The Brief

Emma Scott’s Altadena house survived the Eaton Fire, but almost every family she knows lost a home or faced so much fire damage they had to relocate for the time being.

“I mean, it feels like a ghost town,” Scott said. “Honestly, it's hard. It's really eerie.”

One bright spot has been Altadena’s main library on the historic Christmas Tree Lane, which Scott returned to for the first time Friday. The building reopened this month, the largest public space in the fire perimeter where Altadenans can meet and resume their old patterns at a time of intense upheaval.

To lure more patrons back, a grand reopening event will be held next Saturday featuring actor and Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton.

A steady trickle of patrons came through the library Friday morning. Scott pushed a stroller with her infant daughter — born the week after the fire — as she helped her two older kids search for YA titles.

“Thank God for the library,” Scott said. “We don't have our normal places, routines, parks, so we're grateful.”

One of the library's most popular offerings are computers for browsing.

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As part of unincorporated L.A. County, Altadena doesn’t have a city hall or a town square, so the main library acts as an important hub.

The light-filled, mid-century modern building has always had something for everyone: storytime, chess nights, club meetings, puppet shows.

It’s where thousands gather every year for the Christmas Tree Lane lighting celebration, then follow the high school marching band down the boulevard of glowing deodar cedars.

After the fires, the role of the main library has evolved to meet residents’ most pressing needs, hosting architects and staffers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration.

Nikki Winslow, director of the Altadena library district, welcomed back patrons to the main branch on March 4.

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The library has also been fund-raising to buy personal hotspot devices for people who lost their homes so they can have consistent access to the Internet. A distribution event was scheduled for Saturday.

“We've been pretty busy since we opened,” said Nikki Winslow, director of the Altadena Library District. “There's days I come in and I can barely get a parking spot already.”

Getting ready to reopen

Not only did the library survive in a burn zone that saw more than 9,400 structures destroyed, including the senior center next door, it saw relatively little damage.

“Luckily for us, when the smoke hit our HVAC vents, they closed,” Winslow said. “We didn’t circulate any of the fire air in the library. Our air filters were clean.”

A wall in Altadena's main library features award-winning photography, including the Davies Memorial Building at Farnsworth Park which was destroyed in the fire and Eliot Arts Magnet, which was heavily damaged.

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Crews came to clear ash and soot from the roof, while others did a deep clean of the interior that included washing the carpets. Rented air scrubbers and fans circulated the air inside.

The area has lacked potable water, so the library re-opened March 4 with portable hand-washing stations outside the bathrooms — the only visible change to the library since the fires. But as of Friday, it was safe again to use the water, said Winslow.

The fiber optic cables system providing internet service to the library was damaged in the fire and will not be restored for another couple weeks, Winslow said. But high-speed internet is still available at the the library which is running on two different hotspot systems, with a third one to be installed next week.

Dozens of patrons passed through the re-opened Altadena Library Friday morning.

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Josie Huang

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While many regulars are no longer living in the area, Winslow said there was urgency to reopen the library as quickly as possible. It is the only library open in town as a smaller branch, the Bob Lucas Memorial Library, remains under renovation.

“With so many structures damaged, there's only so many buildings, especially public-facing buildings, that are available for people to like, come up, meet and connect to resources,” she said.

Among those in town affected by the fires were the library district’s own staff. Out of 31 employees, 10 had to evacuate and two of them lost homes.

How safe is it? 

For many residents, questions remain about contaminants in the air and soil around the burn zone.

The library performed air quality and surface testing inside the library and “we feel very confident that the inside of the library is very safe,” Winslow said.

Altadena resident Dani Pedersen and her 3-year-old son Ace visited the library Friday for a taste of normalcy."

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She said the library has not paid for soil testing because of the high cost. Out of precaution, programs for now will not be held in the grassy area of the library.

Next Saturday’s reopening celebration with LeVar Burton will be held in the library’s parking lot, able to accommodate hundreds.

