Thursday, July 2, 2026

Behavioral Health Overhaul Takes Effect in LA County

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County officially transitioned Wednesday to California’s Behavioral Health Services Act, a voter-approved overhaul of the state’s behavioral health funding system that expands services for people with serious mental health and substance use disorders.

The transition implements Proposition 1, approved by California voters in March 2024, which replaced the Mental Health Services Act with the Behavioral Health Services Act, according to county officials.

The measure restructured existing mental health funding, expanded support for substance use disorder treatment and authorized $6.3 billion in bonds for behavioral health treatment facilities and housing.

County officials said the new law broadens collaboration between the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Public Health’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Bureau while prioritizing funding for intensive treatment, housing assistance and behavioral health services.

“Many of BHSA’s changes are administrative, which means consumers will experience a seamless transition to this new age of mental health care in Los Angeles County,”

Thursday, July 2, 2026

St. Mark’s in Altadena Files to Rebuild After Eaton Fire

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Saint Mark’s Church and School in Altadena announced Wednesday that it has begun the formal application process with Los Angeles County to rebuild its campus, marking a major milestone in its recovery from the Eaton Fire.

The application, submitted through the county’s Disaster Recovery Permit process, begins the formal review for reconstruction of the church and school campus, which has served the Altadena community for generations, according to church officials.

The proposed project would restore and modernize the campus while incorporating enhanced fire-resilient design, sustainability features, improved emergency access and updated facilities, officials said. The project would not increase school enrollment, and officials said they hope to reopen the campus in fall 2028.

“This submission represents far more than a planning milestone,” Saint Mark’s School Head Jennifer Tolbert said in a statement. “It represents the resilience of our students, families, faculty, parishioners, and neighbors who have carried this community forward through an incredibly difficult year.”

Church officials said the proposal will move through Los Angeles County’s public review process over the coming months,

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Altadena Fire Survivors Head to Sacramento for SB 1090 Hearings Wednesday

Two Assembly committees weigh a bill to pause fast-track lot splits in the Eaton Fire burn zone

Fire survivors and community representatives from Altadena were traveling to Sacramento Wednesday to testify before two Assembly committees weighing a bill that would pause fast-track housing development on lots burned in last year’s Eaton Fire.

Senate Bill 1090, the Keep Altadena Land in Altadena Hands Act, is scheduled before the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee at 9:30 a.m. in State Capitol Room 437, chaired by Assemblymember Matt Haney, and the Assembly Local Government Committee at 1:30 p.m. in Room 447, chaired by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo. The bill’s original June 24 hearing was postponed. The Senate passed it May 27.

Authored by state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, and co-authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian, D-Pasadena, the bill would block ministerial approval under SB 9 and SB 1123 for applications in Altadena’s 91001 and 91003 ZIP codes. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena,

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

The People Rebuilding Altadena Need Rebuilding, Too — New Program Aims to Help

Jericho Road Pasadena launches a free wellness series for nonprofit workers worn down by 18 months of wildfire recovery

The nonprofit workers who rushed in after the Eaton Fire — the grant writers, the case managers, the volunteer coordinators, the people who staffed the aid centers and answered the phones — have been at it for a year and a half. Now someone is asking how they are doing.

Jericho Road Pasadena, a nonprofit that has spent 16 years matching skilled volunteers with local organizations, is launching a long-term wellness initiative aimed at the people who have been carrying the community’s recovery. The effort centers on a free 10-session series called Practicing Joy in Times of Crisis, developed in partnership with A Thousand Joys, a California-based nonprofit that trains service providers in resilience and trauma-informed care.

The Eaton Fire, which ignited on January 7, 2025, destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena and killed 19 people, according to Cal Fire data reported by PBS.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Harabedian Bill to Expand “Best Value” Contracting Clears Senate Fiscal Committee

A measure aimed at San Gabriel Valley cities, including Pasadena and Altadena, now heads toward a Senate floor vote

A bill authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) that would let the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and general law cities use “best value” contracting on large construction projects cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, which ordered it to a second reading under Senate Rule 28.8, sending it toward the Senate floor, Harabedian’s office announced.

The measure, AB 1786, would give those local governments the option to weigh a contractor’s experience, expertise and speed alongside cost when awarding large contracts for projects such as roads, parks and housing. It would touch the same San Gabriel Valley communities — among them Pasadena and Altadena — now focused on rebuilding and infrastructure delivery.

