Tuesday, October 7, 2025

LA County Delays Proposed Increases in Marriage License, Ceremony Fees

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Proposed increases in the costs of Los Angeles County marriage licenses, civil wedding ceremonies and witness services were put on hold Tuesday, with the matter being referred back to the county clerk’s office for further review.

The county Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 gave preliminary approval to the price increases, and it was scheduled to give final approval to the ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting. The vote was delayed, however, with the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office asking that the matter be referred back to the department for additional discussion.

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan had proposed the increases, saying in an earlier letter to the board that the county has not substantially changed its marriage license fees since 2009, although the state added $1 to the cost in 2014. Ceremony and witness fees have not changed since 2015.

Logan argued the current fees “no longer reflect the actual costs to the RR/CC to perform these services and do not take into account inflationary factors or mandated minimum wage increases.”

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Barger Motion Unanimously Approved to Launch Investigation into Alleged Fraud in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

On Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Chair Kathryn Barger to investigate allegations of fraud tied to civil claims filed under AB 218, a California law that extended the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits.

Barger represents Altadena and Pasadena on the Board of Supervisors.

Thousands of AB 218 claims have been filed against the County, many involving individuals formerly in its probation and foster care systems. The first round of settlements—covering approximately 11,000 plaintiffs—will cost $4 billion, with $1.5 billion allocated to attorneys’ fees. This marks the largest financial settlement in County history, with additional claims still pending.

Barger’s motion directs County Counsel to immediately investigate misconduct allegations, consider referrals to the California State Bar, strengthen oversight of settlement agreements, and establish a fraud hotline for reporting unethical behavior. County Counsel is expected to report back within 14 days with updates on the claims review process and hotline implementation.

“Fraudulent claims do a grave disservice to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and to taxpayers,” Barger said.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

California Braces For ‘Devastating’ Expected Cuts To Federal Homeless Housing Funds

By Marisa Kendall, CALMATTERS

The latest blow in a seemingly endless barrage of bad news for the California agencies tasked with fighting homelessness looms: President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to deeply cut federal funding for permanent housing.

The news has sent counties throughout California into a panic. The state is bracing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars for permanent housing, which is the one thing experts agree on as the most effective way to solve homelessness.

Across the state, homeless service providers and local leaders are convening emergency meetings to figure out just how bad the cuts are going to be and what to do about them. Some are scrambling to move money around or even re-label their programs to save hard-won housing. Others have already started helping fewer people in anticipation of the cuts.

But they agree on one thing: If these cuts go through, thousands of California’s most vulnerable residents likely will be evicted from their subsidized housing,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Eaton Fire Collaborative Opens ‘Collaboratory,’ a Home Base for Recovery

The Eaton Fire Collaborative will open the doors of its first permanent physical hub for survivors this afternoon, inviting residents of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre to tour a new space designed to concentrate recovery resources in one place.

The public open house runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at 540 West Woodbury Road in Altadena. Visitors can expect facility tours of the space, demonstrations of available services, brief information sessions and opportunities to meet the partner groups working on the region’s fire recovery.

The event is open to survivors, their families and any community members who want to learn how to connect with assistance.

Leaders of the collaborative describe the “Collaboratory” as both a milestone and a practical tool: a physical address where people can find vetted aid, ask questions and organize next steps.

“The Collaboratory represents an important and visible milestone in the collaborative’s mission to unify precious resources, assistance, and information so that survivors can take control of their recovery,” said Antonio Manning,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Altadena Rebuilds May Proceed Without Immediate Septic Testing, Public Health Says

To keep rebuilds moving on properties using cesspools, Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Monday outlined allowances for like-for-like reconstruction and announced a forthcoming covenant that could defer costly geotechnical testing by committing owners to future upgrades if systems fail.

The announcement came during the Oct. 6 Altadena Community Meeting, where Los Angeles County Department of Public Health  Deputy Director Azar Kattan said the covenant is being drafted and undergoing legal review, with release targeted for early November. The document would allow homeowners to proceed with construction while agreeing to install advanced wastewater treatment systems only if their existing cesspools fail.

Under current post-fire rebuilding rules, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board permits continued use of existing cesspools for like-for-like rebuilds in Altadena, provided the cesspool remains functional and no additional wastewater load is introduced. That means homeowners may not add bedrooms or bedroom equivalents, pools, spas, accessory dwelling units or any other feature that would increase wastewater flow.

If additional bedrooms or equivalents are planned,

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Altadena Rebuild Sees Surge in Permits, But Review Bottlenecks Persist

County officials reported Monday more than 470 permits issued—including more than 350 residential units—and over 200 projects already under construction or inspection in the Eaton Fire recovery zone, but more than 300 plan sets have been returned to homeowners with comments, reflecting both momentum and persistent review hurdles.

The update came during the Altadena Community Meeting on Monday, Oct. 6, where a Los Angeles County supervisor—who introduced the disaster interim ordinance in early September—outlined the pace of rebuilding and the challenges still facing homeowners.

The ordinance, which streamlines discretionary approvals for property modifications, is scheduled for review at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting and may be extended through next year.

A permanent version is under development and will include meaningful community engagement.

Supervisor Barger spoke about the importance of debris clearance, noting that properties failing to show substantial progress by the Oct. 7 deadline will enter an abatement process, allowing the county to clear remaining ash and debris. Officials said this step is critical to maintaining momentum as residents begin reconstruction.

Monday, October 6, 2025

Businesses Encouraged to Support Breast Cancer Research Through USPS Stamp Sales

STAFF REPORT

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, the U.S. Postal Service is urging businesses to help fund research by purchasing the Breast Cancer Research stamp, a semi-postal stamp that has raised nearly $98 million since its debut in 1998.

The 90-cent self-adhesive stamp, equal in value to the First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate, is available year-round in sheets of 20. Proceeds benefit breast cancer research, with 70 percent allocated to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent to the Department of Defense’s medical research program. The contribution is calculated as the difference between the stamp’s purchase price and the prevailing First-Class rate, minus USPS costs.

Authorized by Congress in 1997, the Breast Cancer Research stamp was the first semi-postal stamp in U.S. history. Its sale authority was extended through 2027 under the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Reauthorization Act of 2019.

In addition to the breast cancer stamp, USPS offers three other fundraising stamps: Save Vanishing Species (2011),

Monday, October 6, 2025

Federal judge rebukes Trump administration attempt to deploy Guard units from California, Texas to Oregon

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CALMATTERS

In an extraordinary Sunday night hearing, federal District Judge Karin Immergut temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying federalized troops from any state to Oregon.

Hours after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed suit against the Trump administration Sunday seeking to prevent the president from sending 300 California National guard troops to Portland, Ore., a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking federalized deployment from any state to Oregon.

The order came during an extraordinary Sunday night hearing after Oregon and California attorneys revealed that in addition to trying to send California troops to Oregon, President Trump’s War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, had ordered Texas National Guard members to deploy as well.

Oregon District Court Judge Karin Immergut interrupted Department of Justice attorney Eric Hamilton repeatedly during the hearing, saying the administration was trying to circumvent an order she issued Saturday temporarily halting the use of Oregon Guard troops in Portland.

She said that she sees the conduct of the Trump administration,

Monday, October 6, 2025

Pasadena Unified Launches Fiscal Stabilization Process to Address $30+ Million in Reductions

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) has launched a transparent, community-informed process to stabilize its budget and implement reductions of $30-35 million for the 2026-27 school year. The Board of Education is scheduled to take action in November to meet an early December deadline set by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). 

The district closed out the 2024-25 fiscal year with a positive balance across all funds – largely due to a $12 million reduction in planned spending for 2025-26 and one-time disaster-recovery funds following the Eaton Fire.

Originally scheduled to cut $27 million to meet a structural deficit, the district made a “conscious decision” to reduce the scale of those cuts in light of the Eaton Fire and its “commitment to caring for our community during recovery.” 

The results, according to the district, is a $30-35 million budget shortfall in 2026-27, driven by a structural deficit, rising costs, declining enrollment, and the volatility of federal funding. 

“Our first priority is students and their classroom experience,” said PUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco,

Monday, October 6, 2025

Newsom Just Vetoed A Bill To Regulate License Plate Readers

By Khari Johnson and Mohamed Al Elew, CALMATTERS

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have tightened rules on how police in California use automated license plate readers, saying the regulations would impede criminal investigations.

The Legislature approved the proposal last month amid reports police were misusing the data, including a CalMatters story in June showing that officers on more than 100 occasions violated a state law against sharing the data with federal authorities and others outside the state.

The veto comes as new CalMatters reporting shows Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies appear to have violated internal policy by not documenting why they tracked certain license plates.

In his veto message this week, Newsom cited examples of how the proposed restrictions, which would have required police to better document their searches and delete some of their data within two months, could stymie police work.

“For example,” he wrote, “it may not be apparent,