Thursday, January 23, 2025

LA County Board Approves New Housing Policy to Aid Wildfire Survivors

New initiative focuses on rebuilding support for communities impacted by recent wildfires

At Wednesday’s Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency board meeting, members unanimously approved a new housing policy that will prioritize the development of new housing for communities impacted by recent wildfires.

The motion, successfully introduced by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena,  and coauthors Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, directs the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency to incorporate wildfire recovery into both its five-year housing development plan and strategic funding plans.

“Residents whose lives were stable just two weeks ago have been completely upended by these wildfires. To lose your home overnight is unthinkable. Wildlife survivors deserve both short-term and long-term support, and this motion helps deliver exactly that,” Chair Barger said in reaction to the unanimous vote approving the motion.

The policy establishes a framework for rebuilding support through both the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency’s five-year housing development plan and the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency’s strategic funding plan,

Thursday, January 23, 2025

County Supervisors to Tackle Major Housing Plans, Mental Health Care and Fire Safety

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will address emergency response procedures, extensive land use changes, and mental health care facilities during their upcoming Tuesday meeting, with decisions affecting housing development, public safety, and healthcare access across multiple communities.

Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey P. Horvath have called for an independent review of January’s Palisades and Eaton Fires response, directing County Counsel to “retain a consultant with subject matter expertise, to review the evacuation policies and emergency alert notification systems utilized by the County and its partners.” Progress reports will be required every 90 days.

A key 11:00 a.m. presentation will address the Continuum of Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Beds, continued from previous meetings.

The South Bay Area Plan (SBAP) Project No. PRJ2022-004615-(2 and 4) proposes significant rezoning across eight unincorporated communities: Alondra Park/El Camino Village, Del Aire, Hawthorne Island, La Rambla, Lennox, West Carson, Westfield/Academy Hills, and Wiseburn. The plan would accommodate 5,361 potential housing units through 94 property redesignations,

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Congresswoman Calls for Probe Into Fatal Wildfire Evacuation Order Delays

Investigation demanded after at least 17 deaths reported in Western Altadena during Eaton Fire

Congresswoman Judy Chu, who represents Pasadena and Altadena, has demanded an independent investigation into delayed evacuation orders that may have contributed to at least 17 deaths in Western Altadena during the devastating Eaton Fire.

Her call for an inquiry comes after Los Angeles Times reporting revealed that residents west of Lake Avenue received evacuation notices hours after the fire’s initial outbreak.

“I’m dismayed and deeply concerned that evacuation warnings and orders were significantly delayed for residents in western Altadena, west of Lake Avenue, at the start of the Eaton Fire,” Chu said in a release issued Wednesday.

The Eaton Fire has emerged as part of Los Angeles wildfires that are on track to become one of the most costly and devastating natural disasters in the country’s history.

The fire has destroyed more than 7,000 structures and displaced 20,000 people, with all 17 deaths identified so far coming from the area west of Lake Avenue.

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Cancer Support Community Extends Aid to Los Angeles Wildfire Survivors Through Art and Counseling

Support group’s response highlights parallels between natural disaster trauma and cancer patient experience

In response to the devastating Eaton Fire in Southern California, Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley has launched initiatives to help residents process trauma and rebuild their emotional well-being.

The organization will host a virtual workshop, “Recovering and Reconnecting – Processing the Aftermath of the Eaton Fire,” on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 12:30 p.m., addressing the psychological impact of the recent wildfires.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist Jay Wagener, who brings over 40 years of experience and serves on the Cancer Support Community Board, will lead the workshop focusing on grief processing and survivor’s guilt.

“Studies show that healing in a community setting significantly enhances recovery and improves quality of life,” a statement from the organization said. “Cancer Support Community is honored to serve as a cornerstone of hope and healing as our community continues to recover – from wildfires, cancer and beyond. Together, we are stronger,

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Altadena, Palisades Residents Establish Community Wildfire Relief Funds

CITY NEWS SERVICE

In response to the devastating impact of the Los Angeles County wildfires, residents of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades have established community fund-raising efforts to assist in local recovery, officials announced Wednesday.

The Altadena Community Fund and The Palisades Community Fund aim to support immediate relief efforts and long-term recovery initiatives, said Tracy Lawrence, founder and CEO of The Lawrence Advisory and former executive-in-residence at USC’s Marshall School of Business.

Lawrence will chair a committee to oversee the selection of the boards to ensure equitable distribution of resources, driven by the voices and regional leadership of Altadena and the Pacific Palisades.

The community funds were founded by a group of local residents who saw an opportunity to empower Altadena and Pacific Palisades residents to have control over their own fund-raising and rebuilding efforts, officials said.

