Council Blow by Blow for 3-2-09

OK. We gots trees on our agenda again. That means the bitching biddies are coming back out with limping Larry leading the way.

OK. They're off and running their mouths.

Gordo's gone. Mayor says he's working.

Council pats the backs of some kids who are Tournament of Roses ambassadors. High school kids who get to work hard and prep to be grown up TofR members. It's a buncha kids from all over town who worked hard for the Tournament and helped with the game and the parade. They're gonna adjourn in honor of Dr. John Kalgore who was from northwest Pasadena and a law professor. Cool to recognize someone who accomplished a lot and grew up in northwest.

PUBLIC COMMENT: Mayor's restricting it to 20 minutes at the front and unlimited for the poor fools who stick it out to the end. Marvin Schecter: Oldster wants to talk about housing and the general plan. Wesley DeWolfe: talks about unsolved crimes and says he's investigating the convention center board action about public art and the stoopid hats. This dude's way outta the ballpark here. Michelle White: actually doesn't talk for once. Ashley Philips from YWCA wants investigation of the shooting by Pasadena police of the gangster a few weeks ago. YWCA woman wants to be part of the "healing" even though lots of us who live there wont miss one more criminal. Cold, I know, but thats' the way it is. Charles Nelson from Northwest Commission says even if the family doesn't want anybody doing anything until the investigation is over, he wants somebody to act. Sandra Howgee from the League of Women Voters wants an independent investigation of the shooting. Charles Sharp: says the whole situation doesn't pass the sniff test. Pasadena oughta give out more info so people aren't guessing about what's happening. Mr. Levy talks about changing street sweeping to daytime and how he's gonna have trouble parking. Ms. Nelson wants a neighborhood association in her area so she can stop crime. Criminals live across the hall. Mr. Gordon feels the tragedy of Mr. Barnes and wants to stop violence, fire the police chief and end racial profiling. He wants an independent investigation of the shooting. You know, it's too bad the guy got shot, but it's not like this was some altar boy on his way to church. This was a BAD DUDE who was on probation and had a gun. He was going back to jail and pulled out his gun on a police officer. it don't matter where you are or who you are, that gets you shot. Robinson's lookin' wasted as ever asks about an independent investigation and it's already happening by the District Attorney and the FBI will follow up the Police Department investigation. Tyler asks about it too.

CONSENT CALENDAR: They're spending money on exhaust capture equipment and dial a ride cars.

PASADENA MARATHON: It's happening on March 22. They talked to all the pastors about bothering churchgoers. Streets are gonna get closed, but they're gonna do their best to not screw up any of our driving. Israel Estrada is in charge and says there's 8000 people running. He says they're creating jobs. Mayor Bill likes the marathon because it's elegant fun. He really said that.

UNSOLICITED MATERIAL ORDINANCE CHANGES: Haderlein says they want to make it possible for people who don't want to get handbills in their yard can put up a sign that stops them. They want to stop people doing it in yards and on cars but they can't do cars yet because they need more info. People can put up a sign that says no handbills and people won't be able to trash somebody's yard or porch. Seems a good deal to me. Tyler asks about enforcement and is told we'd have to complain if somebody breaks the rules. McAustin doesn't like the ordinance because it would take code enforcement to do this. I think she can come clean up the fliers I get every day on my lawn. Public Comment: Woman with the criminal across the hall doesn't like it because it's unconstitutional. She says her landlord has a restraining order that keeps her from talking to her neighbors. This lady's gonna be wearing tin foil and fighting alien invasions next week. Holden and McAustin vote no. I'm goin' out and gettin' a sign tomorrow.

PUBLIC HEARING ON HOUSING 5 YEAR PLAN: They give housing rent assistance to thousands of people and have thousands on the waiting list. They give money to people from out of Pasadena, so I guess we're importing other cities por people. That's news to me. I don't have a problem giving the money to Pasadena people who need a decent place to live, but people from LA or Burbank or Arcadia? I gotta say WHAT THE FUCK! No commenters on this one? Where's Schecter and White and the other affordable housing bunnies?

