Letters

EDITOR

Kevin Uhrich kuhrich@timespublications.com

DEPUTY EDITOR

Matthew Rodriguez

CONTRIBUTING MUSIC EDITOR

Bliss

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Patti Carmalt-Vener, Justin Chapman, Peter Dreier, Randy Jurado Ertll, John Grula, Chip Jacobs, Jana J. Monji, Christo pher Nyerges, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Ellen Snortland,

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Stephanie Torres storres@timespublications.com

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

Richard Garcia

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Danny Liao, Jen Sorensen, Tom Tomorrow, Mercedes Blackhart, Catherine Bauknight

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Zac@TimesPublications.com (626) 360-2811

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CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Ann Turrietta (Legals)

TIMES MEDIA GROUP

V.P. OF OPERATIONS

Michael Hiatt

Pasadena Weekly is published every Thursday. Pasadena Weekly is available free of charge. No person may, without prior written permission from Pasadena Weekly, take more than one copy of each weekly issue. Additional copies of the current issue if available may be purchased for $1, payable in advance, at Pasadena Weekly office. Only authorized Pasadena Weekly distributors may distribute the Pasadena Weekly. Pasadena Weekly has been adjudicated as a newspaper of general circulation in Court Judgment No. C-655062. Copyright: No news stories, illustrations, editorial matter or advertisements herein can be reproduced without written permission of copyright owner. All rights reserved, 2020.

HOW TO REACH US Address:

161 Pasadena Ave., South Pasadena CA 91030 Telephone: (626) 584-1500 Fax: (626) 795-0149

AUDITED CIRCULATION of 26,275 Serving Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Eagle Rock, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, Montrose, Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena

THUMBS UP

I’d just like to say I’ve noticed a lot of baby boomers, (who wear a mask) and are walking, giving the thumbs up like the peace sign used to be used!

Stay safe. ~SHEILA VARGAS VIA EMAIL

05.07.20 | PASADENAWEEKLY.COM | GREATER PASADENA’S FREE NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

TIME TO RECHARGE

According to the Bu reau of Labor Statistics,

'AN ALTADENA

TREASURE' JOHN HOPKINS OFFERS A COMMUNITY HUB WITH HIS

ECLECTIC, ALL-VEGETARIAN SHOP O HAPPY DAYS BY CHRISTOPHER NYERGES

LA’s unemployment rate is now 6.4 percent, a five-year high. LA is

DINE THE NEW NORMAL

(PART 7) Are 'Ghost Kitchens' like Kitchen United Mix the future of dining?

p. 10 ARTS A NEVER-ENDING STRUGGLE

Series looks at how Asian Americans are viewed as 'forever foreigners'

p. 12 NEWS SERVING PASADENA, ALHAMBRA, ALTADENA, ARCADIA, EAGLE ROCK, GLENDALE, LA CAÑADA, MONTROSE, SAN MARINO, SIERRA MADRE AND SO. PASADENA MORE WITH LESS

Union Station provides four times the meals with fewer volunteers

p. 6

going to have to work hard to recover from COVID-19, but if we are going to do it, let’s do it in a way that makes us stronger. Let’s use this chance to challenge the status quo and really charge toward a greener economy.

Take our energy sector, for example. We still rely on fossil fu els such as natural gas to bridge the intermittency of solar and wind. Let’s use this time to wean ourselves off such half-mea sures. We can invest in zero emission storage and distribution technologies that will stabilize existing renewables. In doing so, we could boost jobs in renewable energy facilities, making them more commercially viable.

Compared to the fossil fuel industry, the renewable energy industry has one of the highest employment potentials. Did you know that wind-turbine technicians and solar-panel installers are the fastest-growing jobs in the country? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, such jobs are growing at a rate 12 times as fast as the rest of the US economy.

Renewables are critical to a post-COVID-19 future in which we create a more resilient city. When deployed as a portfolio, re newables can help us create smart microgrids for our neighborhoods, localizing power distribution closer to demand. When we become more grid independent, we become more prepared.

When I look out across Los Angeles and see the mountains clearly, I cannot help imagining how greenification of our city’s economy would mean in the long run. Earth Week 2020 was a historic opportunity to ask Mayor Garcetti to take a stron ger stance for the environment. Let’s carry the momentum to encourage him to make this transition-for our health, for our economy, for our future situation.

~JUSTIN CHOW STEM TEACHER SUNRISE MOVEMENT ACTIVIST

NO-WIN SITUATION

Those who believe Trump has no responsibility in this pandemic are wrong. Trump and his base have treated CO VID-19 as a political problem. COVID-19 is a public health problem!

