Saturday, July 11, 2026

Fifty Venues Said No. Despite That, They Persisted, And Monday, Their Camp for Fire-Affected Kids Opens

Three Maranatha High juniors spent months searching for a gym willing to host Healing Hoops Altadena before the Pasadena Tabernacle agreed

Before a single child dribbles a ball at Healing Hoops Altadena on Monday, its three teenage founders had already been turned down or priced out by roughly 50 venues — a three-month search, by co-founder Ryder Wong’s count, that ended only when the Pasadena Tabernacle said yes.

The camp those months produced is a free, five-day basketball and wellness program for children ages 8 to 12 affected by the Eaton Fire, running July 13 through 17 at the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps Community Center, 960 E. Walnut St. Wong and his fellow Maranatha High School juniors, Ryden Shiozaki and Ethan Kim, built it around a simple pairing: basketball each morning, alongside activities meant to steady kids who lost homes, schools and routines when the fire tore through Altadena in January 2025.

Sessions run daily from 9 to 11 a.m. Each day features a basketball workshop and activities designed to “instill calm and creativity in the youngsters,

Saturday, July 11, 2026

City Obtains Court Warrant, Inspects John Muir High School Trees a Day After Being Turned Away

Jurisdictional tussle over protected trees heats up between the city and the school district

The City of Pasadena sent a certified arborist and city inspectors onto the campus of John Muir High School on Friday under a court-ordered inspection warrant, forcing its way onto Pasadena Unified School District property one day after district crews turned city officials away.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court granted the warrant after the district repeatedly denied the city voluntary access to determine which trees on campus may be protected under Pasadena’s tree-protection ordinance.

City officials said the inspection would establish how many protected trees had been cut down — and whether the district broke city law — as PUSD carries out Eaton Fire soil remediation that has already felled more than 70 trees across its campuses.

The move was the sharpest escalation yet in a weeklong standoff between the city and the school district that turns on a single question: whether a municipal ordinance governs trees on school grounds,

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Pasadena Nonprofit to Give Away Backpacks, Supplies at City Hall on Aug. 9

The organization founded by an Altadena family has held the annual event since 2012

LOV Olive Branches CDC will hold its annual back-to-school backpack giveaway on Sunday, Aug. 9, from noon to 4 p.m. at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

The nonprofit’s annual events have typically included free backpacks, school supplies, food, haircuts and braiding services for young ladies, according to the organization’s website. LOV Olive Branches has held its back-to-school giveaway each August since 2012, serving students and families from Pasadena and Altadena. The Aug. 9 event comes one week after the separate 3rd Annual Dena Community Backpack Giveaway scheduled for Aug. 2 at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

Pasadena City Councilmember Justin L. Jones, who represents District 3, promoted the event in his district newsletter, according to source material provided to Pasadena Now.

LOV Olive Branches was founded in 1999 by Pastor Leroy and Anna Toliver, longtime Altadena residents who served as advocates for at-risk youth and as DCFS and Family to Family community partners in North Pasadena,

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Arts & Culture: Make a Dinner Date with Motown

Some summer nights just want a soundtrack — preferably one you already know every word to, sung in the golden glow of the San Gabriels with something cold at your elbow. The good news lands at the Arboretum, where the Pasadena POPS returns for the second night of its Rusnak Summer Concert Series, this one handed over to Motown.

Resident conductor Larry Blank, newly leading the series after Michael Feinstein’s move to emeritus, aims the orchestra straight at the classics: “My Girl,” “Superstition,” and a full night of the Temptations, the Supremes, and Stevie Wonder. Three stage-seasoned soloists handle the vocals: Terron Brooks, Chester Gregory, and Shayna Steele, all with real time on this material.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking, which is half the point. Bring your own spread, pre-order a box dinner from Julienne or Bacchus Kitchen, or work the food trucks and two beverage centers once you’re inside. Tickets start at $38, lawn seats for kids under 12 run $15.

These three come with receipts.

Friday, July 10, 2026

Pasadena Begins Court Authorized Inspections at John Muir High as Tree Dispute Escalates

Pasadena officials said Friday the city has begun court-authorized inspections at John Muir High School after the Pasadena Unified School District continued removing trees on multiple campuses despite posted stop work orders.

PUSD confirmed that City personnel arrived at the John Muir campus with an inspection warrant tied to the City’s tree ordinance. The District said it is complying with the warrant and providing access while maintaining safety protocols around active soil removal areas.

City officials said Pasadena had made “numerous attempts” to work cooperatively with PUSD to resolve the dispute over tree removals at several district sites. Despite those efforts, officials said, PUSD continued removal work “at various locations in violation of posted stop work orders.”

