Thursday, May 7, 2026

Protest at Eliot Arts Campus Draws Calls for Preservation of Iconic Tower After Fire Damage

By EDDIE RIVERA

Residents, historians and former students urge Pasadena Unified School District to reconsider demolition plans for Altadena landmark

Dozens of residents, preservation advocates and former students gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the fire-damaged campus of Eliot Arts Magnet Academy in Altadena, calling on the Pasadena Unified School District to slow plans that could lead to demolition of the school’s iconic tower.

The campus, heavily damaged in the devastating Eaton Fire, has remained shuttered for months as district officials assess the future of the historic property.

“It’s unsurprising to everyone that’s here, especially if you lost your home, how you can cry over a building,” said former Altadena Town Council President Victoria Knapp. “But this building, this particular tower, is the heart and iconic representation of Altadena. Anyone who comes here northbound knows that they’ve arrived in Altadena because of this tower.”

The protest followed remarks Tuesday evening by Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco at an Altadena Town Council Land Use Committee meeting,

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

USDA Waives Rural Rules to Send $3 Million in Repair Grants to Eaton Fire Homeowners

Federal program designed for rural areas extends eligibility to 92 low-income households in Altadena

A federal housing repair program built for rural America is coming to Altadena.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $3 million in disaster assistance grants for homeowners whose properties were damaged by the Eaton Fire, according to a statement from Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.

The grants, distributed through USDA’s Section 504 Single Family Housing Repair Program, offer up to $32,420 per household — but the program does not normally serve communities like Altadena, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County. USDA waived its standard rural eligibility requirements to reach the fire-damaged area, according to the announcement, which described the action as demonstrating the Trump administration’s commitment to applying eligibility waivers for communities affected by the California wildfires.

The money is targeted at 92 very-low- and low-income homeowners, according to USDA Rural Development California State Director Bryan Anguiano.

“USDA Rural Development is committed to supporting families affected by the Eaton Fire.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

L.A. County Declares Its Own Day of Prayer, Aligning With 75-Year National Tradition

The annual observance, approved by the Board of Supervisors, invites residents of all backgrounds to pause and reflect on the first Thursday of May

Los Angeles County now has its own Day of Prayer.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn to proclaim May 7, 2026, as “County Day of Prayer” and to establish the observance annually on the first Thursday of May, aligning it with the National Day of Prayer. The proclamation applies countywide, encompassing Pasadena, Altadena and all communities across the county’s 88 cities and unincorporated areas.

“During these trying times, the County Day of Prayer is an invitation for people across Los Angeles County to pause, reflect, and pray in any way they choose for whatever is on their hearts that could make our communities, our County, and our nation better,” Hahn said during the Board meeting, according to a press release from her office.

The move comes on the eve of the 75th annual National Day of Prayer,

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

County Oversight Panel Asks Altadena, Pasadena Residents to Weigh In on License Plate Surveillance

Tonight’s virtual forum examines how the Sheriff’s Department uses automated readers and whether the data is protected from federal immigration enforcement

The cameras mounted on streetlights and patrol cars throughout Altadena read every license plate that passes. Tonight, the county agency that oversees the Sheriff’s Department wants to know what residents think about that.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission holds a virtual public forum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday on the department’s use of automated license plate readers, the high-speed cameras that scan millions of plates weekly across the county. The forum, mandated by the Board of Supervisors last September, will focus on data-sharing safeguards and potential protections against the technology’s use in federal immigration enforcement. The Commission, created by the Board of Supervisors in 2016 to provide independent oversight of the LASD, is accepting public comment through Webex registration at bit.ly/coc-alpr.

Altadena, an unincorporated community, is policed by the LASD’s Altadena Station, which also covers Northeast Pasadena and Pasadena Glen.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Free Virtual Job Fair Targets Pasadena-Area Workers on May 14

A national hiring-event company offers four hours of direct access to recruiters across dozens of industries

Pasadena-area residents looking for work can register now for a free virtual job fair scheduled for May 14, one of a handful of no-cost hiring events aimed at the city this spring as California’s unemployment rate continues to run above the national average. 

Best Hire Career Fairs, a Las Vegas-based company that organizes hiring events nationwide, will host the four-hour virtual fair from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The company says the event will connect job seekers directly with hiring managers and recruiters from companies spanning healthcare, technology, finance, education, manufacturing, hospitality, and dozens of other industries, according to the event’s Eventbrite listing. Registration is free. 

