Friday, January 9, 2026

L.A. County Supervisors Face Pivotal Votes on Fires, Immigration and Homelessness

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors confronts an exceptionally consequential agenda on Tuesday, January 13, dominated by wildfire recovery, immigration policy, and chronic homelessness crises.

The meeting will consider three transformative measures that could reshape County governance for years.

ICE-Free Zones Ordinance: The most politically divisive item would prohibit federal immigration enforcement from using County property as staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases. Supervisor Horvath’s motion requires County Counsel to draft an ordinance within 30 days mandating signage on all County property and establishing permit requirements for civil law enforcement operations. The measure could trigger federal litigation and potential loss of more than $1 billion in annual federal funding while setting a national precedent for local resistance to immigration enforcement.

$40 Million Wildfire Parks Recovery: An emergency measure authorizes $40 million in state Proposition 4 grants for parks devastated by the Eaton, Palisades, Hurst, and Kenneth Fires, including Charles White Park ($5.5 million), Hughes Fire Recovery at Castaic Lake ($5 million),

Friday, January 9, 2026

State Schools Chief was Caught Off Guard by Newsom’s Plan to Pare Down the Future Scope of His Job

By Carolyn Jones, CALMATTERS

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he was blindsided by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal Thursday to curtail the superintendent’s duties and he disagrees with it, although it’s unclear what he can do to stop it.

“Tony Thurmond is proud and grateful to work with Gov. Newsom. They’re both champions of public education,” said Elizabeth Sanders, spokeswoman for the California Department of Education, which Thurmond heads. Sanders was speaking on behalf of the superintendent.

“Unfortunately, on this particular issue they are not aligned.”

In his State of the State address on Thursday, Newsom proposed shifting oversight of the Department of Education, a 2,000-employee state agency, from the superintendent to the State Board of Education. The move would concentrate more power over K-12 schools with the governor, who appoints the school board.

The superintendent would remain an elected position, but with diminished and less defined duties.

Referencing a December report from Policy Analysis for California Education,

Friday, January 9, 2026

Newsom Touts His Successes, Swipes at Trump in Final State of the State Speech

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

California’s constitution requires the governor to “report to the Legislature each calendar year on the condition of the state and may make recommendations.”

For the past seven years, Gavin Newsom has reluctantly and minimally honored that command, usually eschewing the traditional January address to a joint legislative session in the Capitol.

But today, entering the final year of his governorship, he delivered a 64-minute, no-script paean to legislators that catalogued his achievements and portrayed the state as a model for the world, while interspersing harsh criticism of President Donald Trump as an autocrat who is undermining democracy.

Thus it was not only a celebratory swan song but a platform of sorts for Newsom’s all-but-certain campaign to succeed Trump in 2028 — implying that a prosperous, inclusive and generous California could become a model for the nation should he occupy the White House.

Newsom only mentioned Trump by name twice, once while denouncing cutbacks in federal child care funds and near the end,

Friday, January 9, 2026

Pasadena–Sierra Madre YMCA Event Delivered $450,000 in Aid to Wildfire Survivors

A year after wildfires devastated communities in Los Angeles, families gathered Wednesday at the Pasadena–Sierra Madre YMCA, where the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles announced nearly half a million dollars in direct financial assistance and extended relief benefits.

The Jan. 7 event at the YMCA branch in Sierra Madre included the announcement of a $450,000 direct relief fund for wildfire-impacted families, funded by the California Community Foundation.

The YMCA also said it extended its comprehensive survivor benefits — including free memberships, summer camps, mental health supports, child care and youth sports — through the end of 2026.

A group of 100 invited families received immediate financial assistance and grocery distribution during the event.

Rize Credit Union was on-site to announce a partnership offering matched funds for families who signed up for a financial services account through the credit union, according to the YMCA.

The YMCA said that in the immediate aftermath of the fires one year ago, it spearheaded food and clothing donations and provided forms of aid,

Friday, January 9, 2026

Music Center to Host Free Event Featuring Immersive 3D Documentation of Eaton Fire Destruction

The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles will host a free public event this evening featuring immersive three-dimensional imagery of the Eaton Fire’s catastrophic aftermath.

The evening features work from Arizona State University’s Narrative and Emerging Media program, led by founding director Nonny de la Peña. The program’s journalists used a technology called Gaussian Splatting to create photorealistic 3D scenes that allow viewers to virtually walk through images of the destruction.

ASU graduate student and lead journalist Ashley Buschhorn led the team that captured the imagery.

“It was the chance to be one of the first on the scene and to be able to capture something in a way that other people weren’t,” Buschhorn told ASU News in April 2025. “That’s inherent coming from a journalist background—when breaking news happens, you just figure it out.”

