Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Forecasters: Expect a Wet New Year’s Rose Parade

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Santa Ana winds expected to continue gusting across much of the Southland on Tuesday, beginning a week of unsettled weather that is forecast to include more rain in the saturated region, including the likelihood of significant rain falling on the normally sunny Rose Parade in Pasadena.

The National Weather Service has extended wind advisories for the Los Angeles area through 3 p.m. Tuesday followed by rainy weather on Wednesday.

“A return to wet weather is expected Wednesday as moisture from off the coast of Mexico gets pulled up into southern California,” said the NWS. “Onset time is still in question, but no later than Wednesday evening. Some light rain is possible as early as Wednesday morning, especially far western areas as the hi res models show the initial trajectory farther to the west over the Channel Islands and Central Coast, but then shifting east during the afternoon and evening.”

The windy conditions will give way to rain by mid-week,

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Year in Review: Trump Drives Uncertain California Economy

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS

California is ending the year in much the same way it started: uncertain about what impact President Donald Trump’s policies and actions will have on its economy.

Immigration raids and the threat of them negatively affected the state’s residents, communities and labor markets in different industries. Farmworkers and farmers are anxious about the future. Citizens and noncitizens of Los Angeles and surrounding areas lost work after the raids, according to one study.

California, home to some of the nation’s busiest ports, had to deal with ever-changing tariffs. The agricultural and wine industries worried about higher costs and their ability to maintain relationships with their export partners, who received not just tariff threats but other presidential rhetoric. For example, Trump’s talk of annexing Canada angered some Canadians and affected tourism into the state and the rest of the nation.

The tech industry dealt with a mishmash of policies that included Nvidia agreeing to revenue-sharing with the federal government;

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

What Did California Lawmakers Talk About This Year? These 10 Bills Sparked Hours of Debate

By Ryan Sabalow, CALMATTERS

Most bills in the California Legislature are barely talked about in public before lawmakers take action, often after secret negotiations with lobbyists.

But a handful of controversial proposals broke through the usual rushed process, drawing hours of testimony and intense public lobbying from some of the state’s most powerful organizations that spend millions of dollars to get their way, according to an analysis of CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database, which tracks every word spoken in the Legislature.

That’s compared to the overall 2025 average, which showed lawmakers and advocates spent just 32 minutes publicly talking about each of the 1,657 bills that were discussed in at least one hearing.

These were the 10 most debated bills of the 2025 regular legislative session, according to Digital Democracy.

(Note: Advocacy groups listed below may have changed their positions as the bills were amended.)

Bill: Assembly Bill 715

Lead author: Democratic assemblymembers Dawn Addis of San Luis Obispo and Rick Zbur of Los Angeles.

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

CHP Preps for New Year’s Enforcement Campaign

CITY NEWS SERVICE

California Highway Patrol officers will ramp up operations again in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and statewide, beginning Wednesday night to crack down on drunken and drug-impaired motorists as part of a New Year’s anti-DUI campaign.

The CHP will initiate its New Year’s “Holiday Enforcement Period” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, when all available officers will deploy to catch impaired motorists, speeders and other traffic violators.

The campaign, which replicates a 30-hour HEP that occurred during Christmas, will continue until late Thursday night.

“We’re entering a New Year, but our message stays the same: Driving under the influence increases the risks on our roads, raises the chance of a crash and puts lives in danger,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said Monday.

“We encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our roads safe by making responsible choices behind the wheel.”

The 2024-25 New Year’s HEP netted 481 arrests statewide, compared to 892 during the 2023-24 campaign,

Monday, December 29, 2025

Local Property Owners Urged to Seek Tax Relief After Region’s Severe Winter Storms

Assessor Jeff Prang said Monday that local property owners may qualify for tax relief if their homes or businesses sustained significant losses in the recent severe winter storms.

A ‘Pineapple Express’ winter storm killed four people statewide and triggered avalanches, debris flows and flooding across Southern California last week.

“The recent spate of winter storms including that rare tornado have caused significant damage and in some cases devastating losses,” Assessor Jeff Prang said in the statement. “I want to remind property owners that you may be eligible for property tax relief that could save you money on your taxes as you move forward.”

By filing a claim for Misfortune & Calamity relief within one year of the incident, properties that have sustained a minimum of $10,000 in damage or have been destroyed may be eligible for a refund of taxes already paid and lower annual tax bills until the property is repaired or rebuilt.

For more information regarding Misfortune &

Monday, December 29, 2025

L.A. County Supervisors to Ratify Storm Emergency, Opening Path for Disaster Aid, at Rare New Year’s Eve Meeting

Meeting will seek state and federal assistance after atmospheric river delivers record Christmas rainfall, mudslides

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will convene a rare New Year’s Eve special meeting Wednesday to ratify an emergency declaration stemming from last week’s powerful winter storms—a procedural step that officials say is essential to securing state and federal disaster assistance for communities across the county, including the fire-scarred foothill neighborhoods of Altadena.

