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Mountain View News Saturday, October 25, 2025

Community 
Dia De Los 
Muertos 
Ofrenda

Concept Car 
Catches Fire 
at Pasadena 
GM Design 
Center

Pasadena Playhouse offers 
‘Pay What You Can’ Tickets

 
Nearly one hundred local 
firefighters, including a 
hazardous materials team, 
were called to a four-alarm 
fire that broke out Wednesday 
night at General Motors 
Advanced Design Center in 
Pasadena damaging a concept 
vehicle.

 According to Pasadena Chief 
Communications Officer Lisa 
Derderian, the fire in the 600 
block of Sierra Madre Villa 
Avenue started at 5:50 p.m. 
and was knocked down at 
7:22 p.m.

 Derderian said that at one 
point, a firefighter became 
trapped in the building 
and had to be rescued. The 
firefighter was not hurt.

 In a press statement a General 
Motors spokesperson said the 
isolated fire was contained to 
a single vehicle did not spread 
to any other vehicles or the 
building. They also said there 
was no evidence that the fire 
started from lithium-ion 
batteries. 

 “The building sustained 
extensive smoke and water 
damage,” Derderian said. 
“All employees were quickly 
evacuated. Due to the size 
and complexity of the facility, 
numerous resources were 
requested.”

 She also that Lithium-ion 
batteries were involved in 
the fire and notoriously 
difficult to extinguish and 
can release toxic gases. Fire 
crews remained at the facility 
overnight.

 Derderian also told reporters 
that this was one of the city’s 
largest structure fires in years.

 The cause of the fire was still 
under investigation.

 
Pasadena Playhouse officials 
announced Wednesday a 
new “Pay What You Can” 
ticket initiative for the hit 
comedy ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 
by internationally acclaimed 
performer Julia Masli. 
Celebrated by audiences and 
critics —the show has become 
one of the most talked-about 
theatrical events of the season 
for its joyful, unpredictable, and 
deeply human approach to our 
“problems.” 

 During the October 15 
performance, a patron 
mentioned that affordability in 
theater was a “problem” worth 
solving—a perfect echo of the 
show’s playful premise. In the 
spirit of ha ha ha ha ha ha ha and 
its commitment to connection 
and creative problem-solving, 
Pasadena Playhouse sprang into 
action, launching a Pay What 
You Can ticket program to make 
the experience more accessible 
to the community. Beginning 
immediately, 10 tickets per 
performance will be available at 
a flexible price, allowing more 
people to share in the laughter, 
humanity, and joy that have 
made the show a sensation.

 As ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 
continues to delight audiences 
night after night, the Playhouse 
invites everyone to join the fun 
before the show’s final curtain 
on November 9. These limited 
Pay What You Can tickets offer 
a chance to experience the show 
audiences can’t stop talking 
about—because sometimes, 
solving a problem can start with 
simply opening the doors a little 
wider.

 All Julia Masli wants to do is 
solve people’s problems and 
win the Nobel Peace Prize, but 
the plan keeps going wrong 
as she continually wins prizes 
for comedy. In her wildly 
unpredictable solo show ha 
ha ha ha ha ha ha, the award-
winning performer turns 
the audience’s problems into 
surreal, side-splitting theater. 
No script, no safety net, just one 
woman on a mission to help.

 After sensational runs in 
Edinburgh, Melbourne, New 
York, and D.C., Julia has come 
to

Pasadena to solve all our 
problems. A Woolly Mammoth 
Theatre Company Touring 
Production.

 Pasadena Playhouse, the official 
State Theater of California and 
recipient of the 2023 Regional 
Theatre Tony Award is one of 
the most prolific theaters in 
the country. The Playhouse has 
staged thousands of original 
productions since its founding 
in 1917 including premieres of 
works by Tennessee Williams, 
Eugene O’Neill, Suzan-Lori 
Parks, Gloria Calderon Kellett 
and hundreds more.

