East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association
2011 Newsletter
No. 6 News from East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association February 21, 2011
Voting time again!
Please vote in our Association’s annual election of officers at our Saturday March 12 meeting at Hastings Branch Library from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm.
Officer positions are:
President – chair meetings; officially represent the association to external parties
Vice President – support and act in place of President or Secretary as needed
Secretary – publicize meetings; record and distribute meeting minutes; maintain contact list.
Treasurer – receive, keep safe, track, report on, and disburse Association funds. (So far the Association has never had any funds.)
Nominations for willing candidates may be made via e-mail [email protected] or phone 626 792-2927 by March 8. Please provide the name, address, and a contact phone number for the candidate.
The “Neighborhood Association”
Anyone age 18 and above who lives within its boundaries is automatically a member of East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association. The boundaries are from Foothill Blvd. north to the south side of Orange Grove Blvd, and from Eaton Wash east to Sierra Madre Villa Ave. There are no dues.
The Neighborhood Association mission is to help improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. It does this by:
- helping us get to know and communicate with each other,
- keeping us informed of local developments and issues affecting the neighborhood,
- helping us work together to safeguard and improve our neighborhood,
- providing an avenue for organized feedback and input to the city.
Meetings: Second Saturday of each month at 11:15 am at Hastings Branch Library.
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: https://eewna.org
City Council Election on March 8
Our district’s councilman, Steve Haderlein, is retiring after 12 years in office. There are five candidates in the election to replace him.
The City Council member representing our district probably has more impact in our day to day lives then any other member of government that we can vote for. Yet turnout for these elections tends to be quite low. Your participation in the process does make a difference!
The candidates have varying backgrounds and qualifications. They have different ideas about what the issues are and how to solve them. Learn about the candidates and then vote!
In addition to the campaign literature which is sure to arrive in mailbox of registered voters, there have been several candidate forums where they were presented questions to answer. Three of these forums are being repeatedly broadcast on the public access “Arroyo Channel”, which is available on Charter channel 32 and U-Verse channel 99. This channel can also be viewed on the internet.
The forum held on January 19, which was specifically for our Council District, is also available any time for viewing or audio download from: http://www.cityofpasadena.net/District4/Candidates_Forum/
This election also includes two contested seats on the Pasadena Unified School District board of directors.
Crime and Neighborhood Watch
In recent months there have been an increasing number of residential burglaries and car break-ins in East Pasadena. The residential burglaries have mostly been during the day. The culprits who have been caught by police are of all ages and descriptions. Some pose as gardeners or sales people. Some seem to already know when the occupants will not be home. They tend to grab small expensive items they can easily carry and sell.
Lock your house and car. If you have an alarm, use it. Don’t make it obvious you aren’t home. Keep an eye on your street and anyone you don’t recognize. Get to know your neighbors and exchange phone numbers so you can contact each other about unusual activity. The police department encourages you to call them about anything suspicious on their non-emergency number 626-744-4241. If crime is obviously in progress, call 911.
Another increasing crime is theft of just delivered packages. Criminals watch the delivery truck. If you won’t be home to get your package, try to arrange with a neighbor who will be home to watch for the delivery or take delivery for you.
Some blocks are officially forming a Neighborhood Watch in conjunction with the police department. If you and your neighbors are interested in doing that on your block, contact Police Specialist Laura Morris at 626 744-7657.
Coyotes
You may never see the wildlife that roams our neighborhood, but there are plenty of possums, skunks, raccoons, feral cats, rats, and mice. And frequently coyotes come hunting them and pets left outside. Ordinarily coyotes avoid humans and hunt at night. Adult males are usually alone; young adults and mothers often in twos and threes. Ordinarily they move quietly and quickly down the street so they can surprise their prey. They won’t usually bother, but they can squeeze through or under unbelievably small spaces, and they can climb fences and walls. Just last week about 6:40 am a coyote was spotted quickly scaling over the fence on Avocado Ave into the Edison weed field.
Currently there is at least one coyote that is not afraid to be hunting our streets in the daytime. As coyotes realize humans will not bother them, they just get bolder.
Don’t leave food sources outside, including pets, pet food, and fallen fruit. Without those, there will be fewer prey to draw the coyotes regularly. But they’ll still canvass the area at least occassionally. If you see a coyote it is important to challenge it, to keep it wary of hunting around humans. Make loud noise (that will also forewarn its prey). Stomp, throw rocks, chase it. Children should be taught not to scream or run away, since that could trigger the coyote to consider them prey.
Water Conservation
A total outdoor watering ban is expected from March 18 to (hopefully) the 27th. All water imports from MWD, about 60% of Pasadena’s normal supply, will be stopped during that time.
Pasadena Water & Power’s web site has a new tool with lots of pictures and information about water saving plants. Check it out at http://www.pasadena.watersavingplants.com
Don’t leave trash cans out
If you are unable to move your cans to the street or back in a timely manner, arrange with a neighbor to help you. Leaving them out is against city ordinance, a nuisance, unsightly, and a tip to burglars that maybe you aren’t home.