City Hall Scoop

As the City and the Chamber of Commerce work together to find ways our community and government can support local businesses during these unprecedented times, we also look forward to welcoming some newcomers to the South Pasadena eatery scene. Just drive by the old Citizens Bank Building at 901 Fair Oaks and you’ll see improvements that will accommodate five new tenant spaces, three of which will soon be occupied by Starbucks, Chipotle and The Habit Burger. Starbucks has wanted a larger store to replace the one at the Well Fargo branch across the street, and the renovated bank building will provide a larger and updated café, with expansive outdoor seating. Chipotle is a well-known leader in providing freshly-prepared food with healthy, responsibly-sourced ingredients. And The Habit, founded in 1969 in Santa Barbara, has grown from being a popular burger and malt stand for surfers into a restaurant company with a passionate national following. Starbucks, Chipotle and The Habit are all scheduled to open in August.

The Kutzer Company, the firm redeveloping 901 Fair Oaks, has divulged a few of the many challenges of converting an older bank building into a modern, multi-tenant project, but the most interesting tidbit was what to do with the old bank vault. It turns out it is built like a super-fortified bunker, with a dense mesh of steel rebar that provides structural support for the high ceilings and clear spans of the original bank building. So, rather than try to remove it, Dahl Architects and Krakower & Assoc. Engineering figured out how to re-use the vault as a back of house work area and restrooms for Starbucks. So, if you have to use the restroom during an earthquake…you can rest assured!

Joanna Hankamer
Planning and Community Development Director

06/04/2020

Police Department Helps Recover Stolen Tortoise

CityHallScoop

In August of 2019, “Spikey,” a 100 pound, Sulcata Desert Tortoise escaped from a home in the 2000 block of Alpha in South Pasadena. Spikey was crossing the street when three individuals stopped to pick Spikey up and load him into a white truck. Despite neighbors telling these subjects, the tortoise belonged to a resident on their street; they continued to drive off with Spikey in the rear of the truck. The resident contacted the SPPD, and a Grand Theft report was made with the department. Unfortunately, Spikey was never recovered, and the suspect(s) involved in this incident were never identified or located.

On May 23rd, 2020, residents from Altadena were out for a run at the Rose Bowl and saw a giant tortoise grazing along the grassy area of the parking lot and figured it was probably someone’s pet. They decided to lift this heavy beast into their car and brought it home. The resident searched the internet for lost tortoises and located our Crime Bulletin (formatted for public view) on the stolen tortoise. The finder contacted our Detective regarding the case. Photographs of the found tortoise were provided to Spikey’ s owner, and ultimately an identification was made. Earlier this week, the owner and Spikey were reunited this week. The owners were extremely grateful that the Altadena residents were so kind to take the time out of their busy lives and follow up as they did. The South Pasadena Police Department was happy we could facilitate the reunion.

Joe Ortiz
Police Chief

06/04/2020

Reminder! Bulky Item Disposal Returns in June

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Residents can drop off bulky furniture or appliances for disposal on Saturday, June 20, 8am to 2pm at Arroyo Drive/Mission Street. No appointment is necessary and the disposal service is free for residents. Senior citizens can also have bulky items picked up from their home at no cost during the week of June 15 to 19. Items will be picked up on the same day as regular rubbish pick up if the items are placed outdoors near trash containers. Athens Services, the Public Works Department, and the Senior Center partner to bring the service to senior residents twice per year. To schedule bulky item pick up for a senior citizen, please contact the South Pasadena Senior Center, Monday through Friday at (626) 403-7360.

6/4/2020

Congratulations to Safer at Home Reading Challenge Participants!

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330 readers signed up for the Library’s Safer at Home Reading Challenge, which ran from April 6 to May 31. They read more than 51,000 minutes and wrote 61 reviews for their fellow readers. The Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library generously provided randomly drawn prizes—gift certificates purchased from local businesses—for kids, teens, and adults. We encourage readers of all ages to sign up for our Summer Reading Program which runs from June 1 to August 1. To get started visit our Summer Reading Program landing page.

Cathy Billings
Library Director

6/4/2020

City Responds to Protests

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The South Pasadena City Council wishes to make the following statement in response to the demonstrations occurring in cities across the US:

The City stands in solidarity in the fight against systems of racism and oppression. Although we are a small City, we are not immune to these injustices. Our strength derives from our partnerships and ability to work together to resolve conflict peacefully and influence change in our larger community.

