The Brief

Loma Alta Park in Altadena had been a beloved public community resource since 1954 until the Eaton Fire devastated neighborhoods and cut off public access to the park.

While still closed for play and recreation, work at the park is now underway for a scheduled May 17 reopening.

To make that deadline, L.A. County parks officials have recruited more than 2,000 people from across the region to help put finishing touches in place. About 500 people have signed up to show up each Saturday until the reopening.

Norma Edith García-Gonzalez, county parks director, was on site this Saturday to break ground on the effort. She said she's happy to see Angelenos who live outside Altadena show up to pitch in. The good news, she said, is that a lot of work has already been done to get to this step.

“We’re not cleaning this park. The park has been thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed of ash,” she said. “This is about adding a touch of love from Los Angeles County residents to Altadena.”

Director of L.A. County Parks Norma Edith García-González speaks with volunteers at Loma Alta park on the first day of a month-long restoration process.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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How safe is the park?

For many Altadenans, though, questions about safety remain top of mind. Comments on a March 10 Facebook post by L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger calling for volunteers prompted mixed reactions.

Anita Ghazarian commented: “Isn’t this premature? Have you done soil testing to see if it’s safe for kids?”

Aaron Lewis saw it differently, posting: “I don’t know why so many are put out by any progress towards restoring Altadena. This is not asking for fire victims to volunteer. It is asking volunteers to help fire victims.”

García-Gonzalez said when it comes to the soil, the government did its due diligence,

“We went above and beyond and hired a certified contractor to vacuum the lawns of Loma Alta," she said. "We also did soil testing and the results were good."

She said county health officials will hold a virtual town hall on April 10 to share the results of Altadena soil testing. County officials have also been posting results on a post-fire county webpage.

In addition to questions about soil safety, many commenters asked why county officials are focused on park restoration while residents continue to struggle.

Volunteers came from across L.A.

Most of the volunteers who showed up Saturday morning were not from the immediate area. Tony Henderson lives in Long Beach and came to the event with the Hope in Christ Community Church of Compton.

“It’s a horrible situation, but we are here to help uplift the city,” Henderson said. “So we are here doing our part and just bringing unity to this community.”

Henderson held a cup full of neon green paint, as he helped to fill in one of the many murals that have been sketched out around the park. The brick wall his group is working on is filled with images of flowers and green leaves.

Members of the Hope in Christ Community Church of Compton help paint a new mural on a brick wall at Loma Alta Park in Altadena on Saturday, April 5.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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Volunteers hard at work coloring in murals sketched for them at the Loma Alta Park restoration on Saturday, April 5.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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A theme of renewal could be felt around the park as people worked. At one of the entrances North Hollywood artist  Katie Sunderalingam began tackling a sprawling mural of flourishing ferns in its early stages, one of the works commissioned for the restoration.

The concept art for a mural at Loma Alta park designed by Katie Sunderalingam. It depicts a green fern flourishing on the ground.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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The concept comes to life at Loma Alta Park.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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“Ferns kind of popup anywhere, they’re pretty resilient plants,” Sunderalingam said, “So I wanted to represent resilience and regrowth.”

For Sunderalingam the project is personal even though she isn’t from Altadena,

“My closest friends live in the area and have been affected by what happened,” she said. “So it feels really special to be able to do something.”

Katie Sunderalingam and a helper work on her mural for Loma Alta Park in Altadena.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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Kyle Berzle lives in neighboring Pasadena, “right on the cusp of Altadena,” he was in the dirt installing new native plants where many of the shrubs had burned off in the fires. He said he has a history with Loma Alta.

“The park was definitely our safe space, our outdoor zone,” he said. “We use the pool in the summers. Just a great place to come out, be around the community.”

Pasadena resident Kyle Berzle digs up dirt for new native species of plants to be put in the ground at Loma Alta Park in Altadena.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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Nina Dinh of Duarte works on landscaping the parking lot at Loma Alta Park for its restoration on Saturday, April 5.

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Dañiel Martinez

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LAist

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Plans for a "super park"

When Loma Alta reopens it is supposed to become a “super park” according to a news release issued by L.A. County Parks. Money from fire aid is helping to rebuild and expand playgrounds, and there will be added services including a satellite senior center and Altadena Library, childcare services, and a teen center. Officials say the goal is to not only bring it back to what it once was, but to make it better for residents.

Victoria Knapp chairs Altadena’s town council and showed up Saturday to represent her community. She says restoring Loma Alta is one step in the direction of healing for Altadena — especially for the many people who remain displaced by the fire.

“I think that once we get this park reopened," Knapp said, "it will give the community a sense of a place where they can come to commune with each other, because we are all so far away from Altadena.”

How to participate

Volunteers from across Los Angeles will be out from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. helping to rejuvenate Loma Alta park every Saturday in April.

Location: 3330 N Lincoln Ave, Altadena, CA 91001

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.