There’s no need to register for the morning event, which will also feature food giveaways, crafts and games. At 11 a.m. Burton will read from his children’s book “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm.”

“We wanted to have a really big carnival feel,” Winslow said. “People can come inside the library and check that out as well. The more the merrier.”

Coming back home 

On Friday, two to three dozen patrons were visiting the library at any given time. Some used the library’s computers. Other sat in pairs at tables in the atrium speaking quietly.

Yvette Casillas, a youth and family librarian, says those coming back are a mix of residents still living in the area and others who have been displaced.

Family and youth librarian Yvette Casillas has seen a mix of patrons returning -- from those still living in the area to those who have been displaced and living afar.

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“We've had people coming from Topanga and Ontario, South Pas, Arcadia,” Casillas said. “People have shared that they've lost both their homes and the school, so it's been really rewarding to be able to have a hub or a space for community here at the library.”

Dani Pedersen was back at the library for the first time Friday, chasing after her 3-year-old, Ace. Their family had evacuated for a little over a month. Asked why she had returned to the library, Pedersen started out saying she wanted her son to enjoy himself. Then she cut that thought short.

“Honestly?” she said. “I wanted to come back just to be with our community and just to feel that normalcy and go back to some place that we've known prior to the fires, you know? And that's what I feel like we've gotten today.”

Library district’s future 

More change is afoot. The main library is scheduled to undergo a major renovation later this year that will last 15 to 18 months, and involve some layout changes and earthquake retrofitting and fireproofing.

By then, renovation of the Bob Lucas branch on Lincoln Avenue should be completed.

When that smaller library re-opens, scheduled for May, it will be able to absorb some foot traffic. There also are plans to reopen a satellite branch at Loma Alta Park, also in May.

The main library is expected to undergo a major renovation at the end of the year.

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Winslow said the park’s “social hall” could be furnished shelves of books, a computer lab, and other equipment found at the main library including a 3-D printer.

This location could be set up in the park for the duration of the main library’s renovation – and possible longer.

“I don't know if down the road we’ll continue to have a satellite site there or not, but I do think it will be important to the recovery efforts of the community,” Winslow said.

About the Altadena libraries celebration

When: Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What to expect: Readings, arts & crafts, games, music and more. At 11 a.m. LeVar Burton will read from his book The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm.
Where: 600 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena

A court hearing for Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price got underway Tuesday, with a focus on allegations Price was married to another woman when he collected city health insurance benefits for his wife — which prosecutors say amounted to embezzlement of city funds.

In addition to facing five counts of grand theft by embezzlement of public funds, Price faces four counts of conflict of interest related to votes he took on projects connected to his wife’s business and three counts of perjury by declaration related to allegations he failed to disclose financial interests related to his wife’s business.

Price has pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court. At the end of the preliminary hearing, which is expected to run several days, a judge will be asked to determine whether there’s enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 11 years behind bars.

On Tuesday, prosecutors called an analyst with the city’s Personnel Department to testify and presented him with documents that showed Price placed his current wife Del Richardson on his city-issued healthcare plan from 2013 to 2017, before they were legally married.

Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins then showed the analyst a 1981 marriage certificate showing Price’s marriage to Suzette Price. The analyst said his office never saw the certificate.

“We most likely would have asked questions,” said Paul Makowski, chief benefits analyst with the city’s Personnel Department.

Prosecutors say Price bilked the city out of tens of thousands of dollars in health benefits for Richardson.

Price has said he thought he was divorced from his wife when he signed Richardson up for the benefit. He and Suzette Price had been separated since 2002. His attorney Michael Schafler noted Price never sought benefits for both women at the same time.

Prosecutors say the conflict of interest and perjury charges relate to Price failing to recuse himself from votes on projects that benefited his wife’s business, which provides relocation services and community engagement on big projects.

