The Brief

Over the past two days, emergency crews evacuated at least 1,400 residents from dozens of Pasadena-area nursing homes and assisted living facilities as the Eaton Fire threatened the region, according to state officials.

The mass evacuation of care-dependent residents, mostly over age 65, created immediate health risks for this fragile population and stretched public health officials' coordination capabilities to their limits.

As flames closed in Tuesday night, TV news crews captured residents in wheelchairs and gurneys staging in a 7-Eleven parking lot and being hurried into ambulances outside two senior centers in Pasadena. And medical staff at the Pasadena Civic Center reported a chaotic scene with basic supplies like gloves and hand sanitizer unavailable, cot shortages and nursing home residents transported without basics like socks and incontinence products.

The dramatic scenes expose a critical challenge for nursing homes: Evacuating residents means not just getting them to safety without medical complications, but ensuring their 24-hour medical care and supervision continues wherever they land.

By Thursday afternoon, more than 35 facilities had been evacuated, according to the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Social Services. While some evacuees found placement in nearby care facilities and hotels, hundreds were transported to public evacuation shelters.

On Tuesday: Medical staff report supply issues and cot shortage

When nursing home evacuees began arriving at Pasadena Civic Center Tuesday evening, medical professionals assisting them told LAist there was a shortage of essential supplies including gloves, respirators, and incontinence products such as absorbent pads.

"We didn't have any PPE, so there were people with catheters, you know, diapers that need changing," said Dr. Laura Mosqueda, a professor at USC's Keck School of Medicine and local expert on geriatric care who was working at the site. "Their bags were getting full of urine, and they didn't have a way to empty it."

Many evacuees were still wearing ash-covered hospital gowns and some had no shoes or socks, she said. Mosqueda said there was a shortage of cots — which were initially given to evacuees on a first-come-first-served basis, rather than based on need.

Laura Mosqueda, professor at USC Keck School of Medicine, tends to an evacuated nursing home resident arriving by gurney at the Pasadena Civic Center. The man had serious health needs, including a gastrostomy tube.

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Aaron Schrank

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LAist

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Rachel Tate, a vice president of ombudsman services at the nonprofit Wise & Healthy Aging, showed up at the Pasadena Civic Center Tuesday night to assist and told LAist she saw similar problems.

“You had nursing home residents at risk for developing pressure ulcers because they were left sitting upright,” said Tate, who oversees the ombudsman program for long-term care facilities across all of L.A. County.

As the night wore on, rows of gurneys poured in. Tate said some residents at risk for falls were dropped off by ambulances and left in hallways unattended.

Pasadena officials operating the evacuation center at the Pasadena Civic Center told LAist the site is not equipped to provide care to the evacuees from nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but a lack of available beds in long-term care facilities throughout L.A. County left the city no choice.

“It was never intended to be a medical shelter, where we provide medical care to those that are being evacuated, but some unique conditions arose which required us to pivot,” said Manuel Carmona, acting director for the Pasadena Public Health Department. “And unfortunately, at that point in time, there were no resources available to provide the medical care that these individuals needed.”

Northwest Pasadena is home to a high concentration of long-term care facilities, which contributed to the logistical challenges, Carmona said.

On Wednesday: Coordination challenges

By Wednesday afternoon, more resources and staff had arrived at the Pasadena Civic Center and many residents had been transferred elsewhere. But a visit by an LAist reporter found scores of seniors still facing uncoordinated care.

We saw private EMTs continue to drop off displaced residents on gurneys, often without facility representatives accompanying them. Many required specialized medical attention, using wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, IVs, or gastrostomy tubes. Nurses from Pasadena's Public Health Department and volunteers stepped in to assess various health needs, triage resources and attempt to coordinate care or relocation.

Carmona said the city’s public health nurses went above and beyond to provide support to a population that, under normal circumstances, should never have been taken to a public evacuation shelter.

"We cared for them as best as possible with the resources available,” Carmona said.

Private ambulances lined up outside of Pasadena Civic Center, delivering displaced residents from nursing homes and assisted living facilities on Jan. 8, 2025.

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Aaron Schrank

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LAist

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The medical staff assigned to the evacuation center are equipped to address public health issues, but not to provide the intensive physical or mental care, he said.

Mosqueda and Tate praised the work of Pasadena’s public health team, but at the same time questioned if agencies could have better coordinated care for vulnerable seniors.

“We’re grateful that Pasadena Public Health stepped in to provide whatever public assistance they could,” Mosqueda said.

L.A. County’s Emergency Medical Services Agency is responsible for coordinating the evacuations of most nursing homes and assisted living facilities for fires across L.A. County, with support from local health officials and the California Department of Public Health — the state agency responsible for licensing nursing homes.