TREES, TREES, MORE AND MORE TREES: Moratorium on removing healthy trees until UFAC reviews the reasons and Mayor Bogus and his pals make a decision about when trees can be taken out. They're cutting comment to two minutes. Public Comment: Margaret Johnson Doherty hates the uglification of Pasadena. Bus drivers might get sunstroke and people are gonna get more cataracts. She really said that. Mr. String likes the moratorium and wants the Playhouse trees included. Kathy Mahoney wants to stop the Playhouse tree plan and wants to get full grown evergreen trees. Laurie Ball hates trees cut down in bird nesting trees. Suzie Hartley loves trees and wants to add the Playhouse trees, too. Cosmo Hoohah wants to stop killing all the trees and make it criminal. Branislav Keckman says stop cutting down trees and save the Playhouse trees. Susanna Dodd says we need all the trees we can get and make it permanent and electric use is gonna go up where the trees came down. Betty Cooper from Pasadena Beautiful wants to have the moratorium and wants to redo the plans. Nina Chomsky wants a blanket moratorium of all public trees. Crystal Balvin, supreme bitchin' biddy, complains about tree massacre on Colorado and wants to know when there are policy conflicts and she even brings up the stoopid hats! Mark Windsor likes the moratorium and wants it in the Playhouse District too. His trust in the city is gone now. Geez dude, what took ya so long? Phoebe Wilson another bitching biddy talks about enormous shock and anger about taking out the trees at 2 a.m. She wants trees to stay long enough to protest and says she needs to come back into active bitchiness because nobody pays attention to what she says. Holly Wheaton wants UFAC in it. Chris Peck UFAC moron wants to know what is expected by a moratorium and likes UFAC looking at plans. He wants them to stop the Playhouse chopfest, too. Miriam Nakamura Kwon wants to save the trees. Ann Shide wants to stop removing all healthy street trees. Armina Derachi she wants to know what staff is trying to sneak in. She's outraged. OUTRAGED! The chopfest is going on. She's all worked up about the tree massacre. She says people wanting to move to Pasadena should keep driving. Mary Berry La Canada person wants to protect all our trees in our parks (she means Pasadena not La Canada). Emily Stork says the Open Space Fair got tree recommendations from the Theodore Pain Foundation. Wants a year long moratorium.

People came to the council talkin' about the shooting in Northwest. I think they're fulla shit opportunists mostly, but the council never talked about spending money in any way about that or anywhere in northwest. But Tyler's wanting to spend money hire consultants for trees and spend oodles of cash on 'em. They're tryin' to figure out what would happen if they do what people ask. Holden wants to know about Robinson Park. There's some talk of the Arroyo. man, there's a lot of talk about what's not included and wanting to know what they are actually doing and get told the staff rushed to put this together. They're gonna go forward and have a final plan back in 90 days.

After all the screaming protests about saving Playhouse trees, staff dude says they're all cut down already. Guess the huggers ain't payin' much attention. Oh, nevermind!

GENERAL PLAN ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT: They're payin' somebody $100K for the next four months to work on a public outreach plan to get me interested in the General Plan that's gona be dominated by bitching biddies, west pas and downtown business bigwigs. Ummmmm. Sure. Staff woman says we got learning engagement modules, new media use and experiential exercises. I gotta plan: engage me by payin' me $100K.

COUNCIL PAL: Bogey friend gets on the Disability Commission.

COUNCIL TICKET POLICY CHANGES: Free ticket giving to council contributors is gettin' outlawed by the state. They have to be doing something to promote the city and not just rewarding their pals. Otherwise they gotta declare tickets as income. Mayor wants to make sure free lunches and other events like diners are not required to be reported.

ORDINANCES: They're changing rules about donation collection boxes, signs and speed limits.

PUBLIC COMMENT REDUX: Yolanda Heartfield is back rambling about stuff and says northwest Pasadena people have been uprooted like the trees. Bogus cuts off her rambling. She wants Pasadena to give her housing. Emily Stork wants to know about commissioners getting tickets and what they have to do. She must be a commish who gets tix, so she ain't gonna like it.

OK. Lots of talk about trees. Some talk about police and shootings and changing how we do things because our cops shot a gangbanger who pulled a gun. Me. I like cops in my hood so you can pull the ones from the complainers neighbrohood and move 'em to Garfield Heights, thank you very much.

D. is done for tonight.