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Mountain View News Saturday, November 1, 2025

Pasadena 
to Host 
Veterans Day 
Ceremony


South Pasadena’s Annual 
Breakfast with Santa Returns

 
The South Pasadena 
Community Services 
Department is spreading 
holiday cheer as they 
announced Thursday the 
beloved annual Breakfast 
with Santa event on 
December 13. 9:00 a.m. 
to 11:00 a.m. at the War 
Memorial Building. Ticket 
went on sale this morning.

 City officials are inviting 
families to enjoy a delicious 
pancake breakfast, festive 
entertainment, holiday 
crafts, and a chance to snap 
their own photo with Santa 
Claus. “It’s the perfect way to 
kick off the season and make 
lasting memories with family 
and friends.”

 Advanced registration is 
required, and all sales are 
final. Tickets are $24 per 
person, while children ages 
2 and under are free. Tickets 
can be purchased online at 
www.southpasadenaca.gov/
events.

 Space is limited, and tickets 
sell quickly they advised.

 For more information, 
please contact the 
Community Services 
Department at (626) 403-
7380 or email specialevents@
southpasadenaca.gov.

 For more information about 
the City of South Pasadena, 
visit: southpasadenaca.gov. 

 The City of Pasadena’s Parks, 
Recreation and Community 
Services Department is set to 
hold its annual Veterans Day 
Celebration at Pasadena City 
Hall. 

City officials said, “This 
year’s celebration is especially 
significant as it coincides with 
the 250th Anniversary of the 
U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine 
Corps.”

 Koko Panossian, Director 
of Parks, Recreation, and 
Community Services, reported 
this year’s program will be led 
by Former Mayor William 
Paparian, serving as Master 
of Ceremonies. Paparian 
is a Captain (CA) Judge 
Advocate in the California 
State Guard. The keynote 
speaker is Associate Justice 
Eileen Moore, a decorated 
combat nurse who served in 
Vietnam with the Army Nurse 
Corps. Her honors include 
the Vietnam Service Medal, 
National Defense Service 
Medal, and the Vietnam Cross 
of Gallantry with Palm.

In addition to our honored 
speakers, attendees can enjoy:

• Complimentary hot dogs 
served by Pasadena Fire 
Fighters Local 809

• Family-friendly activities 
and exhibits curated by Martin 
Severance Chapter, NSDAR

• Informational booths from 
the US Naval Sea Cadet 
Corps, American Legion Posts 
13 & 280, and the Rose Bowl 
Stadium

• A special flyover by the 
Condor Squadron at 11:11 
a.m.

 The program begins 
promptly at 10:30 a.m. and all 
are welcome.

 Pasadena city hall is 
located100 N. Garfield Ave. 

 For more information visit: 
cityofpasadena.net.

Tournament Crowns Rose Queen Serena Guo

 The Pasadena Tournament 
of Rose named Serena Guo as 
the 107th Rose Queen at the 
Announcement and Coronation 
ceremony. Tournament of Roses 
President Mark Leavens made 
the announcement Monday 
afternoon on the front steps of 
Tournament House in Pasadena.

 According to Tournament 
officials Guo is a senior at 
Arcadia High School and lives 
in Arcadia. She is captain of the 
Congressional Debate Team, a 
member of the Arcadia Speech 
and Debate Team, and part of 
the Arcadia Varsity Volleyball 
Team. Serena serves as a school 
site leadership representative, 
student tutor and community 
volunteer at the Arcadia Public 
Library and Foothill Unity 
Center. She has also participated 
in legislative conferences 
advocating directly with state 
representatives. Passionate about 
law and public policy, Serena 
previously interned at a law firm 
to gain hands-on experience and 
hopes to pursue a career in law. 
She enjoys training pets, drawing, 
crocheting, and relaxing with 
a good Netflix show. Serena 
plans to study public policy 
with a minor in biomedical 
engineering at Stanford 
University, the University of 
Southern California or UC 
Berkeley. She is the daughter of 
Hui Zhou and Wei Guo and has 
a younger sister, Alyssa.