De la Peña, who grew up in Altadena, described her reaction to viewing the documentation of her former neighborhood.

“And for me, I would have waves and waves of emotional reaction because it’s so unimaginable when you see the big landscape,”

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Bear ‘Evicted’ from Crawlspace Under Altadena Home

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A 500-plus-pound bear who took up residence beneath an Altadena home — by squeezing through a seemingly too-small crawlspace entry — was “evicted” this week with help from a Tahoe-based animal-advocacy group.

The bear began living in the crawlspace sometime last year. Homeowner Ken Johnson said he initially found damage at his home that appeared to have been caused by an unknown animal, so he set up a surveillance camera. Around Thanksgiving, the camera captured the unthinkable — a massive black bear backing its way into the narrow crawlspace entryway.

Efforts to remove the bear all fell flat, leaving Johnson frustrated and even threatening to sue the state for failing to get the animal out of the crawlspace.

This week, volunteers from the Lake Tahoe-based nonprofit BEAR League visited Johnson to assist.

According to the group, one of the volunteers “crawled beneath the home — fully aware the bear was still there — to get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawlspace opening.”

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Eaton Fire Anniversary: A Night Full of Light

By EDDIE RIVERA | Photography by Eddie Rivera/Pasadena Now

At first-anniversary commemoration of the Eaton Fire, Altadenans gathered to remember the 19 lives lost and to mark a year of grief, resilience and community

The Grocery Outlet parking lot in Altadena — a place that became an informal meeting ground, aid station and gathering point in the days and months after the Eaton Fire — filled again Thursday night, this time with music, poetry, prayer, and remembrance.

An estimated 1,000 residents, survivors, neighbors and friends gathered there for the first anniversary commemoration of the January 7, 2025 fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed large swaths of the community.

As dusk fell, cell phone lights rose into the air, illuminating the lot during a moment of silence for the fire’s victims.

“Each of us here remembers where we were on January 7th, 2025,” said Gilda Riazi Moshir, district governor of Rotary International District 5300 .

Thursday, January 8, 2026

One Year Later, Caltech Fire Research Continues to Support the Community

By Lori Dajose, CALTECH

One year after the 2025 Los Angeles fires, Caltech researchers are pressing forward with research projects to provide answers in service of public health and safety. Through investigations that included testing for heavy metal contamination, monitoring air quality, and assessing the burn area’s erosion hazards, Caltech scientists immediately launched into action in the days and weeks following the fires, bringing scientific tools and expertise to tackle fundamental questions for the broader public—even as many of these individuals were impacted by the fires themselves.

“The Eaton and Palisades fires were a tragedy for so many in the Caltech-JPL community as well as our many friends and neighbors, yet that disaster inspired some of the most magnanimous acts of good will I’ve personally experienced,” says John Eiler, the Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Geochemistry and Ted and Ginger Jenkins Leadership Chair of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS). “Our community came together to help each other with housing and all manner of other needs,

Thursday, January 8, 2026

County Launches New Website That Provides ‘Lessons Learned’ from Wildfires’ Recovery

Los Angeles County has launched a new website marking one year since the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires that provides a look back at the fires’ impact, a progress report on accomplishments over the last 12 months, and lessons learned.

The newebsite is located online here.

The website includes video messages from Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey P. Horvath reflecting on the fires’ impact and the recovery process.

It also features videos highlighting residents’ rebuilding journeys, including the first family in West Altadena to complete their rebuild and receive a certificate of occupancy.

According to the county statement, the site provides an overview of financial assistance for residents, businesses and workers, as well as lessons learned and new programs implemented to strengthen emergency preparedness and response.

The website also highlights LA County Forward: The Blueprint for Rebuilding, which outlines the county’s all-sectors recovery approach in partnership with state and federal agencies, private industry, philanthropy and community organizations.

Thursday, January 8, 2026

California’s New Senate Leader Wants Democrats United. A Budget Shortfall Could Divide Them

By Maya C. Miller, CALMATTERS

As California legislators return to Sacramento and prepare to tackle a budget deficit, all eyes are on new Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón of Santa Barbara and what tone she sets for her chamber.

Limón, 46, a progressive backed by labor unions and the first Latina to lead the Senate, will face arguably her greatest legislative challenge yet as she and her diverse caucus grapple with a daunting projected $18 billion state budget deficit and historic federal funding cuts from the Trump administration.

While Limón has yet to announce any cost-cutting strategies or impose any limits on lawmakers introducing bills that require new money, the scarcity of funds will likely force the new leader to focus on a few key priorities, a premise she resisted in a recent interview with CalMatters.

“Our caucus will continue to prioritize issues that our communities prioritize,” Limón said,