A free, two-hour event hosted by Project Passion will connect Pasadena and Altadena entrepreneurs with grants, lenders, and the LA County Assessor

A free small-business mixer will bring Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang and the executive director of a Los Angeles community lender to a Lincoln Avenue bar Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., hosted by a Pasadena-based nonprofit that has worked with partners since the Eaton Fire to support impacted families and businesses.

The DENA Small Business Mixer, hosted by Project Passion and four collaborating organizations, is scheduled for Friday, June 12, at the Good Neighbor Bar Patio, 2311 Lincoln Ave., Altadena. The event is free, and registration is encouraged, according to the host.

The mixer takes place inside the footprint of the Eaton Fire, which began January 7, 2025, and destroyed 9,414 structures and damaged 1,074 more across Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, according to Cal Fire data. Nineteen people were killed.

Project Passion, registered with the California Secretary of State as a Pasadena-based nonprofit public benefit corporation, says in its press release that it has worked alongside dozens of partners since the Eaton Fire to support thousands of impacted families and businesses through direct services, recovery initiatives, and community-driven solutions. The mixer, according to the announcement, is designed to bring small-business owners, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and resource providers from both communities together to strengthen the local business ecosystem.

The host’s listed collaborators are Inclusive Action for the City, the Pasadena NAACP, My Tribe Rise, and the Eaton Fire Collaborative Business Recovery Initiative.

Many local businesses continue to face financial hardship, customer displacement, workforce shortages, and barriers to accessing capital and technical assistance in the wake of the Eaton Fire, according to the press release. The host says the mixer was created to serve as a bridge between business owners and the organizations committed to supporting them.

Scheduled speakers and resource partners, according to Project Passion’s release, include Prang; Rudy Espinoza, whom the release identifies as executive director of Inclusive Action for the City; the Altadena Chamber of Commerce; and the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity. The release adds that additional community and economic development leaders will also take part.

Inclusive Action for the City is a nonprofit, certified Community Development Financial Institution based in Los Angeles, according to the organization’s website. Prang has served as Los Angeles County Assessor since 2014 and was re-elected most recently in 2022, according to the Assessor’s Office.

The evening will feature networking, presentations on available grants and business resources, and technical-assistance information, according to the press release.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community,” Brandon Lamar, founder of Project Passion, said in the press release. “They create jobs, preserve culture, and keep our neighborhoods vibrant.”

Lamar also addressed the past year’s hardship. “Many of our local entrepreneurs and Small Businesses have endured unimaginable challenges over the past year,” he said. “This mixer is about ensuring they know they are not alone and that there are organizations ready to invest in their success. Recovery is strongest when we recover together.”

According to Project Passion, the mixer also aims to foster collaboration among nonprofit organizations, government agencies, financial institutions, and business owners to build long-term strategies for economic resilience across the Pasadena and Altadena communities.

The Eaton Fire Collaborative, formed in the weeks after the fire, describes itself as a coalition of community groups, nonprofits, and government partners coordinating recovery in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. It opened a permanent Long-Term Recovery Group hub in Altadena in October 2025, according to Pasadena Now reporting at the time.

Event details: Friday, June 12, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m., Good Neighbor Bar Patio, 2311 Lincoln Ave., Altadena. Free; registration encouraged. Light refreshments will be served. 

[From a photo by Eddie Rivera / Pasadena Now]

Altadena residents with Wells Fargo mortgages can request the extension by contacting their servicer

Wells Fargo will extend mortgage forbearance to a total of 27 months for customers directly impacted by the January 2025 Eaton Fire, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced June 3 — offering Altadena homeowners up to 12 months of additional relief beyond what California law currently requires.

The extension means qualifying Wells Fargo customers who are still paying mortgages on fire-destroyed properties can pause those payments for a total of 27 months from the date of their original request. Homeowners must contact their Wells Fargo servicer to request the additional time. No forms are required, according to the EPA announcement.

Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, welcomed the move in a statement issued the same day. “The extension of mortgage forbearance for wildfire survivors is welcome news for families who continue to navigate the long and difficult road to recovery following the Eaton Fire,” Barger said in a press statement distributed through her office. “I commend Wells Fargo for stepping up to provide this added flexibility and thank federal officials, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for helping facilitate this important outcome.”

