Weary families left homeless by the deadly Los Angeles fires have been told they need to vacate an emergency shelter site as it prepares to host an awards show and auditions for America’s Got Talent.
More than 2,000 displaced residents flocked to the Pasadena Convention Center after the devastating Eaton Fire ripped through communities in January.
At least 17 people were killed and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed in the blaze that has turned the lives of countless families upside down.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were among the celebrities who came to comfort families facing a bleak future.
The roughly 200 people left there are now being told they will be moving to another temporary home, prompting them to ask why.
The 56th NAACP Image Awards are scheduled to air live on BET from the Civic Auditorium at the Pasadena Convention Center February 22, with nominees including Usher, Cynthia Erivo, Kendrick Lamar and Kevin Hart vying for Entertainer of the Year.
Authorities have also said they need time to clean up and prepare before auditions for AGT, which were delayed from January 12 until March 10 because of the blaze.
Irritated and frustrated residents claim interest in their plight has waned in the month since the fires began.
Now they are wondering why they must move before filming of the production produced by Simon Cowell.
Krystina Moore, 30, told DailyMail.com that interest in fire victims has appeared to dwindle.
She was on site when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex handed out clothes and helped bend cardboard boxes.
But the star-studded visits and photo ops have dried up. Now she claims the awards ceremony and TV show are forcing them out.
‘They say they’re cleaning things up for America’s Got Talent,’ Moore said.
She said that a man wearing a hat with American flags said: ‘You can’t put us out because of Simon Cowell!’
Jasmine Morris, 23, was also left homeless when her grandmother’s house turned to ash in the disaster.
‘There’s been lots of irritation and frustration,’ she told DailyMail.com. ‘People have been confused. They don’t know what to do. It’s very distressing.’
She was shocked when she heard people staying at the convention center had to move out to make way for television events.
‘To say we need this spot for something to do with television is not okay,’ said the California State University student who is studying public health to become a nursing assistant.
‘It’s not important to have events here at the moment. I don’t need celebrities here right now.
‘It was wrong. People’s feelings got hurt. They’re evacuating because they want to clean the space.’
‘It’s devastating. I was disoriented in the first few days,’ she said about her escape from the fire.
‘It’s been confusing. I was growing and learning and it all just fell apart so suddenly.’
Although she lost her video game console in the fire, she added, ‘I’m thankful I had most of my video games and my sewing kit.’
Jonah Arkenburg, 50, a Hollywood unit production manager, lost his apartment in the Eaton Fire, and was staying at the convention center with his mother Corina, 75.
He said he was ‘getting booted’ but was ‘grateful’ for ‘three hots (meals) and a cot’ he had received.
Now he has a new apartment lined up to move into.
Bryan Elparin, 54, saw his rented home in Malibu burn down in the Palisades Fire.
‘I’m going to try to find a place and get moved in and get back to my life and move forward,’ he told DailyMail.com with his five-year-old German Shepherd called Barks by his side.
‘I’m depending on the kindness of others at the moment and thank god there’s been kindness,’ he said.
But he said it was ‘strange’ that AGT would soon be filming at the convention center so shortly after the fires.
The Bitcoin trader had time to recommend President Donald Trump’s meme coin, adding, ‘Right now, it’s like 17 dollars, it was at $30 last week so I’m sure it’s going to go back up.’
He said he lost everything in the fire.
‘I was stupid,’ he explained. ‘I let my insurance lapse because I just moved and it was the holidays. The last thing I thought was a wild fire was going to take everything.’
Elparin said that Barks was still ‘stressed out’, like many other animals also forced out of their homes.
Despite the anger from residents, Pasadena officials insist the move ‘has nothing to do’ with the filming of America’s Got Talent.
The city is now looking for another place to house those who still don’t have anywhere to go.
‘The intent of the emergency evacuation shelter is short-term and a one-month target date was always the goal for a transition plan,’ Pasadena City spokesperson Lisa Derderian told DailyMail.com.
‘We will never just shut the doors for these residents who have gone through so much.
‘This has nothing to do with AGT as the welfare and recovery of the shelter client is paramount and we have confidence in the Red Cross and LA County that they’ll fulfill their mission to support the remaining residents.
‘The County of Los Angeles and the American Red Cross continue to search for a new site to relocate the shelter and/or find interim housing for shelter residents.
‘The City will continue to support this effort to ensure everyone receives the care and assistance they need. In the meantime, the portable trailers for showers, restrooms and laundry will be relocated to the west side of the convention hall.
Mimi Teller, Red Cross spokesperson, told DailyMail.com the organization is aiming to find a new shelter location close to Altadena by February 10.
‘It’s a fine juggling act. A lot of the options burnt down in Altadena,’ she said, but ‘no one is going to be without a place to stay.’
Teller added that legendary folk rock singer Neil Young, married to actress Daryl Hannah, visited the center on February 6 and played his songs for some of the displaced still living there. ‘He’s got a heart of gold,’ she said.
NBC and Simon Cowell’s production company Syco did not provide a comment for the story.
The recently redesigned Toyota Tacoma pickup is still a sales darling for the Japanese automaker, and it remains one of the most popular trucks in the country. Now, however, it seems you can play too hard with one, and cause some braking issues in the process. That’s the latest according to a recall notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week, claiming over 106,000 pickups could have mud or dirt build up—you know, not an uncommon scenario for Toyota’s more adventurous customers—and wear down an important part. Here’s what we know:
So far, NHTSA documents show 12 warranty claims and five field reports of issues potentially related to the recall. According to NHTSA documents, Tacomas equipped with 16-inch brake systems positioned inside 17-inch wheels have a tight tolerance, and if mud and dirt build up on the interior of the wheels when off-roading, eventually contact can be made with the components and the intruding mud, which could lead to damage and wear through the brake lines, causing a fluid leak, and eventually a decline in braking performance and stopping distance, which could lead to a gnarly crash.
Toyota says it was first alerted to a potential issue back in July of 2024. Owner notifications will be sent out by April, and the remedy is to reattach the brake lines or move them. It goes without saying almost that this sprays a little mud in Toyota’s face, since, well, the Tacoma—like other midsize trucks—is marketed as a rugged, go-anywhere personal adventure machine.
