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Mountain Views News Saturday, February 15, 2025

Presidents' 
Day Closures 
& Reminders 


PCC Gets $1 million from 
Ballmer Group for Fire Relief

 
Pasadena City College 
announced Thursday that 
they have received a $1 
million grant from the 
Ballmer Group to support 
critical relief for students, 
faculty, staff, and community 
members recovering from 
the devastation of the recent 
wildfires.

 “The PCC community is 
extremely grateful to Steve 
and Connie Ballmer and 
the entire team at Ballmer 
Group,” said José Gómez, 
superintendent/president of 
Pasadena City College. “With 
this gift we will continue to 
support those whose lives 
have been upended by this 
disaster.”

 Hundreds of PCC students 
and employees resided 
in burn areas, which 
were hardest hit by the 
wildfires. Many lost homes, 
apartments, cars — all of 
their possessions. Recovery 
will require time and 
commitment, Gómez said.

 “This gift from the 
Ballmer Group embodies 
the compassion, kindness, 
and generosity that our 
community needs as it begins 
the long road to recovery,” 
Gómez said.

 The grant from the Ballmer 
Group is the largest single 
gift to the PCC Community 
Relief Fund, said Frank 
Cardenas, executive director 
of the Pasadena City College 
Foundation. Through 
the fund, other campus 
resources, and partnerships, 
PCC provides a range of 
support for those facing 
the greatest need, including 
monetary assistance.

 “The PCC Foundation 
stands with everyone at 
Pasadena City College as 
we rise in service to the 
community that sustains us,” 
said Hoyt Hilsman, president 
of the PCC Foundation 
Board of Directors. “On 
behalf of the leadership of 
the PCC Foundation, I thank 
the Ballmer Group for their 
incredible partnership and 
support.”

 The Ballmer Group moved 
swiftly to begin providing 
assistance to organizations 
helping victims of the 
wildfires. On January 15, 
the group announced it had 
dedicated $15 million to 
address “immediate food 
and shelter needs in the 
community and supporting 
first responders.”

 “We understand that 
there will be a long road to 
recovery for the L.A. region 
and remain committed to 
supporting the community,” 
the Ballmer Group said 
in a press release. The 
organization is headed by 
Steve and Connie Ballmer. 
Steve Ballmer is the owner of 
the Los Angeles Clippers and 
the former CEO of Microsoft.

 The deadly Eaton Fire raged 
through parts of Pasadena, 
Altadena, and Sierra Madre. 
The fire burned more than 
14,000 acres, destroyed more 
than 9,400 structures, and 
killed 17 people.

 “The support from our 
community has been a bright 
spot in a very difficult time,” 
said Alton Wang, president 
of the PCC Board of Trustees. 
“We are grateful to the 
Ballmer Group for standing 
with our community as it 
begins the healing process.”

 Throughout the wildfire 
disaster, PCC has also 
served as a community-wide 
resource for victims of the 
wildfires. The college has 
served free meals to school 
children and their families, 
transformed a parking lot 
into a donation distribution 
center providing essential 
supplies, and served as a 
gathering space for displaced 
teachers. PCC’s Foothill 
campus housed a Disaster 
Recovery Center where 
community members met 
with Federal Emergency 
Management Agency 
representatives and other 
federal, state, and local 
agencies. The campus also 
hosted the Small Business 
Administration Disaster 
Loan Outreach Center.

 “Our community needs us 
now more than ever. We are 
a part of the community and 
we are part of the solution,” 
Gómez said. “This support 
from the Ballmer Group will 
help sustain our students, 
faculty, and staff and the 
spirit of this place that we all 
love.”

 In observance of Washington’s 
Birthday, City Hall and many 
City services will be closed 
Monday, Feb. 17. Specific 
closures, exceptions and 
reminders are noted below. 
The City Service Center (CSC) 
will be closed on Monday and 
will reopen Tuesday, Feb. 18, 
at 8 a.m. Trash, recycling, 
and yard waste collection will 
occur as scheduled. There 
will be no delay in pickup for 
residents. 

 Pasadena residents and 
businesses experiencing any 
power emergencies should call 
Pasadena Water and Power 
(PWP) at (626) 744-4673. For 
water-related emergencies, 
call (626) 744-4138. PWP’s 
Customer Service Call Center 
will be closed Monday; 
however, customers can 
access their accounts and 
make payments through the 
automated phone system at 
(626) 744-4005 or online at 
PWPWeb.com. 

