Overview
- Phones across Los Angeles County lit up shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday when a South Pasadena wireless emergency alert test was transmitted far beyond its intended area.
- The alert stated, "This is a test of the South Pasadena WEA system. There is no emergency."
- City spokesperson Jennifer Colby said an investigation is underway, with human error suspected rather than a Finalsite platform failure, and the city issued an apology.
- Recipients reported the test countywide, including in Long Beach, downtown Los Angeles and Redondo Beach, with Reddit users saying they received it as far as Orange and San Luis Obispo counties.
- The incident renews scrutiny of alert reliability after a January countywide evacuation warning was traced in a federal report to a contractor error at Genasys, prompting concerns about public confusion and alert fatigue and discussion of stronger oversight or a state-run system.