told the board.

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Eight Months After the Eaton Fire, a Call to ‘Listen Bravely’

Two-day summit in Pasadena presents a family-centered approach as suicide is the third-leading cause of death for ages 10–24

Eight months after the Eaton fire, Los Angeles County mental health experts are promoting a deceptively simple intervention to address rising youth suicide rates: “brave listening.”

The technique will be featured at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s 15th Annual Suicide Prevention Summit at Pasadena City College on September 12–13, during National Suicide Prevention Week.

“I would recommend to ‘listen bravely,’ because so many people are probably holding inside feelings and thoughts that they’re scared to share or that maybe they’ve even tried to share and been met with minimization or fear,” said Stacey Freedenthal, keynote speaker and University of Denver associate professor.

The summit comes as nearly 900 Los Angeles County residents died by suicide in 2022, with suicide ranking as the third-leading cause of death for youth aged 10–24 locally.

Freedenthal, who attempted suicide twice in her twenties,

Thursday, September 11, 2025

California Uber and Lyft Drivers Closer To Being Able To Unionize After Crucial Vote

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

California ride-hailing drivers just won a crucial round in their pursuit of the right to unionize, but the political drama around the process and among the state’s drivers groups raises plenty of questions about what comes next.

Lawmakers sent Assembly Bill 1340 to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, but it’s merely a formality. The governor had already expressed support for the legislation in a deal he announced with Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas at the end of August.

The state’s top politicians tied the unionization bill to Senate Bill 371, which is backed by Uber and Lyft and which the Legislature passed today. It drastically lowers the amount of uninsured and underinsured insurance coverage Uber and Lyft are required to provide, which they argue inflates costs for both drivers and passengers. In exchange, the ride-hailing giants dropped their opposition to the unionization bill.

Critics of the deal say it mostly benefits the ride-hailing companies,

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Four Honored With Courage Awards From District Attorney’s Office at Pasadena Rotary Event

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Two men who came to the aid of a fellow passenger who had been set on fire aboard a train in Pasadena were among four people honored with Courage Awards by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The awards were handed out at a ceremony hosted by the Rotary Club of Pasadena on Wednesday.

Jonathan Leyva, 37, of Pomona, and Kenneth Hwang, 35, of La Verne, were lauded for running toward the victim and using their jackets to extinguish the flames aboard the Metro Gold Line train as others ran from the flames on May 7, 2022, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Christine Nicole Ciaccio, 41, pleaded no contest in June to one count of arson causing great bodily injury with use of an accelerant and was sentenced to 14 years in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Also honored were:

• Alanna Russell, 22, of Pomona,

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Four to Be Honored at Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Courage Awards in Pasadena Today

Recognition event in Pasadena spotlights those who intervened in public attacks and domestic violence

Four Los Angeles County residents who acted with exceptional courage during violent crimes will be honored at the District Attorney’s Courage Awards in Pasadena on Wednesday. The awards celebrate those who stepped in during moments of crisis, risking their own safety to help others, and aim to inspire more members of the community to do the right thing when needed.

Among this year’s honorees, who have not yet been named publicly, are two passengers who stopped a woman from setting another passenger on fire aboard a train in Pasadena, a woman who helped save the life of a domestic violence shooting victim in Azusa and a worker who intervened when a woman was being attacked in Hollywood.

“It is the hope of the District Attorney’s Office that this kind of public recognition inspires others to do the right thing when the time calls,” the District Attorney’s office said.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

California Leaders Negotiate Major Policy Changes In Secret As Legislative Session Ends

By Yue Stella Yu, CALMATTERS

Those deals — often unveiled at the 11th hour — will likely become law as is, because there is little to no room for changes by the time they are announced. And there’s rarely any appetite or momentum among the Democratic supermajority to tinker with the final product of the top Democrats’ negotiations.

This year, as talks stall, the future of California’s environmental policies hangs in the balance. Still up in the air are proposals to reauthorize cap and trade, the state’s signature climate program that charges polluters to emit greenhouse gas, until 2045; create a regional electricity market with other western states; replenish the state’s wildfire funds and boost in-state oil production.

