Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 2, 2012

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Mountain Views-News Saturday June 2, 2012 


City Loses Legal Fight 
over Redevelopment 

Red Light 
Cameras to 
be Turned 
off Citywide

 A judge in Sacramento sided 
with the state of California 
Wednesday giving the go ahead 
to the state redistributing 
hundreds of millions of dollars 
to schools and counties leaving 
local cites feeling short changed 
strapped with redevelopment 
debt— in what officials said 
was previously approved 
“enforceable obligations” after 
the passage of AB 26.

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard , 
at press time, called the ruling 
to deny an injunction request 
a major setback going against 
ensuring that city’s rights are 
upheld. 

Bogaard said Pasadena was 
one of nine cities that asked 
for a writ of mandate be issued 
while the amount of payments 
to redevelopment successor 
agencies is in dispute. 

Other cities named in the 
lawsuit include, Inglewood, 
Hayward, Palmdale, Imperial 
Beach, National City, 
Huntington Beach, Culver 
City, and Glendale.

Last week, City Manager Scott 
Ochoa, issued the following 
statement explaining why the 
injunction was needed.

Since the February 2012 
legislation to dissolve 
California’s 400+ 
Redevelopment Agencies, 
cities have struggled to create 
Successor Agencies and balance 
their newly unstable budgets. 
AB 26 states that “enforceable 
obligations” are lawful and 
valid obligations of the former 
Redevelopment Agency and 
thus a continued responsibility 
of the new Successor Agency. 
Because the State has already 
stripped all additional funds 
from cities, money to pay 
for these legally binding 
“enforceable obligations” 
must first be retrieved from 
the State, given to the County 
Auditor-Controllers’ offices 
and finally be turned over to 
the cities. The first transaction 
is scheduled to occur on June 
1, 2012 so that cities may 
meet their required payments 
to bonds and contracts. The 
State Department of Finance 
has recently issued conflicting 
statements, raising significant 
concern that cities will not 
receive the funding they require 
to meet their “enforceable 
obligations.”

By Dean Lee

 City Manager Michael Beck 
confirmed Wednesday that the 
city is in fact turning off all the 
red light cameras in the city as of 
June 30 saying that the decision 
was made as a way for the city to 
spend money more efficiently. 

 “The staff inclination was 
to eliminate the red light 
cameras and put the dollars 
that were allocated to the red 
light cameras into additional 
motor enforcement,” he said 
explaining that the city council 
had requested a report to the 
city’s Public Safety Committee 
in December.

 Beck said the decision was not 
to renew the current $350,000 
contract with American Traffic 
Solutions Inc. He said the 
issue did not need city council 
approval.

 “Technically we are not making 
a new decision we’re keeping 
with the previous decision 
which is to let the contract 
expire,” he said. “We’re not doing 
anything affirmatively to extend 
the agreement. 

In a report, Director of 
Transportation Frederick Dock 
said that although long term 
trends show a reduction in 
broadside collisions, the amount 
was slight compared to areas 
without cameras. He said safety 
could be improved though 
signal timing adjustments and 
expanded enforcement.

 A decision last year by the 
courts also gave drivers who 
were caught by the cameras an 
out by suggesting that because 
motorists received tickets by 
mail they there not obligated 
to show up in court. City staff 
said this makes enforcement 
voluntary and nearly impossible 
to collect on.

 Dock said there was also an 
increased amount of officer 
participation needed in the 
program, something he said 
could be better spent by having 
officers in the field. 

 Other cities, such as Los 
Angeles, have also shut off their 
red light programs citing similar 
reasons. 

City Nudges to have Last 710 Meeting

By Dean Lee

 The seventh and last 
informational open house 
on the SR-710 Study Project 
Wednesday was done at the 
request of the city said Pasadena 
City Manager Michael Beck. A 
number of councilmembers and 
Mayor Bill Bogaard attended 
the event held at the Rose Bowl 
hosted by Los Angeles County 
Metropolitan Transit Authority 
and Caltrans.

“We requested that Metro hold 
an open house in Pasadena 
so that are residents, could 
very efficiently and effectively 
comment and communicate 
and learn and share their 
viewpoints,” Beck said adding 
that Metro was responsive.

Beck said the city’s 
Transportation Department was 
monitoring the event closely. 

“From the city’s perspective, 
we’re really going to wait and 
see,” he said. “We really view 
this as an opportunity for the 
community to come in and 
share their dialog.”

 Councilmember Terry Tornek 
said he found residents to be 
open minded towards the 710 
extension.

“What I found when I went 
door to door a couple of years 
ago, at least in my district, I 
would say it’s pretty evenly split, 
he said. “In terms of people 
being for some linkage, so I’m 
very interested in this whole 
discussion. Tornek added that 
many of the ideas were new, 
“I’m going to go online and 
look at some of this stuff more 
carefully.”

Bogaard said he thought the 
idea of using magnetic rail could 
be explored.

“I think probably train transport 
of the goods that arrive at the 
ports in Long Beach are a much 
reputable way to go than just 
adding more trucks to the road, 
he said.”

