Barger Spearheads County Approval in Bonds to Restore San Gabriel Reservoir
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R-Antelope Valley/Santa Clarita Valley) announced the Board of Supervisors has approved the issuance of up to $300 million in revenue bonds to finance flood control and water conservation infrastructure at the San Gabriel Reservoir, including restoration work directly tied to damage caused by the 2024 Bridge Fire.
The Bridge Fire, which burned between September and November 2024, scorched more than 56,000 acres in and around the San Gabriel Mountains, including roughly 37,940 acres of the watershed feeding into the reservoir.
“When a disaster like the Bridge Fire scars tens of thousands of acres above one of our most critical flood control and water conservation facilities, we cannot afford to wait,” said Barger. “Bond financing allows us to secure the revenue needed to fund large-scale infrastructure projects like this one right now, rather than delaying action while sediment continues to threaten our reservoir capacity, our water supply, and the safety of the communities we serve.”
Public Works estimates the fire dramatically increased the potential for debris flows by an additional 6.6 million cubic yards of sediment — enough to bury the dam’s intakes, disable outlet works, and trigger uncontrolled spillway flows posing serious flood risks to downstream communities.
The Board authorized the Los Angeles County Public Works Financing Authority to issue bonds in multiple series. Total construction costs are estimated at $243 million, with the District anticipating removal of up to 6.6 million cubic yards of sediment between 2026 and 2032.
To date the District has spent $159.5 million on sediment removal in response to the 2020 Bobcat Fire alone. With committed fund balances now fully expended, bond financing provides the mechanism to continue and expand that work.
Pérez Calls for Audit After $1.1M in State Literacy Funds Produced No Books
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, Burbank, Claremont, Duarte, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, South Pasadena, Upland) is calling for an independent audit of a state literacy program after $1.1 million in public funds were spent by an unauthorized nonprofit with no clear documentation showing a single book was distributed to California children.
The program, authorized under AB 157 in 2022, was intended to create a statewide partnership with the Dollywood Foundation — the literacy initiative founded by Dolly Parton — to provide books to young children. Instead, without legislative approval, the California State Library created its own nonprofit called the Strong Reader Partnership to administer the program. The partnership spent the $1.1 million but produced no verifiable distribution records as of 2025.
The State has since reclaimed the remaining funds and redirected them directly to the Dollywood Foundation. But Pérez, who chairs both the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Education and the Senate Education Committee, said critical questions remain unanswered.
At a March 12 hearing, she gave the State Library a one-week deadline to produce financial documentation, including receipts and invoices. Additional documents were submitted by the deadline, but Pérez said important gaps remain.
“As a result of the lack of sufficient answers, the committee will work with the Office of State Audits and Evaluations within the Department of Finance to conduct an independent audit,” Pérez said.
The oversight issue remains open pending the audit’s findings.
Cisneros Presents $250,000 for San Gabriel Valley Bike and Pedestrian Safety Project
U.S. Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-El Monte, West Covina, La Puente, Baldwin Park) will present a ceremonial $250,000 check to the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments this morning at a event in Monrovia, delivering federal funding secured in the FY26 spending bill for the East San Gabriel Valley Sustainable Multimodal Improvement Project.
The funds will advance the Glendora Avenue First/Last Mile Project into construction — a multi-city initiative designed to improve connections between transit stops and surrounding neighborhoods.
Proposed improvements include a protected bikeway and pedestrian enhancements along Glendora Avenue, a protected intersection at Glendora Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, pedestrian safety features including curb extensions and enhanced crosswalks, a roundabout, and wayfinding signage.
The project is part of a seven-city coordinated effort to deliver active transportation improvements across the eastern San Gabriel Valley.
SGVCOG President and Claremont Vice Mayor Ed Reece and Executive Director Marisa Creter will join Cisneros at the 10 a.m. event at SGVCOG headquarters, 1333 Mayflower Ave., Suite 360, Monrovia.
Kamlager-Dove Calls Trump a ‘Clear and Present Danger’ Following Iran Ceasefire
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, Inglewood, View Park-Windsor Hills, parts of South LA) issued a sharp statement Tuesday following the announcement of a US-Iran ceasefire, calling President Trump‘s handling of the conflict evidence of “severe mental instability” and calling for his removal from office.
Kamlager-Dove said the ceasefire represented a reversal of Trump’s earlier threats rather than a diplomatic achievement.
“In 12 hours, Trump went from threatening to wipe out 90 million Iranians to capitulating to all of Iran’s demands,” she said.
The congresswoman argued the ceasefire left the United States in a worse position than before the conflict, noting that the Strait of Hormuz — previously open without tolls — is no longer operating under those conditions. She called for Trump’s removal “whether through the 25th Amendment or impeachment.”
The statement reflects the sharp divide in Congress over the administration’s foreign policy approach, with LA County’s Democratic delegation broadly critical of Trump’s handling of the Iran situation.
