Tuesday, June 3, 2025

LA County Flags Lowered to Honor Fallen Baldwin Park Officer, a Former PCC Student

Flags to remain at half-staff until the conclusion of Officer Samuel Riveros’ funeral service

Los Angeles County has ordered all County flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Baldwin Park Police Officer Samuel Riveros, who died in the line of duty on Saturday. Riveros was a former Pasadena City College student and had previously worked in Pasadena as a parking enforcement officer.

The flag directive, issued by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger on Monday, took effect immediately as a gesture of respect and remembrance for the fallen officer.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for our entire Los Angeles County community,” Barger said. “Officer Samuel Riveros served with courage and commitment, and his ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. We honor his life, his service, and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow officers.”

Officer Riveros tragically lost his life while on duty on Saturday, May. The County-wide tribute will continue until the conclusion of his scheduled funeral service.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

PUSD Superintendent Commends Student Resilience as School Year Ends Thursday

The Pasadena Unified School District will conclude the 2024-2025 academic year on Thursday, and Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco is praising students for their resilience following a school year marked by disruption, recovery, and perseverance.

In a year-end message issued Monday, Blanco acknowledged the difficulties faced by the district, including the impact of a campus fire earlier this school year.

“Challenging doesn’t begin to define what this year has been for us,” she wrote. “Our students are showing us something extraordinary: the fire may have happened to them, but they are not defined by it. They are defined by how they stand up, move forward, and continue to shine.”

The final week of classes includes graduation ceremonies for the high school Class of 2025 as well as promotion events for eighth- and fifth-grade students.

Blanco congratulated families across the district for reaching these milestones.

PUSD will launch its summer academic programming next week, along with district-wide meal service for children and youth 18 years and younger.

Monday, June 2, 2025

Zombie Bills: Why California Lawmakers Bring Back Legislation Governors Kill

By Ryan Sabalow, CALMATTERS

The bill was dead. Twice dead, in fact: Two times in the past two years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to ban California companies from deploying driverless trucks.

Yet lawmakers have resurrected the idea and inserted it into a new bill — with the Teamsters union hoping the third time will be the charm.

There’s no indication Newsom has changed his mind. Still, Democratic Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, representing the Davis area, said she brought the autonomous trucking bill back because it’s good policy aimed at “protecting our public safety and our jobs.” She said it has nothing to do with the Teamsters’ large donations to lawmakers.

Assembly Bill 33 is an example of a phenomenon in the California Legislature: Even when a bill dies one year, and even if a governor kills it, there’s a strong likelihood it will return, especially if big money interests like labor unions and business groups want it signed into law.

Monday, June 2, 2025

Altadena Survivor Support Opens at New Community Center Location Monday

Essential services for Eaton Fire victims transition from disaster recovery to long-term community support

The Altadena Disaster Recovery Center has relocated to the Altadena Community Center as part of a strategic shift in wildfire response. The move transforms the facility to a “Survivor Support Location” (SSL), signaling a transition from emergency relief to long-term community support for Eaton Fire victims, officials said.

“If you applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, it’s important to stay in touch with Federal Emergency Management Agency to track and update your application,” Federal Emergency Management Agency’s announcement said.

The new Support Location opens Monday, June 2 at 730 E. Altadena Drive after the previous center at 540 W. Woodbury Road permanently closed on Saturday. The new location will operate Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This relocation is part of a broader transition as the two Federal Emergency Management Agency Recovery Centers for Los Angeles Wildfires move to County and city-run facilities.

Monday, June 2, 2025

‘Dena Rise Up’ March Calls for Equity

By EDDIE RIVERA

Demonstrators demand inclusion in post-fire recovery

Against a stark backdrop of burned-out homes and businesses up and down Fair Oaks Avenue, at least 200 residents, advocates, and fire survivors gathered in the parking lot of Fair Oaks Burger in Altadena Sunday evening for the “Dena Rise Up” march

The event, organized by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), included dozens of community groups, and sent an unequivocable message, said co-organizer and NDLON Co-Director Pablo Alvarado—the rebuilding process has so far failed to protect longtime residents, low-income families, renters, and essential workers.

“Today’s event is a community response to the fires, the destruction, and the fact that there hasn’t been any equity in the process,” said Alvarado.

“Homeowners are being given only half of what it costs to rebuild. Developers are circling. Workers and housekeepers are doing remediation in toxic conditions without protection. And we still haven’t seen a comprehensive study of what’s in the ashes.”

Alvarado criticized elected officials for what he described as their absence in the recovery process.

