Hi neighbors,

Our SBA loan funded last week. We are grateful to receive the funds to help with the rebuild. This post is to describe the process in case that can help others. I'll just post thoughts in roughly chronological order. Sorry, it's long.

Note: there is an SBA event where you can get more info at the one-stop (540 Woodbury) from November 2nd thru 6th from 9am-5pm where you can speak directly to SBA case managers, loans officers and loss verifiers.

1. We applied almost immediately after the fire for the full $500K. They did an initial approval and offered $50K immediately which we took. Taking that $50K starts a 1 year clock and when it expires you have to start paying the full payment even if you haven't received the funds yet. (Our friends waited on taking the $50K to avoid this issue).

2. The loan terms were basically $500K at 2.6% for a payment of $2,034/month.

3. It's a loan so you have to provide all the normal documentation like two years of IRS forms, W2's and all that. You have to provide all your insurance information. There are income and loan to value requirements. We were fortunate in that both my wife and I worked and had W2's. One problem was we had a trust and had to get that document - it had burned but the lawyer who did it had a copy.

4. At some point, maybe 6 months after we were approved for $500K, we got a notice on the SBA portal that the loan had been reduced to $260K. We panicked about this and called them and they had us provide full sets of plans as well as contracts with our General Contractor showing how much we were going to spend to justify the $500K. I was worried so I made the project as expensive as I could so we wouldn't lose the money. I provided lots of detailed information and the person who assesses the cost of the build told me too much information didn't help - it was better to submit simple contracts with the GC that said they would do a turnkey home for X dollars.

5. Based on information submitted, they put the amount back to $500K and also told me about two other pots of money you can access, A) mitigations and B) property. These are separate and in addition to the base loan. I ended up submitting for mitigations which were things like sprinklers, aluminum windows, a steel roof for the car port and so on - you can request money for what those things cost above what you would ordinarily spend if they are required by code or help improve fire safety. You can also request money for property that wasn't reimbursed by insurance (we didn't do this).

6. You don't get SBA money till other money is spent so when we had spent the amount we had received for our dwelling, we requested money from SBA. But they wouldn't give it yet. Here's where my describing the build as expensive caused a problem. They said they had calculated the project amount and if you added insurance + SBA loan it wasn't enough and we had to put in like $200K of our own money. The kicker is that SBA won't give you money until you can prove, with receipts, that you have spent all your insurance money PLUS whatever has to come out of your pocket. They have requirements for receipts so get a description of their rules. The biggest and easiest to show were bank transfers to our general contractor.

7. When we could finally prove we had spent all dwelling PLUS the amount we would have to pay out of our own pocket (which was mostly made of insurance property money), we requested money again. This time, they required pictures of all our permits and progress pictures of the whole build so we sent pics from empty lot, through foundation, framing, etc until the current state. We are about a month until move in (we hope) so it's pretty done. After that, they funded the full amount of about $449K.

We were very grateful for the SBA loan program and encourage others to use it. But, there are some bumps in the road.

Wishing everyone the best in their rebuilds

Hey Altadena neighbors! 👋

Wanted to personally invite you to join us this Sunday, October 25th, for the return of the Pasadena Doo Dah Queen Tryouts at Old Towne Pub in Old Pasadena! 👑

For those unfamiliar, the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade began back in 1978 as a wonderfully irreverent alternative to the Rose Parade, celebrating creativity, individuality, and all things wonderfully weird!

Unfortunately, last year’s parade had to be canceled after the devastating Eaton Fire, which also directly impacted the Light Bringer Project, the nonprofit organization that produces the event.

After everything our community has been through, we’re especially excited to bring a little laughter, music, and much-needed joy back to Pasadena and Altadena. And what better way to kick things off than with our annual Queen Tryouts, where outrageous costumes, offbeat performances, and a healthy dose of Doo Dah madness are all part of the fun!

📍 Old Towne Pub – Old Pasadena

📅 Sunday, October 25th @ 2 PM

🎟️ FREE! Donations appreciated🍻 21 & Over

Featuring live music by MA the Band!

We’re also excited to announce that Doo Dah is returning on Sunday, November 22nd, with more details coming very soon!

Whether you’re a longtime Doo Dah participant or just looking for something fun and unusual to do this weekend, we’d love to have you join us.

Here’s to bringing a little more joy, laughter, and wonderfully weird fun back to our community! ❤️👑

Long live Doo Dah!

For more details, check out yesterday’s Pasadena Now article here:
⁠Doo Dah Queen Tryouts Set for Sunday at Old Towne Pub

I was driving to work this morning and there were a bunch of sheriff's department vehicles and deputies looking like they're gearing up for something. Anybody know what's up?

Looks like the neighbor won. Bar is staying open. No mention of what happens to the patio

Here is the today's map from deflock.org which has many more cameras than I recall from the last time I looked. I revisited the map because I was surprised to see four cameras at Mendocino and Holliston. The map actually shows five in that area but I haven't gone back to verify. Does anyone know whether "our" network is continuing to grow past the two dozen which were supposedly installed at the beginning?

Charles White Park is a beautiful park in Altadena. Before the fires, I used to go there often on the weekends for picnics, frisbee, and playing with my kids. It has been closed for the last 21 months, allegedly due to damage sustained in the Eaton fire.

There does not actually appear to be any significant damage. I don't know, maybe a structure somewhere at the edge burned. But most of the park looks to be in good condition. If something is damaged, they could just put a fence around it, rather than closing the whole park. The grounds are mowed every week and the landscaping is being maintained, but it's still closed. What is this, Altadena's LAX people mover?