The announcement comes more than 16 months after the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena. Throughout that period, many homeowners have faced a financial double burden: paying a mortgage on land that is now rubble while also paying rent for temporary housing as they wait to rebuild. “Altadena residents want to remain and rebuild in this community, but the financial press is real and growing for many,” Barger said in a separate statement issued when the state’s CalAssist Mortgage Fund launched in June 2025. The EPA press release specifically identified this dual cost as the core financial strain driving the relief effort.

California’s AB 238, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 22, 2025, established a legal floor requiring lenders to provide up to 12 months of mortgage forbearance for borrowers experiencing wildfire-related hardship. Wells Fargo’s voluntary extension adds 12 additional months on top of AB 238’s mandate, bringing the total to 27 months from the date of the original request.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed the Wells Fargo action as part of a coordinated public-private recovery effort. “EPA’s cleanup cleared the path to rebuild, and private partners like Wells Fargo stepping up to ease the financial burden on survivors is exactly the public-private effort this recovery needs,” Zeldin said in the EPA press release. The EPA’s LA wildfire cleanup became the agency’s largest wildfire cleanup ever, with teams clearing 13,612 residential and 305 commercial properties in 28 days, according to the same release.

Serhat Oztop, Wells Fargo’s head of Home Lending, said in the EPA press release that the bank’s commitment extends beyond forbearance. “Beyond the forbearance extension, Wells Fargo has donated more than $5 million across nine nonprofits focused on small business capital and housing and offers free financial coaching to individuals and business owners through HOPE Inside centers in select branches,” Oztop said. “Together, the measures give impacted homeowners additional breathing room as reconstruction gets underway.”

In her statement, Barger credited federal pressure as a factor in the outcome. She said that when she met with President Trump earlier this year, “one of the central topics of discussion was ensuring that wildfire survivors receive meaningful relief and support as they rebuild their lives.” Her office has pressed for expanded forbearance at every level of government: in April, the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved her motion supporting AB 1847, pending state legislation that would extend the forbearance period to 36 months and push the request deadline to January 7, 2029.

Altadena homeowners with Wells Fargo mortgages who have been impacted by the Eaton Fire and wish to request the extended forbearance should contact Wells Fargo’s mortgage servicing line directly.

“For many homeowners, this mortgage forbearance extension will offer greater stability and financial breathing room during an extraordinarily challenging period,” Barger said in her statement. “I remain committed to advocating for every available resource and recovery tool that will help our wildfire survivors move forward and rebuild.”

County program offers website builds, social media support, and storefront facelifts to shops still struggling nearly a year and a half after the Eaton Fire

The storefronts that survived the Eaton Fire are still standing. The customers, in many cases, are not back yet.

A new county program announced Tuesday aims to help change that, offering Altadena small businesses free, individualized marketing support from building websites and running social media campaigns to installing new signage and painting murals on their walls. Enrollment in the Shop Local Marketing Lab+ is open through June 8, according to a press release from Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.

The program is led by the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity and supported by partnerships with Google and SoCal Grantmakers, the regional philanthropic association. It is the latest component of the county’s broader “Shop Local. Dine Local. Recover Local.” campaign, which Barger launched in July 2025 to stabilize brick-and-mortar businesses in the unincorporated community that had lost foot traffic and revenue after the January 2025 fire.

The Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 19 people. Roughly half of Altadena’s businesses were wiped out, according to Altadena Chamber of Commerce President Judy Matthews. Those that remained have faced steep drops in customers as displaced residents have been slow to return only about half of the more than 6,000 households that lost homes had applied to rebuild as of early April, according to Barger’s office.

“Small business owners deserve ongoing support as they continue navigating tough economic conditions in the aftermath of the wildfires,” Barger said in the press release. “Altadena’s small businesses are essential to the identity and vitality of the community, and we are committed to helping them thrive.”

