Pasadena USD files lawsuit for fire damages The Pasadena Unified School District has filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison seeking compensation for extensive damages to educational facilities and disruption of operations caused by the devastating Eaton Fire that began Jan. 7.

The fire, which spread rapidly through wind-driven conditions, destroyed five schools and damaged numerous others throughout the district, significantly impacting educational services for thousands of students. The fire burned more than 14,000 acres, damaged or destroyed over 10,000 structures, and claimed 17 lives across the region.

“The destruction of multiple schools and educational facilities has created an immense burden on students, families, and the entire educational community,” said John Fiske, a shareholder at Baron & Budd P.C., outside counsel representing the district. “This lawsuit seeks fair compensation to recover the taxpayer resources and district property lost as a result of this devastating fire.”

Documentation submitted with the legal filing includes what the district says is photographic evidence of the fire’s origin point and references to SCE’s own regulatory filings that acknowledge electrical system anomalies coinciding with the fire’s ignition time and location. The district’s complaint notes that Edison filed reports with the California Public Utilities Commission acknowledging that a “fault was detected” on its transmission circuit at approximately the same time and location the fire began.

In its Feb. 6 report to the Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison notes that the cause of the fire’s ignition has not been determined, and its investigation is ongoing. SCE anticipates its full investigation could take several months to complete.

“While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE’s equipment was involved,” said Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of SCE’s parent company, Edison International, in a news release. “We have been fully engaged since the start of the fires in supporting the broader emergency response, containment, recovery and investigation efforts.”

The district’s lawsuit outlines how weather forecasts in the days preceding the fire had repeatedly warned of extreme fire danger, with the National Weather Service issuing progressively stronger advisories culminating in a Red Flag Warning on the morning of Jan. 7.

The complaint includes claims for inverse condemnation, negligence, trespass, nuisance, premises liability, and violations of Public Utilities and Health & Safety Codes. It addresses both direct fire damage and the subsequent costs of managing post-fire environmental hazards, emergency response and infrastructure restoration.

CTC executive director receives national award from AACTE The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has presented Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, with the 2025 AACTE David G. Imig Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education.

Sandy accepted the award during AACTE’s 2025 Annual Meeting, Feb. 21–23, in Long Beach. The award is given to individuals who demonstrate distinguished achievement in developing, implementing or analyzing teacher education policies or who perform outstanding scholarship in the field of educator preparation.

“Mary Vixie Sandy exemplifies a lifelong commitment to advancing teacher education and fostering innovation in the field,” said Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, AACTE president and CEO, in a news release. “Her visionary leadership and dedication to preparing educators who positively impact communities are truly inspiring.”

As a policy leader with more than 25 years of experience working in higher education and government, Sandy currently oversees public policy related to educator preparation and licensing and directs an agency that awards over 300,000 credential documents per year and accredits more than 250 colleges, universities and local education agencies offering educator preparation programs.

Previously, Sandy served as the executive director of the UC Davis School of Education Center for Cooperative Research and Education Services for Schools, the associate director of Teacher Education and Public School Programs with the California State University Chancellor’s Office, and as a policy analyst for the California Department of Education and the California Postsecondary Education Commission.

CalPERS clarifies rules for retirees working in schools School districts who have hired retired CalPERS members in permanent positions should consult with legal counsel after new guidance was released from CalPERS.

According to a recent client news brief from Lozano Smith, CalPERS released a Circular Letter on Dec. 18 clarifying how school districts and community colleges may employ retired annuitants under the California Public Employees’ Retirement Law and Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013.

Previously, school districts and community colleges were considered a “contracting agency” and were able to hire retirees into vacant positions while actively recruiting to hire a permanent employee. However, CalPERS has now changed its interpretation of the applicable law.

The Circular Letter issued by CalPERS makes clear that retired annuitants may only be employed by school districts and community colleges in “temporary extra help positions during an emergency to prevent the stoppage of public business or because the retired person has specific skills needed to perform work for a limited period.”

The change in CalPERS guidance indicates that CalPERS no longer considers school employers to be a “contracting agency” and therefore schools are limited to hiring retirees in temporary extra help appointments under Government Code sections 7522.56 and 21229. This means that school districts and community colleges may no longer hire retirees into vacant positions during recruitment, except under specified circumstances. Instead, the employer may hire an active member to fill in during the recruitment, or the employer may work an existing employee out of class in the vacant position. A retired annuitant can be hired to support the person hired into the vacancy if the retiree has special skills and otherwise meets the requirements for a temporary extra help position.

Read the full brief at www.lozanosmith.com/news-clientnewsbriefdetail.php?news_id=3377.