Monday, May 5, 2025

Judge Convenes Case Management Conference in Deadly Eaton Fire Lawsuits Against Edison

Plaintiffs allege utility’s equipment ignited blaze that killed 17, destroyed 9,400 structures

A case management conference is scheduled Tuesday for numerous lawsuits accusing Southern California Edison of responsibility for the devastating January 7, 2025, Eaton Fire that killed 18 people and destroyed approximately 9,400 structures.

The hearing, set for 10 a.m. in Department 17 of the Spring Street Courthouse, will address multiple legal actions filed initially by Jeremy Gursey and joined by hundreds of other plaintiffs who lost their homes in the Altadena blaze.

Plaintiffs contend the wildfire ignited beneath an Southern California Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon and rapidly spread through neighboring communities amid wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph.

More than 40 lawsuits representing over 600 residents, along with government entities including Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and the Pasadena Unified School District, have been filed against the utility.

The lawsuits allege Southern California Edison failed to de-energize its electrical equipment despite repeated National Weather Service warnings about extreme fire danger and high winds.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Warming Trend on Tap for Southern California Later This Week

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Light to moderate drizzle could linger Monday in parts of the West San Gabriel Valley before temperatures begin warming up later this week, forecasters said.

“An unsettled weather pattern will continue into Monday with the possibility of isolated to scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms developing each afternoon and evening,” according to the National Weather Service.

Lowest maximum temperature records were set Sunday in Orange County.

The low in Anaheim was 62, breaking the record of 66 set in 1999. The low in Newport Beach was 59, tying the record set in 1964.

Forecasters said the threat for significant flooding or debris flows is extremely small, with most areas to see 0.10 of an inch of rain or less. Mountain areas could see 0.10 to 0.50 inches.

Snow levels were expected to stay above 6,000 feet.

Most highs were expected to remain in the 60s through Tuesday. Dry weather and a gradual warming trend was expected to begin after that,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, But will AI Make California More Efficient?

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

Gov. Gavin Newsom staged a news conference in Los Angeles this week to tout the adoption of artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of state government.

That’s pretty dull stuff, so Newsom goosed its news value by contrasting California’s AI program with President Donald Trump’s slashes of federal services via his Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Newsom’s erstwhile pal, industrialist and inventor Elon Musk.

“I could have easily come in here with sunglasses and chainsaws — you know where I’m going — and gotten your attention,” Newsom told reporters. “We’re DOGE but better.”

He took another potshot at Trump and Musk, saying, “They haven’t come close to the savings they’ve asserted. I think it’s been very damaging.”

Newsom’s remarks on Trump, Musk and DOGE represent his latest political repositioning, from a harsh critic after Trump recaptured the White House, to making nice with Trump as the state sought $40 billion in wildfire recovery grants,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Golf Advocates Donate $30,000 to Pasadena-Area Youth Programs

Golf organization partners with Boys & Girls Club and First Tee to support community recovery following January wildfires

The Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Foundation has donated $30,400 to support fire relief efforts in Altadena following January’s devastating wildfires that struck the community. The donation, announced during an event held at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena on Thursday, May 1, will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena and First Tee – Greater Pasadena.

“This donation reflects the APGA’s commitment to using golf as a platform for change,” said Ken Bentley, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Co-Founder of the APGA. “Our hearts go out to the families impacted by the Altadena fires, and we’re proud to stand with these outstanding youth organizations that are making a difference.”

The donation originated from $9,300 raised through birdies and eagles made during the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational in January. Matching contributions from Farmers Insurance and Bentley, along with additional support,

Friday, May 2, 2025

Resilience and Unity Take Center Stage at Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast

By EDDIE RIVERA

Against a backdrop of shared loss and collective strength, hundreds filled a ballroom Thursday morning at the Pasadena Convention Center for the 52nd annual Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast, hosted by Friends In Deed.

The event, marked by heartfelt prayers, community tributes, and stories of resilience, reflected the deep emotional toll and inspiring response to January’s Eaton Fire, which devastated communities in Pasadena and Altadena.

“Flowers help people bloom,” said Rabbi Joshua Grater, executive director of Friends In Deed, in his opening remarks. He shared the story of how donated flowers from Trader Joe’s, arranged by unhoused women at the nonprofit’s Women’s Room, sparked healing and connection. “Some of these women hadn’t spoken in weeks — and yet through the simple act of arranging flowers, they found community again.”

The Interfaith Breakfast, which drew civic leaders, clergy, first responders, and community members, like many recent events, focused on the theme of resilience — spiritual, emotional, and structural — in the wake of the wildfire that displaced thousands.

