Friday, June 12, 2026

PUSD Rejects Brown Act Challenge to Vote That Set Stage for School Closures

District legal counsel concluded trustees did not violate California’s open-meeting law in adopting Resolution 2852 — a finding that answers a formal demand from a member of the public and likely forces critics to decide whether to sue

The Pasadena Unified School District said Friday that its legal counsel has concluded members of the Board of Education did not violate California’s open-meeting law in connection with the board’s December 11, 2025, approval of Resolution 2852, the measure that established enrollment guidelines for district schools.

That resolution plays a key role in possible school consolidation proposals.

The district announcement, emailed to the public school community Friday morning, discloses the district’s response to a “cure and correct” request — the step state law requires before a lawsuit seeking to void a public agency’s action.

“On May 15, 2026, a member of the public submitted a request to cure and correct, alleging Brown Act violations, culminating in the December 11, 2025 approval of Resolution 2852,”

Friday, June 12, 2026

Students Step Into Altadena’s Fire Recovery Hub to Champion Mental Health

A free morning program at The Collaboratory invites PUSD high schoolers to join advocacy workshops and pitch mental health ideas to their state assemblymember

Seventeen months after the Eaton Fire leveled their neighborhoods, Pasadena and Altadena high school students are being asked to walk into the building where their community has been putting itself back together — and this time, to lead.

Youth Mental Health Advocacy Day, a free three-hour program branded “WE MIND,” is set to take place on Friday at The Collaboratory, the Woodbury Road recovery hub that houses dozens of nonprofits, a county mental health walk-in center, and the daily work of rebuilding after a fire that destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 19 people.

The event, a partnership between the Eaton Fire Collaborative, Google.org, and nonprofit Active Minds, runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon and is open to Pasadena Unified School District students in grades 9 through 12.

The program invites students to participate in interactive mental health workshops,

Friday, June 12, 2026

Facing a Brown Act Lawsuit Deadline, School Board Takes No Action to Rescind Controversial Resolution

Trustees voted 4-3 to release a public statement on open-meeting allegations and terminated their school-closure consultant — but took no action to rescind the resolution an attorney has demanded they repeal by June 14 to avoid a lawsuit

Three days before a deadline to rescind a contested school-consolidation resolution or face litigation, the Pasadena Unified School District’s governing board divided 4-3 on a narrower question: whether to say anything publicly about the open-meeting allegations at all.

The vote was taken behind closed doors and announced when the board returned to public session on Thursday, June 11. It authorized the release of “a media statement regarding allegations of Brown Act violations by a community member,” the board’s presiding officer said. But it did not address the demand at the center of the dispute — that the board repeal the resolution that set the district’s school-closure process in motion.

The allegations concern California’s open-meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, and they have been pressed by Warren Bleeker,

Friday, June 12, 2026

Watch the World Cup on Green Street

You could watch USA-Paraguay alone on your couch — or you could not.

The World Cup is finally close enough to feel personal, the matches matter, and watching the big ones alone feels like a waste. Friday, June 12, the city turns the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Plaza into one big open-air viewing party, free and open to everyone.

The setup: food trucks, a beer garden, and live music to carry you from the 4:30 p.m. kickoff of the party to the 6 p.m. kickoff of the actual game. There are soccer-themed games for the kids, raffles and giveaways from Angel City FC, and an iron-on station for the jersey you’ve been meaning to personalize — bring it. Take the A Line to Memorial Park or Del Mar, skip the parking entirely, and you might ride home with a limited-edition World Cup Metro card, while supplies last.

The transit-first part isn’t just a parking workaround. Metro is turning Memorial Park and Del Mar into part of the show,

Friday, June 12, 2026

Pasadena School Board Ends Its Closure Consultant’s Contract, But Leaves the Underlying Plan in Place

Two weeks after rejecting a consultant’s school-closure report, the Pasadena Unified board voted Thursday, June 11, to terminate the firm’s contract. Yet the resolution that authorized the right-sizing effort remains on the books — and parents warned the closures could “come back from the dead.”

Two weeks after rejecting a consultant’s school-closure report by a 6-to-1 vote, the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education went a step further on Thursday, June 11, and moved to cancel the consultant’s contract altogether — while stopping short of repealing the resolution that set the closure process in motion in the first place.

The board terminated its agreement with Total School Solutions (TSS), the firm hired to study school closures and consolidation.

The vote came after a procession of speakers — the entire final round of public comment, and much of the opening round of 21 — pressed the board to do two things: cancel the contract with TSS and rescind Resolution 2852,

Friday, June 12, 2026

Eaton Fire Survivors Seek $25 Million Recovery Fund

Eaton Fire survivors and housing advocates Thursday called on state lawmakers to include a proposed $25 million recovery fund in California’s final budget, arguing the aid is needed to help residents rebuild and avoid displacement.

