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Mountain View News Saturday, May 10, 2025


ALTADENA GIRLS 
– “GLITTER AND 
GLAMOUR” 

All-Girls Prom Saturday, May 24

Altadena Girls is proud to invite 400 girls and gender 
expansive youth who identify with girlhood in grades 
8th, 9 ,and 10th to attend; many of whom were directly 
impacted by the recent fires in the Altadena and Pasadena 
communities. Most missed out on their spring 
dances, and this prom is our way of giving that joyful 
moment back,while honoring the community that 
helped them through.

We’re partnering with Universal Music Group, the CAA 
Foundation, and several of our celebrity/influencer 
supporters to help make the night truly unforgettable. 

www.altadenagirls.org/prom

Preliminary Event FAQ:

• The event ticketing will go live through our 
website on Friday, May 9 at 6:00PM PST, and it will be 
first come,first served.

• A flyer with the link to ticketing will be shared 
on Friday morning via email with the 13 schools who 
have been invited to participate, and via our Instagram 
page.

• 400 Tickets will be open to girls and gender expansive 
youth who identify with girlhood.

• Students will be asked to verify their school 
from a drop-down menu and securely upload a copy of 
their student ID to ensure only students are attending, 
and to provide a safe event experience for the girls.

• The grades invited to attend will be 8 , 9 and 10 
since most high schools have already or are shortlycompleting 
their junior and senior prom events.

• We will have a full professional event staff, as 
well as a large group of background-checked volunteers 
chaperoning the event.

• In addition to the Glitter and Glamour Prom 
event, we will be hosting a Prom Free Shop on May 17 
+ 18 in Old Town Pasadena, where registered AG Prom 
attendees can come to shop for dresses, shoes, accessories, 
makeup and more.

SOUTH PASADENA RESIDENT PERCIVAL 
EVERETT WINS PULITZER FOR ‘JAMES’

 

 LOS ANGELES (CNS) - South Pasadena novelist and USC professor Percival 
Everett won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for fiction today for his 24th novel, 
``James.''

 Published in March 2024 to widespread critical acclaim, ``James'' was

named a finalist for the 2024 Booker Prize and the 2025 PEN/Faulkner 
Award for Fiction, and went on to win the 2024 National Book Award for 
Fiction.

 ``James'' is retelling of ``The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,'' told

from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved man determined to reunite with his 
family.

 The Pulitzer committee praised the book as an accomplished

reconsideration that ``illustrates the absurdity of racial supremacy and provides 
a new take on the search for family and freedom.''

 Everett's decades-long literary career has seen a major resurgence in recent years. In 2021, he won the PEN/Jean Stein 
Award for his novel ``Dr. No,'' was a Pulitzer finalist for ``Telephone'' and landed on the Booker shortlist for ``The Trees.''

 His 2001 satire ``Erasure,'' a critique of racial stereotypes in publishing, was adapted into the 2023 film ``American Fiction,'' 
which earned multiple Oscar nominations and brought his work to a much broader audience.

 The Washington Post has called Everett, 68, ``one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists.'' 
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass hailed Everett's Pulitzer win, writing on X, ``LA's very own Percival Everett just won a Pulitzer 
Prize in fiction for his latest novel, `James,' a re-imagining of `The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.' A distinguished professor 
of English at USC & a prolific writer, Percival Everett inspires us through his words. Congratulations on this extraordinary 
achievement!''

L.A. COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 

APPROVES PILOT SELF-CERTIFICATION PROGRAM 
TO EXPEDITE POST-FIRE REBUILDING

In a proactive move to accelerate recovery for communities 
devastated by the January 2025 wildfires, 
the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today 
unanimously approved a motion introduced by Board 
Chair Kathryn Barger and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath 
to implement a Pilot Self-Certification Program 
for residential rebuilds. 

The program will streamline the permitting process by 
allowing licensed professionals to self-certify that residential 
plans meet building code requirements, significantly 
reducing approval timelines while maintaining 
safety and accountability.

“Our residents can’t afford to wait months or even 
years to begin rebuilding their homes,” said Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger. “This pilot program is about empowering 
qualified professionals, cutting red tape, and 
putting families on a faster track to recovery—without 
compromising safety. It’s also about adapting to the scale of disaster we’ve experienced and implementing smart, proven 
solutions to meet this moment. Our County must remain responsive and pick up the pace of rebuilding with urgency and 
innovation.”

The motion responds to the massive scale of destruction caused by the Eaton and Palisades Fires, which collectively damaged 
or destroyed more than 16,000 structures. The newly approved program will apply to properties within unincorporated Los 
Angeles County communities impacted by the Fires, enabling fire-affected families to begin rebuilding their homes more 
quickly and efficiently.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) must now design and implement the pilot program immediately and report back 
to the Board within 120 days on its effectiveness and viability as a permanent solution that could apply to all unincorporated 
areas in the County. 

The Supervisors’ motion also directs the County’s Chief Executive Officer to submit a separate report in 30 days on the feasibility 
of waiving permitting fees in light of cost-saving efficiencies achieved through self-certification and AI-driven approval 
software already deployed.

“As families face the daunting task of rebuilding, every dollar counts,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Waiving certain 
permit fees is a practical and compassionate step we can take to ease the financial burden on fire survivors. Thanks to new 
efficiencies—including AI-assisted plan check tools—we have an opportunity to streamline the process and pass cost savings 
directly to the people who need them most.”


TRANSMISSION TOWER IN EATON 
CANYON REMOVED BY SO CAL 
EDISON

 ALTADENA (CNS) - A transmission tower suspected 
of starting the Eaton Fire in January has been removed 
by Southern California Edison and the parts are being 
moved to a warehouse today to be tested in a lab.

 A helicopter lifted a part of a transmission tower out 
of Eaton Canyon on Wednesday, footage from ABC 7 
shows, and a second part of the tower was moved about 
an hour later.

 ``This is all part of an effort to get as much information 
as we can to have a thorough and transparent 
investigation into the cause of the Eaton Fire,'' Dave 
Eisenhauer of Southern California Edison told Eyewitness 
News. 

 Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Southern 
California Edison with the transmission tower at the 
center of the filings.

 Los Angeles County, the cities of Pasadena and Sierra 
Madre and many Altadena homeowners are among 
those suing Edison for being responsible for the

fires starting.

 The Eaton Fire started Jan. 7, destroying neighborhoods 
and scorchingmore than 14,000 acres. At least 18 
people died in the fire, according to Cal Fire.

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