APRIL 2009

Stamping Out Neighborhood Nuisances

Learn about programs intended to keep your neighborhood safe and clean at a community meeting Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Hosted by the Code Enforcement Commission, the event will include updates on city-sponsored programs. There are three main items on the agenda:

• Pasadena’s Deemed Approved Ordinance was adopted by city council to enable city officials to monitor liquor stores that were established before conditional use permits were required. If any of these non-CUP establishments violates state or local laws, conditions can be placed on them ranging from prohibiting the sale of single containers of alcohol of 12 ounces or less to providing security in the parking lot.

• The city’s MASH program (Maintenance Assistance and Services to Homeowners) hires local residents to provide safe and affordable home repairs at no charge to qualified seniors and people with disabilities. (Services are also available for a reasonable fee to all homeowners.) While providing vital job training, the program also helps reduce broken windows, falling-down fences, overgrown yards and other signs of blight in Pasadena neighborhoods. (Call 744-7627 for details.)

• The graffiti abatement program removes ugly scrawls from public and private property within 48 hours after a call is made to the hotline at 744-7622.

For more information on the community meeting, call 744-4633.

Restore Your Historic Home and Reduce Costs

Personality, craftsmanship, an old-fashioned porch. These are just some of the benefits of owning a historic home. Apply this month and you may also qualify for a property tax reduction.

Through the city’s Historic Property Contract Program, governed by the state’s Mills Act, you may qualify for a reduction of your property tax bill by as much as 75 percent for agreeing to restore and maintain your historic building. The program is open to properties that are designated landmarks or historic monuments, in landmark and historic districts, works of the architects Greene & Greene, or listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places.

Applications for the 2009 program in English and Spanish are at www.cityofpasadena.net/millsact and at the Permit Center, 175 N. Garfield Ave. The deadline to file is Monday, May 4.

The rules have changed a bit in 2009. Single-family homes with an assessed value of $1.5 million or less are eligible, except for works of Greene & Greene, designated monuments and properties listed individually in the National Register. (One exception to this rule per year may be granted for special circumstances.) You must also submit a plan for future rehabilitation of your property; if the work’s already been done, or if the property doesn’t need work, you don’t qualify. Up to 20 homes and six commercial properties will be approved, based on priority criteria approved by the city council.

For complete details, check the website or call 744-4009 and ask for a member of the Design & Historic Preservation staff in the Planning and Development Department.

Back to the Workforce 

Pasadena Public Library can help you get back on your feet after a job loss with a range of free services, training programs and resources.

First, check out the shelves of books that can help you find openings, make career changes, write resumes and cover letters, and prepare for civil service exams and interviews.

Central Library at 285 E. Walnut St. is a great source for job openings from state and city governments, Caltech and other local schools. You can also thumb through the latest issues of Jobs Available and California Job Journal. Every Pasadena library also has computers with Internet connection and word processing software to help you search job-listing sites or type up resumes and cover letters. Or bring your own laptop and use the library’s free wireless Internet connection.

You can also tap into electronic resources from home. At www.cityofpasadena.net/library/jobs.asp you can find popular job-search sites and career information. Www.cityofpasadena.net/library/e-resources.asp offers practice tests and more. Go to http://pas-gdl.lib.overdrive.com to listen to career books with a portable device or read them from a computer.

For more personal help, come to “Get Back on the Job Track,” a free workshop by Women at Work on Tuesday, April 14, at 11 a.m. at Hastings Branch Library, 3325 E. Orange Grove Blvd. Women at Work also help job seekers – men as well as women – through programs at La Pintoresca Branch Library, 1355 N. Raymond Ave. On Fresh Start Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can talk one-on-one with a career counselor. Call 744-7268 for an appointment. With La Pintoresca’s monthly Job Prep 101 workshop, you’ll build basic job-hunting skills such as writing a resume, reading a want ad, finding a job on the Internet and preparing for an interview. The next session is Tuesday, April 28, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

You can also join the Professional Job Club Network at La Pintoresca Branch Library every Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Call 744-4066 for more information.

Weigh in on New Design Guidelines

A first draft is ready for the city’s new design guidelines for commercial centers and multifamily homes. Give us your opinions at the Design Commission meeting Monday, April 13, at 6 p.m. at Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St.

The new guidelines, for neighborhood commercial areas and multifamily projects with three or more units, were developed by city staff and other experts using community input from two September public meetings. During the April 13 meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to comment on the draft. Another community meeting will be scheduled in June to receive input before the final draft is presented to the city council for approval this summer.

Find information on the project, including a map of affected areas, at www.cityofpasadena.net/guidelines. The draft guidelines will be posted no later than April 2.

You can also submit comments online, call 744-7806, fax to 396-7259, email kevinjohnson@cityofpasadena.net or drop a note to the Planning and Development Department at 175 N. Garfield Ave., Pasadena CA 91101. Have a say in your neighborhood’s appearance.

Keep an Extinguisher Handy

Your dinner has suddenly caught fire. What to do? Pasadena Fire Department urges everyone to keep fire extinguishers at home and learn how to use and maintain them properly.

When choosing your model, remember that different fires – a grease fire vs. an electrical fire, for example – require completely different extinguishers. Look on the extinguisher for symbols showing the kind of fire it is meant for. There are also multi-purpose fire extinguishers, such as those labeled “B-C” and “A-B-C,” that can be used on two or more different kinds of fires.

A fire extinguisher in the hands of a trained adult can save life and property but it also requires sound judgment. Use a fire extinguisher only if:

• You’ve alerted other occupants and someone has called 9-1-1

• The fire is small and contained to a single object, such as a wastebasket

• You’re safe from the toxic smoke produced by the fire

• You’ve identified a way to escape and the fire is not between you and the escape route

• Your instincts tell you it’s safe to use an extinguisher

Call 744-7276 for class information or 744-4668 for questions about extinguishers.
 

Pasadena is faced with the greatest challenge of this decade: a significant budget shortfall over the next 12 to 24 months caused primarily by the economic downturn and a $42 billion state budget shortfall.

As the city council prepares for final adoption of the budget in June for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Pasadena residents are encouraged to provide opinions about potential service impacts and other issues. Public hearings are scheduled April 13, 23 and 27; and May 11 and 18. All meetings will be in the council chamber (S249) at Pasadena City Hall and will start at 4 p.m. with the exception of April 27 (3 p.m.)

Visit www.cityofpasadena.net/budget or call 744-4336.