altadenablog

Town council denies group home expansion, hears of library director's death

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council turned down a request to expand a group home from six to ten beds Tuesday night in the final council meeting of the year.

An almost-complete council* voted to recommend denying a conditional use permit for the home at 3085 Ridgeview Drive to the county planning commission.  The town council land use committee had earlier also recommended denial.

(*Councilmember Bernardean Broadous of CT 4610, who has not attended a meeting since August,  and Gretchen Seger were absent (thx Monica Hubbard for the correction!)

Also during the meeting:

Last Town Council meeting of the year Tuesday

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council's final meeting of 2013 will be held Tuesday, December 17, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., at 7 PM.

The only action item is a conditional use permit for 3085 Ridgeview Drive.  There will also be a presentation by the Pasadena Education Foundation about the City/School/Community workplan between the Pasadena Unified School District and the city of Pasadena; and a presentation on the plan to include a performing and visual arts magnet program at Eliot Middle School.

 

County wants flood control pipeline to cut across Altadena

by Timothy Rutt

County officials are looking to help recharge local aquifers by constructing a water pipe that will cut through Altadena from the Devil's Gate Dam to Eaton Canyon.

The plan will capture approximately 4,500 acre/feet of water per year, saving water valued at  $3.3 million, a county spokewoman told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night.

Alma Fuentes of the county flood control district told the council that the five-mile-long pipeline, currently in the conceptual phase, will cost $16.7 milion, with construction estimated to start in 2016.

Fuentes said that water captured during heavy rains by Devil's Gate Dam, in Pasadena west of Altadena, is gradually released into the Arroyo Seco and eventually into the ocean.  At the same time, the area's Raymond Basin aquifer -- which supplies drinking water -- is running dry.  The pipeline project is a plan to capture most of the 6.900 acre/feet of water that would be sent into the ocean and use it to recharge the aquifer instead.

The Devil's Gate Dam Water Conservation Project will pump water from the Devil's Gate reservoir through a pipeline that will run along Woodbury Road to Lake Avenue, dogleg north to New York Drive, and continue east to the Eaton Canyon wash and spreading grounds east of Altadena. 

Fuentes said that this project has no relationship with the current controversial plan to remove massive amounts of sediment from behind the dam in the Hahamongna Watershed.

Fuentes said that he cost of the project would be borne with district flood control funds and state Proposition 1E funds.

Related articles

Hiker rescued from steep cliff in Eaton Canyon Wednesday

Devil's Gate Dam meeting at Jackson Elementary tonight

November Town Council meeting looks at Devil's Gate project

County adds Altadena hearing to Devil's Gate sediment removal process

Altadena Heritage forum looks at water issues Sept. 23

November Town Council meeting looks at Devil's Gate project

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council meets Tuesday night, Nov. 19, at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr. 

The only action item on the agenda is an election and swearing-in for a new representative for Census Tract 4612. Also of interest is a presentation on the Devil's Gate Water Conservation Project.

Town Council seeking to fill vacant seat in CT 4612

The Altadena Town Council is seeking applicants to fill the vacant seat in Census Tract 4612.

Councilmember Bill Ward, who was only elected in May, resigned last week to take a job out of state.  This means whoever takes his seat will sit for almost a full term, until 2015.

According to a release from the Altadena Town Council,applicants must reside within CT 4612 and must have lived within Altadena for at least two years. 

Census Tract 4612 lies roughly between Lake Ave. and Altadena Dr, and between Mendocino St / Glen Canyon Rd and New York Dr . Exact borders can be found at http://altadenatowncouncil.org/census-tracts/4612-2/ 

Applications and candidate eligibility information are available at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive and online a thttp://altadenatowncouncil.org at the "ATC Election, Candidate Package" link along the left side.

Applications must be received at the Community Center by 4:30 PM on Friday, November 8, along with the application fee of $35.  All eligible candidates will then be presented to the whole Council and the public at the regular ATC meeting on Tuesday, November 19t, beginning at 7 PM The full council will then vote to fill the vacancy by appointment, as called for in the Council's Bylaws. 

Holden to give "State of the State" at Altadena Town Council Tuesday night

Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represents the 41^st Assembly District including Altadena, will present a “State of the State” update on the 2013 Legislative session at Tuesday night's meeting of the Altadena Town Council, according to a release from his office.

Holden will discuss the state budget, affordable healthcare, school funding, and improving the business climate in California.

In a related event, Alex Zucco from Holden's office will be on hand to answer questions and provide an overview of the law at the Altadena Library's presentation on the Affordable Care Act the following Monday, Oct. 21.

The Altadena Town Council meets at 7 PM Oct. 15 at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive.  The library presentation will be at 7 PM the following Monday at the Altadena Library Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa Street. 

 

Town council and school district issues come to the fore at ACONA meeting [UPDATE]

by Timothy Rutt

Tuesday night’s ACONA meeting hosted Town Council Chair Diane Marcussen and PUSD District 1 (West Altadena) board member Kim Kenne in a wide-ranging discussion of town and school issues along with audience questions.

The Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations brought in the two to discuss current issues facing their respective government bodies and possible directions to go forward.

Marcussen said that one of this year’s town council tasks was to update “foundational items”:  council bylaws and election rules for one, as well as the Community Standards District that governs Altadena’s commercial and residential land use.

The council has formed a CSD committee to look at last year’s “visioning process” and update the standards accordingly.  Marcussen said that the core of what the council does is review land use issues.  Sussy Nemer, deputy to County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, affirmed that, saying “in terms of land use, the Altadena Town Council plays a key role.”  While the regional planning commission makes make-or-break decisions on land use, Nemer says they look for a letter of recommendation from the town council.  

“It shows good faith (for a developer) to go to a local forum,” Nemer said.

Town council: it's about the reports

by Timothy Rutt

Tuesday night’s short Altadena Town Council meeting was mostly a recitation of reports.

Chair Diane Marcussen said that the new council (all except Ron Adams took their seats in July; Adams was sworn in Tueday night) set some priorities for the 2013-1014 term, among them: finish the Community Standards District draft and submit it to the county; review and revise bylaws, election rules, ethical standards; and rework the council’s website.

Among the highlights:

• Public safety: Altadena Sheriff Station Capt. John Benedict said that violent crime in Altaena was at all-time lows, even below last year, which also set a record for low crime.  Property crime, on the other hand, remains a problem; while is has gotten lower, vehicle burglaries continue to be a problem in Altadena. Benedict said that over 3,000 people in the area have signed up for Nixle, the online and mobile alert service. Benedict also announced that the sheriff’s station and Metropolitan Baptist Church will hold a resource and opportunity fair on Oct. 12, from 10 AM-2 PM.
• Library: Roberta Lauderdale Elam of the Lucas Branch Library said that the libraries will participate in the annual “Read for the Record” on Oct. 3.  The libraries will host readings at the main library at 11 AM and branch library at 3:30 PM, and there will also be readings at Perry’s Joint (with free ice cream).  This year’s books is “Otis” by Loren Long.  Children will get a free copy of the book while they last as part of Jumpstartand the Pearson Foundation’s efforts to promote childhood reading by having the same book read on the same day.  
• Aveson: Kate Bean, executive director of the Aveson Schools, said that they were working to open their new campus at the corner of Altadena Drive and Lincoln Avenue in early October.  The school is looking for suggestions for fencing, as the chain link currently on the site will come down when construction is finished.

