Thursday, April 9, 2026

Frank Capra’s First Film Turns 100, Returns to a Theater That Knew Him When

The Caltech graduate’s directorial debut screens with live piano at a Sierra Madre venue that was showing silent movies when Capra was making them

Frank Capra graduated from Caltech in 1918, and his family lived in Sierra Madre, where his father oversaw a citrus orchard. Eight years later, at 29, he directed his first feature film. One hundred years after that, the film is coming back to the foothills.

Sierra Madre Playhouse screens The Strong Man (1926) on Sunday, April 12, at 8 p.m., with live piano accompaniment by Larry Garf and a post-show discussion led by writer and humorist Rich Procter. Tickets are $20.

The screening marks the centennial of the silent comedy that the Library of Congress selected for the National Film Registry in 2007, calling it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It also marks something the Registry citation didn’t mention: the film was made just miles from the theater where it will now be celebrated.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Enhaus Design Build Establishes Altadena Headquarters to Support Local Rebuild

Robert Chuang, CEO and Founder of Enhaus Design Build, Speaks on the Complex Reality of Rebuilding in Altadena Following the Eaton Fire

Enhaus Design Build, a Los Angeles-based, full-service design-build firm with over 20 years of collective experience across commercial, multi-family, and custom residential construction and renovations relocated its headquarters to Altadena in January 2026; placing its team directly on the ground in the communities where many of its projects are taking shape.

In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, which displaced a significant number of Altadena residents, rebuilding has emerged as a prolonged and technically complex process shaped by insurance timelines, county approvals, and rising construction costs. 

“Demand has increased significantly, with more homeowners actively seeking reliable contractors than ever before,” said Robert Chuang, CEO and Co-founder of Enhaus Design Build.

Reconstruction in Altadena is governed by Los Angeles County’s wildland-urban interface requirements, which impose stricter standards on how homes are designed and built in fire-prone areas.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Weekly Fire Recovery Job Fairs Connect Displaced Workers With Training and Employment

Fire Recovery Thursdays” run every week from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Altadena job center

For workers and job seekers whose livelihoods were upended by the January 2025 fires, a standing weekly appointment offers a path back to stable employment.

“Fire Recovery Thursdays” are pop-up recruitment events held every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at America’s Job Centers of California locations across Los Angeles County. In Altadena, the local center is at 464 W. Woodbury Road, Suite 210.

Organized by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, the events connect fire-affected residents with immediate employment opportunities, career training programs and supportive services. Staff members provide one-on-one assistance with career exploration, hiring services and enrollment screening for the Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program.

Eligible participants may qualify for temporary job placements lasting three to five months with pay starting at $20 per hour. The program also offers no-cost training in high-demand industries and a range of supportive services designed to help participants build new career pathways.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

L.A. County Proclaims Armenian History Month for 10th Consecutive Year

Supervisors Barger and Hahn cite 111th anniversary of genocide and ongoing displacement from Artsakh

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to proclaim April 2026 as Armenian History Month, the 10th consecutive year the Board has approved the designation honoring the cultural heritage, resilience, and contributions of the county’s Armenian community.

The motion, authored by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger and 4th District Supervisor Janice Hahn, arrives as Armenians worldwide prepare to mark the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24. The Board’s proclamation also acknowledges the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh in September 2023, according to a press release from the supervisors’ offices.

“My district is home to the largest Armenian diaspora in the country, and thousands of my constituents are proud members of the Armenian community,” Barger said in a statement. “I have seen firsthand how their culture, resilience, and values enrich the diverse fabric of Los Angeles County.”

Barger’s 5th District,

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

LA County Backs State Bill to Triple Mortgage Forbearance for Eaton Fire Survivors

Supervisor Barger’s motion directs the County to support legislation extending relief from one year to three as rebuilding lags

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion directing the County to support a state bill that would triple the mortgage forbearance period available to Eaton Fire survivors, from 12 months to 36.

The motion, authored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, puts the County’s formal weight behind Assembly Bill 1847 by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena), which would also extend the deadline for homeowners to request forbearance to January 7, 2029. The bill does not guarantee relief on its own — it must still pass the state Legislature. But the Board’s vote signals the County’s position as the measure heads to the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, where it is scheduled for a hearing this month, according to a Pasadena Now report.

