Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Board of Supervisors Advance Next Phase of Measure ER Implementation

On Tuesday, July 21 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion co-authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Board Chair Hilda L. Solis authorizing the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) to begin executing contracts with community-based nonprofit health clinics necessary for implementing Measure ER — the voter-approved Essential Services Restoration Act.

According to the County, the Board action will help ensure the program launches on schedule in January 2027, expanding access to no-cost and reduced-cost health care for low-income and uninsured residents.

Measure ER is a temporary half-cent increase in Los Angeles County’s general sales tax, raising the rate from 9.75% to about 10.25% for five years, through October 1, 2031, to shore up funding for health and other essential county services in response to federal and state cuts.

County officials have estimated it will generate roughly $1 billion annually; groceries, prescription medications and medical equipment are exempt. The measure narrowly passed in the June 2,

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Guest Opinion | Calmatters’ Bradley Franklin and Kyle Greenspan: California Is Making Progress On Fire Prevention. Federal Retreat, Shaky Funding Put It At Risk

By Bradley Franklin and Kyle Greenspan, CALMATTERS

The Altadena and Palisades fires that swept through Southern California last year were just the latest in an escalating series of wildfires that have scorched the state.

The damage has been far-reaching: Californians have lost homes, community and — in some tragic cases — their lives. Wildfires are also raising insurance premiums and threatening the state’s giant sequoias and the headwater regions that provide most of California’s water supply.

This year threatens to be another above-average fire season. As we’ve seen in recent years, fires can emerge quickly — even after wet winters. And if it feels like wildfires are increasing in size and scale, that’s because they are: The area of land burned in severe wildfires in the Sierra Nevada has tripled since 1990, while annual wildfire damages have more than quadrupled during that same period.

Californians are understandably weary of this cycle.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Current Heat Wave to Peak Thursday and Friday

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

A prolonged heat wave will grip Pasadena through early next week, with temperatures climbing into the upper 90s and near 100 degrees, forecasters said Wednesday. The National Weather Service warned that elevated humidity and warm overnight lows will increase the risk of heat-related illness. A heat advisory remains in effect through Monday evening.

Sunny skies will dominate Wednesday, with highs near 96 degrees and light southwest winds around 5 mph in the afternoon. Overnight lows will stay near 65 degrees, offering little relief.

Thursday and Friday are expected to be the hottest days, with highs reaching 98 to 99 degrees. Nights will remain warm, with lows in the upper 60s. Forecasters said the lack of cooling at night could make conditions especially dangerous for residents without air conditioning.

Temperatures will ease slightly over the weekend, with Saturday forecast at 93 degrees and Sunday at 95 degrees. Clear skies will continue, with lows in the mid-60s.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Extreme Heat Raises Fire Weather Concerns Across Southern California

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Forecasters Tuesday warned that a prolonged stretch of extreme heat will create “elevated to briefly critical fire weather conditions” across much of Southern California through at least Monday.

The National Weather Service said the combination of above-normal temperatures, low humidity, dry vegetation and breezy conditions will increase the risk of rapidly spreading wildfires.

“With hotter and more unstable conditions, there will be an increased risk for large plume dominated fires across the interior, especially in the Thursday through Monday time frame when the heat wave peaks and humidities lower,” the weather service said.

Warm overnight temperatures and poor overnight humidity recovery are expected to further elevate the fire danger, particularly in foothill and mountain communities, the NWS said.

Forecasters said very dry air could spread into portions of the interior Sunday and Monday, dropping humidity levels to between 5% and 10%.

The weather service also forecast widespread moderate to high heat risk across the region from Wednesday through Monday,

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

LA County Approves Altadena Soil Cleanup Program

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a program to help homeowners in fire-ravaged Altadena remove lead-contaminated soil from their properties following the Eaton Fire.

The board authorized the Los Angeles County Development Authority to administer the Altadena Soil Remediation Program, which will provide up to $3 million for enrollment, administration and cleanup efforts.

The county will contribute $1 million from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s Fifth District Climate Equity Account. That funding will be combined with $2 million approved in the 2025-26 state budget for the California Community Foundation, working with CONSORTIUM, to support the program.

The program will prioritize households with standing homes where pregnant women or children younger than six live because of the greater health risks associated with lead exposure.

“Families whose homes survived the Eaton Fire have faced obstacle after obstacle,” Barger said. “Many Altadena residents have spent months waiting for answers while insurance companies have fallen short of meeting survivors’ legitimate needs.

