Monday, May 11, 2026

County Supervisors Agenda Includes Eaton Fire Recovery Actions, Affordable Housing Projects Near Pasadena Area

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is scheduled to consider several Eaton Fire recovery-related measures, affordable housing projects in nearby unincorporated communities and a proposed crackdown on illegal street takeovers, according to the Board agenda posted May 6.

The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 12, in Board Hearing Room 381B at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.

Several agenda items focus on continuing recovery operations tied to the January 2025 Windstorm and Critical Eaton Fire Events.

One item would continue emergency authority allowing county officials to bypass standard competitive bidding requirements for certain emergency contracts related to cleanup, reconstruction and infrastructure recovery associated with the fires.

A separate Public Works Department item would similarly continue emergency contracting authority for repair and replacement of public facilities damaged during the fires.

The agenda also includes a scheduled report from the county’s Chief Sustainability Officer regarding the Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery,

Monday, May 11, 2026

School Board Member Says Community Engagement Will Take Place on Eliot Tower

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

[UPDATED] A school board member told Pasadena Now that additional assessments of the Eliot tower will be conducted and the community will have its say on the matter before a final decision is made.

“The evaluations so far by DSA (Division of the State Architect) and structural engineers have determined that the tower is not stable or safe,” said Board Member Jennifer Hall Lee. “Additional assessments of the tower will be conducted. There will be full engagement of the community before any actions are taken. As an Altadenan I understand the devastation of our community and that Eliot is Altadena’s iconic building.”

According to media reports, Altadena Town Council Vice Chair Milissa Marona said Blanco told a land use committee the school district had consulted insurance and engineering firms and believed the tower could not safely remain.

According to those reports, Marona said future plans did not include Building A or the tower,

Monday, May 11, 2026

Guest Opinion | John Lira: PUSD needs a Holistic Progressive Vision for the Integrated, Fully-Staffed Model Schools of Tomorrow

John Lira is a 25-year veteran PUSD educator and sits on the board of the United Teachers of Pasadena

PUSD was recently gifted almost 1.5 billion tax dollars in bond measure money, Measure O (516M) in 2020, and Measure R (900M) in 2024.  The District gets almost 12 million annually from the passage of Measures I and J and an additional 5 million from Parcel Tax Measure EE, along with more money for the diverse population it serves, which means PUSD receives more money per pupil than all the districts that surround it.  With all this gifted tax and bond money, it must reimagine what PUSD will look like in 5, 10, or more years from now.  PUSD should use its unprecedented bond funding and local revenue not merely to manage decline, but to redesign the district around integrated, stable, fully staffed schools that provide equitable access and comprehensive educational opportunities.  It is time to prepare for a progressive vision for the integrated, fully-staffed model schools of tomorrow.

Monday, May 11, 2026

LA County Gas Prices Decline Slightly

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County declined one-tenth of a cent Sunday to $6.231, its third consecutive slight decrease after a 15-day streak of increases that saw it rise 32.4 cents.

The average price is 5.4 cents more than one week ago, 21.6 cents more than one month ago and $1.442 more than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has risen $1.537 since the joint U.S./Israel attack on Iran on Feb. 28, moving within 26.3 cents of the record $6.494 set Oct. 5, 2022.

The national average price dropped eight-tenths of a cent to $4.522. The national average price has decreased three straight days following a 16-day streak of increases that saw it rise 54.8 cents to its highest amount since July 16, 2022. It is 7.6 cents more than one week ago, 36.9 cents more than one month ago and $1.383 more than one year ago.

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Edison Tops $500 Million in Eaton Fire Offers as Altadena Undergrounding Draws Pushback

The utility’s voluntary compensation program approaches a November deadline while residents challenge the cost and pace of burying power lines

Sixteen months after the Eaton Fire leveled more than 9,000 structures across Altadena, Southern California Edison says it has crossed a threshold: more than $500 million offered to fire survivors through its voluntary compensation program, with more than 68% of those offers accepted.

The figure, disclosed in a May 7 progress report on Edison’s corporate platform, marks six months since the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program began accepting claims for property loss, smoke damage, and other fire-related harm. The program operates as an alternative to litigation at a time when SCE faces lawsuits from Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, and the U.S. Department of Justice, all alleging the utility’s equipment contributed to the fire that killed at least 17 people on January 7, 2025. SCE has acknowledged the possibility that its infrastructure was involved; the cause remains under investigation.