 The Rose Queen and Rose 
Court are cherished traditions 
of the Pasadena Tournament 
of Roses, dating back to 1905, 
when Hallie Woods was selected 
as the first Rose Queen to ride 
in a horse-drawn carriage down 
Colorado Blvd. in the Rose 
Parade. From designing and 
making their own dresses in 
the early years to today’s elegant 
gowns, the Rose Queen and 
Court have flourished over the 
decades, becoming a timeless 
symbol of Southern California’s 
spirit and pride. The seven 
young ladies highlight the magic 
of teamwork, diversity and 
community spirit that define 
the Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses. Exemplifying leadership, 
integrity and service as they 
represent the organization 
throughout the year Tournament 
officials said.

 During the coronation 
ceremony, Leavens crowned 
Rose Queen Serena Guo with a 
Mikimoto crown featuring more 
than 600 cultured pearls and six 
carats of diamonds (pictured).

 The 2026 Rose Queen and the 
2026 Rose Court will attend 
numerous community and 
media functions, serving as 
ambassadors of the Tournament 
of Roses, the Pasadena 
community, and the greater Los 
Angeles area. Each Rose Court 
member will receive a $7,500 
educational scholarship from the 
Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

 

Photo by D.Lee/MVNews

Meeting for 

Brookside

Stormwater 
Capture 
Project

Pasadena Playhouse Jingle & 
Mingle Holiday Celebration

 The City of Pasadena, as 
the lead agency, announced 
they are holding a Public 
Information Meeting on 
Thursday, Nov. 13, from 6 
p.m. to 8 p.m.. at the La Casita 
Del Arroyo, to highlight and 
discuss the environmental 
process for the Initial 
Study/Mitigated Negative 
Declaration (IS/MND) for the 
Brookside Park Stormwater 
Capture Project (Project) and 
seek input from the meeting 
attendees on the scope of issues 
the IS/MND should address. 

 Residents are encouraged 
to join City staff and the 
consultants for an opportunity 
to:

- Attend a presentation 
providing an update on the 
Project and next steps for 
implementation.

- Discuss the process for the 
California Environmental 
Quality Act’s (CEQA’s) IS/
MND document.

- Connect with staff and 
Project team to discuss 
how the Project provides a 
comprehensive stormwater 
capture and treatment at the 
project site.

 The Brookside Park 
Stormwater Capture Project 
is proposed within the Rose 
Bowl Lot I parking lot, 
southeast of the intersection 
of Seco St. and North Arroyo 
Blvd., at 360 N. Arroyo Blvd. 
The Project aims to improve 
water quality by capturing 
and treating stormwater and 
dry weather runoff from 
the northwest portion of 
the City into a subsurface 
infiltration gallery while 
bringing community-focused 
improvements through above 
ground features. The Project 
will address critical water 
quality compliance goals in 
the Arroyo Seco and Los 
Angeles River and increase 
water supply for the City of 
Pasadena’s Raymond Basin.

 The La Casita Del Arroyo, is 
located 177 S. Arroyo Blvd.

 For more information visit: 
bit.ly/BrooksideParkProject 
or contact the Stormwater 
Program Administrator 
at SWAdministrator@
cityofpasadena.net.

 Producing Artistic 
Director of Pasadena 
Playhouse, Danny Feldman, 
announced Thursday a 
holiday celebration for the 
community, Jingle & Mingle 
on Saturday, December 13. 
The event will be a festive, 
campus-wide community 
celebration transforming 
every corner of the theater 
into a joyful holiday 
experience. Guests of all ages 
can attend performances, 
make crafts, sing along, 
explore behind the scenes 
tours, and take family 
photos under the Playhouse’s 
Christmas tree.

 The artistic centerpiece of 
the day will be two ticketed 
performances given on the 
Playhouse Mainstage (a 
1:00 PM Matinee and a 5:00 
PM Evening Performance) 
featuring the Pasadena 

 community—blending 
music, storytelling, and 
guest appearances as well 
as performances from 
the Playhouse’s robust 
education programs. As 
Feldman recently relayed 
to the Los Angeles Times, 
“When we were making the 
bold choice of purchasing 
back this building, it wasn’t 
just about restoring an old 
theater.” Jingle & Mingle is 
a celebration of community 
and a moment to come 
together in support of the 
arts.

