The Brief

One week into the senseless destruction of the Eaton Fire, a beloved landmark came back to life high in the foothills of Altadena.

The "Star of Palawoo" was lighted for just half a night on Jan. 13. But for Altadena residents who looked up, its familiar and unexpected glow brought comfort and hope.

"You could see it from miles because that was the only light in that area," said Christopher Jude Miller-Chapin.

Miller-Chapin lived in a sprawling historical estate below the landmark and was one of the people who helped relight it that night.

The magician of light

F.B. Nightingale and his Star of Palawoo.

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Courtesy of Bill Westphal

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F.B. Nightingale (right) standing next to the Star of Palawoo.

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Courtesy Bill Westphal

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The story of the folksy stelliform sculpture begins with F.B. Nightingale, who was born in Upstate New York in 1885, became fascinated with magic and performed in Vaudeville shows. In the early 1910s, he joined General Electric in New York and was eventually sent to Los Angeles. He settled in the Altadena foothills and built an estate called "Palawoo" (which he said meant "bird's nest," though in what language isn't clear).

In the 1920s, he constructed the five-pointed star out of wood and 40-watt bulbs, according to a letter Nightingale wrote to the Altadena Chamber of Commerce.

" It was the first of its kind of technology," said Mary Landau, historian at the Christmas Tree Lane Association.

Once lit, the star was said to be in perfect alignment with Santa Rosa Avenue before it was obscured by the giant cedar trees that give the block its yuletide nickname. "He wanted to present it as a gift to Altadena and the world," Landau said.

By then, Nightingale was being referred to as the "father of garden lighting," Landau said. He would open his house for light demonstrations and decorated the gardens of Hollywood celebrities.

The Star of Palawoo shines above F.B. Nightingale's estate in Altadena.

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Courtesy Bill Westphal

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His "star of Palawoo" is said to have lit up for the very first time during Christmas of 1928.

" He decided to put his two loves together — magic and lighting," Landau said.

A ray of hope

Nightingale died in 1965. A new family moved into Palawoo in the 1990s. The star eventually fell into disrepair. Phil Elkins, the estate's owner, discovered it lying on its side and decided to revive it.

"My dad had run this really giant extension cord from the star all the way down to their house, it's at least a football field ... at least 300 feet," said Nate Elkins, one of three Elkins children.

Since then, the symbol didn't just shine bright during the winter holidays.

Phil Elkins “brought so much hope to all of us when he lit it all during COVID-19," Landau said. " It really is an inspiration to a lot of people."

A 'beautiful beacon'

Former Palawoo resident Daniela Dawson's photo of the Star of Palawoo. It's still standing after the Eaton Fire.

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Daniela Dawson

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The Elkins family kept Palawoo a sanctuary for not just the family, but for those who were lucky enough to have also called it home.

Daniela Dawson, a photographer, remembered seeing a rental ad on Craigslist for a room in an Altadena home last year.

"You could just tell the person who wrote it loved this property," Dawson said. "Of course it was written by the landlord. The way he wrote about it was just so poetic and with love and with care."

She went to see the place, knew nothing about Palawoo — and fell in love. Dawson remembered catching a glimpse of the star as she pulled up to her parking spot, sitting there right above the house.

"It was just glorious, so special," Dawson said. "Even when it wasn't lit in the daytime, it was just kind of this esoteric, really special, beautiful beacon to our home, to our place."

The fire took almost everything in that area — except for the 35-foot star that typically lights up at Christmastime.

Christmas Tree Lane historian Landau has temporarily relocated to another part of Altadena, after her own house was destroyed. To see the landmark she now needs to walk a couple of blocks.

 "Remember that Altadena was settled in 1887, and there were no tall trees at that time. So the view was incredible." Landau said. "And now since everything's burned down, I can't believe the view that I have."

A group of volunteers works on the star on Jan. 13.

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Courtesy Christopher Jude Miller-Chapin

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The Elkins brothers and other volunteers used solar panels to power the Star of Palawoo on Jan. 13.

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Courtesy Christopher Jude Miller-Chapin

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A cycle of rebirth

Fire and winds are a constant in the ecology of Altadena. High winds destroyed the first iteration of the star. Then in 1935, it was burned by wildfire. Nightingale rebuilt it with metal. In 2006, winds knocked it down once more, and it was once more put back together.

In 2019, a group of local volunteers, including Boy Scouts, completely reconstructed the star, using LED bulbs to mimic the original 40-watt lights.

Bill Westphal helped spearhead that effort.

"It's amazing the effect that the star has on people. It just gathers people together, gathers their hope and their love," said Westphal, who lost his home one street away from Palawoo during the fire.

Relighting the star

This year, the Star of Palawoo was supposed to be lighted, as usual for Christmastime, until Jan. 7 — the very night the Eaton Fire started. Six days later, Nate Elkins, his brother Todd and Palawoo resident Christopher Jude Miller-Chapin went up to the star above Palawoo on a wing and a prayer.

Todd and Nate Elkins in Altadena. Behind them, high above, is the Star of Palawoo.

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Courtesy Nate Elkins

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" We were kind of separately all thinking the same thing — that we wanted to get the star lit back up," Elkins said.

The three brought solar panels, a battery and other tools and scaled the burned terrain above the property.

It was the first time Nate, who lives in Texas, had seen his family home since the fire.

" I almost felt numb," he said, seeing the destruction. It's not the loss of the physical home or that the entire Palawoo estate is now gone, he said, but the loss of a co-existence with nature, where bears, foxes and deer roam. "We're on the edge of, you know, L.A. It's kind of like this refuge."

That day, the trio — with the help of firefighters from the Santa Cruz Fire Department they ran into at Palawoo — managed to rig up the star and juiced it for about half the night.

" We're using AI to try to figure out how do we get this to work," Elkins said. "So a little bit of a learning curve for us."

Call for action

The goal now is to get the Star of Palawoo lit up regularly — though they need the assistance of an electrical or solar expert — even for an hour at a set time each night. Elkins said it's something his parents have said they'd want to see.

"The whole community lost so much," Elkins said.

"Going back to the star, we all need a little something... that had been there for a long time and it's still there," he said.

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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The LA Local

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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.