Preserving the memories of Altadena's urban forest
Erin Stone
is a reporter who covers climate and environmental issues in Southern California.
Published September 22, 2025 5:00 AM
Mona Patterson, 22, sits on the stump of the mulberry tree that once was a fixture of her childhood home. Her family lost their home in west Altadena in the Eaton Fire.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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Topline:
Mona Patterson, 22, grew up in Altadena and has deep roots there. Her grandparents lived around the corner from her in a house they bought in 1973. But the Eaton Fire took both family homes — as well as trees that were important to her. So she set about chronicling the stories of Altadena's trees.
Why trees? Patterson recently graduated from Chapman University with a degree in journalism and environmental science. Telling stories about trees from her community was fitting. “With these tree stories, I was like, ‘Oh, I bet my neighbors have something similar where they have a tree that was either part of their children's childhood or their reason why they wanted to move here,” she said.
Read on ... to hear the story of the Patterson family's mulberry and other Altadenans' tree stories.
Mona Patterson walks across the dirt lot that once was her family’s home in west Altadena.
“It's just nice seeing some of the plants that we planted are growing back,” she says, leaning down to touch the leaves of a small lemon tree. “This is our lemon tree that we had — it was here when we moved here, and it was one of our favorite things.”
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This young Altadenan wants to preserve the stories of Altadena’s trees
The tree — once a source for homemade lemon meringue pies and lemon bars — burned in the Eaton Fire. But to Patterson’s surprise, it’s sprouting again.
“And it's like brand new in a baby size, so that's really cute,” she says. “So hopefully we can keep this when we rebuild.”
Mona Patterson smells the leaves of the lemon tree on her family's Altadena property. It's sprouting again after burning in the Eaton Fire.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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The 22-year-old grew up here and has deep roots in the community. She, her twin sister and parents lived right around the corner from her grandparents, who bought their home in 1973 when they moved from Louisiana.
“Family living close by was one of the main reasons my parents decided to live here,” Patterson says.
The Eaton Fire took both family homes.
Tell your tree story
To tell your tree story, keep an eye on Mona Patterson’s website. She plans to continue gathering the tree stories of her neighbors.
And as the rebuilding begins for her family and others, Patterson is collecting the stories of Altadena’s trees. For the seven months, she’s interviewed neighbors about their relationships with trees that survived — or that died in the fire or the subsequent debris removal.
Patterson recently graduated from Chapman University with a degree in journalism and environmental science. Telling these stories from her community was fitting.
“With these tree stories, I was like, ‘Oh, I bet my neighbors have something similar where they have a tree that was either part of their children's childhood or their reason why they wanted to move here,” she says.
In a way, the trees were an extension of family, like neighbors who ensured you were well fed and looked after. ... To return and no longer recognize your street, to miss the faint aroma of orange blossoms ... or to no longer hear the rhythmic thwack of branches in the evening breeze — this is a displacement that unsettles your very sense of belonging.
— Mona Patterson, writing about Altadena’s trees
One neighbor described a camphor tree whose boughs supported his children’s treehouse. Another, a fig tree that was the backdrop to a marriage ceremony. An oak tree, likely more than a hundred years old, also survived and now is a reminder of hope for one neighbor. Another group of trees was a morning rest stop for squawking parrots. And countless citrus trees gifted fruit to anyone walking by, reminding them to slow down, maybe talk to a neighbor for a while.
“It was just so beautiful and I was just like, wow ... everyone has a tree story,” Patterson says.
As for Patterson’s? She describes a mulberry tree that was once in the center of their yard.
The mulberry tree and lush garden of Mona Patterson's home before it burned down in the Eaton Fire.
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Courtesy Mona Patterson
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The tree shaded everyone who entered their home and was a fixture of Patterson’s childhood.
“It wasn't too crazy big, so we put little steps on it, and we eventually put tire swings,” Patterson says. “As we were growing up, we would climb along its branches, swing on the branches.”
