Tuesday, April 15, 2025

KBLA Talk 1580 To Host Town Hall On Eaton Fire 100 Days After Disaster

Radio station continues coverage with public forum featuring survivors, experts and community leaders

KBLA Talk 1580 announced it will host a free community town hall titled “The Eaton/Altadena Fire: 100 Days and Counting” on Wednesday, April 16 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Robinson Park Recreation Center in Pasadena.

The event is planned to bring together survivors, community leaders, activists and experts to reflect on the aftermath of the fire and address questions about recovery efforts.

“I’m looking forward to hearing from our beloved Black Altadenians and learning how KBLA Talk 1580 can continue to support their efforts to find justice and accountability to make them whole,” said Tavis Smiley, founder of SmileyAudioMedia, Inc. and Chief Visionary Officer for KBLA Talk 1580.

The town hall will be co-moderated by KBLA personalities Tavis Smiley, Dominique DiPrima and Nii-Quartelai Quartey. A panel of ten participants will join the discussion, including Jeffrey N. Boozell and Crystal Nix-Hines (Partners at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart &

Monday, April 14, 2025

Pasadena Schools Address Elevated Lead Levels Following Eaton Canyon Fire

District launches soil testing after county finds contamination near campuses

The Pasadena Unified School District is implementing additional safety measures after soil tests revealed elevated lead levels near some schools following the recent Eaton Canyon Fire, Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco announced Sunday.

In a letter to the school community, Blanco said the District learned Friday evening that Los Angeles County Department of Public Health soil sampling detected high lead concentrations at locations near several District schools.

“We are working with the Pasadena Public Health Department, which is analyzing the results and developing guidance for schools,” Blanco wrote. “We are also urgently seeking similar guidelines from the County for schools outside of Pasadena.”

The District has contracted with an environmental consultant to conduct soil sampling at campuses potentially affected by windborne ash and debris from the fire. Blanco stated that Pasadena Unified School District will “replicate sampling conducted at residences by the LA County Department of Public Health.”

No schools will close at this time,

Monday, April 14, 2025

City Council, Barger to Hold Joint Meeting on Eaton Fire Recovery, Olympics, Housing

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The Pasadena City Council will hold a special joint meeting with Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on April 16 to discuss a range of regional issues, with a primary focus on recovery efforts related to the Eaton Fire, which severely damaged homes in both Altadena and Pasadena.

City officials confirmed that Phase 1 of the recovery effort—hazardous materials removal conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—has been completed. Phase 2, involving debris removal managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, is currently underway.

Local homeowners have just one more day to submit their Right to Entry forms that allow the Army Corps of Engineers to remove debris from their property.

The Eaton Fire killed 17 people, destroyed 9,000 homes and scorched 14,000 acres,

The meeting will also address several major policy items requiring City-County coordination, including a report on the proposed mixed-use development of the former Kaiser property at 434–470 North Lake Ave.

Monday, April 14, 2025

California Lawmakers Quietly Sideline Bills In Secretive Suspense Process

By Ryan Sabalow, CALMATTERS

In just 24 minutes and without any debate, the most powerful committee in the state Senate last week moved 33 bills from public view into a secretive process that will decide whether the measures live or die.

Two days later, its sister committee in the Assembly moved 82 of its bills in under two minutes to the same secretive, uncertain future.

If history is any guide, between a quarter to a third of those bills will be killed next month. For most of the bills, no one but lobbyists, a handful of capital staffers, lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policy team will know exactly why.

So it goes with the Senate and Assembly’s appropriations committees, the gatekeepers for bills proposing to spend taxpayer money. The committees’ “suspense files” are where hundreds of bills die quietly each year. The fates of the bills that were moved to the file last week – along with dozens of others that will be added later – will be announced in a single hearing on what’s known as “suspense day” scheduled for May.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Aid Event to Support Families Affected by Eaton Canyon Fires

Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity leads community effort to provide relief resources

The Eta Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will host “Dena Phirst Aid Day” on Saturday, April 26, at Jackie Robinson Park Recreation Center to support families affected by the recent Eaton Canyon fires.

The free community event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will provide essential resources including food, school supplies, wellness checks and disaster recovery workshops to residents of Pasadena and Altadena — collectively known as “the Dena” to locals.

“This is about real relief and community love,” said organizers in social media announcements promoting the event. “Let’s show up, show out, and support our neighbors like only the Dena can.”

The relief effort comes in response to the Eaton Canyon fires that recently impacted communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The fires caused significant displacement and property damage in northeastern Pasadena and Altadena.

The event represents a broad coalition of community organizations.

Monday, April 14, 2025

Property Owners Who Fail to Submit ROE Forms Could Be On the Hook For Debris Removal Costs

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

According to the County’s recovery website, local property owners that do not turn in the required Right of Entry forms could be left with a bill if the Army Corps of Engineers is forced to remove debris from their land.

