Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Ricardo Lara Proposes Insurance Rule That Critics Call ‘Revenge’

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is proposing more new insurance rules that critics are calling “vindictive,” and which they say will only make it easier for insurers to raise rates.

Home insurance costs in California are certain to rise in the near future because of Lara’s recent changes to the state’s insurance rules. Those changes are meant to encourage insurance companies to keep writing new policies and discourage them from canceling policies, especially in areas of high wildfire risk.

Last week, Lara proposed altering the insurance rate-review process in what he said is an effort to make it more efficient. But others say the changes Lara wants to make amount to retaliation against one of his biggest and toughest critics, Consumer Watchdog.

“This is Trumpian,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, the nonprofit organization that wrote the state’s Proposition 103 insurance law. Consumer Watchdog is California’s most prolific intervenor; an intervenor is a member of the public who can challenge an insurer’s rate request.

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

From Texas Maps to Pasadena Streets Rally Signals Escalation in Redistricting Wars

Pasadena demonstration part of California response to Texas gerrymandering as Election Rigging Response Act heads to vote

Local activists plan to march in Old Pasadena this Saturday, September 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2 East Colorado Blvd., near the Cheesecake Factory, rallying behind Proposition 50—the Election Rigging Response Act—which seeks to temporarily override California’s independent redistricting commission in direct response to Republican gerrymandering in Texas.

Proposition 50 represents California’s first-ever abandonment of its nonpartisan map-drawing system and is framed by supporters as an emergency measure to offset what they call the illegal removal of five Democratic seats in Texas, ahead of the November 4 special election.

“Prop 50 is essentially California’s response to Texas illegal gerrymandering and taking of five Democratic seats. Prop 50 is in response to that,” said Maddie Gavel-Briggs of San Gabriel Foothills Indivisible, the lead organizing group for the event.

The Yes on Prop 50 rally, described by organizers as both a visibility event and educational effort,

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

LA County Library Opens 46th Annual Bookmark Contest for Young Artists

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Library Tuesday announced the return of its Bookmark Contest for the 46th year, giving young readers a chance to show their love for books and libraries.

Starting Tuesday through Oct. 18, county youth can design original bookmarks inspired by reading, books, libraries or their own imagination for consideration. Each library will select a local winner for each grade-level category, which will be broken down into the following: kindergarten through second grade, third grade through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grades, and ninth to 12th grade.

Winners are expected to be announced in November. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors will then select 20 grand prize winners, five of which will be representing each supervisor’s district in the spring.

Winning bookmark designs will be recognized, displayed and distributed at every county library location in 2026.

“When we give young people space to express themselves, we unlock a deeper connection to learning and community,”

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Elderly Victims Sue Edison Over Eaton Fire Losses as Utility Faces Scrutiny From Past Wildfire Settlements

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

A group of elderly victims and their families has filed suit against Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s negligence caused the devastating Eaton Fire and left them homeless, traumatized, and in failing health.

The lawsuit, filed by global litigation firm Quinn Emanuel, represents 25 victims ranging in age from 70 to 90. The complaint accuses Edison of being “grossly negligent” and acting with “reckless disregard for public safety.”

“Exposure to toxic smoke and ash can cause a variety of health conditions, including respiratory problems, asthma exacerbation, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as lung cancer and damage to cognitive functions,” according to the lawsuit. “These significant health risks can have long-term impacts on human health.”

The Eaton Fire destroyed over 9,000 structures, burning 14,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of over 33,000 people in Altadena and in Pasadena. The fire also destroyed historic sites like the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and the Altadena Community Church,

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Board Of Supervisors Tuesday Meeting Honors Heritage, Tackles Key Actions, And Expands Access

The Los Angeles County Board agenda draws attention to participation, accessibility and recognition during its upcoming televised meeting

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 9:30 a.m. in Board Hearing Room 381B, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles.

The session features ceremonial recognitions for Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating leaders and organizations like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, SEIU-USWW’s David Huerta, ImmigoLA, Pueblo y Salud and Somos Familia Valle. The Board also honors Beatriz Dieringer’s 44 years of service with the District Attorney’s Office, the Clergy Community Coalition’s 20th anniversary and Edward Lewis’s support for Eaton Fire relief.

