Monday, October 13, 2025

Barger Highlights New Wildfire Recovery Laws in Open Letter to Altadena Residents

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued an open letter Monday to Altadena residents and survivors of the Eaton Fire, outlining three newly signed state laws aimed at strengthening wildfire recovery efforts and protecting disaster-affected communities.

The letter, released by Barger’s office, praised Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval of Assembly Bill 468, Senate Bill 571, and Senate Bill 782 over the weekend. Barger said the legislation will help safeguard rebuilding families from looting, accelerate infrastructure restoration, and provide new financial tools for local governments.

AB 468, authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, and SB 571, introduced by Senator Bob Archuleta, increase penalties for theft and looting in disaster zones. Barger cited post-fire crime in Altadena as a key concern, noting that nearly 200 Eaton Fire rebuilds are currently underway, with homes under construction and inspections in progress. She said the new laws, combined with increased patrols from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, will help protect families during reconstruction.

Barger also acknowledged Newsom’s veto of Senate Bill 629,

Monday, October 13, 2025

Evacuation Warning Issued for Altadena’s Eaton Fire Burn Scar Area Amid Mudflow Risk

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation warning Monday afternoon for residents near the Eaton Fire burn scar in Altadena, citing potential mud and debris flows in the San Gabriel Foothills.

The emergency alert, released at 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 13, urges residents in vulnerable areas to prepare for possible evacuation. Those requiring extra time to leave — including individuals with mobility challenges, pets, or dependent family members — are advised to consider evacuating immediately.

The warning applies specifically to neighborhoods adjacent to the burn scar zone, where recent fire damage has destabilized terrain and increased the risk of post-fire runoff during storms.

Residents are encouraged to gather essential supplies and monitor updates through AlertLA.org, the county’s official emergency notification platform.

The Sheriff’s Department did not indicate whether mandatory evacuations were imminent but emphasized the importance of readiness.

Monday, October 13, 2025

County Offices To Be Closed Monday For Indigenous Peoples Day

By STEVEN HERBERT, City News Service

Los Angeles city and county offices will be closed Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day while federal offices will be closed for Columbus Day, which remains a federal holiday.

Indigenous Peoples Day is not a state holiday, so state courts and other state offices will be open. A bill approved by the Legislature in 1998 and signed into law by then-Gov. Pete Wilson designated the fourth Friday in September as Native American Day, a state holiday when state courts and other state offices are closed.

Schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will also be open. Buses, rail services and Metrolink trains in Los Angeles run on a regular schedule.

The U.S. Postal Service does not deliver regular mail on Columbus Day, and post offices will be closed as will most major banks.

A 2017 ordinance declared the second Monday in October in Los Angeles as Indigenous Peoples Day, replacing Columbus Day as a holiday on the city calendar.

Monday, October 13, 2025

As County Takeover of Pasadena Schools Looms, Inglewood’s Journey Provides a Frightening and Cautionary Tale

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Pasadena Unified could lose control of the district to state overseers if the budget crisis persists

School board trustees were told last week that Pasadena Unified could lose control of the district as early as next year if it fails to convince Los Angeles County Office of Education officials by December that it can close a multi-year, $149.4 million budget gap.

Under state intervention, both the superintendent and the seven-member elected board would lose their decision-making authority.

“The decisions made in the upcoming months will define Pasadena Unified School District’s future,” said Octavio Castelo, Los Angeles County Office of Education’s director of business advisory services, who oversees the fiscal monitoring of all 80 districts in Los Angeles County.

Castelo warned trustees during a detailed presentation that the district’s finances have deteriorated to the point that a state takeover is a real possibility — a fate that befell Inglewood Unified School District in 2012.

Monday, October 13, 2025

Free Resource Fair Tuesday to Help Fire Victims Rebuild Homes

Southern California building industry professionals offer expertise on permits, materials and insurance

Fire victims in Southern California will have free access to building professionals and rebuilding resources at an event next week at the Paseo.

The Rebuild LA Resource Fair takes place Oct. 14 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at NOOR in Pasadena. The Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) is hosting the event.

Attendees can consult with contractors and trade professionals about home reconstruction. They can also get guidance on permits, insurance issues and zoning regulations.

The fair will feature information on fire-resistant building materials. Financial service providers and legal advisors will be available as well.

Housing advocates and nonprofit agencies will connect residents with additional community resources.

“Rebuilding our communities after a disaster takes collective effort and accessible support,” said Jeff Montejano, BIASC CEO. “This event is about restoring hope, rebuilding homes, and reconnecting communities.”

The association represents building professionals from Ventura to southern Orange County.

