Friday, August 21, 2026

Lawmakers Gut Major DUI Reform Through ‘Hostile Amendments’

By Lauren Hepler and Robert Lewis, CALMATTERS

A California Senate committee just gutted one of the state’s most substantial DUI reform bills in years, despite widespread support from other lawmakers and families of drunk driving victims.

The bill would have required in-car breathalyzers for anyone convicted of a DUI, bringing California in line with most states. State law currently only requires the devices, called ignition interlock devices, after repeat offenses or injury crashes.

Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from the Inland Empire and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, provided a hint of changes last week when she said there were amendments to the bill that had been approved unanimously by the committee. This week, an updated version of the legislation emerged, and it effectively killed a key provision to start requiring the devices for thousands of first-time offenders. Such changes are commonly referred to as “hostile amendments” because they are made without the involvement or support of the bill’s author.

Friday, August 21, 2026

Volunteer ‘854’ Draws Congressional Honor After Three Decades on Patrol

Otis Triplett, 88, was one of the original members of the police department’s civilian patrol

Otis Triplett, an 88-year-old Army veteran who has spent nearly three decades patrolling Pasadena streets as a police volunteer, was named Congressional Volunteer of the Year for Pasadena and Altadena at Representative Judy Chu’s annual Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards.

Chu presented the award on Saturday, Aug. 15, at a ceremony in Arcadia that honored 10 individuals and organizations from California’s 28th Congressional District. Triplett is one of the original members of Community Assisting Pasadena Police, the department’s uniformed civilian patrol, and is known across the department by his call sign, “854.”

The patrol began in 1996, growing out of an earlier Citizens on Patrol effort when volunteers wanted more active roles, and its members serve as extra eyes for the department on residential and commercial streets. Recruits complete an eight- to 10-week course in radio procedure, driver training, report writing, penal and vehicle codes and traffic control before they may drive a city volunteer unit,

Friday, August 21, 2026

LA County Releases Maps to Help Navigate Homeless Services

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County officials announced Thursday the release of a series of resource maps designed to help service providers navigate the county’s homeless response system and connect people with housing and supportive services.

The Department of Homeless Services and Housing developed separate System Resource Maps for single adults, families with children, and youth and young adults, with input from community members, service providers, public agencies and other partners.

“Our goal is simple: to make a complex system easier to understand and help those assisting people experiencing homelessness connect them to the resources that best meet their needs,” HSH Chief Program Officer Leepi Shimkhada said in a message announcing the maps.

County officials described the maps as visual guides to housing and supportive services available throughout Los Angeles County.

Officials said the initial maps are a first step and will be updated based on feedback about their content, design and usability.

“These maps are a first step,

Friday, August 21, 2026

Officials Urge Families to Raise Awareness About Fentanyl

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Federal drug enforcement officials in Los Angeles were urging parents and families Friday to help educate young people about the dangers of fentanyl as the nation marks the fifth National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.

This year’s observance carries the theme “Power of the Parent,” highlighting the role parents and families can play in raising awareness and protecting loved ones from fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“We commend parents who have taken up the torch, leading the fight against fentanyl,” David Olesky, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division, said in a statement. “Through their work and outreach in the community, at schools, and through various pathways, they have catalyzed change.”

Olesky said parents who have lost loved ones to fentanyl have “valiantly harnessed their grief into purpose.”

Fentanyl-related deaths have declined over the past several years, but the synthetic opioid remains the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45,

Friday, August 21, 2026

Altadena’s 29th Free Concert Season Closes Saturday With a Fleetwood Mac Tribute at Loma Alta Park

The Rotary Club of Altadena closes its 29th season of free summer concerts Saturday, Aug. 22, when the Fleetwood Mac tribute act Stevie Nicks Illusion plays the lower lawn at Loma Alta Park. 

The band performs at 7 p.m. at the park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. Admission is free. It is the last of seven Saturday concerts that began July 11, and the second season the series has run at Loma Alta. 

Stevie Nicks Illusion draws on Fleetwood Mac’s catalog and Stevie Nicks’ solo work, with Diana Grace on the Nicks vocals, Monty Sommer on Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar parts and Laurie Richardson covering Christine McVie. The Rotary Club lists the act as presented by Gigroster.com. 

The 2026 season opened July 11 with the Taylor Swift tribute Dream Like Taylor. It continued with Past Action Heroes, the all-female salsa band Las Chikas and the Beatles tribute Britain’s Finest, then the steel drum reggae and soca band Upstream and the Blue Breeze Band. 