Key hearings include the proposed annexation of a Lake Los Angeles parcel to County Lighting Maintenance District CLMD 1687 and CLD LLA-1, with assessments for Fiscal Year 2026-27 and joint resolutions on property taxes. The Board will also consider a 15-year water pipeline franchise for California Domestic Water Company,

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Imagining California 25 Years From Now: What Will Golden State Life Look Like In 2050?

By D.J. Waldie, CALMATTERS

One hundred and seventy-five years ago, our state was the prize in an unjust war whose aim was to extend slavery beyond the plantations of the South to the valleys of California. Fifty years later, those valleys were dominated by corporate agriculture (wheat, cattle, cotton and oranges) and controlled politically by railroad interests. By 1950, the future of California was in the hands of real estate developers. The valleys filled with houses and then with all of us — believers in the golden dream and disillusioned hustlers alike. At the start of a new millennium in 2000, the dreamers still arrived. Not from “back east” but from the Global South and the Asian “far west.” Developers still turned square miles of farmland into tract house suburbia. Big, old-style corporations came and went. New technologies boomed and sometimes busted, but overall, the momentum in the systems of industry, finance and labor that defined California in the mid-20th century had slowed.

What California will be in its bicentennial year of 2050 is subject to unpredictable conditions.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

California Enacts Mortgage Relief for Los Angeles Fire Survivors

New law allows up to one year pause in payments without penalties

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday that provides mortgage payment relief for survivors of the Los Angeles fires.

The Mortgage Forbearance Act, authored by Pasadena representative Assemblymember John Harabedian, allows fire victims to pause mortgage payments for up to one year. Homeowners who enter forbearance will not face penalties or credit damage during the payment pause.

The law also prohibits lenders from demanding lump sum payments when the forbearance period ends.

Harabedian, a Pasadena Democrat, said fire survivors have struggled with dual housing costs.

“For months since the fires, survivors have been forced to make two housing payments: one for their temporary rental accommodations and another mortgage payment for a house that either doesn’t exist anymore or is uninhabitable due to smoke and ash damage,” Harabedian said.

The assemblymember said the new law will ease financial burdens by allowing families to pause mortgage payments while they rebuild.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Pasadena Unified School District Updates SMS Messaging System Effective Sept. 29

The district urges families to save new numbers to ensure uninterrupted communication

Starting Sept. 29, Pasadena Unified School District will stop sending text messages from short code 60680 and local number 424-389-1889. Emergency alerts will now come from short code 54968, and general updates from local number 626-544-1945.

The District said the change is part of a system-wide update to improve communication reliability and security. “This update ensures families continue to receive timely and secure information from their student’s school and Pasadena Unified School District,” the District stated.

Families are strongly encouraged to save both new numbers to avoid missing important messages. Only SMS/text messaging is affected; phone calls and emails will continue as usual.

Emergency alerts include urgent safety notifications. General messages may cover schedule changes, event reminders and District-wide announcements.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Los Angeles County Home Sales Dip in August

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Home sales experienced a decline in the Southland last month, the California Association of Realtors announced Monday.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 264,240 in August. Last month’s home sales edged up 0.9% from the 261,820 homes sold in July and slipped 0.2% from a year ago, when 264,640 homes were sold on an annualized basis, according to CAR.

The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2025 if sales maintained the August pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

Los Angeles County’s sales figure was down 16% from July, but up 12.3% from August 2024. Orange County sales were down 4.3% from July, but up 1.4% from August 2024.

Meanwhile, home prices were mixed locally and statewide. The median selling price of an existing,

Monday, September 22, 2025

Pair of Century-Old Christmas Traditions Return to Fire-Ravaged Altadena as Symbols of Hope

The return of Christmas Tree Lane and the Star of Palawoo offers hope to a community devastated by the Eaton Fire

When the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena on January 7, two century-old landmarks survived: the towering deodar cedars of Christmas Tree Lane and the hillside Star of Palawoo. Their reappearances this December will mark a powerful, hopeful symbols of resilience.

“This season is about more than tradition,” read last week’s official announcement by the Christmas Tree Lane Association. “It’s a time to honor what we’ve endured, reflect on our shared strength, and move forward together.”

The Altadena Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony will mark its 105th year with a public celebration scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the intersection of Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street, according to the Sept. 20 public invitation.

The event, which is free to attend, is widely regarded as Altadena’s informal launch of the holiday season. The tree will remain lit nightly through early January.