Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, April 11, 2020

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 11, 2020 

VOLUME 14 NO. 15VOLUME 14 NO. 15

Pasadena 

COVID-19

Death Toll 
Climbs to 7

Fire and Police Honor Healthcare Workers

Tournament of Roses Set 
to Host Rosebud Parade

 
The public is invited to join 
the Tournament of Roses 
as they host our first-ever 
virtual parade, featuring 
floats homemade by parade 
enthusiasts. 

 “We’re excited to see what 
those creative, young minds 
can build,” While our staff 
and volunteer members are 
diligently working on the 
2021 Rose Parade presented 
by Honda, we thought we’d 
have a little celebration 
along the way.”

How to participate:

Imagine - What your float 
could be about or look like? 

Gather – materials from 
around your house – 
recycled newspaper, 
construction paper, leaves 
from your yard - whatever 
can help bring your vision to 
life. (Even some of your dolls 
or action figures)

Build your float - anyone in 
your home can help.

Record a video of your float 
– show us what you’ve got, 
either in motion or standing 
still. We want to see it all and 
the special parts up close. 
Also, tell us a little about 
your float – the theme, what 
inspired it, what you used 
to make it and anything else 
you want to highlight!

 Email your video - send your 
video to rosebudparade@
tournamentofroses.com by 
Monday, May 11.

 Tune in - we’ll compile the 
videos and premiere them 
via Facebook Live on May 
28.

 For complete 
guidelines, please visit: 
tournamentofroses.com/
events/rosebudparade.

 The Tournament of Roses is 
a volunteer organization that 
hosts America’s New Year 
Celebration with the Rose 
Parade presented by Honda, 
the Rose Bowl Game and 
a variety of accompanying 
events. 935 volunteer 
members of the association 
will drive the success of 
132nd Rose Parade themed 
“Dream. Believe. Achieve.,” 
on Friday, January 1, 2021, 
followed by the College 
Football Playoff Semifinal at 
the 107th Rose Bowl Game. 
For more information, 
visit: tournamentofroses.
com. Like us on Facebook 
and follow us on Twitter, 
Instagram and YouTube.

 First-ever virtual 
parade, featuring floats 
homemade by you.

 
City Officials Close 
all parks today and 
Easter.

 The City of Pasadena 
Public Health Department, 
(PPHD) said, as of Friday, 
seven people have died from 
novel coronavirus disease 
(COVID-19) and additional 
cases have been reported 
bringing the total number of 
confirmed cases in the city to 
117. They said due to patient 
confidentiality, no other 
information on each cases is 
given. 

 Officials also said, any 
close contacts of the infected 
persons are monitored for 
signs and symptoms of illness 
and quarantined.

 The Safer at Home Order 
issued by the city to slow 
the spread of COVID-19 
and protect the Pasadena 
community, as of now, has 
no end date. All parks will be 
closed over the weekend.

 Pasadena Public Information 
Officer Lisa Derderian 
said they wanted to avoid 
any holiday services or 
gathering in the parks, to be 
consistent with other local 
nearby communities. South 
Pasadena also announced the 
closing of all parks there. 

Derderian said this includes 
dog parks. “They will re-open 
on Monday,” she said. “Dog 
parks are closed until further 
notice.” 

Derderian also said that all of 
decedents were in long-term 
care facilities (residents or 
employees). 

For the latest on COVID-19, 
visit: cdc.gov.

 
Huntington Hospital 
to use Pasadena 
Convention Center as 
Temporary Medical 
Facility

By Dean Lee

 Pasadena police and fire 
personnel lined the front of 
Huntington Hospital Thursday 
afternoon, with lights and 
sirens, to show appreciation 
to the healthcare workers 
throughout the hospital. 

 Healthcare workers from inside 
the emergency room met the 
procession waving and taking 
pictures, as they wore masks, 
(pictured bottom right). Some 
held signs showing support 
back. Some firefighters stood 
atop their trucks waving. The 
above picture (top) was taken 
and given to this newspaper by 
fire department personnel from 
their point of view. 

