Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Altadena Students to Host Free Festival Showcasing Music, Dance and More

Students continue performing despite campus relocation following Eaton Fire

Eliot Arts Magnet will host “Fauxchella,” a free festival showcasing student performances, on Saturday, May 17, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Blair Amphitheater, despite serious damage to their campus from the Eaton Fire.

The event will feature music from the school’s Rock Band, Choir, Orchestra, Concert Band, Mariachi, Dance program and a performance by the cast of “Shrek Jr., the Musical.”

Eliot Arts students have continued their arts education while relocated to the McKinley campus following the fire.

“We know that maintaining traditions is important at a time like this. Fauxchella creates an opportunity for our students to share their music, art and performance with the community. We can all have some food, listen to some music and enjoy performances from our students! It’s an amazing event and we welcome everyone who can attend!” — Armenui “Amy” Manasarian, Magnet Coordinator at Eliot Arts.

Fauxchella will include free activities such as face painting,

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Fifth Grade Teacher Martin Dorado Named Pasadena Unified Teacher Of The Year

Popular and deserving educator at Madison Elementary recognized during National Teacher Appreciation Week

Martin Dorado, a fifth-grade teacher at Madison Elementary School, has been named Pasadena Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year. The announcement comes as schools across the nation celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week from May 5-9, 2025.

“I was a product of PSD schools. I went to Allen Elementary, Wilson Middle School in Blair High School. And so my motivation comes from the spirit of public education,” said Dorado. “I think education’s a human right. I think that no matter what state students come in, they’re ever welcoming our classroom walls. I like to embody that spirit when the kids come to the classroom. That sense of community.”

Dorado, who has worked in Pasadena Unified School District since 2009, is a proud alumnus of Pasadena Unified School District schools. His recognition follows previous honors he earned, including a Helpful Honda Teacher Appreciation Award last year and being named a Grand Marshal of the 2024 Pasadena Latino Heritage Parade.

Monday, May 5, 2025

L.A. Fire Survivors Accuse State Farm of Delaying Claims. Should it get OK for a Rate Hike?

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

Rossana Valverde’s Pasadena home of 35 years is still standing after Los Angeles County’s devastating January fires — but more than 100 days later, she and her husband still can’t move back in.

That’s because they’re waiting for their insurer, State Farm, to approve and process their claims.

“We were lucky our house made it through,” Valverde said. “At first we thought unscathed. But it definitely still smells like smoke. The windowsills have a thick layer of black ash and soot.”

After getting their home tested for toxins, they discovered it contains high levels of arsenic, lead and nickel. The cleaning, repair and replacement costs for their hardwood floors, carpet, appliances and more total upwards of $300,000, per some written estimates she shared with CalMatters as well as her own estimates of costs to replace things like their bed and upholstered furniture.

So far, she and her husband have received about $40,000 from State Farm but are having trouble getting the insurance company’s adjuster to respond promptly to their requests for more.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Guest Essay | Tina Fredericks: Pasadena USD Board Members Team Up with Hundreds of California School Board Members on Capitol Hill to Protect K-12 Public Education

A delegation of California school board members arrived in Washington D.C. early this week to urge Congress to protect and strengthen K-12 public education, in spite of recent efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. As the only elected officials representing children, school board members are fighting for nearly 6 million K-12 students in the nation’s most populous state.

Considered the great equalizer, public education is a non-partisan issue. California public school districts serve a variety of school districts, from urban to rural, small and large, serving children from diverse communities with a host of political leanings.

On its fourth annual Washington D.C. legislative visit, California School Boards Association (CSBA) and Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) broke its record by turning out 312 California School board members and administrators.  Three Pasadena USD Board members, Tina Fredericks, Scott Harden and Patrice Marshall-McKenzie joined the California delegation. Trustee Fredericks states, “We believe receiving a quality public education is a human right. It’s deeply unAmerican to dismantle this most American of institutions.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Guest Opinion | Chloe Oliveras: AmeriCorps Members Stepped Up for Southern California — It’s Time to Do the Same for Them

By CHLOE OLIVERAS

When wildfires tore through Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Altadena, the damage was swift and unforgiving. Families were displaced. Homes were lost. Schools were shuttered. But amid the smoke and devastation, AmeriCorps members stepped in.

As a former AmeriCorps member and now the Executive Director of Reading Partners Los Angeles, I witnessed firsthand how these service members, in partnership with California Volunteers, mobilized to distribute essential supplies to those affected by the fires. Their work was so impactful that Governor Gavin Newsom visited to personally thank them, honoring their resilience, their compassion, and their commitment to the communities they serve.

Last week, the grants to support these AmeriCorps members were abruptly terminated in Los Angeles and other California communities. It created a ripple effect of damage that now touches not just these service members, but the thousands of students, families, and disaster victims who relied on them.

