Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Altadena Coalition Rallies to Push SB 1090

By EDDIE RIVERA

Survivors, renters and preservationists stand together at fire-scarred property as Assembly hearing nears

On an empty, fire-scarred lot on East Las Flores Drive where a single family once lived among gardens and orchard trees, a coalition of Altadena residents gathered Monday morning, June 29, 2026, to make one request of the state Legislature: give them time.

The property at 425 E. Las Flores Drive, destroyed in the Eaton Fire, sits on nearly two acres split into three parcels. Under current state law, Kara Vallow, who lived there with her partner before the fire, said the lot could legally hold up to 30 housing units.

“This property that formerly held two people, and prior to our living here, one person, could now house 120 people,” Vallow said. “I am not selling it to a developer to build 30 houses on it.”

That math, organizers said, is the reason for SB 1090, known as the Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act.

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

West Nile Virus Detected in San Gabriel Valley Mosquitoes

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The first West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes of the year have been detected in the San Gabriel Valley, with an infected mosquito sample collected in Alhambra, officials announced Monday.

The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District said the virus was detected in mosquitoes collected from a surveillance trap in the city. The agency will continue monitoring mosquito activity and conducting control efforts in public areas through inspections and treatments as needed.

“West Nile virus is a recurring concern in our region because it is endemic to our area,” Director of Scientific Programs Tristan Hallum said in a statement. “There is no cure or human vaccine for WNV. The key to staying safe and protecting your health is to prevent mosquito bites.”

Officials said West Nile virus activity typically increases during the warmer months, when higher overnight temperatures accelerate mosquito breeding and virus transmission.

The district urged residents to eliminate standing water around their homes by emptying containers weekly and discarding unused items that can collect water.

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Bus Tour Tracks Slow, Steady Path Home for Altadena Fire Survivors

By EDDIE RIVERA

Coalition of housing advocates and architects spotlights families rebuilding after the Eaton Fire

A coalition of housing advocates, architects, and community leaders rolled through the scorched and slowly rebuilding streets of Altadena on Monday, stopping at properties where families are piecing together the money, permits, and labor needed to come home after the Eaton Fire.

The Rebuilding & Recovery Tour was organized by Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County, the Southern California chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, and the Restore the Legacy LA Coalition. Lori Gay, president and CEO of NHS, led the bus past lots that ranged from freshly graded dirt to homes already framed and rising.

NHS is a certified Community Development Financial Institution offering housing counseling, construction project management, and low-cost loans and grants to fire survivors.

Gay said the coalition has counseled more than 4,000 families since the fires and provided nearly 500 households with estate plans.

Monday, June 29, 2026

County Seeks Artist to Turn Altadena’s Fire Memories Into a Living Archive

Applications for the two-year, Mellon-funded residency close Monday at 5 p.m.

A Los Angeles County arts residency that will guide Altadena residents in transforming their memories of the Eaton Fire into community artwork and a permanent digital archive is accepting applications from artists through 5 p.m. on Monday, June 29.

The two-year Artist-in-Residence position is the public-facing center of a county initiative called the LA County Cultural Climate Commons: Community Memory Lab and Living Archive, funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It is aimed at a community where the January 2025 fire destroyed thousands of homes — and where, the project’s organizers say, cultural memory was also at risk.

The open call was issued and managed by the county’s Department of Arts and Culture. It is part of the broader Cultural Climate Commons initiative, led by the LA County Library in partnership with the department, the Altadena Library District, the Los Angeles Public Library and their foundations.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Pasadena’s Rep. Chu Presses Home Depot, Lowe’s for Answers on Immigration Enforcement at Stores

Twenty-six Democratic lawmakers cite a death in Monrovia and other incidents in a letter requesting information from the retailers by June 29

The Home Depot on Mountain Avenue in Monrovia sits about six miles from Rep. Judy Chu’s district office on South Lake Avenue. Both are in her 28th Congressional District. So is the Pasadena Community Job Center on North Lake Avenue, where day laborers line up each morning for work.

Last week, Chu and 25 Democratic colleagues sent a letter to Home Depot CEO Ted Decker and Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison requesting information about federal immigration enforcement operations that have occurred at or near the companies’ stores since January 2025, according to Chu’s office. The lawmakers set a response deadline of June 29.

