City terminates 40-year contract with coal-powered Utah plant By Gus Herrera At their latest regular meeting, the Pasadena City Council approved two very different types of green-related items. First, council approved a set of commercial fees in preparation for the recently-adopted cannabis ballot measures (Measures CC and DD), which will go into full effect on…
PUSD Faces ‘Draconian’ Cuts After Significant Drop in Enrollment
Potential reductions include school closures; elimination of arts and sports programs By Gus Herrera “Draconian” cuts are once again back on the table for the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) following a shocking 500-student drop in enrollment. Just as the district’s financial woes were beginning to seem manageable, the light at the end of the…
Diet Averted: Pasadena Council Terminates Orange Grove Complete Streets Project
By Gus Herrera There are many popular diets out there today, but there’s one particular diet that many Pasadena residents could not wait to abandon: the infamous “Road Diet.” At their latest regular meeting, the Pasadena City Council gave the people what they wanted and unanimously approved City Manager Steve Mermell’s recommendation to remove the…
No Taxation Without Clarification
A voter’s guide to Pasadena’s Measure I By Gus Herrera With the Nov. 6 general election less than four weeks away, an election with a lengthy ballot including gubernatorial, senatorial, and congressional candidates, it can be easy to lose sight of measures that will certainly impact wallets right here in the City of Pasadena. Measure…
Hotel Homes for the Homeless in Pasadena?
Potential conversions to be reviewed on case-by-case basis By Gus Herrera The City of Pasadena has added a new weapon to their arsenal that will bolster the fight to end homelessness – at their latest meeting, the City Council approved amendments to the zoning code that will allow for the conversion of hotels/motels to affordable…
Pasadena Replaces ‘Darth Vader’ With ‘Old Town’ Architecture
New development links Old Town to the Civic Center and Paseo Colorado By Gus Herrera There are two new major developments on the horizon for the City of Pasadena – at their latest regular meeting, the City Council held predevelopment plan reviews (PPR) for massive projects that will surely change the landscape of their respective…
Colorado Street Bridge Emergency Fencing to be Completed – Sept. 27
City is hoping suicide rate goes down By Gus Herrera Following weeks of tense public opposition, the Desiderio Neighborhood Park project will proceed as planned after Councilmember Steve Madison was unable to rally five votes from his colleagues to re-agendize the matter for design review. The District 6 representative, who called for the vote on…
Pasadena Board of Education Hears Positive Budget News
By Gus Herrera Following a rough 2017-18 school year, the Pasadena Unified School District’s (PUSD) financial situation has begun to trend in a positive direction. At the board of education’s latest meeting, Chief Interim Business Officer Eva Lueck detailed various revisions to the budget that have resulted in net positives for the district going forward….