Trump and his administra tion were warned by worldwide scientists in November of 2019 of this problem. Trump called it a “Democratic hoax” and “fake news.” In March, “it’s under control.” Add these comments to his more than 10,000-plus lies! The inaction of this administration has led to more deaths and increased the economic fall out.

This pandemic has forced our country to finally expose the weakness of employerbased health care. I support Biden’s plan to include Medi care as an option as a prelude for universal health care in the US.

We are all in this together; let us vote to make both politi cal and policy changes so we can “Make America Great Again!” ~ JUDITH BEAY VIA EMAIL

WISHING HE WAS WRONG

While social distancing, sheltering in place and search ing for a vaccine are all important factors in containing COVID-19, we should also help prevent future pandemics by banning live-animal markets, including those in San Fran cisco and Los Angeles.

As long as sick and stressed animals are crowded together on factory farms and in bloodsoaked meat markets — both breeding grounds for deadly diseases — humans risk caus ing another pandemic.

The 2009 H1N1 swine flu

outbreak that killed up to 575,400 people worldwide in its first year is believed to have originated in a North Carolina factory farm. And the H5N1 bird flu strain that kills 60 percent of people who catch it continues to plague many poultry farms worldwide.

I warned of a pandemic in my book, For a Moment of Taste, and how I wish I had been wrong.

Let’s all do our part to stop the next pandemic — and reduce animal suffering — by going vegan.

Visit PETA.org for a free vegan starter kit. ~ POORVA JOSHIPURA PETA NORFOLK, VIRGINA

WANTED:

Send letters to Kuhrich@timespubli cations.com. To share news tips and informa tion about happenings and events, contact Kevin at the address above or call (626) 584-8746.

ROADMAP TO RECOVERY

CURRENT TAKE-OUT AND CURBSIDE SITUATION IS A MENU FOR DISASTER FOR LOCAL RESTAURANTS

When I opened Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ in 1982 there were more than 260 restaurants in Pasadena. Now the sheer volume of locally owned mom and pop operations and the national chains that have targeted locations in Pasadena have catapulted our city into being the dining capital of Southern California.

On March 16, by local and state mandate, the restaurant industry as we know it changed forever.

The term “essential business” dictated success for some and failure for others. Our restaurants are among the most essential businesses in Pasadena, both for the extraordinary food that they offer and the incredible number of locally hired employees.

Full-service sit-down restaurants are essentially shut down and allowed to only offer take-out and curbside delivery food. My former colleagues tell me that on a good day they might do 15-20 percent of the sales that they used to do while open.

A full-service casual family or fine dining restaurant will not survive or sustain itself on take-out or curbside delivery alone. When you factor in the 20-30 percent that the national dinner delivery services are charging the restaurants they are losing money with almost every delivery.

If this continues without intervention this is a menu for financial disaster. Our restaurateurs aren’t expecting an immediate pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but they do need to see a glimmer of light at the end of the shutdown tunnel.

The cities and restaurants that are the most adaptable and visionary will find their own solutions that focus on community, sustainability, safety and simplicity.

COVID-19 will force the restaurant industry to fundamentally rethink what it means to be a restaurant.

The real danger is in how we cope with new edicts from the City Council and the Health Department while scrapping much of our present business template to stem the flow of two to three months of finan cial distress while developing a plan to assure success and sustainability once the municipal and state shutdown is lifted.

I implore the mayor and City Council to be bold and visionary in balancing the needs of the city and the small business community.

Let’s give our restaurants some light and a plan of hope. This is my interpretation of the “Pasadena Way”.

My suggestions:

Put the minimum wage on the state timeline. Raising the minimum wage to $15 on July 1 while still dealing with the shut down would be the final nail in the coffin for many small businesses.

Waive the business license and health permit fees for all restaurants for up to one year if they are in total compliance with any and all new policies and procedures.

Start a Pasadena Hospitality Commission made up of restaurateurs, hoteliers, a City Council member and city staff. The stakeholders on this commission would bring real-life hands on customer service expe rience to assist in driving the food and entertainment business to Pasadena.

Rose Bowl concessions and any event scheduled in Pasadena should be offered exclusively to Pasade na restaurants on a first right of refusal. Not every restaurant is equipped or built for off-premise concessions but it can be an incredible source of income for those interested. Pasadena restaurants should be showcased at the Rose Bowl and at every city event. As with the business license, the annual restaurant health permit should also cover all off-premise events.

Close off Colorado Boulevard from Raymond Avenue to Pasadena Avenue permanently so the Old Pasadena restaurants on Colorado Boulevard can increase their outdoor seating. All restaurants may have to reduce their inside seating by at least 50 percent due to possible new social distancing guidelines. These restaurants in our city’s highest rent area could redefine the dining experience of Old Pasadena.

It would be festive, well lit, aromatic and it would be a boon for the city, restaurants and retail stores.