On Thursday: Nursing home evacuees transferred to medical facilities

As of Thursday morning, all evacuees from nursing homes in the Pasadena area had been transferred to appropriate medical facilities.

L.A. County's Department of Social Services was working to transfer remaining assisted living facility residents, according to Pasadena’s Department of Public Health.

What evacuation plans were in place?

State and federal laws require all residential facilities for older adults to have written plans for evacuation.

Carmona said those laws require nursing homes to identify facilities where they would transport their patients in the event of an evacuation.

“With limited bed availability throughout the region, they were not able to transfer to the designated facilities, which required them to redirect to the Pasadena evacuation shelter,” he said.

Advocates for nursing home residents said the disordered evacuation process shows the need for more system-wide emergency planning among L.A. County’s long-term care facilities.

“For years, advocates have been screaming from the rooftops that most of the facilities’ emergency plans are ‘We’re just going to call 911 and 911 is going to take care of it,’” said Tate with Wise and Healthy Aging. “We’ve raised the alarm with the county for years that there needs to be a more robust plan.”

The aftermath of an evacuation at a convenience store across from two Pasadena nursing homes.

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Sharon McNary

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LAist

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Full list of nursing homes evacuated by Eaton Fire

Media reports and eyewitnesses confirmed at least three nursing homes in Pasadena appear to have been destroyed by the fire: Pasadena Park Healthcare and Wellness Center, The Terraces at Park Marino, and Two Palms Care Center.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities evacuated (as of 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9):

NURSING HOMES:

Brighton Care Center (1836 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103):
84 residents evacuated

Camellia Gardens Care Center (1920 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103): 67 residents evacuated to Golden Legacy

Chester House (1115 N Chester Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104): Four residents evacuated to Brown House sister facility

Golden Rose Care Center (1899 N Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103): 71 residents evacuated to Golden Legacy

Monte Nido Residential Care Center (514 Live Oak Cir Dr., Calabasas, CA 91302): 5 residents evacuated to Monte Nido Vista

Montrose Springs SNF and Wellness Center (2635 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020): 138 residents evacuated to various facilities

Pasadena Care Center (1640 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103): 60 residents evacuated to Greenfield Care Center

Pasadena Grove Health Center (1470 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103): 58 residents evacuated to multiple facilities

Pasadena Park Healthcare and Wellness Center (2585 E Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107): 94 residents evacuated to multiple facilities

Pinnacle Health Colman (672 Colman St., Altadena, CA 91001): Four residents evacuated to Pinnacle Health Maydee

Pinnacle Health Santa Anita (2135 Santa Anita Ave., Altadena CA. 91001): Three residents evacuated to Pinnacle Health Maydee

Stahl House (443 North Craig, Pasadena, CA 91107): Five residents evacuated to Wynn House

St. Vincent Healthcare (1810 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103): 70 residents evacuated to multiple locations

Two Palms Care Center (2637 E Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107): 45 residents evacuated

Villa Esperanza Wynn House (2116 E Villa St., Pasadena, CA 91107): Three residents evacuated to Brown House sister facility

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES:

Ace Senior Care Manor (940 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena 91104): Five residents evacuated to Pasadena Civic Center

Alexander’s House Incorporated (1791 Navarro Ave., Pasadena 91103): Five residents evacuated to private residence

Bella Vista (1760 N Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena 91103): 70 residents evacuated to Pasadena Civic Center

Bonnie’s Guest House (135 N Bonnie Ave., Pasadena, 91106): 14 residents evacuated to Glendora Motel

Chelle’s Home (3234 Alameda St., Pasadena, 91107: Four residents evacuated to private residence

Easter Seals Southern California Eastlyn Residence (1299 Eastlyn Pl., Pasadena, 91104): Four residents evacuated to private residence

Easter Seals Southern California Orange Grove (1657 E Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, 91104): Four residents evacuated to private residence

El Molino Rose Villa (1144 N. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, 91104): Six residents evacuated to Sheraton Fairplex Suites & Conference Center in Pomona

Evolve Care, Inc (1708 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, 91103): Four residents evacuated to Hilton San Gabriel

Fair Oaks Manor (1753 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, 91103): 15 residents evacuated to Abria Del Cielo assisted living facility in San Bernardino

JML Board & Care (191 East Washington Blvd., Pasadena, 91103): Four residents evacuated to private residence

The Kensington Sierra Madre (245 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, 91024): 100 residents evacuated to Sheraton Hotel Ontario

Lundy Family Care Home (964 N Summit Ave., Pasadena, 91103): Four residents evacuated to Worldmark Indio