The Marketing Lab+ offers two tracks of support, according to the press release. The digital marketing track provides services tailored to each business, including website development, social media content creation, video marketing, targeted advertising, search engine optimization, branding, and professional photography. The physical storefront track helps businesses improve curb appeal through custom signage, painted murals, and decorative awnings.

“We know Altadena businesses are still impacted by the fires and it will take time for a full recovery,” DEO Director Kelly LoBianco said in the press release. “They have shared their need to amplify their presence and access loyal and new customer bases in creative ways to keep their doors open.”

To qualify, businesses must be located and operating in Altadena, demonstrate financial impact from the Eaton Fire, and operate from a brick-and-mortar commercial location, the press release stated. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees and less than $6 million in annual revenue are encouraged to apply. Services will continue through the summer of 2026.

Some businesses may complete enrollment online, while others may be asked to enroll in person at the Altadena One Stop Permit Center, 464 W. Woodbury Rd., Suite 210. For more information, visit shoplocal.la/marketing-lab.

The program adds to a series of county-led recovery efforts for Altadena’s commercial corridors. The Shop Local LA County Gift Card Program has generated more than $300,000 for fire-impacted businesses, according to Barger’s office. In January, the Department of Economic Opportunity launched a five-part Business Labs Series offering workshops on digital marketing, artificial intelligence, government contracting, and legal aid.

California’s median home price reached a record last month while sales picked up steam as well, the California Association of Realtors said Tuesday.

The median price of an existing, single-family home in California was $914,810 in April, up from $889,190 in March.

Sales totaled 275,580 in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, up 3.9% from March and 4.1% from April 2025.

CAR said the numbers were fueled by lower mortgage rates early in the month and strong market activity in higher-priced segments.

“April’s year-over-year increase in home sales is a welcome sign that buyer demand remains resilient as we move deeper into the spring home buying season,” said CAR President Tamara Suminski, a Southern California broker and Realtor. “While elevated mortgage rates and ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East continue to weigh on the market, California buyers and sellers are still finding opportunities, and that speaks to the underlying strength of housing demand.”

Prices rose in the Southland too in April, with Los Angeles County’s median price increasing to $845,410 from $828,300 in March, still less than the $850,270 in April 2025.

For the Los Angeles metro area, the median price rose to $860,000 from $838,060 in March, and up from $850,000 on year ago.

Orange County’ median price was $1.47 million in April, up from $1.467 million in March and $1.417 million one year ago.

Sales in Los Angeles County were up 15% from March and 4.1% from March 2025, while in the Los Angeles metro area they were up 6.2% in March and .2% from one year ago.

Orange County’s sales were up 5.5% from one month ago and .8% from one year ago.

Homes priced at or above $2 million experienced the largest sales jump, increasing 8.4 percent from April 2025, CAR said.

“The increase in the median price was driven in large part by the composition of sales, with a greater share of activity occurring in higher- priced segments of the market,” CAR Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Jordan Levine said. “Nevertheless, housing affordability remains a significant challenge in California, particularly as the statewide median home price reached a new record high amid tight supply and continued competition in many markets.”

The county with the highest median home price in California in April was Mono County at $2.55 million, followed by San Mateo County at $2.3 million. The lowest median price was Lassen County’s $285,000, which was 31.9% higher than the previous month.

Nichole MacDonald, founder and creator of the Sash bag, showcases her merchandise while livestreaming a sale from her home in San Diego on April 23, 2026. MacDonald says her small business is being severely affected by the rise of tariff costs and fuel prices due to the war in Iran. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Small businesses already navigating the costs and chaos of tariffs must now also contend  with the effects of the war in Iran.

“It just feels like things keep getting piled on top,” said Nichole MacDonald, owner of a San Diego business that sells women’s bags. “Not just for businesses, but for consumers. And what is a business without consumers?”

Since her customers are feeling financial pain just like her, they’re spending less money on discretionary items, she said. If they are still buying, they’re choosing denim bags over leather because they’re cheaper.

“Each level of pressure, economic uncertainty and tightening of the purse strings impacts people’s decisions on spending,” the Sash Bag owner said.