Patterson and her twin sister would build little fairy houses, nestling them in the tree's roots.
In their deep roots and sprawling branches, one could see the essence of Altadena — a place rich in history, diversity and a quiet resilience that stands the test of time.
— Mona Patterson, writing about Altadena's trees
“And then after the fire, one of the main things when we came here was like, ‘Oh, is our tree gone? How is our tree?” Patterson says. “And it was burned.”
The family asked the Army Corps to leave the stump and a log from the trunk that still has nails sticking out of it. That’s where, before the fire, there were wooden planks that Patterson and her sister used for climbing.
The Pattersons asked the Army Corps to save some of the remains of their mulberry tree so they can turn it into a piece of furniture or art to remember the beloved tree by.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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The family plans to turn the log into a side table, or maybe an art piece, to honor the mulberry.
“It just really connected us to our home, to our yard and to nature in a different way,” Patterson says.
Although Patterson’s former home is still an empty dirt lot, every day, life seems to be returning.
Blueberry bushes have popped up. California natives that Patterson’s mother planted are growing back, once again enticing the hummingbirds and bees.
“It's definitely healing,” Patterson says, stopping to rub the lemon tree’s leaves and release the citrusy scent. It’s a comfort — and encouragement — she says, “seeing the land go through the same type of loss that you go through and how resilient it is.”
A native mallow blooms on the Patterson's property in west Altadena in early September 2025.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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Altadena tree stories
Editor's note: These are some of the stories Patterson collected from her neighbors, lightly edited for length and style.
Jeff, Palm Street
Jeff, 47, of Altadena built his childhood dream treehouse in the large camphor tree that once towered over his backyard. He shared his family's story with Mona Patterson and gave permission to LAist to publish it.
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Courtesy Mona Patterson
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When I was a boy, the very first tree I learned to climb was the big camphor tree in my grandma’s front yard. And when I was a grown man shopping for a house to start a family in with my wife, we found a house with a giant camphor tree, just like my grandma’s camphor tree from my youth.
It was one of the driving reasons that pushed us to choose that house to buy and start a family in. During the COVID lockdowns, we couldn’t leave the house much, so I used the time to build a tree house in that tree. Supposedly it was for my kids, but secretly it was the dream tree house that I always had wanted ever since my boyhood.
My heart is broken. It feels like a piece of our world has been amputated. My tree house is ash, and the giant camphor tree I loved so much is dead.
Suzanne, West Altadena Drive
Hercules survived the Eaton fire.
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Courtesy Mona Patterson
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Hercules came from Roger's Gardens down in Newport Beach. He was in a 5-gallon pot, cost $20 and looked prehistoric with a stout, textured trunk and thick, sharp, angled leaves. Hercules did not like being in the 5-gallon pot, and he made his unhappiness very clear by pushing giant roots out through the holes in the bottom of the pot.
Upon further research, I learned that Hercules is a man-made hybrid, aloe barberae crossed with aloe dichotoma. The hybridizers thought this would create a smaller more compact aloe tree, but instead it created a monster that grows faster and larger than any other aloe tree.
I wanted to take it out, but my partner wouldn't have it. He loved Hercules already and was thrilled by the prospects of having a gigantic Frankenstein aloe tree. So Hercules stayed and made his presence known.
Hercules was one of the first things I thought about when I realized our house might be gone. I can't imagine the yard without him.
On the morning of Jan. 8, Hercules was still standing — strong and tall, like a sentinel — with no visible damage. Now about 25 feet high, he provides shelter for house finches and the perfect lookout tower for mockingbirds.
He is resilient and strong, and when I feel like giving up, he reminds me to stand tall and keep moving forward.
Lily, Porter Avenue
The cedar trees were an integral part of the house for my family. The trees were so tall and their long branches so sprawling that looking out the second-story windows, where my bedroom was as a teen, felt like peering out of a tree house.