The sheriff's stations August crime report, broken down by census tract, is after the jump.

CT 4603.01 councilmembers seeking input for September meet and greet

by Timothy Rutt

Altadena town councilmembers Judy Mathews and Damon L. Hobdy, representing census tract 4603.01, plan to hold a get-together with their constituents in September -- but they're looking for input to plan the date.

According to an announcement from the pair, the event will be held at Loma Alta Park, time to be announced, on either Sept. 7 or Sept. 14. Altadena Sheriff Capt. John S. Benedict and Community Relations Lt. Eric Lasko will also attend, as will Neighborhood Watch block captains.

The meeting will discuss the community's general concerns and expectations of their town council representatives, and is open to the whole family.  Refreshments will be served.

In the meantime, they are trying to find out what day works best: please contact Matthews at djmatthews@att.net or Hobdy at dlyyourrep@gmail.com to give your preference.

 

Town council swears in new members, postpones much else in election kerfluffle

 

Altadena Town Council chair Bernardean Broadous swears in councilmembers at Tuesday night's meeting; standing from left, Bill Ward, William Malone, Sylvia Vega, Damon Hobdy, and returning Brent Musson. 

Related Story: Town council members say chair hard to contact, lacks leadership

by Timothy Rutt

Tuesday night’s town council meeting was supposed to be a routine passing of the baton: new councilmembers sworn in and a new slate of officers appointed.

And, after a lengthy meeting, nothing quite worked out as planned.

Traditionally, the new and returning councilmembers are sworn in by a representative from Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s office, as the council serves as the supervisor’s eyes, ears, and advisers.  Since no representative showed, council chair  Bernardean Broadous conducted the swearing-in.

Later, the new council delayed the scheduled appointment of Ron Adams.  After no candidate ran for the vacant seat in Census Tract 4603.02, Adams submitted an application to be appointed by the council.  Marge Nichols, wearing a Neighbors Building a Better Altadena shirt, expressed that more public notice should have been given that the seat was vacant and open for applications.  The council agreed to delay the appointment by one month to allow other candidates to come forward.

Election controversy
But what occuped the bulk of the meeting was the selection of council officers.   A committee of outgoing councilmembers presented a slate of incumbent members -- Diane Marcussen for chair, Okorie Ezieme for vice chair, Brent Musson for recording secretary, Richard Moon for corresponding secretary, and Amy Cienfuegos as treasurer.

But that move was opposed by Eric PIerce, who had just received a notice of appreciation for his actions as Election Committee Chair earlier in the meeting.  Pierce, who is not on the council, said that Marcussen and Musson’s actions during the election process should be taken into account.  

Town council: election certified, and report-o-rama

by Timothy Rutt

At Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting:

Election: The councll certified the results of the June 8 town council election.  The new and re-elected members will take their seats at the July meeting.  Election chair Eric Pierce said that the election cost $656.90.

The council also heard numerous reports:

California Highway Patrol: Officer Kevin Denmon of the California Highway Patrol said that CHP is looking for recruits for both its explorer program and “CHP Seniors” program.  Explorers should be between 15 and 21 years of age, have an interest in law enforcement, at least a 2.0 GPA, not use alcohol or drugs, display good citizenship, and have no felony convictions.

CHP Seniors volunteer for various tasks at the CHP office, and should be 55 years or older, be able to go through a background check, be able to volunteer during office hours, and work with minimal supervision.  For more information on eithe program, call the Altadena CHP office at 626-296-8100.

Altadena Sheriff: Capt. John S. Benedict said that crime was down 4% from comparable statistics last year, with violent crime down 30%.  The Altadena Sheriff Station also had a successful golf tournament at Brookside Golf Course last Saturday.

The next “Coffee with the Captain” event will be Wednesday, June 26 at Café Culture, 1359 N Altadena Drive, Pasadena, from 6-8 PM.

Benedict also said that the Metropolitan Baptist Church will hold a resource fair, with information on jobs and job training and community services will be held at the church, 2283 N Fair Oaks Avenue, on Saturday, June 29.  The event is co-sponsored by the church and the Sheriff’s Station.

Animal Control: Artemio Menchaca, who has been animal control officer in Altadena for two months, introduced himself and gave out his numbers.  Requests for service should go to the service line at 626-962-3577.  Menchaca’s direct cellphone line to answer questions, is 626-290-3635.  Email is altadena@animalcare.lacounty.gov.

Parks: Melisza Hernandez of the county parks department said that Loma Alta Park is currently taking signups for the tiny tot flag football leave for ages 3-5.  Opening day is Satuday, Aug. 31, with scrimmage games Sat., Aug. 24.  Practices are Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  For more information, call the park at 398-5451.

Hernandez also said that there will be a bus departing Loma Alta Park on Sunday, June 23, for the Family Music Festival at the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia.  PIckup is at 2 PM, and return is at 8 PM.  Tickets to the event are $25 each, but the park has a limited number of free tickets available.  Call the park for more information.

Town council meeting tonight

The monthly meeting of the Altadena Town Council will be at 7 PM today at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive.  

Lots of reports on the agenda, as well as certifying the results of this month's election.  

 

Altadena Town Council Election Results

by Laura Monteros

The efforts of Eric Pierce and the folks at AltadenaElection.org paid off with a voter turnout of 543 citizens.  The largest turnout was in Census Tract 4603.01, where three candidates were in the race, and the smallest was the uncontested Census Tract 4613.

Ballots were counted at the Altadena Community Center by teams of volunteers who double-checked and in some cases, triple-checked results, and reported at 5 p.m.

Here are the tract-by-tract results; winners are in boldface.

4601
Gretchen B. Seager, 60

4602
Anny H. Liu, 21
William Malone, 73

4603.01
Nicole Ford, 61
Damon Lamont Hobdy, 91
Richard Jerez, 5

4603.2
No candidate

4610
Carrie Eastman, 18
Brent Musson, 34

4611
Amy Cienfuegos, 32
Michael John May-Devey, 27
Dale Alan Parks, 2

4612
Harold “Jamie” Bissner, 21
Bill Ward, 71

4613
Sylvia Vega, 20

Invalid ballots, 7

Last year, only 78 votes were cast in all. In 2011, 351 votes were cast, and in 2010, 739 ballots were cast.

