Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Octavia’s Bookshelf Hosts the Author of a New Octavia Butler Biography

Susana M. Morris brings “Positive Obsession” home to the Pasadena bookstore named for her subject

There is a particular kind of full-circle moment built into Wednesday’s event at Octavia’s Bookshelf: Susana M. Morris will read from her new biography of Octavia E. Butler at the Pasadena bookstore that opened in 2023 in Butler’s honor, in the city where Butler grew up.

The conversation and reading runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27. Morris’s book, “Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler,” released last year, traces Butler’s path from Pasadena schoolgirl to MacArthur Fellow — the first science fiction writer to win the “genius” award — while situating her work within the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, women’s liberation and the political turbulence that shaped her speculative fiction.

Morris is an associate professor of literature, media and communication at Georgia Tech and a co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective. Her scholarship centers Black women’s stories and experiences,

Monday, May 25, 2026

Supervisor Barger Honors Fallen Servicemembers in Memorial Day Statement

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena and Altadena on the Board of Supervisors, issued a statement Monday honoring military servicemembers who died in defense of the country.

“On Memorial Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation,” Barger said. “Answering the call to defend our country is among the noblest acts of selflessness and courage a person can make.”

Barger, a member of the five-member Board of Supervisors since 2016, represents the Fifth Supervisorial District, the county’s largest, spanning approximately 2,785 square miles and including Pasadena, Altadena, and dozens of other communities across the San Gabriel, Antelope, Santa Clarita, and San Fernando Valleys.

“Freedom is not free,” Barger said. “It comes at a deep cost, carried by those who willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect the freedoms we too often take for granted. Today, we remember and give thanks to our fallen heroes.”

The statement also extended recognition to Gold Star families and other military families.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

A Cemetery the Eaton Fire Failed to Destroy Will Honor Its Civil War Dead

On Monday, the Pasadena Civil War Round Table revives an old Decoration Day tradition among the graves of hundreds of Union and Confederate soldiers buried in Altadena

On a green rise below the San Gabriel Mountains that the Eaton Fire threatened to destroy but was stopped by firefighters and cemetery staff, more than 600 Civil War soldiers — Union and Confederate — lie in the same Altadena ground. On Monday afternoon, visitors will walk among their graves.

The Pasadena Civil War Round Table will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 2 p.m. Monday, May 25, at Mountain View Cemetery, 2400 N. Fair Oaks Ave. The event is free and open to the public, and centers on walking tours led by the group’s president, Nick Smith, who tells the stories of individual soldiers buried there.

The Round Table has held the ceremony for many years, according to its announcement, and this year it falls as the United States marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Altadena Heritage’s Golden Poppy Awards Return to a 1915 Craftsman Garden

The annual ceremony honoring the community’s front yards comes back today after a year without celebration

For more than two decades, members of Altadena Heritage have walked every street in town each spring, looking for the front gardens that give something back to the neighborhood. Today, for the first time since the Eaton Fire, they will gather to announce what they found.

The 2026 Golden Poppy Awards & Garden Party takes place today, Sunday, May 24, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at 280 W. Crosby St., a single-story Craftsman courtyard house built in 1915 for the Ruth family, according to Altadena Heritage’s records. The home was designed by Edgar Dorr, who had worked for the Heineman Brothers architecture firm. The property, which sits on nearly an acre of land, has previously hosted Altadena Heritage events, including the organization’s annual holiday gathering. The event includes food, drinks, live entertainment, winners of the organization’s Springtime in Altadena Phone Photo Contest, and a classic car showcase,

Sunday, May 24, 2026

League of Women Voters Pasadena Area Operates Voter Hotline Ahead of June 2 Primary

Pasadena and Altadena voters can dial a nonpartisan hotline staffed by trained volunteers for help with the June 2 California Statewide Direct Primary Election, the League of Women Voters – Pasadena Area announced this week. The number is (626) 798-0965.

The Hotline Hours will be daily 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. through May 31; 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 .m. on June 1; and 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Election Day (June 2).

With vote-by-mail ballots already in voters’ hands and conditional registration still open through Election Day, the hotline gives residents a direct line to volunteers who can answer questions about voter registration, voting options, and polling locations ahead of a primary ballot that includes the California Governor’s race, three Pasadena City Councilmember seats, and Los Angeles County Measure ER.

According to the League, volunteers will answer the hotline daily from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. from May 22 through May 31.