Other small retailers in the area tell similar stories of increased costs and having to adjust to continued tariff uncertainty in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that invalidated the bulk  of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs. In some cases, such as if they imported their own goods, they might be able to apply for tariff refunds, though the timeline for receiving refunds is unclear. The president also imposed new tariffs based on a different law, against which California and other states have filed a lawsuit.

Meanwhile, everyone has been hit with higher shipping costs because fuel prices have gone up. The average price for regular unleaded gas in the state is $5.55, up from $4.79 a year ago, according to AAA. The national average is $4.11 vs. $3.15 a year ago. The spikes in gas prices caused inflation to rise in March. Consumer confidence is at a record low.

Higher prices hit small businesses — defined as those with fewer than 500 employees — harder than big ones, and some wonder how long they can survive. That’s bad news for the state, whose small businesses create millions of new jobs a year and lately have been responsible for 99% of net new jobs, according to the California Office of the Small Business Advocate.

Lost sales, staff and more

MacDonald, whose business brings in six figures a month, said she saw her 2025 sales drop by up to 50% compared with the previous year. Because of tariffs, she stopped manufacturing products in China and has shifted entirely to India. She went from 11 staff members to three. And because she spent tens of thousands of dollars on tariffs, she said she didn’t have money to bring in inventory for the holidays.

She uses brokers to import her offerings, so she’s waiting to hear from them about possible tariff refunds. But even if she does eventually receive refunds, she said the damage has been done: “That money could’ve gone to personnel or to growth, instead of going to a tax.”

The president’s policies have had a global impact. Last week, MacDonald’s longtime manufacturing partner in India informed her that costs for raw material have gone up 25%, so that will mean higher costs for new production. After increasing prices about 10% last year, she will probably have to raise them again because she is working on thin margins, she said.

The top executive at the Port of Long Beach, one of the nation’s biggest ports, recently talked about higher costs being passed on to small businesses and consumers.

“For a while, shippers absorbed rising costs from fuel spikes to last year’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs,” said Noel Hacegaba, chief executive of the Port of Long Beach, during a media briefing earlier this month. “That’s no longer the case. Today, those costs are being passed along across the board. We’re seeing new surcharges and higher rates.”

He said major shippers are instituting fuel surcharges, and adjusting how they move cargo. Amazon is adding a 3.5% third-party seller surcharge for fuel and logistics. The U.S. Postal Service is planning a temporary 8% surcharge, and UPS and FedEx also have raised their surcharges.

Hacegaba was joined by Jonathan Gold, vice president at National Retail Federation, who said the nation’s small retailers are seeing a disproportionate impact. “Small businesses in particular don’t have the ability to absorb cost increases and typically have to pass those along to the end consumer,” Gold said.

‘We can only charge so much’

But small retailers don’t want to drive their loyal customers away.

Rema Abedkader is feeling the squeeze all around, with higher shipping costs being the latest pain point, but she hesitates to pass along the costs to her shoppers. The designer of women’s clothing said she does not want to raise prices because it will just deter those who are still spending.

“We can only charge so much, so we’re having to eat that cost again,” she said.

Abedkader, who makes her eponymous REMA clothing brand in the San Diego area but buys imported fabric from Los Angeles-based companies, said she had to cut back on production by about 30% last year, which meant fewer sales. This year, she has had to reduce production by about 50%.

Her decreased business has had a widespread effect on her local ecosystem, all of whom are small business owners themselves.

“When I’m not producing, there’s no work for my sewer, pattern maker and cutter,” she said. That causes a vicious cycle: “My manufacturer had to get a second job, so our business had to be put on the back burner.”

Abedkader said she’s working four times harder and is having to get creative with marketing and by doing wholesale locally.

“If the government doesn’t do something for small business, a lot of us are going to be going out of business very soon,” she said.

Like Abedkader, women’s apparel designer and maker Jennafer Grace Carter knows fabric brokers and importers in the Los Angeles area who have shut down because of tariff costs.

The Trump administration’s immigration policies have also affected her business. Carter, who uses imported materials but makes her clothing domestically, said a lot of people were afraid to come to work. One shop that had 25 people sewing now sees less than half of them coming to work, she said, adding that the workers are “here legally but look a certain way” so they are scared.

