Wednesday, June 24, 2026

County Governance Task Force Brings Measure G to Altadena

Residents of the unincorporated community can weigh in Wednesday on reforms that will reshape the only government that directly serves them

The body charged with guiding the implementation of the most sweeping overhaul of Los Angeles County government in more than a century holds a special public meeting Wednesday at the Altadena Community Center — placing its work squarely in front of residents who have no city hall, no mayor and no council of their own.

The 13-member Governance Reform Task Force will convene at 5:00 p.m. at the center, 730 East Altadena Drive, to discuss implementation of Measure G, the charter amendment L.A. County voters narrowly approved in November 2024. The session is open to the public and includes time for community comment, according to the county’s official Measure G website.

Measure G sets in motion a series of structural reforms with milestones extending through the mid-2030s. An independent Ethics Commission and Office of Ethics Compliance must be operational by the end of this year.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Under a Telescope Dome, a French Cellist Has Helped Build a Concert Series That Sells Itself

By EDDIE RIVERA

Sunday Mt. Wilson Observatory shows are a delicious Pasadena secret

In 2017, Dan Coney, then a trustee at Mount Wilson Observatory, had a little idea. He invited a French cellist named Cécilia Tsan to climb the mountain, stand inside the dome that once housed the most powerful telescope in the world, and play.

He shot the video on his iPhone. They posted it to social media. Within a week it had 12,000 views.

“And I said, ‘Okay, let’s try to launch a series,’” Tsan recalled in a recent interview.

Nearly a decade later, the Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome has become one of the more unlikely success stories in Southern California classical music. No advertising budget. No corporate sponsor. Sold out for two consecutive seasons. Tsan, who now serves as the series’ artistic director, programs each season and performs in select concerts herself.

The dome in question sheltered the 100-inch Hooker Telescope,

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Last Day to Enroll: Altadena Small Businesses Can Sign Up Today for Free Marketing Support Program

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is urging Altadena business owners to take advantage of the free “Shop Local Marketing Lab+” initiative before enrollment closes tomorrow, June 24.

Marketing Lab+ is a free business support initiative led by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), in partnership with Google and SoCal Grantmakers. The program is designed to help small businesses impacted by the Eaton Fire rebuild their visibility, strengthen their customer base, and accelerate their economic recovery.

“Small businesses are the heart of Altadena, and they deserve ongoing support as they work to recover from the Eaton Fire,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “This program delivers customized marketing assistance, the kind that helps businesses attract customers and build toward a stronger future. If you own a small business in Altadena, today is the day to sign up.”

Participating businesses receive individualized support across two tracks. Digital marketing services include website development, social media content creation, video marketing campaigns, targeted advertising, search engine optimization,

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Altadena Town Council Schedules Emergency Meeting on Housing Density Debate

Altadena Town Council Chair Nic Arnzen will lead an emergency community meeting in Altadena on Wednesday, June 24 on the latest developments around housing density in the community and the discussion of SB 1090, according to a Council announcement.

The session, titled “Balancing a Reasonable Rebuild,” is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. at The Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury, Altadena.

The meeting notice lists three focus areas: “discussion and debate of SB 1090,” coordinating “our pressure campaign for a Governor’s Emergency Executive Order,” and a “call to action.”

“This is a working session focused on strategy, advocacy, and next steps.” the announcement information said.

Topics listed in the announcement include:

• Discussion and analysis of SB 1090
• Coordinating a community pressure campaign for a Governor’s Emergency Executive Order
• Immediate actions survivors and allies can take

The announcement encourages residents to participate and to “invite friends, neighbors, and fellow survivors.”

For those unable to attend in person on Wednesday,

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

A Pasadena Entrepreneur Seeks a World Cup Moment — and $20,000 for His Students

By THERESE EDU

Founder Michael Allen is one of five Los Angeles semifinalists in Verizon’s Super Pitch; if he wins the grand prize, he said, students go home with the equipment

Michael Allen has three minutes Wednesday afternoon to convince a panel of Verizon judges that the yoga breathing techniques he turned to during a difficult stretch in a corporate job belong in the hands — and on the mats — of elementary schoolers in Pasadena, Altadena and across Southern California.

Allen, founder of Pasadena-based Mindful Roots Athletics LLC, is one of five Los Angeles regional semifinalists in the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch, a national competition tied to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Los Angeles regional pitch event is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, June 24, at the Verizon Innovation Lab at 13031 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Playa Vista.

