Tuesday, December 30, 2025

CHP Preps for New Year’s Enforcement Campaign

CITY NEWS SERVICE

California Highway Patrol officers will ramp up operations again in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and statewide, beginning Wednesday night to crack down on drunken and drug-impaired motorists as part of a New Year’s anti-DUI campaign.

The CHP will initiate its New Year’s “Holiday Enforcement Period” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, when all available officers will deploy to catch impaired motorists, speeders and other traffic violators.

The campaign, which replicates a 30-hour HEP that occurred during Christmas, will continue until late Thursday night.

“We’re entering a New Year, but our message stays the same: Driving under the influence increases the risks on our roads, raises the chance of a crash and puts lives in danger,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said Monday.

“We encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our roads safe by making responsible choices behind the wheel.”

The 2024-25 New Year’s HEP netted 481 arrests statewide, compared to 892 during the 2023-24 campaign,

Monday, December 29, 2025

Local Property Owners Urged to Seek Tax Relief After Region’s Severe Winter Storms

Assessor Jeff Prang said Monday that local property owners may qualify for tax relief if their homes or businesses sustained significant losses in the recent severe winter storms.

A ‘Pineapple Express’ winter storm killed four people statewide and triggered avalanches, debris flows and flooding across Southern California last week.

“The recent spate of winter storms including that rare tornado have caused significant damage and in some cases devastating losses,” Assessor Jeff Prang said in the statement. “I want to remind property owners that you may be eligible for property tax relief that could save you money on your taxes as you move forward.”

By filing a claim for Misfortune & Calamity relief within one year of the incident, properties that have sustained a minimum of $10,000 in damage or have been destroyed may be eligible for a refund of taxes already paid and lower annual tax bills until the property is repaired or rebuilt.

For more information regarding Misfortune &

Monday, December 29, 2025

L.A. County Supervisors to Ratify Storm Emergency, Opening Path for Disaster Aid, at Rare New Year’s Eve Meeting

Meeting will seek state and federal assistance after atmospheric river delivers record Christmas rainfall, mudslides

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will convene a rare New Year’s Eve special meeting Wednesday to ratify an emergency declaration stemming from last week’s powerful winter storms—a procedural step that officials say is essential to securing state and federal disaster assistance for communities across the county, including the fire-scarred foothill neighborhoods of Altadena.

The single-item agenda asks the five-member Board to formally approve the Proclamation of Local Emergency made December 24 as a series of atmospheric rivers battered Southern California, delivering what the National Weather Service called the wettest Christmas holiday in downtown Los Angeles since 1971. The ratification will allow the county to formally request recovery assistance under the California Disaster Assistance Act and position officials to seek federal relief programs.

For Altadena, the unincorporated community that remains under direct county jurisdiction, the action carries particular weight. Nearly a year after the devastating Eaton Fire burned thousands of homes in the foothill community,

Monday, December 29, 2025

Federal Cuts and Reversals Upend California Health Care in 2025

By Ana B. Ibarra, CALMATTERS

After a decade of expanding health coverage and safety net programs, the Golden State took a sharp detour in 2025. As federal funding reductions and policy changes rippled through the health care system, California confronted service cuts, coverage losses and growing uncertainty.

During the summer, a congressionally-approved spending plan slashed nearly a trillion dollars from the Medicaid program over the next decade. Funding cuts and new rules – such as work requirements – are expected to push 3.4 million Californians off their Medicaid coverage as changes take effect.

In Washington, a dispute over whether to renew enhanced premium subsidies that help keep Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance plans affordable prompted the longest shutdown in history. Absent federal action, hundreds of thousands of people could be priced out of Covered California insurance in 2026. More than 2,300 Dreamers in California have already lost access to the state marketplace: The Trump administration overturned a rule that had allowed undocumented people brought to the country as children to buy subsidized health insurance.

Monday, December 29, 2025

Hope Rises Along Colorado Boulevard

California Community Foundation’s 2026 Rose Parade float tells a story of recovery

As millions around the world tune in to the 2026 Rose Parade, one float will carry a message shaped not only by flowers and design, but by loss, resilience, and the long road to recovery. The California Community Foundation’s entry, “Rising Together,” draws inspiration from communities across Southern California still rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires.

The float reflects months of collaboration between philanthropic leaders, nonprofit partners, and survivors themselves. “This has been a labor of love,” said Marc Philpart, executive director of the Black Freedom Fund. “We came together with a real kind of pure intention, supporting a community that has been devastated.” Philpart emphasized that the project was rooted in ensuring that neighborhoods such as Altadena and Pasadena were “not left behind” as recovery efforts continue.

