Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 23, 2020

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 23, 2020 

Pasadena 
Memorial 
Day Closures

City Requests Local Control of Re-opening

Planning Department to 
Host Virtual Open Houses 

 
After Pasadena Public Health 
Director, Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, 
contacted the California 
Department of Public Health 
last week advocating for local 
control over the COVID-19 
re-opening process, California 
Department of Public Health 
officials said the city must follow 
LA County guidelines. 

 According to a press statement, 
up until now, Pasadena has 
been required to follow the 
State’s guidelines and the only 
local control was the ability to 
have stricter guidelines than the 
State. 

 Governor Gavin Newsom 
signaled a change in course 
on this with the possibility 
that local health jurisdictions 
have some control over the re-
opening process Goh said. 

 Specifically, Newsom indicated 
that local health jurisdictions 
may apply for a “variance” 
to Stage Two re-opening 
requirements. If a variance were 
granted, a local jurisdiction 
could, for example, reopen 
restaurants or allow drive 
through graduations provided 
certain criteria were met, she 
said. 

 City officials said they 
have been informed that the 
California Department of 
Public Health will not consider 
Pasadena’s variance request and 
will only consider such requests 
from counties despite what 
Newsom has said. This will 
leave Pasadena and Long Beach 
locked into whatever LA County 
decides, without the ability 
to take advantage locally of 
what Newsom has announced. 
Because it has its own Health 
Department, Pasadena is 
well prepared to develop, 
promulgate and administer 
regulations that would allow for 
re-opening according to its local 
health indicators as well as its 
economic and social needs.

 Cities which have their own 
health departments have been 
omitted from the required 
documentation, hence, 
Pasadena’s Health Officer is 
asking for clarification so that 
Pasadena can seek a variance. 
This would allow for local 
control of reopening based 
upon local health factors using 
Pasadena’s own authority and 
not the County’s.

 “We are capable and confident 
of insuring adherence to all 
state requirements,” Goh said. 
“We believe it is important to 
provide the latitude to exercise 
our local authority that the 
Governor has conferred by his 
Executive Order. Therefore, 
we are respectfully requesting 
revisions to the COVID-19 
Variance Attestation Form be 
made to allow for local control.”

 For more information visit: 
cityofpasadena.net. 

 
City hall and many city 
services and administrative 
business offices will be 
closed on Monday, in 
observance of Memorial 
Day, a national day of 
remembrance for the brave 
men and women of the 
U.S. military who died in 
the line of duty.

 Trash will be collected on 
Monday, May 25. There 
will be no delay in trash, 
recycling and yard waste 
collection. The Citizen’s 
Service Center will also 
be open from 8 a.m. until 
noon on Monday, and can 
be reached at (626) 744-
7311. 

 In order to slow the spread of 
COVID-19 while continuing 
to engage the community, the 
City of Pasadena Planning & 
Community Development 
Department will hold virtual 
open houses for its program 
Our Pasadena—Putting the 
Plan in Motion starting in July.

 Our Pasadena was launched 
in 2018 as a step towards the 
implementation of the City’s 
General Plan, which guides 
future growth and development 
for Pasadena. Since the launch 
of the program, a growing 
number of community 
members have engaged in 
the process by participating 
in workshops, stakeholder 
interviews, walking tours, pop-
up events and youth activities, 
signing up for email updates, 
and following @OurPasadena 
on social media.

 Through this process, all eight 
of Pasadena’s Specific Plans will 
be updated, resulting in new 
development standards and 
guidelines that will help shape 
Pasadena’s major commercial 
and mixed-use areas for 
generations to come. The final 
phase of community meetings, 
Round 3, will take place 
between July and December 
of this year and will be held 
virtually to help limit the 
spread of COVID-19.

 During the virtual open 
houses, community members 
will have an opportunity to 
explore interactive stations 
with information on potential 
development standards for new 
commercial and residential 
projects located along 
Pasadena’s major commercial 
and mixed-use corridors, 
including Colorado Boulevard, 
Foothill Boulevard, Lincoln 
Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, 
and Lake Avenue. A total of 
eight virtual open houses 
will be held, one for each of 
Pasadena’s Specific Plan areas, 
providing an opportunity for 
the community to review the 
draft standards and submit 
comments online.

 The planning department 
is currently exploring 
additional options to engage 
the community during these 
trying times, including setting 
up weekly telephone or virtual 
office hours where community 
members may have the 
opportunity to speak with a 
planner about a particular 
Specific Plan. Community 
feedback will help shape 
the proposed Specific Plans 
that will be presented to the 
Planning Commission for 
their review and consideration 
starting early next year.

