WPRA
West Pasadena Residents' Association 
Neighborhood Update
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2015
Published weekly since 2000

Welcome

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

   
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Send comments to update@wpra.net 

Justin Chapman
Co-Editor 

 

View the latest and past issues of the WPRA's quarterly magazine, The News, which is mailed to nearly 8,000 homes in west Pasadena.
Neighborhood Update
View past issues of this weekly WPRA eNewsletter, which is emailed each Saturday morning to more than 1,500 residents of Pasadena (and beyond).
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Important community meetings
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

6:30 p.m.
Council Chamber, 
Pasadena City Hall
100 N. Garfield Ave.
On the agenda: Presentation by Fire Chief Bertral Washington on the Pasadena Fire Department's achievement in receiving "accredited agency" status; Contract to construct public service counters and bullet-resistant glazing panels at the Pasadena Police Department; Contract with the LA County Sheriff's Department for supplemental law enforcement services for New Year's activities; Purchase order for four trucks; Approval of non-represented executive management and non-represented management salary resolution; Purchase order for seven replacement police vehicles; Second reading of ordinance to establish Glen Summer Road as landmark overlay district.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6

Canceled

Canceled

6:30 p.m.
Jackie Robinson Center
1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.
On the agenda: Presentation from Pasadena NAACP; Presentation from Pasadena Police Department's Peace Over Violence program; Presentation on Vision 20/20 Community Violence Intervention - Prevention Institute & Network.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

Special Meeting
5 p.m.
351 S. Hudson Ave.
On the agenda: Appointment of Dr. Eddie Newman to the Personnel Commission; Resolution naming October Anti-Bullying Month; Determining sufficiency of instructional materials; Approval of representative to Regional Adult Education Consortium; Presentation on expansion of dual language program.
"Quote" of the week

"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell."

- Marsha Rood, former development administrator of the City of Pasadena's Housing and Development Department
WPRA in motion
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<
 
Tomorrow, Sunday, October 4, the West Pasadena Residents' Association is hosting a Fall Party and Neighborhood Social at the home of board member Fred Zepeda, 280 S. Grand Ave. Everyone is welcome, so come meet your neighbors and enjoy a meal from Pie 'n Burger. Wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres will also be served. The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. See you there!

The public is also welcome to attend WPRA's monthly board meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7. The board meets in the Community Room on the Westridge School campus.

The Orange Grove Neighborhood Community will host a public meeting on October 6, 6 p.m., at the Tournament House, 391 S. Orange Grove Blvd. On the agenda is water conservation, and delivering the message is Ursula Schmidt, PWP Water Conservation Program Manager, and a featured landscape architect. 

 


Since June 1, the City has been under a Level 2 water-supply-shortage plan to reduce water use across the city by 28%. Report water waste to the City:
  1. Call Pasadena's Citizen Service Center, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (626) 744-7311. Be prepared to provide the location and nature of the issue.
  2. Complete a short form on the City's Citizen Service Center
  3. Use the free app for smart phones and tablets: 
Neighborhoods 
in motion
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION<

TRAFFIC/CROWD ALERTS

Today, Saturday, October 3
4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 10
6 to 9:30 p.m.
This will be a sold out soccer event. The Stadium is expected to be at full capacity with 90,000+ fans, therefore housing one of the largest crowds at a soccer match in the United States this year. 

Note: If any issues arise, please contact the Resident Hotline at (626) 397-4141. Please report any issues or concerns as soon as possible (especially during the event) so that they can be addressed immediately. Visit rosebowlstadium.com/community for the latest updates affecting the Stadium's neighbors. For more information about these events, please visit the Rose Bowl Stadium website by clicking the above headlines.

 

Pumpkin patch at San Rafael Elementary
From 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 to 9, the San Rafael Elementary PTA is hosting a pumpkin patch located outside Room 13. There will also be coffee, donuts, and a raffle. Prices for pumpkins range from $2 to $15.
 
