Friday, July 3, 2026

Altadena Landlords Must Re-Register Rental Properties

With LA County Registration for the county’s 2026-27 rent stabilization program is open now, according to a county notice

Landlords in Altadena and other unincorporated pockets of Los Angeles County are required to complete annual registration for the 2026-27 Rent Registry cycle, according to a notice from the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA).

The registry applies to owners of rental units, rooms within rental units, and mobilehome spaces in unincorporated areas of the county, which includes Altadena. Property owners must register their properties annually under the county’s Rent Stabilization Ordinances, according to DCBA.

Existing users can log into the Rent Registry, update their unit or space information if needed, and submit their registration for staff review, according to the notice. First-time users must use their Assessor’s Parcel Number and a unique PIN to add the property, enter unit or space information into their account, and provide all required details before submitting the registration for staff review. Once a registration is submitted,

Friday, July 3, 2026

Sheriff’s Deputies, Pasadena Police Warn: Zero Tolerance for Fireworks This Fourth of July

In Altadena and Pasadena, every firework is illegal — and 17 months after the Eaton Fire, authorities say the stakes have never been higher

A charred hillside is a hard thing to forget. Seventeen months after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed at least 19 people across Altadena and surrounding communities, the Altadena Sheriff’s Station is reminding residents of a law that predates the disaster but carries new weight in its shadow: all fireworks are illegal, and deputies will enforce a zero-tolerance policy through the Fourth of July weekend.

The warning, shared by the station on social media this week, echoes a broader push by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the County of Los Angeles. Their message is blunt, according to a department safety advisory: there is zero tolerance for the use and sale of illegal fireworks anywhere in Los Angeles County, and violators face significant fines and criminal prosecution. The advisory identifies cherry bombs, bottlerockets, skyrockets, mortars,

Friday, July 3, 2026

School Board President’s Plan Would Double to Nearly Quadruple Tree Canopy Shade Across Pasadena School Campuses

Pasadena Now receives preview copy of proposed Board resolution

Late Thursday night, Pasadena Now received a copy of a proposed Pasadena Unified School Board resolution from President Tina Federicks, which she said she “will be agendizing in an August Board meeting.”

The proposed resolution, which appears in full below, would roughly double to nearly quadruple existing shade provided by current tree canopy across Pasadena Unified schools, depending on the campus.

If passed, Pasadena Unified would commit to a binding goal of covering at least 30 percent of every campus’s outdoor learning, play and circulation areas with tree canopy by 2030, aligning the district with the state-backed California Schoolyard Forest System.

A 2023 equity study cited in the measure puts current canopy at district schools between 8 and 15 percent — meaning the target would expand existing shade, between two and four times.

The measure sets two deadlines. Within six months, the superintendent would launch a campus-by-campus audit — using satellite imagery,

Friday, July 3, 2026

Warm But Cloudy Independence Day Forecast

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

Pasadena residents can expect mild holiday weekend weather with temperatures in the mid-80s and gradual warming into the upper 80s by midweek, forecasters said Friday.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard reported that onshore flow will keep overnight and morning clouds along the coast and valleys, but afternoons will be mostly sunny. Temperatures will rise slowly, reaching near-normal levels by Wednesday.

Today’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 85 degrees and light south winds shifting southwest at 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 59 degrees.

Independence Day will be mostly cloudy with a high near 84 degrees. Winds will remain calm, becoming light from the southwest in the afternoon. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy with a low near 61 degrees.

Sunday will bring mostly sunny skies with a high near 84 degrees. Overnight lows will hover near 60 degrees under partly cloudy skies.

Friday, July 3, 2026

Barger Urges Residents to Skip Fireworks as Altadena Rebuilds From Eaton Fire

County supervisor points to fines and professional shows ahead of July 4, citing wildfire risk

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is urging residents across Altadena and the rest of her Fifth District to avoid personal fireworks this Fourth of July, citing the ongoing recovery from the Eaton Fire, according to a news release from her office.

All fireworks — including “safe and sane” varieties — remain illegal in unincorporated Los Angeles County, which includes Altadena, as well as in many surrounding cities.

Residents caught violating the ban in unincorporated areas face fines of up to $1,000, the release said. State law carries its own separate penalty structure: anyone found in possession of unaltered dangerous fireworks can face fines ranging from $500 to more than $50,000, depending on the gross weight of fireworks involved. The two penalty schemes apply differently depending on the type and quantity of fireworks found, according to the release.

“We’ve seen firsthand what one spark can do,”

Friday, July 3, 2026

Drum Corps International Returns to the Rose Bowl on July 11

More than a dozen marching ensembles are listed for the touring summer competition in Pasadena

More than a dozen of the country’s competitive marching ensembles are scheduled to take the Rose Bowl field on Saturday, July 11, when Drum Corps International returns to Pasadena for its annual Southern California stop.