As a city that values diversity, we are committed to the promotion of social equity and inclusion in our community. In 2016, the City Council adopted a Resolution No. 7491, reaffirming this commitment to protecting the civil rights and liberties of all residents, fostering a positive dialogue and speaking against human injustices.

As elected officials we have an obligation to commit to and ensure that our ethnic and social diversities are respected and reflected in every service we provide in order to achieve ideals of equity and safety for all our residents.

We stand unified with the community in supporting peaceful protests against injustice. The issues before us are significant and should not be diminished by opportunistic acts of looting and destruction. These actions distract from the critically important conversations that need to take place in our country around racial violence and social and economic disparities. We are hopeful that by working together we can build healthier institutions that address discrimination faced by all persons of color.

6/3/2020

Tonight’s City Council Meeting Continued to June 10, 2020

CityHallScoop

The regular City Council meeting scheduled for this evening has been postponed for one week in response to the countywide curfew. The meeting will be continued to a special meeting for next Wednesday, June 10, 2020 to consider all items on the agenda, including public hearing items.

As the civil unrest moves into a fourth night of curfew, this change is in consideration of the public and staff who may have more pressing issues to address right now and may not be able to provide their attention to the important issues on the agenda tonight. Further, although City Council meetings are now held on Zoom, the broadcasts of the meeting require multiple staff to be present in City Hall for the duration of the meeting. It is not appropriate for the City to require these staff to be away from their families during these turbulent times and to drive home after curfew with potentially unknown locations of civil unrest.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has extended the countywide curfew that runs from 9 p.m. today, June 3, 2020, through 5 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2020. This is the fourth night of a countywide curfew ordered to protect public safety. The County has also closed all public buildings for the second day in a row and has cancelled their daily press conference today.

Tonight’s important issues, including the annual budget and Al Fresco dining initiative, will be heard next week on June 10; public comment received for tonight’s meeting will be read next week. The city encourages residents to stay home tonight in compliance with the curfew, and to continue to follow the budget process and engage next week.

6/3/2020

Public Safety : Countywide Curfew Extended for a Fourth Day with a new time 9pm to 5am

CityHallScoop

Los Angeles County will be under a countywide curfew that runs from 9 p.m. today, June 3, 2020, through 5 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2020.

This is the fourth night of a countywide curfew ordered to protect public safety. Tonight’s curfew will start later than the curfew in previous nights as the County assesses public safety needs on a daily basis. Residents, unless otherwise noted, are asked to stay in their home during the curfew.

The countywide curfew does not apply to the following: peace officers; firefighters; National Guard or other military personnel deployed to the area; emergency medical services personnel; individuals traveling to and from work; individuals working on a public work of improvement construction project; credentialed media representatives involved in news gathering; people experiencing homelessness and without access to a viable shelter; and individuals seeking medical treatment.

The County curfew applies to every municipality in Los Angeles County, but cities can implement stricter curfews based on their local needs.

The following cities have implemented stricter curfews:

Beverly Hills – The business district curfew starts at 1 p.m., June 3rd and the citywide curfew begins at 4 p.m.
Culver City – Curfew starts at 6 p.m., June 3rd

Visit lacounty.gov/emergency for the most up-to-date information.

6/3/2020

South Pasadena Police and Canine Partner “Barry” Make a Big Bust

CityHallScoop

Last week, South Pasadena police and canine officer “Barry” were called upon to assist a neighboring agency on a suspected narcotics investigation. While assisting on the search of a location, police located approximately ten kilos of cocaine that were packaged and vacuum sealed, $26,000 in U.S. currency and a semi-automatic pistol.

Joe Ortiz
Police Chief

6/3/2020

Dial a Ride Update

CityHallScoop

With the unprecedented changes brought upon the City due to COVID-19, the Senior Center and Dial A Ride staff are happy to report that there has been an increase for total meals now being delivered. Staff are working on ensuring home delivered meals have continued to ensure that seniors who are safer at home are getting the meals they need. From a pre-closure average of 144 meals delivered staff have now reported that there is now over an average of 563 meals. In addition to this, Islands restaurant is also providing 50 meals every Friday to support South Pasadena senior residents. As meals have increased, we are proud to say that there are over 91 residents who have received home delivered meals this week. The City would like to thank Senior Center and Dial A Ride staff for all their hard work in ensuring that all residents are able to have home delivered meals provided while remaining safer at home!

Shelia Pautsch
Community Services Director

6/3/2020

Public Safety Alert: Countywide Curfew Extended for a Third Day from 6pm to 6pm

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