One more withdrawal from Town Council election

by TImothy Rutt

The Altadena Election's Facebook page posted a message Wednesday afternoon signed Dale Parks, who was one of three candidates for the seat at CT 4611.

The message reads:

Due to the recent death of my father and ensuing family matters I feel I will not be able to focus on my candidacy for the Altadena Council. I have decided to withdraw from the race because at his time I will not be able to contribute the time and energy the position deserves. I wish the other candidates the best of luck.
Dale Parks

Town council election committee looking for volunteers Saturday

From Eric Pierce, chair of the Altadena town council election committee:

The 2013 Altadena Town Council Election is just a few days away and we still have many volunteer slots to fill.  The elections are onSaturday, June 8th, and there are volunteer opportunities all over Altadena.  Time slots are in two hour increments, so you don't need to worry about losing your Saturday, and it's a great way to get out and meet your neighbors!

We have a great number of active and inspired candidates running, so we need lots of volunteer help in order to keep the election running smoothly.  To view a map of polling sites, a volunteer orientation video and a sign-up page, just go to AltadenaElection.org

Town council elections in less than two weeks

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council elections will be Saturday, June 8 (with "early voting" to take place on Tuesday, June 4), and activity is gearing up for that.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 29, Neighbors Building a Better Altadena will be sponsoring a candidate's forum at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive.  All 16 candidates have been invited to answer a selection of questions, and NBBA says there will be time to take questions from the audience.  The forum starts at 7 PM.

Pre-voting, for those who are unable to vote on the Saturday election, will be held at the community center from 5 PM-9 PM on June 4.  

We have opened our annual Town Council Elections page with a list of candidates, polling places, and census tract boundaries.  As in years past, we are offering space on that page to any candidates who wish to say anything that goes beyond the candidate statement they submitted when they filed (the sales pitch, in other words).   For more information, also check the official Altadena Elections page.

NBBA to host town council candidate forum May 29

by Timothy Rutt

Neighbors Building a Better Altadena (NBBA) has announced that it will host a candidate forum for Altadena Town Council candidates at the Community Center on Wed., May 29.

According to NBBA, all 17 candidates have been invited, and will be asked to respond to questions provided ahead of time as well as take questions from the audience.  Marge NIchols will moderate.

"Our goal in hosting the Forum is to increase participation in Altadena's most local election.  We wanted to offer the opportunity for Altadenans to come together to talk about our future," according to Nicole Moore of NBBA.

The forum will be held from 7-8:30 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.  The election is Saturday, June 8.

For more information about the Candidate Forum or Neighbors Building a Better Altadena: mail@buildingabetteraltadena.org or call 626-344-7806

Sign of the times: mammoth Altadena election sign needs a home

Won't you give this sign a home?

by Timothy Rutt

The upcoming Altadena Town Council elections have a home in cyberspace: they have a website, they’re on Facebook and they have a Twitter account (@AltadenaElect) .  It’s just hard finding room in the real world.

The election committee is looking for a home for its 45 ft. banner.

As it says on their Facebook page, the usual draping over Lake Avenue isn’t happening this year: “For a variety of reasons, the county will no longer waive fees, deposits, liability insurance, etc. and a bonded installer with equipment will need to put it up and take it down.”

 

Election sign at Allen Avenue south of Washington Boulevard. Photo: Hugo Arteaga.

For an election that is being done on the cheap -- as it is every year, because it really has no budget -- this is not possible.

 

What other options are there? “Our hope was to find a location on private property, but that has proven to be harder than we had imagined.”

If you can help out, contact chair@AltadenaElection.org

Meanwhile, the 24x24 Hugo Arteaga-designed signs are doing well -- in fact, three of them have been stolen.

Altadena Town Council receives updates from Edison, MonteCedro

by Timothy Rutt

Doesn't look like there's any action at the April Altadena town Council meeting, but there will be reports and updates from Southern California Edison, MonteCedro, and Athens Waste.

The Altadena Town Council meets Tuesday, April 16 at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Agenda after the jump.

Town Council holds annual joint meeting with PUSD board March 19

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council will host the board of the Pasadena Unified School District at its regular meeting Tuesday, March 29.

The annual joint meeting will largely look at joint concerns of both bodies, including educating the residents of group homes, funding a school resource officer, the African American male success initiative, and the effect of Prop. 30.

The meeting will be held at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., starting at 7 PM.

 

Town council says no to moratorium

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council said “no” to a six month moratorium on development on Lake Avenue, or anywhere else, at Tuesday night’s town council meeting.

Following about a total hour and a half of public comments and discussion, where the council members sometimes exchanged tart words among themselves, the council turned down a motion by councilman Jamie Bissner to impose a six month, townwide moratorium on commercial development while new community standards are being drawn up.  Despite Bissner adding the proviso that the moratorium could be superceded by the Land Use Committee or Town Council as they desire, the measure went down to defeat.

The council then passed a follow-up motion by councilmember Diane Marcussen to specifically NOT request a moratorium from the county Board of Supervisors. 

Councilmembers opposed to the moratorium pointed out that it would be ineffective, anyway -- community standards are currently being updated by a town council committee, and are probably two years away from being put into action.  Any development until then would have to be governed by the current community standards.

They also pointed out that, in practical fact, the moratorium would only be imposed on development of the empty lot at Lake Avenue and Calaveras Street.  That lot is owned by the same company that owns the Walmart Neighborhood Market lot on Lincoln Avenue.  Local anti-Walmart activistis have been pushing for the moratorium, fearing that the lot will be developed into another Neighborhood Market.

Land Use Committee punts temporary moratorium to Town Council

Gene Detchemendy of the Charles Company explains his plans for the Lake/Calavaras property at the Land Use Committee Tuesday night.

by Timothy Rutt

 

The Altadena Land Use Committee -- rather than give a thumb’s up or down to a North Lake Avenue building moratorium -- kicked the can to the town council instead.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the LUC heard spent over an hour listening to comments and discussing the idea, pushed by Neighbors Building a Better Altadena, that a temporary moratorium be imposed on commercial development above 15,000 square feet.  

Barbie Ishida of NBBA told the LUC, “We are in support of a temporary moratorium of large scale commercial development in the Lake Avenue corridor to avoid having big projects get underway while community standards are still being reviewed by the town council’s Community Standards Committee.”

(NBBA’s proposal will only affect North Lake Avenue.  Another local anti-Walmart group, SaveAltadena, has been pushing for a separate, county-wide moratorium on big retail chains.)

The Community Standards Committee is currently working to update the rules governing business and retail buildings in Altadena, which were last updated in 1986.  

Deferring decision
Tuesday night’s plan was for the LUC to send a recommendation to the council to approve or disapprove of a moratorium, but in the end they punted. The committee went with a motion by LUC member Bernardean Broadus, who is also the Town Council chair, that the matter be sent to the Town Council without a recommendation in order to get more community input at the Feb. 19 town council meeting.

