Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Federal Official Says Eaton Fire Cleanup Will Be Completed by January 8, 2026

[Updated] Altadena, county, state and federal officials unveiled more details about the Eaton Fire comprehensive recovery plan including a new relief fund, the debris removal timeline, and a streamlined rebuilding process during Tuesday’s virtual Town Council meeting.

“I mean, I anticipate being done with every property by the one year anniversary of the fire. So around January 7th, January 8th, 2026,” said Colonel Eric Swenson of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. “I think the vast majority of [properties] will be done much sooner than that.”

Swenson said there will no doubt be some properties that could take longer if their owners did not return necessary legal paperwork or opted out of the Army Corps program.

The cleanup effort represents the largest wildfire response in Environmental Protection Agency history, with over 1,600 staff members currently in the field. EPA officials reported completing 82% of Altadena’s household hazardous waste removal since work began on January 28th, with a March 31st deadline for property owners to submit Right of Entry forms.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Latino Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund Focuses on Tenants Rights and Multi-Racial Coalition Building During Recovery

Relief efforts target vulnerable communities, organization says

The Latino Community Foundation has intensified its support for Pasadena’s January wildfire recovery, directing substantial portions of its second-round $1 million grant allocation to community-based partners, including the Boys + Girls Club Pasadena and Pasadena Tenants Union.

The foundation announcement said it aims to establish a sustained long-term recovery process focusing on tenant rights advocacy and multi-racial coalition building in the community.

The grants, part of a larger $2.1 million relief package for Los Angeles County, aim to provide rental assistance, culturally rooted mental health services, and direct cash assistance to communities affected by January’s devastating wildfires, according to foundation officials.

“Philanthropy must continue to lead as Los Angeles rebuilds and recovers. We must act swiftly to prevent a compounding economic and housing crisis,” said Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation. “By investing in organizations that are prioritizing tenant rights and immediate financial relief for immigrant, Latino, Black,

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Conflicting Studies Obscure The Reality Of California’s Fast Food Wage Battle

By DAN WALTERS, CALMATTERS

California’s Capitol has seen countless conflicts between economic interests, but few match the intensity of a duel between the fast food industry and labor unions that seemingly ended two years ago with compromise legislation raising the minimum wage to $20.

Ever since the higher wage went into effect last year, the feuding factions have argued over whether the increase has benefited workers without significant negative impacts, as Gov. Gavin Newsom and other advocates have claimed, or has reduced employment and raised prices, as the industry maintains.

The debate is picking up steam as the Fast Food Council, an entity created to oversee pay and working conditions, ponders a new effort by unions to boost the minimum wage even higher.

First, a brief history.

In 2022, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed a union-backed bill that would have raised the fast food minimum wage to $22 an hour and declared that fast food franchises are merely subsidiaries of the parent chains,

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

New Cal Fire Maps Could Expand Altadena’s High-Fire Zones

Local rebuilding efforts may face additional requirements as the state prepares to release updated hazard assessments

The Altadena Town Council learned at its Tuesday, February 18 virtual meeting that California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (known as Cal Fire) will release new fire hazard maps next month that could significantly expand the town’s designated high-fire zones, potentially affecting rebuilding requirements for residents recovering from recent fire damage.

“I can almost promise that whatever Altadena fire zone was or is at this moment, it’s going to be larger when that map comes out,” Maria Grycan, Los Angeles County Fire Dept. representative, told the Town Council. “If there were homes that burned that were technically outside of the fire zone during this fire when they go to be rebuilt, they could very well be in the fire zone when these maps come out.”

The new maps for Southern California are scheduled for release on March 24, following Cal Fire’s ongoing rollout of Northern California maps.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Altadena Town Council and GoFundMe.org Establish the Altadena Eaton Fire Relief Fund

The new Altadena Eaton Fire Relief Fund will be overseen by trusted local leaders and directly dispersed to Altadena fire survivors

The Altadena Town Council announced Tuesday the launch of  The Altadena Eaton Fire Relief Fund in partnership with GoFundMe.org, to help residents recover and rebuild following January’s devastating wildfires. The fund will be managed by an advisory committee of trusted town leaders who will oversee the fund’s structure, holdings, and eventual distribution to ensure an equitable and transparent allocation of resources.

“The need for financial assistance is urgent, as many in the community are experiencing immense hardship. The creation of this fund will give those wishing to directly and positively impact affected Altadenans a trusted source to donate to,” said Victoria Knapp, Chair of the Altadena Town Council. “We are grateful for the support and partnership of GoFundMe.org and appreciate the lengths they have gone to ensure Altadenans receive the maximum benefit from donations to this fund. Altadena is our home and together,

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Employees Worried About More Layoffs at FEMA

By André Coleman, Managing Editor

More than 200 employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been fired as part of the Trump Administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.

