CORRESPONDENCE
FROM
MAY 2, 2022
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Ferne Hayes
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2022 10:44 PM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse; Gordo, Victor; Wilson, Andy; Hampton, Tyron; Kennedy, John J.; Rivas, Jose; Williams, Felicia; Madison, Steve; Masuda, Gene; Kurtz, Cynthia Subject: City Council Meeting 5/2/22 Agenda Items 6 and 10 CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. Learn more....
Dear Mayor Gordo, City Councilpersons, and Interim City Manager, AR10
As a person who has lived in Pasadena over 50 years and has seen the increasing number of unsheltered residents need to lie on concrete and park their belongings on bus benches, I want to urge you to make some changes in the Recommended Operating Budget 2023 that will help those experiencing homelessness.
I see the Housing Department's budget has actually been decreased from the Adopted 2022 Budget! And I also note the disparity in General Fund allocations.
Homelessness is a Public Health Crisis.
Both the Pasadena Public Health Department and the Pasadena Housing Department have the ability to provide needed services to the almost 300 unsheltered people (as per 2020 Homeless Count) yet neither Department is listed to receive ANY General Fund monies in the Recommended Operating Budget 2023. This makes no sense and needs to be corrected.
As you work toward approval of the 2023 Budget, trim from those who get most of the General Fund money and ensure some for Public Health and Housing.
AR6
I disagree with ending the moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent by tenants impacted by Covid. This should be extended through December as other cities have done. I am afraid that we will see more homelessness if these evictions are allowed and no additional rent assistance is available. Small landlords having difficulty should be sought out and assisted as well.
Thank you,
Ferne Hayes
District 7
05/02/2022
1 Item 6
RECEIVED
Pasadena Beautiful Foundation
Linda Vista-Annandale Association 2022 MAY -2 AM 9:29
"ITI
Horil 30.2022
Re: Council Meeting 5/2/2022; Agenda Item 6; Public Hearing Re FY 2023 Operating Budget - Public Works Department FY 2023 Operating Budget Request Mayor Gordo, Councilmembers, and Interim City Manager Kurtz, Pasadena Beautiful Foundation *PBF) and the Linda Vista-Annandale Association (LVAA) are joining together at this crucial point in the City's Budget considerations to call your attention to and seek your assistance with an important Urban Forestry issue - the long-term health and survival of the Pasadena's street trees.
Pasadena is widely known and admired for many unique and distinctive characteristics, including one in particular: our Urban Forest composed of thousands of public and private trees. Our City's streets and neighborhoods are filled with thousands of street trees which provide beauty and shade, and also advance our City's environmental goals and values. Pasadena's public Urban Forest is essential to the character of the City and our quality of life.
However, the health and survival of Pasadena's street trees, often threatened by pests or encroaching development, are now bigger issues than ever.
How? New "baby" street trees in Pasadena are watered regularly by the City for only three years after planting. Then, the City "transfers" the obligation to water the City's street trees to adjacent residential and commercial property owners. Are property owners aware of this obligation? Typically, no. After three years, Pasadena's street trees usually are on their own. And, then there are corner property owners who bear responsibility for street trees on two public streets.
As water becomes scarce, and water rates significantly increase, the impacts of property owners (and tenants) continuing to ignore their responsibility to water adjacent mature street trees is becoming more significant and observable. Perhaps, this transfer of responsibility was not that important before the current long-term drought and the impacts of climate change when the "rainy season" actually provided significant rain and enabled our street trees to survive hot periods. This situation is not true anymore, and Pasadena's mature street trees are in notable decline, particularly along certain valued
05/02/2022
Item 6
corridors such as Green Street. Lack of adequate watering leads over time to poor street tree growth and development and leads to significant tree health and survival issues. For example, from 2018-2020, more than half of all street tree removals were identified as due to drought or "multiple causes" including drought.
What is the answer?
PBF, LVAA and others in the community think that the best answer is for the City to assume responsibility for watering the City's street trees. The City should design, with the help of consultants as needed, and implement, a City-wide permanent program to water Pasadena's street trees. Program design probably should include careful consideration of required amounts and timing of watering considering Pasadena's numerous street tree species, and review of "best practices." Implementation probably should include acquiring necessary additional equipment and assigning necessary Public Works or other staff to this very important public responsibility. An advisory mechanism already exists for this new program: the Urban Forestry Advisory Committee (UFAC).
