October 9, 2010 Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail and some phone reminders

Attendees

6 members and 1 guest

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:20 am

  • City budget impacts workshop
    • Wednesday Oct 13, 6:30 pm
    • Wilson Middle School Cafeteria, 300 Madre Street (on southeast corner of Del Mar Blvd and Madre Street)
    • The city budget still needs more work.
    • What are the most important priorities for Pasadena?
    • What levels of service at libraries, community centers, parks and fire stations are acceptable?
    • Should fewer employees be providing these services?
    • Invited to this community workshop to provide input on these and other budget-related issues
    • Encouraged to arrive early to look at information displays before meeting
  • City Council race
    • Steve Haderlein has announced that he will not be running for re-election to the City Council in March.
    • Announced candidate Jill Fosselman visited at our meeting.  She provided some background on herself and listened to the concerns and opinions of those present.
      • Has lived at corner of Lambert & Craig for about 13 years.  Previously lived in Monrovia.  Grew up in South Pasadena.
      • One child, a son, in first grade.
      • Is a direct service volunteer for Five Acres, which helps severely abused and neglected children.
      • Is volunteer on board of Union Station which provides homeless services, soup kitchen, shelter, transitional housing.
      • Has background working in city management (Pasadena and Santa Clarita) prior to her son being born.
      • For past 18 months has been involved with the General Plan Update Committee.  Talking with people as part of the outreach for that led her to make the decision to run for Council member.
      • She sees a disconnect between people and City Hall.  Seeing a push to move growth from elsewhere in the city to the east and thateast Pasadenans have major concern about that.  Thinks East Pasadenans should have a strong voice and say in what happens in East Pasadena.
      • She feels she has the skills to bring people together to figure out what they want and advocate for it.  That we should develop a long range vision (not just next few years) of what development will look like.  How to support the schools.  What should happen with Eaton Wash.  Keeping green space, open space, and opportunities for alternative recreation.
      • This is a pivotal time in history due in part to the General Plan update happening now and then the East Pasadena and East Colorado specific plans which will be updated right after.
      • In response to question, she said she would love to have Rhonda Stone stay on if she wants to.
      • Topics brought up by attendees included the PCC-CEC parking on our streets problem, how Pasadena Senior Center compares poorly with those in other cities (parking, services, costs, attitude), kinds of eatery’s in the area (lack of Wendy’s, vanishing of non-upscale sit down family places), former Pacific Hastings theater, Osh and Ganahl’s Lumber, multi-story residential housing projects.
      • In response to question about potential conflicts of interest that would require recusal from taking part in Council deliberations she said her husband’s business is out of town and does not do business here, only property they own in city is their house. She would likely resign from the Union Station board although it might remain a conflict.  Would need to discuss with City Attorney but unaware of any other potential conflicts.
  • Web based city work order tracking system
    • City Manager says in the next few months they will be rolling out a system that will allow people to enter problems that need fixing into a web application. It will be directed electronically to the correct city department, assigned, worked on. You are supposed to be able to see its progress through the system and when it is supposedly fixed.
    • Problems such as street trees, street lights, potholes, missed trash collection
    • This system will presumably provide greater efficiency and better visibility to how things are working to management and citizens
    • They will also be instituting a phone service where you can just call 311 and be directed to the correct department rather then having to try to figure out which phone number to call.
  • Urgent Care on Del Mar opened
    • Grand Opening for new Urgent Care Center located at 3160 Del Mar Blvd was this past Wednesday
    • That is on Del Mar across from where Kinneloa intersects it. (For oldtimers, it is location of former Girls Club.) Eaton Wash and Eaton Blanch park are to the west, current Boys & Girls Club is on other side of wires to the east.
    • Now if you need urgent (but not emergency) care you have a much closer option (unless it late night). Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    • This Urgent Care Center is operated by Huntington Medical Foundation.
    • You should probably check with your healthcare provider / insurance ahead of any need to determine your coverage for using this center.
    • Building also houses a medical clinic operated by CHAP, providing primary and preventive care for patients on a sliding fee basis.
  • Transportation Commissioner opening
    • Council member Haderlein is requesting applicants for appointment to serve on Transportation Advisory Commission, aka TAC
    • TAC composed of nine Pasadena residents
    • It meets monthly with a staff representative on topics affecting the City’s transportation system; including public transit, bicycling, and parking
    • TAC provides advice to the City Council concerning policy decisions on transportation
    • If interested, contact Rhonda Stone at 626 744-4740 or [email protected]
  • Pasadena Digital History launched