 Sign up at OurPasadena.org 
for updates and information 
on upcoming virtual open 
houses for the Specific Plan 
Update program. Browse the 
program website to find out 
more information on each of 
the Specific Plan areas and past 
planning efforts. Got questions? 
Email info@ourpasadena.net.

 All Eight Specific 
Plans to be Included 

Library Offers 
Curbside 
Pickup Service

 With the opening of local 
retail for curbside pickup 
this week, Pasadena Public 
Library began piloting 
curbside pickup service 
at Central Library. The 
service is offered Monday 
through Friday from 9:30 
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the 
library’s north parking lot, 
285 E. Walnut St.

 Library patrons are now 
able to pick up reserved 
materials placed on 
hold. Each is contacted 
individually and informed 
that their materials are 
ready for pickup. They are 
then given instructions as 
to when and where to pick 
them up. Upon arrival, 
they are directed to park 
and either phone or text 
library staff to alert them to 
their arrival. Library staff 
then place their reserved 
materials on a table 
adjacent to their parking 
spot and step back. The 
Library Patron then steps 
out and picks up the holds 
materials. Book returns 
are also accepted and can 
be returned in the nearby 
book drops.

 The curbside pickup 
program is just for library 
holds and currently only 
in operation at Central 
Library. Plans to expand 
curbside pickup service 
to the branches are in the 
works and announced 
soon.

 To place library materials 
on hold visit: 

 pasadenapubliclibrary.
net. The Library is also 
available virtually and staff 
are providing reference 
service via phone and 
email. Contact Library 
staff by phone (626) 744-
4066, option 7 or email at 
ask@cityofpasadena.email.
libanswers.com.

 Whereas all Pasadena 
Public Library buildings 
remain closed as a 
precautionary measure to 
protect our community 
members from novel 
coronavirus (COVID-19), 
the Pasadena Virtual 
Library is available 24/7 
for access to eBooks, 
eAudiobooks, magazines, 
research, streaming 
movies/TV, and more. We 
thank you for your patience 
and understanding. 

 For more information, 
visit: 

 pasadenapubliclibrary.net. 
or call (626) 744-4066.

Tennis and 
Pickleball 
Courts 
Reopen

PCC, APU Partnership to 
Address Nursing Shortage


Pasadena City College and 
Azusa Pacific University 
announced last week a new 
partnership that will extend 
access to nursing education 
for residents of the San Gabriel 
Valley region and help alleviate 
the chronic nursing shortage 
statewide.

 This collaboration 
enables nursing students to 
concurrently enroll at PCC and 
Azusa Pacific, earning credits 
and clinical experience through 
both institutions. In just six 
semesters of total program 
study, PCC’s Associate Degree 
in Nursing (ADN) students will 
graduate from Azusa Pacific 
with their Bachelor of Science 
in Nursing (BSN). California 
healthcare organizations are 
moving toward hiring BSN-
prepared graduates as the entry-
level standard.

 The accelerated program 
elevates the proficiency of 
nurses entering Southern 
California hospitals and clinics, 
moving these students beyond 
the two-year associate degree 
and increasing their skill as 
caregivers. In combining the 
low-cost, open-access program 
at PCC with Azusa Pacific’s 
nationally ranked School of 
Nursing, students from all 
educational backgrounds will 
walk a pathway to a high-
paying, rewarding career. APU 
graduates approximately 4 
percent of the newly registered 
nurses in the state, with an 
employment rate for all pre-
licensure programs at 100 
percent within a year of 
graduation – 90 percent of 
whom are employed within 
California.

 “PCC’s nursing students 
are resilient, determined, 
and dedicated to joining the 
healthcare workforce,” said 
PCC Superintendent/President 
Erika Endrijonas. “The statistics 
speak for themselves: 96 percent 
of our nursing graduates find 
employment, and 86 percent 
are making a living wage. Our 
partnership with APU will boost 
our students to the next level of 
their careers and bring them 
to the front lines in Southern 
California’s world-class clinical 
environments.”

 Baccalaureate-prepared 
nurses have been shown to 
improve patient outcomes and 
reduce hospital costs. Studies 
have shown that nurses with 
bachelor’s degrees score higher 
on measures of quality and 
safety, and earn more. In fact, 
APU ranks in the top 14 percent 
of nursing programs nationwide 
for early and mid-career 
salaries, according to Payscale’s 
College Salary Report.

