City Hall Scoop

On August 26 the South Pasadena Public Library’s Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will launch its fifth cohort. The members of a cohort serve for one semester, but can repeat if space allows. TAB is made up of high school-aged volunteers dedicated to helping and improving the library. Participants must have a library card and attend all meetings in order to earn community service hours. Interested teens must apply for the program, and recruitment begins about one month before the start of the semester.  Once the max number of participants has been accepted, a wait list is created for TAB for the next semester. Our fall 2020 cohort has 19 members, 7 returning students and 12 first-time members.

Previous TAB cohorts met in person, but due to Covid-19, this fall meetings will be held virtually once a month. TAB will be assisting with the Library’s citywide reading program, “One City, Many Stories”, and will also assist Children’s Services with projects throughout the semester.

Recruitment for Spring 2021 will begin in December. For more information visit the TAB webpage.

Cathy Billings
Library Director

8/13/20

As the pandemic continues the City Council has taken significant steps to help support local businesses. On August 5^th the City Council approved a resolution continuing the declaration of a local emergency and adopted by reference the Los Angeles County Ordinance http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/147398.pdf to place a cap on the fees that third-party delivery platforms (i.e., GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash, Postmates) can charge restaurants during the pandemic. This will help prevent delivery services from overcharging local businesses that are currently struggling to stay open.

In addition, the City Council has authorized a phased approach for the Al Fresco Dining and Retail Pilot Program. The Program will provide local businesses with an opportunity to expand and utilize outdoor spaces to operate their business while providing adequate space for social distancing. Staff is standing by to work with local businesses to develop their proposals ranging from dedicated curb-side pick-up locations to lane closures. For more information regarding the program please visit the City’s Economic Development Webpage: https://www.southpasadenaca.gov/government/departments/management-services/economic-development

8/13/2020

The City’s upcoming General Municipal Election ballot will include 3 City Council seats and 1 ballot measure. In 2017, the City changed from at-large to by-district elections with respect to electing members of the City Council.   Councilmember,District 1, full term of 4 years Councilmember, District 2, full term of 4 years Councilmember, District 3, full term of 4 years Utility Users Tax Measure   For a certified list of candidates and more information on the upcoming election please visit the City’s Elections webpage.

8/13/2020

Field Usage for Youth Sports during COVID-19 is currently allowed with a current and valid Field Usage Permit. A full list of guidelines (as established by LA County) can be found on our website here. Interested in applying for a permit? Completed permit applications, can be emailed to Sheila Pautsch at spautsch@southpasadencaca.gov. (Permits are typically reviewed two months in advance prior to field usage)

For more information, please contact the Recreation Division office at (626) 403-7380.

8/13/2020

All children deserve to feel safe at home so they can learn, explore, dream & reach their full potential. If you suspect a child is being abused, call the LA County Child Protection Hotline at 800-540-4000. More information on how to report child abuse can be found here.

8/11/20

Police Chief Joe Ortiz spoke to the Rotary Club August 11, 2020 and provided them with an update on the South Pasadena Police Department. Chief Ortiz gave a 15 minute presentation titled, “From COVID to National Police Reform, All During a Global Pandemic.” The discussion included Police Reform and the creation of two sub-committees to allow the City to devote staff resources to analyze the scope of the South Pasadena Police Department, and whether its policies and procedures are justly implemented throughout the community. Chief Ortiz spoke on statistical data going back to 2016 on the number of calls for service, types of calls, arrests, and the number of times force was used.  

Joe Ortiz
Police Chief

8/12/20