Kyle Kirkwood wins 2nd Long Beach Grand Prix in 3 years
Supervisors seek soil testing for lead south of Eaton Fire burn area
Alhambra PRESS
Pg 02
Pg 32
VISIT HEYSOCAL.COM
Thursday, April 17-April 23, 2025
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
LA County supervisors approve recommended $47.9 billion budget for 2025-26
VOL. 13,
NO. 219
Edison to move power lines underground in wildfire burn areas By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
By Anusha Shankar, City News Service
Edison power lines stand above am Altadena neighborhood destroyed in the Eaton Fire. | Photo courtesy of Taylor Hillo/ Southern California Edison
A
| Image courtesy of the Los Angeles County CEO's Office
T
he Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave initialapproval Tuesday to a $47.9 billion budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year, with the recommended spending plan including 3% cuts to some departments and the elimination of 310 vacant positions, but no layoffs. The recommended budget reflects efforts to "offset extraordinary budget pressures," according to a statement from the county, including more than $1 billion in costs related to the January wildfires. The county will also begin to feel the pain of a proposed $4 billion settlement of nearly
7,000 claims of sexual abuse against county workers, mainly at probation camps and halls. County CEO Fesia Davenport presented the budget proposal to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, beginning the public process of reviewing, revising and adopting the spending plan. Presenting the budget to members of the media on Monday, Davenport said the county's future financial picture is also threatened by the possible loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. "Our revenue outlook is challenging — to put it mildly," Davenport said.
"The amount of new ongoing funding in this budget is at a five-year low." With the change in presidential administration, at least 13% of the county's budget that comes through federal assistance, and billions in grants and funding, could be at risk, she said. The state budget is also at a risk of losing federal funds, which could trickle down to impact the county. "We are already seeing it happen," Davenport said, noting the recent federal proposal to rescind $45 million in Public Health See Budget Page 16
funds. While reviewing the budget proposal Tuesday, Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis questioned portions of the spending plan, including the potential hit to county residents if there is a federal cut of Medi-Cal or other safety net programs. "The latest figures passed in the congressional Republican reconciliation bill project $880 billion in cuts to health programs," Solis said. "We're talking about 3.4 million residents who are currently covered by Medi-Cal in our county, and
mid a slew of Eaton Fire-related lawsuits, Southern California Edison will install over 150 miles of underground electrical lines as part of a plan to rebuild infrastructure in wildfire burn areas, the utility announced Friday. SCE’s preliminary plan calls for moving 153 circuit miles underground — 130 circuit miles in areas of high risk for fire in the Eaton and Palisades burn zones plus 23 circuit miles in Altadena neighborhoods not in highrisk areas. The utility is evaluating 19 more circuit miles in Altadena. The plan calls for undergrounding approximately 63 circuit miles in Altadena, Los Angeles County Super-
visor Kathryn Barger's office reported. "Just three months have passed since the devastating wildfires, and all of us at Edison continue to keep those affected in our thoughts," Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, SCE's parent company, said in a statement. "We're working closely with state and county leaders and the communities of Altadena and Malibu to rebuild wildfire-impacted areas stronger than ever. SCE's rebuilding plan will underground electrical distribution infrastructure where feasible and make the most of breakthrough technologies to reduce wildfire risk."
See Underground lines Page 32
OUR 2025 SUMMER CAMP GUIDE IS HERE!