Mentone House (1980 Mentone, Pasadena, 91103): Six residents evacuated to Bancroft House

New Beginnings Atchinson (403 Atchison St., Pasadena, 91104): Six residents evacuated to Fairfield Inn Buena Park

Pasadena Adult Living Center (1415 N Garfield Ave., Pasadena, 91104): 130 residents evacuated to Pasadena Convention Center

Pasadena Highlands (1575 E Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104): 240 residents evacuated to Pasadena Civic Center and other locations

Pasadena Villa Senior Living (1811 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, 91103): 90 residents evacuated to Cedars Assisted Living Northridge

Royal Oaks (1763 Royal Oaks Dr., Duarte, 91010): 45 residents evacuated to Westminster Gardens retirement community in Duarte

Santa Barbara Guest Home (735 Santa Barbara, Pasadena, 91101): Six residents evacuated to Providence Christian College

The Terraces at Park Marino: (2587 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107): 95 residents evacuated

Fire resources and tips

If you have to evacuate

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to getting packed up right now to evacuate
• Cheat sheet: A very short guide for how to leave your house if you need to evacuate

If you have more time:

• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you

Things to consider

• Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
• This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home

Navigating fire conditions

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to driving in high winds and fire danger
• High winds and fires mean power outages. Here's how to prep

How to help yourself and others

• Resources for SoCal fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer

Understanding how it got this bad

• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment

This weekend's Long Beach Pride Festival was canceled by the city on Friday — hours before kickoff. The city said festival organizers failed to provide the required safety documentation.

The Pride Parade, managed and funded by the city, will continue as scheduled on Sunday at 10 a.m.

The parade will start at Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Avenue and travel along the Ocean Boulevard coastline to Alamitos Avenue in Downtown Long Beach.

Roads will close and parking will be restricted starting hours before the parade. Streets are expected to reopen by 2 p.m.

No parking on these streets

Between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday parking won’t be allowed on:

• Ocean Boulevard from Redondo to Atlantic Avenues
• The immediate side streets on the north and south sides of Ocean Boulevard from Redondo to Atlantic Avenues

And these streets will be closed

The following streets will be closed to traffic during their designated times:

• 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Ocean Boulevard between Redondo and Lindero, including side streets on the north and south side of Ocean Boulevard
• 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Shoreline Drive between Ocean Boulevard and Shoreline Village Drive
• 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Ocean Boulevard between Lindero and Atlantic, including all side streets on the north and south side of Ocean Boulevard
• 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Alamitos Avenue between Ocean Boulevard and Broadway

Where you can park

Long Beach Pride says that parking will be available at the Long Beach Convention Center at 400 E. Seaside Way. Accessible parking and viewing will be available at Junipero and First Street, near Bixby Park.

Ride the Metro

Take the LA Metro A Line and exit 1st Street Station in Downtown Long Beach. After you exit, it's roughly a 10-minute walk down Ocean Boulevard to the parade festivities at Marina Green Park.

Editor's note: This story includes descriptions of allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Harvey Weinstein's latest sex crimes trial ended with a hung jury Friday, on the third day of deliberations.

It was the second time in a year a jury was unable to reach a verdict on the same charge.

Accusations against the former Hollywood mogul came to define the #MeToo movement, and he was first convicted of assaulting Jessica Mann in 2020. The former aspiring actress testified Weinstein raped her at a DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan in 2013. But that verdict, along with another charge, was later overturned.

In a second New York trial last summer, Weinstein was found guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and not guilty on another. But a third charge, of raping Mann, ended in a mistrial after the jury foreperson declined to return to deliberations, citing concerns for his safety.

Weinstein had returned to court for a third New York trial in April, this one focusing on Mann's allegations. But on Friday morning, Judge Curtis Farber received a note from jurors stating they were unable to reach a unanimous decision. Farber then read jurors a modified deadlock charge, known as an Allen charge, urging them to resume deliberations.

Jurors soon responded with another note restating their position. "We feel that no one is going to change where they stand," it said. Nine jurors fell on the side of not guilty; three supported a guilty verdict, Weinstein's lawyers told press outside of the courtroom.

The prosecution has until late June to decide whether they'll try the case again.

Outside of court, 55-year-old juror Rick Treese said that the group diverged on "where we actually had facts." He told reporters, "We didn't have enough facts to grasp onto, so it was emotion." People in the group "had varying emotions about it based on [their] experience in life."

"Everybody respected each other. Everybody respected their backgrounds. It was very civil. I feel certain that we dug into it enough."

