Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Why so many Altadena fire lots still sit empty two years later
Make time for Pasadena Chalk Festival on the Altadena Patch calendar
Good morning Altadena! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- Why so many Altadena fire lots still sit empty two years later
- How Altadena neighbors are learning to live safely with backyard bears
- New VR film puts you inside Altadena's wildfire devastation and recovery
Also on today's calendar: Pasadena Chalk Festival.
Today's riddle: Why did the burglar wear blue gloves? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high of 102 and low of 79 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
- Thursday: Sunny and toasty conditions, temps: high: 98, low: 72.
- Friday: Mostly sunny and warm, with a high of 92 and low of 68 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Red tape or red ink? Permitting data suggests latter causing lag on rebuilding Altadena (therealdeal.com) — Altadena homeowners rebuilding after the wildfire are finding that limited insurance payouts and soaring construction costs, not county permitting delays, are the biggest obstacles to getting back home. New data show thousands of destroyed parcels without any rebuilding applications and hundreds more stalled after permits, while builders like Genesis and others pitch lower-cost, pre-approved plans and ADUs to help residents move forward. 
2. Bears are taking over backyards in LA and residents just need to get used to it (pressnewsagency.org) — Altadena residents are increasingly sharing their neighborhoods with black bears, especially after the Eaton Fire pushed wildlife closer to homes. Local stories from Altadena and nearby foothill cities highlight how people are adapting, from securing crawl spaces and trash to using electrified mats, while wildlife officials stress that keeping bears wild and unfed is key to everyone's safety.
3. ASU professors' 'Out of the Ashes' VR documentary shows people who lost homes in California fires (kjzz.org) — Altadena residents affected by last year's wildfire are among those featured in a new VR documentary, "Out of the Ashes," premiering at the Venice International Film Festival. Created by two ASU professors with deep Los Angeles ties, the immersive project lets viewers virtually stand in burned-out homes in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, highlighting both the trauma of loss and the community's determination to rebuild together.
4. California orders homeowners in top fire-risk areas to clear mulch, firewood within 5 feet of homes (thecooldown.com) — New California rules now require homeowners in top fire-risk zones to clear combustible materials like mulch and firewood within five feet of their homes, a change especially relevant after Altadena's devastating Eaton Fire. An Altadena survivor underscores how "Zone Zero" defensible space, clean roofs and gutters, and trimmed trees can make homes more defensible when embers fly during future wildfires.
📸 Around Altadena
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Altadena
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
- Pasadena Chalk Festival →
Brookside Park, 480 N Arroyo Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91103
10:00 am
Saturday September 26
📣 Altadena Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- Equitable Financial Advisor
San Marino High Staff Lounge
8:00 am - Step It Up Fundraiser - kick off assembly
Clifton Middle School Monrovia, CA 91016
8:00 am - Adult ESL Classes
Shirpser Elementary El Monte, CA 91731
8:15 am - MAKE-UP Gabrielino ID - Goodson Theater
Gabrielino High School San Gabriel, CA 91776
8:30 am - Baby Storytime
Live Oak Library - Meeting Room
10:30 am - Flag Football, Girls VR @ South El Monte / NA
Rosemead High Rosemead, CA 91770
4:45 pm - Board of Education Meeting
Temple City Unified District Office - 9700 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, 91780
5:30 pm - Senior Kick Off to College/Parent Night 6-7
San Marino High San Marino, CA 91108
6:00 pm - Regular Board of Education Meeting
Monrovia Unified Monrovia, CA 91016
6:30 pm - Collaboration Day: All Schools
Rancho Learning Center Arcadia, CA 91006 - Collaboration Day
Hugo Reid Elementary School Arcadia, CA 91007
8:10 am
Wednesday September 9
Thursday September 10
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Altadena PatchAM possible:
- royal home construction and remodeling — (213) 662-5134
- Sunlight Media LLC — (323) 868-3581
- UCI DBA Unified Technology Advisors — (877) 824-8880
- The Gooden School — 6263552410
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Interesting bear/coyote encounter.
First clip, see coyote and bushes thrashing up left, bear looks out. Next, coyote approaches what proves to be a large bear. In the next clip which… (Nextdoor Stonehill) - Hi neighbors.
We are moving my in laws out of their house and have so much furniture to sell. We aren't looking for much, so if someone would like to collect it in… (Nextdoor Stonehill)
- i9 Sports Corporation posted a job opening for Sport Instructor Tennis in Pasadena. Apply here.
- California Institute of Technology posted a job opening for Chef de Cuisine in Pasadena. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Altadena here.
Ok Altadena! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: So he wouldn't get caught red handed. (Thank you Vicki B. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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