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Mountain View News SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2026


September 

is SoCal 

Transit Month

Underground Utility District 
Construction to Start Sept 21

 
September is SoCal Transit 
Month, a regional celebration 
of sustainable and alternative 
transportation options hosted 
by MoveLA. Throughout the 
month, Pasadena Transit and 
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride will be 
promoting special events and 
offers to encourage residents 
to ride more and drive less. A 
full list of events happening 
throughout the region during 
SoCal Transit Month can be 
found at SoCalTransitMonth.
org.

 To wrap up SoCal Transit 
Month, Pasadena Transit 
and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride 
are offering free rides on 
Wednesday, October 7, in 
honor of California Clean 
Air Day! California Clean 
Air Day, celebrated annually 
on the first Wednesday of 
October, is a call to action for 
individuals and communities 
to take meaningful steps 
toward improving air quality. 
According to Clean Air Day, 
the initiative is “built on the 
idea that shared experiences 
unite people to action to 
improve our community 
health.” As part of a 
regionwide effort, Metro and 
Foothill Transit will also offer 
free rides on Clean Air Day.

 Every time you ride the bus 
or train, you can log your trip 
on the RideContest website 
and get a chance to win cool 
prizes! On RideContest, you 
can track your rides to earn 
badges, win prizes, compete 
against friends, and show your 
love for transit! Each time 
you log a transit trip, your 
ride is added to a leaderboard 
showcasing how many 
riders are traveling on each 
participating agency. Log 
your Pasadena Transit rides 
at: ridecontest.com through 
September 30 and help reach 
the top of the leaderboard.

 

 General Manager of Water 
and Power, David Reyes, 
announced Thursday that 
the department (“PWP”) 
continues to advance 
construction on the Raymond 
Avenue Underground Utility 
District (“UUD”) project 
with the installation of new 
underground infrastructure 
along Raymond Avenue 
between Maple Street and the 
northern city limits.

 Starting September 21, 
construction activities will 
shift to the intersection 
of Raymond Avenue and 
Washington Boulevard. 
The original start date has 
shifted as a result of rain and 
worsening soil conditions. 
Work is scheduled to take 
place from 8 a.m. to 5 
p.m. and is expected to 
last approximately three 
weeks. The patience of 
the public is appreciated 
as PWP completes 
these infrastructure 
improvements.

 Expect reduced traffic lanes, 
temporary lane closures, or 
periodic rerouting depending 
on the active construction 
phase. 

 Drivers should plan for 
delays and consider using 
alternate routes during work 
hours.

 As part of the Raymond 
UUD project, existing 
overhead utility lines will be 
relocated underground. The 
work is being performed 
by the City’s authorized 
contractor, Doty Bros. 
Construction Company. For 
more information about the 
project, or to request a call 
with project management, 
please contact (626) 744-
4005 or visit: PWPweb.com/
Underground.

Chalk Festival Moves to Brookside Park 

 The Pasadena Chalk Festival 
is set to celebrates its 33rd 
year this September 26th 
and 27th. For the first time 
ever, the event will be held 
at Pasadena’s Brookside Park 
next to Kidspace Museum 
near the Rose Bowl. Over 
500 artists from all over 
Los Angeles and Southern 
California will gather to 
create spectacular murals 
on over 2 football fields of 
pavement. 

 Thousands of art lovers, 
family members, and visitors 
will experience the creation 
of images in every style 
and artistic genre; these 
will include animation, 
renderings of masterpieces, 
fantasy, humorous and 
inspirational art, icons 
of popular culture, and 
3-dimensional illusionary art. 
All of these will be completed 
over the two-day weekend in 
brilliant technicolor, earning 
the nickname “A Museum 
without Walls.” Also featuring 
music by DJ Cadillac G and 
a variety of food trucks for 
different tastes. Attendees are 
encouraged to picnic in the 
park.

 A silent auction of 
affordable art, created by 
festival participants, will 
benefit the producers, Light 
Bringer Project, a Pasadena-
based nonprofit serving 
public school youth with 
innovative arts programs. 
Enjoy a weekend of art 
and while you’re at it, take 
the opportunity to vote 
for your favorite mural on 
Sunday, when the murals are 
completed.

 Pasadena Chalk Festival 
will be open to the public 
from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30pm 
on Saturday and 11:00am to 
6:30pm Sunday. It is always 
free to the public. 

 Free parking alongside 
Brookside Park in Lot I. 

 Metro Buses 180, 260, 
and 261 service this area. 
Pasadena Transit bus lines 
51 and 52 service this zone. 
Foothill Transit Commuter 
Express 549 also services this 
area.

 For more information visit: 
pasadenachalkfestival.org.

Cynthia Minet 
Exhibit at 24-
Hour Gallery 
in Pasadena

 Event organizers announced 
that Los Angeles artist 
Cynthia Minet will bring her 
installation Prey to the 24-
Hour Gallery, an outdoor 
exhibit venue located in Old 
Pasadena. The unique exhibit 
consists of sculptures of animal 
forms created with recycled 
and repurposed plastics and 
LEDs which the artist has been 
working with since 2010. The 
show’s public opening takes 
place on Saturday, September 
19 at 7 p.m., and the exhibit 
runs through January 3, 2027. 
The Gallery, a showcase of five 
sweeping windows, is located 
on Holly Street at the corner 
of 80 N. Raymond Avenue, 
directly across from the 
Pasadena Senior Center.

 Minet said she sculpted 
animals because she saw 
a parallel between our 
domestication of animals 
for our use and our own 
‘domestication’ into the use 
of plastic products. “I am 
inspired by the product design 
of detergent bottles, vintage 
iMac parts and plastic toys, 
and I am also drawn to the way 
translucent plastic transmits 
and manipulates lighting 
effects.” The illumination 
serves to make the pieces 
beautiful, and to draw our 
attention to our dependence 
not only on plastics, but our 
electrified modern world.” The 
results of her work, including 
lighting effects, reveal animal 
forms which are visually 
stunning and startingly 
realistic. 

 The installation, itself, 
features five life-size huskies, 
the quintessential working 
dogs. It will also feature a 
smaller puppy, and three 
‘trophy heads’ that are 
fragments of other sculptures. 
One of the heads, a camel, 
was made specifically for the 
24-Hour Gallery many years 
ago. “While not specifically 
telling a story, I hope that 
viewers recognize the contrast 
between the inanimate animal 
heads, fixed in place as trophy 
heads are, and the running or 
sleeping dogs as actively alive; 
the double meaning of the 
show’s title Prey.” 

 For more information visit: 
cynthia-minet.squarespace.
com.

Pasadena Invites Residents 
to Participate in Planning 
for Environmental Justice

 The City of Pasadena 
Planning Department’s 
comprehensive community 
outreach and engagement 
effort to support the 
development of the City’s 
first Environmental Justice 
(EJ) Element is underway. 
The EJ Element will identify 
and address environmental 
burdens and inequities in 
Pasadena while elevating 
community priorities related 
to health, air quality, safe and 
accessible neighborhoods, 
climate resilience, and 
equitable access to parks, 
mobility, and public services.

 Save the date and join us at 
upcoming community events 
and share your experiences, 
ideas, and priorities for 
creating healthier, more 
equitable neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Walk and 
Roll

Tuesday, September 15 | 
9–11 a.m.

Villa Parke Community 
Center

363 E. Villa St.

Register: bit.ly/EJwalkshop1

Neighborhood Walk and 
Roll

Saturday, October 3 | 9–11 
a.m.

Robinson Park Recreation 
Center

1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

Register: bit.ly/EJwalkshop2

Open House / Resource Fair

Thursday, October 15 | 6–8 
p.m.

Robinson Park Recreation 
Center

1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave.

Register: bit.ly/EJ_OH

Virtual Community 
Meeting

Wednesday, October 21 | 6–7 
p.m.

Join us online: bit.ly/EJ_
Virtual

 For more information 
and upcoming outreach 
opportunities, please visit: 
bit.ly/PasadenaEJelement 
or contact the EJ Element 
Administrator at 
EJElement@cityofpasadena.
net.

 For accessibility 
information or to request 
an accommodation, contact 
CSC@CityOfPasadena.net 
or call (626) 744-7311.

South Pasadena Workshop 
on Caring for Aging Parents

Pasadena 
Employee 
Demographics 
Dashboard 

 
Pasadena Director of 
Human Resources, Tiffany 
Jacobs-Quinn, announced 
the launch of the city’s new 
Employee Demographics 
Dashboard, a public-facing 
tool designed to enhance 
transparency and deepen 
community understanding of 
our municipal workforce. 

 This interactive dashboard 
provides residents, employees, 
and stakeholders with 
accessible information about 
City staff. Users can explore:

Demographics – Gender and 
race/ethnicity information as 
self-identified at hire.

Job Information – Position 
titles, pay types, and other 
workforce data points.

Labor-Market Context – 
Comparisons between City 
staff demographics and 
Pasadena’s available labor 
pool.

Interactive Filters – Tools 
allowing users to click, hover, 
refresh, and adjust selections 
to recalculate charts.

The creation of this dashboard 
reflects Human Resources’ 
continued commitment 
to transparency, data-
informed decision-making, 
and meaningful community 
engagement. We encourage 
community members to 
explore the dashboard and 
share feedback as we continue 
to expand workforce analytics 
tools.

 The Dashboard is Available 
at: cityofpasadena.net/
human-resources/employee- 
demographics.

 The City of South Pasadena 
is set to host Ways to Help 
Mom & Dad: Planning for 
their Future, on Wednesday, 
September 23 from 5:30 p.m. 
to 7:30 p.m. at the South 
Pasadena Senior Center— 
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Designed for adults who 
are navigating or preparing 
for the challenges of caring 
for aging parents, family 
members, or other loved ones, 
this informative community 
workshop will provide 
practical guidance, resources, 
and tools to help families plan 
ahead and make informed 
decisions about the future.

 Attendees will hear from a 
panel of professionals who 
will share their expertise on 
a range of important topics 
related to aging, caregiving, 
and planning, including:

- Advance Directives and 
Healthcare Planning

- Financing the Care & 
Protecting the Estate of Our 
Aging Loved Ones

- Elder Law

- Just a Senior Moment? 
Understanding and 
Addressing Worsening 
Memory Loss in Older Adult 
family members

- Following the presentations, 
attendees will have an 
opportunity to participate 
in a question-and-answer 
session with the speakers and 
connect with community 
organizations and service 
providers offering additional 
information, resources, and 
support.

 This workshop is intended 
to help families better 
understand the challenges 
that can arise as loved ones 
age and provide information 
to help them prepare for 
important decisions before a 
crisis occurs.

 The Senior Center is located 
at 1102 Oxley St., South 
Pasadena.

 Dial-A-Ride transportation 
is available with advance 
reservations. To schedule a 
ride, please contact Transit 
Division at (626) 403-7368.

 For additional information 
about the workshop, please 
contact the South Pasadena 
Senior Center at (626) 403-
7360 or email seniorcenter@
southpasadenaca.gov.

 
RENT our 
1914 Essick House 
550 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, 91024 
Contact Anita 
Event Rentals Coordinator 
EssickHouseRentalManager@gmail.com 
626-708-2223 
Photos at 
SierraMadreWomansClub.org 
Sierra Madre Woman’s Club since 1907 
Wistaria Shop Re-Opens 10 am, Thurs., 9/3/26 
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