Please join Women at Work and moderator Salvatrice Cummo, director of the Pasadena Small-Business Development Center at Pasadena Community College, on Tuesday, October 6, 6 to 9 p.m., for a conversation with four amazing female entrepreneurs who found their North Star and will discuss the journey they are on to achieve their dreams. The session will be held in Harbeson Hall at Pasadena Community College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.

Does Pasadena need independent oversight for greater transparency and accountability of its police department? What might community oversight look like? How is it working elsewhere? The Coalition to Increase Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police presents "Transparency & Accountability in Pasadena's Police Department" on Tuesday, October 6, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Fuller Seminary Travis Auditorium, 180 N. Oakland Ave. Featured are Samuel Walker, national expert and co-author of The New World of Police Accountability, and panelists Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek; Gary L. Moody, president NAACP; Stella Murga, executive director of Adelante Youth Alliance; and Pastor Kerwin L. Manning, president, Clergy Community Coalition. The forum will be moderated by Larry Wilson, Pasadena Star-News Public Editor. For more information contact, Kristen Green at kgreen890@gmail.com.

Spend the evening exploring 21 prestigious arts and cultural institutions showcasing remarkable works by the best of Pasadena's creative community from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, October 9. People of all ages and walks of life can experience memorable visual and performing arts and participate in hands-on, interactive activities at no cost. Admission to all art institutions is free. The public can ride free shuttles provided by the City of Pasadena to and from each location, with City Hall serving as the primary transit hub. Click the headline for the full list of venues and artists. [Editor's note: Your humble editor will be signing copies of his book at the Pasadena Library. Come by and say hi!]

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will host an open house on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free of charge and takes visitors on a "ride" through the wonders of space. Highlights include a life-size model of Mars Science Laboratory, demonstrations from numerous space missions; JPL's machine shop, where robotic spacecraft parts are built; and the Microdevices Lab, where engineers and scientists use tiny technology to revolutionize space exploration.

1570 East Colorado Blvd.,State Assemblymember Chris Holden will chair a Select Committee On Regional Transportation And Interconnectivity Solutions Oversight hearing, "Moving People, Moving Goods," on Thursday, October 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Richard Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals, 125 S. Grand Ave.

The Pasadena Fire Department is hosting an open house from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 24 at Station 38, 1150 Linda Vista Ave. There will be demonstrations, information tables, and an opportunity to meet and greet the men and women of the Fire Department, city officials, and community health and safety partners.

Japanese art historian Meher McArthur will draw from her 20 years of experience researching and curating Japanese art to present a lecture discussing aspects of Japanese traditional and contemporary art on Thursday, November 5, 6:30 p.m., entitled "The wonders of Japan's woodblock prints."
Editor's top news picks
>CLICK ON HEADLINES FOR MORE INFORMATION

"Pasadena leaders seem to have lost sight of the community's critical sense of place." Pasadena Weekly

"The City Council's four-hour-long meeting covered a range of issues, from raising water rates and the need for more affordable housing to the "Enduring Heroes" war memorial, which was approved. The Council also asked staff to begin looking into the process of creating a housing commission." Pasadena Now

"New findings from JPL's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars." Pasadena Now

"Representatives from Art Center were at the Gizworld Wearable Tech & IoT LA conference at the Pasadena Convention Center to unveil three student projects that demonstrate how designers can be 'the connective tissue between technology and people.'" Pasadena Star-News

"Event organizers have postponed this year's Eagle Rock Music Festival, which they say will return sometime next year with more of a local focus." Pasadena Weekly

"A task force formed in the wake of Pasadena's $6.4 million embezzlement scandal wants the city to establish a citizens' audit advisory committee after complacency and shortcuts allowed an employee to siphon funds for more than a decade." Pasadena Star-News
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 ... 

... to serve your community and do it with a group of your neighbors who are equally dedicated. 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.