November 13, 2010 Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail and some phone reminders

Attendees

9 members and 1 guest

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:20 am

  • General Plan Update and “Charrette” Meetings ending today
    • Today is last of three days of meetings to finalize alternatives for the General Plan Update.
    • Being held at PCC Building CC.
    • Sessions for public review start with a 5:30 – 6: 30 pm open house, with presentations from 6:30 – 8:30.
    • Hearing that there are serious proposals to direct and concentrate future residential and commercial development to East Pasadena rather then downtown.
    • Attending and providing your input at this crucial point in the process could make a real difference.
  • Report on Oct 13 City Budget Impacts workshop
    • Second of several workshops was held at Wilson Middle school on October 13.
    • Was supposed to explore attendees priorities for service levels etc, but never got to discussing that.
    • Most of time was spent on a good presentation of the current budget process and where cuts have been made already.
    • Many of the top officials were present.
    • There were some good questions from attendees which spurred some interesting discussions.
    • The hired outreach consultant wasted a bunch of time praising city officials and the city.
    • Heard that later meetings might have been better.
  • Alameda speed humps installed
    • Speed humps were installed on Alameda at the beginning of November.
  • Neighborhood Traffic Study?
    • A traffic study is supposed to be conducted in response to the concerns expressed last winter about the effects of the Walnut / Kinneloa extension.
    • In mid October was informed that the study would occur the third or fourth week of October.  I responded that I thought it made more sense to wait until after the Alameda speed humps were in since would likely also change traffic patterns.  Did not receive response to that.
    • Residents report seeing traffic counters on at least Estado and La Tierra two to three weeks ago.  So they didn’t wait for the traffic humps to be finished on Alameda.
  • new Urgent Care experience
    • One of our residents reported going to the new urgent care on Del Mar and being impressed.  Nice place. Got in and out quickly, nice people, good doctor.
  • City Council election in March
    • Steve Haderlein will not be running for re-election on March 8.
    • Currently aware of four announced candidates for the position.  Jill Fosselman (who visited us last month), Gene Masuda (visited today), Khatchik (Chris) Chahinian, and Allen Shay.  The deadline for candidates to file their official nomination paperwork is December 15.
    • A candidates forum specifically for our district has been announced for
      • Wednesday January 19, 2011, 7 – 8:30 pm
      • La Salle High School Dining Hall
      • 3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.  (south side of campus, enter from Michillinda)
      • E-mail questions for candidates to Rhonda Stone at [email protected]
    • Candidate Gene Masuda visited at our meeting.
      • Has lived on San Pasqual for 25 years.
      • Owned business for 30 years.  Now retired.
      • On board of Levitt Pavilion, which arranges the free concerts every summer at Memorial Park.
      • On Boys and Girls Club Foundation board.  Named an educational center after him.
      • On board of Pasadena Educational Foundation, which raised $11 million this year.
      • President of Eaton Blanche Neighborhood Association.
      • Led effort four years ago against self storage under Edison lines.
      • Appointed by Supervisor Antonivich to LA County Consumer Affairs Commission.  Has arranged for presentations at several local venues.
      • Says running for Council because has compassion for 4th district.  Great neighborhoods.  Wants to keep quality of life for neighborhoods.
      • Major issues are traffic, safety, crime, density.
      • Against big increases in density in East Pasadena.
      • Against spending money for poor ideas just because there is a grant.
      • Issues for us brought up include:
        • PCC-CEC parking on our streets.  Lack of parking enforcement.
        • Pedestrians crossing Sierra Madre Villa between Orange Grove and Foothill.  Signal at Electronic awaits fees from re(over)-development of former Allstate.
        • Edison, city, and PCC weed fields
        • traffic trapping in neighborhood
        • problems for pedestrians with red light turners
        • Lack of publicity for Boys and Girls Club programs
        • Code enforcement ignoring glaring problems and instead nit picking little issues
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss
    • Antiques store where strip club was
      • A store selling antiques appears to be going into the location where the Pleasures strip club used to be, on Foothill across from Ralphs etc
    • Recent Crimes in Neighborhood
      • as noted on crimemapping.com
        • nothing reported within our neighborhood boundaries in past month
        • quite a few residential and auto burglaries reported in Daisy Villa to our west and in Lower Hastings to our east.

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

Adjourned about 12:50 pm