Thursday, June 26, 2025

Guest Opinion | PUSD Board Member Dr. Yarma Velázquez: From Classrooms to Crackdowns: How Immigration Enforcement and Climate Trauma Threaten Pasadena Students

By Dr. Yarma Velázquez, PUSD Board Member

In Captivity Beyond Prisons: Criminalization Experiences of Latina (Im)migrants, Martha D. Escobar unearths the roots of a system that has long treated migration not as a humanitarian condition but as a crime. She illustrates how the U.S. legal and carceral frameworks have been mobilized to contain, surveil, and discipline Latinx immigrants, through detention, policing, and bureaucratic suspicion. Escobar’s work compels us to look at our current policies and practices through the lens of racialized captivity, showing us that what we’re witnessing today is not new, but rather an extension of a much older logic of state violence.

We’re seeing that story unfold in Pasadena right now. In recent days, ICE agents have been spotted at bus stops and transit centers, detaining people in broad daylight. At least six individuals were taken on Orange Grove Boulevard, a place where day laborers and working families wait each morning. These images send a chilling message: fear walks alongside our children as they head to summer school.

Thursday, June 26, 2025

School Board to Review Ambitious $300 Million Capital Improvement Program Tonight

District presents comprehensive facilities modernization plan focusing on infrastructure, safety, and educational enhancements

The Pasadena Unified School District will unveiled a comprehensive Capital Bond Program tonight in an update to the Board of Education.

Currently, the district has $76.2 million in active construction projects, according to the report. It will break ground in 2026 on $135.5 million worth of additional projects. And the report said  the district also has over $86.8 million in projects currently in the design phase.

Active construction projects include a $52 million renovation of the John Muir High School pool and gym, $4.2 million in restroom and utility upgrades at five campuses, $15 million for emergency relocations across five campuses, $1.4 million in health and safety improvements at three school sites, and $3.6 million for the second phase of shade structure installations.

The report said these projects were designed to address critical needs related to health, safety, athletics, and student dignity.

Looking ahead,

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Altadena Town Council Opens Special Election for Census Tract 4612 Seat

[Updated] Altadena residents seeking to shape their community’s future now have a chance to serve on the Town Council, as officials launch a special election to fill a vacant seat representing Census Tract 4612.

The position carries a term ending in November 2026 and represents the central east section of Altadena, bounded by Lake Avenue on the west, Eaton Canyon and Altadena Drive on the east, New York Drive on the south, and Mendocino Street on the north. The boundaries continue along Allen, Glen Terrace, and Midlothian, crossing Glen Canyon.

Prospective candidates must submit a Letter of Qualifications, completed Candidate Application Form, and $35 fee by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 11. Applications can be delivered to the Altadena Community Center at 730 E. Altadena Drive during business hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or submitted electronically to isis.moulden@altadenatowncouncil.org.

Candidate presentations and the council vote will occur Tuesday, July 15, during the regular Town Council meeting.

Thursday, June 26, 2025

County Warns of Devastating Housing Funding Cuts in Proposed Federal Budget

Proposed reductions threaten housing assistance for thousands of residents

The Los Angeles County Development Authority is sounding the alarm over proposed federal budget cuts that could dramatically impact housing assistance for vulnerable populations. The Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request seeks to reduce funding to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by 44%, including a staggering 43% cut to rental assistance programs.

“Veterans want to come home and get housed when we fall on hard times,” said Alberto, a voucher holder who served three tours of duty in Iraq. “We don’t want a hand out, we just want a hand up.”

The proposed budget would fundamentally reshape housing assistance, including converting rental support programs into block grants to states and imposing a two-year time limit on rental assistance for able-bodied adults. The Los Angeles County Development Authority currently serves approximately 31,000 families through housing voucher programs and owns 3,229 public and affordable housing units.

Nearly 70% of the agency’s funding comes from the federal government,

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Habitat for Humanity Launches “Walls of Hope” Build for LA County Fire Survivors

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity will mobilize nearly 500 volunteers to construct wall panels for homes lost in the Eaton Fire in Altadena and other recent wildfires.

The two-day event, “Walls of Hope: Altadena Strong,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 26 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 27 at Brookside Park in Pasadena.

The rebuilding effort follows a $4.55 million grant from the Altadena Builds Back Foundation and a partnership with the Foothill Catalog Foundation to create pre-approved house designs under Los Angeles County’s streamlined post-fire permitting process.

“This is not just about rebuilding homes — it’s about restoring hope, stability and a future,” said Bryan Wong, chief executive of SGV Habitat. “We have 25 families who have already applied for assistance.”

