Monday, March 10, 2025

Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake Shakes Los Angeles County

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck northwest of Malibu on Sunday afternoon, sending tremors across Los Angeles County and as far as Santa Barbara and San Diego, officials said.

The quake hit at 1:03 p.m. at a depth of approximately 7.2 miles, according to earthquake monitoring data. It was followed by a series of aftershocks, including a magnitude 2.5 tremor one minute later and magnitude 3.0 and 2.8 aftershocks at 1:07 p.m.

Pasadena residents, located approximately 43 miles east of the epicenter, experienced what seismologists classify as “weak shaking,” which typically causes minimal disruption and rarely results in damage to structures.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor was felt by millions of people throughout Southern California, with reports coming from areas as far north as Santa Barbara and as far south as San Diego County. Caltech seismic stations from Fresno to Tijuana recorded the impact of this moderate earthquake, demonstrating its extensive geographic influence.

“Seismologists have spent decades trying to read the tea leaves to look for patterns,”

Monday, March 10, 2025

Red Cross Closes Eaton Fire Shelter After Residents Were Relocated

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Less than two weeks after transferring occupants from an emergency shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center to a new location in Duarte, the Red Cross closed that location.

The Red Cross moved the occupants to the shelter on Feb. 15 from Pasadena. The nonprofit took control of the Pasadena shelter days after the City used a portion of the convention center to house reportedly more than 1,000 people.

“Pamela Park shelter closed on Feb. 26, 2025. According to the American Red Cross, all individuals who were sheltered there transition into a housing accommodation, in collaboration with LAHSA,” Helen Chavez, spokesperson for Supervisor Kathryn Barger told Pasadena Now on Thursday. “Eaton fire survivors that were staying at the Double Tree hotel all moved to the Westin and Hilton hotel properties, leaving no one at the Double Tree hotel.”

Chavez said currently, the American Red Cross is working with 211LA to do care coordination for the 24 families that remain in those hotels,

Monday, March 10, 2025

Slight Decrease Extends Run of Dropping LA County Gas Prices

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The run of decreases to the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County was extended Sunday to 12 times in the last 13 days with a decrease of three-tenths of a cent to $4.705.

The average price has dropped 7.9 cents over the past 13 days, including 1.1 cents Saturday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 4.3 cents less than one week ago and 23.3 cents less than one year ago, but 5.8 cents more than one month ago. It has dropped $1.789 since rising to a record $6.494 on Oct. 5, 2022.

The national average price dropped for the third consecutive day, decreasing six-tenths of a cent to $3.089. It is nine-tenths of a cent less than one week ago, 4.7 cents less than a month ago and 30.8 cents less than one year ago. It has dropped $1.927 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14,

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Sacred Spaces, Shared: Altadena Islamic Congregation Experiences Ramadan Without Their Spiritual Home

Interfaith solidarity emerges as local churches open doors to Muslim community displaced by January’s devastating Eaton Fire

For the first time in over two decades, Altadena’s Muslim community is observing Ramadan without their spiritual home, Masjid Al-Taqwa. Instead, they’re finding refuge in the sanctuaries of Christian neighbors and classrooms of a local Islamic school following January’s Eaton Fire.

The blaze reduced the mosque to ashes weeks before Ramadan began on Feb. 28. Fueled by 90 mph Santa Ana winds and drought conditions, the fire claimed at least 17 lives and left homeless so many community members, including mosque leaders.

“This masjid is sort of like a home, a family place,” said Wynona Majied-Muhammad, a Board member of Masjid Al-Taqwa. “You can always go back to someplace where you can always find familiarity like a family with friends who basically grew up together, or at least your children grew up together.”

The loss has been poignant during one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar,

Sunday, March 9, 2025

‘Bandit’ Tow Companies Target LA Wildfire Victims

By Deborah Brennan, CALMATTERS

After the Eaton Fire leveled more than 9,400 structures in the Altadena community in January, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger spotted a disturbing Facebook post titled “Eaton Fire Hall of Shame.”

An Altadena resident posted that a tow company called her husband in the middle of the night during the fire, claiming the city had authorized it to tow their car.  Weeks later they learned the company had taken the vehicle to Ontario and was demanding $3,000 to return it.

Other residents responded to the post, recounting similar scams.

Barger asked the residents to contact her if they had suspicious experiences with tow companies amid the wildfire, said Helen Chavez Garcia, spokesperson for the supervisor’s office.

“She thought it was egregious that just one person experienced this,” Chavez Garcia said. “As more information came to her office, we found out that there were more people affected by this.”

