City Hall Scoop

South Pasadena News and Updates

Come out from behind that mask to meet us from the safety of your own home or office. We miss you!  Staff from Public Works and Planning and Community Development welcome you to our new and improved Virtual Public Counter!  The two departments are teaming up to expand our availability to provide one-on-one customer services, either by phone or video conference, and including the ability to share computer screens to review photos, drawings and other documents.  The public is invited to schedule an appointment to address questions big and small, from reviewing an Accessory Dwelling Unit or Encroachment permit application to asking what approvals are needed to remove a tree or add solar panels to your roof.

The City’s Building Division has been offering Virtual Plan Check appointments since early April.  Starting on Monday, July 6th you will be able to sign up for timeslots to meet online with Planning and Public Works staff as well.   Sign up to meet a….

Building Plan Checker – Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-5:00pm.

Building Permit Technician – Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:00 – 11:30 am and Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:00am -4:30pm

Planner – Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00-4:00pm

   Want to talk about ADUs?  Let’s talk on Monday or Wednesday between 2:00-4:00pm

Public Works Plan Checker – Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-5:00pm

Click here:  https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CityofSouthPasadenaVirtualAppointmentCalendar@transtech.org/bookings/

or visit each Department’s webpage to  sign up for an available timeslot.  Can’t wait to see you.

7/8/2020

The City Council recently formed a subcommittee (comprised of Councilmembers Khubesrian and Schneider) to work with the Public Safety Commission subcommittee to examine policing in South Pasadena. A task force (comprised of South Pasadena Police Department leadership) has also been created to work with our Public Safety Commission. Together, they will review the use of force policies, establish the need for police reform, and focus on the eight policy reforms urged by Campaign Zero.

Collaboratively, the groups will foster on-going listening and dialogue forums with the community around police reform. These forums will be open to the public and the first such forum is scheduled from 3-5 pm on July 16, 2020. It will be a virtual town hall meeting, via Zoom, comprised of concerned members of the community.

The policy discussions and future goals of upcoming meetings are meant to be part of an inclusive and dynamic strategy to move forward towards long term solutions with law enforcement, community leaders, elected officials, and social justice organizations. Decisions on police reform and use of force policies will not be made immediately or without a public process.

If you are interested in attending the meeting, (via Zoom) or would like to provide a comment about this topic, you are encouraged to send an email to cmoffice@southpasadenaca.gov

7/8/2020

Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force and Committee on Infectious Diseases have created a chart that ranks activities on their risk level for COVID-19. The levels are based on input from the physician members of the task force and the committee, who worked from the assumption that – no matter the activity – participants were taking as many safety precautions as they can. The chart shows different activities rated on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of the likelihood of spreading the coronavirus. Please stay safe and stay healthy.

City Council

7/8/2020

The #2020Census is a simple survey that you will fill out about yourself and everyone who is living in your home as of April 1, 2020. Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year. The results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets. It’s mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2: The U.S. has counted its population every 10 years since1790.

Visit 2020census.gov to learn more about how to participate in the 2020 Census today. 

7/7/2020

OverDrive, the South Pasadena Public Library’s ebook and eaudiobook lending platform, is making simultaneous access available for a limited time to important titles on social justice and anti-racism. This means no waiting for the following titles! Available through the dates listed.

  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (available as an audiobook through July 15, 2020)
  • Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad (available as an ebook through July 12, 2020)
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (available as an ebook and audiobook through July 19, 2020)
  • So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo (available as an audiobook through July 26, 2020)

To borrow the titles, log in to OverDrive or OverDrive’s app Libby to start reading or listening. Continue your reading journey by browsing our Explore the Black Lives Movement collection.

Cathy Billings
Library Director

7/6/2020

City Parks will be open for the July 4th holiday. Please continue to practice social distancing guidelines and wear a mask when enjoying our parks. Please note that all playgrounds and gazebos remain closed. Fireworks are not allowed on City Parks. Celebrate Responsibly.

7/3/2020

It is more important than ever to follow prevention practices outlined by LA County’s Department of Public Health:

  1. Please continue to wear your cloth facial covering.
  2. Practice physical distancing.
  3. Wash your hands frequently.
  4. And don’t touch your face.

People with underlying health conditions, who are at higher risk for serious illness or death due to COVID-19, should take special precautions and stay at home wherever possible.  

7/3/2020