The letter asks nine categories of questions about the scope of the operations, whether the companies received advance notice, and whether federal agencies have requested surveillance footage, license plate data, or employee records, according to the letter posted by Chu’s office.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Edison Reports $700 Million in Eaton Fire Payout Offers, Sets Tuesday Community Meeting

Edison calls the program fair and fast; some fire survivors and their attorneys call the payouts a fraction of what litigation might bring

Southern California Edison reported late last week that it has extended over $700 million in offers to more than 5,000 people who lost homes, businesses or family members in the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

SCE said it will take questions about its voluntary Eaton Fire payout program at a Tusday, June 30 community meeting in Pasadena.

The figures, the utility’s own, are its largest reported total yet for a program that pays out faster but requires claimants who accept it to give up the right to sue.

That tradeoff defines the choice facing survivors after the massive fire that killed at least 19 people and devastated Altadena. Lawsuits against the utility are in the preliminary stages, with a trial scheduled for early 2027.

Edison has not formally accepted legal fault or ‘blame’ for causing the Eaton Fire,

Monday, June 29, 2026

From Aretha to Taylor Swift, a Pasadena Camp Traces Pop Music’s Arc in Five Days

School of Rock’s weeklong program puts young musicians inside the songs that defined six decades of popular music

The distance from Aretha Franklin to Taylor Swift is six decades — and, starting this week, five days at a music school on East Colorado Boulevard.

School of Rock Pasadena’s Pop Legends Camp, which runs Monday through Friday this week, puts students ages 8 to 18 inside a working band to rehearse and perform songs by artists who collectively trace the evolution of popular music. The camp costs $645 and ends Friday with a live performance for family and friends, according to the school’s website.

The Pasadena location, at 1240 East Colorado Boulevard, is one of more than 450 School of Rock franchise locations worldwide. The performance-based music school, which counts students from Pasadena Unified School District and other local schools among its enrollment, is a member of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

The camp’s setlist draws from a roster that starts with early pop legends — Franklin,

Monday, June 29, 2026

Pasadena NAACP Awards $10,000 in Scholarships to 10 Students on “626 Day”

The Pasadena Branch of the NAACP awarded $10,000 in scholarships to 10 students during a special ceremony held Friday June 26, 2026 on the steps of Pasadena City Hall in celebration of “626 Day.”

Seven graduating high school seniors and three continuing college students were recognized for their academic achievement, leadership, community involvement, and commitment to educational excellence.

The high school scholarship recipients, representing both Pasadena Unified School District schools and local private schools, will continue their educational journeys this fall at institutions including California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Loyola Marymount University, and other colleges and universities.

The college scholarship recipients are currently pursuing higher education at the University of San Diego, Morgan State University, and Integrity College of Health.

The scholarship program reflects the Pasadena NAACP’s longstanding commitment to educational opportunity and student achievement. For many years, the branch has invested in local students through scholarship support designed to help reduce financial barriers to higher education while recognizing academic excellence,

Monday, June 29, 2026

Three Maranatha High Juniors Launch Free Basketball Camp for Altadena Kids Affected by Eaton Fire

Founded by high school students who experienced the devastation of the Eaton Fire firsthand.

Three Maranatha High School juniors who experienced the Eaton Fire firsthand announced they will host a free Basketball and Wellness Camp for children ages 8 to 12 affected by the tragedy

The founders of Healing Hoops Altadena — Ryden Shiozaki, Ethan Kim and Ryder Wong — said they intend to use basketball and mental wellness support to help their community heal.

The camp is planned for July 13 through 17 at the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps Community Center, 960 East Walnut Street, where it is scheduled daily from 9 to 11 a.m. The week closes with a free public wrap-up event on July 18 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Pasadena Boys and Girls Club, Mackenzie Scott Branch, 2020 N. Fair Oaks, their announcement said.

Each day will feature a basketball workshop and activities designed to “instill calm and creativity in the youngsters, such as art therapy and yoga,”

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Ask a Caltech Expert: Adam Wierman on the Pros and Cons of Data Centers

CALTECH

With the recent growth of AI, particularly with widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, there has been a dramatic increase in the need for data centers—facilities that house the computers and data storage systems that make the technology possible. And while much has been said about the large-scale and even global environmental impact of these computing centers in terms of energy and water usage, the local impact on small communities, where large data centers are increasingly being built, is emerging as a point of particular concern.

Adam Wierman, the Carl F Braun Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and director of Information Science and Technology at Caltech says it is crucial to fully understand and manage the impact of data centers on these smaller communities. His group uses mathematics, machine learning, and ideas from optimization, control, and economics to make the networked systems that govern our world more sustainable and resilient.