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Thursday, January 08-January 14, 2026
VOL. 14,
Local man founds Rebuild Altadena from the ashes of Eaton Fire
SoCal Dems denounce Trump administration's arrest of Venezuela president By Joe Taglieri
May S. Ruiz
joet@beaconmedianews.com
C
ongressional Democrats based in Los Angeles County have blasted the U.S. military's capture of the Venezuelan president, with lawmakers criticizing President Donald Trump for not informing Congress ahead of the raid Saturday. Following months of deadly strikes by the United States against alleged drug boats from Venezuela, in addition to seizing an oil tanker and a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers, the U.S. military conducted a large-scale operation in Caracas overnight Friday into early Saturday. Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, who is facing a federal indictment for allegedly running a criminal organization that has brought drugs into the U.S., and his wife Cilia Flores were taken from their home and transported to New York to face charges. "The self-proclaimed president of peace has once again resorted to war," Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and
The Trump State Department makes its approach to regional security clear with this photo and accompanying text posted on social media. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of State/Facebook
Central Asia and member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, said in a statement Saturday. "After months of conducting extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean, this rogue president has just escalated his illegal campaign by carrying out military strikes in Venezuela without any
declaration of war or authorization of military force from Congress. "President Trump has not offered the American people any clear strategic objective for a U.S. invasion of Venezuela except to take over its oil
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reserves," Kamlager-Dove said. "Trump has repeatedly lied to Congress about his intentions — an evasion of accountability that has led the U.S. into prolonged military conflicts before. These military operations are a return to the same failed playbook of Cold War-era interventionism and regime change that decades later still hangs over — and will now re-poison — U.S. engagement in the region. And it emboldens autocrats around the world who can argue that invasions are an acceptable tool of foreign policy. "The American people do not want to be dragged into another war. The Trump Administration must immediately come before Congress to face accountability for the lack of legal authority and articulate their plan — if any — for what comes next," KamlagerDove added. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, posted on X: "President Trump just bombed Venezuela and arrested its leader without any explanation to the American people and without authorization from
See Venezuela president Page 05
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an. 7, 2025, dawned bright, clear and very windy in the San Gabriel Valley. Most Altadenans and Pasadenans went about their usual chores and workday despite the windstorm. But by the end of that fateful day the lives of several thousand people in these two towns would be upended. The Eaton fire was the fifth deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in California’s history. Approximately 7,000 residential and commercial structures in Altadena and Pasadena burned to the ground overnight, with 19 deaths reported. Most of the residents are still temporarily housed, residing in motels and extended-stay hotels in Pasadena and neighboring cities. An Altadena man, David Ly, and his family were among those who were displaced. He recalls the horrors they experienced, “Jan. 7 started for us like a normal day. We heard about a fire, but at first we didn’t think much of it. Fires happen, and you assume
it’ll be contained. Later that day, my brother, who lives in the Highland Oaks area of Arcadia, called and said he could see the fire raging behind his house. He told us he was evacuating to our parents’ place and that we should do the same. That’s when it became real and was truly one of the most traumatizing days of my life.” “I remember going back on the morning of Jan. 8 thinking the fire was done because as I drove up Lake Avenue, everything seemed quiet,” Ly continues. “I had no idea I was literally driving into an area still burning. I saw homes on fire, and it was this surreal scene of memories literally disappearing. When I reached my own street, the power lines were down, and there was just this heavy sense of disbelief. I locked eyes with neighbors who were also there, and we just stood silently crying. When I got to where my house had been, I saw everything was gone.” Ly and his family proceeded to drive out to
See Rebuild Altadena Page 27