Under current law, the SGVCOG and general law cities do not have access to best value contracting authority for large developments, according to Harabedian’s office. The bill would extend that authority by amending the state Public Contract Code.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Pasadena Senator Praises Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Birthright Citizenship

Sasha Renée Pérez says the 6-3 decision affirms a constitutional right she says the Trump administration tried to erode

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Pasadena, praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week upholding birthright citizenship, calling it a correct reading of the Constitution in a statement released by her office.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that children born in the United States to parents who are undocumented or in the country temporarily are citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. The ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, rejected an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day back in office in January 2025 seeking to end automatic citizenship for those children. The order never took effect; every lower court that reviewed it blocked it before the case reached the Supreme Court.

Pérez, whose 25th Senate District includes Pasadena and Altadena along with other San Gabriel Valley communities, said the ruling settles what she called a divisive question.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

L.A. Public Defender García Joins Statewide Advocacy Leaders in Renewing Call for Universal Clemency

As California marks 50 years of the modern death penalty, advocates urge Governor Newsom to commute every death sentence

On Tuesday L.A. Public Defender Ricardo D. García joined civil rights advocates, faith leaders, and community organizations at the California State Capitol to call for universal clemency for everyone on California’s death row. The event came as California reflects on five decades of a death penalty system that has proven costly, arbitrary, and irreversible.

“As public defenders, we see firsthand how profoundly unjust our criminal legal system is. In California, this system is deeply stained by systemic racism, flaws that cannot be undone when the punishment is death,” said García. “Granting clemency to every person on death row is not an act of leniency; it is an acknowledgment that a system this flawed should never have the power to take a life. It is the only just response to decades of evidence showing that the death penalty has failed.”

The death penalty disproportionately targets people of color,

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Huntington Hospital in Pasadena to Receive $7.2 Million Under Los Angeles County Trauma Center Agreement

The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $73.48 million agreement with 13 non-county-operated trauma centers across the region

Huntington Hospital will receive $7.2 million from Los Angeles County to help fund its emergency and trauma services after the County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $73.48 million agreement with 13 non-county-operated trauma centers across the region.

The vote, taken at the Board’s regular meeting June 30 at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles, authorizes the County to execute amended Memoranda of Agreement with each of the 13 hospitals for Fiscal Year 2025-26. County officials characterized the action as procedural and necessary to ensure continuity of care.

Huntington Hospital — located at 100 W. California Blvd. and the only Level II trauma center serving the San Gabriel Valley — will receive $7,225,731 under the agreement, according to a staff report from the County’s Department of Health Services submitted to the Board.

The hospital ranks 11th among the 13 recipients by funding amount.

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

LAHSA Sues Trump Administration Over Decision to Suspend HUD Funding

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a decision to suspend federal funding over allegations of fraud and widespread mismanagement.

LAHSA officials said they are attempting to prevent any interruption of federal resources that support housing and services for more than 11,000 people across Los Angeles County.

A cutback in federal funds has already impacted local providers, including Union Station which has lost 20% of its federal funding.

In addition to the federal complaint, LAHSA filed an application for a temporary restraining order to prevent the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from suspending funding while the matter is reviewed in court.

“We are taking this step to protect formerly unhoused people who found a permanent home,” Gita O’Neill, LAHSA’s interim CEO, said in a statement.

“The people who will be harmed by this decision are not bureaucrats.

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Billions in Approved Disaster Loans Arrives at Final Deadline Today for Eaton and Palisades Fire Survivors

Only about $1 billion of $3.4 billion in SBA aid has reached borrowers; in-person help is available at The Collaboratory in Altadena

The federal government approved more than $3.4 billion in disaster loans for survivors of the January 2025 wildfires. Only about $1 billion has reached them.

Today, June 30, 2026, is the final day those approved borrowers — homeowners, renters, small businesses, and nonprofits across Los Angeles County — can accept their funds through the SBA’s routine disbursement process. After today, according to the SBA, undisbursed loan assistance will be available only on a case-by-case basis.

In Altadena, where the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 19 people, survivors can walk into The Collaboratory at 540 West Woodbury Road for in-person help, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., according to the SBA. A second center operates at The Pali Hub, 15239 La Cruz Drive, Pacific Palisades, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Palisades Fire destroyed 6,837 structures and killed 12;