California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 5.3% in March 2026, according to the state Employment Development Department — above the most recent national rate of 4.4% reported in February. Los Angeles County’s unadjusted rate was 5.1% that same month.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Local Funding Pays for 73% of PUSD’s $83 Million Special Education Bill, as Federal Share Falls Below 7%

Pasadena Unified School District plans to spend nearly $83 million educating students with disabilities next year — and almost three of every four dollars will come from local coffers, not from state or federal sources.

That structural imbalance, laid bare in the District’s 2026-27 Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) submission, goes before the Pasadena Unified School District Governing Board for public comment at a public hearing scheduled for approximately 5:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at the Pasadena Unified School District Education Center, 351 S. Hudson Ave.

Of the $82,991,011 budget filed on the California Department of Education (CDE) Local Plan Annual Submission template, $60,606,863 — 73.03% — is sourced locally, drawn from the District’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), transportation funds, Workability allocations, and contributions from unrestricted District revenues.

State special education revenue covers $16,769,284, or 20.21%. Federal revenue, the smallest share, totals just $5,614,864 — 6.77% of the budget.

Within those state and federal totals, the District projects $13,669,339 in Assembly Bill (AB) 602 state aid and $921,241 in AB 602 property taxes;

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Alliance Française Honors Pasadena’s Own Julia Child with a Hands-On “Tribute” Cooking Class

The 102-year-old French language and cultural nonprofit marks 65 years since “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” with a Thursday evening fundraiser at Sauté Culinary Academy.

Julia Child was born in Pasadena. Sixty-five years ago this fall, she published “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and changed the way Americans approached their own kitchens. On Thursday, May 7 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Alliance Française de Pasadena will honor her with a “Tribute to Julia Child” cooking class and fundraiser at the Sauté
Culinary Academy.

The hands-on evening blends a working cooking lesson with a celebration of Child’s legacy: the Pasadena native who taught her countrymen and -women how to roast a chicken without fear, then earned the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian honor, for her work in introducing French cuisine and culture to America. The event doubles
as a fundraiser for the Alliance Française, the local nonprofit that has been promoting French language and Francophone cultures in Pasadena since 1924,

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Pasadena Assemblymember’s Bill Would Shield Historic Districts From State Housing Law

The measure would close gaps in SB 79 that preservation advocates say leave locally designated landmarks vulnerable to demolition

A bill authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian would extend state protections to historic districts and landmarks listed on local, state, and national registers — a direct response to concerns that California’s sweeping transit-oriented housing law left too many of those resources exposed.

AB 2576, which passed the Assembly floor and now moves to the California Senate according to a press release from Harabedian’s office, proposes what the release describes as “targeted clean-up amendments” to SB 79, the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2025. That law allows midrise housing of up to seven stories within half a mile of major transit stops and takes effect July 1, 2026. Critics, including the Los Angeles Conservancy, have said SB 79’s preservation provisions are too narrow — capping historic resource exemptions at 10 percent of any transit-oriented development zone and primarily protecting properties listed at the local level.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Harabedian Targets ‘Fail First’ Insurance Rules for Mental Health Medications

The Pasadena assemblymember’s AB 1970 would ban step therapy requirements for patients with serious mental illness

When a doctor prescribes medication for schizophrenia or severe depression, the patient’s insurer can override that choice — requiring the patient to first try a cheaper drug, fail on it, and only then receive the original prescription. Assemblymember John Harabedian wants to end that practice for Californians with serious mental illness.

Harabedian, a Pasadena Democrat who represents the 41st Assembly District including Pasadena and Altadena and serves on the Assembly Insurance Committee, introduced AB 1970 earlier this year.

The bill would prohibit health plans and insurers from imposing step therapy — commonly called “fail first” policies — on prescription drugs used to treat serious mental illness and substance use disorders, according to an analysis by the California Health Benefits Review Program. If enacted, the prohibition would take effect for contracts issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. The ban would not apply in cases where the FDA’s own labeling requires that a patient take a prior medication first.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Alleged Mishandling of LA Wildfire Claims by State Farm Sparks Legal Action

CITY NEWS SERVICE

An investigation by the California Department of Insurance found that claims filed with State Farm by survivors of the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires were “delayed, underpaid, and buried” in red tape, resulting in legal action by the office, it was announced Monday.

The department’s enforcement action seeks millions of dollars in penalties, considered the largest amount pursued this century following a wildfire disaster, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said. It also calls for a suspension of the company’s license for up to a year.

In addition to penalties, the department is requiring State Farm to take corrective actions to speed up payments and resolve outstanding claims.

State Farm policyholders filed nearly 11,300 residential claims related to the wildfires, nearly one-third of the 38,835 claims filed across all insurers, according to the department’s claims tracker.

The violations indicate that thousands of survivors may have been affected, according to Lara.

In an emailed statement to City News Service,