 For more information visit: 
PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

 Pasadena Senior Center is 
inviting the counity to join 
them Monday, Nov. 3, to 
Friday, Nov. 7 in honoring 
the memories of loved ones. 
All are invited to contribute 
to the ofrenda by bringing 
photos or small token of 
remembrance of those they 
wish to commemorate. To 
conclude the celebration, 
we will gather for 
light refreshments on 
Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 10 
a.m. All are welcome to 
share this meaningful 
tradition of remembrance 
and community. 

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

The Voice 
Winner to 
Perform in 
Rose Parade

Pasadena Chorale Seeks 
High School Composers 

Free E-Waste 
Recycling 
Event at the 
Rose Bowl

 Pasadena Tournament 
of Roses and The Voice 
officials announced that the 
winner of the Mic Drop will 
perform in the 2026 Rose 
Parade.

 Fan-favorite coaches 
Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, 
Niall Horan, and Reba 
McEntire vie to discover 
and coach America’s next 
singing phenomenon on 
NBC’s four-time Emmy 
Award-winning musical 
competition series The 
Voice.

 If the artists do make 
it past the Battles, they 
then have to survive the 
Knockouts. The Knockouts 
are also head-to-head 
competitions within the 
teams, but instead of duets, 
each artist chooses their 
own song to perform solo. 
This year, competitors who 
make it to the Knockouts 
have the chance to win the 
“Mic Drop” competition; 
the winner will perform at 
the Rose Parade on New 
Year’s Day!

 During the Knockouts, 
which begin airing on 
October 27 and continue for 
four weeks, each coach will 
be given a Mic Drop button 
to use on a contestant 
from their own team who 
blows them away. Then, 
on November 24, viewers 
at home will have the 
opportunity to vote for the 
Mic Drop winner among 
the four, and the contestant 
with the most votes will 
earn a performance at the 
Rose Parade on January 1, 
2026.

 Starting November 3, The 
Voice airs Mondays at 9 
p.m. on NBC.

 The 137th Rose Parade 
presented by Honda 
will begin at 8:00 a.m, 
captivating millions of 
viewers as America’s New 
Year Celebration.

 

 The Pasadena Chorale 
announced the 10th year of 
its acclaimed student-mentor 
composition program, Listening 
to the Future. Open to Pasadena-
area high school students in 
grades 9–12, the free program 
pairs young composers with 
a professional mentor, guides 
them through the process of 
writing for choir, and culminates 
in a live performance and 
recording of their original works 
by the award-winning Pasadena 
Chorale.

 Aspiring young composers can 
sign up to participate in this 
year’s Listening to the Future 
program at: pasadenachorale.
org/

 listening-to-the-future. The 
program runs Nov. 2025 through 
May 2026, and the deadline to 
sign up is Tuesday, Oct. 28.

 This year, the Chorale 
welcomes David García Saldaña 
as the program’s composer 
mentor. García Saldaña teaches 
composition and theory at 
Pasadena City College, as well 
as at Blair High School and 
Pasadena High School. His 
strong ties to the Pasadena 
community make him an ideal 
mentor for this milestone year of 
Listening to the Future.

 “David is a passionate and 
enthusiastic composer and 
educator, and I know he’ll bring 
a tremendous amount to our 
program this year,” said Jeffrey 
Bernstein, Founding Artistic 
& Executive Director of the 
Pasadena Chorale. “Because he 
teaches at two local high schools 
and at Pasadena City College, 
David is deeply connected to the 
community. That will not only 
enrich the students’ experience, 
but also help us engage more 
young composers right here in 
Pasadena.”

 Students selected for the 
program will meet with García 
Saldaña twice a month from 
November through May to learn 
the craft of writing for choir, 
receive feedback on their works-
in-progress, and prepare their 
pieces for performance. Each 
student will compose two works 
for the Chorale: an arrangement 
of an existing melody and an 
original composition.

