Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 9, 2020

MVNews this week:  Page 5

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 9, 2020 

Some Non-
essential 
Stores Open 
in Pasadena


New COVID-19 Community 
Testing Site in Pasadena

 
Golf courses also open, 
Rose Bowl loop and 
hiking trails stay closed 

 
Following Governor 
Gavin Newsom’s recent 
announcement to add 
more than 80 community-
testing sites across the state 
focused on underserved 
communities, a new testing 
site opened on Monday, 
in Pasadena at ChapCare’s 
Kathryn Barger Health 
Center located at 1595 N. 
Lake Ave. This new site 
is one of 80 testing sites 
being opened across the 
state in collaboration with 
OptumServe, the federal 
government health services 
business of Optum, a leading 
health services innovation 
company.

 “This testing site will help 
increase testing needs for 
individuals who have had 
limited access to COVID-19 
tests up until now,” said 
Margaret B. Martinez, MPH, 
chief executive officer for 
ChapCare. “We’re thrilled 
to partner with the state, 
county, and OptumServe 
to help expand access in 
our communities while also 
helping meet California’s 
testing goals.”

 To determine where to 
locate new testing sites, 
the state shared analysis 
on geographic distance, 
underserved populations, to 
address known disparities, 
and median income, so 
residents have access 
to testing regardless of 
socioeconomic status. 
That information was then 
evaluated with existing 
testing locations and the 
county’s priority to address 
high-risk populations, 
including nursing homes 
and shelters. The opening of 
the new site brings the total 
number in LA County to 36 
testing locations.

 “Expanding access to 
COVID-19 testing for 
Pasadenans is a key 
component of our strategy 
to gradually modify the 
Safer at Home Order,” said 
Ying-Ying Goh, M.D., 
director and health officer 
of the Pasadena Public 
Health Department. “We 
are appreciative of the 
support from our local and 
state partners to offer more 
testing.”

 “Increased access to 
COVID testing is one of the 
many critical steps needed 
to keep Los Angeles County 
residents safe and help 
move us toward recovery,” 
said Supervisor Kathryn 
Barger, 5th District, “The 
ChapCare health center in 
Pasadena is a great asset to 
the community and serves 
as a vital safety net in the 
region, as evidenced by the 
development of this much-
needed testing location.”

 OptumServe has extensive 
expertise in rapidly 
deploying and setting up 
health care services and 
has worked closely with 
the military under the 
leadership of former Army 
Surgeon General and retired 
Lieutenant General Patty 
Horoho, RN. At maximum 
capacity, OptumServe 
will be able to support up 
to 80 testing sites at one 
time throughout the state, 
increasing total testing 
capacity by more than 
10,500 tests per day.

 Testing will be by 
appointment only. You can 
schedule an appointment 
by calling (888) 634-1123 
or by visiting: lhi.care/
covidtesting.

Altadena Sheriff Station to Abruptly Close

 The City of Pasadena Health 
Officer issued a revised 
order Friday consistent 
with state/county health 
orders announcing that non-
essential businesses such as 
bookstores, toy stores, florists, 
music stores, clothing stores 
and sporting goods stores can 
reopen for curbside pick-up, 
with adherence to distancing 
and infection control 
protocols. 

 Prior to opening, each 
retailer must complete 
and implement a “Social 
Distancing Protocol” 
questionnaire found in the 
Health Guidance Document 
for Curbside Retail found 
on the city’s website: 
cityofpasadena.net.

Protocols for curbside sales 
include:

- Customers may not enter 
the store.

- Employees and customers 
shall wear face coverings, 
and customers without face 
coverings shall not be served.

- Social distancing shall be 
observed and enforced by 
the retailer in the designated 
pick-up zone or staging area.

- Complete payment in 
advance by offering options to 
purchase online or by phone. 
If the transaction must be 
conducted in person instruct 
employees to refrain from 
touching the face afterward, 
to accept cash or cards on a 
tray rather than directly into 
their hands, to sanitize the 
payment system and tray, and 
to wash hands with soap and 
water after each transaction.

- Instruct customers to call 
when they arrive, and to 
remain in their vehicles, or in 
the designated pick-up zone 
or staging area.

