Wednesday, July 8, 2026

County Supervisors Agree to Explore Program for Purchase of Rental Properties by Tenants, Groups

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to develop a program that would give qualified affordable-housing organizations the first chance to purchase residential properties when they are placed on the market.

The board asked that staff return in 180 days with the proposed program, known as a Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA. The program is envisioned to eventually expand into a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, offering initial purchase rights to tenants of rental properties, tenant associations or other qualified buyers.

“Los Angeles County has been a strong residential investment destination since the early 2000s, which is demonstrated through its steady increase in property appreciation over the past two decades as well as short transaction timelines and the consistently higher sales price above asking across all property types,” according to a motion by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell. “Without policy intervention, existing renters face potential displacement risks as housing costs keep rising beyond affordability.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Fighting Mosquitoes With Mosquitoes: SGV Mosquito Match Begins in Bassett, CA

San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District launches innovative mosquito control program using non-biting male mosquitoes to reduce invasive Aedes aegypti populations.

The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District (SGV Mosquito) will be launching its sterile insect technique (S.I.T.) program, SGV Mosquito Match, in the unincorporated community of Bassett beginning July 7. SGV Mosquito Match will release non-biting male mosquitoes to reduce populations of invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes by targeting the female mosquito’s ability to produce successful offspring. Female mosquitoes of this species can transmit diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya and are difficult to control using traditional methods alone, posing a potential public health threat to the community.

SGV Mosquito Match uses male mosquitoes because they do not bite and do not transmit diseases. Specifically, it will utilize EPA-approved WB1 male mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium found in 70% of insects worldwide. These bacteria effectively make the males incompatible with wild female mosquitoes and unable to produce viable offspring.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Free Altadena Rotary Concerts Return to Renovated Loma Alta Park July 11

Seven Saturday shows mark the second summer season since the fire-recovery rebuild

The Rotary Club of Altadena will open its 29th season of free Saturday-night concerts July 11 at Loma Alta Park, the Eaton Fire-damaged county park that reopened last year after a $3.4 million renovation.

The seven-Saturday series, staged in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, runs through August 22 at lower Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. The Rotary Club will sell beer and wine at each show, according to Pasadena Now and Altadena Now’s reporting on this year’s lineup.

Loma Alta Park was damaged in the January 2025 Eaton Fire and closed before reopening May 17, 2025. It was the first Los Angeles County park to reopen after the fire, according to reporting by Pasadena Now, Altadena Now and heysocal.com at the time of the reopening.

The rebuild, backed by Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office and philanthropic partners,

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

State Senator to Meet with Altadena Chamber Members Friday

Pérez will discuss fire recovery and Sacramento priorities at Chamber gathering

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez will meet with Altadena Chamber of Commerce members and community leaders Friday evening at Maxwell House in Pasadena, discussing business recovery and legislative priorities 18 months after the Eaton Fire.

The gathering, scheduled for 6 to 7 p.m., gives Chamber members and community leaders a chance to discuss local business concerns with Pérez, who represents the 25th Senate District, which includes Altadena, in Sacramento.

Pérez, a Democrat and former mayor of Alhambra, was elected to the Senate in November 2024 and is the youngest member currently serving in the chamber. She chairs the Senate Education Committee and also sits on the Senate Budget Committee, the Budget Subcommittee on Education, and the committees on Environmental Quality, Human Services and Public Safety. Her district stretches across roughly 20 San Gabriel Valley communities, including Pasadena, Alhambra, Glendale and Arcadia, in addition to Altadena.

Fire recovery has been central to her first term.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Altadena Fire Survivor Says Unlicensed Contractor Took $18,000, Left Home Repairs Incomplete

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

An Altadena woman whose home was damaged in the 2025 Eaton Fire said she was victimized by an unlicensed contractor who took thousands of dollars and failed to complete promised repairs.

Pamelia Lawson told KNBC News that she was approached by a contractor shortly after the Eaton Fire damaged her home, one of more than 1,000 properties affected by the January 2025 disaster. The individual offered to repair her home at what she believed was a reasonable price.

“I do feel like they saw a person that was really in need of some type of help and guidance,” Lawson told KNBC News. “This was so new. We’ve never experienced a fire, and I think I was totally taken advantage of.”

