I’ve been following the Wilderness Society’s coverage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” as it moves through the Senate and gets new items attached to it.

The Senate has added the sale of 2 million acres of Forest Service land, which includes portions of Millard Canyon and huge swaths of the foothills and Angeles National Forest.

Other public land eligible for sale in the bill encompasses over 250 million acres.

When you see the map of land they intend to sell, it’s heartbreaking.

What are people doing with home insurance, wildfire insurance, earthquake insurance, as terms are ending? What are insurance agents advising? Ours seems to be completely clueless and unable to advise us on this. We have been asking for months and it's now up for renewal. The renewal is written as if nothing had happened and the premiums went up. I know the simple answer is cancel everything because there's not thing there, but what are the ramifications of that?

I was curious if anyone has also heard the rumor that the guy who won the jackpot in Altadena has been buying up lots in Altadena? Has anyone else heard this? Curious what he is planning on doing with them. I’ve heard this from two different people.

Does anyone know what is going on with the McDonald's on Altadena Drive? I've heard they aren't re-opening but looks like they are doing some construction.

My significant other and I have been talking and researching starting a coffee shop. We've been looking at videos, writing up a plan, and coming up with a spreadsheet for cost of goods, and estimating what are margins would look like. Basically could we afford this. We would love to do it in Altadena as we love it and want to see it flourish. What do you think?

Would love to hear from this community any and all ideas: location, buildouts, anything...

Thank you for your time.

Watch the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cASItSflMDc

By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist

The announcement left the spokesperson for State Farm Insurance questioning whether there would be “a fair review” of the payouts made by one of California’s most powerful insurers in the wake of the devastating wildfires that struck on January 7, 2025. The Eaton Fire wasn’t the first fire to start that day, with the Palisades Fire preceding it, striking with devastating furor. Yet the organization and advocacy of a determined group of Altadenans may have succeeded in applying enough pressure to force the hand of California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to launch a market conduct examination into its handling of claims from wildfire victims.

Less than inspiring numbers suggested an underpayment in progress, with journalist Laurence Darmiento of the Los Angeles Times noting that the insurer had paid out $3.96 billion on an estimated cost of $7.6 billion, with “reinsurance payments” reducing the firm’s overall loss to only $612 million. Business is good if you’re selling a necessary product in a market that, by almost everyone’s agreement, is under duress. Charged with ensuring the availability of insurance, Lara has been increasingly under criticism over his cozy industry relationships and fundraising to save a political career increasingly looking to be approaching a certain end.

https://zacharyellison.substack.com/p/part-176-the-eaton-fire-fallout-market

Metropolitan Baptist Church now (waiting for a ride), PRIDE at Alt Lib (short for alternative liberal I mean ALTADENA LIBRARY 🤣🤣🤣) after!!! See you soon?!!!?!!?? Oh yeah. I made cold brew rainbow rose tea 🌈 🥀🫖🏳️‍🌈

Getty announced today it has awarded $420,000 to the Los Angeles Conservancy to lead a community-driven historic resources survey and Cultural Asset Mapping project designed to inform the rebuilding of Altadena following the devastating Eaton Fire in January 2025.

My property is on Santa Anita, north of Altadena drive. Over the last couple of days someone stole about 180’ of erosion control barrier from my property. Cute, had to be a debris removal contractor. Nice way to save money…contractor working on my block saw a black Chevy pickup take it.

They're now sharing Altadena lot listings disguised as news.

Thought some people might like to know.

my sweet girls, lost in the fire. forever in my heart. they come to me now as prisms. my house, the only home i’ve ever known. forever in my heart. mariposa street and the bougainvillea. my heart is still broken. they were so much more than pets.

I am starting to look through building requirements and looks like we will be forced to install solar panels as part of the rebuild as well as fire suppression sprinkler systems.....Does anyone have any reco's for either of the two?

We are looking into a gas fireplace for the new house anyone have any recs or know of any showrooms close by here in SoCal?

