Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 9, 2021

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 9, 2021 

Local Area 
News Brief


Holden Reacts to Governor 
Gavin Newsom's Budget

New Website With 
Pasadena COVID 
Vaccine Updates

 
Assemblymember Chris 
Holden released the following 
comments Friday in relation 
to Governor Gavin Newsom 
proposed 2021-2022 Budget.

 “Today’s [Friday] budget 
reflects the challenging 
times California continues 
to experience during the 
COVID-19 Pandemic. I look 
forward to working with 
Governor Newsom and my 
colleagues in the legislature to 
strengthen and improve the 
budget to save lives and our 
economy, while committing to 
shared priorities like education, 
affordable housing, and our 
environment. Our focus, 
however, at this moment must 
continue to be the health and 
well-being of all Californians 
during this COVID-19 
Pandemic.

 First, I am encouraged to 
see the Governor has taken 
my request to ensure the 
supplemental wage increase 
for developmental services 
are not suspended at the end 
of the year. We sent a letter 
to the Governor highlighting 
the Rate Study that shows the 
Intellectual and Developmental 
Disability community was 
underfunded by $1.4 billion, 
and stressed the need to extend 
the supplemental wage increase 
until the rate methodology 
can be permanently fixed. 
The budget now reflects an 
extension of the sunset date 
to the end of 2022. Without 
this extension thousands of 
service providers would be 
at risk shutting their doors. 
Families losing care for their 
loved ones with intellectual 
and developmental disabilities 
community, especially 
during a pandemic, would be 
catastrophic.

 Intellectual and developmental 
disability service providers have 
gone above and beyond to serve 
their clients – making sacrifices 
in their own lives while being 
paid menial wages due to 
an outdated reimbursement 
system. We stepped in to ask the 
Governor to make a decision in 
the budget to value and honor 
the work of these employees by 
extending the rate increase, and 
today, we are one step closer 
to ensuring the intellectual 
and developmental disability 
community has what they need 
to continue to provide much 
needed services to our loved 
ones.

 After almost a year of living 
through this Pandemic 
nightmare, it’s clear that 
disadvantaged communities 
are disproportionately affected, 
whether directly through higher 
cases, hospitalizations, and 
deaths or indirectly through 
lower education quality due to 
lack of resources. I applaud the 
Governor for recognizing these 
discrepancies and look forward 
to working with him to ensure 
a just recovery.

 The Governor’s proposed 
$372 million to speed up 
administration of vaccines 
across all of California’s 58 
counties is essential to getting 
us out of the Pandemic, which 
will allow us to adequately 
address all other issues.

 The proposed $14 billion 
investment in our economic 
recovery are urgently needed 
for those folks seeking relief 
from the loss of their jobs or 
business to the Pandemic.

 The Governor is proposing a 
historic level of investments 
in education totaling over $90 
billion for K-12 in additional 
to a higher education tuitions 
freeze. We simply cannot let 
the Pandemic prevent us from 
investing in our future.

 As we continue to experience 
the effects of climate change like 
catastrophic wildfires among 
others disasters, Governor 
Newsom’s proposed $1.5 
billion comprehensive strategy 
to achieve the state’s zero-
emission vehicle goals by 2035 
and 2045 shows his continued 
commitment to reducing our 
greenhouse gas emissions. The 
proposed additional $1 billion 
fire prevention that maximizes 
technology and science-based 
approaches to protect state 
forestlands is vital to preventing 
extreme wildfire events.”

Vaccine is likely to be 
available to the general 
public, spring/summer 2021.

 The City of Pasadena has 
launched a new webpage with 
vaccine information to keep 
the community updated and 
provide a link for healthcare 
workers to learn about getting 
the vaccine.

