Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Weekly Fire Recovery Job Fairs Connect Displaced Workers With Training and Employment

Fire Recovery Thursdays” run every week from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Altadena job center

For workers and job seekers whose livelihoods were upended by the January 2025 fires, a standing weekly appointment offers a path back to stable employment.

“Fire Recovery Thursdays” are pop-up recruitment events held every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at America’s Job Centers of California locations across Los Angeles County. In Altadena, the local center is at 464 W. Woodbury Road, Suite 210.

Organized by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, the events connect fire-affected residents with immediate employment opportunities, career training programs and supportive services. Staff members provide one-on-one assistance with career exploration, hiring services and enrollment screening for the Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program.

Eligible participants may qualify for temporary job placements lasting three to five months with pay starting at $20 per hour. The program also offers no-cost training in high-demand industries and a range of supportive services designed to help participants build new career pathways.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

L.A. County Proclaims Armenian History Month for 10th Consecutive Year

Supervisors Barger and Hahn cite 111th anniversary of genocide and ongoing displacement from Artsakh

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to proclaim April 2026 as Armenian History Month, the 10th consecutive year the Board has approved the designation honoring the cultural heritage, resilience, and contributions of the county’s Armenian community.

The motion, authored by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger and 4th District Supervisor Janice Hahn, arrives as Armenians worldwide prepare to mark the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24. The Board’s proclamation also acknowledges the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh in September 2023, according to a press release from the supervisors’ offices.

“My district is home to the largest Armenian diaspora in the country, and thousands of my constituents are proud members of the Armenian community,” Barger said in a statement. “I have seen firsthand how their culture, resilience, and values enrich the diverse fabric of Los Angeles County.”

Barger’s 5th District,

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

LA County Backs State Bill to Triple Mortgage Forbearance for Eaton Fire Survivors

Supervisor Barger’s motion directs the County to support legislation extending relief from one year to three as rebuilding lags

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion directing the County to support a state bill that would triple the mortgage forbearance period available to Eaton Fire survivors, from 12 months to 36.

The motion, authored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, puts the County’s formal weight behind Assembly Bill 1847 by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena), which would also extend the deadline for homeowners to request forbearance to January 7, 2029. The bill does not guarantee relief on its own — it must still pass the state Legislature. But the Board’s vote signals the County’s position as the measure heads to the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, where it is scheduled for a hearing this month, according to a Pasadena Now report.

AB 1847 builds on AB 238, the Mortgage Forbearance Act, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed in September 2025.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Senator Pérez Calls for Independent Audit After State-Created Nonprofit Spent $1.1 Million With No Proof Books Reached Children

Pasadena’s state senator says three hearings failed to produce adequate financial records for the Imagination Library program

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez announced Tuesday that the Senate Budget Subcommittee she chairs will seek an independent audit of the California State Library’s administration of a statewide children’s literacy program, after a nonprofit the library created spent $1.1 million in state funds with no clear documentation that a single book was delivered.

Pérez, a Democrat whose district includes Pasadena and Altadena, said in a statement that her subcommittee will work with the Office of State Audits and Evaluations within the Department of Finance to examine the spending. The announcement followed a hearing Monday at which the state librarian and representatives of the nonprofit returned to testify before the subcommittee for a third time.

The program at issue is California’s version of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, established by Senate Bill 1183 in 2022 with $68.2 million in state funding. The bipartisan legislation, co-authored by Sen.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

California Lawmakers Consider Making Parole Harder for Some Prisoners

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

In a rare showing of bipartisanship, Republicans in the Assembly’s public safety committee are backing a tough-on-crime bill authored by a Democrat.

On Tuesday the committee advanced a measure by Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen that would raise the parole eligibility requirements for some elderly prisoners. Currently, incarcerated people ages 50 and up who have served at least 20 years of their sentence can be considered for the Elderly Parole Program. But for people convicted of sexual crimes against children, Nguyen’s bill would raise that standard to 65 years of age, with at least 25 years served.

Criminal justice groups, including the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and UnCommon Law, oppose the bill, citing the low recidivism rates of elderly prisoners and the high financial cost of keeping people incarcerated.

Nguyen’s defense of the bill included tearful testimony from a woman who was sexually victimized by a man named David Funston when she was a child.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Nonprofit Donates Three Victorian Homes to Altadena Families Who Lost Everything in Eaton Fire

Century-old houses from a Lincoln Heights development were to be hauled overnight to fire-cleared lots this morning

A Culver City nonprofit announced it is donating three Victorian-era homes to two Altadena families whose properties were destroyed in the Eaton Fire, transporting the century-old structures from Los Angeles overnight to fire-cleared lots where they will be restored.

