Thursday, June 11, 2026

Pasadena Lawmaker’s Wildfire Insurance Bill Passes California Senate Committee

Legislation by Assemblymember John Harabedian would extend non-renewal protections for Eaton Fire survivors as they rebuild

A bill that would give Pasadena and Altadena wildfire survivors more time before insurers can drop their coverage passed the California Senate Insurance Committee, the office of Assemblymember John Harabedian announced in a press release.

AB 2038, authored by Harabedian (D-Pasadena) and jointly authored with Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood), would extend existing insurance moratorium protections to better reflect the years-long reality of rebuilding after a major disaster, according to the press release.

The bill is directly relevant to Altadena, which along with Los Angeles County was devastated by the Eaton and Palisades Fires in January 2025, according to the press release.

Under existing law — Senate Bill 824, authored by Lara in 2018 — insurers face a one-year moratorium when they attempt to cancel residential policies after a natural disaster if the home is in a disaster zone, and a two-year moratorium if the house was lost in the disaster,

Thursday, June 11, 2026

FoodieLand Food Festival Returns to Rose Bowl for Fourth of July Weekend

Three-day outdoor festival adds Independence Day drone show; $12 daily admission, online only

A three-day outdoor food festival will return to the Rose Bowl Stadium over Fourth of July weekend, drawing more than 200 food, drink, and artisan vendors to the Pasadena landmark from July 3 through July 5, 2026.

FoodieLand Food Festival, organized by FoodieLand LLC, will open Friday at 3 p.m. and run from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to the organizer’s official event page. The 2026 Pasadena edition adds a new element to the weekend: a synchronized drone show on Saturday, July 4, billed by Visit Pasadena as a special Independence Day program for festival attendees.

General admission is $12 per single-day ticket, sold online only through Eventbrite. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Children 5 and under are admitted free, the organizer’s site states.

The festival’s Eventbrite listing describes the 2026 lineup as featuring more than 250 vendors offering global flavors,

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Metrolink Launches Contactless Payment Pilot Ahead of World Cup

CITY NEWS SERVICE

As Los Angeles prepares to host World Cup matches, Metrolink Wednesday launched a contactless fare payment pilot program intended to make it easier for visitors to use Southern California’s transit network during the tournament.

The six-month pilot allows passengers to pay fares by tapping a credit card, debit card, mobile wallet or wearable device instead of purchasing tickets through a vending machine or mobile app.

Metrolink officials said the new payment option is designed to streamline travel during the World Cup, which begins Thursday and runs through July 19. Riders using the system also can connect with Metro’s transit network, including special bus service to SoFi Stadium on match days.

“The timing of this pilot couldn’t be better, as Southern California prepares to welcome the world over the next 39 days,” Metrolink Board Director and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval said in a statement.

The contactless payment option is currently available on Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line and the Arrow rail service.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

L.A. County Reform Task Force Meets in Pasadena on Wednesday

Residents — including those in unincorporated Altadena, which is governed directly by the County — can weigh in on the rollout of Measure G

The Los Angeles County Governance Reform Task Force will convene Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Harambee Ministries in Northwest Pasadena to discuss its work implementing Measure G, the charter amendment voters approved in 2024 that overhauled county government.

The 13-member task force is an advisory body established to recommend how L.A. County should carry out Measure G. Its appearance in Pasadena follows a May 27 meeting in Downey and offers Pasadena and Altadena residents — including those in unincorporated Altadena, who are directly governed by the county rather than a city — a chance to weigh in on reforms that will expand the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members, create an elected County Executive, and establish an independent Ethics Commission. The rollout extends through 2034.

According to the County’s official Measure G site, the amendment sets in motion structural changes including the creation of an elected County Executive accountable for the County’s $45 billion budget,

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

L.A. County Completes Altadena Historic District, Its First, in Neighborhood Straddling Pasadena Line

The 77-parcel Historic Highlands designation takes effect July 9, capping eight years of community advocacy

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the final administrative step to establish the County’s first-ever historic district, formally creating the Historic Highlands Historic District in Altadena after the completion of legal review by County Counsel.

The ordinance creates a district of 77 parcels of early-20th-century homes in the unincorporated, northern portion of a neighborhood whose southern half lies within the City of Pasadena. The designation becomes effective July 9, 2026, and follows recommendations from the Historical Landmarks and Records Commission and the Regional Planning Commission, as well as what the Historic Highland Neighborhood Association describes as eight years of advocacy.

The Board first approved the underlying ordinance on July 22, 2025. Tuesday’s action, taken after County Counsel completed legal review and due diligence, makes the designation final.