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Altadena Order of the Phoenix Holds May Meeting at La Cañada Presbyterian

The peer support group for Eaton Fire survivors gathers for its monthly dinner meeting Tuesday evening, with RSVP requested

Sixteen months after the Eaton Fire reduced thousands of Altadena homes to rubble, a peer support network born out of a neighborhood dog-walking circle continues to draw scores of fire survivors to a single table once a month. The Altadena Order of the Phoenix — named for the mythical bird reborn from its ashes — meets Tuesday evening at La Cañada Presbyterian Church for its monthly dinner gathering.

Cofounded by Altadena residents Michele Judd and Chelsea Cartwright, both of whom lost their homes in the January 9, 2025 fire, the group rebranded after its earliest gatherings expanded beyond walking neighbors into something closer to a mutual aid society. About 100 residents now attend monthly meetings, traveling from Studio City, Simi Valley, North Hollywood, and beyond, according to LAist’s reporting on an earlier session.

“This is the type of community we cannot let go of,”

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Altadena Mothers Demand Immediate Cash Relief From Edison as Litigation, Recovery Efforts Continue

By EDDIE RIVERA

Mothers and community advocates criticize utility compensation program as too restrictive ahead of Mother’s Day weekend

Altadena mothers displaced by the Eaton Fire, backed by other survivors and community advocates, gathered Friday outside a Southern California Edison facility to demand immediate financial assistance and accuse the utility of failing to adequately support families struggling to rebuild.

The demonstration, organized by Dena Rise Up and Mothers of Altadena, took place outside Edison’s Altadena office and substation on Fair Oaks Avenue ahead of Mother’s Day weekend.

Protesters called on Southern California Edison and its parent company Edison International to provide $200,000 housing relief advances to displaced households while litigation and insurance disputes tied to the January fire continue moving through the courts.

Hundreds of lawsuits against Southern California Edison remain pending. Edison has not admitted liability. The cause of the fire officially remains under investigation.

“We have two demands of Edison,” organizer Florence Annang told the crowd.

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Mounting Number of Insurance-Accountability Bills Face State Senate Votes in Coming Weeks

Three California Senate bills cosponsored by an Altadena-founded fire survivor network face a Senate Appropriations Committee vote within the next two weeks, sixteen months after the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena.

The bills — SB 877, SB 878 and SB 1301 — passed the Senate Insurance Committee on April 22 and are next scheduled for an Appropriations vote that Joy Chen, executive director of the Every Fire Survivor’s Network, said in an interview is expected May 11 or May 14. A fourth bill in the package, SB 1076, failed the same day.

Chen said in the interview that 70% of L.A. fire survivors are facing insurance delays and denials impeding their recovery, citing a figure from the Department of Angels’ “Community Voices: LA Fire Recovery Report,” a survey of fire-impacted residents published in 2025.

“Recovery really comes down to the money,” Chen said.

SB 877, authored by Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), would require insurers to disclose all original loss estimates and every subsequent revision,

Saturday, May 9, 2026

For Fire-Impacted Altadena, a Saturday Walk Through the Neighborhood with Two Regenerative Designers

Leigh Adams and Shawn Maestretti of Studio Petrichor and Poly/Ana lead a free, on-the-ground morning conversation about how to rebuild a yard with ecological intelligence — and how to relate to the land instead of fear it

In the months since the Eaton Fire, Altadena residents have been making decisions about their landscapes under enormous pressure: what to plant, what to clear, where to spend money, how to think about a future that includes more fire. On Saturday, May 9 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Poly/Ana and Studio Petrichor will lead a free community walk-and-talk in Altadena designed to help fire-impacted residents do that thinking with experienced company at their side.

The morning is hosted by Leigh Adams of the Poly/Ana nonprofit and Shawn Maestretti, principal of the Altadena-based regenerative landscape architecture firm Studio Petrichor. The two have spent years arguing for what they call whole-system design — an approach that frames a property not as a structure to defend against the wild but as an ecosystem to relate to.

Friday, May 8, 2026

Local Singer Returns to Stage After Wildfire Ash Temporarily Silenced Her Voice

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

A Pasadena singer whose voice was temporarily silenced after exposure to toxic wildfire ash is returning to the stage this month with a comeback concert organizers describe as a celebration of healing, resilience and renewal.

“From Silence to Song” is scheduled for May 23 and will feature Pasadena vocalist Monet Bagneris in a performance organizers describe as both a concert and a personal comeback story.

For nearly two months early last year, Bagneris lost her ability to speak after inhaling toxic wildfire ash that spread across the region following the fire. The singer said her throat went into shock from the exposure, leaving her unable to communicate except through a dry-erase board.

“I’m so grateful to God that I have my voice again,” Bagneris said in a December interview after releasing her holiday single “Can’t Wait for Santa.”

The event is being promoted alongside sponsorship opportunities for local businesses and supporters, including advertising space in a souvenir program book and event sponsorship packages.