Friday, September 26, 2025

California Lawmakers Wanted To Get Tough On Data Centers. Here’s What Survived

By Khari Johnson, CALMATTERS

California lawmakers started the year signaling they were ready to get tough on data centers, aiming to protect the environment and electricity ratepayers. Nine months later, they have little to show for it.

Of four data center bills in play, two never made it out of the Legislature, including one that would have required data centers to publicize their power use and another that would have provided incentives for them to use more clean energy.

Two others are on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, but in substantially reduced form. One mandates disclosure of water use by data center operators, although now in a way that may elude public access. Another originally aimed to protect energy customers from shouldering infrastructure costs driven by data centers but now merely lets regulators figure out if that is happening.

Data centers have the seemingly mundane job of storing and transmitting the contents of the internet.

Friday, September 26, 2025

Grant To Provide Health Care Vans in Los Angeles County Announced

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A $1.8 million grant to the nonprofit organization Visión y Compromiso to fund a three-year program to provide mobile health services in Los Angeles County was announced Thursday.

The grant from the health care insurance provider Health Net and the Centene Foundation will support the Mobile Outreach for Vulnerable and Engage Support program which will consist of vans staffed by community health workers known as promotoras, registered nurses and community outreach coordinators to provide free health screenings, chronic disease management education, access to specialty care and suggested referrals to other resources.

“We believe that health care should come to people — in the places where they live, work and build community,” Maria Lemus, executive director of Visión y Compromiso, said in a statement.

“Through the MOVES program, communities can access holistic health care services and well-being supports, and expand our commitment to elevate community-driven solutions to create a healthier Los Angeles for years to come.”

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Review of Eaton, Palisades Fire Response Finds Weaknesses, Outdated Policies

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A series of outdated policies, weaknesses and systemic vulnerabilities hampered the effectiveness of emergency notifications and evacuation orders during January’s devastating and deadly Eaton and Palisades wildfires, according to a county-commissioned independent review released Thursday.

The “Independent After-Action Report” was commissioned by the Board of Supervisors and produced by McChrystal Group, a consulting firm led by retired four-star Gen. Stanley McChrystal. The firm was charged with conducting “an independent after-action review of alerts and evacuations” to provide “a comprehensive picture of actions taken during the catastrophic January wildfires along with recommendations to help guide future Los Angeles County responses.”

Some concerns arose during and after the fires regarding the effectiveness of community notifications in terms of evacuation warnings and alerts — particularly following warning messages that were accidentally transmitted to thousands of residents across the Southland who weren’t intended to receive them. Questions also arose regarding the effectiveness or absence of warnings for many Altadena-area residents at the onset of the Eaton Fire.

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Town Hall to Address LGBTQ Impact of Eaton and Palisades Fires Set for Saturday in Altadena

A community event will gather feedback to improve disaster recovery efforts for LGBTQ+ residents

A community town hall focused on the impact of the Eaton Canyon and Palisades wildfires on LGBTQ+ residents will be held Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Altadena Main Library in Altadena.

The town hall will share findings from LGBTQ+ respondents to the Los Angeles County Wildfire Needs Assessment and invite attendees to contribute further insights. Spanish interpretation and discussion groups will be available to ensure accessibility.

Hosted by Altadena Pride, the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, the Transgender Latin@ Coalition, the Williams Institute, the Los Angeles County LGBTQ Commission, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the event aims to gather feedback and improve inclusivity in disaster recovery efforts. Doors open at 2 p.m. for lunch, with discussion and community input scheduled from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

The first 60 attendees will receive a free air purifier. Lunch and drinks will be provided.

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Pasadena School Board to Consider Textbook Sufficiency, Review $200 Million Bond Plan at Thursday Meeting

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education will convene Thursday evening to certify textbook sufficiency, review a $200 million bond issuance strategy, and vote on environmental exemptions for campus modernization projects, among other pressing matters.

There is no agenda item focused explicitly on the District’s budget deficit.

The meeting is scheduled for a 5 p.m. closed session and a 6 p.m. open session at the Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room, 351 S. Hudson Ave. The public portion will be broadcast live on Charter Channel 95 and streamed online.

Trustees will hold a public hearing and vote on Resolution 2839, affirming that all students have access to adequate instructional materials in mathematics, science, history-social science, reading/language arts, and foreign language for the 2025–2026 school year. The resolution states that “each classroom uses one or more textbooks from this approved list” for the academic year. The annual certification ensures compliance with state textbook sufficiency requirements.