The temporary moratorium proposed by NBBA would in fact only affect one property in Altadena: the vacant lot at Lake Avenue and Calaveras Street.

Altadena Town Council: the rundown

The Bright Futures Scholars were honored at the Jan. 15 Altadena Town Council meeting for Scholar's Month.

by Timothy Rutt

In other news of note from Tuesday's town council meeting:

• The annual joint meeting between the Altadena Town Council and the Pasadena Unified School District Board will be March 19
• Officer Kevin Denmon of the California Highway Patrol said that the fatal accident on Dec. 21, 2012 on Mendocino Street is stil under investigation. Robert Frank Ott, 54, former CEO of Claim Jumper Restaurants, was struck by a car while jogging near the Altadena Golf Course that morning.  A 58-year-old San Marino man was identified as the driver, but no charges have yet been filed.

 

Related articles

Town council wants local hearings on day care center site

Captain to make plea for resource officer for Altadena schools

Daycare center plan earns ire of neighbors, town council

Altadena Town Council meeting Tues.: meter changes, standards committee

Council sets up community standards committee

Town council meeting tonight, 7 PM at the Community Center

NBBA pushes for Lake Avenue moratorium at town council meeting

by Timothy Rutt

One of Altadena’s anti-Walmart groups is pushing for a moratorium on development along the Lake Avenue business district until new community standards are in place.

Members of Neighbors Building a Better Alltadena spoke at the Altadena Town Council meeting Tuesday, urging that development along Lake Avenue be put under a temporary moratorium until Altadena’s community standards are updated.  There is a town council committee that is currently meeting to update the 1986-era standards that govern residential and commercial development in Altadena.

Another anti-Walmart group, SaveAltadena, presented a petition to the county Board of Supervisors asking for a moratorium on large chain stores countywide.  The supervisors, not wanting to put a countywide ban in place, sent it back to the Town Council to take the temperature of the community about whether there should be a ban on large development in Altadena.  Council chair Bernardean Broadus said that the council will take comments at the Jan.15 meeting, the next Land Use Committee meeting on Feb. 5, and the next town council meeting Feb. 19.

NBBA, however, is only asking for a restricton on the Lake Avenue business district.  Citing the change of ownership of the old Blockbuster building, the rumored sale of the Webster complex, and the empty lot at Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street that is now being reviewed for potential development, NBBA speakers said that they opposed large scale development on the Lake Avenue corridor while the community standards are being reviewed.

“NBBA wants to support the Community Standards Committee's research and community outreach,” it said in a Jan. 14 email to members. “We strongly support a temporary halt to large commercial development on Lake Avenue until the Community Standards Committee completes its work and makes its recommendations for updating the 1986 guidelines to the Town Council. The Council will ratify those recommendations and forward them to the County Board of Supervisors.”

NBBA, which has taken a stand against the Walmart Neighborhood Market now under construction at Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Street, has also expressed concern about rumors that Walmart is looking at the Lake/Calavaras location for a second Neighborhood Market.

 

 

Related articles

Survey: Neighborhood Market at Lake & Calavaras, or not?

Altadena Heritage members oppose second Walmart location

ACONA, others still waiting for answers from Walmart

Top ten Altadena stories of 2012

Altadena Town Council meeting Tues.: meter changes, standards committee

Council sets up community standards committee

Captain to make plea for resource officer for Altadena schools

by Timothy Rutt

Altadena Sheriff Capt. John S. Benedict told the town council Tuesday night that he was going to meet with school district officials Friday to discuss stationing a school resource officer in Altadena.

Motivated in part by the recent wave of gang-related shootings in Altadena and Pasadena, and the shootings of school children in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Benedict told the council that he was looking for the community's help to encourage the district to station a school resource deputy at Eliot Middle School, who would be available to the elementary schools as well.

Benedict plans to meet with Pasadena Unified School District Director of Child Welfare, Attendence, and Safety Eric Sahakian on Friday to make the case.  Benedict said that some schools in Pasadena already had resource officers in place.

Benedict told the council that a school resource officer has special skills and training, and his or her major job would be "building relationships and trust with students," and providing programs on safety, leadership, ethics, and building a better community.

Benedict told Altadenablog that a school resource officer would cost $158,000 a year, with the cost of salary, benefits, training and a vehicle.  It would be a "contract item" with the Pasadena Unified School District, Benedict said, where the district would contract with the sheriff's department for the deputy.  Benedict said that sometimes such officers were funded by grants or other outside source funding.  

"Eliot is our primary middle school, and a feeder to the Pasadena high schools," Benedict told Altadenablog.  "That would be home base, but he or she would be responsible for covering the base, and the elementaries, and Focus Point Academy."  

Benedict said that Eliot Principal Lorena Martinez said that the school could provide the required office space for the officer.  

 

 

Altadena Town Council meeting Tues.: meter changes, standards committee

The Altadena Town Council will have its final meeting of the year on Tues., Dec. 17, starting at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Among the items on the agenda are the members of the new Aladena Community Standards subcommittee (which hope to implement some of the suggestions from the recent Visioning Report) and a presentation from Southern California Gas Co. on new gas meter registers that will be installed starting next year.

Full schedule is after the jump.

Town council meeting tonight, 7 PM at the Community Center

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council will hold its monthly meeting tonight, Nov. 20, starting at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Of interest on the agenda is a hearing for the Coffee Gallery's renewal of its conditional use permit; and a hearing on the child care center proposed for  3311 N. Lincoln Ave.  

A presentation on "smart meters" by the Southern California Gas Co. has been removed from the agenda.

 

Town council education committee meeting tonight, 6 PM

by Timothy Rutt

The education subcommitee of the Altadena Town Council will meet tonight at 6 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Eric Sahakian, PUSD Director of Child Welfare, Attendance, and Safety will speak at the meeting.

October town council meeting highlights

Highlights of Tuesday's Altadena Town Council meeting:

State of the state: Assemblyman Anthony Portantino delivered his final “state of the state” report to the council, detailing some of the bills he has introduced during his time in office: umbilical cord blood bank, banning open carry of empty weapons, encouraging younger women to get mammograms, and making legislators pay for vanity plates.  Portantino also touted the new plan that Southern California Edison must discuss disaster preparedness plans every five years with government agencies (lack of such information was a sticking point during last year’s windstorm blackout).  Portantino, who received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation, opted not to run for office this cycle after state assembly and senate district boundaries were redrawn.

Sheriff: Altadena Sheriff Capt. John S. Benedict said there was an overall six percent reduction in property crimes last month, althought there was still a problem with larceny thefts (i.e. vehicle burglaries).  Benedict said there was a slight decrease in residential burglaries, and several notable arrests on charges of burglary and receiving stolen property.