Another juror, Josh Hadar, said his vote was for "not guilty," in part because he felt there might be parts of Mann's testimony that were "fabricated."

"I think the prevailing thought was that the witness had a lot of inconsistencies in her story," he said.

The mistrial concludes a month-long trial that was quieter than Weinstein's previous court appearances, with a diminished media presence and less public attention. Earlier this year, Weinstein hired a new legal team, including high-profile criminal defense attorneys such as Marc Agnifilo, known for representing Luigi Mangione and Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Defense attorneys argued that Mann and the then-married Weinstein had a consensual, on-again, off-again relationship over many years. But Mann testified that on that 2013 morning at the DoubleTree hotel, Weinstein "command[ed]" her to undress and penetrated her despite Mann repeatedly saying "no." Weinstein has denied all allegations of sexual assault.

Now 74, Weinstein has been incarcerated since 2020. In 2022, he was convicted of rape and sexual assault in a separate case in California and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is appealing that verdict.

Agnifilo said outside court on Friday, "It's our job not just to win this case. There is an entire legal knot that needs to be untangled. And we're going to start untangling that knot strand by strand with the New York case and then the California case. So this really is just a first step." He said that this latest mistrial might not be "the win [Weinstein] wanted, but it's a win."

A statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said prosecutors were "disappointed that the proceedings ended in a mistrial" and would consider next steps in consultation with Mann.

"For nearly a decade, Jessica Mann has fought for justice. Over the course of many weeks during three separate trials, she relived unthinkably painful experiences in front of complete strangers," the statement said. "Her perseverance and bravery are inspiring to the members of my office, and more importantly, to survivors everywhere."

Weinstein's lawyers have said that he is in poor health. He used a wheelchair in court and did not testify on the stand in this trial, nor during any of his previous criminal cases. At one point during jury deliberations, Judge Farber announced Weinstein could not appear in court due to complaints of "chest pains."

Weinstein has given a limited number of interviews from prison, including with far-right podcaster Candace Owens and the Daily Mail. Most recently, he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter from Rikers Island.

When asked whether he had apologized to any of the women who brought charges against him, Weinstein told The Hollywood Reporter, "I apologized to them generally. You can't call them when you're in a trial with them. But I'll say it here today: I apologize to those women. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been with them in the first place. I misled them."

Citing his health issues, including bone marrow cancer, Weinstein said, "I'm dying here. And the DA's idea is probably to have me dying in prison. But I am dying."

More than 30 teams will take their handmade cars through a custom downhill course of twisty turns and obstacles Saturday as the Red Bull Soapbox Race returns to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly a decade.

Teams from across the country were selected from hundreds of applicants to compete on creativity, design, showmanship, course navigation and time.

There are no engines allowed in this race — all soapboxes must be gravity-powered.

Fully-functioning brakes and steering are required, but almost every other aspect of the engineering and design is left up to the competitors’ imaginations. According to Red Bull, the soapbox should be an extension of its team, the wilder and more outrageous the better.

From real racers to a car made out of bicycle parts

Contestants take on the course at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2025.

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Long Nguyen

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Courtesy Red Bull

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The race includes competitors from across Southern California and beyond.

UCLA Bruin Racing, made up of the school’s Formula SAE Squad (which also design and race specialized cars), entered with its “Mk. 9 racer” soapbox that was originally an out of commission EV car.

Metro LA repurposed parts from some of the unclaimed bikes left behind on the transit system for its “carrot-colored” bus design (and yes, that is the agency’s nod to Tyler, the Creator’s song "Rah Tah Tah." IYKYK).

The Seagrave 13 team from Las Vegas is dedicating their soapbox to Pasadena first responders who battled last year’s Eaton Fire. They’re planning to donate the car to the L.A. County Fire Museum after the race.

Built on a patio

One of the homegrown teams trying their luck this year is made up of a group of renters and friends in Santa Monica and Victorville who built their “Runaway Hotdog Stand” soapbox on an apartment patio.

“The fact that we're able to do this shows that I mean anybody could do this, and honestly could do anything else,” Carlos Monson, captain of the Speedy Wiener team, told LAist.

The Speedy Wiener team drew their design inspiration from L.A.’s iconic hot dog carts, typically a small grill that serves bacon and veggie toppings outside concerts, sporting events and tourist attractions.

The Speedy Wiener team modeled their soapbox after L.A.'s iconic hotdog carts.

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Courtesy Carlos Monson

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“For us, luckily, a majority of them are Latino and we're like, you know what, this is actually a perfect opportunity because the whole team is Latino,” said Monson, who will also be driving the soapbox.

