February 13, 2016 Neighborhood Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Acknowledgments
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail reminder

Attendees

4 members

Acknowledgments

Susan brought homemade cake decorated for Valentine’s Day

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:27 am

  • Water Emergency February 25 to March 10
    • Because of scheduled work by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), Pasadena will NOT be able to import water from Feb 29 through March 9.
    • Because the majority of the water we use is imported from MWD, and pumping and reservoir capacity is limited, a Level 4 water shortage emergency has been declared in advance from Thursday February 25 to Thursday March 10. (The emergency restrictions start earlier then the actual cut off so that Pasadena will have time to fill up its reservoirs and everybody won’t defeat doing that by watering just before the actual cut off).
    • ALL outdoor watering, including hand watering using Pasadena water, is forbidden from February 25 until March 10 (or earlier if the work finishes earlier or potentially later if things go badly).
      • Note that because you are currently only allowed to use sprinklers to water on Saturdays, this means your yard could have to go three weeks between watering. No problem if we get rain, big problem if it’s warm and dry and no rain. Things to consider:
      • Do not plant anything new until after this water emergency is finished.
      • Watch the weather forecast. If it didn’t just rain, and isn’t likely to in the next week, hand water your vulnerable landscaping on Feb 23 or 24. Similarly, if the weather has been and will continue dry, check the city’s web site that last week to see if maybe the work has finished early. If it has, you can hand water before Saturday comes.
      • Store water ahead of time that you can use on potted or very vulnerable plants during the emergency.
      • If you are going to replace some vegetation, now’s the time to let it die.
    • Other official restrictions (in addition to all those already in place) include:
      • No filling or re-filling of ponds, fountains, lakes except as necessary to sustain aquatic life.
      • No initial filling of pools or spas. Refill limited to no more then one foot.
      • No new installations of water service.
    • This is an excellent reason and opportunity to check and improve your water emergency preparedness.
      • Do you have emergency water supplies?
      • If you do, is it time to refresh them?
    • As caring citizens, think about what else you could do to conserve water during this time. And how you might manage in an unforeseen emergency.
    • This is an excellent reason to evaluate your various washing routines/habits.
      • Do you really need to do xyz every abc? Why do you do it that way? Just on auto-pilot so you don’t need to think about it? Just because somebody said a long time ago this was how to do it?
      • Can you do xyz less often?
      • Can you do at least some of xyz sooner, before the water shortage, or postpone it until after?
      • Can you do xyz more water efficiently?
      • Can you capture water used for xyz for re-use in the garden or flushing the toilet?
    • If everyone conserves water as they should, the shutdown only lasts as long as it is supposed to, well pumping equipment does not break down, and no significant main break or fire emergency occurs, PWP projects supplies should be adequate to last through the import shutdown with a one to two day cushion.
    • However, experience with similar shutdowns in 2011 and 2013 showed that, although reduced from the usual draw, a lot more water was still being used when the weather was hot and dry compared to the reduction when it was rainy.
    • PWP says additional staff will be assigned to patrol for violations and respond to water waste reports during the emergency. And they will try to make violation notifications in person, by door hanger, and/or by telephone.
  • Annual Election of Association Officers at March 12 Meeting
    • Our March meeting is time for the annual election of officers.
    • Current officers are willing to stand for re-election.
    • Anyone new want to run for election as an officer?
    • 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 collected any funds.)
  • Newsletter Distribution
    • Hope to have newsletter prepared and printed by the end of coming week, but might be the next week.
    • Verified city’s Neighborhood Connections office will again do the duplication for us if we provide the paper.
    • Have volunteers specifically for distribution on Estado, ?
    • Would welcome new volunteers to walk the newsletters to their neighbor’s doors. It is a way to get a different perspective on your neighborhood and to meet people. Typically folks sign up by the block, but smaller areas can be accommodated. Those of us who do it every year can always fill in the gaps.
  • Space Bank Site Proposed Development Update
    • This proposed development of 550 apartments across from our neighborhood, on the south side of Foothill, is described in detail here in the December 2015 meeting summary.
    • The latest information is that the developer did file their application with the City in late January to begin the City’s Predevelopment Plan Review (PPR) process.
    • In the PPR process, various City departments such as planning, fire, and public works review the project application and comment on it. Comments typically involve various zoning and code requirements that will have to be met, permits and hearings that will be needed. After all the departments have commented, a staff report is put together and an informational presentation is made to the Design Commission and then the City Council. These presentations give the opportunity for the Commissioners and Council Members to ask questions and make suggestions. These are also the first official opportunities for the public to see the proposal and comment on it.