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

County to Receive Fire-Area Homelessness Prevention Outreach Plan, With Altadena Among First Communities Targeted

Los Angeles County’s plan to reach Eaton Fire survivors before they lose their housing returns to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 21, as county officials deliver a promised outreach plan aimed at community organizations working in Altadena and other fire-affected areas.

The item is scheduled as a verbal report during the Board’s regular meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m. in Board Hearing Room 381B at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles. Listed as Item 16 on the agenda, the report is set to be received and filed rather than voted on.

For Altadena — the unincorporated community that absorbed the worst of the Eaton Fire — the report follows action the Board took a month earlier. According to the agenda, the report concerns an outreach plan regarding the launch of a Homelessness Prevention Resource Page for community-based organizations working in the Altadena and Palisades fire areas, providing support for the Eaton Fire. It is prepared by the Chief Executive Officer in coordination with the Department of Homeless Services and Housing,

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

As Kids Grapple With A Mid-Summer Heat Wave, New State Laws Try To Help

By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Ana B. Ibarra, CALMATTERS

As triple-digit temperatures bake some parts of California, two new laws aim to help educate students about heat illness and protect them from it.

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that will require the state Board of Education to consider teaching students about the symptoms of heat illness in schools. Another law, which the governor signed in 2024 with a key deadline this month, requires schools to come up with rules for outdoor activities when there are extreme weather events like heat waves.

Both are promising, low-cost measures. But neither requires the state to spend money on the things that experts say would actually make schools safer: updated HVAC, shade structures, a funded health curriculum. The governor’s office says as of now it has no plans to propose funding for an updated health framework.

The laws “demonstrate that children in California are already being harmed by extreme heat,” said Sarah Matsumoto,

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Heat to Peak Thursday, Linger Through Weekend

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

A prolonged heat wave will grip Pasadena beginning Wednesday, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90s and peaking near 97 degrees over the weekend, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard reported Tuesday that the heat wave will intensify Thursday and persist into early next week. Advisories are in effect starting 10:00 a.m. Wednesday for much of the region.

Tuesday’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high near 87 degrees, with light southwest winds around 5 mph. Overnight lows will dip to about 63 degrees.

By Wednesday, highs will reach 92 degrees under clear skies. Thursday will bring further warming, with highs near 95 degrees. Lows will remain in the mid-60s, offering little relief.

Forecasters said the weekend will be hotter, with highs near 97 degrees Saturday and Sunday. Overnight lows will stay around 67 degrees.

The National Weather Service warned that elevated humidity will keep nights warm and uncomfortable.

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

NASA Earth Science Flights to Begin, With JPL Instruments Aboard First Mission

NASA’s newest class of suborbital Earth science missions is preparing for flight, with the first mission set to study dangerous wildfire-generated storm clouds using aircraft-mounted instruments, including infrared wildfire trackers developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

The first of six new venture-class missions will take to the skies this summer to study pyrocumulonimbus storms, towering “fire clouds” that can form when extreme wildfires burn hot enough to generate their own thunderstorms, according to a July 20 NASA report. The broader group of missions will examine phenomena including landslides in Alaska, air quality in Atlanta, fire clouds in the West, Arctic change and agricultural emissions.

The six projects will involve hundreds of scientists and pilots from NASA, the U.S. Navy, universities and other institutions over the next several years. The missions are suborbital, meaning they will rely heavily on sensors mounted on aircraft rather than instruments placed in orbit. NASA said airborne remote sensing can help bridge the gap between ground-based instruments and satellites, providing data for computer models used by weather forecasters,

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Author Niki Elliott to discuss and sign new book at Vroman’s in Pasadena

Dr. Niki Elliott will discuss and sign her new book, Heart-Centered Connections: Seven Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive, at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

The in-store event takes place at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 East Colorado Boulevard, in Pasadena’s Playhouse Village. According to the bookstore’s event listing, attendees are asked to RSVP for the evening program, which falls on the book’s publication date.

Heart-Centered Connections is described as a guide offering research-based strategies to help educators, caregivers and parents create supportive environments where neurodivergent and marginalized children can thrive. According to the publisher, Page Two, the book draws on decades of research with more than 1,000 child-serving professionals — among them principals, teachers, foster-care program directors and social workers — and is organized around seven pillars. The publisher lists those pillars as interpersonal awareness, neuroinclusive spaces, activated genius, engaged learning, mindful communication and heart-centered repair. Page Two says the book is aimed at adults working with children who are neurodivergent,