Thursday, January 15, 2026

Congresswoman Chu Pushes EPA for Remediation Commitment, as Federal Soil Testing Begins in Altadena

FEMA reverses year-long refusal to fund testing, but agency says cleanup coverage remains ‘unlikely’ if contamination exceeds standards

One year after the Eaton Fire tore through this foothill community and destroyed more than 9,400 structures, the federal government will begin testing soil at 100 properties next week for lead contamination.

Rep. Judy Chu met this week with EPA Region 9 Acting Administrator Mike Martucci to discuss the newly approved testing program, funded by FEMA after the agency spent months refusing to pay for post-cleanup soil sampling. Chu said she welcomed the reversal but pushed Martucci on a question that has unsettled thousands of property owners considering whether to rebuild: If the testing finds hazardous lead levels, who pays to clean it up?

The answer, EPA officials told her, was “unlikely” to be the federal government.

“While significant progress has been made in our fire recovery, I was dismayed that FEMA and the EPA still refuse to commit to covering remediation if hazardous lead levels are found,”

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Teen Dating Violence Affects 1 in 10 Young People; L.A. County Launches Prevention Push After Azusa Tragedy

Roughly one in 12 adolescents nationwide experience physical dating violence, and one in 10 experience sexual dating violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—statistics that Los Angeles County supervisors cited Tuesday in proclaiming February 2026 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.

The proclamation, approved by the Board of Supervisors, follows a December 2024 tragedy in Azusa in which a teenager was killed by her ex-boyfriend just days before Christmas. That case prompted Board Chair Hilda L. Solis to direct the County to explore opportunities to expand support for victims of domestic and intimate partner violence.

“Every young person deserves to feel safe in their relationships and to know there is help when challenges arise,” said Solis, Chair and First District Supervisor, who co-authored the motion with Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “This proclamation reaffirms our dedication to providing youth with the resources, education, and support they need to recognize and prevent abuse.”

“Teen dating violence is far more common than most people realize,

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Buckle Up: President’s Mortgage Plan Tests a Fragile 2026 Economy

By EDDIE RIVERA

End-of-year snapshot suggested resilience, but not momentum, before policy curveball

As 2025 wound down, the U.S. economy managed an uneasy balancing act: solid enough to inspire confidence, but soft enough to keep anxiety simmering just below the surface. Holiday spending rose moderately, powered by e-commerce growth, along with rising consumer debt and the risk of a spending pullback in early 2026. Hiring was positive but weak, wages nudged higher, and unemployment dipped slightly—an end-of-year snapshot that suggested resilience, but not momentum. 

Then came the policy curveball. 

President Trump announced he would direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds, arguing the move would “drive mortgage rates down, monthly payments down, and make homeownership more affordable.” On its face, the pitch is politically potent: a promise of cheaper monthly payments at a moment when homeownership remains out of reach for many. 

But economists widely criticized the plan,

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Court Deadline Friday Forces Edison to Name Additional Defendants, Or Proceed Alone in Eaton Fire Case

One year after the Eaton Fire, tomorrow’s court deadline marks a turning point in the fight for accountability

Friday, January 16, is the last day Southern California Edison can name additional defendants in the sprawling litigation over the Eaton Fire—a deadline that forces the utility to finalize a legal strategy that will likely shape how thousands of survivors are compensated for one of California’s deadliest wildfires.

Eaton Fire survivors face a consequential choice. Edison’s compensation program offers expedited payments—reportedly, 82 claims paid so far out of more than 1,800 submitted—but accepting means forfeiting their right to sue.

The January 16 deadline, set by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura Seigle, will likely prevent Edison from lengthening the time frame for the case by adding cross-defendants later.

The utility has been pursuing what plaintiffs’ attorneys call a “spread theory”—an effort to identify other entities that may share responsibility for the disaster.

“If history is any indication, the trial date will push Edison to come to the table,”

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Looking Back: A Forum About What Altadena Lost

The Altadena Community Center survived the Eaton Fire. The town around it did not.

Eight days after the one-year anniversary of the blaze that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures, the Altadena Historical Society will use the same community center where its archives are housed to host a public examination of what burned and what remains. The program, titled “Altadena After the Fire: What is Lost and What Remains,” is free and open to the public.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, January 15, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Historical Society’s contact number is 626-797-8016.

The fire that swept through Altadena on January 7 erased landmarks that had defined the community for generations. The Andrew McNally House, an 1887 mansion built for the Rand McNally map company co-founder, burned. So did the Zane Grey Estate, the Little Red Hen Coffee Shop—the oldest Black-owned business in Altadena since 1972—and St.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Nonprofit Offers Free Tree Watering to Fire Survivors in Altadena

Amigos de Los Rios, which lost its own headquarters in the Eaton Fire, helps property owners keep surviving trees alive

The trees that survived the Eaton Fire still need help. Now they can get it for free.