The ordinance amends Title 22 of the Los Angeles County Code — the County’s planning and zoning law — to recognize the new district.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

L.A. County Raises Reward to $85,000 in Unsolved 2016 Altadena Killing of 4-Year-Old

Supervisors approve a $10,000 increase nearly a decade after Salvador “Chavita” Esparza III was fatally shot on a relative’s Altadena porch

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to raise the reward to $85,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the 2016 fatal shooting of 4-year-old Salvador “Chavita” Esparza III, who was killed on the front porch of a relative’s home in Altadena.

The action, on a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, adds $10,000 to a reward that had stood at $75,000 and reestablishes it as an active inducement for tips in a case that has gone unsolved for nearly a decade, according to a statement from Barger’s office.

Salvador was shot on the evening of July 5, 2016, in the 300 block of West Figueroa Drive in unincorporated Altadena, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The shooting occurred around 10:40 p.m. A 27-year-old man on the porch was also struck and taken to a hospital,

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

L.A. County Targets Overgrown Lots in Altadena Burn Zone Before Fire Season

Supervisors order a 30-day plan to manage vegetation and brush on thousands of stalled rebuilding sites in Altadena and the Santa Monica Mountains

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion directing County departments to develop a coordinated strategy to address hazardous vegetation and brush conditions on fire-impacted residential properties in Altadena and the unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains, with departments required to return to the Board within 30 days with recommendations.

The motion, authored by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey P. Horvath, responds to thousands of affected properties that have remained in various stages of debris removal, insurance resolution and rebuilding since the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires, where overgrown vegetation now poses renewed wildfire risk as another fire season approaches. The directive prioritizes voluntary compliance, community outreach and direct assistance to property owners over punitive enforcement, with education, defensible-space assistance and non-punitive mitigation identified as preferred first steps.

Altadena bore the heaviest losses of the Eaton Fire,

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Pasadena Community Foundation Gives $1 Million to Eaton Fire Recovery Group, Split Between Survivors and Coordination

Half the grant funds direct aid through the Unmet Needs Table; half keeps the Long-Term Recovery Group operating

The Pasadena Community Foundation announced Tuesday a $1 million grant to the Eaton Fire Collaborative’s Long-Term Recovery Group, with half the money going directly to fire survivors and the other half funding the coordination structure that connects them to aid.

The grant, announced June 9, gives the Long-Term Recovery Group $500,000 to distribute to survivors through its Unmet Needs Table and $500,000 to operate the recovery coordination structure itself. It comes as a Department of Angels survey released in April 2026 reported nearly half of survivors have depleted significant portions of their savings and over four in 10 have taken on debt, according to the foundation. The Eaton Fire alone destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena, the foundation said.

The Unmet Needs Table is the mechanism the Long-Term Recovery Group uses to match survivors with resources. According to the foundation’s press release,

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

PUSD Board President Disputes Brown Act Violation Accusations, Describes Consolidation Research as ‘Due Diligence’

Tina Fredericks says private notes and pre-contract conversations with a consultant were lawful information-gathering; critics say records released under the California Public Records Act show the consolidation process was shaped before the public was brought in

Pasadena Unified School District Board President Tina Fredericks disputes that her private work on a possible school-consolidation plan violated California’s open-meetings law, telling Pasadena Now in a written statement that her actions amounted to lawful due diligence on a difficult policy question driven by the district’s declining enrollment, half-empty campuses and a $30 million to $35 million budget gap.

Responding to questions from Pasadena Now, Fredericks defended conduct that has fueled Brown Act allegations and a recall effort against her.

At the center of the controversy are two sets of communications released under the California Public Records Act: a document titled “Consolidation 2027,” which Fredericks describes as her personal notes, and email exchanges between Fredericks and a Total School Solutions consultant whose firm was later hired by the district.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Pasadena Unified Plans Nearly $2 Million for Athletics After All

Despite a fiscal crisis that has forced Pasadena Unified to cut spending districtwide and sparked months of controversy over athletics reductions, the district plans to spend nearly $2 million on high school sports during the 2026-27 school year.

Documents scheduled for review by the Board of Education on Thursday show Pasadena Unified has allocated $1,933,749.49 for athletics, funding programs across Blair, Marshall, Muir and Pasadena high schools even as the district works to close a structural deficit exceeding $30 million.

The presentation offers the clearest picture yet of how athletics emerged from one of the district’s most contentious budget debates. It details funding allocations for each campus, districtwide support costs and the sports that will be offered next year after athletics became a focal point of public testimony during budget deliberations.

According to the presentation, Muir would receive the largest athletics allocation at $535,370.98, followed by Pasadena High at $500,903.22, Marshall at $361,790.92 and Blair at $234,184.37.

An additional $301,500 would fund districtwide athletics expenses,