In Related News: City Council 
Approves Convention Center as 
Temporary Medical Facility 

 The Pasadena city council 
approved unanimously Monday 
an agreement to establish a 
temporary medical facility 
at the Pasadena Convention 
Center for a three month period, 
supplying an initial 250 beds. 

 The $700,000 contract 
with Redrock Entertainment 
Services, would cover labor, 
materials and supplies. The 
center, as a medical facility, 
would be staffed by Huntington 
Hospital employees to care for 
COVID-19 patients, requiring 
less medical attention. 

 Huntington Hospital Chief 
Executive Officer Lori Morgan 
told the council they could 
need as many as 400 beds. City 
Manager Steve Mermell said 
they had the funding if more 
beds are needed. Mermell called 
the agreement an insurance 
policy saying they hoped on 
not needing to use it. He said 
staff would seek reimbursement 
from FEMA. 

 The Convention Center has 
97,000 square feet of flexible 
space that can be configured as

needed, a subterranean loading 
dock, full food service and is 
approximately one mile

from Huntington Hospital 
according to Mermell. 

 Pasadena Public Information 
Officer Lisa Derderian said the 
Convention Center should be 
ready by Wednesday.

 Redrock Entertainment was 
chosen for having extensive 
experience staging thousands 
of concerts, festivals and large-
scale events. 

 At press time Derderian 
released a list of long-term 
care facilities with one or more 
confirmed COVID-19 Case(s) 
including, Brighton Care 
Center, Camellia Gardens, Fair 
Oaks by Regency Park, Garfield 
Care Center, Golden Cross 
Healthcare, Huntington Post 
Acute (Pasadena Meadows) 
Jasmine Terrace, Rose Garden 
and St. Vincent Health Care. 

 She said the Convention 
Center would only be used for 
anyone with COVID-19 and not 
any displaced seniors from care 
facilities that have not tested 
positive for COVID-19. 

Council Approves Stimulus 
to Support Utility Customers

 The Pasadena City Council 
approved a plan, Monday, 
to issue rebate checks to all 
Pasadena electric customers—
both residents and businesses—
in the coming weeks. 

 According to a press 
statement, at the meeting, 
councilmembers approved 
suspension of the collection 
of the Utility Underground 
Surtax (UUG) for a period of 
six months, and approved a 
proposal to refund all electric 
customers an amount equal 
to the UUG Surtax for a two-
year period from April 2018 
through March for this year. 
Former customers having 
paid the surtax during this 
period would also be eligible 
for rebates. The total estimated 
value of the rebates exceeds $11 
million.

 “These efforts are some of 
the many ways in which the 
City is working to minimize 
the financial burden to the 
Pasadena community during 
the novel coronavirus outbreak. 
Providing direct rebates will be 
the fastest way to ensure that 
every electric customer receives 
some financial relief,” said City 
Manager Steve Mermell.

 All current residential and 
commercial electric customers 
can expect to receive a rebate 
check for the UUG Surtax 
within four to five weeks. 
Those who were Pasadena 
electric customers in the past 
two years but who no longer 
have an account will receive 
information on how to apply 
for their refund if their new 
address is known.

 To further provide financial 
relief, councilmembers 
also approved a proposal to 
temporarily stop collection of 
the UUG Surtax for six months, 
resulting in about a 4percent 
lower utility bill for most 
electric customers.

 Financial efforts began in 
March to provide relief from 
COVID-19 when City Council 
took action to suspend the 
accrual of any Pasadena Water 
and Power (PWP) late fees 
and penalties on delinquent 
utility bills until further 
notice. Additionally, any PWP 
customer in delinquent status 
would not experience shutoff 
to their water or electric service 
until further notice according 
to city officials.

 For information on additional 
benefits PWP offers to low-
income customers and those 
who rely on medical devices, 
visit: PWPweb.com/COVID19.

Altadena 
Reminders 
for the 
Holiday 
Weekend

Chamber 
Organizes 
Donation 
Campaign

 To provide some help and 
assistance to those facing the 
Coronavirus, the Pasadena 
Chamber of Commerce is 
raising money through its 
Foundation to purchase meals 
from local restaurants for 
delivery to our emergency 
room personnel as well as 
first responders and urgent 
care center staff. The Food for 
First Responders effort will 
deliver fresh food from local 
restaurants to emergency 
rooms, urgent care centers and 
first responders in our local 
community.