Visioning subcommittee: The council agreed to move ahead to form a subcommittee to take information in the Altadena visioning process to update the town’s community standards for residential and commercial buildings.  Councilman Jamie Bissner said that the council was looking for people with some professional backgrounds -- such as archtecture and real estate -- that they could bring to bear to update the community standards and put an end to the stream of code violations that are hampering local businesses.  Bissner said that they were also looking for representatives from the council, Altadena Heritage, and the Altadena Chamber of Commerce to sit on the subcommittee.

Bissner said that he wanted the committee to develop its plan by six months after formation.  After its recommendations have been vetted by the council and submitted to the county, it could take 18 months or more for the new standards to be approved, Bissner said.  The last time, in 1986, it took “a couple of years,” Bissner said.

Coffee Gallery Backstage extended hours: The council approved an application by the Coffee Gallery Backstage to extend its hours of operation.  The performance venue wanted to extend its hours to 6:30-11 PM, and matinees on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 PM. The reason for the extended hours was to be available for special events -- for example, sometimes touring musicians performing at the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theater, or other venue can come in afterward for a small venue show at the Coffee Gallery (Pat Donohue, guitarist for Garrison Keillor’s Prarie Home Companion program, will usually fit in a Coffee Gallery show when he’s in town for a live broadcast).  The council also went with a Land Use Committee recommendation that a parking attendent be in place for these special shows to keep people from parking on Morada.  The application now gets bumped up to the county Planning Commission.

Town council Oct. 16: another Walmart presentation

by Timothy Rutt

Altadena Town Council chair Bernardean Broadus has shared the preliminary agenda for this month's town council meeting on Tues., Oct. 16.

The major event will be a presentation with public comments allowed by Walmart spokesman Javier Angulo and Altadena Neighborhood Market manager Jennifer Gonzales.

The meeting starts at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.  Agenda after the jump.

Subdued town council meeting looks at trees, planning issues

by Timothy Rutt

In action at Tuesday night’s town council meeting:

Trees on Woodbury: The council voted to send a letter to Supv. Michael D. Antonovich, urging him to put up trees in the Woodbury Road corridor if funding can be found.  The county is already spending $1.3 million improving the median and constructing bike lanes along western Woodbury Road, but residents (led by Altadena Heritage) have proposed adding street trees along the parkways,  the areas between the sidewalks and the street.

Mark Goldschmidt, president of Altadena Heritage, told the council that Woodbury is a gateway to Altadena and generates 40,000 car trips per day.  When Woodbury was widened in the 1960’s, many parkway trees were removed and never replaced.  Altadena Heritage has been urging new planting along the corridor to make a tree-lined gateway to and from west Altadena.

According to council member Diane Marcussen, county public works has surveyed 70% of Woodbury Road and identified a number of locations where trees could go on the parkway.  Placing some of these trees would involve lifting cement in certain places and the need to assure that there is no conflict with utility lines.  In addition, for a tree to go in, there must be an agreement from  the adjacent property owner to take care for the tree as it takes root.

Such a project would be separate from the $100,000 grant to plant replacement trees following the 2011 windstorm.  The county is paying for 208 trees that have been removed from the county’s inventory over the years, not all of them because of wind damage.  Altadena Heritage has expressed concerns that the replacement trees heavily favor locations in East Altadena, instead of the more tree-barren West Altadena.

The letter to Antonovich will also thank him for the tree grant and the landscaping along the Woodbury corridor.

Permit requests: The council approved two conditional use permit requests:  The building on 2511 Washington Blvd. (Phoenix Pharmacy is the major retailer there) is looking to build a new façade on the building and give it a facelift.  The request was to continue to authorize the permit for the building’s mixed use (commercial and residential).  

The council also approved sending along a request for a CUP for the continued operation of the Weizmann School at the Pasadena Jewish Temple, 1424 N. Altadena Dr.  Both requests are being sent on to the county planning commission and finally the board of supervisors, which will give final approval.

Education committee: The council also heard a report from Monica Hubbard of the town council education committee, looking at the goals and plans for the coming year.  One of the particular issues identified in Altadena is the large number of group homes.  Group home students place special demands on classrooms, and often school districts don’t provide adequate resources to meet their needs, Hubbard said.  One of the goals of the committee is to make recommendations for additional support for such students.

 

 

Walmart presentation packs the house at town council meeting

 by Timothy Rutt

Over 100 souls packed the house at the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night, and even with a full agenda for the evening, most of them had one thing on their mind: Walmart.

Walmart representatives were there to make a presentation on the Neighborhood Market currently under construction at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Drive,.  Critics were also there in force to ask questions, while others asked for favors, such as local jobs, or a market for local growers.

Walmart spokesman Javier Angulo said that Walmart made taken an effort to move forward in areas that need access to fresh grocieries and durable goods. Argula quoted an LA Times article from 2011 that called northwest Pasadena a “food desert,” and that there were only three grocery stores serving 42,000 residents.

One of several flyers circulated in the meeting by Walmart opponents took issue with that figure, pointing out that there were two supermarkets within a mile of the Walmart location (Baja Ranch and Super King), as well as a Ralphs in Altadena and several smaller markets (such as Armen Grocery, Bo’s Altadena Market, and others).  The flyer counted ten supermarkets within a one to five mile radius and 11 smaller grocery stores (altho’ Armen was double-counted, as a grocery store and as a “supermarket” under its previous ownership as Altadena Food Fair).  The counts included markets in La Canada and Pasadena.

Walmart presentation at next week's Town Council Meeting

by Timothy Rutt

A presentation from Walmart will be the big event at next week's meeting of the Altadena Town Council.

In addition to the usual reports and transferring power -- several councilmembers are ending their terms and others will start theirs during next week's meeting -- there will be a scheduled presentation about the Walmart Neighborhood Market.

The council will meet at 7 PM Tues., July 17, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

 

Altadena Town Council: June meeting highlights

 

John Hopkins, center, owner of O Happy Days health food store, received a Community Service Award from the Altadena Town Council on Tues., June 19. He is flanked by councilmembers Allen Wasserman and Amy Cienfuegos.

 

by Timothy Rutt

Some highlights from Tuesday’s Altadena Town Council meeting:

• Park After Dark:  this summer’s evening program at Loma Alta Park runs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from July 5 to Aug. 25, and came up a couple of times during the meeting.
  
