WPRA
West Pasadena Residents' Association 
Neighborhood Update
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 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
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 19

Special Meeting
3:30 p.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers
100 N. Garfield Ave.
On the agenda: Preliminary discussion regarding processfor development of policies for the use of body worn cameras for police officers and opportunity for public comment; Emergency preparedness exercise; Drone policies and regulations.

6:30 p.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers
100 N. Garfield Ave.
On the agenda: Presentation on the State of the State by Assemblyman Chris Holden; Contract with PUSD to serve as local government agency for the school-based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities program; Contract with One Source Contributors to furnish and deliver miscellaneous electric utility materials for the Water & Power Dept.; MOU between the city and the Pasadena Management Association for Oct. 19, 2015 to June 30, 2018, and tax deferral of member contributions and to report the value of employer paid member contributions; Contract with Henkels &McCoy for labor and materials for fiber optic cable installation; Contract Motorola Solutions for the monitoring and maintenance of the city's radio communications system; Contract with NTT Data for IT temporary staffing services; Review of Underground Utility Program; Second reading of ordinance regarding the employment of city council district liaisons.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

6 p.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers
100 N. Garfield Ave.
On the agenda: Water rate structure; Zero waste plan implementation; Climate action work plan; Consideration of city ban on polystyrene products.

Canceled

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22

6 p.m.
351 S. Hudson Ave.
Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room 236
On the agenda: Approval of Altadena Elementary as next site for Spanish dual language immersion program.
"Quote" of the week

"There were in fact processes in place that should have stopped the embezzlement in its early stages. But a climate of complacency appears to have developed and the processes were at best disregarded."

- Douglas Kranwinkle, chair of the Task Force on Financial Administration and Internal Controls (formed by former Mayor Bill Bogaard in March, three months after the arrest of Danny Wooten)
WPRA in motion
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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: 
According to Assistant City Manager/Interim Public Works Director Julie Gutierrez, the Arroyo Seco trail on the east side of the channel under La Loma Bridge will be closed intermittently between 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday while constructing overhead elements. The intermittent closures will occur through December 2015 (during removal of the existing bridge). Signs were posted designating a detour trail route. Preparations to construct a temporary bridge to transport heavy equipment to the west side of the channel are also underway.
Neighborhoods 
in motion
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TRAFFIC/CROWD ALERT

Saturday, October 22
6 to 10 p.m.

 

The City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Star-News will host a forum on homelessness from 7 to 9 p.m. this Wednesday, Oct. 21. The event will take place in the Renaissance Plaza Community Room, 649 S. Fair Oaks Ave. (2nd floor of Von's shopping center at Fair Oaks & Orange Grove). PSN editor Larry Wilson will moderate the panel consisting of Anne Lansing, Pasadena Housing & Career Services director; Police Chief Philip Sanchez; Daniel Flaming, Economic Roundtable; Erlinda Romo, Playhouse District Association; Rabbi Marv Gross, Union Station Homeless Services; and Will Rivera, Pasadena City Prosecutor's Office.

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."

Assemblyman Chris Holden's office is currently accepting applications for their Young Legislators Program. This is a free program and is open to high school seniors attending a high school in the 41st Assembly District. It's a great leadership opportunity to gain inside knowledge on how the state government works. The deadline to apply is Nov. 15.
Editor's top news picks
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"A scathing report prepared by a special task force formed after a former Pasadena employee allegedly stole $6.4 million from a City Hall fund over an 11-year period said complacency and inattentiveness to spending aided in the theft." Pasadena Weekly

"Caltrans is falling $5.75 billion a year short in unfunded repairs to highways, freeways and bridges, state officials told six members of the Select Committee on Regional Transportation and Interconnective Solutions led by Assemblyman Chris Holden." Pasadena Star-News

"The man accused of stealing $6.4 million from Pasadena over the past decade will not appear for his preliminary hearing until at least December." Pasadena Star-News

"Connect Week is a series of independently organized seminars, workshops, and social events unfolding at venues across Pasadena throughout the week of Oct. 19 to 25. Level up your innovation game and learn more about design trends, local startups, nanotechnology, hardware hacking, drone video making, and successful entrepreneurship from industry leaders in the region." Pasadena Now

"Pasadena may do away with the Underground Utility Program that a city employee allegedly embezzled from for more than a decade. On Tuesday, Pasadena's municipal services committee heard a staff recommendation to discontinue the program funded through a $30 annual surtax." Pasadena Star-News

"On Oct. 9 California Governor Jerry Brown signed into a law a bill that will help create more affordable housing by easing parking requirements for developers." Smart Growth America

"The committee approved preferential parking districts, no-vehicle-sales areas, and motion 15-0701 which will allow bike parking at parking meters in Westwood. Parking meter bike parking is currently against the law in Los Angeles. Bicycle Advisory Committee chair testified that the scope of the motion should be expanded to just allow bikes to park at all meters citywide." LA Streets Blog
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 ... 

... 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.