Thursday, October 16, 2025

Here’s what Newsom vetoed

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

In Tuesday’s newsletter, I mentioned some of the new laws California will enact. Now let’s dig into what didn’t make it past the governor’s desk.

At the end of this year’s legislative session, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed 123 out of the 917 total bills lawmakers sent to him — a slightly lower veto rate of 13.4% compared to last year’s 15.7%.

One of the bills he spiked Monday would have raised the cap car dealers can charge to process Department of Motor Vehicles’ and other paperwork from $85 to $260, writes CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow.

In his veto message, the governor said that consumers could be charged “hundreds more for only minutes of data entry” even though there are no new state requirements and DMV processes are getting more streamlined.

Read more here.

Newsom also rejected a handful of bills intended to expand health care coverage,

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Community Dinner Offers Free Meal and Support for Fire Survivors

Two churches partner with local coalition to create space for healing and connection

Fire survivors in the Altadena area will have a chance to connect with others who have experienced similar losses at a free community dinner next month.

Epicentre Church and the Clergy Community Coalition are hosting the second dinner for fire survivors Tuesday, Nov. 4. The event takes place at Epicentre Church, located at 425 Sierra Madre Villa Ave.

The dinner begins at 6 p.m. and is catered by Nancy’s Greek restaurant. Organizers describe it as a safe space for survivors to process their experiences together.

“All fire survivors are welcome,” according to the event announcement. Attendance is capped at 100 people due to space constraints.

In addition to the meal, the evening includes an optional therapeutic art project. Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey of the Altadena Arts Collective will lead the activity.

Fire survivors interested in attending must sign up in advance. Organizers need an accurate headcount for catering purposes.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

County Public Health Probes First Locally Acquired Dengue Case of 2025 Season in San Gabriel Valley

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating the first confirmed case of locally acquired dengue virus for the 2025 mosquito season, officials announced Wednesday.

The patient, a resident of the San Gabriel Valley, developed symptoms in late September and is currently recovering. Health officials said the individual had no recent travel history to regions where dengue is endemic, indicating the virus was contracted from a local mosquito.

While the risk of widespread dengue transmission in Los Angeles County remains low, public health officials emphasized that the case confirms the presence of infected mosquitoes in the area. They urged residents to take preventive measures, including eliminating standing water, using insect repellent, and ensuring window and door screens are intact.

In response, San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District field teams have deployed additional mosquito traps and increased testing frequency to detect the presence of dengue virus (DENV) in local mosquito populations. Door-to-door inspections and treatments are underway to eliminate adult mosquitoes and breeding sources.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Barger Warns of Looming Fiscal Crisis for L.A. County if Federal Shutdown Persists

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger on Tuesday issued a stark warning about the potential fallout from a prolonged federal government shutdown, saying essential safety net programs and County operations could face severe disruptions beginning Nov. 1 if federal funds are not secured by the end of October.

Barger’s statement followed briefings from County officials outlining the fiscal cliff that could emerge. She emphasized that programs such as CalFresh and CalWORKS — which provide food assistance and child welfare support to thousands of vulnerable families — are at risk of suspension.

“I am deeply concerned about the looming cliff facing many of our vulnerable families and children if federal funds are not secured by the end of this month,” Barger said. “Programs like CalFresh, which provides essential food resources to thousands of families, and CalWORKS, which supports child welfare payments for children in need, are lifelines for the most vulnerable in our County.”

Without these resources, she warned, families who rely on them could face “unimaginable hardship beginning November 1.”

Barger also noted that the shutdown threatens funding for County departments including the Department of Public Social Services and the Department of Children and Family Services,

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Barger Casts Lone Dissenting Vote Against Immigration-Related Emergency Declaration

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger on Tuesday opposed a motion to declare a local state of emergency in response to federal immigration enforcement actions, casting the sole dissenting vote in a 4-1 decision.

The emergency declaration, approved by the board majority, alleges that ongoing federal immigration raids are preventing people from going to work and forcing some businesses to close.

Barger, who represents Altadena and Pasadena, said her vote was rooted in concerns about governance and the appropriate use of emergency powers—not immigration status. “Families across Los Angeles County are afraid, and that fear is real,” she said in a statement following the vote. “I’ve spoken with members of our Latino community who live with the daily anxiety that immigration actions could separate families and destabilize neighborhoods. That fear deserves to be acknowledged with honesty and compassion.”

However, Barger argued that invoking emergency powers in this context is a misuse of authority. “Emergency powers exist for crises that pose life and death consequences like wildfires—not as a shortcut for complex policy issues,” she said.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

LA County Board OKs Local Emergency Proclamation Due to Immigration Raids

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency Tuesday in response to ongoing federal immigration enforcement raids, alleging the actions are preventing people from going to work and forcing some businesses to close.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced the motion calling for the drafting of the emergency proclamation in response to a report presented to the board last week by county attorneys on options for possibly enacting an eviction moratorium or other protections for people impacted by the raids.

The Los Angeles Tenants Union advocacy group has been pushing the board for weeks to enact such a moratorium, saying the raids are creating enough fear to prevent people from going to work, or prompting businesses to temporarily close, leaving their employees unable to work.

The county attorney’s report noted that an eviction moratorium could be enacted during a declared local emergency, but it would have to be “temporary and narrowly tailored” to address impacts of the emergency,

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Powerball Winner Edwin Castro Buys Fire-Damaged Lots to Help Rebuild Altadena

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Nearly a year after wildfires devastated Altadena, Powerball winner Edwin Castro is putting millions toward rebuilding his hometown

Nearly a year after wildfires devastated Altadena, Powerball winner Edwin Castro is putting millions toward rebuilding his hometown.

Castro, who won the record $2 billion jackpot in 2022, has spent about $10 million to buy 15 fire-scorched lots in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills, The Wall Street Journal reported. The 33-year-old, who bought his winning ticket at an Altadena gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue, has become one of the area’s largest post-fire land buyers.

The Eaton Fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures. More than 14,000 acres were charred by the blaze.

“I want to rebuild this place for families who want to live here.”

He said he is not constructing homes to “give them away,” but added that “profit margin should not be egregious.”

The son of a construction worker,

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

California Senator Proposes State Research Funding After JPL Layoffs

Pérez co-authors bond measure seeking voter-approved funding for research institutions amid federal cuts

Senator Sasha Renée Pérez is responding to massive layoffs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory by proposing state-level investment in scientific research. The Pasadena Democrat announced her co-authorship of legislation that would ask California voters to fund research institutions as federal support becomes unstable.

“The recent layoffs underscore the broader instability of federal funding, especially at a time when the Trump Administration is implementing severe cuts to essential research programs and highlight the need for California to take decisive action in protecting its research environment,” Pérez stated.

JPL announced it is laying off 550 skilled and talented employees, representing 11% of its workforce at the La Cañada Flintridge facility. The cuts come just months after many employees were evacuated during the Eaton fire, with some losing their homes.

Pérez called the layoffs “both shocking and deeply concerning.” She highlighted JPL’s role as a global leader in scientific research where teams of scientists and support staff enable groundbreaking work vital to the community,

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

LA Fire Justice Cuts Attorney Fees for Fire Survivors, Launches Oral History Project

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The law firm’s new fee reduction applies to all Eaton Fire survivor clients

LA Fire Justice, the law firm representing hundreds of victims of the Eaton Fire, announced Thursday that it is reducing its attorneys’ fees to 25 percent for all current and future clients—a move intended to return more of survivors’ settlements directly to those rebuilding their lives.

The announcement came during the firm’s annual Client Appreciation Dinner, where leadership underscored their commitment to transparency and community partnership.

“Promises made, promises kept,” said former Councilmember and LA Fire Justice CEO Chris Holden in a statement. “Starting now, we are reducing our attorneys’ fees to 25 percent. This fee reduction applies to all current and future clients—those who signed prior to today and any who sign up after today.”

Clients do not need to take any immediate action. According to the firm, staff members will contact each client in the coming weeks to execute new contracts reflecting the updated fee schedule.

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Newsom Signs Controversial Bill Letting Relatives Care For Kids If Parents Are Deported

By Jeanne Kuang, CALMATTERS

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill allowing a broad range of relatives to step in as children’s caregivers if their parents are deported, a measure that had provoked a firestorm of conservative criticism.

Assembly Bill 495 will also bar daycare providers from collecting immigration information about a child or their parents, and allow parents to nominate a temporary legal guardian for their child in family court.

“We are putting on record that we stand by our families and their right to keep their private information safe, maintain parental rights and help families prepare in case of emergencies,” Newsom said in a press release.

It was one of several measures the Democratic-dominated Legislature pushed this year in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation crackdown in Los Angeles and across California. Newsom, a Democrat, signed several of those other bills — banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks in the state and requiring schools and hospitals to require warrants when officers show up — in a ceremony in L.A.