City Hall is closed indefinitely due to a malfunctioning HVAC system. Both the heat and the pandemic prevent us from occupying the building until appropriate ventilation and air conditioning can be provided. The Police and Fire Departments are open and fully operational. All city hall services are available through remote capability as they have been since March. Departments can be reached by clicking here for more information.
7/14/2020
On June 12, 2020, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released guidelines to allow film productions to resume. While the guidelines contains specific health protocols as a requirement of a film permit, local film offices may provide additional protocols that extend beyond the County guidelines. After much consideration, the City of South Pasadena will resume processing film permit applications on July 13, 2020, with the following provisions to protect residents, prevent unnecessary contact, and limit film productions:
· Film productions will be limited to 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM in residential areas and 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM in commercial areas to avoid triggering the need for door-to-door surveys per the existing film policy;
· Contactless neighborhood notifications will resume;
· Film production crews will be limited to essential personnel only and will be restricted to the film location at all times;
· Truck parking will be restricted to the film location and secured base camps only (extremely limited additional parking may be considered on a case-by-case basis and will require contactless resident approval); and
· Film crews will designate a Compliance Officer to adhere to all COVID-19 protocols.
For more questions or comments please contact Joan Aguado, Film Liaison, at jaguado@southpasadenaca.gov.
7/14/2020
Effective today, Los Angeles County will stop certain sector operations as ordered by the State. Closures in South Pasadena include: all personal care services – including nail salons; massage & tattoo parlors; hair salons & barbershops; places of worship; gyms and fitness centers; offices of non-critical sectors; indoor malls and all indoor protests until further notice.
7/13/2020
There’s still time for FREE tax preparation before the July 15 deadline! LA County, Free Tax Prep LA and the United Ways of California have teamed up to help you learn about new refundable tax credits, calculate returns, and connect to free tax preparation services.
Text “TAXCREDITS” to 211-211 to get started.
One available tax service is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, through which households claiming less than $56K in income are paired with free IRS certified tax preparation services to maximizes your return.
It’s also worth noting:
7/13/2020
With temperatures in parts of Los Angeles County expected to rise into the triple digits this weekend, several public facilities located throughout the County will serve as Emergency Cooling Centers on Saturday and Sunday. These centers provide members of the public who lack air conditioning at home with relief from the heat, free of charge. All centers will be open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m, and will operate in compliance with physical distancing and other COVID-19 safety criteria from the current Health Officer Order.
Multiple Emergency Cooling Centers will open their doors in areas that have been selected based on heat forecasts provided by the National Weather Service and impact to regions identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. More locations may be added or hours extended based on weather conditions. To obtain a list of the County’s Emergency Cooling Centers or view a map of these sites, visit ready.lacounty.gov/heat or dial 2-1-1.
The County also reminds all members of the public to take the following extra precautions during hot weather:
For more information on heat-related illnesses and prevention, please visit the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s website at publichealth.lacounty.gov.
6/7/2020
On Tuesday, June 30, at 4:36 pm, officers arrested 28-year-old resident from Los Angeles had stolen a vehicle from the 1800 block of Via Del Rey. The suspect was walking along Via Del Rey and passed by a construction site. He noticed keys were in the ignition of a 450 Ford truck, entered the vehicle and drove off. As the suspect drove away, the construction workers called their boss who activated the truck’s Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking unit. Officers were directed to Alhambra and arrested the suspect in the area of Mission road east of Marengo Avenue. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and the vehicle was returned to the owner.
Joe Ortiz
Police Chief
7/10/2020
Sustainability has always been an important part of life to South Pasadena and now it can be part of yours. Click here to learn more.
7/10/2020
Yes, we are ready to get things back to venturing out and being a part of the world again. It has not been easy to stay home and to miss out on all of our normal social interactions. While many of us are starting to participate in more social activities the virus is not taking time off and is just as dangerous to our health now as it as it was in March. As we are easing back into activities in public places we must each do our part to reduce the spread of this very infectious disease. Face coverings are of paramount importance and should be worn any time we are in public places where distancing cannot be accomplished. Social distancing is also still important. Hand hygiene is still needed and hands should be sanitized after touching surfaces in public places. Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth, except after washing your hands thoroughly. While there has not been a surge, or spike, in cases in South Pasadena this week, we have seen increases in the number of cases in Los Angeles County, as well as surrounding Counties and states. We are watching and hopeful that the community of South Pasadena will be spared the increase in cases in the coming weeks and months. Do your part, help us keep the community healthy. If you visit a local business, wear your mask and keep your distance.
As famous Seismologist Lucy Jones says, “Don’t share your air!”
Covering your nose and mouth can slow the spread of COVID-19:
• Individuals can be contagious before the onset of symptoms.
• Using a face covering protects others from your respiratory droplets.
For additional details from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health you can access their website at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/ or call 211 if you have no access to the internet.
Paul Riddle
Fire Chief
7/9/2020
Has this pandemic turned your thumb green, yet? Want to learn more? Join LA County for one of several free webinars to learn how to beautify your home and garden. You can learn the basics of using backyard and worm composting systems by signing up for the Intro to Composting Webinar. Get guidance on creating beautiful drought-tolerant landscapes by tuning in to the Water-wise Gardening Webinar and learn how to build healthy soil and grow fruits and vegetables using organic methods from the Organic Gardening Webinar. Don’t worry if you don’t have a big backyard; there’s a webinar for that, too. The Small-space Gardening Webinar teaches participants how to grow edible and decorative plants in containers and how to set up a small-space worm composting system. Webinars are approximately 45 minutes followed by a 15 minute period to answer questions and take orders for…DISCOUNTED COMPOST BINS! There are webinar dates all throughout the summer. Visit http://www.smartgardening.com to register for a class and to learn more.
Remember, the City of South Pasadena offers water conservation rebates on items like water-efficient plants and drip irrigation conversion (check out www.southpasadenaca.gov/rebates for more details). The Metropolitan Water District offers water conservation rebates on turf removal and much more (check out www.socalwatersmart.com for more details).
Happy gardening!
7/9/2020
The new Local History digital exhibit curated by the South Pasadena Public Library takes an in-depth look at the history of our “City of Trees”. The City of South Pasadena and its citizens have been advocates for a distinct urban tree canopy for over 130 years. This exhibit highlights photos and documents from the Library’s Local History Collection, and explores the history and development of the tree canopy in South Pasadena, covering topics like the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association, the first Beautification Campaign, and specific historic trees. Our first exhibition, “Summers in SoPas” is also available on our online exhibits webpage.
Cathy Billings
Library Director
7/8/2020
City Hall Scoop 