AUGUST 2008

Swap Out a Leaf Blower for a Clean, Quiet Model

General Plan Update: How’s the Weather?

Swap Out a Leaf Blower for a Clean, Quiet Model

Every time your gardening crew fires up an old leaf blower, it’s spewing smog and the crew is breathing it.

Encourage your gardener to get a new, low-emission model at South Coast Air Quality Management District’s leaf blower exchange Thursday, Aug. 28, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lawnmower Corner, 1657 E. Walnut St.

The new models are four times cleaner and 40 times quieter. By turning in their old, working leaf blowers for scrap, gardeners can buy new blowers at a significant discount – $270 off the retail price. They can also receive a $25 discount for other related equipment.

The program is open to all professional gardeners and landscapers living or working in AQMD’s service area; each business can exchange up to 10 blowers. Participants should pre-register by calling (888) 425-6247 Tuesday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Spanish-speaking operators are available.

Share this with your gardener! For complete details in English and Spanish, visit www.aqmd.gov (click on Technology and then Equipment Exchange).

General Plan Update: How’s the Weather?

As the old saying goes, everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it. As Pasadena prepares for the next update of the General Plan, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to voice your opinion, become involved and do something about it!

The General Plan is a framework for translating broad community values and expectations into specific strategies for managing growth and enhancing the quality of life. It is reviewed regularly and updated about every five years so it can continue to be a practical document for achieving the community’s vision for the future.

Following a series of community meetings that took place over the past few months, the Planning Commission will begin its review of the draft housing element Wednesday, Aug. 13, during a public meeting at 6:15 p.m. in the council chamber at Pasadena City Hall. This element will go to city council this fall for review, and then the draft will be sent to Sacramento for comments before the council approves it.

The city council has convened a task force to oversee the creation of the open space and conservation element. The group, comprised of three commissioners, two conservancy members and four citizen representatives, began meeting this spring. More information, including meeting agendas, can be found at www.cityofpasadena.net/generalplan (click on Open Space and Conservation).

The land use and mobility elements go hand in hand, advocating strategies for identifying where growth should occur and the types of transportation systems that will support this planned growth. The review process for these two elements will begin this fall.

Housing, open space, development, transportation: These are among the hot-button issues discussed in offices, restaurants and front porches across Pasadena. Help decide the future of our community by getting involved!

You can access the General Plan, including the elements, at www.cityofpasadena.net/generalplan. The draft housing element is also available at the Permit Center, 175 N. Garfield Ave., in CD-ROM and hard copy format.

Call 744-6774 for more information. Now that Pasadena In Focus is a monthly publication, we’ll inform you of the General Plan updates every step of the way.

Help Swat Away West Nile Virus

Warm weather brings out the pests, and some mosquitoes may carry the West Nile Virus.

Public Health officials, with the help of Pasadena Police Department helicopters, are looking throughout the community for standing water, treating problem spots with pesticides and setting up mosquito traps to test for the virus.

Pasadena Public Health Department recommends:

• Clean out rain gutters and dump water out of pots.

• Pick up free mosquito-eating fish for ponds or fountains while supplies last by calling 744-6004.

• Pick up leaves, keep your lawn trimmed and make sure the screens on your windows and doors are in good condition.

• If you’re outside between dusk and dawn, use an insect repellent that contains DEET and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information , visit www.cityofpasadena.net/westnilevirus or call 744-6004.

Hands Off Our Cans!

When you place plastic bags, jars, cans, bottles and other items in your recycling container, this can mean big money to some crafty violators of the law.

The law helps ensure that many tons of local recyclables are collected, sorted and sold to manufacturers who make new products. This saves space in landfills, supports the city’s environmental efforts and helps offset the cost of collection.

Pasadena police regularly patrol for these poachers. You can help by setting your recycling bin at the curb no later than 7 a.m. on collection day. (Most scavengers work after dark or in the early morning.) You can make it even harder for them by putting beverage containers with CRV value at the bottom and piling newspapers and other recyclables on top.

If you see poachers in your neighborhood, never confront them. Instead, call the police at 744-4241 right away with a good description and an address.

To learn more about the city’s recycling efforts, call the Public Works Department at 744-4087.

Scoop the Poop

Dog feces are ugly nuisances that litter parks and sidewalks, attract flies, spread disease and pollute storm drains.

You can help keep Pasadena clean by picking up after your pet. Buy a scooper at the pet store or use a disposable bag to clean up Rover’s droppings wherever they fall. Then simply close the bag and drop it in a city trash receptacle or your own garbage can.

The Pasadena Municipal Code requires that you clean up any droppings within five minutes, whether your pooch leaves them on public or private property.

For more information call Pasadena Humane Society at 792-7151.