There would still be access to the public and private parking lots off both of these streets. Think back to the World Cup in 1994. The same streets were closed off for a week and it was an incredible experience for everyone.

I have experienced closed off streets for dining in major cities like San Francisco, New York and Chi cago, and it works.

Pasadena should close off South lake Avenue from Green Street to San Pasqual Avenue. Traffic to and from the South Lake Avenue District would still use Shoppers Lane and Mentor Avenue on the east and Hudson Avenue on the west to access the public and private parking lots. The restaurants on South Lake could extend their dining tables up to their respective boulevard divider.

I would offer South Lake dining space to both Green Street Restaurant and Magnolia House. Both are important anchors and need to have a space on South Lake.

Bold? Yes. Doable? Absolutely. Necessary? Only if we want to be the best.

Now is the time to forever put Pasadena on the map as the essential gastronomic capital of California. This is the Pasadena Way. n

PASADENA | ALHAMBRA | ALTADENA | ARCADIA | EAGLE ROCK | GLENDALE | LA CAÑADA | MONTROSE | SAN MARINO | SIERRA MADRE | SOUTH PASADENA

‘A BIT OF A WIN’

LOCAL TENANTS BLOW THE WHISTLE ON LANDLORD WHO TURNED OFF WATER WHILE MAKING REPAIRS ON EMPTY UNITS

BY MATT RODRIGUEZ

The residents of Copa de Oro are a close-knit community. They gather together for Thanksgiving meals, Easter celebrations and now to comfort each other during the pandemic.

In the last three weeks, people living in the apartment complex on North Los Robles Avenue have dealt with constant construction, workers without protective masks and water shutoffs while sheltering in place.

“There have been multiple all-day water shut offs,” a resident wrote in a complaint filed with the Pasadena Citizen Service Center. “They told us it would come back at 530 PM and it has yet to come back, it is 615 PM. They are doing unnecessary renovations on empty apartments. They have another water shut off planned for tomorrow too, two days in a row. In the last 3 weeks we’ve had 10 water shut off days.”

According to the complaint filed with the service center on May 7, the water has been shut off 10 times in the past three weeks. However, according to multiple tenants, there have only been six shutoffs, one of which was an unscheduled emergency due to a pipe burst.

“Not having water for four days in an eight-day period — it’s rough,” said engineer and tenant Lindsey Berger prior to the two recent shutoffs on May 7 and 8.

During the May 7 shutoff, Berger and her neighbors had no access to water from 9 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. In addition, some residents claimed they had no hot water through the night continuing to the next shutoff the following morning.

According to multiple residents, the length of the water shutoffs varies but has lasted for upwards of nine hours. The tenants must fill any containers such as pots, buckets and bowls in order to wash their hands, dishes and flush their toilets. During the pipe burst many of the residents — who did not have running water from 4 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — used water from the complex’s pool for their needs.

Optimus Properties LLC, a real estate investment firm based in Century City, purchased the 38-unit complex in early April. Co-founder Kamyar Shabani said the company had to turn off the water in order to repair the rotting, clogged and leaking pipes. While he acknowledged the water shutoffs, he did not believe the residents’ claims of it lasting for upwards of nine hours.

He claimed he was unaware of the construction workers not wearing masks, but vowed to speak to the contractors to have the workers comply with the city’s mask policy.

Shabani also said that the firm needed to renovate the vacant units which he described were not in rentable condition. However, many residents believed that the renovations were purely cosmetic.

BY KEVIN UHRICH AND MATT RODRIGUEZ

RACK ATTACK

CITY’S 617 PERCENT NEWS RACK FEE HIKE COULD SEVERELY HAMPER PW DISTRIBUTION

One of those publications, among four still offering their products through news rack distribution, is this one, the Pasadena Weekly.

The audience, of course, is you, one among the paper’s nearly 27,000 audited readers picking up the free paper every Thursday at numerous convenient locations around the city.

Charging fees to place news racks on city streets is nothing new, although there are far fewer print publications out there now than in years past. Fees imposed for their installation on Pasadena sidewalks first went into effect in 1973, considered a “reasonable” part of doing business without abridging the First Amendment’s provisions guaranteeing freedom of the press.

Adecision by city officials to raise permitting fees on sidewalk news racks may result in jeopardizing the ability of local publications to reach their audiences.

“They continue with this unnecessary construction while were home during a pandemic,” said librarian and resident Emily Surowiec, who has been renting her apartment for seven years. “It’s very frustrating.”

Many residents fear that this may be an attempt to push them out of their affordable housing. An apartment at Copa de Oro costs on average about $1,343 per month, with one-bedroom apartments going for upwards of $1,550 per month and two bedrooms going for upwards of $1,850.