 Pasadena Chamber CEO 
Paul Little said “It is important 
for us to let the Emergency 
Room personnel and everyone 
who is dealing first-hand with 
the COVID-19 pandemic 
understand how much we 
appreciate them. We are doing 
this small thing to help them 
continue with their work.”

 To donate visit: 
pasadenayouthworks.
org/node25 or visit: 
pasadenayouthworks.org 
and click on the pull down to 
donate to support Food For 
First Responders then click 
on the link to donate. We 
encourage people to donate as 
much or as little as they can 
afford.

 Donations are tax deductible 
and will help support those 
who are keeping us safe and 
healthy during the crisis.

 The Pasadena Chamber of 
Commerce will continue this 
effort until the COVID-19 
Coronavirus Safer at Home 
orders are lifted.

 As we approach Passover 
and Easter, Los Angeles 
County continues to remind 
all residents that the Health 
Officer’s Safer at Home order 
remains in full effect. 

 This week is Holy Week, 
and it is a time when many 
want to be with their family 
and faith communities. 
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, 
MPH, MEd, Director of 
Los Angeles County Public 
Health, applauded the faith-
based organizations that are 
finding ways to reach out to 
people online through virtual 
services and the people who 
are finding ways to practice 
their faith together -- from 
afar. She asked that any 
planned gatherings in person, 
as well as in cars, be canceled 
and sent a reminder that the 
order prohibits such physical 
gatherings.

 Stay home (stay unexposed 
and do not expose others)

Only go out for essential 
services or if they are an 
essential worker

Stay six feet or more away 
from others

Not gather in groups of any 
size

 Though the need to connect 
with friends and family is 
strong, group meals and 
social gatherings make social 
distancing difficult, and 
therefore, put everyone at 
risk. Face-to-face interactions 
with individuals from other 
households are prohibited 
under the Safer at Home 
order.

Portantino and PTA to Host 
Virtual Family Health Forum

 

 Senator Anthony Portantino 
and First District PTA are again 
partnering for an important 
public health discussion. 
This morning from 11 a.m. 
to 1 p.m. Portantino and the 
PTA will be joined by four 
family therapists for a virtual 
Family Health Forum. The 
forum will provide strategies 
for families abiding by social 
distancing recommendations 
to better cope with the effects 
of COVID-19.

 “I always approach my job 
from the perspective of being a 
dad. Families are coping with 
this unprecedented situation 
remarkably well. But, we have 
also seen a rise in tensions, calls 
to hotlines, and struggles to 
maintain appropriate academic 
and social balances and health. 
It’s my hope that by having 
experts on the line answering 
your questions we can all work 
together to get through this 
crisis,” commented Senator 
Portantino.

 Every family faces both unique 
and common challenges during 
this unprecedented situation 
necessitating a calm, strong, 
and effective response to allow 
kids to continue to thrive in 
their home life and education. 
The event will include Senator 
Portantino, the First District 
PTA, local non-profits, and 
Marriage & Family Therapists 
answering questions and 
discussing how best to respond 
to this crisis.

 “It’s consistent with our PTA 
mission to look out for the 
welfare of our entire school 
family community. We are 
thankful for the Senator for 
initiating this Family Health 
Forum and we hope many 
parents, teachers, students and 
administrators can tune in,” 
added Diane Hyland, President 
First District PTA.

 Panel Participants include, 
First District PTA, Senator 
Anthony Portantino, Lara 
Mekhitarian, LMFT, Anna 
Marie Rossi, MA - LMFT, 
Nora Chitilian - LMFT, Typical 
&Special Needs Children and 
George Holbrook, LMFT, 
Clinical Director - Family 
Service Agency

 Two ways to participate; Call: 
(844) 721-7241; Access Code: 
4471730 or Live Stream: sd25.
senate.ca.gov.

Participants are encouraged


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com