Bogaard said that, in his opinion 
the extension would bring 
traffic into the area something 
Pasadena and South Pasadena 
does not need. 

Officials said the SR-710 team is 
evaluating options to improve 
mobility and relieve congestion 
within the study area. Residents 
learned about the multi-
modal alternative concepts 
under evaluation in the SR-
710 Study process, including, 
but not limited to, a “no build” 
alternative, improvements to 
local streets, expansion of transit 
systems and freeway options.

Astronomer Who Dethroned 
Pluto Awarded Kavli Prize

 Mike Brown, the Richard and 
Barbara Rosenberg Professor 
and professor of planetary 
astronomy at the California 
Institute of Technology 
(Caltech), has been named a co-
winner of the 2012 Kavli Prize 
in Astrophysics for his efforts 
to understand the outer solar 
system -- work that led to the 
demotion of Pluto.

 Brown shares the award with 
David Jewitt (MS ‘80, PhD 
‘83) of UCLA and Jane Luu of 
MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory; in 
1992, Jewitt and Luu discovered 
the first object in the Kuiper 
belt, a collection of more than 
a thousand objects beyond 
the orbit of Neptune. Brown, 
who joined Caltech’s faculty 
in 1997, has since become a 
leader in the search for planet-
sized objects in the Kuiper belt. 
According to the prize citation, 
the three received the prize “for 
discovering and characterizing 
the Kuiper belt and its largest 
members, work that led 
to a major advance in the 
understanding of the history of 
our planetary system.”

 Brown’s most well-known 
discovery came in 2005, when 
he found a Kuiper-belt object, 
later named Eris, that is about 
the same size as Pluto but 27 
percent more massive. That 
finding caused astronomers 
to rethink the definition of 
a planet, resulting in the 
reclassification of Pluto as a 
dwarf planet.

 “Mike spent years acquiring 
a massive number of images 
and learning how to process 
them to accurately detect 
objects that subtly shift in 
the sky over successive days 
-- without knowing whether 
there was anything interesting 
to be discovered,” explains 
Kenneth Farley, the W.M. 
Keck Foundation Professor 
of Geochemistry and chair 
of the Division of Geological 
and Planetary Sciences. “But 
that dedication was rewarded 
by the discovery of several 
fascinating Kuiper-belt objects, 
and just as important as their 
discovery was Mike’s effort in 
understanding them -- where 
they came from, how they 
formed, what they are made of, 
and what they tell us about our 
solar system. It is wonderful to 
see Mike recognized for these 
contributions.”

 The Kavli Prize, which includes 
a scroll, a gold medal, and $1 
million, recognizes scientists 
in astrophysics, nanoscience, 
and neuroscience, and has been 
awarded every other year since 
2008. 


Chalk Festival Turns 20

Disaster 
Preparedness 
Bill Passes 
Assembly

 
Assemblymember Anthony 
Portantino’s bill to improve 
emergency and disaster 
preparedness in California 
was overwhelmingly approved 
today in the State Assembly on 
a vote of

 AB 1650 public utilities to 
hold comprehensive disaster 
preparedness meetings every 
two years with the counties and 
cities they service in order to 
improve readiness and better 
prepare for natural disasters. 
In addition, the California 
Public Utilities Commission 
will help set standards for each 
utility to meet.

 “In the wake of the fierce 
winds and power outages 
that caused so much damage 
in Southern California late 
last year, we need to be better 
organized for the next disaster,” 
explained Assemblymember 
Portantino. “The purpose of 
these meetings is to inform 
local and county governments 
and the public about 
emergency preparedness plans 
and give them the opportunity 
to review and improve those 
plans. In this last disaster, 
communications were often 
incomplete or confusing and 
much of the public had no 
idea what was going on. Valid 
questions were raised whether 
our local utilities were ready. 
We all know another disaster 
will hit our communities and 
we need to be prepared.” 

 A recent report commissioned 
by Southern California Edison 
said the utility could be better 
prepared for a major disaster 
and could have cut its response 
time to the wind disaster if it 
had been.

 Under AB 1650, investor 
owned utilities will be 
required to begin their disaster 
preparedness meetings within 
three months of the legislation 
becoming law.

 The annual Pasadena Chalk 
Festival, recipient of the 2010 
Guinness World Record for 
the Largest Display of Chalk 
Art, will celebrate its 20th 
Anniversary on Father’s 
Day Weekend June 16 and 
17, 2012 at Paseo Colorado. 
Each year thousands of 
spectators enjoy the annual 
festival that is open to the 
public and free of charge. 
Paseo Colorado’s outdoor 
setting with fountains 
and garden promenades 
provides a venue for the 
Pasadena Chalk Festival to 
continue the legacy of the 
street painting art form by 
offering festival visitors an 
opportunity to shop, dine or 
see a movie as the works of 
art come to life.

 Hundreds of artists come 
from all across Southern 
California to spend two days 
on their hands and knees 
creating spectacular chalk 
murals on concrete areas in 
every style imaginable. In 
addition to the extraordinary 
opportunity to watch artists 
at work, guests are treated to 
live music an entertainment 
throughout the weekend. 
Families shared the day with 
each other as children create 
their own chalk artwork 
in KIDS CHALKLAND, 
a designated area for the 
children.