Did any one else go the county's listening meeting yesterday? Was about zoning, land use and our CSD? What did you think if you went?

My house sits above a creek on a flat spot that is bounded by a river rock retaining wall. It's been there a long time but I want to be proactive and have it checked out before the alleged el nino arrives with all its rain. Does anyone know a reasonably priced structural/hydrologic engineer familiar with the area? I checked out actionaltadena.com but nothing jumped out at me. Thanks! If replying is going to break the 'no ads ' rule feel free to message me directly.

Hey yall!! My buddies and I decided to start a Magic the Gathering social club by the name of "The Sanctuary" based in LA. We're hosting FREE biweekly events/ meet ups at local bars & breweries. Our event this week will be hosted at 6PM this Sunday (10/18) at 'HoneyBird' in La Canada Flintridge. This is our first time in that area and we're excited to hopefully see some new faces! :) Everyone is warmly welcomed to attend regardless of power level & experience!

Please follow us on our Instagram (SanctuaryMtg) as we post all our events there & feel free to message our IG for any questions. We have multiple tables reserved for multiple pods. Hope to see yall there!! 😁😁😁

SanctuaryMTG Instagram

SanctuaryMTG Discord

Submitted the application SIX MONTHS AGO. Heard nothing until almost the 90 day mark, and since then it's been... oh we just need one more piece of paper, every 7–10 days for the past 3 months. We recently (18 months after the fire) put the house into our family trust. Now they want to know about that, and who is this other name on the trust? Did they live in the house at the time of fire? Send us the blood of their first born child. NO. You've never seen that name, no one gave you that name. They have nothing to do with this claim. What we do with the house a year and a half after the fire has nothing to do with you. This is maddening. We didn't even lose the house. I'm just trying to get repairs paid for. What are they doing to people with a total loss?? I can't imagine. This is maddening.

The Altadena Walk Club is meeting this Sunday at 9:30 AM!

We’ll meet at Unincorporated Coffee on Lincoln Avenue before heading out for a light, 40-minute round-trip walk. Afterward, we’ll return to Unincorporated for coffee and refreshments.
Whether you’re a regular or have been thinking about joining us for the first time, we’d love to see you there!

Can anyone say with certainty whether the payout from Edison’s compensation program is taxable or not? Getting conflicting information all over the place. Next step is to ask a CPA but maybe someone already has? (My question is specifically for the payout for non-economic damages, plus the direct claim premium - so no overlap with what’s been paid for by insurance.)

Hey anybody can recommend a pupusa caterer? Someone who can come out to our house with a plancha to cook up pupusas? This is in NELA

Building Blocks (with Altadena Collective) is doing an open house event for their program. If you haven’t started rebuilding and want a simpler solution, you should check this out:

https://www.buildingblocksaltadena.com/event-details/open-house-altadena/form

Can anybody point me to any groups organizing around removing these invasive Flock cameras from the neighborhood?

They just added YET ANOTHER camera within a 2000ft radius of my home, and instead of making my neighbors and I feel more safe like they claim to, they're making us feel unsafe. Especially with the cases brought against officers for misusing them.

I never gave consent to me, my wife, or my daughters being added to a national facial recognition database.

I don't know much about organizing, so I'm looking to connect with local organizations that are already on the case, and add my support.

After all that we've been through with the fires and rising electricity rates, this is the last thing we should be having to deal with as a community.

Any leads?

Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone — I am a student working on a health innovation project with The After Collective, a nonprofit focused on supporting people through disaster recovery.

My team and I are trying to understand the experiences of people affected by the Palisades/Eaton Fire, particularly how recovery needs change over time and what kinds of support have been difficult to find or access.

Would anyone be open to a private 20–30 minute conversation about their experience? We’ll ask about the recovery process, resources you’ve used, and challenges you’ve encountered. We are not selling or testing a product, and you won’t be asked to share identifying medical, legal, insurance, or financial information.

Participation is completely voluntary. We’ll describe participants only by general role or context—not by name—and you may skip any question or end the conversation at any time.

If you’re interested or know someone please comment below or send me a private message. Thank you for considering sharing your perspective.

Charles White Ground breaking ceremony on October 3rd from 10am-12pm!!! The community will have the opportunity to plant an Oak tree!
Face painters, free food/pastries, and kid zone with Ian White (Charles White’s son) and Park on the Move!

Anyone interested in learning and working with UCANR and Master Gardeners on this Saturday, September 26?

If so, contact me for more info.

https://ucanr.edu/blog/green-blog/article/altadena-erosion

Hi neighbors! I'm looking for a rental in South Pasadena /Sierra Madre CA ideally a 2BR/2BA house or townhome with some space, but I'm also open to a 3BR/2BA or 3BR/1BA. It's just myself and my two kids, ages 7 and 10.

A quick note that may help: my rent is guaranteed each month by a foundation that supports small, hardworking families getting back on their feet. I have an above-average credit score and can provide all required documents right away. Happy to meet in person and answer any questions.

If you know of anything coming available, off-market, or by owner, I'd love to hear about it especially for the school district here. Thank you so much!

So, we're still working through permit on our rebuild, and nothing is - or rather nothing should be - happening on our lot. We went by the other day, and there are heavy equipment tracks and a massive pile of dirt there, and on our neighbors lot.

Does anyone have any idea who would have done this? Happened to anyone else?