Kenneth Wood, an 85-year-old Eaton Fire survivor, lost homes belonging to three generations of his family. “At my age,

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Creativity Unleashed for Foster Youth at Summer Enrichment Event

Local nonprofit partners bring imagination and learning to children in residential care

Children and youth at Five Acres’ Residential Program experienced a day of hands-on creativity through an innovative summer enrichment event hosted by BCD Travel in collaboration with the Rediscover Center. The interactive program, designed for foster care residents ages 8 to 14, featured four maker stations that encouraged self-expression, problem-solving, and sustainable reuse of materials.

“Our children and youth thrive when given opportunities to explore their imagination and discover new skills,” said Jennifer Berger, chief advancement officer at Five Acres. The event directly addressed the “summer slide” phenomenon, where disadvantaged children often lose academic ground during school breaks.

The maker stations offered diverse creative experiences, including character design with recycled fabrics, architectural modelmaking using cardboard, color shaker toy creation, and puppetry. Throughout the event, BCD Travel and Rediscover Center volunteers provided guidance, snacks, and lunch to ensure every child felt supported.

“Seeing the kids light up as they realized a cardboard box could become a spaceship or superhero shield was incredible,”

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Courts Across California Aren’t Telling The DMV About Deadly Drivers

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

California courts have failed to report hundreds of vehicular manslaughter convictions to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles over the past five years, allowing deadly drivers to improperly keep their licenses, a CalMatters investigation has found.

Drivers like Marvin Salazar.

Salazar was convicted in May 2023 for felony vehicular manslaughter after a crash that killed his friend, court records show. Under California law, that’s supposed to be an automatic three-year loss of driving privileges.

But the Los Angeles County Superior Court didn’t report the conviction to the DMV. Two months later, the agency issued Salazar his most recent license. Since then, he has received two speeding tickets and been in another collision, records show.

• Gaudy Lemus, whose son, 18-year-old Joseph Ramirez, died in the crash: “How can he keep driving? We wanted consequences for him. Remove his driver’s license.”

Investigative reporters Lauren Hepler and Robert Lewis uncovered the error and others like it by cross-checking convictions in vehicular manslaughter cases against motorists’ DMV records,

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Pasadena Church to Host Discussion on Supporting Immigrant Neighbors

Local job center director and retired immigration attorney will lead conversation

First United Methodist Church in Pasadena will host a community conversation about supporting immigrant neighbors on Sunday, June 29. 

The discussion will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Church Lounge at 500 E. Colorado Blvd. 

Jose Madera, Director of the Pasadena Job Center, and John Kramar, a retired immigration attorney, will lead the session. They will explain current immigration issues in the Pasadena area and discuss ways the community can support immigrant neighbors. 

The conversation will focus on both individual and church-based support efforts. 

First United Methodist Church Pasadena describes itself as a welcoming community that seeks to worship with open hearts, open minds and open doors. The church is committed to nurturing spiritual growth through belonging, hope, compassionate service and inspiring worship. 

The congregation became a Reconciling Congregation in 2011, committing to full inclusion of LGBTQ persons. In 2015, members voted to allow same-gender weddings in church facilities. 

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

LA County Extends Price Gouging Protections

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday agreed to extend price gouging protections on local rental housing for another 30 days, with two board members saying the issue continues to pose a problem in the aftermath of the January wildfires.

On Jan. 7, a state of emergency was declared in the county following the windstorm and deadly wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, activating price gouging protections that barred price hikes of 10% or more on critical goods and services, including housing.

The wildfires destroyed thousands of structures and displaced residents and businesses who continue to navigate the repercussions, a motion by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger states.

“The fires may have been six months ago, but for too many, recovery is still ongoing — and unfortunately, that’s exactly when bad actors try to strike,” Horvath said in a statement.

“Price gouging protections are essential to making sure our communities can rebuild without being exploited.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Grocery Workers to Resume Contract Negotiations Wednesday

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Negotiations are scheduled to resume Wednesday for a new contract for workers at Albertsons, Pavilions, Ralphs and Vons grocery stores after they voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

For four months, seven Southern California United Food and Commercial Workers locals and their bargaining teams have been negotiating for a new contract that addresses several issues impacting store operations, working conditions and customer service, including increasing staffing levels, according to the union.

The union also said it is seeking “living wages, affordable health care benefits (and) a reliable pension.”

The union representing approximately 45,000 workers at the four stores in Southern California announced June 11 that its members had voted overwhelmingly to authorize an unfair labor practices strike.

A vote count was not released. The vote was taken during the first two weeks of June, according to the union.

Members began a series of practice strikes last Monday.

The stores have also begun preparations for a possible strike,