Keep an eye on our Virtual Recreation page! We are including some at home activities to participate in a virtual tour of the Buffalo Botanical Gardens of New York, some arts and crafts projects such as making a bouquet of flowers from paper, and so much more! We hope that everyone (especially mothers!) can enjoy mother’s day this year from the safety of their home!
Shelia Pautsch
Community Services Director
5/8/2020
The Los Angeles County Health Department has amended the Safer at Home order to allow limited retail to begin operations as early as Friday. Retail stores selling items such as books, clothing, toys, flowers, music and sporting goods may reopen Friday morning for curbside pickup only and must comply with strict guidelines for patron and employee safety. Curbside pickup means customers may not be allowed into the store for browsing, trying on clothes, or payment. In addition, customers and staff are required to wear cloth face coverings and adhere to social distancing at all times. And, proper infection control measures must be in place including strict cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and allowing employees to wash their hands often. Please check with your favorite retailers or the South Pas Chamber of Commerce to see who will be opening in the near future. We will post more information as the stores announce their plans.
Stephanie DeWolfe
City Manager
5/7/2020
The Los Angeles County Health Officer announced on Wednesday that golf courses could reopen as the Stay at Home order is amended to allow gradual opening of the economy. The South Pas golf course and driving range will be open starting at 6 am on Saturday. To ensure the safety of patrons, cloth face coverings must be worn and social distancing must be adhered to at all times. In addition, tee times will be staggered to avoid crowding. The mini golf will open on Monday, May 11, and will be scheduledby tee times only to allow for social distancing. Under the amended order, the restaurant must remain closed, but prepackaged snacks will be available for take away. Please call 323-255-1506 to schedule tee times.
Stephanie DeWolfe
City Manager
5/7/2020
As temperatures are rising across Southern California, the City would like to remind all members of the public to take the following extra precautions during hot weather:
5/7/2020
It’s exciting and encouraging that the County has begun to amend the Stay at Home order to allow businesses to open. While it’s limited now, more and more will open in the coming months under the multi-phased plan spelled out by the County to bring the full economy back online gradually. The pace of progress seems slow to some, but it’s important to remember that we are not moving past the virus yet, just learning to live with it. It’s still just as contagious, and just as deadly — the threat is just as great. What we’re really doing now is restructuring to minimize impacts as much as possible while returning to daily life.
There are inherent challenges in doing that, and a tremendous amount of fear, so we must be thoughtful and measured in our plans to reopen. That’s why the County has based their strategy on data. After each phase of reopening we will wait several weeks to see how the changes impact the number of cases, hospitalization rates and death rates. If we have not triggered a dangerous surge in infection, we will move to the next phase.
The current phase allows some outdoor recreation and curbside pickup only for retail because these are low risk activities. Offices, restaurants, and malls are currently not allowed to reopen because they are higher risk activities, but they will be brought online in the coming weeks. Personal care businesses that require closer contact, such as nail and hair salons, fitness facilities, and spas, will be brought online later. The last to be opened will be anything that involves large gatherings of people since these pose the most threat to infection.
For more information, please see the attached graphic or visit the County webpage at https://covid19.lacounty.gov/recovery/
Stephanie DeWolfe
City Manager
5/7/2020
The South Pasadena Public Library will host an American Red Cross blood drive in the Library Community Room on Thursday, May 21st.
Please visit www.RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code: SOPASLIB to sign up.
Safety and social distancing measures will be in effect. #GiveBlood #BeKind
Cathy Billings
Library Director
5/6/2020
During the month of May, in preparation for what is expected to be a busy brush fire year, Fire personnel will begin inspecting privately owned improved properties. 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. Crews will focus inspections in the high-hazard hill area of the City. In addition to inspecting properties, crews will also ensure that there is no overgrown vegetation blocking fire apparatus access on any streets or alleys. For those properties that are required to remove vegetation, they will receive a notice by mail detailing what areas need attention. For questions please contact 626-403-7300.
Paul Riddle
Fire Chief
5/6/2020
Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday announced that he would be modifying statewide restrictions on retail as early as Friday, but he was also clear that each County would have the flexibility to be more restrictive if local conditions warranted. Dr. Ferrer, the Los Angeles County Health Officer, indicated last week that because of such high infection rates, Los Angeles County would likely be more restrictive than other counties. When asked in an interview Monday May 4th she said it will likely be Wednesday before the County announces its plans. The city of South Pasadena will be governed by the County orders rather than those issued by the Governor. While the city and our local retail stores are preparing to reopen, we await further direction from the County later this week.
Stephanie DeWolfe
City Manager
5/5/2020
The City has extended the online public outreach tool and survey for the annual budget to Monday, May 24. The City of South Pasadena is facing financial challenges as a result of the current economic climate and has invited the public to provide input regarding priorities for City resources for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Residents are invited to visit the site here: https://stories.opengov.com/southpasadenaca/published/B0sH9wZvQ to review financial forecasts, hear summaries of each department budget, and provide feedback on distribution of limited funds in coming years. The survey will close on 11:59 p.m. on the 24th and results will be presented to the Finance Commission and City Council along with draft budget recommendations.
Karen Aceves
Finance Director
5/18/2020
Become a part of local history! COVID-19 Experiences in South Pasadena is an initiative created to share and preserve our community memory and living experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Pasadena Public Library is seeking help from our community – both longtime residents and new – to document living history for inclusion in the Local History Collection. Between May 1st and June 30th, the South Pasadena Public Library will be accepting survey responses, photographs, and videos via online submission. More information and the online collection form can be found here. Contributions submitted for this project will be processed, archived, and made available to the public. Help us build a resource for future generations and researchers! Questions regarding the COVID-19 Experiences in South Pasadena initiative may be directed to Olivia Shea, Local History Librarian, at localhistory@southpasadenaca.gov.
Cathy Billings
Library Director
5/5/2020
City Hall Scoop 