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PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS BRIEFS TOO MANY QUESTIONS COUNCIL VOTES TO PUT ON HOLD EAST PASADENA HOUSING PROJECT PLANNED FOR CONTAMINATED FORMER NAVY TESTING SITE BY ANDRÉ COLEMAN A controversial housing and mixed-use planned development at a former naval testing site in East Pasadena was Gene Masuda put on hold Monday night by the City Council. Pasadena Gateway, LLC wants to demolish 29 existing buildings on the 8.5 acre site on Foothill Boulevard near Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. In their place, the company wants to build 550 apartments in eight residential units along with nearly 10,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The project, which includes above-ground and subterranean parking, would also include 46 units for low-income renters and 23 units for people with moderate incomes. The project would also include two acres of recreational space, including a public park, courtyards, a dog park, a fitness center, two clubhouses and a retail court. On Monday the council voted 4-3 in favor of Councilman Gene Masuda’s motion to place the project on hold due to air quality concerns that might arise during its construction. “This is such a complex project. I can’t support the air filtering system, and this is still near the freeway. There’s toxicity in the soil,” said Masuda, whose council district includes the project site. “Once the project is done, I honestly do not know how people will get to the west side of Pasadena,” wrote Laura Rodriguez, noting already heavy traffic will be unbearable if the project goes forward. “The already crowded streets will be impacted by this as well as several housing and commercial developments in East Pasadena that will be built in the near future,” Rodriguez wrote. “If you do not live around here, you can ignore the problem, but we certainly cannot.” The site housed a furniture company in the 1920s. It was later purchased by Caltech, which used it for research into jet propulsion in the 1930s and maintained it during World War II. The Navy purchased the property from Caltech in 1945, shortly after World War II ended, and used it for classified projects and torpedo testing during the Cold War. The research center consisted of approximately 60 buildings which included testing laboratories, machine shops, a foundry, and storage buildings, including one for classified materials. n (Visit pasadenaweekly.com for an expanded version of this story.) BETTER DAYS AHEAD GROUP HOPES TO TAKE PASADENA INTO CLEANER ENERGY FUTURE BY ANDRÉ COLEMAN More than 20 local groups have banned together to aid the city in its efforts to create a fossil fuel free future. According to its website, Transition Pasadena advocates for “a more resilient city and for living lighter on our Earth.” “Under the banner of Pasadena 100, these organizations are advocating for 100-percent renewable energy by the year 2035, a goal that is now within easy reach because of technological breakthroughs in wind, solar and other renewable energy sources,” according a statement issued by Transition Pasadena. Pasadena 100 is focused on climate crisis and how the city can become a leader in reducing fossil fuel consumption. The project promotes two concepts: no new long-term fossil fuel contracts, and saving local residents money by getting to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. Through its Repair Café project, the group seeks to reduce waste by linking handy men to folks needing repairs. AltaPasa Green Circle is a collaborative place-making project that promotes an eco-conscious, zero-waste philosophy while responding to the crisis of plastic pollution at the local level. The group is encouraging its coalition to attend two city meetings focused on Pasadena’s energy plans. Eco Breakfast is a bi-monthly gathering of local environmental advocates who come together to learn about and support each other’s work. The group began meeting after the City Council voted to ban Styrofoam containers in Pasadena. The group is fighting to keep the momentum going and strengthen its collective voice for environmental change in Altadena and Pasadena. On Wednesday, July 18 and Thursday, August 23, officials with Pasadena Water and Power will hold the meetings on its Power Integrated Renewal Plan. The state-mandated plan will help the city determine its energy future over the next 20 years. The meetings will be held from 6 to 8 p. at the Pasadena Central Library’s Donald Wright Auditorium, 285 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, and the Hastings Branch Library, at 3325 E. Orange Grove Blvd., respectively. n ‘D’ IS FOR DEFICITS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 recommendations may not even be used in future discussions. “There are a lot of factors involved that could change the picture entirely,” Ramirez said. “No schools will be closed when school opens next year. Any decisions on school closures will be for the 2019-2020 school year. I know people have started to worry, but nothing is set.” According to a column by Board of Education member Scott Phelps that appeared in the Pasadena Weekly on July 5, Superintendent Brian McDonald is considering a districtwide magnet school approach to help increase enrollment and bring new funds into the district. “The superintendent has expressed the desire to pause and explore ways to increase revenue and also to attract students to increase the socioeconomic integration of our schools, which the Board of Education has made a focus area of the district,” Phelps wrote. “Students in socioeconomically diverse schools — regardless of a student’s own economic status — have stronger academic outcomes, score higher on standardized tests, and are more likely to enroll in college.” Several charter schools already share campuses with public schools, including Cleveland Elementary School, which shares space with Odyssey Charter School. In his annual State of the City Speech on Jan. 16, Mayor Terry Tornek called for a three-quarter cent sales tax increase to generate more than $21 million annually. One third of that money would go toward funding the school district. “If they are to continue their efforts to improve educational outcomes for our children, they need our support,” said Tornek. “We cannot have a great city without a great public school system.” Earlier this year, officials with the Los Angeles County Officer of Education (LACOE) informed the board that the district was in danger of becoming insolvent and could be taken over by the county. According to LACOE Chief Financial Officer Candi Clark, the district not only failed to implement expenditure reductions for three years, but also committed to ongoing expenditures, “placing the district in immediate risk of becoming insolvent.” LACOE is calling for cuts to special education, an increase in the district’s insurance fund workers’ compensation program, and close monitoring of enrollment trends. School funding by the state is predicated on student daily average attendance, with funding cuts corresponding to steep and ongoing reductions in the district’s student population. The district is currently plagued by several issues that have impacted its finances. Declining enrollment is one, and unless officials can find a constant revenue stream, the district could end up THE COUNT As of Monday, 2,031 days after the war in Afghanistan ended … 2,224 American military service members (0 more than last week) were reported killed in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001, according to The Associated Press. 