On windy nights their branches tickled the house, and several times one broke off, falling with a terrifying, thunderous crack.
The cedar trees hugged the house, seemed to wrap their arms around it.
They have no house to hug or protect anymore — instead it feels like they are the house now.
When we have gone to the property, we inevitably find ourselves sitting below their branches, enjoying the small sliver of home they hold. The fact that they still stand feels deeply reassuring to all of us and imagining them still there standing sentinel for many years to come is a comforting image. Our family won't be there anymore, but they will, and they will hold our memories and tie our legacy to that land.
Lauren, Crest Drive
An oak tree, likely more than 100 years old, that survived the Eaton Fire. A 22-year-old Altadenan named Lauren shared the photo with Patterson for her tree story.
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Courtesy Mona Patterson
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The trees meant a lot to my family. They were home to so many critters, birds, squirrels, even the occasional bobcat. They provided my family shade in the hot L.A. summers.
Growing up, my brother and I spent many days climbing in them and swinging on the swings my dad built us.
In later years, I would set up my hammock using the trees and read books under them.
The trees were part of what made our house a home.
While our home did not survive, our beautiful oak trees did. We estimate the trees are over 100 years old and were there even before our house was built. [Their survival] gives us hope and strength for the unknown future.
Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published January 18, 2026 5:00 AM
Saints of Sinners performing at Backyard Party on Jan. 10, 2026
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Joseth Gonzalez
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Topline:
About three months old, Backyard Party is one of the San Gabriel Valley's newest all age music venues. On a recent Saturday night, its lineup was full of teenage musicians who got the chance to play loud, very loud on a professional stage. And make some cash.
The backstory: A project of non-profit Altadena Musicians, Backyard Party is run by Matt Chait and Sandra Denver. The idea is to make a space where musicians and music fans reeling from last year's wildfires can connect and support each other.
Read on ... to learn more about the space and see photos.
On a recent Saturday, a group of teenage musicians took to a stage inside an unlikely place: an unassuming unit in a business park at the bottom of Lincoln Avenue in Pasadena.
This space has a stage sitting on its concrete floor with the words "Backyard Party" playfully scrawled across the bottom.
The members of a band called The Wendolls sound checked with Matt Chait at the mixing board.
One of the area’s newest all-ages venues, Backyard Party is Chait’s brainchild.
“The fires crushed garages where kids would have been playing. It burnt backyards where they would have been playing. It burnt down the schools where they would have been playing. So this is the communal backyard party. That’s specifically what we built and why we built it,” Chait said just outside the makeshift venue. The only thing that sets it apart from the nondescript units around it is a handwritten sign that says ‘No Ins and Outs.’
Chait, who was evacuated from his residence during the Eaton Fire, teamed up with Sandra Denver to manage the volunteer-run Backyard Party a few months ago. Her daughter sung lead vocals in a band called Sly, one of four bands on the lineup.
“We wanted to provide a space for all of the teen bands all around to come and play and help them create a kind of scene,” Denver said.
It’s the type of spot Denver said she wishes she had growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.
The tip box at Backyard Party
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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And she’s just one of several supportive parents here who are helping load in amps and guitars and bass drums.
Sixteen-year-old Jett Bizon is the drummer for Saints of Sinners, one of the bands on the bill. He said there’s another reason there are so many parents in the crowd.
“Well, nobody drives. Everybody needs a ride,” Bizon said with a chuckle.
With his long dark hair, Bizon explained that he’s already played some legendary local venues like The Whiskey a Go Go. But he said it feels like Backyard Party is becoming a much needed space for younger musicians in the area.
“We need to let out some type of energy and everybody’s putting it into music,” Bizon said. “I think it’s a great thing. Finally a scene again, it’s fun.”
As Bizon and his bandmates played their set of hard rock songs, the only people on their phones in the crowd were parents filming.
