Wednesday, January 14, 2026

A Pasadena Pulpit for Justice: Fuller Seminary’s MLK Commemoration Invites Elders to Tell Their Stories

STAFF REPORT

Community voices take center stage as the Pannell Center hosts two-day event exploring narratives of justice in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire

The Wednesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a Pasadena seminary will turn its chapel over to a different kind of sermon: the stories of community elders who have spent decades pursuing justice in the neighborhoods where they live.

Fuller Theological Seminary’s William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies, in partnership with the Center for Restorative Justice, will host its 2026 MLK Commemoration on January 21-22. The two-day event, titled “Narratives of Justice,” opens with a chapel service on Wednesday, January 21, at 10 a.m. in Travis Auditorium, where Dr. Phil Allen will deliver the keynote address.

Allen, a Pannell Center Fellow and PhD candidate in Christian Ethics at Fuller, researches the intersection of theology, ethics, race, and culture, with a particular focus on the theology and ethics of Martin Luther King Jr.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Senator Pérez to Keynote King Day Celebration at John Muir High School

The annual Pasadena event honoring Dr. King carries a theme of resilience one year after the Eaton Fire

A gathering on Monday, January 19 will honor a legacy built on nonviolence, equality, and hope.

The Pasadena Martin Luther King Jr. Community Coalition will host its 2026 King Day Celebration on Monday, January 19, at John Muir High School Auditorium.

This year’s theme is “Resilience and Renewal: Social Justice, Equality, and Community Empowerment”—words that carry particular weight in a region still rebuilding.

The free event, which begins with a teach-in at 8:30 a.m. followed by the main program at 10:00 a.m., will feature California Senator Sasha Renée Pérez as keynote speaker.

Pérez represents Senate District 25, which includes Pasadena, Altadena. At 32, she is the youngest state senator currently serving in California and the second youngest woman in the state’s history to hold the position.

The celebration continues a tradition stretching back more than three decades. The Coalition was founded by Drs.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

LA County Approves $4 Million for Teen Centers in Altadena, Three Other Communities

Loma Alta Park facility expected by August; three other northern LA County parks to receive centers

Los Angeles County will invest more than $4 million to build teen centers at four parks across its northern communities, with the most detailed plans targeting Loma Alta Park in fire-recovering Altadena.

The Board of Supervisors approved the funding Tuesday for what county officials call “Our SPOT and Well-Being” teen centers—dedicated spaces where teenagers can gather, socialize, and connect. The Altadena facility will feature accessible walking paths, seating areas, shade structures, lighting, landscaping, and recreational elements designed specifically for teens ages 12 to 18. Construction is expected to finish by August.

For Altadena, the teen center represents another piece of rebuilt community infrastructure following the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,000 structures. Loma Alta Park itself survived the fire with no buildings burned and reopened last May as what county officials termed a “super park”—expanding beyond traditional recreation to include mental health services,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

For the First Time, All Transitional Kindergarten Families Must Apply in Pasadena Unified School District Lottery

School choice process opens today and runs through January 28; fire-displaced families remain eligible

Starting today, every family with a child entering Transitional Kindergarten in the Pasadena Unified School District must submit an application through the Open Enrollment Lottery—even those who plan to send their child to the neighborhood school down the street.

The new requirement reflects the Pasadena Unified School District’s expansion of Transitional Kindergarten programs to all 14 elementary campuses. The lottery opens today at 9 a.m. and closes January 28 at 4 p.m.; families can apply online at pusd.schoolmint.com.

For families unsure how to navigate the application system, the District is offering a virtual assistance session tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The session can be accessed at bit.ly/pusdlotteryapp.

The first lottery serves families with students in kindergarten through 12th grade who want to attend a school other than their assigned neighborhood campus or who are seeking a Dual Language Immersion Program.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Pasadena Unified Avoids State Intervention, But County Requires Proof Fiscal Plan Is Working by March

Los Angeles County Office of Education accepts PUSD’s current budget, but cautions current plan may be insufficient

The Pasadena Unified School District has avoided immediate state intervention for now. In a Jan. 7 letter, Los Angeles County Office of Education officials accepted the district’s self-certification as fiscally sound, but the ruling came with a stark warning: prove by mid-March that promised budget cuts are actually being implemented, and prepare to submit an updated recovery plan to address continuing deficit spending.

The county’s acceptance of PUSD’s “positive” certification represents a conditional reprieve for the embattled district, which has been under county scrutiny for months due to declining enrollment and structural deficits.

