Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Lunar New Year Festival Welcomes the Year of the Horse at The Huntington

Two-day family festival in San Marino features lion dancers, martial arts, music, crafts and garden experiences to welcome the Year of the Horse at The Huntington

Welcome the Year of the Horse at The Huntington, where the 2026 Lunar New Year Festival transforms the San Marino landmark into a two-day celebration of Asian and Asian American traditions.​​

The family-friendly event features lion dancers, a mask-changing artist, martial arts demonstrations, contemporary dance, floral arts, music and more, highlighting Asian diasporic heritage in a prestigious cultural setting.​​

Performances include Vietnamese traditional music and dance by Thủy Vân Dance Company on Saturday, Feb. 21, and Korean traditional music and dance by the Korean Classical Music and Dance Company on Sunday, Feb. 22, with shows at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Rothenberg Hall.​​

Martial arts demonstrations and lion dances are scheduled throughout both days at various locations on the grounds.​​

Families can visit the Munger Research Center Plaza for Story Time Theater readings by Oliver Chin and book signings with Chin and illustrator Jennifer Wood,

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Song of the North Brings Persian Epic to Pasadena Playhouse

Shadow puppetry, animation and a fearless heroine bring the Persian epic Shahnameh to life for Pasadena audiences

Hamid Rahmanian’s “Song of the North” brings the epic world of the Persian Shahnameh to Pasadena in a visually rich, family-friendly production.​

The 80-minute multimedia performance combines elaborate shadow puppetry and projected animation to tell the story of Manijeh, a heroine from ancient Persia who must use her strengths and talents to rescue her beloved Bijan and help prevent a war.​

Created, designed and directed by Iranian-born visual artist and filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian, the show adapts the tale of Bijan and Manijeh from the epic poem Shahnameh (Book of Kings).​

The piece uses mythic storytelling to explore themes of love, loyalty and conflict between two young people from warring lands who dream of peace.​

The puppets draw on the visual culture surrounding the Shahnameh, including Persian miniature painting and etching, placing the work at the intersection of traditional craft and modern technology.​

Earlier runs in Paris,

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Thủy Vân Dance Company Brings Vietnamese Tradition to Sierra Madre Stage

Southern California ensemble showcases Vietnamese dance, color and music in a one-night engagement at Sierra Madre Playhouse

Thủy Vân Dance Company, a Southern California–based ensemble, brings its celebration of Vietnamese culture to Sierra Madre Playhouse for a single performance that blends tradition with contemporary staging.

The troupe is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Vietnamese cultural and dance traditions through performance and community engagement, with choreography that draws on Northern, Central and Southern Vietnamese styles as well as works inspired by ethnic-minority communities.

Costumes, silks, fans and rhythmic music create what the company describes as a kaleidoscope of color and sound, evoking Vietnamese landscapes and the strength and spirit of its people.

Each performance is framed as an act of cultural preservation and renewal, using dance to keep heritage alive while speaking to newer generations.

The Sierra Madre engagement places the group within the region’s growing slate of Vietnamese and Lunar New Year–season cultural programming.

Thuy Van Dance Company will run on Sunday,

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Wooden Spoon Workshop Carves Out Free Creative Space

Side Street Projects offers a free, hands-on spoon-carving skillshare and is open to all ages

Side Street Projects is inviting community members to pick up carving tools and learn how to shape their own wooden spoon in a free workshop this month.

The session is the second half of a two-part series led by teaching artists Max Geldman and Daniel Gaines.

Participants are expected to attend both days to learn about tools and safety techniques from start to finish.

Open to all ages, the workshop provides templates, design guides and step-by-step instruction to turn a block of wood into a finished spoon.

Attendees work with carving knives, gouges, hand files and the bandsaw, using wood pieces and hand tools supplied on site.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own tools if they have them.

All skill levels are welcome, and registration is not required; it is first come, first served, while supplies last.

Monday, February 16, 2026

Strong Storm Brings Rain, Winds to Southland

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Heavy rain began falling in the Southland Monday, prompting a flood watch and evacuation warnings for people living in burn scar areas

The first in a trio of storms expected to hit the Southland this week also ushered in colder winter temperatures throughout the area, thunder and significant snow in the mountains, the National Weather Service said.

Monday’s storm is expected to be the heaviest and produce the greatest overall rainfall totals, with forecasts calling for about 1 to 3 inches in coastal and valley areas and 2 to 5 inches in the mountains by late Monday.

A flood watch was issued for a wide swath of Los Angeles County from Monday morning through Monday evening. Rock and mud slides are possible near steep terrain, and debris flows are possible on burn scars.

