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ALTADENA - SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain View News Saturday, March 9, 2024 

San Marino Upcoming 
Events & Programming

Satellite Catches Coastal 
Flooding During Feb. Storms

Chambers Collaborate to 
Present Monthly Webinar 
Series for Small Businesses


City website is switching to: SanMarinoCA.gov

Exciting News for our Community! Starting Monday, March 11, 
we're transitioning to www.SanMarinoCA.gov! Here's what this 
means for residents:

 All website links and email addresses for the City will be listed as 
SanMarinoCA.gov or @SanMarinoCA.gov.

Can I still use old emails or web links I have saved? Absolutely! 
Everything will seamlessly redirect behind the scenes to our new 
web links and email addresses. You can still contact City staff in 
the same ways you always have.

Why the change? Thanks to Assembly Bill 1637, .gov is now a 
legal requirement, ensuring Enhanced Security, Compliance with 
Regulations, and official recognition as a government entity. This 
promotes transparency, accountability, and the utmost protection 
of your information.

Have questions? Call (626) 300-0788. We're here to make this 
transition as smooth as possible for you!

East Meets West Parent Education Club

Sunday, March 10 from 2 – 4 PM, Barth Community Room

 This multicultural parent club presents professionals who share 
their knowledge and pass on skills to the local parents on how 
to raise their children in an international and competitive world. 
Although the program is presented in English, Mandarin speakers 
will be on hand to translate. Registration is not required.

Maker Mondays – Calling all Young Engineers or LEGO Fans!

Monday, March 11 at 3:30 PM, Barth Community Room

 Is your child a budding engineer or LEGO fanatic? Then join us 
for this new monthly STEM program where kids ages 4-11 will 
build unique and open-ended creations with a surprise material 
each time. Will it be LEGOs or KEVA planks? Straw builders or a 
marble run? Only one way to find out! Registration is not required.

Delicious Destinations at Crowell Public Library on March 16

 Join the San Marino Public Library Foundation for Delicious 
Destinations at the Crowell Public Library on March 16 at 6 PM! 
Roam the library and experience the destinations of South Korea 
and Portugal. Feast on the delectable tastes of these countries! 
This year, there are auction opportunities such as a rare ride on 
the Goodyear blimp, exceptional Dodger game suite experience, 
vacation homes, travel stays, behind the scenes experiences, and 
so much more! Get your tickets at deliciousdestinations.org today!

ROCK LACY! Battle of the Youth Rock Bands

Auditions: Saturday, March 23 from 9 AM – 1 PM, San Marino 
Community Center

Showcase Competition: Saturday, April 20 at 12 PM, Lacy Park

 Calling youth rock bands ages 19 and under! Sign up for our 
inaugural ROCK LACY! Battle of the Youth Rock Bands, a 
competition of local bands to win the grand prize of 2 hours of 
studio recording time and a main stage performance at the City's 
4th of July Independence Day Celebration! Complete the online 
application by March 14 at 5 PM. Finalists will be invited to an 
audition on March 23. Six bands will be selected to compete at 
ROCK LACY! on Saturday, April 20 starting at 12 PM. Open to 
any youth band in the LA County area. For more information, 
visit" CityofSanMarino.org/Events.

The Great San Marino Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 30 from 9 AM – 12 PM, Lacy Park

Egg Hunt Pre-sale wristbands: R: $5 / NR: $10

Egg Hunt Gate Price wristbands: R / NR: $15

Pancake Breakfast: $5

 Bring your baskets, bunny ears, and appetite! This fun filled 
event includes crafts, games, pictures with the bunny, and giant 
egg hunts. Children will be grouped in age appropriate divisions 
and the first Egg Hunt will begin at 10 AM. The San Marino 
Firefighters Association who will also be serving their famous 
pancake breakfast beginning at 9 AM. This is a ticketed event; 
purchase Egg Hunt wristbands and Pancake Breakfast tickets 
online now through March 28! 

Parks & Public Works 

Restriping Work of Los Robles Avenue

 Work is currently ongoing to restripe Los Robles Avenue from 
Huntington Drive to northerly City limits. The project includes 
the installation of thermoplastic striping and refreshing of 
existing pavement markings, stop legends, and curb painting. 
This project is part of the City’s Annual Striping, Signing, and 
Marking Program, and will improve both driver and pedestrian 
safety. Residents should be advised of minor construction-related 
delays on Los Robles during the work, which is expected to be 
completed by the end of the week, pending weather. 

Annual Sidewalk Replacement Program

The City will begin the Annual Sidewalk Replacement Program 
in mid-March. Each year, this program replaces approximately 
1 mile of sidewalk at various locations throughout the City. The 
work includes replacement of sidewalk, driveway approaches, curb 
ramps, and curb and gutter. Residents on impacted streets will be 
receiving notices from the City’s hired contractor, CJ Concrete, 
with additional details about the project timeline, what residents 
can expect during the project, and what the project’s impact to the 
neighborhood will be. The City appreciates resident cooperation, 
as the sidewalk program helps improve the City’s infrastructure 
and resident safety.