  Meliza Hernandez, recreation services manager at Loma Alta Park, said that the program includes many family activities as well as a resouce fair on July 19.  Altadena Sheriff Capt. John Benedict said that that deputies would also be participating in the evenings, with the sheriff department’s Parks Bureau  providing policing services. The sheriff’s department will also bring people from Loma Alta Park to Altadena Sheriff Station for tours, helped by the sheriff station’s Explorers.
• Election certified:  the council certified June 9’s town council election. Election chair Eric Pierce said that there were 78 ballots cast, with seven ruled invalid (two had write-ins, two had no candidates marked, and three had candidates marked in the incorrect census tract).  There were no violations of rules, and no challenges to result, and the whole election cost $153.41.  Pierce recommended that the council review its rules to see if an election is mandatory, even if there are no real races.  This year, two census tracts fielded no candidates at all, and the other six tracts had a single, unopposed candidate.
• Chamber events:  Ed Meyers of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce said that the chamber was partnering with SCORE, offering one-on-one small business advice. To set up a consultation, contact the chamber.
  
  The chamber is also sponsoring “Fireworks and Food Trucks,” with food trucks available at the parking lot of the Altadena Golf Course before the July 2 fireworks display.  Parking for that event is in the lot or on the street.
  
  Meyers said that he chamber is also looking for opportunities to provide more parking in the Lake Avenue business district.  Right now they are working with county public works to relocate some bus stops to open up more parking spots on Lake Avenue.
• Summer camp:  The parks department’s Hernandez said that there were still some spots available at county park summer camps.  Charles White Park’s summer day camp runs from 9 AM to 6 PM, and costs $25 per child per week plus the cost of field trips.  Farnsworth Park’s summer day camp is from 8 AM-6 PM, and costs $65 per week.  The camps are open to children ages six to twelve.

 

 

 

Town council June meeting 7 PM tonight

The Altadena Town Council meets at 7 PM tonight at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Not much action to be taken tonight, but there will be a report on the Altadena visioning process and this month's Town Council election (such as it was).

John Hopkins of  Oh Happy Days Health Food Café and Market will also receive a community service award.

UPDATE:  Council recording secretary Greg Middleton says that the report on the visioning meeting has been rescheduled to next montn.

 

Town council education committee seeking members

The Altadena Town Council is seeking members for its new committee on public education.

According to a release, the purpose of the committee is "to review and deliberate on matters related to the public schools situated in Altadena and to Altadena students and their families, and to help inform, involve and engage the wider Altadena community in Altadena's public schools. The committee makes recommendations for action to the Town Council which in turn and in writing, may make recommendations to the PUSD School Board, the Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor or the Los Angeles County Office of Education."

They are seeking members for three at-large positions and from census tracts CT4601, CT 4603.01,  CT 4603.02, CT 4610 and CT 4613.

Application forms are available after the jump.  The form may be delivered or mailed to: Altadena Town Council, Public Education Committee, Attn: Amy Cienfuegos, 730 E Altadena Dr, Altadena, CA 91001.  Forms should be submitted no later than May 4.

Councilman opens Altadena jobs board -- and one (unpaid) job

by Timothy Rutt

Looking for a job?  Looking for an employee?  Now Altadena has a place for that.

Town councilman Brent Musson has opened up a job board on his personal website. "The job board is free for people to post jobs, and free for people to apply for jobs," Musson said.  "It's  designed as a service to the Altadena community so they can hire Altadena residents."

It's not a full-service Monster.com type site, but Musson says "it''s a moderate-featured site … the businesses that want to post jobs can create their own profile and login, and post a job.  THey can choose to set the job up so that a person can attach their resume when they apply -- or not -- and then the applicants can also just go in and create their own profile, which will include their resume."

The first job posted -- actually an unpaid internship -- is from Musson himself.

"As a former PTA president at Blair (High School), I'm fully aware that every graduating senior in PUSD has to show community service as part of their requirement to graduate -- and what better place to volunteer than at town council?"

Council hears of community visioning plan, looking for commercial area survey

by Timothy Rutt

Mina Brown of RBF Consulting told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night about the visioning workshops that will be part of the plan to update Altadena’s Community Standards District (CSD).  The workshops will be held on Wednesdays, April 4 and 25 at the gymnasium at Loma Alta Park, with a final workshop on June 6.  All workshops are from 7 to 9 PM.

Brown said that a postcard announcing the workshops will be mailed to every property in Altadena within the next few days.

In response to councilmember Gino Sund’s comment that the meetings should take place in other locations to allow more participation, Brown said that the visioning process would involve people working in groups around tables, and the park gym was “the biggest room in Altadena.”

Brown said that RBF, which is holding the workshops for the county Community Development Commission, had already met with the council’s Land Use Committee and Altadena Heritage, and was looking to meet with other organizations that ‘have a large representation in the community.”

In a related move, Mark Goldschmidt, president of Altadena Heritage and chair of the council’s Land Use Committee, talked about the committee’s efforts to create two committees in 2010, looking at residential and commercial properties.  While the commercial committee hadn’t accomplished anything, Goldschmidt said that the residential committee came up with ideas on how to handle such planning issues as setback rules and building swimming pools and spas.

Councilman Doug Colliflower said that one of the Land Use Committee’s suggests was to form a new commercial area subcommittee that would divide into teams, with each team looking at specific commercial areas.  Colliflower said that they were looking for members of the community who could make a commitment to look into a specific area, walk through it, and commit to five evening meetings over the next two months.  If interested in the committee, contact Goldschmidt at 798-8682 or mgdesign@sbcglobal.net or Colliflower at 626-797-8441 ext 205 or doug.colliflower@altadenatowncouncil.org.

 

 

 

PUSD, Town Council plan joint meeting March 3

by Timothy Rutt

The Altadena Town Council and the Pasadena Unified School District Board will have their annual joint meeting on Sat., March 3, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., from 9:30-11:30 AM.

There will be a public comment period for PUSD parents and community members, as well as a resouce table for parents and students.  Refreshments will be provided by the Altadena NAACP education committee.

 

Town council rejects Arroyo Pacific Academy bid a second time

by Timothy Rutt

Pictured: the property at 183 E. Palm that Arroyo Pacific Academy wants for a satellite arts campus.

The Altadena Town Council rejected Arroyo Pacific Academy’s second bid to put a high school on 183 East Palm St.

The council went along with the Land Use Committee’s recommendation earlier this month to reject a conditional use permit for the high school, which would be an arts-centered satellite campus to the private Arcadia-based school.  The council will make that recommendation to the county board of supervisors, which has the final say.

Arroyo Pacific Academy President Philip Clarke said after the meeting that “we’re preparing for the next step in the process, the hearing with the supervisors April 4.”

Town council chair Sandra Thomas held to a strict format Tuesday night: eight minutes for Arroyo Pacific to make its case, ten minutes for opposing viewpoints, and two minutes for the school to rebut.

Clarke said that the school was going to hold no more than 200 students at a time, starting at 80 the first year and ramping up to 200 by the third year.  There would be a maximum of 17 teachers and administrators and three staff members on campus.

Arroyo Pacific presented figures showing that the majority of letters about the school supported it.  However, the neighborhood group that would be affected by the school disputed Arroyo Pacific’s figures.