And more cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency may be coming.

On Tuesday, State Sen. Sasha Rene Perez said Federal Emergency Management Agency employees believe mass layoffs are coming to the disaster relief department this week.

“Yesterday FEMA employees shared with me that there’s fear Trump & Musk will be doing mass layoffs at FEMA this week,” Perez posted on X. “As the Senator representing Altadena & Pasadena, I can’t emphasize enough how terribly this would impact the victims of the #Palisades & #Eaton Fires.”

The Eaton Fire ignited on January 7, burning over 14,000 acres across Altadena and Pasadena. The disaster claimed at least 17 civilian lives and left thousands displaced, creating an urgent need for rapid but careful debris removal.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has helped lead the way in the recovery of the Eaton Fire and has opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Altadena to assist Californians who experienced damage to their primary home,

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Altadena Community Unites for Resource Workshop Event as Grocery Outlet Heralds Reopening

By EDDIE RIVERA

Residents of Altadena gathered Monday for a community event that brought together resources, celebrated the upcoming reopening of a beloved grocery store, and provided food and entertainment for families and children.

Organized by Altadenans Freddy Sayegh and Pastor BJ King, the Altadena Coalition event, which reportedly drew an estimated one thousand people, aimed to offer both immediate relief and a long-term vision for a community hurting from the disastrous Eaton Fire.

The Small Business Administration (SBA), the American Red Cross, and numerous other organizations, continued to provide resources and information to families still recovering from the week-long fire.

At the same time, it provided a much-needed reprieve, Sayegh noted, featuring food from Little Caesar’s Love Kitchen, entertainment, and a celebration of the grand re-opening of the Grocery Outlet Market.

“We just felt that these kids needed a break — and the parents needed a break,” he said. “We wanted to create a nice opportunity for the families to meet with SBA,

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Crackdown On Power-Guzzling Data Centers May Soon Come Online In California

By KHARI JOHNSON, CALMATTERS

California residents now pay the highest price for electricity in the continental U.S., state analysts reported last month. Costs have been driven in part by levies to prevent and insure against wildfires, but the analysts anticipate a less conspicuous source of pressure on power bills going forward: growing electricity demand from data centers.

Tucked away in nondescript buildings, data centers store and transmit the contents of the internet. At least one is involved every time you watch a TikTok video or shop on Amazon. But in recent years, artificial intelligence, and especially new general purpose systems like ChatGPT, has caused server farms to multiply.

That means more power plants to build and more transmission lines to run, leaving state regulators increasingly concerned that the general public will be on the hook for Big Tech’s electricity binge.

In response, California lawmakers have in recent weeks proposed bills to ensure that electricity customers don’t pay for the infrastructure that utility companies build to serve data centers — and to encourage more energy efficiency or use of clean energy on the part of the tech companies,

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Three Altadena Water Companies Face “Significant Damage” Following Wildfires

Agencies work to restore drinking water and fire suppression capabilities as state coordinates recovery

Three mutual water agencies serving the Altadena area – Rubio, Lincoln, and Los Flores Water Companies – sustained significant infrastructure damage during January’s Eaton Fire, County officials said during Monday’s Altadena community meeting.

The damage affects the companies’ drinking water supply and fire suppression capabilities are affected.

“We’ve had formal discussions with all three mutual water Districts and have come to learn that they have significant damage to their systems,” reported Mark Pestrella, Director of Los Angeles County Public Works during the meeting.

“Currently they are assessing those systems and they are governed by the State of California. [The] State Water Board has been notified and the State Water Board is working with all three agencies to understand what it will take to get them back up and running.”

The restoration of both drinking water and fire suppression systems is clearly critical for home occupancy in affected areas being repopulated.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Average LA County Gas Price Rises to Highest Amount Since Last June

By STEVEN HERBERT, City News Service

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose Tuesday for the 23rd time in 24 days, increasing six-tenths of a cent to $4.785, its highest amount since June 28.

The average price has risen 29.4 cents over the past 24 days, including three-tenths of a cent Monday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It rose a half-cent Jan. 26 and four-tenths of a cent Jan. 27, dropped four-tenths of a cent Jan. 28 and resumed increasing Jan. 29.

The average price is 10.4 cents more than one week ago and 29.2 cents higher than one month ago, but 2.2 cents less than one year ago. It has dropped $1.709 since rising to a record $6.494 on Oct. 5, 2022.

The national average price was unchanged, remaining at $3.161, after rising six of the previous eight days, increasing 2.5 cents. It is 2 cents more than one week ago and 4.1 cents higher than one month ago but 11.8 cents less than one year ago.