The NWS said anyone near vulnerable areas was “urged to start taking precautions now,” adding that “severe weather,

Monday, February 16, 2026

LA County Report Finds $3.7 Million in Business Losses Tied to Immigration Enforcement

Republicans call the study politically motivated; County officials say enforcement devastated small businesses

Small businesses across Los Angeles County reported $3.7 million in losses over three months last summer, with owners saying federal immigration enforcement reduced customer traffic and created staffing shortages, according to a County report released February 9.

The report, produced by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, surveyed 311 businesses and found that 82% reported negative effects from enforcement between July and September, with 44% saying they lost more than half their revenue. The Republican Party of Los Angeles County called the report politically motivated, saying the County’s Democratic supervisors commissioned it to justify tax increases.

Of the businesses surveyed, 70% reported staffing shortages following enforcement actions, and 33% of employers said workers were afraid to report to their jobs, according to the report. County Supervisors Hilda L. Solis and Janice Hahn commissioned the study through a motion adopted by the Board of Supervisors on June 17,

Monday, February 16, 2026

Major Storm Arrives

Persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms expected through Monday evening; county evacuation warnings remain active for burn scar areas through Tuesday morning

Pasadena and Altadena residents woke Monday to overcast skies and the start of what the National Weather Service has called a “very significant and dangerous” storm, with a flood watch in effect through 9 p.m., a wind advisory through 6 p.m., and evacuation warnings active for properties near the Eaton Fire burn scar.

As of 6 a.m., the temperature was 55 degrees with 100 percent cloud cover and light south-southeast winds of 5 to 10 mph, according to the NWS hourly forecast for Pasadena.

Precipitation potential runs 80 to 100 percent through most of Monday, with heavy rain expected throughout the day and into Monday night, the NWS said. Thunderstorms carry a 10 to 30 percent probability during the day, according to the forecast.

The NWS forecast calls for one to two inches of new rainfall in the Pasadena area on Monday,

Monday, February 16, 2026

Bank of America Offers Altadena Fire Survivors Extended Mortgage Relief, Rebuild Financing

A three-part package preserves existing interest rates and adds a line of credit as the initial forbearance window nears expiration

Homeowners in Altadena who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire can now apply for up to two additional years of mortgage forbearance through Bank of America, on top of the 12 months required by state law — part of a financing package the bank says is designed to keep fire survivors in their communities while they rebuild.

The program, which Bank of America calls the “Rebuild Solution,” also includes a dedicated line of credit expected to launch this month to cover rebuilding costs that exceed insurance payouts, and a provision that preserves borrowers’ existing lower interest rates on their mortgages during reconstruction, according to the bank.

The package is available to “certain qualifying mortgage clients” who plan to rebuild, the bank said — a subset of the estimated 13,000 residential properties destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025.

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Flood Watch, Evacuation Warnings in Effect as Major Storm Targets Pasadena, Altadena Monday

National Weather Service warns of heavy rain, thunderstorms and debris flows on Eaton Fire burn scars; county orders residents near burn areas to prepare to possibly evacuate Sunday night

A powerful storm system bearing down on the San Gabriel Valley prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for Pasadena, Altadena and much of Los Angeles County on Monday, while county officials activated evacuation warnings for properties near the Eaton Fire burn scar beginning Sunday night at 9 p.m.

The storm, which the NWS described as “very significant and dangerous,” is forecast to deliver one to three inches of rain across the Los Angeles Basin and two to five inches in the foothills and mountains by late Monday — with the most intense rainfall expected between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the NWS.

For Pasadena and Altadena residents still recovering from the Eaton Fire, the primary danger is the threat of mud and debris flows on the unstable burn scar terrain.

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Flood Watch Issued for Pasadena, Altadena as Heavy Rain Threatens Region on Monday

A Flood Watch covering most of Central and Southern Los Angeles County — including Pasadena and Altadena — will be in effect from Monday morning through Monday evening as a line of heavy showers and thunderstorms moves across the region, according to a National Weather Service alert issued Saturday afternoon.

The Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office announced the watch at 12:20 p.m., warning that flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible across most of Central and Southern Los Angeles County, all of Ventura County, and most of Central and Southern Ventura County, including several burn-scar areas. Both Pasadena and Altadena are among the many communities included in the advisory.

Forecasters said flash flooding is possible, with excessive runoff potentially affecting low-lying and flood-prone locations, creeks, streams, and urban areas with poor drainage. Low-water crossings may flood, and extensive street flooding is possible.

Rock and mud slides are also possible near steep terrain, and debris flows may occur on burn scars. The Weather Service noted that areas above roughly 6,000 to 6,500 feet are expected to receive snow instead of rain,