Coleen Sterritt of the Palm Street Area Residents' Association (PSARA) called Arroyo Pacific’s number “misleading.”  She and PSARA member Nancy Rothwell viewed letters to county regional planning in the case file and found 455 letters in opposition and 281 supporting.

Council warned about growing unlawful occupancy of vacant houses

by Timothy Rutt

Two disabled Altadena women in danger of getting their water cut off will likely come to some accommodation with Lincoln Avenue Water Co, but the utility‘s general manager warned the Altadena town council that there was a growing problem with unlawfully occupied homes on the west side of town.

Bob Hayward, general manager for the Lincoln Avenue Water Company, told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday that there appeared to be an organized effort to remove “For Sale” signs from vacant property and illegally offer them as rental units.  Unlawful occupation -- where a non-owner takes control of a vacant or foreclosed home and rents it out to an unsuspecting tenant -- is a growing problem in their service area, Hayward said.

Hayward said that a foreclosed, vacant property will usually still have utilities running, to keep up the lawn and make a it look occupied. 

“The problem is twofold,” Hayward told the council Tuesday night.  By the time the water company is aware of the occupancy, the tenants have been living there for some time and feel they have a legitimate right to be on the property, even though there’s been no accommodation for paying utilities, Hayward said. When the legal owners request that water service be shut off, tenants have a hard time coming up with a standard deposit to establish water service.

Hayward was challenged by Marjorie McNary and Mary O’Connor, two disabled women who are renting a home and guest house on Casitas Avenue.  Hayward told Altadenablog last week that the owner of their property requested that the water be shut off, and that the company would require a $500 deposit to restore service.  Both women have said that they don’t have the funds to make that deposit.  The water was shut off last week at the request of the property owner, and then restored after political pressure.

Water was to be shut off again Tuesday afternoon, but Hayward said the water company agreed to another 24 hours to allow the women to come up with the deposit.

After the meeting, O’Connor said that the women had only managed to get $100 together for a deposit, but $150 was donated to them during the course of the evening.  O’Connor said that Hayward agreed to keep the water on as long as the remaining $250 deposit was paid next month.

Hayward said that Lincoln Avenue Water has 4,500 customers, and “month in and month out we have 1,500 customers -- almost 30% -- have a problem paying their water bill in a timely manner.”  Most are able to make an arrangement to keep their water service on, but some have no means of paying the water bill at all, and “it will be a disservice to those who do pay their water bill” to let them slide.

We reported last week that McNary and O’Connor were renting the property from someone who apparently did not represent the legal owner, which has instigated eviction proceedings.  Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean told the council Tuesday night that unlawful occupancy was “starting to happen” in Altadena, and that the two women’s case was being investigated as a fraud.

Altadena Town Council: the December rundown

Baja Ranch Market was named business of the month for CT 4603.02 at Tuesday night's Altadena Town Council meeting.  From left to right: Baja Ranch's Michael Anthony, store manager Enriqueta Sulub, census tract representatives Ken Roberts and Dr. Sandra Thomas, and market owner Aner Iglesias.

by Timothy Rutt

At Tuesday night's Altadena Town Council meeting:

• Gene Stevenson resigned as town council member for CT 4603.01.  Stevenson was only named to the position in October 2011.  Anyone interested in filling out the term (which expires in 2012) should contact the other census tract representative, Doug Colliflower, at doug.colliflower@altadenatowncouncil.org, or 626-797-8441 ext 205.
• The council revealed the winner of the Altadena flag competition.  Unfortunately, the full page printed graphic we were provided is quite pixel-y and doesn’t reproduce well.  It isn’t on the town council website either.  We can tell you it’s the town seal on a white background with eight stars above it (representing the census tracts) and a green stripe on the bottom with “ALTADENA, CA” in gold san serif caps in an uninteresting font.  And “CA” is an abbreviation used by the postal service with ZIP codes in mind -- it isn’t really a state abbreviation.  Outside of some districts in San Diego and Alabama, and some street names elsewhere, there is no other Altadena, so why have the state abbreviation, anyway?  (/soapbox off).
• Altadena Sheriff Lt. Duane Allen gave some end of year statistics: crime is down 25.1 percent overall, with burglaries down 26.8 percent  Robberies are down 5 percent, assaults down 24.8 percent, about 25 percent for larceny/theft, and 38 percent drop in grand theft auto.
  
  Allen said that people are still leaving valuables in their cars, making them a target for thieves.  Allen also said that a burglary was thwarted last week by an alert resident who saw suspicious persons in their neighbor’s yard and called the sheriff.
• Meliza Hernandez of the county Parks and Recreation Department said that they were taking signups for basketball leagues at Charles White and Loma Alta parks.  There was also a walking club aimed at seniors that meets at Charles White from 7-9 AM in the morning, and a new disc golf activity that meets in the afternoon after school.   Friends of Charles White Park will meet at 5 PM Jan. 10 at the park.

 

Fences, Arroyo Pacific, street lights discussed at town council this week

by Timothy Rutt

Not much action, but lots of information items at Tuesday night’s town council meeting:

Taking the of-fence-ive:  The latest code-bombing target: there are over 1,500 front yard fences in Altadena that are more than three and a half feet high and violate county codes, and it was determined that the majority of them were not legally permitted.  The solution for homeowners: remove them, or apply for a conditional use permit.  Cost: more than $8,000 -- more than the fence.

Town council chair Sandra Thomas shared a letter from Supervisor Micheal D. Antonovich giving this information to the council.  Antonovich has asked regional planning authorities to hold off enforcing this regulation until an invesigation is done.  Right now, Thomas said, there’s nothing to do about it.  The county has hired a consultant to work to update the community stndards district that covers Altadena, so it’s now a waiting game to see what will happen.

Arroyo Pacific, again: The Arroyo Pacific Academy -- the Arcadia private school that wants to open a campus on Palm Street, over strong neighborhood opposition -- was asking for a second bite of the apple.  The Altadena Land Use Committee and Town Councl both turned down APA President Philip Clarke’s request to open a second campus on Palm earlier this year.  Clarke requested a joint meeting of the Land Use Committee and the Council to clear up misconceptions about the project and discuss proposed changes to the project as originally submitted.  Thomas said that over 300 letters had come in on the issue in the past few days on the project.

The council said that they were willing to listen, but opted not to call a special joint meeting -- they want the school to follow the regular procedure which people are familiar with: land use, then council.

Street light improvement district: There will be a community planning meeting at the Altadena Community Center on Dec. 7 to talk about a proposed street lighting project (replacing lights) in several eastern neighborhoods. 

 

Town council chooses Gene Stevenson to fill vacant seat

by Timothy Rutt

At Tuesday night's town council meeting, Gene Stevenson was chosen to fill the vacant council seat in CT 4603.01.