 The City’s Municipal Services 
Payment Center and Parking 
Office will also be closed on 
Washington’s Birthday. All 
parking meters will be free 
and parking time limits will 
not be enforced. Violations for 
overnight parking restrictions, 
red curb parking and blocking 
fire hydrants will be issued. 
Parking meter enforcement 
resumes after the holiday. 
Pasadena Transit and Dial-
A-Ride buses will operate on 
their regular schedules. 

 The Housing Department 
will also be closed on Monday.

 The Permit Center will 
be closed on Washington’s 
Birthday; however, many 
services will be available via 
Permit Center Online, where 
you can obtain subtrade 
permits and submit plans 
for new construction, tenant 
improvements, accessory 
dwelling units and additions. 
In-person operations will 
resume Tuesday. 

 All Pasadena Public Library 
branches will be closed 
Sunday and Monday and will 
reopen Tuesday. 

 All parks will be open for 
picnics, fun and play; however, 
no site reservations are being 
accepted for the holiday. 
Community and recreation 
centers will be closed to the 
public on Monday. 

 The Pasadena Public Health 
Department (PPHD) will also 
be closed Monday. Upcoming 
vaccine clinics are scheduled 
for Wednesday, Feb. 19 and 
Monday, Feb. 24. PPHD 
reminds you to take measures 
to protect yourself from 
respiratory viruses, including 
masking indoors, getting 
vaccinated, and staying home 
when sick. 

 City Council will not meet 
on Monday, Feb. 17. The next 
council meeting is scheduled 
to take place Monday, Feb. 24. 

 Pasadena Fire and Police 
Departments will continue 
to provide patrol, jail, 
fire, paramedic and other 
emergency services. For life-
threatening emergencies, call 
9-1-1. For non-emergencies, 
call (626) 744-4241. If you “See 
Something, Say Something.” 
Report suspicious activity at 
(626) 744-4241. 

Group Saves Iconic Batchelder Fireplaces

By Dean Lee

 In an effort to save hundreds of 
historic Batchelder tile fireplaces 
still standing in the ashes of 
homes destroyed in last months’ 
Eaton Fire, a South Pasadena 
Masonry businesses owner 
and a local Altadena resident 
have teamed up removing 
valuable tiles, racing the clock, 
as L.A. County’s debris removal 
program begins.

 “Two weekends ago we had over 
80 volunteers come out and we 
sent them on a scouting mission, 
said lead volunteer Stanley 
Zucker. “We broke Altadena 
into nine zones, based on the fire 
evacuation maps. We had them 
walking up and down the streets 
with phones and take pictures 
of the fireplaces from the street. 
We identified 200 Batchelder 
fireplaces. 

 Zucker said there were now in 
the process of finding the owners 
of the orphaned fireplaces. About 
70 homeowners have reached 
out to them on social media, “so 
we know they want us to do it. 
We need to pull those as quickly 
as we can before they are looted 
or plowed over.” 

 Cliff Douglas owner of Douglas 
Masonry said of those they have 
27 fireplaces signed off on and 
ready to go, some of them are 
his clients. Both Douglas and 
Zucker said they are willing to 
do the work for free.

 “It’s a real art to take it [tiles] 
off, you have to know what you 
are doing,” Douglas said. “All the 
tiles have been “re-fired,” literally 
hotter than they were when first 
made. Anything with glaze on 
them are going to crack if your 
not careful.” 

 Zucker said the tiles are 
historically significant.

 “Ernest Batchelder was a 
renowned tile artist 100 years 
ago, his studio was in Pasadena 
along the Arroyo,” Zucker 
explained. “Batchelder did 
these beautiful tiles fireplaces 
that became famous across the 
country. A large part of this work 
was in Pasadena and Altadena. 
There was another company 
that came along, Claycroft and 
did knockoffs that are now more 
valuable than the Batchelder’s 
because there are far fewer of 
them remaining. And then there 
is also Catalina tile.” 

Zucker also said they spoke with 
the Army Corps of Engineers 
and there are two phases of 
debris removal. 

