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Pasadena Post Office Brings Together Community Affected By Eaton Fire

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People waiting to get their mail at the post office on Lincoln Ave. (Robert Garrova/LAist)

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, January 29, 2025…

  • Altadena residents who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire still need to get their mail. And right now that means waiting sometimes hours at a post office in Pasadena. It’s a scene of grief, hope and strong community.
  • A judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze federal funds. That’s after several lawsuits were filed, including by the state of California. 
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began gathering hazardous materials this week from the Eaton fire at a park in eastern L.A. County. That’s upset some of the surrounding cities.

At A Pasadena Post Office, People Displaced By Eaton Fire Share Grief, Hope

Altadena residents who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire still need to get their mail. And right now that means waiting sometimes hours at a post office in Pasadena.

It’s a scene of grief, hope and community. Dozens of people stood in line and waited in plastic chairs outside the post office at the bottom of Lincoln Avenue. In this postal service purgatory, faces looked dazed, tired. Speaking with LAist, they talked about what they lost — homes, neighborhoods, vehicles — and whether they thought they would ever get it back.

Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze Amid Mass Confusion

A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday temporarily halted a Trump administration directive that ordered a freeze on disbursements of nearly all federal funding.

The directive was challenged in court Tuesday by a group of states, including California — as well as in a separate lawsuit brought by nonprofits that receive funding from the federal government. It was the case brought by nonprofits that resulted in the temporary halt to the funding freeze just minutes before it was set to take effect at 2 p.m. Pacific. The judge ruled that it would be paused until Monday afternoon, when another hearing is scheduled.

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In an interview, California Attorney General Rob Bonta slammed the directive, saying it “puts at risk a lot of very important, essential, critical social safety net services,” including health care, food assistance, housing programs and emergency funding for recovery from the Los Angeles fires.

Where Is Hazardous Waste From The LA Fires Going?

Starting this week, two sites in L.A. County began receiving what is expected to be tons of household hazardous materials from the Palisades and Eaton fires.

“As you can appreciate things moved… very quickly with regards to the federal and state and local response,” said Steve Calanog, who is overseeing the work for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Lario Park, just north of Irwindale, is one of the sites for material in the Eaton Fire and is located on federal land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and leased to L.A. County’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Hazardous household material from the Palisades Fire will be taken to “a couple pieces of property that are managed by California State Parks, right at about the bottom of Topanga Canyon Road,” Calanog said.

The City of Duarte issued a statement on Monday saying it and the cities of Irwindale, Baldwin Park, and Azusa were not told that the hazardous material site would be so close. The main concern is whether the hazardous material will seep into the ground water or rise into the air, and land on the roughly 140,000 people who live in the four cities.

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