Monday, January 5, 2026

New California Fee Targets Batteries In PlayStations, Power Tools And Singing Cards

By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, CALMATTERS

Starting January 1, Californians will pay a new fee every time they buy a product with a non-removable battery – whether it’s a power tool, a PlayStation, or even a singing greeting card.

The 1.5% surcharge, capped at $15, expands a recycling program that’s been quietly collecting old computer monitors and TVs for two decades. The change is a result of Senate Bill 1215, authored by former state Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat who represented parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino. It was signed into law in 2022.

Consumers will pay the fee when buying any product with an embedded battery whether it’s rechargeable or not. Many of these products, experts said, end up in the trash. In its most recent analysis, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery estimates about 7,300 tons of batteries go to landfills illegally or by accident.

California pioneered electronic waste fees with computer monitors and TVs in 2003.

Monday, January 5, 2026

LA Artist Who Captured Fire’s Devastation Now Leads Community Healing Through Paint

Edgar Arceneaux shifts from museum acclaim to grassroots recovery with Altadena mural project

The Los Angeles artist whose recent works depicting the Eaton Fire’s aftermath were acquired by the city’s top museums is trading gallery walls for community canvas. 

Edgar Arceneaux will lead Altadena residents in painting a community mural Jan. 23-25 at Bob Lucas Memorial Library. The project marks a shift from his museum success to hands-on recovery work. 

His pieces “Skinning the Mirror (Summer 1)” and “Skinning the Mirror (Winter 9)” – both created in 2025 – were snapped up by major institutions including the Hammer Museum, LACMA and MOCA. The works sold at Frieze Los Angeles earlier this year. 

Now the Whitney Biennial veteran and USC associate professor is focusing on collective healing. 

“Our new mural will celebrate powerful themes of regrowth, rebuilding resilience, literacy and community values that speak deeply to who we are and where we’re going,” said Nikki Winslow, district director of Altadena Library District. 

Monday, January 5, 2026

County Supervisors to Extend Fire Emergency Powers, Address $18 Million in Settlements

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors faces consequential agenda as Altadena recovery continues

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday to extend emergency contracting authority for ongoing recovery operations from the January 2025 wildfires, including the Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena, while also considering more than $18 million in lawsuit settlements against county agencies.

The meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration downtown, comes nearly one year after the catastrophic firestorm that destroyed large portions of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. Under the emergency authority first granted under Board Order No. 13-C on January 28, 2025, department directors have been permitted to award and modify contracts without competitive bidding—a measure the Board must renew every two weeks under state law.

The bi-weekly emergency reports before the Board on Tuesday cover both the Internal Services Department and Public Works Department, according to agenda documents. A separate item asks supervisors to continue a local health emergency declaration related to the fires.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Southland Rain Expected to Continue Through Monday

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Southern California’s long run of rainy days is expected to continue Monday before dry skies return Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Sunday saw more rain across most of the Southland, with high-elevation snow and a chance of thunderstorms in the evening.

Evacuation warnings remains across neighborhoods near recent burn scars, as mud and debris flow remained a danger due to the saturation from previous storms.

Pasadena residents can sign up for a localized emergency notification system known as PLEAS, or the Pasadena Local Emergency Alert System, by clicking here.

For up-to-date information on the storm, residents can visit lacounty.gov/emergency or sign up for emergency alerts at alert.lacounty.gov. To check on evacuation statuses, residents can download the Genasys Alert app or visit genasys.com.

Motorists were also advised to stay off the roads if possible and to exercise extreme caution if they do drive.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Webinar Dissects Altadena’s Uneven Path to Wildfire Recovery

A new UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) webinar scheduled for Jan. 6 will focus on the uneven path to wildfire recovery in Altadena and the challenges shaping who gets to come back, according to an event page published by LPPI.

The webinar, titled “The Altadena Recovery: Who Gets to Come Back?”, will spotlight LPPI’s latest research on wildfire recovery. The institute cites findings showing that nearly seven in ten severely damaged houses have shown no visible progress one year after the fire.

Recent LPPI research also indicates that many Black, Latino and AAPI homeowners are still navigating insurance delays and rising costs. Tenants continue to face displacement as affordable housing remains unrepaired or is sold to investors.

Small business owners are also facing challenges related to displacement and business continuity, according to the LPPI event description.

The event “brings community leaders into conversation to assess progress one year after the fire, and chart priorities for an equitable recovery and long-term resilience,” LPPI said in its announcement.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

A Sheriff’s ‘Fun Run’ Was Canceled by Disaster. What Replaced It Is Drawing Thousands Today.

