City Hall Scoop

Have you noticed an increase in your SoCalGas bills? Typically, the winter months see a higher demand in gas usage and therefore a relative increase, however, the cost of gas has now increased significantly beyond seasonal variations.  The procurement rate has doubled from last year – it is now about $0.84 per therm, up from about $0.40 per therm in January 2021.  As a note, SoCalGas doesn’t produce the gas, they purchase and distribute – so this ‘commodity’ cost is basically passed through to the customer based on the market cost of gas.  The company does try to mitigate cost increases by storing gas and then drawing on this supply when the prices goes up seasonally.  There has also been a few other smaller increases on top of the procurement cost to maintain gas infrastructure and comply with new environmental regulations.

SoCalGas has provided the following resources for those who are interested in learning more:

Gas Prices Explained

How to Read Your Bill

Managing Higher Bills

If residents or businesses would like to speak to a SoCalGas representative, the customer service number is 1-800-427-2200.

1/26/22

The City of South Pasadena Senior Center, in partnership with the South Pasadena Chinese‐American Club, will host a drive‐by lunch event in celebration of the Lunar New Year on Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Adults ages 55 and over can sign up to receive a free lunch. Advanced registration is required as space is limited. Participants will be assigned a time slot to drive by the front of the Senior Center, located at 1102 Oxley St., to receive their meal. The deadline to register is Monday, January 31, 2022.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call the South Pasadena Senior Center at (626) 403‐7360.

1/25/22

The South Pasadena City Council is considering changing the default Clean Power Alliance energy produce for commercial customers, from the current Clean rate (50% renewable energy) to the Green rate (100% renewable energy). If this is approved, the new rates will become effective in October, 2022.  As before, all customers have the choice to change their rate selection, they will be transitioned to the default rate unless they contact Clean Power Alliance to opt into another tier.

A bit of background: The default for residential customers is the Green rate; and more than 95% of residential customers are at that default rate. Most cities that are CPA member agencies have the Green rate for both their commercial and residential customers. South Pasadena is committed to becoming more sustainable and ‘green’, and this is a convenient way for businesses to join this effort. 

More information is available at CleanPowerAlliance.org/rate-options . Customers can compare the rate differential for the different energy products for their own business, learn how to opt in or out of an energy product, and get other information and details. CPA indicates that the average increase in cost for small commercial businesses to change from the Clean to the Green product is about $5 per month. We also welcome input from our businesses at our 2/16/22 Council Meeting that could be accessed through the City’s website.

1/25/22

Do you want to learn more about protecting your business? Check out the Police Department’s Business Watch Program and Handbook. By participating in the Business Watch program, you are taking the initiative in seeking safety for your business, employees, and customers. Click here to learn more about how you could participate, or contact Detective Richard Lee from our Crime Prevention Unit by calling (626) 403-7285 or emailing RLee@southpasadenaca.gov.

1/25/22

The City of South Pasadena Office of the City Manager is conducting an analysis on all current Commissions, which will be presented to the City Council for further discussion in the coming months. In order to ensure continued effectiveness and impact of these valuable advisory boards, the City welcomes community input on this topic.

Don’t forget to participate in our Community Input Discussion on Commissions tomorrow at 6 pm! If you have not already, please also participate in our survey that will be closing on January 28, 2022 at 5 pm.

1/25/22

Updates provided by our team regarding the high winds this weekend:

1. WCA and Police Department have confirmed that Pasadena Ave. at Arroyo Verde has been cleared and open to motorists.
2. WCA is addressing a tree down on hillside across from 1884 Peterson Ave.
3. Arroyo Seco Driving is closed until further notice.

Thank you to all of our residents for trusting our wonderful team!

1/23/22

Due to the high winds, another tree is down at 2040 Marengo. WCA has been notified, and our team will continue to keep our residents updated. Thank you to our team for their timely response to these incidents, and we hope everyone is staying safe.

1/22/23

 The Walking/Riding Path along the Arroyo Seco and Golf Course Driving Range will be temproarily closed, as several poles have come down due to high winds.

1/22/22

Due to the high winds, there are several downed palm fronds, small branches, and debris throughout the City. Fallen Trees reported at Fremont & Oxley and Pasadena Ave & Arroyo Verde. City crews are in the city picking debris and clearing roads. West Coast Arborists(WCA) team are also in the city addressing the downed trees. 

1/22/22

The federal government recently announced that every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. The tests are completely free and can be now ordered at covidtests.gov. Orders typically ship in 7-12 days.

Insurance companies are also now required to reimburse you for 8 tests per month for each individual on the plan up to $12 per individual test.

Your health plan may cover the cost of your test if they have a network of pharmacies or retailers already setup. Alternatively, they may provide you reimbursement for the cost of over-the-counter tests regardless of the price if they have yet to set up a network of pharmacies or retailers.

The best way to find out is to contact your health plan or insurer to determine if they provide direct coverage or if you might need to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Residents can visit covidtests.gov for more information on reimbursements.

We also encourage all LA County residents to visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing if you’re in need of finding a convenient testing location near you.

1/20/22