    • The developer’s public relations representative says they expect the City department initial comments to be complete by mid to late March. That would put the Design Commission and City Council presentations no earlier then April, and since they have heavy schedules, probably not that soon.
    • The developer is offering to come to a neighborhood meeting to provide a “briefing” on the project. We could try for one of our regular meetings or we could schedule some special time and place. Potentially we could meet together with other nearby neighborhoods, such as Daisy Villa, but we might prefer limiting it to ourselves to allow more specific and detailed discussion since our neighborhood will be the most directly impacted.
    • If you are interested in attending a meeting with the developer, please provide input on what you’d like to get out of it, and what day/time would be best for you.
  • Emergency Preparedness Forum Feb 25
    • ANCA Emergency Preparedness Town Hall Forum
      Thursday February 25, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
      Pasadena Armenian Center
      2242 East Foothill Blvd, Pasadena
    • Free and open to the public “interactive forum about emergency preparedness and disaster relief”. “A moderator will ask questions to the panel members. The audience will have opportunity to ask follow up questions.”
    • This forum has been arranged by the Armenian National Committee of America’s Pasadena Chapter, and is hosted by them and many other organizations, including the Armenian Youth Federation, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Armenian Relief Society, Pasadena Neighborhood Connections.
    • It is presented in partnership with:
      • Pasadena Fire Department
      • Pasadena Disaster Advisory Council (DAC)
      • Los Angeles County’s Office of Emergency Management
      • Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
      • Offices of Congresswoman Judy Chu and Assemblyman Chris Holden
  • E-Waste Collection and Document Shredding Feb 27
    • Saturday February 27
      9 am to 3 pm
      Rose Bowl Parking Lot I
      (South of the stadium, on the outer side of the road loop. As you enter the area there will be signs to direct you.)
    • This is the quarterly City event where you can bring your dead and obsolete electronic and electric items for proper disposal. Things like computer and office equipment, televisions and other home entertainment equipment, telephones and cell phones, small kitchen appliances, household batteries, led light fixtures, electric or battery operated handyman tools. (No large household appliances and No hazardous waste).
    • They also have the big shredder truck where you can bring up to five legal size boxes full of papers to be shredded. They will open the boxes and dump them in one or more trash barrels. You can then watch those barrels get emptied into the shredding truck and listen to it grind them all up.
  • Free Mulch from City continues monthly
    • Pasadena Public Works has restarted the mulch giveaway program for 2016. (They don’t do it in December and January because they are too busy with the parade and cleanup).
    • The mulch is ground up trimmings from city trees. It is rough stuff, and the content varies considerably from load to load depending on what kind of trees happened to be worked on. If you don’t like the choices one time, try another time.
    • In East Pasadena, the mulch is piled in the Victory Park parking lot off of Paloma Street, usually on the south side of the lot. They also now have a distribution on different Fridays in West Pasadena at Robinson Park.
    • Until last October they seemed to bring just one load to the distribution site and it was gone quickly. In October, the last distribution of 2015, they brought at least four loads to Victory Park and it lasted several days. This past Thursday, the first distribution day this year, they had one load there about 7 am and a lot more was coming.
    • The remaining 2016 schedule for Victory Park, all Fridays, is March 11, April 8,; May 6, June 3, July 15, August 12, September 9, October 7, November 4.
    • For up to date information, see the City’s web site at: http://cityofpasadena.net/PublicWorks/MulchRecycling/
  • Local Crime Summary
    • For the last month, from crimemapping.com:
      • Sat January 16, 11:09 pm, Mataro and Santa Paula Ave, Public Intoxication
      • Wed January 20, 3:03 pm, 3200 block Alameda St, Petty Theft
      • Mon January 25, 2:26 am, 3100 block E Foothill Blvd, Battery
      • Mon January 25, 11:15 am, 3000 block E Foothill Blvd, Vehicle Burglary
    • Pasadena Police have sent out an alert about a string of burglaries in East Pasadena where an “electronic device” is being used to get into vehicles with keyless car entry systems. Basically the device has either intercepted the signal for your key (which can be done even while it is in your house by using a signal amplifier) or is rapidly going through all the key codes for the type of vehicle. Police highly recommend parking in a locked garage if you can. Whether thieves are using high tech or low tech methods, you can discourage them from targeting your vehicle by not leaving anything in your car that is, or could look, valuable or might look like it is hiding something. Basically, don’t leave anything in a visible location in your car.
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss

Next meeting is March 12, 11:15 am, at Hastings Branch Library meeting room

Adjourned about 12:37 pm