To accomplish that before session ends on Friday, lawmakers must finalize the language of those proposals and put it in print by early Wednesday morning, as required by a 2016 voter-approved law designed to give the public at least 72 hours to review bills before they are voted on.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Pasadena Unified School District Launches Third Round of Student Assembly Elections

District welcomes all high school grades to apply for Assembly and Council roles, highlighting student leadership and representation

Pasadena Unified School District has opened the District’s third round of student elections, inviting all currently enrolled high school students to apply to run for seats in the Student Assembly and Council. This initiative seeks to ensure student voices shape District-level decisions and provide a platform for peer representation and leadership development.

“This is your chance to make an impact, grow as a leader, and represent your peers,” Pasadena Unified School District announced in its call for applications.

Currently enrolled Pasadena Unified School District high school students can apply to run in the elections to be representatives in the Student Assembly and Council. Each grade in all six high schools will elect one representative to the Student Assembly, making a total of 24 students. The six junior year Assembly members will also serve on the Council and will rotate in attending Pasadena Unified School District Board meetings.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Army Corps Concludes Debris Removal in Eaton Fire Zone, Restoration Work Advances

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed debris removal operations within the Eaton Canyon fire footprint and turned the project back over to the County for closeout work, officials said.

The cleanup, which wrapped up about a week and a half ago, marked a major step in recovery efforts following last year’s devastating blaze.

Restoration of the Eaton Canyon Golf Course remains on schedule, with the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation expected to regain full control by the end of the year.

Todd Ober, commander of the Corps’ Los Angeles District, said the mission underscored both the agency’s commitment and the resilience of the local community.

“Serving this community has been one of the highlights of my 16-year career with the United States Army,” Ober said. “Getting to witness firsthand the strength and resiliency of each of you has been truly inspiring. I look forward to coming back in a few years to see this community rebuilt and prospering.”

Nineteen people died in the fire,

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

‘Something Can Be Done About This’: New Plan Aims To Stop Sex Abuse In California Schools

By Matt Drange, CALMATTERS

A beloved teacher arrested for soliciting a minor. A coach convicted of sexual abuse. A school district hit with a multi-million-dollar jury verdict for failing to protect students.

The steady drumbeat of stories in recent years about educator sexual abuse in K-12 school districts across California shows the scope of misconduct is much wider than previously known. Yet the stories only hint at how common sexual harassment and grooming behavior has become in schools, with the best available data from the U.S. Education Department suggesting that 1 in 10 children is targeted for grooming at some point in their K-12 education.

A new bill, which is poised to pass the Legislature in the coming days, would give local and state officials more tools to identify and combat sexual abuse, and educate students to better identify the most common signs of grooming behavior. Senate Bill 848, or “Safe Learning Environments Act,” was authored by Sen.

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Steadfast LA, Banc of California Award First Altadena Fire Recovery Grants

Three local businesses receive $125,000 as Altadena rebuilds after the January Eaton Fire

Steadfast LA and Banc of California awarded the first round of Altadena small-business recovery grants to three local fixtures hit hard by January’s Eaton Fire. The $125,000 in grants went to Webster’s Community Pharmacy, Fair Oaks Burger, and Altadena Cookie Co., providing direct financial support to sustain operations and keep these businesses rooted in the community.

“Meeting with and hearing stories from the Millers at Webster’s Pharmacy, the Lees at Fair Oaks Burger, and Jessica and Michelle with Altadena Cookie Co. was moving and underscored how ingrained they all are in the community,” said Rick Caruso, founder and chairman of Steadfast LA.

“I’m really proud that, through this initiative, they’ll have the resources to overcome the adversity they’ve faced since the fires and get back to doing what they do best: serving their customers and remaining part of the fabric of Altadena.”

Caruso and Banc of California Chairman and CEO Jared Wolff personally visited each business last Tuesday,