10 minutes is how long some trials last in instances where Iraq officials sentence members of ISIS to death, according to the Guardian. in this situation again even if it closes schools and balances the budget for 2020-2021 school year. District officials have blamed the decreasing numbers on “white flight,” a phenomenon caused by upper middle-class white families pulling their children out of the struggling PUSD schools and placing them in area private schools or charter schools. To make matters worse, as housing prices and apartment rents increase in Pasadena, many young families and lower income families have moved east towards the Inland Empire where they can afford homes. Older residents whose children are out of the house are staying in their homes, making home inventory low and contributing to the rising costs. Finally, the state has mandated increases to retirement contributions. Health benefits are likely to increase over the next three years beyond the district’s projections due to the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act. The contribution taken from PUSD’s general unrestricted budget for needed special education services over the last five years was $147 million. The district’s contribution is likely to go up without an increase in funding from the federal government. Earlier this year, the board supported a rent control initiative that would have capped rent hikes, but organizers failed to gather the necessary signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot. The district’s financial woes led Moody’s to downgrade the district’s bond rating and list its outlook as negative. “The rating reflects the district’s diminished fiscal position that remains under stress though the district has enacted plans to provide some budgetary relief in fiscal 2018 and 2019.” States Moody’s report, which can be accessed online. “The rating also recognizes the size and wealth of the district’s exceptionally large assessed value and above average resident income levels.” If LACOE takes over the district, they would have the power to rescind board decisions if they deem them detrimental to the district’s financial status. All told, PUSD has 27 schools, a number some administrators feel may be too high for the district. But a LACOE takeover may not right the ship in Pasadena. In 2011, LACOE took over the struggling Inglewood Unified School District. Six years later, that district’s enrollment was still declining, according to an LA Times article earlier this year which also noted that several school buildings needed upgrades and repairs, and test scores and graduation rates were still below state average. “I know people have started to worry,” Ramirez said. “Everything is still in the discussion stages. We need a thoughtful long-term plan that takes into account the district’s academic program.” n 1 large stockpile of weapons found in Syria included IEDs, mines and ammunition left behind by ISIS, according to FOX News. ISIS fled the area months ago. 1 civilian was killed and another was wounded on Monday when a bus was blown up. According to Iraqi News, an explosive device was placed on the bus. — Compiled by André Coleman 8 PASADENA WEEKLY | <strong>07.12.18</strong>
PASADENA APPROVES A 10-YEAR SOCCER CONTRACT AT THE ROSE BOWL AS NORTH AMERICA WINS BID FOR 2026 WORLD CUP BY JUSTIN CHAPMAN Although the United States did not qualify for this year’s World Cup in Russia, soccer’s popularity in the United States — and especially in Pasadena — continues to explode. On June 13, one day before kickoff of the first game of the World Cup between Russia and Saudi Arabia, the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) announced that the 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The joint North American bid beat out Morocco by a vote of 134-65, mostly due to the fact that all of the necessary facilities already exist in North America, whereas Morocco would have to build several stadiums and improve infrastructure to the tune of $16 billion. According to The New York Times, President Donald Trump sent three letters to FIFA President Gianni Infantino over the past couple of months promising that “foreign teams, officials and even fans will face no restrictions on entering the US for World Cup matches in 2026 if their countries qualify for the tournament” and that Trump’s “hard line stance on visas would not apply to the World Cup.” The Trump administration’s travel ban and immigration policies almost derailed the North American bid. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the final game of this year’s World Cup in Russia. The final game will be played at 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, July 15, at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. France earned a trip to the final after beating Belgium, 1-0. Croatia and England were scheduled to play on Wednesday. SWEET 16 The North American bid promises to generate $11 billion in profits for FIFA. It could also be beneficial for Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. According to stadium General Manager Darryl Dunn, the facility, along with 22 other venues, is a candidate to host soccer games during the global, newly expanded 48- team tournament in 2026. Sixteen venues will ultimately be chosen by FIFA in 2020. “We’re hopeful,” said Dunn. “Our fingers are crossed.” When the United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994, the final game between Italy and victorious Brazil was held at the Rose Bowl. Mexico hosted the 1970 and 1986 tournaments. The US-Canada-Mexico bid forecasts that revenues will reach $14.3 billion. International soccer has carved out its place in the Rose Bowl. The stadium has hosted several national teams, as well as European club teams such as Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and others. It hosted an international soccer match in 2013, another in 2014, two in 2015, four in 2016 and one in 2017. This year, Mexico and Wales faced off on the Rose Bowl’s Spieker Field on Memorial Day, and July will see AC Milan take on Manchester United and FB Barcelona take on Tottenham Hotspur. Next year, the Rose Bowl will present at least two games during the regional 2019 Gold Cup tournament, hosted by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). The Rose Bowl hosted the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in 2002 and CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 <strong>07.12.18</strong> | PASADENA WEEKLY 9
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