Meetings

Recreation Commission Meeting

Monday, March 11 at 6:00 PM; Barth Room and Zoom 

City Council Meeting

Wednesday, March 13 at 6:00 PM; City Hall Council Chambers 
and Zoom

Design Review Committee

Wednesday, March 20 at 6:00 PM; Barth Room and Zoom

 

 Seventeen San Gabriel Valley 
Chambers of Commerce 
are collaborating bring a 
monthly webinar series to 
their members. The Renewal 
and Resilience: navigating 
the Future of Business in 2024 
series begins on March 21st at 
12noon. The series continues 
on the third Thursday of each 
month thereafter. There is no 
cost to join the webinar series 
and it is open to the public. 
Preregistration for each 
webinar is required.

 First presentation on March 
21st by executive leadership 
coach John Burt. A Pasadena 
Chamber member, Mr. Burt 
will discuss the current 
economic landscape for 
entrepreneurs, small business 
owners and managers. He 
will delve into the challenges 
and opportunities each will 
face in 2024.

 The San Gabriel Valley 
Area Chamber Executives 
(VACE) are collaborating 
to bring this free series of 
webinars to our members. 
The Chambers of Pasadena, 
Alhambra, Altadena, Azusa, 
Baldwin Park, Claremont, 
El Monte/South El Monte, 
Glendora, Greater West 
Covina, Monrovia, Pomona, 
Regional Chamber (Walnut/
Diamond Bar), Rosemead, 
San Dimas, South Pasadena, 
Temple City and Whittier 
Area are presenting Renewal 
and Resilience: Navigating 
the Future of Business in 
2024.

 “This is the first time 
the Valley Area Chamber 
Executives have gotten 
together to present an 
informational program to 
all of our members,” said 
Paul Little, President and 
Chief Executive Officer 
of the Pasadena Chamber 
of Commerce and Civic 
Association. “We put our 
heads together and developed 
a series of presentations on 
topics we thought would be 
important for our members.”

 The webinars are free 
and open to the public. 
Attendance is limited, so 
those interested in attending 
should sign up right away.

 The Valley Area Chamber 
Executives (VACE) is an 
informal group made up 
of the staff leadership of 
Chambers of Commerce 
from throughout the San 
Gabriel Valley. VACE meets 
monthly to discuss issues 
of mutual concern. They 
collaborate on regional 
mixers and showcase events. 
They also support each other 
with ideas and assistance. 
Their meeting are often 
focused on brainstorming 
ideas to enhancing the 
Chamber experience for 
members.

 The Pasadena Chamber 
of Commerce and Civic 
Association is a professional 
business organization. 
Since the earliest days of 
Pasadena, the Chamber 
has played a major role in 
the development of this 
internationally renowned 
city. Founded in 1888 as 
the Board of Trade, the 
Chamber’s primary purpose 
has been the enhancement 
of the economy, business 
climate and the quality of life 
in Pasadena. The Pasadena 
Chamber of Commerce 
currently serves more than 
1250 members.

 For more information or to 
preregister visit: pasadena-
chamber.org.

 A series of atmospheric 
rivers drenched California 
in February, with record 
amounts of rainfall and 
hurricane-force winds 
sweeping across parts of 
the state. At one point, 
weather agencies posted 
flood watches for nearly 
the entirety of California’s 
coast. The Surface Water and 
Ocean Topography (SWOT) 
mission captured data on 
some of the flooding near the 
community of Manchester, 
roughly 105 miles (169 
kilometers) north of San 
Francisco. The satellite is a 
collaboration between NASA 
and the French space agency, 
CNES (Centre National 
d’Études Spatiales).

 The image above shows the 
area on Jan. 15, before the rain 
and snow from atmospheric 
rivers, and then again on Feb. 
4, after the first in a series of 
storms soaked California. 
Water heights are shown in 
shades of green and blue, 
with lighter hues indicating 
the highest levels relative 
to mean sea level. (Data for 
inland areas includes the 
height of the floodwaters plus 
the ground elevation beneath 
it.) Some coastal areas were 
flooded by both ocean tides 
and heavy rain, while others 
were likely flooded only by 
precipitation. Each pixel in 
the image represents an area 
that is 330 feet by 330 feet 
(100 meters by 100 meters).

 Since December 2022, 
SWOT has been measuring 
the height of nearly all water 
on Earth’s surface, developing 
one of the most detailed, 
comprehensive views yet 
of the planet’s oceans and 
freshwater lakes and rivers. 
Not only can the satellite 
detect the extent of the water 
on Earth’s surface, as other 
satellites can, but SWOT 
can also provide water level 
data. Combined with other 
types of information, SWOT 
measurements can yield 
water depth data in features 
like lakes and rivers.