 Attendees can purchase 
$15 tickets for either of the 
Holiday Concerts (1:00 PM 
or 5:00 PM) and/or RSVP 
for the FREE campus-wide 
Holiday Open House from 
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM, which 
will feature tours, holiday 
crafts, family photo ops, 
and more. Jingle & Mingle 
will culminate in a grand-
finale tree-lighting and snow 
moment in the historic 
Courtyard following the 5:00 
PM performance. Tickets 
and RSVP information 
for all Jingle & Mingle 
activities are available now 
at pasadenaplayhouse.org/
event/jingle-mingle.

 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.

The Pasadena Chorale to 
Feature Renowned Pianists 
Tali Tadmor & Lisa Edwards

City Electric 
Vehicle 
Charging 

Fee Update

 The Pasadena Chorale invites 
audiences to experience 
the profound beauty and 
humanity of Johannes Brahms’ 
Ein Deutsches Requiem (A 
German Requiem), presented 
in the composer’s own intimate 
arrangement for piano four 
hands on Wednesday, Nov. 19 
at 7:30 p.m. at the First United 
Methodist Church in Pasadena. 
The performance will feature 
acclaimed pianists Tali Tadmor 
and Lisa Edwards alongside 
the award-winning Pasadena 
Chorale under the direction 
of Jeffrey Bernstein, Artistic 
Director.

 Brahms composed the German 
Requiem to be a human requiem, 
a piece that offers comfort and 
hope to the grieving. During 
its seven movements, the choir 
explores a full range of emotional 
response to loss from moments 
of quiet comfort to explosive 
rage, and sections that portray 
heaven itself.

 The Chorale’s Artistic Director 
Jeffrey Bernstein said, “We 
chose to open the season with 
the Brahms’ Requiem as an 
offering of comfort and solace 
for our community which has 
lost so much in the wake of the 
Eaton Fire. This gorgeous work, 
by turns stormy and poignant, 
has been a touchstone for the 
Chorale. We first performed it in 
2010 in our second season, but 
we haven’t sung it in a decade. 
It’s a thrill to revisit it with so 
many new singers, and with two 
magnificent soloists from the 
Chorale, Belinda Lau (soprano) 
and Tobin Sparfeld (baritone). It 
will be a thrilling and touching 
concert, and the Chorale is in 
top form!”

 In addition to the concert, the 
Pasadena Chorale will host a 
Post-Concert Gathering at the 
OSA Rooftop of the AC Hotel 
Pasadena for audience members 
who make a gift of $50 or more 
when they reserve their free 
tickets to the Brahms’ Requiem 
performance. Invited guests 
will have the opportunity to 
meet and mingle with Artistic 
Director Jeffrey Bernstein, the 
soloists, musicians, singers, and 
board members in a relaxed, 
welcoming setting overlooking 
the city. 

 The Chorale’s full 2025–2026 
season of performances is 
offered free to the public, though 
a ticket reservation is required 
for entry. For more information 
or to reserve free tickets visit: 
pasadenachorale.org.

 General Manager of Water 
and Power, David Reyes, 
announced Thursday in 
accordance with the Fiscal 
Year 2026 General Fee 
Schedule adopted by the City 
Council on June 16, Pasadena 
Water and Power (“PWP”) will 
implement updated electric 
vehicle (“EV”) charging rates 
at all City-owned Power Up 
Pasadena charging stations.

Effective November 12 the 
new rates will be:

• $0.25 per kilowatt-hour 
(“kWh”) during off-peak 
hours

• $0.30 per kWh during peak-
hours (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

PWP is currently conducting 
a comprehensive electric rate 
study, which is expected to 
conclude in early 2026. The 
study will provide further 
recommendations for City 
Council consideration.

 For more information about 
PWP’s EV programs visit 
PWPweb.com.

 
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