10.18.18

• NEWS •
PASADENA | ALHAMBRA | ALTADENA | ARCADIA | EAGLE ROCK | GLENDALE | LA CAÑADA | MONTROSE | SAN MARINO | SIERRA MADRE | SOUTH PASADENA
DRIVEN TO PAY
CRITICS OF GOP-BACKED GAS TAX
REPEAL SAY PROP. 6 WOULD COST
COUNTY NEARLY $1 BILLION FOR ROAD
REPAIRS AND OTHER PROJECTS
FIGHT FOR FAIRNESS
PROP. 10 WOULD OPEN THE DOOR
FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO
ENACT THEIR OWN RENT CONTROL
LAWS.
ILLEGAL
FUNDRAISER
ISIS MONEYMEN ARRESTED IN
BAGHDAD
P. 8
P. 8
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WEB EXCLUSIVE
CUT TO THE BONE
DISTRICT PLAN WOULD CLOSE THREE SCHOOLS, ELIMINATE SPORTS AT BLAIR
BY ANDRÉ COLEMAN
Angry parents and students packed a Pasadena Unified School
District Board of Education meeting last week to oppose a
plan that would close three schools and decimate programs.
Under the current plan, Cleveland and Franklin elementary
schools, along with Wilson Middle School, would be closed. The
district would save almost $2 million a year if all three schools
were shuttered.
“We can no longer afford to maintain smaller schools,” said
Superintendent Brian McDonald. “Cuts are painful and they
will impact every sector of our budget. However, the board and
management team are committed to making cuts as far away
from our core instructional programs as possible. Everything
is on the table but nothing is final yet. We are actively seeking
input and suggestions from all stakeholders, including staff and
parents, as we make decisions in the best interests of all of our
students.”
Only 99 students currently attend Cleveland, which has
seen a 46 percent decrease in its student population since 2016,
according to a district report.
Franklin Elementary School only has 183 pupils due to a 25
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percent decrease. Wilson’s population has decreased 15 percent,
over the same time period and has 485 students.
The district is working to close a $10 million budget gap,
brought on largely by declining enrollment.
Sports programs would be shut down at Blair High School and
the Blair Vikings would only play intra-campus contests at Blair
High School. The school’s International Baccalaureate program
and music program would also face massive cuts.
Blair has 532 students. The proposal would change the
athletic program to intermural competition, eliminating
competition against other schools and pairing off Blair teams
against other students on campus.
“This is not sufficient to maintain a comprehensive CIF
athletic program,” according to the district’s financial stability
plan options.
Blair’s recently ended a 32-game losing streak in football.
“When I came here I thought I could build something and I will
do it for free with my staff,” said Football Coach Erick Pineda.
“The only thing I ask is that you give these kids the opportunity
to finish what they started.”
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MALNOURISHED
PLAN
COUNCIL VOTES TO END
CONTENTIOUS ORANGE GROVE
‘ROAD DIET’
The City Council voted unanimously on Monday
to end a controversial traffic calming plan that
critics feared would have diverted traffic into
residential neighborhoods.
As part of the $2.3 million “road diet,” a 1.8
mile stretch of East Orange Grove Boulevard
between Allen and Sierra Madre Villa avenues
would have been reduced from two lanes to one
in each direction.
“It is clear that any project that would remove
travel lanes along Orange Grove is not supported
by a significant number of residents along the
corridor, possibly the majority,” said City Manager
Steve Mermell.
“Unfortunately,” Mermell concluded, “given
what has transpired to date, any further process
is likely to be met with a lack of trust and suspicion
that is not conducive to achieving buy-in
and consensus from the community.”
From 2008 to 2017 there were 418 collisions
in that area of Orange Grove resulting in 309
injuries and three fatalities, 2017, according to
the city.
A survey presented in March noted that 73
percent of Orange Grove Boulevard residents
thought traffic was too fast, and 47 percent said
that they felt unsafe crossing the street.
City officials claimed the reconfiguration
would have improved the street environment
for residents by calming traffic, reducing the
number and severity of traffic collisions, and
celebrating the history of an iconic Pasadena
street.
Residents feared the project would only
benefit bicyclists due to the added bike lanes on
the street.
“The traffic that your road diet will calm away
from Orange Grove will end up on neighborhood
streets,” Virginia Reynolds wrote in a letter to
City Clerk Mark Jomsky.
The plan was controversial from the beginning.
Mermell canceled a March 28 meeting after
local residents registered massive complaints
at a meeting six days prior at Pasadena City
College.
“It’s clear that while all residents want to enhance
safety, the proposed road diet is likely too
drastic of a change,” Mermell said at the time.
“Accordingly, city staff will be reassessing what
approach we should pursue to address the safety
concerns that have been raised as part of the
conversations. This will involve further dialogue
with residents of the area.”
More than 150 people at Monday’s City
Council meeting filled out cards requesting to
speak about the plan.
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— André Coleman
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10.18.18 | PASADENA WEEKLY 7