Monday, April 20, 2026

Altadena Town Council to Take Up Infrastructure Presentation, SCE Letter Vote at Tuesday Meeting

Agenda includes committee reports on Eaton Fire recovery, land use and renter protections, with public comment available at the Altadena Community Center

The Altadena Town Council will hold its regular April meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, with a Los Angeles County Public Works infrastructure presentation, a scheduled vote on a letter regarding Southern California Edison, and committee reports spanning Eaton Fire recovery, land use and renter protections on the agenda.

The meeting at 730 E. Altadena Drive will be streamed live on the Pasadena Media YouTube channel, according to the Council’s published agenda. It is the Council’s first regular monthly meeting following the March 17 session, whose minutes are scheduled for approval by Recording Secretary Sylvia Vega.

Chair Nic Arnzen will open the meeting and seek approval of the agenda following a flag salute led by Gayle Nicholl-Ali and roll call by Vega.

Arnzen, Treasurer Darlene Greene and Corresponding Secretary Kim Yu are scheduled to deliver officer reports.

Monday, April 20, 2026

Alarmed by Dating App Violence, California Lawmaker Proposes a ‘Scarlet Letter’

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

A bill to protect people on online dating apps from violence has critics arguing that the measure would put a “scarlet letter” on certain users.

But that’s a feature, not a bug in the proposal.

The Senate’s public safety committee this week passed a bill that would require online dating services to run criminal background checks on California users. If the user is a registered sex offender or has been convicted of a violent felony, domestic violence, an assault or a hate crime, the dating service must “place a flag” on the user’s profile to let others know.

Bill author Sen. Caroline Menjivar said that “dating apps have not provided an adequate level of safety for their users.” At the hearing she cited a 2019 Columbia Journalism Investigations survey that found that more than a third of women polled said they were sexually assaulted or raped by someone they met on a dating app.

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Altadena Interfaith Coalition Hosts Earth Week Potluck Today at Church That Survived Eaton Fire

Altadena Congregations Together Serving, the multifaith coalition known as A.C.T.S., is holding its Earth Week Potluck Spring Gathering today, Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m. at Christ the Shepherd Lutheran Church, 185 W. Altadena Dr. The event is free, open to the public and does not require church affiliation to attend.

The gathering takes place during Earth Week 2026 — three days before Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 — and at a church that remained standing when the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena in January 2025, destroying more than 9,000 structures and multiple houses of worship in the surrounding area.

According to the event announcement, attendees are asked to bring a vegetarian dish or simply come and share food contributed by others. The gathering will be held in the church’s social hall, located in the building to the left in the parking lot through the chain fence, per the announcement.

RSVPs are requested but not required and can be sent to info@ctsaltadena.org,

Friday, April 17, 2026

Altadena Rebuild Trade Show Returns Sunday at The Collaboratory

Day One, a Pasadena nonprofit, organized the free event at The Collaboratory in Altadena to offer hands-on guidance for displaced families navigating the long road to recovery

A free trade show for Eaton Fire survivors will be held Sunday at The Collaboratory in Altadena, offering hands-on access to rebuild professionals, financial resources, and recovery tools, the Pasadena nonprofit Day One announced.

The Altadena Rebuild Trade Show runs from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 540 W. Woodbury Rd. Admission is free, with registration available through Day One’s Eventbrite page at bit.ly/altadenatradeshowtix. The event brings Day One’s rebuild programming to the Eaton Fire Collaborative’s central recovery site, which opened in October.

Day One, founded in 1987, has operated as a Pasadena-area community nonprofit for nearly four decades, according to its organizational profile. Christy Zamani has served as the group’s executive director since 2007 and also chairs the Eaton Fire Collaborative’s Long-Term Recovery Group, according to Day One’s website and prior Pasadena Now reporting.

Friday, April 17, 2026

Unemployment Rate in LA County Holds Steady

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 5.5% in February compared to January, but was below the 5.8% rate from the same month a year earlier, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.4% in February. That was the same rate as January and the same as February 2025. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4.4% in February, 4.3% in January and 4.2% a year ago.

Between January and February, total nonfarm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 9,700 to reach more than 4.58 million jobs.

The professional and business services sector led the way in the county by adding 7,600 positions, while professional, scientific and technical services added 4,400 jobs, particularly in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services.

The trade, transportation and utilities sector saw the biggest decline, shedding 7,900 jobs.