 Pasadena continues to 
distribute and administer the 
safe and effective COVID-19 
vaccines as quickly as 
possible. Both the Pfizer 
and Moderna vaccine have 
been approved by the Food 
and Drug Administration 
(FDA), require two doses, 
and provide similar efficacy. 
Phases and tiers are subject to 
change but currently include:

Phase 1A—Vaccinating now

Healthcare workers providing 
direct care, and residents 
and staff of long-term care 
facilities

Phase 1B Tier One

People ages 75 and over

Those at risk of exposure 
at work in the following 
sectors: education, childcare, 
emergency services, and food 
and agriculture

Phase 1B Tier Two

People ages 65-74

Those at risk of exposure at 
work in the following sectors: 
transportation and logistics; 
industrial, commercial, 
residential, and sheltering 
facilities and services; critical 
manufacturing. Congregate 
settings with outbreak risk: 
incarcerated and homeless

Phase 1C

People ages 50-64

People ages 16-64 who 
have an underlying health 
condition or disability which 
increases their risk of severe 
COVID-19

 Those at risk of exposure 
at work in the following 
sectors: water and 
wastewater; defense; energy; 
chemical and hazardous 
materials; communications 
and IT; financial services; 
government operations/
community-based essential 
functions

 Pasadena has a 
disproportionately high 
number of long-term care 
facilities per 100,000 residents 
relative to neighboring 
jurisdictions. At PPHD’s 
request, 13 of Pasadena’s 
skilled nursing facilities 
(SNFs) and 97 assisted living 
and residential care facilities 
enrolled in the Pharmacy 
Partnership for Long-term 
Care (LTC) Program. The 
program has partnered with 
local pharmacies that will 
facilitate safe vaccination. 

 PPHD is also administering 
vaccines to staff of local skilled 
nursing and assisted living 
facilities and dialysis centers 
this week, and continues 
to vaccinate Pasadena Fire 
Department emergency 
medical technicians (EMTs) 
and paramedics. Partnerships 
with local pharmacies are 
also being coordinated to 
ensure access to vaccine for 
individuals who qualify for 
Phase 1A.

 According to CDPH, 
the vaccine is likely to be 
available to the general public 
in spring/summer 2021. For 
more information on vaccine 
administration and planning, 
visit cityofpasadena.net/

 public-health/covid-19-
vaccine or call (626) 744-
6000. Healthcare providers 
who are eligible are 
encouraged to sign up to 
receive and administer the 
vaccine at ca.covidreadi.com.

Council to Look at Heritage Square South



 The Pasadena city council 
is set Monday to review 
predevelopment plans to 
redevelop six contiguous 
properties at the northeast 
corner of North Fair Oaks 
Avenue and East Orange 
Grove Boulevard with a 
70-unit mixed-use project 
known as Heritage Square
South. The project also 
includes demolition of the
long standing Church’s 
Chicken.

 According to the staff 
report, the proposed project 
would include 69 Supportive 
Housing units for homeless 
seniors, one manager’s 
unit, approximately 2,200 
square feet of ground floor 
commercial space, and a 
37-space surface parking 
lot. The site is located 710,
722, 730, 738 N. Fair Oaks
Avenue and 19, 25 E. Orange
Grove Boulevard, and totals
48,462 square feet.

 The proposed project 
would be three-stories at 
approximately 36 feet in 
overall height, the report 
reads. The project also 
propose 17 parking spaces 
behind security fencing 
for the residents and 20 
additional parking spaces for 
the ground floor commercial 
use, as these have been 
determined necessary for the 
project, staff said.

 Although the project 
proposes seven office/ 
personal services/retail, 
nine medical offices and 
restaurant/ restaurant, fast 
food, it was unknown if 
Church’s Chicken would 
relocate to one of the spaces. 

 Heritage Square South is 
proposed to be a companion 
project to Heritage Square 
that is located immediately 
to the north, which provides 
70 affordable housing for 
independent seniors. The two 
projects would be developed 
by the same group, Bridge 
Housing according to the 
report.

 The report is intended to 
provide information only 
to the city council and no 
action will be taken.

 The council will meet 
by videoconference/
teleconference at 2 p.m. 
and a livestream with 
captioning will be available 
at: pasadenamedia.org.

 Members of the public may 
submit comments of any 
length up to two hours prior 
to the start of the meeting, 
at the following email 
address: correspondence@
cityofpasadena.net. Or 
during the meeting, with a 
200 word limit, online at: 
cityofpasadena.net/city-
clerk/public-comment.

Mayor Gordo 
Nominates 
Council 
Members to 
Board Positions

 Mayor Victor Gordo has 
announced this week the 
nomination of two City 
Council members to fill 
vacancies on boards to 
represent the city, which 
will be considered by City 
Council at their Jan. 11 
meeting.