Pasadena City Council Races

Pasadena voters in Districts 3,

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Defy Gravity for Altadena Tonight

Fifteen months is a long time between curtains.

When the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena last January, it took the Charles S. Farnsworth Park Amphitheater with it — along with the neighborhood that surrounded it. The open-air stage had been the home of Altadena Music Theatre, the company Sarah and Oliver Azcarate had spent four years building from a pandemic-era hunch into a full professional season. Their house went too.

Tonight, the company makes its move back. Enter Stephen Schwartz, the three-time Academy Award winner behind Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell, headlining a benefit gala at the AGBU Manoukian Performing Arts Center in Pasadena. He’ll share the stage with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block, The Voice winner Alisan Porter, Vintage Trouble’s Ty Taylor, and original-Broadway-cast Wicked alum Brian Justin Crum.

Some context on the headliner: three Academy Awards, four Grammys, and a back catalog — Wicked, Pippin, Godspell — that has held Broadway stages for the better part of five decades.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Whooping Cough Spreads Through Pasadena Schools, Hitting a Third Campus With Six New Cases

The Pasadena Public Health Department is investigating an outbreak of six confirmed pertussis cases at Sequoyah School’s high school campus, the third school cluster of whooping cough confirmed in the city since late April.

The Sequoyah outbreak extends a citywide pertussis surge, with the department reporting 17 confirmed cases identified in Pasadena since the start of 2026, compared with an annual average of about three.

“Pertussis is a serious and highly contagious illness,” said Manuel Carmona, director of public health. “Staying home when sick is the key to stopping the spread of this preventable illness in our community. Parents should be on the alert for persistent or unusual coughs and seek medical care promptly if symptoms arise.”

Health Officer Parveen Kaur urged clinicians to confirm suspected cases with laboratory testing.

“Timely testing and treatment is essential for stopping the spread of pertussis,” Kaur said. “Healthcare providers who suspect pertussis should conduct confirmatory testing using a nasal swab for a PCR test and follow proper treatment guidelines.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

LA County Unemployment Rate Up Slightly in April

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly to 5.5% in April, up a revised 5.4% in March, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The 5.5% rate was below the 5.7% rate from April 2025, according to the EDD.

In Orange County, the April unemployment rate was 3.7%, down slightly from 3.8% in March.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.3% in April, the same rate as March but down from 5.4% in April 2025. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4.3% in April, 4.3% in March and 4.2% a year ago.

Between March and April, total nonfarm employment in Los Angeles County increased by 5,400 to reach roughly 4.6 million jobs. The leisure and hospitality sector posted the largest gains, adding 4,700 positions. The information sector saw the largest drop, shedding 4,200 positions.

Friday, May 22, 2026

Fredericks: PUSD Board Evaluating Allegations of Brown Act Violations

Board president announces the board is evaluating the claims and determining next steps

The Pasadena Unified School District released a statement Friday afternoon by Board of Education President Tina Fredericks addressing allegations that four board members violated California’s open-meetings law. The allegations are connected to board deliberations and actions about the District’s ongoing school consolidation process.

“We understand this process has raised strong feelings and important questions in our community,” Fredericks said in the statement, released at approximately 2 p.m. on May 22. “Furthermore, we respect the concerns that have been raised and remain committed to a thoughtful process as the Board considers school consolidation.”

The allegations center on potential violations of the Ralph M. Brown Act, a California law that requires public bodies to conduct their business openly.

Four of the seven board members, including Fredericks, are the subjects of the allegations.

Fredericks said the Board is taking the matter seriously. “…the Board is evaluating the allegations and determining appropriate next steps to ensure continued transparency in the governance process,”

Friday, May 22, 2026

California FAIR Plan Customers Face Sharp Insurance Premium Increases in Wildfire Areas

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Homeowners in wildfire-prone parts of California insured through the state’s FAIR Plan could soon face steep increases in insurance premiums.

The FAIR Plan — formally known as the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — serves as the insurer of last resort for homeowners who cannot obtain coverage on the private market, often because their properties are located in areas with elevated wildfire risk.

Beginning in October, FAIR Plan policyholders are expected to see some of the largest rate increases in recent years, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Among the hardest-hit communities is Orinda, where average premiums are projected to rise by about 31%.

For some homeowners, the increases could translate into hundreds or even thousands of dollars in additional annual insurance costs.

A spokesperson for the California FAIR Plan Association said the increases will vary by customer, but homes facing the greatest wildfire exposure are expected to experience the sharpest premium hikes.