February 11, 2006 Meeting

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Acknowledgments
Attendees
Meeting

Preparation

An e-mail was sent to each member who has provided a contact e-mail address.
Susan Chu and Laura Ellersieck phoned other members who have provided a contact phone number.

Acknowledgments

Susan Chu brought brownies and juice.

Attendees

11 residents attended the meeting.

Meeting

Agenda Items:

  • Association officer election preparation
  • New business license rules
  • New electric meters
  • Adding street lights
  • Area Events
    • park sign tile workshops on Feb 11 and 25
    • Hastings Branch Library birthday party on Feb15th
    • Mayor’s meeting on Feb 15th
    • electricity rate hike community forums on the 21st and 22nd
  • Newsletter distribution
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss

The meeting began about 11:15 am in Hastings Branch Library’s meeting room.

  • Association officer election preparation
    • Will bring a cardboard box for a ballot box.
    • Will print ballots with each office and any candidate(s) listed.  Plus space for write-ins.
    • Will print a sheet for totaling the votes afterwards.
    • Requested non office seekers to count ballots.  Maria G. from Hermanos, Bernice S. from Del Vina, and Albert B. of Avocado volunteered to count ballots.
  • New business license rules
    • New rules require businesses operating with vehicles to have a current license decal attached to their vehicles.
    • Another new rule allows business tax inspectors to issue citations.  Previously could only refer to the city attorney for prosecution.
    • Citations for not displaying license permit start at $100 and going up to $500 for continuing violations.
    • Refusing to get a license can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor with potential punishment of jail and a fine up to $1000.
    • Another new ordinance requires commercial building owners to report quarterly who is engaged in business on their properties.
    • Questions were raised about what kind of businesses are permitted to be located in a residential zone such as ours.  What requires only a business license vs. also a use permit?  What say do the neighbors have in allowing/disallowing?   Does whether a business generates lots of cars coming and going enter into the decision making?
  • New electric meters
    • Being replaced as existing meters exceed some age limit
    • We’re in the process of trying to get some more technical information about them and why they don’t provide a higher resolution of information on usage so the homeowner can readily see what’s being used in any short period of time.
  • Albert and Bernice would like to get a street light on the poles in front of their houses so we will proceed with discovering and working through the process for those locations.
  • Area Events
    • park sign tile workshops on Feb 11 and 25
      • today’s workshop is full. The 25th has just 3 spaces left
    • Hastings Branch Library birthday party on Wednesday Feb15th
      • Celebrating the 47th anniversary of the branch’s opening on February 17, 1959.
      • Event runs from 4 to 8 pm .
      • There will be cake and other refreshments the whole time.
      • There will be raffle baskets of books.  The baskets are to be available for perusal and entering the raffle on Tuesday or earlier Wednesday as well as during the event.
      • 4:00 p.m.- Birthday Story time
      • 5:00 p.m.- Puppet Show
      • 6:15 p.m.- Volunteer Recognition for Ralph Bingener
      • 6:30 p.m.- Pasadena High School Jazz Band
    • Meet the Mayor meeting on Feb 15th, 7 pm, Dining Hall of La Salle High School. Discussion of future of the city.
    • Electricity rate hike community forums on February 21st and 22nd.  To discuss why PWP needs to raise the electric rates.
      • Meeting on the 21st is at 6:30 pm at Norma Coombs school, 2600 Paloma (across from Victory Park).
      • Meeting on the 22nd is at 6:30 pm in the auditorium at the central library.
  • No news on ice rink since December.
  • No new news on park.  Opening projected for end of April.  Where the pedestrian gate will be and the path from it to the park are still undetermined.
  • Question was raised about what is or is not allowed in terms of what are known as “granny flats” in our neighborhood.  Lots of houses have them, but the city recently came down on one residence for it.  Basically they aren’t allowed, but typically city only enforces based on complaints or if it just happens to come to their attention.  Discussion veered into mansionization of houses including some egregious local examples, and how it really doesn’t make sense to allow that but not allow a relative living in a small back house that still meets set back and total land coverage requirements.   Also discussion of how many even small things city technically requires permits for and tradeoff of protections potentially offered by those requirements vs the hassle and cost.
  • Newsletter distribution
    • 1st newsletter is printed and ready to distribute
    • divvied them up by block and passed them to volunteers for distribution sometime in the coming week as they have the time and energy.

Next meeting is March 11, same time, same place.  Come and vote!

Adjourned about 12:15 pm