Thursday, November 6, 2025

Altadena’s Town Council Election Heads Into Its Final Day on Saturday

While much of California has moved on from Tuesday’s tallies, Altadena’s ballot isn’t quite done. The tract-by-tract race for Town Council concludes this weekend with one last in-person voting day.

Altadena’s slow, deliberate form of democracy will take its final turn on Saturday, Nov. 8, when residents cast ballots for Town Council representatives by census tract, the neighborhood-level structure that underpins how the community navigates Los Angeles County bureaucracy. The council’s design is intentionally close to the ground: members are elected by, and accountable to, their tracts, with two-year terms intended to keep representation rooted at the block level.

This year’s campaign has been defined by recovery and readiness. The Eaton Fire reordered daily life and priorities, drawing new volunteers into community work and, this fall, into the race itself.

“A successful election isn’t just about numbers — it’s about trust, inclusion, and continuity,” said Isis Moulden, the election chair. “The record number of candidates already signals that Altadenans are ready to step up, participate, and shape the future together.”

Where to vote — and when

Saturday is the third and final day of balloting, with all sites operating 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Voters can choose the most convenient of five locations: Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa Street; Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Avenue; Prime Pizza, 1900 Allen Avenue; Altadena Town & Country Club, 1449–1347 E. Mendocino Street; and Altadena Grocery Outlet, 2270 Lake Avenue. (Bob Lucas Memorial Library was open Tuesday only.)

Any Altadena resident 18 or older may participate; citizenship is not required. Bring proof of Altadena residency — a driver’s license or state ID, a utility bill, a rental agreement, or official mail with your name and Altadena address will suffice.

Voters may pre-register before arriving via the committee’s online form: https://forms.gle/T7ye15viFfhi3jmQ6.

For neighbors displaced by the Eaton Fire, the committee offers a simple guide: if you intend to return to your original home during the upcoming term, vote in your original tract; if you expect to remain elsewhere in Altadena for more than two years, vote in your current tract.

The field and the issues

The committee reports a record surge of 21 candidates, a slate that reflects both post-fire civic energy and a generational, professional shift in who is stepping forward — including people with backgrounds in urban planning, tech, sustainability, education, legal work and community organizing. That breadth maps onto the themes dominating this cycle: recovery, resilience and forward planning, alongside the more quotidian but crucial work of solving problems with county agencies.

A tract-by-tract look at the ballot

The roster below is reproduced as provided by the Election Committee, which notes that three entries are still missing from its current list. The names appear exactly as filed.

• In Tract 4601, the ballot features Brandon Perez; Courage; Ian McFeat; Morgan Z Whirledge.
• Tract 4602 lists Kim Yu.
• Tract 4603.01 includes Brandon Smith; Dorothy Wong.
• Tract 4603.02 features Heidi Luest; Jon Jason Carmody; Matthew Lorscheider.
• Tract 4610 includes Anton (Antonio) Anderson; Jose Ortega; Nicole Galvan Ortega; Torin Joseph Floyd.
• Tract 4611 lists JD Angel; Pat Sutherlen.
• Tract 4612 includes Lori Juma; Reginald Wilkins.
• And Tract 4613 lists Alexandra Victoria Kershner; Sylvia Vega.

How to weigh your choice

Each candidate submitted a Statement of Qualification; the Election Committee has distilled those into concise highlights distributed through The Dena Report, the Altadena Town Council’s social channels, and a dedicated election page that also houses forum recordings and polling details. A virtual forum on Oct. 28, hosted with Neighbors Building a Better Altadena, gave residents a chance to hear directly from all candidates — the committee’s effort to make the race as transparent and accessible as possible.

After the last ballots are cast

Winners will be brought quickly into the work. New members receive an orientation on election procedures and are connected with their representatives, neighborhood block captains and community groups — a mentorship-minded handoff meant to let them represent effectively from day one. The measure of success, Moulden said, isn’t turnout alone; it’s whether residents who vote — and even those who do not — feel informed, included and heard.

Saturday is the last chance. For Altadenans who have not yet voted for their tract representative, the choice is still in front of you — between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the library, the park, the market, a neighborhood pizza place, or the century-old club on Mendocino Street. The promise of the Town Council is a voice close enough to know the block, and strong enough to be heard across the county.