According to the Optimus’ website, once the vacant units are renovated, the company will rent a one-bedroom and one-bath apartment for $2,125. Optimus also advertises available two-bedroom and two-bath apartments for $2,625.

In 2018, Optimus agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit after several tenants of its Koreatown buildings filed complaints. The lawsuit alleged the firm pressured Latino and mentally disabled tenants to leave their rent-controlled apartments so Optimus could raise the rents. The firm denied any wrongdoing.

The settlement included reserving the next seven vacancies in the Koreatown buildings for Section 8 housing tenants, accepting late rent payment from three disabled tenants and ensured that its property managers and onsite managers received fair-housing training.

“I’m kind of worried that they are going to try that here,” said an anonymous resident who feared retaliation from the firm. “However, they picked the wrong building to do that in. We’ve got a lot of good people who will fight to the death.”

After filing the complaint, on the following day, May 8, the city sent code enforcement officers to inspect the construction. The officers issued a Stop Work Order after discovering that while the contractors did have active permits, they were not working within the scope of the permits.

“No one deserves to be treated in this manner, whether it is coming from a longtime landlord or new landlord because this is reprehensible if true,” Councilmember John Kennedy said after learning about the grievances on Thursday, May 7.

Since the Stop Work Order, the complex has had no water shutoffs but some residents claimed they did not have hot water until Friday evening.

“It feels like a bit of a win,” said Berger. “Throughout this process, there have been a lot of times where we felt we were just being pushed around. With the stop order, even though its a short term victory we feel more hope for the future.”

“I feel that the community in my apartment complex has really been able to come together to face this crisis as one. This is our home and we protect each other.” n

That law, Pasadena Municipal Code 12.05, “dictates that news racks are only allowed in public sidewalk or parkway, without creating any dangerous condition or obstruction. It also includes installation standards and maintenance guidelines, permitting and insurance requirements, enforcement and violation procedures, as well as yearly removal along the Rose Parade route.”

What does not appear to be reasonable, it could be argued, is the amount of the fees now being charged, which in the case of Pasadena Weekly, the Pasadena Star-News, La Opinion and El Calssificado, the latter two printed in Spanish with English translation offered on the online editions, would seem extreme to some.

In one of a number of fee categories — a permit for the rack itself — has increased by more than 617 percent in just one year, going from $12.54 per rack in 2019 to $90 per rack beginning last January. Under the previous General Fee Schedule, rack fees for this newspaper last year cost just more than $800. This year, the bill is nearly eight times that amount.

“Not being familiar with the total rationale used (for the increase), I can only say that in terms of fairness, an increase of more than 600 percent would be difficult to swallow in the best of times,” said Steve Strickbine, owner of Arizona-based Times Media Group, TMG, which on Aug. 1 announced that it had purchased PW and its various sister publications from Southland Publishing — one month after the new fees were adopted by the Pasadena City Council.

Responding to Complaints

By that time, Southland Publishing had sold its interest in PW and its sister publications for an undisclosed amount and had already paid its $12.54 per rack permit fee. The new fee would only go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

As Mayor Terry Tornek explained, city staff was criticized last year for allowing dilapidated, vacant and damaged news racks in the public right of way, especially in the city’s bustling business districts — Old Pasadena, the Playhouse District and the South Lake Avenue Business District.

“Public Works (which oversees management of news racks) submitted this memo to MSC (the council’s Municipal Services Committee), and staff provided an oral presentation on how we were going to resolve this ongoing problem on 3/26/19,” Tornek wrote in response to a request for comment on the new fee schedule. “We instituted new procedures which increased staff effort and time. Additionally, we adjusted our fees to recover actual time and materials which were being used.”

According to a Jan. 9, 2019 memo to the MSC, “a notice was sent to all known publishers who have facilities in the city of Pasadena. This annual notice outlines the permit and insurance requirements and associated fees. The notice indicated that any existing or proposed installations shall be permitted by February 22, 2019. On February 5, 2019, a second similar notice followed with an additional message that any unpermitted facilities will be summarily removed by the city starting March 2019. A third and final notice was sent on February 25, 2019.” That fee was paid by PW and today that sticker appears on all news racks.

Citing the same document referenced by Tornek, which was written by Public Works Director Ara Maloyan and presented to the MSC on March 26, 2019, Councilman Steve Madison, whose district includes Old Pasadena, home of the former offices of the Pasadena Weekly, said it was known that an increase was imminent.

“There was notification to all publishers and known permittees,” wrote Takako Suzuki, Madison’s field representative.

“The increase in fee was approved by the City Council, and adopted in the current General Fee Schedule as of July 1, 2019,” Tornek wrote, adding, “Fees cannot generate profit.”

