So, during the Eaton fire, a lot of stuff went down in nearby cities, like Pasadena, Arcadia, and La Cañada Flintridge. They were like on top of things, sending out alerts, getting people evacuated, and just being all around proactive. But Altadena, man, they were left in the dust, feeling like they were in the dark, literally and figuratively. Thousands of folks were waiting and waiting for info while the fire was creeping up on them. And now, there’s all this talk about Altadena being unincorporated, lacking resources, and having communication issues.
Darlene Greene, from the town council, is not holding back. She’s like, “Hey, being unincorporated sucks. We need more resources.” And you know what? She might have a point. Greene thinks that if Altadena had its own city government, things might have been different. But, let’s be real, even with a city government, Altadena might not have stood a chance against that crazy fire.
Then there’s Seriina Covarrubias, a west Altadena resident who’s not mincing words. She’s calling it a “catastrophic failure.” She’s mad that the evacuation alerts were so late, and she’s not getting any answers from county officials. She’s all about better representation for Altadena, but right now, the focus is on recovering from the fire, which destroyed a ton of buildings in the area.
Kathryn Barger, the county supervisor for Altadena, is like, “Hold up, I know Altadena like the back of my hand.” She’s claiming she’s got a big, qualified staff backing her up. But some folks are still not buying it. They’re saying Altadena needs more focused leadership, better communication, and just more support in general.
It’s interesting to see how surrounding cities were handling the fire. Pasadena was all about redundancy, hitting folks up with alerts through different channels. Arcadia was like, “Let’s get people out early, not at the last minute.” And La Cañada Flintridge was all about those geographic-coded alerts. They were on it.
But Altadena, man, they got the short end of the stick. Covarrubias and her neighbors were left hanging, waiting for evacuation orders that came way too late. It’s a mess, and no one’s taking responsibility. Covarrubias is thinking, “Do they just take our tax money and run?”
Then, you’ve got this whole discussion about cityhood. Some folks are like, “Yeah, Altadena should become its own city.” But others are saying, “Nah, we like our freedom and independence.” It’s a whole debate, and it’s not clear where it’s gonna go.
Anyway, the point is, Altadena got hit hard, and there are a lot of questions and frustrations swirling around. Will things change? Will there be more support and resources in the future? Only time will tell. But for now, Altadena is just trying to pick up the pieces and move forward.