Days before the Legislature’s June 15 budget deadline, advocates urged state leaders to fund the proposed Community Aid for Rebuilding and Equity (CARE) Fund, introduced by state Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, D-Pasadena. Supporters said the program would help homeowners cover rebuilding gaps and support efforts to preserve and restore affordable housing in communities affected by the Eaton Fire.

According to organizers, California has already funded debris removal, emergency response and infrastructure recovery efforts following the fire, but no program currently exists to provide direct rebuilding assistance for many survivors.

Supporters contend the proposed fund would help displaced residents return to their communities and prevent permanent displacement of fire victims.

Housing advocates working on recovery efforts said many fire-impacted residents continue to face financial and housing challenges months after the disaster.

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Lawyers Say New Edison Evidence Ties Idle Utility Line to Eaton Fire ignition

New surveillance video and other evidence from Southern California Edison show that a century-old, idle transmission line the utility failed to remove ignited the Eaton Fire, lawyers for property insurers said in a court filing, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The footage, captured by a security camera at the Gerrish Swim & Tennis Club in Pasadena, shows two bright flashes at the tower holding the idle line at 6:11 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, according to the Times. The flashes match the moment Edison recorded two faults, three seconds apart, on another transmission line more than five miles away, the lawyers said, citing new data from the utility.

Soon after, nearby residents recorded video of a fire burning at the base of the tower, designated M16T1, according to the Times.

The Eaton Fire ignited that evening above Eaton Canyon and tore through Altadena and parts of Pasadena, ultimately killing at least 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 structures.

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Pasadena Unified Budget Shows Improved Outlook, But Long-Term Pressures Remain

Pasadena Unified School District’s proposed 2026-27 budget shows an improved short-term financial outlook after board-approved stabilization actions, but the presentation for tonight’s special school board meeting shows declining enrollment, rising employee benefit costs, Special Education expenses and fire-related uncertainties continue to pressure the district’s long-term finances.

The budget presentation says the district’s unrestricted multi-year projection maintains positive ending fund balances while meeting the state-required 3% reserve for economic uncertainties. Projected reserves for 2026-27 total 10.81%, including Fund 17 committed stabilization reserves.

But the presentation also says its multi-year projection is a planning tool, not a prediction, and is based on current economic and budget assumptions. The projections assume full implementation of Local Control Funding Formula funding, including cost-of-living and enrollment adjustments.

PUSD projects enrollment will decline by about 2.3% annually through the multi-year projection period. The district also projects a 3% decline in its unduplicated pupil count. For 2026-27, the district’s unduplicated pupil percentage on a three-year rolling basis is projected at 68.44%.

Thursday, June 11, 2026

County Seeks Updated Fiscal Plan as Pasadena Unified 2026-27 Budget Undergoes Final Review

District’s spending plan reflects layoffs already taken and leans on one-time Eaton Fire insurance money expected to run out by 2027-28

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education is scheduled to review its final draft 2026-27 budget Thursday at a moment when the Los Angeles County Office of Education has asked the district for an updated Fiscal Stabilization Plan — a request the district says it will answer while continuing to work with both the county office and the state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team.

In the budget presentation prepared for the board, the district characterized the county office’s request as part of its “ongoing fiscal oversight process.” But several features of that oversight reach beyond the routine annual budget review every California school district undergoes.

First, the Los Angeles County Office of Education did not simply review the budget — it requested an updated stabilization plan, meaning a stabilization plan already exists and the district is operating on a documented remediation track.

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Altadena Fire Survivors to Press Lawmakers for $25 Million Rebuild Fund Before Budget Deadline

Advocates say the CARE Fund is the only state program targeted at individual Eaton Fire survivors as the June 15 deadline approaches

Eaton Fire survivors, housing advocates and community leaders will hold a news conference at 9 a.m. Thursday at 42 E. Manor St. urging state lawmakers to include a proposed $25 million rebuild fund in the final California state budget to support wildfire recovery and prevent displacement.

The Community Aid for Rebuilding and Equity Fund, introduced by state Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), would provide rebuild-gap grants for homeowners and land-banking to preserve affordable housing in Altadena, according to a coalition press release issued by Dena Rise Up. The state budget deadline is June 15. Advocates say the CARE Fund would be the only state program of its kind for fire recovery, and warn that without it, many survivors will face permanent displacement.

The Eaton Fire started on Jan. 7, 2025, near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive. It burned 14,021 acres and destroyed more than 9,000 structures,