Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Altadena Reservoir Damaged in Eaton Fire Returns to Full Service

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A 4.1-million-gallon reservoir in Altadena that was damaged during the Eaton Fire has been repaired and returned to full service, Pasadena officials announced Monday.

The Allen Reservoir, a concrete-lined, partially buried storage facility built in the 1930s, was restored to full functionality following repairs to structural components damaged during the fire, according to Pasadena Water and Power.

The utility kept half of the reservoir operating while repairs were underway to maintain water service.

Crews replaced structural members and rebuilt portions of the reservoir’s interior catwalk and handrail. Aging drain valves were also replaced.

Following construction, the reservoir was cleaned and disinfected before being returned to full service, officials said.

PWP operates 14 reservoirs across its service area and is the largest water provider in Altadena. The utility serves more than 165,000 residents across a 26-square-mile service area.

The Allen Reservoir restoration was among several water infrastructure projects highlighted Monday by the city.

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Home Prices, Sales Decline in LA, Orange Counties

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Home prices declined in Los Angeles and Orange counties last month, while sales also pulled back from June levels, according to figures released Monday by the California Association of Realtors.

In Los Angeles County, the median price of an existing single-family home fell to $888,120 in July, down 2.4% from $910,370 in June and 2.6% from $911,360 in July 2025. Sales declined 8.7% from June and 0.9% from a year earlier.

Orange County’s median home price fell to $1.475 million in July, down 1% from $1.490 million in June but 5.4% higher than the $1.4 million median recorded in July 2025. Sales dropped 4.1% from June but edged up 0.6% from a year ago.

The Los Angeles metro area’s median price was $849,450 in July, virtually unchanged from $850,000 in June and up 0.5% from $845,500 a year earlier. Sales in the metro area fell 8.8% from June and 0.8% from July 2025.

Statewide,

Monday, August 17, 2026

Pasadena Unified Opens School Year After Difficult Summer

Students return Monday to campuses where Eaton Fire soil remediation is still under way at some sites

About 13,800 Pasadena Unified School District students return to classrooms Monday for the first day of the 2026-27 school year, as Eaton Fire-related soil remediation remains unfinished at several affected campuses.

The district spent the summer removing fire-related contaminated soil from 11 campuses and district properties across Pasadena and Altadena. In a community email issued the week before classes began, PUSD told families that work would still be underway at some schools when students walked in.

“We have made significant progress, but some campuses will still have outdoor areas under remediation or restoration when school begins,” the district said in the email.

In a message to families dated Aug. 14, Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said summer crews added new fencing and playgrounds, cleaned all schools and carried out “environmental work at several of our sites.” She wrote that the district’s theme for the year is “The Power of Us: Forward Together.”

“Through every challenge,

Monday, August 17, 2026

PUSD Kicks Off the 2026-27 School Year With Guidance on Free Transit, Free Meals and Expanded Learning

Free rides, no-cost breakfast and lunch, and after-school programs greet students in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre as classes begin.

As students and families across Pasadena and Altadena head into the 2026-27 academic year on Monday, the Pasadena Unified School District is offering updated guidance to ensure a more successful start. The district serves Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. 

To ensure punctuality and a smooth start to the day, the district recommends families carefully plan routes to school, whether walking, driving or using Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority public transit.

For students who ride public transit, Metro continues to offer free rides through its Student GoPass program — no longer a temporary pilot. In April 2024, the Metro Board of Directors voted to make the Student GoPass program permanent, expanding on what had originally launched as the fareless system initiative referenced in years past.

All eligible K-12 and community college students across participating districts,

Monday, August 17, 2026

County Supervisors Go Dark for Two Weeks Beginning Tuesday

The Board of Supervisors has cancelled its August 18 and August 25 meetings, pushing county business into September

Anyone planning to address the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday should stay home. There is no meeting.

The Board has cancelled both its August 18 and August 25 sessions, leaving a two-week gap in the county’s legislative calendar before supervisors reconvene in September.

The Board normally meets Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Hearing Room 381B at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. The last regular meeting of each month is reserved largely for legally required public hearings on zoning matters, fee increases, special district proceedings and property transactions. Both cancelled sessions fall inside that pattern; August 25 would have been the month’s hearing date.

The gap carries particular weight for Altadena, which is unincorporated and has no city council of its own. The five-member Board is its governing body, and county departments are the agencies rebuilding it after the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

Monday, August 17, 2026

A Fleetwood Mac Tribute Closes Altadena’s 29th Summer of Free Concerts

Stevie Nicks Illusion plays the lower lawn at Loma Alta Park on Saturday, the season’s last night

The Rotary Club of Altadena has put free music in a park on summer Saturdays since 1997. It has missed exactly one season — 2020, when the pandemic canceled it. It did not miss the summer after the Eaton Fire.