The District said it does not agree that the tree removals fall under city jurisdiction, asserting that the state overseen soil removal and restoration work “is not subject to the City’s tree ordinance,” a legal question the parties are still discussing.

The city sought and received authorization from Los Angeles County Superior Court to conduct inspections through an inspection warrant.

Friday, July 10, 2026

Altercation Reported at John Muir High School at Blocked Entry to Cleanup Work Area

A physical altercation broke out Thursday at the John Muir High School campus when unidentified individuals attempted to enter a restricted soil-removal zone, Pasadena Unified School District said in a statement. The confrontation occurred as PUSD continued tree-felling cleanup work tied to fire-related contamination discovered after the Eaton Fire.

According to the district, one person who tried to access the work area became involved in a physical fight with an on-site Pasadena City College staff member. 

The district reported law enforcement was contacted. No arrests or injuries were reported.

School officials said no students were involved, and PUSD said summer programs at John Muir continued without disruption.

PUSD emphasized that trespassing into active cleanup areas “creates safety risks and cannot be allowed.”

Earlier Thursday, the city of Pasadena reported “active tree felling activity at Muir High School.”

“We sent City officials to the site where they were told to leave,” City Chief Communications Officer Lisa Derderian told Pasadena Now.

Friday, July 10, 2026

School Board Vice President Velázquez Will Not Seek Reelection

[UPDATED] Yarma Velázquez, the vice president of the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education, said on Friday that she would not seek re-election in District 7, attributing her decision to ‘much reflection’ rather than the accusations and criticism that have recently surfaced. 

Velázquez, a California State University, Northridge professor first elected to the board in 2022, represents a west Pasadena district whose seat is one of four up for reelection on the Nov. 3 ballot. Her decision removes an incumbent from that race at a moment when the board is under public pressure over school-consolidation plans, a projected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall, and two threats to recall other board members.

In a written statement provided to Pasadena Now on Friday for immediate publication, Velázquez called her service “one of the greatest honors of my life” and said she was proud of the work accomplished during her tenure. 

“I want to be clear: my decision not to seek reelection is not the result of accusations or criticism that have recently circulated,” she wrote,

Friday, July 10, 2026

PUSD Responds as Environmental Activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill Joins Fight Over Tree Removals

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Thursday defended its decision to remove trees during a fire-related soil cleanup, responding to the arrival of renowned environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill by saying the debate must also consider the thousands of students waiting to return to safe campuses this fall.

Hill, best known for spending more than two years living atop an ancient California redwood to prevent it from being logged, has joined local efforts opposing the removal of mature trees at Pasadena Unified campuses amid the district’s cleanup of soil contaminated by the Eaton Fire.

Her involvement comes as the dispute between the district and the city of Pasadena has intensified, with the city issuing stop-work orders and considering litigation over whether PUSD is subject to Pasadena’s Tree Protection Ordinance.

In a statement released Thursday, the district welcomed Hill to Pasadena but urged residents to consider what officials described as the broader public health picture.

Friday, July 10, 2026

Political Gumbo: Not a Good Look

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Stop me if you heard this one.

A school board, already struggling with money and unpopular at best, decides to cut down trees on local campuses in a town full of tree huggers and climate activists.

Couple that with the fact that four of that same board have been accused of corruption and two of them, including the board president, face serious recall efforts.

The problem is there is no punchline.

Or at least there shouldn’t be.

On one side the city says the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) must comply with its tree protection effort before any trees are removed.

On the other side, the school board is saying it is a state’s rights issue and the trees are a threat to local students and 8,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil must be removed to guarantee the health and safety of those same students.

If that’s the case though,

Friday, July 10, 2026

Eaton Fire Lawsuits Against Edison Set for Status Conference in Downtown LA

Pasadena’s Jewish congregation and school district join nearly 1,000 plaintiffs in the consolidated case

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge was scheduled to hold a status conference Friday in the consolidated lawsuits against Southern California Edison over last year’s Eaton Fire, a case that has grown to include the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center and the Pasadena Unified School District among nearly 1,000 plaintiffs.

The 10 a.m. hearing was scheduled before Judge Laura A. Seigle in Department 17 of the Spring Street Courthouse, 312 N. Spring St., in downtown Los Angeles.

It is the latest step in a mass tort alleging that Edison’s transmission equipment sparked the January 7, 2025, fire that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures in Altadena. The consolidated case is anchored by a lawsuit filed by Altadena homeowner Jeremy Gursey, whose Lake Avenue home was destroyed in the blaze.

Gursey’s complaint, filed January 13, 2025, alleges that at approximately 6:18 p.m. that evening,