Saturday, September 26, 2026

District Attorney Hochman to Discuss Eaton Fire Probe on KBLA’s ‘Altadena Forward’ Saturday

The live interview on James Farr’s Altadena recovery program radio program follows a Sept. 22 town hall at which Hochman called the Edison investigation “very active”

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is scheduled to discuss the Eaton Fire criminal investigation live Saturday, Sept. 26, on KBLA Talk 1580’s “Conversation Live: Altadena Forward,” host James Farr announced.

The 10 a.m. interview follows a Sept. 22 town hall at which Hochman told fire survivors that his office’s criminal investigation of Southern California Edison remains “very active.” It also follows the Aug. 4 release of Los Angeles County Fire Department reports concluding that electrical arcing on an out-of-service Edison tower caused the January 2025 fire.

“When or if we bring that case —I think it’s a when and not an if,” Hochman reportedly said at the town hall, held at the Eaton Fire Collaborative. He said prosecutors are weighing scientific and technical evidence, expert reports and material from civil litigation as they decide whether charges can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Saturday, September 26, 2026

County Experts Discuss El Niño Risks, Answer Questions at Monday Virtual Town Hall

Local esidents can ask Los Angeles County experts about El Niño storm risks during a virtual town hall Monday, Sept. 28, as the county monitors burn areas ahead of the 2026-27 storm season.

El Niño could bring heavier rain and raise the risk of flooding, landslides and debris flows across the county, experts caution.

The 90-minute session, “El Niño Town Hall: Know Before The Storm,” is hosted by Supervisor Horvath’s Third District office and is open to residents countywide. It will bring together county departments to explain how the county is preparing for the wet fall and winter conditions expected with El Niño, her office said.

Partners include the county Office of Emergency Management and the departments of Public Works, Beaches and Harbors, and Public Social Services, along with the National Weather Service Los Angeles office.

The discussion is to cover the potential for heavier rain, flooding, landslides and debris flows, with information on emergency alerts and evacuation planning, according to City News Service.

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Republican Governor Nominee Steve Hilton Among Speakers Slated for Conservative Forum in Pasadena Today

The all-day event at Ambassador Auditorium runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, with a free outdoor festival, separately ticketed luncheon and reception, and security screening at the door

Republican governor nominee Steve Hilton is among the speakers scheduled for AM870 The Answer’s Townhall 2026 Conservative Forum on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena.

The forum, presented by the radio station and the Reagan Gold Group, is meant to energize conservative activists and help turn out voters for the Nov. 3 general election, according to a media advisory sent on the station’s behalf. Hilton faces Democrat Xavier Becerra for governor on that ballot.

Comedian and radio personality Adam Carolla and independent journalist Nick Shirley are also featured, along with AM870 talk hosts Larry Elder, Alex Marlow, Larry O’Connor and Mike Gallagher, the station says. Jennifer Horn, host of the station’s “The Morning Answer,” will host the event.

Other listed guests include Gloria Romero, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor,

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Free Black Education Expo for K-12 Families Returns to Pasadena Convention Center Oct. 3

Workshops, a Teen Zone, wellness screenings and a free bus from South Los Angeles are planned, organizers say

The Black Education Expo, a free resource fair for kindergarten-through-12th-grade students and their families, returns to the Pasadena Convention Center on Saturday, Oct. 3, co-presented by Pasadena Councilmember Tyron Hampton.

The one-day event puts colleges, employers, health providers and community organizations in one hall for students ages 5 to 18, their families and educators, organizers said. Organizers put the expo hall at more than 70 resources in their news release and at more than 50 curated exhibitors on their flyer.

The expo runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Conference Center on the convention center’s lower level, 300 E. Green St. Admission is free, and organizers ask attendees to register for a free ticket through Eventbrite. Families from Los Angeles, the Antelope Valley, Orange County and San Bernardino County are invited.

Two parent and educator workshops are scheduled,

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Caltech Welcomes New Students With a Lesson in Ignition

By EDDIE RIVERA

At the Institute’s annual Convocation, President Ray Jayawardhana and fusion scientist Tammy Ma urged incoming students to embrace difficult problems, failure and the power of working together

Hundreds of new Caltech students streamed across Beckman Mall Friday morning, passing beneath an arch of orange, white and turquoise balloons before filing into Beckman Auditorium for a formal welcome to one of the world’s most demanding scientific communities.

Waiting inside was something considerably smaller.

Held aloft in a clear cylindrical display was a tiny fusion target — the kind of object that helped scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieve what had eluded researchers for generations: fusion ignition.

“This little target,” Caltech Class of 1985 alumna Tammy Ma told the students, holding it up. “This is what we turn into a star.” It was an apt centerpiece for Caltech’s 2026 Convocation, a ceremony about beginnings, difficult questions and what can happen when very small things are pushed to extraordinary limits.

