Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Guest Opinion: Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger | A Year Later in Altadena: Rebuilding Must Be Fair

The first week of a new year is often a time for reflection—on what we’ve endured, what we’ve learned, and what still lies ahead. As we enter this new year, that reflection carries particular weight for the Altadena community. Nearly one year after the Eaton Fire, the path to recovery remains deeply personal and far from complete.

We are not “past” this disaster. Recovery is still unfolding, one decision, one permit, one insurance claim at a time. While progress is visible, the impacts of the fire remain very present for families who are still displaced or struggling to begin rebuilding.

Anyone driving through the burn area today sees new home framing rising where ash and debris once settled. Those skeletal outlines, peppered throughout Altadena, are powerful signs of forward movement. But they also reveal a difficult truth: the ability to rebuild is not determined by determination alone. It is shaped by access to capital—insurance coverage, savings, credit, and financial flexibility. The starting line is not the same for everyone.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Altadenans to Gather for First Anniversary of Eaton Fire Wednesday Evening

Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery at Grocery Outlet on Lake Avenue will be a time for honoring the dead, and supporting each other

One year after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena and Pasadena, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 structures, residents will gather Tuesday evening for a community commemoration that will include a moment of silence at 6:18 p.m. — the time the blaze reportedly ignited in Eaton Canyon.

The event, organized by the Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery (known as CCAR) and scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at 2270 Lake Ave. in Altadena, will feature speeches, light snacks, and the reading of the names of the 19 people officially declared dead by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

The event is expected to begin around 5:00 p.m.  The focus will be on shared presence, rather than activities, one official said.

“We wanted to create an opportunity for the community to come together to heal, support,

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Supervisor Barger Issues Statement on Eaton Fire Anniversary, Recovery, Aid and Accountability

On the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger released a statement addressed to survivors, acknowledging their pain, outlining county relief efforts centered in Altadena, and reaffirming her commitment to recovery and accountability. The statement reflects on the past year of recovery in Altadena, details financial assistance delivered to fire-impacted households, workers and businesses, and commits to pressing for stronger emergency notification systems and federal resources to prevent housing instability.

In the statement, Barger said anniversaries of the fire can reopen wounds for those still navigating insurance disputes, contamination cleanup and the slow, exhausting process of rebuilding. She described it as her responsibility to ensure survivors are not facing those challenges alone.

Barger pointed to Altadena’s recovery over the past year, saying Los Angeles County has delivered more than $21 million in household relief grants for Altadena families, nearly $8.5 million for Eaton Fire–impacted small businesses and nonprofits, and more than $2.2 million to workers who lost wages because of the fire.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Newsom Announces $107 Million for Affordable Rental Homes to Aid LA Fire Survivors

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Approximately $107.3 million in state money will fund the creation of 673 affordable rental homes that will be offered first to those affected or displaced by last January’s wildfires, officials said Tuesday.

On the eve of the first anniversary of the twin fires that devastated Altadena and Pacific Palisades, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced the new investments in affordable housing across Los Angeles County to help survivors rebuild their lives.

Newsom’s office said the goal is to keep current residents housed and prevent further displacement without changing local zoning rules or neighborhood character.

“We are rebuilding stronger, fairer communities in Los Angeles without displacing the people who call these neighborhoods home. More affordable homes across the county means survivors can stay near their schools, jobs and support systems, and all Angelenos are better able to afford housing in these vibrant communities,” Newsom said in a statement.

The funding comes from a Multifamily Finance Super NOFA,

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Supervisor Barger to Attend Multiple Events Marking the One-Year Anniversary of the Eaton Fire

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger will be in the Altadena region this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire, attending a series of survivor-led commemorations, faith-based remembrances and community tribute events, according to an announcement from her office.

Barger’s remembrance schedule begins Tuesday, Jan. 6, with a 6 p.m. commemoration at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, held at 1434 N. Altadena Drive in Pasadena.

Barger will attend events on the anniversary date, Wednesday, Jan. 7, starting with a Survivor-Led One-Year Anniversary Gathering and press conference hosted by the Eaton Fire Survivors Network from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road in Altadena.

A 3 p.m. Barger will attend an Eaton Fire Tribute will take place at John Muir High School Early College Magnet, 1905 Lincoln Ave. in Pasadena.

Finally at 5 p.m., Barger is scheduled to attend The Community Coalition for Altadena Recovery’s First Anniversary Commemoration of the Eaton Fire at 5 p.m.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Sacred Heart Church, Saved From Flames by Deacon’s Intervention, Will Host Healing Mass on Eaton Fire Anniversary

One year after Deacon José Luis Díaz and three parishioners extinguished flames threatening Sacred Heart Catholic Church with a garden hose and in spite of minimal water pressure, the Altadena parish will host a Healing Mass on Wednesday evening to mark the anniversary of the Eaton Fire.