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Arizona Man Arrested in Traffic Stop; Three Guns and Meth Seized

A 40-year-old Arizona man was arrested late Wednesday after Pasadena police recovered three firearms — including a “ghost gun” — and approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Altadena, according to Lt. Matt Campeau of the Pasadena Police Department.

Campeau reported that officers observed a vehicle violation near Fair Oaks Avenue and Woodbury Road at about 10:48 p.m. on April 30 and initiated a traffic stop in the area of Fair Oaks Avenue and La Venezia Court in Altadena.

The driver, identified by Lt. Campeau as Tony Sandoval, an Arizona resident, allegedly admitted to possessing the firearm and marijuana, authorities said.

During a search of the vehicle, officers reportedly located a loaded P80 9-millimeter “ghost gun” under the driver’s seat, a Ruger .22-caliber firearm under the gear shift, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver in Sandoval’s waistband, Campeau said.

Only the P80 was determined to be a ghost gun, according to Campeau.

In addition to the firearms,

Thursday, May 1, 2025

New App Strikes a Chord for Fire-Impacted Musicians

‘Instrumental Giving’ connects donors with artists who lost gear in the 2025 LA fires

A new app is providing relief to musicians who lost instruments, recording equipment and music collections in the devastating Eaton Fire, offering a digital pathway to recovery and reconnection.

Instrumental Giving, launched on April 26 during a community gathering at A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena, is a registry platform created by Altadena Musicians. The app allows musicians who lost gear in the fires to post “Help Requests,” which donors can browse and fulfill – much like a wedding registry. All donations are tax-deductible.

“Thousands of musicians lost their musical instruments to the LA fires. We are doing something about it,” the Altadena Musicians team announced via a social media post.

Once musicians sign up for the app, they are verified by providing a driver’s license showing they lived in a fire-affected zone, or documentation such as an insurance or FEMA letter proving their loss.

Thursday, May 1, 2025

County Board of Supervisors Set to Review Dozens of County Programs

Regular meeting includes mental health services, marine mammal rescue funding, and 63 other agenda items

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, led by Chair Kathryn Barger (Fifth District), will tackle a packed agenda at their upcoming meeting on Tuesday, May 6, including a long-awaited report on mental health and substance use disorder beds, funding for stranded marine mammals affected by toxic algae blooms, and $47 million in contracts for parking management services.

Set for 11:00 a.m. as the first “Set Matter,” the Board will receive a report from the Director of Mental Health on the Continuum of Care for mental health and substance use disorder beds. This report has been continued from previous meetings held on September 17, December 10, 2024, as well as January 14, January 28, March 18, and April 15, 2025.

Following at 11:30 a.m., the second Set Matter involves a report on the County’s implementation of the people experiencing homelessness missions, though Supervisor Horvath has requested this item be continued to June 3,

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Seniors Rally for Safety Improvements at Altadena Apartment Complex, Recount Harrowing Eaton Fire Evacuation

Residents claim they were left without assistance during the emergency, now live in unsafe conditions, and seek accountability from management

Elderly residents of the Mirador Apartments in West Altadena held a rally Tuesday to voice concerns about their evacuation experience during the recent Eaton Fire, claiming they were left without proper assistance.

Several seniors at the gathering alleged they were forced to navigate the evacuation without functioning elevators or accessibility features when the building lost power during the fire, reportedly leaving them trapped on upper floors in complete darkness engulfed in thick smoke.

Niobe Recasens, 87, a Mirador resident, described her evacuation attempt during the rally.

“I fell down the stairs and hit between my shoulder blades and the pain was so severe. I thought I broke my spine,” Recasens said. “People were running by and screaming and I kept saying, ‘Don’t leave me, don’t leave me!'”

According to residents, some called emergency services as the fire approached but were told that West Altadena wasn’t in a mandatory evacuation zone and would have to wait for assistance.

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Guest Opinion | Suzanne York: It’s Time to Trade in Our Cynicism and Get Back to Work

By SUZANNE YORK

We live in a time when cynicism feels like a reasonable response. It’s easy to believe that nothing will change—that climate summits are just photo ops, that politicians will always chase donors over justice, that the powerful will never stop chasing more. But every once in a while, a voice cuts through the noise with uncommon clarity and moral courage. For me, Pope Francis has been that voice.

Since he became pope, Pope Francis has pushed the Catholic Church—and the world—to reckon with the brokenness of our systems. His 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, still reads like a revelation. In it, he dares to say what too many leaders won’t: that we are failing both the planet and each other, and that the climate crisis is not just about science or economics—it is about morality. We cannot destroy creation and ignore the poor and then claim righteousness. We are all responsible.

But Francis didn’t stop with the environment.