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WEEKLY
BY KYLE KHANDIKIAN The City of Pasadena Department of Transportation has convened this year to begin revisiting its existing Bicycle Master Plan, which describes Pasadena’s longrange planning for developing bicycle infrastructure. A new plan will look at the full range of actions Pasadena could take to improve biking conditions, and is expected to require more innovation as the city considers new bicycling treatments, amenities, and services. But the City also looks at being able to qualify for state and federal funds, particularly from Caltrans. This time around, however, organizers have announced that the City is looking to rewrite the plan altogether, and funding may be an issue. The current BMP, labeled “Century of Bikes,” which was adopted by City Council in November of 2000, aimed to provide a “safe and attractive environment” needed to promote bicycling as a means of transportation in Pasadena. Although 60lane miles were identified
“consolidating services, contracting services, or contracting specific operations within a department, specifically in the areas of Public Safety.” Sierra Madre City Manager Elaine Aguilar said that this request is “really the first step in the process” of contracting out services. The City Council authorized a formal request to Arca-
dia, Pasadena, and LA County on Tuesday July 14 at the City Council meeting. Although the City Council originally had no intention to request quotes from other agencies regarding the possibility of contracting out the fire safety services, Sierra Madre Fire Chief Stephen Heydorff requested that the fire department be included in the re-
Eastward Connections Still Absent from New Pasadena Bicycle Plan
-Photo By Terry Miller
with signage and stripes under the 2000 plan, residents, bicyclist and non-bicyclist, have complained that desig-
nated bike routes are located on busy, high-speed roads, are poorly maintained, not properly cleaned, and overall
Music Returns to Local Guitarist Thanks to the Kindness of Strangers and the Power of the Printed Word BY SUSAN MOTANDER &TERRY MILLER Last week Beacon Media News printed the story of musician and single dad Jake Lenaburg who was mugged on his way to an ATM to make a deposit. Not only was his money stolen, but the muggers also destroyed his guitar, an action that was particularly hurtful as he was supporting himself and his 5 year old daughter as a street musician while he worked his way through nursing school. Shortly after the story appeared, one of our readers
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quest, for the liberty of being able to “selectively choose particular contracted services that would benefit [Sierra Madre]”. A formal request, which consists of sending a letter to the agency expressing interest, allows Sierra Madre to determine the other agency’s interest in contracting with Sierra Madre, and to discuss which options are available.
dangerous to bikes. Concerns have also been raised over the safety and security of Metro stations and the lack of ameni-
A delighted Jake Lenaburg plays a guitar that was donated to him after a story about him being mugged outside his ATM in Pasadena appeared in these newspapers last week. -Photo by Terry Miller
It is hard to determine how much the Sierra Madre could save by contracting out its public safety services. By contacting the other agencies, proposals and studies can begin to determine the cost and potential savings. A common concer n among residents is their ability to conduct business 24/7 in the
City Council on 13 ties at those facilities, as well as the lack of accessibility to surrounding neighborhoods. Two community meetings have already been held (one in February and another in May) by the Department of Transportation, along side the newly formed Bicycle Master Plan Advisory Committee, which is comprised of local cyclists, bicycle advocacy groups, bike shops and city staff, and Ryan Snyder Associates LLC (RSA), a new urbanist transportation planning consulting firm specializing in transit and paratransit planning. Open to the public, three more workshopmeetings were supposed to convene by the end of spring 2009, but have not done so. However, a complete draft of the new plan did meet its deadline of June 2009. The newest draft of the BMP seems to acknowledge many concerns regarding bicycling, proposing a network of bikeways so that every neighborhood is within 0.25 miles of an effective bicycling route in the north-south and east-west directions.
Court employees had their first budget driven mandatory furlough day on Wednesday, July 15. Court reporters and clerks as well as the court security officers had an unpaid day off. The deputy sheriffs who act as bailiffs in some courtrooms were not forced to take the day off as they are not employees of the Superior Court. As elected officials, the judges, whose salaries are set by the legislature, were required to be at work. According to Candace
Mosca to Represent Sierra Madre at League of California Cities The 2009 League of California Cities Annual Conference and Business Meeting is set to take place in San Jose, CA on September 16-18. T he Leag ue ha s re quested that each city send a voting delegate who shares their city’s views regarding policy matters. The Sierra Madre City Council decided at the Tuesday city council meeting who would be representing Sierra Madre at the conference. Council Member Joe Masco and Mayor Pro Tem Don Watts were designated as voting delegate and alternate voting delegate. Nearly 2,000 city officials meet at the Conference to attend workshops, discuss how to best tackle common challenges with other cities and experts, and discover products and services that help cities serve the public more efficiently. There will be two keynote speakers at the Annual Conference, Charlene Li and William H. Hudnut III,
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Leaf Blower Restriction Narrowed in Sierra Madre
Beason, the Supervising Judge at Pasadena Superior Court said that the court had been planning for the furlough day for weeks and that most cases were not continued to that day. She said, “One courtroom in each courthouse will be fully staffed and prepared to handle all those matters which legally have to be handled.” Beason explained that there will also be clerks available for necessary filings. She said those staff members who worked on Wednesday would have a
Sierra Madre is narrowing its definition regarding gardening tools. The City Council found harmful effects of leaf blowers to include negative impacts on the environment from noise, emission, and dust pollution. The City Council is amending the municipal code to remove “powered gardening tools” and replace with “leaf blowers.” The primary difference in the definition of these two terms is that a powered gardening tool includes a variety of tools used for landscape maintenance, while a leaf blower is a single tool used primarily to blow leaves, dirt and other debris off of sidewalks, driveways, lawns, or other surfaces. This change narrows the restriction, lifting the restriction on other powered gardening tools like hedge trimmers. It is always a community concern regarding the dis-
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Courts Furlough Employees, Continue Serving up Justice BY SUSAN MOTANDER
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THURSDAY, JULY 16 - JULY 22, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO. 29
City Council Mulls Outsourcing Police, Fire Services Sierra Madre is considering contracting out “certain public safety services” - specifically Law Enforcement and Paramedic services. Citing possible cost saving opportunities, Mayor MacGillivray and Council Member Don Watts previously requested inquiries to be sent to Arcadia, Pasadena, and the County of Los Angeles about
THURSDAY EDITION