Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Eaton Collaboratory Opens in Historic Altadena Site

By EDDIE RIVERA

“We will not stop until everybody gets back home.”

In a building where NASA once monitored spacecraft hurtling through the solar system, community leaders on Friday launched a very different kind of mission — one rooted not in the stars, but in survival.

The Eaton Collaboratory, housed in the former Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mission Control Center that decades ago helped send Voyager into the cosmos, opened its doors this week as the permanent home of the Eaton Fire Collective — a coalition of more than 200 nonprofits, government agencies, and community partners formed in the ashes of January’s devastating Eaton Fire.

“This is the grand opening of the Collaboratory,” said Jill Hawkins, one of several early founders of the Collaborative, gesturing across the expansive warehouse now filled with new chairs and desks, shelves filled with donations, and community offices, all of which were donated.

“This was JPL before us, and this is where they launched the Voyager from Mission Control.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

County Supervisors to Consider Local Emergency Proclamation Due to Immigration Raids

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to prepare a proclamation declaring a local state of emergency in response to ongoing federal immigration enforcement raids that critics say are preventing people from going to work and forcing some businesses to close.

County staff are expected to return to the board next week with the proposed emergency proclamation. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced the motion calling for the drafting of the emergency proclamation in response to a report presented to the board by county attorneys on options for possibly enacting an eviction moratorium or other protections for people impacted by the raids.

The Los Angeles Tenants Union advocacy group has been pushing the board for weeks to enact such a moratorium, saying the raids are creating enough fear to prevent people from going to work, or prompting businesses to temporarily close, leaving their employees unable to work.

The county attorney report presented to the board Tuesday noted that an eviction moratorium could be enacted during a declared local emergency,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

LA County Delays Proposed Increases in Marriage License, Ceremony Fees

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Proposed increases in the costs of Los Angeles County marriage licenses, civil wedding ceremonies and witness services were put on hold Tuesday, with the matter being referred back to the county clerk’s office for further review.

The county Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 gave preliminary approval to the price increases, and it was scheduled to give final approval to the ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting. The vote was delayed, however, with the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office asking that the matter be referred back to the department for additional discussion.

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan had proposed the increases, saying in an earlier letter to the board that the county has not substantially changed its marriage license fees since 2009, although the state added $1 to the cost in 2014. Ceremony and witness fees have not changed since 2015.

Logan argued the current fees “no longer reflect the actual costs to the RR/CC to perform these services and do not take into account inflationary factors or mandated minimum wage increases.”

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Barger Motion Unanimously Approved to Launch Investigation into Alleged Fraud in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

On Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Chair Kathryn Barger to investigate allegations of fraud tied to civil claims filed under AB 218, a California law that extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits.

Barger represents Altadena and Pasadena on the Board of Supervisors.

Thousands of AB 218 claims have been filed against the County, many involving individuals formerly in its probation and foster care systems. The first round of settlements—covering approximately 11,000 plaintiffs—will cost $4 billion, with $1.5 billion allocated to attorneys’ fees. This marks the largest financial settlement in County history, with additional claims still pending.

Barger’s motion directs County Counsel to immediately investigate misconduct allegations, consider referrals to the California State Bar, strengthen oversight of settlement agreements, and establish a fraud hotline for reporting unethical behavior. County Counsel is expected to report back within 14 days with updates on the claims review process and hotline implementation.

“Fraudulent claims do a grave disservice to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and to taxpayers,” Barger said.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

California Braces For ‘Devastating’ Expected Cuts To Federal Homeless Housing Funds

By Marisa Kendall, CALMATTERS

The latest blow in a seemingly endless barrage of bad news for the California agencies tasked with fighting homelessness looms: President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to deeply cut federal funding for permanent housing.

The news has sent counties throughout California into a panic. The state is bracing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars for permanent housing, which is the one thing experts agree on as the most effective way to solve homelessness.

Across the state, homeless service providers and local leaders are convening emergency meetings to figure out just how bad the cuts are going to be and what to do about them. Some are scrambling to move money around or even re-label their programs to save hard-won housing. Others have already started helping fewer people in anticipation of the cuts.

But they agree on one thing: If these cuts go through, thousands of California’s most vulnerable residents likely will be evicted from their subsidized housing,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Eaton Fire Collaborative Opens ‘Collaboratory,’ a Home Base for Recovery

The Eaton Fire Collaborative will open the doors of its first permanent physical hub for survivors this afternoon, inviting residents of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre to tour a new space designed to concentrate recovery resources in one place.

