Thursday, July 2, 2026

Guest Opinion | John Williams: Democracy Requires More Than Celebration. It Requires Truth-Telling

As the nation prepares to celebrate its Semiquincentennial (try saying that three times really fast), Americans will gather beneath fireworks, wave flags, sing patriotic songs, and hear speeches about freedom, democracy, and the “wildly successful” American experiment.

There is nothing inherently wrong with celebration. Nations need rituals. People need moments of gratitude. But as the fanfare surrounding America 250 grows louder, I find myself wrestling with a different question: What happens when celebration becomes a substitute for truth?

The question is not whether America should celebrate. The question is whether America will ever be willing to celebrate honestly. For generations, Black writers, historians, artists, theologians, and activists have challenged the nation to confront this very question. Their challenge was never simply about the past. It was about memory. It was about freedom for all. It was about whether a nation can remain healthy when it tells itself only the stories it wants to hear.

I have been thinking about another national birthday.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Altadena Rebuilding-Protection Bill Advances Out of Assembly Housing Committee

Multi-year pause on state density laws in ZIP codes 91001 and 91003 draws support from fire survivors and opposition from a pro-housing group

A state bill that would shield fire-scarred Altadena neighborhoods from post-disaster real estate speculation cleared its first Assembly committee Wednesday, advancing legislation that Eaton Fire survivors have pressed lawmakers to pass before out-of-town investors reshape the community.

SB 1090 cleared the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and is expected to move next to the Assembly Committee on Local Government.

The measure, authored by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, could impose a five-year pause on two statewide housing-density laws in Altadena’s 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes, blocking the lot splits and added units that fire survivors say speculators are using to acquire burned parcels.

The committee advanced the bill on an 11-1 vote, according to the Legislature’s official record. The moratorium would apply to applications filed between Jan. 7, 2025, and Jan. 7, 2030, suspending SB 9 and SB 1123 — laws that let homeowners split single-family lots or add units.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

California Lawmaker Rolls Back New Public Records Barriers After Fierce Opposition

By Kate Wolffe, CALMATTERS

Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco has once again rolled back her controversial proposal to amend California’s public records rules.

The Downey Democrat alarmed First Amendment advocates in March when she introduced a measure that would make it more expensive for some people to get public records from government agencies, which she said was intended to cut down on malicious or profit-driven requests.

Facing strong opposition, she scaled back the measure. Then, once it passed out of the Assembly, she inserted high fees for records requests and added new ways local governments could deny requests, such as if they were submitted through incorrect means or a court found the requester to have “malicious intent”. After another outcry, they’re out again.

In its current, reduced state, Assembly Bill 1821 would extend the amount of time an agency has to respond to a request from 10 calendar days to 10 business days.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Two Copies of the Declaration of Independence Await Visitors at The Huntington This Fourth of July

The San Marino institution, adjacent to Pasadena, marks the nation’s 250th anniversary with a major exhibition and seasonal offerings — but reservations are required

The document that declared a nation turns 250 this week, and two early copies of it are on display 15 minutes from downtown Pasadena.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens will be open on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Its anchor exhibition, “This Land Is …,” brings together two rare, annotated July 1776 printings of the Declaration of Independence alongside Woody Guthrie’s 1936 guitar — inscribed with the words “This Machine Kills Fascists” — in an exploration of how land has shaped American life from before the founding to the present, according to the institution.

The Huntington, located at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino, sits directly adjacent to Pasadena and has served the San Gabriel Valley since it opened to the public in 1928. The institution encompasses more than 130 acres of botanical gardens alongside collections of art,

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Kathryn Barger Urges LA County Residents to Apply for Disaster Relief

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger Wednesday encouraged residents and small business owners impacted by the Eaton Fire to apply for federal disaster loans ahead of a final extended deadline to receive financial assistance.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has extended a timeline for its SBA Home Physical Disaster Loans and Business Physical Disaster Loans. Borrowers approved for the loans will now have 24 months from the date of their loan authorization agreement to draw down their approved funds.

The extension recognizes that many survivors continue to experience delays related to insurance claims and other rebuilding challenges, according to Barger.

“It’s encouraging that U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has recognized the significant progress being made to accelerate permitting and rebuilding in Los Angeles County,” Barger said in a statement. “While that progress is making a real difference, many wildfire survivors continue to face challenges that are beyond their control.”