Her handmade Jennafer Grace brand has had to scale back on styles to adjust to that shift, she said.

The bottom line is that Carter is dealing with “less labor force, (fewer) materials and higher costs,” she said. She has raised her prices only incrementally, because people won’t buy if a business changes prices too drastically, she said.

Carter recently returned to California from direct-to-consumer events in Las Vegas and Scottsdale, Ariz. The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran has not only affected her shipping costs, it has also raised her travel costs. Her customers were in the same boat. She heard some attendees talking about how “it was so expensive to get here… I wanted to shop more.”

Higher costs’ long-term impact

The pain of higher costs seems unlikely to go away anytime soon. For one thing, the uncertainty continues.

“Whether it be on shores around the world or right here at home with erratic policy, it makes it very difficult for business people to plan,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, during a media briefing this month.

Even those whose businesses have an opportunity to benefit from what’s going on are expressing pessimism.

“It’s going to be harder and harder for small businesses,” said Ellie Rose, owner of Calibaja Manufacturing, which contracts with U.S. businesses to make their products in Mexico. Those businesses avoid import tariffs because most products made in Mexico are still governed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — although the free trade deal is being reconsidered.

Rose said the small business owners she speaks with are seeing growing challenges. It’s taking a lot longer than before to get their products to the United States, she said — 100 to 165 days on a ship vs. the 30 to 60 days it used to take.

“That’s components, finished goods, whatever you need coming from Asia,” she said. “It’s going to slow everything down and cost more.”

And if or when fuel prices come back down, she doubts businesses will lower their prices because they’ve had to bear increased costs for the past couple of years. That’s going to affect innovation, Rose said: “Down the line this is going to be more of a problem for everybody.”

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

[Photo credit: Keira Wight Creative]

The Altadena pharmacy — which its owners say is the community’s oldest operating retail business — held its centennial celebration Saturday, 16 months after the Eaton Fire forced a six-week closure

For six weeks after the Eaton Fire, Webster’s Community Pharmacy went dark.

The pharmacy, which its owners say has operated on Lake Avenue since 1926 — making it Altadena’s oldest continuously operating retail business — marked its 100th anniversary Saturday with a free, four-hour centennial celebration from noon to 4 p.m. at 2333 Lake Avenue.

The milestone comes 16 months after the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 19 people according to Cal Fire, and forced the pharmacy to close for approximately six weeks. During that time, co-owners Meredith and Michael Miller coordinated with a neighboring Pasadena pharmacy to keep prescriptions flowing to their customers.

“We weren’t allowed back into the building for several weeks,” Miller said in a previously published interview. “We immediately coordinated with a neighboring pharmacy in Pasadena to ensure our patients continued to receive their life-saving medications without interruption.”

Webster’s reopened February 17, 2025. On Saturday, it turned 100.

The celebration drew county leaders, local vendors, community artists, and longtime customers to Lake Avenue for an afternoon that included live music, food from Altadena restaurants and food vendors, a marketplace of local artists and creators, pet adoptions through the Pasadena Humane Mobile Adoption Center, and hands-on children’s activities hosted by the Altadena Library’s Curiosity Connection. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger was among the officials in attendance.

“Cheers to 100 years, Webster’s Community Pharmacy! I’m proud to join the Altadena community to celebrate the hope this beloved business represents,” Barger wrote on social media following the event.

Webster’s was founded in 1926 by Harold “Frank” Webster, who purchased an existing pharmacy on North Lake Avenue and renamed it. Webster’s son, William “Bill” Webster, eventually expanded the business across multiple storefronts on the same block. Meredith and Michael Miller purchased the pharmacy from Bill Webster in December 2010, rebranding it Webster’s Community Pharmacy and adding services including vaccinations, prescription delivery, and a modernized gift shop.

Altadena is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County and has no city government; oversight of the area falls to the county Board of Supervisors.

The pharmacy’s role in the community deepened after the fire. In July 2025, Webster’s opened a Village Post Office inside its Lake Avenue location after the Altadena Post Office at 2271 Lake Avenue was damaged and closed in the fire. The U.S. Postal Service partnered with the Millers, with support from county and community leaders, to restore mail services to the neighborhood. Miller said the community had asked directly.

