City Hall Scoop

South Pasadena News and Updates

South Pasadena Public Works has partnered with the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District to install several water bottle fill stations at City facilities in an effort to reduce plastic waste. Two stations can be found at City Hall and two more at the Library. The stations allow hands-free filling of bottles and include a tracker that counts the number of plastic bottles diverted from landfill. City staff are working hard to get even more installed later this year. The installation of the water bottle fill stations completes another Move from the City’s Green Action Plan getting us a little closer to making South Pasadena a plastic-free City.

6/21/21

Learn more by streaming the documentary The Pollinators on Kanopy, a film streaming service provided for FREE with your South Pasadena Public Library card!

Simply visit www.southpasadenaca.gov/kanopy and create a free account with your library card number, an email address, and name.

Don’t have a library card? No problem! Visit www.southpasadenaca.gov/library or call (626) 403-7340 to find out how to apply for a library card online or in-person.

Please note that older library cards with a “PSPA” prefix will not work with Kanopy. Visit the Library to get a new card for free, or email library@southpasadenaca.gov for library card assistance.

6/21/21

Join us on the 3rd Saturday of the month for an Al Fresco day of shopping and dining in support of our South Pasadena small businesses! Enjoy strolling the streets of South Pasadena – find something fabulous at one of the shops and stop for a bite at your favorite eatery. Head to our Guide to South Pasadena to map out the places you’d like to hit! As always, masks and social distancing are required.

For more information visit the chambers website, click here.

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day, is observed each year on June 19th. It commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln two and a half years prior. Many theories have circulated to explain the more than two year delay in the emancipation of Texan slaves after Lincoln’s Executive Order. According to Juneteenth.com, one story holds that the first messenger to deliver the news of freedom was murdered, while another story states that the news was deliberately withheld by slave owners. 

In celebration of Juneteenth, the South Pasadena Public Library is highlighting some resources from the Library of Congress as well as our own collections. For those interested in expanding their knowledge of American slavery, the Library of Congress has compiled an outstanding online research guide. We also recommend their rare audio interviews with former slaves, titled Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories. For those interested in print books, SPPL has many titles relevant to Juneteenth and the history of slavery in America (links to some selections below). For those who prefer e-books, browse the Overdrive collections curated by the Library to explore the Black Lives Matter Movement for adults and teens.

Picture Books

All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson

Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper

Kids’ Fiction

Come Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi 

Kids’ Nonfiction

Free at Last!: Stories and Songs of Emancipation by Doreen Rappaport and Shane W. Evans

Juneteenth by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Drew Nelson

Adult Nonfiction

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Anti-Slavery Constitution by James Oakes

The Strange Career of William Ellis: the Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire by Karl Jacoby

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

6/14/2021

SAW_Working to Keep You Safe

Together, we’re committed to reopening LA County as safely as possible.

Safer at Work Los Angeles is a collaborative, County-wide campaign created to remind us that together, we will restore our local, thriving economy. The SaferatWork.la website serves as a resource hub for businesses, employees, and all Angelenos who would like to use our campaign collateral to promote a safe reopening. Here you will find collateral, posters, and digital graphics for use in your store, on your website, and across social media channels.

No matter what kind of business you own or work at, Safer At Work is designed to help you convey the steps you are taking to protect the safety of everyone associated with your business. Please use the link below and the resources on the website to let the world know that you are reopening your business safely and successfully.

6/17/21

The California ISO issued a #FlexAlert today from 5 to 10 p.m., encouraging consumers to reduce their energy use to help relieve stress on the grid. Energy use reduction during a Flex Alert can prevent further emergency measures, including rotating power outages.

For information on Flex Alerts, to get more electricity conservation tips, and to sign up for conservation alerts, visit the ISO’s Flex Alert website. For local information about energy visit, SCE.com.

6/17/2021

This is to notify you about the new Health Officer Order (HOO): A Safer Return Together At Work and In The Community: Beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy – Encouraging COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage with Limited Risk Reduction Measures, dated June 14, 2021, effective as of 12:01 AM on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

The new HOO rescinds most Los Angeles County Department of Public Health sector-specific protocols (except those listed below) and aligns with the State Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors and the accompanying memoranda and orders of the State Public Health Officer. The HOO also urges everyone, especially those who are not or cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19, to continue to exercise caution and good judgment as physical distancing requirements and capacity limitations are removed.

Businesses and customers should continue reviewing best practice documents and sector-specific protocol for designated areas on a regular basis to ensure they are complying with the latest health protection and prevention measures. The following protocols are in the process of being updated and currently not posted (except Appendix T2). Please check the following links for future updates:

Appendix K: Reopening Protocol for Day Camps (pending revisions 6/14/2021)

Appendix K-1: Reopening Protocol for Overnight Organized / Children’s Camps (pending revisions 6/14/2021)

Appendix T1: Reopening Protocols for K-12 Schools (pending revisions 6/14/2021)

Appendix T2: Protocol for COVID-19 Exposure Management Plan in K-12 Schools (revised 4/30/2021)

This Health Officer Order, protocols, and other pertinent information and resources can be found on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health COVID-19 webpage. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents.

6/16/21