A Board of Supervisors Motion & Another Call to Action
... because isn't it all urgent right now?
Make no mistake, there is a battle being waged for control and power and the future of our town. I know you're tired. Me too. But we have a limited window of time to save ourselves from the power brokers who want to maintain the status quo at our expense and their at times misguided and other times terrible legislation and motions. Let’s discuss and get to work…
A Motion to Create More Bureaucracy
Today – just days before we break for the 4th of July holiday – Supervisor Lindsay Horvath dropped a motion to create a Rebuilding Authority that would give County near unlimited unchecked power and control of even more of our tax dollars, including the ability to raise our taxes without any vote or oversight.
This is ultimately a deal for Malibu and the Palisades (if they want more taxes, good for them) written and supported by their stakeholders, but it will also be thrust upon Altadena without any input from us – per usual – if we don't speak up and demand they stop it.
Public comment for tomorrow's meeting closed nearly as soon as this news broke, but it's NOT TOO LATE to send a public comment in directly to Barger's Field Supervisor Sussy Nemer – especially if you're reading this early in the morning on Tuesday:
You can email our LA County District 5 Field Rep Sussy Nemer at – SNemer@bos.lacounty.gov and reference agenda item #17.
Like Sasha Renée Pérez' AB 782*, this motion will bring more of the same to Altadena but with nearly unlimited and unchecked power for County. It gives County the ability to further tax us so we pay for our own recovery and there are zero checks and balances. This is another big, bad move for Altadena that will make it even harder for us to emancipate ourselves from County and incorporate down the road.
Let them know in no uncertain terms this is bad for Altadena, they cannot speak for us, and we don't want it.
If you want to read more, check out today’s post from Stephen Sachs, our local Altadena policy wonk, on what this all means, because he always nails it.
Altadena still deserves better. We need answers, action, accountability — and we’re not going anywhere until we get them. PLEASE WRITE THOSE EMAILS!
Our BOS Public Comment
Here’s our public comment. Feel free to edit it and make it yours or simply write in and say you want to co-sign our statement. Power to the people!
Public Comment on Horvath’s Motion to Create a County Rebuilding Authority
Submitted on behalf of Beautiful Altadena and our community of 20,000+ fire-impacted residents.
We are submitting this public comment in response to the motion by Supervisor Horvath to create a County Rebuilding Authority. The public comment window closed nearly as soon as it opened, so we are submitting our comments here to be entered into the official record.
We write on behalf of ourselves and the Beautiful Altadena community — representing over 20,000 fire-affected residents via our neighborhood groups, social media, and Substack — to express clear opposition to this proposal.
The creation of a new Authority, as outlined in the motion, adds another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy, diverts resources, and removes financial control from local residents without their consent. It redirects funding through mechanisms like Tax Increment Financing (TIF) that are misaligned with the urgent, community-informed rebuilding strategies Altadena actually needs. If Malibu and the Palisades want this Authority and the Climate Resilience District, that’s their choice — but Altadena does not want it, and we will not have it forced upon us.
The motion reflects a narrow opinion about the County’s role, but it does not represent the views of the larger Altadena community. In fact, many residents here are strongly opposed to ceding more authority to the County, particularly when there has been no vote or meaningful opportunity for public input.
The Blue Ribbon Commission that seeded this Authority did not gain the trust of Altadena residents and did not reflect the will of the community which was loudly expressed by may, including myself, at their presentation of the report. In contrast, our community supports alternatives that are already available — such as the community-driven approaches led by nonprofits and the funding tools outlined in AB 797, which allows for the issuance of securities and rapid fund deployment without creating a new bureaucracy.
It is deeply concerning that the County has not yet used these existing tools despite having the legal capacity to do so. The community wonders why, instead of using those powers to address urgent needs like housing and land acquisition, the County is proposing to establish a new Authority — a move that will only delay action and add red tape.
The claim that forming a new Authority will somehow reduce bureaucracy boggles the mind. Altadena does not want more bureaucracy. We want action, transparency, and collaboration with existing structures, organizations and leaders that already have the trust of our community.
The Board already faces numerous critical responsibilities. Creating an unnecessary and unwanted Authority will only distract from the core mission of helping residents most in need. A six-month delay just to introduce this proposal, with little or no community engagement, underscores how disconnected this process has become from the reality on the ground.
In summary:
Altadena does not want this Authority.
We did not vote on it.
We were not given a say.
We will not support it — now or in future phases.
We respectfully but firmly request that the Board oppose this motion and instead work with the community on existing pathways for rebuilding. If the County moves forward with this plan despite community opposition, we will continue to organize and challenge it at every stage.
— Shawna Dawson Beer
Community Organizer, Beautiful Altadena
AB 782 And Why We Oppose It
Since we mentioned AB 782, want to learn more about what it is and why we oppose it and instead support John Harabedian’s SB 797?
Check out the two part video we dropped on our Instagram with fellow fire victim Seriina Covarrubias from Altadena ACT NOW (Altadena Action for Community Transformation) for a good primer on what’s at stake, what we are supporting and why.
Part One
Part Two
If you’re inclined, please send a note to your reps about why AB 782 is bad for Altadena and add your support of AB 797. We made it easy for you with letters you can copy and paste right here.
✅ YES on AB 797!
🚫 NO on AB 782!
Want more? Of course, Sachs wrote a good primer on this one too…
Thanks for reading this far. That’s it for now. Let’s get to work!
email sent!
Hi Shawna, what’s the email where I was supposed to leave a comment about the board being created?