 “SWOT gives us information 
about flooding that we’ve 
never had before,” said Ben 
Hamlington, lead researcher 
for NASA’s sea level change 
team at the agency’s Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory 
in Southern California. 
Satellites can provide 
pictures showing how 
much of an area is flooded, 
but unless instruments are 
already installed on a river 
or at the coast, it’s difficult 
to know how conditions 
evolve during and after a 
flood. “Data from the SWOT 
satellite, combined with other 
information, is filling in this 
picture,” said Hamlington.

 The SWOT science team 
made the measurements 
using the Ka-band Radar 
Interferometer (KaRIn) 
instrument. With two 
antennas spread 33 feet (10 
meters) apart on a boom, 
KaRIn produces a pair of 
data swaths as it circles 
the globe, bouncing radar 
pulses off water surfaces 
to collect surface-height 
measurements.

 Launched in December 
2022, from Vandenberg 
Space Force Base in central 
California, SWOT is now 
in its operations phase, 
collecting data that will be 
used for research and other 
purposes.

 SWOT was jointly 
developed by NASA and 
CNES, with contributions 
from the Canadian Space 
Agency (CSA) and the UK 
Space Agency. NASA’s Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, 
managed for the agency 
by Caltech, leads the U.S. 
component of the project.

City to Hosts Two Meetings on 
Sewer & Refuse Rate Increase

 
The City of Pasadena 
Public Works Department 
is hosting two community 
meetings to present the 
proposed Five-Year Sewer 
Use Fee and Solid Waste 
Refuse Rate adjustments 
for implementation on 
July 1. The two community 
meetings are scheduled for:

- Tuesday, March 19 • 5:30 
p.m.– 6:30 p.m., Robinson 
Park Recreation Center, 1081 
N. Fair Oaks Ave.

- Wednesday, March 20 • 
5:30 p.m.– 6:30 p.m., Victory 
Park Recreation Center, 2575 
Paloma St.

Why the Proposed Five-Year 
Rate Adjustments?

 Proposed Solid Waste 
Refuse Collection Fee - The 
Public Works Resource 
Recovery and Recycling 
Division actively manages 
the Refuse Program that 
provides integrated waste 
management services for 
over 27,000 residential 
accounts, a limited number of 
commercial service accounts, 
and all city accounts; manages 
the commercial franchise 
hauler system within the 
city; and organizes a variety 
of recycling opportunities 
and community outreach 
events. Funding to provide 
waste management services 
is supported through refuse 
collection fees, which have 
remained flat for residential 
customers since Fiscal Year 
2012.

 In February 2023, the 
Department of Public Works 
retained MSW Consultants 
to perform a cost-of-service 
study of the City’s solid 
waste rate to ensure that 
fees generate sufficient 
revenue stay compliant 
with California Senate Bill 
1383, statewide effort to 
reduce emissions of short-
lived climate pollutants, and 
cover current and future 
solid waste operations and 
capital expenses. The rate 
study findings recommend 
adjustments to the residential 
and commercial rates for 
the next five-year period, 
between Fiscal Year 2025 and 
Fiscal Year 2029 to remain 
fiscally solvent.

 Proposed Sewer Use Fee Rate 
Adjustments and New Rate 
Structure - The Sewer Use 
Fee is charged to users of the 
sewer system to pay for the 
cost of operating the system, 
ongoing maintenance, 
and needed capital 
improvements. The current 
fee is based on consumers’ 
water use. Over the last 
ten years, with long-term 
statewide drought conditions 
and water conservation 
efforts, the amount collected 
has not kept up with the cost 
of maintaining Pasadena’s 
aging sewer infrastructure 
and City has not raised the 
sewer use fee by more than 
the consumer price index 
since 2007.

 In March 2023, the 
Department of Public Works 
retained Raftelis Financial 
Consultants, Inc. to conduct a 
comprehensive cost of service 
rate study to evaluate and 
provide recommendations 
regarding the City’s sewer use 
fee calculation methodology 
and rate amount. The 
proposed fee increase will 
maintain sewer services and 
the financial stability of the 
Sewer Conveyance System. 
The new rate structure has a 
fixed rate for both residential 
and commercial customers 
plus a volumetric rate based 
on water consumption.

 For more information about 
the proposed Sewer and 
Refuse Rate adjustments, 
visit: CityofPasadena.net/
Public-Works.

St. Patrick’s 
Swing Band 
Concert 

 At the Pasadena 
Senior Center 
Featuring the Great 
American Swing Band

 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. 
For more information visit: 
pasadenaseniorcenter.org.


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