We urge the City to include consideration of this needed new program in the current Operating (and/or CIP) Budget and start phase one: program planning and design.
Thank you for considering our concerns and comments, and our project proposal.
Sincerely,
nina Chomskey
Nina Chomsky, LVAA Preside
cc: LVAA Board of Directors
rad Hanson, PBF President
cc: PBF Board of Directors
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: John Latta
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2022 9:52 AM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse; Nina Chomsky
Subject: MHNA support of Agenda item 6 Public Forestry city support of watering trees CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. Learn more.. ‹https://mydoit.cityofpasadena.net/sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0010263>.
The Madison Heights Neighborhood Association joins Pasadena Beautiful, LBAA and Livable Pasadena in their support of today's agenda item 6 supporting investigation of the city watering trees in public areas and frontages.
Pasadena's trees are a huge resource and we need to insure that all our trees flourish.
John Latta, MHNA President
-
Sent from my iPhone
05/02/2022
Item 6
RECENTO
2022 MAY -2 AM 10: 36
RESIDENTS
OCIATION
May 2, 2022
City Council
City of Pasadena
VIA EMAIL
RE: City Tree Watering Program —Item 6, FY 2023 Operating Budget The West Pasadena Residents' Association strongly endorses the proposal by the Linda Vista/Annandale Association and the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation for the City to assume responsibility for the watering of Pasadena's street trees.
Pasadena's street trees are a cherished part of our city's image and a counter to the effects of climate change and urban heat. New or replacement street trees are often required of new development; however, the City transfers watering responsibility to the adjacent property owner after three years. The variable and often negative results of indifferent response to tree watering responsibility can stress and ultimately kill vulnerable trees.
WPRA joins with LVAA and PBF in suggesting that the best solution to adequately watering our public trees is for the City to assume the responsibility to water them. This approach will incur some expense; however, in its current budgetary deliberations, the Council should also consider the costs of replacing these trees or worse, doing without them.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Dan Beal
President
The WPRA is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in southwest Pasadena. We have over 1,000 paid members.
WEST PASADENA RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION
POST OFFICE BOX 50252 • PASADENA, CA 91115
05/02/2022
Item 6
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Bert Newton
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2022 4:02 PM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse
Subject: Item #6
CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. Learn more....
Dear Mayor and City Council
Please do not use our general fund to bail out the Rose Bowl. Former manager, Stever Mermel, warned that using the general fund was not the solution. Other funding must be found because it will make other more urgent priorities, such as the health and welfare of our community, much more difficult to fund.
Rev. Bert Newton
Making Housing and Community Happen
05/02/2022
Item 6
1 Suble Pastern
May 2, 2022
City Council
100 North Garfield Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
Re: Local Mobility Analysis, Supplemental Comments
Dear Honorable Mayor Victor Gordo and City Council members:
We strongly support the proposal by Linda-Vista Annandale Association and Pasadena Beautiful to implement a city street tree watering program and urge it's quick funding and adoption. Our street trees are an important investment in our community. It is critical that we care for them and give them the support they need to grow into mature, shade providing trees. We see city trees struggling throughout Pasadena.
Additionally, we request that the city do the outreach necessary to educate homeowners on the importance of street tree care and watering. Particularly as the drought worsens, and we receive less rain each year, the health of our green spaces and street trees will depend on our active care.
Thank you,
Megan Foker
On behalf of Livable Pasadena
05/02/2022
Item 6
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
From: Bert Newton
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2022 4:57 PM
To: PublicComment-AutoResponse
Subject: Item #6
CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. Learn more...
Dear Mayor and City Council,
The budget for the Pasadena Police Department has been increasing by about $3 million per year for the past 5 years, and is by far the largest department budget in the city. It gets more general fund dollars than any other department. 91% of its budget is from the general fund. Meanwhile the Health Department gets no general fund dollars and the housing department gets only $1.5 million per year, half of the annual increase of the Police Department budget.
The police are fielding almost 6,000 calls per year regarding people who are experiencing homelessness. They are also responding to almost 2,000 calls per year for situations involving mental health.
It would be a better use of funds to fund more PORT hours, or even better, something like the CAHOOTS model, which is 24/7 and uses an actual mental health professional.
Please consider this idea as you set the budget for next year.
Thank you,
--
Rev. Bert Newton
Making Housing and Community Happen
05/02/2022
Item 6