The regional winner advances to a July 17 national final in New York/New Jersey,

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Pasadena, Regional Agencies Seize 10,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks Ahead of Fourth of July

By EDDIE RIVERA

Four arrested as investigators tie cache to a criminal street gang smuggling operation

Pasadena police and fire investigators, working with regional agencies, seized approximately 10,000 pounds of illegal explosive fireworks from a storefront on Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles on Friday, June 19, and arrested four people in what officials called the largest illegal fireworks seizure ever recorded in the Pasadena area.

The cache — which investigators say was tied to a criminal street gang that smuggled the fireworks from Nevada — was intended for distribution across Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley cities and was intercepted just over two weeks before the Fourth of July, the Pasadena Police Department said.

Officials estimated the street value of the seized fireworks at more than $120,000.

Along with the fireworks, investigators recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs), an unregistered firearm with high-capacity magazines, a large quantity of marijuana products, and documentation indicating the sale of illegal fireworks.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Tax Audit Measure Qualifies for November Ballot

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Southern California voters will have a chance in November to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment that would require audits of programs funded by new state special taxes and restrict certain future tax increases.

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced Tuesday that the initiative has gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

Under the proposal, statewide special taxes approved after Jan. 1, 2026, would be subject to recurring audits, while special tax measures proposed through the initiative process would require a pre-election audit of programs slated to receive funding.

The measure would also prohibit new state taxes enacted after Jan. 1, 2026, from being excluded from California’s existing voter-approved state spending limit, including taxes appearing on the same ballot as the measure.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, the initiative needed 874,641 valid petition signatures to qualify. Election officials determined it exceeded the threshold through a random sampling process.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

City’s Minimum Wage Rate Increases to $18.57 Effective July 1

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

The city’s minimum wage will increase from $18.04 to $18.57 per hour for all businesses, regardless of size, effective Wednesday, July 1.

The City Council adopted the city’s minimum wage ordinance on March 14, 2016.

These rules were implemented prior to the State of California’s minimum wage legislation, and the state’s minimum wage requirements do not override the city’s ordinance.

The city’s minimum wage follows a distinct schedule that includes higher incremental increases.

After several planned annual adjustments, the Pasadena minimum wage is now updated each year based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.

This new rate will remain in effect until June 30, 2027, when the next adjustment will occur.

As of April 1, 2024, the State of California established a $20 per hour minimum wage for employees of “national fast-food chain” establishments.

This state requirement applies to all qualifying fast-food businesses operating within Pasadena and supersedes the city’s minimum wage when an employer meets the state’s definition of a national fast-food chain.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Twenty-Three Children Cross the Bridge to Kindergarten at Pasadena Nonprofit

They arrived as infants, carried through the doors of a Northwest Pasadena learning center by parents who were themselves looking for a new start. On June 18, 23 of those children — now four and five years old — walked across a symbolic bridge and into the next chapter of their lives.

The special graduation ceremony at Families Forward Learning Center featured a traditional Bridging Ceremony, a meaningful milestone symbolizing each child’s transition to kindergarten and the next stage of their educational journey. At FFLC, parents learn alongside their kids — attending English-language classes, parenting workshops, and adult education courses in the same building. The nonprofit has practiced this two-generation model since 1961, when it began as a small “Mothers’ Club” in Northwest Pasadena. It now serves low-income families in Pasadena and Altadena with children from birth to five years old, according to the organization.

This year’s theme, “Building a Brighter Future,” reflected the potential and opportunities that lie ahead for the graduating students, according to a press release from the organization.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Former Obama Speechwriter Brings His Surfing Memoir to Vroman’s

David Litt discusses a year and a half of learning to ride waves with a brother-in-law who is his political opposite

Former Obama speechwriter David Litt will discuss and sign his memoir about learning to surf Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Vroman’s Bookstore, the Colorado Boulevard shop the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce describes as Southern California’s oldest and largest independent bookstore.

The book, It’s Only Drowning, recounts how Litt took up surfing in his mid-30s with help from his brother-in-law, Matt Kappler — an electrician and Joe Rogan listener whom Litt describes as his cultural and political opposite. According to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, the memoir follows the pair from the Jersey Shore to California, Spain and Hawaii’s North Shore. The publisher lists the title as a national bestseller and a 2025 Booklist Editors’ Choice selection.

Litt joined the White House as a speechwriter in 2011 and left in 2016 as a senior presidential speechwriter to President Barack Obama.