Some of the young folks taking the stage were affected by the Eaton Fire in one way or another. Some of them were evacuated. Others lost homes or saw their friends displaced.
Payton Owen was part of the crew running the door, taking tickets and dolling out snacks. She too is a musician and writes reviews of some of the concerts here.
“I think it’s amazing. I think it’s really like a point of community,” she said from behind a glass case filled with bags of popcorn and candy. “It’s a really nice opportunity for kids to really have somewhere where they can go.”
Teenager Elise Lamond agreed. She’d been following Chait around all night, learning how to set levels for the musicians, run the house lights and more.
“Most people at this age don’t have those kinds of opportunities,” she said, adding that, as a musician herself, she appreciated having free access to the venue’s music equipment, too.
Chait, who had a hand in running the now closed AAA Electra 99 venue in Anaheim and has been a musician since he was 12, said Pasadena and Altadena have a noteworthy music pedigree.
“I mean, Van Halen started in quite literal ‘backyard parties’ over on Allen. I think it lives here,” he said.
And Chait said he’s blown away by the new talent that’s come to this stage. For his part, he thinks it’s the start of a new scene that will balloon beyond Altadena and Pasadena.
Matt Chait going over the sound setup with Elise Lamond at Backyard Party.
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Robert Garrova / LAist
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“The fact that these kids who are now, let's say, 15-20 all lived through COVID and were very separated from each other. And now, in this particular neighborhood, are also separated again because of the fires. And they have supportive parents and now they have the physical place to be... All of the pieces of the puzzle are here,” Chait said.
For now, Chait said this is a labor of love. The space here is provided by Altadena Musicians, a non-profit that’s working to get instruments back in the hands of people who lost their gear in the fires. And as for ticket sales?
“It is the best part of running the venue: the end of the night, when we hand cash to these kids for playing,” Chait said.
Tonight’s bounty from a full-house? $320.
“There’s a couple of these kids, if they play one or two more times, we’re going to have to give them 1099s,” he said.
Signs blaming Southern California Edison for the Eaton fire are seen near cleared lots in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County on Jan. 5.
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Josh Edelson
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Getty Images
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Topline:
On Friday Southern California Edison filed cross-claim lawsuits against Los Angeles County and a number of other entites over their alleged roles in the Eaton Fire.
Who is involved: Edison filed two separate lawsuits. One against Southern California Gas and another against Los Angeles County and nearly a dozen other parties.
What are the claims: Edison accuses Southern California Gas of exacerbating the fire by delaying shutting off gas in the burn area until several days after the fire started. The second suit accuses Los Angeles County and affiliated parties of failing to evacuate residents in a timely manner and failing to provide proper resources for fire suppression.
The backstory: Edison itself is the subject of hundreds of lawsuits from survivors of the Eaton Fire, which could cost the company billions of dollars in settlements. The company has acknowledged that its own equipment likely started the fire.
What's next: Those claims will be heard in the L.A. County Superior Court, which is also handling L.A. County’s lawsuit and nearly 1,000 other cases against SoCal Edison stemming from the Eaton Fire.
Read on ... to learn the details of the suits.
On Friday, Southern California Edison filed lawsuits against Los Angeles County and several other agencies over their alleged roles in the Eaton Fire.
Two lawsuits were filed.
In one suit, the utility company alleges Southern California Gas delayed shutting off gas in the burn area for several days after the fire, making the blaze worse.
“SoCalGas’ design and actions caused gas leaks, gas fires, reignition of fires, gas explosions and secondary ignitions during the critical early stages of the Eaton Fire,” according to the suit.
The claim goes on to say this contributed to the spread of the fire and made firefighting and evacuation efforts more difficult.
In the second suit, the utility company alleges the Eaton Fire was made worse by the local government response, “including due to the failures of LASD, LACoFD, OEM and GENASYS in issuing timely evacuation alerts and notifications,” the claim reads.