AB 1847 builds on AB 238, the Mortgage Forbearance Act, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed in September 2025.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Senator Pérez Calls for Independent Audit After State-Created Nonprofit Spent $1.1 Million With No Proof Books Reached Children

Pasadena’s state senator says three hearings failed to produce adequate financial records for the Imagination Library program

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez announced Tuesday that the Senate Budget Subcommittee she chairs will seek an independent audit of the California State Library’s administration of a statewide children’s literacy program, after a nonprofit the library created spent $1.1 million in state funds with no clear documentation that a single book was delivered.

Pérez, a Democrat whose district includes Pasadena and Altadena, said in a statement that her subcommittee will work with the Office of State Audits and Evaluations within the Department of Finance to examine the spending. The announcement followed a hearing Monday at which the state librarian and representatives of the nonprofit returned to testify before the subcommittee for a third time.

The program at issue is California’s version of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, established by Senate Bill 1183 in 2022 with $68.2 million in state funding. The bipartisan legislation, co-authored by Sen.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

California Lawmakers Consider Making Parole Harder for Some Prisoners

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

In a rare showing of bipartisanship, Republicans in the Assembly’s public safety committee are backing a tough-on-crime bill authored by a Democrat.

On Tuesday the committee advanced a measure by Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen that would raise the parole eligibility requirements for some elderly prisoners. Currently, incarcerated people ages 50 and up who have served at least 20 years of their sentence can be considered for the Elderly Parole Program. But for people convicted of sexual crimes against children, Nguyen’s bill would raise that standard to 65 years of age, with at least 25 years served.

Criminal justice groups, including the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and UnCommon Law, oppose the bill, citing the low recidivism rates of elderly prisoners and the high financial cost of keeping people incarcerated.

Nguyen’s defense of the bill included tearful testimony from a woman who was sexually victimized by a man named David Funston when she was a child.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Nonprofit Donates Three Victorian Homes to Altadena Families Who Lost Everything in Eaton Fire

Century-old houses from a Lincoln Heights development were to be hauled overnight to fire-cleared lots this morning

A Culver City nonprofit announced it is donating three Victorian-era homes to two Altadena families whose properties were destroyed in the Eaton Fire, transporting the century-old structures from Los Angeles overnight to fire-cleared lots where they will be restored.

DECRO Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, said in a press release Wednesday that the homes were preserved during construction of Brine Residential, a 97-unit affordable housing development in Lincoln Heights. Each home is more than 100 years old, according to the company.

The first haul of the two smaller homes was to begin at 3 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, at 3016 N. Main Street in Los Angeles.  The final haul was to occur Friday morning, pending rain. The homes have been lifted and segmented for transport, the company said.

One family will receive a two-story home. A second family, whose primary residence and accessory dwelling unit were both lost,

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Altadena Workers Displaced by Eaton Fire Can Walk In Thursdays for Paid County Jobs

County workforce program offers on-the-spot screening for temporary positions starting at $20 per hour in fire recovery

Fifteen months after the Eaton Fire wiped out more than 9,000 structures and pushed an estimated 47,000 workers out of jobs across the burn zones, a county program in Altadena is hiring displaced residents into paid temporary positions — and enrollment happens every Thursday afternoon, no appointment needed.

The weekly pop-ups, called Fire Recovery Thursdays, run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Altadena Job Center, 464 W. Woodbury Rd., Suite 210, where staff from the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity sit down one-on-one with job seekers and screen them on the spot for the Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program, according to a statement from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office. The program places eligible workers in three-to-five-month temporary positions with county departments involved in rebuilding and recovery, at wages starting at $20 per hour, according to the county.

The positions include roles such as laborers,

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Altadena Musicians Hosts Open Mic Night for Community Healing Through Song

All-ages gathering on April 8 welcomes music, poetry and storytelling at Altadena Music Center

When the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena in January 2025, thousands of musicians lost instruments, gear and the spaces where they made music. Altadena Musicians, the nonprofit born from that loss, has been working to put instruments back in artists’ hands ever since — and on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m., they open their doors for a night of communal creativity.

The Open Mic Night at the Altadena Music Center invites performers of all kinds to share music, poetry, storytelling and whatever other creative expression they bring. All ages are welcome, and the evening is designed around connection and camaraderie as much as performance.

Altadena Musicians was founded by Brandon Jay in the wake of the fires, drawing together supporters and organizations determined to help fellow musicians who had lost everything. The organization provides a venue space for fire victims and creatives to explore their craft and heal.