Friday, February 20, 2026

A Stock Photo Keyworder Exposes the Hidden Power of the Images We Ignore

Pasadena City College professor Simona Supekar brings her new book to Vroman’s for a conversation with novelist Mark Haskell Smith

Someone had to decide that the photo of a smiling woman holding a salad should be tagged “healthy lifestyle,” or that the image of a man in a suit shaking hands belongs under “business success.” For years, that someone was Simona Supekar.

Supekar, an assistant professor of English at Pasadena City College, spent time working as a keyworder for a stock photography company — the person who tags images with the searchable terms that determine how they circulate across the internet, from advertisements to restaurant menus to news sites. Her new book, “Stock Photo,” published in January by Bloomsbury as part of its Object Lessons series, uses that experience as a starting point for examining how these ubiquitous images shape the way people perceive race, class, gender, and ability. She will discuss and sign the book at Vroman’s Bookstore on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Friday, February 20, 2026

Bunny Museum to Unveil Sculpture at Fire-Damaged Altadena Site

The unwrapping of “Scanner” marks a public moment for the museum destroyed in the 2025 Eaton Fire

The Bunny Museum will unwrap a bunny sculpture called “Scanner” Friday morning at its site on Lake Avenue, more than 13 months after the Eaton Fire destroyed the building and more than 60,000 rabbit-themed items inside it.

The ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. at 2605 Lake Ave., is scheduled at the museum site, which has been closed since the January 2025 fire destroyed the building. The museum, co-founded by Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski, once held the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest collection of bunny items, with more than 46,000 documented pieces, according to previously published Pasadena Now reports.

The Eaton Fire swept through Altadena on January 7 and 8, 2025, destroying more than 9,400 structures, killing 19 people and burning 14,021 acres before it was fully contained on January 31, according to Cal Fire. The Bunny Museum was among the last buildings in Altadena to burn.

Friday, February 20, 2026

Grammy-Nominated Pasadena Native Angie Fisher to Headline 44th Black History Festival Entertainment

The entertainment lineup comes as the community marks one year since the Eaton Fire devastated Altadena’s neighborhoods

Angie Fisher, a Pasadena native who built a career backing Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey before earning a Grammy nod for her 2014 single “I.R.S.,” will headline the 44th Annual Black History Festival at Robinson Park on Saturday.

The festival, which runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 1081 North Fair Oaks Avenue returns with an expanded entertainment program and the revival of the classic car show — canceled last year — as the community continues to recover from the Eaton Fire.

Grand Marshal Walt Butler, a former Pasadena City College track and field champion who lost his Altadena home of more than 60 years in the fire, will lead the day’s festivities.

The festival dates back 44 years to when two Pasadena Parks and Recreation Department staffers, Toy McCoy and Roy Hayes, organized the first celebration. Kenneth James, the department’s recreation administrator,

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Altadena Main Library Prepares This Week to Break Ground on First Renovation in Nearly 60 Years

The mid-century gem that survived the Eaton Fire enters an 18-month overhaul funded by voter-approved bonds

The building that survived the Eaton Fire when the senior center next door did not, the one that served as a gathering place for residents who lost everything, is about to be taken apart and put back together again, better.

The Altadena Library District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 28, at the Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa St., marking the start of an approximately 18-month renovation — the first major overhaul of the 25,000-square-foot building since architect Boyd Georgi designed it in 1967. 

The project will address seismic safety, accessibility and aging infrastructure while preserving the structure’s mid-century modern character, according to the library district.

Ten speakers are scheduled, including U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, California Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Assemblymember John Harabedian and California State Librarian Greg Lucas. Altadena Town Council Chair Nic Arnzen,

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Altadena Library Offers Kids a Hands-On Lesson in Black Art History

A free workshop at Loma Alta Park invites children ages 6–12 to learn about influential Black American artists and create their own work

Children in Altadena can mark Black History Month today with paintbrushes in hand, at a free library workshop that pairs art-making with lessons on influential Black American artists.

The Altadena Library District’s “Celebrating Black Artists for Kids!” runs from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday at its Loma Alta Park satellite location, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. Children ages 6 to 12 will learn about Black American artists and create their own artwork inspired by those artists’ styles, according to the library district’s event calendar. Each child takes home what they make.

This year’s Black History Month marks the 100th anniversary of national Black history observances, which began in 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson organized the first Negro History Week. The theme for 2026, set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, is “A Century of Black History Commemorations.”

