Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Whooping Cough Hits Second Pasadena School as City’s Cases Quadruple

Health officials confirm three pertussis cases at Blair Middle School, urge families to check vaccinations

Whooping cough has reached a second Pasadena school in a matter of weeks, with three confirmed cases at Blair Middle School prompting health officials to warn that the disease is spreading faster than usual across the city.

The outbreak at Blair is the latest sign that Pasadena is experiencing an unusual pertussis surge. Since the start of 2026, the city has confirmed 11 cases of the highly contagious respiratory illness — nearly four times its typical annual count of about three, according to the Pasadena Public Health Department. The local spike is notable because national pertussis cases have declined in 2026 after peaking in November 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cases follow a separate outbreak at Don Benito Fundamental School, where health officials confirmed four cases on April 29. The health department issued a health advisory to clinicians on May 11,

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

School Board Scandal Continues to Grow as ‘Fredericks Consolidation Plan’ Published

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Four school board members remain under fire for allegedly violating the state’s open meeting laws and for working with a consultant before the district had hired the firm to handle school closures.

According to emails obtained by a district parent and funneled to news outlets, Pasadena Unified School District Board President Tina Fredericks and board members Scott Harden, Kim Kenne and Yarma Velázquez allegedly coordinated privately with consultants and one another ahead of the district’s public school consolidation process, prompting accusations they violated California’s Ralph M. Brown Act.

“I always assumed they were doing the right thing,” said Denise Robb, whose child attends Blair High School. “But reading some of those messages made me feel like they didn’t really care much about the constituents and the families.”

On Sunday a presentation was released that appears to show Fredericks’ plan to close schools.

A presentation titled “Pasadena Unified School District Consolidation Plan,” outlining a sweeping restructuring proposal that would shrink the district from 13 elementary schools to 10,

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

LA28 Awards Grant Funding to Los Angeles Urban League Program Serving Pasadena/Altadena as Part of ‘Resilience Champions’ Initiative

FROM A STORY BY CITY NEWS SERVICE

A Los Angeles Urban League program that trains youth from fire?affected areas including Pasadena and Altadena is among the first eight projects selected to receive $100,000 grants from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Organizing Committee’s Resilience Champions Fund, LA28 announced Monday.

The initiative — part of LA28’s Impact and Sustainability Plan — is designed to invest in local nonprofits committed to building a more resilient Los Angeles for future generations. LA28 provided a total of $800,000 in this first round, supporting projects across three priority areas: wildfire resilience and nature restoration, ocean protection and cooling solutions.

The Los Angeles Urban League, which is training youth from fire?affected areas including Pasadena/Altadena in wildfire resilience and green construction, was named as one of the grant recipients.

In the aftermath of the January 2025 wildfires, LA28 said it especially wanted to support community projects addressing extreme heat, wildfire risk and environmental degradation.

“Resilience is built in communities and sustained through collective action,” LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Probe Finds No Fault in West Altadena Evacuation Decisions in Eaton Fire

CITY NEWS SERVICE

An independent investigation did not identify any misconduct or delay in evacuation decision-making by the Los Angeles County Fire Department in response to the Eaton Fire in areas west of Lake Avenue, officials announced Monday.

Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said he initiated the independent investigation because the Altadena community deserves transparency. The Eaton Fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, destroying more than 9,400 structures, leaving thousands displaced and killing 18 people many of whom were residents in West Altadena.

“While the report provides an honest account of our operations, we recognize that no investigation can truly capture the horror and tragedy residents endured,” Marrone said in a statement. “My focus is to ensure that the lessons learned from the Eaton and Palisades fires are turned into lasting changes that will better protect our residents and neighborhoods into the future.”

The investigation was conducted by Citygate Associates, which examined evacuation decisions, incident communications and fire behavior during the critical overnight hours between 9 p.m.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Altadena Deputies Carry the Torch for Fallen Officers in 300-Mile Relay

The 51-year tradition’s final leg ends where it always does — at the Altadena station

The memorial torch arrived at the Altadena Sheriff’s Station on Sunday May 17 the way it has for more than half a century: carried on foot by deputies running the final leg of a 300-mile relay across Los Angeles County.

The station’s deputies joined approximately 2,000 LASD personnel in the department’s 51st Annual Memorial Torch Relay Run, a three-day event that traverses 56 legs through 23 sheriff’s stations, eight custody facilities, and multiple specialized units, according to the department. The relay, coordinated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Athletic Association, begins at the historic Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles. It ends in Altadena.

Countywide Services Division Chief Jason Wolak initiated this year’s relay, the department said. The event honors peace officers who died in the line of duty while serving communities across Los Angeles County.

