Friday, July 18, 2025

Pasadena Forum to Explore Affordable Housing Options for Fire Survivors

Event will feature nonprofits and organizations offering lower-cost rebuilding solutions

Homeowners in Pasadena and Altadena considering rebuilding after the Eaton fire can learn about affordable housing solutions at an upcoming forum in Pasadena.

The event will take place Tuesday, July 22, from 1-3 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly Street. All ages are welcome to attend.

The forum will feature several organizations offering lower-cost rebuilding options for fire survivors.

The Foothill Catalog Foundation, a nonprofit, will present more than 30 design concepts. The organization is dedicated to helping fire survivors rebuild and save money, and emphasizes additional savings when rebuilding together.

Representatives from cityLAB-UCLA will discuss modular housing options and explain how combining traditional construction with modular building can save time and money.

Habitat for Humanity will focus on affordability and sustainability in rebuilding efforts. Representatives will be available to answer questions.

Sunset Mesa Collective will present their approach of using a single point of contact.

Friday, July 18, 2025

50 Local Women Entrepreneurs Whose Business Were Damaged by Wildfire Receive Grants and Fresh Hope

By EDDIE RIVERA

Selected women-owned businesses received $25,000 recovery grants, from GoFundMe.org, Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media Impact Foundation, and Pasadena City College’s Women’s Business Center

On a sparkling late summer afternoon at the Pasadena Museum of History, with the historic Fenyes Mansion serving as backdrop, fifty women entrepreneurs stepped into the spotlight Wednesday to celebrate resilience, recovery, and new beginnings.

They were gathered not just as survivors of the devastating January wildfires that swept through Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and nearby foothill communities, but as small business owners determined to rebuild their lives and neighborhoods. Each of them received $25,000 recovery grants, made possible by GoFundMe.org and Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media Impact Foundation, in partnership with Pasadena City College’s Women’s Business Center.

“This is much more than a mixer,” said Lizzy Okoro Davidson, director of the Women’s Business Center. “This gathering says a lot about who we are as a community and where we’re headed.”

From ice cream shops to home-based childcare providers,

Friday, July 18, 2025

Local Lawmakers Press Trump Administration Over Delayed Senior Jobs Funding

Thousands of low-income older Americans left without pay as federal program faces uncertainty

Forty-two members of Congress are demanding the Trump administration immediately release federal funding for a senior employment program that has left thousands of low-income older Americans without paychecks. 

Pasadena Rep. Judy Chu and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington led colleagues in a letter to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Budget Director Russell Vought addressing delayed funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program. 

The program provides job training and paychecks to low-income seniors while they perform community service. In 2022, more than 42,000 seniors contributed over 20.4 million hours of community service through the program. 

The Department of Labor published funding guidance for state and territorial grantees on July 1, the start of the program year. But the agency has not released similar guidance for national grantees and provided no timeline for publication. 

National grantees in California, Washington, Indiana, North Carolina and Oklahoma have been affected by the delay. 

Friday, July 18, 2025

Pentagon Ends National Guard Deployment in Los Angeles

STAFF REPORT

The Pentagon has ended the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, cutting nearly in half the military presence sent to the city in response to protests over federal immigration enforcement actions.

Approximately 4,000 Guard members and 700 Marines have been stationed in the region since early to mid-June.

The reason for the abrupt end to the 60-day deployment was not initially disclosed by the Pentagon, though a spokesperson cited a decline in lawlessness as contributing to the decision; there was also no indication of how long the remaining personnel would stay.

Last week, a judge barred ICE officers from racially profiling

people during immigration actions and mandated access to attorneys for immigrants detained by the agency.

Three people from Pasadena detained at a Pasadena bus stop are plaintiffs in the case.

The Trump administration is appealing that ruling.

Late last month, military commanders requested the return of 200 troops to assist with wildfire duties as California entered peak fire season,

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Pasadena NAACP Leads Nationwide Push to End Adultification Bias Against Black Girls

Resolution gains national NAACP backing as local branch calls for immediate reform in education and law enforcement

The NAACP Pasadena Branch is spearheading a national campaign to eliminate adultification bias against Black girls in K–12 schools and the juvenile justice system. The initiative is anchored in a resolution first presented at the California-Hawaii State NAACP Convention and recently endorsed at the NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, which carried the theme “The Fierce Urgency of Now.”

Adultification refers to a form of bias in which Black children—especially Black girls—are systematically perceived and treated by adults as older, less innocent, and more mature than their actual age would suggest.

In this light, police, teachers and community members blame Black youth and hold them accountable as adults for behaviors that would be excused and considered childish in non-Black children.

The resolution aims to affirm the humanity, childhood, and dignity of Black girls while demanding institutional accountability.

