> A recap of what happened at Pasadena City Council meeting on Monday, June 4, 2018.
Desiderio Neighborhood Park (Photos – cityofpasadena.net, GoogleMaps).
Random issues facing Pasadena residents caused the City Council chambers to fill up with a variety of types. They ranged across the social spectrum Monday night, so that the crowd gathered before the meeting to begin resembled hopefuls waiting at an open casting call for a new, multi-cast sitcom.
By Garrett Rowlan
And they did wait. They huddled, they gossiped, and it wasn’t until almost seven that the meeting began.
Of the first two open-forum petitioners, one requested to make the interim police chief, John Perez, permanent, followed by a woman who spoke in a French accent, who complained either about the Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS), or public urination.
The next woman referred to herself in the third person, and questioned why she couldn’t find suitable employment as a female A/C technician. After a silent, accusative stare at the council members, she wandered to the back of the room and then outside.
Seven speakers followed, each one in support of the Golden State Collective on Mentor Avenue. They wondered why the collective might be refused a license when, as several people testified, including two ladies in wheelchairs, the professionalism, proximity, and overall viability of the Collective was in its favor. They spoke of a variety of ills that the cannabis relieves, including cancer, PTSA, and kidney issues.
Skip Hickambottom addressing the Council on Monday, June 4, 2018 (Photo – Garrett Rowlan).
Once the City Council moved to the agenda items, they leapfrogged forward to issue number 9, the review of a new construction of a restroom at 10 North Arroyo Boulevard. The group weighing on this issue appeared in considerable numbers and looked better-heeled than the previous group, plagued as they were with health concerns. The construction of the bathroom had already been appealed, so to avoid the redundancy of a presentation, the Council moved to public comment. Three speakers alluded to traffic issues, the proximity of another restroom, and the aesthetics of the situation. Whether they wanted the bathroom eliminated or else moved to another part of Desiderio Neighborhood Park wasn’t clear. What was clear was the number of concerned citizens, who stood en masse to show their interest in the matter. The issue will be discussed again in July.
A ten-year contract between AEG, the Los Angeles Galaxy, and the Rose Bowl Operating Company was approved, though one public speaker deplored the Friday night soccer games as it made traffic a nightmare in the surrounding communities.
The Council then moved on to continue to review the fiscal budget for 2019.
> Watch the entire Pasadena City Council meeting for Monday, June 4, 2018.
Leave a Reply