WPRA
West Pasadena Residents' Association 
Neighborhood Update
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2016
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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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, JANUARY 18

Canceled

Canceled

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

Canceled

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

6:30 p.m. doors
7 p.m. formal program
William McKinley TK-8 School gymnasium
325 S. Oak Knoll Ave.
The public is invited to attend Mayor Terry Tornek's first State of the City address. Mayor Tornek will deliver a budget message using illustrations that look at the City's finances, including an examination of funding sources and how the City spends its money. A brief Q-and-A with the audience will follow.

4 p.m.
351 S. Hudson Ave., Room 240
On the agenda: Bylaws/Policy/Administrative regulation discussion.
"Quote" of the week

"The [Rose Bowl Operating Company] board of directors took a decisive action. And since then there have been no substantive discussions with the NFL. That's really all I can say. I can't speak on behalf of the NFL."
 - Victor Gordo, president of the Rose Bowl Operating Company
WPRA in motion
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WPRA needs help reviewing the recently-released Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed annual Arroyo Seco Music & Arts Festival at and around the Rose Bowl. We are especially concerned about impacts on traffic, noise and public safety as well as how actions promised to mitigate these impacts will be monitored and enforced. Please contact Bill Urban at urban@wpra.net if you would like to help us review and respond to the DEIR. The public comment period ends Feb. 19.
Neighborhoods in motion
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Pasadena officials today announced the City has received a $5 million payment from its insurance carrier to settle a claim filed by the City regarding the theft of public money from the Utility Underground Program fund. In addition to the insurance claim, the City has undergone a comprehensive internal financial and personnel audit; changed or increased oversight for many of its financial processes and initiated most of the recommendations announced last year by a citizen advisory task force on financial administration and internal controls. The payment represents the maximum amount of money that could be paid on the insurance claim.  It is also about 85 percent of the nearly $6 million allegedly embezzled by a former City employee who is now currently facing both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit in connection to the theft.

Pasadena residents and businesses are reminded that City Hall and many City services will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Pasadena Fire and Police departments will continue to provide patrol, jail, fire, paramedic and other emergency services during the holiday. Pasadena residents and businesses with power emergencies should call the Pasadena Water and Power Department at (626) 744-4673 and for water-related emergencies call (626) 744-4138.  Refuse and recycling collection will be delayed by one day during the week of Jan. 18-23.

Mayor Terry Tornek will deliver his first State of the City address at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the McKinley School Gymnasium, 325 Oak Knoll Ave.. The event will "give Mayor Tornek the opportunity to begin a dialogue with the public about the city's financial condition and its ability to provide the kind of services we expect," wrote Debra Flores, administrative assistant in the Mayor's office, in an email. For more information, contact Rhonda Stone in the Mayor's office at (626) 744-7147 or by email at rstone@cityofpasadena.net. Accessible and free self-parking is available in the McKinley School, Rose City High School, and PUSD Administration parking lots.

Members of the community are invited to attend two meetings in January to learn about various forms of police oversight and to provide input into the analysis being conducted by the City. The meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in the City Council Chamber, Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave., and at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28 at the Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Both meetings will cover the same topics and are being held in two locations to encourage participation. Public comment will be accepted at both meetings.

The city of Pasadena has completed the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Huntington Memorial Hospital Master Plan Amendment and will be receiving comments from the public at a Planning Commission meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27 in the Council Chamber at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. Huntington Hospital is proposing to amend its existing 20-year Master Plan to reconfigure its physical boundaries, rehabilitate existing facilities, and construct new facilities, in order to meet State seismic requirements for acute-care facilities and to ensure the uninterrupted provision of safe, efficient medical care.

The Pasadena City Council will consider certification of the Final EIR and approval of the Non-Potable Water Project at a public hearing to be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, at City Hall, Council Chamber, 100 N. Garfield Ave., Room S249. The EIR is available online at: pwpweb.com/recycledwater. The purpose of the project is to provide nine to 10 percent of Pasadena Water and Power's overall water needs from local, non-potable water sources. The proposed project involves the construction and operation of a new non-potable water distribution system to deliver water from three local water sources to customers within the service areas of PWP, Foothill Municipal Water District and their member agencies (including Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Valley Water Company, Las Flores Water Company, and Rubio Canyon Land and Water Association), and California American Water Company for landscape irrigation, cooling, and other non-potable uses.