Friday, April 17, 2026

Free Rides on Pasadena Transit This Saturday for Earth Day Celebration at Brookside Park

Route 51 will run fare-free to the April 18 Earth Day event, which features 800 goats released into the Arroyo Seco for wildfire fuel reduction. All Pasadena Transit routes go free on April 22.

Pasadena Transit will offer free rides on Route 51 this Saturday, April 18, to the city’s Earth Day celebration at Brookside Park, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd., where the City of Pasadena and the One Arroyo Foundation will release more than 800 goats into the Arroyo Seco as part of a new wildfire prevention initiative.

The free, family-friendly event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features goat yoga sponsored by the Rose Bowl Stadium, a goat petting zoo, educational activities with the goat herder, and interactive booths hosted by City departments and local nonprofit organizations. Participating city departments include Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Transportation, Public Health, and Water and Power.

Joaquin T. Siques, Director of Transportation, announced the free fare in the City Manager’s April 16 weekly newsletter.

Friday, April 17, 2026

Assemblymember Harabedian’s Factory-Built Housing Bill Clears First Committee Hurdle

A bill by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) that would streamline inspections and permitting for factory-built housing in California passed the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development on Thursday, April 16.

AB 2058 targets what its sponsors describe as redundant local inspection requirements, disassembly mandates, and excessive permitting fees that currently slow the delivery and raise the cost of factory-built homes — units constructed in a controlled factory environment and then transported to a building site for installation. The bill would remove those barriers by standardizing the inspection and permitting process, according to a press release issued by Harabedian’s office on April 16.

The measure is one piece of a broader legislative effort in Sacramento this year to promote factory-built construction as a response to California’s housing shortage, which state officials have estimated at approximately 3 million units. The California Department of Housing and Community Development has reported that the state produces fewer than 80,000 new homes annually, well short of the 180,000 additional homes it needs each year.

Friday, April 17, 2026

Five Years Later, an Altadena Murder Case Returns to the Pasadena Courthouse

Robert Cotton, charged in the 2021 stabbing deaths of his mother and uncle, faces a pretrial hearing Friday

The man charged with killing his mother and uncle at their Altadena home in 2021 — an attack that a Zoom call made impossible to ignore — is scheduled to return to a Pasadena courtroom this week.

Robert Anderson Cotton, now 37, faces a pretrial hearing Friday, April 17, at 8:30 a.m. in Department B of the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St. He has been held in Los Angeles County custody since his arrest, on $4.02 million bail, as the case moves through the courts more than five years after the killings.

Cotton is charged with two counts of murder in the March 22, 2021 stabbing deaths of his mother, Carol Anne Brown, Ph.D., 67, and her brother, Kenneth Wayne Preston, 69. The two were killed at the 3100 block of North Marengo Avenue in Altadena — a home they shared with Cotton.

Friday, April 17, 2026

LA County Launches Mental Health Awareness Campaign

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Thursday launched its annual “Take Action for Mental Health L.A. County” campaign, marking the start of a monthlong series of events tied to Mental Health Awareness Month.

The campaign includes nine large-scale events and more than 130 community-based activities scheduled throughout May, organized in partnership with dozens of local groups, according to organizers.

The department will host events on May 28 at Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, and various eight other locations around the county.

Officials said the effort is aimed at promoting mental health awareness, reducing stigma and connecting residents with resources and support services.

“Mental Health Awareness Month provides a vital opportunity for us to connect with communities across Los Angeles County and elevate the importance of mental health and wellbeing,” LACDMH Director Lisa Wong said in a statement.

The department said it is partnering with 84 community-based organizations to host free events that include wellness activities such as meditation,

Thursday, April 16, 2026

Earth Day Altadena Returns with a Message of Resilience and Renewal

Altadena’s annual celebration of community and environmental stewardship promises an afternoon of music, art, and healing at Solvang Garden

Altadena is set to host its third annual Earth Day celebration, a vibrant community gathering dedicated to fostering resilience and connection through environmental awareness. This year’s event, themed “Making Change Where We Stand,” invites families and individuals to Solvang Garden on Sunday, April 19, 2026, for an afternoon filled with engaging activities, live performances, and opportunities to connect with local eco-conscious initiatives. The free event, presented by a coalition of community organizations including Soul Force Project, United Nations Association Pasadena, Dena Hive Consortium, and Dena United, aims to transform collective grief into growth and isolation into connection, embodying a powerful declaration of renewal for the Altadena and Pasadena communities.

The celebration will feature a diverse lineup of musical talent, showcasing both local and international influences. Attendees can look forward to a performance by Mayeya, a dynamic ensemble led by Peruvian percussionist Diana Andrea Soto Teixeira,