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Sheriff’s Department Launches Human Trafficking Task Force as Region Prepares for 2028 Olympics

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has created a dedicated Human Trafficking Task Force to combat trafficking during the 2028 Olympic Games, as the region that includes Olympic venue city Pasadena braces for the arrival of millions of visitors.

Authorities estimate up to 15 million visitors will travel to the Los Angeles region for the Olympics, Telemundo 52 reported. Pasadena will host Olympic soccer semifinals and finals at the Rose Bowl Stadium and Olympic diving at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center when the Games open on July 14, 2028.

“Human trafficking is something we see every day in our communities and our agencies,” Lt. Maricela Castillo of the Sheriff’s Department told Telemundo 52 report. With the expected influx of visitors, law enforcement officials told the station they anticipate increased demand for prostitution and other services tied to trafficking. “For traffickers, it’s an opportunity to make a lot of money from their victims,” an LASD agent said. “In an event this big, with this many people,

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Furious with Trump, California Democrats Plot Election Strategy in San Francisco

By Maya C. Miller and Jeanne Kuang, CALMATTERS

California Democrats this weekend in San Francisco have an opportunity to set the tone in a pivotal election year when their voters could decide control of the U.S. House.

As Democrats across the country push to harness dissatisfaction with the Trump administration into a transformative November midterm, all eyes are on the nation’s largest state party as it chooses who to support in California’s June primary.

Party leaders are riding high after voters backed Proposition 50, the ballot measure to gerrymander congressional districts in favor of Democrats. The three-day gathering gives it an early opportunity to build on that momentum for the upcoming elections.

The state’s marquee race this year is the one to succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, a national Democratic star with presidential aspirations who terms out at the end of this year. But don’t expect a rousing party endorsement there: With nearly 10 candidates,

Thursday, February 19, 2026

State Senator Pérez Bill Would Force Insurers to Cover Wildfire-Hardened Homes

Pasadena senator’s legislation models a new coverage guarantee on California’s existing good-driver insurance requirement

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, who represents Altadena and Pasadena, introduced legislation Tuesday that would require insurance companies to offer and renew coverage for any California home that meets state wildfire safety standards — or face a five-year ban from the state’s home and auto insurance markets.

The bill, Senate Bill 1076, directly addresses a fear gripping Eaton Fire survivors across Altadena: that even newly rebuilt homes, constructed to the highest fire-resistance codes, could be denied insurance.

Co-sponsored by the Eaton Fire Survivors Network and Consumer Watchdog, the measure would compel insurers to cover homeowners who meet home hardening and defensible space requirements established by State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, according to a press release from Pérez’s office.

“To help fire survivors return home, we need assurance that newly built, wildfire resilient homes will receive insurance coverage,” Pérez said in a statement. “Homeowners who meet or exceed safety standards should not be met with coverage denials.”

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Edison Doubles Attorney Fee Coverage in Altadena Fire Compensation Program

Displaced renters also gain enhanced housing assistance as the voluntary program draws 2,405 claims in four months

Southern California Edison doubled the share of legal costs it will cover for Eaton Fire claimants who use attorneys, increasing the compensation for legal expenses from 10% to 20% of net damages in settlement offers, the company announced Tuesday.

The change to SCE’s voluntary Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program also enhances support for displaced Altadena tenants, who will now receive up to three months of housing assistance calculated at the higher of their actual pre-fire rent or fair rental value, according to the company’s press release. Both updates are effective immediately and will be applied retroactively, including to claims under review, offers already extended, offers accepted and payments already made.

“We remain committed to helping the Altadena community recover by making sure that eligible individuals and businesses get fair resolutions and fast compensation for impacts from the Eaton Fire,” said Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International,

Thursday, February 19, 2026

L.A. County Prosecutors Probe Whether Edison Could Face Criminal Liability for Eaton Fire

The utility disclosed an District Attorney’s investigation in its annual filing Wednesday; if charges are filed, it would not be the first criminal prosecution of a California utility over a deadly wildfire.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is investigating whether Southern California Edison should be criminally prosecuted for the Eaton Fire that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures across Altadena, the utility’s parent company disclosed Wednesday in a federal securities filing and an investor call, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The criminal investigation opens a new front in the legal fallout from the January 7 wildfire that devastated a wide swath of the unincorporated community northwest of Pasadena.

Edison already faces nearly 1,000 civil lawsuits from fire victims and government entities, according to court records. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a separate civil suit against Edison in September. A first bellwether trial is scheduled for January 25, 2027, in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Pedro Pizarro,