 Vice Mayor Andy Wilson 
has been nominated to serve 
on the Arroyo Verdugo 
Communities Joint Powers 
Authority (AVCJPA), 
which consists of the cities 
of Burbank, Glendale, La 
Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena 
and South Pasadena, and 
the unincorporated areas of 
Crescenta Valley/Montrose 
within Los Angeles County. 
The city councils and county 
approved the formation of 
the JPA and have begun work 
on the ?ve-year funding plan 
for the JPA’s Multiyear Sub-
regional Programs (MSP). 
This includes the AVCJPA’s 
plans to spend Measure M 
funds, a voter-approved 
sales tax measure to address 
homelessness.

 District 6 Councilmember 
Steve Madison has been 
nominated to the Rose Bowl 
Operating Company. The 
mission of the Rose Bowl 
Operating Company is to 
return economic and civic 
value to the City of Pasadena 
by managing a world-class 
stadium and a professional 
quality golf course complex 
in a community-based 
environment.

 “Each board and council 
member has a unique 
character and history, 
and the collaboration and 
communication will help 
us utilize our knowledge 
and expertise to maximize 
resources, achieve
sustainable solutions, and 
advocate for our interests to 
improve the quality of life 
in our city,” states Mayor 
Gordo.

 For more information visit: 
cityofpasadena.net.

Masters Series Winter Term 
History of American Movies



 The winter 2021 term of 
The Masters Series, which 
embraces lifelong learning and 
is presented by the Pasadena 
Senior Center, will be virtual 
via Zoom for people 50 and 
older Tuesdays, Jan. 12 to Feb. 
23, from 2 to 4 p.m. and will be 
titled “The History of American 
Movies.” 

 Since the earliest days of 
cinema, movies have captured 
hearts and imaginations all over 
the world. Dr. Jonathan Kuntz, 
a film historian and widely 
respected expert on Hollywood 
cinema and the development 
of the studio system, will cover 
the American film industry 
from the birth of Hollywood 
at the turn of the 20th century 
through the challenges facing 
filmmaking and distribution 
today. 

Jan. 12 – The Birth of 
Hollywood and the Silent Era 

Jan. 19 – From the Great Silent 
Comedians to the Advent of 
Sound Film 

Jan. 26 – Hollywood in the 
Great Depression 

Feb. 2 – Hollywood from World 
War II to the Blacklist 

Feb. 9 – The End of the Studio 
Era, and Hollywood in the 
1960s 

Feb. 16 – The New Hollywood 
and the Rise of Cable TV 

Feb. 23 – The Reagan Era 
and the Entertainment 
Conglomerate to the Present 

 The cost for the seven sessions 
is only $90 for members of the 
Pasadena Senior Center and 
$105 for non-members. 

 To register, visit www.
pasadenaseniorcenter.org 
and click on The Masters 
Series Lifelong Learning. 
Everyone who registers will 
receive email instructions 
for joining each of the seven 
Zoom sessions online. For 
more information about The 
Masters Series, email AnnieL@
pasadenaseniorcenter.org. 

 Kuntz has welcomed several 
generations of students to 
the study of cinema with his 
popular undergraduate course 
on the history of the American 
motion picture, offered every 
quarter at the UCLA School of 
Theater, Film and Television. 
He has appeared in several 
documentaries about American 
film history as an expert on film 
production and exhibition, and 
has contributed to The New 
York Times. Known for his 
encyclopedic knowledge, he 
has been quoted in the media 
on many topics from the careers 
of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn 
Monroe to the effects of the 
Disney purchase of Lucasfilm. 

 For more information 
about other Pasadena 
Senior Center programs and 
services, including online 
options for classes, events 
and activities during the 
COVID-19 pandemic, visit: 
pasadenaseniorcenter.org or 
call 626-795-4331. 

Library Goes Fine Free

 As of January 1, 2021, the South Pasadena Library no longer 
charges overdue fees for library materials. Overdue fees 
have not been charged due to the pandemic, but becoming 
officially Fine Free at the Library is a permanent step taken 
after multi-year considerations and processes.

 Overdue fees have been shown to disproportionately 
impact library customers least able to afford them, such as 
seniors on a fixed income, kids, and teens. The elimination 
of overdue fees reflects a commitment on the part of the 
staff, the Library Board of Trustees, and the South Pasadena 
City Council, to fair and equal access to library materials 
and services.

 Please note that borrowers will still be charged for lost or 
damaged items.

 For more information visi: southpasadenaca.gov/library.


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