 In the spring, the young 
composers will attend a 
Pasadena Chorale rehearsal to 
hear their works sung for the first 
time. Their completed pieces will 
be premiered at the Chorale’s 
10th annual Listening to the 
Future concert on Saturday, June 
20, 2026, and each student will 
receive a professional video and 
audio recording of their work to 
include in portfolios and college 
applications.

 Since its launch in 2016, 
Listening to the Future has 
premiered more than 70 
original choral works by 29 
student composers, many of 
whom have gone on to study 
music composition at leading 
institutions including USC, 
UCLA, CalArts, Stanford, 
Brown, Columbia, and Yale. 
Each year, the program is offered 
free to the public, continuing 
Pasadena Chorale’s commitment 
to access and community 
engagement.

 This season also marks the 
beginning of a new partnership 
with The Collegiate Choral 
Composition Community (The 
CCCC), which will expand 
the scope of Listening to the 
Future to feature works by 
college composers from across 
the United States alongside 
Pasadena’s high school 
participants.

 For information and to sign up, 
please visit: 

 pasadenachorale.org/listening-
to-the-future.

 
Pasadena Public Works 
Department officials 
announced Thursday that 
they are hosting a free e-waste 
recycling event for residents 
to safely dispose of electronics 
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 
November 1. 

 The event will be held in 
Parking Lot I outside the Rose 
Bowl Stadium near Brookside 
Park, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd. 
they said. The line will close 
at 2 p.m. to allow for the 
processing of remaining 
customers. The duration of 
the event is subject to truck 
capacity.

 E-waste items include 
computers, keyboards, 
printers, monitors, laptops, 
docking stations, scanners, 
shredders, fax machines, 
computer mice, telephones, 
televisions, flat screens, VCRs, 
DVD players, PDAs, cassette 
players, tape drives, and 
stereos. Household batteries, 
fluorescent light bulbs, and 
LED light bulbs are also 
accepted. These items should 
never be disposed of in your 
trash or recycling containers.

 Public Works is also 
helping residents prevent 
identity theft by providing 
free paper shredding during 
the event. The public can 
bring a maximum of 3 legal-
size boxes for shredding. 
Sensitive documents such as 
receipts, checks, pre-approved 
credit applications, credit 
card statements, outdated 
tax returns, pre-printed 
envelopes, return address 
labels and business cards are 
items that can be shredded. 
Please remove documents 
from ring binders and 
bulldog/binder clips.

 This event is open to Pasadena 
residents and is sponsored 
by Pasadena’s Department 
of Public Works. For more 
information, call (626) 744-
7311 or email recycle@
cityofpasadena.net.

City Begins Brookside Golf 
Course New Netting Project

 

 Pasadena Director of Public 
Works, Greg de Vinck, 
and the department, in 
collaboration with the Rose 
Bowl Operating Company 
(“RBOC”), announced the city 
has begun construction on the 
installation of new cantilever 
poles and protective netting 
along designated sections of 
the Brookside Golf Course 
perimeter.

 Mobilization began on Monday 
with construction activities 
starting on the east side of the 
course along Rosemont Avenue 
and progressing north.

 The Brookside Golf Course 
Cantilever Netting Project 
expands on a successful pilot 
installation completed in 2023 
at the intersection of West Drive 
and Salvia Canyon. The new 
project will add approximately 
2,600 linear feet of protective 
netting at 25 locations along 
West Drive and Rosemont 
Avenue, improving safety 
for pedestrians and cyclists 
while maintaining views and 
preserving trees within the 
Arroyo Seco.

 To ensure the safety of 
pedestrians, cyclists, and 
motorists, temporary traffic 
control measures will be 
implemented during certain 
phases of construction. Public 
Works will coordinate work 
schedules to minimize impacts 
during major events at the Rose 
Bowl Stadium.

 The project is being constructed 
by Judge Netting, Inc., with total 
funding of $1.95 million shared 
between the City of Pasadena 
and the RBOC. Completion is 
expected by the end of January 
2026.

 
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