The 29th season, staged in partnership with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, ends Saturday at 7 p.m. with Stevie Nicks Illusion, a Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks tribute act presented by GigRoster.com, on the lower lawn at Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. Admission is free. The Rotary Club sells beer and wine.

Where the concerts happen is itself part of the story. The series spent years at Farnsworth Park, which the January 2025 fire damaged. Loma Alta Park also closed after the fire and reopened on May 17, 2025, following a $3.4 million renovation — the first county park to reopen after the Eaton Fire,

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Pasadena Unified Superintendent Welcomes Students in Back-to-School Email

Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco welcomed the district community back to school in an Aug. 14 email, telling recipients the 2026-27 year begins with PUSD’s graduation rate risen to 91%, exceeding the state average.

Classes begin Monday, Aug. 17. Teachers and staff are already back at schools preparing classrooms and campuses, Blanco said.

Preliminary results also show promising increases in math and science achievement across the district, Blanco said, crediting the work of students and the educators and staff who support them.

The district’s theme for the year is “The Power of Us: Forward Together,” which Blanco said reflects what the district can achieve by moving forward with shared purpose, belief in its students and a clear vision for the future.

Over the past year, the community has continued recovering from the Eaton Fire while navigating significant change across PUSD, Blanco said. Summer work to prepare campuses included adding new fencing and playgrounds, extensive cleaning at all schools and environmental work at several sites,

Sunday, August 16, 2026

The County Comes to Altadena to Talk About Wires

A Los Angeles County Public Works official briefs the Town Council Tuesday, August 18, on undergrounding now under way

Since February, the Altadena Town Council’s meetings have circled the same subject: what happens to the utility lines running above and below the streets of a community still rebuilding.

On Tuesday, August 18, the council meets at 7 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, and undergrounding is on the agenda again. Ciara Barnett, an assistant deputy director at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, will give a special presentation on the undergrounding work currently in progress.

The topic has generated sustained friction. Southern California Edison is prioritizing roughly 63 circuit miles of distribution lines for undergrounding in Altadena and surrounding areas affected by the 2025 Eaton Fire, part of a rebuilding effort the utility has valued at $860 million to $925 million across Altadena and Malibu. About 40 of those miles fall within the High Fire Risk Area.

Residents have pressed the council on what the program costs them.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

A Cello Learns to Sing in a Language Built for Other Instruments

Absolute Focus and Chris Votek bring a rare Hindustani pairing to Sierra Madre Playhouse

The cello does not belong in a Hindustani raga. It has no traditional seat there, no centuries of repertoire, no established vocabulary of ornament. On Sunday afternoon at Sierra Madre Playhouse, one will take that seat anyway — wedged between a santoor and a pair of tabla and asked to hold its own.

Cellist Chris Votek joins Absolute Focus, the husband-and-wife duo of santoor player Kamaljeet Ahluwalia and tabla player Jas Ahluwalia, at 4 p.m. for a program of traditional Hindustani raga. The presenter describes the instrumental combination as one rarely heard together in the form.

Kamaljeet Ahluwalia began training at seven under sitar maestro Dharambir Singh and later studied with santoor maestro Harjinderpal Singh. Her most formative period came under the late Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. The santoor is a hammered dulcimer whose shimmering resonance is central to the Hindustani tradition. Jas Ahluwalia studied tabla under Ustad Tari Khan.

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Rep. Chu Honors Local Leaders at 2026 Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards Ceremony

On Saturday, August 15, Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-28) hosted her annual Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards Ceremony, honoring ten remarkable individuals and organizations from across California’s 28th Congressional District for their outstanding service and contributions to their communities.

“This year’s honorees are our everyday leaders, the educators, volunteers, activists, and small business owners who have made a real difference in the San Gabriel Valley,” said Rep. Chu. “I’m proud to recognize them all, not only for their accomplishments, but for the lasting impact they make every single day. Their service reminds us of the importance of community, showing up for others, and the difference one person can make.”

This year’s honorees include:

Otis Triplett – Volunteer of the Year (Pasadena & Altadena): Otis Triplett was recognized for his nearly three decades of serving the Pasadena community through volunteerism, mentorship, and civic leadership. An 88-year-old U.S. Army veteran and successful business owner, he continues to volunteer with the Pasadena Police Department’s Community Assisting Pasadena Police (CAPP) program,