Stevenson has a full career of achievements and community activism.  He has been an executive in county and private nonprofit health care organizations in California and Florida, is a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army in active and reserve military service, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, where he received leadership training in the Officer Candidate School and at the Army Medical Department's Academy of Health Sciences.

Stevenson ran unsuccessfully last year for a seat on the Pasadena Unified School Board. 

A native of Sherveport, LA, Stevenson received degreees from Los Angeles City College and California State University.  He also has master's degrees in business and social work.

An Altadena resident for over 40 years, Stevenson is co-founder of the Altadena Arts Council with his wife Mary Ann.  

Stevenson replaces Alice Wessen, who resigned several months ago.  The seat will be up for election in 2012.

Altadena Town Council meeting to feature Portantino

The Altadena Town Council will hold its monthly meeting this coming Tues., Oct. 18, starting at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

A couple of highlights: Assemblyman Anthony Portantino will offer his State of the State address (and it should be a good one!); and the Altadena representatives on the Pasadena Unified School District redistricting committee will also give a report.

The new Business of the Month award will go to Webster's Community Pharmacy and Webster's Fine Stationers in CT 4601.

The council will also consider a replacement for the unexpired term of former councilmember Alice Wessen in CT 4603.02.

 

Town council turns down permit for Arroyo Pacific Academy

Pictured: opponents of a school on Palm Street showed solidarity by wearing red at Tuesday night's town council meeting.

by Timothy Rutt

The Arroyo Pacific Academy’s petition for a conditional use permit for its Palm Street location was voted down by the Altadena Town Council tonight.

Just like the land use committee meeting two weeks ago, the community center was packed with supporters and opponents of the school. However, there weren't the emotional outbursts that characterized the Sept. 6 meeting.

Council chair Sandra Thomas ran the meeting with a strict hand:  Arroyo Pacific Acadey owner Philip Clarke had seven minutes to make his case.  He could follow with three supporters, three minutes each.  The opposition could field four speakers, three minutes each.  Clarke then had three minutes to make a final statement.

Clarke largely demurred to his land use attorney, Liz Hanks. Hanks wanted to clarify that schools were a conditionally permitted use in a location zoned for a single family residence, and responded to several statements made at the land use committee meeting.

Coleen Sterritt of the Palm Street Area Resident’s Association (PSARA), which opposes the school, reiterated the resident’s theme that they’ve already endured a school on the property in 2008-2009, and know from experience that it won’t work.  Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School operated on the property that year without permits and was closed down by the county.

Council hears about living with coyotes in Altadena

by Timothy Rutt

Yes, there are more coyotes -- and no, there’s not much that can be done about it.

In fact, a county official told the Altadena Town Council: “This is a kind of a dangerous place for small pets --- there’s nothing that’s going to change that.”

Raymond Smith told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night that Altadena’s coyotes are not necessarily refugees from the Station Fire, as is commonly assumed: Altadena’s coyotes are “wild, but they’re not some kind of pack that would normally live in the Angeles National Forest --- they’re urban coyotes, and they live amongst us.”

Coyotes: your neighbors
Coyotes are one of the animals that do very well next to people, said Smith, the deputy director of the Weed, Hazard, and Pest Management Bureau at the state Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures.  Where the urban and wild interface meet, Smith said, the number of coyotes can be 15 times what can be carried in the wild. Homes and neighborhoods bring water, shade, shelter, food sources such as fruit, trash, and the occasional pet -- all things that increase the land’s carrying capacity for coyotes.

In fact, Smith said, because of urbanization, there are “more coyotes now than ever before in the history of the world, both in numbers and in colonization.” 

Coyotes, community festival at town council meeting Tuesday night

The Altadena Town Council monthly meeting starts at 7 PM Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Up on the agenda are a presentation by Raymond Smith, deputy director of the Weed, Hazard, and Pest Management Bureau who will talk about the coyote problem.

Also: Phlunte Riddle (public information officer for the Pasadena Police Dept.) will talk about the Altadena City-wide Outreach and Festival organized by Abundant Harvest, to be held Sat., Sept. 10.

Also to be discussed is a replacement for councilmember Alice Wesson (CT 4603.01).

 

Musson, Middleton win by comfortable margins in light election turnout

Newcomer Brent Musson (CT 4610) and incumbent Greg Middleton (CT 4602) won the only contested races in the Altadena Town Council election today,  in an election that largely returned familiar faces to the council.

Other newcomers -- who were in uncontested elections -- are Gretchen Seager and Amy Cienfuegos.

There were 351 ballots cast in the election, of which the hard-campaigning Musson garnered the most of any single candidate.  In addition, the majority of votes for Musson --53 -- were cast at the Altadena Library during pre-voting last Tuesday.

This was the lightest turnout for a town council election in recent years: 739 ballots were cast in 2010, compared to 484 in 2009 and 735 in 2008.

The results are:

Winners in bold; *=incumbent

CT 4601
Gretchen Seager 44

CT 4602
Greg Middleton* 54
Rebecca Haussling 36

CT 4603.01
Doug Colliflower* 13

CT 4603.02
Ken Roberts* 10

CT 4610
Gail Casburn 42
Brent Musson 87

CT 4611
Amy Cienfuegos 26

CT 4612
Jamie Bissner* 32

CT 4613
Lorie Judson* 7

Vacation-season town council meeting short and uneventful

Not much to report from Tuesday's Altadena Town Council meeting.  Due to vacations, there was not even a quorum present, so no action could be taken.

New councilmember Diane Marcussen of CT 4613 and the re-elected incumbents were sworn in by field deputy Rita Hadjimanoukian of Supv. Mike Antonovich's office, and the rump council sat to hear reports.

• Councilman Gino Sund said that the request for proposal had finally gone out to about 25 trash haulers who had expressed interest in servicing Altadena.  Their proposals will be due Aug. 23, followed by a process of selection and the county supervisors' approval of winning bidder.  The winning hauler will then have six months to get ready.  Sund said that it looks to be June of 2011 before new trash operations can start in town.
• The Altadena hillside ordinance has been passed by the regional planning commission, and is expected to go before the county supervisors July 27.
• Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean talked some more about the burglary wave, saying that another burglary suspect had been arrested that morning.  He also shared that, while his wife was recently shopping at Walmart, somebody had broken into their vehicle in the parking lot and stolen two rear seats in broad daylight.
  
  McLean reported that ten thefts from vehicles were reported last week, and that nine of the ten were open, including someone with their ID and a considerable amount of cash out in the open.
  
  McLean also said that he was working on a protocol with the Crescenta Valley station to insure a faster response to Altadena calls.  Crescenta Valley is handling Altadena calls while the Altadena station is undergoing a $1.3 million renovation.  While the station is supposed to be closed (except for a trailer office) for sixty days, McLean said his best guess was that renovations would actually be over by the end of the year.