“Our role is to ensure these funds serve their communities effectively and transparently,” Lawrence, who will help establish the governance framework,

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Local Real-Estate Agent Charged in Alleged Price Gouging of Eaton Fire Victims

A La Cañada Flintridge real-estate agent is facing a criminal charge for allegedly attempting to price gouge a couple who lost their home in the Eaton Fire, officials announced Wednesday.

The investigation into Mike Kobeissi began when a complaint was filed with the California Department of Justice after the couple tried to rent a home after the governor’s emergency order, which protects fire victims from price gouging, went into effect on Jan. 7, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

The Pasadena Star-News reported today that Kobeissi has vehemently denied the accusations, saying state officials had made a mistake.

The DOJ has also sent at least 500 warning letters to hotels and landlords who have been accused of price gouging. In addition, the office has more active criminal investigations into price gouging underway, Bonta said.

“As I have said repeatedly, the price gouging must stop,” the AG said in a statement. “Today, we are making good on our promise to hold price gougers accountable,

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Forecast of 3 Days of Rain Starting Saturday Prompts Mud and Debris Flow Concerns

Even as Santa Ana winds continued to blast parts of the Southland, helping to fuel new brush fires in the Castaic area and Sepulveda Basin, local authorities are turning their attention Thursday to the probability of rain hitting the area this weekend, potentially triggering mud or debris flows in recent burn areas. 

In the wake of the recent devastating fires, local authorities on Wednesday urged residents to be prepared for weekend rain that could send debris coursing into streets or down mountain slopes. 

According to the National Weather Service, a “significant change in the weather” is anticipated by the weekend, with temperatures likely struggling to get out of the 50s, along with a “high to likely chance of rain,” including a chance of thunderstorms in the L.A. area, most likely between Saturday and Monday evening. 

The rainfall is expected to start Saturday with an 80% chance of light precipitation of less than a tenth of inch. Saturday evening rain continues and a thunderstorm is possible,

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Eaton Fire 95% Contained as Santa Ana Winds Persist and Rainfall Approaches

The Eaton Fire is 95% contained Thursday as firefighters managed to further surround the blaze despite another round of threatening Santa Ana winds that prompted red flag warnings that will be in effect until 10 a.m. Friday.

The National Weather Service predicts rain will fall from Saturday to at least Monday, prompting mudslide and water flow concerns.

The fire has burned 14,021 acres in Altadena and Pasadena since Jan. 7, leaving at least at least 17 people dead. Eight firefighters have been injured battling the blaze. It has destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged another 1,073.

There were 1,837 personnel assigned to the firefighting effort as of Wednesday night, Cal Fire reported.

County officials announced Monday that all residents evacuated from the Altadena area may now return, but noted that some areas are still under an evacuation order featuring “soft closures”  meaning those areas will be open only to residents with valid proof of residence.

Pasadena activated red flag parking restrictions Monday to allow for improved fire department access and resident evacuation on narrow and/or winding roads,

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Media: Trump to Tour Disaster Zones in Southern California

President Donald Trump will visit communities ravaged by natural disasters in North Carolina and California on Friday, according to a person familiar with his plans who shared them on condition of anonymity, Bloomberg reported late Wednesday.

Pasadena Now has not obtained confirmation of the trip from local authorities.

According to the New York Post and Bloomberg, the president will tour Asheville, North Carolina, which is recovering from devastating floods caused by Hurricane Helene in September, and parts of Southern California, where recent wildfires made worse by strong winds have burned entire neighborhoods.

Trump highlighted both disasters in his inauguration speech Monday, criticizing the federal government’s emergency response under the previous administration.

“Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina, who been treated so badly, and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago,”

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Altadena Town Council Chair at Meeting: “The Magnitude of This Devastation is Beyond Comprehension”

STAFF REPORT

The Altadena Town Council held its first public meeting Tuesday since the catastrophic Eaton wildfire devastated the community, with officials revealing the fire has destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged another 1,071, while claiming at least 17 lives.

“Our community, once vibrant with the warmth of daily life, has been forever changed,” said Town Council Chair Victoria Knapp. “The magnitude of this devastation is beyond comprehension and for so many of us, the pain, heartache and heartbreak are simply immeasurable.”

The fire, which erupted January 7 above Eaton Canyon, is now 91% contained with 2,375 personnel still assigned to the incident.

Building officials have completed preliminary assessments, issuing 8,068 red tags for structures unsafe to occupy and 331 yellow tags for buildings with restricted use.

During the meeting, Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella announced plans to open a dedicated one-stop permit center in Altadena within 30-60 days, likely across from the community center site.