Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Barger Backs Fiscal Discipline, Urges ‘Even Hand’ on County Fees

The Fifth District supervisor’s statement comes six days before the Board of Supervisors acts on Final Changes to the county budget

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Tuesday she supports the fiscal discipline urged by the county’s chief executive officer but said any fee increases must account for the economic pressures already facing small business owners, property owners, and working families.

Her Fifth District includes Pasadena and Altadena, where residents depend on county-administered health, social, and public safety services. The statement came the same day Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Nicchitta delivered a budget update to the Board of Supervisors projecting a $402 million excess fund balance deficit and signaling that the countywide hiring freeze will likely remain in place through fiscal year 2026-27. The Board is scheduled to act on Final Changes to the FY 2026-27 budget on June 22.

In her statement, Barger said Nicchitta’s report “delivered a sobering assessment of Los Angeles County’s fiscal outlook, including projected budget deficits that are expected to grow in the years ahead.”

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Harabedian’s Resolution Urging Federal Fire Aid Clears Key Senate Committee

The bipartisan measure, which urges Washington to deliver supplemental disaster relief to Eaton and Palisades fire survivors, now heads to the Senate floor

Nearly 18 months after the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena and left more than 9,400 structures in ruins, California’s Legislature moved one step closer Tuesday to issuing a formal call on the federal government to deliver the disaster aid fire survivors are still waiting for.

Assembly Joint Resolution 27, authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D–Pasadena), passed the state Senate Committee on Emergency Management on a unanimous 9-0 vote on June 16, according to a press release from Harabedian’s office and confirmed by California legislative records. The bipartisan tally — seven Democrats and two Republicans — sends the resolution to the full Senate floor, where it will appear on the Consent Calendar.

Harabedian represents the 41st Assembly District, which includes Pasadena, Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and Sierra Madre — communities at the center of the Eaton Fire’s devastation. The fire killed 19 people and burned 14,021 acres beginning January 7,

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Two Months On, LA County Has Not Responded to Altadena Town Council’s Edison Undergrounding Demands

Southern California Edison tells the Town Council it has no new funding for homeowners facing $30,000 to $40,000 connection costs and warns it could lose three of 20 miles planned for 2026 over unsigned access agreements

Two months after the Altadena Town Council unanimously demanded that Southern California Edison’s utility undergrounding program be paused until tree protections are in place — and that AT&T and Spectrum be required to join it — the county has not responded, and an Edison representagive told the council on June 16 it has no new funding to help homeowners facing tens of thousands of dollars in costs to connect to the new lines.

Edison’s update came near the end of a heavily attended meeting at the Altadena Community Center, where council members and residents pressed the utility on costs, trees and telecom participation.

The council’s April 21 letter delivered to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called for the undergrounding program to be paused until tree-protection measures were in place and for AT&T and Spectrum to be required to join.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Pasadena Unified Halts Tree Removal at Education Center After Active Bird Nest Is Reported

Pasadena Unified School District has paused tree removal work at its Education Center after a community member reported an active bird nest in a tree scheduled for removal, according to a district statement issued Tuesday.

The district said tree removal at the Education Center was stopped immediately after the report was received. Pasadena Unified said it has retained a qualified wildlife biologist to inspect the identified tree and evaluate other trees within the fire-affected contaminated soil area at the site. The review will also be expanded to other campuses where tree removal is planned.

“Following a report from a community member identifying an active nest at the Education Center, tree removal at that site was immediately paused,” the district said in its statement.

The Education Center, located at 351 S. Hudson Ave. in Pasadena, is among district properties undergoing work related to the removal of fire-affected contaminated soil following the Eaton Fire.

The district said the wildlife biologist will review the identified tree as well as other trees within the contaminated soil area at the Education Center and at additional campuses where tree removal is planned.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Guest Opinion | Adam Frankel: Altadena Fire Survivors Desperately Need Help. Time is Running Out for California to Act.

California leaders have less than two weeks left to finalize this year’s state budget. Even in the face of massive federal funding cuts and a major state deficit, lawmakers have rightfully fought to secure more than $1.5 billion to address California’s homelessness and housing affordability crisis. But strikingly, no money has been allocated to protect the most vulnerable survivors of last year’s devastating L.A. wildfires, including many who risk falling into homelessness or facing permanent displacement from their communities.