The concerts are staged in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Altadena Town Council to Seek Construction-Free Sundays During Rebuild

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The Altadena Town Council plans to ask Los Angeles County to make Sundays a construction-free “day of rest” as residents living amid the community’s massive rebuilding effort seek relief from persistent construction noise and activity.

Councilmembers said Tuesday that residents have raised concerns about the frequency and duration of construction in residential neighborhoods as Altadena continues rebuilding from the Eaton Fire.

Residents in Census Tract 4603.02 have specifically expressed interest in designating one day each week when construction would not be allowed, according to a report presented to the council.

The proposal is intended to give residents a regular break from construction noise and related impacts while balancing that request against the need to keep rebuilding moving.

“As rebuilding continues throughout Altadena, residents in Census Tract 4603.02 have raised concerns regarding the frequency and duration of construction activity in residential neighborhoods,” a Councilmember said.

Town Council Chair Nick Arnzen said the council had already discussed the issue and agreed to prepare a letter asking that Sundays be set aside as a day without construction.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Catalytic Converter Thefts Drive July Crime Increase in Altadena

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Crime increased in Altadena in July, driven in part by a rise in thefts of catalytic converters, the commander of the Altadena Sheriff’s Station told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night.

Capt. Ethan Marquez said crews appear to be entering the area, quickly stealing catalytic converters and leaving before law enforcement can respond. The devices can be removed from vehicles in as little as one or two minutes, he said.

“What we’re likely seeing is people come into the area, especially off the freeways, hit the area very quickly,” Marquez said. “What these teams and these crews will do is they’ll come into an area, hit it hard, and then leave and go hit another area.”

The pattern makes the crimes particularly difficult to investigate because crews can quickly move between jurisdictions, requiring coordination among multiple law enforcement agencies.

Marquez said the station is planning a catalytic converter etching event at a local dealership for late September or early October.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Altadena Rebuilding Advances, but Only 2% of Projects Completed

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

More than half of fire-impacted single-family properties in Altadena have entered the permitting process, but only about 2% of rebuilding projects have been completed, according to an analysis presented Tuesday to the Altadena Town Council.

Alex Athenson, a local architect and co-founder of the nonprofit Foothill Catalog Foundation, said about 57% of impacted single-family lots have submitted some type of permit, while 43% have no recorded permit progress.

“That’s really great news, but it’s also, there’s a long way to go,” Athenson told the council.

Athenson said the figures were drawn from publicly available Los Angeles County data analyzed by the organization. He cautioned that submitting a permit represents only one step in a lengthy process that runs from planning through construction and ultimately returning residents to their homes.

More than 3,000 permits have been applied for, but just 91 projects, or about 2%, have been completed, Athenson said.

“What that tells us is that construction is difficult,”

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Altadena’s Mobile Library Parks Outside Kidspace on Friday Afternoon

The Altadena Library District parks its mobile library outside Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena on Friday afternoon, one stop in a weekly run scheduled since April.

Visitors can sign up for a library card, check out or return books and browse items from the Library of Things. Opening a card takes $3 off Kidspace admission for up to four guests.

The two institutions post different hours. Kidspace gives 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The library district gives 2 to 5 p.m.

The van, called Curiosity Connection Vol. 2, carries a roaming Wi-Fi hotspot and was bought in 2021 with Altadena Library Foundation money.

The museum is at 480 N. Arroyo Blvd. In Altadena, the district’s Main Library is closed for renovation and the Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center at 2659 Lincoln Ave. is open.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

State Senate Advances Bill to Widen Historic-Site Protections in Pasadena’s Transit Zones

The California Senate has unanimously passed AB 2576, a bill by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) and coauthored by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) that would widen the historic-site exclusions cities may claim under SB 79.

The measure matters in Pasadena, where six Metro A Line stations sit among more than 100 designated local landmarks and roughly 130 National Register properties.

Current law lets a city adopt an ordinance excluding sites with a historic resource on a local register designated before Jan. 1, 2025. As amended June 15, AB 2576 would add contributing sites within historic districts on the State Historic Resources Inventory and parcels individually listed there, designated before that same date.

Pérez, a principal coauthor, said the bill protects local, state and federally designated historic sites, and refines a law that was unclear on whether historic landmark districts were covered. “Preservation and history are core parts of our civic identity,” she said of Pasadena. She thanked Harabedian for authoring the measure.