Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Record 21 Candidates Seek Altadena Town Council Seats in Post-Fire Election

Twenty-one candidates stepped forward Tuesday night to compete for seats on the Altadena Town Council in what officials called an unprecedented show of civic engagement, as the community continues rebuilding from the devastating Eaton Fire that destroyed homes across the foothill area in January.

The historic candidate forum featured emotional testimonies from fire survivors, business owners, educators and longtime residents — many who lost their homes — all pledging to guide Altadena’s recovery over the next two years. The turnout represents the largest field of candidates in the chair’s tenure on the council.

“I don’t think that certainly in my time on council that we’ve had this many candidates,” said the council chair Victoria Knapp, noting the remarkable response across multiple census tracts.

The candidates are competing for seats representing eight census tracts, with elections scheduled for early November. Many spoke of personal loss and their determination to rebuild not just structures, but community.

The Eaton Fire, which burned through Altadena on Jan.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Los Angeles County Launches AB 218 Fraud Reporting Website and Hotline

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger on Tuesday announced the launch of a dedicated website and hotline for reporting suspected fraud related to AB 218, providing residents with a centralized and accessible way to raise concerns.

The AB 218 Fraud Reporting website, available at fraud.lacounty.gov/AB218, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and supports multiple languages, ensuring all residents can report suspected fraud easily and safely. A companion hotline, (844) 901-0001, is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Calls placed outside of those hours are saved on a voicemail system, ensuring no report is missed.

“These tools give residents a clear and accessible way to report suspected fraud, helping protect our community and strengthen trust in government operations,” Barger said in a statement.

The new resources stem from a motion authored by Barger and unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors. The initiative is one of multiple anti-fraud measures put in place to safeguard taxpayer funds and ensure they are directed to legitimate victims.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

New Legislation to Help Altadena Fast-Track Post-Wildfire Recovery

Altadena leaders announced this week that new state legislation is expected to help the community to speed up disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts, aiming to restore homes and infrastructure damaged by recent wildfires while strengthening protections against post-disaster crime.

Senate Bill 782, authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, gives counties the authority to create disaster recovery financing districts that redirect local tax growth into fire-affected areas.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Monday the measure will allow Los Angeles County to quickly establish an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) for Altadena.

“We will be able to accelerate the building of Altadena’s infrastructure without having to bear long delays that come with the traditional EIFD process,” Barger said.

According to County Recovery Director Anish Saraiya, the EIFD could generate needed funds to restore more than $1 billion worth of public assets, including roads, bridges, sewer systems, and community facilities.

“Preserving every ounce of district capacity is incredibly important to help restore critical government services,” Saraiya said.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

At Caltech, New AI Model for Drug Design Brings More Physics to Bear in Predictions

By Kimm Fesenmaier, CALTECH

When machine learning is used to suggest new potential scientific insights or directions, algorithms sometimes offer solutions that are not physically sound. Take for example AlphaFold, the AI system that predicts the complex ways in which amino acid chains will fold into 3D protein structures. The system sometimes suggests “unphysical” folds—configurations that are implausible based on the laws of physics—especially when asked to predict the folds for chains that are significantly different from its training data. To limit this type of unphysical result in the realm of drug design, Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech, and her colleagues have introduced a new machine learning model called NucleusDiff, which incorporates a simple physical idea into its training, greatly improving the algorithm’s performance.

Anandkumar and her colleagues describe NucleusDiff in a paper that appears as part of a “Machine Learning in Chemistry” special feature published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Newsom Did What He Pledged To Do To Jump-Start Housing Production. Still No Progress

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Eight years ago, as he began his campaign for governor, Gavin Newsom described fixing the state’s chronic housing shortage as a moral imperative.

“This is a question of who we are,” Newsom wrote in 2017. “Housing is a fundamental human need — let’s not forget the human face behind the dire statistics.

“Housing instability can cause genuine mental and physical adversity,” he added, “and lead to insufferable decisions: no one should have to choose between paying rent or buying groceries. Knowing that too many Californians face this kind of anxiety breaks my heart.”

Newsom pledged that as governor he would lead the effort to develop 3.5 million new housing units by 2025, “because our solutions must be as bold as the problem is big.

“I realize building 3.5 million new housing units is an audacious goal,” Newsom continued, “but it’s achievable. There is no silver bullet to solve this crisis. We need to attack the problem on multiple fronts by generating more funding for affordable housing,

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Legal Aid Town Hall to Offer Free Support for Eaton Fire Survivors

The event will connect residents with pro bono legal experts offering help with recovery and rebuilding

Survivors of the Eaton Fire will have access to free legal assistance at a town hall hosted Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Eaton Fire Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Rd. in Altadena.

The Legal Aid Town Hall will connect residents impacted by the fire with pro bono legal experts offering help with contractor disputes, insurance and mortgage issues, tenants’ and homeowners’ rights, rebuilding guidance, and available legal remedies.

“This town hall represents more than just free legal help, it’s about restoring dignity and stability to those who have lost so much,” said Brandon Lamar, president of the Pasadena NAACP.

Partnering organizations include the NAACP Pasadena Branch, Bet Tzedek, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, Public Counsel, and Inner City Law Center. Together, they said they intend to ensure equitable access to justice and recovery resources.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Turkey Tussle in the Rose Bowl Draws Closer, PUSD Urges Fans to Buy Tickets Now

For longtime Pasadenans, the Turkey Tussle isn’t just a football game — it’s part of the city’s DNA.

The football and homecoming tradition between John Muir High School and Pasadena High School that celebrates sportsmanship, school spirit, and community is scheduled for October 31 at 7 p.m.

The cross-town rivalry between Muir and PHS dates back to 1947, when the Victory Bell first became the symbol of bragging rights. What started as a simple football matchup quickly turned into a defining fall tradition, uniting generations of Mustangs and Bulldogs under the Friday night lights.

Over the years, the Tussle has grown beyond the gridiron: it’s become a homecoming, a reunion, and a celebration of pride — played on the biggest local stage possible, the Rose Bowl itself.

Each October, the schools’ bands, alumni, cheer squads, and families fill the stadium with blue-and-gold and red-and-white, cheering for far more than a trophy — they’re cheering for neighborhoods, memories, and shared history.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Congresswoman Chu Warns of Soaring Health Premiums Amid Prolonged Government Shutdown

U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) on Monday warned constituents that the ongoing federal government shutdown could trigger steep health insurance premium hikes, particularly for older middle-income couples, if Republican lawmakers allow key Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire. Chu represents Pasadena and Altadena.

In an email addressed to “Neighbor,” Chu said the shutdown has entered its third week with no bipartisan agreement in sight. She accused Republican leaders of refusing to negotiate a deal that would both reopen the government and preserve ACA premium tax credits, which she said are critical to keeping health care affordable for millions of Americans.

Chu cited projections showing that a 60-year-old couple in her district earning $82,800 annually could see their monthly premiums spike nearly 300%, surpassing $2,000, if the credits lapse.

“Republicans already slashed Medicaid in their Big Ugly Law,” Chu wrote, referencing a GOP-backed legislative package. “Now, they want to let ACA premium tax credits expire, which will mean higher premiums for tens of millions of Americans.”

She added that families nationwide are receiving notices of impending premium increases and said she has heard from “countless constituents who rely on the ACA or Medicaid for their health coverage.” Chu invited residents to share their experiences by clicking a link included in the email and noted that an image or button was provided to facilitate responses.

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.