Saturday, December 6, 2025

Pasadena Congresswoman Blasts CDC Panel Vote to End Universal Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Pasadena and surrounding communities in Congress, sharply criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices after it voted 8-3 to eliminate the long-standing universal recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

“Doctors, public health officials, and the scientific community agree that the Hepatitis B vaccine is safe, effective, and essential to protecting infants from a virus that can silently lead to lifelong liver disease, cirrhosis, and cancer,” Chu said in a statement released from Washington, D.C. “Changing this policy is reckless and dangerous. It will make America sicker.”

Chu, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair Emerita of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, warned the decision would disproportionately affect Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

“This decision will also disproportionally impact the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community who make up only 7% of the U.S. population, yet account for 60% of chronic hepatitis B cases.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Agency Declares No-Burn Day for Much of Southern California

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a No-Burn Alert effective Saturday, prohibiting wood burning in fireplaces and in all indoor or outdoor devices across four Los Angeles-area counties.

The alert covers the South Coast Air Basin, including large areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties except the High Desert and Coachella Valley.

“South Coast AQMD reminds residents in these areas that burning wood in their fireplaces or any indoor or outdoor wood-burning device is prohibited at any time on No-Burn Days,” the alert said.

Smoke from wood burning can cause health problems, the AQMD said. Fine particulate matter called PM2.5 can get deep into the lungs to cause asthma attacks and other respiratory problems, increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

This is the sixth No-Burn Day the South Coast AQMD has issued in the 2025-2026 season from September through the end of April for ozone, and from November through the end of February for fine particle pollution when air quality is forecast to be poor.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

LA County Public Health Affirms Hepatitis B Vaccine Guidelines

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Despite a vote Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee to remove a recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, Los Angeles County officials affirmed they will continue following existing state health guidelines.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it will adhere to the California Department of Public Health guidelines on hepatitis B vaccination, which recommends that all children receive hepatitis B vaccine as early as possible. There are no modifications to immunizations schedules or vaccine availability for county residents, at this time, according to officials.

For more than three decades, universal hepatitis B birth dose vaccination has been a cornerstone of perinatal hepatitis B prevention in the United States, according to DPH.

“As with all other immunizations, medical providers work with each family to ensure families are informed of the recommendations and reasoning for the vaccine before any medical services are provided to infants,” DPH said in a statement.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

First West Altadena Home Rebuilt After Eaton Fire Receives Certificate of Occupancy

Under Friday mornings’s clear skies and bright December sun, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger joined the Dyson family at their West Altadena property to celebrate a milestone many in the community have been longing to see: the first certificate of occupancy issued for a home fully rebuilt in West Altadena after the devastating Eaton Fire.

Throughout the morning, friends of the Dyson family—many of them fellow fire survivors—stopped by to offer congratulations, tour the new home, and draw inspiration for their own rebuilds.

“This house is a symbol of hope,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Standing here today with the Dyson family reminds us that West Altadena can—and will—recover. Their resilience represents the spirit of this community. Their story deserves to be told and remembered.”

During the event, Supervisor Barger was joined by John, Darlina, and Deborah Dyson, along with Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella.

Pestrella signed and issued the certificate of occupancy on site, marking the official return home for the Dyson family.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Pasadena Educational Foundation to Award $323,552 in Grants to PUSD Teachers

Pasadena Unified School District teachers and principals will receive $323,552 in grants from the Pasadena Educational Foundation at the PEF Teacher Grants Celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Brookside Clubhouse, 1133 Rosemont Avenue, in the Arroyo.

The grants, supported by the College Football Playoff Foundation, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, Disney, Catching Hope Foundation, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, LA2050, Ares Management, and The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, will benefit thousands of students across Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre.

This year’s awards also highlight the essential role teachers play in strengthening learning environments and student support following the Eaton Fire. More than 250 educators will be honored, representing 201 teacher-led projects across the district.

In addition to individual teacher awards, the celebration will recognize 12 school-wide grants, along with funding for PUSD Children’s Centers, Mental Health Services, Twilight Adult School, the Student Wellness department, and Health Programs.

Special recognitions include the Jarratt Brunson Memorial Award for Literacy, honoring a PEF founder who helped establish the Teacher Grant Program;

Friday, December 5, 2025

Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane to Relight Saturday Following Eaton Fire

CITY NEWS SERVICE with PASADENA NOW

Altadena’s historic Christmas Tree Lane will glow again Saturday, a hopeful milestone in the community’s recovery from the Eaton Fire and the first lighting of the display since the disaster.