In Southern California, 28 AmeriCorps members working with Reading Partners are directly affected.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Judge Convenes Case Management Conference in Deadly Eaton Fire Lawsuits Against Edison

Plaintiffs allege utility’s equipment ignited blaze that killed 17, destroyed 9,400 structures

A case management conference is scheduled Tuesday for numerous lawsuits accusing Southern California Edison of responsibility for the devastating January 7, 2025, Eaton Fire that killed 18 people and destroyed approximately 9,400 structures.

The hearing, set for 10 a.m. in Department 17 of the Spring Street Courthouse, will address multiple legal actions filed initially by Jeremy Gursey and joined by hundreds of other plaintiffs who lost their homes in the Altadena blaze.

Plaintiffs contend the wildfire ignited beneath an Southern California Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon and rapidly spread through neighboring communities amid wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph.

More than 40 lawsuits representing over 600 residents, along with government entities including Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and the Pasadena Unified School District, have been filed against the utility.

The lawsuits allege Southern California Edison failed to de-energize its electrical equipment despite repeated National Weather Service warnings about extreme fire danger and high winds.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Warming Trend on Tap for Southern California Later This Week

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Light to moderate drizzle could linger Monday in parts of the West San Gabriel Valley before temperatures begin warming up later this week, forecasters said.

“An unsettled weather pattern will continue into Monday with the possibility of isolated to scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms developing each afternoon and evening,” according to the National Weather Service.

Lowest maximum temperature records were set Sunday in Orange County.

The low in Anaheim was 62, breaking the record of 66 set in 1999. The low in Newport Beach was 59, tying the record set in 1964.

Forecasters said the threat for significant flooding or debris flows is extremely small, with most areas to see 0.10 of an inch of rain or less. Mountain areas could see 0.10 to 0.50 inches.

Snow levels were expected to stay above 6,000 feet.

Most highs were expected to remain in the 60s through Tuesday. Dry weather and a gradual warming trend was expected to begin after that,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, But will AI Make California More Efficient?

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Gov. Gavin Newsom staged a news conference in Los Angeles this week to tout the adoption of artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of state government.

That’s pretty dull stuff, so Newsom goosed its news value by contrasting California’s AI program with President Donald Trump’s slashes of federal services via his Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Newsom’s erstwhile pal, industrialist and inventor Elon Musk.

“I could have easily come in here with sunglasses and chainsaws — you know where I’m going — and gotten your attention,” Newsom told reporters. “We’re DOGE but better.”

He took another potshot at Trump and Musk, saying, “They haven’t come close to the savings they’ve asserted. I think it’s been very damaging.”

Newsom’s remarks on Trump, Musk and DOGE represent his latest political repositioning, from a harsh critic after Trump recaptured the White House, to making nice with Trump as the state sought $40 billion in wildfire recovery grants,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Golf Advocates Donate $30,000 to Pasadena-Area Youth Programs

Golf organization partners with Boys & Girls Club and First Tee to support community recovery following January wildfires

The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Foundation has donated $30,400 to support fire relief efforts in Altadena following January’s devastating wildfires that struck the community. The donation, announced during an event held at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena on Thursday, May 1, will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena and First Tee – Greater Pasadena.

“This donation reflects the APGA’s commitment to using golf as a platform for change,” said Ken Bentley, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Co-Founder of the APGA. “Our hearts go out to the families impacted by the Altadena fires, and we’re proud to stand with these outstanding youth organizations that are making a difference.”

The donation originated from $9,300 raised through birdies and eagles made during the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational in January. Matching contributions from Farmers Insurance and Bentley, along with additional support,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Resilience and Unity Take Center Stage at Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast

By EDDIE RIVERA

Against a backdrop of shared loss and collective strength, hundreds filled a ballroom Thursday morning at the Pasadena Convention Center for the 52nd annual Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast, hosted by Friends In Deed.

The event, marked by heartfelt prayers, community tributes, and stories of resilience, reflected the deep emotional toll and inspiring response to January’s Eaton Fire, which devastated communities in Pasadena and Altadena.

“Flowers help people bloom,” said Rabbi Joshua Grater, executive director of Friends In Deed, in his opening remarks. He shared the story of how donated flowers from Trader Joe’s, arranged by unhoused women at the nonprofit’s Women’s Room, sparked healing and connection. “Some of these women hadn’t spoken in weeks — and yet through the simple act of arranging flowers, they found community again.”

The Interfaith Breakfast, which drew civic leaders, clergy, first responders, and community members, like many recent events, focused on the theme of resilience — spiritual, emotional, and structural — in the wake of the wildfire that displaced thousands.