Friday, December 5, 2025

Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane to Relight Saturday Following Eaton Fire

CITY NEWS SERVICE with PASADENA NOW

Altadena’s historic Christmas Tree Lane will glow again Saturday, a hopeful milestone in the community’s recovery from the Eaton Fire and the first lighting of the display since the disaster.

Widely regarded as the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor holiday lighting display, the tradition dates to 1920 and relies entirely on volunteers who spend months stringing lights with ropes and pulleys.

“It’s 105-year-old tradition now, and that means that for over a century, people have come out and volunteered their time to carry this tradition on,” said Scott Wardlaw, president of Christmas Tree Lane Association. “So it’s clearly well loved.”

Starting Saturday, more than 20,000 lights will flicker back on along the trees lining nearly a mile of Santa Rosa Avenue, near the fire’s burn scar.

For much of its 105-year run, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane has gone dark only in moments of true crisis — during World War II and amid the 1970s energy crisis.

Friday, December 5, 2025

Weak CA Job Market Likely to Continue, Researchers Say

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

California, whose unemployment rate has been at 5% and above for the past couple of years, is likely to see a weak job market through at least early next year, according to the winter UCLA Anderson forecast published this week.

Authors of the longtime economic forecast cited continued uncertainty around tariffs, deportations and federal funding as factors.

Based on year-over-year data through August, the economists said weak or declining jobs growth affected construction, nondurable goods manufacturing, retail, and leisure and hospitality. Business services jobs, which include professionals in the tech industry, lawyers, accountants and architects, fell in the following major regions: Silicon Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento and the Delta, San Diego and the Inland Empire.

The sectors that showed job growth in the past year — state and local government, education, health care and social services, and farms — could shrink in 2026 because of budget constraints, federal funding cuts or deportations, the economists said.

Friday, December 5, 2025

First West Altadena Home to Be Rebuilt After Eaton Fire Will Receive County Approval Today

Los Angeles County officials will today issue the first certificate of occupancy for a rebuilt home in West Altadena following the devastating Eaton Fire, marking a milestone in the community’s recovery.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger is scheduled to commemorate the occasion at the Grandeur Avenue property of John Dyson, a lifelong West Altadena resident whose family has lived on the site for 48 years. Dyson helped build the original home with his father, a legacy that will be renewed through the reconstruction.

The rebuilt residence — a 1,470-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath single-family home — will also include a newly constructed Accessory Dwelling Unit to support multigenerational living. According to Supervisor Barger’s office, the project represents meaningful progress toward restoring family stability and helping residents return home after the wildfire’s destruction.

Joining Barger at the event will be the Dyson family — John, Darlina, and Deborah Dyson — along with Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works, and Amy J. Bodek, director of the Department of Regional Planning.

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Altadena Poets Laureate to Host “A Wall Is Just a Wall” Reading and Open Mic

Co-laureates Sarwar and Lennon create space for healing after Eaton Fire displacement

When Lester Graves Lennon was reportedly displaced from his Altadena home of more than 30 years by the January Eaton Fire, the losses extended far beyond physical devastation. He reflected on the emotional toll of loss and displacement.

This December, Lennon and co-laureate Sehba Sarwar are channeling that grief into healing through poetry. The Altadena Poets Laureate will host “A Wall Is Just a Wall + Open Mic,” an event drawing inspiration from Assata Shakur’s poem “Affirmation,” which declares “a wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken down.”

The reading and open mic format offers Altadena residents a collective space to process the injustice, grief, and resilience following the devastating fires. Lennon, poetry editor for Rosebud magazine, and Sarwar, who founded Voices Breaking Boundaries, were honored with a 2025 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship specifically for their project “After the Fires: Healing from Histories.”

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez Supports State Database Reporting ‘Illegal Activity’ by ICE

Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have launched a database to report “illegal activity“ by ICE. On Wednesday, Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, issued a statement supporting the initiative.

“California is taking action to hold ICE accountable by tracking reports of misconduct and illegal activity by agents. This new database launched by the Governor and Attorney General will provide accountability by giving the public a way to file a complaint,” Pérez said.

“I have heard from so many community members who have witnessed aggressive and potentially illegal actions by ICE agents or people posing as immigration enforcement agents,” she said.

“That’s why I authored SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act, to help community members distinguish between law enforcement and people impersonating them by requiring law enforcement to display clear identification. This new state database can be an important tool for enforcing the No Vigilantes Act. California must be able to trust that law enforcement officials are actually who they claim to be and not imposters breaking the law to prey on innocent people.”