The Jan. 7 letter from county officials reveals that the district’s November budget cuts may not be enough to prevent reserves from shrinking to barely above minimum levels by 2027-28, and explicitly demands an “updated Board-approved Fiscal Stabilization Plan” by March 16.

The ruling validates the strategy employed by the Board of Education on Dec.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Trying to ‘Trump-proof’ California’s 2028 Ballot

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

State lawmakers are already taking legislative steps to “Trump-proof” California’s elections, starting with a bill designed to keep President Donald Trump off of California’s ballot in 2028.

The bill from Sen. Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat and chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would make it illegal for the California Secretary of State to place on the ballot any candidate for president or vice president who does not meet the constitutional requirements of those offices.

The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment already states that no individual can hold the presidency for more than two terms.

Senate Bill 46 would take that one step further and require any candidate to affirm under oath, and penalty of perjury, that they are indeed constitutionally qualified for the ballot. An elector could challenge the qualifications of a candidate by petitioning the Superior Court of Sacramento.

“Apparently there’s some cockamamie scheme that exists in the mind of the president,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

LA County Looks to Establish `ICE-Free Zones’ at County-Owned Facilities

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors unanimously directed its attorneys Tuesday to draft an ordinance creating “ICE-Free Zones” to prevent county facilities from being used as staging areas or processing centers by federal immigration-enforcement authorities.

According to the motion authored by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, the move is modeled after an October executive order by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson designed to prohibit immigration authorities from using city-owned property during their operations — following the use of several school and city-owned parking lots by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

“On October 8, 2025, federal agents conducted a raid in San Pedro at Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center, a county park in Supervisorial District 4,” the motion states. “The agents arrested three people and threatened to arrest staff from the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation who responded to the scene. Because of this raid, county residents avoided the park, were unable to access it and use it for recreation as intended,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

DOJ to Ask LA Judge to Pause New Law Banning Masks on Federal Officers

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice are expected to urge a federal judge Wednesday morning to block new legislation that prohibits federal immigration agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing masks and that requires them to identify themselves.

The laws, passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, came in the wake of the Trump administration’s immigration raids in California in the summer, during which masked, unidentified federal officers detained people as part of the president’s mass deportation program.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the laws were unconstitutional and endanger federal officers.

The DOJ sued the state of California, Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta in September, challenging what the federal government claims is an “unconstitutional” attempt to impede federal law enforcement by imposing the mask ban and identification requirement on officers.

The laws made California the first state in the nation to prohibit federal law enforcement,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Altadena Mural Honored as LA County Declares Jan. 24 “Robert Vargas Day”

BASED ON A STORY BY CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously declared Jan. 24 “Robert Vargas Day,” recognizing the Boyle Heights muralist whose recent “From the Ashes” artwork was created in tribute to fire-impacted Altadena.

The declaration, introduced by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, honors Vargas for his public art contributions across Los Angeles and internationally. The motion notes that his murals “reflect the surrounding community members, their cultural heritage, and historic moments,” and credits his work with strengthening Los Angeles’ reputation as a global center for public art and creative expression. The motion also highlights his community involvement and charitable work.

Vargas’ murals appear throughout the region, including a Shohei Ohtani tribute in Little Tokyo, “Fernandomania” in Boyle Heights and the “Nourishing the Community” mural at Project Angel Food’s Vine Street headquarters.

In Altadena, Vargas painted “From the Ashes” at Fair Oaks Burger following last January’s Eaton Fire. Supervisor Kathryn Barger,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Emergency Housing ‘Safety Net’ Made Permanent for Altadena in New 211 LA Pact

Following the 2025 wildfires, a $100,000 commitment from Airbnb.org aims to unlock free shelter within 24 hours of a crisis.

The makeshift network that kept thousands of Altadena families off the streets during the Eaton Fire is no longer makeshift.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the nonprofit Airbnb.org and 211 LA signed a formal agreement to streamline emergency housing, turning a successful pilot program into a permanent fixture of Los Angeles County’s disaster response. The partnership, backed by $100,000 in housing credits for 2026, sets a new operational goal: mobilizing free listings for displaced residents within 24 hours of a disaster.

“Families deserve stability in the hardest moments of their lives,” said Christoph Gorder, executive director of Airbnb.org, in a statement. “Partnering with 211 LA allows us to mobilize quickly, work hand-in-hand with local responders, and help give more people a free, comfortable place to stay when they need it most.”

The formalized pact builds on the massive relief effort seen during the January wildfires,