Published on May 29th, 2025

Federal agencies must do more to house struggling victims from January’s Eaton Fire, Rep. Judy Chu (D – Monterey Park) and advocacy groups said Tuesday. Chu hosted a roundtable at the Altadena Library with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and […]

Published on May 29th, 2025

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, gathered 15 community groups Tuesday for a roundtable meeting with representatives from government agencies, advocating for a direct leasing program for Eaton fire survivors desperate for housing help. The Direct Lease housing program would activate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the master owner of leases, allowing it to act as a lender […]

Published on May 22nd, 2025

Nichole was born and raised in Los Angeles by her grandparents. She started working at age 15 at McDonalds and she’s now in her forties and hasn’t stopped working since. As she says, “I made some poor decisions when I was a teenager and I didn’t go to college. That has made it extremely difficult […]

Published on May 22nd, 2025

Cecilia is one of ten children born to migrant workers. Growing up she lived in three different states, attended seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools. Her upbringing, though challenging, instilled in her a deep sense of determination and drive to create a better future. She has held a job since she […]

Published on May 16th, 2025

Eshele Williams always believed she’d eventually own the home she rented in Altadena’s historic Janes Village neighborhood. The 1920s cottage was where she brought her son Brayden home from the hospital and where she held backyard parties for birthdays or whatever anniversary family and friends wanted to celebrate. Her mom lived a block away; her three sisters […]

Published on May 13th, 2025

Rodney and Nichole both grew up in South Los Angeles. Rodney was born in Compton and later moved to Paramount with his mom but spent every day in Compton at the house his grandmother owned. His grandmother and that house became a symbol of stability and safety in a family where 95% of his family […]

Published on May 9th, 2025

Published on May 9th, 2025

On the evening of January 7, the Eaton Fire hit Altadena, destroying more than 10,000 commercial and residential homes and displacing thousands of families. Just a little over two months later, and this historically Black community is facing a new threat. Shortly after the fire, a private developer paid $550,000 in cash for the first vacant lot […]

Published on May 7th, 2025

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) — Time stopped on Jan. 7, 2025, in the town of Altadena, California. That evening, hurricane-force winds propelled the Eaton Fire through the 42,000-person town in Los Angeles County, leaving little but rubble in its wake. A thick gray smoke lingered in the air for days. And for many residents, it never really left. When […]

Published on May 1st, 2025

Rebuilding is officially underway in Altadena, nearly four months since the Eaton Fire ravaged this Southern California community.  Residents continue to move forward after losing so much to the January wildfire that claimed 18 lives and destroyed more than 9,000 structures across Altadena and neighboring areas including Pasadena. A testament to this beloved community has been the […]