May 13 Neighborhood Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Acknowledgments
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail and phone reminders

Attendees

5 members

Acknowledgments

Susan brought biscuity scones.

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:25 am

  • Accessory Dwelling Unit (aka 2nd unit) regulation process update
  • Utility shutoffs for stubborn code violation
    • In reaction to the City’s inability to close down a rapidly growing number of illegal marijuana dispensaries, there is a proposal on the Council Agenda for May 15 (item 18) to allow the City to shut off water and power to parcels that fail to comply with code enforcement orders.
    • This is a tactic that Anaheim has been using with some success.
    • For more information, see the staff report
      cityofpasadena.net/councilagendas/2017%20Agendas/May_15_17/AR%2018.pdf
  • “My City” document and movement
    • There is a new website and book about the “My City” movement of Pasadena a century ago which laid out the central plan for Pasadena and trying to engage a similar process now.
    • For history buffs, there are lots of local historic pictures and information about how things got to be the way they are.
    • For those interested in city planning there is a lot more.
    • The website is
    • To access the online version of the book, scroll down to the second section and click on the link The “My City” Document
      There is also a hard copy of the book available, but the online version is all hyperlinked so you can readily access all the references.
    • There is also an overview “movie”, which starts out well but then has problems with large blank areas.
    • “Pasadena Passages” is a reference to an effort to recreate walking paths through downtown Pasadena.
  • Coyotes very active in neighborhoods
    • In the past few weeks there are many reports on nextdoor.com of various multiples of coyotes roaming our neighborhood and those nearby, including
      • at least two witnessed killings of cats, one in our neighborhood on Del Vina St and one in Lower Hastings on Cliff Dr.
      • wandering the middle of the street in the middle of the day in Upper Hastings
      • walking on the top of backyard walls that face the wash in Daisy Villa and going to and from the backyards
    • Over time, some years have lots of coyote activity, and some have much less. This looks like it is going to be a very active year.
    • It is important for the safety of people and their pets to make the neighborhood less attractive.
      • Keep small pets indoors, especially from dusk through dawn.
      • If you see a coyote, yell, act threatening, throw rocks, charge at it, make it uncomfortable.
      • When walking at night, carry something you can swing if threatened and/or pepper spray.
      • Eliminate attractions from your yard such as pet food, fallen fruit, accessible trash/garbage. Coyotes are so successful in urban areas partly because they will eat just about any type of food when the most desirable food isn’t readily available. And even if they don’t want it themselves, food supporting possums, skunks, raccoons, rats, mice, etc creates a smorgasbord for coyotes.
      • If you must feed pets/cats outside, do it in an enclosed yard, during a short regular and preferably daytime period (they’ll quickly learn to be there to eat while available). Quickly clean up any spillage.
      • If you insist on feeding feral cats, don’t leave food unattended or spilled food, and use the Trap/Neuter/Release program available free at the Pasadena Humane Society to stop them from breeding. Supporting a feral cat population provides food for the coyote population.
    • There has been little effort by authorities to gather comprehensive information about coyote activity in urban areas. Humane societies/pounds generally haven’t responded to, or tracked, complaints. Most people don’t report encounters because they know it won’t matter. But this lack of information means there are no statistics to show what is really happening and what actually does or does not work to control the coyote population.
    • University of California Cooperative Extension researchers have put together a website called “Coyote Catcher” in hopes of providing education and gathering more data. They would like everyone to report their coyote sightings/encounters on their website:
      ucanr.edu/sites/CoyoteCacher/
  • Postal address changes hide issues
    • Changing the postal address of a property is becoming increasingly common.
    • Often is has been done to get a number that some people believe is more fortuitous.
    • Because of demand, it has been made simple to do.
    • But now there is another reason it is being done, to hide the history of a property.
    • Most information available online for a property is accessed via the postal address rather then by the parcel number. When the address has been changed, the past history is effectively hidden from regular folks who don’t know the address was changed or what it was changed from.
    • This primarily affects people searching for a house or apartment to buy or rent, but it also affects people checking for code enforcement or permit activity.
  • Bicycle shop replaced by an ACE Hardware
    • Have been told that the bicycle shop that used to be on the east side of Sierra Madre Blvd between Colorado Blvd and Walnut St is gone and that an ACE Hardware is going to be at that location.
  • Local Crime Summary
    • For the last month, from crimemapping.com:  (note that time is typically when reported, not when it happened)
      • Wed May 3, 7:11 pm, 3200 block Estado St, Petty Theft
      • Wed May 10, 12:23 pm, 400 block Sierra Madre Villa Ave, Grand Theft
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss

Next meeting is June 10, 2017 at 11:15 am, in Hastings Branch Library meeting room

Adjourned about 12:35 pm