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Mountain View News Saturday, March 2, 2024 

Pasadena 
'Herstory' 

2024 Women 
at Work


Abolitionist Gravesite in 
Altadena Gets Historical 
Landmark Nomination

 
The City of Pasadena’s 
Commission on the Status 
of Women is set to host 
“Herstory 2024: Women at 
Work Overcoming Barriers 
and Bias”, on Thursday 
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at All 
Saints Church.

 This free event will feature 
a thought-provoking 
panel discussion centered 
around the challenges and 
opportunities for women 
in professions historically 
dominated by men. Our 
diverse panel of local 
women, comprised of 
accomplished professionals 
and advocates, will share 
their invaluable insights, 
experiences, and strategies 
for navigating and breaking 
barriers in these fields.

 Welcome remarks will be 
provided by Los Angeles 
County Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger. Panelists 
include Green Splendor 
Landscaping founder 
Lupe Perez, Pasadena 
Fire Department Captain 
Jodi Slicker, and Dean of 
Pasadena Community 
College’s Career and 
Technical Education 
Division Dr. Arminé 
Derdiarian. The panel will 
be moderated by Laura 
Farber, a partner at Hahn & 
Hahn LLP.

Panel Discussion 
Highlights:

- Identifying systemic 
challenges hindering 
women’s progress in male-
dominated industries.

- Sharing success stories 
and strategies for career 
advancement.

- Discussing initiatives 
and measures to foster 
inclusivity and gender 
equality in these sectors.

- Exploring the role of 
mentorship and support 
networks in empowering 
women professionals.

 Before the panel 
discussion, there will be 
time for networking with 
community partners, 
providing an opportunity 
for attendees to engage in 
meaningful conversations, 
establish connections. 

 All Saints Church is 
located 132 N. Euclid Ave.

 

 The Los Angeles County Board 
of Supervisors unanimously 
approved a motion Tuesday, 
introduced by Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger, that nominates 
renowned abolitionist Owen 
Brown’s gravesite to be 
designated as a Los Angeles 
County Historical Landmark. 

 A commemorative rustic stone 
and additional stones placed 
to mark the presumed outline 
of Mr. Brown’s body currently 
identify his final resting place 
in Altadena, on a hilltop at the 
northern end of El Prieto Road. 

 “It is a great honor to nominate 
Owen Brown’s gravesite as 
a historical landmark,” said 
Supervisor Kathryn Barger. 
“His fight against slavery and 
unwavering commitment to 
treating all human beings with 
dignity, respect, and equality 
reflects his courage and vision. 
Preserving his gravesite will 
help future generations pay 
homage to his memory.”

 Supervisor Barger also thanked 
members of the Altadena 
community who have formed 
the Owen Brown Committee 
and have served as advocates 
for the historic landmark 
designation. Committee 
member and local Altadena 
resident Michele Zack provided 
public testimony during the 
Board of Supervisors’ meeting. 
“It’s a long time coming,” Zack 
stated. “Altadena Heritage first 
nominated the site in 1989, but 
it was turned down. We have 
kept alive efforts to honor this 
sacred site – a memorial to 
those who fought to end slavery 
in America – for over 35 years.”

 Owen Brown was born on 
November 4, 1824 in Hudson, 
Ohio – one of twenty children 
from his father’s (abolitionist 
John Brown) first family. At the 
time of his death, he was the 
last survivor of John’s Brown’s 
historic raid on Harpers Ferry. 
He died in Altadena on January 
8, 1889. When his funeral was 
held, two days later in Pasadena, 
a local newspaper at the time 
reported, “It was a historic day 
in Pasadena.”

Bob Lucas Library to Close for Renovations

 

 Altadena Library officials 
announced Thursday that The 
Bob Lucas Library will close for 
at least one year for a complete 
renovation –the last day the 
library will be open is April 10.

 Library officials expect to break 
ground on April 18. 

 According to officials, through 
the passage of Measure Z in 
November 2020, the Altadena 
Library District is embarking 
on an ambitious multi-year 
project to repair, modernize, and 
improve both the Main Library 
and the Bob Lucas Memorial 
Library.