 The Environmental Protection 
Agency first handles the removal 
of hazardous materials such as 
asbestos, EV batteries, solvents, 
etc. This is automatic and 
ongoing for all. The second is 
dealt with by the Army Corps of 
Engineers (ACE) and involves 
removing chimneys, hazardous 
trees, fire ash, and debris, up 
to six inches of soil, and any 
hazardous material not removed 
by the EPA during phase one. The 
Army Corps uses contractors to 
do the work, and owners must 
opt-in to participate. 

 Although dangerous if owners 
want to remove the fireplace and 
leave the rest of the debris, they 
won’t be disqualified from the 
program officials said.

 The Pasadena Museum of 
History started a Batchelder 
Registry about five years ago. 
They are asking any homeowners 
that do save their fireplace to 
contact and register it with the 
Museum. 

 The museum can be reached 
at (626) 577-1660 or at: 
pasadenahistory.org.

 To contact Douglas and Zucker 
call Pasadena Heritage at (626) 
441-6333. 

Photo by Stanley Zucker

Mayor Gordo 
to give State 
of the City

 City officials announced that 
Mayor Victor Gordo is set 
to give the State of the City 
Wednesday night at Pasadena 
Elks Lodge, 400 W. Colorado 
Blvd. 

 This year’s theme is “Pasadena: 
A Resilient Community.”

 Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 
Free on-site parking will be 
available.

 The State of the City will 
also be live-streamed at 
PasadenaMedia.org/Kpas

 For accessibility information 
and requests, contact (626) 744-
7311 or CSC@cityofpasadena.
net. Providing at least 72 hours 
advance notice will help ensure 
availability.

African-
American 
Ballet Icon 

to Share Story

 Los Angeles City Ballet 
company Founder and 
Artistic Director Robyn 
Gardenhire, a leader in the 
African-American and Los 
Angeles ballet and dance 
world, will share her inspiring 
story a special Black History 
month Cultural Thursday 
event on February 27 at 2 
p.m. onsite at the Pasadena 
Senior Center.

 The event is free for 
Pasadena Senior Center 
members, and $5 for non-
members and reservations 
are suggested. 

 Gardenhire began her 
ballet and dance journey 
as a young girl growing 
up in Lynwood, CA. Her 
mother, who dreamed of 
becoming a dancer herself, 
enrolled Robyn in local 
ballet lessons at the age of 
three at a predominately 
African-American ballet 
school in Compton. Soon, 
Robyn displayed her talents 
and trained with top ballet 
instructors before being 
offered a position in the 
Joffrey II company at the age 
of 16. 

 Now, with the Los Angeles 
City Ballet that she founded 
in 2000, Gardenhire focuses 
on enabling students of 
color and those who are 
economically disadvantaged 
to access a ballet education. 

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

County Seeks Rental Units for 
Families Displaced by Eaton Fire

 Los Angeles County Board 
of Supervisors Chair Kathryn 
Barger announced Thursday that 
she is urgently calling on local 
property owners with available 
rental units to help house 
displaced families.

 The Los Angeles County 
Development Authority 
(LACDA) is working alongside 
the American Red Cross to 
locate one- and two-bedroom 
rental units within a 10-
mile radius of the Eaton Fire 
boundary. Properties in nearby 
communities such as Pasadena, 
Glendale, and Monrovia are 
especially needed.

 “We have an immediate need 
to support wildfire survivors 
who have been displaced from 
their homes and want to remain 
close to their communities,” 
said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. 
“Many of these families are 
struggling to rebuild their lives 
while ensuring stability for their 
children. I urge property owners 
with available units to partner 
with us and provide a lifeline for 
those in need.”

 Displaced renters will be 
responsible for covering rental 
costs similar to any other private 
market tenant.

 “Property owners are the key to 
helping the County’s impacted 
residents start to rebuild their 
lives,” said Emilio Salas, LACDA 
Executive Director. “The LACDA 
is prepared to hear from property 
owners to connect them with the 
American Red Cross, so that 
together, we can serve as a bridge 
in this critical step for families to 
move forward.”

 Property owners with an 
available unit are asked to 
contact the LACDA at (626) 
586-1570, (626) 586-1565 or via 
email at Owner.Services@lacda.
org. LACDA staff are available 
Monday through Friday, 8:00 
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 


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