The same filing says L.A. County was to blame for vegetation and overgrown brush in the Eaton Canyon area that fueled the blaze.
It also named the city of Pasadena and its utility system, Pasadena Water and Power, the city of Sierra Madre, Kinneloa Irrigation District, Rubio Cañon Land & Water Association, Las Flores Water Company and Lincoln Avenue Water Company as parties responsible for water systems running dry in Altadena as the fire broke out.
Edison says hydrants running dry compounded the extent of the disaster.
Those claims will be heard in the L.A. County Superior Court, which is also handling L.A. County’s lawsuit against SoCal Edison.
Edison itself is the subject of hundreds of lawsuits from survivors of the Eaton Fire, which could cost the company billions of dollars in settlements.
Edison has said its equipment likely sparked the Eaton Fire and filed these suits, in part, because it believes these various entities should share some of the blame for the disaster, which resulted in the destruction of thousands of buildings and the deaths of 19 people.
A compensation program Edison established for fire survivors who forgo suing the company has made settlement offers to more than 80 of those who applied.
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Danny Bakewell speaks with The LA Local on Jan. 12, 2025, about the MLK Day Parade.
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LaMonica Peters
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The LA Local
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Topline:
A new organization is taking over production of the MLK Day Parade, almost 40 years after the first parade was held in South L.A. to commemorate the civil rights leader.
Who's taking over? Bakewell Media, publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper (a partner of The LA Local), was granted the permit in September to organize the parade for the first time by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Formerly called the Kingdom Day Parade, the parade has been rebranded as the Los Angeles Official Martin Luther King Day Parade. The parade was previously produced and organized by Adrian Dove and the L.A. chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality California (CORE-CA).
Read on ... for an interview with Danny Bakewell Jr., president and executive director of the L.A. Sentinel.
A new organization is taking over production of the MLK Day Parade, almost 40 years after the first parade was held in South L.A. to commemorate the civil rights leader.
Bakewell Media, publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper (a partner of The LA Local), was granted the permit in September to organize the parade for the first time by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Formerly called the Kingdom Day Parade, the parade has been rebranded as the Los Angeles Official Martin Luther King Day Parade. The parade was previously produced and organized by Adrian Dove and the L.A. chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality California (CORE-CA).
With less than a week before the parade kicks off, LA Local reporter LaMonica Peters sat down with Danny Bakewell Jr., president and executive editor of the LA Sentinel, to discuss the details and what attendees should expect.
This Jan. 12 interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Why did you decide to produce the MLK Day Parade this year?
Bakewell: It all started because Adrian Dove, who was the previous promoter, had announced that he was retiring. When he announced he was retiring, LAPD, city council offices and other people said, “Hey, we still want to do the MLK Day parade. Would you guys be interested? You have the infrastructure to put it together.” And we said yes.
What’s different about this year’s production?
We’re going to start the parade with a singer performing “Lift Every Voice.” We’re going to play the message from Bernice King at the start of the show. Obviously, we have Cedric the Entertainer as our grand marshal to add the entertainment value, but the community has always been and will continue to be a major part of this parade.
Is ABC 7 covering the parade this year?
It’s still going to be televised by ABC. We’re working diligently on how the show is going to be, but ABC has been a great partner.
What was the preparation for this parade?
Thanks to our corporate sponsors, we have a number of bands. The truth is, particularly in LAUSD at this time, and other school districts, they don’t have the funding to just get a bus and get here. I can’t say enough about Airbnb to Bank of America, all of our corporate sponsors, who are supporting all of the youth organizations.
Were there any unexpected challenges while preparing for this parade?
This [The LA Sentinel office on Crenshaw Blvd.] is usually our command center during The Taste of Soul. It dawned on me last week that we’re going to be a mile away [from the parade route]. So, we made the decision to bring in a trailer to be our office at the corner of King and Crenshaw boulevards.