Eight wildfire survivors, including Darlene Leyba, Eaton Fire survivor; Andrew King, Eaton Fire survivor; Jacque Robinson-Baisley, Eaton Fire survivor, and Myra Burg, Malibu Fire survivor,  

Monday, December 29, 2025

Wildfire Survivors From Pasadena and Altadena to Help Decorate Rose Parade Float Honoring 2025 Fire Survivors

Wildfire survivors from Altadena and Pasadena will gather Monday morning in Pasadena to help decorate “Rising Together,” a Rose Parade float honoring survivors of the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires, according to event details. Survivors from Pacific Palisades and Malibu will also participate.

The decorating event is scheduled for Monday morning at the AES Float Barn at the Rosemont Pavilion, 700 Seco Street in Pasadena.

Wildfire survivors from Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, along with California Community Foundation (CCF) leadership, are listed among those taking part.

The float, co-sponsored by the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund, is a Rose Parade presented by Honda entry that will appear on January 1, 2026, in the 137th Rose Parade.

According to event materials, the 55-foot float honors the resilience, courage and unity of wildfire survivors following the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires. It pays tribute to the 31 residents who lost their lives and recognizes the strength of more than 13,000 families who lost their homes.

Monday, December 29, 2025

CHP Releases Christmas Holiday Enforcement Numbers

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The California Highway Patrol announced Friday that officers made thousands of enforcement stops and nearly 300 DUI arrests during the 2025 Christmas Holiday Enforcement Period, as the agency worked to curb dangerous driving statewide.

According to CHP, officers conducted 5,450 enforcement actions during the holiday period, issuing 2,744 citations and arresting 297 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Speeding remained a significant concern, officials said. Officers issued 1,385 speeding citations, including 94 drivers caught traveling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

The holiday enforcement period was also marked by deadly crashes. CHP reported six fatal collisions within its jurisdiction that resulted in eight deaths. Speeding, impaired driving and failure to wear seat belts continue to be the leading factors in serious and fatal crashes, the agency said.

CHP urged motorists to buckle up, slow down—especially during adverse weather conditions—and drive sober and attentive.

The Christmas Holiday Enforcement Period is part of CHP’s ongoing efforts to improve roadway safety during peak travel times.

Monday, December 29, 2025

New California Law Expands Newsom’s Mental Health Court

By Marisa Kendall, CALMATTERS

In 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a new program intended to revolutionize the way counties provide mental health care to some of their most vulnerable residents.

CARE Court provides a new pathway for the courts to coordinate mental health and substance use treatment, medications and housing placements for people in the grip of psychosis, including those sleeping outside on the street. But CalMatters investigations have found that so far, the program is falling short of expectations. It’s helping far fewer people than projected, it’s struggled to help homeless participants, and some families have had their hopes dashed when CARE Court failed to help their loved ones who can’t consent to treatment.

Senate Bill 27, by Democrat Tom Umberg of Santa Ana, seeks to address some of those concerns. The law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, expands who is eligible for CARE Court.

Sunday, December 28, 2025

A ‘Very Different Role': How the Eaton Fire Transformed Pasadena’s Celebrated Tournament of Roses

The Tournament of Roses, the more than 130-year-old organization behind Pasadena’s signature New Year’s Day spectacles, pivoted from parade planning to disaster relief in the months after the Eaton Fire devastated Altadena and surrounding neighborhoods.

“Beginning January 7, we’ve witnessed incredible teamwork throughout our community as people have come together to help those directly impacted by the fires,” Tournament President Mark Leavens said.

The relief work represents what Leavens called a “very different role” for an organization. Tournament volunteer members participated in food and clothing drives with local nonprofit organizations, and the group collaborated with a network of community organizations coordinating relief efforts.

The Albertsons Companies Foundation allocated $1 million in gift cards to the Tournament as part of the relief effort, according to Tournament President Mark Leavens. The organization also partnered with the College Football Foundation to secure funding for Pasadena Unified School District to help rebuild the library at Eliot Arts Magnet School.

The Tournament also created a complimentary ticket program to its events for fire victims.

Saturday, December 27, 2025

Clear Sunny Weather Ahead, as Pasadena and Altadena Largely Avoid Serious Storm Damage

“We’ve been really fortunate so far with no major incidents — hopefully Mother Nature knows we deserve a break this year,” a city spokesperson said

Pasadena and Altadena experienced sharply different impacts from a holiday storm that brought more than a foot of rain to some mountain areas and produced a rare EF0 tornado in Boyle Heights, but both communities are now headed into a dry weekend, according to local officials and the National Weather Service.

Pasadena experienced “no major incidents,” Chief Communications Officer Lisa Derderian said.

“We’ll still be optimistically cautious what the next few days can bring after the rain subsides,” Derderian told Pasadena Now. “Parade preparations are in full swing and we’re looking forward to a few dry days for the thousands of visitors enroute to Pasadena.”

While K-rails were deployed by the Pasadena Fire Department as a precaution, there were no verified reports of major breaches or home inundations within city limits.

Altadena,