WPRA
West Pasadena Residents' Association 
Neighborhood Update
Saturday, October 12, 2013

Welcome

Founded in 1962, the WPRA is dedicated to maintaining the character of our communities and enhancing the quality of life in West Pasadena. 

   
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Editor  

Ann Erdman

 

View the latest and past issues of the WPRA's quarterly magazine, which is
mailed to more than 7,000 homes in
West Pasadena.
Neighborhood Update
View past issues of this weekly WPRA eNewsletter, which is emailed each Saturday morning to nearly 1,100 Pasadena residents.
 

 

 

 

City Council and commission meetings
- CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION -

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14
 

The October 14 meeting of the Pasadena City Council has been canceled.

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15

 

Environmental Advisory Commission

6 p.m.

Hale Building/Permit Center

Hearing Room

175 N. Garfield Ave. (enter through Ramona Street door)

On the agenda: L.A. River ecosystem restoration feasibility study alternatives.

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16

 

Zoning Hearing Officer

6 pm

Hale Building/Permit Center

Hearing Room

175 N. Garfield Ave. (enter through the Ramona Street door)

On the agenda: Conditional use permit to allow expansion of Art Center College of Design South Campus on two parcels at 870 S. Raymond Ave. (former U.S. Postal Service mail sorting facility) and 888 S. Raymond Ave. 

Neighborhood in motion
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UCLA game -- TRAFFIC ALERT!
Attendance will exceed 50,000 for the UCLA vs. Cal game Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, so expect traffic delays. Game time is 7:30 p.m.; parking lots will open at 1:30 p.m.
  
Central Park playground to open
The grand opening of the new playground at Central Park on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. will include fun activities for all ages. A program featuring Mayor Bill Bogaard, District 6 City Councilman Steve Madison and others will begin at 9 a.m. and refreshments will be served. For more information contact yalvarado@cityofpasadena.net
  
Learn the fine points of successful composting Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10 a.m. from resident horticulturalist Jesus Rodriguez, who studied biotechnology in Japan and keeps the garden looking so beautiful with his secret weapon: compost. Tickets are limited and going fast.
  

The Pasadena Garden Club will host a plant sale Sunday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring more than 1,000 California natives, succulents, topiaries and geraniums. The sale, at La Casita del Arroyo, 177 S. Arroyo Blvd., is open to the public and will include workshops featuring the newest techniques in floral design, a demonstration showing how to "plant" gourds for Thanksgiving centerpieces, note cards from an oil painting of La Casita and a fabulous garden boutique with rustic garden accessories, vintage collectibles and planted herb baskets. For more information contact martynbelmont@aol.com

 

Kendall Brown to appear at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

Historian, author and curator Kendall Brown will present a slideshow of exquisite photographs and discuss his book "Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America" Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, 270 Arlington Dr. The garden will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Make your $7.50 Open Day reservation at www.japanesegardenpasadena.com/calendar.html.  

 

County schedules DEIR public meetings for Devil's Gate sediment removal  

The L.A. County Department of Public Works has completed a draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Devil's Gate Reservoir sediment removal and management project. The report will be posted on the project's website in late October. The county will host a community meeting Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the visitors' locker room at the Rose Bowl Stadium; park in Lot F and enter at Gate A.

 

Fall edition of The News is online

The latest edition of WPRA's The News features articles that address mansionization, La Loma Bridge retrofit/rehab, archery in the arroyo, the future of San Rafael School, the Rose Bowl brick campaign, Avenue 64 safety coalition, preservation of oak trees, the 100 W. Walnut project and much more.

  
The Pasadena Police Department's preliminary September crime statistics show burglaries from vehicles dropped significantly over the past few months; remember that leaving valuable items in your car may be an invitation to thieves. Residential burglaries did not change from August, which showed a major decrease from the past few months. 

Rose Bowl Roundup Newsletter
Find out what's going on with the Rose Bowl Stadium: renovation, updates, the tours program, Legacy Campaign and more. 