A second public hearing will address the California School Employees Association (CSEA) Pasadena Chapter 434’s initial proposal for a successor collective bargaining agreement with the district.

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Pasadena Joins County Billboard Campaign to Support Fire-Affected Businesses

Local businesses impacted by January wildfires included in regional recovery effort

Pasadena is among several cities participating in Los Angeles County’s new billboard campaign aimed at helping small and micro businesses recover from the January wildfires, including the Eaton and Palisades fires.

According to a press release issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, the County has installed 23 billboards across the region to promote its “Shop Local. Dine Local. Recover Local.” initiative. The campaign encourages residents to support businesses that suffered property damage, revenue loss and customer decline due to the fires.

The billboard placements include digital premier panels, digital bulletins, transit shelters and printed postal panels. They will remain in place through November. Clear Channel Outdoor partnered with the County to display the messaging.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, and their recovery is essential to our communities’ recovery,” said Kathryn Barger, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Millennial Democrat Ian Calderon Announces Bid For California Governor

By Jeanne Kuang, CALMATTERS

Former state lawmaker Ian Calderon is joining the crowded 2026 race for California governor, he announced Tuesday.

The Whittier Democrat is framing his candidacy as one from a “new generation of leadership.” He was 27 when he became the first millennial to be elected to the state Assembly in 2012.

But he was no newcomer even then — Calderon comes from a line of politicians from southeast Los Angeles County. His father, Charles Calderon, started the dynasty when he was elected to the Assembly in 1982. Two of his uncles also served in the Legislature — and federal prison for corruption.

Ian Calderon left the Assembly, where he was majority leader, in 2020 to focus on his young family and his stepmother Lisa Calderon now holds his seat. But he’s been biding his time for a return.

In a campaign video that heavily features his wife and children,

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Organizations Provide $10,000 Custom Wheelchair to Altadena Teen After Fires

Xavier Young lost his specialized mobility equipment when the Eaton fires destroyed his home and school in Altadena.

Two Los Angeles-area charitable organizations have provided a $10,000 custom wheelchair to an Altadena middle school student who lost his mobility equipment when fires destroyed his home and school.

Xavier Young, a student at Eliot Arts Magnet as part of the Pasadena Unified School District, received the specialized medical-grade wheelchair Sept. 23 through a partnership between Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities and Exceptional Children’s Foundation.

The Eaton fires that swept through Altadena left Young facing multiple losses: his home, his school in Altadena, and his lifeline — a specialized wheelchair he depended on every day for mobility and independence.

The presentation of Xavier’s new wheelchair, attended by Maxine Moshay of Exceptional Children’s Foundation and Angela Belty of Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities, formed part of LATLC’s larger fire relief campaign, which raised $100,000 to support families, first responders and schools impacted by the Eaton and Palisades fires.

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Court Rulings Cast Doubt On California Mask Ban For Federal Officers

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Last Saturday Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills aimed at protecting California’s undocumented immigrants from aggressive raids by President Donald Trump’s immigration agents.

Senate Bill 627, which would prohibit federal officers from wearing masks during their operations, drew the heaviest media coverage and a dismissive response from administration officials.

“What are you afraid of?” Newsom asked of federal agents during the signing event in Los Angeles. “You’re going to go out and you’re going to do enforcement — provide an ID. Tell us which agency you represent. Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide.”

“We don’t need to abide by this garbage,” Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, posted on X.

The political saber rattling is merely theatrical symbolism. Newsom got another fix of national media attention to bolster his image as resister-in-chief to the commander-in-chief,

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Ricardo Lara Proposes Insurance Rule That Critics Call ‘Revenge’

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is proposing more new insurance rules that critics are calling “vindictive,” and which they say will only make it easier for insurers to raise rates.

Home insurance costs in California are certain to rise in the near future because of Lara’s recent changes to the state’s insurance rules. Those changes are meant to encourage insurance companies to keep writing new policies and discourage them from canceling policies, especially in areas of high wildfire risk.

Last week, Lara proposed altering the insurance rate-review process in what he said is an effort to make it more efficient. But others say the changes Lara wants to make amount to retaliation against one of his biggest and toughest critics, Consumer Watchdog.

“This is Trumpian,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, the nonprofit organization that wrote the state’s Proposition 103 insurance law. Consumer Watchdog is California’s most prolific intervenor; an intervenor is a member of the public who can challenge an insurer’s rate request.