WPRA
West Pasadena Residents' Association 
Neighborhood Update
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Vacation1
Neighborhood Update will go dark in August while the co-editors take respective breaks, possibly tagging cars at Cadillac Ranch and roaming through the passageways of Graceland Too. Neighborhood Update will resume Saturday, Sept. 6. In the meantime, we wish all of you a relaxing and enjoyable rest of the summer. Road trip!
Welcome

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

   
Subscribe, unsubscribe or update your email address at the bottom of this page.

Send comments to update@wpra.net 

Ann Erdman
Editor 

 

View the latest and past issues of the WPRA's quarterly magazine, The News, which is mailed to more than 7,000 homes in West Pasadena.
View past issues of this weekly WPRA eNewsletter, which is emailed each Saturday morning to more than 1,100 residents of Pasadena (and beyond).
Visit our website
 
 

 

Pasadena City Council and commission meetings
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<
 
Monday, July 28
  
City Council
6:30 p.m.
City Hall
Council Chambers, Room S249
100 N. Garfield Ave.
On the agenda: Key business terms of agreement with Waverly School for relocation and rehabilitation of historic Decker House currently at 750 N. Fair Oaks Ave. and related City of Pasadena grant for project costs; establish 20 percent water conservation target and implement Level 1 measures for mandatory water use restrictions; Transportation Advisory Commission review of Draft Environmental Impact Report for the 100 W. Walnut St. planned development (Parsons project).  
WPRA in motion
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<
 

SR-710 Update: WPRA commits funds to the SR-710 DEIR study

Reinforcing its firm commitment to oppose Metro and Caltrans plans for an SR-710 Freeway tunnel, the WPRA Board of Directors on July 2, approved a motion to commit a significant amount of funding to analysis of the SR-710 Freeway Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Metro and Caltrans have stated the DEIR will be released early next year. The WPRA initiative is under the direction of Sarah Gavit, WPRA vice president and SR-710 Committee chair.
Neighborhoods in motion
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<
    
For years Pasadena City Councilman Chris Holden's annual block party on his street was the place to be every summer. Now California Assemblyman Chris Holden is continuing the tradition for all of his Pasadena constituents Saturday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Final Weekend of Old Pasadena Film Festival
Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, are the final dates of the free Old Pasadena Film Festival. Saturday: "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961) at 8:30 p.m. at Central Park and "Lover Come Back" (1961) at 8:30 p.m. in Hugus Alley at One Colorado. Sunday: "Gimme Gimme Octopus" (1973) at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Armory Center for the Arts and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) at at 8:30 p.m. at Central Park.

La Casita del Arroyo grand reopening 

La Casita del Arroyo, Pasadena's historic community meeting house designed by Myron Hunt and built in 1932, has been undergoing extensive renovations since February, including restoration of the historic bicycle velodrome wood paneling. The grand reopening is Tuesday, July 29, at 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

  
GRID Logistics offers alternative to take port trucks off freeways

[Source: No 710 Committee]

Caltrans is seeking public comment on its California Freight Mobility Plan. This is your opportunity to guide Caltrans toward a renewed concept in freight movement: underground freight pipelines. GRID Logistics Inc., a Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator portfolio company, proposes a 137-mile, 15-foot diameter tunnel for electric drone trains to move containers between the San Pedro Bay port complex and inland freight consolidation warehouse centers. This is your opportunity to guide Caltrans towards a renewed concept in freight movement. The last day to comment is Thursday, July 31. Click on the headline link to learn more about the concept; click here to see how to submit your comments to Caltrans.

 

Free mulch
The next supply of garden-ready mulch from Pasadena Public Works Department street tree trimmings will be available Friday, Aug. 1, at the southeast corner of the parking lot at Victory Park. Bring your own shovels, containers and gloves anytime between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Mulch is replenished once a month through October and is available to Pasadena residents only.

Free admission to Norton Simon Museum
The first Friday of every month is free admission night at the Norton Simon Museum. On Friday, Aug. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. see the current exhibitions "In the Land of Snow: Buddhist Art in the Himalayas" and "Face It: The Photographic Portrait" as well as everything else the museum has to offer.

Forum on Identity Theft
Congressman Adam Schiff, whose district includes most of the WPRA area, will host a forum on identity theft with experts from the federal government Monday, Aug. 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the L.A. Zoo's Witherbee Auditorium, 5333 Zoo Dr. Representatives from the IRS, FBI, Federal Trade Commission, Social Security Administration and U.S. Postal Inspection Service will discuss concrete ways to protect your identity. Seating is limited; RSVP to CongressmanSchiff.RSVP@mail.house.gov or (818) 450-2900.
Editor's top news picks
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<

Pasadena Unified Boundary Committee to discuss future design of district boundaries
"The Pasadena Unified School District Board Master Plan/Boundary Committee will meet next week to continue their work examining current school attendance boundaries and how they can be improved to better serve all of PUSD's students and schools." Pasadena Now

Art Center buys building at gateway to Pasadena
"Art Center College of Design continues to expand its educational reach and resources with the acquisition of 1111 South Arroyo Parkway and plans to build student housing on South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena." Pasadena Now

Tensions at Pasadena City College threaten school's reputation
"Pasadena City College's stature as one of the state's best two-year schools wasn't lost on members of a visiting team of advisors this year. . .But that reputation, and maybe even the school's accreditation, was in danger, said Scott Lay, the president of the Community College League of California." Los Angeles Times
Leisure
- CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION -

 

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 and "like" our Facebook page  

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

 

Joseph Stoddard's watercolors: The WPRA is grateful to local artist Joseph Stoddard, who has generously allowed us to display his watercolors in our quarterly newsletter, The (WPRA) News; on the WPRA website; and in this publication. To explore Mr. Stoddard's work, visit josephstoddard.com.