Los Angeles County is studying park and recreation facilities to better understand how to improve, expand and make parks more accessible so that all communities can thrive. The County and all 88 cities are taking stock of what currently exists - parks, recreation facilities, open space and cultural and performing arts venues. What's the condition of the park and what would it cost to get it into good shape? Do residents have a park within a 10-minute walk? Is the park used beyond capacity, in need of improvement or different amenities? This assessment will provide a good snapshot of the current status of our parks. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to shape the priorities for where park funding will go for the next several decades. The county will hosting a community workshop in Pasadena to assess park needs, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4, at City Yards, 233 W. Mountain St., 2nd Floor.

The city has released the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Arroyo Seco Music and Arts Festival (formerly called the Rose Bowl Music and Arts Festival). The full text of the Draft EIR is available by clicking the headline above. The review period for the Draft EIR began Dec. 21) and ends on Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m. There will be three public hearings for the city to receive public comment on the Draft EIR:

Thursday, Jan. 28, at 4 p.m.
Transportation Advisory Commission Meeting
221 E. Walnut St., Suite 210

Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m.
Recreation and Parks Commission Meeting
City Yards, 233 W. Mountain St., 2nd Floor

Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 6:30 p.m.
Planning Commission Meeting
Pasadena City Hall, Council Chambers (Room S249), 100 N. Garfield Ave.

Contact David Sanchez at dasanchez@cityofpasadena.net with any questions regarding the project or the EIR process, or to formally submit comments on the Draft EIR.
Editor's top news picks
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"The Rams are coming to LA this year, and soon maybe the Chargers too, but the new, $2-billion-plus NFL stadium planned for Inglewood won't be ready until 2019. The Rose Bowl offers the best fit [for a temporary stadium]. The Rose Bowl Operating Co. voted unanimously not to respond to a league request for proposals for temporarily hosting an NFL team. That doesn't mean negotiations couldn't be revisited, however." Los Angeles Times

"First responders assigned to monitor the safety and security of residents and visitors during the 127th Rose Parade in Pasadena were equipped with handheld devices that looked pretty much like smartphones but worked with a lot more advanced features. Motorola Solutions, which provided the devices and the system itself - called the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) - is reporting that this first real-world demonstration of the infrastructure at the Pasadena Rose Parade was successful." Pasadena Now

"After imploring local residents to conserve water in order to combat the drought, the Pasadena City Council on Monday approved a 10 percent water rate increase." Pasadena Weekly

"A new survey by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce is seeking opinions on a proposed $12.50 an hour minimum wage. The two-question survey first asks readers if they support a gradual increase to a $15 minimum wage by 2020, like ones approved by the LA City Council and the LA County Board of Supervisors and now being considered by the Pasadena City Council." Pasadena Weekly

"The City Council's Public Safety Committee chair said he wants more information about a recently hired police oversight consultant, Kathryn Olson. A 2012 U.S. Department of Justice federal lawsuit expressed concern about the independence and performance of Olson, then director of the Office of Professional Accountability in Seattle. While investigating a large number of use-of-force incidents against minorities in Seattle between 2009 and 2011, the Justice Department found that it 'was not unusual' for Olson to overturn the findings of investigations after talking with police commanders, even though federal investigators said she shouldn't speak to command staff before issuing a final report." Pasadena Weekly

"Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt stands in the minds of many as an American hero, a beloved president, a fearless soldier, a masculine hunter and a storied adventurer. Many know of his break with the Republican Party and subsequent creation of the Progressive "Bull Moose" Party in the 1912 presidential race. But few know the sordid conclusion of the campaign told in Geoffrey Cowan's powerful new book, Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary, which paints a colorful and complex, yet ultimately ignominious portrait of the Rough Rider." 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 ... 

... 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.