The single-item agenda asks the five-member Board to formally approve the Proclamation of Local Emergency made December 24 as a series of atmospheric rivers battered Southern California, delivering what the National Weather Service called the wettest Christmas holiday in downtown Los Angeles since 1971. The ratification will allow the county to formally request recovery assistance under the California Disaster Assistance Act and position officials to seek federal relief programs.

For Altadena, the unincorporated community that remains under direct county jurisdiction, the action carries particular weight. Nearly a year after the devastating Eaton Fire burned thousands of homes in the foothill community,

Monday, December 29, 2025

Federal Cuts and Reversals Upend California Health Care in 2025

By Ana B. Ibarra, CALMATTERS

After a decade of expanding health coverage and safety net programs, the Golden State took a sharp detour in 2025. As federal funding reductions and policy changes rippled through the health care system, California confronted service cuts, coverage losses and growing uncertainty.

During the summer, a congressionally-approved spending plan slashed nearly a trillion dollars from the Medicaid program over the next decade. Funding cuts and new rules – such as work requirements – are expected to push 3.4 million Californians off their Medicaid coverage as changes take effect.

In Washington, a dispute over whether to renew enhanced premium subsidies that help keep Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance plans affordable prompted the longest shutdown in history. Absent federal action, hundreds of thousands of people could be priced out of Covered California insurance in 2026. More than 2,300 Dreamers in California have already lost access to the state marketplace: The Trump administration overturned a rule that had allowed undocumented people brought to the country as children to buy subsidized health insurance.

Monday, December 29, 2025

Hope Rises Along Colorado Boulevard

California Community Foundation’s 2026 Rose Parade float tells a story of recovery

As millions around the world tune in to the 2026 Rose Parade, one float will carry a message shaped not only by flowers and design, but by loss, resilience, and the long road to recovery. The California Community Foundation’s entry, “Rising Together,” draws inspiration from communities across Southern California still rebuilding after catastrophic wildfires.

The float reflects months of collaboration between philanthropic leaders, nonprofit partners, and survivors themselves. “This has been a labor of love,” said Marc Philpart, executive director of the Black Freedom Fund. “We came together with a real kind of pure intention, supporting a community that has been devastated.” Philpart emphasized that the project was rooted in ensuring that neighborhoods such as Altadena and Pasadena were “not left behind” as recovery efforts continue.

Eight wildfire survivors, including Darlene Leyba, Eaton Fire survivor; Andrew King, Eaton Fire survivor; Jacque Robinson-Baisley, Eaton Fire survivor, and Myra Burg, Malibu Fire survivor,  

Monday, December 29, 2025

Wildfire Survivors From Pasadena and Altadena to Help Decorate Rose Parade Float Honoring 2025 Fire Survivors

Wildfire survivors from Altadena and Pasadena will gather Monday morning in Pasadena to help decorate “Rising Together,” a Rose Parade float honoring survivors of the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires, according to event details. Survivors from Pacific Palisades and Malibu will also participate.

The decorating event is scheduled for Monday morning at the AES Float Barn at the Rosemont Pavilion, 700 Seco Street in Pasadena.

Wildfire survivors from Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, along with California Community Foundation (CCF) leadership, are listed among those taking part.

The float, co-sponsored by the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund, is a Rose Parade presented by Honda entry that will appear on January 1, 2026, in the 137th Rose Parade.

According to event materials, the 55-foot float honors the resilience, courage and unity of wildfire survivors following the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires. It pays tribute to the 31 residents who lost their lives and recognizes the strength of more than 13,000 families who lost their homes.

Monday, December 29, 2025

CHP Releases Christmas Holiday Enforcement Numbers

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The California Highway Patrol announced Friday that officers made thousands of enforcement stops and nearly 300 DUI arrests during the 2025 Christmas Holiday Enforcement Period, as the agency worked to curb dangerous driving statewide.

According to CHP, officers conducted 5,450 enforcement actions during the holiday period, issuing 2,744 citations and arresting 297 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Speeding remained a significant concern, officials said. Officers issued 1,385 speeding citations, including 94 drivers caught traveling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

The holiday enforcement period was also marked by deadly crashes. CHP reported six fatal collisions within its jurisdiction that resulted in eight deaths. Speeding, impaired driving and failure to wear seat belts continue to be the leading factors in serious and fatal crashes, the agency said.

CHP urged motorists to buckle up, slow down—especially during adverse weather conditions—and drive sober and attentive.

The Christmas Holiday Enforcement Period is part of CHP’s ongoing efforts to improve roadway safety during peak travel times.