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Fire Recovery Event Today Offers Up Resources, Trade Show For Rebuilding Efforts

DENA Home Market returns Sunday with free goods, contractor connections for Altadena, Pasadena residents

Fire-affected residents of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre can access free essential goods and connect with rebuilding professionals Sunday at the DENA Home Market Summer Fest and Rebuild Trade Show.

The event runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Day One, located at 175 North Euclid Avenue in Pasadena. Free tickets are available at bit.ly/denahomemarket for adults, teens and children.

Organized by Day One, the monthly recovery event targets communities impacted by the Eaton Fire.

The event features two main components. A Summer Festival in the Day One Yard from 1-4 p.m. includes a free shopping boutique, summer giveaways, financial assistance, recovery resources, live music, food trucks, teen lounge, kids’ corner and Zen lounge.

The Rebuild Trade Show at nearby All Saints Church runs from 2-5 p.m., allowing attendees to meet trusted builders, contractors and industry professionals for reconstruction guidance.

Sunday, June 1, 2025

March and Rally For Equitable Fire Recovery at DENA Event Today

Residents plan to gather to advocate for an equitable rebuilding process nearly five months after the devastating Eaton Fire

Community members plan to gather on Sunday for the DENA Rise Up March and Rally, advocating, organizers said, for a just and inclusive recovery process in the wake of California’s second-most destructive wildfire in history.

The event, organized by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, is to begin at 3 p.m. at Fair Oaks Burgers, and will feature live music, food and community resources. Participants will march at 3:45 p.m. to 403 W. Figueroa Drive for a rally beginning at 5:30 p.m.

A coalition of advocates has outlined four critical pillars for a just recovery, including ensuring everyone gets help with in-person, in-language support while navigating FEMA, insurance, unemployment resources and other services.

Organizers will provide passenger vans for community members unable to physically participate in the march, meeting at the same starting location.

Fair Oaks Burger,

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Altadena Disaster Recovery Center Closes, Transitions to New Location

Federal agencies will take up residence at the Altadena Community Center starting on Monday

The two Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Centers for the Los Angeles Wildfires are permanently closing Saturday, May 31, at 4 p.m. and federal resources will be transitioning to new locations.

On that short list is the Altadena Disaster Recovery Center at 540 West Woodbury Rd., which has been a community focal point since it opened.

The FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) will be transitioning from these locations to county and city-run facilities, officials said.

Federal resources will be available at their new locations beginning Monday, June 2.

Locally, services will continue at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., Mondays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Disaster Recovery Center will be closed weekends.

“If you applied for FEMA assistance, it’s important to stay in touch with FEMA to track and update your application should you receive an insurance settlement or denial and as your situation changes to work through any approval processes,” FEMA’s announcement said.

Saturday, May 31, 2025

New Task Force to Oversee LA County Governance Changes Convenes for First Time

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A task force created to oversee sweeping changes to Los Angeles County’s governance structure held its inaugural meeting Friday.

The county Governance Reform Task Force was created with voters’ passage in November of Measure G, which called for a series of changes in the way county government operates. Most notably, the measure called for an expansion of the five-member Board of Supervisors to nine members starting in 2032.

Measure G will also make the county CEO an elected position by 2028, and adds the positions of county Legislative Analyst and a director of Budget and Management.

The measure also formalized the establishment of an Ethics Commission – – which the county already began to create prior to the November election — and the hiring of a compliance officer by 2026, along with the creation of a Charter Review Commission to meet every 10 years and consider additional potential governmental changes.

The entire process will be overseen by the Governance Reform Task Force,

Saturday, May 31, 2025

DoorDash Distributes $200,000 in Grants to Restaurants Affected by LA Wildfires

CITY NEWS SERVICE

DoorDash has awarded $10,000 grants to 20 small restaurants impacted by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires in January, the company announced Friday.

The DoorDash-funded Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund aims to provide direct financial support to restaurants impacted by the fires. With support from small business resource Hello Alice, the grants are intended to help restaurant owners cover critical expenses such as rent, equipment replacement, inventory and payroll as they work to rebuild and recover, the food delivery company said.

The announcement was made where Amara Kitchen — an Altadena café that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire — once stood. Local restaurant owners, community members and civic leaders came together to celebrate the resilience of the city’s culinary entrepreneurs.

“When we lost Amara Kitchen to the fire, we lost more than just a building — we lost a gathering space, memories, and a part of our identity,” said Paola Guasp, owner of Amara Kitchen. “There have been moments of heartbreak,