Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Free Adult English Class Meets Wednesday Morning at Altadena’s Bob Lucas Library

The Altadena Library District’s free adult English class meets Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Literacy Center at the Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center, 2659 Lincoln Ave.

The district describes the classes as designed to help students obtain basic English fluency and holds them Mondays through Thursdays at the same hour. The class is listed for ages 18 and over, and there is no fee.

It is part of the district’s adult learning and literacy services, housed at Bob Lucas. The district’s adult literacy program, Let’s Read Altadena, has served Altadena residents since 1988 and is funded in part by a grant from the California State Library.

The branch reopened Aug. 16, 2025, after a 16-month renovation that added a 1,000-square-foot expansion — about 50% more space — a children’s area and the literacy center where the class now meets. It is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

A second district program set for Wednesday will not go forward.

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Nine Pasadena and Altadena Campuses Hold Back-to-School Night Wednesday on a Districtwide Minimum Day

Nine Pasadena Unified School District campuses in Pasadena and Altadena hold Back-to-School Night on Wednesday, Aug. 26, a date the district has designated a minimum day districtwide.

Families attend at their own child’s school, and most campuses open from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Six of the nine sit at Pasadena addresses and two at Altadena addresses.

In Pasadena: Don Benito Fundamental, 3700 Denair St.; Eugene Field Elementary, 3600 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.; Henry W. Longfellow Elementary, 1065 E. Washington Blvd.; Norma Coombs Elementary, 2600 Paloma St.; and Washington Elementary STEM Magnet, 1520 N. Raymond Ave. John Muir High School Early College Magnet, 1905 N. Lincoln Ave., runs 5 to 7:30 p.m.

In Altadena: Altadena Arts Magnet, 743 E. Calaveras St., and Mary W. Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary, 593 W. Woodbury Rd.

PALS holds its event the same evening. The PUSD Office of Enrollment has its time and location.

Because Aug. 26 is a minimum day, students are dismissed early that afternoon.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Wildfire Survivors to Press Lawmakers at Capitol Tuesday Against Newsom Utility Liability Plan

Wildfire survivors and state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez are scheduled to gather at the California State Capitol on Tuesday morning to press lawmakers to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s end-of-session plan to limit what utilities pay after wildfires their equipment causes.

Organizers said in a press advisory they expect dozens of survivors, wearing shirts reading “DON’T MESS WITH FIRE SURVIVORS” and carrying signs reading “NO UTILITY BAILOUT” and “STAND WITH REAL FIRE SURVIVORS.”

Announced participants include Pérez, whose 25th Senate District covers Pasadena and Altadena; other California legislators; Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network; Pastor Anthony McFarland, an Eaton Fire survivor; and Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.

Organizers said they are calling on lawmakers to focus on preventing utility-caused wildfires, protecting California families and holding corporations accountable. They said no financial emergency justifies shifting more of the cost of utility-caused wildfires onto survivors or bypassing the full legislative process.

Newsom has said the current system is failing the people it is meant to protect.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Ten Pasadena Unified Campuses Hold Back-to-School Nights Wednesday as District Schedules More All Next Month

Ten Pasadena Unified School District campuses hold Back-to-School Night on Wednesday, the busiest date on a district schedule that spreads the events across 27 listings running from Aug. 20 through Oct. 8.

The staggered calendar means most families in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre still have their evening ahead. Twenty-five of the 27 remain upcoming, and each is designated a minimum day, the district said, so students are dismissed early.

Wednesday’s group is Altadena, Don Benito, Field, Jackson, Longfellow, Norma Coombs, Sierra Madre Elementary, Washington STEM and PALS, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., along with John Muir High School from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Webster and Sierra Madre Middle School have already held theirs, both on Aug. 20.

Families get to know their school community, hear about classroom expectations and learning goals, and find ways to stay connected and support their students through the year, the district said. The district asks families to check their own school’s date and plan to attend.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

County Fire Department Adds Staffing, Pre-Positions Resources as Area Faces Four-Day Heat Wave Peak

Dangerous heat, high wildfire risk expected countywide through Friday, Aug. 28

In response to peaking dry, hot temperatures and high wildfire risk beginning Tuesday, Aug. 25, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department is augmenting normal staffing and pre-positioning personnel and resources throughout Los Angeles County to ensure rapid response to wildfires.

The augmented staffing runs from Tuesday through Friday, Aug. 28, the department said in a public advisory. LACoFD is the fire agency serving unincorporated Altadena.

The County Fire Department strongly advised residents to check on vulnerable neighbors, family members and pets during the heat wave. Those visiting local beaches must exercise extreme caution, the department said.