The Mass, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2026, at 2889 North Lincoln Avenue, comes as the parish continues to reckon with the fire’s toll on its congregation.

Fr. Gilbert Guzmán, the pastor, has said Sacred Heart lost nearly half its parishioners to evacuation and displacement after the January 2025 blaze.

Sacred Heart narrowly survived. On the morning of January 8, 2025, Díaz left the Pasadena Convention Center evacuation shelter after his wife, Maria Esther, told him the church was burning. He arrived around 7:30 a.m. to find two parishioners already fighting flames near the boiler room.

“We almost didn’t have water pressure in the hose,” Díaz recounted. “So, we had to do everything we could to put it out.”

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

One Year After the Eaton Fire, Musicians Who Lost Their Homes Will Take the Stage for Altadena in Sold-Out Show

On Wednesday, the band Dawes will host a benefit concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium marking the one-year anniversary of the devastating Eaton Fire. Taylor Goldsmith, the band’s frontman, lost his recording studio in the blaze; his brother Griffin, the band’s drummer, lost his home.

“We didn’t want this anniversary of the fire to come along and simply lay everybody low,” Taylor Goldsmith said. “Hopefully, this show can help keep everyone motivated, inspired, and hopeful, while also continuing to process the heartache of it all.”

The concert, titled “A Concert for Altadena,” will be hosted by the actor and Altadena resident John C. Reilly.

The lineup includes Dawes & Friends (as the host act), Mandy Moore, Brad Paisley, Brandon Flowers (The Killers), Aloe Blacc, Everclear, Stephen Stills, Rufus Wainwright, Jenny Lewis, Lord Huron, Ozomatli ft. Taboo (Black Eyed Peas), Eric Krasno, Lucius, and Judith Hill.

Proceeds will benefit the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, a subsidiary of the Pasadena Community Foundation.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

California’s Urgent Issues Loom Over Newsom Campaign and His Would-Be Successors

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Political California cranked up for the New Year Monday.

The Legislature reconvened after a 114-day recess, Gov. Gavin Newsom renewed his nascent campaign for president and the dozen or so men and women who covet his job continued to seek ways to reach a so-far-uninterested electorate.

Newsom’s interview Monday on MS NOW, the cable channel beloved by Democratic politicians and activist voters, implied anew that his final year as governor will be dominated by his all-but-certain bid for the White House in 2028. He spent much it criticizing President Donald Trump for refusing aid to Los Angeles fire victims and cracking down on undocumented immigrants.

Newsom’s preoccupation will color whatever he and the Legislature do about a deficit-ridden state budget and a half-dozen or so other stubborn issues that have emerged or become more acute since Newsom took office seven years ago.

In past years Newsom has been lackadaisical about delivering the annual State of the State message to the Legislature that the state constitution requires.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

At John Muir High School, a Community Scattered by Fire Will Gather to Make Art

When the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena and Pasadena on January 7, 2025, John Muir High School’s buildings were spared. Its community was not. Approximately 175 students and 16 to 18 staff members lost their homes, according to verified reports, leaving the school intact but its population scattered.

One year later, on the fire’s first anniversary, the school will host a community art gathering intended to bring some of those scattered residents back together. The event, scheduled for 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, is free and open to all.

The gathering is organized by Cynthia Lake, a retired studio arts instructor who taught at John Muir for 31 years and is a 1971 graduate of the school. She will be joined by Side Street Projects, a mobile artist-run nonprofit founded in 1992, and the John Muir High School Alumni Association, which established an emergency donation fund for faculty, students, and alumni who lost homes in the fire.

The event will feature art-making activities,

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Pasadena and Altadena Schools to Mark Eaton Fire Anniversary With Moment of Silence

Pasadena Unified School District schools in Pasadena and Altadena will observe a brief moment of silence on Jan. 7 to mark one year since the start of the Eaton Fire, according to a letter sent Monday to the district community by Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco. 

The observance comes as the district returns from winter break and enters the anniversary month of the wildfire that ignited in

Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7, 2025, and spread into foothill neighborhoods in Altadena and Pasadena. 

The fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures including district facilities and displaced thousands of students, families and staff across the district, according to PUSD’s documented recovery timeline. 

In her message to families, Blanco wrote that the anniversary is “part of our shared experience and a reminder of the power of us as a community: working together, supporting one another, and lifting up our students.” She said teachers have been provided resources to support student learning and well–being, and families needing additional help are encouraged to contact their school principal.