For example, the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles paid Richardson & Associates more than $600,000 over two years from 2019 to 2020. During that same time, Price voted to support a $35 million federal grant and a state grant application for $252 million for the agency, according to prosecutors.

In addition, LA Metro paid Richardson & Associates about $219,000 over two years from 2020 to 2021. Prosecutors say during that time, Price introduced and voted for a motion to award $30 million to Metro.

Price’s staff allegedly alerted Price about both transactions as potential conflicts of interest, according to prosecutors.

The preliminary hearing is expected to last six days.

Los Angeles officials gathered Tuesday for a media event to launch the county’s newest department. The new entity faces a daunting mandate: solve the region’s deeply entrenched homelessness crisis.

The new L.A. County Homeless Services and Housing department takes the mantle from the embattled regional L.A. Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA, which until now has overseen the funding and administration of homeless services across a county where more than 72,000 people experience homelessness on any given night.

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said transferring responsibilities from LAHSA — a joint powers authority created in 1993 by the city and county of L.A. — to one centralized agency will reduce finger-pointing.

“For a long time, it is LAHSA blames the county, the county blames the city, the city blames LAHSA — we all blame each other,” Barger said. “Accountability now ends with the [Board of Supervisors]. ... The buck is going to stop with us.”

Department launches as volunteers count LA’s unhoused 

The launch coincided with the first day of the region’s homeless count, which is still being overseen by LAHSA. Last year, the county decided to pull hundreds of millions of dollars from LAHSA and entrust that annual funding to the new county department.

The decision came shortly after a series of audits uncovered spending and oversight problems at the agency. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said she hoped reducing LAHSA’s responsibilities would help the agency better execute its core duties, such as the annual homeless count.

“Now that the focus and scope of what they're doing has been narrowed, hopefully that's where they've been focusing their time, effort and energy,” Horvath said.

Sarah Mahin (center) speaks about the launch of the new county homelessness department she will direct. Standing behind her are L.A. County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath.

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Revenue for the new department comes from Measure A, the half-cent sales tax voters opted to double from the previous quarter-cent tax in November 2024.

Why sales taxes are up, but overall revenue is down

Despite the increased sales tax revenue, officials say overall funding is down because of federal and state funding losses, plus allocations of sales tax revenue to a separate entity, the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency.

The county’s new homelessness department has a $635 million draft spending plan. It comes with proposed cuts of more than 25% to homeless services.

“Cuts are painful for everyone, but we are making thoughtful and responsible decisions,” said Sarah Mahin, the new county department’s director. “We are prioritizing the most vulnerable people and the programs that we know work. And we're actively working with our partners to secure other funding and solutions to fill gaps.”

One program that will see cuts is Pathway Home, which clears encampments and offers residents spots in interim housing. Mahin said spending on the motels that serve as that interim housing will go down, dropping the number of annual encampment clearances involving motels from 30 to 10.

The hearing: At the corner of Wilkins and Kelton avenues, Hale told reporters that his hearing Tuesday lasted just about 10 minutes. According to Hale, the statute of limitations for his charges remains open until Dec. 7, a year after the street safety activist was arrested. “So they can change their mind, and I do risk arrest if I do this again,” Hale said. The hearing had been rescheduled from its original date of Jan. 5.

The crosswalks: Police arrested Hale as he and a group of volunteers, known as People's Vision Zero, were painting the third of four crosswalk legs at the Westwood intersection. As of Tuesday, the city has not repainted, eliminated or finished the crosswalks at the intersection.

One of the four crosswalks at the Westwood intersection where Hale was arrested remains unfinished. Two legs of the crosswalk were completed by Hale and his group before the L.A. police arrested the street safety activist.

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Jonathan Hale

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What’s next: Hale said People’s Vision Zero would continue painting crosswalks if the city does not take concrete steps toward its goal of ending traffic deaths. One way Hale said the city could make progress is by working with his group to create a community-led initiative to paint code-compliant crosswalks.

Dig deeper … into the background on Hale’s arrest.