“The fire hit, and everyone knows that since that time, life has changed dramatically for all of us,” she said at the post office opening last July. “We lost our post office, and the community asked us, ‘Is there a way you could ever do it again?’ It just felt incumbent on us to do this. You know we’re a fixture in this community, and we want to help our customers in any way we can.”

A longtime customer put it plainly in an interview with CBS Los Angeles on Saturday. “This is the perfect place to come and find gifts and get your prescriptions and get anything you need and it’s always been right down the street from my home,” the customer said.

On Saturday, Miller reflected on the years behind her. “We’ve been through everything possible in the last hundred years and specially in the last few years,” she told CBS Los Angeles. “So we’ve been hanging in there and just doing what we do best. Which is helping people walk through times of goodness and times of badness.”

Webster’s Community Pharmacy is located at 2333 Lake Avenue in Altadena. The pharmacy’s website is websterspharm.com.

A century ago, Frank Webster opened a drugstore on a street still served by red cars. On Saturday, the neighborhood he opened it for came back to Lake Avenue to celebrate. Many of them are still rebuilding. They showed up anyway.

Erratic White House policies and global instability are conspiring to keep California’s housing market in a suffocating holding pattern

The economic mood in America has grown as unpredictable as the administration setting the tone, and California’s housing market is absorbing the punishment in real time. According to a new report from the California Association of Realtors, the state’s real estate sector stumbled through March with neither the momentum its stakeholders had hoped for nor the clarity they desperately need.

Existing home sales dropped 3.5% from February and fell 2.5% compared to the same month last year — the third consecutive year-over-year decline and the steepest in eight months. The total sales figure of 265,320 units marks the 42nd straight month the market has failed to crack the 300,000-unit threshold, a benchmark that once seemed routine but now feels aspirational.

Prospective buyers have not vanished — they have simply gone quiet, paralyzed by job market anxieties, gyrating stock prices and the kind of persistent economic white noise that makes a six-figure commitment feel reckless. Last-minute contract cancellations ticked up in March, another symptom of a populace grown skittish under the weight of unrelenting uncertainty.

Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com, put it plainly. “The war in Iran has seriously complicated the spring buying season,” he said, adding that the conflict’s upward pressure on mortgage rates “serves as the primary barrier preventing the spring housing market from capitalizing on otherwise favorable inventory and price conditions.”

Those inventory conditions offer scant relief. The CAR report shows the Unsold Inventory Index contracted 17.5% between February and March, landing 5.7% below year-ago levels — the second consecutive month active listings have trailed the prior year. Many potential sellers remain frozen in place, unwilling to surrender the low mortgage rates they locked in years ago for the punishing rates that await them on the other side of a sale.

The pain extends well beyond residential real estate. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index slid three points to 95.8 in March, slipping below its 52-year historical average for the first time since April. The companion Uncertainty Index climbed to 92, nearly 25 points above its long-term norm. The share of business owners reporting deteriorating profits plunged 11 points to a net negative 25% — more owners losing ground than gaining it.

Homebuilders are sending equally distressing signals. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped four points in April to 34, its weakest reading since September, remaining below the critical 50-point break-even mark for two full years running.

Amid all this, California home prices are managing a fragile hold. The statewide median rose a robust 7.1% month-over-month in March, consistent with historical seasonal norms, though the annual gain of just 0.4% reflects how thoroughly broader economic anxiety has capped any real upward momentum.

Spring is supposed to be when California’s housing market finds its footing.

This year, it is instead finding fresh reasons to hesitate — a fitting metaphor for an economy governed more by impulse than strategy.

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 5.5% in February compared to January, but was below the 5.8% rate from the same month a year earlier, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.4% in February. That was the same rate as January and the same as February 2025. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4.4% in February, 4.3% in January and 4.2% a year ago.

Between January and February, total nonfarm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 9,700 to reach more than 4.58 million jobs.

The professional and business services sector led the way in the county by adding 7,600 positions, while professional, scientific and technical services added 4,400 jobs, particularly in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services.