These realities are especially pressing in Altadena, a historically Black and middle class community that was ravaged by the Eaton Fire and is still struggling to recover. In the absence of meaningful federal support—and with widespread insurance industry malfeasance—the financial barriers to rebuilding and the challenges of returning safely home are growing increasingly difficult, especially for renters, low-income people, and people of color. Thousands of Altadena fire survivors remain displaced,

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Local Fire Survivor Group Seeks Seat in State Farm Case Over Handling of Eaton Fire Claims

A wildfire survivor advocacy organization representing survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires has asked to become a formal party in California’s enforcement case against State Farm, arguing that Altadena and Pasadena-area policyholders should have a direct voice in proceedings that could determine penalties and remedies arising from the insurer’s handling of fire claims.

The petition, filed June 16 with the California Department of Insurance, seeks permission for Every Fire Survivor’s Network, known as EFSN, to intervene in an administrative proceeding arising from the state’s Accusation and Order to Show Cause against State Farm General Insurance Co. over its handling of claims related to the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires.

EFSN argues that many of its members are State Farm policyholders whose claims are directly implicated by the proceeding and whose legal rights could be affected by its outcome. The organization contends that California’s Administrative Procedure Act requires intervention because the proceeding could substantially affect policyholders’ rights, pending claims and future remedies available to affected survivors.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

LA County Supervisors Approve Homelessness Prevention Services Plan

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal aimed at streamlining homelessness prevention services, including assistance for residents displaced by the Eaton and Palisades fires.

A motion by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath calls for the creation of a countywide homelessness prevention resource page on the county website, and a coordinated referral system designed to connect residents with housing assistance before they lose their homes.

The motion was approved Tuesday as survey data from the nonprofit Department of Angels found that two-thirds of fire survivors remain displaced and nearly half have exhausted, or soon will exhaust, insurance-funded temporary housing benefits. The survey found that 40% of survivors said they could afford no more than six months of housing on their own.

“Fire survivors are doing everything right, including paying their mortgage, finding temporary housing, and waiting for support to catch up to their needs,” Barger said in a statement.

“We can’t let families lose their housing on top of everything else they’ve already lost.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Wildfire Survivors Urged to Complete SBA Loan Process

The U.S. Small Business Administration Tuesday urged Los Angeles County wildfire survivors to complete the final steps needed to access approved federal disaster loan funds before a June 30 deadline.

According to the SBA, nearly 13,000 disaster loan applications totaling more than $3.4 billion have been approved for residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by the January 2025 wildfires in the county. However, only about $1 billion of that assistance has been disbursed to borrowers.

The agency said approved borrowers who have not yet accepted or drawn down their loan funds should do so by June 30. After that date, undisbursed loan assistance generally will only be available on a case-by-case basis.

The SBA made low-interest disaster loans available following the Jan. 7, 2025, wildfires and windstorms that devastated communities including Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Federal officials said recovery challenges, including permitting delays, prompted multiple extensions of disaster-relief deadlines. The agency has maintained recovery centers throughout Los Angeles County and provided in- person assistance to residents and business owners seeking aid.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Public Health Warns Against Nara Organics Infant Formula After Botulism Outbreak

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

On Tuesday, the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) alerted parents and caregivers to immediately stop using Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula.

The formula has been voluntarily recalled following a multistate outbreak of infant botulism.

Retailers have been notified, and the formula should no longer be available locally. At this time, no cases of infant botulism have been reported in Pasadena, according to a City statement.

“While no cases have been reported in Pasadena, parents should seek immediate medical attention if their infant shows any symptoms after consuming the recalled Nara Organics formula,” said Parveen Kaur, health officer. “Rapid treatment can make all the difference after exposure.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the California Department of Public Health are investigating the outbreak.

As of June 13, three infants from California, Pennsylvania and Washington have been hospitalized with infant botulism after consuming Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula.

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Pasadena Unified, State Defend Tree Removals in Eaton Fire Soil Cleanup as Council Weighs Jurisdiction

The Pasadena Unified School District and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control in a joint statement Monday, June 15 affirmed their position that removing certain trees is the safest and most appropriate way to clean fire-contaminated soil tied to the Eaton Fire across the district’s campuses, even as tree advocates and several Pasadena city councilmembers questioned that day whether the district may cut the trees without city permits.

The competing positions center on the Eaton Fire recovery on Pasadena Unified campuses, where the district says it determined, after months of consultation with state regulators, that removing and replacing soil contaminated by the January 2025 fire — and the trees rooted in it — is the safest course, and that DTSC approved that plan, while opponents say alternatives could spare mature trees and that the district has sidestepped Pasadena’s tree-protection ordinance.

The dispute reached the City Council shortly after the joint statement was released.

The district and DTSC said the trees marked for removal are “only those located within the contaminated soil removal area” and that,