The public open house runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at 540 West Woodbury Road in Altadena. Visitors can expect facility tours of the space, demonstrations of available services, brief information sessions and opportunities to meet the partner groups working on the region’s fire recovery.

The event is open to survivors, their families and any community members who want to learn how to connect with assistance.

Leaders of the collaborative describe the “Collaboratory” as both a milestone and a practical tool: a physical address where people can find vetted aid, ask questions and organize next steps.

“The Collaboratory represents an important and visible milestone in the collaborative’s mission to unify precious resources, assistance, and information so that survivors can take control of their recovery,” said Antonio Manning,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Altadena Rebuilds May Proceed Without Immediate Septic Testing, Public Health Says

To keep rebuilds moving on properties using cesspools, Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Monday outlined allowances for like-for-like reconstruction and announced a forthcoming covenant that could defer costly geotechnical testing by committing owners to future upgrades if systems fail.

The announcement came during the Oct. 6 Altadena Community Meeting, where Los Angeles County Department of Public Health  Deputy Director Azar Kattan said the covenant is being drafted and undergoing legal review, with release targeted for early November. The document would allow homeowners to proceed with construction while agreeing to install advanced wastewater treatment systems only if their existing cesspools fail.

Under current post-fire rebuilding rules, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board permits continued use of existing cesspools for like-for-like rebuilds in Altadena, provided the cesspool remains functional and no additional wastewater load is introduced. That means homeowners may not add bedrooms or bedroom equivalents, pools, spas, accessory dwelling units or any other feature that would increase wastewater flow.

If additional bedrooms or equivalents are planned,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Altadena Rebuild Sees Surge in Permits, But Review Bottlenecks Persist

County officials reported Monday more than 470 permits issued—including more than 350 residential units—and over 200 projects already under construction or inspection in the Eaton Fire recovery zone, but more than 300 plan sets have been returned to homeowners with comments, reflecting both momentum and persistent review hurdles.

The update came during the Altadena Community Meeting on Monday, Oct. 6, where a Los Angeles County supervisor—who introduced the disaster interim ordinance in early September—outlined the pace of rebuilding and the challenges still facing homeowners.

The ordinance, which streamlines discretionary approvals for property modifications, is scheduled for review at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting and may be extended through next year.

A permanent version is under development and will include meaningful community engagement.

Supervisor Barger spoke about the importance of debris clearance, noting that properties failing to show substantial progress by the Oct. 7 deadline will enter an abatement process, allowing the county to clear remaining ash and debris. Officials said this step is critical to maintaining momentum as residents begin reconstruction.

Monday, October 6, 2025

Businesses Encouraged to Support Breast Cancer Research Through USPS Stamp Sales

STAFF REPORT

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, the U.S. Postal Service is urging businesses to help fund research by purchasing the Breast Cancer Research stamp, a semi-postal stamp that has raised nearly $98 million since its debut in 1998.

The 90-cent self-adhesive stamp, equal in value to the First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate, is available year-round in sheets of 20. Proceeds benefit breast cancer research, with 70 percent allocated to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent to the Department of Defense’s medical research program. The contribution is calculated as the difference between the stamp’s purchase price and the prevailing First-Class rate, minus USPS costs.

Authorized by Congress in 1997, the Breast Cancer Research stamp was the first semi-postal stamp in U.S. history. Its sale authority was extended through 2027 under the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Reauthorization Act of 2019.

In addition to the breast cancer stamp, USPS offers three other fundraising stamps: Save Vanishing Species (2011),

Monday, October 6, 2025

Federal judge rebukes Trump administration attempt to deploy Guard units from California, Texas to Oregon

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CALMATTERS

In an extraordinary Sunday night hearing, federal District Judge Karin Immergut temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying federalized troops from any state to Oregon.

Hours after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed suit against the Trump administration Sunday seeking to prevent the president from sending 300 California National guard troops to Portland, Ore., a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking federalized deployment from any state to Oregon.

The order came during an extraordinary Sunday night hearing after Oregon and California attorneys revealed that in addition to trying to send California troops to Oregon, President Trump’s War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, had ordered Texas National Guard members to deploy as well.

Oregon District Court Judge Karin Immergut interrupted Department of Justice attorney Eric Hamilton repeatedly during the hearing, saying the administration was trying to circumvent an order she issued Saturday temporarily halting the use of Oregon Guard troops in Portland.

She said that she sees the conduct of the Trump administration,