 At the same time, bachelor’s 
degrees can present financial 
challenges to students and 
their families. This effort 
contributes to the Institute of 
Medicine’s 2020 goal to increase 
the percentage of nurses who 
attain a bachelor’s degree 
to 80 percent by 2020. The 
National Education Progression 
in Nursing Collaborative 
challenged nursing educators 
to create a seamless model 
that allows ADN students 
to complete the BSN degree 
within 1-2 semesters. The Posey 
Foundation has worked closely 
with Pasadena City College to 
start a micro-lending program 
through the PCC Foundation 
that will assist PCC nursing 
students in completing their 
baccalaureate education. 

 Students entering the PCC/
APU program will have 
completed prerequisite courses 
required for admission to 
the PCC nursing program. 
Upon acceptance to the PCC/
APU program, the student 
concurrently enrolls in classes 
at PCC and at Azusa Pacific, 
receiving complete student 
status at both institutions. 

 The two-year sequence covers 
70 units at PCC in courses such 
as pharmacology, psychology, 
medical-surgical, obstetrics, 
and pediatrics, and 50 units 
at Azusa Pacific, including 
pathophysiology, research 
and statistics, ethics and 
spirituality, and evidence-based 
practice. After the student’s 
fourth semester at PCC, 
students earn their associate’s 
degree in nursing and take 
the state licensure exam to 
become a registered nurse. 
After completing their final 
preparatory courses including 
those in public health nursing 
at Azusa Pacific, they will earn 
their bachelor’s degree.

 The City of Pasadena 
Department of Parks, 
Recreation and Community 
Services has reopened 
certain non-contact 
amenities and park areas, 
including tennis and 
pickleball courts, the 
archery range, casting pond, 
and community gardens.

 With guidance from the 
County of Los Angeles and 
the Pasadena Public Health 
Department, additional 
safety protocols are in 
place and can be found 
on the Parks, Recreation 
and Community Services 
Department website. 
Signage is posted at the 
entrance of the newly 
reopened recreation 
amenities advising visitors 
of these safety protocols 
and guidelines. It’s vital that 
visitors adhere to the safety 
guidelines to help keep these 
amenities open. 

 Parks and park restrooms 
remain open. Park users 
should continue to practice 
physical distancing and 
avoid gathering with people 
who live outside their 
household. All recreation 
indoor facilities are closed. 
Playground structures, 
exercise equipment, 
basketball courts, and disc 
golf courses also remain 
closed. These closures are 
a precautionary measure 
to protect our community 
members from novel 
coronavirus (COVID-19). 

 Stay connected to the City 
of Pasadena, online at” 
cityofpasadena.net or call 
the Citizen Service Center, 
7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday at (626) 744-
7311.

Altadena Library Announce 
Board of Trustees Vacancy

 With the resignation of Trustee 
Gwen McMullins, the Altadena 
Library Board of Trustees is 
announcing a vacancy and will 
make an appointment to fill 
that seat. 

 “The Altadena Library District 
thanks Trustee McMullins for 
her many years of dedicated 
service and extends its 
profound appreciation for 
all her work on behalf of the 
library and the community.” 

 The Board of Trustees is 
accepting applications from 
anyone who would like to serve 
on the board for her unexpired 
2020 term (until the first Friday 
in December, 2020). Applicants 
must be at least 18, a resident 
of, and registered to vote in 
Altadena. This seat, along with 
two others currently held by 
Trustees Betsy Kahn and Terry 
Andrues, will be up for election 
on the November 2020 ballot. 
The individual appointed will 
hold the seat until the elected 
candidate is certified and sworn 
in; s/he is welcome to run for 
the seat in the 2020 election 
if desired. The board meets at 
5:00pm on the fourth Monday 
of each month; the position 
involves budgetary and policy 
oversight as well as high-level 
strategic decision-making for 
the Altadena Library District. 
Interested parties should submit 
a letter of interest, resume, 
and completed supplemental 
questionnaire to the District 
Director by 5:00pm on June 12, 
2020. The board will interview 
potential candidates at the next 
board meeting at 5:00pm on 
June 22nd, and the interview 
and appointment process will 
be announced publicly in 
advance.

 For more information visit: 
altadenalibrary.org/board/; or 
any questions to nwinslow@
altadenalibrary.org.

You may also mail your 
materials to the Main Library at 
600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena, 
CA 91001.


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