Goals for the libraries include:

 Expand the The Bob Lucas 
Library with an indoor-outdoor 
reading court and suite of 
rooms for literacy programs; 
Reconfigure the interior and 
exterior areas to maximize 
space; Uplift and invest in the 
visual appeal of the building to 
make the library the landmark it 
should be.

 The Main Library is expected 
to see the library easier to 
use and fully accessible for 
everyone; Make essential 
structural, seismic, and safety 
repairs while maintaining the 
unique and historic mid-century 
architecture; Make the most 
of indoor and outdoor areas, 
developing fun, flexible and 
future-proof spaces.

 Measure Z, passed by 72.35 
percent of registered District 
voters. authorized the Altadena 
Library District (ALD) and the 
Community Facilities District 
(CFD) to issue bonds to be 
secured by the levy of special 
taxes on taxable property within 
the District. The ALD, CFD 
issued the bonds for the capital 
improvements in February 2022. 
Measure Z authorized for up to 
$24 million to be issued.

 The Board of Trustees 
appointed the (CFD) as a 
Standing Committee to provide 
oversight of the bond issuance 
and proceeds. They serve as 
an advisory committee to the 
full Board of Trustees on any 
decision being made and voted 
on. 

 Construction on both libraries 
is expected through 2025.

 In preparation for the expansion 
the Friends of the Altadena 
Library will host a special book 
sale at the Bob Lucas Library on 
Friday, April 12 and Saturday, 
April 13.

 For more information visit: 

altadenalibrary.org/next-

chapter.

St. Patrick’s 
Swing Band 
Concert 

 At the Pasadena 
Senior Center 
Featuring the Great 
American Swing Band

Pasadena Senior Games 
Registration Opens March 21

 Get ready to dance with the 
leprechauns at the annual 
Pasadena Senior Center St. 
Patrick’s Day concert and 
dance, set for Saturday, March 
16, at 1:30 p.m. All community 
members are invited to attend 
the event, which will feature 
the Great American Swing 
Band.

 Bandleader and trumpet 
player Jodi Gladstone and 
vocalist Linda Vogel will 
be featured as the Great 
American Swing Band 
performs a variety of musical 
favorites from the Big Band 
era and beyond that will keep 
partiers dancing and tapping 
their toes. Light snacks will 
be available, and guests are 
encouraged to wear green to 
show their Irish spirit!

 The cost is only $8 for 
members of the Pasadena 
Senior Center and $12 for 
non-members of all ages. Pre-
registration for this popular 
event is suggested; only cash 
payments will be accepted at 
the door.

 To register or for more 
information, visit: 
pasadenaseniorcenter.org and 
click on Activities & Events, 
then Special Events or call 
626-795-4331.

 The Pasadena Senior Center’s 
mission is to improve the lives 
of older adults through caring 
service with opportunities 
for social interaction, fitness 
programs, basic support and 
needs services, education, 
volunteerism and community 
activism. With 10,000 
Americans per day becoming 
older adults, the center is 
a leader in addressing the 
issues of aging and provides 
innovative, cutting-edge, 
nationally recognized 
programs for this population 
group. 

 The Center is located at 85 E. 
Holly Street in Pasadena.

 Hours of operation are 
Monday through Friday from 
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 
Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. 

 To learn more, visit www.
pasadenaseniorcenter.org or 
call 626-795-4331. 

 Pull out your running shoes, 
swimsuit or pickleball racket as 
registration opens on Thursday, 
March 21 for the Pasadena 
Senior Games — the Olympics-
style competition for older 
adults age 50 to 100 years old.

 All members of the community 
are welcome to register to 
compete in 16 different athletic 
events, which last year included 
1,100 participants with a 50 
to 100 year age span. This 
year’s games are scheduled for 
Saturday, May 11 to Sunday, July 
21 at a variety of venues across 
Southern California. Previous 
competition experience is not 
required and athletes of all skills 
levels are welcome.