Almost one year after the Eaton Fire, the Altadena Forever Run will start beneath the charred façade of a hardware store its organizers asked the owner not to tear down

A portion of the Woodbury Building’s facade is still standing today. The hardware store that once occupied the building is gone, along with most of the block and much of the surrounding neighborhood. When Victoria Knapp,  co-chair of the Altadena Forever Run, asked the building’s owner to leave the skeletal remains upright through this weekend, he agreed.

This morning, at 8 a.m., 3,100 runners will gather in front of that charred monument at 849 E. Mariposa Street—a deliberate tribute to what was lost across Altadena—and begin moving through a community that is measuring its recovery in permits issued, foundations marked, and replacement homes starting construction.

“A visible reminder to folks who had not ever been here, about what happened here,” said Knapp.

The Run was not supposed to be this.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Rain to Continue Through Tuesday, Thunderstorms Possible Today

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Rainfall, heavy at times, is expected to continue Sunday in Southern California and remain at least through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Sunday forecast also includes a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, with highs in the low 60s.

City spokesperson Lisa Dederian said Sunday morning that no storm damage has yet been reported in Pasadena.

“The hillsides and ground are very saturated, so we’ll continue to keep a close eye out for mud and debris flows that can still occur even as the weather improves,” Derderian said.

As the storm that soaked the region last week moves eastward, “another weaker impulse will move into the area early Sunday,” forecasters said. “Drier weather is expected Tuesday night through late in the week, with cold nights for many areas Wednesday night through Friday.”

Forecasters cited a 30%-40% chance of more showers on Monday and Tuesday, with skies likely clearing up after that.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Radio Station Will Broadcast 3-Hour Live Local Show to Mark Eaton Fire Anniversary

KBLA Talk 1580 will broadcast live on Wednesday, Jan. 7, to mark the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire in a three-hour event scheduled from 6 to 9 a.m. from Perry’s Joint, 2041 Lincoln Avenue in Pasadena.

KBLA Talk 1580 and the show’s sponsor, LA Fire Justice, said in an advisory that the event will “celebrate the heroes who answered the call” and “honor the resilience of neighbors determined to rebuild together.”

The broadcast will be hosted by Dominique DiPrima, of “First Things First” on KBLA Talk 1580, and James Farr, of “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising.”

Scheduled guests include Chris Holden, former Pasadena mayor and current CEO of LA Fire Justice; Heavenly Hughes, executive director of My Tribe Rise; Pastor Jonathan DeCuir of Victory Bible Church; Brandon Lamar, founder of Project Passion; and Perry Bennett of Perry’s Joint Cafe.

The advisory also lists a number of Altadena residents as show guests: Zaire Calvin, Jarvis Emmerson, Martin Gordon, Diane Lewis, Dr. Eshele Williams,

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Sunday’s Altadena Forever Run Prompts Multiple Street Closures Across Altadena

Sunday’s inaugural Altadena Forever Run will bring widespread road closures and possible traffic delays across the foothill community as organizers prepare for a commemorative event marking the upcoming first anniversary of the Eaton Fire.

The multi-tier run, scheduled for Jan. 4, was organized through a collaboration involving the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Athletic Association, the Altadena Sheriff’s Station and the Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena.

A series of complete closures were to take effect at 6 a.m. and remain in place until noon, including Mariposa Street between Ganesha and Glen avenues, Mendocino Street between Allen and El Molino avenues, Altadena Drive between Lake and Allen avenues, and Ventura Street between Fair Oaks Avenue and Glen Avenue. No crossing will be permitted during the closure window.

Major north–south corridors will also be affected. Fair Oaks Avenue from Ventura Street to Altadena Drive and Lake Avenue from Mendocino Street to Altadena Drive are expected to experience heavy congestion, according to the event’s road-impact table. Glen Avenue,

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Pasadena’s Congressional Representatives Condemn Trump’s Actions in Venezuela

Congresswoman Judy Chu and Senator Adam Schiff, who both represent Pasadena in Congress, reacted swiftly on Saturday to condemn President Donald Trump’s January 3, 2026 military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

Chu issued her statement on X Saturday afternoon, criticizing Trump for launching the operation “without any explanation to the American people and without authorization from Congress.”

Chu said “Americans do not want another foreign regime change war launched in secret and without accountability,” and warned that Trump was “setting an example to the world that it is acceptable for countries to unilaterally overthrow sovereign leaders.”

She added that “Congress must rein in this administration and stop it from dragging our country into another endless, unauthorized war.”

Schiff, in a statement released Jan. 3 through his Senate office, called Maduro “a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela,” but said that “starting a war to remove Maduro doesn’t just continue Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution,