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Mountain View News Saturday, November 8, 2025


Pasadena 
Veterans Day 
Closures and 
Reminders


Tournament of Roses Hosts 
Community Open House

 
The Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses hosted its seventh annual 
Community Open House at 
Tournament House, Sunday 
afternoon in partnership with 
the Pasadena Community 
Coalition and with support 
from the California Credit 
Union Foundation. Nearly 500 
guests attended the event, which 
celebrated Pasadena’s spirit of 
connection, recognizing what 
makes each of us unique, and 
shared purpose while honoring 
2026 Tournament of Roses 
President Mark Leavens.

 “We’re delighted to welcome 
everyone to our sixth annual 
Community Open House in 
collaboration with the Pasadena 
Community Coalition. This 
celebration is all about bringing 
the community together, 
honoring our diversity and 
sharing in a joyful, festive 
day,” said Leavens. “At the 
Tournament of Roses, we believe 
in the extraordinary impact 
of working together, and this 
event embodies that philosophy. 
With the spirit of The Magic in 
Teamwork at the heart of our 
2026 theme, we’re proud to offer 
an occasion where neighbors 
and friends unite in purpose 
and celebration.”

 With the 2026 theme, The 
Magic in Teamwork, guiding 
this year’s celebrations, the 
Open House captured the 
heart of Pasadena, a city where 
neighbors, volunteers and 
partners come together to make 
something extraordinary.

 “What makes the Community 
Open House so special is the 
way it brings our city together,” 
said Martin Gordon, Chairman 
and CEO of the Pasadena 
Community Coalition. “We 
are thrilled to continue 
our partnership with the 
Tournament of Roses for this 
signature annual community 
event. This year’s theme The 
Magic in Teamwork is apropos! 
It reminds Us that when working 
together we can overcome any 
obstacle and create moments of 
MAGIC!”

 Leavens, a dedicated volunteer 
member since 1995, leads the 
Tournament of Roses for the 
137th Rose Parade presented by 
Honda and the College Football 
Quarterfinal at the 112th 
Rose Bowl Game presented 
by Prudential, taking place on 
January 1, 2026.

 For more than a century, 
the Tournament of Roses 
has contributed to various 
communities through event-
driven economic impact and 
other forms of giving. The 
Community Open House is 
another way to celebrate our 
local community.

 Pasadena City Hall and 
many City services and 
administrative business 
offices will be closed 
Tuesday in observance 
of Veterans Day, a day to 
honor those who have 
served in the U.S. Armed 
Forces. The public is invited 
to attend a special Veterans 
Day ceremony at Pasadena 
City Hall, 100 N. Garfield 
Ave., on Tuesday beginning 
at 10 a.m. 

 Pasadena residents and 
businesses with any power 
emergencies should call 
Pasadena’s Water and 
Power (PWP) Department 
at (626) 744-4673. For 
water-related emergencies, 
call (626) 744-4138. PWP’s 
Customer Service Call 
Center will be closed for 
the holiday, but customers 
can access their accounts 
and make payments by 
phone at (626) 744-4005 or 
online at PWPweb.com. 

 The City Service Center 
(CSC) will be closed on 
Tuesday and will return 
to normal business 
hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 
on Wednesday. CSC is 
available online and by 
calling (626) 744-7311. 
Residents with City trash 
and recycling service will 
be on their regular pickup 
schedule for Nov. 11, 
including any previously 
scheduled pickups for 
bulky items. 

 Both Pasadena Transit 
and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride 
services will operate on 
their normal schedules. All 
parking meters will be free, 
and parking time limits will 
not be enforced; however, 
violations for overnight 
parking, red curb parking, 
“No Parking” zones, and 
blocking fire hydrants will 
be enforced. All regular 
enforcement resumes on 
Wednesday. 

 The Housing Department’s 
public lobby will be closed 
on Monday but staff will 
be available by phone 
and email. The Housing 
Department will be closed 
on Tuesday. Regular 
operating hours will 
resume Wednesday. 

 The Permit Center will 
be closed on Tuesday; 
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 after 
the holiday on Wednesday. 

 All Pasadena Public 
Library sites will be closed 
on Tuesday. Regular 
operating hours resume 
Wednesday. 

 Pasadena Police and 
Fire Departments will be 
staffed for all patrol, jail, 
fire, paramedic, and other 
emergency services, but not 
business or administrative 
offices. If you see 
something, say something; 
report suspicious activity 
to Pasadena Police at 
(626) 744-4241. For life-
threatening emergencies, 
dial 9-1-1. 

Photo: Martin Gordon, 
Chairman and CEO of the 
Pasadena Community 
Coalition and Mark Leavens, 
2026 Pasadena Tournament 
of Roses President

City Manager Miguel Márquez to Retire

 Pasadena City Council 
members announced Monday 
that City Manager Miguel 
Márquez has made the decision 
to retire as the city’s Chief 
Administrative Officer to 
focus on family during a time 
of “significant personal need.” 
Márquez is expected to continue 
to serve as City Manager until 
a permanent successor is 
appointed.

 “Serving the people of Pasadena 
has been one of the greatest 
honors of my career,” Márquez 
said. “I’m incredibly proud 
of what we’ve accomplished 
together, and I’m grateful for 
the trust and support of the City 
Council, our dedicated staff, and 
this remarkable community. 
In light of my father’s recent 
passing, my family needs me at 
this time, and I need to be there 
for them. I leave knowing the 
City is fiscally stable, in good 
hands, and is on a solid path 
forward.”

 Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo 
said, “While Miguel’s departure 
is a significant loss for our city, 
we fully support his decision 
to prioritize his family. We are 
deeply grateful for his service 
and the example he has set of 
selfless, principled leadership.”

 According to city officials, 
during his tenure, Márquez led 
with integrity, compassion, and 
a steady hand. He appointed 
the majority of the city’s current 
executive leadership team, 
assembling a diverse and highly 
capable group of professionals 
dedicated to collaborative 
governance and excellence 
in public service. Under his 
leadership, the city, among other 
things:

Maintained fiscal stability 
during uncertain times, with a 
balanced budget each year and 
financial reserves restored to 
pre-pandemic levels;

Secured labor peace through 
long-term contracts with the 
City’s employee unions;

Successfully passed Measures 
PL and L to support the retrofit 
and upgrade of the City’s historic 
Central Library, and to provide 
operational support for libraries 
citywide;

Invested millions of dollars to 
upgrade aging police and fire 
equipment to enhance the City’s 
public safety response efforts;

Invested millions of dollars to 
improve the City’s streets;

Procured more than $1B in 
long-term contracts for carbon-
free energy, keeping the City on 
pace to exceed the State’s carbon-
neutral mandate at least 15 years 
early, and making significant 
progress (92%) on the City’s goal 
of 100% carbon-free energy by 
2030; and

Led a comprehensive response 
and recovery effort following 
the devastating windstorm and 
Eaton Fire earlier this year.

 “Márquez has built strong, 
collaborative relationships 
with each member of the City 
Council and is widely respected 
for his intelligence, fairness, 
and humility,” officials said. “He 
is not only a trusted leader but 
also a valued member of the 
Pasadena family.”

Pasadena 
Adaptive Sports 
Festival 

Returns Nov. 15

 The City of Pasadena Parks, 
Recreation and Community 
Services Department 
(PRCS), in partnership with 
the Triumph Foundation 
announced they will host the 
7th Annual Pasadena Adaptive 
Sports Festival November 15. 
The games will take place from 
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Brookside 
Park, located at 360 N. Arroyo 
Blvd.

 This free, inclusive event 
invites individuals of all 
abilities to participate in a full 
day of adaptive sports and 
fitness activities. Attendees 
can explore a wide variety of 
sports including wheelchair 
rugby, handcycling, pickleball, 
aquatics, tennis, boccia, 
adaptive archery, disc golf, 
boxing, power soccer, fencing, 
and more. For the first time, 
flag football will debut at this 
year’s festival, broadening 
the lineup of activities and 
highlighting the sport’s rising 
popularity. Participants can 
also take part in a resource fair 
and interactive art workshop.

 All equipment will be 
provided, and trained coaches 
and instructors will be on site 
to guide participants. Lunch 
will be served to all registered 
attendees.

 Koko Panossian, PRCS 
Department Director. saud 
“Events like this give people 
with disabilities a chance to 
push the limits of their abilities, 
play games with friends and 
family on a level playing field, 
and enhance their quality of 
life through the benefits of 
exercise, sports, and fitness,” 
said Andrew Skinner, Founder 
of Triumph Foundation.

 Triumph Foundation is 
currently seeking participants, 
volunteers, sponsors, and 
community partners to help 
make this event a success.

 To register, participate, or 
volunteer, visit the Triumph 
Foundation at Triumph-
Foundation.org/ASF or email 
info@triumph-foundation.
org.

Board of Supervisors 
Approves Expanded Soil 
Testing in Burn Areas 

 The Los Angeles County Board 
of Supervisors unanimously 
approved a motion Tuesday 
co-authored by Chair Kathryn 
Barger and Supervisor Lindsey 
P. Horvath to expand soil 
testing for lead contamination 
and support remediation efforts 
in communities affected by the 
Eaton and Palisades Fires.

 The motion also calls 
on California Insurance 
Commissioner Ricardo Lara to 
explore cost-effective ways for 
insurance companies to support 
soil testing and remediation, 
including volume purchasing 
agreements or low-cost 
financing for homeowners.

 “It’s been ten months since 
the wildfires and far too many 
survivors are still living with 
uncertainty about whether their 
soil is safe,” said Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger.

 The fires displaced destroyed 
over 16,000 structures and 
burned more than 40,000 acres. 
While rebuilding is underway, 
community concerns about 
lead contamination remain. To 
address this, the motion puts 
the County’s support behind the 
Community-Oriented Network 
for Scientific Observation, 
Recovery and Tracking 
of Impacts from Urban 
Megafires (CONSORTIUM)—
an interdisciplinary group 
representing teams from various 
universities and institutions—
and urges the California 
Community Foundation to 
award its recently granted 
$2 million in State funding 
to remediate homes with the 
highest levels of lead in the 
Eaton fire area.

 In addition, the Chief Executive 
Officer will report back within 
60 days on additional funding 
sources to expand testing and 
cleanup, while Los Angeles 
County’s Center for Strategic 
Partnerships and Department of 
Public Health, in collaboration 
with community stakeholders, 
will seek philanthropic, private, 
and government support to 
extend remediation to all fire-
affected properties.

 

 

 Director of Libraries and 
Information Services Tim 
McDonald and all branch 
libraries are commemorating 
National Native American 
Heritage Month in November 
with a variety of programs, both 
in-person and virtual, book 
recommendations and resources. 
These events and resources offer 
the community an opportunity 
to learn more about Indigenous 
cultures, traditions, histories and 
the unique challenges they face.

 For details on National Native 
American Heritage Month events 
at Pasadena Public Library, visit 
PasadenaPublicLibrary.net. In-
person Library programming 
is sponsored by The Friends of 
the Pasadena Public Library. 
Programs include the following:

California Culture: Before and 
After Colonization

 Join us for a powerful 
presentation exploring the deep 
roots of California’s Native 
cultures — and how they have 
endured through centuries of 
change with Richard Quiroga, 
Tribal Leader and Cultural 
Director of the Rumsen Ohlone 
Indigenous Embrace nonprofit 
corporation. For ages 9+. 
Saturday, November 8, 11 a.m., 
Lamanda Park Branch Library, 
140 S. Altadena Dr.

Danza Mexikah Cultural 
Presentation

 Join Kalpulli Temachtia 
Quetzalcoatl for a cultural 
celebration with an ancestral 
smoke, drums, dance and 
information about the 
importance of Indigenous and 
First Nation people, past and 
present. For all ages. Saturday, 
November 8, 3 p.m., Hastings 
Branch Library, 3325 E. Orange 
Grove Blvd.

The Search for Truth and the 
Persistence of Love Across 
Time with Novelist Amanda 
Peters

 Join us in an online 
conversation with acclaimed 
writer Amanda Peters as we 
discuss her instant bestselling 
novel, The Berry Pickers, as 
well as her tender short fiction 
collection, Waiting for the Long 
Night Moon: Stories. Sign up to 
attend and submit questions for 
the speakers at: LibraryC.org/
PasadenaLibrary/100612. For 
adults. Thursday, November 13, 
4 p.m., Virtual

RESOURCES

 Explore books, films, 
and language resources 
recommended by the Pasadena 
Public Library by Native 
American authors, and on 
topics and experiences of Native 
Americans. For more visit: 
cityofpasadena.net

Library 
Celebrates 
Native 
American 
Heritage 
Month

 
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