SB 805 was signed into law on September 20 and took effect immediately due to an urgency clause.

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Altadena Candle Light Vigil Memorial Plans Confirmed for Jan. 7, 2026

A memorial event marking the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire has been confirmed for Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at 6 p.m., according to the Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association.

The event, formally titled the “Altadena Candle Light Vigil,“ is being organized by the Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association in partnership with community groups, so far including Intentional Talk Radio, Connect 2 Rise, and Kinfolks Helping Hands. These are local civic, media, and nonprofit organizations.

The vigil is intended as a solemn remembrance of the fire that began Jan. 7, 2025, claiming the lives of 19 civilians and destroying more than 9,400 homes and other structures. Organizers describe the gathering as a “first anniversary reflection event” to honor victims, support survivors, and provide space for community-wide reflection.

Planning at this stage suggests the observance will be community-wide across Altadena. Release of additional logistical details is expected soon.

While some community posts have urged residents to stand in front of their homes with battery-operated candles,

Thursday, December 4, 2025

USC Report: SoCal Rents Expected to Keep Rising Over Next 2 Years

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A lingering housing shortage will continue to fuel rent increases for the next two years across Southern California, according to an annual USC study released Wednesday.

According to the Casden Real Estate Economics Forecast released by the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, vacancy rates remain low at Southern California rental properties, hovering around 5% in Los Angeles County and 4% in Orange County.

The forecast noted that rent rose by just 0.5% in Los Angeles County this year, settling at an average of $2,336 as of October, according to the report. The vacancy rate was listed at 5.37% as of October. The report’s authors predicted that the average rent will rise by 0.64% over the each of the next two years, reaching an average of $2,350 by October 2027.

In Orange County, the average rent as of October was $2,776, with a vacancy rate of 3.84%. The report forecast annual rent growth of 2.52% in the county,

Thursday, December 4, 2025

LA County Commission to Release Annual Hate Crime Report Thursday

In 2023, reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County rose to their highest levels on record in 43 years, increasing by 45% compared to 2022 — and Thursday, county officials are set to release an analysis of data for 2024.

The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission on Thursday will discuss the findings of its 2024 Report on Hate Crime in Los Angeles County. The information is collected from more than 100 law-enforcement agencies, school districts, colleges and universities, and community-based organizations throughout the region.

The report provides an analysis of crime data for 2024 based on race, sexual orientation, religion, gender and disability.

Ahead of Thursday’s announcement, county officials noted that hate crimes documented in 2024 remained high, with record-high crimes targeting Black residents, Israelis, Jewish people, Latino/as, LGBTQ+ individuals, Middle Easterners, Muslims, Scientologists and women.

More specific analyses and breakdowns are expected Thursday.

Helen Chin and Robin Toma, president and executive director of the commission, respectively,

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Survey: Californians Less Concerned About Homelessness

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

There are still people living on streets and sidewalks throughout the state, but Californians are starting to care a little less about the issue of homelessness, according to a recent survey.

Only 37% of Californians asked in October said they were “very concerned” about homelessness — down from 58% in 2019. Another 41% of Californians surveyed this year said they were “somewhat concerned.” That’s according to a survey of 1,707 people by the Public Policy Institute of California.

And while 20% of Californians said homelessness was the state’s top issue in 2020, just 6% said so this year. The drop was most notable in the Bay Area, where 28% of residents said they were very concerned about homelessness, compared to 63% in 2019.

Even so, most Californians still regularly see evidence of the homelessness crisis in their communities. More than half said they cross paths with an unhoused individual every day,

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Altadena Vistas Apartments, Homeless Services Funding Lead County Supervisors’ Dec. 9 Agenda

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday, Dec. 9, with a wide-ranging agenda that includes major housing appropriations, juvenile justice reforms, and local funding for Altadena Vistas Apartments. Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, is scheduled to participate in several items.

The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles. It will be televised Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 11 p.m. on KLCS. Supporting documents are available at the Executive Office and online at bos.lacounty.gov. Accessibility services, including ASL interpreters, Braille, and translation, are available upon request.

On the Los Angeles County Development Authority agenda, supervisors will consider authorizing up to $4.37 million in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds for remediation and renovations at Altadena Vistas Apartments. The complex was damaged in the Eaton Fire, and the action would allow the Authority to execute loan documents and subordinate financing to support repairs.

Supervisors will vote on appropriation adjustments transferring more than $1.35 billion into the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing.