Thursday, September 4, 2025

Is Newsom’s CARE Court Living Up To His Promises?

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

Seven years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom told Californians he wanted to be known for “audacious stretch goals” rather than being too timid.

His mental health overhaul counts as one of those, from changes that expanded coverage for mental health conditions to last year’s Proposition 1, the ballot measure that poured $6.4 billion into new mental health housing.

A team of CalMatters reporters this week published a deep look into one of the key components of Newsom’s mental health strategy: CARE Court, a program intended to help seriously ill Californians living on the streets.

They found the program has treated only a small fraction of eligible patients — as in hundreds of people rather than the thousands Newsom projected.

• Tanya Fedak, whose son cycles between homelessness and jail despite being accepted into CARE Court: “These are our loved ones. It’s our taxpayers’ money. There’s no accountability. And it’s frustrating to see it go down,

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

$1 Million Grant Program Targets Fire-Hit Small Businesses

Initiative offers up to $50,000 per business in Altadena, Malibu and Palisades areas

Small businesses devastated by the Eaton and Palisades fires can now apply for emergency grants through a $1 million relief program launched by Steadfast LA and Banc of California.

The initiative provides direct grants up to $50,000 per business to help owners rebuild damaged property, reopen their doors and cover fire-related expenses. Program organizers say the funding is designed to be flexible, acknowledging that each business faces different recovery challenges.

LiftFund, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution with three decades of disaster relief experience, will administer the grants. In its company profile, the organization says it specializes in providing financial assistance to small businesses during emergencies.

Business owners must meet strict eligibility requirements to qualify. A statement by Steadfast LA said companies must have been operating before Oct. 1, 2024, with documented sales revenue shown in business bank statements. Applicants without business bank accounts cannot participate.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Pasadena, Nearby Cities Follow State Law on Military Gear

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

As the Pasadena Police Department prepares for a public meeting Thursday, Sept. 4, to review its 2024–2025 Military Equipment Annual Report, Pasadena and nearby cities remain in compliance with California’s transparency law governing military-style equipment.

Under California Assembly Bill 481, law enforcement agencies must obtain local governing body approval via ordinance before acquiring or using defined types of “military equipment.”

Departments are also required to publish detailed inventories, issue annual reports, disclose costs, and hold public forums for residents. The law, passed in 2021, was designed to counterbalance federal programs that for decades made it easier for local departments to acquire military-grade tools.

“Keeping our community safe starts with being open and accountable,” said Mayor Victor Gordo. “As our Pasadena Police Department shares its 2024-2025 Military Equipment Report this coming Thursday, we want our community to know that these tools are used responsibly, with accountability, and always with respect for the people we serve.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Pasadena Assemblymember’s Wildfire Recovery Bills Clear Senate Committee

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Three bills help California wildfire victims with housing, mental health and community stability

Three wildfire recovery bills authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) advanced Friday through the state Senate Appropriations Committee, moving closer to a floor vote in the coming weeks.

“These bills represent meaningful advances in our recovery efforts,” Harabedian said in a statement. “From aligning all levels of government in rebuilding housing to protecting our proud history of homeownership and ensuring that victims of unimaginable disasters get the help they need, I am proud to continue fighting for an accelerated and survivor-led comeback for our community.”

The measures include:

AB 239, which creates a State-Led Disaster Housing Task Force to coordinate federal, state and local recovery efforts. A State Disaster Housing Coordinator would oversee rebuilding, provide accountability and report to lawmakers on progress and challenges.

AB 797, the Community Stabilization Act, which allows nonprofits to use Community Reinvestment Act funds to buy homes in disaster zones at fair market value.

Monday, September 1, 2025

Under A Blazing Sun, Altadena Town & Country Club Begins Its Next Chapter

By EDDIE RIVERA

The mood was part homecoming, part rally for the future

Under a blazing late-August sun, with temperatures pushing toward triple digits, as many as 700 members and guests streamed into the Altadena Town & Country Club on Saturday for what organizers called “a new beginning.” For the first time since the devastating January 7 Eaton Fire reduced the historic clubhouse to ashes, the club’s tennis courts, pickleball courts and swimming pool were once again filled with life.

The clubhouse itself is gone, has been reduced an empty lot, with only portions of its walls remaining, as a wooden staircase through an opening in a fence led guests to the party.

But the mood was part homecoming, part rally for the future.

Families fanned themselves under umbrellas while children raced straight to the sparkling pool, squealing as they leapt into the water. Guests were treated to lunch from Pie ‘n Burger and local taco trucks — a detail that Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger was quick to praise.

Monday, September 1, 2025

Classic Cars Will Still Need A Smog Test In California After Lawmakers Reject Jay Leno Bill

By Ryan Sabalow, CALMATTERS

Jay Leno’s star power wasn’t enough to persuade a California legislative committee to pass a measure to allow owners of classic cars like him to be exempted from the state’s rigorous smog-check requirements.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday blocked Bakersfield Republican Sen. Shannon Grove’s Senate Bill 712 from advancing for a full vote. Leno had testified in support of the measure in Sacramento earlier this year.

The committee’s members and its powerful Democratic chairperson, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland, did not provide a reason for killing the bill during Friday’s hearing, which quickly and with little fanfare announced the fate of 260 other bills that had been placed on the committee’s so-called “suspense file.” Seventy other bills also were killed without explanation.

The Senate and Assembly’s appropriations committees, which both met Friday and rejected hundreds of bills, are supposed to be the gatekeepers for bills proposing to spend taxpayer money.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Senator Pérez Condemns Detention of Pasadena Resident Rami Othmane Following His Release, Calls for Immigration Reform

California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) issued a sharp rebuke of federal immigration authorities following the release of Pasadena resident Rami Othmane, who was detained for nearly two weeks in downtown Los Angeles.

Othmane, a classical Arabic musician and longtime U.S. resident originally from Tunisia, was apprehended by masked ICE agents on July 13 while driving to a grocery store in Pasadena. His wife, Dr. Wafaa Alrashid — Chief Medical Officer at Huntington Hospital — purportedly witnessed the arrest via FaceTime.

Othmane was held for 13 days in a federal detention facility, where he was reportedly denied basic hygiene and provided only snacks instead of full meals. He was released on August 7 but remains under surveillance with an ankle monitor.

“This President and the federal administration have no human compassion,” Pérez said in a statement. “Mr. Othmane has no criminal record and is a valuable member of our community. The indiscriminate and violent immigration enforcement is cruel and misguided.”

Media reports indicate Othmane has lived in the United States since 2015,

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Altadena Baptist Church to Host Hope and Healing Event at Site of Fire-Ravaged Sanctuary

Today’s gathering will feature worship, lunch, and art to foster healing and hope

In a poignant act of remembrance and resilience, Altadena Baptist Church will hold its “Coming Home! Altadena Dreams” event on August 31 at the original site of its sanctuary, which was destroyed in the Eaton Fire nearly eight months ago. The gathering will feature a worship service, community lunch, and collaborative art installation aimed at fostering healing and hope.

Today’s event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with songs, prayers, and testimonies reflecting on the January blaze that claimed 19 lives and destroyed 9,400 structures across Altadena.

Attendees will then share a free barbecue lunch at noon, followed by “Dream Altadena,” an art-making session from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The activities will take place on the lawn beside the gaping hole where the church once stood.

“This project is about more than art, it’s about collective healing,” said environmental muralist Ekaterina Sky, who will help lead the community mural initiative.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Extreme Fire Danger Prompts Full Flame Ban in Angeles National Forest

A full ban on open flames and spark-producing activities is now in effect across the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, directly affecting Pasadena-area trailheads and recreation zones.

The U.S. Forest Service issued Forest Order No. 05-01-25-15 in response to what it has classified as an “EXTREME” fire danger period, citing public safety and resource protection as primary concerns.

Local residents who frequent nearby forest access points such as Millard Canyon, Eaton Saddle, and Chantry Flat should expect increased enforcement and signage.

The Forest Service said that the elevated fire risk is driven by prolonged drought conditions, high temperatures, and dry vegetation throughout the San Gabriel Mountains.

The restrictions apply to all visitors, including those holding valid California Campfire Permits, who are explicitly not exempt under the new directive.

Violations may result in fines of up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, along with possible imprisonment for up to six months.

The order,

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Where Generations Gathered, a Club Rises From the Ashes

By THERESE EDU

A judge whose home burned in January’s Eaton Fire recently told the board president of the Altadena Town and Country Club that losing the club was just as devastating as losing her house. She wasn’t being overly dramatic. For 115 years, the club had been less country club than heart of the community — the place where Altadena held its proms, graduations, meetings, and weddings, where 120 people worked and thousands gathered.

On Sunday, nearly eight months after the fire reduced the clubhouse and cart barn to rubble, about 900 people are expected to head for the club’s “Grand-Reopening celebration.” Club organizers had expected 300, maybe 400 responses. They got a measure of what this place means to Altadena.

“I cannot tell you how many people have come up to me and said, oh, I had my high school graduation party here, or my daughter’s prom was here, my cousin got married,” said Rebecca Stokes, the club’s board president.