Lawson said she paid the contractor $18,000 before losing contact with him after he cashed her checks. Photographs she shared with NBC News showed what appeared to be unfinished work.

Her experience comes as authorities increase enforcement against unlicensed contractors accused of targeting wildfire victims in Southern California.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Heat Advisory Issued for Pasadena, Altadena Through Friday

County health officials urge precautions as high temperatures raise risk of heat illness in the San Gabriel Valley

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Pasadena, Altadena and the rest of the San Gabriel Valley that will remain in effect from Tuesday, July 7 through Friday, July 10, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The advisory means hot weather is expected to cause discomfort and could lead to heat-related illness for vulnerable residents, including older adults, young children, pregnant women, people who are sick or have chronic conditions, people who live alone, pets, outdoor workers and athletes, the department said in its statement.

Muntu Davis, the Los Angeles County health officer, said in the county’s statement that heat causes more deaths in the U.S. each year than floods, storms and lightning combined. Davis said those most likely to become ill during the heat include older adults, young children, outdoor workers,

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Arboretum’s 12th Annual Plumeria Festival Set for July 17-18

The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden will hold its 12th Annual Plumeria Festival on Friday, July 17, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a press release from the Arboretum

The festival is centered on the Arboretum’s Plumeria Grove, which the Arboretum describes as the largest public plumeria collection in the western continental United States, with more than 100 trees. The grove is located on Tallac Knoll at the Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave. in Arcadia.

The event will include more than 20 plant and merchandise vendors, guided tours of the grove, talks from gardening experts, live entertainment, lei-making, and food trucks, the release said. Admission is included with paid general admission to the Arboretum, which is $18 for adults, $14 for students with ID and seniors 62 and older, and $8 for children ages 3 to 12; children 2 and under and Arboretum members are admitted free, according to the Arboretum’s website.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

New State Law Lets LA County Prosecute Labor Traffickers and Wage Thieves Across County Lines

Legislation sponsored by the county’s district attorney closes a jurisdictional gap in wage theft and trafficking cases

Employers who traffic workers or steal their wages across county lines can now be prosecuted in the county where those workers lived, where their employment agreement was entered into, where any portion of the work was performed, or where the offending business operated, under a bill that has been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom and takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The measure, AB 1583, was sponsored by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and co-sponsored by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. It was authored by Assemblymember Chris Rogers, D-Santa Rosa, and passed the Legislature unanimously with bipartisan support.

The bill closes a loophole that has made it difficult for prosecutors to pursue cases spanning more than one county — for instance, when a victim lives in one county but was hired or worked in another.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Guest Opinion | Calmatters’ Dan Walters: Tech Devices in California’s New Cars Create Thorny Political Issues

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Automobiles have gradually evolved over the last two decades from mechanical devices into electronic platforms featuring computer screens and numerous other digital capabilities.

A few years ago, the California Air Resources Board began requiring automakers to install devices in vehicles to record and store operational data that the agency could access to determine how well emission reduction programs were working.

It was one aspect of the state’s announced goal of phasing out cars and trucks powered by gasoline and diesel fuel and replacing them with zero-emission vehicles.

The auto industry opposed the data collection mandate, arguing it would violate the privacy of vehicle owners. At one point the industry threatened to stop producing cars for California.

The agency insisted it would not collect data involuntarily. But its regulation fueled — pun intended — suspicions in some quarters that recording how and where cars were being used would allow them to be tracked,

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

County Commission Mulls Awarding Altadena Library District Review Contract

The Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission is scheduled to consider awarding a contract to AP Triton to conduct a Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence Update for the Altadena Library District, according to the agency’s July 8, 2026 meeting agenda. The Formation Commission is headquartered in Pasadena.

The review is required under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, which mandates that LAFCO update each special district’s sphere of influence at least every five years.

The last such review of the Altadena Library District dates to 2005.

LAFCO issued a request for proposals for the review on April 22, 2026, bundling the Altadena Library District with the Palos Verdes Library District, with a submission deadline of May 26, 2026. Contract selection was anticipated in June or July; the resulting contract carries a potential one-year term with up to six optional one-month extensions, and the work must be completed by June 30, 2027.

The review will assess seven statutory factors,