Editor's top news picks
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"Caltrans will host two public workshops to provide background information and obtain public feedback for establishing procedures for the sale of some 500 surplus residential properties along the so-called '710 gap' where transportation officials are studying a 4.5-mile tunnel between the 710 and 210 freeways." -- South Pasadena Patch

 

Developer unveils luxury homes at site of former Ambassador campus

"City Ventures will unveil a luxury development called Ambassador Gardens located at the former site of the Ambassador College at a private dedication ceremony next week and a public grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 19." -- Pasadena Now

 

Rose Parade produces over $300 million in Los Angeles County

"The L.A.-based economic research firm Micronomics has released a report saying 2013 Rose Bowl and Rose Parade activities produced more than $300 million in immediate benefits to L.A. County, including spending by visitors, floatmakers and the Tournament of Roses Association." -- Pasadena Now

 

Flood control district to build five-mile pipeline across Pasadena

"The state has granted the Los Angeles County Flood Control District $28 million for the construction of a five-mile pipeline that will connect Devil's Gate Dam in northwest Pasadena and Eaton Canyon Wash in east Pasadena." -- Pasadena Now

 

City Council approves funding for power plant revamp

"The Pasadena City Council approved the sale of $85 million in electric revenue bonds to fund the first phase of the $132 million Glenarm Power Plant revamp project at its Oct. 7 meeting." -- Pasadena Now

 

Craftsman Weekend 2013

"An opening reception Friday at Blinn House will honor the American Bungalow, followed by a Saturday reception and exclusive tour at the Bolton House designed in 1906 by Greene and Greene." -- Hometown Pasadena

 

110 Freeway exit at Fair Oaks is "dangerous," in need of fix

"The South Pasadena City Council wants to spend millions to improve traffic around the northbound 110 Freeway exit at Fair Oaks Avenue but said neither Caltrans nor the Los Angeles County MTA will give the project the green light." -- Pasadena Star-News

 

A breed apart

"Posed to pass a measure designed to spay and neuter all cats and dogs - including troublesome pit bull terriers - a divided Pasadena City Council Monday decided to hold off another six months before considering the issue again." -- Pasadena Weekly  

 

Leisure
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Looking for other ways to entertain or educate yourself and your family? 

For current events around the area, we encourage you to visit our local news outlets. Click on the publication title to visit that publication's events section (alphabetical order).

Attend WPRA board meetings each month 

Monthly WPRA board meeting dates and locations are on the WPRA website. Click on the headline above or visit our website and look under "Meetings and Events."


The WPRA needs you ... 

If you'd like to serve your community and do it with a group of your neighbors who are equally dedicated, the WPRA encourages you to join your neighborhood residents' association. If you live within our service area, we'd welcome your help. 

  • Got the local news bug? Just curious about your city (and would like to share news with 1,000 or so of your closest friends), consider serving as a co-editor of Neighborhood Update. It will only take a few hours a week (on your own schedule) in the month or two a year in which you'd serve. We'll train you.  
  • We have lots of opportunities to serve on one of our many committees:
    • Land use and planning
      If you care about how we use our land  
    • Education
      If you want to help save public education for West Pasadena  
    • Open space & conservation
      If you care about preserving open space and conservation of land and resources 
    • Membership
      If you'd like to help us continue to build our membership so we can do more  
If you'd like to chat about ways we could help you become more involved or, more likely, more effective (by helping us), send an email to WPRA President. Tell him about your interests.   
To learn more

Visit wpra.net or click on one of the following links

 

To submit information for the Neighborhood Update, send it to update@wpra.net. 

 

Joseph Stoddard's watercolors: The WPRA wishes to express its appreciation to local artist Joseph Stoddard, who has generously allowed us to display his watercolors in our quarterly magazine, WPRA News, on the WPRA website and in this publication. To explore Mr. Stoddard's work, visit josephstoddard.com.