“This resolution is not just symbolic—it is an urgent call to action that now carries the support of the Pasadena NAACP,

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Altadena Library Hosts Therapeutic Storytelling Event to Aid Fire Recovery

The Altadena Library District will host “Bringing Comfort Through Stories,” a therapeutic storytelling event designed to support community healing after the Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena. Scheduled for July 19 at 3 p.m., the event leverages storytelling as a healing tool for a community experiencing profound loss.

“We want the library District to be a symbol of hope and recovery for our community,” said Nikki Winslow, District Director of the Altadena Library District, which reopened in March after a two-month closure due to the fire.

The Eaton Fire destroyed nearly 60% of residential structures in Altadena. In response, initiatives like “Altadena Rising” have emerged as platforms for healing through storytelling.

“What began as an emergency response to document fire damage has evolved into something more meaningful – a platform for community healing. We recognize that sharing stories is a crucial first step in processing loss and grief,” according to the Altadena Rising volunteer documentation team.

The event draws on bibliotherapy principles, a creative arts therapy that uses storytelling to support mental health.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

New California Budget Papers Over $20 Billion Deficit, Ignores Day of Reckoning

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

When Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders were drafting a more-or-less final 2025-26 state budget last month, they were closing what they described as a $12 billion deficit, a number that the state’s media repeatedly cited.

It was the wrong number; it minimizes the state’s chronic gap between income and outgo, as the state’s official budget summary released this week confirms.

The budget projects that the state will receive $208.6 billion in general fund revenues during the fiscal year that began on July 1, but it will spend $228.4 billion, a gap just shy of $20 billion.

The $12 billion figure stems from counting a $7.1 billion diversion from one of the state’s reserve accounts as revenue — an assumption that violates common sense as well as any legitimate accounting scenario.

The more accurate figure of $20 billion is important because it squares with projections by Newsom’s Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office that California has what’s called a “structural deficit” in the range of $10 billion to $20 billion a year.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

‘Good Trouble Lives On’ Events to be Held Throughout LA County

Events are planned for throughout Los Angeles County Thursday for “Good Trouble Lives On,” billed by organizers as a “national day of nonviolent action” on the fifth anniversary of the death of Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia. One event

In Pasadena, one “Good Trouble” rally is set for 5 p.m. in Memorial Park at 85 E. Holly St. in Old Pasadena.

The phrase was coined by Lewis, a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, to explain the action of coming together to take peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change.

“This is more than a protest; it’s a moral reckoning,” organizers said.

They have asked participants “to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”

Los Angeles County events include a candlelight vigil at Los Angeles City Hall beginning at 4:30 p.m.; an “Interfaith Vigil for Immigrant Neighbors,” at 6 p.m. at the Marvin Braude Municipal Building in Van Nuys; and a “Candlelight Vigil for Patients &

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Altadena Celebrates Grand Opening of New Post Office

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Residents in Altadena Wednesday celebrated the grand opening of a new post office at Webster’s Community Pharmacy, marking an important step in restoring essential services to a community devastated by January’s wildfires.

Los Angeles County Supervisor and Board Chair Kathryn Barger joined U.S. Postal Service officials and local partners Wednesday to celebrate the launch of the Village Post Office at 2333 Lake Ave. It offers mail drop-offs, pre-paid box services, stamp sales and flat-rate mailing supplies.

The post office was made possible through a partnership between Barger, the U.S. Postal Service, Webster’s and the Altadena Recovery and Rebuild Corporation, all working to help the community recover from the Eaton Fire.

“Today’s grand opening is more than the return of postal services, it’s another step towards cultivating hope and a sense of normalcy,” Barger said in a statement.

“This new Village Post Office stands as a testament to the resilience and dedication of Altadena’s residents, local business owners,

Thursday, July 17, 2025

County Supervisors to Address Wildfire Recovery, Fee Adjustments, and Historic District Designation

Board tackles critical issues including emergency contract extensions, environmental protection fees, and landmark preservation

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will convene a public hearing meeting on Tuesday, July 22, at 9:30 a.m. in the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, addressing a range of critical county matters spanning emergency response, environmental protection, and historic preservation.

A key focus of the meeting will be the ongoing recovery efforts from the January Windstorm and Critical Fire Events.

The board will review emergency actions taken by the Directors of Internal Services and Public Works in response to multiple fires, including the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Kenneth Fires.

Supervisors will consider continuing emergency authorities that allow for expedited contract awards and contract modifications to support recovery efforts.

The meeting will also feature several important public hearings, including a significant ordinance amending County Code related to environmental protection.

The Fire Department will present proposed adjustments to annual fees for various programs,