Monday, October 13, 2025

Early-Season Storm System Poised to Slam Southern California Monday Night Through Tuesday

A very early-season storm system is forecast to sweep across Southern California beginning Monday night, bringing the potential for heavy rainfall, embedded thunderstorms, and localized flooding, particularly in areas with recent burn scars, according to the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office.

The system is expected to peak between 10 p.m. Monday and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13–14, with rainfall totals ranging from 0.5 to 2 inches across coastal and valley areas, and up to 4 inches in the mountains and foothills. Rainfall duration is expected to span 6 to 8 hours. Forecasters warn of possible debris flows, shallow flooding, and traffic disruptions, especially in urban areas and along vulnerable slopes.

County-level peak rainfall timing and hourly rates include:

Los Angeles County peak rainfall from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday is expected at  0.15–0.50 inch/hr, with isolated rainfall of 0.80 inch/hr, especially in western portions

There is a 10% chance of isolated rain rates reaching 1 inch per hour,

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Altadena Residents Map Cultural Memory in Community-Led Exhibition

A community-built exhibition documenting Black cultural memory in Altadena opens Sunday at the Bob Lucas Memorial Library, offering residents a chance to mark places lost, remembered, and hoped for following the Eaton Fire. Constructed in two weeks by cityLAB-UCLA and fire-displaced residents, the cardboard installation uses participatory mapping to let locals—not institutions—decide what gets remembered after disaster.

The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 31, began as a healing circle at the April 12 Altadena Senior Summit and evolved into a living archive as residents returned repeatedly to share stories and mark locations tied to family, community, and everyday life. According to cityLAB-UCLA project records, collaboration with local partners began in January 2025, shortly after the fire.

Originally designed for a one-day presentation at the Eaton Fire Rebuild Senior Summit on Aug. 2, the physical exhibition was completed within two weeks. Attendees at the August event urged organizers to keep the display alive and requested that it travel to other community spaces. Many brainstormed additional venues and expressed a desire to continue contributing to the archive.

Sunday, October 12, 2025

New California Law Expands Newsom’s Mental Health Court. Will It Help More People?

By Jocelyn Wiener and Marisa Kendall, CALMATTERS

One of Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s marquee mental health programs may broaden its reach despite persistent questions about the number of people it’s helping and whether it’s achieving the goals he set out for it when it launched.

Newsom today signed a law that expands eligibility for CARE Court to include people who experience psychotic symptoms as a result of bipolar disorder. Under the law’s previous constraints, only people with schizophrenia and other limited psychotic disorders were eligible.

Newsom in a written statement called the law and its expansion an important part of his administration’s efforts to bring people with serious mental illness into treatment.

“California doesn’t sit on the sidelines while people fall through the cracks,” he said. “We don’t stand by while people spiral on our sidewalks or cycle through emergency rooms and jail cells — we step up. We built CARE Court to connect people to treatment,

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Gavin Newsom Signs Law Overhauling Local Zoning to Build More Housing

By Ben Christopher, CALMATTERS

Ever since the Legislature narrowly passed a bill last month that will pave the way for more apartment buildings around major public transit stops in the state’s biggest metro areas, the California political universe has been impatiently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto in a heated statewide game of “will he, won’t he.”

Today, he did.

Newsom’s sign-off on Senate Bill 79 means that apartment developers will soon be able to pack more homes into neighborhoods within half a mile of major rail, subway, and bus rapid transit stops, overriding local zoning restrictions and any possible objections of surrounding neighbors. Buildings immediately surrounding these transit hubs will be entitled to max out as high as nine stories, with those farther out topping out at roughly four.

“The world looks to California for leadership — it’s time to build modern, connected communities that fulfill California’s promise, meeting the needs of today and the next generation,” the governor wrote in a signing statement.

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Altadena’s Eaton Fire Survivors Gain New Recovery Tool Under SB 782

A new California law signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to accelerate rebuilding efforts in Altadena neighborhoods impacted by the Eaton Fire, granting local governments expanded authority to invest in disaster recovery and resilience.

Senate Bill 782, authored by State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez and sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, enables cities and counties to establish “disaster recovery financing districts.” These districts allow local agencies to reinvest tax revenue directly into fire-damaged communities, bypassing delays often associated with traditional state funding mechanisms.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for communities across California still healing from wildfires and other disasters,” Barger said in a statement. “With Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 782, that I was proud to sponsor, we now have a mechanism to rebuild with resilience, restore critical infrastructure, and revitalize neighborhoods hurt by catastrophe.”

The Eaton Fire, which scorched portions of Altadena and surrounding foothill areas, left behind extensive damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure.