Saturday, December 13, 2025

Anthem Blue Cross Provides $1.5 Million for Wildfire Recovery in Los Angeles County, With Altadena and Pasadena Support

Anthem Blue Cross is providing $1.5 million to two Los Angeles-based organizations — Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) and The Salvation Army Southern California Division — to accelerate long-term recovery and rebuilding for families most affected by the January 2025 wildfires, the company said Friday.

The funding is part of Anthem and its philanthropic arm, the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation’s, $10 million wildfire relief initiative launched in January 2025 to help communities respond, recover and rebuild. Anthem said it was the first health plan to initiate a multi-million-dollar commitment to support local communities impacted by these wildfires.

“As families are still navigating the long road from crisis to stability after the devastating January wildfires, we are proud to continue supporting efforts to focus on what is needed to get families back into safe, stable homes,” said Beth Andersen, president of Anthem California’s commercial health plans.

The Salvation Army Southern California Division received $500,000 to support families impacted by the Eaton Fire.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Unemployment Rate Holds Steady in LA County

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 5.7% in September, the most recent quarterly reporting period, the same rate as August, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The 5.7% rate was down from 6.1% in September 2024.

Statewide, California’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.6% in September, up from 5.5% in August, and from 5.5% in September 2024. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4.4% in September, 4.3% in August, and 4.1% a year ago.

Total non-farm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 5,900 jobs between August and September to reach nearly 4.6 million.

The government sector led the way by adding 11,400 jobs.

Friday, December 12, 2025

CA Leaders Look Away As Road Deaths Skyrocket

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

Over the past decade, the number of people dying on California’s roads have shot up dramatically. Nearly 40,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been injured.

And California’s leaders have done little about it.

CalMatters investigative reporters Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler have spent the year detailing how the state allows dangerous drivers to stay on the road, with deadly consequences. In the latest installment of their License to Kill series today, they write:

Year after year, officials with the power to do something about it — the governor, legislators, the courts, the Department of Motor Vehicles — have failed to act. 

The silence, in the face of a threat that endangers nearly every Californian, is damning.

Colin Campbell, a writer and director in Los Angeles, lost his two teenage children after a repeat drunk driver slammed into his Prius on the way to the family’s new home in Joshua Tree.

Friday, December 12, 2025

Trump’s New Order Against AI Regulation Hits California Especially Hard

By Khari Johnson, CALMATTERS

President Trump signed an executive order today to discourage state governments from regulating artificial intelligence and urge Congress to pass a law preempting such regulations.

The order is likely to hit hardest in California, which since 2016 has passed more laws to regulate artificial intelligence than any other state, according to a Stanford report from earlier this year. California is also home to the world’s leading AI companies, including Anthropic, Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI.

Trump’s order would require the heads of the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Department of Justice to challenge state AI laws. It also calls for the development of model AI legislation to preempt or supersede state law unless those laws address children’s safety, data center infrastructure, state government use or AI, or other yet-to-be-determined areas.

For states that continue to regulate AI, the order instructs federal agencies to explore whether they can restrict grants to them, including by revoking funding known as Broadband Equity,

Friday, December 12, 2025

Pasadena School Board Certifies District as Fiscally Sound, Launches Revised School Consolidation Study

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education voted late Thursday night to certify District finances as “positive” and also agreed after a contentious discussion to undertake a long-term study process that could lead to some school closures.

The dual votes, which came during a four-hour meeting brimming with debate and public comment, represent the district’s final acts before the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) decides whether to accept PUSD’s recovery plans or to intervene directly into the district’s management.

The Board approved its First Interim Financial Report, declaring it will meet all financial obligations, and separately passed a heavily amended resolution to begin studying school consolidation—a direct response to county criticism that the district has failed to address its structural deficits.

This two-pronged strategy—projecting fiscal confidence while acknowledging the need for painful structural change—will now be scrutinized by LACOE, which has been monitoring PUSD’s deteriorating finances for months. The county agency will review the report and decide by late December whether the district’s plans are credible enough to stave off intervention.

Friday, December 12, 2025

Altadena Fire Victims Warned of Unlicensed Contractors; Felony Charges Filed

[UPDATED] Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced felony charges against five unlicensed contractors accused of illegally operating in Altadena following the Eaton Fire, warning residents to remain vigilant as they rebuild.

Hochman, joined by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, said at a news conference that unlicensed contractors have been preying on victims of the January wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. Watch the news conference.

“My office is cracking down on criminal contractors who prey on residents who have already lost so much and cannot afford to lose more,” Hochman said. “I urge the communities impacted by the wildfires to stay vigilant and report unlicensed contractors who are taking advantage of this disaster and putting your safety and property at risk. This is important: You are still the victim of a crime even if you knowingly hired an unlicensed contractor and should alert authorities.”

The Consumer Protection Division filed felony charges Dec. 4 against five defendants accused of contracting without a license in the Eaton Fire disaster zone.

Friday, December 12, 2025

Pasadena Unified Establishes Facilities Advisory Council to Coordinate Bond and Facilities Planning

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) announced Thursday it is establishing the Superintendent’s Facilities Advisory Council (SFAC) to provide coordinated, transparent oversight of long-range facilities planning and bond programs.

The council will serve as the Superintendent’s leadership body to align voter-approved Measure O and Measure R bond programs, capital outlay planning, insurance recovery, asset management, and long-term facilities strategies. It will ensure decisions are transparent, data-driven, fiscally responsible, and aligned with the Facilities Master Plan (FMP), Educational Master Plan (EMP), and the district’s energy and sustainability goals. The council’s charter was presented at the Board of Education retreat on Nov. 6, 2025.

“The Eaton Fire destroyed or significantly damaged five of our district sites, and it is vital that we align our bond and facilities planning to this new reality,” said Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco, Ed.D., in the statement. “This council ensures that every decision we make moving forward is transparent, data-driven, fiscally responsible, and aligned with our mission and community values.”

The Superintendent’s Facilities Advisory Council will begin meeting in January 2026.

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Altadena Fire Victims Targeted: DA, Supervisor to Announce Contractor Felony Charges

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger will hold a joint news conference today to announce criminal charges against allegedly unlicensed contractors accused of contacting victims of the Eaton Fire.

The announcement comes nearly a year after the January blaze. Officials say the felony charges involve contractors who contacted survivors, particularly elderly residents and those with insurance payouts.

The suspects are charged on a specific law making it a felony to contract without a license at a property damaged by a natural disaster for which a state of emergency is declared, under CA Bus & Prof Code § 7028.16.

Hochman, elected in November 2024, has positioned himself as a prosecutor focused on fraud and exploitation. He previously charged nine individuals with looting and arson in Altadena during the fire’s early evacuation phase and announced a broader crackdown on wildfire-related crimes.

“My Office unequivocally stands with survivors, not greedy opportunists who profit from others’ pain,” Hochman said in earlier remarks.

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Guest Opinion: Kiley Grombacher | The Hidden Toll of Wildfire Smoke: It’s Time Insurers and Lawmakers Treat Smoke Damage as Deadly

By Kiley Grombacher, co-founder of the California Fire Victims Law Center

Our client, Luis Cazares, thought he was lucky.

When the Eaton Fire tore through the foothills of Altadena, his home—unlike many of his neighbors—was still standing. But relief didn’t last. The air inside was thick with chemicals, ash, and toxins. Within minutes, he felt sick. Smoke had soaked into walls, furniture, and ventilation system, rendering the house unlivable.

Luis isn’t alone. Thousands of Californians returned to homes spared by flames but poisoned by smoke. A  2025 JAMA study found that Los Angeles County experienced over 440 excess deaths following the Eaton and Palisades fires, far beyond the 31 official fatalities. And analyses summarized by the Salata Institute at Harvard link wildfire smoke to dramatic spikes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, in some cases reaching 70% above baseline during heavy-smoke periods.

Community testing is beginning to show why. Eaton Fire Residents United, working with independent labs,

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Pasadena Board of Education to Consider School Size Standards, Potentially Setting Stage for Campus Closures

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider enrollment standards that would be used to identify schools for potential closure or consolidation as the District grapples with declining enrollment.

Resolution 2852, scheduled for approval at the Board’s regular meeting, establishes minimum, optimal and maximum enrollment thresholds for schools at each grade level. Elementary schools would have a minimum of 300 students and a maximum of 750, middle schools a minimum of 400 and maximum of 900, and high schools a minimum of 900 and maximum of 1,800. Schools that fall below the minimums for two consecutive years beginning with the current 2024-25 school year would be flagged for review.

The District’s total enrollment stands at approximately 13,219 students, according to the resolution.

Under the proposed policy, the superintendent would be required to present a draft District Transformation Plan to the Board by February 2026. Any recommendations for school closures or reconfigurations, along with required equity impact analyses, would be due by October 2026.