June 12, 2010 Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Acknowledgments
Attendees
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail and some phone reminders made.

Acknowledgments

Susan brought cookies.

Attendees

7 members

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began around 11:20 am

  • Film about Latino history of neighborhood scheduled
    • Friday June 18, 2010, 6:30 pm
      • Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena 91103 (west side of Raymond just north of Holly)
      • Free admission, but $5 donation is suggested
    • Premier of “Chihuahuita, Pasadena, a silent documentary (short subject) that chronicles the lives of residents of an East Pasadena’s Latino neighborhood that flourished in the 1930s and 1940s”
      • “A silent documentary (short subject) about the colonia, or neighborhood, of Chihuahuita in Pasadena that was home to orchard workers, craftsmen, stonemasons, laborers and their families.  Many were immigrants from Mexico, although others had established roots in the area when California was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.  Chihuahuita’s craftsmen and laborers worked on construction of Pasadena’s City Hall, the Rose Bowl and other building that are historically at the core of the Pasadena Civic Center.  Filled with small houses with thriving flower gardens, the colonia was home to amateur videographer Mickey Vacio, whose footage was used for the film.”
      • Note:  There is some dispute by old timers as to whether our neighborhood, north of Foothill, was or was not part of the area known as Chihuahuita.  Some contend Chihuahuita was only south of Foothill and this area was instead known as “Barrio Nueva”, translated as The New Neighborhood, because it was largely developed later.
    • “Accordionist Otoño Lujan of Conjunto Los Pochos will present a pre-film talk about conjunto music, the exuberant dance music that has historically been the soundtrack of the Mexican and Mexican American working class.  Mr. Lujan will improvise an accordion score to Chihuahuita, Pasadena at the premiere”
    • After the short subject, the 1988 film “Milagro Beanfield War” will be shown. “Produced by Moctesuma Esparza and directed by Robert Redford, the film is about one man’s struggle to protect his small beanfield from greedy developers. “It’s been a long time since an American film has been as heartfelt, as handsome, as sweetly open to gentle fantasy and as fondly respectful of human eccentricity,” wrote the Boston Globe. Filmed in New Mexico, the film’s themes of class, environmental concerns and water rights is timely today as Southern Californians struggle to limit their water usage.”
    • These are the first in a monthly series of film presentations by Latino Heritage.
    • For more information, contact Roberta Martinez of Latino Heritage, (626) 272-4928
  • Kinneloa Ave / Walnut St extensions now open
    • Opened after a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 24th.  Ceremony mostly attended by people working for city.
    • What are observations so far regarding utility, impact on traffic?
      • No one had the impression that traffic on Foothill is any less bad then it was.
      • Very nice to bypass SMV/Foothill and freeway on/off ramps to get to Target, post office, etc.
      • Nice to use Walnut instead of Foothill for both directions.  Less traffic and bypasses San Gabriel at Foothill red light cameras.
      • When using Walnut, watch out for left turning confusion at intersection with Sierra Madre Blvd.  Always was a problem, will be worse not there is more traffic on Walnut.  The width of the median on Sierra Madre Blvd in conjunction with the angle of the streets meet at confuses as to whether left turns from opposite directions should be in front of each other or behind each other.
  • Burglaries and vehicle break-ins continue
    • Continued unusual number of residential burglaries and vehicle break-ins in East Pasadena, including our neighborhood.
    • In the past month, the crime mapping web site http://www.crimemapping.com shows
      • a residential burglary on 5/21 at 4:38 pm in the 300 block of Santa Paula
      • vehicle burglary on 5/31 at 12:02 am in the 3300 block of Las Lunas
      • a residential burglary on 5/30 at 1:07 am in the 3100 block of Orange Grove
      • three vehicle burglaries on 5/22 in the 3100 block of Foothill at 11:08 am, 6:07 pm, and 6:27 pm
      • numerous instances of theft, assault, vehicle burglary, stolen vehicle that seem to be associated with the shopping center and the 24 Hour Fitness
    • Stay alert and report anything suspicious.
    • If you are interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch for your block, contact Laura Morris at 626 744-7657 in the Pasadena Police Department’s Neighborhood Services Section.
  • Library butterfly garden
    • The Butterfly Garden project for the Hastings Library is now basically complete.  There are flowers and food plants, a little solar powered fountain, benches and granite rocks to sit on.
    • Go check it out at the top of the landscaping to the north of the library.
    • Soon the library will have some materials describing the details of what the plants are and the butterflies they are to attract or grow (during the caterpillar stage). There may also be participatory materials such as a log book for reporting what you discover.
    • A presentation for children of butterfly stories, possibly for July, is in the works.
    • A reception to thank the donors and volunteers is being planned, tentatively scheduled for June 22 at 4:30 pm.
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss
    • Team Chevrolet property sold to lumbar company
      • Team Chevrolet… on Colorado at Kinneloa sold its property and moved out even though they said they were not in financial trouble.
      • The company that bought it is Ganahl Lumber.  http://www.ganahllumber.com
      • They say they intend to open one of their stores there, mostly reusing the existing buildings, and hope to be open next spring.
      • They have told city planning staff that the city can expect to make as much sales tax as the auto dealership was producing.
      • Their stores appear to be aimed more at contractors then places such as OSH or Home Depot.  There appears to be more emphasis on lumber, wood products, windows and doors.   No gardening stuff.  Probably more upscale.
    • Two resident gardens awarded a Golden Arrow award
      • In addition to the award to Linda on Estado mentioned last month, a Golden Arrow award from the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation was also awarded to a house on Mataro.

Next meeting is July 10, 2010, 11:15 am, at Hastings Branch Library

Adjourned about 12:40 pm