Permit Expired

According to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian, “The last Permit #59444 was paid and issued to Southland Publishing – Pasadena Weekly in February 2019.” The permit, Derderian wrote, was good through the year of 2019 and expired on December 31, 2019.”

According to Derderian, the city was not notified about the paper’s new ownership until after the new year, when the old racks were reinstalled, but had not been permitted by anyone with the paper.

“After the (Rose) Parade, (PW) news racks reappeared and occupied the public right of way, without a valid permit for 2020. This office has been notifying the responsible party to remove any unpermitted facilities before May 18, 2020; or apply and pay for a valid permit for any news racks that are to remain,” Derderian wrote.

As Yannie Wu-Bowman, principal engineer with the city’s Public Works Department, pointed out, “The increase is to defray actual staff costs for permit processing, coordination, monitoring, enforcements, and annual parade route clearing,” Wu-Bowman wrote. However, she did not note that PW racks, many of which are regularly maintained and are actually bolted into the cement, are removed and replaced by the publisher at a cost of $1,000, according to Hugo Castillo, co-owner of LA Print, which distributes PW.

COVID COUNT

Reported Cases in Pasadena and surrounding areas as of Tuesday, May 12

Pasadena: 557; South Pasadena: 100; Alhambra: 120; Altadena:101; Arcadia: 54; Glendale: 738; Monrovia: 13; San Gabriel: 54;

Total Confirmed Cases in LA County: 32,258 Total Deaths: 1,569

“Multiple notices for permit renewal have been sent out to all past permittees since February 2020. ... All current permittees are being charged a fee of $90 per rack,” WuBowman wrote. “Permits charged with identical fee have been issued to three other publishers,” she wrote.

The number of racks used by all three of the other publications totals 20.

Castillo said he was not aware of the previous considerations of increasing rack permit fees, and acknowledged there was some “confusion” in the switchover in ownership. “We apologized, and we asked for an extension, but they said no,” Castillo said.

To that and possibly other similar requests by other vendors, Wu-Bowman wrote, “If there is financial hardship in obtaining permits for all news racks, please strategically reduce their number and focus in the more popular locations. Another cost effective alternative to maintain comparable readers exposure,” she said, “is to enhance online resources through your website. Both options conform with the city’s environmental friendly policy to reduce printing materials and carbon footprint.”

Kat Wang, director of circulation for Southern California News Group, to which the Star-News belongs, did not return calls for comment or an email regarding this story. Calls for comment from the other two publications were not returned.

Strickbine said both the paper and its readers will suffer if the number of racks are reduced due to the high cost of the permit.

Castillo said it appears the city is intent on getting rid of newspapers being sold and distributed for free on the streets, and points to Wu-Bowman’s letter as evidence.

“They want us out. They want to reduce their carbon footprint. They want to get rid of us,” Castillo said.

Don Margolin, who was director of distribution under Southland Publishing but now works with Castillo, said he was not properly notified of meetings in early 2019 regarding a change in the permit fee throughout early 2019, and did not receive any notice that the City Council was going to change the fee schedule for racks in July 2019, right before TMG took over.

“Like the way we get one for (removing racks before) the Rose Parade, we did not get a certified letter” about any hearings, Margolin said.

Margolin became well known among city government watchers for appearing before the Glendale City Council to speak against a proposed news rack fee hike there, from $43 to $241 per rack, in which the council relented, and even praised Margolin for his grit and determination.

In mid-2019, “They should have notified us (about the fee increase),” Margolin said of the PW rack fee hike. “They should have told us so we could go and put in our two cents.”

Not the Time

As far as Strickbine can determine, “This will have to result in some kind of reduction in the number of racks we’re able to keep on the streets.

“If it is an agreed-upon initiative by the council, I would accept it. However, I would think it to be fair to allow it to be phased in rather than done all at once. After all, the Pasadena Weekly has been and remains a vital community news resource for the voters in the area,” wrote Strickbine.

“This is certainly not the time to saddle a community news publication with a 600 percent fee increase. I would think under the circumstances that the council would consider tabling such an increase until after the hardship from COVID-19 passes.” n

• On Tuesday, May 12, the Los Angles Times reported that LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the county Board of Supervisors that stay-at-home orders would be extended “with all certainty.” Ferrer, the Times reported, said the rules will stay in effect through July, and that further loosening of the rules would be slow. • During Monday’s Pasadena City Council meeting, City Manager Steve Mermell announced that 351 businesses could have reopened on Friday, but due to confusion only 50 did so. Mermell attributed it to the unclear announcements made by Gov. Gavin Newsom. According to Mermell, city officials found that of the 50 businesses that reopened only seven were not compliant with city orders, but corrected their problems after city officials contacted them. • Also during Monday’s meeting, the City Council moved to reopen the Rose Bowl Loop and other city-controlled hiking trails in the nearby foothills on Wednesday, May 13. Social distancing orders will still be in place while out on the loop or trails with visitors required to stay six feet apart and to wear masks when near crowds. The loop will be closed to vehicles and only parking Lot I will be open for 90-minute parking. • As of Monday, Pasadena had gone four days without a reported coronavirus death. This marks the longest streak without a death since early April. New cases are still being reported with six new cases on Monday, bringing the total to 557. • On Saturday, May 9, the Pasadena Health Department announced that a cluster of coronavirus cases originated from a birthday party. According to multiple city employees, a woman attended a birthday party last month without a mask and spread the virus to several others.

LET IT FLOW

SHOWER OF HOPE'S MEL TILLEKERATNE OFFERS A FRESH START TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

STORY AND PHOTOS BY PATRICIA CUNLIFFE

Hope is a simple word, one that can be extremely difficult to appreciate if what we see is taken at face value: specifically the constant development of

Pasadena condos starting at $2 million while so many people are forced to sleep on the street. During the pandemic crisis, this contrast of so much wealth with so much need is ever more apparent.

We like to tell ourselves that homelessness is a result of drug addiction, alcoholism, or mental illness in order to make ourselves feel better about doing nothing to end it. While these are certainly factors for some, the truth is that becoming homeless is a multidimensional problem caused by many things, some of which include sickness, unemployment, working but underpaid, rising housing costs, eviction, debt, ageism, domestic violence, racism, trauma ….

None of us is immune to the many seen and unseen circumstances arrayed against us. Some just have the means to endure and fare better in hard times.

“In many instances, trauma changes the brain and the way that we walk through the world,” acknowledges Shawn Morrissey, director of advocacy and community engagement for Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. “Unfortunately, even when someone is desperate for help, help is not necessarily accessible.”

“I grew up in Sri Lanka, which is considered a poor country, but you don’t see homeless people because the poor are taken care of. I came to Los Angeles in 2003,” recalls Mel Tillekeratne, co-founder and executive director of Shower of Hope, a mobile shower program that has recently begun to serve people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena.

“In 2010, I drove through skid row. It was shell shock. I couldn’t comprehend how a country so wealthy could have thousands of people on the street in one of its wealthiest cities. It’s one thing to learn of inequalities in the classroom,

LET IT FLOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

but it’s another to see black and brown people sleeping next to each other, among trash, on one of the filthiest streets in the US, that you understand there is something very wrong with this system,” says Tillekeratne. “That’s when we started a grassroots organization, Monday Night Mission, to serve food on the street five nights a week.”

Shower of Hope mobile showers is currently parked at the Pasadena Public Library's Hill Avenue Branch parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Fridays. Participants receive a shower and a sack lunch. In addition, Shower of Hope operates seven trailers seven days a week serving 29 shower sessions in 21 other locations. There are some homeless people who utilize the showers before going to work.

Jenni O’Reilly-Jones, homeless programs coordinator for the city of Pasadena, reached out to Shower of Hope for help with rising pandemic needs which could not be met by the Pasadena Public Health Department shower and laundry service, which operates five days a week at the Jackie Robinson Community Center. An end date for the Shower of Hope program has not yet been set. However, the Pasadena Health Department GEM (Geriatric Empowerment Model) Link serves only the 60 and older population while its TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Link serves homeless youth, so there is quite a large gap with that middle population that is only now being accommodated by Shower of Hope.

“There are so many people who depend on our public facilities, and the inability to do so due to the recent closures is bound to take its toll on the health of our entire city” says former 2020 Pasadena mayoral candidate Jason Hardin,

“Those sleeping on the streets are already vulnerable, and the showers that Shower of Hope can facilitate each week can help alleviate some of that vulnerability,” Hardin said.

Hardin also campaigned the idea of raising the “in-lieu” fee for developers who prefer to pay the fee rather than including affordable housing units in their elite complexes.

“We don’t have our 2020 data yet, but since 2011 the homeless count in Pasadena has been on a downward trend. In 2019, the count was 542 which is 20 percent lower than 2018,” says O'Reilly-Jones. This figure may not be totally accurate today, as the count was taken in January 2019, months before a plethora of previously unheard of rent increases took place in certain areas leaving many more families without housing. More than 58 percent of Pasadena residents are tenants.

Union Station, through their coordinated entry system, are providing 160

rooms to those who are most vulnerable under Project Roomkey, a project which provides a safe haven in motels and hotels for unsheltered people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19. “It provides an incredible opportunity for agencies, governments and community members to work together to create permanent housing solutions for these neighbors once the pandemic is over,” said Union Station CEO Anne Miskey.