The Altadena station, led by Captain Ethan Marquez, serves Altadena,

Monday, May 18, 2026

Wildfire Home Contamination Testing Bill Advances to Assembly Floor

AB 1642, authored by Pasadena Assemblymember and sponsored by Altadena-based group, faces opposition from insurance trade associations

Assembly Bill 1642, a measure that would create statewide testing standards for homes, schools and workplaces after wildfires, cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday and will advance to the Assembly Floor, according to a press release from the bill’s author, Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena).

The bill, sponsored by Altadena-based Eaton Fire Residents United, would direct the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt emergency regulations by July 1, 2027 establishing science-informed, health-based standards for testing and removing lead and asbestos from structures in residential areas after a wildfire, according to the bill text. The measure would require additional regulations for other hazardous chemicals by July 1, 2028.

The bill, titled the Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act, advances 16 months after the Eaton Fire ignited on January 7, 2025, burning more than 14,000 acres and destroying more than 9,400 structures in Altadena and surrounding communities,

Monday, May 18, 2026

Eaton Fire Survivors Plan Sacramento Bus Trip to Lobby State Lawmakers on Five Recovery Priorities

A Dena Rise Up coalition bus trip will leave Pasadena on Monday for a State Capitol press conference and legislator meetings

More than 80 Eaton Fire survivors and community advocates plan to board a bus at the Pasadena Community Job Center on Monday at 9 a.m. for an advocacy trip to Sacramento, where the group plans to hold a State Capitol press conference Tuesday followed by visits with legislators.

The trip is organized by Dena Rise Up, a coalition the group describes as local organizations advocating for what it calls a just and inclusive recovery led by survivors themselves. According to the coalition’s press release, the trip’s priorities include three bills now moving through the Legislature — AB 1642 by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena), SB 878 by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) and SB 1301 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) — along with a proposed CARE Fund and the Eaton Fire Survivors Network’s Urgent Housing Relief Proposal. The trip falls 16 months after the Eaton Fire,

Monday, May 18, 2026

Pasadena Hosts Fifth Annual Older Americans Month Celebration at Victory Park

Wednesday’s free morning gathering brings more than 50 exhibitors and the 2026 “Champion Your Health” theme to a single Pasadena lawn

The city’s annual celebration of Older Americans Month settles into Victory Park on Wednesday morning, drawing more than 50 exhibitors and a slate of remarks from public officials for a free three-hour resource fair tailored to Pasadena’s older adult population. The event, hosted jointly by the Pasadena Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, the Senior Commission and the nonprofit Pasadena Village, runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 20.

Attendees can expect free health screenings, educational presentations, giveaways, food, entertainment and direct access to local aging services, all anchored to this year’s national theme, “Champion Your Health,” which spotlights prevention, wellness and self-advocacy. The morning opens with remarks from public officials before the exhibitor row gets busy.

“Our community is fortunate to have an extensive network of support, from health care and older adult programming to cultural and recreational opportunities,”

Sunday, May 17, 2026

California Voter Registration Deadline for June 2 Primary Is Monday

Pasadena and Altadena residents have until May 18 to register through the standard process to receive a mail ballot; conditional same-day registration remains available through Election Day

Monday, May 18, is the last day Pasadena and Altadena residents can register through California’s standard online or postmark process to be automatically mailed a ballot for the June 2 statewide direct primary, according to the California Secretary of State’s office and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

Eligible residents who miss the deadline can still take part by using Same Day, or conditional, voter registration at any Los Angeles County vote center or the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office through Election Day, the Secretary of State’s office said.

Voters who use that option must do so in person and cast a provisional ballot. The local stakes for Pasadena voters include a Primary Nominating Election for City Council in Districts 3, 5 and 7, along with the race for California governor and a countywide half-cent sales tax measure.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

UTP President Says Teachers Union Has Not Taken Formal Position on Allegations Against School Board

Jonathan Gardner tells Pasadena Now the union does not anticipate joining calls for trustee resignations, characterizes recall demands as “political grandstanding,” and says unfulfilled fall budget promises are a greater concern

United Teachers of Pasadena President Jonathan Gardner said in a telephone interview Friday that the union has not taken a formal position on allegations of misconduct against four Pasadena Unified School District trustees, is not initiating action against the Board of Education at this time, and does not anticipate joining any litigation which may be brought by other parties.

Gardner characterized public calls for trustee resignations and recalls as “political grandstanding.”  He said the District’s failure to follow through on fall budget commitments is, in his view, “a much bigger violation of the public trust” than the matters publicly raised in connection with the open-meeting allegations.

Gardner spoke to Pasadena Now the day after a May 14 special meeting at which Sierra Madre Mayor Kristine “Kris” Lowe and eight other in-person commenters demanded the resignation of Board President Tina Fredericks and three fellow trustees,