DECRO Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, said in a press release Wednesday that the homes were preserved during construction of Brine Residential, a 97-unit affordable housing development in Lincoln Heights. Each home is more than 100 years old, according to the company.

The first haul of the two smaller homes was to begin at 3 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, at 3016 N. Main Street in Los Angeles.  The final haul was to occur Friday morning, pending rain. The homes have been lifted and segmented for transport, the company said.

One family will receive a two-story home. A second family, whose primary residence and accessory dwelling unit were both lost,

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Altadena Workers Displaced by Eaton Fire Can Walk In Thursdays for Paid County Jobs

County workforce program offers on-the-spot screening for temporary positions starting at $20 per hour in fire recovery

Fifteen months after the Eaton Fire wiped out more than 9,000 structures and pushed an estimated 47,000 workers out of jobs across the burn zones, a county program in Altadena is hiring displaced residents into paid temporary positions — and enrollment happens every Thursday afternoon, no appointment needed.

The weekly pop-ups, called Fire Recovery Thursdays, run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Altadena Job Center, 464 W. Woodbury Rd., Suite 210, where staff from the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity sit down one-on-one with job seekers and screen them on the spot for the Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program, according to a statement from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office. The program places eligible workers in three-to-five-month temporary positions with county departments involved in rebuilding and recovery, at wages starting at $20 per hour, according to the county.

The positions include roles such as laborers,

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Altadena Musicians Hosts Open Mic Night for Community Healing Through Song

All-ages gathering on April 8 welcomes music, poetry and storytelling at Altadena Music Center

When the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena in January 2025, thousands of musicians lost instruments, gear and the spaces where they made music. Altadena Musicians, the nonprofit born from that loss, has been working to put instruments back in artists’ hands ever since — and on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m., they open their doors for a night of communal creativity.

The Open Mic Night at the Altadena Music Center invites performers of all kinds to share music, poetry, storytelling and whatever other creative expression they bring. All ages are welcome, and the evening is designed around connection and camaraderie as much as performance.

Altadena Musicians was founded by Brandon Jay in the wake of the fires, drawing together supporters and organizations determined to help fellow musicians who had lost everything. The organization provides a venue space for fire victims and creatives to explore their craft and heal.

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Eaton Fire Lawsuits Move Toward Trial With Today’s Case Management Conference, Nearly 1,000 Cases Converge

Bellwether test cases to be selected this spring as Altadena plaintiffs press claims against Edison

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge will convene a case management conference Tuesday in the consolidated Eaton Fire litigation, as nearly 1,000 lawsuits against Southern California Edison advance toward the selection of approximately 50 bellwether test cases this spring and a first trial set for January 25, 2027.

The 10 a.m. hearing in Department 17 of the Spring Street Courthouse, before Judge Laura A. Seigle, comes 15 months after the fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures across Altadena — and nine months before the first cases are scheduled to go before a jury. The bellwether cases, which will cover categories including total home loss, wrongful death, business losses, and tenant claims, are expected to shape settlement negotiations for the thousands of remaining plaintiffs, according to the law firm Lieff Cabraser, which represents fire victims.

The litigation is anchored by a lawsuit filed January 13,

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Congresswoman Chu Honors Four Pasadena and Altadena Women, Three With Ties to Eaton Fire Recovery

The 16th annual Congressional Women of the Year ceremony recognized 10 leaders from across the San Gabriel Valley

Three women whose work has shaped Eaton Fire recovery in Pasadena and Altadena were among four local honorees recognized Saturday at U.S. Rep. Judy Chu’s 16th annual Congressional Women of the Year awards ceremony on April 4.

Vannia De La Cuba, who serves in Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo’s office, and Day One Executive Director Christy Zamani represented Pasadena. Eaton Fire Survivors Network Executive Director Joy Chen and Altadena Photographers founder Gayle Nicholls-Ali represented Altadena. All four received certificates of congressional recognition at the ceremony, held at the Arcadia Community Center.

The annual awards, now in their 16th year, honor women from communities across Chu’s 28th Congressional District who have contributed through service, leadership, or community organizing. Honorees are nominated by district residents. Six additional women from Arcadia, La Cañada, Monterey Park, San Marino, South Pasadena, and Temple City were also recognized.

De La Cuba has worked in Pasadena city government since 2003,