The group of friends, between 18 and 21 years of age, built most of their cherry-red car on Monson’s apartment patio under Victorville’s glaring sun.

The Speedy Wiener repurposed the base of an old, rickety go-kart frame for their "Runaway Hotdog Stand" soapbox.

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Courtesy Carlos Monson

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They repurposed the base using an old, rickety go-kart frame that Monson said took about an hour just to carry up the stairs and get through the front door.

They worked on the soapbox in between classes and shifts at work. The final touches include stamping their Speedy Wiener logo and adding a mock-menu to the frame. There’s also ketchup and mustard bottles with yellow and red streamers hanging from the nozzles and a rainbow umbrella over the wheel.

The team, made up of renters between 18 and 21 years old, built most of the soapbox on their captain's apartment patio in Victorville.

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Courtesy Carlos Monson

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For the car’s structure, Monson turned to a collection of cardboard boxes he had lying around after a recent move and attached the various pieces with zip ties.

“We'll be able to hopefully last when they make it down the race track,” he said.

Engineering students’ big break

Another entrant on Saturday is the Los Ingenieros, a group of mechanical engineering students from Cerritos College in Norwalk, who has taken inspiration from the team’s Hispanic heritage and Los Angeles culture.

Their car is lucha libre-themed with rails modeled after a wrestling ring and the driver donning a muscle suit and mask.

The red, white and green colors represent the Mexican flag and features Chicano-style pinstriping from L.A.’s lowriders, as well as some Aztec patterns.

The Los Ingenieros team is made up of a group of mechanical engineering students from Cerritos College.

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Courtesy Ruben Orozco

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“It's definitely going to be a powerful testimony to our culture,” said Ruben Orozco, a Los Ingenieros member from La Mirada.

The team never expected to be picked for the race, and Orozco said the invitation has been “mind-blowing” and “surreal.”

Arelie Marquez, another member from Long Beach, told LAist she sketched the design for the modified go-kart frame before the team chopped the wheels, boosted the back axle and added suspension. While some of the students drew up blueprints on engineering computer software, Marquez used her welding experience to help mount the brackets — all in Orozco’s backyard.

As a community college student, Orozco said he’s felt like he’s missed out on opportunities to showcase their knowledge and innovations compared to students in the Cal State or UC system, but the Red Bull Soapbox Race has helped shed that notion.

“Not only has it been reassuring to myself, but also we've used it as a platform to kind of show others in STEM, in community colleges, that you could do crazy things as a student,” he said.

And yes, the team is already highlighting the unique engineering experience on their resumes, according to Gabriel Ramirez, a Compton resident and another member along with his twin brother, Hector.

Their next challenge? Cramming for finals next week.

The Surfrider Foundation is hosting a protest in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday to oppose what it sees as mounting threats to our California coastline.

In 2015, a pipeline operated by Plains All American spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. Hundreds of marine mammals were killed or injured and beaches across the region were contaminated.

Bill Hickman, a senior regional manager with the Surfrider Foundation, remembers it well.

“I live in Ventura. We had a bottlenose dolphin wash up here that was covered in oil,” Hickman told LAist. “That was really sad to see. And there was oil on the beach all the way down to L.A.”

The spill also “shut down fisheries, closed multiple beaches, and impacted recreational uses such as camping, non-commercial fishing, and beach visits,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In March, the Trump administration invoked the Defense Production Act to bring that same pipeline, now run by Texas-based Sable Offshore, back online. The company says that the system will produce tens of thousands of barrels of oil a day, as well as “provide a secure, consistent source of domestic crude oil, replacing approximately 1 million barrels per month of imports.”

But Hickman and other environmental advocates say restarting the pipeline raises serious concerns. California sued the Trump administration in March to keep it shut.

The restart, along with the Trump administration’s push to open the California coast up to new oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades, has Hickman sounding the alarm.

“Right now it seems like if you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention,” Hickman said. “And luckily a lot of people are really fired up about all of the threats to the environment and particularly the Santa Barbara channel.”

Oil spills like the one in 2015 could also deeply affect tourism, the fishing industry and lead to billions in cleanup costs, according to Gov, Gavin Newsom’s office. In a January 2026 statement opposing the Trump administration’s new offshore drilling plans, the governor’s office said the state's coastal economy “supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates over $44 billion annually.”

On Sunday morning, Hickman will be part of a spiritual ritual in surf culture: a paddle-out into the ocean at Refugio State Beach.

He said anyone with a human-powered craft is welcome to join the circle to oppose drilling on our coasts.

“People are standing up. There’s a lot of opposition,” Hickman said. “Californians really treasure our coast, our beaches, our waves and really want to protect them.”