- Develop a process that does 
not require employees to 
touch the customer’s vehicle 
door handle or trunk latch.

- If employees place items 
in customers’ vehicles, they 
should place the items in 
unoccupied areas of the 
vehicle such as a passenger 
seat or trunk, and should 
avoid leaning into the vehicle. 

 Businesses must also explain 
the process to customers 
in advance by clearly 
communicating curbside 
instructions to customers by 
posting the process on their 
website and social

media pages, or if transactions 
occur by phone, reviewing 
it verbally at the time of the 
sale.

 City officials also announced 
that Brookside Golf Course 
is open as of today but Rose 
Bowl loop and hiking trails 
remain closed pending 
further review at Monday’s 
city council meeting. 

 The city council meeting 
will be held at 2 p.m. by video 
conference/teleconference 
and livestreamed with 
captioning at: pasadenamedia.
org, and at: cityofpasadena.
net/commissions/agendas. 
For public participation goto: 
cityofpasadena.net/city- 
clerk/public-comment.

By Dean Lee

 Reactions came swift in 
Altadena as residents and 
community leaders expressed 
dismay after Sheriff Alex 
Villanueva announced Monday 
that the Altadena Sheriff’s 
Station will close permanently 
July 1 due to budget shortfalls. 
All Altadena sheriffs services 
would be moved to the 
Crescenta Valley station five 
miles away.

 The closing of Altadena 
Sheriff’s Station, would garner 
an annual $6.3 million savings 
Villanueva said.

 Altadena Town Council Chair 
Billy Malone and Altadena 
Chamber of Commerce 
President Doug Colliflower, 
along with Assemblymember 
Chris Holden and Supervisor 
Kathryn Barger all sent out 
letters last week condemning 
the move.

 “This station not only represents 
public safety in our close-knit 
community, it also represents 
the drastic change in enhanced 
community policing because of 
the hard work between citizens 
and law enforcement,” Malone 
and Colliflower said jointly. 
“Beyond an officer’s typical 
public safety duties, we have 
seen involvement in toy drives, 
Coffee with the Captain, school 
and business events, library 
events, Town Council meetings, 
Citizen of the Year awards, 
National Night Out, Concerts in 
the Park, elderly welfare checks, 
car shows, station open houses, 
Christmas Tree Lane, and many 
more.”

 Holden made clear that closing 
the station is unacceptable and 
said additional safety issues 
have been heightened by the 
COVID-19 pandemic.

 “With a population of 
more than 42,000 residents, 
Altadenans are deserving of 
their own station. Its closure 
removes a key resource from the 
entire area needed to minimize 
criminal activity,” he said. “There 
is concern about a reduction 
in the level of services and 
response time to deploy Sheriffs 
from the Crescenta Valley 
station, and the need to rely on 
the California Highway Patrol. 
This closure also diminishes 
the partnership between the 
Pasadena Police Department 
and their collaborative effort to 
effectively address gang violence 
and its criminal activity.”

 Holden said that residents 
remain concerned that hikers 
walk through without masks 
and do not observe social 
distancing. “Many of these 
trails start in residential 
neighborhoods and Sheriffs are 
needed to patrol these areas 
where breaches are occurring.”

 Barger said the Sheriff’s 
Department has run a 
substantial deficit for some 
time but stressed that there are 
more sensible adjustments that 
he can make such as reducing 
overtime expenses and scaling 
back training academy classes.

 As part of the $400 million gap, 
Villanueva also announced the 
elimination of other unfunded 
full-time patrol positions, 
including: Youth Activities 
League (YAL), school resource 
deputy, Vital Intervention 
and Directional Alternatives 
(VIDA), Nuisance abatement, 
Community Relations Team and 
search and rescue coordinator. 

 The Parks Bureau would also be 
eliminated and the Community 
Partnership Bureau (COPS) 
would be eliminated. 

 “COPS teams provide 
supplemental services 
to residences in our 
unincorporated areas, 
specifically addressing the 
unique and individual needs of 
each area by identifying crime 
trends, and quality of life and 
crime trends,” Villanueva said. 