Shower of Hope, Exodus Recovery and the city of Los Angeles have opened safe parking lots for people who are currently sleeping in their cars, none of which are located in Pasadena. As O’Reilly-Jones explains, “There are no safe parking programs in Pasadena because our current land use codes do not allow this type of activity anywhere in the city.”

Tillekeratne’s advocacy work was featured in the 2018 documentary “The Advocates,” produced and directed by Remi Kessler, which highlights the work done by those who are committed to helping our homeless neighbors by doing ”whatever it takes for as long as it takes.”

“What we are doing here is not a permanent solution. We are keeping people alive — but this is not a solution to homelessness. The solution to homelessness is simple: it’s homes,” states Tillekeratne. “For a city, a country that is so wealthy — that just a little bit of that wealth distributed among those who don’t have it would mean that these people would be off the street.”

As a community, we can help our less fortunate neighbors in two ways: taking care of their immediate needs and their legislative long-term needs. Neither one can be effective without the other.

One way to accomplish the latter is to reach out to your City Council representative. Make it clear that affordable housing and permanent supportive housing for our unhoused neighbors is of the utmost importance for our city. Make sure that the Pasadena City Council includes tenants among its members. Donate to and volunteer with organizations that offer immediate help.

While calls for “doing the right thing” have not yielded enough in terms of solutions, here is another thought to ponder: When you total the resources that we spend on law enforcement, first responders, emergency room care and legal costs associated with people experiencing homelessness, would it not be far more fiscally responsible to simply take care of those who need help to begin with?

Unfortunately, not matter how much we say we care, if we insist on continuing along a path that is clearly not working, what we are really saying is that we do not care. n

KITCHEN UNITED MIX

55 S. Madison Ave., Pasadena kitchenunited.com

Jim Collins

TOWN KITCHEN & GRILL

2276 Honolulu Ave, Montrose (818) 248–1881 townkitchenandgrill.com

dining& nitelife directory

Pasadena Weekly’s Dining Directory is a paid advertisement and is provided as a service to our readers. To advertise in the Dining Directory, call (626) 584-1500.

Average price per entree

up to $10 $16-25

$11–15 $25+

EL PORTAL

695 E. Green St., Pasadena (626)795-8553 Elportalrestaurant.com $$ Pasadena Weekly readers have been rewarding El Portal with the title of Best Mexican Food in the city for years. This charming little hacienda with brick walls, festive colors, fine art and a California elegant courtyard brings the authentic cuisine of Mexico and the Yucatan region to your table.

THE NEW NORMAL (PART 8)

KITCHEN UNITED CEO JIM COLLINS ON MAKING RESTAURANTS WORK DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Why am I devoting two weeks to examine and interrogate Kitchen United Mix, a successful ghost kitchen delivery chain that was already positioned to commercially disrupt the landscape for independent restaurants locally, well before the lockdown changed everything?

Good question!

First, let’s quickly recap. Kitchen United Mix opened in Pasadena two years ago as a model that provides multiple modular kitchen spaces for a number of restaurants and restaurant concepts to prepare fresh menu items for local pick-up and delivery exclusively. The model offers start-up and expansion opportunity at a fraction of the usual capital cost and Kitchen United provides their tenants amenities like permitting assistance, marketing support, as well as trash, cleaning and pest control. Now with outlets in Chicago and Scottsdale, Arizona, Kitchen United is set to open in Austin, Texas with financing in place to expand to the East Coast.

There’s a bit more to the story though. The CEO of Kitchen United is Jim Collins. Collins is a resident of nearby Montrose, where he independently owns and operates Town Kitchen & Grill, which opened in January 2015. I thought he might have a unique perspective on the current plight of independent restaurants in the area. Asked to submit written questions, my Q&A with Collins landed late of my deadline last week.

Following is an abridged set of questions posed to Collins via email.

Pasadena Weekly: As a local restaurateur, how is business for Town Kitchen & Grill as opposed to business at Kitchen United Mix currently?

Jim Collins: Like a lot of restaurants Town has shifted completely to off-premise orders. But Town isn’t designed to just do off premise. It has a large and comfortable dining room and bar and we’ve had to completely reconfigure it to try to make it work under the current paradigm.

The restaurants at Kitchen United have experienced a lot of new people ordering from new and different neighborhoods. With our business model being centered on providing delivery, take-out and catering, we were positioned well to support off-premise business before today’s circumstances.

Interestingly, the fact that people are working from

BY FRIER MCCOLLISTER

HILL STREET CAFÉ

1004 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge 818-952-1019 hillstreetcafelacanada.com $$ Hill Street Café is celebrating over 25 years of serving the com munity quality meals made of quality ingridients. We want to thank all of you who stuck with us during the remodeling process and we want to welcome back everyone else. in our recent remodel, we have added an outdoor patio, a bar and more dining area, we have created a relaxed ambience with a touch of modern but still retain ing our extensive menu, our friendly service and most important a family atmosphere.

