City Hall Scoop

Beginning August 25, 2025, Athens Services will deliver new blue recycling and green organics containers to all commercial customers and multifamily/residential customers with bin service. A reminder postcard will be mailed out to these customers this week.

Key Reminders:

• Property owners and managers: Please let your tenants know that these new containers are arriving soon. A Manual for Multifamily Complexes is available on the City website.
• Tenants in multifamily buildings: Keep an eye out for the new blue and green containers arriving soon. Once they arrive, please begin separating your waste into the correct containers. Blue = recycling, green = organics waste, and black = trash/landfill. Visit CanIRecycleMy.com for a full breakdown of what goes where. Contact your property manager with any questions about the new program.
• Service reminder: Athens Services will begin servicing the new carts and bins the week of September 1 – 5. Due to the Labor Day holiday, service will be delayed by one business day that week.

If you have any questions about these new collection services, you can contact Athens Services at (888) 336-6100. You can also find additional details about the transition from a 2-stream collection system to a 3-stream collection system, including Frequently Asked Questions, on our City website: www.SouthPasadenaCA.gov/EnvironmentalPrograms

The new 3-stream waste collection system will apply to all waste customers citywide. Residential customers with manual barrel service (formerly known as ‘backyard service’) will be receiving new barrels from Athens Services later this year. Residential customers will also receive a postcard from Athens Services with more information about what to expect.

Come learn about South Pasadena’s city budget! The Finance Department is hosting a community meeting to open the conversation about the city’s budget for the next fiscal year. Join on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Room, located at 1115 El Centro St., South Pasadena. No RSVP needed. We are looking forward to meeting you!

The Finance Department will be hosting a Community Budget Meeting on August 6, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Room, located at 1115 El Centro Street, South Pasadena.

This is a great opportunity for the South Pasadena community to ask questions about the budget process to the Finance staff and receive an overview of the budget draft for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025-2026.

For any questions, please contact the Finance Department at financedepartment@southpasadenaca.gov or call (626) 403-7250.

Athens Services, in partnership with the City of South Pasadena, has launched a new bulky item pick-up program. All residents (including senior citizens) can now request one curbside collection of up to 5 bulky items every calendar quarter at no additional charge. Tenants in multifamily units must coordinate with their property owners or HOA to schedule service. This new program replaces Dumpster Day and Senior Citizen Dumpster Week. No more waiting for a specific day of the year to get rid of your bulky items! No more hauling bulky items to another location!

LAFD quickly contained the Collis Fire to 0.5 acres of brush in the remote Elephant Hill Open Space. No structures damaged. No evacuations. Crews will remain on scene this evening to mop up hot spots.

🔥 Cause is under investigation.
👨‍🚒 Response Time: 76 minutes

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is on scene and actively working a vegetation fire in the area of Harriman Avenue and Pullman Street, within the Elephant Hill Open Space. This incident, known as the Collis Fire, involves approximately one (1) acre of slow-moving, terrain-driven wildfire burning uphill in light grass to medium brush.

🚫 There are no evacuation orders at this time; however, heavy smoke may be visible from parts of South Pasadena.

✅ There is no immediate threat to structures.

The South Pasadena Fire Department is aware of the incident and is actively monitoring the situation in coordination with LAFD. Ground and air crews are working to contain the fire.

Please continue to avoid the area to allow emergency responders full access, and stay tuned for updates as conditions evolve.

Friendly reminder to move your cars off your street on your street sweeping day – one parked car can block up to three car lengths of curb! Move your car to ensure proper and thorough sweeping. Street sweeping occurs every other week. To find out when your sweeping day is, visit AthensServices.com/Street-Sweeping.

Are you a homeowner or renter that wants to decrease your utility bills and increase energy efficiency in your home? The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments’ Efficient San Gabriel Valley (eSGV) program offers free home energy evaluations to help you identify ways to save energy and money. Our appointments include a 30 to 45 minute discussion with SGVCOG staff utilizing a “whole house approach” to determine eligibility for potential rebates and potential behavioral changes that is then developed into a free personalized report for the homeowner or renter.

Book online now for free in-person or online evaluations! To learn more about our eSGV programs, please check out our website at www.sgvcog.org/esgv. 

Have you been hanging on to those old paint cans and dead batteries forever because you know you can’t just throw them away in the trash?? Thank you, good citizen! Now, gather up all your hazardous and electronic waste and head down to the LA County Too Toxic to Trash event happening close by in San Gabriel on July 19. The Drive Thru format allows you to stay in your vehicle while trained staff remove the waste from your trunk for you. Here are a few rules to keep in mind:

• Carefully secure items in your trunk/pick-up bed. Hazardous waste must be in your trunk/pick-up bed with no other items.
• Waste should be in a sturdy box, preferably in their original containers. Be prepared to leave containers.
• No explosives, ammunition, radioactive materials controlled substances, trash, tires, or large appliances (like refrigerators, stoves and washing machines).
• Sharps disposal will require exiting your vehicle in a designated location to deposit them in a bin.
• Open to Los Angeles County residents. No business waste accepted.
• Limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste per trip.

For a complete list of what is accepted, visit https://pw.lacounty.gov/epd/hhw/.

🏙️ Have your voice heard! The City Council is holding a public hearing to discuss proposed changes to height limits, density, and development standards in South Pasadena. Your input matters—help shape the future of housing in our community.

📅 Wednesday, July 16, 2025
🕒 7:00 p.m.
📍 City Council Chambers | 1424 Mission St., South Pasadena