City Hall Scoop

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Round 6 of the LA COVID Fund Grant opens on Monday, October 26th at 12:00 AM PST and closes Friday, October 30th at 11:59 PM PST.

Good news! If you applied in Rounds 4 or 5, there is no need to re-apply. All applications from Round 4 and 5 will remain eligible for an award in Round  6. If you have not yet been selected as a finalist, there is still an opportunity for your application to be selected!

Our Technical Assistance providers are holding open office hours to assist you with the application! Find the office hours on the website here.

Looking for additional resources? Check out our resources page here

10/26/2020

The Utility Users Tax (UUT) Measure (Measure U) is on the November 3rd election ballot. South Pasadena voters will be asked to continue the current 7.5% rate of the City’s Utility Users Tax until otherwise repealed or amended by the voters, in order to generate and stabilize additional municipal revenues.

WHAT IS THE UTILITY USERS TAX?

Since 1983 South Pasadena residents and businesses have paid a Utility Users Tax (UUT) on certain utility services – telephone, cable, gas, water and electricity. The tax rate is currently 7.5% of the amount charged by the utility company for providing the service. The tax is collected by the utility company with its monthly billing and remitted to the City, which uses the revenue to provide services such as public safety, library, parks and recreation, and many programs benefiting school aged children, adults, and seniors.

Why is the renewal measure on the ballot?

The current tax will expire in June 2022.

Since 1983 the UUT has been a source of revenue for the city. Currently, at 12% of the City’s General Fund, it is the second largest revenue source for the City, after property taxes. The UUT generates millions to help pay for integral services that the City provides to its residents on a daily basis. UUT funds help our City maintain public safety staffing levels, street and road maintenance, senior services and recreational programs, all of which make South Pasadena a desirable place to live and do business.

WILL PASSAGE OF MEASURE U INCREASE THE TAX RATE?

No. The current tax rate of 7.5% will remain unchanged.

For more information on the UUT, visit southpasadenaca.gov/UUT

10/22/2020

All registered voters will be mailed a Vote by Mail ballot to ensure a safe and accessible voting option during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vote by Mail ballots are mailed no later than 29 days prior to Election Day.

There are multiple options on how to return your ballot:

• By mail, remember no postage is necessary
• In person at any Vote by Mail Drop Box location
• At any Vote Center in L.A. County

10/22/20

On Tuesday, October 27^th at 7:00 p.m. the Library’s Citywide Reading Program comes to a close with a very special Author Night event featuring award-winning authors Danzy Senna and Sherri Smith in discussion with South Pasadena’s Poet Laureate Ron Koertge. The conversation with center on our theme “Exploring Common Ground” and how race, ethnicity and personal experience inform an author’s writing. Danzy Senna is the author of five critically acclaimed books of fiction and nonfiction. Her first novel, Caucasia, won the Book of the Month Award for First Fiction, the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and was named a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. Her latest novel, New People, was a featured OCMS title. Sherri L. Smith is the author of seven award-winning young adult novels, including the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist Flygirl. The Blossom and the Firefly, her most recent work, was a featured OCMS title. Long-time South Pasadena resident Ron Koertge was appointed by the City Council as the first South Pasadena Poet Laureate in June 2018. Author of ten acclaimed poetry collections, Koertge is also a two-time winner of the PEN Literary Award for Children’s Literature and the author of many award-winning novels. Author Night will be presented on Crowdcast. Participants need an internet connected device to join. Register here. Learn more about One City, Many Stories (OCMS) at www.southpasadenaca.gov/ocms.

Cathy Billings
Library Director

10/22/20

Saturday, October 24, 2020
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Arroyo Dr. (South of Mission St.)

• Residents welcome to bring large items for free disposal

• NO Electronic waste accepted

• NO Hazardous waste

• Bring proof of residency

• Seniors qualify for home pick up. To register, call Senior Services at 626-403-7360. Deadline is October 16 at noon

• Senior Pick up takes place on regular trash day the week of October 19-23, 2020.

City Contact: Leaonna DeWitt Public Works Department (626) 403-7240 LDeWitt@southpasadenaca.gov

10/21/2020

The County of Los Angeles is regularly updating resources on COVID-19 to meet the multi-cultural & linguistic needs of our County’s most diverse communities. In an effort to keep you and yours informed, we share the following:

It is important, now more than ever, to remember to celebrate our boys in blue safely as we cheer them on to the World Series.  Host virtual watch parties, celebrate in small gatherings and, most importantly, show your support by wearing your favorite Dodger gear – especially your Dodger face covering!

10/20/20

If you are recently unemployed, furloughed, or receiving unemployment benefits, you may now qualify for no-cost home improvements. Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) has introduced a virtual enrollment option for the Energy Savings Assistance Program, which continues to provide eligible customers with an average of $705 worth of energy-efficiency home upgrades at no cost to help improve the safety and comfort of customers’ homes. 

Improvements may include:

• The installation of high-efficiency washers
• Water heater replacement
• Furnace replacement
• Attic insulation
• Door weather-stripping

Interested customers may visit the program web page: www.socalgas.com/save-money-and-energy/assistance-programs/energy-savings-assistance-program to learn if they qualify. Save energy and money through professional home improvements at no cost to you!

10/20/2020

Will the deposited ballots be picked up on a regular basis or will they all be picked up at 8 PM on election night?  

The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s staff will be collecting ballots every 72 hours starting October 5. As Election day nears, ballots will be collected every 24-hours.

Who will pick the ballots up?

L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s staff will collect ballots.

And…out of curiosity…what is the total number of registered voters in South Pasadena?

As of September 4, 2020 (the most recent report from L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office): 17,460 registered voters.

10/20/2020

Join your neighbors in a discussion of the novel New People by award-winning South Pasadena-based author Danzy Senna on Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 p.m. Librarian Chelsea Clark will lead the small group discussion over Zoom. A heartbreaking and darkly comic page-turner, New People explores race, class and manners in contemporary America and challenges our every assumption about how we define one another, and ourselves. Sign up here to participate. One City, Many Stories (OCMS) encourages the community to engage with the theme “Exploring Common Ground” through the lens of literature and discussion. Learn more at www.southpasadenaca.gov/ocms.

Cathy Billings
Library Director

10/19/2020