Monday, October 13, 2025

As County Takeover of Pasadena Schools Looms, Inglewood’s Journey Provides a Frightening and Cautionary Tale

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Pasadena Unified could lose control of the district to state overseers if the budget crisis persists

School board trustees were told last week that Pasadena Unified could lose control of the district as early as next year if it fails to convince Los Angeles County Office of Education officials by December that it can close a multi-year, $149.4 million budget gap.

Under state intervention, both the superintendent and the seven-member elected board would lose their decision-making authority.

“The decisions made in the upcoming months will define Pasadena Unified School District’s future,” said Octavio Castelo, Los Angeles County Office of Education’s director of business advisory services, who oversees the fiscal monitoring of all 80 districts in Los Angeles County.

Castelo warned trustees during a detailed presentation that the district’s finances have deteriorated to the point that a state takeover is a real possibility — a fate that befell Inglewood Unified School District in 2012.

Monday, October 13, 2025

Free Resource Fair Tuesday to Help Fire Victims Rebuild Homes

Southern California building industry professionals offer expertise on permits, materials and insurance

Fire victims in Southern California will have free access to building professionals and rebuilding resources at an event next week at the Paseo.

The Rebuild LA Resource Fair takes place Oct. 14 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at NOOR in Pasadena. The Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) is hosting the event.

Attendees can consult with contractors and trade professionals about home reconstruction. They can also get guidance on permits, insurance issues and zoning regulations.

The fair will feature information on fire-resistant building materials. Financial service providers and legal advisors will be available as well.

Housing advocates and nonprofit agencies will connect residents with additional community resources.

“Rebuilding our communities after a disaster takes collective effort and accessible support,” said Jeff Montejano, BIASC CEO. “This event is about restoring hope, rebuilding homes, and reconnecting communities.”

The association represents building professionals from Ventura to southern Orange County.

Monday, October 13, 2025

Early-Season Storm System Poised to Slam Southern California Monday Night Through Tuesday

A very early-season storm system is forecast to sweep across Southern California beginning Monday night, bringing the potential for heavy rainfall, embedded thunderstorms, and localized flooding, particularly in areas with recent burn scars, according to the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office.

The system is expected to peak between 10 p.m. Monday and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13–14, with rainfall totals ranging from 0.5 to 2 inches across coastal and valley areas, and up to 4 inches in the mountains and foothills. Rainfall duration is expected to span 6 to 8 hours. Forecasters warn of possible debris flows, shallow flooding, and traffic disruptions, especially in urban areas and along vulnerable slopes.

County-level peak rainfall timing and hourly rates include:

Los Angeles County peak rainfall from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday is expected at  0.15–0.50 inch/hr, with isolated rainfall of 0.80 inch/hr, especially in western portions

There is a 10% chance of isolated rain rates reaching 1 inch per hour,

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Altadena Residents Map Cultural Memory in Community-Led Exhibition

A community-built exhibition documenting Black cultural memory in Altadena opens Sunday at the Bob Lucas Memorial Library, offering residents a chance to mark places lost, remembered, and hoped for following the Eaton Fire. Constructed in two weeks by cityLAB-UCLA and fire-displaced residents, the cardboard installation uses participatory mapping to let locals—not institutions—decide what gets remembered after disaster.

The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 31, began as a healing circle at the April 12 Altadena Senior Summit and evolved into a living archive as residents returned repeatedly to share stories and mark locations tied to family, community, and everyday life. According to cityLAB-UCLA project records, collaboration with local partners began in January 2025, shortly after the fire.

Originally designed for a one-day presentation at the Eaton Fire Rebuild Senior Summit on Aug. 2, the physical exhibition was completed within two weeks. Attendees at the August event urged organizers to keep the display alive and requested that it travel to other community spaces. Many brainstormed additional venues and expressed a desire to continue contributing to the archive.

Sunday, October 12, 2025

New California Law Expands Newsom’s Mental Health Court. Will It Help More People?

By Jocelyn Wiener and Marisa Kendall, CALMATTERS

One of Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s marquee mental health programs may broaden its reach despite persistent questions about the number of people it’s helping and whether it’s achieving the goals he set out for it when it launched.

Newsom today signed a law that expands eligibility for CARE Court to include people who experience psychotic symptoms as a result of bipolar disorder. Under the law’s previous constraints, only people with schizophrenia and other limited psychotic disorders were eligible.

Newsom in a written statement called the law and its expansion an important part of his administration’s efforts to bring people with serious mental illness into treatment.