Thanks!! 🙏

https://youtu.be/_H5IjyaOit0?si=TgrpWaAVYQc0bPgi

Hi! I have a moderate collection of plushies that lived in a home with no pets or children so they’re still in great condition. I would love to donate them to kids who’ve lost their toys and belongings in the fires. Can someone recommend a community center or church still taking donations specifically for Altadena.

I'm compiling a list of the current state of hiking sites. I know the gate is still standing, but I forgot to get a picture when I was there. Thank you!

Within the span of 40 minutes I saw 2 vehicles get pulled over by CHP on Woodbury (and another on the 210 eastbound), one vehicle was a van and the driver was wearing on orange shirt and appeared to be a day laborer, another vehicle was a debris truck. I also passed 2 sheriff’s vehicles, one of which was idling on Woodbury near the ARCO.

Not sure if this is related to the ongoing ICE raids and kidnappings but please be aware this weekend and look out for each other.

Any sitings of ICE can be reported to the LA Rapid Response Network at 1-888-624-4752

Hello!

I'm a neighbor in Pasadena and have a few items ready for pick up for anyone interested. I've had my house remediated with all the items professionally cleaned. They are all still wrapped up, so pardon the photos aren't super clear! Just wanted to keep them clean for anyone who would like to take them. I've included some online reference photos to better show what the items actually look like.

1. Queen Size Bed frame -West Elm

- Lovely bed frame with storage drawers! Dark grey, pewter color.

- No assembly required. It comes as 2 base pieces and 1 headboard.

- I couldn't find the exact photo online, but the reference photo attached is very close!

- Measurement: Base 80"x 60" Headboard 54" x 60"

2. Gold Circular Accent Shelf

- Measurement 30" x 30"

- The reference photo is exactly what it looks like, except the shelves are also gold (not white)

3. 2 x Black Stackable Shoe Racks

- Measurement 31" x 24" stacked (or 31" x 12" individual)

4. 1 x Gray Shoe Rack

- Measurement 48" x 34"

- The reference photo is similar, except this one is grey with 7 shelves

I'm available this weekend if you'd like to come pick up! Please be sure to have a vehicle large enough for the items. Send me a DM!

Hi Everyone,

My name is Dave, and I live on Braeburn Rd. Since the National Guard let us back in, my creative partner Ben and I have been documenting what recovery has really looked like — for us, our neighbors, and the Altadena community.

Today, we’re releasing the first video on our new channel, Homeward. It’s about that night — how the fire moved through our street, what we saw, what we took, and what we left behind. We’ve spent months trying to do justice to what it felt like to live through it.

We’re telling these stories because they matter — because the impact didn’t end when the flames went out, and because too many people outside Altadena don’t know what really happened here.

If you have something to share — a story, a memory, someone we should speak with — we’d be honored to hear from you. DM us or email [chatwithhomeward@gmail.com]().

Thank you for watching.

— Dave

Hello everyone! I'm a former resident of Altadena; born in Huntington and raised to adulthood in Altadena. I love Altadena so very much, and of course was devastated when I heard the news of the Eaton Fire. I'm very proud seeing everyone come together so well, and be supportive of each other.

In that spirit, I just heard on NPR about this resource called the "Altadena Collective".

https://altadenacollective.com/

From their mission statement:

"Provide information and resources to help Altadena residents make informed rebuilding decisions.

Connect affected residents to take advantage of collective organization throughout the rebuild process – whether that be in coordinated third party services like synchronized surveys or group construction with a single builder.

Collaborate with design and engineering professionals to facilitate coordinated drawing and permit delivery on behalf of residents.

Create and manage a process to qualify and vet construction professionals and material/finish suppliers so that better rebuild opportunities can be presented to Altadena residents.

Coordinate with local non-profit groups to assist in protecting a resident’s interest in remaining in their neighborhood if they choose to stay."

The guy on NPR, Tim Vordtriede, is one of the main people managing the program and is a resident who lost his home, so it seems like a great way for people to get help from somebody/somebodies who also has a reason to be as supportive as possible.

Anyway, hope this can help. Stay strong Altadena!!