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Eaton Fire Recovery Nonprofit Stages Free Ashes to Anthems Concert at Pasadena City College Sunday

In Pasadena, the Legacy Land Project closes its Ashes to Anthems weekend with a concert at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in Sexson Auditorium at Pasadena City College.

The nonprofit, a Black-led organization formed in response to the Eaton Fire, says it works to help families return to and rebuild in Altadena and Pasadena.

Admission is free, but guests must reserve tickets in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ashes-to-anthems-rb-concert-tickets-2000539739213. Sexson Auditorium is in Building C of the Pasadena City College campus at 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.

Performers named by the organizers include BJ the Chicago Kid and Ogi.

“This is our second year doing Ashes to Anthems, and what we saw was collectively a need for us to continue to create joy,” William Syms said in a May interview with Pasadena Now, speaking as the Legacy Land Project’s executive director and board chair. “When you lose your home and your community is devastated, it can’t be forgotten,”

Friday, September 25, 2026

UCLA Study: Eaton Fire Smoke Sent Airborne Lead Soaring

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Smoke from the Eaton Fire sent toxic airborne contaminants soaring downwind, including lead levels up to 250 times above normal, but pollution returned to background levels within roughly six days after the flames were extinguished, according to findings from a UCLA study announced Thursday.

Researchers found highly elevated levels of arsenic, chlorine, bromine and copper during active burning, but no evidence that toxic smoke or heavy metals lingered in the air, with pollution levels remaining normal for months afterward.

“As wildland-urban interface fires like what the LA region experienced in January 2025 become more frequent, this study helps us better understand the immediate risks posed by smoke from these kinds of fires to surrounding communities,” Suzanne Paulson, a UCLA professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and one of the study’s authors, said. “Still, there’s more work to be done to better understand the dynamics of how burning in urban environments versus wildlands affects the makeup of the pollutants in the smoke these fires produce.”

Friday, September 25, 2026

Pasadena Community Foundation Sets Nov. 12 Local Heroes Celebration to Honor Nonprofits, Recognize Donors

The foundation’s 27th annual celebration follows $2 million in Eaton Fire recovery grants to nonprofit partners

The Pasadena Community Foundation announced it will hold its 27th annual Local Heroes celebration Thursday, Nov. 12, at Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena, honoring local people and nonprofits and recognizing donors.

The celebration is the foundation’s yearly showcase for the nonprofits it funds in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. In 2026, the foundation has paired its regular grant programs with $2 million in Eaton Fire recovery grants to nonprofit partners.

The foundation said the 4 to 5:30 p.m. event will include light refreshments and will recognize donors “whose generosity helps create a lasting impact across our community.”

Last year’s celebration drew nearly 250 nonprofit leaders, community partners and donors, according to the foundation.

In May, the foundation announced nearly $600,000 in capital grants to 29 Pasadena-area nonprofits, including $50,000 Capital Campaign Grants to the Sierra Madre Library Foundation and Door of Hope.

Friday, September 25, 2026

Edison Says Its Representatives Will Intensify Outreach at Local Events As November 30 Compensation Program Deadline Nears

Utility reports nearly 4,900 claims as survivors’ advocates dispute its offers and City of Pasadena presses its lawsuit

Southern California Edison said Sept. 24 that it has paid more than $525 million to Eaton Fire claimants and that it will send representatives of its compensation program to local events in Pasadena before the program’s Nov. 30 claim deadline.

SCE team members will be at the State of the Black Community event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at First AME Church, 1700 N. Raymond Ave., in Pasadena. Edison representatives will be at other local events throughout October.

As of Sept. 24, nearly 4,900 claims had been submitted on behalf of more than 14,900 individuals, trusts and legal entities, and nearly 2,800 offers totaling more than $970 million had been extended, the utility said.

Eligible residents and businesses that do not file by Nov. 30 will not learn what the program might pay them,

Friday, September 25, 2026

Pasadena Congresswoman Presses FEMA to Reverse Denial for Fire Survivors’ Case Management

Rep. Judy Chu and three colleagues are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reverse its denial of $6.57 million for fire survivors’ case management they say will otherwise end Sept. 30. 

The Disaster Case Management Program serves survivors of the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires. Chu, Rep. Brad Sherman and Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla wrote to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton on Sept. 24. They asked the agency to grant California’s appeal, release money it has already approved and, answer their questions by Sept. 28. 

The program is FEMA-funded and provides case management to survivors with unmet disaster-related needs, according to FEMA. 

Case managers help survivors with insurance, FEMA or Small Business Administration issues, financing, floor plans and contractors, according to Los Angeles County. The program is administered by the state Department of Social Services and delivered by Catholic Charities of California, CORE, the Little Tokyo Service Center and Jewish Family Services LA. 

FEMA approved the program to run for 24 months on May 5,