Thursday, October 9, 2025

UCLA Analysis Finds Altadena Faces Uneven Wildfire Recovery as Black, Latino, and AAPI Homeowners Struggle to Rebuild

UCLA

Analysis shows that nearly 7 in 10 severely fire-damaged homes show no progress toward rebuilding, with Black and Asian homeowners most likely to remain stalled.

Nine months after the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena, a new factsheet by UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) and the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK) highlights troubling racial and ethnic disparities in how homeowners are recovering. The analysis shows that while only a small number of families have sold or listed their homes, nearly 7 in 10 severely fire-damaged homes show no progress toward rebuilding, and investors have purchased two-thirds of the homes that have changed hands, raising concerns about displacement and affordability.

The factsheet, authored by Gabriella Carmona, Paul Ong, Xalma Palomino, Vinit Mukhija, and Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, shows that nearly six in ten Black-owned homes suffered severe damage — the highest rate of any group.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

It’s Magical! Magic Johnson Named 2026 Rose Parade Grand Marshal

Basketball icon and civic leader Earvin “Magic” Johnson was named Grand Marshal of the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade, Tournament of Roses President Mark Leavens announced Wednesday morning during a ceremony on the front steps of Tournament House.

Johnson will lead the 137th Rose Parade presented by Honda and participate in the pre-game celebration for the 112th Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, both scheduled for Jan. 1, 2026. This year’s parade theme, “The Magic in Teamwork,” echoes Johnson’s legacy on and off the court.

“Who would ever think I would be the Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade?” Johnson said. “As a kid growing up in Lansing, Michigan, this was a thrill of a lifetime just to wake up and watch the parade. I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d be the one waving from that car.”

Leavens praised Johnson’s decades of philanthropic and entrepreneurial leadership, citing his foundation’s support for more than 375 college-bound students and his $100 million commitment to minority and women-owned businesses during the pandemic.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Federal Government Shutdown Could Start to Have Local Effects, Councilmembers Are Told

Pasadena officials were alerted Tuesday that the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 could soon disrupt key safety-net programs for local families — including Section 8 housing vouchers, WIC nutrition benefits and Head Start preschool services — if the impasse in Washington stretches into upcoming monthly payment cycles.

The briefing came before the City Council’s Legislative Policy Committee, chaired by Councilmember Steve Madison. Chris Giglio, the city’s federal advocate, described an uneven “partial government shutdown” in which agencies are applying their own “essential” staffing rules.

Giglio said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is down about 7% of its workforce while roughly 90% of the Environmental Protection Agency’s staff has been furloughed. He added that while the U.S. Postal Service continues operating and many national parks remain open on fee revenue, they are doing so with skeleton staffing.

For Pasadena, the earliest local impacts would likely surface after several weeks, as monthly federal reimbursements come due. Section 8 payments to landlords, monthly WIC benefits and Head Start draws are all paid on monthly cycles;

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Barger Motion Unanimously Approved to Launch Investigation into Alleged Fraud in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

The motion aims to protect survivors and taxpayers while preserving the integrity of the claims process

On Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Chair Kathryn Barger to investigate allegations of fraud tied to civil claims filed under AB 218, a California law that extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits.

Barger represents Altadena and Pasadena on the Board of Supervisors.

Thousands of AB 218 claims have been filed against the County, many involving individuals formerly in its probation and foster care systems. The first round of settlements—covering approximately 11,000 plaintiffs—will cost $4 billion, with $1.5 billion allocated to attorneys’ fees. This marks the largest financial settlement in County history, with additional claims still pending.

Barger’s motion directs County Counsel to immediately investigate misconduct allegations, consider referrals to the California State Bar, strengthen oversight of settlement agreements, and establish a fraud hotline for reporting unethical behavior. County Counsel is expected to report back within 14 days with updates on the claims review process and hotline implementation.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

135 Years of Grand Marshals: How the Rose Parade’s Honorary Leader Reflects Pasadena—and the Country

Editor’s note: The 2026 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal on the front steps of Tournament House at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday.

A few hours before the Tournament of Roses names the Grand Marshal for the 137th Rose Parade, it’s worth pausing on the history wrapped up in that one seat at the front of America’s New Year celebration. Over 135 parades, the Grand Marshal has been a local physician and a U.S. president, a rocket scientist and a Muppet, a champion for equality and a champion of the Dodgers’ airwaves. The role is ceremonial, but it has always doubled as a yearbook snapshot of what Pasadena—and, often, the nation—chooses to honor.

Who was first?