The Pasadena Chalk Festival 
benefits the community arts 
programs of the Light Bringer 
Project, a Pasadena-based 
nonprofit arts organization 
founded by local residents 
who were interested in the 
role the arts, architecture 
and design played in the 
growth and development 
of their community. For 
more information on Light 
Bringer Project programs 
and partnerships, please visit 
LightBringerProject.com.

 Paseo Colorado is located at 
280 East Colorado Boulevard 
(between Marengo and 
Los Robles Avenues) in the 
heart of Pasadena’s historic 
downtown Civic Center. For 
more information on Paseo 
Colorado, visit their website 
at PaseoColoradoPasadena.
com. Paseo Colorado is 
owned and managed by 
Cleveland-based DDR Corp. 
For directions and parking 
information, please click 

Pet of 
the Week


Citizen 
Journalism 
Meet-up

 Learn not just how to 
blog but how to report 
the news

 Jessie is a four-year–old 
brindle and white Australian 
Shepherd mix. She’s very 
calm and mellow and loves 
attention. She’s been out on 
our Mobile Outreach Unit 
and is a staff and volunteer 
favorite. She loves belly rubs 
too! 

 Jessie’s adoption fee is $120, 
which includes her neuter 
surgery, a microchip, the first 
set of vaccinations, as well 
as a free follow-up health 
check at a participating vet. 
New adopters will receive 
complimentary health and 
wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals. Ask an 
adoptions counselor for 
more information during 
your visit.

 Call the Pasadena 
Humane Society & SPCA at 
626.792.7151 to ask about 
A304987 or visit at 361 S. 
Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. 
Adoption hours are 11-4 
Sunday, 9-5 Tuesday –
Friday, 9-4 Saturday. 
Directions and photos of all 
pets can be found at www.
pasadenahumane.org.

 The Pasadena Community 
Network and this newspaper 
are holding a workshop on 
Citizen Journalism. 

 This group is the place where 
aspiring journalists can learn 
from trained professionals 
and support their local 
community by covering what’s 
really happening in their 
neighborhoods.

 We will put the news in your 
hands. Learn how to find 
the story, the tools needed to 
capture the story and the means 
to tell the story using the power 
of video, audio and print along 
with online social media The 
next meeting is June 12 from 6 
p.m. to 8p.m. at the Pasadena 
Community Network - Studio 
G, 2057 N. Los Robles Ave.

 For more info call 626.794.8585 
or visit pasadenan.com.

Dream Big This Summer 
at the Public Library

 Keep kids reading skills up 
this summer by participating 
in the Pasadena Public 
Library’s annual Summer 
Reading Club, June 9 to 
August 4. Sign-up at Central 
Library or any of the nine 
Pasadena Public Library 
branches. This year’s theme 
“Dream Big READ!” features 
a variety of free shows and 
activities for children 12 and 
younger. 

 Participation in a summer 
reading program generates 
interest in reading and books, 
encourages reluctant readers 
to participate through fun 
shows and activities and 
encourages lifelong learning. 
Visit your neighborhood 
library any time starting 
Saturday, June 9, and pick 
up a free summer reading 
starter kit for your child.

 Children will use the reading 
log to record the books that 
they read or that were read 
to them throughout the 
summer, bring their record to 
the library to receive special 
prizes and enjoy reading, 
wonderful programs and fun 
activities.

 The 2012 Summer Reading 
Club is sponsored by The 
Friends of the Pasadena 
Public Library. For more 
information call (626) 
744-4045 or visit www.
pasadenapubliclibrary.net/
librarykids.

Councilmembers to Dig the Dirt at 
Community Gardens Groundbreaking

 The public is invited to join 
Pasadena city officials at the new 
Pasadena Community Gardens 
for the special groundbreaking 
event at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 
9 for the City’s first public 
community garden site with 
individual plots for growing 
fresh fruits, vegetables and 
flowers. 

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard 
and District 6 Councilmember 
Steve Madison are scheduled to 
be among the first to help dig 
the dirt that officially opens the 
public gardens at 721 Pasadena 
Ave., between Bellefontaine 
Street and California Boulevard, 
on the historic ranch site of 
former California Gov. Henry 
Harrison Markham. 

They will be joined by Pasadena 
Community Gardens Co-
Chairs Cathy Morrison and 
Jody Hudson, along with 
representatives from the Los 
Angeles Community Garden 
Council, Pasadena & Foothill 
Chapter of the American 
Institute of Architects and 
Caltrans. Live music and 
refreshments will be available 
until noon. 

The groundbreaking ceremony 
will help kick off a fundraising 
campaign needed to complete 
the garden project, garden 
officials said. 

The Pasadena Community 
Gardens is helping to 
provide an eco-friendly and 
environmentally sustainable 
location for residents to grow 
and enjoy local fruits, herbs, 
flowers and vegetables. On-site 
programs to teach gardening 
techniques and environmental 
conservation are also planned 
as part of the new gardens.