 Seven of the athletic events 
are State Qualifiers for 2025 
National Senior Games, which 
will take place in Des Moines, 
Iowa, Thursday, July 24 through 
Monday, August 4, 2025.

 To register, visit: 
pasadenaseniorcenterorg and 
click on Activities & Events, then 
Senior Games. Registration for 
the Pasadena Senior Games is 
fee-based.

 For the first time in 2024, 
competitors in a Fitness 
Challenge will visit seven fitness 
zones in sequence to complete 
the challenge. Zones include 
Farmer’s Hold, Jump Rope, 
Dumbbell Arm Press, Medicine 
Ball Sit-ups, Push-ups, Standing 
Long Jump, and Bike Ride 
(Stationary). A cumulative 
point total of each competitor’s 
final score will be used to award 
medals to the top three, by age 
group in five-year increments, 
for men and women.

 “Every year the Pasadena 
Senior Games promotes healthy 
lifestyles for older adults 
through education, fitness 
and the spirited competition 
of sports,” said Akila Gibbs, 
executive director of the 
Pasadena Senior Center. “These 
remarkable athletes are shining 
examples of the benefits of an 
active lifestyle that embraces 
health and vitality.”

 According to research 
conducted at a Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC) Research Center, older 
adults can reap an array of 
rewards from physical activity, 
ranging from improved 
physical, emotional and social 
health scores to a decreased risk 
of hospitalization.

 For more information, email 
sports@pasadenaseniorcenter.
org or call 626-685-6755.

City Expands Clean Energy 
Goals with Solar Power Deal

 
As part of Pasadena’s 
commitment to clean energy, 
city officials announced 
Tuesday that they are 
expanding the city’s energy 
portfolio with more solar 
power. The City Council had 
approved 105 megawatts 
(MW) of solar power and 
55 MW of battery storage 
from Bonanza Solar, LLC, a 
300 MW solar photovoltaic 
generating and Battery 
Energy Storage System 
(BESS), developed by EDF 
Renewables, located in Clark 
County, Nevada. 

 The 20-year contract, 
scheduled to begin 
delivering energy in 2028, 
was negotiated by Pasadena 
Water and Power (PWP) 
and procured through the 
Southern California Public 
Power Authority (SCPPA), a 
joint powers authority helping 
its participating members 
(including PWP) reduce their 
overall costs.

 “This solar agreement is an 
important step forward in 
meeting our goal to source 
100% of Pasadena’s electricity 
from carbon-free sources 
by the end of 2030,” said 
Mayor Victor Gordo. “This 
contract is especially timely 
considering Pasadena’s exit 
from the Intermountain 
Power Project. The City, 
Pasadena Water and Power, 
and the residents of Pasadena 
are committed to a clean 
energy future.”

 In 2023, PWP expanded 
its energy portfolio to 
include contracts for 25 
MW geothermal energy, 
and one third share of a 117 
MW solar energy project. 
Both acquisitions, which are 
expected to begin delivering 
energy in early 2028, were also 
negotiated through SCPPA 
and are key to reaching 
Pasadena’s sustainability 
goals.

 Pasadena Water and Power 
(PWP) provides electricity to 
more than 65,000 customers 
within Pasadena. PWP 
delivers water to nearly 
38,000 households and 
businesses in Pasadena and 
adjacent communities in 
the San Gabriel Valley. As a 
community-owned utility, 
PWP is a not-for-profit public 
service owned and operated 
by the City of Pasadena.

Einstein in 
Pasadena

 In an upcoming Caltech 
event learn about Albert 
Einstein’s time at Caltech 
and celebrate his birthday 
(one day early) at the next 
Watson Lecture “Einstein 
in Pasadena: Between Two 
Worlds” Wednesday, March 
13, at 7:30 p.m. This event 
will be in person only at the 
Beckman Auditorium

 Learn about Einstein’s 
scientific work and private 
life during the late 1920s 
and the early 1930s, when 
the physicist visited Caltech 
for three winters in the 
California sunshine. 

 Join the preshow festivities 
to celebrate Albert 
Einstein’s birthday.

 The Beckman Auditorium 
is located 200 East 
California Blvd.


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