The trade, transportation and utilities sector saw the biggest decline, shedding 7,900 jobs.

[photo credit: LA County Department of Economic Opportunity]

More than 15 months after the Eaton Fire, the Shop Local LA County Gift Card Program reaches a funding milestone — with Altadena and Pasadena businesses among those still struggling to recover

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce has distributed $500 gift cards to 450 residents impacted by the Eaton Fire, directing roughly $225,000 in spending toward fire-affected small businesses in Altadena, Pasadena, and surrounding communities.

The distribution pushes the total funding generated through the Shop Local LA County Gift Card Program past $300,000, according to an announcement from the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth District includes both Altadena and Pasadena.

The cards — delivered electronically in mid-March through the county’s ShopLocal.LA platform — are redeemable only at verified small businesses listed in the county’s Recover Local Business Directory. Recipients were selected through a grant application process managed by the Altadena Chamber, with eligibility extended to anyone who lost a home, sustained property damage, or was displaced by the fire.

According to Barger’s office, more than 110 fire-impacted businesses are now listed in the Recover Local Business Directory, with 68 actively participating in the gift card program across Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and other affected communities.

“From day one, I’ve remained committed to standing with Eaton Fire survivors to help rebuild a better future,” Barger said in a statement released by her office. “This new investment supports a program that offers continued, steady support for residents and small businesses alike. I remain focused on driving the economic revitalization of Altadena and ensuring this community comes back stronger.”

The distribution is the latest step in a program Barger initiated through a motion approved by the Board of Supervisors in July 2025. That motion established the county’s “Shop Local. Dine Local. Recover Local.” campaign, run by the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity, to stabilize brick-and-mortar businesses in Altadena and other fire-impacted areas that had experienced steep declines in foot traffic and revenue following the January 2025 fire.

How the program works

The gift card program operates through a public-private partnership between the county, technology platform Yiftee, and Southern California Grantmakers, with an initial $100,000 contribution from L.A. Care Health Plan. Under the consumer-facing component of the program, residents and supporters can purchase gift cards in $20, $50, and $100 increments at ShopLocal.LA, receiving bonus cards of $10, $25, and $50, respectively, while supplies last.

The Altadena Chamber’s $225,000 distribution — calculated from 450 cards at $500 each — represents a separate, targeted investment. Rather than relying on individual consumer purchases, the chamber used its own funding to place gift cards directly into the hands of fire-affected residents, with the dual aim of providing household relief and channeling that spending into Altadena’s commercial corridors.

Judy Matthews, president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that the effort was designed to serve both residents and businesses simultaneously.

“By providing these gift cards, we are not only offering immediate financial relief to those affected, but also encouraging residents to shop locally, keep money circulating within our community, and help our small businesses recover and thrive,” Matthews said in the statement.

According to reporting by Pasadena Now, the chamber opened three rounds of applications on its website before closing the process, and demand exceeded the available funding. Although the cards are issued through the countywide Shop Local LA program and can technically be used at any participating business in the directory, the chamber has encouraged recipients to spend at Altadena-area businesses.

The Pasadena connection

While the Eaton Fire’s most devastating physical damage occurred in unincorporated Altadena — where more than 9,400 structures were destroyed and at least 19 people were killed, according to Cal Fire — the economic aftershocks have reached well into Pasadena.

North Pasadena is designated as an eligible area for the Recover Local Business Directory, and businesses in that part of the city can participate in the gift card program. The City of Pasadena is also listed as a partner in the broader Shop Local campaign.

Local business owners in Pasadena have described sustained revenue losses tied to the displacement of Altadena residents who had been part of their regular customer base. Some Pasadena businesses along the Altadena border sustained direct fire damage, including extended power outages that forced prolonged closures.

Separately, the City of Pasadena recently launched its own Microenterprise Recovery Grant Program, offering grants of up to $5,000 to small businesses with five or fewer employees that were impacted by the fire. Applications for that program, funded through federal Community Development Block Grant disaster relief funds, close April 16.

