Horvath moves to replace county fire’s 1989 dispatch system
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath (D-Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacoima) this week moved to replace the county Fire Department’s 37-year-old computer-aided dispatch system, carrying out a recommendation from the after-action review of the January 2025 fires.
The motion would approve a seven-year contract with Pulsiam worth up to $30.2 million, paid with county technology funds, Measure E money and Fire District reserves. The new system would track vehicles in real time to send the closest units, give crews live traffic and hazard maps, and share information directly with the Sheriff’s Department’s dispatch system during evacuations and other major emergencies.
The Fire Department’s emergency communications center handled more than 615,000 calls and dispatched crews to more than 457,000 incidents in 2025. The state-commissioned report on the January fires found that dispatch and communications systems were quickly overwhelmed.
“The emergencies we face today look nothing like they did in 1989, and our emergency response technology needs to reflect that. The January fires reinforced the need for faster coordination and better information when every decision counts. Los Angeles County is taking another concrete step to give our firefighters and dispatchers the modern tools they need to protect our communities,” said Horvath.
LA County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said modernizing the county’s Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system is a critical investment in the safety of both residents and first responders.
“By replacing our 1989 legacy dispatch system with Pulsiam’s next-generation CAD technology, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department will enhance real-time automatic vehicle tracking, live traffic and hazard mapping, and seamless CAD-to-CAD interoperability with the Sheriff’s Department,” Marrone said.
The contract was on yesterday’s Board agenda. As of publication, LACP could not confirm whether the Board voted on it. The motion directs the Fire Department to report back within 90 days on the contract and implementation.
Bass breaks ground on $414 million Vermont bus lanes
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, chair of the Metro Board of Directors, broke ground yesterday on the $414 million Vermont Transit Corridor, which will add 12.4 miles of dedicated bus lanes along the busiest bus line in LA County, connecting South Los Angeles to Los Feliz.
The bus rapid transit line will run from 120th Street to Sunset Boulevard, with 26 upgraded stations, better shelters and lighting, accessible boarding and safer pedestrian crossings. More than 38,000 people ride the line each weekday, and the project is expected to save them up to 17 minutes per trip and create 4,800 union jobs.
The corridor links South LA neighborhoods, where many residents depend on the bus to reach work, school and medical care, with Koreatown, Los Feliz and the jobs, universities and hospitals along the way.
“This is more than a bus route. As a former community organizer in South LA, I know personally that this project is a transformational investment that will deliver reliable and affordable transportation for more than 38,000 hardworking people who use this bus every weekday,” said Bass.
“A ZIP Code shouldn’t shut someone out of opportunities. South LA residents often spend hours traveling to work, school, or the doctor. The Vermont Transit Corridor project is changing this by saving working families valuable time, expanding access to employment and education, and ensuring mobility is not limited by income, neighborhood, or vehicle access,” said LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson (D-South Los Angeles).
“Today, we are taking a significant step toward delivering on faster, more reliable service with welcoming, and comfortable stops for our residents. When riders can count on the bus coming on-time and getting them where they need to go faster, they get time back to spend as they want,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell (D-Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Compton, Carson).
It was Bass’ second Metro groundbreaking this week, following the East San Fernando Valley light rail line, two weeks before she faces LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D-Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City) in the Nov. 3 election.
Tran presses DHS on deportation of Vietnam War-era Amerasians
U.S. Rep. Derek Tran (D-Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood) is demanding answers from the Trump administration on the detention and deportation of Amerasians, the children of Asian mothers and American servicemen who were welcomed into the country decades ago after the wars in Southeast Asia and now face removal.
Tran fired off his missive to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David Venturella. Several Democratic colleagues also signed the letter, including U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Alhambra).
Amerasians are people born in Asia between 1950 and 1982 to Asian mothers and U.S. servicemen. Under the Amerasian Act of 1982 and the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1988, many received permanent residency, but they were not automatically made citizens, and many lack documents proving their American fathers.
“It has been extremely difficult for Amerasians to verify their ancestry. Most of their fathers returned to the U.S. after their tours of duty. Many of their mothers destroyed documents to protect their children in fear of political retaliation and persecution,” wrote Tran in the letter.
A 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam halted deportations of Southeast Asian refugees who arrived before 1995. It was altered in November 2020 to allow such deportations, and protections were rolled back further in June 2025, leaving an unknown number of Amerasians vulnerable, according to Tran’s office.
The letter comes amid an immigration enforcement surge in which nearly 15,000 people arrested by ICE in Southern California since January 2025 have been deported, according to the UCLA–UC Berkeley Deportation Data Project.
Tran, the son of Vietnamese refugees and the only Vietnamese American in Congress, represents a district anchored by Orange County’s Little Saigon, the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam.
Pérez secures $300,000 to keep Altadena Library running
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Glendale, Arcadia, Monrovia) secured $300,000 in one-time state funding to help the Altadena Library District keep its programs running as it loses revenue in the wake of the Eaton Fire.
Nearly all of the library district’s money comes from property taxes, and rising delinquencies and fire-related tax deferrals have cut into its budget. The funding, in the 2026-27 state budget, adds to $3.6 million Pérez helped secure last year, when the library served as a hub for residents seeking disaster aid, emotional support, Wi-Fi hotspots and information.
“I recognize that the impact of the Eaton Fire extends far beyond the immediate damage to homes and businesses. It has also affected the institutions that hold our community together. The Altadena Library is a vital community resource that provides educational opportunities, programs for residents of all ages, access to information, and a welcoming space for people to connect. I am grateful to the Altadena Library District’s leadership, staff, and supporters for their continued commitment to the people of Altadena,” said Pérez.