Any special guests this year besides the grand marshal?
I’m working on a surprise guest to be the singer for the national anthem. No matter what, we will give tribute to the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice” as loud as we can next Monday.
What’s the long-term vision for this parade, if Bakewell Media continues to produce it?
We see the MLK Day Parade, and we want the world to see and expect to see this parade, the same way they see the Macy’s Parade, the Hollywood Parade or the Rose Parade. BET has come in this year as a partner. So there’s an opportunity to possibly do a national broadcast on BET. Not that we would lose our local television, but we see this as a major parade in this community and in the national African American community, celebrating the great work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. So, we are very excited.
Aladdin Used Bookstore in Koreatown announced it would close its store at the end of January.
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Hanna Kang
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The LA Local
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Topline:
Jina Lee, store manager, said declining sales at the Koreatown branch led to the decision to close the store. In recent years, staffing at the 5,000 square foot store on the third floor of Madang Mall dropped from six to two, Lee said.
The backstory: South Korea-based Aladdin Used Books opened its first US brick-and-mortar store in Los Angeles in 2013. The store carries around 50,000 new and used books,with a majority in Korean.
Read on ... to see what locals are saying about the closure.
Bits of conversation drift out of Aladdin Used Books as people lined up at the register with stacks of books.
The bustle of activity is bittersweet as the Koreatown bookstore will close its doors at the end of January after 13 years in the neighborhood.
Jina Lee, store manager, said declining sales at the Koreatown branch led to the decision to close the store. In recent years, staffing at the 5,000-square-foot store on the third floor of Madang Mall dropped from six to two, Lee said.
“This was a happy place for everyone,” she said, “but we were struggling.”
On a recent January afternoon, the shop looked lively as customers took advantage of the clearance sale on Korean and English books, CDs, DVDs and other media.
Koreatown resident Jin Lee wishes he visited the bookstore more often.
“It would have been great if it had been this crowded all the time,” Lee said. “But nowadays, people don’t read paper books and prefer devices, so it’s hard for all bookstores.”
Some customers traveled from as far as Orange County and the Inland Empire to visit one last time.
Minjung Kim, who moved from Koreatown to Fullerton five years ago, still made trips to the bookstore after she moved away.
“It’s the only place that sells this many new and used Korean books,” she said.
Each visit to the bookstore was important to David Artiga of Pomona, because it gave him a chance to connect with friends over literature.
“I feel like this is really negative for the community,” he said. “The importance of having a well-versed society, keeping in touch with literature and art is so important. And now this place is just going to be gone.”
South Korea-based Aladdin Used Books opened its first U.S. brick-and-mortar store in Los Angeles in 2013. The store carries around 50,000 new and used books, with a majority in Korean.
Customers will still be able to order books through Aladdin’s website after the store closes.
Ken Derick, a Koreatown resident, walked around the store aisles with a stack of books.
“It’s like we’re kind of moving towards a new technology, like everything’s virtual and online,” he said.
Longtime customer Anthony Kim said he’s enjoyed looking for gems in the English-language shelves.
“My Korean ability is rather limited but I’ve always enjoyed browsing their English language sections,” he said. “And now that I have a niece and nephew, their children’s book section has always been a great place to pick up new books for them.”
Valerie Laguna perused the shop’s CD section, a bygone experience in the era of streaming.
“I really like their CD collection and their literature collection they have in English,” she said.
“I was so sad about it, I immediately texted my friend,” she said. “I’ve gotten so many of my favorite books and my favorite CDs from this place. I feel like losing a place like this is just so sad and makes a huge dent in the community and culture.”
Less than a mile away on Western Avenue, Happy Bookstore owner Jung Jae-seung said it has been difficult for bookstores for some time now. His Korean-language bookstore is also struggling in an era when so many people have abandoned print media.
“It’s really about how long printed books can survive,” Jung said. “From that point of view, it’s hard to be optimistic.”