Altadena-based nonprofit Amigos de Los Rios is offering free tree-watering assistance to property owners in Altadena whose properties were affected by fire.

The organization estimates Altadena lost roughly half its tree canopy in the disaster — approximately 14,000 trees in the fire itself, plus thousands more during debris clearance. For the trees that remain, many on lots where homes no longer stand, water is the difference between survival and another loss.

“We understand exactly how important trees are to our community, and we want to help you,” the organization said in its announcement.

Participation is simple. Property owners complete an online form authorizing a trained team to visit and water their trees. The sign-up is available at linktr.ee/amigos_rios.

The organization knows the fire’s toll firsthand.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

LA Regional Homeless Count to Begin Next Week

CITY NEWS SERVICE

With less than a week away before the annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, officials are seeking more volunteers to help with the three-day operation, which they say will be made smoother due to several improvements.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority will conduct its point-in- time count Jan. 20-22. While the agency has nearly 3,000 volunteers registered so far, the goal is to have about 4,200 volunteers. Anyone who is interested in volunteering can sign up at theycountwillyou.org.

Pasadena conducts its own homeless count, set for January 21–22. It stopped signing up volunteers on Jan. 6.

The Los Angeles count will begin Tuesday in the San Fernando Valley and the metro Los Angeles area. Volunteers in the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles will count on Wednesday. Finally, the count will wrap up Thursday in the Antelope Valley, West and South Los Angeles, and the South Bay/Harbor region.

The count allows local governments to satisfy the Housing and Urban Development Department’s regulations.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

A Pasadena Pulpit for Justice: Fuller Seminary’s MLK Commemoration Invites Elders to Tell Their Stories

STAFF REPORT

Community voices take center stage as the Pannell Center hosts two-day event exploring narratives of justice in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire

The Wednesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a Pasadena seminary will turn its chapel over to a different kind of sermon: the stories of community elders who have spent decades pursuing justice in the neighborhoods where they live.

Fuller Theological Seminary’s William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies, in partnership with the Center for Restorative Justice, will host its 2026 MLK Commemoration on January 21-22. The two-day event, titled “Narratives of Justice,” opens with a chapel service on Wednesday, January 21, at 10 a.m. in Travis Auditorium, where Dr. Phil Allen will deliver the keynote address.

Allen, a Pannell Center Fellow and PhD candidate in Christian Ethics at Fuller, researches the intersection of theology, ethics, race, and culture, with a particular focus on the theology and ethics of Martin Luther King Jr.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Senator Pérez to Keynote King Day Celebration at John Muir High School

The annual Pasadena event honoring Dr. King carries a theme of resilience one year after the Eaton Fire

A gathering on Monday, January 19 will honor a legacy built on nonviolence, equality, and hope.

The Pasadena Martin Luther King Jr. Community Coalition will host its 2026 King Day Celebration on Monday, January 19, at John Muir High School Auditorium.

This year’s theme is “Resilience and Renewal: Social Justice, Equality, and Community Empowerment”—words that carry particular weight in a region still rebuilding.

The free event, which begins with a teach-in at 8:30 a.m. followed by the main program at 10:00 a.m., will feature California Senator Sasha Renée Pérez as keynote speaker.

Pérez represents Senate District 25, which includes Pasadena, Altadena. At 32, she is the youngest state senator currently serving in California and the second youngest woman in the state’s history to hold the position.

The celebration continues a tradition stretching back more than three decades. The Coalition was founded by Drs.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

LA County Approves $4 Million for Teen Centers in Altadena, Three Other Communities

Loma Alta Park facility expected by August; three other northern LA County parks to receive centers

Los Angeles County will invest more than $4 million to build teen centers at four parks across its northern communities, with the most detailed plans targeting Loma Alta Park in fire-recovering Altadena.

The Board of Supervisors approved the funding Tuesday for what county officials call “Our SPOT and Well-Being” teen centers—dedicated spaces where teenagers can gather, socialize, and connect. The Altadena facility will feature accessible walking paths, seating areas, shade structures, lighting, landscaping, and recreational elements designed specifically for teens ages 12 to 18. Construction is expected to finish by August.

For Altadena, the teen center represents another piece of rebuilt community infrastructure following the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,000 structures. Loma Alta Park itself survived the fire with no buildings burned and reopened last May as what county officials termed a “super park”—expanding beyond traditional recreation to include mental health services,