Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Pasadena Plaintiffs Hail Appeals-Court Ruling in L.A. Illegal Immigration Raids Case

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in Los Angeles Monday hailed an appeals court ruling that upheld a decision temporarily barring federal agents from making arrests without probable cause.

The lawsuit’s lead plaintiff, day laborer Pedro Vasquez Perdomo, 54, of Pasadena, says he was waiting to be picked up for a construction job at a Metro bus stop in front of a Winchell’s Donuts in Pasadena on the morning of June 18 when he and two others were surrounded by masked men with guns, arrested and taken to a detention center in Los Angeles, where he remained for three weeks. He has since been granted bond and released.

The men who took Vasquez Perdomo never identified themselves to the plaintiffs, never stated they were immigration officers authorized to make arrests, never stated that they had arrest warrants and never informed the plaintiffs of the bases for their arrests, the lawsuit alleges.

“I am afraid that just standing outside can mean being taken again,”

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Despite Wildfires LA County Property Values More Than $2 Trillion

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Property value in Los Angeles County increased by $82 billion, or 3.91%, compared to last year’s estimate, marking 15 years of continuous growth despite the devastating wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes in January, the county Assessor’s Office announced Monday.

The growth translated to approximately $2.176 trillion in total net value, which is expected to provide $20 billion in property tax dollars toward public services such as education, first responders and healthcare workers, as well as other county services.

“As I said when I presented the forecast to the Board of Supervisors in May, this has been a very challenging year, highlighted by the devastation of the January wildfires that laid to waste large sections of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades,” County Assessor Jeffrey Prang said in a statement.

“The wildfires impacted more than 23,000 property parcels, including the total loss of over 10,000 homes, which significantly decreased property tax revenue. However, we are committed to ensuring property owners receive the assessment relief they are entitled in a timely manner,”

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Local Children to Receive Free School Supplies at Back to School Bash

The event will support 100 children with $100 clothing vouchers ahead of PUSD’s school year.

One hundred children in Pasadena, including those impacted by the Eaton Fire, will receive school essentials during the Back to School Bash, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9. Hosted by The Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle Corps in partnership with Old Navy, the event aims to support economically disadvantaged families ahead of the new school year.

The Bash will run from 7:00 a.m. to noon at Old Navy Hastings Village, located at 3369 East Foothill Boulevard, just a few days before classes resume in the Pasadena Unified School District on Aug. 12. Each child selected through The Salvation Army’s case management process will be sponsored with $100 to shop for brand-new clothes, shoes and essentials.

“Join us as we serve side by side with our partners supporting those families in need who have been impacted by the Eaton Fire & are economically disadvantaged,” the Pasadena Host Lions Club stated on its official calendar.

Monday, August 4, 2025

Why CA Gun Owners Are Rushing To Buy Ammunition

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

California gun owners are eager to get their hands on ammunition after a federal appeals court struck down a state law requiring background checks for ammunition purchases, reports CalMatters’ Joe Garcia.

Last week the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a blow to gun control advocates and California’s own policy framework when it ruled that the state’s first-in-the-nation law “meaningfully constrains California residents’ right to keep and bear arms.”

Voters approved the law in 2016, which required buyers to undergo background checks, and effectively banned online sales of ammunition by requiring in-person transactions with a licensed dealer. Out-of-state ammunition purchases must also be delivered from that state to a licensed seller in California.

• J.R. Young, a San Jose gun owner: “Is this freedom week? … The way we live in society now — when we want to buy something, we don’t want to go and take a trip to the store.”

But changes aren’t happening just yet.

Monday, August 4, 2025

Senate Bill Would Provide Mortgage Relief for Eaton Fire Victims

By ANDRÉ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Altadena and Pasadena homeowners recovering from natural disasters could receive six months of mortgage relief under legislation introduced last week by two U.S. senators whose states have faced devastating wildfires and floods.

The Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act would cover federally backed loans in disaster-declared areas dating to Jan. 1.

During the six-month pause, interest and penalties would not accrue, and borrowers could apply for additional six-month extensions.

The devastating fire, which destroyed large swaths of Altadena and some homes in Pasadena, started nearly seven months ago and left thousands of people displaced.

“Earlier this year, we watched as families in Los Angeles were devastated by wildfires, and to date, many homeowners are still struggling to rebuild from this disaster,” said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena), a co-sponsor of the bill.

“As natural disasters become more frequent due to climate change, it is critical that we pave a path to stability for homeowners in times of crisis.”

Parts of Schiff’s former Southern California district were destroyed in January when the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena,

Sunday, August 3, 2025

In Fire-Scarred Los Angeles, Learning to Listen Again

Sound artist Ian Wellman guides workshop participants through the acoustic terrain of a region rebuilding after devastating wildfires

Seven months after wildfires devoured nearly 3,450 homes across Los Angeles County, a sound artist is teaching people to hear their recovering landscape with fresh ears.