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce is itself fiscally sponsored by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, for the purpose of receiving wildfire-related donations — a structural link that underscores the interdependence of the two communities’ recovery efforts.

The broader economic picture

The gift card milestone comes as Altadena’s small business landscape continues to face significant headwinds. According to a January 2026 report from the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity and the LA County Economic Development Corporation, wildfire impacts remain highly localized but economically interconnected, with severe job and business losses in burn areas continuing to shape recovery across the region.

An estimated half of Altadena’s businesses were destroyed in the fire. Many of the commercial losses were concentrated along Lake Avenue, one of the community’s main corridors. Businesses that survived have contended with sharply reduced customer counts as displaced residents have been slow to return. As of early April, the county reported that approximately 1,025 homes were under construction in the burn area, with roughly 2,000 building permits issued — but only about half of the more than 6,000 households that lost homes had applied to rebuild, according to Barger’s office.

Participating businesses that enroll through the Recover Local Business Registry gain access to visibility in the directory, direct consumer spending through the gift card program, marketing support, and connections to additional county resources, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Eligible small businesses in designated fire zones — including Altadena, North Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and other impacted areas — can apply to join the directory at ShopLocal.LA. Residents can purchase gift cards and view participating businesses at the same site.

Robert Chuang, CEO and Founder of Enhaus Design Build, Speaks on the Complex Reality of Rebuilding in Altadena Following the Eaton Fire

Enhaus Design Build, a Los Angeles-based, full-service design-build firm with over 20 years of collective experience across commercial, multi-family, and custom residential construction and renovations relocated its headquarters to Altadena in January 2026; placing its team directly on the ground in the communities where many of its projects are taking shape.

In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, which displaced a significant number of Altadena residents, rebuilding has emerged as a prolonged and technically complex process shaped by insurance timelines, county approvals, and rising construction costs. 

“Demand has increased significantly, with more homeowners actively seeking reliable contractors than ever before,” said Robert Chuang, CEO and Co-founder of Enhaus Design Build.

Reconstruction in Altadena is governed by Los Angeles County’s wildland-urban interface requirements, which impose stricter standards on how homes are designed and built in fire-prone areas.

“We’re prioritizing fire-resilient materials and integrating those considerations into the design process from the outset,” said Chuang. “By addressing these elements early and reviewing them closely with clients, we’re able to ensure each home is thoughtfully planned before construction begins.”

Cost remains a central pressure point, particularly for homeowners balancing insurance payouts against rising construction expenses. Enhaus Design Build approaches budgeting through a highly detailed, collaborative process built around itemized estimates rather than broad projections, ensuring alignment with each homeowner’s priorities and vision. 

“At the end of the day, when we hand the keys to their new home, we want to ensure our clients have enough money to furnish it nicely too,” said Chuang.  Project timelines vary significantly depending on site conditions, with factors such as lot type and terrain playing a key role in the overall process.

Clients are given clear visibility into progress through structured touchpoints, including weekly owner-architect-contractor meetings, as well as a construction portal that provides real time updates, photos, and detailed reporting. The firm also monitors external conditions on a weekly basis, identifying potential issues early and communicating how they will be addressed to maintain construction schedules.

The Altadena headquarters functions as an on-the-ground field base for these operations, where 25 team members, consisting of project managers, designers, and foremen meet with clients, coordinate materials, and support nearby job sites nearby.

Enhaus also works with architects seeking a builder with diverse experience in materials and styles to bring their vision to fruition, affordably, without compromising quality.

“Our goal is to remain a long-term partner for our clients; not just through construction, but well beyond move-in,” said Chuang. “A lot of the hesitation comes down to a lack of clarity – not knowing what the process looks like, what it will cost, or how long it will take, that’s why we are on a mission to redefine how residential construction is done,” Chuang added.

Enhaus Design Build will host an “OpEnhaus” tour of its Altadena headquarters on April 17th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., offering a small group of homeowners looking to rebuild with an opportunity to connect directly with the team, gain insight into the rebuilding process, and learn more about the firm’s long-term commitment to the community.

To RSVP, please visit www.enhausdb.com/enhausevents. For more information, please visit www.enhausdb.com