    • Launched October 8 is a project of documenting Pasadena’s history through photographs
    • Collaboration of Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena City College Shatford Library
    • Creating a digital database of photographs with whatever information can be obtained about them
    • The database is accessible by the public via the internet for free.  See http://pasadenadigitalhistory.com/
    • Also have a collection (on flickr) of “mystery” photographs. They are requesting that people look at them, try to figure out where, when, who and contribute whatever information they can.  See Mystery Photos
  • Kids Safety Academy
    • Pasadena Police and Fire departments and other city representatives are putting on another Kid’s Safety Academy
    • Free 7 week program for kids ages 6 – 12 and their parents
    • Starting October 30 for 7 Saturdays, from 9 am to 12 pm
    • Classes are held in various places throughout the city, but the first location is the Pasadena Police Department
    • Application deadline is October 19.  Those accepted will be notified by phone.
    • To apply contact Police Specialist Anita Butler at 626 744-7650 or [email protected]
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss
    • Alameda speed humps delayed to November
      • Kim says that installation of the speed humps for Alameda has been delayed to November
    • Additional telecommunication transmitters
      • Clearwire communications applied for a Minor Conditional Use Permit to add additional telecommunication and GPS equipment on the top of the building at 650 Sierra Madre Villa.  That’s the building on the SE corner of Sierra Madre Villa and Orange Grove / Rosemead.
      • The new equipment includes six panel and six microwave antennas, 12 DAP heads, 1 GPS antenna, 1 Wimax cabinet.
      • All “co-located” within the existing screened (10′ wall) area on the rooftop.
      • City permit staff were recommending approval because the application meets city requirements.
      • Applicant must document that frequency emissions meet FCC regulations prior to final building permit approval
      • Permit is for 10 years, then renewable
    • Native Plant Sale @ Eaton Canyon 11/13 9 am – 2 pm
      • San Gabriel Mountains Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) hosting its “Native Plants for Foothill Gardens” annual native plant sale
      • Saturday, November 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center
      • Variety of California native plants and wildflower seeds available for sale, “including many that are hard to find in most nurseries, and all are appropriate for gardens in the Los Angeles Basin.”
      • Knowledgeable Chapter members will be on hand to answer questions and offer recommendations, such as which plants will attract birds or butterflies to your home garden.
      • Only cash or checks will be accepted at the plant sale, and CNPS members will receive a discount.
    • Used book sale @ Hastings Library 10/30 10 am – 4 pm
      • Used books will be sold on Saturday October 30 from 10 am to 4 pm at Hastings Branch Library
      • This is being held by Hastings Associates to raise money for supporting our branch library
      • Prices will start at 25 cents and then later in the day it’ll be a “buck a bag” to clear out what is left
      • Most of the books are donated books which due to condition, quantity, or subject matter have been deemed not suitable for the “raffle baskets” fund raising (one of which is currently underway).
      • If you have excess books that you’d like to donate now or in the future, you can do so anytime to the library’s front desk.
      • Volunteers to help staff the sale are also welcome.
    • Recent Crimes in Neighborhood
      • as noted on crimemapping.com
        • Saturday Sept 11, 300 block Sierra Madre Villa, residential burglary
        • Thursday Sept 16, Alameda & Avocado Lane, theft from vehicle
        • Thursday Sept 30, 3200 block Hermanos, burglary from vehicle, $200-400
    • Copy of Grant Deed for Property rip-off alert
      • Some of us are receiving a letter made to look official from “Title Compliance Office”, “Records Retrieval Division”
      • They are trying to scare you into sending them $167 dollars to supposedly send you a copy of the Grant Deed to your property.
      • A certified copy of that document can be obtained directly by you from the County Registrar-Recorder’s office for $6 for the first page and $3 for each additional page. They are usually only one or two pages long. You need to know the year and at least one grantor or grantee name on the deed. If you don’t know the year on it, you may also be charged 50 cents for each year for each name that has to be searched.
      • Unknown if the private company calling itself “Title Compliance Office” will actually perform the service, but they certainly are a rip-off.
      • If you don’t have a copy of your Grant Deed and you want one
        • see http://lavote.net/home/records/property-document-recording/general-info, scroll all the way down to the heading “OBTAINING OFFICIAL RECORD COPIES”
        • or take a day and go to the County Register-Recorder’s office in Norwalk
          2400 East Imperial Highway , Norwalk , CA 90650
          Office hours are Mon- Friday from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.
          (562) 462-2125
          (Take your checkbook or cash, they don’t take credit or debit)
    • Vons at Colorado and Sierra Madre Blvd to close Wednesday
      • Last we had heard they were going to keep it open until January but now we learn that a storewide half price clearance started today (Saturday the 9th) and the store will close on Wednesday.

Next meeting is November 13, 2010, 11:15 am, at Hastings Branch Library

Adjourned about 1 pm