Widely regarded as the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor holiday lighting display, the tradition dates to 1920 and relies entirely on volunteers who spend months stringing lights with ropes and pulleys.

“It’s 105-year-old tradition now, and that means that for over a century, people have come out and volunteered their time to carry this tradition on,” said Scott Wardlaw, president of Christmas Tree Lane Association. “So it’s clearly well loved.”

Starting Saturday, more than 20,000 lights will flicker back on along the trees lining nearly a mile of Santa Rosa Avenue, near the fire’s burn scar.

For much of its 105-year run, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane has gone dark only in moments of true crisis — during World War II and amid the 1970s energy crisis.

Friday, December 5, 2025

Weak CA Job Market Likely to Continue, Researchers Say

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

California, whose unemployment rate has been at 5% and above for the past couple of years, is likely to see a weak job market through at least early next year, according to the winter UCLA Anderson forecast published this week.

Authors of the longtime economic forecast cited continued uncertainty around tariffs, deportations and federal funding as factors.

Based on year-over-year data through August, the economists said weak or declining jobs growth affected construction, nondurable goods manufacturing, retail, and leisure and hospitality. Business services jobs, which include professionals in the tech industry, lawyers, accountants and architects, fell in the following major regions: Silicon Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento and the Delta, San Diego and the Inland Empire.

The sectors that showed job growth in the past year — state and local government, education, health care and social services, and farms — could shrink in 2026 because of budget constraints, federal funding cuts or deportations, the economists said.

Friday, December 5, 2025

First West Altadena Home to Be Rebuilt After Eaton Fire Will Receive County Approval Today

Los Angeles County officials will today issue the first certificate of occupancy for a rebuilt home in West Altadena following the devastating Eaton Fire, marking a milestone in the community’s recovery.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger is scheduled to commemorate the occasion at the Grandeur Avenue property of John Dyson, a lifelong West Altadena resident whose family has lived on the site for 48 years. Dyson helped build the original home with his father, a legacy that will be renewed through the reconstruction.

The rebuilt residence — a 1,470-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath single-family home — will also include a newly constructed Accessory Dwelling Unit to support multigenerational living. According to Supervisor Barger’s office, the project represents meaningful progress toward restoring family stability and helping residents return home after the wildfire’s destruction.

Joining Barger at the event will be the Dyson family — John, Darlina, and Deborah Dyson — along with Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works, and Amy J. Bodek, director of the Department of Regional Planning.

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Altadena Poets Laureate to Host “A Wall Is Just a Wall” Reading and Open Mic

Co-laureates Sarwar and Lennon create space for healing after Eaton Fire displacement

When Lester Graves Lennon was reportedly displaced from his Altadena home of more than 30 years by the January Eaton Fire, the losses extended far beyond physical devastation. He reflected on the emotional toll of loss and displacement.

This December, Lennon and co-laureate Sehba Sarwar are channeling that grief into healing through poetry. The Altadena Poets Laureate will host “A Wall Is Just a Wall + Open Mic,” an event drawing inspiration from Assata Shakur’s poem “Affirmation,” which declares “a wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken down.”

The reading and open mic format offers Altadena residents a collective space to process the injustice, grief, and resilience following the devastating fires. Lennon, poetry editor for Rosebud magazine, and Sarwar, who founded Voices Breaking Boundaries, were honored with a 2025 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship specifically for their project “After the Fires: Healing from Histories.”

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez Supports State Database Reporting ‘Illegal Activity’ by ICE

Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have launched a database to report “illegal activity“ by ICE. On Wednesday, Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, issued a statement supporting the initiative.

“California is taking action to hold ICE accountable by tracking reports of misconduct and illegal activity by agents. This new database launched by the Governor and Attorney General will provide accountability by giving the public a way to file a complaint,” Pérez said.

“I have heard from so many community members who have witnessed aggressive and potentially illegal actions by ICE agents or people posing as immigration enforcement agents,” she said.

“That’s why I authored SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act, to help community members distinguish between law enforcement and people impersonating them by requiring law enforcement to display clear identification. This new state database can be an important tool for enforcing the No Vigilantes Act. California must be able to trust that law enforcement officials are actually who they claim to be and not imposters breaking the law to prey on innocent people.”

SB 805 was signed into law on September 20 and took effect immediately due to an urgency clause.