City Hall Scoop

South Pasadena News and Updates

Fair Oaks Median Project Completed!

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June 17, 2020

The Public Works Department, specifically the Parks Division, would like to take this opportunity to deliver great news. The triangular media located at Fair Oaks Avenue and Huntington Drive has been updated. The median turf was completely removed and replaced with aesthetically pleasing drought-tolerant landscaping with drip irrigation ensuring each plant receives water directly, and there is minimal wasted water. The City was able to work with the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) and secured funding to address this median.

City Staff worked diligently with local vendors and contractors to obtain competitive pricing. The City removed 12,510 square feet of turf netting a $25,000 contribution from MWD. The remaining funding of $7,780 was provided by the City’s water conservation funds that did not affect the General Fund. Upon completion of this project, the City is looking at further collaborating with MWD to update additional medians throughout the City. Please look forward to beautiful medians throughout the City! Kudos to the Public Works’ Parks staff for taking this initiative. 

Shahid Abbas
Public Works Director

6/17/2020

Council Meeting Public Comment Period Extended

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June 16, 2020

City Council will now be accepting public comment on items on the agenda until 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting, beginning Wednesday June 17, 2020. Prior to this change, comments were only accepted up until 6:00 pm the day prior to the meeting. Comments received between 6:00 p.m. the day prior to the meeting and before noon the day of the council meeting will be read out loud at the meeting, and will be posted online the following day. Comments received before 6:00 p.m. on the day prior to the meeting will be posted on the City website the morning of the meeting and are also read during the meeting. Public comments can be submitted via email to ccpubliccomment@southpasadenaca.gov.

To view City Council Meeting Agendas, click here. 

Public Comment portion of the email is limited to 250 words.

Please make sure to indicate:

1) Your name; 2) The agenda item on which you are commenting or if it is a general public comment; and 3) State if you wish for your comment to be read during the meeting.

6/16/2020

Fire Department Continues Brush Fire Inspections

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June 16, 2020

For the past two months Fire crews have been conducting brush inspections to ensure that privately owned as well as City properties are clear of hazardous vegetation. Again, the goal of these inspections is to ensure the properties are free from potentially hazardous flammable vegetation and that there is adequate defensible space between structures. Many property owners have received violation notices and have already cleared their properties from dead and dying vegetation. If you have received a notice and have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Fire Department at 626-403-7300 and we will come out to your location and clarify any concerns. Deadline to have hazardous brush removed is July 1, 2020.

Again, this is expected to be a very busy brush fire season and the Fire Department would like to thank our residents in their continued efforts to help us keep our community safe!

Paul Riddle
Fire Chief

6/16/2020

Climate Action Plan Seeking Community Input

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June 16, 2020

The City of South Pasadena is moving along with the development of its first Climate Action Plan and is looking for the community’s input on the proposed strategies and actions to be included in the plan. We encourage all community members to view the CAP GHG Reduction Plays and Moves Presentation and to complete the survey to provide your thoughts on the quality and importance of the measures proposed. The presentation and survey can be viewed on the CAP website (www.southpasadenacap.rinconconsultants.com). The survey will be available until June 25, 2020 and all comments will be considered when composing the draft CAP.   

Shahid Abbas
Public Works Director

6/16/2020

Library Launches “Library Takeout” Service – Monday

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June 15, 2020

Starting Monday, June 15, the South Pasadena Public Library is offering Library Takeout, a no-contact materials check-out and pick-up service. While customers are not allowed to enter the building, the Library seeks to help our community members engage their minds and access library materials through Library Takeout. Customers will be able to request materials which will be checked-out, bagged, and available for pick-up at the Library’s main entrance at 1100 Oxley Street. For detailed information about the Library Takeout service and Frequently Asked Questions, visit the Takeout landing page. Library Takeout will be available during the following hours:

Monday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Customers can request materials by placing holds in the Library Catalog, or by completing an online form for our Materials Matchmaker recommendation service, or by calling the Reference Desk at 626-403-7350 during Library Takeout hours.