“California doesn’t sit on the sidelines while people fall through the cracks,” he said. “We don’t stand by while people spiral on our sidewalks or cycle through emergency rooms and jail cells — we step up. We built CARE Court to connect people to treatment,

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Gavin Newsom Signs Law Overhauling Local Zoning to Build More Housing

By Ben Christopher, CALMATTERS

Ever since the Legislature narrowly passed a bill last month that will pave the way for more apartment buildings around major public transit stops in the state’s biggest metro areas, the California political universe has been impatiently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto in a heated statewide game of “will he, won’t he.”

Today, he did.

Newsom’s sign-off on Senate Bill 79 means that apartment developers will soon be able to pack more homes into neighborhoods within half a mile of major rail, subway, and bus rapid transit stops, overriding local zoning restrictions and any possible objections of surrounding neighbors. Buildings immediately surrounding these transit hubs will be entitled to max out as high as nine stories, with those farther out topping out at roughly four.

“The world looks to California for leadership — it’s time to build modern, connected communities that fulfill California’s promise, meeting the needs of today and the next generation,” the governor wrote in a signing statement.

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Altadena’s Eaton Fire Survivors Gain New Recovery Tool Under SB 782

A new California law signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to accelerate rebuilding efforts in Altadena neighborhoods impacted by the Eaton Fire, granting local governments expanded authority to invest in disaster recovery and resilience.

Senate Bill 782, authored by State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez and sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, enables cities and counties to establish “disaster recovery financing districts.” These districts allow local agencies to reinvest tax revenue directly into fire-damaged communities, bypassing delays often associated with traditional state funding mechanisms.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for communities across California still healing from wildfires and other disasters,” Barger said in a statement. “With Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 782, that I was proud to sponsor, we now have a mechanism to rebuild with resilience, restore critical infrastructure, and revitalize neighborhoods hurt by catastrophe.”

The Eaton Fire, which scorched portions of Altadena and surrounding foothill areas, left behind extensive damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure.

Friday, October 10, 2025

County Confronts Digital Divide With First Equity Roadmap

Nearly six percent of Los Angeles County households still have no internet connection, despite broadband becoming as essential to daily life as electricity or running water. Now county officials are launching their first-ever comprehensive plan to change that.

The Digital Equity Roadmap, announced during Digital Inclusion Week, commits Los Angeles County to a three-year initiative ensuring all residents can access the internet, technology, digital skills, and support for daily life activities.

“The Digital Equity Roadmap is more than just a plan; it’s a commitment to dismantling the systemic barriers that keep our most vulnerable residents offline,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “By making this Roadmap a community-driven mandate, we are ensuring that every resident, regardless of their zip code, has the digital tools and skills necessary to access opportunity.”

The County has made significant progress in recent years. Households without internet subscriptions dropped from 11.7 percent to 5.8 percent, while those without computers fell from 5.5 percent to 2.9 percent. But officials acknowledge that sustainable funding will be needed to scale digital inclusion programs across the region.

Friday, October 10, 2025

Newsom Signs Sweeping Housing Bill

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Despite objections from Los Angeles city leaders who deemed it an infringement on local development control, Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday signed state legislation allowing more rapid — and more dense — housing projects near major public transit stops.

Senate Bill 79, introduced earlier this year by Sen. Scott Wiener, D- San Francisco, overrides local zoning standards, allowing taller and more dense housing near specific transit stops in eight counties across the state — Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Clara, Alameda, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Mateo.

The bill was originally intended to be enacted statewide, but it was narrowed through a series of amendments as it wound through the Legislature, limiting it to the eight counties and applying only to major transit stops — such as subway and light rail stations and heavily used stops on major bus lines.

“All Californians deserve an affordable place to live — close to jobs, schools, and opportunity,” Newsom said in a statement announcing his decision to sign the bill.

Friday, October 10, 2025

Millions to Practice ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ in Global Earthquake Drill

Altadena Sheriff’s Station promotes International ShakeOut Day as registration tops 51 million

More than 51 million people worldwide have registered to participate in earthquake safety drills on Oct. 16, said Shakeout.org, the organizers.

The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills will take place at 10:16 a.m. local time. Participants include schools, workplaces and homes across earthquake-prone regions.

In California alone, more than 9.5 million people have signed up for the drills. Registration figures are current as of Thursday.

International ShakeOut Day allows people to rehearse earthquake response procedures. The drills can be conducted at any time and in multiple locations through video conferencing.

Organizers said the event provides an opportunity to update emergency plans. Participants can also check supplies and secure their spaces to prevent damage and injuries.

To register to join, visit ShakeOut.org.