She said the SBA extension provides much-needed flexibility,

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Behavioral Health Overhaul Takes Effect in LA County

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County officially transitioned Wednesday to California’s Behavioral Health Services Act, a voter-approved overhaul of the state’s behavioral health funding system that expands services for people with serious mental health and substance use disorders.

The transition implements Proposition 1, approved by California voters in March 2024, which replaced the Mental Health Services Act with the Behavioral Health Services Act, according to county officials.

The measure restructured existing mental health funding, expanded support for substance use disorder treatment and authorized $6.3 billion in bonds for behavioral health treatment facilities and housing.

County officials said the new law broadens collaboration between the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Public Health’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Bureau while prioritizing funding for intensive treatment, housing assistance and behavioral health services.

“Many of BHSA’s changes are administrative, which means consumers will experience a seamless transition to this new age of mental health care in Los Angeles County,”

Thursday, July 2, 2026

St. Mark’s in Altadena Files to Rebuild After Eaton Fire

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Saint Mark’s Church and School in Altadena announced Wednesday that it has begun the formal application process with Los Angeles County to rebuild its campus, marking a major milestone in its recovery from the Eaton Fire.

The application, submitted through the county’s Disaster Recovery Permit process, begins the formal review for reconstruction of the church and school campus, which has served the Altadena community for generations, according to church officials.

The proposed project would restore and modernize the campus while incorporating enhanced fire-resilient design, sustainability features, improved emergency access and updated facilities, officials said. The project would not increase school enrollment, and officials said they hope to reopen the campus in fall 2028.

“This submission represents far more than a planning milestone,” Saint Mark’s School Head Jennifer Tolbert said in a statement. “It represents the resilience of our students, families, faculty, parishioners, and neighbors who have carried this community forward through an incredibly difficult year.”

Church officials said the proposal will move through Los Angeles County’s public review process over the coming months,

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Altadena Fire Survivors Head to Sacramento for SB 1090 Hearings Wednesday

Two Assembly committees weigh a bill to pause fast-track lot splits in the Eaton Fire burn zone

Fire survivors and community representatives from Altadena were traveling to Sacramento Wednesday to testify before two Assembly committees weighing a bill that would pause fast-track housing development on lots burned in last year’s Eaton Fire.

Senate Bill 1090, the Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act, is scheduled before the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee at 9:30 a.m. in State Capitol Room 437, chaired by Assemblymember Matt Haney, and the Assembly Local Government Committee at 1:30 p.m. in Room 447, chaired by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo. The bill’s original June 24 hearing was postponed. The Senate passed it May 27.

Authored by state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, and co-authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian, D-Pasadena, the bill would block ministerial approval under SB 9 and SB 1123 for applications in Altadena’s 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena,

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

The People Rebuilding Altadena Need Rebuilding, Too — New Program Aims to Help

Jericho Road Pasadena launches a free wellness series for nonprofit workers worn down by 18 months of wildfire recovery

The nonprofit workers who rushed in after the Eaton Fire — the grant writers, the case managers, the volunteer coordinators, the people who staffed the aid centers and answered the phones — have been at it for a year and a half. Now someone is asking how they are doing.

Jericho Road Pasadena, a nonprofit that has spent 16 years matching skilled volunteers with local organizations, is launching a long-term wellness initiative aimed at the people who have been carrying the community’s recovery. The effort centers on a free 10-session series called Practicing Joy in Times of Crisis, developed in partnership with A Thousand Joys, a California-based nonprofit that trains service providers in resilience and trauma-informed care.

The Eaton Fire, which ignited on January 7, 2025, destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena and killed 19 people, according to Cal Fire data reported by PBS.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Harabedian Bill to Expand “Best Value” Contracting Clears Senate Fiscal Committee

A measure aimed at San Gabriel Valley cities, including Pasadena and Altadena, now heads toward a Senate floor vote

A bill authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) that would let the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and general law cities use “best value” contracting on large construction projects cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, which ordered it to a second reading under Senate Rule 28.8, sending it toward the Senate floor, Harabedian’s office announced.

The measure, AB 1786, would give those local governments the option to weigh a contractor’s experience, expertise and speed alongside cost when awarding large contracts for projects such as roads, parks and housing. It would touch the same San Gabriel Valley communities — among them Pasadena and Altadena — now focused on rebuilding and infrastructure delivery.

Under current law, the SGVCOG and general law cities do not have access to best value contracting authority for large developments, according to Harabedian’s office. The bill would extend that authority by amending the state Public Contract Code.