When Barger contacted the Inland Empire Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force,

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Army Corps Clears Hazardous Materials From 50% of High-Risk Wildfire Sites

Los Angeles County recovery efforts advance as engineers tackle properties deemed too dangerous for standard cleanup

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has cleared household hazardous materials from 2,269 properties affected by Los Angeles wildfires, marking 50% completion of sites initially too dangerous for standard cleanup. This milestone comes just one week after the Environmental Protection Agency’s deadline for completing Phase 1 hazardous materials removal in wildfire-affected areas.

“We know how much these families and communities have already been through, and we are working with a sense of urgency to help them move forward,” said Col. Eric Swenson, commander of the United States Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles Wildfires Recovery Field Office.

“Safely removing household hazardous materials is a critical first step, and we are pushing forward to complete Phase 1 as quickly as possible. At the same time, we are making steady progress in Phase 2 debris removal, with more than 125 properties completed and returned to the County,

Friday, March 7, 2025

As LA County Sues Edison Over Deadly Fire, is the State’s Wildfire Fund in Jeopardy?

By Alejandro Lazo and Sergio Olmos, CALMATTERS

A potential finding that Southern California Edison’s equipment ignited the deadly Eaton Fire could upend California’s effort to shield utilities from mounting wildfire losses as climate change drives more destructive blazes.

The January blaze, which killed 17 people and destroyed 9,414 structures, remains under investigation, but residents already have filed several lawsuits blaming Edison for sparking the conflagration.

The Eaton Fire ignited near Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains and quickly intensified amid powerful desert winds that gusted up to 100 miles per hour, the flames morphing into a fast-moving and destructive wildfire.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles County also filed suit against Edison, saying the evidence was “clear” that the state’s second-largest utility was responsible for the blaze and that it “deliberately prioritized profits over safety” despite knowing of the “extreme fire risk” its equipment posed as Southern California faced an exceptionally strong windstorm.

“In the days and hours leading up to the Eaton fire there were red flag warnings,” Assistant County Counsel Scott Kuhn said.

Friday, March 7, 2025

Su Oh Named Chief Executive Officer of LA County Arboretum

Experienced arts and culture leader to strengthen conservation and community outreach

The Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation and the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation have appointed Su Oh as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

Oh, who brings more than three decades of experience in arts, culture and the entertainment industry, will also serve as CEO of the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation. The appointment, announced on March 6, 2025, follows a nationwide search to find a leader who can advance the Arboretum’s mission of conservation, education and community engagement.

“We are thrilled to welcome Su Oh as the new CEO of the LA Arboretum Foundation. Her proven ability to drive innovation and foster collaboration will be invaluable as we continue to enhance the Arboretum’s role as a beloved local resource and a national leader in conservation, education, and community outreach,” said Annette Castro Ramirez, President of the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation Board of Trustees.

Friday, March 7, 2025

LA Homeless Mortality Rate Plateaus for Second Year

Preventative work must continue despite slowing death rate

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released its sixth annual report on homeless mortality, revealing that death rates among the unhoused population have plateaued for a second consecutive year. In 2023, 2,508 people experiencing homelessness died in Los Angeles County, with the mortality rate remaining high at 3,326 deaths per 100,000 people. This represents just a 1% increase from 2022, following a 2% increase the previous year and a devastating 56% surge from 2019 to 2021.

“As the County continues to grapple with the worst overdose crisis in its history, the plateau in the mortality rate among people experiencing homelessness is a clear reminder of the challenges we continue to face in tackling this crisis,” said Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and Supervisor for the First District.

The stabilization is largely attributed to a leveling of drug overdose mortality from 2022 to 2023, supported by a three-fold increase in naloxone distribution during that period.

Friday, March 7, 2025

Free Community Farmers’ Market Launches Today For Altadena Fire Victims

The Food for Health program aims to address food insecurity following devastating wildfire

A new free weekly Community Farmers’ Market is opening in Altadena to provide essential nutrition to residents affected by the devastating Eaton Wildfire. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Food for Health program established the market to address food insecurity among those who lost homes, jobs, and stability in January’s wildfires. 

“When the Eaton and Palisades Fires first broke out, AHF’s Food for Health program was there the very next day, providing free hot meals to evacuees at the Pasadena Convention Center and to first responders on the front lines in the Palisades. Over several weeks, Food for Health provided more than 75,000 free hot meals to individuals affected by or fighting the fires, including 60,000 hot meals to evacuees at the Convention Center,” said Carlos Marroquin, National Director for Food for Health Programs. 

The grand opening is scheduled for Friday, March 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.