The department reminded residents to:

• Sign up for emergency alerts at alert.lacounty.gov.
• If you see something, say something. Report any sign of smoke or fire immediately to your local fire department by dialing 911. If you dial 911 from a cell phone,

Monday, August 24, 2026

For Rivas Roofing, Rebuilding Altadena Is Personal

Family-owned company brings three decades of local experience — and a commitment to integrity — to the community’s recovery

For Rivas Roofing CEO Felipe Rivas, rebuilding Altadena is about more than replacing roofs. It is about helping restore a community his family has worked in for three decades.

Founded by Rivas’ father in 1995, the family roofing company grew from modest beginnings. Rivas remembers his father being on every job site, sometimes working alone. As a high school student, Rivas began helping on weekends when his father needed extra labor.

The lessons from those years continue to shape the company, he said.

“We try to keep our name as clean as possible,” Rivas said, describing the emphasis his father placed on correcting mistakes, taking pride in the work and maintaining integrity.

Those local roots have made the aftermath of the Eaton Fire particularly personal. Rivas estimated that Altadena accounted for at least 40% of the company’s business for many years.

Monday, August 24, 2026

Altadena Library District to Issue Limited-Edition Laufey Card Starting Tuesday at Two Locations and Its Vans

The Altadena Library District will begin issuing its limited-edition Laufey Book Club library card Tuesday, Aug. 25, at its two open locations and aboard its Curiosity Connection mobile vans.

The district has not announced a ceremony or a launch hour. Availability starts when each location opens. The card had been set to debut Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Bob Lucas branch as part of A Very Laufey Day, the singer’s annual global fan event. The district moved the launch to Tuesday after that release did not go forward.

The Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center, 2659 Lincoln Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Curiosity Connection stops at Grocery Outlet from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Fair Oaks Burger from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The Main Library at 600 E. Mariposa St. has been closed for renovation since Feb. 1.

The cards are free and work as ordinary Altadena Library cards,

Monday, August 24, 2026

Altadena Neighbors to Gather for a Night of Sweets and Shared Memory

A Sept. 4 community event will mark September birthdays and recognize “the sweetest people in Altadena” as the fire-scarred town keeps rebuilding

More than a year and a half after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, a group of neighbors plans to spend a September evening doing something deliberately modest: sharing dessert and trading the memories the fire couldn’t take. 

The gathering, called “Our Beloved Altadena: Sweet Sweet Memories,” is set for Friday, Sept. 4, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:30 p.m., at the Eaton Fire Collaborative, 540 West Woodbury Road, Altadena 91001 — the same address that served as a disaster recovery center for fire survivors. Organizers say the evening will center on sweets, storytelling, music, live singing, poetry and an open mic, and will recognize September birthdays and what the event flyer calls “the sweetest people in Altadena.” The details of the event come from that flyer.

The host is Nahshon Dion,

Monday, August 24, 2026

Guest Opinion | Calmatters’ Dan Walters: California’s Clashes Over Business Regulation Rage On As Legislative Session Nears End

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

The state Capitol’s most enduring conflict pits corporate California against four powerful interest groups over new regulations, taxes, minimum wages or other costly mandates.

The specific issues may vary from year to year, although some continue for decades, but the underlying clash of interests is perpetual.

The four groups arrayed against business — unions, personal injury lawyers, consumer advocates and environmentalists — contend their bills are needed to protect consumers, workers or the environment. Business executives see them as driving higher operational costs that threaten companies’ profitability or even existence.

As the Legislature approaches the August 31 adjournment of its two-year session, some of the bills arising from the conflict are still pending, and the contending forces are applying maximum pressure to affect the outcomes.

One example is Assembly Bill 2564, carried by Assemblymember Christopher Ward, a San Diego Democrat, on behalf of unions, consumer groups and advocates for the poor.

Monday, August 24, 2026

PUSD Board to Vote Thursday on 30% Tree Canopy Goal

Resolution sets 2035 target; district says budget cuts reduced grounds staffing by about half

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education will consider a resolution at its regular meeting Thursday, Aug. 27, that would commit the district to work toward 30% mature tree canopy in outdoor areas designated for student learning, play and circulation by 2035.

The resolution also states that recent budget reductions have cut the district’s grounds staffing by approximately 50%, “affecting the District’s ability to maintain its existing tree inventory and any additional trees planted under this Resolution.”

Resolution No. 2901 would establish a “long range goal” to preserve and support the existing canopy and work toward 30% through phased implementation. PUSD school sites range between 8% and 15% coverage, according to a 2023 California Schoolyard Tree Canopy Equity study cited in the resolution.

The resolution cites research showing increased canopy reduces urban heat island effects, improves air quality and contributes to improved student mental health,