 He also announced cuts to 
detective division positions 
including Special Victims 
Bureau, Operation Safe Streets 
(Gang Investigations Bureau) 
Fraud and Cyber Crimes 
Bureau and the Major Crimes 
Bureau. The Special Victims 
Bureau investigates human 
trafficking, child abuse, sexual 
assaults. A total of $23.5 million, 
is expected to be cut from that 
bureau alone. 

 The Altadena Sheriff’s Station 
first opened in 1927 and 
went through a $1.4 million 
renovation 2011. 

 At press time Friday, the 
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 
Civilian Oversight Commission 
held a meeting with Villanueva 
about the closing and cuts 
although no other information 
was given. The Civilian 
Oversight Commission is set to 
hold a virtual town hall meeting 
this Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 
8 p.m. To participate or listen 
visit: coc.lacounty.gov. 

 Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Station 
is also set to closed, saving 
the department $5.9 million 
according to Villanueva. 

 For more information goto: 
lasd.org or call (213) 229-1850.

Tournament 
Announces 
$100,000 
COVID Relief

 

 The Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses announced Monday a 
$100,000 donation in support of 
local COVID-19 relief efforts in 
the Pasadena community. All 
funds will go to the Los Angeles 
Regional Food Bank (LARFB), 
the largest food provider and 
distributor to food banks and 
pantries across the County 
of Los Angeles. Specifically, 
the Tournament’s donation 
will be used to support the 
nine Pasadena food providers 
affiliated with the Food Bank. 
Working through their local 
providers, the Food Bank is 
able to provide four meals for 
every $1 donated. The Pasadena 
partner agencies provide food 
to anyone in need and include 
Foothill Unity Center, Friends 
In Deed, The Salvation Army 
and others.

 “We assessed how we could 
best assist with local relief 
efforts and it became clear that 
food insecurity was one of 
the most critical needs,” said 
Tournament of Roses Executive 
Director/ CEO David Eads. “To 
maximize our impact and feed 
our most vulnerable neighbors, 
we decided to direct our funds 
to the Los Angeles Regional 
Food Bank.”

 This $100,000 contribution is 
a combination of funds from 
the Tournament of Roses 
Association, the Tournament of 
Roses Foundation, individual 
members of the Tournament 
of Roses, Foundation Board 
Members and the organization’s 
staff.

 “We are fortunate to have a 
strong network of partners in 
Pasadena,” said Los Angeles 
Regional Food Bank President 
& CEO Michael Flood. 
“This generous gift from 
the Tournament of Roses 
and Tournament of Roses 
Foundation will help us meet 
the increased demands of this 
moment and ensure that food 
is getting to the most vulnerable 
in the community.”

 The Tournament of Roses 
also recently began providing 
lunches to Huntington Hospital 
nurses staffing the drive-
through COVID-19 testing site 
at the Rose Bowl Stadium and 
has committed to delivering 
lunches for five to seven weeks, 
or as needed. Last week, 2021 
Tournament of Roses President 
Bob Miller surprised each 
nurse with a bouquet of roses, 
which they will receive weekly. 
Together with our partners, 
Vons and Passion Roses, the 
Association is showing their 
appreciation for essential 
workers.

 

South Pasadena Trails and 
Dog Park Open Today 

 As the County of Los Angeles begins to lift restrictions on outdoor 
recreational amenities, the City of South Pasadena opened trails 
and the dog park.

 Physical distancing of six feet is required and group gathering 
will not be permitted on trails or in parking lots. Park users over 
the age of two are required to wear a cloth face covering at trail-
heads, parking lots, within the dog park and while on trails.

 All sports amenities are closed until further notice, including 
but not limited to playgrounds, skate parks, basketball courts, and 
tennis courts.

 Funding will support 
Pasadena food agencies 
affiliated with the Los 
Angeles Regional Food 
Bank

Washington 
Community 
House Project

 
View the virtual presentation 
on the Washington Park 
Community House project 
and submit your feedback. 
This project is part of the 
Washington Park Master 
Plan, and design options 
are available for review and 
comment. The presentation, 
project background and 
description, and project goals 
can be viewed by visiting: 
cityofpasadena.net search 
“Washington Park Project.” 
The deadline for public 
comment is Friday, May 15. 


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