The title begins with a doctor. In 1890, the inaugural Grand Marshal was Dr. Francis F. Rowland, chosen in the same year Valley Hunt Club members, led by naturalist Charles F. Holder, launched a winter parade to show off Southern California’s bloom to a snow-bound nation. Rowland went on to serve multiple times and still holds the record with seven turns as Grand Marshal.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Eaton Collaboratory Opens in Historic Altadena Site

By EDDIE RIVERA

“We will not stop until everybody gets back home.”

In a building where NASA once monitored spacecraft hurtling through the solar system, community leaders on Friday launched a very different kind of mission — one rooted not in the stars, but in survival.

The Eaton Collaboratory, housed in the former Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mission Control Center that decades ago helped send Voyager into the cosmos, opened its doors this week as the permanent home of the Eaton Fire Collective — a coalition of more than 200 nonprofits, government agencies, and community partners formed in the ashes of January’s devastating Eaton Fire.

“This is the grand opening of the Collaboratory,” said Jill Hawkins, one of several early founders of the Collaborative, gesturing across the expansive warehouse now filled with new chairs and desks, shelves filled with donations, and community offices, all of which were donated.

“This was JPL before us, and this is where they launched the Voyager from Mission Control.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

County Supervisors to Consider Local Emergency Proclamation Due to Immigration Raids

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to prepare a proclamation declaring a local state of emergency in response to ongoing federal immigration enforcement raids that critics say are preventing people from going to work and forcing some businesses to close.

County staff are expected to return to the board next week with the proposed emergency proclamation. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced the motion calling for the drafting of the emergency proclamation in response to a report presented to the board by county attorneys on options for possibly enacting an eviction moratorium or other protections for people impacted by the raids.

The Los Angeles Tenants Union advocacy group has been pushing the board for weeks to enact such a moratorium, saying the raids are creating enough fear to prevent people from going to work, or prompting businesses to temporarily close, leaving their employees unable to work.

The county attorney report presented to the board Tuesday noted that an eviction moratorium could be enacted during a declared local emergency,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

LA County Delays Proposed Increases in Marriage License, Ceremony Fees

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Proposed increases in the costs of Los Angeles County marriage licenses, civil wedding ceremonies and witness services were put on hold Tuesday, with the matter being referred back to the county clerk’s office for further review.

The county Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 gave preliminary approval to the price increases, and it was scheduled to give final approval to the ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting. The vote was delayed, however, with the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office asking that the matter be referred back to the department for additional discussion.

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan had proposed the increases, saying in an earlier letter to the board that the county has not substantially changed its marriage license fees since 2009, although the state added $1 to the cost in 2014. Ceremony and witness fees have not changed since 2015.

Logan argued the current fees “no longer reflect the actual costs to the RR/CC to perform these services and do not take into account inflationary factors or mandated minimum wage increases.”

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Barger Motion Unanimously Approved to Launch Investigation into Alleged Fraud in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

On Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Chair Kathryn Barger to investigate allegations of fraud tied to civil claims filed under AB 218, a California law that extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits.

Barger represents Altadena and Pasadena on the Board of Supervisors.

Thousands of AB 218 claims have been filed against the County, many involving individuals formerly in its probation and foster care systems. The first round of settlements—covering approximately 11,000 plaintiffs—will cost $4 billion, with $1.5 billion allocated to attorneys’ fees. This marks the largest financial settlement in County history, with additional claims still pending.

Barger’s motion directs County Counsel to immediately investigate misconduct allegations, consider referrals to the California State Bar, strengthen oversight of settlement agreements, and establish a fraud hotline for reporting unethical behavior. County Counsel is expected to report back within 14 days with updates on the claims review process and hotline implementation.

“Fraudulent claims do a grave disservice to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and to taxpayers,” Barger said.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

California Braces For ‘Devastating’ Expected Cuts To Federal Homeless Housing Funds

By Marisa Kendall, CALMATTERS

The latest blow in a seemingly endless barrage of bad news for the California agencies tasked with fighting homelessness looms: President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to deeply cut federal funding for permanent housing.

The news has sent counties throughout California into a panic. The state is bracing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars for permanent housing, which is the one thing experts agree on as the most effective way to solve homelessness.

Across the state, homeless service providers and local leaders are convening emergency meetings to figure out just how bad the cuts are going to be and what to do about them. Some are scrambling to move money around or even re-label their programs to save hard-won housing. Others have already started helping fewer people in anticipation of the cuts.

But they agree on one thing: If these cuts go through, thousands of California’s most vulnerable residents likely will be evicted from their subsidized housing,