TOPS WALNUT

1792 E. Walnut St., Pasadena (626) 584-0244 topsburger.com $ At TOPS on Walnut & Allen, we maintain the original taste from 60 years ago. My father wanted to create food as close to homemade as possible. Our primary goal and focus is on taste, quality, freshness, cleanliness in our service and experienced staff. Most of our staff have been with us for more than twenty years. We invite you to come to TOPS on the corner of Walnut & Allen and taste the difference! Meet our staff and experience what quality service should be. The same quality service that has made us #1.

ZELO GOURMET PIZZAS

328 E. Foothill Blvd.Arcadia 626-358-8298 myzelopizza.info $$ It’s the cornmeal crust that makes this pizzeria stand out from the rest. This locally owned establishment’s signature dish is the fresh, corn, balsamic-marinated, oven-roasted red onion pie. Zelo Pizzeria has expanded the dining room to better serve you, so come in and give Zelo Pizzeria a try.

TOM'S FAMOUS FAMILY RESTAURANT

1130 E. Walnut St. Pasadena 626-577-7717 tomsfamous.com $ Please come and enjoy homemade breakfast lunch and dinner all made from scratch and FRESH. Nothing is ever served or made from a can. We pride ourselves as being the cleanest store with the best quality food and BEST service in town. Thank you PASADENA!!!!!

directory dining & nitelife

Average price per entree

$ up to $10 $$ $11–15

$$$ $16-25 $$$$ $25+

MARGARITA’S

155 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena (626) 449-4193 margaritaspasadena.com $$ At Margaritas Mexican Restaurant, our family has been sharing our authentic Mexican dishes with the wonderful people of Pasadena since 1977. Guests enter our warm, inviting space and leave as family -- with plenty of burritos, tortas, tostadas, fajitas, and more to be had in between! Our dishes incorporate and pay homage to the rich flavors of bustling mercados, corner taquerias, and seaside palapas. So visit us, eat to your heart's content at our mouthwatering lunch buffet, sip on a refreshing margarita, and feel at home.

home means we are serving less daytime business traffic than we normally do, but that’s offset by seeing a lot more dinners going out. When people go back to work, we’ll be really busy!

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

How sustainable is the individual take-out model for Town?

For any restaurant designed for dine in business, the current mode of operation is largely unsustainable. Restaurants are tricky businesses and there is an important balance of revenue, labor, food cost, and rent. There’s simply too many square feet in a dine-in restaurant to function in a financially healthy way when we’re only allowed to do take-out.

Should the city take a more active role in promoting and restoring local restaurant culture?

I think any entrepreneur would say yes to the extent that a city can actually help.

Restaurants have always been tricky businesses. This is why so many fail. It’s easy to blame the city, or COVID-19 or whatever, and these are certainly factors. In Pasadena, parking is a huge problem and it complicates access to businesses. With that said, the majority of restaurants die because they fail to make a viable, differentiated connection to their consumers, and for those that do and make it through the first few years there is a tendency to get comfortable. Consumer demand changes. This current situation will further change what consumers seek. Like any other business we have to adapt.

You have a unique position and perspective as an owner of a local independent restaurant and the CEO of a company that is actively disrupting that culture. What are the prospects and viable paths forward for independent restaurants as the economy reopens?

First and foremost, our mission at Kitchen United has always been to support the growth and success of restaurant operators. Even before COVID-19, explosive growth in off premise was creating a substantial new opportunity for restaurateurs to capitalize on a new revenue stream, but contrary to popular belief it wasn’t cannibalizing dining room visits. (Before COVID-19 dining room visits were expected to grow substantially in 2020).

Given everything that has occurred since the pandemic started, we see even more opportunity for growth now, and that will likely translate to restaurants on the whole. While we believe people will always want to gather and enjoy a meal out at their favorite restaurant, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way restaurants view the importance of their online channels and certainly opened up even more opportunity for off-premise business.

Looking ahead, restaurants will have to make appropriate adjustments to their routine to provide a sense of security for consumers and employees alike — including limiting dine-in seating, “tap and pay” technology to limit handling of credit cards, masks, gloves and single-use menus. Despite the challenging times that lie ahead, our goal remains the same — to help restaurant operators grow their reach and tap into the opportunity for off-premise business.

There’s one thing no one argues: it’s going to be interesting!

Collins is as interested and directly invested in a sustainable restaurant culture as anyone in town and he has a team that thoroughly understands the exigencies of the market. Kitchen United Mix is one more important stakeholder in the local dining landscape that could serve as as a potential guidepost, resource and model for independent restaurants locally.

In the meantime, I’m famished! What’s for lunch?