WPRA
West Pasadena Residents' Association 
Neighborhood Update
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 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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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).
COMMUNITY MEETINGS
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NOTE: The following meeting dates, times and agenda items are accurate as of Friday evening. Click on the appropriate blue headline to ensure the meeting hasn't been cancelled or rescheduled.

MONDAY, MAY 16


3 p.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers, 100 N. Garfield Ave.
On the agenda: Public hearing follow up from the recommended FY2017 Budget Hearing.

6:30 p.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers, 100 N. Garfield Ave. 
On the agenda: Presentation by Cynthia Kurtz, city's representative on the Metropolitan Water District Board; Contract award to Crosstown Electrical & Data for installation of bicycle detection systems at various intersections; Continued public hearing on FY2017 Recommended Operating Budget; Second reading of ordinance allowing alcohol at La Casita del Arroyo; 

TUESDAY, MAY 17 
VERBATIM
"The [710] tunnel is a boondoggle, and there's not one shovel that's going to hit the ground. It is a travesty that we have spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money on a project that will literally make arterial traffic worse in the region, not better."
-Anthony Portantino, former state Assemblyman
WPRA'S POINT OF VIEW
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The WPRA annual meeting will be held this Wednesday, May 18, at the Marantha Student Center, 169 St. John Ave. A reception with delicious refreshments from Los Tacos and informative exhibits by local organizations begins at 5:30 p.m. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. This year's meeting features a Q&A with Mayor Terry Tornek and Police Chief Phil Sanchez, along with a presentation on the Maranatha master plan and alternatives to the 710 tunnel developed by the Connecting Pasadena Project and noted architect Stefanos Polyzoides. The meeting is free and open to all.

The public is also invited to attend the regular WPRA board meetings, held the first Wednesday of the month (except August and December) in the Westridge School Community Room (unless otherwise noted).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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TRAFFIC & CROWD ALERT:
Today, Saturday, May 14
Estimated attendance: 60,000
3 p.m. "Picnic in the Park" and amplified sound begins in Area H
3:30 p.m. Parking lots open
6 p.m. Gates open
7:30 p.m. Concert begins and "Picnic in the Park" concludes
11 p.m. Concert concludes

Noise Levels and Sound During the Concert: This event will bring the usual impacts on the nearby neighborhoods such as traffic and noise. There will be enhanced amplified music from 7 to 11 p.m. today, May 14. The noise level for this event will be high, consistent with past events of this nature. As part of the show, there will be the standard concert pyrotechnics that will be both seen and heard from outside the Rose Bowl Stadium.

Lighting Hours: Due to the concert, including tear down, stadium lights will be on throughout much of tonight, and will be turned off at the earliest possible time. In addition, the stadium will be conducting a re-sod of the field and will also require lights to be on, for safety purposes, until complete.

Recreational activity will be closed nine hours prior to concert, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The Equestrian Loop will remain open at all times. In addition, the Rose Bowl Operating Company has expanded staffing throughout the neighborhoods adjacent to the Rose Bowl Stadium to address any event day concerns as they occur. To receive assistance before, during or after the concert, please contact the Rose Bowl Event Day Hotline at (626) 397-4141.

 
On Saturday, May 21, the Flintridge Center Retreat Room is hosting a free screening of "Lost Compassion: The Mitrice Richardson Story," starting at 2 p.m. Richardson went missing in the middle of the night in 2009 after being released from the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station, and her remains were found in the Malibu hills two years later. A Q&A will follow the screening with the producers and Dr. Gerda Govine-Ituarte, Pasadena-based poet and journalist. The Flintridge Center Retreat Room is located at 236 W. Mountain St. Click the headline to register for the screening.

Learn more about the City's budget for Fiscal Year 2017 during special joint meeting meetings in May and June convened by the City Council and its Finance Committee. The meetings are held at City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave., Second Floor, in the Council Chambers.
 
The Pasadena Fire Department's brush clearance inspections have begun and will continue through June 2016. Residents in brushy areas should receive a brochure outlining the requirements mandated by the State of California. Firefighters are available to answer any questions about City fire codes and ordinances regarding hazardous vegetation management and brush clearance. Given the current drought, compliance is essential to avoid devastating fires. For more information, contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at (626) 744-4668.


The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) recently reduced Pasadena's 28% water conservation goal to 26%. The decision was based on a climate adjustment. Also, in February, the SWRCB extended the compliance period of its statewide conservation mandate from February 2016 to October 2016. The extension provides water suppliers with more flexibility to meet their conservation goals through adjustments and credits. Pasadena's overall water conservation progress toward its goal rose to 22%.

On April 1, the City resumed its spring/summer watering schedule, which runs through October 31. This schedule permits outdoor watering on Tuesdays and Saturdays only between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.
THE EDITOR'S TOP NEWS PICKS
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"Interim City Manager Steve Mermell has proposed a 2017 fiscal year budget of $760.7 million." Pasadena Now

"Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) is finalizing the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan and is seeking the public's input to bring about a stronger water program for the community. PWP Interim General Manager Shari Thomas said comments on the draft report may be submitted in writing and postmarked no later than May 23 to be considered for incorporation." Pasadena Now

"Candidates Katherine Perez-Estolano, former state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino and retired Pasadena Police Lt. Phlunte' Riddle - the three candidates attending the League of Women Voters forum - each oppose the long-simmering proposal to connect the 710 to both the 134 and 210 freeways." Los Angeles Times

"Pasadena's City's Council on Monday night unanimously approved a proposed ordinance be drafted which restricts the use of polystrene foam commonly known as as "styrofoam" at restaurants and other venues city-wide." Pasadena Now

"The 2017 City of Pasadena operating budget presented for consideration to the City Council Monday evening shows a city in 'sound financial health for the coming year' - but trouble looms on the horizon." Pasadena Now

"With the return of the Los Angeles Rams to the LA Coliseum, and the possible return of yet another NFL team to the Los Angeles area as well, the Rose Bowl is moving quietly to officially remove itself from any further consideration by the NFL and the neighbors couldn't be happier." Pasadena Now

"The Pasadena Unified School District and United Teachers of Pasadena reached a tentative agreement last week on a new contract, averting a strike." Pasadena Weekly

"Nurses at Huntington Hospital said they could have done more to protect patients from tainted internal scopes that led to the deaths of at least three people at the hospital if only administrators had listened to their concerns. The city's Health Department has been investigating the deadly infection outbreak." 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.