The show, “Drum Corps at the Rose Bowl,” gathers World Class and Open Class corps for an evening of field-show competition at the Pasadena stadium, which opened in 1922. Among those listed to perform is Pacific Crest, the City of Industry corps that has served as the event’s host in past years.

According to the Rose Bowl Stadium event listing, the alphabetical lineup — which the listing says is subject to change — includes The Academy of Tempe, Arizona; the Blue Devils of Concord, California, along with their “B” and “C” corps; the Blue Knights of Denver; Gold of San Diego; Golden Empire of Bakersfield; Impulse of Buena Park; the Mandarins of Sacramento;

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Historic Highlands’ Fourth of July Stays Small on Purpose, and Turns 32

In the year the nation marks 250, Historic Highlands organizers say they want a block party, not a production

There are no corporate banners at the Historic Highlands Fourth of July, no sponsored stage and no ticket app — and the volunteers who run it say that is the point.

As the country marks its 250th birthday, this Pasadena neighborhood will observe the holiday the way its organizers say it has since 1994: with a two-block parade of decorated bikes and wagons, a garage band playing patriotic songs, a potluck and a raffle, all put on by neighbors. Its co-presidents say the smallness is intentional.

“We don’t want businesses controlling what we do, or being indebted to businesses or taking donations from businesses,” said Jama Meyer, co-president of the Historic Highlands Neighborhood Association.

The 32nd annual celebration begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 4, at the Triangle, a small city pocket park where Chester Avenue and Howard Street meet.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Harabedian Housing Measure Takes Aim at California’s Permitting Delays in Eaton, Palisades Fire

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Continuing to pursue more affordable housing for Californians, Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) announced that AB 748, which would streamline the permitting process for single-family homes and small-scale multifamily housing, has passed the Senate Housing Committee.

“AB 748 speeds up the bureaucratic processes that prevent housing from being built quickly and efficiently,” said Assemblymember Harabedian (D-Pasadena). “Homeowners and developers navigate complex regulations and unpredictable timelines, AB 748 helps them clear these obstacles and focus on building homes.”

The Eaton and Palisades fires of 2025 aggravated California’s current housing crisis by displacing thousands of families. The current permitting process for new developments is slow, bureaucratic and inconsistent across jurisdictions.

These factors often create significant barriers to rebuilding efforts and new construction, compounding what was already one of the state’s most pressing challenges. Homeowners and developers are the ones ultimately being forced to navigate these complex regulations.

The bureaucratic tape of zoning ordinances, general plans and other regulatory frameworks contributes to excessive permitting delays that ultimately prevent communities from rebuilding efficiently.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Guest Opinion | John Williams: Democracy Requires More Than Celebration. It Requires Truth-Telling

As the nation prepares to celebrate its Semiquincentennial (try saying that three times really fast), Americans will gather beneath fireworks, wave flags, sing patriotic songs, and hear speeches about freedom, democracy, and the “wildly successful” American experiment.

There is nothing inherently wrong with celebration. Nations need rituals. People need moments of gratitude. But as the fanfare surrounding America 250 grows louder, I find myself wrestling with a different question: What happens when celebration becomes a substitute for truth?

The question is not whether America should celebrate. The question is whether America will ever be willing to celebrate honestly. For generations, Black writers, historians, artists, theologians, and activists have challenged the nation to confront this very question. Their challenge was never simply about the past. It was about memory. It was about freedom for all. It was about whether a nation can remain healthy when it tells itself only the stories it wants to hear.

I have been thinking about another national birthday.

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Altadena Rebuilding-Protection Bill Advances Out of Assembly Housing Committee

Multi-year pause on state density laws in ZIP codes 91001 and 91003 draws support from fire survivors and opposition from a pro-housing group

A state bill that would shield fire-scarred Altadena neighborhoods from post-disaster real estate speculation cleared its first Assembly committee Wednesday, advancing legislation that Eaton Fire survivors have pressed lawmakers to pass before out-of-town investors reshape the community.

SB 1090 cleared the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and is expected to move next to the Assembly Committee on Local Government.

The measure, authored by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, could impose a five-year pause on two statewide housing-density laws in Altadena’s 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes, blocking the lot splits and added units that fire survivors say speculators are using to acquire burned parcels.

The committee advanced the bill on an 11-1 vote, according to the Legislature’s official record. The moratorium would apply to applications filed between Jan. 7, 2025, and Jan. 7, 2030, suspending SB 9 and SB 1123 — laws that let homeowners split single-family lots or add units.