Épisodes

  • Altadena: Where Champions Are Made and Legends Rise

    Altadena: Where Champions Are Made and Legends Rise
    Jul 14 2025
    On this podcast of “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising,” James Farr sits down with Laurence Todd, founder of the Pasadena Sports Hall of Fame, to explore the rich athletic legacy of Northwest Dena — where Altadena and Pasadena blur as one community. Known names like Jackie and Mack Robinson are just the beginning. This region has produced Olympians, Super Bowl champs, MLB stars, and NBA legends — not by chance, but through neighborhood courts, school gyms, and a village that raised them.

    Farr and Todd reflect on what it means to come from Dena, the City of Champions, tracing how decades of greatness grew from community, competition, and resilience. As Altadena rises from the Eaton Canyon Fire, they ask: Who is the greatest athlete ever to come out of Dena? Todd’s answer may be surprising, but it’s rooted in the legacy and spirit of the village that built them.
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    42 min
  • “After the Fire: Turning Survivors and Community Voices Into Action”

    “After the Fire: Turning Survivors and Community Voices Into Action”
    Jun 30 2025
    How does a community move forward after disaster—and who gets to decide what recovery looks like? In this episode of "Conversation Live: Altadena Rising," host James Farr sits down with Dir. Jeffrey Marino from California’s Office of Data and Innovation. They’ll talk about Engaged California, a platform designed to bring fire survivors and residents directly into the state’s decision-making process.

    Marino shares what people in Altadena and beyond had to say in Phase One—raw, urgent feedback about missed alerts, dangerous infrastructure, and feeling left out of the conversation. Now the state’s asking those same people to help shape what comes next. It’s not just policy—it’s personal. And it may be one of the most important tests of public trust we’ve seen in years.
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    43 min
  • Under Siege: Fires, ICE Raids, and the Fight for Altadena

    Under Siege: Fires, ICE Raids, and the Fight for Altadena
    Jun 16 2025
    Altadena burned—and the people still want answers.
    On "Conversation Live: Altadena Rising," host James Farr sits down with L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger this week. Why were evacuation alerts late? Who failed to protect Altadena—and especially its Black community?

    Across Los Angeles, ICE raids are intensifying. U.S. Marines have been deployed. Masked federal agents are saturating neighborhoods—what some are calling “police-riots.” In this moment of fear and federal force, we ask the burning question: Where does Supervisor Barger stand? With the people—or with those terrorizing them?
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    46 min
  • Could More Have Been Done? Five Months After The Fire

    Could More Have Been Done? Five Months After The Fire
    Jun 13 2025
    Five months after flames tore through Altadena—leveling homes, rattling lives, and eroding public trust—the burning question remains: could more have been done?

    In this episode of "Conversation Live: Altadena Rising," host James Farr sits down with retired Fire Captain Addington Stewart, former president of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters. Drawing on decades of frontline and leadership experience, Stewart unpacks what crews confronted the night the Eaton Canyon fire exploded. They dissect the blaze’s science, the role of Santa Ana winds, utility delays, and the hard limits of municipal response when urban infernos rage. It’s a blunt, necessary conversation about accountability and preparing for the next red-flag day.
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    45 min
  • TROOP: R&B Legends, Music, & the Fire That Changed Everything

    TROOP: R&B Legends, Music, & the Fire That Changed Everything
    Jun 6 2025
    On this episode of "Conversation Live: Altadena Rising," James Farr sits down with Rodney Benford and John 'Jon Jon' Harreld of the legendary R&B quintet TROOP—short for 'Total Respect of Other People.' They were just 'Dena' kids with big dreams before the platinum records, sold-out tours, Arsenio Hall Show appearances, and their iconic cameo in New Jack City. Their chart-topping hits—“Spread My Wings,” “All I Do Is Think of You,” and “Sweet November”—became the soundtrack of a generation.

    In the wake of the Altadena Eaton Canyon fire, Rodney and Jon Jon return to reflect on what’s been lost and what still binds them to their hometown. It’s a story of resilience, brotherhood, and the power of staying rooted in the community that raised you.
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    51 min
  • Twice Displaced: From Freeways to Fire in Black Altadena

    Twice Displaced: From Freeways to Fire in Black Altadena
    May 30 2025
    What happens when a community is forced to start over—again? In this episode of “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising,” James Farr sits down with Tina Jackson Williams, Vice Chair of the Pasadena 710 Restorative Justice Committee, for an urgent conversation on how Black families lost their homes, not once, but twice. First, through eminent domain and freeway expansion that bulldozed vibrant Black neighborhoods in Pasadena. And again, generations later, through the destruction of the 2025 Eaton Canyon Fire.

    Together, Farr and Williams trace how racist housing covenants, redlining, and broken promises created a cycle of displacement. What does it take to repair generational harm? And can restorative justice offer a real path forward? From policy to personal stories, this episode is a history lesson and a call to action.
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    50 min
  • Burned but Not Broken: The Fight to Save Altadena’s Small Businesses

    Burned but Not Broken: The Fight to Save Altadena’s Small Businesses
    May 20 2025
    On this episode of "Conversation Live: Altadena Rising," host James Farr turns the spotlight on the nearly 1,800 small and home-based businesses impacted by the January wildfires across L.A. County—none harder hit than Altadena. These businesses—cafés, barbershops, childcare centers, and solo entrepreneurs—are the backbone of the local economy. “What happens to a community,” Farr asks, “when the businesses that hold it together are at risk of disappearing?”

    Maria Salinas, President and CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, details the toll: over 13,000 jobs affected and millions in lost economic output. Salinas introduces a recovery fund offering grants of up to $25,000 for impacted small and home-based businesses and nonprofits. Together, they examine what’s at stake and what it will take to help Altadena rebuild from the ground up.
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    47 min
  • Through Smoke and Ash: DL Lyons Fights for His Mother, His Shop, and Altadena’s Soul

    Through Smoke and Ash: DL Lyons Fights for His Mother, His Shop, and Altadena’s Soul
    May 13 2025
    On this episode of Conversation Live: Altadena Rising, host James Farr welcomes Darrin “DL” Lyons—celebrity barber, community icon, and entrepreneur with deep roots in Altadena. DL shares the unforgettable night he and his mother braved the Eaton Canyon fire, fighting to save his barbershop from destruction. With embers the size of softballs falling from the sky, he acted on instinct and faith, using a trash can to stamp out flames.

    But the fire’s impact went beyond one night. DL opens up about the lingering toll on the community—unsafe air, contaminated water, and businesses left in limbo. Through it all, his bond with Altadena remains unshaken. This episode is a powerful portrait of resilience, legacy, and what it means to stand your ground when everything around you is burning.
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    54 min