Ian Wellman’s field recording workshop on August 10 will guide participants through both the acoustic and emotional terrain of post-fire Los Angeles. The three-and-a-half-hour session, “Introduction to Field Recording: Listening to the Air,” starts at Hahamongna Watershed Park before moving to indoor instruction at Fulcrum Arts headquarters.

Wellman brings significant credentials to the effort. The Los Angeles-based sound artist has released work on Room40, Dragon’s Eye Recordings, Luminous Drift, and Ash International.

He co-hosts “Zone Mapping” on dublab radio every third Saturday and works as an IATSE Y-1 Journeyman production sound mixer for film projects including “Inheritance” (2017).

The January 7 Eaton and Palisades fires burned over 14,000 acres, leaving scars both visible and audible across the county’s soundscape.

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Two Altadena Dining Groups Unite Today to Help Save Fire-Ravaged Restaurants

Two Altadena grassroots dining groups will join forces this afternoon at King’s Breakfast and Burgers in Pasadena in a combined push to help keep the area’s remaining Eaton Fire-affected restaurants from closing.

The 1 p.m. meetup marks a new phase in efforts to save businesses that lost 85 percent of their customers when the fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures across Altadena in January. The Altadena Dining Club and Altadena Restaurant Crawl, which have separately mobilized diners from across Los Angeles, are hoping that their combined reach can generate the steady traffic these restaurants need to survive.

“They’re really the last remnants of what we’ve got as a town. They are, in a way, lifelines to what was and what can be again,” said Brooke Lohman-Janz, who founded the Altadena Dining Club after losing her duplex in the fire.

King’s Breakfast and Burgers, located at 2057 N Los Robles Ave #14, Pasadena, and open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., is among a handful of Altadena and Altadena-adjoining establishments still fighting to stay open after the fire.

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Altadena Rebuilds: Trade Show Sunday Offers Hope After Devastating Wildfire

The Altadena Rebuild Trade Show aims to support families devastated by the region’s most destructive wildfire in recent history.

Scheduled for Sunday, August 3, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., the free event at Loma Alta Park will offer residents practical solutions for recovering from the catastrophic Eaton Fire.

Organized by Day One, a 35-year Pasadena nonprofit organization, will provide hands-on rebuilding resources to help community members navigate long-term recovery.

Attendees will experience a unique approach to disaster recovery, with the ability to “touch and see physical rebuilding solutions rather than just read about them.”

The event will showcase affordable rebuilding options, fire-hardening techniques, and provide expert guidance for long-term community restoration.

The trade show brings together multiple community partners, including the Altadena Rotary Club, Altadena Town Council, Altadena Builds Back Foundation, and United Policyholders.

These organizations represent a collaborative effort to support families in their journey to rebuild.

For those interested in attending,

Sunday, August 3, 2025

San Gabriel Valley Deploys Sterile Mosquito Army to Combat Disease-Carrying Insects

District’s groundbreaking SGV Mosquito Match program targets invasive ankle-biter mosquitoes as disease concerns continue

The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District is launching a groundbreaking biological warfare campaign against disease-carrying mosquitoes, deploying sterile male insects to infiltrate and collapse wild mosquito populations. The SGV Mosquito Match initiative marks the district’s first deployment of Sterile Insect Technique against invasive Aedes mosquitoes, commonly known as ‘ankle biters,’ which transmit dangerous diseases including dengue fever.

“The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District is proud to launch a new sustainable initiative: SGV Mosquito Match! This innovative program uses Sterile Insect Technique to help control populations of invasive Aedes mosquitoes (commonly known as ankle biters),” the district declared in its July 31 Short Bites monthly newsletter.

The program arrives as mosquito-borne diseases surge across the region. Baldwin Park recorded five locally acquired dengue fever cases during 2024, according to the LA County Department of Public Health. West Nile virus returned to the San Gabriel Valley in 2025,

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Appeals Court Ruling Friday Upholds Temporary Restrictions on SoCal Immigration Arrests

CITY NEWS SERVICE WITH PASADENA NOW

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld an order temporarily blocking U.S. immigration authorities from conducting arrests in the Los Angeles area without establishing probable cause.

The ruling keeps a temporary restraining order in effect while the broader legal challenge continues.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a lower court’s decision, which found that federal enforcement actions likely targeted individuals based on race and other indicators, such as speaking Spanish or seeking work at home building centers.

“If, as Defendants suggest, they are not conducting stops that lack reasonable suspicion, they can hardly claim to be irreparably harmed by an injunction aimed at preventing a subset of stops not supported by reasonable suspicion ,” the panel wrote.

The temporary restraining order prohibits immigration agents from stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion and from relying solely on four factors: (1) apparent race or ethnicity; (2) speaking Spanish or English with an accent;