Cathy Billings
Library Director

6/15/2020

Summer Reading Program Off to a Great Start

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June 15, 2020

The South Pasadena Public Library’s Summer Reading Program (SRP) is in full swing! So far, 894 participants of all ages have read for a collective 41,913 minutes. Our virtual Storytimes, which go live on Mondays at 10:30 AM on our website, have been a great success with over 200 views and good reviews from parents. One emailed us to say that their “4 year old is truly enjoying it and my 7 year old can’t wait to watch the video once she is done with her 1st grade virtual class”! Storytimes feature our Children’s Librarians and include stories, fingerplays, songs, and flannel-board stories. 

Our cohort of 20 SRP Teen Volunteers have logged 45 hours of volunteer time with activities such as writing book reviews, creating art samples for our Make Art Fridays, writing letters for the Senior Center meal delivery service, and creating SRP sidewalk chalk art promoting summer reading. Follow us on Instagram and share your own SRP sidewalk art with the hashtag #spplchalkthewalk.

Wednesday, June 17 at 3:00 PM our popular Wonderful Wednesdays program returns in a virtual format with The Magic of Krendl. The number of participants is limited so sign up now. Check our online calendar for program descriptions as performers are subject to change. 

Cathy Billings
Library Director

6/15/2020

City Council Scheduled to Adopt Budget June 24

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June 12, 2020

City Council is scheduled to review and adopt the final budget for Fiscal Year 20/21 at a special meeting on June 24th at 7:30 pm. The draft budget was presented to City Council for preliminary review on June 10th, including a $3.5 million reduction in revenue due to economic shutdowns and corresponding reductions in expenditures.

The updated draft budget will also be reviewed by the Finance Commission on Thursday, June 18 at 10 am. The budget was presented to the Finance Commission on May 26, however minor changes were since made to the draft as a result of new revenue projections from the County and operational changes responding to the evolving Safer at Home order. Those changes will be presented to the Finance Commission next week.

For more information on the budget, please visit: https://www.southpasadenaca.gov/government/departments/finance
06/12/2020

South Pasadena Releases Statement Regarding Financial Oversight, Responds to Input Made by Former City Employee

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June 12, 2020

The South Pasadena City Council responded to community input regarding the status of its financial controls Wednesday night’s public meeting. Mayor Robert Joe explained that the City Council was recently made aware of community concerns about the City’s financial processes based on public comments by a former City employee. “This City Council firmly believes the community has every right to know about our financial condition, the oversight processes we now have in place, and how we are managing our resources during this very challenging period,” he said. The City Council and staff continue to prepare the City budget, which must be adopted by the end of June. The Council pledged to not take action to adopt the 2020-21 fiscal year budget until the City Finance Commission fully reviews all changes made since its last review.
Please review the full statement from city officials here.
06/12/2020

Phase 3 of Reopening Starts Friday June 12 with Gyms, Film Production, and Day Camps

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June 11, 2020

Los Angeles County is moving forward on the Roadmap to Recovery and reopening key economic and community sectors, including day camps, fitness centers, spectator-free professional sports, museums, campgrounds and entertainment production. Please check with your local South Pasadena businesses for reopening schedules and times.

In the most comprehensive reopening since strict public health guidelines were put in place in March, today the Los Angeles Department of Public Health announced that the Health Officer Order will be modified tomorrow to include infection control and distancing requirements for re-opening the following sectors on June 12:

  • Gyms and fitness facilities
  • Professional sports without live audiences
  • Day camps
  • Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums
  • Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation
  • Music, film and television production
  • Hotels, lodging and short-term rentals for tourism and individual travel

Still closed are nail salons, tattoo shops, bars and wineries, movie theaters, live performance theaters, entertainment centers, concert halls and venues, stadiums, arenas, gaming facilities, theme parks and festivals. Click here for a detailed list of what is open and closed in L.A. County.

The County continues to monitor the spread of the virus and the capacity of the healthcare system to provide residents with essential services. 

With these reopenings, Los Angeles County will be in Phase 3 of the State’s Resilience Roadmap.

6/11/2020

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