“If your property was affected, you must choose a debris removal option by April 15, 2025,” according to a statement at https://recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/roe/.

“If you do not submit an Opt-In or Opt-Out form by April 15, 2025, the government will initiate a process to remove fire debris from your property to protect public health and safety.

“In such event, you will be responsible for the full cost of the government’s fire debris removal activities at your property, and a lien may be placed on your property to recover those costs.”

As of Sunday morning, 95 property owners had not filled out the necessary forms. Property owners are required to fill out the forms even if they wish to opt out of the Army Corps of Engineers removal program.

Monday, April 14, 2025

SCE Unveils $925 Million Rebuild Plan for Altadena, Malibu Following January Wildfires

Company to underground power lines, enhance grid resilience in fire-damaged communities

Southern California Edison announced a comprehensive $860-925 million plan Friday to rebuild electrical infrastructure in Altadena and Malibu communities devastated by January’s wildfires and windstorms, with a major focus on undergrounding power lines to prevent future disasters.

The initiative, detailed in a letter from Southern California Edison President and Chief Executive Officer Pedro J. Pizarro to California Governor Gavin Newsom, prioritizes converting overhead power lines to underground infrastructure across 153 circuit miles, with 63 miles planned for Altadena alone.

“We are operating with heightened urgency to build back stronger,” Pizarro wrote in the April 11 letter. “SCE began developing the rebuilding plan in mid-January, including undergrounding electrical distribution infrastructure and deploying new technologies to make Altadena and Malibu model communities for a resilient, clean and affordable energy future.”

In Altadena, SCE plans to underground approximately 40 circuit miles in High Fire Risk Areas (HFRA), with two miles already under construction with completion expected in the coming months.

Friday, April 11, 2025

$4.25 Million RESTORE Program Launches to Rebuild Parks and Trails After January Wildfires

In the aftermath of the devastating January 2025 wildfires, the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District (RPOSD) is proud to announce the launch of the RESTORE Program (Recovery and Emergency Support for Trails, Open Space, and Recreation), a $4.25 million initiative to support the recovery and rebuilding of public parks, trails, and open spaces in the hardest-hit communities across Los Angeles County.

RESTORE provides targeted, non-competitive grants to cities, agencies, and nonprofit landowners to help restore damaged recreation infrastructure, repair trails, reforest open spaces, and implement best practices in wildfire resilience. The funding also supports planning and technical assistance that will help these jurisdictions compete for future Measure A grants and catalyze investment.

“The January wildfires were devastating. Our communities lost homes, businesses, places of worship, schools—and alongside those, we lost parks, trees, trails, and cherished open spaces,” said Norma E. García-González, Director of the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation and Director of RPOSD. “RESTORE is about helping to rebuild these vital public spaces as the broader recovery of homes and communities moves forward.

Friday, April 11, 2025

State Farm Moves One Step Closer to Emergency California Rate Hike

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

State Farm could soon win final approval to raise premiums for California homeowners and others on an interim basis, a move meant to help prop up the finances of the state’s biggest provider of property insurance, after a public hearing this week.

In early February, State Farm asked California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to approve emergency interim rate increases, saying the Los Angeles Country fires had worsened its financial situation as it awaited the Insurance Department’s decision on rate requests it submitted last summer. State Farm said it expects to pay more than $7 billion worth of claims from those fires.

Lara’s department and State Farm reached an agreement ahead of this week’s hearing. The outcome of an unusual rate hearing in Oakland over the past three days, overseen by administrative law judge Karl-Fredric Seligman, would make it official.

If the judge approves, starting in June the company’s customers will see average increases of 17% for homeowners — down from the 22% the insurer originally requested after it reached a deal with the California Insurance Department;

Friday, April 11, 2025

Local Jewish Community Finds Renewed Meaning in Passover Amid Local Temple’s Ashes

An ancient story of resilience becomes a lived experience as local Jews forge makeshift sanctuaries and shared tables

As Passover 2025 approaches, Pasadena’s Jewish community is demonstrating remarkable resilience following the destruction of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center by the Eaton Fire.

Congregants are opening homes to displaced families while community organizations adapt traditions to ensure holiday celebrations continue amid the devastation.

“The Passover story is about resilience and about wandering in the desert. We are definitely wandering right now. And so I think it’s really important to provide the opportunities to be together and to pray together and to sing together and to eat together,” said Melissa Levy, Executive Director of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center.

The fire has created a situation where a number of congregants lack basic necessities for the upcoming holiday, which begins at sundown on Saturday, April 12, and continues through April 20.

“We have many congregants that have no dining room to have their Seder in,